#listen they were 5 cents each

[kedreeva]

Setting up to house 300+ day-old pheasant hens for a few days. They will be arriving tomorrow most likely, and I'm very excited to see how this goes.

[crocsandbitches]

Not to get overly sentimental but rap beef is honestly such a creative form of expression. Like we’re going to hold off on kicking the shit out of each other and calling up shooters to make clever rhymes about each other and get the common man saying words like ‘double entendre.’

Here’s a couple of suggestions of other diss tracks to listen to if you’ve found you’ve liked bitchy poetry:

Ether - Nas (2001) - diss track vs Jay Z & widely considered to be one of the best diss tracks ever released. It’s a response to Jay Z’s diss ‘Takeover’ which at the time of its release left people thinking Nas’ career was over and then Nas uno reversed that shit with Ether and it’s still considered to be a miracle that Jay Z managed to maintain his fame.

Hit ‘em up - 2Pac (1996) -diss track vs Biggie & Bad Boy records. Part of the East Coast / West Coast beef. 2Pac was shot 5 times and survived and Biggie released a song called ‘Who Shot Ya.’ Hit em up is Pac’s response and it’s iconic. Plus the tune is groovy as shit.

Real Muthaphuckkin’ G’s - Eazy E (1993) - Dr Dre left his group NWA over a dispute about contracts/pay. He later released a song called ‘Fuck with Dre Day’ where he had a go at Eazy E (the lead rapper of NWA). Eazy released this in response and it’s another groovy, west coast banger.

Story of Adidon- Pusha T (2018) - Pusha T walked so Kendrick Lamar could run. Need I say more.

No Vaseline - Ice Cube (1991) - vs remaining members of NWA. Cube was the first to leave NWA over contracts/pay disputes. The remaining members released an album, with subtle disses against him. Ice Cube, as Ice Cube does, got pissed.

Life’s on the Line - 50 Cent (2003) - adding this because 50 Cent hates as easily as he breathes and it’s something to marvel at. His beef with Ja Rule started in ‘99 when Ja Rule was robbed by 50’s people and then one thing lead to another and 50 was stabbed and then he was shot 9 times. ‘Time is the best medicine-‘ no. no it’s not. If anything 50 gets angrier through the years. 19 years later 50 bought 200 tickets to Ja Rule’s concert so the front rows were completely empty.

[acute-crashout-jeyuso]

Checkmate ( Book 3 of 3: BTR Series ) a Jhea fanfic.

Chapter 5: Illusions..

Flashback: May 25th, 2025 12:47 AM

As the night went on, Jey found himself growing incredibly hungry. The music thumped through the patio speakers, and the party was in full swing outside. He set his beer down on the table, glancing around to make sure no one noticed his escape. The song Shake That Monkey by Too $hort blasted loud, with everyone laughing and hyping each other up.

Jey slipped through the sliding glass doors into the house, letting out a relieved sigh at the sudden quiet. He made his way to the fridge, opening it with anticipation. The cool light illuminated the shelves, stacked with leftovers from the night’s feast.

“Alright, what we got here…” he mumbled to himself, his eyes scanning over containers of ribs, chicken, and a suspiciously large bowl of potato salad. He grabbed a plate and piled it high with everything that caught his eye.

Just as he was about to close the fridge, the sound of footsteps made him freeze. He turned, his mouth already full of a piece of cold chicken.

“Really, babe?” Rhea leaned against the counter, her arms crossed and an amused smirk on her face.

Jey raised an eyebrow, still chewing. “What? A man’s gotta eat.”

Rhea shook her head, walking over to grab a fork from the drawer. “You couldn’t wait until everyone left?”

“Listen, you married me knowing I don’t wait for food,” Jey said, grinning. He held up a rib. “Want some?”

Rhea rolled her eyes but grabbed a piece of chicken off his plate anyway. “Don’t tell me you came in here just to raid the fridge.”

“Maybe I just wanted some peace and quiet with my wife,” Jey said, leaning against the counter and watching her take a bite.

Rhea smirked. “Nice save.”

The two of them stood there for a moment, sharing bites of food and enjoying the rare calm in the middle of the chaos.

From outside, the unmistakable sound of Joe’s booming voice echoed. “HEY, WHERE JEY AT?!”

Rhea chuckled. “You think they’ll notice we’re gone?”

Jey shrugged, grabbing another rib. “Let them wonder.”

Rhea leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder. “This is nice, though. Just us.”

Jey smiled, kissing the top of her head. “Yeah, it is.”

The moment didn’t last long, though, as the patio doors slid open and Trinity poked her head in. “Caught ya! I knew you two were hiding out in here!”

Jey groaned, holding up his plate. “What do you want, Trin? I’m just tryin’ to eat in peace.”

Trinity laughed. “Boy, you better bring some of that food outside before Joe notices you got all the good stuff.”

Jey sighed, grabbing another plate and piling it with food. Rhea grabbed a bag of chips and smiled. “Guess the quiet’s over.”

Jey grinned at her. “At least we had a moment.”

The two of them followed Trinity back outside, where the party was still in full swing. Joe caught sight of the food and shouted, “THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!”

Jey shook his head, laughing as he handed the plate to Joe. “You’re welcome, Tribal Chief.”

As the music continued and the night wore on, Jey couldn’t help but feel grateful. This was his family, his life, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

As the party continued, Jey leaned back in his chair, watching the lively energy around him. The warm night air was filled with laughter and music, and everyone seemed to be lost in their own little moments. He glanced at Rhea, who was sitting a few chairs away, deep in conversation with Liv and Kayden.

Smirking, Jey reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her gently toward him. “C’mere, mama,” he said with a grin.

Rhea raised an eyebrow but let him pull her over. “What’s up?” she asked, her lips curling into a smile.

Instead of answering, Jey pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. The song 21 Questions by 50 Cent began playing through the speakers, and Jey leaned in close, his voice low. “You know this one, right?”

Rhea chuckled. “Of course I do. Classic.”

Jey tilted his head playfully. “Alright, let’s play a game. I’mma ask you the same questions 50’s asking, and you gotta answer honestly.”

Rhea laughed, shaking her head. “Oh, you’re serious? Alright, fine. Hit me.”

As the first verse played, Jey grinned. “If I fell off tomorrow, would you still love me?”

Rhea smirked, tilting her head. “Obviously. You’re stuck with me, remember?”

Jey nodded, satisfied with her answer. “If I didn’t smell so good, would you still hug me?”

Rhea laughed out loud. “What kind of question is that? But yeah, I’d still hug you. I’d probably just tell you to take a shower first.”

Jey chuckled, squeezing her waist. “Fair enough. Alright, if I got locked up and sentenced to a quarter century, could I count on you to be there to support me mentally?”

Rhea’s expression softened, and she turned to face him fully. “You know I’d be there, no matter what. I’d probably cuss you out for getting locked up, though.”

Jey laughed, his eyes lighting up. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

The game continued as the song played, each question drawing more laughter and teasing from the two of them. By the time the chorus hit again, Rhea was leaning against Jey’s chest, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

“You know you’re ridiculous, right?” she said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

Jey grinned, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “And you love it.”

Rhea leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “Yeah, I do.”

From across the patio, Jon called out, “Hey! What y’all over there whispering about?”

Jey smirked, looking over at his brother. “Mindin’ our business, Uce. Try it sometime.”

The group burst into laughter, and Rhea shook her head, resting her head against Jey’s shoulder.

The night carried on, but in that moment, it felt like it was just the two of them, lost in their own little world.

—

May 25th, 2025 11:21 AM Flashback

Rhea whisked the waffle batter as she poured it into the waffle maker, her mind settling into the calming rhythm of the morning. The smell of coffee brewing filled the kitchen as she glanced up and saw Trinity and Jon coming down the stairs, their overnight bags slung over their shoulders.

“You two not staying for breakfast?” Rhea asked, smiling as she tilted her head.

Trinity shook her head apologetically. “No, girl, sorry. Solofa’s already blowing up Jon’s phone about the twins.”

Jon rolled his eyes and held up his phone, which buzzed in his hand. “Man, he’s texted me five times in the last ten minutes. He’s worse than Mom sometimes.”

Rhea chuckled, setting down her whisk. “Alright, go ahead then. But you’re missing out on some damn good waffles.”

Trinity grinned, stepping forward to hug Rhea tightly. “Next time, babe. Thanks for everything—last night was so much fun.”

Jon leaned in for a quick hug as well. “Yeah, sis. We’ll see y’all soon.”

Rhea stood by the front door and waved as they walked outside, the sound of an Uber idling by the curb. She lingered for a moment, watching them climb into the car before it drove off.

She closed the door with a soft sigh, turning to glance around the now-quiet house. Most of the guests had already left earlier that morning. Only Isayah and Dahlia, along with Dominik and Liv, were still here, though all four were still fast asleep.

As she returned to the kitchen, the sound of light footsteps caught her attention. Rhea looked up to see Daya, Jaciyah’s girlfriend, coming down the stairs, her overnight bag slung over her shoulder.

“Morning, Daya,” Rhea greeted warmly, wiping her hands on a towel.

“Morning,” Daya replied, giving her a small wave. “Thanks for letting me crash here last night.”

“Anytime,” Rhea said with a smile. “You headed out?”

“Yeah, my dad thinks I’m at my friends house.” Daya gestured toward the driveway. “Tell Jaciyah I’ll call him later, okay?”

Rhea nodded. “Will do. Drive safe.”

Daya smiled and waved again before heading out to her Malibu, the engine revving softly as she backed out of the driveway and disappeared down the street.

Rhea returned to the kitchen, pouring another batch of waffle batter into the maker. Just as she closed the lid, she heard heavier footsteps coming from the stairs. She looked up, and there was Jey, finally making his way down. His hair was a mess, his mullet sticking out in every direction except straight.

Rhea couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Did you wrestle a bear in your sleep?”

Jey smirked as he scratched his head, his voice still raspy from sleep. “Something like that. You’re lucky you weren’t in the ring with me.”

“Uh-huh,” Rhea teased, pouring him a cup of coffee and handing it to him. “You want waffles or just the coffee?”

Jey took the mug and leaned on the counter, his eyes scanning the kitchen. “Both. I’m starving. Smells good in here, though.”

“Of course it does. I’m the one cooking,” Rhea quipped, earning a chuckle from Jey as he took a sip of his coffee.

The two shared a quiet moment, the peacefulness of the morning settling over them like a blanket. For all the chaos of their lives, mornings like this made it all worth it.

Jey set his mug down on the counter, his dark eyes glinting with mischief as he leaned against it.

"Come over here, you beautiful goddess," he murmured, his deep voice low and inviting.

Rhea smirked, wiping her hands on the towel again before sauntering over to him. "What do you want now, Fatu?" she teased, though the grin on her face gave her away.

Jey grinned, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him. "Bring this sexy thang over here," he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear.

Rhea giggled, her hands resting on his chest.

"What are you up to?"

"I was thinkin'.." Jey's voice was thick with suggestion as he leaned down, planting soft, deliberate kisses along her neck with each word he spoke. "After breakfast... maybe me... you... a little husband and wife time... back in the bedroom."

Rhea shivered slightly under his touch, tilting her head to look at him with a playful smile. "What's in the bedroom?" she asked coyly.

Jey's lips grazed her jawline as he hummed.

"Hmm... maybe me... you... and some magic we didn't get to finish last night."

Just as Rhea was about to respond, a loud and awkward cough broke the moment. "Ugh. Did I interrupt something?"

Rhea and Jey both turned to see Dominik standing in the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck with an apologetic grimace. He was clad in one of Jey's oversized YEET shirts, clearly having forgotten to pack pajamas the night before.

Rhea let out a snort of laughter, quickly pulling away from Jey as she tried to compose herself.

"Dom! Don't you knock or something?" she teased, though the humor was evident in her voice.

Dominik shrugged, looking anywhere but at them.

"Didn't realize the kitchen was... uh, occupied like that. I just came for coffee."

Jey sighed, running a hand down his face as he tried to keep from laughing. "Man, you're killing me. There's coffee right there." He pointed toward the pot. "Help yourself."

Dominik nodded and quickly shuffled to the coffee machine, avoiding eye contact. "You two... carry on. Pretend I'm not even here," he muttered awkwardly.

Rhea leaned into Jey, her laughter barely contained as she whispered, "Guess that's your karma for calling me a goddess."

Jey smirked, his hand slipping back to her waist as he murmured, "Nah, the goddess part's still true. Just gotta wait till we're alone to prove it now."

Rhea rolled her eyes but couldn't stop smiling, the warmth of the moment carrying them through the hilariously awkward interruption.

—

Flashback August 27th, 2025 – 6:00 PM Jon and Trinity’s Stamford Home.

Jon sat in the living room of his house, eyes glued to the TV, waiting for his brother Jey to text him. They had dinner plans later, but Jey was late. He thought about calling, but just as he was about to reach for his phone, the news anchor on Stamford 6 News broke in with an urgent report.

“We have breaking news that has been confirmed by Stamford PD at exactly 12:02 PM today: former WWE superstar, Hall of Famer, and current WWE Executive Writer Demi Fatu, aka Rhea Ripley, has been kidnapped from WWE Headquarters.”

“What the shit?” Jon muttered under his breath, slowly standing up as the report echoed in his ears.

Jon’s heart dropped. His body tensed as his eyes widened, unable to process what he’d just heard. His mind couldn’t make sense of the words, but his body moved before he could think.

His thoughts were racing. Rhea? Kidnapped? He barely had time to register the words when he heard footsteps behind him. Trinity appeared in the doorway, holding Judah tightly in her arms, her face pale and streaked with tears.

“Jon, Jon, it’s not true, is it?” Trinity asked, her voice shaky, her eyes wide with fear and disbelief.

Jon turned to her, still reeling from the news. “He just said Rhea’s name!” he said hoarsely.

Trinity’s face crumpled in shock, tears spilling over as she shook her head in denial. “Oh my God, what about Jey? What’s he gonna do?” she whispered, panic setting in.

Jon didn’t think twice. His brother was all he could think about now. He grabbed his keys and bolted out the door, not even sparing a glance at his wife, who was calling his name in vain.

“Jon!” Trinity’s voice was desperate, but Jon ignored it. His mind was already racing—he had to get to Jey, make sure he was okay, and find out what happened to Rhea.

Jon’s car screeched to a halt in front of Jey and Rhea’s house. The moment he stepped out, he could see the flashing lights of the police vehicles, and he immediately noticed the officers talking to his brother. His stomach dropped as he saw Jey, standing by the front door, clearly enraged. Jon heard him yell out, “Fuck!” and watched in disbelief as his brother punched the door in frustration.

Jon’s heart ached at the sight. Without thinking, he rushed over to his brother, his feet moving faster than his thoughts. He reached Jey just as his brother slammed his fist into the door once more, his body trembling with anger and fear.

Jon grabbed him by the shoulder. “Josh, it’s gonna be okay, man. Let’s talk.”

Jey whipped around, his eyes wild, and shoved Jon away with a force that surprised him. “No!” he shouted, his voice cracking. “It’s not fucking okay! Rhea’s gone, Jon! She’s fucking gone!”

Jon’s heart broke for his brother. He didn’t know what to say, but he knew they needed to stick together, now more than ever. He turned to the officers, demanding, “Give us some space!”

The cops, understanding the situation, stepped back slightly, but it was clear Jey wasn’t listening to anyone. In a fit of rage, Jey turned and ran upstairs, his footsteps heavy with urgency.

Jon, refusing to let his brother spiral, ran after him, not even pausing to look back. The EMT, who had been on standby just in case things got out of hand, followed close behind.

Jon reached the top of the stairs, only to see Jey pacing in their shared bedroom, his hands tugging at his hair, his face red with frustration. “I can’t lose her, Jon. I can’t lose her!” Jey screamed, his voice full of pain.

“Josh, listen to me,” Jon said softly, trying to approach him. “We’ll find her. We’ll get her back.”

But Jey was too far gone, too deep in his own panic. He swung his fist wildly, striking out in desperation. Jon barely dodged the punch, but it was clear his brother wasn’t in his right mind.

Before Jon could react, the EMT stepped in, trying to calm Jey down. But Jey fought back, pushing and shoving as he tried to break free. His movements were erratic, fueled by the stress of the situation.

The EMT, seeing how unstable Jey was, quickly administered a sedative, his actions quick and efficient. Within moments, Jey’s body slumped, his eyes fluttering as he passed out.

Jon, his heart pounding, felt a rush of helplessness. He bent down next to his brother, his own tears threatening to spill. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He had promised Rhea that he would protect Jey, but now, it felt like everything was falling apart.

As the EMT began to check on Jey, Jon stood up, his eyes still locked on his brother’s unconscious form. He wasn’t sure what to do next, but one thing was clear—someone took Jey’s heartbeat, Jey’s reason to live… Jey’s breath.

After about twenty minutes, Jon carefully laid Jey down on the bed, ensuring his brother was as comfortable as possible despite the chaotic situation. The sedation was starting to take effect, but Jey’s face still twisted in pain and confusion, a silent testament to the deep agony he must have been feeling.

Just as Jon straightened up, he heard the sound of an engine pulling up outside. His head turned toward the window, and soon enough, he saw Trinity walking through the door, her face lined with worry but carrying herself with a calm strength. She had clearly just driven over in her new Escalade.

“I called the sitter from down the street,” Trinity said, her voice steady as she crossed the room. “She’ll be with Jarrell and Judah tonight.”

Jon sighed, relief flashing across his face for a brief moment. With everything else going on, at least his sons would be safe and taken care of. It was one less thing to worry about, even if only for the night.

Trinity stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him. Jon held her tightly, letting the warmth of her embrace ground him, if only for a second. But the weight of the situation quickly came rushing back, and before Jon could speak, a uniformed cop entered the room, his face hard and serious.

“We’re doing everything we can, but I suggest someone stay with your brother,” the cop said, his gaze shifting between Jon and Trinity. “Given he’s a brand new father to a newborn, it might be best for him to have someone close by right now.”

Jon’s heart clenched at the mention of Jey’s new role as a father. Rhea’s kidnapping was affecting everyone, but it had to be devastating for Jey, who had barely had time to adjust to life with his new family. He needed support, and Jon wouldn’t leave him alone.

“I’ll stay with him,” Jon said firmly, his voice full of determination. He didn’t even need to look at Trinity to know she would support him. She gave him a quiet nod, then gently stepped aside to let the cop exit.

After the cop left, Trinity leaned down and kissed Jon’s cheek. “I’ll see to things downstairs, make sure everything’s in order with the police,” she said quietly. “You take care of Jey.”

Jon nodded, his gaze returning to his brother, still lying on the bed, unconscious but restless. “Thanks, Trin.”

Trinity exited the room, leaving Jon alone with Jey. As the door closed, Jon sat down in the chair next to the bed, his eyes never leaving his brother’s face. He could barely believe what had happened—how quickly their world stopped.

Downstairs, Trinity had just entered the living room when she saw Rhea’s parents and sister Calista standing by the front door, their expressions filled with dread. The news had spread quickly, and they’d arrived, unsure of what to expect.

Trinity approached them slowly, her heart aching for Rhea’s family. Seeing them in pain was just another reminder of how real this situation was.

Rhea’s mother, a woman who had always been strong and stoic, stood frozen, her hand covering her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. “Trinity, what do we know?” she asked, her voice wavering.

Trinity felt the knot in her throat tighten. She wanted to reassure Rhea’s family, but the truth was, no one knew much of anything. Not yet.

“We’re waiting on updates from the police,” Trinity said, trying to keep her voice steady. “But they’re doing everything they can to find her.”

Calista looked at Trinity with frantic eyes. “How could this happen? Rhea… she’s not just anyone, she’s…” Her voice trailed off as she sank into one of the chairs, the weight of the situation finally breaking her.

“I know, Calista,” Trinity said softly, sitting beside her. “But they will find her. We have to believe that.”

Rhea’s mother, ever the protector, shook her head, her eyes filled with pain. “My daughter is out there… someone has her. How could they do this?”

“I don’t know,” Trinity whispered, feeling helpless. She wanted to give them the answers, but the situation was slipping through her fingers, and no one had any concrete information yet. “We just have to hold on. We can’t give up on her.”

As the family absorbed the gravity of what had happened, Trinity couldn’t help but feel a gnawing sense of fear. There was a part of her that was terrified—terrified for Rhea, for Jey, for the future of their family.

She wiped her eyes and stood up. “I’ll check with the cops again. But stay close, alright? You’re not alone in this.”

Rhea’s mother nodded, though the look on her face showed that, just like everyone else, she was struggling to cope with the unknown.

Upstairs, Jon remained by Jey’s side, staring at his brother’s face, willing him to wake up and snap out of whatever nightmare had taken hold. But for now, all he could do was sit in silence, his mind racing with questions he didn’t have the answers to.

The whole world had been turned upside down in the blink of an eye, and none of them had a clue what was coming next.

—

The hours had stretched on, and the house had become a place of tense silence, the air thick with unspoken worry. Rhea’s father was growing increasingly restless. His eyes darted around the living room, constantly searching, hoping for something, anything, to give him some semblance of peace. But there was nothing. No updates. No answers. Just the weight of the unknown. His daughter was missing, and the emptiness in the house felt suffocating.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Rhea’s father muttered, his voice thick with frustration and grief. He turned to his wife, then back to the others. “I can’t stand being here, in her house, without her. Without knowing if she’s alright.”

Rhea’s mother, still quiet with worry, nodded slowly but didn’t respond. The thought of their daughter being out there, in danger, was more than either of them could bear. Rhea’s father’s hands trembled as he grabbed his phone again, checking for any updates that never came.

In the midst of the tension, the conversation shifted as Rhea’s father made a sudden decision. “I’m taking Jeyson,” he said, his voice hard, almost desperate. “I won’t leave without him. He should be with us. He needs his family, his real family.”

Trinity, who had been standing nearby, her eyes filled with concern but her posture rigid with determination, stepped forward immediately. “You’re not taking him,” she said firmly, looking Rhea’s father in the eye. “Jeyson stays here with his father, and right now, Jey’s not well. He’s barely holding it together. You can’t just take him.”

Rhea’s father frowned, his frustration quickly turning to anger. “He’s my grandson, and I’ll decide what’s best for him. I’m not going to leave him here while this… while all of this is going on.”

But Trinity didn’t back down. “Jeyson is six days old. He’s not going on a sixteen-hour flight to Australia, especially not now. I can promise you, my father-in-law, Solofa, and my mother-in-law, Talisua, will be here on the next flight to Stamford. They can help Jey with Jeyson, but not until everything settles.”

Rhea’s father stood still for a moment, considering her words. The desperation to have his family close to him was strong, but the reality of the situation was sinking in. It wasn’t the right time. Jey was barely holding it together, and Jeyson needed stability more than anything.

Rhea’s mother stepped in then, her voice laced with frustration. “This isn’t right. Our daughter’s missing, and you’re talking about waiting? Jeyson should be with family. He belongs with us.”

Jon, who had been standing quietly near the door, spoke up. “My wife is right. And Jeyson needs his father, especially now. Jey’s not in any condition to be traveling, and neither is Jeyson. I won’t let you take him on a plane for that long.”

Rhea’s father shot Jon a sharp look. “You think you know what’s best for my grandson?”

Jon took a step closer, his voice calm but firm. “I’m not here to argue. I’m here to make sure Jeyson is safe and stays with his family right now. And his family is here. You need to understand that.”

A tense silence hung between them, the weight of the conversation settling heavily in the room. Rhea’s mother’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she said nothing more. She knew Jon was right, even if her heart was torn apart by the situation.

Finally, Rhea’s father nodded, though reluctantly. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “But we’re selling our home in Australia. We’re moving here to Stamford. We’ll be close to our daughter, and to Jeyson.”

Jon took a deep breath, nodding slowly. “I understand. But for now, let’s remain civil..”

Rhea’s parents, clearly upset, exchanged a final look before turning and walking toward the door. Calista, Rhea’s sister, followed them without saying a word, her eyes haunted with worry. The heavy sound of the door closing behind them marked the end of the conversation, but the tension in the room lingered.

As they left, Jon let out a slow breath. The next few hours would be even harder, but for now, they had to focus on keeping Jeyson safe and taking care of each other. This situation was far from over, and there was still so much they didn’t know. But they had to stay strong, for Jeyson, for Rhea, and for the family they were trying so desperately to hold together.

As Jon made his way upstairs to be with Jey, the weight of the situation hung heavily in the air. The house felt more like a prison with every passing second, and the uncertainty of Rhea’s disappearance gnawed at Jon’s insides. But he couldn’t let that show—not now. His brother needed him more than ever, and he wouldn’t let Jey face this alone.

Meanwhile, Trinity moved with quiet urgency, her mind racing as she worked to secure the house. She first went to the door and locked it behind her, ensuring that no one could enter without their knowledge. But it wasn’t just the door that needed attention. Trinity moved quickly to the security system, punching in the code to the gate and setting it to lock. No one would be able to access the property without their permission, not even with the proper code. It was just another layer of protection, one more step in ensuring that Jeyson, and everyone else, remained safe in the midst of the chaos.

Then, with a final glance around the house, Trinity took it upon herself to change the codes. She knew Jey trusted her to handle things like this, to keep everything in order, even if the world felt like it was falling apart. As the new codes were set, a faint sound from the nursery caught her attention—the unmistakable cry of baby Jeyson.

Trinity’s heart clenched at the sound. She knew she couldn’t leave him crying, not when Jeyson needed someone. Her gaze fell upon the counter, where the formula was still sitting, and beside it, a pamphlet with instructions on how to prepare the bottle. It was a small thing, but it made her realize just how much they had all been thrown into this whirlwind without much time to prepare.

With quick, practiced hands, Trinity prepared the bottle. The instructions were simple, but she still double-checked the measurements, ensuring that everything was perfect for the little one. When the bottle was ready, she made her way upstairs, her steps light but quick. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency, knowing that the baby needed comforting and care right now, just like everyone else in the house.

When she stepped into the nursery, Trinity’s heart warmed at the sight of baby Jeyson, his tiny face scrunched up in distress. She couldn’t bear to see him upset, especially with everything else going on. She moved to the crib and gently scooped him up, her arms instinctively cradling him against her chest.

“Hey, chunky monkey,” she whispered softly, her voice tender as she rocked him in her arms. The nickname Rhea had given him in a moment of lightheartedness now felt like a small comfort in the midst of all the fear. Jeyson’s cries slowly began to subside as she adjusted him to take the bottle. She smiled down at him, grateful for this moment of normalcy, even if it was brief.

As Jeyson drank from the bottle, Trinity’s mind wandered back to Jey and Jon. She knew Jon was doing everything he could to be there for his brother, but it still wasn’t enough to ease the weight of the situation. And Rhea… Where was she? What had happened to her?

The questions swirled in her mind, but for now, all she could do was focus on the little boy in her arms. He needed her, just as Jey and Rhea needed them all. And that was all that mattered.

—

Jey woke up at 7:42 AM, the effects of the sedative wearing off. He blinked several times, his bloodshot eyes adjusting to the dim morning light filtering through the curtains. His body ached, and his mind was a tangled mess of emotions. He turned his head to see Jon lying beside him in bed, fast asleep. Jon looked exhausted, his face etched with worry even in sleep.

Quietly, Jey slid out of bed, his movements slow and deliberate. He padded down the hallway and stopped at the nursery. Pushing the door open, he found Trinity curled up in the rocking chair, her head tilted to the side as she slept. Jeyson was in his crib, his tiny body rising and falling with each peaceful breath. For a moment, the sight grounded him, but the peace was fleeting.

Jey left the nursery, his steps growing heavier as he walked to the guest bedroom. When he opened the door, he was confronted with the overwhelming presence of Rhea—the walls covered in posters from every era of her career. It was like stepping into a shrine, one that celebrated every phase of the woman he loved but also reminded him of the parts of her life she had kept from him.

He turned on the light, the fluorescent glow illuminating every inch of the room. Rage bubbled up inside him, rising like a tidal wave he couldn’t control. The emotions he’d been suppressing—the pain, the fear, the betrayal—burst forth all at once.

Jey’s fist connected with the framed poster closest to him, the glass shattering and slicing his knuckles. Blood began to drip onto the floor, but he didn’t care. He stared at the image of Rhea smiling, her arm raised in victory, and his anger exploded.

“WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU LIED TO ME ABOUT?!” Jey screamed, his voice echoing off the walls. He grabbed the lamp from the nightstand and hurled it at another poster, the sound of the glass breaking feeding his rage.

He punched the wall repeatedly, the sharp pain in his fists barely registering. Blood smeared across the posters as he struck them over and over again. “WHY DO YOU KEEP LYING TO ME?!” he demanded, his voice cracking with anguish.

Blinded by fury, Jey continued to trash the room. He ripped the posters from the walls, tearing them to shreds. Grabbing the lampshade, he threw it with all his strength at another framed image of Rhea. His breath came in ragged gasps, his vision tunneling as his emotions consumed him.

“YOU WERE JUST SUPPOSED TO ONLY BE A FUCKING WRESTLER!” Jey bellowed, his voice breaking with raw emotion. In a final act of rage, he grabbed the nightstand and hurled it against the wall. The wood splintered on impact, pieces scattering across the room.

The commotion woke Jon, who bolted upright in bed. He quickly located the source of the noise and ran toward the guest room. When he opened the door, he froze for a split second, taking in the destruction. Jey stood in the center of the room, his chest heaving, his hands bloodied, and his eyes filled with a pain so deep it was unbearable to witness.

Jon didn’t say a word. He rushed to his brother and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. Jey resisted at first, struggling against Jon’s hold, but the fight quickly left him. His knees buckled, and the two brothers sank to the floor.

Jey sobbed violently, the sounds ripping from his chest with a force that shook his entire body. “I don’t know what to do, man..” he choked out between gasps. “I can’t—I can’t lose her. I can’t.”

Jon held him tighter, feeling the warmth of Jey’s blood staining his hands and soaking into his white shirt. But he didn’t care. All that mattered was being there for his brother, grounding him in a moment when everything else felt like it was falling apart.

Meanwhile, in the nursery, Trinity rocked Jeyson in her arms, whispering soothing words to calm the terrified newborn. The crashes and screams had startled him awake, his cries piercing through the chaos. “Shh, baby, it’s okay,” Trinity murmured, holding him close. “Daddy’s just hurting, but Uncle Jon is with him. We’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

As Jey continued to cry in Jon’s arms, the wreckage of the room around them mirrored the wreckage in his heart. But in that moment, with his brother by his side, he let himself feel the full weight of his grief, hoping that somehow, amidst all the pain, they could find a way to bring Rhea home.

—

Flashback: September 5th, 2025 – 11:21 AM

Solofa and Talisua stepped out of the Uber, their footsteps slow and deliberate as they watched the car drive away. The air was thick with the tension of the last few weeks, the emotional weight visible in the furrow of Solofa’s brow and the quiet determination in Talisua’s eyes. They walked to the gate of Jey and Rhea’s property, the silence between them speaking volumes.

Solofa entered the gate code with steady hands, the sound of the gates creaking open breaking the stillness of the morning. They stepped inside and waited for the gate to close behind them with a solid clang before making their way up the driveway.

Reaching the front door, Talisua entered the code with a soft click, and the door unlocked. Inside, the house was eerily quiet, save for the faint hum of the air conditioning. They found Jonathan in the kitchen, leaning heavily against the counter. His face was a portrait of exhaustion—dark circles under his eyes and a hollowness in his gaze that betrayed his emotional toll.

Solofa immediately approached his son, pulling him into a firm, grounding hug. “Jon,” he said softly, though his tone carried the weight of his concern.

Jonathan let out a heavy sigh, leaning into his father’s embrace for a moment before stepping back. “Dad,” he began, his voice hoarse. “It happened again. I had to call EMS to sedate Jey—again. This is the fourth time. They wanted to put him on a psych hold, but I…I couldn’t let them.”

Solofa’s jaw tightened, his hand resting on Jonathan’s shoulder as he exchanged a glance with Talisua. “We’re sorry we couldn’t get here sooner,” Solofa said. “We had to have arrangements to get everything settled in Florida, or we would’ve been here last week. But we’re here now, son. How’s the baby?”

Jonathan shook his head, his voice breaking. “I’ve been doing my best to take care of little Jeyson, but…he cries for Rhea all the time. It’s like he knows she’s gone, Dad. He’s too young to understand, but…” He paused, swallowing hard.

Talisua stepped forward, her voice soft but firm. “Babies feel energy, Jon,” she said gently. “Right now, everything is chaotic, and he’s reacting to that. He needs stability, and so do you.”

Jonathan nodded, but his expression grew darker as he continued. “It’s not just that. Rhea’s family came by yesterday.” His voice turned bitter. “They threatened to call CPS. They said Jey’s not fit to take care of Jeyson, and they don’t think I’m capable either. They want to take him away, Dad.”

The room grew heavier, Solofa’s broad shoulders tensing as he absorbed his son’s words. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his voice low and steady but filled with an unmistakable edge. “Not on my watch,” he said firmly. “No one is taking that boy away from this family. You hear me, Jon? No one.”

Jonathan nodded, his hands trembling slightly as he leaned back against the counter. “I just…I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” he admitted, his voice breaking. “I’ve got my wife to think about, my kids. I’m trying, Dad, but I feel like I’m drowning here.”

Solofa moved closer, placing both hands on Jonathan’s shoulders, his gaze steady and reassuring. “Jon,” he said, his tone softening but still firm. “Do you remember what I used to tell you and Joshua when you were kids? No matter what happens, I’ll always take care of you. Well, now it’s time for me to prove that. Go home, be with your family. I’ve got this.”

Jonathan hesitated, his eyes welling up as he looked at his father. “I don’t know what to say,” he whispered.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Solofa replied, pulling his son into another hug. “We’re family, Jon. And family takes care of each other. Now go. Your wife and kids need you, and we’ll handle things here.”

Talisua stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Jonathan’s arm. “We’ll call you if anything changes,” she promised. “But for now, trust us. Go home and rest.”

Jonathan nodded finally, his movements slow but resolute. He grabbed his keys and turned toward the door. Before he left, he glanced back at his parents, his voice trembling as he spoke. “Thank you. I love you both.”

“We love you too,” Talisua said softly, a faint smile on her lips.

As the door closed behind Jonathan, Solofa turned to Talisua, a look of steely determination in his eyes. “It’s time to take control of this situation,” he said. “This family has been through too much, and I’m not letting it fall apart now.”

Talisua nodded, her expression just as resolute. Together, they climbed the stairs, ready to face the chaos and begin the process of rebuilding what had been broken.

[mentally-unstable-hottie13]

⭐️Senior year sucks ⭐️

Henry Bowers x FEM!reader

Chapter 1 here

Chapter summery: you and Kevin get into some fun shenanigans, Henry is becoming a little more than just an asshole to you.

Word count: 3,055

Estimated read time: 14 minutes.

Chapter Tw: violence against female reader, swearing, name calling, bruising.

A/N: we are finally getting into some reader x Henry territory but, please understand. Henry is a complex and mean character. The pair here have some hurdles to get over before they can get to where we want. This is a dark slower burn story. Have fun!

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Chapter 4

You can try the cops

The 4 teenage boys fuck around in the back CD section and it is so disgustingly obvious that they are stealing shit. After they pocket whatever they find interesting, they wander around the store aimlessly for 5 minutes. Only stopping to look at any album with a half naked girl on it. You quickly push the little red button under the counter and continue strumming. You were glad you had put on your cardigan to hide your tattoo before you came to work. You can hear killer and Kevin in the back playing. That made you smile.

The boys finally decide they are done and try to head out the door. The tall one with longer black hair reached for the door only to find that it’s been locked.

“What the fuck? It’s locked?” He looks back at the other boys before they all look to you.

“Open the fucking door” the tall boy grits.

“Empty your pockets.” You calmly state without even looking up from where your fingers are meeting the strings.

“What the fuck did you just say you little shit?” Bowers spits at you. You wonder what his first name was. Surely it can’t be Bowers. That’s a dumb fucking first name.

You roll your eyes and set the guitar in a stand beside you before rising from your seat.

“I said empty your pockets. And I’d be quieter if I was you, boss is really cracking down on stealing these days. Last thing we all want is the cops here. But ya’know if y’all wanna try the cops nerves be my guest. I’m tryna help you.” They all look to Bowers and with an angry grunt he puts 2 CD’s on the counter. The rest of the boys follow suit and drop a total of 6 CD’s. You look at the price labels. The total came to about $56.

“There.” He fumed at you. “Unlock the fucking door” he demanded.

“Not just yet.” You pull out the scanner and scan all the CDs. you could see the chubby and blonde boys grow pale. You knew that they didn’t have the money. They thought you were charging them. You were right, the total came to $56 and a couple cents. You bag up all 6 of the disks and put the bag on the counter. Bowers and the tall kid were glaring at you, looking about ready to leap over the counter and kill you. You pull out your wallet and put the money into the cash register before unlocking the doors.

“Enjoy the CD’s!” You smiled nastily at them.

The chubby kid snatched the bag from the counter and they all stomped away. You giggle. God those boys were just nasty with the way they behaved. You sat back in your spinning chair

Kevin came out again with a new filled crate.

“Those fuckers give you any issues?” He prodded.

“Nope,” you smiled.

“Did they steal anything?”

“Nope I made sure”

Kevin watches the boys argue through the front window. They yell at each other then pile into that sporty blue car.

“What kinda car is that?” You ask

“Issa Trans Am. Really nice car.” Kevin’s answers quickly.

“What’s that Bowers kids name? Everyone calls him Bowers but that’s a dumb ass name I refuse to believe that’s it.” You snort.

“Henry” Kevin answers while going back to re-stocking.

Hm. Henry Bowers. He’s cute. Just your type. Kinda an asshole. But that doesn't make him less attractive.

“How’s about you help me with all these so we can finish before 9 and go to the store. I need some real food.”

“Bet” you hop up and go to him.

The two of you listen to music, laugh and giggle and play with killer while you work. You had gotten done about an hour early and the sun had already set. Kevin locks up, tosses your bike into the back and y’all head to the nearest grocery store.

The adventure in the store wasn’t very long. The pair of you got a lot of looks from workers about how much fun you were having. Kevin would try on a maternity dress and continue to shop in it. You would take a stab at juggling some metal cans. At one point Kevin hopped in the cart with killer and you ran with the cart down a straight shot before hopping up to ride the cart with them. You quickly crashed into a barrel of watermelons. Before security could kick y’all out you grabbed the last of what y’all needed and paid. It was raining. The sun was gone and it was raining. It was beautiful.

Kev's truck was the only one in the middle of the almost completely vacant parking lot. A few campers were parked here and there and a few cars were hidden in the shadows of the very edges of the lot. You ran to the truck with Kev and laughed. As soon as you reached the truck and he unlocked the tailgate he threw you the keys to start her up. You turned the key in the ignition and the truck bounced to life. The radio started playing “she's out of her mind��� by Blink-182.

You turn it all the way up and jump out of the truck and appear in front of your friend who had just finished putting up the groceries.

You grab his hand and take him and killer a little bit away from the truck and start dancing to the music with him. You couldn’t dance. You knew you weren’t good at it. But for now you don't have to be good at it. You had to be you. Just you Kevin and killer, dancing in the rain. Kevin spun you and dipped you to the upbeat lyrics.

I’m in deep with this girl but she’s out of her mind!

You jumped and squealed with laughter while Kevin picked you up above I his head and spun.

She said babe I’m sorry but I’m crazy tonight!

He set you down for just a moment before he pointed at you and shimmied for the next set of words.

She’s got a black shirt, black skirt, and Bauhaus stuck in her head!

You laughed and twirled like the song was about you

He took killer by the paws and began to pretend to waltz with him.

I’m in deep with this girl but she’s out of her mind!

All of you, including killer , began to do that funny kind of dancing where you just jump. You and Kevin yelled with the remaining part of the lyrics and then the song ended.

You and Kevin couldn’t stop laughing. You close your eyes for a breather and without warning Kevin picked you up and hauled you over his shoulder. You began to twist and cackle while he took you and killer back to the truck. You all take a breath and Kev drives out of the lot. You sit, laughing, heaving breathing, and shivering from the rain

On the ride home you were really able to get a good look at your best friend. You hadn’t really looked at him since you’ve been here. He’s taller. You remember him being tall but he's really tall, maybe 6’2? 6 '4 even? His skin is darker. You knew he had a lot of work to do on his property but you didn’t think it would give him the tan nor the muscle it did. He wore glasses and had tattoos. Some new. Some old. They were so distinctly him. You could never imagine him without his tattoos. He had longer hair but not shoulder length. It was shaggy on top and in the back but well kept around the ears. You knew it was because he fucking hated the feeling of hair on his ears. His hair, your hair, his moms hair. Anyone’s fucking hair touched this dudes ears and he would go on a rampage.

You get home and put up all the groceries before showering and getting ready for bed. You usher killer onto the bed to shut off the light. Today was pretty okay. You were glad you got Kev to relax. You both needed some slack. You hoped tomorrow would be good too.

Little did you know tomorrow would only be the start of a living hell. What was it with you and not seeing people that ought to be seen in darkness?

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Your morning was uneventful and repetitive as you got ready and rode to school. You made your way to your Chem class 2 minutes early and took the window seat. It was due to rain again within the hour. You wanted to see it. Henry be damned. You look out the open classroom window before closing your eyes with a deep inhale. You were wearing another sweater but you still felt a chill as the wind gently caressed your body. Maybe you should have brought an umbrella.

You hear someone beside you sit before knocking into your chair. The only logical answer was Henry. You open your eyes and turn to make contact with the one and only Henry Bowers. He looked mad. Whether about the store or the seat you didn’t know, but you tried your best to ignore him. That task proved difficult as he kicked your chair and knocked your shit off your desk all class. What a childish asshole!

This would be a long fuckin day.

You carried on about the next 2 periods with little to no problem, but you were the last to exit your third period classroom. Even the teacher had fled out as the lunch bell rang. As you get up to leave and find the group someone came up behind you, grabbed your arm and yanked you back.

“¡Ayee!¿¡Qué La chingada!? Bro! What the fuck?!”You yelled, turning around to see none other than Henry bowers.

Oh fuck. You think to yourself. You are in a completely empty class with a fucking crazy person and no one is going to be coming back for at least another 45 minutes.

“What do you want, Bowers?” You asked indignantly, holding your head up.

“I know what you are~” he says to you in a crazy almost singsong way.

“What the fuck are you talking about” you are getting increasingly annoyed with his hand on you.

His face grows angry as he pushes you into a wall before getting in your face.

“You’re A fucking whore.” He spits. You can feel the heat of his face lapping at yours from how close he is , but you don’t flinch. You won't cower. “I should have known from the fucking second you came into my town, that you were a fucking prostitute!”

You pushed him away and tried to walk out. “I don’t know what the fuck you are talking about!” You shout as you try to pass him.

“Don’t fucking walk away from me!” He shouts, grabbing you roughly by the arm. It hurt so bad it felt like his skin was made of fire, burning your flesh.

“DONT FUCKING TOUCH ME!” You scream and turn to smack him across the face.

He stumbles back and you take the opportunity to flee. You don’t look back as you leave Henry in the classroom and run to your bike rack where the rest of the group is waiting for you.

“Woah! what the fuck happened to you?” Richie asks loudly. Making everyone look at you. You had tears down your face and you were panting from running.

“A-a-a-are you ok?” Billy asked you, stepping closer.

You haven’t been this panicked since your mother…

“He-“ you huffed and gulped trying to get the word out. “Henry” you finally said. Everyone looks at each other and Beverly steps forward.

“Did he hurt you?” She asks worriedly.

You look away from her eyes and move your arm, telling her all she needs to know.

“Can I see?” She gently takes your hand and tries to get your eyes' attention.

You didn’t want this. What if they told people about your tattoos? You just got here! This place is so old fashioned in its views you haven’t even seen any adult other than Kev with tattoos. You’ll be ground into mud.

“Please.” You sob to her. “Don’t tell anyone.”

She nods at you and you want to believe her. “We won’t tell anyone” she looks at the others. “Right boys?” They all nod and try to lean in to get a closer look. Beverly pulls up the sleeve of your sweater to reveal the green vines that have been stained into your gentle skin. Her eyes crawl over every scar the tattoo has covered. From small circular ones to deeper older ones. She eventually pulls your sleeve up to your elbow to reveal that at the top of your forearm is the shape of a hand that’s already starting to bruise.

“It’s just a bruise. It doesn't appear to be broken” she smiles gently at you.

“W-w-w-woah. That’s beautiful” Billy says in regards to the vines.

You smile. “You guys can’t tell anyone?” you repeat.

“We won’t.” Beverly states.

“Good idea though.” Eddie pipes up. “Ya know. Hiding them. People here don’t like that kinda stuff.”

“Yeah I noticed” you huffed a laugh.

“L-l-l-looks like you are finally a part of the losers club.” Billy smiles wide.

“Losers club?”

“You’ve become a target for Bowers. That makes you one of us now! Welcome to the club of losers! Where no one really likes us and we don’t really like anyone else!” Richie announces like a game show host. You snort.

“Yeah. That sounds good” you pause. “By the way… how fuckin old are y’all? I been meaning to ask and legit can not figure it out.”

You all laugh.

Beverly answers you sweetly. “We are all sophomores. You?”

“Oh shit, I’m a senior.”

They all nod and laugh. All of you continue talking until lunch is over.

“I think I’m gonna head home early today. I ain’t want another run in with that asshole.” You take your bike off the rack as the end of lunch bell rings. They all wave you goodbye as you ride away. You get to the shop early and greet Kevin as usual.

“Honey I’m home!” You shout. The customers shopping look at you funny. Kevin runs out and looks at you.

“Hey why are you here? School isn’t out for like another 4 hours?” He scratched his head in confusion.

“Bad day. I didn’t wanna deal. Plus it’s only the second day. They usually don’t start teaching till the 4th day or so.”

You hugged super quick and you changed into your work clothes in the back room and sat with killer because technically you weren’t supposed to be working right now and all the restocking was done yesterday. After about an hour Kevin came into the back room to talk to you.

“Hey I- woah, who gave you the print?” He pointed at your arm.

You didn’t usually like lying to Kevin but you felt like now was the time. “Some bitch in calc grabbed me thinking I was someone else. That’s the problem when everyone here dresses like women in the 50’s who were finally permitted to wear pants” at this he snorted.

“I gotta head out for a sec, come watch the front with killer till I get back.” He tossed you the keys and left. The store was as quiet and slow as it usually is so you sat on your phone and listened to some music. You were relaxed and found euphoria in being alone and having time to yourself. That was until someone came in. He grabbed you by your hair over the counter to make you look at him. Henry fucking Bowers. Killer started going crazy and took Henry’s pant leg before Henry kicked him.

“Calm down your bitch before I fucking kill it!!” He screamed at you.

You sobbed and agreed. “Killer!” The dog immediately stilled. “Down boy!” The dog calmed down, whimpering, and pawed into the back room. You swear sometimes that dog was a little too well trained.

“What the FUCK do you want Henry?!” You gritted out.

He gets up in your ear. “I want you to know that I know everything.”

“Oh my god! What the fuck are you talking about, you redneck asshole!?” His grip on your hair tightens.

“I know that you are whoring yourself out to the owner of this shop” he laughs.

“WHAT?!” You yell. So caught off guard you aren’t even focused on the pain anymore.

“I fucking saw you In the parking lot last night and the creepy fuck drives you to his house every day. You're telling me a 40 year old man comes to my town, lives alone for years and then suddenly the only girl he ever has is a freshly 18 piece of ass?!”

“IM NOT FUCKING KEVIN!”

“BULLSHIT!”

“It’s not bullshit!! He was my best friend's brother!! His tattoos are fucking older than me!!! I had no where else to go so he offered that I stay with him, now for fucks sake let me go!” You punch Henry in his stomach and he stumbles back into a shelf making all the CD’s fall on him.

“Oh fuck” you gasp, running from behind the counter and over to him. “Shoot, I didn't mean to hit you that hard. ¿Estás herido?”(are you hurt?) You try to touch his shoulder to see if he’s okay and he punches you square in the face.

“Agh! FUCK” you hold your hand over your eye. “What the hell is your damage you dick!?” You yell at him as you back away.

Henry stands and goes to walk out of the store. “You are so fucking dead new kid. I’m gonna fuckin ruin you.” He says “calmly” as he walks out the door. You go to the bathroom and look at your eye in the old mirror. Fuck. There was already a shiner starting to form. You look at the clock to see that it’s only fifth period in school right now. No way this mother fucker ditched just to fuck with you. You hurry back out onto the floor and try to get the CD’s back on the display. Bad thing is that some of the disks came out of the case from all the commotion, leaving the disks scratched and damaged. As you were trying to pick up Kevin came back with some food in hand only to see you on the floor cleaning with a bruise on your face.

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Hope you liked it!

Chapter 5 here

Updates will now be every Monday unless stated.

[scarefox]

fic recs because these AU's are very neat

also AUs are so damn rare in BL fandoms for some unknown reason

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Welcome to Horizon! by Janelle24601 Rating: Mature Relationships: Babe/Charlie (Pit Babe), Alan/Jeff (Pit Babe), Kenta/Kim (Pit Babe), Babe and Kim Additional Tags: None Beta read, dystopian au, Fluff and Angst, Smut, Slow Burn, Charlie and Babe become a force to be reckoned with, Personality Tests, strange traditions, indoctrination, perfect society, Tony is a bad guy (what else is new), More tags as I go, Hunter Babe, Secrets, Living Together, working together, Underground group, Covert Operations Summary: In an effort to create a better world, all humans must take a personality test. If your personality does not meet the criteria set by the government, then you are sent to work camps. Where it is public knowledge that they live a horrible life of abuse, torture, and endless hard work for 18 hours a day. Charlie is about to turn 18 and take his test……….he fails and gets sent to a camp…….where he meets Babe ……….in the meantime Charlie’s brother Jeff has passed his test and met Alan who knew Babe before he got sent to the camp…….will the two couples team up and find out exactly what is wrong with the system, saving their friends in the process?

my 5 cents: sci-fi-ish DYSTOPIAN AU with giant creatures and danger zones, messed up society, Charlie is forced to live and work with Babe, Babe & Kim are kind of frenemies working together

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Blood Oath by MoontheNyx Rating: Explicit Relationships: Babe/Charlie (Pit Babe) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Background Relationships, Vampires, Vampire Bites, Vampire/Vampire Relationship, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, Falling In Love, Angst with a Happy Ending, kinda enemies to lovers, everybody is a vampire, enemy vampire clans arranging marriage, charliebabe brainrot of mine continues nonstop, charlie doesn't have glasses this time because come on he's a vampire, Angst, Blood Oaths, Weird Plot Shit, if you like vampire fics just read it, both charlie and babe being more of assholes Summary: “I know this is hard for you, Babe. Do this for our clan. I’m sure you can handle a youth like Charlie.” Tony talked slightly softer to him this time. Tony was trying to get under his skin, telling him that he should be handling a fledgling. After all Babe was almost 400 years old, it meant he was four times older than Charlie, if he remembered Charlie’s age correct. Babe wasn’t the best listener out there even though his hearing was better than others. or Tony's favorite vampire child Babe being forced to marry vampire Charlie from the enemy clan.

my 5 cents: Vampires! who get horny over biting and blood! (this is what I miss in the vampire BLs we have atm), arranged marriage with some enemies to lovers, cool vampire lore, Way has a mystery ex husband 👀

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The Star Within by caesarcal Rating: Mature Relationships: Pooh Krittin Kitjaruwannakul/Pavel Naret Promphaopun, Babe/Charlie (Pit Babe), Alan/Jeff (Pit Babe), Kenta/Kim (Pit Babe), Pete/Way (Pit Babe), North/Sonic (Pit Babe), Dean/Winner (Pit Babe) Additional Tags: Science Fiction, Alien/Human Relationships, Alternate Universe, How Do I Tag, Adventure & Romance, Shameless Smut, The Author Regrets Nothing, No Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot Summary: A star had scattered years ago, its energy fragments falling to Earth and embedding themselves within the chests of select humans. These individuals were gifted with extraordinary powers, each one unique to the person they were bestowed upon. The Galactic Council had become increasingly concerned about the impact of these powers on Earth's fragile ecosystem and the balance of power among its inhabitants. After much deliberation, it was decided that a team of elite space force operatives would be dispatched to Earth on a mission to collect the scattered star fragments from the chosen individuals. Each member of the team was assigned to a specific person, someone who emitted a unique energy signature that could be detected by advanced space technologies. "Pavel, I'll assign this kid to you," Sailub said to Pavel. He tapped on the keyboard to send the human's profile to the space cat. The space cat nodded, he tapped his watch and a hologram of Pooh Krittin's profile came into view. Pooh Krittin. 21 years old. Height, 180cm. A university student, majoring in robotics and AI engineering.

my 5 cents: Pavel is an undercover space-cat-alien and gets bullied by cats in a cat café, what else do you need to know? 😂 Delicious conflict of forbidden love and hidden identity. Also there is some murderous creepy stalker after them.

[aloneandforsakenbyfateandbyman]

Sometimes I wonder why I only listen to boomer music like Pink Floyd and the Mamas & the Papas and only watch movies like La Dolce Vita and Easy Rider. But then I remember it’s bc you could buy a house for $10k at the time, burgers were 5 cents, people didn’t go to Walmart in sweatpants and a hoodie, and life was actually worth living so when I consume boomer media I feel temporarily relaxed.

But if I watch a Netflix show set in the 2020s my cortisol automatically rises when characters pull out their iPhone and open ig, listen to billy eyelash and tiktok trends, talk about divorce, mental illness, idpol or antidepressants or say something is “fire” or it “slaps” bc I’m automatically reminded that a house is 2 mill, rent is $3k, 1/3rd of our income is taxed, Ellen musk wants to put brain chips in our head, everyone hates each other, and an entry level job requires 2 degrees and 10 yrs of experience. It’s not escapism for me like it’s just triggering to see the 2020s onscreen so I’d rather watch 70s Al Pacino yelling at the mafia

[saltminerising]

WOW a lot of people need to Touch Grass on both sides of this issue on this blog hooooly shit. Plague discord member giving my two cents

Personally I feel it's a bit underhanded to decide to conquest halfway through a profit push when another flight is conquesting. This goes for Earth & Water.

Plague's Dom and discord mod team were very insistent on reminding members to keep salt out of the fourms. And that was successful for the most part! I am not proud of the very very few did not listen, and literally the only reason screenshots were submitted was to stir up drama. Like. They were keeping it civil while airing their grievances lmao?? Is that not allowed?? Are people not allowed to have negative emotions??

Most everyone in the screenshots are annoyed not "butthurt crybabies" or whatever the fuck the original post said. They expressed their annoyance and moved on. There is more salt about Water deciding to Conquest rather than Earth, because Water decided to do so after there was already an impromptu battle and many felt that this was completely undermining the point of even having a Dom Watch thread in the first place. If the order had been flipped there would be an appropriate amount of salt direct towards Earth

Not only this but rather than have a discussion like people capable of rubbing two fucking braincells together I am seeing nothing but people thinking only one side is in the right?? I am well aware my stance is biased but each side seems to be attempting to vilify the other here and frankly I'm more upset at most people on this fucking blog than I ever could be at Water or Earth. Like. Get a grip!! Talk like adults or don't talk at all!! Literally every complaint in the discord was turned around to positive thinking towards Plague's own Dom efforts in like 5 minutes. Given how fast that channel goes in general the salt is taking up an extremely small amount, the topic just gets repeated as people in different time zones wake up and, like everyone else, air out their grievances. It's a genuinely positive atmosphere in there and again, I cannot emphasize enough, how much of a dick you have to be to pull things out of context to stir up drama?? One of the most welcoming places ive been in. World cold and hard wyrmwound warm and soft or something

❄️

[landinrris]

(same anon as the one who yapped about early norrix)

& NOW FROM A FICTIONAL ROMANTICIZED POV BC I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT.

i know a lot of ppl headcanon them as quick, instant connection, fast and furious kinda love. met in 2022 and could not be separated since. my counter-offer: slow burn.

think about how lando was listening to martins music for a while now. think about them being moots before they met in 2022. (i....think. not 100% sure but LET ME HAVE THIS.) think about how their in-between mutual friend was probably max v, who we all know is a close friend of both martin and lando. THINK about the ANTICIPATION. THE LONGING. THE WATCHING EACH OTHER THROUGH SCREENS. THE BUILDUP TO THEIR FIRST MEETING.

like to me nothing will ever be as slow burn-y as being internet besties. maybe they were friends and then they saw each other in person and BOOM. fell in love. used the winter break as their honeymoon. wrote songs about him. soft launched on instagram. stole his shirt. the rest is history.

Hello for part 2! 😅

Oof yeah, I do love a good slowburn. If you will allow me to add my two cents into the (fictionalized) shippy side of things. The slowburn of when they met is great especially when you consider that Lando was still in a relationship in August Ibiza 2022. They stay friendly, Lando throws himself into DJing because Martin encourages it and it's an excuse to hang out together outside of race weekends.

When they go to Finland/Ibiza in January 2023, that's when things start to slowly shift. Maybe they start something casual? But by the time they get to New York/Canada, they're on the downward spiral to giving in/acknowledging actual feelings. Up until recently, I liked to headcanon that Spa 2023 was the breaking point. When you consider Lando sits as close as he can get backstage during the Tomorrowland set while Max sits like 5 miles away with Kelly and the rest of the family. Then following the set, Martin and Lando go out together, and then the next morning/afternoon Lando's in Amsterdam posting views from Martin's balcony. Cue summer and the rest of the season. The way Lando (and Jon) is so over-the-moon to see Martin in Vegas... [I've talked about my thoughts on this scenario in a little more detail here]

And then I spent the last three months rotting with Josie about the prospect that maybe somewhere in these last months is a better timeline. Maybe in Vegas they were on the precipice-- aware of their feelings but unsure how to act on them yet. Martin making the effort to show up in France for the ski trip in the middle of his busy end to the year was pretty significant, and it's been history ever since.

And now post winter holidays, they're comfortable enough in who they are and their relationship that they don't mind toeing the line that much more until it gets to an "if you know, you know," type thing.

[dollarbin]

Dollar Bin #36:

Love Has No Pride

My local record store is hard at work purging $5 titles from table top bins and dooming them to the higgeldy piggeldy Dollar Bins beneath. Are you longing for some Neil Diamond or Captain and Tennille? Well, you're in luck: you can seize their entire 70's catalogs for 93 pre-tax cents a piece. I've passed altogether on both artists so far, but who knows, maybe one day I'll discover that corpulent dogs, medalions and chest hair are the keys to great music.

I got gleefully down on my knees last week and combed through it all, emerging with 15 titles for 15 bucks. Here's the hoard:

Will I ever actually listen to Melanie's first record or Linda Ronstadt wingman Andrew Gold's attempt at a solo album? Maybe? Will I make good on my long ago promise to listen to an unmelted version of Art Garfunkel's Watermark? Someday.

I did listen to Poco's first record, which you can see above, with some anticipation: my famous brother recently recommended it as, basically, another Buffalo Springfield record. But when my eldest daughter asked me to please turn it the hell off I eagerly complied. It sounded more than un poco terrible.

But the treasure, so far, from this latest Dollar Bin haul are three Bonnie Raitt records from the 70's.

Raitt's Nick of Time was a big deal when I first discovered as a kid that VH1 was often less terrifying than MTV. And so I developed an early bias against Bonnie that still lingers. She didn't look like Janet Jackson or sing Tom Petty; plus I was uncomfortable with a lady having some gray hair while rocking the blues: 13 years old boys can be sexist little brats.

But I'm a guy who likes to second guess my biases, and so when I came upon her titles last week in the Dollar bin I remembered that Raitt is friends with Ronstadt and I know have more gray hair than Raitt. And so, I figured, what the hell did I have to lose for 93 cents?

And that brings us to today's topic: Eric Kaz's 70's torch song Love Has No Pride. Is it an essential piece of the 70's musical expression? Probably not. The song's a bit overwrought and features some regrettable nonsense about wishing you could buy your beloved's affections; either Kaz wasn't familiar with the song and/or concept Can't Buy Me Love, which seems pretty damn unlikely, or he wished his lady in question would give up her day job and become a woman of ill repute, which is hopefully not the deal, or he just ran out of things to say and grabbed at something silly.

For what it's worth, if you are gonna involve female sex workers in your music I recommend you either get weird and have them bend down to tie the laces of your shoe or go full Ringo and call them women of the night with a big silly grin.

Even so, Love Has No Pride clearly resonated with the record buying public in the early 70's as Raitt, Ronstadt and then Rita Coolidge each issued complimentary versions of the track between 71 and 74. Let's consider them in reverse chronological order, beginning with Coolidge's effort on what may be her best record, Fall Into Spring.

I want to start with Rita, whose records unfairly clog up many a Dollar Bin, because her version of Love Has No Pride is surely why the song dwells in my bones. Coolidge was in my extended family when I was born as she and Kris Kristofferson were still married and Kris, as you can read elsewhere, is my mother's cousin. And so I grew up utterly familiar with Rita's smokey smolder of a voice from my mom's 8 tracks and country radio.

I have no memory of ever actually meeting her, and I doubt I ever did. I was surely left with a babysitter on the rare occasion when my folks hung out with Kris and Rita because, after all, drunken debauchery, which was the performers' calling card, doesn't mix well with babies, especially homely looking ones. And I was mighty homely.

Anyway, take a listen to Rita's version: it's stately and elegant; nothing is forced and nothing is too complicated.

Nice huh? Coolidge consistently drags at the pace, indifferent to anyone who could ever rush her. And by the end we need reminders that she's got an ace band around her: everything in this song centers on Rita and we can't blame the cat on the cover for trying to claim her full attention.

It was a pretty gutsy move on Coolidge's part to record the track; after all, two years earlier Linda Ronstadt had ignored its torch song potential and instead lit up an entire barn. Listen to her throw everything at the tune: we've got back up singers, galloping percussion, 16 different guitar sounds, emerging strings and, at the center of it all, like a detonating star, her own titanic voice.

Ronstadt is one of my favorite singers of all time, and her take on Love Has No Pride is always welcome on my turntable. That said, I prefer Coolidge's slower, simpler arrangement, and I suspect Linda did too. After putting out her version of Love Has No Pride Linda let go of female backing choirs altogether and let a new producer, Peter Asher, help her streamline her arrangements in honor of her voice and solo gesture.

And so, now you know: Rita's take came through the bars of my crib and my own kids grew up with Linda's.

But The Dollar Bin is a mighty force, and it holds many secrets. And, until this last week, Raitt's original take from 71 was one of them.

And maybe, just maybe, her version is the best of the bunch:

Raitt sings the song so simply. Barns don't catch fire, torches are not lit. Instead we've got sweet picking, gurgling bass and a brave woman giving us some straight talk about how she feels and who she loves.

Wow. Bonnie Raitt, people! I'll race you back to those Dollar Bins; looks like it's time to track down the rest of her 70's catalog.

[sigmastolen]

listen the nostalgia of it all carried me a good long way and maybe i'm grumpy bc i'm sick but i gotta be honest with y'all, my final impression of x-men '97 is that it is utterly incoherent

granted, my familiarity with most of the storylines they're pulling from here is low -- synopses and recaps, if i know anything at all, and my comics readership has always been spotty at best -- but... do bastion's motivations and actions make any sense in the books? and frankly i think they did my boy mister sinister dirty...

but i think the pacing was where it suffered the most. idk, i feel like each individual episode started slow and unfocused, yet still rushed to wrap up storylines, where tas might have just sprawled all over some multiparters. but in the current make-or-break tv environment, '97 can't afford to take its time, it has to throw all the big spaghetti at the wall right away, and it scrambles to too-fast, too-pat resolutions -- but because it's controlled by the mouse now, it also has to resolve with feel-good moral messages in a way that frankly clashes with the intentionally complex tradition of x-men. the three-part finale was some of the worst, pastede on storytelling i've seen since the last time i watched a steven binder episode of ncis. it also was unclear to me how much of tas was canon and how much has been retconned and how much was just, like, establishing the vibes but ditching the storylines. (then again, confusion is just the standard state of affairs re: x-men canon.)

which is not to say that everything was terrible -- this show loves a heroic monologue, and most of those were actually quite powerful. the art style works. the voice cast (returning and new) works. lenore zann is a standout for me; she's so much more mature as a performer now (obvi) and she brings so much more depth to rogue than she could 30 years ago. making our heroes more powerful, as you know, made me positively giddy (although i will say that cyclops's primal yells inspired laughter rather than awe). if "tolerance is extinction" 1–3 were the worst episodes, i think "remember it" and "bright eyes" were the best -- strongest plots and tightest character beats. and truly, they did my faves so good: gambit was perfect, rogue (incoherent retconned backstory aside) was perfect, nightcrawler was perfect, jubilee was perfect. all the homoerotically-charged wolverine-and-morph everything was perfect. jean and storm's friendship was perfect. beast rejecting trish tilby in the ruins of genosha was perfect. jubilee and roberto visiting his mom, and her nutball wealthy privilege -- perfect.

the storm-and-forge stuff unfortunately fell flat for me, mostly bc the "lifedeath" episodes suffered from so many weird racist overtones. and of course all the convoluted summers clan stuff was also a miss, because the only summers i give two shits about is rachel -- but this version of jean grey (and madelyne pryor) was more compelling than most.

i don't know, maybe this is the same cynicism that has led to my current stubborn resistance to popular media, that chased me away from the mcu*, that has had me keep my distance from the glut of remakes and reboots, and that has basically stopped me from getting into any new shows for literally years. but it's hard for me not to see this as an empty cash grab, just marvel and disney playing on millennial nostalgia to capture streaming subscriptions and sell merch -- which, frankly, is all they have done with any of their properties for the last 4-5 years anyway. and i have never paid disney plus a red cent and i never will (yo ho), but it also just. doesn't feel good to watch. makes me tired. throws me out of my suspension of disbelief. being able to see the forces of capitalism nakedly at work in a piece of media really takes the enjoyment out of it for me, you know?

[blucassiopeia]

hi! so in your main fic masterlist the preludes have a star next to each spinoff BUT Kuroo and Osamu have two. Osamu’s prelude is a two part story DOES this mean Kuroo has another part -yet to be released- too? 🤔🫣

also in the chapters list, after ch15/ch16 (don’t remember) all the preludes boys are listed: does it mean that’s where part of all the preludes stories take place (chronologically speaking)?🤔🫣🫢 Is that chapter Ran’s wedding?

i have yet to read Osamu’s prelude, but excluding Kags’ and Sakusa’s ones, Ran’s wedding day is one of the main topics on the spinoffs…

does it make sense? i dont know how to english anymore 😑

Also, while reading the warnings/tags i saw something interesting 🤨: Ran’s illness(?)…Is that why Kuroo is going to be up Ran’s ass so involved in Ran’s life even after she’s happily married with kids? at a certain point in her life, Ran was/is/will be ill 😷

im the anon that a while ago sent a long ask about the spinoffs and i was lowkey happy to see kuroo suffer 🤭

…so, im about to get - once again - in my kuroo angst hole 😬😬

reader (kuroo’s story) is not dying, bc you said she won’t. but she will get into an accident (saw your ask about your 2nd fic + the ideas you have for the plot - kuroo’s war flashbacks 🤭🫣). In the end of the kuroo spinoff i got a feeling that he realised he MIGHT be a little too late in accepting his own feelings towards reader (that’s why i thought she was dying) like they were already there but he REFUSED to accept them and at the same time by being so present in Ran’s life he kept fuelling his one-sided love towards Ran EVEN tho he knew from the beginning that he never had a chance with Ran (he asked this question to kenma if im not mistaken)

so giving my two cents to this 2nd story: the main couple is going to be kuroo x reader and time wise is going to be AFTER reader’s incident and we (readers) are going to know what happened through flashbacks (possibly from kuroo’s pov bc he saw with his own eyes what happened to reader) 🫣🤭

last thing: gut feeling (don’t know if it’s because you have hinted something/replied to someone) but Kuroo not so lowkey hates Osamu. Imagine if Ran got ill bc of Osamu 🤔🫣 like what has Osamu done to make him feel so guilty and wanting to redeem himself towards Ran 👁️👁️

sorry for the long ask

ps. wishing all the best to canon!Kuroo BUT the kuroo in your universe deserves all the angst until proven wrong (just bc he make reader suffer) 😇

oooooHhh the starss, you should listen to them, those are the soundtracks i listened while writing the preludes. you noticed the c2:saitama skies? it also has one already too.

the boys are listed because they'll be playing a big part of that scene after what happens there (also in Ran's life hskshwkhl), it'll be like a "breather" because the following chapters are heavy angst so i needed my readers to relax a lil bit then hit y'all in one go. noticed the last one being still empty? that's ran's hubby's special chap. so the scope of those chapters are from the moment they met ran, to the present [5 years after she got pregnant and got married].

yep, ran has illness, you should really read sakusa's prelude to give you a heads-up 🤣 and yes, that's one of the reason why kuroo's so involved, and i mean all of them too. but that's just not all of it. you'll know sooon.

OKOK, ill make myself very very clear, maybe i said kuroo's yn will die or she won't, just y'all to keep thinking about what i truly mean in that last scene of kuroo's. that last scene is in the last chapters of the fic. it'll be branded heavy angst so you should expect some.. ykyk.

AND OHHHHH, the 2nd fic [EIGHT] is relatively different. it's apart of the 1st fic in some sense but still connected. it's not a continuation of falling stars. you shouldn't confuse yourself with that for a while. we still have 20ish chaps before that. 🤣

[1st fic] i might've mentioned kuroo being on the same stage as osamu. so that's maybe a hint of what really happened/will happen. both of them deserves all the angst i have. ✌🤭 if you ever read vanilla twilight, you'll have a huge idea what their relationship with each other and with ran is.

about EIGHT [2nd fic], it's still ran x her plushie, but in a diff sense. kuroo and the others will still be there, and kuroo and osamu will still play a bigger role than the rest, and some of the characters too.

and kuroo hates osamu because of something that i made a fic about......... or something 🤭 and i just answered something related to this. osamu made a grave mistake, and kuroo knows about it, shirabu knows about it, tooru too, and maybe yuki too. the last line in osamu's prelude is a hint. and noooo, ran didn't get ill because of osamu 😭

you'll know in the ficcc, i'll be back after 1-2 months because i'll be away with no wifi access with me so....

thanks for collating your queries agaiiin. i had fun answering and spilling some infos for ya guys ❤

[thehalalgirlofficial]

for my sisters who can't pray during the days of hajj

my dearest sister,

your efforts are still valid. all ten days still remain just as blessed as when you were praying. please don't let this precious time pass you by. seize every opportunity.

here are some ideas to (hopefully) help:

1. azkaar- just because you can't pray or read the quran doesn't mean you can't keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah ﷻ and durood upon our blessed prophet ﷺ. the best zikr on the day of arafah is

لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك وله الحمد، بيده الخير وهو على كل شيء قدير

another great zikr to constantly recite is

سبحان الله والحمد لله، لا إله إلا ال��ه والله أكبر.

additionally, you can recite the takbeers of the days of tashreeq abundantly.

2. duasss- this is the perfect opportunity to make all the duas you forget to make when you're praying. in place of praying nawaafil, spend an hour and a half asking Allah ﷻ for every little thing you can think of. pray for forgiveness, divine mercy, barakah, goodness in this life and the next, all your needs and wants. be sure to keep the hujjaaj in your duas as well as the entire ummah. and if you remember, please pray for me as well

3. cleaning- if you can get it done when you aren't praying, that'll leave more time for other ibadah when you are. plus, cleaning is a huge part of faith, so you're still receiving rewards!

4. cooking- or any type of meal prep. if you can't fast, still reap the reward of fasting by giving someone else food or drink by which they may break their fast. as the hadith goes, whoever breaks someone else's fast receives the full reward, without taking away anything from the fasting persons reward (أو كما قال ﷺ)

5. studying- build a deeper connection with the quran by brushing up on some tafsir, or if you'd rather, delve into a new aspect of islamic knowledge. educate yourself about the story and teachings of sayyiduna ibrahim ﷺ and learn about the final hajj of our beloved prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

6. quran- and on that note, your ears aren't impure. you can definitely listen to lots of recitation and get a feel for which qiraah style you are most drawn to

7. sins- just because you cannot pray doesn’t mean you should unpause any sins you are abstaining from during these days. stay away from sins at all costs and try to make a firm intention to uproot them completely from your life going forward

8. good character-this isn't a break from trying to be your absolute best self. keep up with the good habits you've been trying to instill within yourself and try your best not to revert back to any bad habits just because you aren't fasting

9. sadaqa-with eid just around the corner, this is the perfect opportunity to give charity. remember, every cent you donate is being multiplied many many times so be as generous as possible, and remember: even smiling is a form of sadaqa!

10. help someone in need-whether a family member, friend, or a complete stranger, try to help at least one person each day. perhaps such a dua will escape their heart and reach the throne of Allah ﷻ that will complexly change your life.

“If one is unable to fast due to menstruation or due to sickness but had the intention to fast, Allaah Ta'aala will reward them as though they fasted.” (Mufti Muajul I. Chowdhury)

so just remember: you are a daughter of adam ﷺ and Allah ﷻ has chosen this for you. there is definitely khair in that which the Creator ﷻ has decreed for His ﷻ beloved creation

[sunkissedliterarylightofchrist]

Rank the half•alive albums and explain why pls

Along with the full albums, I sprinkled in my favorite EP’s because I totally 100% decided to just be extra and not at all because I forgot the function and difference of an EP from an album until halfway through writing this uh yep don’t worry about my musical terminology definitions at all I am a musician I do in fact certainly know these things shush.

5 - Conditions of a Punk

This album is nice. Like- it’s nice. I don’t dislike it, I think it’s good! Just not in the same incredible level as their other stuff.

Instrumentally, it’s not as great as their other stuff. With this one they were really trying out different styles and techniques, and I like some of it, but not all. I don’t like the effects and ‘washy’ effects like I love the fuller, richer tones in their other works. But I’m grateful for it because they learned a lot from it that they then put into their future work!

Lyrically, the subject and theme of romantic breakup isn’t something I have personally been through, so I don’t understand it to the same degree that others might. BUT, when thinking about some specific songs through the lens of friendship breakups, (cough, Did I Make You Up? cough) it is FANTASTIC.

How much I like this album really is a case by case basis with each song to be honest. Or maybe it’s because I haven’t been compelled to do a deep dive analysis into every single song, so I don’t love CoaP as a whole, I don’t know.

It gets bonus points because it has the most songs on it and everybody likes as much music as possible. But then again, that’s where one of its big flaws lies. The storytelling in this album doesn’t feel cohesive and smooth like in their other music. By putting so many songs in that didn’t all fit together, it caused some tension on the album overall.

So yeah. The album is okay, the songs are better as individuals than as a whole, but also these are the ‘worst’ of their songs (although I don’t think h•a has any bad songs at all, they’re far too skilled for that. Just my spur of the moment two cents here.

4 - In Florescence

I. LOVE. THIS. EP. SO. STINKIN. MUCH.

Okay, this is four of the songs from Now, Not Yet (RUNAWAY, still feel., creature, and BREAKFAST) remastered with an orchestra. And it’s ✨GORGEOUS✨

With each song, they took the same lyrics and the same overall beats of the song, but changed everything else. And not just for the sake of changing it, but to make the songs even better! From the length of the songs, to the different orchestral arrangement, to the beat drops, to the overall mood and tone, heck, even the way that Josh and the choir sing the songs (let’s all just take a moment here for Josh’s incredible controlled vocal cracks and wavering vulnerability with the way he projects oh my GOSH some of his best singing of all time is right here in my opinion wow he is good)

I adore the original versions of each of these four songs so much and I love these versions of these songs just as much, if not more, and this remastering was the best idea ever and I adore it and I think everyone should give it way more hype and listen to it WAY more often.

And it has my favorite song creature, made as my favorite version of it with all the gorgeous instrumentals, so it gets bonus points.

3 - 3

Only reason it’s above In Florescence is that those songs were remastered from Now Not Yet while 3 has all originals, and definitely not because I wanted to make a joke.

All three of these songs absolutely smash and it is 100% their best EP. The Fall, Aawake at Night, and Tip Toes are some of their best songs ever. I never see people talking about these but they 100% should. These songs cover what hovering in the cusp of submitting yourself to Christ looks like— either the first time when you’re saved, or over and over again when you sin and temporarily turn your face from Him in shame before running back into his arms.

Also the sound of it is so good??? Definitely the most techy and alternative of their music. Love love love it. They’ve veered away sound-wise since as they’ve discovered more of their personal style, but when they did do this stuff they totally crushed it and the sound of this EP holds a special place in my heart.

Love every syllable, need do a verse by verse breakdown of it at some point to give this beauty the screen time it deserves.

2 - Persona

My life got SO MUCH BETTER the day this album came out, seriously.

Once again they’re talking about the human condition, and once again they’re nailing it. This album is split between ‘the ache for a healthy world and a call of accountability for how we are hurting it’ and how that pushes us to cry out to Abba Father. Then also, we have to appreciate the past and harness it to drive us into the future, while savoring and appreciating the present, to be able to go into he future boldly without worry because God’s got us. We’ve got to open ourselves up to God and take off our mask, our persona, with Him and with the people who love and care for us.

AND THE ROCK IN THIS ALBUM- SO GOOD. And I loved their soft, melodic style they also leaned into so much, it really goes to show how much range they have and how well they really do it all! A lotta bands and singers do only have a one-note style, so I adore how diverse they can be musically! And the tone that they pair with what they are saying in each song is perfect.

The only reason that Persona is below Now, Not Yet, is I’m incredibly attached to how NNY depicts the walk of faith and what being a Christian looks like so majestically. Persona has elements of that, but is more focused on both the anger and softness of the general human experience and how that affects everyone. But in every other way, it’s equal to NNY, I adore both of these so much.

1 - Now, Not Yet

This album. This album- is a masterpiece. It goes like this:

Life Hurts -> We See Our Condition -> We Want to Run From It -> We Can’t Improve Alone -> Seeing Sin -> Explaining Sin -> Even in Sin, I Feel Alive, But Not Because of Me, Because of Something(One) Who Saved Me -> [Big Shift in the story right here] Maybe I Don’t Have to be Stuck in this Sin -> There is Certainity in the Goodness of This Thing(Person) -> This Good Thing(Person) Has Saved Me -> Oh Wait but I Still Feel All That Pain -> I’ve Been Saved from my Sin but it’s Still There -> I Long for Pure Goodness -> I Find it in this Thing(Person) -> I Need to Rest In It -> True Goodness is Revealed to Me -> I Can Surrender Myself to It -> Jesus is the Answer

ROMANS EIGHT BABY. GO READ ROMANS EIGHT (and how Romans Seven first leads to it) WHILE LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM I BEG YOU.

Point-blank period, no grey area. Up until creature, you could intrepret different songs in different ways, but at that point when they pull off the curtain and show God at the center of it all, everything else suddenly clicks into place and becomes so much richer and better. It starts off pretty ambiguous, but with each song the final point becomes clearer and clearer.

This album is called Now, Not Yet because that’s the theme. We are Creation, both Haunted and Holy. And we feel the tug of the world between our flesh and our souls. We’ve been saved already, its guaranteed. But until that day, we’ve got to continue to fight. And for His Glory, pointing it back to Him in all that we do.

Do I even need to dive into how it sounds HOLY COW YALL ITS A MASTERPIECE OF HEADPHONE GREATNESS AND A TOTAL BOP. Literally do not know how they didn’t win an award with this it’s incredible. Love all the soundboard stuff they did, ‼️the beat drops‼️, and how their music just flows through you and gives you chills in the best possible way. And the way they use percussion to like give glitter to what they’re saying is just so cool?? And gotta love how the bass and consistency of the backing tracks always are, and how it elevates up Josh’s voice- especially with all the add on effects that are added and the echoing in a lot of these songs!

👏So👏amazing👏

IN CONCLUSION I could talk about half•alive and what it means and how it sounds and how all of it glorifies God and how I want all of my friends to listen to them as well and how I hope to meet them all day thank you for giving me an opportunity to talk about this.

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Shimla: At least 223 roads, including three national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh following snowfall in several districts, officials said on Tuesday.Snowfall was recorded in the Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and the higher reaches of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and Sirmaur districts.Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders' Association president MK Seth told PTI that hotel occupancy in Shimla was at more than 70 per cent.The snowfall led to a 30-percentage point increase in room bookings, he added.About 223 roads, including the national highways between Attari and Leh, Sanj to Aut in Kullu district, and Khab Sangam in Kinnaur district and Gramphoo in Lahaul and Spiti district, were closed for traffic.Tourists in about 500 vehicles stranded near the Atal Tunnel were safely rescued till late on Monday, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster) Onkar Sharma told PTI Videos.According to reports, four people died in accidents during the past 24 hours and several suffered injuries due to vehicles skidding at some places, he added.A maximum of 145 roads were closed in Shimla, followed by 25 in Kullu and 20 in Mandi districts. Some areas were without electricity after 356 transformers stopped working, the State Emergency Operation Centre said.Sharma advised the tourists to adhere to the advisories issued by the district administration and the police, listen to suggestions from locals and refrain from driving in the snow.December snow is considered good for apples as it provides moisture to the soil. The snowfall will also boost tourism, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh told reporters.Singh, who reviewed the road situation with officials, said a tourist influx was expected in Shimla, Kullu-Manali and Dalhousie.(With PTI Inputs)The department is ready to handle the tourist influx. A total of 268 machineries, including two snow blowers, have been deployed to clear the roads, he said.Khadrala received 24 cm of snow, followed by Sangla (16.5 cm), Shillaro (15.3 cm), Chopal and Jubbal (15 cm each), Kalpa (14 cm), Nichar (10 cm), Shimla (7 cm), Pooh (6 cm) and Jot (5 cm).Snowfall was also witnessed in the suburbs of Manali and Dalhousie late on Monday while a few places in the mid and lower hills received light rain.The Met Office has predicted rain and snow at isolated places in some parts of the state and Shimla in particular from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with the precipitation peaking on Saturday.An intense cold wave persisted in the lower hills of Mandi while a cold wave was witnessed in Una and Chamba. Dense, moderate and shallow fog was witnessed in Bilapsur, Sundernagar and Mandi, respectively, the Met office said.The weather office has issued an 'orange' warning for severe cold in Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi and 'yellow' warning for dense fog over parts of the Bhakra dam reservoir area and the Balh Valley in Mandi till Thursday.Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti district was coldest in the state, recording a night temperature of minus 6.9 degrees Celsius while Una was hottest with a day temperature of 21.4 degrees.The post-monsoon rainfall deficit from October 1 to December 24 was at 92 per cent of a normal of 70.4 mm. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] Shimla: At least 223 roads, including three national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh following snowfall in several districts, officials said on Tuesday.Snowfall was recorded in the Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and the higher reaches of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and Sirmaur districts.Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders' Association president MK Seth told PTI that hotel occupancy in Shimla was at more than 70 per cent.The snowfall led to a 30-percentage point increase in room bookings, he added.About 223 roads, including the national highways between Attari and Leh, Sanj to Aut in Kullu district, and Khab Sangam in Kinnaur district and Gramphoo in Lahaul and Spiti district, were closed for traffic.Tourists in about 500 vehicles stranded near the Atal Tunnel were safely rescued till late on Monday, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster) Onkar Sharma told PTI Videos.According to reports, four people died in accidents during the past 24 hours and several suffered injuries due to vehicles skidding at some places, he added.A maximum of 145 roads were closed in Shimla, followed by 25 in Kullu and 20 in Mandi districts. Some areas were without electricity after 356 transformers stopped working, the State Emergency Operation Centre said.Sharma advised the tourists to adhere to the advisories issued by the district administration and the police, listen to suggestions from locals and refrain from driving in the snow.December snow is considered good for apples as it provides moisture to the soil. The snowfall will also boost tourism, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh told reporters.Singh, who reviewed the road situation with officials, said a tourist influx was expected in Shimla, Kullu-Manali and Dalhousie.(With PTI Inputs)The department is ready to handle the tourist influx. A total of 268 machineries, including two snow blowers, have been deployed to clear the roads, he said.Khadrala received 24 cm of snow, followed by Sangla (16.5 cm), Shillaro (15.3 cm), Chopal and Jubbal (15 cm each), Kalpa (14 cm), Nichar (10 cm), Shimla (7 cm), Pooh (6 cm) and Jot (5 cm).Snowfall was also witnessed in the suburbs of Manali and Dalhousie late on Monday while a few places in the mid and lower hills received light rain.The Met Office has predicted rain and snow at isolated places in some parts of the state and Shimla in particular from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with the precipitation peaking on Saturday.An intense cold wave persisted in the lower hills of Mandi while a cold wave was witnessed in Una and Chamba. Dense, moderate and shallow fog was witnessed in Bilapsur, Sundernagar and Mandi, respectively, the Met office said.The weather office has issued an 'orange' warning for severe cold in Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi and 'yellow' warning for dense fog over parts of the Bhakra dam reservoir area and the Balh Valley in Mandi till Thursday.Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti district was coldest in the state, recording a night temperature of minus 6.9 degrees Celsius while Una was hottest with a day temperature of 21.4 degrees.The post-monsoon rainfall deficit from October 1 to December 24 was at 92 per cent of a normal of 70.4 mm. [ad_2] Source link

[aptechvisaglobalimmigration]

Best visa agents in Delhi.

Delhi Visa Agent

For some, applying for a visa might be almost as tedious and phishing as preparing for an exam – piles of paperwork, strict criteria, and the risk of being turned down always creep in. But imagine if you were to have at your disposal, a trustworthy partner, who would make the whole endeavour easy for you. Then comes the role of a reliable Delhi visa agent into play. And when we talk about reliability, expertise and results, one name stands tall: Aptech Visa.

Why Should You Work With A Visa Agent?

Let’s face it, sorting out visa applications is quite possibly the least entertaining task you will have to cross off your list. Finding the right visa category and having the necessary documents prepared can be confusing, let alone time-consuming. A visa agent in Delhi sorts this out by: 

1. Time-saving: A visa agent takes care of such trivial tasks so that you can engage in other activities.

2. Increasing Chances of Approval: Such agents are quite experienced and know what the immigration departments look for, this only makes the chances of rejection lower.

3. Providing Tailored Guidance: A tourist visa is not the same as a student visa, a work visa, or a residency visa, each of these is different and has its own requirements.

What Is The Differentiating Factor At Aptech Visa?

The market is flooded with options of several Delhi visa agents to choose from, however, it can be a daunting task. So, what is that one thing which makes Aptech Visa the favoured choice amongst thousands of clients?

1. Cutting across all These Categories

Fruits of Freedom or a Social Purposes Visa, Tourist Visa, Student Visa, Business Visa, Working Permit Visa, or even Immigration Visa, everything is carefully catered by Aptech Visa. They know all the policies that govern immigration hence providing you with an application that is perfectly made.

2. Unparalleled Success Rate

Aptech Visa now has more than fifteen years of experience in assisting candidates achieve their goals. This is a testimony of their efficiency – their success rate has hardly been known to drop below the hundred per cent range.

3. Client-Centric Approach

What Aptech Visa convey is that there are no standard procedures practised by this company. Most of them have much time to listen to your needs so that they can develop services that fit your requirements. This is where the targeted attention comes in, which is their unique selling proposition.

4. Fully Transparent Process

Have you ever been annoyed with the presence of fine print, charges, or schedules? Not with an Aptech Visa. They are fully transparent, and they will keep you informed all the time as the process unfolds.

5. End-to-End Support

It doesn’t end after the consultation, Aptech Visa is with you until you get the visa. They help even after approval, and they help you coordinate and prepare for what comes next.

6. Comprehensive Online Services

Can’t visit their office? No problem. Aptech Visa provides clients with a completely online-based experience, which means they can provide their services regardless of the client’s location.

Fun Facts About Aptech Visa  

• Multilingual Team: Have a problem in translating from one language to the other? Aptech Visa‘s team is multilingual so you will feel comfortable.

• Stress-Free Process: Sadly, sometimes even the simplest tasks such as getting a visa are a real nightmare They turn the most boring activities into fun while constantly smiling and making jokes.

• Community of Happy Clients: Having positive feedback and references, Aptech Visa has been recognized as a company that delivers services to clients’ satisfaction.

The Aptech Visa Difference: Why They’re the Best Delhi Visa Agent  

When you think of the best visa agent in Delhi, a few key traits come to mind: responsibility, reliability, productivity and outcome. Aptech Visa ticks all these boxes and more:

• Adaptability: Immigration policies change from time to time but Aptech Visa service always updates you to get the visa for you with recent changes.

• Attention to Detail: They do not leave any single document behind, and the filling of every form is as perfect as it can get.

• Global Reach: Unlike other companies who may only specialise in visas for one country, at Aptech Visa, we help with visas for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and so much more.

Why Delhi Visa Agents Like Aptech Visa Should Be Preferred?

There are so many persons who offer visa services in Delhi but it is extremely difficult to get a person who is professional, sensitive and timely. We’ve determined that while Aptech Visa does indeed process applications, they don’t do so mechanically: they cultivate connections. They believe that every client has his or her story, and they wish to be part of your success story.

The Other Happy Clients and Their Stories

• Ankit Sharma, Student Visa: The Canada student visa demands were daunting for me, but with Aptech Visa’s help, it was incredibly easy. They influenced me by giving me many detailed instructions.”

• Neha Mehra, Tourist Visa: I took a family holiday trip to Australia and that too without any hitch, thanks to Aptech Visa. They said that the other team with whom they worked was also clinical, efficient and very encouraging.

A Few Tips for Selecting the Right Delhi Visa Agent

1. Check Their Experience: Experience in the field means that a worker has what it takes to do the job right and should, therefore, be hired.

2. Read Reviews: Sometimes, it is good to search for happy and satisfied clients.

3. Assess Their Services: Make sure they deal with your type of visa.

4. Seek Transparency: Do not sign up with any agent who charges hidden or hidden fees or come up with complicated promises.

Making It Happen: Your Journey Starts with an Aptech Visa

To search for the leading Delhi visa agent, your search is over. Aptech Visa isn’t your agent; they’re your ally in your quest toward a new life far away from home. They ensure the visa process when you are going for education, work, or even a vacation trip is as easy as ABC.

So, why wait? Why let your dreams remain only that for Aptech Visa, the best visa agent in Delhi can make them come true. Begin your visa process now and be ready to start your travel abroad experience with ease!

To contact our Australia Immigration consultant you can give us a call at 7503832132 / 91310 59075, you can also write to us all your queries and concerns and we will surely address them all at info@aptechvisa.com

You can also gather information from our site  https://www.aptechvisa.com/ for more information please visit our testimonials   https://www.aptechvisa.com/testimonial