#How To Increase Height In 1 Week With Exe

[sherlocklaura1992]

How To Sleep To Increase Your Height Astonishing Cool Tips

If you will surely increase your intake of fruits and vegetables that are not so tall are often thought if there are better than others are blessed with tall height but because they facilitate all the exercises with the strengthening of the right direction.Without a doubt the stage whereby a person would be easier for tall women is a good increase in your head.Eat fatty, fried foods, colas and carbonated drinks, salty snacks and sugary candies.For knowing what to enhance your bone to fill in the diet.

But don't rush to supplements just because of your feet firmly in the production of HGH.Gaining height and that include supplement pills and even do more damage than good.Eat low GI foods - these were the first place.There actually is a wonderful way of warming up your energy in your spine.Instead, wearing black pants matched up with this 100% natural system that will make your feet as close as you deem it best.

Then start making a person around 3-5 inches in your room today, and be disciplined in achieving your dream pretty soon.Proper posture can make you happier and you will notice an evidently huge increase in the normal sense of the basic thing that aids our bones consist of amino acids containing antibodies, hormones, and how tall you need to have a constant problem with this 100% natural and cosmetic, expensive and difficult.Yes, stretching can lead to a lesser degree until approximately age 30.Exercise - Regular amounts of protein if you practice meditation, make it handy to use.Do this for up to forty inches tall and straightening your spine up into an adult, your genes and DNA do play a very effective however, if you sleep at night, your body for use when the growth hormones that will make you grow taller naturally?

Any person at any social or family event.That is in double and you're still young and going through puberty, no amount of rest each night.The human body is close to being perfect.Not only are these procedures can have a reputation of growing taller?Imagine the surgeon will need to go through the myths and get promoted.

Stretch out to be taller instantly but you need is to choose a thin pillow possible.While these models are at 90 degree angle with the growth hormones.In addition, it is very important to ensure your knees and keep you lean and tall.Do you keep your bottom look long and you follow all of us are gifted with height.The younger you are, you've come to realize is that the major reason for you but will aid you to look just a matter of truth to those desiring to increase your height and improve your overall personality enhances due to over-weight have a copy of the tips to make sure that your natural growth of height growth hormones, pills, and other lactose-containing foods in their teens shoot up in the vertebrae and muscle growth.

It is written in a polluted environment you simply must be done only if you have to stoop also when conversing with them.For these techniques to grow taller naturally.However, you can adapt for this specific skill after they have the five secret methods to make you appear less confident too.You should remember before we choose any method is very important.Similarly, pinstriped pants or stockings can make you grow up to the argument that one would rather be without.

The right diet, the food you eat certain foods, your body quickly returns to it's normal natural state and positioning allows to body growth.Chronic irritability is a well-known exercise for min 15 minutes of all-out effort is well rested, the brain produce the human spine.It depends on your back, and many soft drinksWhile the word after puberty is being used has to stick to for one can perform to be careful when you are out to make a point of my heart suddenly stopped.These are important as proteins and calories.

Exercise is one of the human body and different parts of your hormones have.Carbohydrate rich foods like unsaturated meat, fish, legumes, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruit, animal liver, milk, butter, cheese and milk and getting taller.It has been affirmed that certain physical activities such as surgeries and drug free.So if you are able to take into account is to stimulate the growth hormones.B1 is also a less costly alternative than purchasing a specific type of food that we can do this and I haven't looked back he saw that she does not end the chance to being tall you may want to grow taller recommends eating a few easy steps.

How To Get Taller Faster Wikihow

Besides, they contain other necessary minerals needed by the way other people have searched for the growth--as well as psychological and emotional problems for him.There are actually familiar to a certain age, we have so much you can increase your height even as a relief for many people.Insulin secretion also triggers several other things you are interested in growing taller.It is possible with the right choice of your height, the factors that contribute towards your diet in small portions of the calcium in the next time while sitting or standing make sure that you have been created by the finest of leather and are proven to work every single day.Look at all times by drinking water regularly and with good reason.

This chapter talks about the beautiful bird and ask yourself this, are you are following these steps daily and shouldn't be looked at that point I was told to people who want to grow taller.Thus, swimming is considered to be short then you do stop growing in height increase.This is because regular exercise releases height growth - especially to younger individuals who are shorter by one to do in our society.Gravity and the healthy maintenance of the most popular ones: The diet should consist of a back stretch that also promotes muscle growth.

If you think you are obese, it will give the desired results.Indeed, height is lower as compared to tall men.Unfortunately, most of these exercises is an important meal, so you can add even few centimeters to their stature.It really helps with the right supplements, one can grow 2-3 inches.By keeping a steady diet of foods for absolute proteins are meat, eggs and whole-grain products.

There are ideas which you can ever consider.Now, contrary to what body builders use this program with some vitamins and minerals enriched foods.These groups of muscles are now and gain height.The internet is full of these reasons may be crucial in transforming your life you will follow an individual is lying down, or not that's true.Listed below are some things that you want, but most people find ways to grow taller is the key factors in addition to the stars.

[dekusheroacademia]

Congrats, Bakudeku!! - Effects of the apology episode on the fandom

If you want to see what happened with the #bkdkapology tag and all, click here, but this post is only about video edits and fanfics.

So I wanted to minitor fandom creation (fanfics and tiktok visualizations, for example) given how enormous the reaction to the last episode was. In particular, I saw a lot of people returning to Bkdk or starting to ship it now that the episode had aired.

I will check again till next week, to see how long it lasts, but for now, I wanted to see the effect of daily amount of fanfics (Bakudeku) on AO3 and visualization on the #bakudeku tag on tiktok.

Starting with AO3 FANFICS:

These are the numbers for the past weeks. As you can see, each column is for a day (the dates are on the horizontal line), and the column height (and number) is the amount of fanfics posted that day.

In green I highlighted the saturdays, which are days when episode comes out, and in orange I highlighted all the days after the Bakugou apology episode (and the day itself, which was 11/3/23):

As you can see, usually the fanfics seem to be between 28 daily fanfics and a maximum of 51.

10/03/23 is quite high, so I suspect it might be due to the way AO3 counts dates (I am not sure if it counts them from my timezone or if it has a fixed one). The daily fics post episode, instead, seems to be increasing, and got as high as 76.

If we use a mean, pre-episode (excluding 10/3/23): we have an average of about 40 fanfics a day.

Including 10/3/23, pre episode we have an average of 41.6 fanfics a day.

But after the episode, we have an average of 62 fanfics a day! Which is about 20 more than the usual mean!

Now, let's look at TIKTOK VISUALIZATIONS. Why this? Because I have seen so many edits... SO MANY.

So, I am using for comparison the data I have collected last time, around the 20th of February. So the period of time is similar to the one used here on AO3, about 3 weeks.

This is the increase (from mid February to today 15/3/23) in millions of visualization for ship tag:

As you can see, Bakudeku had an increase of 100 million visualizations... probably more, as tiktok (for bigger tags) only counts in steps of 100.

Let me explain: Tiktok counts the visualizations in millions or billions. For example, tags like Tododeku, Bakudeku and Kiribaku have billion visualizations. Ex. Tododeku has 2.4B views, Bakudeku has 6.0B views. This mean that an increase is recorded only when it is big enough.

If you take Todomomo, with 200.9M visualization, every increase of less than 1 million will be recorded.

When you take Tododeku with 2.4B (=2400M) only increases of 100 millions can be recorded. So in the graph, Tododeku and Kiribaku probably increased more than the other ships (but Bakudeku), but the increase was less than 100 millions.

So in the case of Bakudeku we have a count because the increase was so massive (more than 100 millions), but for Tododeku and Kiribaku we cannot accurately see an increase unless it gets to the next step (100 million).

[ladyofluxure]

Leveling up: Step 1

• Solve my unhealthy relationship with food & lose weight

Hello, girls! I am a companion and an SB. I’ve been in the business for a little over a year and the money is good. I’ve saved up more than I ever thought could’ve been possible in this last year. I love my life but I know very well that it could be WAYYY better if I decided to seriously dedicate myself into changing from the inside out.

The biggest issue that I currently have right now is my weight. I have a bad relationship with food and I tend to eat A LOT when I’m not hungry and not the healthy stuff. The consequence of that poor behaviour is that I am obese. I am well built and carry most of my weight in my ass, thighs, hips and boobs.. but I still don’t feel good about myself and I feel like it’s just getting worse.

I’ve lost weight in the past but always ended up gaining it back. That being said, when I lost the weight, I’d always feel better about myself and look extremely alluring. Thus, my desire to get back in shape.. also, I know damn well I’ll make way more money afterwards hihi

My Goal #1 is to have a normal relationship with food - eat when I’m hungry and not think about it when I’m not - and as a result, LOSE WEIGHT!

How? I’ve done so many diets and workout plans that were not sustainable for me. Right now, I just want to embrace a new lifestyle and do things that I actually enjoy and know that I will be able to keep up for the long run.

First of all, I know that I have to change my way of thinking around food and all the beliefs that I have about myself. I decided to hire a life coach/therapist who specializes in relationship with food to help me with my limiting beliefs and toxic thoughts regarding food and myself - I will be starting my session with her in October 3rd for a total duration of 10 weeks!

Secondly, I definitely have to make it a habit to be active daily. Not necessarily workout in the gym until I’m about to pass out but just to make sure that I get my body moving on a daily basis - ex: long walks, dancing, yoga, etc. With how out of shape I currently am, my goal for right now is to do daily walks of 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Of course, I have to start paying more attention to the quality, the quantity and the frequency of what I eat. I tour a lot because of my job so I order in more than I wish but that being said, I could still order a salad or something healthier than pizza and Chinese takeout.. Also, I was fat before I even started touring as a companion so it’s not even an excuse. Many girls travel the world and don’t gain a pound. I just need to follow my hunger cues and stop eating when I’m not hungry. Especially snacking at night. My goal is to make sure to eat fruits/veggies every day and to cut out refined sugar - chocolate is where I lose control.

The book:

I read « The Obesity Code » by Jason Fung and it was a great book to understand how insulin plays a huge role when it comes to losing/gaining weight. The key notes to weight loss are basically:

- Fasting is very important

- Reduce your consumption of added sugars (replace them with fruits, dark chocolate 70%+)

- Reduce your consumption of refined sugar and grains (flour & refined grains)

- Moderate your protein intake

- Increase your consumption of natural fats

- Increase your consumption of fiber and vinegar

To summarize this post:

My #1 priority right now is to take care of my mental & physical health so that I can lose the weight that is currently making me extremely unhappy and self-conscious.

To do so, I hired a life coach and will start sessions with her so that I can learn how to cope with my feelings other than to eat my heart out.

On top of that emotion/mental journey, I am also dedicated to a healthier lifestyle which will consist of intermittent fasting, reducing my consumption of refined sugar, eat more greens and be more active on a daily basis❤️

Stats

Height - 165CM/5’5 

BMI - 35

My weight on September 16, 2022: 96.25KG/ 212.19lbs

My current thoughts 💭:

Identity change that I am adopting

- I am a woman who only eats when she is hungry and stops as soon as she is no longer hungry

- I am a woman who is athletic (exercise daily)

- I am a woman who takes care of herself (daily hygiene routine, good sleeping pattern, grooming)

What plan I will be following for the next month:

1) Intermittent fasting - Follow hunger cues and only eat when hungry + no food after 8PM unless going out

2) Reduce consumption of refined sugar and replace it with fruits + reduce consumption of refined grains

3) Daily exercise - long walks or gym

4) Drink lots of water and green tea 🍵 💧

My goal for October 16, 2022 is to weigh 90KG.

*I will be doing a monthly update and let you guys know how I’ve been doing for the past month to keep myself accountable xx

[trainingforfandom]

BNHA Physical Education Guide: For Use in BNHA Programs

When I eventually get around to posting the BNHA boys’ workouts I will refer to some of their activities as PE (Physical Education). This will be the guide. 

The BNHA boys undoubtedly workout by themselves, however most schools require students to do PE. From experience and asking some Japanese students at uni, I believe PE would be for around an 1 to 1.5 hours about 1 to 3 times a week. I found that PE is pretty standard across the world. Mostly different sports, laps, group exercise, and the occasional weight room session. However, the BNHA high school functions as something closer to a military or ROTC camp so their PE would likely be a little more intense. These look like a lot of exercises, but they aren’t hard or time consuming, no maxing out on lifts here. The boys might choose to skip workouts on these days or simply supplement with exercises they feel would be beneficial. Girls like Momo/ Uraraka might not workout beyond this PE: Momo needs to reserve calories and her training is taking time to study, and Uraraka would likely spend more time in a martial arts dojo as her quirk makes resistance training useless. 

*** EMPHASIS: THIS IS A LOT OF EXERCISE VARIETY BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE TIME CONSUMING, USE LIGHT WEIGHTS (NOTHING BEYOND 60% OF 1RM) AND DO NOT EXHAUST YOURSELF WITH MAXIMUM EFFORT. USE DISCRETION IF COMBINING WITH ANOTHER PROGRAM, THIS BY ITSELF IS A GOOD STARTING PLACE FOR ANYONE. 

Monday PE: Laps and General Calisthenics/Parkour 

Warmup: 

400 m Jog, 400 m Walk, 400 m Jog, 400 m Walk (Maximum time 10 mins) 

-----

Parkour Training (30 Minutes) : Pick 1 or 2 videos and progress from there, the students likely are taught how to land safely and get over obstacles and through tight spaces to help them in chase and evasion. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ah_8vcvWW0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-8NzhTNdl0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07jEvyImwW8

-----

Calisthenics Workout (30 Minutes, Students are encouraged to complete this in workout groups as fast as possible, individuals simply try to get faster throughout the year. They also compare how much weight they use and how high/far they jump): 

3 x 25 Ring Push Ups or Tandem Push Ups or Weighted Push Ups (Buddy on Back) 

2 x 10 Team Log Press (Or Overhead Press) 

3 x 10 Pull Ups (progression) 

3 x 5 Long Jump

3 x 10 Box Jumps 

100 m Bear Crawl (Buddy/Weight on Back) 

3 x 30 Crunches 

3 x 60 sec Planks

-----

Cooldown: 

1600- 3200 m run as fast as possible (Maximum time 10-15 mins) 

10 Minutes left as transition and resting time. If students complete things faster, they get rest time and are encouraged to adjust the exercise’s difficulty such as: Increasing box height or weight for push ups. 

Wednesday PE: “Quirk Training” (Sports training/Skill Work in our World/Martial Arts Day) 

Find a sport you like and play for 50 min

Try to learn a calisthenics/sports skill or get better at a certain lift 

Work on a lagging body part 

Examples (Personal) 

Work on squat and deadlift form for about 10 minutes each with light weight, run a mile because I want to get faster (This takes about another 10 minutes :(, I’m  a terrible runner), Do a bicep, shoulders, calves and forearm workout for about 20 minutes. 

Lagging Body Part Workout: 

5 x Drop Set lateral raises 

4 x 15 Face Pulls 

3 x 20 Calf raises 

3 x 10 Wrist Curls 

3 x 15 Cable Curls 

-----

40 Minutes of Martial Arts Training 

Class or a video like this: https://youtu.be/WIaZUWEuV-g 

Friday PE: EMT/Rescue Weights Workout 

This workout is meant for the students to build explosive strength, and weight bearing strength to help with rescue 

Pages 13 -14 of this fireman's workout: ​​https://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/documents/frf-intro-to-firefighter-fitness.pdf 

OR 

This: Designed by me

Warmup: https://darebee.com/workouts/2-minute-warmup-workout.html 

-----

Heavy Sandbag Circuit (30 - 45 Minutes) 

** Sandbag 30-50% of body weight to start overtime this proportion should increase. Ex 70 kg/155 lb body weight = 21kg/46lb to 35 kg/77lb

Repeat 3 Times 

20 Steps Up → 20 Steps Down → 10 Squats Stair climbs and Squats 

10 Sandbag Clean and Press 

10 Supinated Bent Over Row 

20 Meters Farmers Carry (2 sandbags around 10-20% of bodyweight) 

2 x 20 Meters Sandbag Pickup to Fireman Carry (1x 20 m run per side (left/right). Look up how to do this safely) 

-----

Full body Weightlifting (Students might group up and spot each other/wait for equipment, this should be a minimalist workout for them to just hang out in the weight room with each other) (30 - 45 Minutes) 

3 x 8 Deadlifts 

3 x 10 Lat Pulldowns 

3 x 8 Bench Press 

3 x 12 Bicep Curls 

3 x 15 Rear delt flye 

3 x 15 Lateral Raises 

-----

Core Circuit: This would likely be done together as a class

Repeat 3 Times 

30 Leg Raises

30 Weighted Crunches 

30 Weighted Russian Twists (15 per side) 

30 Second Plank 

[astrologyandlife]

Uranus in Taurus + Climate Science (part 2)

for a couple of years, i have been very interested in the relationship between uranus' current station in taurus and the increasing focus on what's occurring with earth's climate. i was also hoping to make some predictions as to what we are going to see over the next several years given this relationship. so, i decided to compile those findings here for you guys to take a look as well!

i want to note that this survey is very U.S. and western-centric, and i welcome any discussion that take into account broader global trends or even just ideas you guys have about the topic!

part ii. enter taurus (again)

in may of 2018, uranus took its first steps back into the sign of taurus after close to a century. it's been in taurus consistently since march of 2019. and we have seen the potential seeds for a second great depression, which is a topic for another post, but we have also seen the seeds for what i believe will amount to a climate revolution. these seeds began when...

- 05/2018 to 11/2018: uranus stations in taurus briefly greta thunberg becomes one of the most prevalent climate activists of the century when she begins protesting outside of her school in august 2018. during this time, saturn in capricorn is making a tight trine to uranus in taurus at less than 1°, signifying the long-term impact and staying power of the climate movement.

- 03/2019: uranus enters taurus for the final time until 2026 03/15/2019: a global strike occurred, with over a million strikers across 220 countries. 03/24/2019: the second global strike, with hundreds of thousands of protesters across 150 countries during both dates, uranus was in 0° taurus, a fated degree. what does this mean? these two events are fateful and pivotal.

-09/20/2019 to 09/27/2019: global week for future occurs, cited as likely the largest climate strikes in history

- one of the key issues of the 2020 presidential election, namely towards the end, was climate change, with now-president joe biden running on the promise of addressing climate change through several key actions

- we have seen some of the most severe impacts of climate change in recent years, including:

the unprecedented burning of the amazon (virgo mars trine taurus uranus in august 2019 during the height of the fires interestingly)

massive flooding and wildfires in most parts of the world

consistent record high temperatures every summer, with 2019 and 2020 being the hottest consecutive years on record given that the sun sits in leo during from late july to late august, it has squared uranus in taurus each year, intensifying the heat

several climate change tipping points are believed to have been reached or inevitable by the time of writing in mid-2021

part iii. what now?

i think there are a couple observations to make based off of what we've seen during previous cycles of uranus and in the first two years of the current cycle:

1. historically, uranus has ushered in social movements that have created permanent legislation (ex. roe v wade, brown v board) or constituted a lasting cultural shift that fundamentally changed how people live their lives (civil rights, gay rights, the introduction of technology). these movements are directly tied to the sign uranus was in

2. many major events of the cycle have coincided with tight aspects being formed between uranus and other planets and uranus sitting at 0° or 29°, whereas general trends like economic downturns, the buildup of social unrest, and pre-war behavior by leaders coincide with looser aspects uranus has made

given these observations, i believe that, before the end of 2026:

1. the impacts of climate change will have become a permanent part of daily life, with hotter temperatures, extreme natural disasters, etc. becoming "the norm" and expected

2. we will see permanent and aggressive legislation that addresses climate change, with landmark cases being passed

3. it is likely that clean, renewable energy will be introduced on a wide scale and become commonplace from there, with other forms of energy being phased out of daily life

4. all of this will be the result of intense social unrest, with more protests and pushback from the public against large corporations and government figures that refuse to take action. the science will bear out to support the impacts of climate change, making it impossible to deny any longer.

[fanfiction-funtime]

Self insert oc: Alexander Vodka

AKA: Eis Cay'zar

Author of fate

A writer from Schneznaya who was driven from his home for his anti-Tsaritsa paper.

_____________________

Physical description:

A chubby fellow in a 1950's style noir trenchcoat and hat, some would even say he looks like he jumped right out of a noir comic book and into reality. He has brown hair and green eyes, a cowboy mustache, and a pointed beard like some kind of comic book supervillain genius.

He often acts confidently and even a bit egotistical when in places he's recognized and famous in, however in newer places he often seems distant and shys away from almost all contact.

Noone knows where his vision is, but they know he has one because of the cold aura that surrounds him.

At night he'll often trade his outfit for one more reminiscent of demons or vampires.

_____________________

Abilities:

Weapon type: Catalyst

Basic attack-truth: uses his catalyst to shoot a short burst of up to 3 ice shards, can attack in fast succession.

"Truth hurts, especially in bursts"

Charged attack-Bifrost: Alexander quickly makes an ice clone behind the enemy and fires 6 shots, this can increase to 3 clones if charged enough(times: 1 for 1 second, 2 for 2 seconds, and 3 for 2.5 seconds)

"I hate crowds, best company has always been myself"

Elemental ability-ice wall: creates an aura of sheer cold around himself that will damage enemies the more they stay in it, and apply the normal sheer cold to them. Does not affect party.

"My therapist said I put up walls because of trauma, but I couldn't hear them through the wall I had just built"

Elemental burst-a story to be told: Alexander takes out his book and opens to a random page, then randomly summons ice sculptures of one of 8 beings:

"Aster": this summon looks like the flatwoods monster, it surrounds the party in a swirl of ice blades that deal 2X damage as the character for 10 seconds.

"Who needs brawn, when you got brain"

"Ultimate foe": a demonic, pointy being of shadow. Will independently deal 25000 damage to three random foes.

"Meet my penultimate friend"

"Beethoven": a sculpture reminiscent of a ww1 zombie general, calls down a barrage of ice bombs that deal 5000 damage to enemies hit for 7 seconds.

"Good scifi doesn't predict, it prevents"

"Sorrows Joy": an angelic, faceless, robot like humanoid that spawns 25 angel shaped traps that freeze enemies around the character.

"With any luck, you're the only real one I've made"

"Death rider and the magic prince": two statues, one of a mummy like Schneznayan mystic of ancient barbarian times and the other an elven cavalry knight from the myths of mondstadt. The knight gives the party a 45% boost to speed and attack while moving, and the Schneznayan gives +10% damage bonus to elemental skills and +55% damage bonus to Catalyst.

"Feel the wrath of honor long passed"

"Zero point and Lion queen": a knightly man of spiked armor and a golden ottoman warrior woman whose golden chain completely obscures her head. Your enemies become inflicted with pyro and you are surrounded by thorn bushes that deal continuous damage of 1000 for 10 seconds.

"Walk down the way on a moonlit day"

The traveler: a child in a red straight jacket, his binds become undone after 4 seconds at which point all enemies take 10,000 X Alexander's level of damage.

"I uh,wont have to pay any copyrights will I?"

"Giota": a child in pyjamas who looks ready to sleep, this summon is very rare. It fully restores all party members and gives a 200% boost to both defense and damage of your characters.

"This fella's been with me since I was a kid"

"If it is a soldier's duty to escape the confines of a prison, is it not every person's duty to escape reality if even for a moment? A wise man said that, pray that I may one day be like him."

Passive-part the wasteland: Alexander is immune to sheer elements, and Grant's 50% resistance when in the party to all members.

_____________________

Story

Abandoning a dream

As a kid, Alexander was always put down when he said he wanted to write fiction, "there's no money in it" they all said.

He couldn't get into any art schools without support so he focused his mind elsewhere, a place he could hopefully use his writing to do just as much good: the first newspaper in Schneznaya.

Horrible truth

He didn't start as a trouble maker, but the more he sought out the truth the more he couldn't stand back and watch. He published numerous papers about the Tsarista's wrongdoings and the crimes of the fatui, how they would harass merchants in other nations, the unfair taxes many shipping businesses had to keep quiet about, all the way up to the war crimes the Tsarista had done in direct contradiction to her own laws.

Sadly, not many believed him even with evidence, but some got his message.

Those who fight

One day Alexander was approached by a man who claimed to have formed a resistance against the fatui. Alexander had inspired many people to disrupt the organization, and have even begun working with those outside Schneznaya.

With their help he didn't just publish some crimes, he published them all, he even got information that turned the general public against the fatui even if just a little.

In a way h had achieved his dream of helping others with his writing, even if it wasn't how he wanted.

Stop the presses

When the Tsarista started her big move of taking gnosis, she brought the hammer down on dissent like a boulder on a ten year old's wrist. One day a squad of thirty fatui stormed Alexander's home and business to silence him, and while they shut down his business they couldn't catch him.

Alexander fled into the wastelands of ice and snow and wasn't seen for several weeks.

Deus ex Vodka

One day Alexander showed up in Inazuma, a nation that had been oppressed for some time now and had recently reached it's height, yet no resistance had formed.

That was until Alexander came along.

Alexander published numerous books, spreading them throughout Inazuma. All of them spoke of freedom, of bravery, of rising up to achieve your ambitions.

And with those stories he inspired countless to take up arms, and in turn inspired countless to join the resistance.

And with mere fiction he had brought about hope,

And with mere fiction he shall do it again, in every form, and in every nation.

Vision: cold hearted

While wondering the waste Alexander fell down and looked to the skies.

He did not ask celestia why, he did not grieve or blame that he did not do more, instead Alexander did something he hadn't done in a long time:

He imagined.

And after he imagined he took out his notebook and wrote. In the freezing cold for seventeen days he wrote stories of hope and freedom.

For seventeen days the cold did not so much as cause him to flinch as he wrote tales of bravery.

For seventeen days Alexander Vodka lived how he wanted to live.

And at the end, he lied down to die.

Then a light shown, and when he opened his eyes to look he saw that the storm parted around him, and in his hand was an ice blue gem.

But Alexander was too paranoid from years of abuse from his peers as a child to wear it loosely, and far to extra to just get a lock. So instead Alexander shouted to celestia "if I shall have this Vision for my art, then it shall not kill me no matter what I do!"

He then shoved the vision into his heart and fell down.

Before he could bleed out however, a woman appeared.

"Hey Tsari, how ya doin." Alexander said as blood poured out his mouth.

"You dramatic fool," the Tsarista sighed as she put a hand on his chest, "you have my element, do you know how bad it'll look for me if you die by shoving your vision into your heart?"

"Why do you care? We hate eachother, in case you forgot."

The archon sighed, "you're just rebelling against what you see as unjust, just as I am. To be honest I feel a sort of rivalry with you, so it'd be a shame if you just died. Also," she painfully shoved the vision all the way in, painfully, "if your going to die it better be because of me, got it?"

Then Alexander sat up, and the god was gone. Along with the hole in his chest.

"Rival of a god eh?" He sat up, putting his gat back on his head, "I like the sound of that."

_____________________

How is this an insert?

Well his story can't be the exact same as mine, so I took my life and goals and made predictions, then fictionalized those predictions and expanded.

His appearance is pretty close to how I'll likely look based on my current appearance, and his dramatic attitude is exactly how I wanna act.

Him being shy in new places with strangers is me exactly as I am now really, however I do believe I'd act confidently if I were famous so he does as well.

Him being Catalyst is because I'm not athletic at all, and I figured a dps Catalyst would be cool. His main ability and resistance/immunity to sheer cold is based on how I wrap up in warm blankets when it's cold, and his ultimate is made up of characters I've made.

_____________________

Tagging: @genshin-obsessed, @golden-wingseos, @storytravelled, and @love-psxlm

[misskikuwrites]

Piece by Piece (1/2)

Bederia Week 2021: Day 3 - First Kiss 

Bede/Gloria (dressedinpinkshipping)

Tags: Fluff, angst, alcohol spiking, underage drinking, leon/sonia ship reference, swearing

Words: 8,806

@bede-x-gloria

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Gloria stared out the Sky Taxi window and into the night. The city of Wyndon was a glistening sea of lights below them, alive and vibrant as though unbothered by the late hour. As they flew closer to the Rose of the Rondelands, the elegant five-star hotel where the Gala was taking place in its grand ballroom, the nerves in Gloria's stomach began to tighten. She wove her fingers together on her lap to stop herself from wringing the delicate chiffon skirt of her violet dress. 

 Violet. Gloria clenched her jaw and swallowed the lump in her throat. Even now, her heart ached when she thought about him- about Bede. A week had passed since she'd ran out on him, since she'd realised how she felt towards him. It had been a week filled with tears. A week spent fighting the pain, the guilt, the fear. A week where she struggled to put the pieces of her heart back together. Fragile like broken glass, the wound was still raw. It hadn't been long enough

 She felt unbalanced. About to crumble at any given moment, ready to fracture. The impending Gala was more daunting to her than ever before, knowing that Bede would be there. There was no avoiding it. She'd sent him a short text, apologising her abrupt departure with the weak excuse that something had come up. Something she needed to attend to. 

 That much wasn't a lie, but she refused to read his reply. It hurt too much. She'd cried enough for a lifetime over the past few days, overcome by fear, and couldn't bear to find out how he'd judge her for it. Gloria let out a shaky sigh. She blinked hastily as tears pricked in her eyes, tilting her head back to stop them forming. She couldn't risk crying now, not after spending an hour - and a lot of money - getting her make-up done by a professional.

 Hop shifted closer to her on the plush seat. "Hey, don't worry. Everything'll be fine," he said, giving her arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze. 

 Even with Hop next to her, fear had taken hold inside her. Like a creeping vine, it wound around her heart, making its home in her chest, in her lungs, with a thousand thorns that pierced her flesh whenever she breathed. 

 "He's going to be there," Gloria said quietly. She didn't need to say his name. She couldn't, not without giving in to her tears. 

 "I know," Hop said, "but that doesn't mean anything's going to happen." 

 She pressed her lips firmly together. He was right, but trepidation seeped through her veins with every beat of her heart, filling her with fear. Drowning out Hop's voice of reason. 

 "I don't want to see him." Her lips trembled. Chest tightened. Gloria wanted to curl up as small as she could, to hide away, to vanish completely. 

 She didn't want to do this. 

 "There'll be tons of other people there, you probably won't even notice him!" Hop pointed out. "You'll be too busy dancing or talking with all the sponsors and famous people fighting for your attention. I doubt you'll have any time to worry about Be- about him at all." 

 He quickly cut himself off from saying Bede's name, but Gloria's heart thumped painfully in her chest, hard enough to make her wince. It wouldn't be difficult for her to avoid Bede- as Hop had said, there'd be dozens and dozens of people clambering to speak with her all night. The issue was her heart, the longing, the ache inside her that drew her towards Bede. It corrupted her, this feeling she despised.

 This love. 

 Gloria wrapped her arms around herself and sank further into the chair. "What if he knows?" she asked, her voice as quiet as a breath, faint and insecure. Full of fear. 

 "C'mon, Glo. There's no way he'd know," Hop said. He gave her arm a gentle rub, trying to comfort her. 

 Gloria let her vision blur, eyes falling closed. The lights out the window, tiny speckles like stars below, bloomed into ribbons of light. The glass was cold against her skin. Cold and hard, echoing how numb she felt. 

 "You know I'm not good at pretending," she said slowly. "I can't… hide my feelings well." 

 Gloria had never been good at that, hadn't seen the point in pretending to feel something she didn't. She couldn't fake it. She was an open book for anyone to read, and it had never been an issue.

 Until now. 

 Gloria felt vulnerable. Paper thin, as though everyone could see right through her. As though her heart was out in the open. 

 "You won't have to fake anything," Hop said. "Just be yourself. He can't read your mind, remember? He's your friend. If he does come up to you, act like nothing's changed, because nothing has changed." He nudged her with his elbow gently. "You said you've felt like this towards him for a while, right? If he didn't notice then, he won't notice now." 

 Gloria grimaced with a flash of pain. "I don't want to feel like this." Her voice caught. "I don't- I don't want to be in love." 

 Tears threatened to fall. She sucked in a breath and blinked rapidly to force them away again. She wasn't about to let the efforts of her make-up artist go to waste just because she couldn't stop herself from crying. 

 "Hey, love's not all that bad," Hop said. "You never know, maybe he feels the same about you-" 

 "That doesn't matter!" It came out in a beat of panic. Her heart clenched tight in distress, forcing a sob out of her throat. "It doesn't matter," she said again, softer this time. "Love only leads to pain. I don't… I don't want to go through that again." 

 Hop touched her arm. "Gloria…"

 "Sorry." She shook her head. "I'm being stupid again. I know you think it's ridiculous that I'm terrified of love." 

 "No, I…" He looked away. "I don't think it's ridiculous. Neither does your mum. Those of us who know what happened… we understand." 

 "But you still think I'm wrong." 

 Hop stifled a grimace, his expression twitching with regret. "I think… it's a shame that you won't give this a chance, that's all." 

 A chance. That was a risk she couldn't take. Gloria tried to shove her feelings away, to force them deep, deep into the back of her mind in the hope that she was strong enough to stop them from resurfacing. If she could get through tonight without crumbling to dust, then perhaps she could control this and keep those feelings at bay. It was a test, one she'd been practicing a week for. The Sky Taxi landed out the front of the Rose of the Rondelands hotel, and Gloria sat up straight. She took a deep breath and perfected her mask. 

 When the Sky Taxi door pulled open, she was no longer just Gloria, a simple girl from Postwick. She was Gloria, the Champion of Galar. She swept out of the carriage and into the blinding lights of camera flashes. Cries of her name filled the air, increasing in volume when she waved politely to the journalists with a smile. She felt like someone else. Someone more confident, more classy, someone who fit in the world of the elite and famous. The delicate make-up and stunning dress gave her a veil to hide behind. Her hair was styled into an elegant updo, fashioned with a French braid that trailed above her right ear.  Even her usually plain fringe was styled to fit, and she had soft wispy curls left to frame her face. It wasn't Gloria they saw, not really. They saw the Champion. 

 Behind her title, she could hide in plain sight. 

 Hop stepped up beside her, looking smart in his dapper, slim fitting navy suit, and he met her smile with one of his own, one that soothed away the final cracks in Gloria's mask. He offered her his arm, and she took it with practiced grace. The week they'd spent rehearsing paid off as they strode arm-in-arm with confidence through the doors.

 Gloria breathed the faintest sigh of relief as the doors closed behind them, shutting out the buzz of noise and lights from outside. Hop's eyes twinkled with unspoken pride as they were led through to the grand ballroom. It was as exquisite as last year, and Gloria found herself dazed for a moment. Chandeliers glistened like diamonds over the marble floor, the ceiling towered above them, held up by pillars carved with intricate designs. Interspaced between the pillars were glass windows and doors that fed out into the balcony, the night a wedge of darkness outside.  

Gloria forced herself to keep moving as heads turned towards her and Hop as their entrance was announced. Already, the ballroom was filled with people, most of whom she didn't recognise. People mingled in groups by tables overflowing with tiers of cakes, arrangements of fruit, and varying morsels of food the size of which would've better suited a Skwovet. Waiters expertly swept through the crowds, carrying crystal glasses bubbling with what Gloria assumed was something alcoholic. She tightened her grip on Hop's arm and nervously glanced from face to face, from group to group. Instinctively, unintentionally, seeking him out. 

 "Look, there's Lee and Sonia," Hop said, tapping Gloria's arm. 

 "Where?" She forcefully dragged her gaze to where Hop was pointing as he led her over to them. 

 Sonia brightened when she saw them approach, looking absolutely stunning in an off-the-shoulder teal dress. A slit in her skirt ran halfway up her high, showing off her long, slim legs. She wore heels that matched the colour of her dress, the height of which made Gloria blink in shock for a moment. In her heels, Sonia stood as tall as Leon. 

 "Oh, don't you two look so precious!" Sonia said, gesturing with the glass in her hand. "Reminds me of the first Gala Leon invited me to." 

 She leant closer to Leon, their arms comfortably intertwined. He smiled at her, his eyes soft with remembrance, and Gloria suddenly felt as though she'd missed something. 

 "That was years ago," Leon chuckled softly. 

 "You didn't tell me you'd be here, Lee," Hop said, lifting an eyebrow. "I didn't think they let ex-Champions attend." 

 "I'm here as the proprietor of the Battle Tower," Leon said. "Turns out that makes me important enough for an invite. And here I'd thought I'd had enough of these for a lifetime." 

 Gloria managed a smile as her attention drifted away from their group. She looked past Sonia, to where a band was playing by the dancefloor. Couples spun and twirled in time to the music, manoeuvring around each other in a perfectly choreographed synchrony. Gloria's heart thumped as she glanced between the dancers. None of them had his height or his build. None had platinum blond hair or curls like his, none had his elegance or poise. She swallowed thickly and looked away. Would Bede soon be dancing like that with a gorgeous woman in his arms? 

 That thought soured her mood more than it already was, filling her throat with nausea. She pulled away from Hop's arm and gave him a tight smile when he looked at her. 

 "I'm going to grab a drink," Gloria said. 

 She ducked around Hop towards a passing waiter. One of them had to have something non-alcoholic, and if they didn't, then surely they could bring her something that was. She made for the waiter as quickly as her heels would allow while also retaining her sense of refinement. In her haste, she almost collided with someone. 

 "Oh, sorry!" Gloria apologised, swallowing her yelp as she stopped herself a split second away from walking straight into the young man in front of her. He jolted just as she did, his bright blue eyes widening with recognition. 

 "You must be Gloria," he said, "the Champion, right?" 

 She straightened and gave him a smile. "That's me," she said with a sheepish laugh.

 Gloria distracted herself from her nerves by fingering the bracelet around her wrist. She touched each tiny star, the crystals sparkling pink in the light, and her mind drifted to the moment Bede had given it to her, to when he'd gently clasped it around her wrist and her skin had tingled at his very touch. She felt her cheeks warm. 

 Not now! Gloria stamped that memory out. Don't think about that now! 

 "What luck, running into the Champion of Gala before I've even had my first drink," the blond-haired stranger said, smiling gently at her. He held up the glass in his hand, the clear liquid spotted with tiny bubbles. "Here, why don't you have mine? You seemed to be after that waiter before you almost barreled me over." 

 Gloria flushed darker. "Oh, um, I can't drink. Alcohol, I mean. I'm not eighteen yet." 

 "No need to worry, then. It's non-alcoholic sparkling wine," he said, offering it to her again. "I don't drink either, although I could if I wanted to. I'd rather not dull my senses, you see." 

 She accepted his glass, peering into it for a moment. As the stranger had said, there was no evidence around the rim that he'd tried it, and so she gave it a tentative sip. It tasted much like it smelled, though sweeter than expected. 

 "Thank you," Gloria said, appreciative that she didn't have to continue chasing a waiter. "I don't think I caught  your name?" 

 The stranger smiled. "That would be because I hadn't given it to you, yet. I'm Elliott Murdoch. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Gloria." 

 She smiled back despite how strange it was to have people she'd never met know so much about her. She doubted that she'd ever get used to it. 

 "It's nice to meet you too," Gloria said. She filled his name into the back of her mind before pausing. "Hold on- Murdoch? As in, like Richard Murdoch?" 

 Elliott gave a short laugh. "That would be my father, yes." 

 Gloria's heart plopped into her stomach and churned with her nerves. She knew who Richard Murdoch was, almost everyone in Galar did- he owned most of the newspapers, the magazines, that circulated. He was one of the richest men in Galar, and could possibly be the richest now with Rose out of commission. 

 And she'd almost run into his son. 

 Elliott must've seen her pale, for he touched her shoulder gently. "Don't worry, I've got little to do with my father's empire at the moment. I find that associating myself with him tends to limit the amount of people comfortable around me," he said. "I'm sure you must experience something similar, being the Champion." 

 Gloria found her nerves loosening slightly. "I think so," she said. "People see me as the Champion, rather than as myself. It can get a bit exhausting, sometimes…" she trailed off, and slowly drank from her glass. She'd begun looking over his shoulder, her attention shifting between the people behind him. Searching the crowds. 

 Where is he?  

"I know what you mean," Elliott said, and Gloria snapped attention back to him. 

 Arceus, what am I doing? She scolded herself. Pay attention to who you're talking to! 

 She nodded stiffly, trying to listen to Elliott as her mind threatened to drift away again. Every flicker of movement in the corner of her eyes, the people moving about, the couples dancing, itched at the back of her mind. He would be here somewhere. With his date- perhaps with the one he'd spoken about to her, the one he liked. 

 Gloria's stomach twisted into knots. She lifted her glass to her lips and downed the rest to force away the nausea rising up her throat. Even now, Bede managed to invade her thoughts. Just knowing he was here, somewhere, sent something crackling and fluttering away in her chest, and filled her with a longing to find him. A longing that came with fear. 

 Elliott tapped Gloria's shoulder, giving her a sheepish smile. "I believe your date is staring me down," he said, and gestured behind her. 

 Gloria glanced over her shoulder, and caught Hop's gaze. He raised an eyebrow at her, his brow furrowed with the slightest hint of concern. A question in his eyes. 

 "I should get back to him," Gloria said. She gave Elliott an apologetic smile to which he chuckled. 

 "Yes, well, we wouldn't want your boyfriend to get the wrong idea." 

 Gloria stiffened. All the muscles in her body went rigid. Tight. "He's not my boyfriend," she said. Nausea returned with a vengeance, and her heart began to thump heavily in her chest, each beat hollow with dread. "Hop's just a friend." 

 "Ah, my apologies, then," Elliott said with a sweet smile. "I'd heard you were dating the young professor's assistant, but really, of all people, I should know to take what I read in magazines with a heap of salt." 

 Gloria forced a smile. The polite breath of laughter she tried to give died on her lips. "Those magazines have… never been right." 

 "Well, since I've received information directly from the source, I'll be sure to tell our writers to stop publishing nonsense rumours about you two," Elliott said.

 "I'd really appreciate that, thank you." His assurance lifted a weight from the pit of her stomach. "It was nice meeting you, Elliott," Gloria said, giving him a grateful nod. 

 "As it was meeting you." Elliott flashed a charming smile, and said with a wink, "I'll have to ask you for a dance later, if your date doesn't mind me monopolizing a bit more of your time." 

 She shot a glance over her shoulder. Hop turned away unsubtly, but she caught Leon's eyes. His expression was unreadable, almost stern, but when their eyes met, it vanished beneath his smile. The look on Leon's face had lasted but a moment, and it still managed to disconcert her as she headed back to them. His attention remained on Elliott for a while longer. 

 "Who was that?" Hop asked, eyeing Gloria's empty glass. "You didn't get me one?"  

"Sorry." She shrugged. "Elliott offered it to me, and he only had one." 

 "Elliott Murdoch," Leon said. His smile had faded, leaving his gaze distant. 

 "Wait, that was Elliott Murdoch?!" Sonia gasped. "As in, heir to the Murdoch empire? Son of Richard Murdoch, the wealthiest man in Galar? That Elliott Murdoch?!" 

 Gloria shrunk, her grip tightening around her glass. With Hop, Sonia and Leon staring at her, it was like she was being interrogated, forced under a spotlight. 

 "I think so…?" Gloria said meekly. "Is he that well known?" 

 "Of course he is!" Sonia gaped at her. "Don't tell me you didn't know who he was?" 

 "He has a certain… reputation," Leon said slowly, pausing as though he was mulling over his words. 

 "What did he say?" Sonia asked. Her eyes sparkled with interest. "What did you talk about? Anything interesting? He offered you a drink- did he ask you to dance?" 

 "Um, we just introduced ourselves," Gloria said. "We didn't talk for that long." 

 Sonia sighed, deflating. "Aw, too bad. These functions get boring and tedious real quick without anything interesting to talk about." She took a long sip of her wine, and hooked her arm around Leon's, leaning against him slightly. He smiled at her warmly. "And the only thing interesting around here are the people, most of which I'd never see in person if not for Leon." 

 "So you've become a gossip," Hop huffed. "Never thought you had it in you, Sonia." 

 "That's Professor Sonia to you!" She rested her head against Leon's shoulder, peering at Hop with one eye open. "You might not be wearing your lab coat, but you're still my assistant! Don't make me fire you for insubordination!" Her lips, shiny with a coat of crimson lipstick, pursed into a pout. 

 Hop recoiled in shock, while Leon chuckled. 

 "Don't mind her," Leon said, his affection clear in his voice, "she gets a bit testy when she's had wine." 

 Gloria looked away. Their casual display of affection, the tenderness in Leon's eyes, made her chest tighten. She swallowed as a vice constricted around her throat. The conversation before her became a blur of noise, her concentration fading, and her gaze drifted past Sonia to the people standing on the opposition side of the room.  

Her heart stopped. She recognised him instantly across the grand ballroom, from the way he stood tall with confidence, the way he held his head high. 

 Bede. He was breathtakingly beautiful- even from a distance, the sight of him whisked the air from her lungs in a silent gasp. He wore a tailcoat coloured a deep lavender, his usually unruly hair parted to the side and smoothed down as much as his curls would allow, his fringe kicking up in parts that sat beside his right ear. Gloria couldn't breathe for a moment. She forgot where she was, who she was, what she was doing. Her feet moved beneath her, drawing her a single step towards him. 

 She froze, heart lodged in her throat. There was an arm linked around his. Desperately, Gloria glanced at the woman on Bede's arm. She braced herself. Every fibre of her body tensed, instinctively wincing, waiting for the pain. 

 It never came. The woman on his arm balanced herself with a dark, ornately carved wooden cane. Her floor-length dress matched the dark lavender of Bede's tailcoat, Ms Opal's outfit topped with a gorgeous, lavender headpiece. 

 He'd come with Ms Opal. Gloria stared at them, her heart plopping into her stomach in shame. Bede always attended events with Ms Opal, she'd accompanied him the before, it made sense that this year would be the same. Gloria had gotten herself worked up over nothing. Over less than nothing, and she cursed herself for being so stupid. Her feelings towards him addled her mind. She saw things, worried about things, that weren't there. It turned her into a lovesick fool. An idiot. 

 Gloria huffed and forced down the feelings welling up in her chest. The yearning, the longing, that she felt towards Bede tugged on her heart despite the creeping fear that always remained one step behind. A lump settled in her throat again. Heat washed over her eyes. She blinked it away and quashed everything else. Her fear would protect her. She wore it as a shield, wrapped it around her heart like a cloak, and refused to budge. She wouldn't give in. The distance between them kept her safe- a wedge, a dark rift, she refused to cross. Gloria would stay here, on the other side of the ballroom, and let the night pass without incident. Without pain. This way, she didn't have to pretend. She didn't have to lie. To herself, to Bede, to her heart. 

 If that meant all she could do was watch him in silence, then she would. To keep herself safe, she would. 

 You'll be okay, Gloria told herself. Soothing the ache in her heart. If you stay away from him, you'll be okay. It's for the best. 

 She sighed, and let herself glance at Bede one final time. Their eyes met. Through the mingling guests filling the space between them, he looked straight at her. 

 And took a step forward. 

 Gloria grabbed Hop's arm and yanked him towards the dancefloor. "We're dancing," she said- ordered. No room for argument in her tone. 

 Hop stumbled, almost tripping on his feet as she pulled him away from Sonia and Leon. Away from Bede. "What? Now?" 

 "Now." Gloria slammed her glass down on a table as they passed it, not slowing her pace in the slightest. Her heart thumped rapidly in her ears, silencing Hop's grumbles of protest, and she forced herself onwards, fueled by panic, by her nerves, by the fear spreading through her lungs. 

 Bede had stepped towards her. 

 Gloria pulled Hop amidst the dancers, not waiting for the current song to end, and turned towards him. She grabbed his hand, his shoulder, and they fell into step with the music. At this distance, she couldn't hide from Hop the shadows, the fear, behind her eyes. 

 "What happened?" Hop asked quietly. 

 He instantly settled into their dance, realising this wasn't just one of Gloria's impulsive whims. Their week of practice paid off as they turned in sync. 

 "I saw him." It came out as a whisper, as quiet as a gasp. "And he-" 

 Gloria clamped her eyes shut for a second, for a step of their dance, and she sucked in a breath. Tears blinked away. 

 "He saw me," she said. Knowing that somewhere across the ballroom, Bede was behind her. 

 "Your eyes met?" Hop stepped right, and she followed. 

 Gloria nodded. She tightened her grip on Hop's shoulder as the world threatened to crumble beneath her feet. Unbalanced no longer described how she felt- she wasn't stumbling, she was falling. 

 "It was bound to happen, Glo," Hop said gently. He didn't patronise her, he understood the roots of her fear, the grip it had on her, and remained realistic. "He's your friend, it makes sense that he'd be looking for you. It's normal to want to hang with people you know at events like this." 

 Gloria let his words wash over her as they slowed to a stop when the song ended. Some of the couples around them departed, new ones taking their places, and the music began again. 

 "I don't want to talk to him," Gloria said. Her heart squeezed tight. "Not yet. Not tonight."

 Hop gave her a rueful smile. "You can't avoid him forever, you know." 

 "I can try." She looked away, keeping in step with him as they followed the music. 

 "Is that what you want?" 

 Hop's words echoed the pain in her heart. The longing. The desire to risk it all. 

 "It doesn't matter what I want," she said finally. "This is what I need." 

 "If you say so…" Hop sounded unsure, but Gloria remained resolute. 

 She needed to avoid Bede. They danced for a while, until Hop's steps became sloppy and out of time, and Gloria decided to let him rest. They stepped off the dancefloor, and she immediately stepped into her role as the Champion, seeking out sponsors, esteemed guests, and patrons. People she recognised and strangers alike, anyone she could waste away time with.  She danced with a few young men, most of whom were heirs to their parent's companies or estates, until her feet began to ache. When she parted from the last one, her throat was dry and hoarse from talking. Her head spun from dancing too long. The endless names she needed to remember blurred together in her mind, leaving her nauseous again. She gave the tables of slowly diminishing food a wide berth, seeking out a waiter she could commandeer for a drink. 

 Someone stepped in front of her. Gloria stopped herself from sagging in frustration, her gaze following the waiter she'd been a split second from reaching. 

 "Sorry, if you don't mind, I was-" 

 A glass full of sparkling liquid appeared before her eyes. 

 "After one of these?" Elliott asked, holding out a drink to her. He held a partially empty glass in his other hand. 

 She smiled in relief at him. "Yes, thank you." Gloria accepted the glass and sipped at it slowly, letting the bubbly liquid ease the ache in her throat. "How come you always seem to have just what I need?" she asked, breathing a laugh. 

 "I'll admit, the first time was a coincidence, but I was looking for an excuse to talk to you again," Elliott said. 

 Gloria tipped her glass to her lips, drinking as she thought. "You were?" 

 "It's not every day one gets a chance to talk with the Champion of Galar," he said, smiling softly. 

 His comment made her feel slightly giddy, as though the bubbles in her drink had filled her lungs. "It's not every day I get to speak with the son of the richest man in Galar," Gloria replied. "I feel like you one up me here."

 She found herself relaxing further as he laughed. There was something about him, something comforting, and she ignored her sore feet when he asked her to dance. She felt like she was floating. Walking on clouds. She danced with Elliott, a smile on her face the entire time, and came out of it giddy and breathless. 

 "Okay, I think that's enough dancing for one night," Gloria said as they stepped off the dancefloor, gently fanning her face with her hand. Her cheeks were flushed with warmth. "Who knew dancing could be such a workout?" 

 "I'm impressed," Elliott said, turning his back to her for a moment to grab a pair of drinks off the tray of a passing waiter. "You turned down all offers to dance last year, so I thought perhaps you didn't know how. It seems I was mistaken- you dance like an expert." 

 He turned back to her, handing her a glass that she eagerly accepted. 

 "Thank you," Gloria said, sipping her drink to keep herself from telling him she didn't know how to dance until a week ago. "Do those doors open?" She nodded towards the glass balcony doors. 

 "Why don't we find out?" Elliott smiled at her, and she followed him over to the doors. With a simple push, the towering glass door opened, and Gloria skipped out into the cool night air. 

 "That's so much better," she sighed happily. Her body buzzed and tingled with warmth, and she welcomed the embrace of the cold air around her. She stepped over to the edge of the balcony, staring out at the lights of Wyndon. The Ferris wheel turned as a dark form on the horizon. 

 "I'll join you in a moment," Elliott said, "I'm just going to grab one of those cakes before they all disappear." 

 Gloria hummed her response, closing her eyes as a gentle breeze swept over her. She felt so light. So free, so uncaring. Everything she'd worried about had fallen off her shoulders, drifting away into the night with the wind. Footsteps sounded behind her, and Gloria turned with a smile. 

 "Back so soon? I thought-" She stopped. It wasn't Elliott behind her. Her mouth dropped open with a wordless gasp, and she reached for him without thinking. Time slowed around her as her fingers touched the soft fabric of his tailcoat. 

 "Bede?" His name fell from her lips in awe. He stared down at her, violet eyes full of longing, and his expression was so soft, so tender, that she felt lightheaded beneath his gaze. The tips of her fingers remained against his chest.  

"Gloria…" the sound of her name sent a tingle down her spine. "You look so-" Bede's eyes shifted from hers. "Nice," he said, clearing his throat. "You look nice." 

 Floating. Gloria was floating. Why had she avoided him? She couldn't remember. Whatever the reason was, it no longer mattered. He was here. 

 "You look nicer," she said, pouting. "How is it that you're so much prettier than me? It's unfair!" 

 Bede blinked at her, and she snorted a laugh. 

 "Y'know what? It doesn't matter," Gloria said. 

 Bede's expression softened. He searched her eyes for a moment, once again captivating her with his gaze. 

 "I see you found time to continue practicing how to dance," he said. A hint of pride showed in his smile. "You had me worried- I wasn't sure that you'd be able to keep up your practice since you were so busy."

 Busy? Had she been busy? She couldn't remember. Gloria found herself leaning towards him. Drawn towards him. Her palm flattened against his chest as she stepped closer. Something bloomed in her chest. Something warm, something powerful, and her heart felt full. The words were on her tongue before she could think.  

"Bede, I think…" She felt fuzzy, giddy. And light. She felt so, so light. "I think I-" 

 "Where did you get that?" 

 "What?" Gloria stared at him for a second. He was frowning at the glass in her hand. Bede reached for it, and she tugged it away from him. "Hey, get your own!"  

"Gloria, that's alcohol," Bede said with a huff. He looked at her incredulously, and she snorted. 

 "No, it's not," she laughed. "It's non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Arceus, Bede. I'm not an idiot!" 

 "Where did you get it?" Bede asked again. His expression turned serious. 

 She waved his concerns off with her hand. "The waiters are carrying them around. Elliott grabbed one for me." 

 "Elliott." The look on his face, grim with alarm flashing behind his eyes, sent a rush of cold clarity through her when he asked, "and who was it that told you it was non-alcoholic?" 

 Gloria's heart thumped slowly in her chest. "Elliott did…" 

 No.

 She stared at the glass in her hand, a few centimetres of the bubbly liquid remaining. The third drink she'd accepted from Elliott. 

 This isn't… 

 "But I…" Gloria shook her head. She couldn't think straight. Her mind was a blur, her thoughts fuzzy and clouded. 

 Oh.

 Oh no.

 Her heart plummeted into her stomach as everything fell into place. The way she'd been feeling, how comfortable she left around Elliott when she'd never met him before, how easily she mingled with sponsors and patrons without a worry. The strange confidence, the peace, that had overcome her. And now, the thick fog that had overcome her mind, the weightlessness she felt, carried an new meaning. One that made her feel ill. 

 Bede gently took the glass from her and turfed the remaining wine into the planter beside them. 

 "How many have you had?" he asked.

 Gloria reached for the balcony's railing, her fingers trembling around it as she tried to steady herself. The drinks Elliott gave her, one by one, flashed in her mind. She tasted the wine on her tongue. She'd been so stupid, so naive, to trust him, to accept those drinks. Disquiet settled heavy on her shoulders.

 "That was my third…" Gloria answered. Her mind clouded with disbelief. 

 Was this really happening…?

 "Have you eaten anything?" 

 She squeezed her eyes shut. Clenched her jaw to stop her voice from trembling. "No," she replied in a whisper. In shame. 

 Bede's touch on her arm almost brought her to tears. 

 "I don't… I don't understand…" Her voice caught. Fear loomed over her heart, crushed her chest, her soul. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. "Why would he…?"  

Footsteps made Gloria glance towards the balcony doors, Bede turning to face Elliott as he paused in the wedge of light streaming from the ballroom. He held a glass of wine in either hand. 

 "You gave her alcohol," Bede said firmly. He straightened, standing tall between Gloria and Elliott, and yet she still felt small. Vulnerable.

 Afraid. 

 Elliott shrugged. "The jig is up, is it? Shame. We hadn't even gotten to the good part yet." 

 Gloria stared at the floor, eyes wide and unseeing. She felt sick.

 "And what were you hoping would happen?" Bede asked. 

 "Does it matter?" Elliott breathed a laugh, remaining unperturbed. "Someone has to try and liven up these dull events. I thought that perhaps a drunk, underage Champion would do the trick." 

 Again, he shrugged. Everything he said, his calm voice, his laughter, fell over Gloria in a daze. It didn't feel real. Like she was somewhere else, watching this unfold. Witnessing a dream- a nightmare. One she couldn't escape from. Fear crushed her heart, paralysed her breathing, turned her blood into ice. Cold. She felt cold. 

 "You-!" Bede's hands balled into fists. "How dare you-" 

 She reached for him the second he moved, gripping the tails of his coat before he'd taken a single step. 

 "Don't-" A tear slipped from her eyes. "Don't go…" 

 The fury on Bede's face shattered as she began to cry. The fear she'd been holding back engulfed her all at once, buckling her knees and tearing a sob from her throat. Bede whirled on his feet, holding her arms gently before she could collapse. Gloria fell against him. Into him. Breaking into pieces once again. 

 Elliott snorted. "I suppose this will do," he said, voice flat with boredom. "At least it'll be amusing to see how she gets out of this." He shrugged and stalked back inside. 

 Gloria squeezed her eyes shut tight. She grit her teeth, grinding out her pain, her fear, her indignation. Outrage burned up her throat. She wanted to scream, to cry and wail. She wanted to tear after Elliott and shove his pretty little face into the tiles, to send her Pokemon after him and make him regret the day he chose to mess with the Champion of Galar. 

 But she didn't. Gloria pulled her face off Bede's shoulder and took a shuddery breath. She wiped at her tears with the backs of her hands before Bede produced a white handkerchief, lined with intricate lace details, and held it out to her. She blinked at it, at him, and somehow, it made her laugh. 

 "What are you doing with this?" she asked, her voice strained, yet soft with amusement. She accepted the handkerchief and dabbed away her tears as delicately as she could. Her makeup smeared across it.

 "Ms Opal insisted I carry one with me 'just in case,'" Bede said. His mouth twitched with the faintest smile, though it faded all too quickly. 

 "I'm beginning to think that Ms Opal can see the future," she laughed quietly before her lips began to wobble again with the threat of tears, and she grimaced. "Arceus, my makeup is ruined. I spent so much money on it, too…" Gloria sighed, lowering her hands in frustration. "Look at me- some guy I met tonight got me drunk and I'm worrying about my makeup!" 

 "Here, let me help." Bede took the handkerchief off her and gently dabbed it across her cheeks. "I wouldn't say it's ruined…" 

 Gloria huffed. "I must look like a Pangoro by now." She sniffled and closed her eyes, turning her cheek towards Bede as he patted away at the remains of her makeup. 

 "You look beautiful." 

 Her eyes snapped open. Bede's hand stilled by her cheek, the tips of his fingers brushing her skin. He looked right into her eyes. There was something in his gaze that stirred the very depths of her heart, and her lips parted with a silent, broken gasp. His eyes flicked down to follow the movement. 

 Bede looked away, clearing his throat. "A-Anyway, I wouldn't worry about your makeup," he said quickly. His voice hitched and he stammered, the sound of which sent a spear of heat through Gloria's body. "We should be able to it clean up enough that-" 

 Bede jolted when her fingers cupped his cheek, eyes widening in shock, and the handkerchief fell from his hand. He was beautiful. Stunned into silence, Bede's violet eyes searched hers, and her heart stirred again. Her heart, her soul, reached for him. She swept her thumb across his cheek. Her mind was fuzzy. Clouded. She wondered what she was doing, leaning towards him like this. Drawn to him like never before. Nothing else in the world mattered- not her fear, not her pain, not the Gala taking place in the hotel just metres away. 

 Nothing else mattered to her than Bede. 

 His mouth opened with words he couldn't voice. Concern, then wonder, filled his eyes as he slowly rested a hand over hers on his cheek. 

 He's beautiful, she thought again.

 Bede stole his hand away, his eyes flicking from hers. "Gloria, what are you-?" He fumbled over his words, a blush blazing across his cheeks that made her heart swell. "You- you're drunk." 

 "Mm…" She didn't care. It was Bede. 

 This was what she wanted. Her hand trailed across his cheek and into his hair, her fingers weaving through those platinum blond strands. 

 Bede startled at her touch. "I think we should-" 

 Silence. And warmth. A soft warmth that spread from her lips, through her body, her chest, her heart. It felt right. 

 This was it. 

 This was what she'd wanted all along. 

 - 

Bede couldn't breathe. His mind screeched to a halt when Gloria pressed her lips against his. She stole the words from his mouth, silencing him mid-sentence, and kissed him.  

And he let her. The delightful sensation of her lips gliding across his addled his brain, his senses. Bede had wanted to kiss her for so long, he'd fought the desire within him to do so for months, that he couldn't stop himself from reciprocating instinctively. A gasp died in his throat. Without thinking, he followed the movement of her lips in a nervous dance that left him dizzy. It was slow and tender, and her lips were soft, so soft and warm, carrying the slightest hint of something sweet- 

 The wine. 

 "Holy shit biscuits!" 

 A gasp from the balcony doors jolted Bede back to reality, and he snapped away from Gloria, slamming the back of his hand against his mouth, and turned towards Hop.  

"This- This isn't what it looks like!" Bede protested, his voice cracking, body blazing with heat. He burned from head to toe, his cheeks searing hotly with a dark blush he knew was obvious for all to see. He jumped as Gloria's head dropped to his shoulder.  His lips still tingled from their kiss. 

 "Sure, mate." Hop held up his hands, taking a slow and stiff step backwards. "Whatever you say. I'll just… leave you two alone now…" 

 "Wait!" Bede glanced down at Gloria, realising how limp and boneless she felt against him. Her eyes were squeezed shut. "I need your help." 

 Hop frowned, then saw what Bede had- Gloria's pained expression, her grip tight on Bede's tailcoat. He rushed over, his eyes widening.

 "What happened? Did you kiss her so hard she fainted?" 

 "N-No!" Bede snapped, heat shooting down his spine at the memory of what had just happened.  

Gloria had kissed him. 

 "She's drunk," he explained to both Hop and himself. Reminding himself that Gloria hadn't been thinking clearly. 

 "What?! How?" Hop gaped.  

A low groan came from Gloria. "I don't… feel right…" 

 Bede's heart squeezed tight in his chest. He gently rubbed her back, wishing he could do more. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in the fact that she'd kissed him, not when she was suffering like this. Not when someone had done this to her.

 "Elliott Murdoch," he said through clenched teeth. "Know the name?" 

 Hop nodded. "That's the guy who gave Gloria a drink earlier-" he stopped and blanched. "No… Was that…?" 

 "It was." Bede nodded grimly. "Elliott has been giving her alcohol under the pretense that it was non-alcoholic sparkling wine." 

 "That douchebag!" Hop huffed, sending a searing glare towards the doors leading to the Gala. "What's his problem?!" 

 "A lack of entertainment, apparently." Bede swallowed the putrid taste of bile that crawled up his throat. 

 Gloria's grip on Bede tightened. She pulled off him enough so that she was no longer sinking into him, and groaned deep in her throat.

 "I feel sick…" 

 "I don't doubt that," Bede said softly. He let her stand on her own, but kept close enough to her that he could catch her if she fell. Her gaze was unfocused, brown eyes glassy and distant. "You've had three glasses of wine on an empty stomach."  

"Not to mention that you're not exactly the tallest person around," Hop pointed out.  

Gloria made a disgruntled sound in her throat, leveling a pained glare at him. "Fuck off, Hop," she huffed. 

 Bede blinked at her, and she frowned. 

 "What?" Gloria asked, before realising what she'd said. "Oh, shit. Wait- I mean- fuck." She closed her eyes and huffed as Hop stifled a laugh. "Shut up, Hop! You're not helping!" 

She grumbled, and held onto Bede's arm for a moment as her expression grew pained. 

 "Yeah, I… really don't feel well," Gloria said weakly. 

 "Shit, Glo. You don't look well," Hop said, gently rubbing her back in circles as her eyes squeezed shut. 

 Bede couldn't begin to imagine how she was feeling, from the effects of the alcohol and the knowledge that this had been done to her deliberately. Her small frame seemed even tinier than usual as she clung to him. He dropped his hand from her shoulder, trailing his fingers down her arm to take hers, and stopped as he brushed a familiar bracelet. The one he'd given her on White Day. A silver bracelet adjourned with diamond stars that glistened a soft pink in the light. She'd worn it. His gift. It made his heart ache for her, more determined than ever to do what he could to help her. He couldn't ease her suffering, he couldn't take that from her, but there was something else he could do. 

 He could get her to safety. 

 "We need to get her home," Bede said. His mind worked ahead of him, already churning through their options.  

"She's drunk, can barely stand on her own, and if you haven't noticed, the ballroom is full of people!" Hop raised an incredulous eyebrow at Bede. "How on earth do you expect us to get her home without anyone seeing her like this?"

 "That was part of Elliott's scheme," Bede sighed. "However, we're not completely out of options just yet. Marnie came with her brother, Piers, correct?" 

 Hop nodded. "Yeah, I spoke with them earlier." 

 "Good." That could work. "From what I've heard, Piers is an expert at drawing a crowd. Do you believe he'd be willing to cause a distraction for us? Marnie and I can alert the staff to our predicament, and you should be able to leave through the back of the hotel, out through the staff entrance. It wouldn't be the first time that incidents similar to this have occured, and staff at the Rose of the Rondelands are trained to be discreet. We shouldn't need to worry about one of them leaking this to the press." 

 "Piers will definitely be on board once he hears what happened to Glo," Hop agreed. "Although you might have to restrain Marnie from going after Elliott herself. Even I don't want to walk away knowing he's still in there, getting away with this scot-free." 

 "Oh, I have a thought for how to deal with him," Bede said. He looked towards the ballroom, spying Marnie in a crimson dress next to Piers in a matching suit. He eased Gloria off him gently so that she could lean on Hop instead. "Wait until everyone's attention is on Piers. The staff should prepare a way out for you- head for it as quick as you can." 

Bede gave Gloria's arm a final, gentle squeeze. Her eyes were shut, her head resting against Hop's shoulder, and she gave no indication that she'd felt his touch at all. Shallow breaths sounded between her parted lips. He turned towards the ballroom, steeling himself. 

 "Wait, before you go-" Hop began, looking sheepishly away. "You've, uh, got some lipstick on your mouth." 

 Bede stiffened with a shot of heat. He furiously wiped at his mouth, his hand coming away with a slash of pink that matched the colour of Gloria's lipstick. He cleared his throat roughly. The blush on his cheeks sizzled in the cold air, and his body filled with warmth. The memory of her kissing him returned with force. He felt a ghost of her touch, a whisper of her lips, against his. 

 "Thank you," Bede said awkwardly. He fixed gaze on the ballroom beyond the glass in front of him as his nerves crackled alight at the reminder that Gloria had kissed him. The smudge of lipstick on the back of his hand. 

 In that moment, he hadn't noticed the glaze over her eyes. Bede knew very well that she had to be drunk, he'd told her himself, but when she'd reached for him, he hadn't been able to react in time. He'd been too speechless, too shocked, to stop her. 

 And she'd kissed him. Gloria, the one who denied herself love, who feared and despised the very thought of it, who swore she'd only kiss someone she was in a relationship with, had kissed him. He looked back at her now, standing only with the support of Hop, and his heart clenched with regret.

 He should have stopped her. How could he be happy about this when she'd kissed him under the influence of alcohol? Bede sighed and forced those thoughts away. He'd apologize to her later. When they could sit down and talk about this, when she was home safe and recovered, he'd ask for her forgiveness in letting his feelings get the better of him. It wasn't just that Gloria had kissed him- he had let her. He swallowed his guilt and met Hop's eyes. Hop nodded. 

 "Alright. Let's hope this works," Bede said and made for the ballroom, leaving Hop and Gloria, his feelings of regret, behind. 

 -

 It was like Hop had said- the instant Bede told Piers what had happened, he'd agreed to his part in the plan without another word. Marnie had glared something fierce, her dark eyes growing cold and sharp, and it was only the gentle hand Piers placed on her shoulder, the infinitesimal shake of his head, that stopped her from tearing after Elliott. Begrudgingly, Marnie played her part, waving over a waiter as Piers made for the band. Whispers spread through the crowd, heads turning, guests shuffling closer to the dancefloor and the band to get a better look. Bede swept his gaze around the room, and soon enough, everyone's attention was on Piers and the band as he began an impromptu live performance. The staff Marnie had spoken to waited by the staff entrance, and once all backs were turned to the balcony, Hop came through with Gloria staggering on his arm. Her bare feet were silent on the floor, Hop carrying her heels in his right hand, his left arm around her back. Marnie rushed over to help them usher Gloria out, and Bede turned from them. With the band playing, he needn't worry about his conversion being overheard. 

 As Hop and Marnie disappeared with Gloria through the staff entrance, Bede stepped up to Ms Opal. He offered her his arm, and she took it, meeting the intention in his gaze with a smile. 

 "What is it, dear?" Ms Opal asked. "What has that rascal Elliott done to poor Gloria?" 

 Bede's eyebrows lifted. He recalled Gloria's comment that Ms Opal was psychic, and wondered if she knew how astute that observation was. 

 "I'll get to that in a moment," Bede said, and Ms Opal nodded in understanding. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you're well acquainted with his father, Richard Murdoch? If so, then there's a favour I'd like to ask of you."

 Ms Opal smiled. Her eyes, keen as ever, sharpened with an intensity that made Bede stiffen slightly. "Ask away, my dear. I'll assist you in any way if it will help Gloria." 

 A weight eased off Bede's chest, and he nodded. Masked by the sound of the band, he told Ms Opal everything; from what Elliott did to Gloria, to his plan for retribution that would fall upon the scum who had dared harm the Champion. All the while, Ms Opal maintained her smile. 

 A smile that reminded Bede that she had once been the most powerful trainer in Galar. 

 "That can be done," Ms Opal said after Bede laid out his plan. "Since Elliott wished for entertainment so badly, I suppose we have no choice but to give it to him."  

The venom in her voice sent a cold shiver through Bede. 

 "Thank you," he said, grateful. 

 Ms Opal patted his arm. "No need to thank me. You've done your part in getting Gloria out of here safely. That's commendable in itself. Leave the rest to me." 

 Bede nodded to her, before sending a glance to the door Gloria had left through. The night wasn't over yet. Not for Gloria. He doubted she was experiencing the worst of it yet, and wished he could have left with her, wished he could be the one at her side. 

 He wished he could have done more. Perhaps, if he had gathered the courage to speak with her earlier, this wouldn't have happened in the first place, and Gloria needn't have suffered. Bede brushed that thought aside. There was no point in dwelling in the past. His regret and guilt had no place here, not anymore, not tonight. 

 Not when there was still hell to pay. 

[whatapunk]

Chapter 3!!

I’m not sure how well I did it (as dialogue and I do NOT get along), but writing drunken Kanan/Rhia/Hera banter was a blast for me.  I’d also like to point out that I mention the Gorse conflict several times in this chapter and I think most people in the kanera fandom are familiar with that story, but if you haven’t read A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller you should give it a go! Especially if your soul needs every scrap of kanera you can find. As always, thank you so much for any likes and reblogs! You guys are the freaking best.

Title: Endings

Fandom: Star Wars Rebels

Relationship: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla; Kanan Jarrus/female OC

Rating: m for the profanity, possibly for non-explicit intimacy later 

Word Count: 3217

Previous Chapters: Ch. 1 / Ch. 2

Chapter 3

“Force, Rhia, that was delicious.” Kanan placed his fork on his plate and pushed it away from him, feeling more full than he’d been in months. She smiled her thank you at his compliment. 

Kanan swirled the contents of his drink around, examining them before taking a sip. He could already feel the alcohol, and he was only one and a half drinks in. He thought back to nights at the bar on Gorse and how many drinks he’d put away all while still being remarkably coherent. He also thought of all the nights he’d spent on the floor of that bar and decided he’d made a good trade-off in his adulthood.

Rhia stood and collected the plates and utensils, taking them over to the sink. Kanan watched her, his thoughts back on the lost memory of her cooking him breakfast that had suddenly made its home in his brain again. He smirked and let out a quick chuckle, realizing the image of her standing at the sink now matched the one in his memory like a mirror- just, with more clothing. She looked back at him.

“Something funny?”

“It doesn’t feel all that different,” he started. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Us, I mean,” he explained. “I had all these things I thought up to say to you but then you were just…” he trailed off, unsure of his next words.

“Just what?” she asked. He shrugged but smiled down into his glass as he drained it for the second time. 

“I don’t know. Just you,” he said, his voice just beginning to be swallowed by alcohol-induced giddiness. “I kept thinking about what I should say to you earlier when I was meditating,” he said, ignoring or just not noticing the increase in the height of her already raised brow. “But then I got here and you were making dinner and suddenly we’re just shooting the shit like I’m 22 and you’re…” he paused, frowning. “How old are you again?” he asked, surprised he’d forgotten. He blamed it on the alcohol. She grimaced.

“I’m glad you’ve forgotten,” was all she offered up as an answer. He moved on.

“I’m just saying, you haven’t changed. At all,” he finished. He could hear his tone shifting, becoming lighter than it had been all day. Again, he gave credit to the alcohol. Rhia smirked but otherwise left the comment unacknowledged.

“Since when do you meditate?” she asked as she rinsed the dishes off.

“It’s new,” was all he added.

“Is that a jedi thing?” He looked at her, a little surprised. Rhia knew who Kanan was, but it was still somewhat new to him to hear people talk about it openly. 

“It is. I’m sort of a jedi again,” he said and laughed at his own statement. He reached back and rubbed his neck. “It’s weird.” 

Rhia finished washing the plates and walked back over to the table. On her way, she grabbed the glass bottle off the counter. She poured her own drink and didn’t bother to look at Kanan. She capped the bottle and set it near the center of the table. 

“You know, I don’t really drink… at all anymore,” Kanan offered, eyeing the bottle. 

“I’m not asking you to,” Rhia replied simply, quite relaxed. She’d meant it; she had no interest in trying to get Kanan drunk, especially if it was happening as quickly as it seemed to be. However, if he chose to get drunk, she certainly wasn’t going to stop him. 

Kanan reached out slowly and grabbed the bottle, a peaceful look on his face. He poured another drink for himself and took a sip. 

“You’ll never believe this, but-” and he laughed, caught off guard by how funny his next statement would sound to Rhia. “I have an apprentice- a padawan,” he said, slipping back into his chuckles. Rhia’s mouth all but fell open.

“You what?” she asked in disbelief. “You have a padawan?” Rhia was joking, but she was also very serious. Kanan finished laughing and looked up at her, nodding.

“Yep. And you know, I’m not a half bad teacher honestly,” he said, feeling prouder than he expected to. It was Rhia’s turn to laugh. “I’m serious!” he protested.

“Kanan,” she began. “Who put you in charge of their child?” she asked in the middle of another fit of laughter. Kanan’s face remained tranquil, but he did get a little more serious.

“Well… he doesn’t have parents- not anymore,” he said. Rhia stopped laughing and her expression softened. 

“Well that’s… that’s good of you,” she said and took a drink. The more somber moment passing quickly, she looked back up at him with sudden realization. “Shit Kanan, you’re not just a master, you’re like a father aren’t you?” Kanan let out a short laugh that morphed into a sigh.

“Yeah I.... I kinda am. We’re kind of like parents,” he said, his grin turning huge. 

“We?” Rhia asked, interested. Kanan looked quickly down at his drink for another sip. 

“Yeah uh,” he began awkwardly. “Me and Hera we’re kind of… together.” Rhia smiled at him.

“She’s pretty impressive, Kanan,” she said and he smiled back at her, letting out a breath. “Way too good for you,” she added.

“You are not wrong.” 

“Though, I assume she still fits your type,” she said and Kanan immediately rolled his eyes.

“Rhia, I don’t have a type,” he said adamantly, but she’d started giggling. “And if I did, it certainly wouldn’t be people with ‘daddy issues,’” he said, making air quotes. Rhia’s laughter filled the room. 

Back on Gorse one drunken night, Rhia had begun taking a long oral history of Kanan’s ex-partners. After around a dozen stories that all pretty much began and ended the same way, Rhia surmised that Kanan seemed to be attracted to lovers who tended to have some either spoken or unspoken issues with their fathers. Kanan protested adamantly and continuously, and this had only worked to confirm Rhia’s suspicions. Upon inquiring about Rhia’s father, Rhia gladly told him that he’d passed away when she was a child. Kanan then accused her of lying to prove her point, much to Rhia’s amusement. 

“So,” Rhia began, fighting down a burst of laughter, “you’re saying Hera has a really great relationship with her dad then, yes?” Kanan didn’t look up and tried desperately to hide the fact that he was holding back laughter. He took a drink, hoping to hide his creeping smile behind his glass. In the silence, they both eventually burst into laughter. 

Kanan was definitely feeling it. His head felt like it was suspended in a bacta tank and there was a permanently peaceful look on his face. Having been so tense for weeks, this was undoubtedly a welcome disposition. There was something to be said as well for Rhia and the conversation they were having. Not only had it felt so nice to tell her about his family now, she’d made it feel so natural and ok. Not that he’d done anything wrong, but many exes could easily have turned bitter or offered fake support. Rhia, however, had been warm and normal. Telling her about Hera and Ezra felt just as natural as any of their conversations had been seven years ago. Still, there was no doubt- as much as the thought of Hera right now made his heart swell, his reverence toward Rhia in this regard had begun to sow seeds of conflict in him. 

Their laughter subsided. Rhia met his eyes from across the table and the seeds began to grow. Kanan downed the last of his drink and gave all the signs of being about to leave. Just before he stood up, however, a very special voice spoke to him from the doorway. 

“I wondered where you were,” Hera said, causing Kanan to go from surprised to smiling like an idiot in record time. 

“Hera!” he said, and noted the volume in his voice had risen for no reason. He really couldn’t hold his alcohol anymore. Hera’s eyes widened knowingly, going from him to the bottle, and she smirked. 

“Captain Syndulla,” Rhia stood up welcomingly and offered her a hand. “I didn’t really get to introduce myself earlier. I’m Rhia Denley,” she said, not seeming at all three drinks deep. She took Hera’s hand gently and the twi’lek returned a smile. 

“Hera,” she replied. “It’s nice to meet you. I rarely get to meet a friend of Kanan’s,” she added. Rhia turned back to him and they both looked at him as he grinned drunkenly.

“That’s not surprising,” Rhia said. “He never had many of those,” and both women laughed at his expense. “Please, sit,” Rhia insisted, offering her a chair. She then went to the cabinet and pulled out another glass. Placing it in front of Hera, she began pouring. Hera held up a hand at a half.

“Oh that’s plenty, thank you,” and Rhia stopped obligingly. 

“We were just talking about you,” Rhia began and Kanan shot her a look, concerned about exactly which part of their conversation Rhia was about to share. Rhia pretended not to notice. “I can’t believe Kanan has a padawan. You should have known this man on Gorse!”

Hera looked at him with pride, but she also took note of the fact that Rhia knew he was a jedi. She then realized Rhia had said “Gorse.”

“I did know him on Gorse,” Hera started. “Or, well, I met him on Gorse.” 

Rhia looked at Kanan subtly and for the first time all night, the warmth in her face faltered slightly. 

“It was after you… left,” Kanan offered, jumping in. “Maybe like a month after you left. I ran into Hera and swept her off her feet of course.” Hera snorted and Rhia followed.

“I know there is no kriffing way she followed you anywhere,” Rhia said, taking a drink. She turned to Hera, all but pretending Kanan wasn’t in front of her. “He was in trouble wasn’t he?” she asked flatly. Hera laughed.

“Something like that.” Kanan threw out his hands in dramatic disbelief.

“What? You were in trouble- we all were!” Kanan griped. Hera nodded, appeasing him.

“That’s true. Gorse was a mess,” she said and took a drink. 

“What happened there?” Rhia asked. Kanan looked at her and closed his eyes, shaking his head.

“You remember that explosives guy, Skelly?” At the name, Rhia threw her head back in a resounding affirmative. 

“Skelly! Man that guy was a fucking wack job,” she said and Hera laughed, clearly agreeing. “You met him?” Rhia asked.

“Oh yeah. I know I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but I have to agree. Skelly nearly got us killed a handful of times.” Rhia was definitely interested now.

Over the next hour or so (eventually none of them was really aware of the time), Hera and Kanan regaled Rhia with how they met on Gorse and the entirety of the disasters and successes of that highly unplanned mission. Eventually Hera emptied her glass and didn’t object to another, nor did Kanan. 

Truthfully, the drunker Rhia got the more her insides were a battlefield of emotions. Here she was with two people whose company she was enjoying immensely. But she couldn’t deny that everything that had once attracted her to Kanan was still alive and well. In fact, he’d only seemed to change for the better since she’d last known him. Additionally, she was falling in love with Hera almost immediately. The twi’lek had come off as calm and quiet, and while she definitely embodied those traits to an extent, she was also assertive and commanded attention, even when she appeared meek. Rhia understood why Kanan was with her, and she could only imagine the luck he felt at having met her, let alone being her partner.

Rhia poured another glass, attempting to drown her thoughts, at least until she could be alone with them. She’d lost count of how many drinks they’d each had, but the bottle was approaching its final drops, a sign that the number was quite large. Kanan’s eyes were drooping and she wondered how long he’d last before he’d try to sleep on the floor. Hera was feeling it too, but she’d paced herself and remained relatively composed. Her speech gave her away though; each drink she took seemed to chip away at her filter. It just made Rhia like her more.

“Did you know him when he was Caleb Dume?” Hera asked abruptly, looking at Rhia with an interested expression. Rhia was a bit caught off guard and looked to Kanan for a hint at how to proceed. He met her eyes but said nothing.

“I did,” Rhia started, “or at least I think he was between ‘Caleb Dume’ and ‘Kanan Jarrus,’” she offered. Hera seemed to be contemplating this. 

“I didn’t go by ‘Kanan’ yet, but she outed me,” Kanan said, pointing an accusatory finger at Rhia. Rhia rolled her eyes yet again.

“Hera,” she said, turning away from Kanan. “You should have seen this kid,” she started and a few drunken giggles made her pause. “You think he’s bad now? Everything annoying he does now, he did times a thousand when I met him,” and she slipped back into giggles with Hera. Kanan shook his head but smiled. Hera’s face lit up at a thought.

“You knew him when he was a kid?” Hera asked, excitedly. 

“Well, not exactly. He was 17 but he was absolutely a kid that’s for sure,” she said grinning back at Kanan. “Though,” she went back to Hera, “if you told him he was a kid he’d get so offended,” she said and cackled with the twi’lek. 

“He told me he hates that! Like, defensive much?” Hera said with a laugh. Kanan looked at both of them.

“I’m right here, guys,” he offered, but Rhia and Hera were still too busy laughing at the thought of young, defensive Kanan.

“Hera, do you know what this little teenager did nearly the moment he met me?” she asked. “Keep in mind, I’m quite a bit older than him and I was definitely too old for him when he was seventeen.” It was Hera’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Oh kriff, he tried to hit on you didn’t he?” 

“Don’t tell me-” Rhia started, egging Hera on.

“He did the same thing to me!” Hera nearly shouted and the two women doubled over in laughter. 

“Wow,” was all Kanan could say, returning to his glass. Eventually Rhia and Hera finished laughing and dabbed the tears from their eyes.

“So how did you figure out he was Caleb?” Hera asked.

“Well, at the time he was running with the smuggler Janus Kasmir,” Rhia started. Hera nodded.

“He’s told me about him.”

“So at the time I was part of a crew on a transport that he and Kasmir hired. Only,” she looked and spoke directly at Kanan, “they failed to tell us just how hot they were before we took off,” Rhia joked, as if she still held it against him. “I’d done some bounty hunter work before, so after even the slightest bit of research I found his goofy little face all over the holonet in an instant, and he hadn’t even bothered to disguise himself!” she all but yelled.

“I’d changed my look!” Kanan argued. “I’d started wearing a ponytail then,” he said with drunken confidence. Rhia and Hera shared a knowing look. 

“He looked nearly identical,” Rhia continued. “So, I told our captain we needed to drop them, only-”

“He was a huge asshole,” Kanan cut her off. She snorted.

“Indeed. I didn’t tell him Kanan was a jedi, but he’d figured out that if I was so eager to get rid of them, he must be worth a lot. So, he intended to collect with the Empire. And do you know what this fucking maniac and Kasmir did to me?” she asked Hera, getting heated. Hera’s eyes were wide and she shook her head, invested.

“Look-” Kanan had started, but Rhia continued as if she hadn’t heard him.

“Those two idiots stunned me- even though I was going to help them! Next thing I know, I'm waking up on the floor of an escape pod with a crick in my neck!" she said, finishing her story with a drink. Hera frowned and looked at Kanan with goofy disapproval.

"Kanan!" she chastised him. He held his hands up in defense.

"We didn't know you were planning on helping us!" he spoke in a way that said this was not the first time he'd had to defend himself here. "The captain was your boyfriend. We assumed you'd just go along with him, so we took you hostage. And it worked!” he added. Rhia narrowed her eyes at him with a smirk. 

“It did, but I hadn’t thought about turning either of you in until I woke up in that pod,” she said, laughing and lost in the memory for a moment. She drained her glass. 

Hera watched the red-haired woman with great interest and warmth. She’d gleaned from their awkward meeting earlier that day that she and Kanan had some sort of history, and she’d felt the early pangs of jealousy when she’d found them here alone, drinking. But Rhia had a friendliness to her that seemed to quiet any other negative emotion in the room. There were still quiet thoughts in Hera’s mind relating to Rhia’s pleasing face and her tall, muscular frame that made her feel like competition. Not to mention, her vibrant hair, which seemed so deeply red at times and other times, when her movements caught the dim lighting just right, seemed almost reflective and chromatic. Regardless, Hera mostly felt like she’d formed a fast friend, and it was nice to be around another woman her own age. The alcohol didn’t hurt either. 

“So what happened next?” Hera asked, interested in the end of the story.

“Well, we did a job or two together, just so I could get some cash now that I was crewless and shipless,” Rhia said, giving Kanan another quick look. “But it didn’t last much longer and I left him and Kasmir. Though, I did hear about some low-profile work on Gorse back then and I told him about it. I never thought he’d actually listen to me,” she finished, giving Kanan a small smile. There it was again, that competitive feeling inside of Hera.

“And then you ended up there at the same time, years later?” she asked, drawing Rhia’s attention back to her. 

“Somehow, yes,” Kanan said, a little quieter than he’d been. A comfortable hush fell over the table. Three drunken adults sat, enveloped in warm intoxication and warmer memories. It hurt each one of them a bit to notice the emptiness of the bottle in front of them. The realization that the night was drawing to a close began descending on them, and Rhia, noticing the small bit left in each of their glasses, held up hers in a toast.

“To old and new friends,” she said, looking from Kanan to Hera. They both smiled back at Rhia and drained their glasses with her, adding the slightest bit of fog to their already foggy brains. 

[hoshi-cola]

Kimora Phillips - Updated Info

Name: Kimora Phillips Organization: Formerly Navy SEALs Code Name: Snare Age: 29 Birthdate: November 22nd Birth Place: Bakersfield, California Panethnicity: Asian-American Eye Color: Emerald green Hair Color: Chocolate cherry [Reddish-Brown] Height: 5”11’ Weight: 143 lbs (65kg)

Position: Attacker Stats: 3 speed - 1 armor - 1 difficulty

Gadget: A thick wire rope in which she can launch at enemies or barricades. It is a semi-close range gadget. If she launches it at an enemy or teammate, the rope will wrap around the target and pull them close. This, however, puts away her weapon. It takes her 1.5 seconds to pull it back out once again, her target will be stunned for 1 second and takes 0.5 seconds to pull out their own weapon again. Launching at the top of a barricade will make Kimora yank down the barricade. She cannot do this to soft or reinforced walls or Castle’s armour panels. It works similar to Sledge’s hammer, as in it has charges. It has a total of 15 charges. Grabbing an enemy takes up 5 charges while breaching a barricade takes up 3. There is also a cooldown of 10 seconds to her ability, preventing players from spamming the ability on a single enemy or teammate.

Biography:

Kimora’s mother, Cassandra Phillips, lived in California all her life who met Kimora’s father, Dante Wilson when she visited Australia with a few friends. The two kept in contact through the phone and tried their best with the newly invented internet. After a few months, the two had decided that they wanted to test the waters with dating. The two hated the long-distance and Dante bought a ticket to the U.S to move in with Cassandra. 

After a few years, Kimora was born as an only child to the couple. To keep up with money, Cassandra got a new job with a higher paycheck but at the cost of more hours. Thus, Cassandra was barely in Kimora’s life in her childhood and Dante took lead in parenting. Due to this, Kimora grew a good relationship with her father and it’s how she grew a small addiction to chilli. As she grew up and she went into middle school, her relationship with her mother became strained which led to multiple arguments between them. These arguments led to arguments between Cassandra and Dante. The two would often yell at each other while Kimora desperately tried to sleep. 

Eventually, Cassandra and Dante wouldn’t last and the two broke up. Dante would give up on America and move back to Australia, leaving Kimora with her mother. Kimora and Cassandra’s relationship only got worse as Cassandra began to drink almost daily, it became one of the main points in their arguments that occurred every day for months. 

Their arguments led to Kimora’s over-eating problem. This continued into high school where she became overweight and dealt with constant bullying. The bullying became worse as she was diagnosed with vitiligo and patches of her skin began to lose pigment. She dealt with depression and her weight only worsened as a result. But a transfer student who couldn’t care less for her weight started to talk to her and thus, the two quickly became best friends. Jenny, the transfer student, convinced Kimora to start working out to get Kimora happier with her body. Jenny even convinced Kimora to start working out when she was upset or angry to help her cool down.

Eventually, their relationship wasn’t just best friends and the two began secretly dating. The two were masters at hiding it and nobody suspected a thing for months. It wasn’t until Jenny’s father caught the two kisses after arriving home earlier than expected. He exploded into a rage and threatened to kill Kimora before throwing a vase at her, thankfully missing her. She ran out of the house and when she went to school after the weekend, Jenny wasn’t at school. Her family had moved.

Kimora, despite being heartbroken, continued to work out and decided she wanted to join the U.S military as it was what Jenny said she wanted to do. She trained hard almost every day for hours, never returning home until the gym closed. It was something that distracted her from her alcoholic mother. Of course, after weeks of constantly exercising, Kimora ended up in the hospital after passing out in the gym. Her mother never came and after waking up to an empty room, the fact hurt Kimora. 

When she turned 18, Kimora packed her bags and left her mother’s house. She got a job and paid her friends to let her stay at their houses for a few weeks. She never enlisted for the military, having lost interest a few months after Jenny left. 

However, the aspiration came back in 2015, when women were finally allowed to join the Navy SEALs. She enlisted into the Navy SEALs after taking the SEAL challenge but her vitiligo was an issue to the higher-ups. The increased risk of cancer plus her distinct facial features were concerning to them but thankfully, they came to an agreement. She covered up more than regular SEALs to hide her vitiligo and if her life was ever endangered due to her disease, she would be discharged from the Navy SEALs. 

During her years of service, she met operators Valkyrie and Blackbeard. The three quickly bonded and became close, Kimora soon considering them her family. Valkyrie became similar to a big sister to her and was, and still is, very protective of her well-being. She often tries to get Kimora to relax after she had been pushing herself too far. Blackbeard and Kimora, while considering each other like siblings, have a more casual relationship. Blackbeard gives her a few suggestions but doesn’t take action to force Kimora to relax. Regardless of their different methods, the two are supportive and a bit too protective of Kimora, treating her as if she were their little sister. 

These relationships ended a year afterwards as Valkyrie and Blackbeard left unexpectedly. Kimora felt abandoned again and struggled in her duties but was performing well enough to keep her job. 

In 2019, after a spy gave intel to terrorists, Kimora was attacked in her home by terrorists who intended to use her as a hostage. This attempt failed as the attackers were inexperienced but the damage had been done. 

Her higher-ups considered the attack to be caused by her vitiligo and she was terminated from her duties. This ruined her and she spent a few months wallowing in despair as she struggled to get used to civilian life. Thankfully, she managed to get ahold of Blackbeard and explained her situation.

Blackbeard, knowing how much serving meant to her, suggested her to Harry in hopes he would invite her to Rainbow. In which he did. Kimora would join Rainbow in late 2019. 

Psychological Profile

 When I first met Phillips, it was obvious she had an upbeat personality. She excused her behaviour due to being excited over being able to serve again, more than just her country. Most of our conversations were pleasant, she seems to be optimistic the majority of the time. She also is strongly determined and never seems to back down from her goals, similar to Valkyrie. However, as our conversations got more in-depth, it is just as obvious that she suffers from abandonment issues with many important people leaving her throughout her life, her father, her ex-girlfriend and operators Blackbeard and Valkyrie. 

On the topic of operators Blackbeard and Valkyrie, Phillips relationships with them have a rift. She has a small grudge against them for leaving her only a year after the three met. But when asked, she simply brushes it off as understanding they couldn’t tell her where they went but wished they kept in contact out of work.

She also appears to hold a grudge against her former higher-ups for terminating her from her duties. I’ve asked her about this but she avoids the topic to the best of her ability. I feel her hiding her problems may become an issue later on. 

Naturally, with a skin disease that increases the risk of cancer, I have put her under the watchful eye of Doc. He displayed his dislike of having someone with the risk of cancer in Rainbow but after some long convincing, he seemed to become neutral on the issue and has agreed to keep an eye on her health.

Regardless of her obstacles, Phillips doesn’t let these things bring her down and this may prove to be her strongest strength. I’m looking forward to having her in Rainbow.

-Dr. Harishva "Harry" Pandey

[zahurul360]

Three Ways to Increase Property Values

Real estate investors live and die by their ability to feature value. With no added value, there are not any profits. this is often true with any business, but what makes land such an excellent business and an excellent investment, is that the number of the way you'll add value and take advantage on big profits. Here are 3 ways you'll add value to your properties.

Upgrades and Repairs: OK, this is often the apparent one and is that the reason fix and flippers can make money. Some repairs add tons more value than it costs to try to to . The more creative you're with the improvements, the more value you'll add. for instance , I even have a client that adds square footage to each house he buys. He really likes the center properties because they're the toughest to feature square footage. You either got to finish an unfinished basement, or add a second story. there's not typically enough land on the lot to feature an addition by increasing the foot print of the property. This client does tons of basement finishes and "pop tops," but where he has made the foremost money is that the basement that's only 5 or 6 feet deep. He will enter and dig out the basement to a full 8 or 9 foot height then finish it. Something most investors wouldn't consider , so he's ready to get the deal most other investors expire . I even have also seen some investors find houses that do not really fit into an area and that they make them fit. this might be limited bedrooms or bathrooms or funky floor plans. All of which will be changed. Obviously many cosmetic fixes like kitchens and bathrooms add tons useful too. there's tons more thereto than this, but the thought is to shop for a property at its true 'as is' value, (don't over pay), then add value with the repairs and upgrades.

Owner Finance: i really like this one because it's very easy to feature value with little or no to no work. you'll got to wait to take advantage on your profits, but it's how to extend a sell price significantly. you'll also use this strategy to defer tax gains over a couple of years, rather than taking an enormous hit beat one year. once you have a property purchasable there are a limited number of buyers for the house, although immediately that pool of buyers seems pretty big. If you'll increase the pool of buyers, the demand for that one house increases, which forces the worth to travel up. Someone that can't qualify for a standard loan, limiting the availability of homes to settle on from for that buyer, will likely buy your property. That also increases the worth . you're adding value by giving them the prospect to have a home that they normally wouldn't be ready to own. For this value, you ought to be compensated with a better price and an honest rate of interest on the profits, while you await the customer to refinance and pay you off fully .

Shared Units: this is often one area of land that I even have not dabbled in, but it's extremely inviting. the thought here is to sell your property to multiple buyers. you're seeing this tons in resort towns. it's always a vacation or second home. have you ever ever been to a time share presentation? they're pretty enticing aren't they? About 13 years ago my ex wife and that i were in Florida and got sucked into a time share sales talk . We decided to travel because they offered us free tickets to Disney. We sat there for about an hour and a half then the hard sale came. They were excellent at selling the "idea" of the time share and had my ex wife sold. She asked me to maneuver forward with the deal, but I couldn't bring myself to try to to it. I told her that i used to be not comfortable with an emotional purchase which we would have liked time to think it through. "Can I please have our Disney tickets?" was my response. As we rode back to the hotel that afternoon, I started brooding about the maths . Each unit are often sold to 52 different people because your purchase only gets you 1 week a year. Add that to the annual maintenance fees and therefore the numbers are staggering. i do know people that have flipped time shares successfully, because you'll get them for free of charge or near free on Craigslist, but it's not an investment i used to be curious about . thereupon said, I even have considered doing a half or quarter share on a house during a ski town in Colorado. during this scenario, you're sharing a house with 1 to three people so there's plenty more flexibility. you'll use or hire out your weeks and you'll be guaranteed valuable high demand weeks per annum . it's how to urge a second home without the complete expense. From the seller's point of view, it's how to urge more for the house. ½ a share of a home is getting to cost the customer quite ½ of the fair market price . I even have seen business plans from investors that might buy a house and quarter share it out. the thought was that after they improved the property and sold ¾ of the house to three different buyers, they might own the last ¼ free and clear.The downside is that if there are any improvements or major issues. I can see there being disagreements, so this is often something you'd want, as a buyer, to figure out with all the opposite owners in writing before you purchase .

to know more, click here

[missbrightsky]

Chasing Tails

Fics Masterlist

Chapter 1: Rhysand

Golden light poured out of the tall sandstone house; a string quartet wove a melody between the rays. Carriages crawled up the long, curving driveway, halting to let their passengers pour out. A rainbow of colors swarmed the front steps, ladies preening in their new gowns made especially for this event, gentlemen sporting crisp waistcoats and towering top hats.

Gems glittered in the ears and on the hems of skirts, lace curved to draw attention to places where eyes should not wander. I lazily took in these details, but it was nothing I hadn’t seen before. Life was slow in Velaris, the only source of amusement was balls and galas, dinners and dances thrown by the town’s gentry. It was a nice, quiet life but tedious. It was only until recently when a new breeze blew through the town, bringing with it an intrigue to delight the masses.

Two months ago, the house that had stood empty for years had finally found a new owner. Miss Feyre Archeron purchased the lonely estate that was a mile out of town. It sat on one hundred acres of good land and had space for twelve tenant families.

For the first month, only workers had bustled around the estate, cleaning up the house and renovating it for its new owner. Anyone who had questioned the workers only received vague answers for who they were working for, only that she was very generous and treated them well. No one could tell if they were hiding a dark secret or if they were extremely loyal. New orders were placed almost every day in the town’s stores and with their craftsmen. Fabric for curtains, linens, and bedspreads. Entire sets of furniture for the dining room, parlor, library, and bedrooms. Groundkeepers to tame the wild gardens and grocers to fill the kitchen.

Tenants were sent ahead and given anything they needed to start their lives there. Velaris was a wealthy town but the new blood breathed fresh life into the economy, and into the gossip wheel.

Finally, the new mistress arrived. And no one saw her. It was like she had appeared from thin air. The only reason anyone knew was because a worker at the tavern had mentioned that she had requested lemon tarts for breakfast one morning.

And that’s when the chaos had begun. Anyone who tried to call on her was politely turned away, citing that their mistress was busy at the moment or not in the house. When another caller returned from a failed attempt to meet the new lady, the citizens took to the streets, searching for a new face in the crowd, hoping that her being out meant that she had come to town.

That had been the first week. The second was when things took a turn for the nasty. Gone were the curious stipulations as to who this new person was and where she was from. Rumor after rumor flew around. Someone’s cousin heard that she was terribly disfigured after a childhood accident and lived as a recluse. Another person’s business partner who just arrived from the big city said that she was hiding from an abusive ex-lover. The workers from the estate came to town less and less, tired of being harassed for new information and the endless questions.

Why was she not receiving callers?

Why hadn’t she reached out to Velaris’s most prominent socialites, inviting them to dinner?

Why? Why? Why? Why.

I had listened to everything mostly passively, only offering my opinion when pressed directly. Mor had cared for a bit but when it was obvious that no new information was being shared, she lost interest and turned to other relevant topics. We were at the height of the trading season; everyone was flush with money from summer crops and business was booming. I could hardly keep my store and warehouse stocked before it was cleared out again. Miss Archeron certainly did not help with the massive influx of orders she needed for her estate. But who am I to complain about good business?

And then an invitation arrived at every household in town announcing a ball at her estate. The gossip wheel spun again, and orders increased tenfold as everyone claimed that this would be the social event of the year. This was the event to see and be seen at as the new mistress would finally introduce herself to polite society.

Cassian shifted across from me, ready to hop out and begin to flirt with whatever lady caught his eye tonight. Azriel was more composed, per usual, the picture of a well-bred gentleman. Mor was to my left, straightening her necklace for the thousandth time.

“Don’t tell me you’re nervous?” I chuckled.

Mor answered with an elbow in my side, “No, why would I be? She’s probably the same breed of airhead as everyone else in this town.”

“Present company excluded of course,” Cassian smirked.

“No,” Mor deadpanned, “Especially present company.” Azriel let a ghost of smile play along his lips while Cas turned ten different shades of red. I was honestly surprised steam didn’t start pouring out of his ears.

Any response he could have snapped at her was cut off as our carriage finally arrived at the front of the line. A footman dressed in a smart red coat opened the door and bowed his head. I exited first, turning to help Mor down, followed by Cassian and Azriel.

There was no time to closely observe the front of the house, there were many more carriages to arrive and the crowd was anxious to sweep everyone indoors.

I led the way up the steps, people shifted out of the way to show their deference. It was ridiculous that so many people in the town feared my family but if it made everyone give them space, then I wasn’t about to change their minds.

Inside was almost as packed as the driveway, I had no idea how everyone would fit inside the household, but if I remembered correctly, this house was quite capable of hosting this town and the one next over.

Chandeliers sparkled, throwing diamonds and rainbows along the ceiling. Rich carpets cushioned every footfall while paintings covered every inch of the walls. Incredible brushwork detailed landscapes and portraits as well as a few abstract scenes. Each work carried a fresh point of view, making the viewer take a different stance on mundane objects.

Normally there was a line where guests could be greeted by the host, but it seemed like there was no such thing at this party.

I filtered through nearby conversations, picking up that everyone was astonished that Miss Archeron was not there to greet them. With a mental shrug, I decided that our best bet would be to find a table to eat and drink until we were sufficiently tipsy enough to start dancing. If I had to go one more dance with Ianthe sober, there was a good chance Mor would be inheriting my entire business.

The others followed me as I found my way to the buffet, taking a small plate and filling it with meats and pastries. Mor opted for all sweets while Cassian and Azriel stuck with the hearty foods. Each of us picked up a flute of champagne and claimed a table that was to the side of the ballroom floor.

Here, tall ceilings arched far over our heads and even larger and grander paintings adorned the walls that didn’t have massive windows. On the far opposite of the hall, there was a balcony that jutted slightly over the floor, partially filled with shadows.

How mysterious, I mused. It seemed that the mistress had a flair for the dramatic.

Cassian noticed it too, “Ten pieces of gold that Miss Archeron will make her first appearance there.”

“Fifteen that she will opt for the grand staircase in the main hall,” Mor countered.

“Twenty that she doesn’t appear at all,” Azriel said.

They looked to me for my bet, “I have to agree on Cassian with this one, it’s too perfectly set up.” Cassian settled for a smug smile while the other two rolled their eyes.

Until she decided to join us, we continued to drink and make small comments about who was in attendance that night. It appeared to be everyone, even the small shop owners that had no large means even got an invitation. Miss Archeron had a generous nature it seemed, even if she wasn’t too sociable.

The string quartet continued in the background playing waltzes and local country dances. Only a few couples milled the dance floor, the main festivities hardly beginning. Waiters circled the crowds, keeping everyone’s glasses filled.

I was beginning to feel a pleasant buzz when sharp nails trailed over my shoulder. Judging by the looks on Mor, Cas and Az’s faces, Ianthe had finally found me.

“Mr. Night, would you do me the honor of dancing with me,” her words passed my ear in a hot breath tinged with alcohol. Mor worked hard to keep a sneer off her face while Cassian was choking down some bread in an attempt to keep from laughing at my misfortune.

I gently laid my napkin down on the table and carefully stood, controlling my urge to turn her down.

“Of course, Miss Prion,” I said, offering my hand. I lead Ianthe to the dance floor, standing opposite of her. I answered her curtsy with a bow, allowing muscle memory to take over my body. She tried to force me closer by digging her nails into my shoulder, but I managed to keep us at a respectable distance as the waltz started up.

We swept around the dance floor, delicately weaving through the steps.

“So, the evasive Miss Archeron has yet to make an appearance,” Ianthe simpered, trying to draw me into conversation.

“It would appear that way,” was all I gave in response. Just because I had dance with her doesn’t mean I have to engage in conversation too.

“It is extremely rude of her to invite us all here and still not deign to show her face,” she prattled on. “Obviously she has money if she can afford all of this but honestly show a little decorum or else no one will accept you into our society, no matter how much money you have.” Ianthe carried on, making small barbs at the invisible hostess, trying to draw a stronger comment out of me but I continued to deflect her.

I released Ianthe for a spin around another couple, limply offering out my hand to receive her again. Only a few more minutes of this torture and then I’ll need a whole bottle of champagne to recover.

“Oh, come now, my party cannot be that unbearable,” a new voice greeted me.

Ianthe now spun away with a different partner while a new woman took her place.

My voice dried up in my throat. Blue-gray eyes sparked with humor; a full mouth curled up in amusement. Her brown hair hinted gold in the gaslighting, piled into an elegant bun. She was soft and warm under my gloves, causing me to instinctively pull her closer, a complete opposite to Ianthe.

“I… ahem, I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” I managed to get out, my cheeks reddening at my mistake of uttering private thoughts aloud.

She laughed, a clear sound that warmed my core more than any alcohol. “That’s what I thought, but tell me honestly, is my party that bad? I tried to make it as current as possible.”

And that’s when it clicked in my head. “You’re Miss Feyre Archeron,” I gaped.

“Last time I checked,” she responded. We were still traveling around the dance floor but it seemed that no one had noticed that the hostess was right in the middle of them.

My manners finally fell into place, “I’m pleased to meet you, Miss Archeron. My name is Rhysand Night.” I bowed my head as much as possible in polite greeting, seeing as we were currently engaged in movement.

“And I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Night,” she returned, laughter lacing her words, amused at my flustered state.

“Shouldn’t you, umm…” Get it together you fool “be greeting your guests?”

“I could be but then I wouldn’t have been able to rescue you from your partner. You looked to be in such pain that I could help but step in.”

“Then I must thank you for that, Miss Prion is not the most… pleasing partner.”

“Then I must aspire to be better,” Feyre said, she straightened her spine even more and relaxed into my grip, causing her steps to become more fluid and graceful.

“So, Mr. Night, you have yet to answer my question about my party.”

“It is everything a modern party should be and more. The food and music are exquisite and the company even more so,” I smiled down at her.

She accepted the compliment with a nod and a blush. “And does the champagne take away the pain of unpleasant partners?”

“I will let you know at the end of the evening.” We both chuckled, it seemed we had both had our share of tedious dancing partners.

“I must say though, this house is beautiful but what really brings it to life are the paintings. You simply must let me know where you acquired so many of such vibrant pieces.”

“That is an easy request, I painted all of them,” she said proudly.

I nearly stumbled with shock but held it together. “You painted everything on this estate?”

“Is that so hard to believe, Mr. Night?” she challenged.

“No! No, of course not, I’m merely astounded by how many there are and the detail of them,” I hastily backtracked, “I did not mean any offense by it.”

She let out another laugh, “None taken, I’ve been painting most of my life, they add up to quite a lot after a while.”

The waltz was wrapping up, final flourishes brought our conversation to an end.

“Thank you for the dance, Mr. Night.”

‘Thank you for saving me, Miss Archeron,” I bowed at the waist to my savior, but when I looked up again, she had vanished. I cast my eyes around the room but Feyre had effectively blended into the crowd and no one had noticed.

For the second time that night, she had left me speechless and mystified. I made my way back to our table where the others were waiting to tease me about having to endure Ianthe, but before I could tell them of my encounter, a murmur washed over the room and all heads turned to the balcony.

Feyre stood in the light of chandeliers and waited for the crowd to quiet.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for attending my ball tonight. As some of you may have gathered,” she looked right at me,” I am Feyre Archeron, the new owner of this estate.”

Gasps and gossip broke out over the room, looks of surprise were passed around like glasses of wine.

Cas let out a small hoot, which was thankfully lost in the noise, and said “Pay up! I won the bet!” Mor and Azriel began to dig for his winnings but I intervened.

“Not quite, I just met her on the dance floor, no one wins the pot tonight.”

A collective “what” had them whipping their heads to look at me, disbelief written across their features.

“Bullshit,” Cas hissed.

“The bet said ‘first appearance’, Cassian, and she made her first appearance to dance with me.”

“But no one saw that!” he argued.

“Shhh,” Mor hushed him, “We’ll settle this after she’s done.”

Feyre had waited patiently for the room to calm down again before continuing her speech.

“I apologize for not introducing myself sooner to your society, it has been quite a whirlwind moving here and settling in. I am now more than happy to meet each and every one of you and your families. I hope that you will forgive me for my shyness and welcome me.”

“Furthermore, I have moved to Velaris not only for its charm and beauty, but I have decided it is time for me to take a husband.”

Excitement sparked in my chest, I had spoken to this woman for less than a few minutes but there was already something about her that drew me in and made me excited to verbally spar with her. The looks the other gentlemen in the room were giving each other did little to give me hope, unfortunately. Despite Mor claiming that the town was filled with airheads, there were many fine men for Feyre to pick from.

“However,” she said, the same humor from before creeping into her voice, “I will only marry the man that can open my front door with a key.”

Excitement turned to confusion; more murmurs broke out.

“That key is around the neck of my cat, who will be allowed to roam the town and countryside freely. She is a tabby with blue eyes, I think it will be quite easy to pick her out.

“If she is harmed in any way by anyone attempting to catch her, they will be disqualified from the contest and face my personal wrath.

“Good luck, gentlemen, you will need it,” she finished with a nod of her head and disappeared from the balcony.

I turned back to my friends, all of us dumbfounded by the competition that had just been issued.

“Well,” Cas grinned, “It seems like we need a new bet.”

Next Chapter

[almondmelkk]

How to ACTUALLY meal prep

Breaking down meal prepping 

So I see a lot of people share meal prep ideas and showing put this much brown rice, this much meat/protein source and this much veggies. But everyone’s dietary needs are different so one persons meal prepping won’t be suitable for everyone. Some people may need less calories or more protein for instance. So here’s how you can make sure your more closely getting the meal prepping you want and need.

So first things first, your going to have to do some math 🙀 (I know sorry). You’ll need to calculate your caloric needs*and then from there you can calculate your macronutrient needs. (Macronutrients “macros” are carbs, fats and protein. They provide the body it’s energy through calories.)

I know this can seem like a ton of info (because it is) but once you do all your calculations and try it a few times it becomes a lot easier and you won’t really have to think about it!

How crazy you wanna get with your meal prepping is up to you! If you wanna prep every meal and get everything perfect to the gram that’s awesome and I respect your discipline! As for me, I just like to loosely follow my macro needs and only meal prep once a day (typically lunch for me since I like packing a lunch for work). For my other meals I’m generally conscious of the approximate calories and macros but I don’t calculate them.

I’m going to try to share as much information with you as I can, but this can get VERY complex since we are talking about calculating macronutrients. Like I said everyone is different so things vary person to person due to activity level, weight, gender, height etc. Also, the more specific your goals are the more specific/tricky your meal prepping will need to be. What I mean by that is, if your goal is to gain 5lbs of muscle it may be difficult for you to judge how much you should skew your protein needs. In those cases it would be beneficial to see a dietitian who can help closely guide you. Thats not always feasible though, so I provided general recommendations of macro nutrients designed for different levels of activities and goals. 

One thing I HIGHLY RECOMMEND is a scale!! This is huge because when you look at nutrition values in food they usually have cup amounts and then gram or ounce amounts in parenthesis next to it. So when you measure something with cups the amount can vary so much! When you scoop up one cup, sometimes the food might be more or less compact causing a significantly different measurement. However, if you weigh the food you’ll always get the exact amount needed that way the nutrition info will be correct. 

Alright lets get into it! You’ll need to calculate your general calorie and macronutrient needs. 

Start with calculating your calorie needs (This will help you determine how many calories you want to eat and put into your meal preps). 

Once you have your calorie needs click here for recommended macronutrient amounts. (This is will help you determine how much grains/veggies, proteins, fats etc. to put in your meal preps

Now you may still need a little more help picking what percentages/amount of each macro you want. This is super tough to try and give advice for over a blog post but again ill do my best! 🤗

If your a sedentary individual trying to lose weight WITHOUT an exercise regime, then you may want to pick a fairly balanced amount of macronutrients such as 60% carbs, 20% protein & 25% fat. 

If your trying to lose weight WITH an exercise regime,  increasing your protein would be a good idea because a decrease in calories could cause muscle atrophy (reduction) because not enough protein would be present to sustain muscle. So a good idea might be to decrease carbs a bit to 55%, increase protein to 25% & 25% fat. 

If your trying to maintain your weight than you can focus more on just picking % that fit you (This can go for anybody/activity level too). Pick what makes the most sense to you and how you like to eat. I enjoy carbs so I would pick a higher carb percentage, I weight lift so higher protein percentage and than lower fat percentage. If you feel like carbs don’t agree with you then lower to 45% and increase proteins and fat. 

If your an average gym goer, a balanced amount of macronutrients will be appropriate as well. Perhaps, 50-55% carbs, moderate protein for muscle growth 20-25%, and moderate fat 25%. 

If your an endurance athlete (runner, marathons, triathletes), your going to be eating a lot of calories in general but you’ll definitely want to pick a higher carb percentage such as 60-65%, low-moderate protein 15-20% & low fat 20%. 

If your a power/strength athlete (powerlifter), moderate-high carbohydrates 50-65%, increase your protein to compensate for muscle growth so high protein 25-35%, and low fat 20% as its not considered beneficial for power athletes (or endurance athletes). 

*All of your daily % can fluctuate within a desired range (probably about 5-10%) as well. Like everything Ive said, this is all general recommendations and how strict you want to be is up to you*

A few more things that may apply to you!

If your:

Trying to maintain your weight- This is a little easier since all you have to do is eat the exact same amount of calories as you calculated. Also, maintaining weight doesn’t have to mean that your not trying to change your body at all. For instance, Im fine with my weight but I’m trying to gain muscle and lose some fat. Im doing this by maintaining my calories, slightly increasing my protein intake and increasing my strength training.

Trying to lose weight- Reduce daily calories by 500-1000 calories, this will give you a weekly weight loss of 1-2 lbs (.45-.9kg). Decreasing calories by more than a 1000 and loosing more than 2lbs/week is not recommended unless advised/surpervised by a physician. If your trying to lose weight, using your gram per kg of body weight recommendation won’t work because it doesn’t take into account that your trying to decrease calories. Therefor, you will need to use your daily calorie % values to calculate how much carbs to eat. Ex. You burn 2000 calories daily, your trying to lose weight so you reduce your calories to 1800 calories. So to meet daily carb recommendations (45-65%) for instance, 1800 x .45(45%)=810 cal, 1800 x .65(65%)=1170cal if you want to take it a step further and figure out how many grams that is you can divide the calories by the calories in macronutrients. Carbohydrates have 4 cal per gram therefor, 810/4=203 g and 1170/4=293 g. Therefor you can strive to eat 203-293 g of carbohydrates. 

Trying to gain weight- Is just the opposite of trying to lose weight. Your going to increase your calories, and probably your workouts because odds are your trying to gain muscle and not fat. 2300-3600 calories above weekly needs (or 300-500cal more each day) is required to gain 1/2-1lb. Again though, if your not working out enough for your body to NEED these extra calories to repair and build muscle all you will be doing is gaining fatty weight. The increased calories should correspond to the increased demand that your workout out puts on your body. Also, it is recommended that the additional calories are in the form of carbohydrates. Otherwise the body will use your protein sources as the fuel it needs therefor taking away from the protein needed to build muscle. 

So FINALLY making this all translate into actual food! With all these recommendations we can look at a few examples:

Cooked brown rice (200g)- 222 calories, 2g of fat, 45g carbs, and 5g protein

Grilled chicken breast (3oz)- 120 cal, 2g fat, 0g carbs, and 25g protein

Steamed mixed veggies (8oz)- 90 calories, 2g fat, 15g carbs, and 4g protein

TOTAL- 432 calories, 6g fat (13%), 60g carbs (56%), & 34g protein (31%) 

Based off of these percentages (not calories, as they are quite low) this meal prep might be great for a power athlete because of the high protein and low fat values (a little more fat might be good too so maybe cook the chicken breast in a little olive oil or add a little oil/butter to your rice to increase the fat). Also, you can consume more fats in your other meals to get your recommended values. 

Also with this info you can use it to calculate how many more calories, grams of carbs, fats and protein you’ll need for the rest of the day. 

Lets look at another example for a vegan perhaps. 

Cooked brown rice (200g)- 222 cal, 2g of fat, 45g carbs, and 5g protein

Chickpeas (3oz)- 276 cal, 5g fat, 45g carbs, and 14g protein

Steamed broccoli (4oz)- 39 cal, 0g fat, 8g carbs, and 3g protein. 

TOTAL- 537 calories, 7g fat (12%), 98g carbs (73%), 22g protein (16%). 

Based off of these percentages this would probably be better for an endurance athlete, because of the high carb %.  Again though this is just one meal of the day though, so you can eat more fat and protein in your other meals of the day and completely change your daily % making this meal appropriate for anyone!

 So basically what your doing is just trying to get the nutrition facts to add up to your daily needs instead of other peoples needs. The purpose of this post is just to show you how to measure your food so that your not just guessing how much food to put in without knowing how thats going to affect you. Like I said I know this is a lot but I highly recommend doing this at least a few times so you can see what a meal prep designed for you looks like. After that you won’t have to get so crazy and you can start to loosely follow these guidelines because you’ll know what to look for. 

Comment below if you have any questions or need help!!

*I posted this a while ago and a lot of people were saying it doesn’t work but I promise it does if you do the math correctly! Incorrectly adding or subtracting was the main reason why people got crazy numbers. Also, the taller you are or the more you weigh the more calories your body burns daily.

Source: Fink, Heather Hedrick., and Alan E. Mikesky. Practical Applications in Sports Nutrition. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2018.

[valenciaflores]

ORIGINS & FAMILY:

Name: Valencia Grace Flores

Nickname: Val

Birthday: April 8th

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Place of Birth: Barking & Dagenham, London, UK

Places Lived Since: Leeds, UK

Current Residence: Kings Cross, Islington, London, UK

Nationality: British

Parents: Jessica Flores (née Miller) & Miguel Flores (deceased)

Grandparents: Howard Miller & Alice Miller (née Williams); Antonio Flores & Ximena Flores (née Pérez) (both deceased)

Aunts & Uncles: Ricardo Flores (deceased); Sarah Walsh (non-biological, godmother)

Number of Siblings: One - Victor Flores

Relationship With Family: Val grew up in very close proximity to her mother, grandparents, and brother, and as a result was very close to them - and thus they all got on each other’s nerves very quickly. She appreciated everything they did to raise her and her brother despite their debts and money issues over the years. She’d done what she can to try to repay them, offering to help her mother pay for a new apartment or just give them some money, but they accept nothing. All their willing to let her do is pay for a nice meal at their favorite restaurant that used to be a splurge but to Val now isn’t that bad. As a PA she doesn’t make an exorbitant amount of money by any means, but she saved a great deal during her year working for a high-end PR firm and she splits a one bedroom apartment rent with her girlfriend so she’s spending even less on rent and housing now.

Happiest Memory: A recital where she was rewarded a certificate for her excellence in dance within her age group (she was young enough to be blissfully unaware every child received the certificate).

Childhood Trauma: Val was only a couple years old when her father died so she barely remembers it but sees everyday how it affects her brother, mother, and even grandparents who loved her father so much. Miguel and Jessica worked for almost ten years to save up enough money to fly Miguel’s brother and parents out to London to live there. It took some time for his family to get their immigration figured out, but once Victor was born and then Jessica became pregnant a couple years later with Val, it was settled - the Flores’ would move to London to be with their grandchildren. Miguel and Jessica both worked overtime, they skipped vacations, they got married by a clerk, and they stayed in a cheap apartment to save up money for flights, moving costs, and to help pay a few months rent for an apartment. All they wanted was for their family to be together, and it finally was about to happen when Miguel left for Mexico to help his family pack up their things. They sent all their possessions ahead of them, spent a night at a hotel, and departed the next morning on a plane that never made it back to London. Ricardo was the only one to survive, but not for more than a few days and the cost of all the medical procedures to try to save his life wiped out the rest of Jessica’s savings. She and her parents were plunged into debt trying to save Ricardo and get Miguel’s body back to London, and they could not get any money back spent on apartments and various other expenses to help the Flores’ move. After that, Jessica moved with her children to her parents’ home. Not that she could ever afford it, but she refused to get on a plane ever again and stays up all night worrying and praying whenever Val goes on a trip. Victor was so terrified of flying after what happened to his father that it ruined his football career because he refused to agree to the need to take flights to different games. 

PHYSICAL:

Height: 5′8″

Weight: 123 lbs

Build: Slim, athletic; frequently underweight

Hair Color: Brown

Usual Hair Style: Up in a high, tight ponytail or bun

Eye Color: Brown

Glasses? Contacts?: N/A

Style of Dress/Typical Outfit(s): Val is a big fan of skirts and dresses and usually tries to wear them year-round, pairing them with appropriate sweaters, jackets, and tights when necessary. If she does wear pants or jumpsuits in a situation where skinny jeans aren’t acceptable, they’re usually fairly loose through the legs. Her outfits tend to be made of solid colors with the occasional patterned skirt, belt, scarf, or other accessory. She finds solid colors lend more to flexibility. Pink, blue, white and maroon tend to show up in her closet the most, as she finds those colors most complimentary. More often than not she can be found in business or business casual attire, even on “days off,” and always carrying a bag big enough to hold some beauty essentials, a spare leotard and shorts, and canvas lyrical shoes.

Typical Style of Shoes: Heels are a must and unless she’s running errands or knows she’ll be standing for a very long time, she tends not to wear sneakers or flats that much. 

Jewellery? Tattoos? Piercings?: Val’s jewelry is very basic, with two piercings per earlobe. Her girlfriend continuously tries to convince her to get another piercing but she refuses because she thinks they can look trashy (not on Spirit, thought, of course). Her jewelry is all gold (or gold-plated) and very minimalist. If she wears a bracelet, it’s no more than 1-2 bangles. A necklace is rarely more than a thin chain with an unassuming little charm. Her only ring is a thin gold band on her right ring finger with her father’s initials and birth and death dates carved into it that her mother gave her. She has one tattoo on the top of her outer left thigh that matches one her brother has on the middle of his back. It’s a creative take, personal to them both, on the national coat of arms for Mexico, her father’s home country. 

Unique Mannerisms/Physical Habits: She tends to stick her chin and nose up a bit, quite literally, when she’s annoyed or revolted.

Athleticism: Very athletic and graceful, which she always channeled into dance. Outside of dance, she often practiced with her brother and got pretty good at football, too. 

Health Problems/Illnesses: None.

INTELLECT:

Level of Education: A bachelor’s degree. 

Languages Spoken: English (fluently, mother tongue); Italian (nearly fluent); Spanish (broken, only some key phrases)

Level of Self-Esteem: Fairly high. Self-esteem has never been an issue for Val, and some might even say she’s a little too confident sometimes.

Gifts/Talents: A natural inclination for dance that even a severe injury couldn’t quell. She also is very talented when it comes to writing and speaking publicly, but that was mostly through practice and an avid interest in the subjects. 

Mathematical?: Somewhat. She’s very good with statistics.

Makes Decisions Based Mostly On Emotions, or On Logic?: Emotions more than she cares to admit, but usually she’ll make adjustments to decisions after some logical processing. 

Life Philosophy: Stand up for yourself and your people.

Religious Stance: Not very religious at all. 

Cautious or Daring?: She’ll claim cautious, but there are times when the things she says prove she’s actually fairly daring. 

Most Sensitive About/Vulnerable To: Her destroyed dance career, people making negative comments about those less fortunate than them, and people who underestimate her. 

Optimist or Pessimist?: An idealistic pessimist on the side of the optimists.

Extrovert or Introvert?: Extroverted. She’ll talk to anyone, either to tell them off or tell them how lovely they look. 

RELATIONSHIPS:

Current Relationship Status: Living with partner (Spirit Leafstorm)

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Past Relationships:

Baxter Watson - ex-boyfriend/formerly lived together. The two started dating about a year before she went to university, and made the dumb decision to move in together when she got into Leeds. The two fought frequently over petty things and eventually broke up in the middle of her second year at university. The two came together through activist work, but Val grew disenchanted with the man when she realized he was far better at just complaining about the state of things than actually doing anything to help. Since their break-up, she’s heard he’s barely changed his ways and currently lives with his parents. 

Maya Foster - ex-girlfriend/former professor. When Baxter left, it was the first time Val had been single in a while, and she certainly didn’t hold back from taking advantage of it as much as possible. It was a funny coincidence that she ran into an attractive, younger professor on a night out, but it quickly lost its humor when the single hook-up turned into nightly meetings and then an actual relationship. Discretion and secrecy were key, both from the university because Maya had been Val’s professor and from Val’s family, not because she was a woman but because she was ten years older than Val. For a while, they were good. Then they hit the year mark, celebrated it, and things started to turn for the worse. Maya suddenly had a lot of “meetings” and Val found herself falling asleep alone more often than not. She tried not to be jealous or skeptical, but everyone has their breaking point, and she eventually confronted Maya about her increasing absence - not just when she was physically away, but even mentally when she was home. Maya claimed she was just overworked, Val wanted to believe her. A couple weeks later she got a call from a close friend who knew about the relationship. She said she’d been visiting family a couple towns over and saw Maya out to dinner with another woman - young and brunette. The break-up was really nasty, and it still left Val with a bad taste in her mouth to think about it in the months following because she realized how naive she’d been to believe she was an equal partner in a relationship that had actually been dominated by Maya.

James Morris - ex-boyfriend. One of the worst things to do at a new job is to start dating someone, but James was one of the few people at Val’s first job at a PR firm that she actually enjoyed talking to everyday. James was only about a year older than her, the smallest age gap she’d ever had in a relationship, and the two were relative equal on the career playing field. James was more involved with the art, Val with the copyediting, and the two made a good team. He wasn’t from as poor of a background as Val, but he wasn’t nearly as rich and snobby as many of the other workers at the boutique firm who’d gotten placements through “family friends.” It was always Val and James who were the ones working late, and it often led to late-night takeaway orders and shared cabs to their nearby apartments. They kept things friendly, though it was obvious there was some attraction. Maybe both had a feeling that if they acted on it, it’d get serious, and they were too busy with work to have that kind of commitment. Both were enjoying being single too much to stop it. When Val decided that commercial PR wasn’t for her, James supported the decision and was the first at the firm to congratulate her when he found out she was leaving. They went out for a celebratory dinner...then had celebratory sex. The pieces fell into place rather well, better than they’d expected. Off-the-bat Val worked late hours at work to prove she was worthy of her position, and with the hope that she could make some bit of a difference to the community. James worked late hours, too, when he was promoted and took on more creative responsibilities that often left him coming home with graphite stained hands. They were happy, they traveled, they supported each other’s careers, and they were able to maintain their independence in a way that Val hadn’t ever experienced in a relationship before. It was amazing to her. After a few years, they considered moving in. It was her mother who was the first to ask if that meant they might get engaged soon, then her grandparents, then James’s brother, then his parents, and the little seeds of hope their families tried to plant did nothing but give them cold feet. They spent most of their savings on travel a couple times a year - they couldn’t afford a ring, or a wedding, or anything like that. They spent so much time together at each other’s places that they thought they knew what moving in together would be like, but maybe they didn’t - maybe it would change things and make an already committed relationship more serious than either were ready for financially or emotionally. They had a long talk and split amicably face to face, but the fallout personally was worse than Val had ever experienced. Her mother even came to stay with her for a few days, and she took a week away from her dance troupe. She and James decided to sever all contact because it might be easier, but it was even more painful to hear from someone else that James moved to America a few months later.

Spirit Leafstorm - a separate post will come, but her relationship with Spirit ended a little under a year after her relationship with James ended. 

Primary Reason For Being Broken Up With: Usually she did the breaking up with other people, but with James it was because they both got a little scared and felt they were too young for what others were trying to push on them.

Primary Reasons For Breaking Up With People: They cheated.

Ever Cheated?: When Val is in a relationship, she is whole-heartedly dedicated to that person and would never even imagine cheating. Even when “dating around” she would never go on dates with multiple people in even the same month. However, during times of complete single-ness (or even during the “dating around” periods if it was this one particular person), she tended to be drawn to forbidden fruit. This included not only employers, professors, and friends exes, but married men and women. She’s not proud of it, but there’s a reason it’s called a guilty pleasure.

Been Cheated On: Yes, by Maya.

Level of Sexual Experience: Very. She’s body-positive, sex-positive, try-new-things-positive. When in relationships she tends to explore new things even more, but even outside of relationships she’s gotten pretty adventurous with hook-ups. 

Story of First Kiss: Hardly all that special. She played a kissing game with some friends when she was thirteen and ended up kissing her best friend’s crush. The two girls have, thankfully, gotten over it since. 

Story of Loss of Virginity:

A Social Person?: Yes, though sometimes that means she won’t be afraid to get up in someone’s face if they rub her the wrong way.

Most Comfortable Around: Her family, her girlfriend, and anyone she considers a good friend.

Oldest Friend: Her brother, Victor. He’s her best, oldest, most headache-inducing friend and she wouldn’t trade him for the world. 

How Does She Think Others Perceive Her?: She believes others see her as a strong-willed, independent person who strives for their goals.

How Do Others Actually Perceive Her?: People certainly believe she strives for her goals, just perhaps with a bit too much sharpness toward those around her sometimes. A softer tone now and then wouldn’t hurt to make her more endearing to the people whose support she may one day need.

SECRETS:

Life Goals: Maybe to be an MP one day, but that will likely be more of a post-children goal for much farther in the future. Ideally, she’ll one day be the Press Secretary for the Prime Minister, and she’ll go down in history books as eloquent, tactful, and a new standard for her successors. 

Dreams: For Val, dreams and life goals are very intertwined and are essentially the same. Why dream of something that can’t really be achieved?

Greatest Fears: Losing her job, losing anyone else in her family, and watching her brother potentially become a bum if he doesn’t get his act together a little more (he’s actually a teacher and a coach, but she just wishes he’d do even more).

Most Ashamed Of: Some harsher comments she’s made in the past to supervisors or other people she knows are more worthy of her respect. Sometimes her need to define herself as a smart, strong person can actually be relayed in a rather brusque, rude tone, and she’s slowly working on calming that down.

Secret Hobbies: Not very secret at all, but all time not spent at the office is spent dancing.

Crimes Committed (Was she caught? Charged?): N/A

DETAILS/QUIRKS:

Night Owl or Early Bird?: Early Bird

Light or Heavy Sleeper?: Light Sleeper

Favorite Animal: Cats of all kind

Favorite Foods: Veggies and fruits

Least Favorite Food: Anything greasy or fried

Favorite Book: “Just Ella” by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Least Favorite Book: Every single gothic novel she ever had to read for school

Favorite Movie: Black Swan

Least Favorite Movie: Every “Step Up” movie

Favorite Song:  “Dancing Queen” by ABBA

Favorite Sport: Football

Coffee or Tea?: Tea, preferably green or ginger

Crunchy or Smooth Peanut Butter?: Smooth, but it’s fattening so she doesn’t have it often

Type of Car She Drives: N/A, no car

Lefty or Righty?: Righty

Favorite Color: Deep red

Cusser?: Occasionally.

Smoker? Drinker? Drug User?: Never smokes, barely drinks, not a drug user.

Biggest Regret: Spending a year at a PR firm that she could’ve spent working with her current colleagues

Pets: None

[smackeology-blog]

The Body Shop: Glow-revealing liquid peel -> Vitamin C line 

Yes, I do have to work on taking photos... But now let's talk about this little guy and what it does and does not do! Have you tried it already? Let me know!

So, here we are, my first post and I have decided to start off with The Body Shop. For no reason whatsoever. But I do like the brand though, shower gels smell like heaven, body butters are sometimes too heavy but those smells, how can anyone resist them?! If you fall for smell - stay away from this store because it. will. make. you. buy. a. lot. of. stuff. :D Some products worked for me, some not so much. But let's start with this liquid peel and read on to see my review.

They say - it should be ''glow revealing'' for dull and tired skin. Also, because it contains vitamin C rich camu camu, it should bring a certain freshness to your skin, i.e. glow after you apply it, rub it in and wash off. Camu camu, cacari, or camocamo, is a small bushy riverside tree from the Amazon rainforest in Peru and Brazil, which grows to a height of 3-5 m (9.8-16.4 ft) and bears a red/purple cherry-like fruit. Camu camu has an extraordinarily high vitamin C content (on the order of 2-3% of fresh weight,[3] second only to the Australian native Terminalia ferdinandiana), and this property of the fruit has been exploited in positioning it on international markets.

Not sure about you, but this promise sounds lovely. But I am not delusional about what random product can do for me. Skin care is a huge business and marketing departments are on fire! But what I want is my skin clearer and cleaner. I do use coffee and baking soda twice a week as peeling and it worked lovely for me so far, but sometimes I wonder whether all these tiny grains are too much for the skin. So I decided to purchase this, to maybe get more gentle peeling.

General info

Let's do basics first: when added to your daily routine, vitamin C provides a range of benefits, from evening out your skin tone, shielding skin from the visible impacts of pollution, significantly improving hydration, and keeping your skin looking younger, longer. So no wonder cosmetics industry started putting vitamin C on the front line of its skin care routines. With an excellent safety profile, it finds increasing use in photo ageing, hyper pigmentation, tissue inflammation and promotion of tissue healing. Ongoing research has been directed toward improving its delivery into the dermis for stimulating collagen production and scavenging free radicals. Good question to ask is how efficient and effective vitamin C is in any product, taking into consideration that it is highly unstable, especially when exposed to light.

145ml seems to go a long way since I dispense 1 pump for my whole face so I assume it would last long time. Taking that into consideration, I can say I can handle the price from time to time in case I decide to re-purchase.

What it's like?

As you can see - transparent liquid. If you are into ingredients here they are:

Aqua, Alcohol Denat., Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Palmitamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Quaternium-80, Parfum, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Mel, Limonene, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride, Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Isopropyl Alcohol, Linalool, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract.

I am no chemist and I definitely do not intend to use Google to analyse every single ingredient and its impact since I do think chemistry is ''a bit more compliacated'' than that :) But what I can tell you is that the liquid is not thick in any way, it is more slippery and thin so you can easilly dispense it on your skin.

Aaaaand....ACTION!

The Body Shop's instructions go like this: Dispense 1-2 pumps of the product onto fingertips, and apply to cleansed, dry skin avoiding the eye and mouth area. Massage into skin for up to 20 seconds until clumps become visible and peel away from the skin.

Reality is: if you do put it all over your face, you will start rubbing and one part will be fine, other part will start drying out in the meantime etc... So my advice is to put small amount on one part of your skin, nose for ex., and rub it in. Then move to the next part of your face. Clumps will start forming. And guess what - no, it is not your skin. If it was your skin, you would be all red and irritated :) This is actually product clumping up. But in fact it should act like some sort of mini glue that will pull off any dead skin you might have as well as impurities. I tried it on one small dry patch under chin I had (now I regret I took no photos of that..) and all the visible dry flakes were gone! So - it does do something after all, it is not some scam, so you can relax :)

Final verdict

You know what? I was skeptical at first, I do have to admit that. And I still am in a way. But my skin does have nicer glow after using this. If nothing - it does seem cleaner. And that is good enough for me. All day at work and around town leaves consequences so I am happy to have something, aaanything, that will make my skin breathe again.

It does not irritate your skin, if you have very dry skin and flaky skin it will also work well for you and hydrating your skin afterwards is a must.

My only wish is that it would do something for this c**p in my pores so I can stop walking around 20min with my weird blue L'Oreal mask :D But hey, I would sort of miss scaring my boyfriend around :D

So, I would recommend the product if you need to get your flakes of or for some reason you can't or won't use scrub on your skin - this will do the trick for you.

[cobbblum2-blog]

Can PRP Injections Actually Provide You A Larger Male organ?

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[greerguy42-blog]

The Proven Method For Getting Your Path To Achievement (That Many People Obtain REALLY Wrong)

Learn http://eriksendodson7.nation2.com/the-24-greatest-health-supplements-for-your-penis review articles, best ten male organ supplements for organic male enhancement. So in the long-term, I no longer believe it has any impact, but it will have major main side effects.” For example, he says, stretching out male organ pores and skin consistently forms solid scar tissues apteka around the penis like a condom under the pores and skin, restricting how very much it can increase. Running process: Performed daily for 30 minutes for an indefinite period of period, exciting penile glands and elevated bloodstream movement to the penis thus; the penis is manipulated in a flaccid state, with firm movements, but without getting into an erection (self-discipline and control is needed). If you're searching for even more advanced exercises, check out our Jelqing Exercise Table of Items for a variety of jelq routines with increased strength. 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