#v14; something they need

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

Watched It Begin Again || Charley & Becca || @amarvelousmencgerie

Charley hadn't expected his search for a safe place to lead him to the island of the Massachusetts shore, but it seemed to be a safe bet that if there were anyone else living there they did the work to remove the dead and to keep it as free of them as possible. As far as he knew, the dead hadn't learned to swim. He didn't doubt that they could be washed ashore from time to time, but that probably wasn't a daily occurrence.

So after docking the boat they'd managed to find fuel for the mainland, he had taken his daughter's hand and they had started walking toward what he hoped was downtown Nantucket. His eyes were everywhere making sure that the dead or the living wasn't able to get a jump on them. He tightened his grip on Sammy's hand when he heard voices in the distance.

He managed to get them hidden behind a rundown business before three men appeared. They were decked out in miltary gear and as many weapons as they could manage. He instantly got a bad feeling and kept them hidden until they had passed by and their voices were no longer heard. He put his fingers to his lips so that Sammy wouldn't make a sound as they eased out of their hiding place.

They needed somewhere to hole up and fast. Their feet were quiet but hurried as he read the signs on the buildings. They had lucked up and found a quaint little shopping center. Right on the edge but not connected, he spotted somewhere that he was certain Sammy would love. An old bookstore. He nodded toward the building and sent her ahead of him.

He tried the door and found it unlocked. The bell on the door jingled to alert anyone of their presence. He quickly grabbed the bells and silenced them. He closed his eyes and listened for any signs of life. Or the dead. Hearing nothing, he let out a soft sigh of relief. "We can probably hole up here for a couple of days till we find somewhere more permanent." So long as his scouting of the surrounding area proved that they were welcomed.

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

Daryl knew he'd be busy today with the looks of the lot where they kept the cars they were to work on that week. It was Wednesday, and it felt like barely a dent had been made in the number. He was already elbow deep in motor oil as he tried to remove the carburator from a new Nissan to see what the hell was causing it keep messing up. That's when he heard a car pull into the bay's entrance and looked up. His shaggy hair fell into his eyes before he stood up and grabbed an old rag to wipe his hands on before he approached her.

She seemed somewhat familiar, but a lot of women did on account of Merle and his buddies. He rubbed his forehead on his forearm to wipe a bit of the sweat from his face. "Dunno if we'll be able to fit it in this mornin'. Maybe this afternoon?" He narrowed his eyes as he tried to mentally calculate how long it would take him with the car he was currently working on and the other two that were promised by the end of the day.

"Ain't makin' no promises though."

Don’t I know you?

[Estella and Daryl CLOSED starter for the lovely @wexarethewalkingxdead]     Pulling up to the mechanic shop, a young blonde in her early 20′s climbed out of the front seat of a yellow Volkswagen beetle. She was pretty stressed out and tired. Her boyfriend of almost a year had taken her car out in the middle of the night again. Granted he asked permission. Though that next morning she had a bit of trouble getting it to turn over and it seemed to be sputtering a bit.

She’d confronted him before coming to the shop which had resulted into a small fight. Thankfully she dropped him off at work, so she wouldn’t have to deal with him a while.     Stepping into the garage she walked up to a mechanic about her age, maybe a little older. Giving a small smile as she ran a hand through her long blonde hair, the blonde nods dyed a pink color that seemed to be fading: he looked kind of familiar? She just couldn’t pin point from where she might have known him from. “Hi, um- My car has been giving me some issues this morning? I was hoping you guys could check it out?” Her voice was soft and inviting. Even if she was pissed at Jonny, Stella wasn’t going to take it out on this guy.

[kiroonsmoon]

and 9!!! Is there something you felt should be talked about more? (Could be a character, a scene, anything really)

The Blakeory Family, in fucking general? Because Hazuki gives so much fucking interesting info if you ask her the right questions when you’re playing as Melia during the library section. Like Hazuki and her daughter Ayame not getting along? The fucking fact Ayame, who’s Thomas Jr’s adopted MOM, didn’t even want to adopt him and was pushed by Hazuki so they don’t get along as a result? And they just give us this info and don’t explain. Like I need more of this, my headcanons can only do so much.

I’m also interested in learning more about Geara’s backstory too? Like, we got bare bones stuff but I need to know more. Like, if you look past the surface Geara is actually a very fucking interesting character with a backstory that drives me insane. A lot of it is spoilers for you Jazz so that’s why im being so vague but know, im going insane. Luckily, im like..pretty confident we’ll get some new Geara content in v14 so I hope they’ll go more into it there if we get Geara content.

[honnojis]

Now that such a huge overhaul has been done in rejuv.....what would you consider takes the longest to do? To remake old parts of the game or to create new events (post v13 chapter 15 content)?

From what I can tell, remakes take the longest, primarily because it takes a lot more thought about how to improve something existing while also keeping a lot of the technical details in mind like variables needing to match up w/ stuff on other maps, switches needing to be triggered in a few places in order to trigger something else in existing content, etc.

We've definitely noticed with bugfixing that not everything was caught and that it has hindered the progress of some people, so that's arguably more work.

You'd think new content is harder to make, but honestly working on new exciting stuff gives a lot more energy than having to revisit old content, hahaha... Honestly I think all of us are very ready to move on to V14 at this point.

[janichroma]

Are you exited to work on V14 content, or is it daunting considering all the work/separate paths ect? I vaguely remember you saying V14 will be the first time in a long time your making "new" storyline content, rather than re-working previous ideas. Does it feel good to create something you've been thinking on for a long time?

I don't think anything will be as lengthy as v13/.5's development so i eagerly await working on the two paths. It's gonna be so easy. I want to be at v14 already but a lot of things need to be done and it wont end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! getting there though.

A lot of the work I'm doing now is prep work for v14 too so it's gonna be so much smoother!

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

handsbloodied​:

   JUDITH WAS ON HER way back from a solo supply run, well a solo supply pick up that is, after the group had found more than could fit in the car they’d driven. so judith was tasked with going out to meet them, load up the rest of the supplies and they would head back together. of course the van she was driving had run out of fuel halfway home so she radioed the others and told them to head on home, she’d follow in a couple minutes.

   IT WASN’T DARK OUT yet so judith felt a little calmer about sending them ahead, but she was always on high alert, gun strapped to her thigh and knife in her boot ready to use at a moments notice. so when she heard the snap of a tree branch, making her freeze. pulling her gun out when she heard another one judith spun around so quickly she had to steady herself before scanning the tree line. with the van keys in her pocket, judith shut the trunk and headed into her the woods, the lack of snarling letting her know whoever or whatever it was, was alive. 

   SHE COULD HEAR HER father’s voice in her head yelling at her to fuel up the car as quick as possible and head home. but the pure fact that it could be an injured person was enough to spur her on, if it were an animal she’d just head on. but goddamn if the grimes family “luck” brought her to a person. clicking the safety off, judith raised the gun towards the man. “hey! the hell are you doing lurking in the woods?” she asked. “you look like you’ve been out here awhile, where are you from?”

@wexarethewalkingxdead​ // closed starter (for shane :D) !!

Shane felt as if he'd been running for days. Probably had been constantly moving for the past eighteen hours. He'd gotten separated from the group he'd been traveling with a month or so back. He hadn't been with them for long, but it still pissed him off that he'd lost yet another group. It seemed to be the way of life for him. He'd been mostly alone since he'd cut out from the Greene farm, and the short times that he'd been with a group hadn't done much for his morale. Hell, if he was being honest with himself, being alone was worse than being with a group no matter if they trusted him or didn't.

He had been following a map that he'd found a few weeks back, hoping that it would take him somewhere that might fair better than any of the other places he'd lucked upon. So far, he wasn't having any luck. As it was, he was just ahead of a small group of walkers, and he'd chosen to keep moving instead of trying to take them out.

He'd twisted his ankle for his troubles so every step was painful, but he wasn't about to slow down for fear of them gaining on him. He was moving more on autopilot than anything. His brain screaming at him to keep moving so he wasn't aware that he'd lost the walkers several hours back as he just kept moving, managing to get further and further off course with each painful step.

It wasn't until he was looking down the barrel of a gun that he came to a stop. He swallowed thickly, throat burning with need for water. He tried to force words from his lips, but instead, he hit the ground hard with his knees as he fell back on his ankles. A cry of pain escaped him as the world started to go out of focus and turn black. He forced himself to not black out and rested easier on his twisted ankle as he stared up at the girl that still held the gun on him.

He focused on her words, blinking as he tried to remember what state he was in. He shook his head. "Georgia. From Georgia, but...that was a whole other lifetime back."

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

[AU] I Know That I'm Good Enough || Carol & Daryl || @thecavclry

Carol couldn’t take it any longer. She’d taken enough of Ed’s abuse, and tonight was the last straw. She threw what little she could in a bag for her and Sophia once he’d passed out on the couch after downing a bottle of whiskey. She always kept the important papers that she’d need for herself and Sophia where she could get to them quickly. He’d gotten laid off from his job, and somehow that had been her fault. He’d beat her so bad that she was certain that a few of her ribs were broken or at least cracked. Her left eye was swollen, thankfully not swollen shut, but she knew that it would be black for a long while to come. And some other bruises in various stages of healing to go along with the fresh ones.

She quietly carried Sophia from her bed and tucked her into the backseat with a blanket and her favorite teddy bear before she put everything else on the front seat beside her and climbed behind the wheel. She didn’t dare look up at the house as she backed the car down the short driveway for fear that she’d chicken out and return everything to its place so Ed would be known the wiser. She knew she had to get them out of there because if she didn’t, he was going to kill her.

She had been driving for just over an hour when she heard a loud pop and the car started to shake wildly before she managed to get it on the shoulder of the road. She’d been in a daze as she drove that she couldn’t remember seeing any signs that told her where she was close to. She was shaking as she managed to put the car in park and climbed out. She heard Sophia whimpering from the backseat.

She climbed back into the car, leaning over the front seat and rubbing her daughter’s back soothingly. “Shh, sweetheart. Go back to sleep…” She waited for the telltale sign of Sophia’s even breathing before she crawled out the passenger seat to check the tires.

She frowned, feeling the tears as they slid down her cheeks as she saw that the tire had a blown out. She felt her knees as they gave way and barely managed to catch herself on the car before she sat down heavily in the gravel and put her face in her hands and began to sob.

She didn’t know how long she sat there crying until she heard a vehicle approaching. She stood quickly, smoothing down her blouse and moving around the trunk of the car to the road. She didn’t want to get hit, but she didn’t want Sophia spending the rest of the night on the side of the road, and walking with a six-year-old in the dark wasn’t an option. She lifted her hands as soon as the headlights started to light up the road where she stood and began to try and flag down the driver.

[kiroonsmoon]

So… I’m thinking Calamity gets introduced during the raid on the Team Xen building that’ll happen in v14.

I’m thinking Melia & Venam met him first, without Fate there for max suspense. I don’t know why my brain jumped to them specifically but yeah. Calamity’s probably guarding something or another and Melia and Venam need to get past him. Both are obviously surprised to see there’s a new Team Xen admin they didn’t know about, which might fuck up the whole plan. Calamity recognizes them as some of the ones who took Fate, having been given false flashbacks by Clear.

Calamity starts to get very aggressive upon recognizing them, trying to pry information out of Melia & Venam. He even attempts to use his control power against Melia but she breaks out of it pretty quickly. He doesn’t reveal to much about himself though, not wanting it to be used against him or worse Fate. Eventually leads to a battle but Calamity is pretty easily beaten because he’s had only like… a few weeks of battle experience at this point lol. When they meet up with Fate + the others again Melia brings up the whole thing.

Melia; Hey Stella? So there’s a new Team Xen admin.

Fate; That’s not good.

Melia; Yeah, worse he’s specifically after you. I don’t know what for but be careful. He attempted to use some weird mind control power on me. He is definitely dangerous his name is Calamity-

Fate; ALTAIR IS HERE!?!?

And then bam sibling and backstory reveal.

[naonoholics]

Project Status 2022

Hiya All (^O^)/ 

Since it is the start of the new year I wanted to give everyone a status update on our projects since I know a lot of you have been asking.

Boku no Danna-Sama v3 - Fully cleaned and translated. Error Free Life - Got the scans in but haven’t started cleaning yet. Yoki Himo to Yoki Kainushi - Got the scans in but haven’t started cleaning yet. Barbarities v4 - Comes out later this month. not sure when the ebook will be added to amazonJP.

The last 3 won’t get translated anytime soon unless there is a japanese translator willing to give us full volume translations turned in all at once. (explained below)

Joints (Status only for the parts we are working on)

Kenji to Shiro-san DJ 4 and 5 - Fully scanned and translated (book six getting released soon) Bronze v14 & V15 - Vol 14 is fully cleaned/redrawn. Finished ch 1 of the cleaning/redrew for v15. Boku no Miichan - In the middle of the cleaning/redraw.

Now time to address a few things I been asked about.

As I mentioned before I use an amazing translation service to get most of our solo projects done since they are reliable, do an amazing job and I don't have to worry about not getting all the scripts needed to finish out a project. Which means that unless there is a Japanese translator willing to give us full volume translations (had quite a few over the years disappear and it was hard trying to find someone else to take over) all scripts we use are paid for by me. There’s only one site I use that pays out in the translators preferred currency so it takes a while for me to save up enough to get a full volume worked on.

Over the years it has been getting harder and harder to find reliable Japanese translators so when I found one that does amazing work and that I can depend on I stick with them.

I’m sharing this to say that since I don’t take donations to help with cost (I don’t mind paying for a project I want to share with others and want to read myself) and I don’t want to deal with the expectations some people develop when they donate (seen drama that happened to other groups over the years) please be patient and understand we can only do so much. I know people can get super excited about the next release of their favorite projects but messages about why a project is taking so long, why we are releasing certain projects and not others and why we aren’t working on something faster is a real bummer. To all those that have been understanding, patient, sent kind messages and offered and came though with help when we needed it thanks so much for the love and support!

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

Rick had noticed the moving truck the day before when he'd returned from his shift. He'd knocked that same afternoon, but no one had come to the door. He had figured that whoever they were had sent the truck on ahead of them, and he'd been checking out the kitchen window from time to time to see if a car had pulled in.

Finally seeing one, he hurriedly put his bowl and glass in the sink. He moved to his front door, pulling on his boots before he stepped outside. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight as he moved across his front porch and across the lawn. He noticed that his yard would need mowing over the weekend, but he kept moving into the neighbor's yard and to the front steps.

Seeing that he'd startled her, he gave a shy smile and then a wave before he offered his hand to her. "I'm Rick. Rick Grimes." He pointed toward his house. "From next door. Just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood and see if you needed any help with moving in?" He had the day off, and he'd been curious as to what kind of person or family had moved in beside him. When he'd mentioned to Carl on the phone that he had new neighbors, the young boy wanted him to find out if there were any kids his age going to be living there.

He had always told Lori to be mindful of who she had let into the house while he'd been at work. Even now that they were divorced, he still checked in on her to make sure she was doing okay. "I work for the police department. Deputy Rick Grimes," he clarified, smiling a bit as he did so but his cheeks colored a bit. He didn't want to seem as if he was boasting. He just wanted to put her at ease if she was worried about what kind of man he might be.

Starter for: @wexarethewalkingxdead

NYC ICU had been a great experience, but the winters of New York and the death of her brother had been too much to justify staying there. A fresh start somewhere else warmer would be good, or so the doctor figured, the Atlanta hospital had been eager to accept her application.  Finding a cheap house in a small county beside the large city Joanna was excited for countryside living, or as close as she could be to it. The moving truck had arrived a day or so before her, all that was left was her clothes and glassware she had packed in her car with her. Parking behind the truck she climbed out fishing for her keys in her purse she walked toward the front door, sliding the key in she smirked a little. The place was huge compared to her apartment, she doubted she had enough furniture to fill the place, a trip she’d have to do one of the weekends before she started. 

Setting her things down she took stock of the couch and table that had been moved in, she told them she could get the smaller boxes not wanting to waste their time. Moving outside she started unloading her car to get her clothes in then to start unpacking the kitchen, she left the doopr open not too worried about anything. 

She didn’t hear the footsteps on her steps, walking toward the truck she about gasped seeing the man suddenly at her door. Laughing at herself she smiled at him, “Hi there,” he must have been from next door, she should have been paying more attention, thankfully she hadn’t put her headphones in, he would have given her a heart attack.

[psalmonesermons]

Blessed is the believer who endures temptation (James 1:12) How to increase your spiritual staying power At some point in each of our lives it is possible we could stumble and fall. We can stumble because of direct sin in our lives or sometimes other people do something to us which trips us up. But the important thing is to get right back up and put things right with the Lord (1 John 1:9) and then press on with His plan for our lives. When we are down it is important that we do not get too comfortable there and use our present condition whether through self-disgust, hurt or rejection etc. as an excuse never to do anything again for God. Someone might say ‘I opened up myself to people before and all I got was stabbed in the back and rejected’! Even a close associate (Judas) betrayed Jesus. Betrayal seems in some odd way to be the way of the cross and Jesus Himself certainly was not spared it! If anyone merited not being betrayed, it was Jesus since He himself never betrayed anyone. So, if it was fit for the Master, how much more for us! Here are some scriptures that encourage staying power when things are difficult. We need to read these, meditate on them, ask ourselves if we believe them and if we do, then let them lift and encourage our hearts! James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. v12. There is a reward for resisting temptation, the crown of life. v13. God does not tempt anyone, God cannot be tempted to do evil nor does He tempt anyone to do evil. v14. Humans are tempted from within their own being by indwelling lusts. v15. Once the lust has produced its evil seed sin springs up and eventually... Full text at https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/blessed-is-the-man-who-endures-temptation https://www.instagram.com/p/CeSjjo9IzvD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[janichroma]

Hello! I’m sorry to ask this because I know you dislike it, but.. About Hisuian’s Samurott’s move, Ceaseless Edge’s "side effect" of hurting the enemy Pokemon each turn, how do you plan to make it work in either v13.5 or v14 when Hisuian form get in Rejuv? I’m not sure this is the right place to ask so, if it isn’t I’m sorry! Keep up the good work and think of resting when it is needed!

Please don't feel deterred to ask because I don't like Samurott lol... It's alright. It's mostly memes. I can find something to like about all Pokemon, even the ones I dislike.

But we could probably make it work like Bind or a move similar. Just ticks dmg at the end of each turn, or whatever.

[atoutlines]

Relief and Deliverance from a Different Place | Esther 4:1-17

Main Idea: God is our only source for relief and rescue!

1. Relief and Rescue Can’t Come from Self-Protection (v1-13):

There are four main characters in this story: Esther, Mordecai, Haman, and Xerxes. 

All four are full of compromise. All four are bent towards self-protection. 

“When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 And in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.” (v1-3).

Mordecai has “learned” about the genocidal decree issued by King Xerxes, to be carried out by the mastermind behind it, Haman, who has even been given payment from Xerxes to extract every Jew from the Persian Empire. 

There is no indication that Mordecai follows God but he grieves as a person of God (Joel 2).

Mordecai’s safety was gone. The news of death tends to strip our safety from us more than anything else.

Was Mordecai’s response genuine repentance or just desperation? 

Where do we turn when our safety departs?

“When Esther's young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people.” (v4-8) 

Mordecai’s desperation is evident. Quite possibly he went to the one place where his safety could be rediscovered.

Esther’s response upon hearing the news is expected. She, too, is grieved and attempts to provide relief to Mordecai.

Mordecai’s refusal of relief causes Esther to look into the matter more.

She sends her personal eunuch “Hathach” to inquire from Mordecai about what has happened. 

Mordecai provides the news of the impending Jewish “destruction”. 

Mordecai provides a copy of the official “written decree” from Xerxes on hand, so that Esther could see it.

Mordechai also implores Hathach to “command” Esther “to go to the king” to change his mind. 

The combination of lament and courage by Mordecai points to a shifting mindset at minimum.

Instead of turning to God, Mordecai turns to the safest place for relief and deliverance. 

God is undoubtedly the most secure bet, but he’s not the safest. 

“And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” 12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.” (v9-13) 

To Mordecai, Esther is the safety net, the savior, the solution. 

Initially, Esther reverts to preserving her own safety by appealing to the king’s law. 

And “thirty days” had passed since the king summoned her to be with him. 

Mordecai cautions Esther that just because she’s in the “king’s palace”, doesn’t exclude her from having the same fate as her racial family.

2. Relief and Rescue Can Only Come from One Place (v14-17):

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.”

Scholars and readers have debated the posture of Mordecai’s heart for ages because of his response.

Verse 14 seems to indicate a turning point again for Mordecai, who has steadily been making progress. 

He realizes that Esther may not be the solution after all, saying that if she chooses to “keep silent”, “relief” (space, respite) and “deliverance” (escape) for their people would still come “from another place”.

Is Mordecai referencing God in an oh so subtle way? 

If God was orchestrating all of this, then he is most certainly the one responsible in the end for delivering the Jews, whether or not Mordecai sees it.

Mordecai still makes his plea with Esther, but his disposition seems different; confident rather than fearful.

He pleads with her that if she remains silent, she may still “perish”, so it may be worth the risk of trying to go before the king. 

He also appeals to the thought that Esther may have assumed the queenship for a greater purpose than just herself. 

What if we all said in our suffering and hardship, “for such a time as this”? 

Esther changes her tune and, in turn, makes her own plea to Mordecai. 

Surprisingly, it involves something spiritual; a request for every Jew in “Susa” to fast, three days and nights.

She herself and the women around her would likewise fast and afterwards, she would “go to the king”.

Esther is also exhibiting a shifting of mindset. Does this mean she is trusting God? 

Her final statement possibly reinforces this: “If I perish, I perish.” 

More than anything, this whole event points us to the need for security over safety. 

What is the true source for this?

Reflect: Am I seeking my relief and rescue in life through self-protection or solely through Jesus? 

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

we-will-begin-again​:

Starter for @wexarethewalkingxdead

Since the world had ended, Javier had seen more places than he could name, after a few months they all started to look the same. It'd been four years —the kids kept count, it gave them something to do— since the world ended. For a while, it'd been just him, Kate, and the kids, but then Kate died too, and he was left alone to raise two kids who until the world ended had mostly known him as cool uncle Javi, the one who didn't come to family reunions, but sent the best gifts.

It could be worse. That's what Javier told himself every single time he drove past a corpse by the road, or a car crashed against a tree with the driver and his family still trapped inside, pressing their faces to the glass as if that would get them closer to ripping his flesh off the bone. It could be worse. But it also could be better.

As he watched the stupid little needle reaching the E for the second time today, Javier wished things would be better.

"How's the gas situation back there, Gabe?" Javier's voice seemed to have startled the boy awake.

Mariana was on her feet before Gabe even seemed to fully register what he'd been asked to do, and Javier couldn't blame him, last night had been tough for them: some muerto had been dragging itself against the side of the van for hours, not giving up on trying to get in until Javier decided that waiting for it to get bored was fruitless and drove away.

"Big one's empty, Javi!" Mariana's head popped up over the back of the seats. "Small one got a bit, but it's light."

"How light?"

"I can lift it with one hand."

"Crap," Javier cursed, then winced as he heard Mariana snort. He spotted a large parking lot just ahead, full of cars that hopefully still had some gas in them.

He parked the van on an empty spot close to the exit, not wanting to attract attention but also not wanting to risk going too deep into the lot, muertos always seemed to pop up out of nowhere, and there was always the slim but very real chance of running into people. Javier walked around the van, cursing under his breath at the sight of the grime left on the side by that muerto from last night.

"Stay together and stay close," Javier told the kids as he grabbed the fuel can and the pump from the back before moving to walk through the abandoned vehicles, praying that at least one of them would have gas, and that he wouldn't have to check every single one of them to find them.

Charley hadn't been prepared for this kind of life at the beginning of the Outbreak. He had been certain that it would be gotten under control and that life would resume as it normally had, but that hadn't happened. Then he and Sammy had lost Josey. Horrifically at that. With her still clinging tightly to Samantha's hand, forcing him to have to shove his terrified wife of ten years away.

He woke often from the nightmare of that moment replaying silently in his mind. It was less now, but it mostly came when he was exhausted and dead on his feet. Last night had been one of those moments. So he was dead on his feet as they stumbled into parking lot that was filled with abandoned vehicles.

"What do you say we rest a while? I need to shut my eyes a little," he said, turning to his now twelve year old daughter.

Sammy nodded, dark eyes that were desperate and droopy met his as they began wordless checking each vehicle they passed for one that was unlocked. Just as she was about to give up hope, a van's side door popped easily under her hand and slid back. "Hey, Dad. Here's one. Got plenty of room, too. So you can stretch out." It was getting more and more difficult to find decent places to rest where they weren't always packed in like sardines.

He smiled as he approached her and the van. "Good job. Knew this place would be lucky." He winked at her, encouraging her to climb on in. "We'll rest a couple hours then we'll see if there's anything we can salvage okay?" He climbed in behind her, pulling the door closed behind her. He climbed over into the passenger seat at the front of the van and settled in. It didn't take them long to fall into a restless sleep, but one that provided them with the most rest they'd had in a couple of days.

[kenkamishiro]

I think I need to clarify on what I mean by ‘train wreck’. When I say it, it refers to something in ruins, complete shambles, destroyed. Essentially a tragic ending, akin to chapter 143 of :re, so Ishida was thinking about having TG end in tragedy. I chose to use the term ‘train wreck’ and ‘in ruins’ over ‘tragic’ because they have slightly different connotations (台無し vs. 悲劇). It’s the reason why I would consider TG chapter 140 (when Kaneki ‘dies’ to Arima in V14, looks like an end to a classic tragedy play) as tragic ( 悲劇) and TG:re chapter 143 (when Kaneki loses to Juuzou and Hanbee and shit hits the fan for everyone) as 台無し (train wreck/ruined).

[sadlyoblivious]



JAILBROKEN

“When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream…” (v1) Let that sink in for a minute.  Two FULL years. We aren’t talking one Christmas to the next, but two FULL calendar years.  That’s a long time for Joseph to be forgotten and left working in the dungeon. To really hammer in this point, look at your photo library on your phone or computer.  Now scroll past the months to all the things you did in the past two years. A lot of life happened in the form of birthdays, parties, events, trips, you name it. Now, do you see how long it must have felt for Joseph?  But as we’ll see, things will go from stagnant to warp speed all in one day.

One night, Pharaoh had two dreams. Sound familiar? We started off Joseph’s story with his two dreams.  Later the cupbearer and the baker both had prophetic dreams the same night.  Pharaoh knew something was different with these dreams about fat cows and skinny cows (and he’s not dreaming of the yummy ice cream bars)! He called in all his magicians and wise men, but these guys had no clue.  

Cue the lightbulb going off over the cupbearer’s head. His boss needs something and NOW he remembers what Joseph did for him by interpreting the dreams two years ago. At least the guy spoke up and said something, after all, Joseph’s interpretations came true. 

Here’s where the story gets exciting for all of us who are waiting! Picture Joseph in the prison, long scruffy beard, tattered clothes, dirty skin, and who knows how bad he stank. The king of Egypt now sends for Joseph, “and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.” (v14)  

Just like in Psalm 40:2, God lifted Joseph out of the miry pit of a dungeon in an instant. Oh, I know it didn’t feel like an instant for all the years Joseph suffered, but when God puts His plan into motion for you and me, He reserves the right to change things slowly over time or quickly in an instant. The point is to see God’s hand in this story.  

Joseph is sold into slavery ->

Pharaoh’s captain of the guard buys him -> 

Joseph is falsely accused of rape -> 

Joseph goes to Pharaoh's prison -> 

The cupbearer and baker get imprisoned -> 

Joseph interprets their dreams -> 

Cupbearer gets out -> 

Pharaoh has dreams -> 

Cupbearer remembers Joseph -> 

Joseph is brought before Pharaoh. So, the cupbearer, actually was Joseph’s “get out of jail free” card, just not WHEN Joseph was expecting.  

Soon we’ll see how God allowed Pharaoh to have the prophetic dreams and reminded the cupbearer of Joseph to interpret those dreams. This all happened at the perfect time when Joseph was needed for the big mission God had been preparing him for all along!  Y’all, it’s getting good! 

Questions:    

Why do you think God allowed two more years to pass for Joseph in the prison?   

Have you ever been catapulted out of a wait?  What happened?   

Have you ever taken the time to truly be honest with God in voicing your frustrations about your situation?  If not, do it today.  Ask Him to help you see anything you’ve learned or ways He has used you in this time of waiting.