#i know today is a joyous day. but I am Evil and I just finished therapy and obviously I have mommy issues hush

[sentientsky]

“To The Daughter Who Secretly Longs For Her Mother’s Affection,” Lynne Shayko

today i learned that i’m not above using my own fanart as a backdrop for angst <3

[foilfreak]

Beauty and Her Beast: Summary and Ch.1

A Salvatore Moreau x Female!FishMutant!oc fic based on this idea I had the other day that a very specific subset of the fanfom went absolutely apeshit for, which I'm here for and decided to act on. I can't make any promises for consistent uploading or even a finishes product by the end of this, but so long as im still interested in working on it, I'll keep working on it, and if im not, then I wont, plain and simple. Anyways, here's the summary and chapter 1, please let me know what you think of the story so far, i hope you all enjoy (you'd better all enjoy), and I can't wait to see you all again for chapter 2. Bye! <333 (Link to ao3 posting will be in comments so check there if you want to read it there instead)

Warning: This fic is rated NSFW and contains graphic depictions of things some people may find disturbing or alarming, including, but not limited to: violence, gore, unhealthy family relationships, Oedipus complexes, gratuitous amount of pornographic literature, ableist language, physical, mental, and emotional abuse, etc. If you are someone who does not enjoy fiction with these elements in them, then I suggest you refrain from reading this, because this fic will have all that, and probably a lot more. So, this is your first and final warning to turn around and go somewhere else if stuff like this just isn't your vibe, because from this point forward, your emotional wellbeing is in your own hands, and I will not be accepting blame if you disregarded my warnings and ended up reading something you didn't like. Idk why I feel compelled to write one of these despite this being Resident Evil fanfic, but I figured I'd cover my ass just in case.

Summary:

Now, I’m sure everyone already knows the ancient tales that tell of a beautiful young woman slowly falling in love with a horrific monstrosity of a man. The pure and true love this innocent beauty comes to feel for him, despite his terrifying appearance, is the key that breaks the cruel and twisted curse under which he’d been kept prisoner. This allows the man behind the monster to not only return to his true human form, but then go on to live his Happily Ever After with the beauty who saved him. Everyone already knows of these tales, as well as the messages behind them, however that is not quite the way this particular tale plays out.

The tale I am about to tell bears many similarities to the one above, however there are also quite a few important differences. For while the original detailed a beauty falling for a monster because of the kind and loving man he was behind his hideous exterior, this is a tale of a beauty, with a few monstrous qualities of her own, falling in love with a kind and loving monster, not at all despite his grotesque appearance, but rather, in part, because of it.

This is a tale, where the Beast still falls for his Beauty first, but the Beauty is the one who will be pursuing her Beast.

Chapter 1: Mother's Gift

Few of those who lived isolated from the outer world, high up in the mountains of Romania, would expect anyone of reasonable sanity to be out traveling in this hellish sort of weather. The wind howling a demonic high pitched tune; snow, sleet, and hail pounding into the ground like an endless shower of bullets from the heavens; and hungry lycans still roaming the area, tirelessly looking for their next meal, would be enough to incentivize even the strongest of mortal men to seek shelter away from the deadly conditions of the outside.

A man by the name of Salvatore Moreau however, one of the 4 lords of this mountain region who lived in the reservoir just past the windmills, did not appear terribly concerned with what other people thought of the traveling conditions. Completely unbothered by the horrifying weather and threat of suddenly being ground into doggy food, the hooded man trudged his way through the dark and barely maintained snow paths. Starting at the reservoir and making his way toward the village, Salvatore moved as quickly as his deformed body would permit, an unusually chipper spring added to his lumbering hobble of a walk.

Mother had a gift for him.

Yes, a truly joyous day it was whenever Mother Miranda called upon him to join her and the other lords for a meeting. Miranda was usually so busy with her experiments that she rarely had time to visit her children outside of these ‘family meetings’ they’d been having recently. However, it would appear as though Mother has come up with a solution of some kind to this problem and wishes to share it with them in person. Whatever this solution is, the mutated man has no idea, as Mother Miranda had been quite vague in her message, however the fact that Salvatore was being given the chance to see his radiant mother AND receive a gift from her, all in one day, was more than enough to make up for how agonizingly lonely he’s been these last few months since winter set in, as well as how agonizing it was for him to walk in this weather.

Salvatore arrived at the usual meeting site just as the clock struck 8pm, precisely as Mother had instructed. However, much to the hooded man’s confusion, when he turned the handle on the large wooden door to enter the room, he quickly realized that he was currently the only one present. This was especially strange considering that, usually, at least one of his siblings was always present a little earlier than necessary, usually Alcina or Karl, but occasionally Donna with Angie in tow.

Mother had clearly said in her message that she wanted to start the meeting at 8pm sharply, so where on earth is everyone?

“Moreau” Mother Miranda’s voice called out, immediately pushing all thoughts from Salvatore’s brain as her powerful, yet lucious voice echoed against the halls of the room like a choir of angels.

“Y-yes! W-what… is it… M-mother Miranda? I-i-i came to you… j-just like you asked” Salvatore responds, bowing his head in reverence as he slowly crosses the room and approaches the otherworldly woman.

“So you did, though I suppose you coming exactly when I call makes the most sense. You always were the most obedient of my children” the woman remarks with casual disdain, her voice devoid of any sort of motherly affection or tenderness. Despite the clear disgust and disregard with which Miranda regards the hooded man standing before her, her words light Salvatore’s soul ablaze, filling his mangled body with intense feelings of heat and desire that melt his heart of the cold, icy frost that had frozen it over the course of the long winter.

“Y-y-yes, y-yes of c-course, Mother M-Miranda! I-i would… I would do any-anything... for y-you. A-anything you s-say... anything y-you n-need… I’d d-do it... f-for you. W-without question!” The deformed man says, practically getting on his hands and knees and crawling as he neared closer and closer to Miranda, stopping only when he’d arrived just in front of the steps the raven mother stood upon, his gaze trained at the ground as he knelt at her feet, awaiting his fate at his mother’s hands.

“I know you would, Moreau,” Miranda says cooly, gently brushing the palm of her hand against the black fabric that covers the top of Salvatore’s head, “which is why I’ve called you here today; to reward you for your loyalty and service to me thus far.”

Salvatore sinks sharp and jagged teeth into the flesh of his bottom lip, nearly drawing blood as he desperately tries to silence the needy whine that wanted to tear its way from the back of his throat. His body shivered and twitched in unimaginable delight from the sudden tender caress to his sensitive skin. How long had it been since someone had touched him so gently? How long since someone had spoken to him with such kind and soft words. Took the time to gather presents as a reward for years of faithful servitude? How long since someone had loved him like this?

‘Too long’ the disfigured man sighed to himself, reveling in the soft, gentle contact for as long as he is able.

“Moreau. Look at me” Miranda commanded firmly, and despite not wanting his beloved Mother to be forced to bear witness to his hideous face, he complied, lifting his head up and back to allow his gaze to lift from the floor and up at the glowing figure that was his Mother, his beautiful, incredible, intelligent, majestic mother.

The light shining down from above illuminates Miranda from behind. From Salvatore’s perspective on the floor, the light darkens her face and most of her torso and waist, giving a softened, almost ethereal glow around Miranda’s figure. This, along with the rest of her garb, makes Mother Miranda appear even more like the holy woman that Salvatore naively believes she still is. Despite her less than affectionate treatment of him thus far, Salvatore still stared up at the darkened face of Mother Miranda, his eyes shining with reverence, love, desire, and unending devotion.

“Y-yes... Mother?” Salvatore breathed, barely able to speak above a whisper as Miranda stepped away, gesturing for him to follow.

“Are you ready to collect your gift now?” The raven mother asks, speaking more softly than before and even holding her hand out to Salvatore, her pose and appearance mirroring that of a powerful god taking mercy upon her wretched follower, reaching out to reward the years of faithful servitude and worship.

Salvatore, barely able to keep himself calm as he stumbled to his feet, did not grace Mother Miranda’s question with a proper response, instead practically racing to take the woman’s outstretched hand in his own.

“I’m ready Mother… I-I’m ready for... my g-gift now… can I… c-can I have it n-now… p-please?” Salvatore begs, pulling at Miranda’s hand like an overly excited child, seemingly unaware of the disgusted twist of her face when the hooded man’s cold, slimy fingers firmly latched onto hers.

“Of course, my child” Mother Miranda says, pulling her hand back from Salvatore’s and instead placing it along the man’s hunched back, beginning to guide him to wherever it was the raven mother had hidden his gift.

As Salvatore limped next to Mother Miranda, the deformed man couldn’t help but wonder what exactly it was that Mother had gotten for him. Was it a new cloak, to replace the worn one he was currently wearing? Perhaps a new set of romance films so he didn’t have to rewatch the ones he already owned over and over again anymore? Or maybe it was something to help with his digestion?

It would be nice to get his chronic acid reflux under control again.

Regardless of what the gift actually turned out to be however, Salvatore was merely pleased that he was finally getting a chance to spend time with Mother Miranda all by himself for a change.

Maybe, if he was lucky, she’d even agree to hold him, just like she always did back when he was still undergoing cadou treatment.

Oh how wonderful that would be!

[sky-arcobaleno]

memories of the forest

Katsuki Bakugou x Reader; 

Sky piercing trees loomed an unreachable canopy above her head as she raced through the forest’s lower jungle. Vines and upturning roots were nothing to her skilled bare feet. Dodging another low branch, the cheeky girl laughed to herself. Her clan would never be able to catch her here! Within Teair’s close knitted playground, this child of the sky wandered freely. Slowing down to a small stream, the girl perked up at the sound of a grass being moved. Something was here. Something….soft? Standing up and brushing off her deer skirt, she turned around to see her uninvited guest. She blinked, genuinely confused, as a vulpine beast with four tails sat in front of her. The tips of its tails were a soft autumn orange. It was….divine like. Nothing like Grandame Forneil, but close. 

“Who are you?” The voice was male, but a child male. Close around her age...maybe. She would find out. 

“I’m a daughter of the sky! Who are you?” the beast curled its tails around its feet. Seeming to observe her before answering.

“A beast of fire.” She laughed to herself, but not quiet at all. 

“You are a land beast of flames!” The vulpine beast growled, quickly crouching down, ready to pounce. She only looked at the vulpine beast before giggling. 

“Silly vulpine! You are land fire. I am -” the mighty roar of Grandame Gowyual trembled the loose dirt below the girl’s feet. Giggling louder, the girl finished her sentence. “- sky fire!”

It had been a few summers since she saw that land firefox of four tails. Ah...Kitsune, Grandame Forneil had explained the night of the fateful day. A Kitsune of four tails at such an age was a feat Forneil had continued on. She was lucky that Kitsune was curious about her, lest the beast grow bored and end her life. Sighing and shaking her braid behind her, the now young teen races through the same forest. This time, instead of playing hide & seek, she was practicing her tracking and hunting skills. 

“Skills of a warrior. A survivor.” Grandame Locoful had croaked out before she left the nest with Grandame Forneil. Skidding to a halt and notching her arrow, focused gray eyes followed the peaceful deer. She was with a child, if the bigger belly was anything to go by. Removing her arrow and turning around, gray eyes locked on a sight of wonder. A golden kitsune with five tails, tipped in a familiar autumn tone. Ah…a fire kitsune. That’s when knowing crimson locked on her. Suddenly, she felt as if she was facing a true predator. A predator of many hunts and had victory in its tight bite. The kitsune rose, a head or two taller than her, and began to walk towards her. A small spark of fear struck her body, tensing her muscles. She was ready to fight. As the kitsune reached about a few paces ahead, the sudden breeze came. On its path...the smell of….smoke? Turning in the breeze’s direction, the girl saw the thick mog. Small, but growing rapidly. 

“Stupid humans!” the girl mumbled under her breath. Was she human? She assumed not. After all, she lived with dragons. No mere mortal could live as long as she had. Glancing at the kitsune, who was watching her actions, the girl spoke in her serious voice as she stood up right. 

“This is not the work of dragons. I will return with a dragon of water to save this forest.” The kitsune only tilted its head before speaking in a deep voice.

“A ride to a clearing may be the fastest way.” A kitsune making an offer? A trick if the situation wasn’t growing dire every minute. With a brisk nod, she walked over and carefully got on the furred back of the majestic beast. With ease, the beast ran through the thicket. No fur caught on low limbs and nothing hesitated the pathway. That’s when heavy clouds of ashy smoke filled the air and her breath. Fire. A forest fire caused by inattentive mortals. 

“You will not reach the clearing in time.” fearing for the woods and the lives within, the girl hummed to herself before stretching both arms to the sky.

“Hear my cry! O’ beast of the lake. Take flight to the Azure’s Domain and bring the blessing of new beginnings! Locoful, dragon of Shiramizu! Hear me and cry out your blessing!” The heavy snaps of trees falling and the crackling of flames echoed back. Her cry was swallowed by the dire situation. The kitsune whacked her head.

“No dragon will hear you, imbecile.” She growled at the statement. Hoping it was false. Locoful would hear her. She always did. 

“She will not abandon her fledgling.” The beast of fire exhaled heavily before turning around.

“Then at least be alive for her to save you.” Then, the Kitsune took off again. Running away from the flames. It is then, as the Kitsune jumped over a fallen log, a mighty roar and the sound of heavy crashing swallowed the air. 

“Locoful!!” She cried, overjoyed, as the mighty dragon arrived. Within mere moments, the forest fire was put to rest and the mighty beast stared at her and the Kitusne. Slipping off the Kitsune’s back and reaching Locoful’s side, the girl spoke.

“See Kitsune, beast of land fire? Locoful will always answer her fledgling’s cry.”

It was hardly a season’s changing since the forest fire, when she found herself alone by the lake nest. Around her, curled protectively, laid Setluno. Setluno was a young dragon, half the age of Grandame Forneil. Setluno was the only one who played with her. Now, Setluno is forever embraced by the forest’s trees and the lake’s watery shoreline. In front of the nest’s entrance, Gowyral was delimbed and beheaded by a blade endowed with magic. The lake was boiling in rage as Gowyral fell. Locoful had died upon return to the nest, multiple poisonous arrows cracking her scales and the poison taking her life before she could finish her warning. Forneil was the only one alive. Yet, she was over a season’s change away. She wanted Forneil to come back. Avenge the nest. Protect her. Save her. She was scared and lonely. She was no beast of sky fire. She was a mortal. Just like those responsible for the death of her nestmates. So blinded by the emotions she felt and the events that occurred within three sun positions, she didn’t notice the lake’s water coming into the nest. Hardly felt the power shifting within her. Never noticed how she was no longer pooled in blood, but now in the sky, riding a mighty beast. Intended on killing those who took her nest.

He heard the mournful cry of a dragon before he saw one take flight. Yet, this dragon was not one of the physical planes. No. This dragon was alive by the sheer magic of a mortal. A mortal intent on bringing justice. His favorite mortal to be precise. What had happened? Taking off in pursuit, he saw how the dragon looked, searched, for something or someone. What mission required such measures of hunting and tracking? That’s when the tree sprites, Kodama, began to whisper.

“Dragons dead”

“Beast slain by man”

“Oyamatsumi is enraged”

“So is Ryujin and Fujin”

“The fledgling calls for blood.”

“She will kill everyone.” Fearing that his mortal might do just that, the Kitsune prayed to his given deity. Prayed that his human would have to take rest on the ground. Allow him a chance to guide her away from the path of evil. 

“Please let me get to her in time. For the world will be chaos if she succeeds.”

Three summers have passed since that loss of her nest. She now ruled the forest with a close eye. Grandame Forneil was so broken by the deaths of her flightmates, she had taken her own life in the very same lake. Now, that lake was surrounded by beautiful flowers that would poison anyone who touched them. The only saving grace from them was if the person had suffered such a loss as she has. Now alone within the woods she called home, a thought passed her mind. Why her dragons? Why not her? This thought had haunted her for many nights and days. Nothing could stop these thoughts except the occasional hunting trips and killing off gluttonous men. Now, she stood in the lake’s shallow shores, naked under the sunlight. A bath after a recent hunting trip, when the snap of a branch caught her ear. Within a mere moment, she stood with her bow taunt and arrow notched, aimed at the noise. Only to see the familiar Kitsune. Yet, he now bore six tails. He had grown more powerful in the last three summers. They watched each other, waiting for the other to make a move, when she lowered her bow and set it on the sand. 

“What, beast of land fire?” The Kitsune huffed, keeping its distance. 

“You are not meant to be alone, mortal of flames. You need to be with others.” Gray eyes stared into crimson. She knew the Kitsune was correct. He usually was. Yet, to be with others meant risking another nest massacre. She couldn’t handle another heartbreak like that. 

“Leave Kitsune.”

“You know my name. Use it.” She shook her head. A name meant power. Power she did not deserve. Suddenly, a warm cloth covered her shoulders and a man’s voice spoke closer to her.

“Y/N, the others miss you. The forest misses you! I...I miss you.” Warm arms enclosed her, making her heart beat faster and her mind filled with happy, joyous memories of younger times. 

“Please...please don’t make me remember Kitsune.” The arms tightened, and the man’s voice returned.

“I will always remind you of the joy life can bring. But first, you must take my hand.”

She now stood before the overwhelming hearth of the mountain. She had found the murderers of her nest. The cause for her mourning. The cause of her grief. Today, she will return the favor. With her blade drawn and her eyes focused, Y/N was about to take the killing blow, when she saw the triplets resting in the mother’s arms. Suddenly, like ice had appeared, it sent shivers down her back. A mother and her children. Innocent children. With quick thoughts and quicker reflexes, she turned around and began to spirit back in the forest. The forest was now alive, gleaming with life. Yet, life that could be easily taken away.  Tears pricked her eyes and she tumbled down a hill. She could only feel the numbness in her heart. She had nearly repeated history again. With another family. Another generation of hurt and hate. Y/N closed her eyes, hoping for the tears to disappear. For this pain to leave. 

He watched in slow motion as his mate, his Rook, leaped in front of him. Taking the killing blow from the monstrous demon Shi-gi. He watched, as his luminous flames encircled her body. A mortal with Kitsune Flames. Proof of their mate bond. He was enticed by the way she reached for the heavens, crying out for her deceased nestmates, and aimed her hands at Shi-gi.

“From the dust and stars, a life is born. To dust and star, life returns. From the mighty cry of a dragon and the plead of humanity, I fused the realms to grant my inner desire and wish!” He watched, as the five primordial deities appeared in forms of a phoenix, tiger, snake, tortoise, and….dragon. Together with his mate, the beings reached out their hands and gave power to her.

“I command the soul of Shi-gi to be bound to the realms of the inner Earth! May no beast, no mortal, no divine being find you. May you wirth in the chaos of the world and never be able to take part in its affairs! I bound thee to this plane and no other!! I banish you Shi-gi, from paradise and hell itself!!” His flames encircled her and suddenly, he remembered the price for banishment from Paradise. A soul for a soul.

“No!” He reached out, but only the feeling of his flames returned. His mate, now burning away in his flames, smiled at him.

“Find me again my love. In a time where you and I can co-exist without Shi-gi.”

He mourned to himself as the forest his love protected was burned by his flames. No. There was no world without her smile. No reason to continue if she wasn’t there. No point in existence. Turning around, ready to end his own and see her, a glimpse of something flashed through his mind’s eye. A girl, with amber hair and glowing eyes, running away from him in a playful manner. The same girl mocking his sharp teeth. The girl seeking the yokai realm for the first time. Then, the same girl bore his mark. A mark only he could create. Like lightning, he turned away from the murderous flames and ran through the woods. He couldn’t die. Just as his mate asked, he would find her again. Find her in a time where that cursed Shi-gi did not exist. His name is not even remembered by humanity. She had returned to the world of the living in some time. He would have to be there, ready and waiting, to meet her all over again.

[nerv0usm3chanic]

CORRUPTION

Chapters: 1 || 2 || 3 || 4

--

((NOTE - This is an introduction to a new PERMANENT AU feature exclusive to nerv0usm3chanic. Please see further, generalized information regarding this AU here: X

Be advised that each of these chapters are VERY LONG. The full content will be tucked under a read more after a brief introduction segment.

DO NOT REBLOG.))

--

The quiet in his skull was joyous bliss. Arthur had, for the first time in the time he’d been possessed, a solid and peaceful night of sleep. The constant worry of the uncontrolled growl in his head was gone and Arthur had felt a new sense of control. Ever since his possession in that gods-damned cave, Arthur had felt no control over himself and his life. Now, with Luna’s help and guidance, the blond felt a new peace.

After she’d helped him with a small amount of magic, Arthur found himself wanting to know how she did that. He wanted to know what to do if the evil being ever returned. This turned into the mechanic coming to visit Luna’s home more often to learn from her and in exchange, Arthur helped the witch with the upkeep of her home.

...which, after further weeks of contact evolved to Arthur offering to help her out as a permanent assistant. A position that Arthur felt he needed to make several changes for.

--

“Hey...hey, Vivi? Is that...Arthur?” Lewis asked, craning to peer around a crowd of people as he spotted a flash of blond through the mass of the crowd of the farmer’s market. A second later, the figure turned and confirmed it was who he thought it was. Vivi had turned at Lewis’ words and just in time to see the large purple man dash off. Long legs carried him far and fast enough that he was able to grab Arthur’s arm and turn him.

“HEY! LET GO OF...me?” Arthur relaxed at the sight of Lewis, though, he gently tugged his arm free of Lewis’ grasp. “L-Lewis...hello...long time no see.”

“Long...long time no see? Arthur, it’s been ages!” Lewis frowned at Arthur, angry for having not heard nor seen a sign of the mechanic at all. Then the man’s face turned to confusion, just in time as Vivi reached his side.

“Arthur! Hi! It’s been a while!” She was giddy and eager, ready to approach Arthur as well - though she would have taken a hug - and then paused, studying her friend intently. “What are you wearing?”

“What do you mean?” The blond asked, looking down to his outfit. He’d not even noticed he’d left Luna’s home wearing his now-usual dark brown button-up, black slacks and shoes, and the tealy-blue tie. He must have let himself get too used to wearing these clothes to have forgotten to change before going shopping. “These clothes aren’t that strange...it’s just a normal outfit.”

“Arthur...you’re wearing a tie. You hate ties!” Lewis replies, gesturing emphatically and even taking hold of the blue tie. Arthur’s eyes widen and he swats Lewis’ hand away and adjusts the tie to sit neatly once again.

“People change and so do preferences, Lewis.” Arthur replied with a low growl. He bent to collect his basket of groceries and gave the two a look somewhere between being irritated and slightly upset. “I’m sorry, but I have to finish shopping and get back to my employer. Maybe we can catch up when I get a free day?” Vivi looked hurt, Lewis appeared confused and upset, Mystery - who had wormed his way to the front - studied Arthur intently.

“Arthur...you’re not yourself.” The dog commented, unminding of the crowd around them. No one would really notice another voice. Arthur gave Mystery a frown and looked away.

“I have a good reason for that...” He commented, moving away from his once-friends. He had a job to do, one much more important than getting back in contact with his friends.

--

"Come on now, child, come on!" An older woman beckoned, hurrying to the steps of the modest cottage home. The woman's granddaughter followed behind, carefully trying to keep her hat held low to keep her identity hidden. Really, needing to go to a witch for her woes? Her grandmother was still so stuck in the old ways of solving problems. Again, the older woman beckoned, waving the younger lady over. "We don't want to miss our appointment!"

"Really, grandmother, is this witch-woman going to be able to help solve my problem?" The younger woman stood beside her grandmother as an aged hand reached up to gently tug the summoning bell.

"Of course she will." The grandmother replied, halfway between soothing and crisp as she patted the younger's arm. "There's no qualm that doesn't have a solution somewhere. In this case, all we need is to find a witch and-" but she stopped as the door was pulled open and a tall figure stood before them.

It was a young man, a tallish man with a trim figure accentuated with dark pants and shoes, an ornately-patterned long cream-colored vest with coattails, a dark brownish button-up shirt, and a vibrant tealy-blue tie. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, showing a pale right arm and a left arm that appeared to be encased in some strange white and gold glove. His blond hair was neatly brushed back - with the exception of two sprigs of brown at his forehead - and his orange-blond sideburns were neatly trimmed. A filling brown goatee decorated his chin, a slight frown resting just above it and lastly, thick brows lay flat over brilliant, stern amber eyes. Those eyes studied the visitors for just a moment before softening as he relaxed his arms at his sides.

"Welcome to Lady Luna's abode. My name is Arthur." The man introduced himself politely, bringing his left arm forward and holding it bent in front of him with a polite bow. "How may I assist you both?"

"A-ah...um..." The young lady had been preparing herself to see a witch, not a well-dressed butler. So, she was a little lost for words in his presence. Her grandmother, however, was able to come to herself more quickly as Arthur stood upright again.

"I am Isabella Cameris and this is my granddaughter, Victoria Sandhill. I believe we set an appointment for today? I apologize if we are late." Arthur studied the two for a moment longer before nodding and standing aside to allow their entry.

"Of course, we have been expecting you. And no need to worry, you are both on time. Please, come in." He held the door with his right hand and gracefully held his left in a gesture welcoming them in. Victoria stifled a gasp as she walked past Arthur, noticing his strangely-gloved arm was not that at all. The arm was a prosthetic: outer plates and panels resembling a pearly-white porcelain and the joints gleaming with a brassy gold, the gears and internal movements also that brilliant metallic sheen.

Surely, there can only be magic at work for such a fine piece of craftsmanship to operate so smoothly as to be mistaken for an appendage he was born with.

"You will wait for Lady Luna in the sitting room. Just down the hall and the first room you come by." Arthur supplied, gently closing the door and subtly spinning the colorful magical dial beside the frame. He folded his arms behind his back and moved with practiced grace to guide the women where they would wait for Luna. "My Lady is finishing up a few things in preparation for your arrival. I have tea and a variety of snacks available if you need?" Arthur offered as he gestured for the visitors to take a seat in one of the lavish furnishings.

Victoria felt truly out of place, dressed in jeans, a casual blouse, and a large summer sun hat. Isabella at least appeared closer to the house's and butler's projected time period with a thin shawl over her shoulders and a modest long dress covering her aged frame. She looked to Arthur ad smiled politely, doing her best to not stare at the intricate false arm he sported. Her fingers wrung the handle of her clutched purse tightly.

"N-no thank you." She shook her head, "We should be fine with waiting for a few minutes." Arthur nodded and bowed again to excuse himself.

"Then I will notify my Lady of your arrival. Please, make yourselves comfortable. If you require anything, do please ask and we will do our best to accommodate you." And upon rising to his full height, Arthur turned to go locate Luna and notify her of her clients' arrival. He'd had plenty of practice over the months spent living and working with Luna and so knew how to hide when he sensed concern rolling off the younger woman in waves.

Witch hunters? Probably not...more than likely a scared young woman looking for some answer to some strange or personal inquiry requiring some feminine sensitivity. Arthur shook his head and stopped at an ornate door. Luna should be ready soon, if not already.

“Lady Luna? Your next appointment has arrived.” Arthur waits a moment and the door opens a moment later to reveal the elegant witch in a golden dress, heavy ornate shawl, and a drapery of fine strings of pearls. He held out his false arm, gently taking Luna’s hand and bowing to invite Luna to make her way towards their visitors.

--

Chapters: 1 || 2 || 3 || 4

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 3-Promise

Content warnings: ableism mention

The young master of the Shen family had his snake venom purged clean, and he has regained consciousness; the young master of the Shen family can take a meal without help, and recline in bed to read; the young master of the Shen family was once again sunbathing in the courtyard…

The good news came one right after another. Although for Shen Qingxuan, it only meant that he could yet again linger on death’s door for another few years. Still, this did not hinder the old steward from burning the articles for the funeral rites to ashes in a fire. Even still, it did not prevent Master Shen, in his joyous exultation, from sending out a caravan to the southernmost wild lands and forfeiting high interests as thanks to the merchants who sent those two “detoxifying panacea” pills that year.

The banquet was set up, with family and friends filling all the seats.

The fragrant smell of wine lingered in the mountains, and the servants who were on edge for several days could finally dare to speak loudly.

Shen Qingxuan sat upon his wooden wheelchair, draped with a fox fur cloak and a silky soft quilt on his knees completely covered his legs. In one hand, he held a very thin little book, reading it quietly with his head tilted. Some of the noise from the outer hall slipped through the half closed window, laughter and drumming, as well as the tinkling sound of crisscrossing cups coming together.

Except, these things seemed to have nothing to do with him.

After a while, Shen Qingxuan felt a bit thirsty, but the tea was already cold. As he held the cooled porcelain in his hand, Shen Qingxuan thought of the palm that covered his forehead that day. Although it was a completely different sensation, that hand and this porcelain cup, however, had the exact same temperature. Ice cold, without a trace of human warmth.

His train of thought meandered and then returned to the matter at hand. Shen Qingxuan shook the brass bell, and after that, grasped this object that had been with him for many years, fiddling with it in his hand as he usually does.

The maidservant who heard the summoning bell quickly opened the door and came in. Without needing his prompt, she cleverly dumped the cold tea, resteeped the pot hot water, and stoked the charcoal fire in the handwarmer

before placing it back onto Shen Qingxuan’s lap.

Only once everything was done properly did the maidservant stand aside and quietly say, “Although shaoye did not drink wine tonight, perhaps it is better to rest earlier. Your health has just improved a little bit, yet you are already taxing yourself by reading a book.”

Shen Qingxuan lightly inclined his head, drank a cup of tea, and picked up his book again, continuing to thumb through it.

Upon seeing this, the maidservant lit a couple more of the oil lamps in the room, making the light a bit brighter, and only then did she withdraw and close the door.

After only a moment’s time, the doors of the wing-room were pushed open again. Shen Qingxuan raised his eyes to look. Outside the doors stood a young woman with her beautiful hair brushed high, and looking inside with hesitation on her face.

The two of them locked eyes, Shen Qingxuan slightly blanked, but very quickly smiled faintly. Although he could not make a sound when he opened his mouth, his mouth clearly formed a greeting: Er Niang.

“Xiao Xuan.” Although young, the lady was still poised, and relaxed her expression as well. She crossed the threshold and came inside. “You feel better now?”

Shen Qingxuan nodded his head.

“Ever since you were bitten by a venomous snake, the whole family has been worried sick.” The woman leaned down to sit in the chair that was to the side, expression tender, and stroked his face not without some sorrow, “Jiejie was praying for you in the family Buddhist hall. When she heard you recovered, she went back to fulfill her vows. She could not make it to see you today, so I only brought your didi here.”

Shen Qingxuan merely smiled, fetched the brush and ink at hand, and wrote on the paper: I have inconvenienced Er Niang with worry. Since didi also came, why not call him over to converse with me? How is my mother’s health?

The lady looked, and carefully replied: “The time was late, and your didi’s temperament is noisy, so I just told him to wait until tomorrow to keep you company. Jiejie is in good health. Just yesterday, she even went into the kitchen and cooked bamboo shoots for the family to try. Except, not sure who but, some mouthy servant told her about your snake bite accident, and she cried for two days. Luckily, you have great fortune and great blessings. Once jiejie found out you were alright, she went back to fulfill her vows at the shrine.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingxuan’s heart naturally found it difficult to bear. Only after being lost in thought for a while, did he pick up the brush and write some words, making idle talk with her.

The woman said, “The fierce animals and poisonous insects in these mountains are so impossible to guard against. You might as well return home with me. It would also save everyone at home from being concerned. Jiejie and I are womenfolk, and it is not proper for us to frequently leave home to visit you.”

Shen Qingxuan wrote: Although there are many fierce animals, they do not easily injure people. The servants take good care of me, this time was just a mishap. The climate here is just right, even the physician says that my body needs quiet rest to recuperate. Although returning home is wonderful, in the end, it is unequal to the quiet calm of the mountains.

Seeing this, the woman sighed softly, and thought of yet another thing. She hurriedly said, “Before coming, jiejie told me to ask you, do you have any girls you secretly admire?”

Shen Qingxuan was stunned for a moment, and promptly wrote: I understand my mother’s wishes, but I am afraid my body would be unable to bear the responsibility since my health is at this point. Even if there are good, unmarried girls willing to match with me, I would only let them down. The responsibility of carrying on the incense inheritance would be better taught to didi so he can assume these responsibilities in my stead.

While looking at the still wet words, the woman sighed again, “Even if you did not say, everyone at home understands. It’s just, you are such a good kid. Coming to this world for a turn, not to mention, suffering many sorrows, and now, to not even leave behind an heir...Even though I am not your mother, yet I also…” Before she finished speaking, the rims of her eyes had reddened completely. At once, she lowered her head, her voice choking with sobs.

Shen Qingxuan also stayed silent, and stared straight at the woman’s trembling head. Without knowing what he thought of, his eyes turned deep and unmeasurable, his thoughts appearing to be full of twists and turns.

In an instant, however, he had already returned to normal, and raised his brush to write again: Er Niang does not need to be sorrowful. My life ought to be like this. Perhaps I did too much evil in my previous life, and I am repaying it in this life. Except, as the eldest son, I cannot even contribute meager efforts for my country and for my family. What a shame.

Writing up to this point, his strokes took a turn, and he changed the subject, continuing on: Didi just became an adult. Although he is bright, he lacks experience. Recently, I heard he intends to join the court as an official; the rises and falls of officialdom are unpredictable. He still needs Er Niang by his side to give advice.

Since the topic involved her own son, the woman held back her tears as expected. She softly said, “I am a mere woman, so what could I understand of anything? You, however, are well-read. If you are able to help your didi, then that would be perfect.”

Shen Qingxuan: Er Niang need not be modest. Didi is exceedingly intelligent, but when he runs into problems, he lacks tact. With Er Niang at his side to assist, in addition to having Father to organize, then it should not be hard for him to rise quickly in rank.

“You always provide me with comfort.” The woman put down the paper, slightly showing a smile.

Shen Qingxuan also smiled, and started to write again: However, didi is still young, and yet he has to take up an elder brother’s duties: filial duty to his parents and loyal duty to his country. This is quite tough for him.

Shaking her head, the woman said, “You two are brothers, this is within his responsibilities, do not speak so distantly.”

After they spoke a bit more, Shen Qingxuan’s face showed weariness, and the woman promptly urged him to take care of himself before finally leaving.

After she left, Shen Qingxuan sat alone in his chair for a long time. His gaze lingered over the white papers covered with writing. No one knows what he recalled, but his face dimly showed a helpless smile that was brimming with ridicule. Only after a moment did he lift his hands to tidy the papers. He rang the bell to call in the maidservant who fetched the metal basin, and in a blaze of fire, turned the ink-infused pages into ashes.

At this point, it was late into the evening, and the bustle of the outer hall had settled down. Shen Qingxuan told a servant to open the window. He tightly wrapped the fox fur coat around himself as he leaned in the chair looking at the darkness outside the window. This night, the moon and the stars were all thin. Occasionally, there was the brush of mountain wind, which raised and lowered the wisps of hair on his forehead, over and over again.

After another long moment, Shen Qingxuan suddenly stirred, took out his hand from the cylindrical warmer

, wheeled the wheelchair to the table, and once again spread the paper and ink, writing: You have come.

He pushed the piece of paper to the middle of the table for the person to read. The air was peaceful.

Shen Qingxuan only smiled and did not speak, waiting quietly.

After a moment of stillness, the room he was sitting alone in had an extraordinary sight.

One could only see the paper on the table had moved by itself, without a breeze. The brush that was set on the ink slab

also stood by itself. Dipped in ink, the brush moved onto the paper with a slight pause, and then the dense ink gradually carved out words on the paper. The handwriting was refined, and seemed to be answering Shen Qingxuan’s question, writing: How did you know?

Shen Qingxuan, was still smiling, even winking in a teasing and suspenseful manner, to the empty air.

The air, just like that day, was suddenly entangled with the delicate scent of flora. The smell was like the forest after the rains; it had a cool freshness.

On the dizzying day that he vomited foul blood from his body, while he was surrounded by a rotten stench, this smell appeared at his side like a sudden light in the dark, profoundly branding itself onto Shen Qingxuan’s heart.

He was unable to forget for his entire life.

Shen Qingxuan suddenly sniffed his nose, and then with some surprise he lifted his brush to write: You went to the hot spring on the mountain peak?

The man still did not show himself, but took another brush from the brush stand, and right next to his question he wrote a Yes.

His original confusion was naturally answered by Shen Qingxuan’s question. The distinctive sulfur smell of the hot springs was the reasoning behind Shen Qingxuan’s question. He also found out how Shen Qingxuan easily knew of his arrival.

Yi Mo thought, His sense of smell is like that of a wild animal.

However, no one continued this topic, and turned to converse about other things instead.

Although Shen Qingxuan was indebted to his mercy for allowing him to keep his life, internally however, he constantly remembered that he was a snake yao, and not of his kind. He was not unguarded.

Yet, who knew yao were similar to humans, and had names and surnames, not to mention, enjoyed the hot springs. He was even here using brush and paper to converse with him for a double-hour.

Even though his words were concise and to the point, he still possessed patience unparalleled by ordinary people.

For remarkably powerful yao like him, it was not like there were not more direct modes of speaking; Shen Qingxuan had already experienced it before. However, this snake had laid that method aside.

After he lost the ability to speak, Shen Qingxuan would still frequently interact with others. But there was no one who was like this: willing to patiently use brush and paper, and little by little, write for him to hear. A double-hour of time is not at all lengthy, merely a speck of sand in a person’a lifetime. Never mind that it allowed his heart’s defenses to crumble, he had even felt a spark of subtle intimacy.

Taking the handwriting-sprinkled piece of paper and putting it to the side, Shen Qingxuan wore a smile on his face. He dipped into the prepared ink and continued to chat with Yi Mo on the newly spread white paper: If I help you successfully survive the trial, will there be a gift given in return?

Appearing very quickly next to the clear and neat handwriting was a line of refined writing, concise as usual: I will grant you recovery to be just like an ordinary person.

Shen Qingxuan’s wrist trembled, and the brush tip filled up with ink roughly slashed across the snow white paper.

********

Quick note: Hi thank you to @yunmengclouds​ and @t110n​ for your comments! Sorry I can’t reply directly since this is a side blog...Also if anyone has any issues with the translation or site so far, feel free to let me know~~~

[justsassysworld]

Grief Makes Bad Decisions

Grief Makes Bad (Or Maybe Not So Bad) Decisions

Beetlejuice x f!Reader

Word Count: 1823

“Gertrude, Eustace, I’m home!” you call, entering your house. 

You're roommates are a lovely, but incredibly odd couple. They're ridiculously sweet, horribly in love, and over a hundred years dead. 

Over a hundred and twenty years ago, they were killed by some random intruder, leaving them unable to move on from the place of their murder. 

You were beyond freaked out the first time you saw them, the day after you moved into their old home. Apparently, most people don't see ghosts, but you are a strange and unusual type person. It took awhile to see past their bloody and gruesome appearances, but you've grown so used to them now that you don't even notice their bloody clothes and bullet wounds anymore. 

A sense of wrongness overtakes you as you notice an envelope on an end table. It’s addressed to you.

Darling Y/N, 

It has been lovely these past six months. You’re such a sweet girl who has been so good to us. We hope you will look back on your time with us with fondness, but our time has come.

We were obligated to spend one hundred and twenty five years in our home. Today marks the end of our purgatorial sentence. We had wanted to prepare you for our departure, but the exact date slipped our mind, and was upon us before we could act.

I am truly sorry we are unable to give a proper goodbye, and wish you nothing but happiness for your future. We will always appreciate the loving care and consideration you have shown us. 

Wishing you a joyous and love filled life, 

Eustace and Gertrude Mayford

Tears prickling your eyes, a sob wrenches from your chest. You hadn’t known them long, but you were closer to them than anyone.

The next few hours fly by as you process the loss. You find yourself seated on the couch, a glass of wine in one hand, an old flyer in the other.

You’d come across it less than a week after moving in. it was for something called a “bio-exorcist.” When you showed it to Gertrude, she rolled her eyes.

“He’s a conman. After he was caught tormenting a couple who had just died and the family that moved in after them, he was forbidden any contact with the living world for twenty years,” she looked quite annoyed, obviously not liking the man. “The sentence ended a few years ago and he’s been nothing but a nuisance ever since.”

Both Eustace and her had warned you off summoning him, even for fun, multiple times, but you’re feeling lonely, and the tiniest bit inebriated, and you need to talk to someone who might understand, at least someone who knows about the spirit world.

Steeling yourself, and sending an apology to your departed friends, you say, “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,” as quickly as possible.

Seconds roll by, leaving you disappointed. Out of nowhere, the couch shudders and quakes, making you hold on for dear life. Your eyes squeeze shut until the ride comes to an end.

A maniacal laugh and a hand on your leg has your eyes snapping an eye open. You let out a startled scream, jumping up from your spot, wanting to get some space between you and the...man?

“Who-who the hell are you?” you stutter, logic refusing to make itself known.

He gives you a huge grin, mossy teeth glittering in the low light, “I’m the ghost with the most, babe.”

“So, you’re Beet-” you’re cut off, physically unable to finish.

Eyes wide, you take in his satisfied smirk and his wagging finger, letting you know he’s responsible. “Uh uh uh, babes. We won’t be using that name again tonight.”

You bolt up, pacing the floor. Experimentally, you try to speak, “So,” you sigh in relief. “You’re the...person the Mayfords warned me about? I was expecting someone scarier.”

“Scarier?” he looks at you like you’ve got two heads.

“Well, yeah,” you say, beyond blunt. Nerves making you lose all tact. “I mean, you’re hardly intimidating. You’re not that much taller than me, you’ve got a bit of a gut, and honestly, you’re more gross than scary.”

Your pacing is brought to a sudden halt by a shockingly strong pair of hands. He pushes until you’re pressed against a wall, his arms bracket your head, trapping you. Something odd grips your wrists and ankles, spreading you out before him.

You’re suddenly horribly aware of your lack of clothes, in just your pajamas, a paper thin tank top and tiny pair of shorts. His hands still by your head, he gives you a long look over, his gaze almost tactile.

Except it’s not just his gaze that’s touching you, he seems to have grown a third arm out of his chest, which is running down your body, from just south of your breasts to just north of your shorts.

“Well now, babes,’ he growls in your ear. “I could do anything I want to you, there ain’t a thing you can do to stop me. You still think you I’m not intimidating?”

Swallowing hard, you decide to press your luck. “Intimidating? Not really. Dominant and sexy? Fuck yeah.”

 A coy smile crosses your lips as his jaw drops. As what you said sinks in, an evil grin splits his face.

“Oh, babycakes,” his lips are a hair's breadth from yours. “Game on.” His mouth crashes against yours; lips, teeth, and tongues battling for control.

Your fight is half hearted at best, wanting him to be in charge. Out of nowhere you’re released, falling into his waiting arms. He carries you to the couch, placing you how he wants you, naked at crouch level, clothes melting away.

You bite your lip, looking at him with fluttering lashes. “Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Juice.”

“Fuck yeah there is,” he purrs, fingers digging in your hair. “I want you to play with your pretty little pussy while I use your mouth as my own personal cock sleeve.” 

You wrinkle your nose, about to remark on that comment, when he opens his pants, pulling out his cock. Tilting your head, you take it in.

It’s as pale as the rest of him, around average length, but really fucking girthy, perfect for sex, but it was going to be hell on your jaw. You’re up for the challenge.

Starting to lean forward, you’re surprised when he stops you. “Uh uh uh, I’m captain of this cruise.”

He pulls you up to kiss just under his belly button, before having you kiss your way to and down his shaft. At the head, he commands, “Lick it.”

You do, treating it like your favorite lollipop. Feeling mischievous, you manage to give it one quick suck before he pulls you away. “Naughty girl.”

He gives you a wink that you return.

The tease lasts much longer than you would have thought, his stamina shocking you. He reminds you that you’re supposed to be providing him with some visual stimulus, so you run your hand down to your aching clit.

Jas you start to pleasure yourself, he lets you take him in your mouth, slowly. Stroking in and out, more of a tease than anything. Every time you try to take him deeper, he pulls back or pulls you away.

You’re starting to get frustrated, when he starts to thrust, slow and easy, allowing you to get used to his girth.

“Two inside, babes,” he pants, confusing you until you realize what he wants.

Hand slipping lower, you slip your middle and ring fingers into your pussy, surprised at just how wet you are. Using your palm to keep pressure on your clit, you keep pace with him the best you can. As you both grow closer, your breathing turns into pants, moans, and groans.

“Cum for me,” he commands, a growl deepening his voice. “Cum all over your hand.”

Unable to resist, you do, thrashing and screaming around his thick pulsing cock. This triggers his own orgasm, sending a spray of surprisingly pleasant, viscous cum. You swallow every drop.

You try to lean back, but he stops you, flipping you over the back of the couch.

His hands caress your ass, occasionally dropping sharp slaps, making you gasp. One hand slips to feel just how wet you are.

“What a dirty girl.”

You feel his breath against your heated flesh, seconds before a ridiculously long tongue buries itself deep inside your core. It wiggles and worms, finding every crevice, every pleasurable nook you never knew you had. Trying to move, wanting more, he holds you tight, keeping you right where he wants you. Using his tongue and fingers he draws two more explosive climaxes from deep inside.

He then repositions you. Laying on your back, you catch your breath as he settles between your spread thighs.

You whimper, “BJ, I’m too sensitive.”

His grin is less than reassuring. He drapes himself over you, planting another lingering kiss on your lips, cock brushing against your screaming clit. “Good,” he growls, “I want you cummin’ all over my dick.” 

You try to jerk away, body refusing anymore pleasure, but Beetlejuice is having none of it. He pins your arms above your head, starting to thrust into you. Grinding and twisting, he’s buried deep. Against your wishes, your legs wrap around his hips, drawing him tighter.

Nibbling your neck, he sets a breakneck pace. A blinding light over takes you as another screaming orgasm tears through you, then another, and another. 

Finally, when it feels like you’re about to pass out, you feel his cum spurt deep inside, hearing him growl low as his teeth sink in your shoulder.

“Beetlejuice!”

Minutes pass, or hours, or maybe even days, as you regain your senses. You’re surprised to find yourself in your bed, even more to realize it’s not your body pillow you’re cuddling, but an actual body.

Looking up as much as your sore muscles will allow, anger shoots through you.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Hey, babes,” he grins down at you, cigar in one hand, glass of wine in the other. “Mornin’”

“Are you going to answer my question?”

“Yes.”

A minute passes, “Well?”

“I told you, ‘Yes,’ answering your question.” The glimmer in his eyes telling you he knows what you want, and he’s enjoying your frustration.

Taking a deep breath, you grind out, “Is there a reason you’re smoking a cigar in my very much non-smoking home? Also, what possessed you to pour yourself the last glass of my fifty dollar wine?”

He just gives you a shit eating grin, refusing to answer.

Shaking your head and sighing, you drop your head back on his chest, lacking the energy to argue.

“Goodnight, BJ.”

“Goodnight, roomie.”

 You’re just about to drift back off, when your eyes snap open, “Roomie!?”

[magic713m]

Before The Sun Sets

It was a beautiful day for the celebration in the Moon Kingdom. A wonderful event was occurring, celebrating the birth of the next heir to the throne, Princess Serenity. Everyone from the system was invited, including the King, Queen, and Prince of Earth. Among the other guests were the princess’s guardians Sailor Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. It was an amazing event, filled with music, dancing, and a wonderful feast.

Finally began the presenting of the gifts. Queen Serenity sat on her throne, with her most loyal advisor Luna standing beside her. Luna, wearing a beautiful yellow dress for the occasion, was also the princess’s nanny. She stood near the cradle as the event took place. The representatives for the other planets presented their gifts for the sweet princess. Some material, others had gifts that were not physical, but more mystical to bestow on the fair maiden. When the royal family of Earth was called, Queen Gaia picked up her three-year-old son and walked beside her husband as they presented their gifts to the princess. The Earth prince, Endymion, looked at his betrothed and the second their eyes made contact, the infant princess smiled and laughed, causing little Endymion to giggle as well. Finally, it was the Inner Senshi’s turn to present their gifts. Each Sailor Senshi represented their planets and were currently only children, around the Earth age of five. They swore eternal loyalty and friendship to the princess.

However, a blast of thunder roared through the halls. A black wind swept through the room as it dimmed. As light began to return, the guests stared at a figure in the center space of the room. The figure was a woman with long black hair, tied in a pair of buns. Her skin was pale and she wore a long dress and wore crescent-shaped earrings on her pointed ears. She stared at Queen Serenity with her blue slit eyes and gave a wicked smile.

“I see so many faces, filled with such joy.”

“Queen Nehellenia, what are you doing here?” Sailor Jupiter demanded.

“I wished to see what could be such a joyous occasion. More importantly, what possible event could not possibly warrant the invitation of a queen.”

Princess Serenity’s cries began to fill the quiet room and Nehellenia looked towards the cradle.

“Ah, the birth of the heir of the Silver Millennium. You did not wish for me to know, dear Serenity.”

“Queen Nehellenia,” Queen Serenity said regally, “You were not invited because of my fear that you would wish ill on my subjects. If you come here with peaceful intentions, you may stay. But if your purpose is to inflict harm, I will ask you to leave. You are welcomed, but your darkness is not.”

Nehellenia gave a loud and wicked cackle, “Serenity, the darkness is as much a part of me as the light is for you. Yet I am resigned to the corner of the moon hidden from the light. You should know the light will always attract the darkness.”

As she spoke, the dark aura around her spread, and gusts of wind were unleashed. The people fell to their knees as the Senshi prepared to fight the wicked ruler.

The four Senshi unleashed their attacks on the evil queen, but they failed to make contact with the evil queen, as she casually walked past the attacks, unable to even touch her, and threw the Senshi aside, approaching Queen Serenity. Luna placed herself between the princess and the wicked queen. Queen Serenity summoned a wand with a crescent moon, holding the Silver Crystal.

“Begone uninvited guest,” she said as she unleashed a blast of light from the crystal. The evil queen fought back, trying to use the darkness to suppress the light. She then looked at the infant princess as she dissolved into the darkness. The darkness filled the room but Queen Serenity was shielded by the light of the Crystal as she began expelling it.

“Queen Serenity, I will take away the most precious thing you cherish. I still have not provided my gift for the blessed occasion. My gift for the princess is this prophecy. The princess shall die before she will rule your kingdom. A prick from the spindle of a spinning wheel shall end her life. This I swear. ”

As the last word filled the room, the darkness retreated from the palace.

As the darkness faded away, people started to gather themselves, now with a feeling of tension. The princess was crying, and the queen picked up her daughter, comforting her, as Luna began to stand, to catch her breath from the attack.

“Your highness,” the queen’s advisor, Luna said.

“There is still a chance to save the princess. I have not yet provided her gift. At this moment in such a celebration of joy, there is a chance we could save her.”

“Luna, even with such a gift, altering Nehellenia’s curse will come at a cost. Are you sure?”

“She is our kingdom’s hope. We will do what we must to ensure it.”

Queen Serenity watched as Luna walked to the cradle and Luna placed a hand on the baby’s forehead.

“Beloved Princess Serenity: should the worst come to pass, and your finger pricked by a spindle, my gift to you is hope. The terrible prophecy shall not bring death, but vast slumber. And through true love’s kiss, this curse shall break. This I promise.”

At her last words, a bright light filled the hall.  Luna was gone, replaced by a black cat, looking over the child.

===========

However, even with Luna’s sacrifice to save the princess, it was clear the princess was not safe in her home on the Moon. After the celebration ended, the four guardians met to discuss how they could continue to protect their charge. While these girls may be children, they were trained on their home planet, preparing for any challenge they must face.

The four decided that it was best to take Princess Serenity away from her home and hide her away on another world until she came of age to inherit the kingdom and the Silver Crystal. They spoke with the Queen, who agreed and that night, the Senshi spirited her out of the castle, to the least likely place anyone would expect: Earth.

===========

“Usagi, get up!” the blonde-haired girl heard her friend shout, breaking her from her peaceful slumber.

“Why do you have to be so mean, Rei,” Usagi asked, hiding under her blanket.

“Ami tried to wake you, and you didn’t listen. So, now it’s my turn. Now get up. Breakfast is ready.”

Usagi sat up and stretched, letting out a loud yawn. The sun was shining into her small room. She washed herself, applying an elixir to her hair, unknowing that it was hiding her silver locks. After she finished washing, she put on her dress. Today was her birthday and she knew her friends had something planned for her. She wondered what it was. They were more guarded around her whenever the subject was brought up. But she had other things on mind.

===========

Makoto was preparing breakfast for the family. It had been sixteen years since the curse was placed on Serenity and the Senshi quietly spirited the dear princess from the Moon. They knew that Earth would be the last place the Queen of the Dark Moon and her ilk would expect to look when the princess had vanished.

Keeping their promise, the Senshi swore off their magic when raising Serenity. The last bit of magic they used was to create a cottage for them and the princess, along with furnishings.

They began calling the princess Usagi, and she grew up in a very happy home. They taught her about the planets and their kingdom and kept her educated on life in the kingdoms, though they had yet to tell her of her royalty. While they were protective of her, they gave her some space and freedom. Every morning, she’d go out to collect fruits and plants for their meals, as long as she promised to come back before dark. And occasionally, on days they needed materials, they would go into town and sometimes take Usagi with them.

They did, however, begin to notice that when Usagi went out to collect, she seemed to return a little later than she had in the past.

“Hm, that smells good,” Usagi said, coming downstairs, sitting in her seat as Makoto poured her some soup.

“So, do you have any plans,” Usagi asked.

“For what,” Rei answered, nonchalantly.

“Well, it is a special day,” Usagi said, waiting for someone to say something, “You know, like a special day for a certain girl…”

“Oh, right,” Ami said, looking up from her book, “It’s your birthday.”

“Happy birthday,” Makoto said, kissing her on the head.

“Wow, sixteen years, I can’t believe it. We should celebrate,” Minako said.

“Yeah, I’ll make you a special meal. We’ll celebrate when you get back,” Makoto said, handing Usagi the berry basket.

Usagi grabbed the basket. After she was gone, the four girls gathered.

“Is it just me or did she seem a little…eager to leave,” Rei asked.

“Maybe she wants to get back to catch us before her present is ready,” Minako said.

“Well, if she wants to spoil her party, then that is her fault, but right now we need to prepare,” Makoto said, gathering up supplies from the kitchen, “I’m going to make the best cake that the Usagi has ever had in her sixteen years.”

“I’ll set up the decorations,” Ami volunteered.

“I’ll make the dress,” Rei said, pulling out the fabrics and sewing supplies.

“And I’ll get the Sailor Wands,” Minako said, heading for the stairs.

Everyone immediately stopped and looked at her.

“What?” she asked, “It’s been sixteen years. We are just doing some quick chores for this one day.”

“Minako,” Ami said, “We can’t. We promised.”

“We can’t take that chance,” Makoto said.

“Minako stop this nonsense and come over here,” Rei said, “I need someone to be the dummy, and you and Usagi share a similar build.”

Disappointed, Minako walked back and stood near the sewing station.

“Since when can you sew,” Minako said, getting into position, as Rei began measuring.

“How hard can it really be?” Rei answered.

===========

Usagi strolled through the forest, humming. She grabbed a few berries and plants to bring back to the cottage. But she was searching for something else.

Suddenly, two hands covered her eyes.

“Got you, my lady,” the supposed assailant said. Once Usagi heard his voice she immediately relaxed. He let go, allowing her to turn around to a man dressed in servant’s attire for the royal family.

“Hello, Mamo-chan,” Usagi said sweetly.

“Usako,” he answered, using his special name for her, before giving her a sweet kiss.

Usagi had met the man, Mamoru, in the market several months ago. He was dressed in his filthy work attire, with his face dotted with dirt and grime, after having tripped in the street.

When their eyes had met, Usagi had known that she just had to talk to him. She was able to slip away from her guardians and the two had spent the day around the square. But as the day had ended, Usagi had known that her friends would be worried, so she had told the man that they could meet the following day, somewhere in the woods, near the creek. She had worried about how her friends might react if they saw someone knocking on their door, and she had been taught to be wary of telling someone where she lived, so she had figured that somewhere close to home would do.

They had begun meeting each other every few days. She had learned so much of him, and about life in the royal court of Earth. Their relationship had started off innocently, just simply talk or play. Learning about themselves, and their dreams. But it soon began to change into something more. A few weeks ago, they shared a first kiss, and their friendship changed forever.

She told him about her morning.

“Happy birthday, then,” he said.

“Thanks, it is a special one. My friends are planning something. I just know it.”

“I wish I could be there.”

“As do I. I know they would love you if they had the chance to get to know you. I wish they weren’t so overprotective.”

“It’s alright. I enjoy our time here.”

They strolled through the forest and talked about their day. Apparently, the Earth court was busy lately. The royal family was planning for a huge trip to the Moon. Soon, the teleporter to the Moon would be set and the family would be on their way.

Finally, the two reached an overlook on top of a hill and enjoyed the scenery of the kingdom.

It was too soon, as Usagi had to return home before her friends worried. She reached her meeting spot, where she’d part with her beloved. But Usagi didn’t want it to end yet.

“Mamo-chan,” Usagi said, stopping him in his tracks as he was heading in the other direction, “I would really love it if you could visit me tonight. At the cottage.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m tired of hiding you. I want you to meet them tonight.”

“I’ll come with you right now, if you want.”

“No. It’s better to wait until tonight. If they see you with me, they’ll panic and I do not want to know what they might do. I’ll tell them about us when I get home. It will give them some time to cool.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I love you and I want you in my life.”

“I love you too, Usako. I can’t wait,” he said, smiling.

“Remember, tonight. Right after sunset.”

“I look forward to it.”

They shared one more kiss, before heading in their respective directions.

===========

Makoto was finishing her four layer cake, and Ami was trying to hang the last of the decorations. As Rei tried sewing in the final stitches, Minako continued looking in the mirror with disgust. The fabric colors were clashing, the seams were hanging loose, barely holding the dress together, and Minako knew the dress was only one wrong step from falling apart.

“Perfect,” Makoto said, finishing icing the pastry, “Just need to add some candles.”

“Wow, Ami, the decorations…” Makoto began, finally noticing Ami’s work. Honestly, Makoto thought, while the decorations were nice, Ami covered most of the ceiling and the wall with them. And some of them were hanging, obtrusively, at neck level.

“Well, if Usagi didn’t know it was her birthday, she will certainly know when she walks through the door,” Makoto finished.

“And finished,” Rei announced, sewing in the last stitch. Ami and Makoto turned to see the dress Minako was begrudgingly modeling.

“Wow,” Ami said, “It’s certainly not the way it looked in the book.”

“I can honestly say you’ve added your own style to it,” Makoto said, trying to stifle a laugh.

“Really? Thanks,” Rei said, looking at the dress, “Hm, I think perhaps it might need a few more ruffles. What do you think, Minako?”

“What do I think,” Minako echoed, bitterly, “Well I-”

Minako turned and tripped on the long skirt, ripping the dress, as the seams began to unravel. She quickly grabbed one of the hanging paper-chain-ring decorations and it ripped off the ceiling, taking down the long line of rings, with one of the chains getting tangled around the cake As the girls went to help Minako up, Rei tripped over the fallen decoration and the cake was dragged off the table, onto the ground.

As Minako began to get up, she slipped on some icing and got covered in some cake. Everyone was silent, seeing all their hard work undone.

“That’s IT!” Minako shouted.

“Now, please be reasonable,” Ami said, trying to calm her fellow Senshi.

“Reasonable? I’m covered in cake and in a dress that was a mess before it trashed the house. And Usagi will be home within the hour.”

She stood up, and marched upstairs, with the dress pieces just falling off her in her path.

“Desperate times, desperate measures. I’m getting the wands!”

Rei picked up some of the pieces of cloth from the ruined dress, “Hate to say it, but I think she’s right.”

“Here we go,” Minako said, happily, showing their wands, which glowed.

“Careful,” Rei immediately said, “If we’re doing this, we have to do this right.”

Ami nodded, “We can’t let anyone know of this.”

“Alright,” Minako agreed, “Doors, windows, cracks, nothing gets a peek inside this house.”

The girls darkened the cottage, cutting off any natural light from getting in. But soon as the girls grabbed their wands, the place began to light up as the wands began brightening the room.

“Okay, so since we are pressed on time, we all do the same tasks as before,” Rei said, “I’ll make the dress, Ami will decorate the cottage, and Makoto makes the cake.”

“Hey, this was my idea,” Minako pointed out.

“Which is why you have the task of making this place spotless before Usagi gets home.”

“Fine,” Minako said, begrudgingly.

The girls went to their individual tasks:

Minako animated the cleaning utensils such as the broom and dust pan and other supplies, and began cleaning up the mess. She had the floor mopped and she was able to dry it quickly before anyone could slip on it.

Ami commanded the decorations to rise up and place themselves on the walls and ceiling, though this time higher, no longer a hazard to anyone passing by it. They looked more organized and less cluttered.

Rei waved her wand and the unused cloth pulled out. With cloth and scissors, and sewing material in motion, a beautiful dress was formed, not a stitch out of place. Something that was more suitable for a princess to wear.

Makoto was now in the kitchen, commanding the ingredients to go into motion to form her cake. While she preferred the satisfaction of cooking the mortal way, there was no getting around the speed needed that only magic could provide. The cake took shape and she waved her wand to cook the dough, ready within minutes, and she put the candles and icing in place.

The girls were finishing their tasks when they heard the gate outside open.

“Usagi’s back!” Makoto said, hearing Usagi humming. The girls quickly cleaned up their work spaces, and hid just as soon as Usagi opened the door.

“I’m home-” Usagi gasped, seeing the place decorated along with a lovely dress and a delicious cake.

“Surprise!” the girls shouted in joy.

“Oh this is so lovely,” Usagi said, looking at the room, “I can’t believe you all did this for me.”

“It’s a special day,” Minako answered, “and we have another surprise for you too.”

“Actually,” Usagi began, “I actually have a surprise for you, as well.”

Usagi cleared her throat.

“Well, um, for the past few months now, I have been meeting with someone, and invited him-”

“Wait, you met some stranger and he’s coming here?!” Rei interrupted. The girls bombarded her with questions.

“Who is he!?”

“What did he say to you?”

“Please, he is not dangerous,” Usagi answered, “We have been meeting for a while now.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because you have always been so overprotective. I wanted to meet him without having to worry he would be scared off by my sisters.”

Usagi continued, “Anyways, we have kinda been...courting.”

“Usagi!”

“He was a perfect gentleman,” she continued, “I invited him over to meet you all tonight. He is a wonderful man and he is kind and-”

“Oh no, she’s in love,” Makoto interrupted.

Usagi said nothing but blushed in response.

“Usagi, I’m sorry to say this, but that is not going to work out. You’re going to have to stop seeing him,” Ami sympathized.

“What, why?! Why can’t I be in love? You haven’t even met him, so I don’t see why you are suddenly forbiddening me to see him.”

“Because you are already betrothed,” Minako blurted out.

“What?” Usagi was stunned. Rei glared at Minako, but looked back to Usagi.

“You are betrothed to the heir apparent of the Golden Kingdom of Earth. Prince Endymion.”

“That’s not possible. I can’t be betrothed. I’m just a peasant.”

“No, you are not. You are royalty. You are Princess Serenity, the long lost daughter of the Silver Millennium.”

Usagi’s eyes widened. She had no idea how she could possibly believe such news.

“That’s not possible,” she said, trying to form a coherent thought.

“It’s true,” Ami said, “We’ve been keeping you safe all these years, and tonight you will be revealed to the court, safe and sound.”

“And I have to marry a stranger? You can’t do this. I never asked for much, but this I know I want. Please don’t take him from me.”

“I’m sorry Serenity-”

“Don’t call me that! It’s not fair. I can’t-”

The princess began to breathe heavily and she fell to the ground. The girls ran to help her, but she screamed. She grabbed her head and suddenly the crescent moon symbol appeared on her forehead. As she screamed, a bright light shot up from the spot where she collapsed, into the sky. It lasted for a few seconds, but soon the light faded, and she was there, still displaying the crescent moon mark, and her hair turned silver.

“Your coming into your powers,” Ami said, “You are becoming the true princess of the Moon”

“We have to pack, right now,” Minako said, “I’m sorry we can’t ease you into this, but anyone might have seen that light. We have to move, get her to the Moon before sundown.”

Usagi looked up, her face still covered in tears, “But I promised Mamoru I’d be here. He’s expecting me to be here.”

“I’m sorry princess, but we have to go. I know this is harsh, but it is best you put him out of your mind,” Rei concluded

As they all hurried to pack, they failed to see a winged fiery eyeball watching them, hearing everything they say, before flying back to its wicked queen.

===========

Before the final day was over, the Senshi returned to the Moon, with their princess. They did not inform anyone of their arrival, just in case Nehellenia had spies planted in court. They didn’t even tell Queen Serenity, so that she would act normally, until the prophecy was defeated by sundown.

They finally made it to Princess Serenity’s intended room. The bed was all made up for her, and the place was decorated in the moon culture fashion. They helped her prepare for the ceremony and got her dressed into the gown Rei had made for her birthday.

“Princess,” Sailor Jupiter said, looking at the dresser mirror, “You look so beautiful.”

Serenity held back her tears, trying not to ruin the work her friends had done with her make up.

“I promise, princess, you will be happy,” Sailor Venus said, and quietly talked to the others in a whispered voice, “I just heard. The prince is running late. He did not arrive with the rest of Earth’s royal family.”

“Do we know when he will arrive?” Sailor Mercury asked.

“No. Hopefully soon.”

“Please,” Serenity began, “Can I please just...”

“C’mon,” Sailor Mars said, herding the others out, “She needs a few minutes.”

“We will be right outside, if you need us” said Sailor Jupiter, closing the door behind them, leaving the princess with her thoughts.

Serenity could not hold back her tears.

“Mamo-chan,” she whispered to herself.

“Usako“

Serenity turned around and saw a passageway she did not notice before. She got up and heard an echo through it. She got closer and closer to the passage, but felt a force, resisting her attempt to walk through.

“Mamo-chan?!” she shouted down the corridor.

“Usako”, Mamoru’s voice shouted back from a distance.

With more force, Serenity pushed through, into the passage. Unbeknownst to the princess, her Senshi arrived just in time to see her push her way through a big mirror.

Serenity climbed the stairs. The corridors made no sense, and she was surely going to be lost for days, but she continued to follow her love’s voice, calling to her. She finally reached a tower, and as she opened the door, she lost her breath. Standing in the room was Mamoru, still in the same outfit as he was wearing earlier that day.

“Mamo-chan,” Serenity said, about to cry. “What?”

“I saw you leaving and I had to find you. I am so glad you’re here.”

“Is this...” Serenity started, “Is this real?”

Mamoru extended his hand, offering it “Let me prove it.”

She hesitated, but she looked into his beautiful eyes, and unconsciously reached out for him, accepting his hand. But instead of the comforting warmth she was expecting, she felt a pinch on her forefinger. She looked at her hand and saw in front of her a spinning wheel, with a sharpened spindle, which she scratched her finger on. She looked back up and in place of her love stood a tall scary woman. Before the princess could say anything, she felt her eyelids getting heavy and she started to get dizzy, and soon everything went black.

===========

“I feel so bad for her,” Venus said, “She meets the love of her life, and we just took it from her.”

“Our duty is to the princess. She might not like all our decisions, but we are doing this for her,” Mars responded.

“And this is better for both kingdoms,” Jupiter added, “After years, we are so close to peace.”

“It still sucks.”

“Wait, do you feel that,” Mercury interrupted them. The girls stopped and felt a dark chill down their spines. They felt it coming from Serenity’s room.

“Nehellenia!”

They swiftly opened the door, and saw Serenity entering a mirror that was not there before.

“USAGI!” they cried.

They ran for her, but before they could grab her, she passed through the glass and the mirror was dark, sending no reflection.

“Out of the way, Mars Flame Sniper!”

“Jupiter Oak Evolution!”

Lightning and fire struck the mirror but it remained undamaged.

“It’s no use!”

Venus stepped forward, “Come on. Let’s combine our powers.”

Using their abilities, they directed it at the mirror and opened a way for them to slip in through.

“Usagi!” They shouted, their voices echoing through the various corridors. They heard nothing back. They split up and went through various corridors, but they continued running into dead ends or being drawn back to the same passages. The place was a big complicated maze, and they soon found themselves right back at the entrance.

“Nehellenia’s making us run in circles,” Jupiter said.

“Wait, the princess’s powers were unlocked. We should focus on that and follow it,” Mercury said.

“Worth a shot,” said Mars.

They closed their eyes and focused. They felt an intense cold in the world they were in. But soon, they felt a warm pull. They opened their eyes and followed the warm light in the distance.

They finally saw their princess in the distance, entering a doorway and the door closed behind her. They rushed forward, but it felt like the door was getting further away. But soon they reached it and pulled it open with such force.

“Usagi,” they shouted as they saw the poor girl collapsed on the ground, in front of a spinning wheel. Eyes shut, not moving. She looked uninjured, except a cut on her finger, her blood on the spindle.

===========

The Earth prince, Endymion, rode through the forest, following the path his love, Usagi, had given him, before she left. He decided that tonight, he would tell her everything. That he was a prince and heir of the planet, and he loved her dearly. And if Usagi could look past his deception, he was going to ask her to marry him. He did not care that he was betrothed to some stranger from another kingdom. He wanted to see his love everyday, in public, no longer as a secret in the forest.

When he had first met her, it had been a day filled with stress caused by his royal obligations. He had needed to get away, so he had disguised himself as a servant, as he had done on more than one occasion, and went into town, exploring the marketplace. It had been there where he met his angel.

He had not wanted her to treat him differently, so he had continued the ruse as a servant, and had continued their meetings in the woods. It had been a wonderful few months, being with her, getting to know her, as a wonderful person, with a beauty to match her soul. He needed her in his life.

He finally reached the cottage, where Usagi had said it would be, and got off his horse. He took a deep breath and knocked, but the door slowly opened, left ajar, revealing to a dark living room, illuminated by only the moonlight.

“Come in,” he heard a voice say. It wasn’t Usagi’s voice, but maybe it was one of her friends….maybe one with a sore throat.

He walked in, and as he moved further into the room, the door slammed closed and he found himself overwhelmed by what looked like small balls of darkness. He fought them off but he felt them draining him of his energy, collapsing to the ground. He tried to access the power of the royal Golden Crystal, but he lost too much energy to be able to use it. He looked up from the ground, too weak to grip his sword, and saw an old grey woman-like creature. She had blue robes and had a staff that had a flaming eyeball at the top.

“This is quite a development. A princess of one kingdom cursed, and a prince of another kingdom a prisoner of the Dead Moon.”

Mamoru remembered hearing stories of the Dead Moon. The very name stirred up dormant and vague memories of a terrifying experience he had as a child, when he visited the Moon Kingdom.

“My queen will love such a prize,” he heard the woman say as his vision went dark.

===========

The Senshi were devastated, their friend in a death-like slumber. By the time they found her, they were out of Nehellenia’s mirror dimension and they were in the tower of the castle. They arrived, in horror, to find Serenity lying on the ground, eyes closed, with a small scratch on her finger. Nehellenia stood before them, cackling as she vanished back into her mirror, as it disappeared. The Senshi knew the curse was fulfilled. They couldn’t leave their princess lying in the tower, so they carried her back to her room. The stairway back down was more direct, now that they were no longer travelling through Nehellenia’s mirror realm. It wasn’t until they were near her room, where they saw the full impact of the curse.

They soon discovered guards and castle staff having collapsed, in a similar deep slumber. They realized the curse was feeding off of Serenity’s power, strengthening itself to spread far and wide, putting the whole kingdom into a deep sleep with their princess. It was by good fortune that, being Senshi, they were able to resist the curse. They knew to end the curse, they needed Serenity’s love, Mamoru. If he loved her as much as she had claimed to love him, he could end the nightmare.

After placing their princess into bed, they took the teleporter back to Earth. They found that Earth was suffering from the curse as well; nobles passed out in the streets, knights fallen off their horses unconscious, peasants slumbering in the fields. The Senshi rushed back to the cottage, in hopes that Serenity’s true love would be there, as she said, and hoped he did not fall victim as well.

They arrived at the cottage and saw the door left open. They cautiously walked in and saw the place was a mess, showing clear signs of a struggle.

“What happened?” Mars said, looking around with worry.

“Hold on,” Mercury said, pulling out her computer and activating her goggles, and began scanning the room. She looked around and was directed to a small dark corner of the blackened room. “Over there,” she pointed.

Jupiter and Venus walked slowly and cautiously to the corner. Suddenly, something jumped out: a small dark black circular creature. It shot past the two Senshi and bounced around before escaping the cottage.

“Was that...” Jupiter began.

“It was a Lemure. One of Nehellenia’s,” Venus finished her sentence, “The Dead Moon Circus. They were here.”

“It looks like there was a fight,” Mars said, “Mamoru must have been attacked by them.”

“But I don’t see a body. So they either killed him, or he escaped.”

“That was just one Lemure. They travel in packs. If they caught him off guard, they could have overwhelmed him.”

“Which begs the question, why not kill him?”

“I don’t know. But if he’s not here, there’s only one place he could be.”

“Nehellenia’s castle.”

“We have no choice. We have to save him.”

===========

Getting to the evil queen’s castle was quite the feat, but together, the four combined their power to teleport into the castle. A trying task, which they wouldn’t be able to do again within the castle walls. The Senshi quietly snuck around the castle, finding a lack of security, only needing to avoid a couple guards.

They soon found themselves overlooking the throne room and found out why the security was so lax. There was a dark, twisted feast occurring in the large room. A celebration of sorts with vile monsters partying.

The Senshi looked disgusted by the event, but Jupiter looked on, “Over there.” She pointed and saw Zirconia, Nehellenia’s most loyal servant observing events. But the hag began to walk away from the room, and the Senshi quietly tailed her. They followed her to the castle dungeons, and they heard screaming, as Zirconia opened one of the cell doors.

“You choose when you want this pain to end, dear prince,” the Senshi heard inside, from a familiar voice.

“Mistress,” they heard Zirconia, “Your desires are almost achieved. The princess is gone, both great kingdoms are cursed, and the crystal is almost within your grasp. If you don’t mind my saying, you’ve had a long, productive day. Perhaps some rest can do some good.”

“Yes, perhaps I am pushing myself. Thank you.”

The Senshi took cover as they heard footsteps leaving the cell. They looked behind and watched, as Nehellenia and Zirconia left the small cell. Zirconia tapped her staff on the ground and the cell door closed behind her. She turned her head towards the Senshi and they ducked behind the corner, unsure if they were seen. They waited for a few moments before looking to see the hag leave the dungeon, behind her mistress.

They quickly moved to the cell, and Jupiter kicked the door open, with full force, breaking it off the locks.

There, they found someone they had not expected

“Prince Endymion,” Venus said. The prince raised his head, staring wide-eyed at his visitors.

“You-you’re the Sailor Senshi,” he answered, questioningly, not quite sure if they were real.

“What are you doing here?” Mars asked, as she, Mercury and Venus approached him and Jupiter stood watch. He was wearing his armor, but they could see burned marks and other injuries on the prince.

“They want the Golden Crystal.” he answered.

“How’d they catch you? Shouldn’t you have been protected?”

“They caught me off guard. One minute, I was going to meet someone at their residence in a woodland cottage, the next thing I know, I am being attacked and found myself in a dungeon.”

“Who were you supposed to meet?”

Endymion suddenly stopped talking, and looked away from them.

“Wait a minute,” Venus said, “Who was it exactly you were planning to see?”

He did not answer, still avoiding her gaze.

“Usagi?” Venus said. He slightly flinched, and she had her answer.

“You,” Venus said, “It is you? You’re Usagi’s Mamoru?”

“How do you know her?” he asked, as the last of his restraints were broken.

The Senshi’s eyes lit up to this revelation.

“We need to hurry, but there is something you must know, prince” Mars said, “We need to tell you the truth about your maiden.”

===========

Endymion could not believe it. The very news just sent shocks throughout his body. Usagi, the peasant girl he had met so many times in the woods, was the lost Princess Serenity, his betrothed. And was trapped in a horrible curse.

“You love Usagi, right?” Venus asked.

“Yes,” he said, quickly, without hesitation.

“Then there is hope. True love can break the curse. You can save her.”

“We need to go,” Jupiter said to the group.

Endymion closed his eyes, and used the power of the Golden Crystal to summon his damaged armor to repair and called on his sword to appear in his hand. The group of five made their way out of the cell, and proceeded out of the dungeon, when they heard a commotion. Noises of monsters getting closer to them, forcing them to run faster down to the corridor.

They travelled down the passage ways, until they made it to the courtyard. However, the yard was now filled with monsters, with Zirconia standing at the forefront.

“Senshi,” Zirconia said, “I have to say, it is a surprise to see you up and about. But I am afraid this is as far as you go. Our guest still needs to surrender the crystal.”

The five fighters stood back to back, surrounded by the forces of the Dead Moon.

“Kill them,” Zirconia commanded.

The creatures rushed forward, attacking. The fight expanded around the courtyard. At first, the group stayed together, but soon were forced to split off and fight the monsters with their powers. Mars used her fire attacks as she thinned the number of her attackers. Mercury used her water, sweeping away her foes, freezing them, and even misting the air to blind them. Jupiter used her lightning, taking out many foes caught in the lightning chains. Venus blasted her foes with raining light beams from the sky. And Endymion used a combination, blasting his enemies with his powers and swiping his sword at those who got too close.

The battle went well, until Endymion was blasted from a dark power, coming from the sky. He fell, and soon Zirconia was right in front of him, with Zircon on her staff.

Zircon flew from the staff, floating over the group, as Zircon levitated. A cone of shadow was released from the eye, and the group collapsed from it, as if being weighed down. As they were pinned, Zirconia unleashed powerful blasts, each hitting one of the Senshi.

Zircon returned to the staff as Zirconia laughed.

But Endymion defiantly stood up, and he felt the energy of the Golden Crystal flow through him. He pointed his palm at the hag and a shot of golden energy was released at her. She screeched as she tried to endure the attack. The Senshi stood, regaining their composure. They focused on pooling their power together. Endymion could hold his attack no longer and he had to stop, with Zirconia exhausted but still alive.

However, she looked at the Senshi. Eyes widened, knowing her fate.

“Sailor Planet Attack!”

Together, the Senshi used their power, striking Zirconia, and she and Zircon dissolved into ashes.

With their foe destroyed, the group made their way out of the castle walls.

===========

They made their way to the Golden Kingdom’s castle. All they had to do was get Endymion to the teleporter, to the Moon Kingdom, and he could free Serenity from the curse.

However, as they got closer, suddenly the road was bombarded by strikes of dark lightning.

They turned around and saw a figure from a distance, standing at the tower of the dark castle: Nehellenia.

She extended her hand again and from the tips of her fingers unleashed a chain of black lightning. The group scattered, dodging the attack.

Knowing how close they were to the castle, they made a run to the fortress. Lightning from the sky continued to crash down as they swayed back and forth from it.

With the castle in sight, the Senshi led Endymion, but they tripped. Looking down, the warriors found they had stepped in a field of webs. They looked ahead and saw the whole castle and the surrounding area encased in webbing.

The Senshi struggled to no avail. However, Endymion was fortunate to avoid the trap. He took out his sword, and channeling the power of the Golden Crystal, swiped the webbing, freeing the Senshi. They moved forward as he continued swiping at the threads. He was close, reaching the gates, but suddenly, in front of the gates stood a mirror, with no reflection but a dark void.

“You will not stop me, dear prince,” a voice said.

He saw before them Queen Nehellenia in the mirror as the object began to levitate. It ascended higher, and soon the queen’s silhouette formed around the mirror. As it reached high, it had vanished within the chest of the gigantic queen.

The Senshi and Endymion prepared for the last push to save their princess.

===========

Meanwhile, in the Moon Kingdom, the princess remained in slumber. Yet somehow, she felt something troubling her soul. That her loved ones were in grave danger. Not knowing how, she knew she needed to help and reached out to them. Her body began to glow and a bright beam of light was released from her body, heading to Earth.

===========

Endymion and the Senshi were now on the ground, Injured, failing to defeat the giant as she continued bombarding the field with lightning. She raised her hand, as it glowed with dark power.

Suddenly, a bright light from the moon created a shield around the group, and Nehellenia’s power failed to penetrate it.

“Usako,” Endymion said, knowing, somehow, that it was her power that saved them. He felt renewed strength as he stood, along with the Senshi.

“Let’s end this,” Venus said. The Senshi charged at the queen and used their powers, causing her to flinch and push backward.

Endymion picked up his sword, and saw it begin to glow with Serenity’s power. He focused his own power within it and it shined brightly. He charged at Nehellenia and threw the blade, embedding the blade into her chest.

She screamed, as an echoing, cracking, sound was heard. The Senshi stopped their attack, as the queen looked at the sword, not embedded in her chest, but in the mirror now floating outside her form, as more fractures began appearing. The whole mirror shattered into dust, and the queen screeched, as she, too, dissolved into the darkness. With all traces of her gone, the only thing left behind was the glowing sword, as it lost its shine.

Endymion exhaled, finally taking a rest, but suddenly, Mars and Jupiter helped him to his legs.

“Don’t rest now, prince,” Mars said, smiling, “You only have a little further to go. Someone needs to wake up our lazy princess.”

They let Endymion go, as he was able to balance himself on his feet, and led them to the planetary teleporter. Soon he was on the Moon, and the Senshi led him to the princess’s room.

And there he saw her, now in her princess gown, but his Usako, no doubt. He approached her bed and she looked so peaceful. He cupped her cheek and leaned in, placing his lips softly on her’s. He drew his head back and looked at her as she slowly opened her eyes.

Serenity’s eyes took a moment to adjust. Her vision was blurry, but soon her vision cleared and she was staring into those midnight blue eyes, of the man she loved.

“Mamo-chan,” she whispered.

He cupped her cheek, lovingly, “Usako.”

The two kissed deeply, and just as they separated, the Senshi burst into the room.

“Usagi,” they shouted. Endymion backed away as the four jumped onto the big bed, where each of the Senshi got a chance to give Serenity a big hug, as they all laughed, playfully.

Moments after Serenity awoke, the curse that had spread across both kingdoms had lifted and everyone slowly woke from their slumber. The Senshi were very quick to inform the royal parents of the events and the celebration was put back on track within hours.

Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion entered the grand room, arms linked, and the moment they were standing before the royals, Queen Serenity quickly got up from her throne and embraced her daughter, not having held her since she gave her to her guardians sixteen years ago.

The prince and princess were wedded, and they began the celebration by sharing their first dance.

“It’s funny,” the prince whispered.

“What is,” she asked her now husband.

“Yesterday, I was prepared to give up everything, to marry some beautiful peasant girl I met in the market.”

“What a coincidence. When I heard I was betrothed to a prince, I did not know how I could ever be happy with him, after courting a handsome stranger.”

They looked at each other, and smiled, sharing another kiss.

And They Lived Happily Ever After

[dailyaudiobible]

12/22/2020 DAB Transcript

Zechariah 2:1-3:10, Revelation 13:1-18, Psalms 141:1-10, Proverbs 30:18-20

Today is the 22nd day of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it is awesome to be here with you today it’s awesome to be here with you Christmas week. And, yeah, a couple days and we’ll be at Christmas day. So, we’re pressing into it, pressing into the season. I'm sure you are as well. And I pray that you are experiencing moments of Christmas joy, something that's been in a little short supply, maybe a lot short supply this year. But anyway, we have come to center ourselves in the Scriptures, to exhale all that's going on around us and just warm ourselves at the Global Campfire as we take the next step forward in the Scriptures. And we began the book of Zechariah yesterday and I mentioned then that Zechariah will take us all the way until a couple of days before the end of the year. Zechariah is the second to the last book in the Old Testament. And yesterday when we began Zechariah, we just gave some context and one of the pieces of context was that Zechariah contains eight different night visions and we will begin with the third one today. Zechariah chapters 2 and 2. And we’re reading from the New English Translation this week.

Commentary:

Okay, we were talking about this being Christmas week at the beginning today before we read the Scriptures. And, yeah, this is Christmas week. The day after tomorrow is Christmas eve if you can believe it. And, so, we’re in it and we’re trying to finalize and get everything together and figure out how we’re gonna do everything and…and we’re also likely to be around family, whether that is immediate family or we have extended family, whether we’re getting in a car and traveling, whether we’re gonna get on a plane and travel or whether that's gonna happen where people are traveling toward us. Likely, whether we’re having a very very large family gathering or whether it’s going to be really intimate we’re going to be together with…with our family and when that happens all kinds of really really wonderful, joyous things can happen. Hearts can be united…just the love for our family and the people that we grew up with or the people that we've known our whole lives, it just emerges and we…we feel that warm cozy spirit of Christmas but, you know, in that situation, it…it’s just warm and cozy and dry and one match thrown into the middle of that can just…it can just blow the whole thing up. Like one person who decides that they need to vent about their political views in the middle of all that or one person bringing up some kind of scorn or something from earlier years, any little thing can make a volatile situation explode. And it wasn't that long ago that we read the book of James or the letter of James, in which he talked about how we can bless people and curse people out of the same mouth and surely that's not right. And, so, right now is a good time to kind of put some of this that we've learned about our mouths and how powerful they are into our pocket and carry it around because usually when the volatile things happen they just…they happen randomly. I mean we know…we may know who’s the likely one to start something. Maybe we’re the likely one to start something. And maybe this year it should be a break for everybody. Maybe we should bite down on our tongue instead of waggin’ it. I mean because we can be the giver of joy. I mean, when we think about Christmas spirit and Christmas joy and we think about how it's affecting us, like are we feeling it? But the thing is, we can give it, we can build each other up instead of tearing each other down. And, so, we turn to the Psalms then today and we read these words, “O Lord place a guard on my mouth. Protect the opening of my lips. Do not let me have evil desires or participate in the sinful activities with men who behave wickedly.” We should put that in our pocket too as we go into these next few days and determine in advance, if somebody lights the match and throws it into the middle of everything that doesn't mean that it's compulsory that we participate. It can be a situation where our…our unwillingness to participate and amp things up is saying a lot without saying anything. If we find that our words that we have determined that we will only build up and not tear down, well that would be quite a Christmas gift to give and it would change the atmosphere. And we may not be able to stop the kinds of things that happened from happening, but we do have control over ourselves. And, so, let's just remember, yeah, it’s family, yeah, it's presents and gifts and festivities and Christmas music and lights and it's just wonderful but what we are honoring is the arrival of the presence of peace. And, so, if we’re not going to actively participate in peace on earth, especially at Christmas…well…there's a disconnect somewhere. Let’s put our faith into action in these coming days because these are days of great joy.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. Joy…joy flows from You. And when we experience joy, we are becoming aware of Your presence. And this is a joyful time in the midst of a very trying season. And, so, may we experience Your joy and then in turn give Your joy, build one another up, not tear one another down. We pray the Psalm, “Lord place a guard on our mouths. Protect the opening of our lips. Don't let us have evil desires or participate in sinful activities.” Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it's the website, its where you find out what's going on around here. You can find out what's going on around here using the Daily Audio Bible app just as well by pressing the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner.

Of course, we’re days away from Christmas. So, that's what's going on around here. So, check out the Christmas resources that are available, especially the musical ones. The Family Christmas album, which is an instrumental…just a beautifully contemplative album for the Christmas season, the kind of…it’s the kind of one that you want when you…when you're trying to wind down. You gotta a cup of cocoa or whatever, you got the lights on, maybe the Christmas lights and nothing else, maybe a fire in the fireplace. It's that kind of record. So, check that out. You can stream it on Spotify or Apple music or YouTube music or Google play, whatever, You can buy it there at the iTunes Store or wherever you get your music.

And the other…the other Christmas thing is “O Holy Night” that Jill and I put together a couple weeks ago in preparation…she's gonna sing virtually at a Christmas eve service this year. And, so, we’ll put links up to that on Christmas eve on our social media channels in case you don't have a candlelight service that you can attend. But she sang it with such heart and passion, and we were just…we were like wow, we should release this. And, so, we did, and you can stream that on Spotify or Apple music or wherever or buy that as well. Just look for Jill Parr and O Holy Night and you will find it. So, check those…check those out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible here in the waning days of the year, thank you humbly and truly from our hearts. Thank you for your partnership. I’ve said it…feels like I’ve said it like 360 times or whatever this year. We wouldn't be here if we weren’t in this together. That's a fact. And, so, we are profoundly grateful that we are moving through another year. And thank you for your partnership. So, there is a link on the homepage. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is June in Maryland I am calling to give a praise report. I am just praising God for bringing me through this year. This year started off really rough with some heart palpitations that had me out of work for almost 2 months and then I went back to be a Covid nurse and once I returned to my psych unit, I got Covid. All the while I was still trying to finish school which I did. I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in nursing on December 5th. So, I’m very thankful to be alive, to be able to breathe, and to have been able to complete this degree despite all of the obstacles and frustrations. So, yea God. Thank you, God. Nothing is possible without God but with God all things are possible. That’s all I have for today. I’ll call back another time. Love you all. Have a blessed day.

Hi this is Sarah from South of England this is my first prayer request and I really need prayer. How to make it brief? I have __. I’ve had a recent relapse after 20 years of…of pretty severely…being pretty severely affected and I just feel devastated because I…I’ve lost so much of what I could do, particularly…mainly with my arms and needing a lot more help. And it’s…it’s just complicated with social services and carers and things. And apart from that I…I can’t do the greater things that…that I most love, that I’ve always felt, you know, that what God made me for really. And I’m…I just really need companionship. It’s just not because of the Covid, but obviously that hasn’t helped. I’m single and I’m 52 and…and wondering if, you know, I’ll ever be able to…to find someone to share my life with. And even if I could socialize and…and have lots of friends, that would…that would…would be okay but I can’t do that. And…but I know that ultimately, I need God to be my everything…to not…to not demand that recovery is the only answer for me. But he can heal me as well. I know that. But just to find peace in him, to find my joy in him because I know he can bring joy no matter what’s happening to us and I need that, I need that desperately. I need to…to get back to that place of…of being at peace with him and trusting him no matter what my circumstances are. So, thank you.

Hi, my name is Jay I’m from Georgia from Rome Georgia. It happens that I lost my job this past Monday and I there’s an appeal process an appeal’s process that I’m undergoing and a few other things that might help but most of all I just want to come to the throne of grace, and I want to ask if all of you can help me pray that I get my job back. It’s hard. It’s a hard time because my…my husband is going to school right now and I was the one who supplied. But God supplies all my needs according to his riches in glory. And I would ask if you would stand with me in faith and ask that God would lead me and guide me. God bless you all.

Good morning DAB family this is Sally in Massachusetts. We’re in the midst of a beautiful snowstorm today. I had to chuckle Little Cherry when I heard you describe getting ready to go to the sunrise. It reminded me of the eight years I lived in Saskatchewan. Mighty cold but I loved it. I love the sunshine. And…and thankful. Lord I’m so thankful for our brothers and sisters scattered all over this world. It’s wonderful to hear from all the different states from…from places like New Zealand and Australia and Singapore and South Sudan and Germany and India and Eastern Canada and all the states that we hear from. Lord, we are so blessed to have You bring us into the family of God scattered over the world. We thank You so much for the DAB that brings us together. Lord I lift up Margo and her husband as they prepare to go back to Liberia. Please strengthen and guide them. Please provide their needs physically Lord, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially. Lord we just pray for the wisdom that he needs as he prepares information to be a better pilot and to care for his plane and pray for Margo Lord. Just guide her as she gains insights into being a better nurse. Oh God and we just thank You for the love for the lost, their desire Lord to make You known. We pray Jesus that You would just bless them and guide them. Thank You, once again great and holy God for all You’ve done and all You’re doing as You bless Your church around…

Hi DABbers, this is Alina Jesus Worshiper from Delray Beach. I’m actually calling with a praise report and I wanted to thank you so much for praying for me and my husband. More than a year ago my husband told me that he doesn’t want to be with me anymore and it was a mistake that we got married after like almost 10 years of marriage and it was really painful for me. All of this time we’re separated but together under one roof and I was praying for his salvation. And I’m not sure, I don’t think that salvation happened yet, but God is changing my husband’s heart. And recently my husband came back to me. He came back to be my husband and now he would like to have family and he would like to have kids and he talks about God all the time and I know that God is…God is calling him. And I’m just so excited to share this with you…this journey. God is so faithful to everybody who is struggling in their marriage. I’ve waited for one year to every relationship with my husband. It was so painful and with all this other things that people were talking and 2020 nothing was as hard as just being in the same house with somebody who says every day that he doesn’t love you anymore. But, you know, God is so faithful. God is so faithful. When I was struggling, and I was without my faith he was putting me up and Daily Audio Bible family helped me out so much being connected to the word every day. I want it or I don’t want it. It became my habit after like two years or so. So, I wanted to thank everybody for praying and I pray for you today in Jesus’ name to experience this, the same thing as I did. Amen.

[a-motivation-to-study]

Books to Read in 2019

This past year I finished reading MAYBE 2 books. How incredibly disappointing is that? In high school I read ALL THE TIME, and I have a whole wall covered in books, yet I have barely read! I’m really going to force myself to read more this next year. I know for a FACT that my semester next year will hinder my goal, but I’m hoping to follow this plan as closely as I can (although I am darn positive that I probably won’t be able to finish all of these). Most of these books I have selected relate to other personal goals I hope to achieve. The boldened titles are the books I feel are most important in my personal growth (and thus the books I will read first). I’m also hoping my love for reading can be reignited. I know a lot of us can lose the habit of reading, especially with busy college schedules, so I’ve added the descriptions of the books (from the back or from the amazon descriptions) I hope to read in case any of you would also like to read more!

Productivity Books

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People People, author Stephen          R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principal-centered approach for         solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living  with       fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity- principles that give us the      security to adapt to change, and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. 

2. Getting Things Done by David Allen 

In today’s world, yesterday’s methods just don’t work. Veteran coach and        management consultant David Allen shares his his breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introcued to tens of thousands of people  across the country. Aleen’s premis is simple: our productivity is directly   proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective results and unleash our creative potential. From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Dones can transform the way you work an live, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down. 

Meditation and Buddhist Books (from Wisdom Publications mostly)

3. Zen Vows for Daily Life by Robert Aitken

Zen Vows for Daily Life is a collection of gathas, vows in verse form for daily practice, similar to prayers or affirmations for use at home, at work, and in the meditation hall itself. Reciting these poetic vows can help us be fully present in each moment and each activity of our lives. These gathas serve as gentle reminders to return again and again to our highest aspirations, with acceptance, joy, and compassion—for ourselves and all beings. Zen Vows for Daily Life will be a steadfast companion in keeping the reader inspired and committed on their spiritual path.

4. A Heart Full of Peace by Joseph Goldstein

Love, compassion, and peace—these words are at the heart of all spiritual endeavors. Although we intuitively resonate with their meaning and value, for most of us, the challenge is how to embody what we know: how to transform these words into a vibrant, living practice. In these times of conflict and uncertainty, this transformation is far more than an abstract ideal; it is an urgent necessity. Peace in the world begins with us. This wonderfully appealing offering from one the most trusted elders of Buddhism in the West is a warm and engaging exploration of the ways we can cultivate and manifest peace as wise and skillful action in the world.

This charming book is illuminated throughout with lively, joyous, and sometimes even funny citations from a host of contemporary and ancient sources—from the poetry of W.S. Merwin and Galway Kinnell to the haiku of Issa and the great poet-monk Ryokan, from the luminous aspirations of Saint Francis of Assisi to the sage advice of Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama.

5. Open Mind by B. Allan Wallace 

Lerab Lingpa (1856–1926), also known as Tertön Sogyal, was one of the great Dzogchen (Great Perfection) masters of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries and a close confidant and guru of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. This volume contains translations by B. Alan Wallace of two works that are representative of the lineage of this great “treasure revealer,” or tertön. This volume will be of great interest for all those interested in the theory and practice of the Great Perfection and the way it relates to the wisdom teachings of Tsongkhapa and others in the new translation schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

6. Interconnected by Ogyen Tinley Dorje

Plucked from a humble nomad family to become the leader of one of Tibet’s oldest Buddhist lineages, the young Seventeenth Karmapa draws on timeless values to create an urgent ethic for today’s global community. The Karmapa shows us how gaining emotional awareness of our connectedness can fundamentally reshape the human race. He then guides us to action, showing step by step how we can change the way we use the earth’s resources and can continue to better our society. In clear language, the Karmapa draws connections between such seemingly far-flung issues as consumer culture, loneliness, animal protection, and self-reliance. In the process, he helps us move beyond theory to practical and positive social and ethical change.

7. I Wanna Be Well by Miguel Chen

A punk rocker’s guide to grow, learn, and appreciate the present moment—in short, to live a life that doesn’t totally suck.

8. Discovering Your Soul Signature by Panache Desai

Your soul signature is your spiritual DNA - it is who you are at your core, the most authentic part of you, and your singular contribution to this world. And yet, we reject our authentic selvs. We allow our soul sigature to become blocked by any number of emotional obstacles that life throws in ou path: anger, fear, guilt, shame, sadness, despair. Any or all of these feelings overtake us and create a density, a heaviness that doesn’t permit us to embrace who we truly are, deep inside. We are energetic beings, Panache Desai reminds us, and emotions are energy in motion. When we are blocked we feel unworthy, less than, unloved, incomplete. 

In Discovering Your Soul Signature, Panache Desai invites us on a 33-day path of meditations-- shot passages to be read at morning, noon, and night that are designed to dismantle the emotional burden that holds us back and open us up to changing our lives. Through this distilled, poetic, practical, and inspiring course, he invites us to live a life of authenticity, to rediscover purpose and passion, and to believe from our soul in the possibility of all things.

9. As Man Thinketh by James Allen 

This little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written upon subject of the power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that -

"They themselves are makers of themselves"       by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.

Religious Books 

10. The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball

In The Miracle of Forgiveness, President Spencer W Kimball gives a penetrating explanation of repentance and forgiveness and clarifies their implications for Church members. His in-depth approach shows that the need for forgiveness is universal; portrays the various facets of repentance, and emphasizes some of the more serious errors, particularly sexual ones, which afflict both modern society and Church members. Most important, he illuminates his message with the brightness of hope that even those who have gone grievously astray may find the way back to peace and security. Never before has any book brought this vital and moving subject into so sharp a focus. This classic book is a major work of substance and power.

Science Books

11. God’s Equation by Amir D. Aczel

In God’s Equation, Amir Aczel tells the story of what lies between these events: the history of modern physics and the development of the sciene of cosmology, the study of the nature of the universe. 

Other Books

12. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex—to "redeem" him—the novel asks, "At what cost?"

13. Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

In 1845, Thoreau moved to a cabin that he built with his own hands along the shores of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. Shedding the trivial ties that he felt bound much of humanity, Thoreau reaped from the land both physically and mentally, and pursued truth in the quiet of nature. In Walden, he explains how separating oneself from the world of men can truly awaken the sleeping self. Thoreau holds fast to the notion that you have not truly existed until you adopt such a lifestyle—and only then can you reenter society, as an enlightened being.   These simple but profound musings—as well as “Civil Disobedience,” his protest against the government’s interference with civil liberty—have inspired many to embrace his philosophy of individualism and love of nature. More than a century and a half later, his message is more timely than ever.

14. The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian

In the Art of Worldly Wisdom Baltasar Gracian gives us pertinent and pithy advice on friendship, leadership, and success. Think of it as Machiavelli with a soul. This book is for those who wish to have an ambitious plan for success without compromising their integrity or losing their way. Audacious and captivating!

15. For One More Day by Mitch Albom

For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that lasts a lifetime and and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?

[bbclesmis]

NY Times: A New Version of ‘Les Misérables’ Has Less Singing, More Misery

Vilvoorde, Belgium — Lily Collins, dressed in a mud-colored linen shift, tried to hide the small piece of jewelry she had crafted, as a hatchet-faced factory supervisor approached.

The camera moved in for a close-up of her pale, anxious face. “Sorry, Lily, just one more time,” said Tom Shankland, the director of the new adaptation of “Les Misérables,” a coproduction with BBC and PBS’s Masterpiece. “Listen, my deathbed scene was on Day 2,” said Ms. Collins, who was playing the ill-fated Fantine. “It’s all uphill at this point.”

There is not much that’s looking up for any character in Victor Hugo’s epic 1862 novel “Les Misérables,” which has provided the subject matter for dozens of theater, television and film adaptations, most famously the blockbuster musical that zillions of fans affectionately call “Les Miz.”

But this six-part television adaptation, which first aired in Britain from December to February and arrives on Masterpiece on Sunday, might come as a surprise to those who only know the musical. This version hews much more closely to Hugo’s book, a five-volume, 365-chapter novel that over the course of its complex plot explores history, law, politics, religion and ideas about justice, guilt and redemption. Set in a grimly realist France, its abundant starving poor and oppressed are entirely disconnected from the wealthy classes. (The aptly dreary set here, in a dilapidated, gloomy former prison, might as well have sported a sign saying “Likely to Perish Within.”)

Unsurprisingly, the musical, which got a lavish Hollywood adaptation in 2012, focuses mainly on the central characters and plot lines. “I thought the musical a very feeble representation of the book,” said Andrew Davies (“Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “War and Peace”), who wrote the screenplay for the new series. “It very much reinforced my idea that we needed a proper, old-fashioned long-form television adaptation.”

The story (skip ahead if you are one of the millions who have seen a previous incarnation) begins with Jean Valjean (played here by Dominic West), a peasant who has almost finished his sentence of 19 years hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving relatives. Brutalized by his jail time, he is transformed through an act of kindness, and becomes a wealthy and respected citizen, with a new identity. When he discovers that one of his former factory workers, Fantine, has become destitute after being fired, he adopts her daughter, Cosette, who is living with the evil Thenardiers (Olivia Colman and Adeel Akhtar in the series).

Editors’ Picks

Pursued over the years by his former jailer Javert (David Oyelowo), a police officer obsessed with bringing the former criminal to justice, Valjean raises Cosette (Ellie Bamber) who eventually falls in love with Marius (Josh O’Connor), a student taking part in the revolution against the monarchy in the June Rebellion of 1832.

Let’s just say that very few characters get a happy ending.

“I think we managed to include everything that was really important,” Davies said, adding that he had streamlined some of the narrative’s twists and turns, notably Valjean’s repeated returns to and escapes from prison, and Javert’s uncanny reappearances wherever Valjean is to be found. “I think this has made it feel less improbable and more believable in modern terms,” he said.

In a series of conversations, Davies, Shankland and a few of the principle actors talked about three important aspects of the mini-series that set it apart from the musical. Here are edited excerpts.

Valjean vs. Javert

DOMINIC WEST The first question is obviously, what is Javert’s problem? Why is he so obsessed with Valjean? You do wonder what’s going on there, and we sort of hinted at it in one glance where I am naked in front of him when [Valjean] is released from the prison hulks. It always helps to bring things down to love and sex, and I think there is a homoerotic thing going on, perhaps the love of the jailer for his prisoner. It’s a modern, reductionist view to bring it down to that, and we didn’t emphasize it. But it’s there.

That they are alter egos, in a way, was the biggest clue to why Valjean felt so guilty, so unworthy. I realized that anyone who is brutalized and treated like an animal eventually becomes that. Valjean’s belief that he doesn’t deserve anyone’s love in the real world is central to his sense of self, and that is an important political point. Javert believes criminals are born that way, and Valjean is evidence that criminals are products of their environments.

DAVID OYELOWO My first interaction with “Les Mis” was with the musical, and when I read Andrew Davies’s script, it seemed very apparent that I could bring real layering and complexity to this character, who in the musical is a much more one-dimensional villain. I suddenly understood this man, born to criminal parents in a prison and filled with loathing for that world. It became apparent to me that he had transposed a side of himself onto Jean Valjean, and needed to destroy that part of himself he saw there. You need six hours of television to explore that complex idea!

Oppression and Politics

TOM SHANKLAND I am one of the few people in the universe who wasn’t really aware of the musical and the story, beyond the posters. When I read the script and novel, I really got a sense that this was a story of revolution, of social injustice, about people who felt disenfranchised. I wanted to find a way to interpret the story in a way that felt respectful to Hugo, but also politically relevant. It has wonderfully big moral questions: What does it mean to be good in a cruel world? What is meaningful action?

Drawings from the period — etchings of that revolution and others, images of urban warfare — were important in creating visual imagery, but I also drew from my memory of the 2011 London riots, and from the gilet jaunes in Paris. I didn’t want it to be just big images of the barricades, and I didn’t want it to be stiff and costume drama-y. There is nothing romantic or picturesque about those experiences; they are frightening and chaotic.

OYELOWO Hugo shows the fragility of the class system so well. Fantine starts off just above the underclass and falls catastrophically. Javert is the reverse, rising to prison officer and policeman, forcing his way up through the social hierarchy, but always feeling precarious. This idea of the fragility of many people’s social and economic positions feels very relevant today. In our society, the gaps between the haves and the have-nots is widening and people’s lives can be stripped away, just as they are in this story.

The Dark Side

LILY COLLINS There are parts of each character’s story line in “Les Misérables” that doesn’t get into film versions or the musical, because there just isn’t time. A song lyric can try to tell the story in one line, but here we show Fantine’s early life, how she falls in love, is deceived and has a baby. That makes her fate all the harder because we have discovered that side of her life, her trusting and joyous personality.

We shot my death scene first. I did a lot of research about what France would have been like for women at that time. What were the diseases, the symptoms of the disease she might have died from, what that would look like for filming. It was pretty grim, especially the scene when her teeth are pulled out because she is selling them for money for her child. It really made me push myself and find out what I could withstand physically and emotionally.

WEST I hadn’t seen Valjean played as initially completely unredeemable in other versions of the novel. I wanted to really show that brutal, callous side that Hugo depicts, and we wanted to make his leap from that to romantic hero as big as possible. That really gets your pulse going as an actor. In a way, I went back to my childhood. I wasn’t a street urchin, but I was a fairly coarse Yorkshire kid, and I tapped into that. In the same way, the Thenardiers are usually treated in a more comic vein, but they are really evil. It’s interesting and remarkable that the novel hasn’t been treated in this kind of depth for a very long time.

DAVIES The series ends with an image of two little boys, who we have seen begging earlier, and who Gavroche, a street urchin, takes under his wing. Gavroche is killed, and the little boys are still begging at the end, as a reminder to the audience that although the story ends happily for some, the suffering and brutality goes on.

x

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient book of Proverbs and book of Psalms

for july 4 of 2021 with Proverbs 4 and Psalm 4, accompanied by Psalm 15 for the 15th day of Summer and Psalm 35 for day 185 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 2nd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 4]

Gather, children, to hear your father’s instruction.

Pay close attention so you will understand,

For I am passing down to you important precepts.

Do not abandon these valuable life lessons.

Back when I was young—the very image of my father,

and yet from my mother’s view, still her only boy—

My father, with his years of experience, became my teacher.

Father: Son, grab on to every word I say to you—hold them close—

stay true to my instructions as you live, and they will serve you well.

Whatever it takes to gain Wisdom, do it.

To gain understanding, do it! Never forget this!

Never stray from what I am telling you.

If you don’t forsake Lady Wisdom, she will protect you.

Love her, and she will faithfully take care of you.

Gaining sound judgment is key, so first things first: go after Lady Wisdom!

Now, whatever else you do, follow through to understanding.

Cherish her, and she will help you rise above the confusion of life—

your possibilities will open up before you—

embrace her, and she will raise you to a place of honor in return.

She will provide the finishing touch to your character—grace;

she will give you an elegant confidence.

Hear my words, my son, and take them in;

let them soak in so that you will live a long, full life.

I have pointed you in the way of wisdom;

I have steered you down the path to integrity.

So get going. And as you go, know this: with integrity you will overcome all obstacles;

even if you run, you will not stumble.

Tighten your grip around wise advice; don’t let it slip away.

Protect Wisdom, for without her, life isn’t worth living.

Do not start down the road of the wicked—

the first step is easy, but it leads to heartache—

do not go along the way of evildoers.

Stay away from it; don’t even go past it—

and if you find yourself anywhere near it,

turn your back and run as far as you can in the opposite direction.

For evildoers are so twisted they cannot sleep unless they have caused harm;

they’ll lie awake all night until they figure out a way to cause someone to stumble.

For they feed on evil the way most eat bread;

they drink violence the way most guzzle wine.

Yet the way of those who do right is like the early morning sun

that shines brighter and brighter until noon.

Evildoers travel a dark road because they love to hide their deeds in darkness;

they can’t see the perils ahead that cause them to stumble.

My son, pay attention to all the words I am telling you.

Lean in closer so you may hear all I say.

Keep them before you; meditate on them;

set them safely in your heart.

For those who discover them, they are life.

They bring wholeness and healing to their bodies.

Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it

because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life.

Do away with any talk that twists and distorts the truth;

have nothing to do with any verbal trickery.

Keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead,

and your focus fixed on what is in front of you.

Take care you don’t stray from the straight path, the way of truth,

and you will safely reach the end of your road.

Do not veer off course to the right or the left;

step away from evil, and leave it behind.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 4 (The Voice)

to be mirrored by this line:

Keep vigilant watch over your heart;

that’s where life starts.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 4:23 (The Message)

[Psalm 4]

For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by strings.

Answer my prayers, O True God, the righteous, who makes me right.

I was hopelessly surrounded, and You rescued me.

Once again hear me; hide me in Your favor;

bring victory in defeat and hope in hopelessness.

How long will you sons of Adam steal my dignity, reduce my glory to shame?

Why pine for the fruitless and dream a delusion?

[pause]

Understand this: The Eternal One treats as special those like Him.

The Eternal will answer my prayers and save me.

Think long; think hard. When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin.

When night comes, in calm be silent.

[pause]

From this day forward, offer to God the right sacrifice from a heart made right by God.

Entrust yourself to the Eternal.

Crowds of disheartened people ask, “Who can show us what is good?”

Let Your brilliant face shine upon us, O Eternal One, that we may know the undeniable answer.

You have filled me with joy, and happiness has risen in my heart, great delight and unrivaled joy,

even more than when bread abounds and wine flows freely.

Tonight I will sleep securely on a bed of peace

because I trust You, You alone, O Eternal One, will keep me safe.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 4 (The Voice)

[Psalm 15]

A song of David.

Eternal One, who is invited to stay in Your dwelling?

Who is granted passage to Your holy mountain?

Here is the answer: The one who lives with integrity, does what is right,

and speaks honestly with truth from the heart.

The one who doesn’t speak evil against others

or wrong his neighbor,

or slander his friends.

The one who loathes the loathsome,

honors those who fear the Eternal,

And keeps all promises no matter the cost.

The one who does not lend money with gain in mind

and cannot be bought to harm an innocent name.

If you live this way, you will not be shaken and will live together with the Lord.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 15 (The Voice)

[Psalm 35]

Rescue Me

A poetic song by King David

[Part One – David, a Warrior]

O Lord, fight for me! Harass the hecklers; accuse my accusers.

Fight those who fight against me.

Put on your armor, Lord; take up your shield and protect me.

Rise up, mighty God! Grab your weapons of war

and block the way of the wicked who come to fight me.

Stand for me when they stand against me!

Speak over my soul: “I am your strong Savior!”

Humiliate those who seek my harm. Defeat them all!

Frustrate their plans to defeat me and drive them back.

Disgrace them all as they have devised their plans to disgrace me.

Blow them away like dust in the wind,

with the angel of Almighty God driving them back!

Make the road in front of them nothing but slippery darkness,

with the angel of Yahweh behind them, chasing them away!

For though I did nothing wrong to them, they set a trap for me,

wanting me to fail and fall.

Surprise them with your ambush, Lord,

and catch them in the very trap they set for me.

Let them be the ones to fail and fall into destruction!

Then my fears will dissolve into limitless joy;

my whole being will overflow with gladness

because of your mighty deliverance.

Everything inside of me will shout it out:

“There’s no one like you, Lord!”

For look at how you protect the weak and helpless

from the strong and heartless who oppress them.

[Part Two – David, a Witness]

They are malicious men, hostile witnesses of wrong.

They rise up against me, accusers appearing out of nowhere.

When I show them mercy, they bring me misery.

I’m forsaken and forlorn, like a motherless child.

I even prayed over them when they were sick.

I was burdened and bowed low with fasting

and interceded for their healing,

and I didn’t stop praying.

I grieved for them, heavyhearted,

as though they were my dearest family members

or my good friends who were sick,

nearing death, needing prayer.

But when I was the one who tripped up and stumbled,

they came together to slander me,

rejoicing in my time of trouble, tearing me to shreds

with their lies and betrayal.

These nameless ruffians,

mocking me like godless fools at a feast—

how they delight in throwing mud on my name.

God, how long can you just stand there doing nothing?

Now is the time to act.

Rescue me from these brutal men,

for I am being torn to shreds by these beasts

who are out to get me.

Save me from their rage, their cruel grasp.

Then I will praise you wherever I go.

And when everyone gathers for worship,

I will lift up your praise with a shout

in front of the largest crowd I can find!

[Part Three – David, a Worshiper]

Don’t let those who fight me for no reason be victorious.

Don’t let them succeed, these heartless haters

who come against me with their gloating sneers.

They are the ones who would never seek peace as friends,

for they are ever devising deceit against the innocent ones

who mind their own business.

They open their mouths with ugly grins,

gloating with glee over my every fault.

“Look,” they say, “we caught him red-handed!

We saw him fall with our own eyes!”

Yahweh, my caring God, you have been there all along.

You have seen their hypocrisy.

Yahweh, don’t let them get away with this.

Don’t walk away without doing something.

Now is the time to awake! Rise up, Lord!

Vindicate me, my Lord and my God!

You have every right to judge me, Lord,

according to your righteousness,

but don’t let them rejoice over me when I stumble.

Let them all be ashamed of themselves,

humiliated when they rejoice over my every blunder.

Shame them, Lord, when they say, “We saw what he did.

Now we have him right where we want him.

Let’s get him while he’s down!”

Make them look ridiculous when they exalt themselves over me.

May they all be disgraced and dishonored!

But let all my true friends shout for joy,

all those who know and love what I do for you.

Let them all say, “The Lord is great,

and he delights in the prosperity of his servant.”

Then I won’t be able to hold it in—

everyone will hear my joyous praises all day long!

Your righteousness will be the theme of my glory-song of praise!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 35 (The Passion Translation)

[foilfreak]

Beauty and Her Beast: Chapter 7 (aka the ‘big boobie vampire mommy’ and ’mutant servant girl that is very horny for her’ chapter)

WARNING PLZ READ BEFORE CONTINUING: This fic is rated NSFW and contains graphic depictions of things some people may find disturbing or alarming, including, but not limited to: violence, gore, unhealthy family relationships, Oedipus complexes, gratuitous amount of pornographic literature, ableist language, physical, mental, and emotional abuse, etc. If you are someone who does not enjoy fiction with these elements in them, then I suggest you refrain from reading this, because this fic will have all that, and probably a lot more. So, this is your first and final warning to turn around and go somewhere else if stuff like this just isn't your vibe, because from this point forward, your emotional wellbeing is in your own hands, and I will not be accepting blame if you disregarded my warnings and ended up reading something you didn't like. Idk why I feel compelled to write one of these despite this being Resident Evil fanfic, but I figured I'd cover my ass just in case.

(AO3 link below:)

“Good evening, sir. Is there something I can assist you with, tonight? It’s quite late, and my mistress has already retired for the evening due to the strenuous nature of today’s events, so while I’m sure the good Lady Dimitrescu won’t be too terribly displeased if you’ve come with urgent news that requires her immediate attention, I’m afraid anything outside the realm of absolute importance will have to wait until morning, when my mistress will be better rested and therefore better able to address whatever concern you’ve brought” The low and smooth voice of an older teenage girl said, staring slightly downward at Salvatore with a level of such blank indifference that he would have wondered if the girl hadn’t seen him had she not outright greeted him upon opening the door.

With piercing red eyes, dark skin and long, black curls tied up neatly and carefully into two thick buns on either side of the top of her head, and dressed in a pretty, but still practical dress, the older teen looked every bit as much the role of a dignified estate’s head servant as she acted, right down to the pencil straight stiffness of her body. Despite how uncomfortable the stiff position looked to Salvatore, the subtly bold way she carried herself did give the older teen an air of confidence and reliability, however what it didn’t do was answer the multitude of questions flying around in Salvatore’s head about who she was, and more importantly, where she came from.

And then it hit him.

“Y-you’re… Alcina’s g-gift… aren’t y-you?” Salvatore asks aloud, though seemingly more to himself than the girl standing in front of him. Said girl furrows her brows in confusion for a moment before huffing in, what appeared to be, mild offense. Though what on earth Salvatore could have done to offend the young teen, he had absolutely no idea.

“I have no idea what you mean when talking about these so called “gifts”, however I think it's important for you to know that I am a very busy woman with a great many things to do, so if this is all some kind of sick game you’re playing to waste my time then I’m going to have to politely ask that you take your rotten whale behind and go throw yourself into the nearest body of-”

“Anastasia?” a low, feminine voice booms from somewhere behind the older teen standing before him. The girl immediately stiffens, her skin around her nose and cheeks darkening even further, her eyes growing wide and her breath catching in her throat as she turns around. Immediately abandoning Salvatore at the still open front door, the young servant clumsily made her way further into the room before disappearing out of the narrow view the hooded man had been given of the castle through the crack in the door.

Taking a step forward and opening the door enough to slip inside, making sure to close it securely behind him, Salvatore lingered along the walls of the room, merely observing the events before him unfold as the young girl, Anastasia, quickly moved to stand in the center of the circular design on the floor of the entrance hall. Waiting for her on the landing at the top of the stairs was none other than the lady of the house herself, Alcina Dimitrescu, standing as tall, proud, and intimidating as Salvatore last remembers, though it would appear that the disfigured man’s fear of the much larger woman was not shared amongst everyone in the room.

“Y-yes Lady Dimitrescu! Is there something I can do for you this evening, my Lady?” Anastasia asks, hands clasped together in front of her and eyes blown wide at the gargantuan woman leering from above, like a lovesick puppy dog waiting for a command from its beloved owner. Eager to perform. Eager to please.

“Why yes, my sweet, I was just wondering what on earth all that racket was and if it could wait until morning to be finished? The girls and I have had quite the taxing day and I do so wish to retire to the sound of peace and quiet” Alcina coos warmly, causing Salvatore to pause in confusion.

“Oh goodness, I apologize, mistress. It’s just that there was a visitor at the door and despite my repeated attempts to convince him to come back when you were rested, he insisted upon making a nuisance of himself. Please forgive me if my attempts to preserve your restful evening were for naught” the girl said sadly, bowing deeply in apology as she continued to speak.

Alcina practically purrs in delight at the teen’s polite, but genuine behavior. “Fear not, my dear, I had only just taken off my earrings when I heard the commotion. I came out here merely to see if things were getting out of control, but it would appear as though you’ve handled things perfectly.”

The girlish blush on Anastasia’s face only darkens in color as the young teen casts her adoring gaze to the floor, joyous glee from having been praised by her mistress evident all over the younger girl’s body.

Not wanting to stay here any longer than absolutely necessary, especially if this is what he’d have to witness the whole time, Salvatore gathers all of his strength and uses it to clear his throat and take a step forward, revealing himself to both women as he gingerly comes out into the light.

“YOU!” Anastasia yells, immediately turning on her heel and making a beeline toward the increasingly anxious Salvatore. “So not only have you made enough of a nuisance of yourself to disturb the lovely Lady Dimitrescu just as she’s about to retire and rest from a very long and taxing day, but now you’ve decided that you’re so above everyone else that you can just waltz right into someone else’s home without even the slightest hint of respect or admiration for the incredible woman living in it, how dare you be so crash and selfish you overcooked blowfish, exit this castle immediately, or I’ll shove my boot so far up your rear end you’ll be fishing around for it for weeks you-”

“Anastasia, calm yourself, dear” the loud, but calming sound of Alcina’s voice said, causing the young teen to pause in her angry scolding of Salvatore.

“My Lady?” The young teen asks, dutifully awaiting orders.

“Let the wretched man inside, he’s the furthest thing from a threat to us, even if he is an annoying little manthing. Although, I’d be lying if I said a visit from you at this hour of night is something I’ve come to expect of you, dearest elder brother.”

The disfigured man swallowed thickly as he stepped past Anastasia to fully face his other younger sister, who looked all the more intimidating from her looming perch upon the upper story.

“I-I know this is s-sudden…” Salvatore begins, hoping he’d at least be able to explain himself before Alcina tossed him back outside on his ass.

“I’ll certainly say” Anastasia bursts in angrily, but she’s quickly silenced and sent away to tend to her other duties by Alcina, who motions for Salvatore to ascend the large set of stairs leading up to the rest of the castle and join her on the landing for a moment.

“Spunky little thing, isn’t she?” Alcina says when Salvatore finally makes it to the top of the stairs, panting slightly as he follows the much taller mutant’s gaze to the door that Anastasia had just exited the room from.

“Th-that’s certainly… one way… o-of putting it” Salvatore stutters, not wanting to offend Alcina by calling her servant rude, but clearly not seeing what’s so great about someone who just yells at you a lot the second you walk through the door.

“Yes! She apparently received a strain of cadou that was quite similar to mine, however her need to consume blood to maintain herself is far more similar to that of leeches. Rather than having to consume it regularly in smaller doses, like myself, she’ll only require one feeding every few weeks or so, which I thought was quite interesting. The only issues Mother Miranda brought up was the fact that her hunger, if it gets bad enough, can trigger both her transformation, as well as some sort of feral and animalistic meltdown that only ends once she’s finally had her fill. Apparently more than a few villagers were lost in the process of learning this information” Alcina comments casually, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Mother only brought her over earlier today, just before dinner, and yet she’s already managed to carve quite the little space for herself here. I hadn’t realized how dirty this place was without any girls left to take from the village until she went through and washed all the walls in the west wing spotless. It was like night and day, I could hardly believe how open and bright the halls looked” Alcina stated.

“W-wow… so th-then… d-do you think y-you’ll keep her a-around… long term?” Salvatore asks curiously, craning his neck so he could get a better look at his sister’s face.

“Perhaps. I’m certainly thinking about it. Not only is she an incredibly hard and fast worker, but she’s also got such a lovely spark of energy and excitement to her, and she’s always very polite and respectful, if a bit obvious in her “admiration” of those she looks up to… not that that’s a bad thing, necessarily. It’s quite sweet, actually!”

“S-she did look… q-quite taken… by y-you” Salvatore comments, having noticed the girl’s far-too-eager-to-be-innocent disposition when Alcina was in the room, vs. when it was just him. Not that it was a terribly surprising turn of events. Alcina, for all her monstrous height and sheer mutant bulk, was still a very beautiful, and very desirable woman at the end of the day, meanwhile Salvatore was only about 2 rolls of the genetic dice away from sharing a more recent common ancestor with the blobfish than he did humans.

“I know, isn’t she adorable? She came exactly like this, too. Mother Miranda has no idea if this is a result of the mutation process or if it's merely her former personality finally returning now that she’s awake and out of containment, but I suppose the logistics of things aren’t really important in the end. I'm so glad I chose her over the other two, I don’t know what I would have done had such a promising and delectable little morsel like her go to waste on the rest of you imbeciles” Alcina coos in amusement. “Regardless of what Mother Miranda said however, I was almost certain this whole “gift” situation was going to be nothing more than a pile of useless drivel that I’d be left to clean up all on my own once the novelty wore off, however after having Anastasia here for these past few hours, and seeing all that she’s willing and capable of doing, I’m beginning to wonder if perhaps I’d been too hasty in my final decision.”

“Funny… K-Karl thought m-much the… th-the same thing i-initially… w-when I t-talked to him… th-the other day… th-though… knowing him… I doubt h-he’s having q-quite as much… of a ch-change of heart… as you a-are” Salvatore said suddenly, more than anything due to the incredible shock that was the concept of Alcina and Karl sharing a similar opinion, at the same time, while both occupying the same dimension of reality.

Alcina’s face immediately turns sour at the mention of Karl. “Oh, did he now? That’s an unfortunate thing to learn,” she says in annoyance, clearly displeased by the notion of agreeing with Karl on anything.

“Y-yes… he… he th-thinks that maybe… M-Mother might b-be using the g-gifts… to d-distract us w-while she’s g-gone away… o-on her mission… b-but that maybe… sh-she also wants… s-something else out of a-all this… something… th-that she isn’t t-telling us… f-for some reason” Salvatore explains, unsure if he should be revealing all this information to Alcina, notorious and open critic of Karl and quite literally everything the younger man has ever done and said, is doing and saying, and will do and say sometime in the span of his chaotic lifespan.

Contrary to what Salvatore assumed, however, instead of looking bored and uninterested in what Karl thought about this whole situation, Alcina looked just the slightest bit… intrigued, if still clearly wary. “Really? And what, pray tell, does our dear sweet little brother Heisenberg believe will come of this whole situation then? Did he say?”

“H-he… he never m-mentioned anything s-specific… but he th-thinks that the g-gifts… might p-play a l-larger role… in all th-this… than M-Mother has been l-leading us to believe.”

“I see,” Alcina says, remaining silent for a moment as she thinks, looking almost concerned by what she’s heard. “And what do you think of this whole mess, Salvatore?”

“U-um… well… I-I think it’s nice… th-that Mother trusts us e-enough… to g-give us her p-previous experiments… and u-use them however w-we want… b-but I’d be l-lying if I s-said… that I d-didn’t think Karl… was o-onto something… I-I don’t know w-what I believe to be t-true a-at the moment… but I d-do know… th-that I’d like t-to give… g-give a gift of m-my own… to Nadine… and that… and that y-you might be… s-someone else who c-could help me… w-with that” the hooded man explains nervously, hoping that Alcina was in a good enough mood to feel like humoring him and his sudden request.

“Nadine?” The tall, pale woman asks in confusion, before suddenly nodding in understanding. “Ah, your gift…”

Salvatore nods. “D-Donna… is f-fashioning a n-new dress… for her… a-and even gave me… this b-beautiful nightgown… to hold h-her over until… until the real one is c-complete. I th-think she w-will… e-enjoy the nightgown b-but… but I’d like to… l-like to get her something else t-too… like a… like a necklace… a-a gold one… o-one that w-would… c-complement her skin tone… j-just right.”

Alcina briefly stares at Salvatore with a blank expression, momentarily making the hooded man worry that he’d overstepped his boundaries and said something to offend the much larger woman. His nerves are thankfully calmed when Alcina turns and orders Salvatore to follow after her, which the disfigured man happily does if it means what he thinks it means.

The two siblings arrive at Alcina’s personal chambers just as Anastasia is exiting them, her arms filled by a large basket of blood soaked towels and clothes, some collected from Alcina’s room, the others likely from either Bela, Cassandra, or Daniela’s rooms.

“Good evening, Lady Dimitrescu! Are you finally retiring for the evening?” Anastasia asks, bowing cheerfully as she finally notices her mistress approaching her. “I’ve already gone ahead and prepared your bed for you, as well as collected all the soiled laundry from today’s harvest. Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?”

“Thank you, my dear, but not quite, I have one more matter to attend to before I fully turn in. Since you were so kind to offer however, I would greatly appreciate it if, once Lord Moreau and I are finished with our affairs, you would be so kind as to escort him to the front door and bid him a good night, for me. You are free to retire to your own chambers for the evening once he’s left” Alcina orders softly, which the young girl obediently nods her head to.

“Of course, mistress, thank you very much! And I’d be happy to see Lord Moreau out for you, so please don’t hesitate to call me once you’re finished with your meeting” Anastasia says, bowing lowly to both Alcina and Salvatore before wordlessly skittering off to do… whatever it was she planned on doing to those dirty garments.

“Now, about that gift you were talking about” Alcina says upon entering her personal bedroom, immediately striding over to her vanity and beginning to sift through several boxes worth of jewelry, “you said you wanted gold, correct? And a necklace specifically?”

“Y-yes! I-if you have anything y-you’re willing to… g-give away… of course… I’d feel t-terrible taking something i-if it meant a g-great deal to you” Salvatore answers, standing awkwardly in the doorway as he waits for Alcina to return to him with whatever she finds.

Of all 3 of his siblings, Alcina was the one Salvatore was easily the least close to, despite having been the only two around for a considerable amount of time before the eventual arrivals of both Donna and then Karl. It wasn’t that Salvatore was displeased when Mother Miranda first informed him that he’d be getting a “sibling” all those years ago, but Alcina’s natural personality, coupled with her terrifying size and strength from the mutations, had made the very meek and timid Salvatore hesitant to reach out and form any kind of sibling bond with the younger woman, like he had with Karl.

Karl was a royal pain in the ass to deal with on even his best days, but at the end of it all, there’s still only so much a 6 year old can do to you, anger issues and mutant metal bending powers or not. Alcina was both a royal pain in the ass to deal with more often than not, but also a fully grown adult when she first joined the family, so needless to say the 2 oldest siblings hadn’t been given very many appropriately opportune moments to bond or get along.

That being said however, the simple but elegant golden locket that Alcina procures from one of her many boxes of jewelry has Salvatore wondering if maybe he had misjudged Alcina, having never expected her to show him something as luxurious and real-looking as this, especially when the understanding was that she’d be giving it away whatever item of jewelry Salvatore took a liking to.

“This is an old locket I received for my 3rd birthday from a relative who died long before I was old enough to care about who they were, though all those diamond star details on the front do make me think they could have been close with us at one point, or perhaps they just had that much money to throw around? It’s an old and well-loved piece of my collection, but Duke has been bringing back such wonderful treasures from his travels that I just have to start getting rid of some of these old sentimental trinkets so I can make room for all the new additions I plan on purchasing once he finally returns” Alcina explains, gingerly handing the necklace over to Salvatore, who could do nothing but gawk at how extravagant and, to be perfectly honest, expensive the necklace looked.

With 4 small diamonds, likely real knowing Alcina, embedded into the surface of the locket’s front cover, surrounded by small engravings that give the glimmering stones the appearance of stars in the night sky, the necklace looked like it belonged upon the neck of a fair and noble princess, into which the radiant beauty could then place the photo of the man who’d stollen her innocent heart. Nadine wasn’t actually a princess and Salvatore all but gagged at the idea of a picture of his face, mutated or not, being put somewhere for anyone to see, however the necklace was far too perfect for the hooded man to possibly turn it down.

“So what do you think? Will something like this do?” The taller woman asks, curiously. “I could continue looking if that isn’t quite what you’re after, however if that is the case, then I would like to politely request that you come back and look at them tomorrow. It's already so late and I’d have to have the rest of my collection fetched from the vault downstairs.”

“N-no no… th-that’s alright… this i-is perfect… thank y-you… Alcina… this w-was very k-kind of you to do… f-for me” Salvatore says, carefully tucking the glittering necklace into the bag Donna had placed the nightgown in.

“Don’t fret about it too much, I only did it because I had a bit of time to spare prior to going to bed, and you happened to catch me in a good mood. That’s it” Alcina states firmly, though something in the back of Salvatore’s head can’t help but take the taller woman’s words with a grain of salt, feeling as though there was more to Alcina’s sudden generosity than just pure coincidence. “Besides, who knows what gaudy thing you’d have shown up with had you not made the surprisingly wise decision to invoke Donna’s and my vastly superior knowledge of the feminine experience. I don’t even want to think of what tacky little trinket you’d have tried to gift her. Why the thought of that alone is enough to make me want to run for the hills, how on earth do you think your poor little gift would have felt? I’d have had to murder you on the spot if I found out you tried to pass some disgusting pile of garbage off as an appropriate gift. In fact, if I didn’t know that Donna was working on a more fitting dress for her already, I’d have half a mind to skin you alive for only having a flimsy nightgown to take back with you, but I doubt any of the dresses I have, that would be appropriate to wear with that kind of necklace anyways, would come close to fitting her, and I really do want to start making room for some newer, more exciting pieces. So, with all that in mind, count your blessings that the stars have aligned in your favor tonight, dear brother, because I won’t be doing this for you again… unless, you’d be willing to do me a few favors in exchange for some of the other pieces of my collection, that is.”

Aaaaaaaaaaand there’s the Alcina that Salvatore knows and secretly likes. In vehement denial that she feels anything positive for her 3 siblings and also actively trying to get someone else to do her dirty work for her. It's certainly not how the hooded man prefers to operate, but he supposes that if Alcina can somehow convince everyone around her to do all of her work for her, why wouldn’t she take advantage of that as much as possible?

“I-I think that’s e-enough… for t-tonight actually… maybe i-if I decide I’d l-like to get her s-something else… I’ll c-consider that offer y-you brought up” Salvatore says, bowing politely to his sister as he makes his desire to leave obvious.

Thankfully, Alcina seems more than happy to send her older brother on his way, calling Anastasia to come lead Salvatore back to the front door so he could finally begin making his way home.

“Th-thank you again… Alcina… I really a-appreciate this… an-and I'm sure Nadine w-will love the gift t-too” Salvatore says just as he’s about to bid Alcina goodnight and begin following the young servant girl.

“Yes, yes, you’re very grateful of my wondrous kindness to you, I know, you’ve made that fact more than clear already, brother” the taller woman says with an only mildly annoyed roll of her eyes as she stands just outside the door to her chambers. “Just make sure you don’t waste the opportunity my graciousness has afforded you, do you understand?”

Salvatore stiffens nervously as Alcina shoots him a pointed look that screams ‘don’t fuck this up or I’ll fuck you up’, a threat which the hooded man knows she’ll make good on, should Salvatore make it necessary for her to do so. Salvatore wasn’t sure how Alcina had picked up on the nature of his budding affections for Nadine so quickly, or how she seemed to instinctively know what he was planning despite having never asked directly, but clearly she’d noticed something and was now in the process of making the matter of whether Salvatore successfully courted his gift her business.

Heavens above have mercy upon whomever is unlucky enough to have their problematic situation noticed and meddled with by Alcina Dimitrescu.

“Y-yes… I u-understand… an-and I’ll be s-sure not to w-waste... waste the g-golden opportunity you’ve g-given me… OH! An-and Donna w-wants her mannequins b-back... too… sh-she wanted m-me to tell y-you” Salvatore replies, his anxiety only mildly calmed when Alcina makes a face at the mention of Donna’s yet-to-be-returned-still mannequins.

“Oh for goodness sakes, I always forgot about those stupid things. Anastasia?”

“Yes, Mistress?” The young servant dutifully answers.

“Please make a note to remind me to have Heisenberg come by so he can collect and return the manequins Donna leant me while I was commissioning some dresses from her earlier this month. That foul-mouthed mutt owes me a favor, and so if all goes the way I’d like I’ll be making this his problem in the morning” Alcina says devilishly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Of course, Lady Dimitrescu, I’ll be sure to remind you of that first thing tomorrow morning” Anastasia replies warmly, though her amicable grin is quickly replaced by a flush and a girlish giggle when Alcina waves and turns on her heel, swaying her hips in an obvious fashion before bending down to enter through the door of her chambers.

Salvatore passed exceptionally confused glances back and forth between his sister and the young servant standing in front of him, totally clueless as to what just unfolded a moment ago as a feeling of disgust, the kind you get when you see something you wish you hadn’t, began to curl in the pit of his stomach. Whatever it was that was going on in the Dimitrescu house, and more importantly with their new servant girl, it was clearly none of Salvatore’s business. Not that he’d wanted it to be in the first place.

Salvatore had enough problems to deal with regarding his own gift, he didn’t have time to worry about whether or not Alcina was already making moves on hers.

“Have a safe journey home, and do make sure to stop by with Nadine if things turn out well between the two of you. Based on how today played out, it would seem as though things are about to get a lot more interesting around here… and a lot more fun too. Goodnight, Dear Brother” is all Alcina says before gently closing the door to her chambers, effectively ending their conversation without so much as a single word from Salvatore, not that he minded being handed the chance to finally get out of here, especially after… whatever the hell that exchange between Alcina and Anastasia was.

Best not to think too hard about it, probably, especially when there was another woman back at the reservoir who was much more deserving of Salvatore’s lustful and impure musings.

“Uuum… the front door is this way… Lord Moreau,” Anastasia says suddenly, her face still dark from embarrassment, though whether it was from her earlier treatment of him before she learned he was another Lord and not just some random man from the village, or from… that thing he just saw that he doesn’t feel like thinking about anymore, the hooded man couldn’t tell.

Nor did he particularly care to find out.

[takemedancingmaine]

16

My heart is in my throat. My pulse is thundering through my veins, echoing in my ears and with everything I have in me I fight to keep my breath steady.

The world feels like it slows down for a moment. It's as if I'm moving at my normal speed while everything and everyone else is moving in slow motion. Everything aside from Jack turns fuzzy.

He's standing in front of me, a wide smile and his dimples flashing. His hair is windswept, or rustled from his fingers running through it--either option is entirely plausible. He's got on black jeans and clad in an incredibly soft looking jumper that's a bit big for him.

He looks quite fit.

My mouth goes dry.

I remind myself to smile at him, instead of just staring, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights. Very attractive, Wren.

His eyes relax into his smile when he sees my own smile grace my face and he gestures for me to walk toward the counter to order.

"How are you doing?" He asks. "Have you settled into your job yet?"

He remembered. Well damn.

"I'm alright," I nod. "I've grown quite accustomed to my new job. Everyone tells me I'm getting on, so I assume I'm doing something correctly."

He chuckles as we stand in line. "I'm sure you're doing very well."

"I don't know," I shrug, ready to get into it. "I couldn't even keep up with Charlie's project assignment this morning, so I doubt I'm really keeping up with the news," I step up to order before he can form a rebuttal.

After I order, in the split second before I can hand my card over Jack steps up to order, too.

"I'll pay for hers as well," he tells the clerk, who shrugs and takes down his order.

We move toward the counter where our food will be out shortly and he gives me a curious look.

"Thank you for paying," I say quietly, my nerves still on edge at his proximity, the image of him winking at me in the pub last week sending a shiver through me before I regain myself and centre back into the present.

"O'course," he smiles and bites his lip. His beard is filling in nicely now. It had been slightly scraggly before, but now it's full. It makes me curious though, his ginger beard is much darker than his hair. I know it's usually a case of slightly different colours--when Liam's not shaved his face is covered in almost black scruff--but something about the lightness of his hair versus the beard has me squiggling my eyebrows in curiosity.

I wonder how that beard would feel under my fingertips.

Jesus Christ, Wren. Get it together, I chastise myself.

What would it feel like against my cheek, my lips-fucking hell you stupid bugger, stop this train of thought, please!

Jack's raised an eyebrow at me, I realize when I finally make it back to reality.

The curious glint is still in his eyes.

"Did you learn anything from the project?" He teases now.

I flush a bright pink colour and lower my gaze to my feet.

"No," I shake my head. "All I learned is that my six-year-old nephew is going to grow up to be smarter than me and his dad combined."

Jack laughs at that. I look up to see his head thrown back and the joyous sound fills the café. It's absolutely lovely, that sound is. I want to hear that all the time.

"His dad's a lawyer, right?" Jack asks.

"He is," I nod. "He had some mediation or something to be at this morning so I got to help Charlie with the project while he skipped out."

"Oh, so you were a babysitter and a tutor today?" He asks with a smirk.

"No," I shake my head again. "I was the sitter, but Charlie was the tutor," I explain. "He absolutely knew more than me. Even after I used my phone to search things."

"Y'know," Jack gives me a smirk that has me all kinds of nervous, "I honestly feel that way every single day with these kids."

"That cannot be true," I give him a look.

"It is," he says earnestly. "I feel like I cannae keep up with everything they know. One told me just yesterday about this new Mars rover project. I had no idea some of the stuff he was going on about," he explains.

I end up giggling. "Maybe you picked the wrong profession," I tease.

"Oh, I absolutely should've been a footballer," he nods. "I was quite good as a young lad. I definitely made a mistake going to uni," he goes right along with my teasing.

I bite my lip to keep from giggling, but some giggles slip out anyway. He gives me some side-eye but is forced to look away when our food gets placed out on the countertop.

He grabs the tray and carries it for us back to our small table in the corner.

I pour my tea while he asks another question.

"D'you spend a lot of time with Charlie, then?" He asks I can tell by the way he won't meet my eyes he's referring to time after what happened to April.

"I always have," I say by way of smoothing that gap a bit. He's offhandedly trying to ask if I took care of Charlie for Liam.

I'm not offended by the question, for myself or Liam. It's natural to be curious since a lot of my life revolves around Charlie and Liam. Especially since my taking care of Charlie was a result of how we'd met in the first place.

"His mum and I were close as well. We weren't mates or anything until she and Liam got quite serious, just as Li was applying to law programs, but I had a key to their house long before anything happened. Since then I've just been trying to help out more so than before."

Jack's eyes are on his tea until I start speaking again.

"Besides, Charlie is the coolest kid," I shrug when his eyes meet mine, the blue swirling around his irises like oil paints on canvas. "Who wouldn't want to spend time with that little nugget?"

The question is rhetorical, but Jack smiles, a quiet chuckle slipping past his lips. "No," he says, "I love spending time with him. He's got quite a vivid imagination."

I smile, my cheeks pink again. "He really does," I nod.

We fall into a comfortable silence as I start nibbling on my blueberry scone and I look out the window to see that it's started to rain lightly, umbrellas beginning to pop up all along the sidewalk as people continue on their way unperturbed.

"You were going to be a footballer then?" I ask with a smile.

Jack's eyes light up and he leans forward eagerly. "I was going to play for Scotland," he tells me. The excitement palpable, almost visible in the air surrounding him, as if out of nowhere I've come to possess synesthesia and can see his aura shift colours.

"Oh, really?" I ask, looking down at the pastry, his aura almost too much.

"M'not joking," he tells me, his eyes on mine when I look up again.

I raise an eyebrow.

"Okay, so I never got that far, but eventually, maybe, I could have played for Scotland," he shrugs.

"What made you become a teacher then?" I ask, curious.

"I was actually pure rubbish at football," he smirks.

I roll my eyes.

"And so you went to school instead," I finish.

He nods. "Exactly," he finally looks up into my eyes again, his aura bright, his oil painting blue eyes swirling. He may be rubbish at football, but clearly, he loves it.

"No, I became a teacher because I had one when I was younger, Mr Wiles, that absolutely inspired me, so here I am," he says.

"Here you are," I give a nervous little smile with a small gesture towards the café around us.

"Right," he smiles back at me. "I'm with you, having a nice brew and getting mentally prepared to view some art."

"You don't have to make the art part sound like I'm dragging you to a monthly meeting of the ignorant tight-arse club," I tease and then my cheeks flame when I remember who I just said that to.

I close my eyes and lower my head toward the table before I hear his laughter. Again, I'm drawn to it, but I keep my head down.

"I'm-I'm sorry," he apologizes. "I didn't mean to make it sound like that. I'm not dreading it. I promise," he manages through his laughter.

"It's really not bad," I grumble but look up anyway.

"I don't know why I said it like that," his cheeks tinge pink under his beard. "I like art. I wouldn't have agreed otherwise," he adds quickly. "I just want to be in a proper mindset to appreciate it when we get there rather than just stroll through and not think anything of it."

My own embarrassment fades slightly, but I can still feel it tingling in my nerve endings.

"If you do end up hating it though, could you pretend to like it? The gallery is run by my flatmate--some of the work is hers, even--and it might be a bit awkward if you end up thinking it's rubbish," I bite my lip.

"Scouts honour," Jack nods.

"Thank you," I manage to whisper as I bring my mug to my lips and take a sip, the brew relaxing me a bit.

I've noticed that I'm not stuttering or speaking in half sentences so much around him. Instead, I'm just throwing up a  bit of word vomit and dealing with incessantly pink-tinged cheeks.

I don't know which I'd rather deal with, to be honest. I'm much more used to not being able to speak rather than not being able to hold my words back. This is weird for me. Awkward either way, but I don't know which I'd rather. The evil I know and am used to, or the evil I don't and am not used to.

"Did you always know you wanted to be a journalist?" Jack asks as I nibble a bit on my scone.

I nod quickly before managing to swallow my bite.

"For the most part," I say quietly. "There was a brief period where I wanted to be a trapeze artist."

He raises an eyebrow at me, his eyes dancing behind his cheeky smile. He doesn't say anything though. He knows I'm getting him back for the footballer comments he'd made.

"No, I always knew. There was a bit in secondary school, when Liam was just starting college, that I thought I might want to go into a more stable career field, like law or even teaching," I give him a nod, "but I couldn't shake my ability to write stories and articles, my willingness to disseminate information that matters."

"How'd you get the job at the BBC?" He asks, seemingly genuinely interested.

I think about what Piper said the other night. He asked me out. He wants to see where this could go with me. He honestly wants to get to know me. At least, that's what she'd said.

"One of my professors at uni helped me to get an internship there for class credit. I mostly just refilled coffee cups and made sure the printers had enough paper," I sip the last bits of my brew.

"After I graduated, they took me on as a paid intern, y'know, to do all the boring things like fact-checking other journalists' stories and vetting their sources. I only stepped up minutely in pay and in responsibility," I add and pour another cup from the teapot, adding my two sugars. "From there, two years ago, they made me an actual reporter. I did a lot of stories that would be found buried deep on the website, buried on page twelve of the paper where no one would read them."

"Why is that?" Jack asks.

"The things I would write about were front-page news in importance and context, but were never high in interest-level demographics," I shrug. "It's fine. I'd long since gotten used to it. And they were the news stories I wanted to write. I knew what I was getting into."

"And now you're in a broadcast newsroom, right?"

I nod before responding, but he opens his mouth again before I even finish forming a thought.

"Sorry, 'm just genuinely curious," he tells me. "My job is the most basic out there, and your job is groundbreaking and cool and I genuinely want to hear all about it."

I bookmark his thinking being a teacher is boring to come back to later before I start talking again.

"It's okay," I tell him. "Apparently the EP, the executive producer, of the BBC nightly news hour segment for 8-9 every weeknight had been reading some of my work and thought it would work really well in broadcast format. He said something about my sources and connections being important to the job as well," I say modestly.

I don't have to act modestly. I only know some corporate lawyers through Liam, the definition of know being used quite generously. Basically, I just know their names. I didn't really build up those credentials through years of hard work. They just happened.

"God, that sounds so cool," he breathes out in excitement.

"It's really not that different," I tell him. "Obviously the pace is quicker, but it's pretty normal as far as jobs go at least."

"I deal with six-year-olds every day for eight hours a day," Jack shakes his head. "My job is always keeping me on my toes, but comparatively it's much more normal than yours."

"I don't know," I smile, "the leaves Charlie and I picked up today--the ones that I still cannot pronounce--are far from normal."

"Oi!" Jack calls but flushes bright pink under my gaze and my teasing words.

17

The rain hasn't let up, but it's not that bad, so after assuming Jack that I'd be fine to walk in it for a few blocks, we pulled our hoods up over our heads and made our way toward Piper's gallery.

We each had a paper cup filled with a replenished brew in our hands and despite the weather, we weren't walking at a ridiculous pace. Just sort of making our way, not lackadaisically, but not rushing.

"Did you and your brother plan on getting out of Birmingham then, or was it just a coincidence that you both ended up in London?"

"I never said-" I give him a funny look but he cuts me off.

"Your accent," he clarifies with a smirk and a small shrug.

I roll my eyes. "It just sort of happened. He found a law firm here and I've been here since I went to Kings for uni. And if you want to get specific, we're actually from Small Heath."

"Isn't that where Peaky Blinders is based?" He asks now.

I snort. "It is," I nod. "If only my backstory was half as cool," I say.

"You excited for the new season?"

"'M worried," I admit. "I know every season looks dark when they roll out the preview, but this one looks filled with disparity."

"Honestly, I'm scared as well," he tells me. "I love the show, but there are some decisions I'm not too fond of..." He trails off when he has to skirt through some people going the opposite direction.

He shakes his head at the gruffness of the group that passes and sidles back up beside me.

"We're only right here," I point as the gallery comes into view.

"Just when I was thinking the rain was getting a little heavier, too," he pulls his free hand from the confines of his pocket before he grabs the door to ColourOpticTrip™️and we escape the rain and cold, our cheeks pink as we push our hoods back.

Jack scans the open room, taking in the white walls, the dark wooden flooring, and the photographs adding colour and contrast everywhere he looks.

To his credit, he does actually look like he's enjoying his preemptive scan.

My attention is called away from his face as I slip out of my jacket and Piper comes out of the black room behind the front desk. Her steps falter when she realises who it is that's come in, but she recovers quickly.

There's a little buzzer back there that alerts her and the owner--if by chance she's in--to anyone coming into the gallery. Piper's got her classic weekend attire on, nothing out of the ordinary as she strolls around the desk to make her way toward us; Jack still looking around in interest.

Her grey Eagles concert tee is tucked into her black skinnies and her feet are adorned in (my) black Chelsea boots. My brown ones are already on my own feet. That sneak. I cut her a glance, but she doesn't notice, she's busy looking at Jack until she comes to a stop right in front of us.

"Admiring anything in particular?" She queries as Jack's attention snaps back from an enlarged print of a rainy Camden Town, only a few blocks away from our flat, to meet Piper's gaze.

"I'm just glancing around so far," Jack smiles politely at her, "but that print is quite interesting."

Piper nods and crosses her arms over her chest, leaning her weight on her right foot and swaying a bit to look at it. "I'm actually just working on editing another version of that print right now."

"That's yours?" Jack asks, his blue gaze going back to the print before meeting Piper's eyes again. It's not quite surprise colouring his tone, but intrigue and fascination.

She smiles at him. "It is," she extends her hand. "Piper," she says. "Nice to finally meet you, Jack."

I cringe internally, and perhaps a bit externally as well. The way she said 'finally' makes it seem as if I've been talking about and pining for him for far longer than I actually have. I hope more than anything he didn't catch that use of the word.

He probably has caught it, but I still hold out hope.

"Ah," Jack shakes her hand and smiles at me as he figures out just who Piper is. The blue oil colours lightening with his own enlightenment in regards to the situation. I blush furiously under that gaze and shift my eyes to the floor. Not before Piper's smug filled look gives me pause, though.

"Nice to meet you as well, Piper," he gives his charm to her--not that he has to try, it just seems to ooze from him--and honestly, if Piper didn't know any better in regards to the situation, I know she'd already be thinking of ways to get him into her bed. As it is though, she keeps her flirting to a minimum. I appreciate that fact.

"Well," she gives me a look I can't quite decipher and opens her arms to the gallery, "I'll be back here." She nods toward the desk. "If you'd like I can take your macs and hang them on the rack as well."

Unceremoniously, I take my wet mac and plop it into her arms, earning me a glare and some under the breath mumbling about how I'm such a twat. I bite my bottom lip to stop my smirk.

"If ya don't mind," Jack says politely as he slips his mac off as well before handing it over to Piper, who is much more prepared for his interaction than mine.

"Not at all," she gives him a smile before shooting daggers at me and heading away.

Jack has sweater paws, I realise as we begin to walk through the gallery, heading upstairs first. It's so endearing that my cheeks flare as I watch him while he gazes upon the art. I've seen most of the work before, excluding the newer exhibits downstairs, so I've got more attention placed upon him than the room.

We've since finished our teas and when I come back from throwing the cups in a bin I catch myself gazing at him again.

I'm so in awe of him as a person. The most interesting part though is that he finds me interesting. Something about me compels him, which is absolutely nuts.

I know because of Melissa and the praise I get for my work that I need to hold myself in higher regards, and honestly, I do. For the most part.

The thing I don't understand though is that around Jack I've not really done anything to capture his attention. I don't understand what I should get his attention for. Perhaps there's something in my subtlety in regards to my personality.

Just as I'm thinking about how lucky I am that I'm on a date with Jack, with a human being that seems kind and interesting and worth spending my time with, Jack glances my way, catching me watching him--for the second time.

I blush furiously and close my eyes with a sigh. There's nothing else I can do, really.

Jack chuckles a bit beside me. I feel his gaze burning me and I slowly open my eyes to see him smirking at me.

"What?" He asks.

I bite my lip and shrug, I honestly feel like I've forgotten what words are and even if I remembered there's no guarantee I'd be able to pronounce them.

"Wren," he prompts, his gaze expectant. My name on his tongue gives my stomach a flutter. "You can tell me," he adds. "Have I got something on my face? Did I knick myself shaving?"

His hands go to his beard, he runs them over his cheeks and I smile and shake my head, "No, no. Nothing like that."

"What is it, then?"

"I was just looking," I lower my gaze from him to my feet. "Curious as to why someone would be willing to spend time with me when I've hardly given him reason to."

Fuck.

I did not mean to say that. Shit.

First, I can't remember how to speak and now I end up just saying whatever comes to me. What kind of cocked up karma is this?

I sense him as he shifts closer to me, see his feet as they come to rest right in front of mine. I can smell him, something minty and something outdoorsy mixing together. He overpowers my senses.

Then I feel him. It registers in my mind that this is our first physical contact. He's got his index finger under my chin, nudging it up so that my gaze is on his own again rather than our feet.

My skin under his touch feels like it's on fire. I feel the energy radiating off of him with how close he is. I'm struggling to breathe as he looks at me, his eyes so sincere as he bites his bottom lip and swallows hard.

Oh my god, his lips are so very pink. Shut up, Wren, I chastise my thoughts.

"You're an enigma," he whispers. "Admittedly, you're sexy as hell," his eyes flash and my breathing hitches. "But you're quiet and shy," he pauses, "I can tell because you blush like it's your standard state and I have this inexplicable urge to see it more and more. I don't know how I can explain it. Clearly, you're much more adept with words than me, but I just know I have to find out more."

I'm speechless. I'm barely breathing. Oh my god.

"Plus," he licks his lips and smirks, "your use of grammar just now was a huge turn on."

I blush, but let out a small laugh, his thumb stroking my cheek.

"There it is," he uses his free hand to point out my blush. "And, you've talked about me to Piper, so I know you feel something, too."

I want to groan in my displeasure, but I hold it back.

"Was really hoping you didn't catch onto that," I grumble.

He laughs, the sound making me flutter.

"I could tell," he leans in to whisper in my ear, his breath tickling my neck before he pulls away and lowers his hand from me, instead, he offers me his hand to hold.

"Shall we see some more art, now?"

I place my hand in his, take a deep breath, and nod.

"I'd love to," I tell him.

18

"I'll see you again soon then, right?" He asks, his hand still in mine as we stop just outside my front door.

Piper won't be home for a while, and I'm so ready to just lie down and process my day, process what's happened in my life to get me here. As much as I don't want to end my time with Jack, my brain is drained and I'm in desperate need of a recharge.

The rain's stopped and the air is heavy and smells like damn asphalt mixing with the crisp scent of fall. Our fingers intertwined are warm, our noses and heels are chilled, but we're smiling at each other.

"You will," I nod. "I had a wonderful afternoon. Thank you."

"The pleasure was mine, Wren Kearney," he leans in then, swiftly, and caught off guard I freeze. He kisses my forehead gently and untangles our fingers to brush some of my hair from my face.

"I'll call you," he steps back and smirks. "Have a g'night," he skips down the two steps from the stoop to the street and turns for the briefest of moments to wink before he begins to walk away.

My jaw drops open. Literally pops open. I can feel where his lips were on my forehead, can still feel the warmth of his fingers in between mine, can still smell him. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

"Fucking hell," I gasp out as I fumble with the keypad and let myself in, climbing up the two flights and then wrestling my keys from my pocket, dropping them twice before managing to unlock the door and slip inside.

I gently kick my feet from my boots and hang my mac back up on its peg by the door. Without even a second thought I slip myself into my bed and close my eyes.

Naps can be severely underrated.

Sleep doesn’t come to me just yet, though. Instead, I’m rolling through scenes of the afternoon, over and over and over again of what I said, didn’t say, what I did and didn’t do.

That’s when the thoughts drift to Jack entirely. The way my name sounds coming from his mouth, his dimpled smirk, his overwhelming scent that almost hypnotized me, his blue eyes that I would let drown me given the chance to do so. I think of his laugh that I’ve grown quite fond of, like a little melody I cannot manage to banish from my subconscious that when heard in real life sends a thrill through me.

The way he licked his lips when he was so close to me, the feeling of his hand on my face. The warmth of his fingers in mine.

I think about how I found out he’s from Oxton, a small town outside of Edinburg in the Scottish Borders. How his older sister Lily is a social worker and how he doesn’t like her new boyfriend even though he seems perfectly fine. It’s a principle that he has to dislike him.

Lily had moved to London to follow her last boyfriend and when that ended Jack was just graduating uni in Glasgow. He’d moved in with her, into what used to be their apartment in order to keep a close eye on her after that. He’d found the teaching job and had been there since.

He was happy here, but he missed Scotland. That much was evident just by his tone of voice when he talked about it.

As I feel myself drifting, my eyes closing, my breathing slowing, all I can see behind my eyes is his face, all I can feel is his warmth, and all I can hear is that melody of his voice, his laughter, until I’m unconscious.

“Get up, you little cunt.”

“Get fucked,” I growl out as Piper bounces onto my bed, crawling over me and falling into place beside me, leaning against the wall as she pokes me in my midsection over and over.

When I open my eyes she’s got this cheeky grin on her face and I shove her before covering my face with my pillow.

“No!” She protests and yanks the pillow from me, her hair slapping me in the process. “You have to tell me everything.”

“You better have something to give me in return for this dissection of my life you’re about to take from me,” I glare at her.

“There’s a brew and some chocolate biscuits waiting for you on your nightstand and I just put a lasagna in the oven for our dinner. You’ve got fifty minutes before that’s ready, so drink your brew and spill it all.”

“You’re so pushy,” I grumble.

“You love me,” she winks.

“I do,” I nod and then shove a biscuit in my mouth, chewing slowly in order to draw out her wait a bit more.

She rolls her eyes at my tactics and sighs loudly.

“Alright, alright,” I blush and launch into my story, starting with Liam being late and sending my nerves into overdrive.

When Piper is satisfied—I’ve left out the bit where he kissed my forehead and winked goodbye—is right about when the timer for our dinner goes off. I don’t know why I’ve left it out, to be honest. I just think that maybe I wanted to keep that bit for myself, keep some of what was my budding relationship with Jack just between me and him. I can’t really describe the feeling, but I knew I was right in keeping it private.

It made me smile—the thought of him that close. I wanted to have something of my own from today to relive until next time.

“What’re we watching?” she asks while she scoops out slices for each of us and I set up pillows and blankets on the couch before scrolling through our Netflix queue.

“How does Rogue One sound?” I ask.

“Diego Luna?” she asks back rhetorically. “Yes, please.”

“Predictable,” I scoff but thank her when she sits down beside me and hands me my plate.

“You love me, babe,” she shoves her shoulder into mine and we start to eat after I hit play.

“You were right, by the way,” she turns to me after an action sequence had calmed down onscreen.

“Right?” I ask.

“Charlie’s teacher, Mr Lowden,” she smirks devilishly, “he’s fit as fuck.”

I blush and hide my face behind a pillow as she laughs to herself.

When I get up to replenish our brews I check my phone. There are two texts: one from Liam that’s telling me about some festival at Charlie’s school next weekend and the second is from Jack.

My heart races as I open the text, but a smile breaks over my face as I read it.

Jack: Is tomorrow too soon? — Of course not. But how about we get drinks when you get off work Tuesday?

I bite my lip and reply.

Wren: Meet me in the lobby of the BBC building at 9:15.

His reply is instantaneous and I feel a flutter when my phone lights up again.

Jack: See you then. Remember to bring those blushing cheeks of yours that I like so much.

I close my eyes and set my phone down before rejoining Piper on the couch, cuddling closer to her as she’s since taken the blankets from me. I can tell she knows something, but she doesn’t ask, so I don’t offer anything as the movie ends and we each head off to bed.

[allmymisters]

For the Love of 2018 - GOOOOOAAAAALS!

I didn’t get the black stallion I was hoping for this year. I tend to have high expectations I suppose. 2018 had its splashes of cherished moments in addition to downright depressing hidden gems. The sudden losses of very dear friends for one. Those were blows I was not prepared to experience and, screw you 2018 for giving me those moments. I’m no stranger to tragedy (have you read this site?), but this year’s tragedies were a vast array of empathetic reassurances that there is no explanation for the sheer magnitude of such occurrences nor through any fault of their own. It just sucks to have to go through it and you’ll be struggling with it for the rest of your life.

I think everyone was stressed the hell out this year. Frustrated and angry, there were a lot of opinions and entertaining thoughts on where we should or should not be, as a society and as a nation. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the weight of the world as I did this year. I didn’t like people before, but 2018 proved how much my contradictory persona could take. Humanity is a raw and evil sort of thing letting way to bursts of sunlight at any given moment which results in confusion and downright rage. I was deleted, blocked, called names, and asked to duel a few times this year, all for, having a valid belief that my truth is not your truth. On the other hand I learned some people I’ve known a majority of my life have some really skewed views of what they support. Speaking of ending relationships…my friend of 15+ years decided that she could no longer remain in our relationship and instead broke up with me on the grounds of…This is unknown at this time as to why our oh so dear friendship came to an abrupt end and was not worthy of any explanation whatsoever. Marriage, babies, narcissism…you know, the silent killers of friendships. It seems pointless to say, but it did open my eyes to how I expect to be treated in life. So, first there was the lack of closure that came with my ex husband and now once again, another uncommunicated shut down. Hmmm…is it me? Did I not give enough? I give too much, more than I should in a lot of instances. People are just weird.

For the first time in a really, wait, ever, I felt like I accomplished something. This little project being one of them. Nobody cares what I write or do or say or feel. I know this. The difference is, I don’t care anymore, it is my therapy, my cathartic medium to deal with my life that will hopefully help others in a relatable and true sense. It truly is the first time I’ve consistently followed through with my own idea, not someone else’s, but mine. What made my year was receiving some very heartfelt thanks yous and that was enough for me. To make another feel better or to move someone with words, that is my art. For the first time in my life I am proud. All the work I’ve done this year, I am proud of, and worked hard for, and it felt like I had just finished a marathon. A marathon I’ve been running for 45 years. What a fulfilling thing, right?

I promise to get to the good parts soon, but not yet, I have to finish through the hard layer first before I get to the chewy center where rainbows shoot out of the asses of babes. Reaching 45 was difficult. Harder than anything I’ve ever done, and with that came a dreadful revelation. I came to terms that my physical self is no longer twe—, I mean, thirty-five. No longer do I feel I can climb fences, dance the night away or have a slap boxing match without being completely winded in ten minutes. The white hair that has accompanied my raven locks is disorienting, and the extra pounds which make me cry on most days because what women doesn’t want to look hot in her skinny jeans, but instead replaces her lacy unmentionables with…COTTON!? It has affected me profoundly. One thing they don’t tell us women getting older is how terrifying it is, physically and mentally. How we don’t feel attractive, how I cannot look anyone remotely attractive in the eye, and how the thought of donning a bathing suit would suddenly feel absolutely horrifying. They don’t tell you of the anxiety, the insomnia, and what the discovery of cellulite does to a woman or that missing a period will make you feel absolutely regretful and sad. How forgetful one becomes as she frantically tries to locate the cell phone she is currently speaking on or wishing for her tiny boobs of 34Bs again instead of this, what is this blob coming out of the side of my bra. I know, I really shouldn’t care. I have a mister who loves me as I am, but ladies as we know they can tell us we are gorgeous all day long but in the end it only matters is we feel uncomfortable, and I know, boo hoo right? Get over it and be stronger right? I will eventually, I just don’t like it.

I suffered my first panic attack and god forbid, my last. I had no idea. For all those who suffer this on a constant basis, I am so very sorry. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced, to be in small out of town diner, while you sit across from your loved one. A regular morning waiting for a server who doesn’t come while you are reminiscing about the spectacular night you’ve had together, and then for no reason at all, it happens. As I sat there with cold hands and irregular heart beating, body feeling disconnected, I imagined how awful it is that I, ME, was going to die in this amazingly terrible diner amongst strangers. For about 30 minutes, I concluded that it would be as easy as that and I looked at him and thought, at least I was loved and had loved again.

It’s a odd spectrum of emotions when you lie in bed at night and what used to be something so easily attainable becomes a labyrinth of questionable moments in life.

Why did I have chocolate tonight? Why did that person not text me back? Am I ever in my life going to fucking be appreciated for the work I do? Why am I so very broke and why did I just spend $14.99 on an Adobe app? Does he still find me attractive? Why didn’t I have children? Was i supposed to have children? Do people think I’m stupid? Did I go over 1200 calories today? How could there have not been one single carton of 2% milk!? Shit, I forgot to buy saline solution again! I hope my parents don’t die soon, what if I die before them…

And it goes on and on throughout the night. So yeah, lots of things occurred in 2018 I’ve never experienced before. Thanks for the new adventures! I found very little to say in 2018, not in person at least. I’ve embraced my Aquarian aloofness this year. I disconnected like I’ve never done before and found myself in very little meaningful conversations in the outside world. It baffled me really. For the first time in my life verbal exchanges were challenging. I just couldn’t connect. It was as though someone had taken my speech and turned it into a whole new non-language causing me tongue tied instances of pure lack of eloquence and articulation…embarrassing. Are you wondering about the good parts?

2018 was transitional to say the least. We got out of a very small apartment with a devil of a landlady into a very beautiful house in a new neighborhood. I really fell in love with being home. This place feels like a haven and despite still looking at unpacked boxes and unfinished furniture, it has become a place to relax and entertain at my whim. I am now the proud owner of a fire pit and a grill! Who knew such small domestic luxuries could bring about such sweet comfort! I tried to buy a house this year which didn’t pan out as I wanted it, but sometimes there’s a bigger plan. In turn, I sold my first house as a real estate agent this year which brought me a feeling of accomplishment. I can do it! Yes I can! A motto that held little weight before. Small, but an endeavor I never thought I’d ever add to my repertoire. I often wonder if I’m just real comfortable doing then jobs at once.

Karaoke. The activity that I refused to do in any public place became commonplace in 2018. Somehow singing Concrete Blonde and Leslie Gore brought a silent release for me and just the sheer gathering of friends in these instances made me genuinely joyous. The fact that people wanted to spend time with me, strange as that may be, was the one thing I felt humanly connected to. I felt strangely isolated most days. I attended a wedding, reconnected with family, and watched a lot of soccer. Simple joys. I was involved in a study about race and gender, wrote about people I admire, and received notes of praise. I read stories at night, saw tons of music, and dreamt of distant lands. I ate delicious meals, watched tons of film, and dove into photography. I wrote words. I said goodbye to the past. I made amends. I attoned and forgave. I laughed harder than ever and I cried seldomly. I felt loved. It went quickly and I suppose as we age it goes by at lightning speed. I long for the days of long summers and spontaneous trips.

What will 2019 be? I can only hope for less death, less loneliness, less heaviness. I am wondering if I too have become nothing but 1s and 0s and perfectly angled moments. Who will reach out, if anyone, to say hello that isn’t summed up in an abbreviated expression. Will the “We need to hang out” become an actual instance of beverages and exchanges of laughable tales or will it be the continuous cycle of empty efforts spread across another year. There are no resolutions for me, there is just a continuous wanting to better the briefness of existence. I want to read more books, see more music, cry at art, take better pictures, write more stories, take more trips, share more experiences, find inspiration, and motivate to healthier habits and less sour cream and onion chips at midnight. I want to shoot bows and arrows, play more pool, and swim in the ocean. I want to see my nieces and nephew, take my mom someplace new, and visit my dad. We always have such high hopes in the beginning don’t we? The ending of one cycle, packed with memories in our virtual treasure box, and the rebirth and renewal of new ones. Isn’t that the beauty of it all? What will this new skin look like? What stories will I tell next…

[lettersforyoulettersforme]

Post 2

Sundays. My favorite day… when I’m not working brunch. Which, lucky for me, I am not at my job right now. Just nursing a hangover in bed while Hayley sleeps beside me. Last night was fun! I grilled peppers and corn and shrimp and it was easy and I thought it might be hard. I love when that happens. We split two bottles of wine and took several videos of us singing and being ridiculous. Hayley said that she’s going to make a compliation of them a la Amsterdam and I cant wait for that. Trying to find something to post to Instagram because sadly that is a priority for me. But what can I say?! It’s a strange time that we’re living in.

Hayley convinced me to block Dylan on Instagram last night. Not that I’m constantly checking up on him, but the temptation is there. And I don’t like it when the temptation arises. Did he see my Instagram story? Are there any new tagged photos? I need to move on even in small ways. So thanks for the push, my girl. I needed it.

We just really laughed and talked last night. It feels like not a moment has passed since I saw Hayley last. Except, of course, so many changes happened. We were talking last night about how we’re both in strong and committed and healthy and happy relationships. And it’s a beautiful change to both be on the same page. And we’re happy for each other and supportive! It just feels like magic to have a friend who is my sister, who I can tell everything to without fear of judgement. I love that we’re on the same page constantly. Weirdly, it was not always this way but it certainly is now. I don’t know what I would do without Hayley.

Today we’re gonna go to brunch and we talked about getting tattoos. I had toyed with my envelope idea, but I think I want to get those two girls hugging IF and only IF they can make the lines as thin as they can for this one. And if they can’t, then I don’t really want it. I’ll wait until San Francisco. I was emailing Clara this morning- the little girl I used to babysit in Brooklyn- and I was going to tell her about my tattoo, but I was afraid that she would judge me. Haha because Clara is 13 and she wants to be a Met Opera star and she’s just a little bit of a judgey queen. She has her standards and it’s funny that sometimes I feel like I don’t meet them.

Clara always reminds me of Christiana because we both shared her. She was our mutual job but also, in a way, our love child. She felt like ours and her parents were these evil, rich people forcing an 11 year old to prepare for the SAT and making her feel like an adult instead of a child. I think that we gave Clara the outlet to be a kid and I miss that feeling. She helped us to feel like kids too! I miss the life we used to have. I would pick her up at Brooklyn Friends School and we’d walk to Mathnasium, this weird little office space where mid twenties dudes would tutor little kids in math. They got various prizes and stickers if they completed a set number of work sheets and the whole institution was odd and cold. I used to sit on tiny chairs made for children and watch old episodes of The Bachelor on my phone or listen to podcasts the pass the time. Sometimes I would run out and explore that part of Brooklyn, browsing through the shops I couldn’t afford and once sitting on a park bench and talking to Joe for a whole hour. Talking to him almost always makes me cry. He’s too sad and cynical and I feel like I never knew him in some ways.

We’d walk home and finish some homework while I made us ravioli. Which was mainly for myself. And not shitty Chef Bourdai, it was nice ass Brooklyn based goat cheese with chives pasta. It was my favorite thing and I wish I could buy more of that ravioli. But I know it would never taste as good. We’d walk home on a busy street and we’d laugh and I’d ask her about school and her parents and her friend with two moms. I never felt like she was significantly younger than me. And that one day Christiana and I took her to Prospect Park on July 4th! We weren’t even paid and it was joyous!

[dailyaudiobible]

12/25/2019 DAB Transcript

Zechariah 8:1-23, Revelation 16:1-21, Psalms 144:1-15, Proverbs 30:29-31

Today is the 25th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you today. Obviously, today is Christmas Day. So, Merry Christmas. What a day of celebration. Joy to the world, the Lord has come.

Song:

Joy to the World

Alright. So, even though it's Christmas day and there’s a lot going on such, it is such a joy and an honor to be here on Christmas around this Global Campfire, maintaining this rhythm of allowing God's word to speak into our lives every day, no matter what day it is. It is a joy to be here with you on Christmas day, taking the next step forward in the Scriptures. And we’ve the reading from the Good News Translation this week. So, we’ll continue with that. And today we’ll read from Zechariah, chapter 8.

Commentary:

Okay. So, this…this marks my 14th Christmas of reading the Daily Audio Bible. So, this is my 14th Christmas day reading this portion of Scripture. And it's…it's really interesting. I mean…in years gone by, I can read this portion of Scripture and go like, “man…could there be any other portion of Scripture that we could read on Christmas day because this is…this is just a lot of judgment and a lot of really horrible, horrible things happening on the earth in the book of Revelation. And I, you know, my…I mean…my temperament…I've been a creative my entire…I mean…I’ve made my way in the world by creating things. And, so, that kind of gives me a natural kind of melancholy temperament. And, so, when the rhythms of my life change, like if I’m finishing a lengthy project and finally that it’s done and there’s that lull or there's the disruption of the patterns of life like Christmas and there's kind of sort of this pause, this lull, this different thing. Even though it may be incredibly joyous, just underneath it all is like the blues, I guess, is the best way to describe it. Sort of this unsettledness, this…this I don't think I would go as far as to say depression or anything just kind of like, why, why isn't everything right today. Everything. Everything around me, like friends, family, gifts, joy, festivities, feasting all…all of the things that we should do to commemorate and celebrate the arrival of the Savior. Like it's all here, it's…it's all good, why does it feel like something's missing? And I usually…like I can feel it even as I'm talking about it. And, you know, being an introvert with a lot of festivity and a lot of people around, at some point during the day I will sneak away for a few minutes somewhere and just, you know, kind of breathe and then it just kind of bubbles up and I can…I can feel that, that kind of melancholy, that kind of, “what is missing from an otherwise perfect day that would make me feel this way? What am I missing? What is it that I can't name? What is it that I can't find that’s causing this?” And I don't think I'm alone. I’ve talked to a lot of people in my life. I don’t think I’m alone. I think more of us than not experience this at some point during this season. And over the years, I've even taken that, the questioned God, “what is this? Like, what am I missing? I am tuned in. Like, I am so thankful and so grateful that you would come and rescue I…I can't even believe the story that I'm celebrating today because it changes everything in the world. And, so, I am rejoicing and it is joy to the world and I am happy and what is going on here? And I’ve even…even read the stories from Revelation, read this passage of Scripture on Christmas day and thought, “man…what is going on here because this just kinda feeds into it.” But I've realized, at least with this particular portion of Scripture over the years, something…something pretty important for us to remember and maybe even some words to touch the empty place inside that…that many of us feel at some point today. Yesterday in Revelation we were standing in a very, very interesting place that's very hard to imagine. We were standing on the shores of sea of glass on fire and next to that sea were the remaining brothers and sisters who had endured until the end and God had given them harps and they were singing a song of worship, an ancient song of Moses, but also the fact that this is a prophetic vision and this is in the future. So, we’re like standing there with our brothers and sisters who endured until the end watching them worship God. And, so, we turn the page and we get to today and there is these bowls of God's wrath being poured out upon the earth, and it just seems completely merciless because it pretty much is because what we’re seeing today is our little baby Jesus, born helpless, lying in a manger. We’re seeing him all grown up. And what’s happening in the book of Revelation today isn't just God being mad and foretelling some kind of judgment with the invitation to return to Him. Everyone that is going to return to Him has. What we’re seeing today is a merciless outpouring of God's wrath upon evil itself. Unfortunately, as the story goes, there are people that are swept up into that and those are the ones who refused…refused in the face of utter destruction to turn to God and live. But nevertheless this is an all out attack by the God of Angel armies, the Savior, on evil on the things that have been destroying the planet and destroying the people. And isn’t that what we’re praying for when we pray come Lord Jesus? Isn't that what we’re asking for when we ask God to make all things new again? Isn't this our hope, that one day evil itself will be eradicated and annihilated from existence? Wow. That is a Christmas story because Christmas carried the story of God's redemptive power and plan forward. So, for me, as I've snuck away to have private moments on Christmas and just kind of sit with the feeling that something's missing, or something's not right I’ve thought to myself, that's…that's how it is. Like what I’m feeling is deep, I can't name it because it's cheaper than my words. It's my soul, longing to be restored. It is my soul longing for things to be as they are supposed to be. When we read this passage in Revelation, we have a prophetic vision that God fully intends to restore all things. But in order for that to happen the deception that has been deceiving the human race since the Garden of Eden must be eradicated and annihilated. Before all things become new all things that are old need to pass away. And what a metaphor for us on this day. What a metaphor for us as we move into the final week of the year. The old has to pass away for the new to come. And even in our own lives when we face struggles we might fight so hard just to return to the status quo when God may be inserting obstacles in our way that are intended to rid us of the old so that the new can come, so that this longing that just never really goes away inside of us, this longing for restoration so that it can actually happen.

So, I'm not sure how festive the Christmas message this is for me to give to you today. I am quite certain there is no shortage of wonderful, magnificent Christmas retellings and Christmas messages for today. This is just what Christmas kind of shapes up like for me and I know I'm not alone. And if you feel that and maybe you experience it is loneliness or maybe, you know, you experience it as an any number of disruptive emotions. But probably if you sit with that, maybe loneliness would be the thing because maybe your alone today or maybe that…maybe somebody's missing…like my mom…and my mom is missing from the world and I hate that at this time of year, that my father is gone from this world, I hate that at this time of year. So, it's easy for us like to identify like a loneliness or loss or grief or any of these things, but I believe that if we actually can get still for a few minutes that what this boils down to is a deep ancient longing. We are groaning along with all of creation for restoration, and it is so good. It is so good to find that place because Christmas represents the fact that we are headed in that direction if we are in Christ

Prayer:

And, so, I pray a blessed Christmas over You. Holy Spirit we invite You. We realize that there is no where we can go from Your presence. And, so, You are in and among us as a community all over the world. As we celebrate Your arrival, You're coming for us and we invite Your Holy Spirit into these places that…that feel out of…out of sync with the holiday. We invite You into those places of deep longing and we ask that You whisper into our souls, the truth that all things are being made new, that we are going somewhere and that that somewhere is good. And we thank You Jesus, for coming for us and modeling life for us. And we ask as the spirit of Christmas, as all of these festivities are at their height today, that we embrace them fully, that we drink deeply…deeply of joy today. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Merry Christmas everyone. I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Song:

Joy to the World