#to replenish the ones you lost to the whole milk of death!!

[thecandywrites]

Babylon The Great

OK, once again I had this AMAZING AND EPIC DREAM and it’s inspired this and it’s also been inspired by @momolady‘s gods and goddesses pieces. Yes I feel completely sacreligious for writing this. But at the same time, this story is going to be REALLY FUN and I really hope ya’ll enjoy it. I’ve never written anything like this before so I’m also really nervous and I hope once I release this into the world I’ll be able to go back to writing my usual stuff in peace. 

Babylon the Great

Your name is Sephira, you were born with a midnight blue, almost black sapphire in the middle of your chest the size of a grapefruit that acted like your heart, you were first born of the black diamond queen Mercii, daughter of the black diamond queen before her, your grandmother, Shahlah, all daughters were born with that color of sapphires that transformed into black diamonds once they took their mother’s place. 

Your mother however, Mercii- the only one she ever had mercy for was you. Your mother was otherwise a merciless woman who’s “castle” was a great magic Baobab tree, rooted in a cesspool that was like a moat around it- in a desert and lived off of death from the outside world but provided life for you and your mother and all those who served you. But your Baobab tree was different, on the outside it looked like a large normal Baobab tree, the thick menacing branches covering and concealing the inside, which was lush, green and soft, provided every fruit on earth and underneath the cesspool, which was only so deep, deep enough to drown anything that caught in it, the bottom magically held up on air, was a garden and lush paradise like place where your mother’s servants lived, the sunshine filtering through the cesspool, keeping the temperature perfectly comfortable, the garden also providing you all with every spice, vegetable and grain on earth so that you wanted for nothing except meat and the garden was watered by a whirl pool at the true base of the tree- the water itself the prettiest aquamarine blue and crystal clear and ever fresh and even had a second pool that had all kinds of fish and seafood in it that replenished itself so that you got to enjoy any and all delicacies of the oceans, lakes and rivers too. Your mother’s servants- all of which were women, made eternally youthful in their service to your mother and by extension, you- who prepared all your food and clothes and served your mother and yourself with absolute loyalty and were completely devoted to your mother and yourself and cared for you and in return for their service, they were protected against the otherwise cruel world and it’s ravages, including time.

But you were not an only child. Your “brothers” were in a state of stasis within the branches of a tree. Your mother however was a mysterious legend, a goddess- and suitors- usually kings, emperors, czars, shahs, sultans, Caesars and other kinds of rulers, the rulers from all over the world came to mate with her and to get the sons they sought after, each son himself was born with gems in his chest just like you but much smaller, usually the size of quarter or perhaps large grapes, occasionally a daughter was brought into existence and even she was put into stasis or given to the kings who wanted them to keep you from having rivals for your mother’s affection but they were not normal children. They were born already five years old and in a sleeping state, and fully dressed in the traditional garb of the ruler, their potential appearing on a placard at their feet in their “beds/cribs” that were embedded into the very center of the tree. For every mating session, your mother produced about a dozen sons. The process by which your mother mated and produced children was a mystery to even you. The traveling rulers would pick a few or up to ten sons of their choice and those would be awoken and greeted lovingly by the rulers and their memories were always as if they had been born and raised by women in the ruler’s own household and the rest your mother would put into the branches of the tree for future use, the tree itself growing every time she had children, the tree therefore was, in reality, very, very large so that it was a forest in of itself- to the point you lost count of how many “brothers” you had and how many “sisters” you had.

Anyone unlucky enough to come to the tree when they weren’t “invited” to the tree by your mother often got lost exploring the tree and died and on those your mother, yourself and those who served you- feasted, their bodies magically transforming into the most prized meat of all desired kinds. The kind of meat that never went bad or rotted, ever fresh, magnificently marbled and tender and delectably delicious and even those were fed to the rulers when they came. Many unwitting travelers or adventurers, drawn by the promises of treasure and fabled jewels.

Your mother actively used you as bait in your ‘pre-training’ since you were just as devastatingly beautiful as she was, she purposefully kept you naive and innocent so that you were even more tempting to them and you did not age physically or mentally past the age of 17/18. In fact you did not know how old you were or how old your mother was, time passed in a strange way here and you did not celebrate birthdays so there was no way to keep track of time.  

Your job was to sit in the tree, in your ‘section’ of tree that had a ‘window’ in the branches of the ground and sing, your own voice like a siren- the most beautiful ever heard- magically carrying far and wide all over the world and drawing in more victims for your mother to feed off of. The songs you sang spoke of adventure and excitement and treasure beyond imagination and of course you, an innocent virgin looking for someone to “save you” from this “castle” and take ownership of you and all that you possessed since you were sole heiress to all that your mother possessed, your beauty, your own potential for heirs added as extra enticement. Rulers came following your mother’s call, your mother’s voice only being heard by them, her call- her own siren’s song tempting them with handsome, dynamic and perfect sons that had any and all characteristics each king wanted and those kings brought all the gold and treasure to you- that was stored in the magical trunk of the tree along with “food” in the form of prisoners of war to also feed her. Your mother was insatiable and wouldn’t be satisfied until every ruler came and she milked each one dry. When she would have every ruler in the world, only then would she be satisfied, her hunger sated and retire and in her retirement would she train you to be her replacement for you to carry on the tradition, since it was ‘your fate’.

But the thought of luring your potential “brothers” when you would take your mother’s place didn’t sit well with you. This whole situation didn’t sit well with you at all but it was the only way to survive with your mother and you knew of nothing else. But the few scant moments with the adventures, themselves promising you lives free from the prison of the tree sounded enticing too. And you wondered if they spoke truth or only spoke of what they thought would lure you out of it. Your mother was quick to stamp out any thoughts of anything being better than life in the tree which was portrayed as a safe haven for you but a death trap to others ‘who only meant you harm’. Part of you strived for your mother’s approval, for her affection, for her wisdom. You knew how to read and write in every language there was, some of the gifts from the rulers being books and your library rivaled all others on earth and beyond, the books themselves able to be magically preserved but there were certain books your mother hid away to keep you from getting any ‘bad ideas’ or ‘confusing, stupid philosophy of man’ or simply ‘nonsense’ otherwise they were to teach you the languages of man and ‘the classics’ to make sure your siren’s calls appealed to everyone. You knew mathematics, learning to count all the treasure your mother possessed, which was to be your inheritance, which measured in the billions even though that was never enough for your mother and she tried to teach you her insatiable-ness which you did your best to mimic but never truly felt, ever.

A cruel trick your mother played was to let only one prisoner of war go back to his home, letting them spend time, only an hour or so with you to fall hopelessly in love with you and you would “help” them escape the death trap tree and profess that only if your mother was killed that you could be free to leave the tree, otherwise you were bound to the tree, by a magical chain around your waist, like a body chain made of pure magical black gold and black diamonds, unbreakable that besides the midnight blue sapphire in your chest, you wore always and was your only piece of jewelry. The chain itself something of comfort to you, like an ever present hug from your mother, it protected you from getting stolen. However when you helped these ones escape, the chain itself got tighter the closer you came to the outside world, to the point that once you were outside the cesspool moat, it dug into your flesh painfully and made you cry, telling these ones that surely the chain would kill you if you took even one more step away from the tree and they believed you. All the prisoners promised the same thing, to come back with armies to kill your mother and free you. But while they fell helplessly in love with you, your heart was untouched and you felt nothing for them, not even attraction to them and had been groomed to be an excellent actress and to fake your own feelings for them. You got praised for how well you were able to deceive them and give them false hope and sadly in this, you strived for perfection and your mother’s approval and once you crossed the moat back to the tree, the looser the chain became until it was comfortably loose yet again by the time you returned to your room, steps forming in the trunk of the tree so that you could climb the tree with ease. Your mother often ‘at the door’ of the tree, unseen by the one that was set free to offer you congratulations and praise and love and affection for a job well done.

Most lived up to their promises and brought back armies of hundreds of thousands, often kings accompanying them and those your mother would lure and use like the others, the rest, your mother and yourself would put on a ‘play’ for them, your mother being ‘the evil one’ and taunting the “hero” and you yourself would call out to them by name, ‘crying in relief that you were about to be saved’ your mother and yourself secretly giggling and cackling to each other in the tree at the spectacle before you which to both of you and those who served you- was very entertaining, the tree which was a living entity itself became alive and killed them by the most evil way, but again, you would act as bait, beckoning the hero to your ‘window’ and that you would ‘help’ them by raising a forest to feed the men who came as ‘thanks’ to them for coming so far to see you again. The tree itself would grow a lush forest, around the cesspool moat filled with all the foods available to you and your mother, but the fruits were all poisoned, poisoned because they were watered by the cesspool that contained every virus, every disease, every ailment and sickness, all of which you and your mother were immune to and that your kisses cured. You could bathe and drink from the cesspool if you wanted to and to you it would magically transform to the cleanest and purest water that was addictively sweet and flavored with the fruits. And without fail, the rulers themselves would get sons and those would be allowed to return home but their armies would fall and their bodies like the most nutritious manure to the tree itself and when the forest would recede, the army would vanish with it. The kings, needing to save face, spun tales that your mother had transformed into a dragon and had razed their armies to the ground and only they and their attendants escaped with their lives and how they were able to ‘save’ these little princes from her and her captivity but that you yourself remained prisoner still. Your mother would hear about such tales when the next rulers came to meet with her and it always provided her with amusement and entertainment.

The tree itself had a pool in the middle of the top of it, where the trunk flattened out to provide your ‘palace’ to you, heavenly fragrant blooms, ever perfect and ever fresh floated in the water at all times and the water was pure, clean and perfumed and you bathed and got massages and beauty treatments daily. Or the tree even had fountains in the branches themselves that also had the refreshingly cool and flavored water that flowed freely to quench your thirst when you got tired of drinking the juices of the fruits or the countless varieties of teas and coffees invented and perfected by your mother’s servants. Even bees had hives in the branches, fed by the flowers and the fruits and never stung you, actually you suspected that they didn’t have stingers at all. In fact you could talk to the bees and politely ask to eat from their honey, which they offered freely, letting you eat as much as you desired since there was always an over abundance. The wax of the comb providing candles and therefore light to your mother and you and those who served you at night. The birds and even fruit bats and lemurs, were your only friends and “pets” and while they knew the fear of man, they did not fear you at all and you could approach anything that lived in the tree and befriend it and you looked forward to the young of all the birds and lemurs and fruit bats that would be born in the forest of the tree that knew no predator. Even the birds, which seemed to come from all over the world and were exquisitely beautiful and colorful from humming birds to birds of paradise to parrots were free to nest in the branches, free to eat the fruits or the seeds and nuts of the fruits or even the bees themselves since that was the only insect allowed in the tree. Flies and mosquitoes however swarmed the cesspool but stayed away from you and your mother and your “invited” guests. Otherwise the only people you knew were your mother, her servants which doubled as your own and the victims. The rulers themselves you were never allowed to meet and the only time you knew they were there was because your mother would keep to her own rooms with them for the duration of their stay and you ate your meals alone or with her other servants. The tree itself would shield you from their sight, you could pass them in ‘the halls’ of the tree and never know it because of the foliage of the tree.

Your hair grew down to your bottom, thick and luxurious and had shades of every color of hair, from blacks to browns to reds to blondes, the tips of your hair more blonde than the black roots, your mother said that the sunshine itself made your hair that way and didn’t question it since her hair was the same way, shiny and conditioned and softer than any silk. And the waters of the pools either in the top of the tree or the pools with the fish or the pool around the true base of the tree also beautifying you, your face and body so that it was perfect without blemish. You had never had acne, ever. Your skin was baby soft at all times, never to form a callus or mole. You had never even had a paper cut and you knew no physical pain other than when your chain tightened around you in your ‘act’ of trying to leave the tree. Even yet you were surprisingly fit and strong because every night that your mother wasn’t hosting rulers, you danced with your mother in the tree, the servants being professional musicians and playing a variety of music so that your mother and yourself danced all the dances of the world with ease and proficiency, your mother having taught you to dance since you could walk and dancing brought you both joy and merriment and even she danced for the rulers, you knew from the sound of the music on the other side of the tree that that’s what was happening and you often danced, alone, by yourself, inventing new moves yourself, practicing in a mirror and even that your mother praised and encouraged. You were treasured by your mother and therefore protected against everything. And your body shape was that of universal perfection and perfect in proportion and the perfect balance between soft and fit. Your eyes were a work of art, deep intense purple but with splashes of turquoise and Kashmir sapphire blue and deep emerald green. They were the most beautiful eyes in the world.

However one day- there was a shift, there was one Sultan that refused to come to the tree but he had something that your mother seemed to crave and feel like she would surely die if she did not come into possession of it, her hunger consuming her. And so this was your first test as her future replacement. If you could go to this kingdom and take possession of this object and return it to your mother, you would be rewarded by her unconditional love, which before now, she only bestowed her affection when you obeyed her and proved yourself to her- and so she would officially retire and would train you to be her replacement. You were given rules to live by while away from her watchful gaze. Then you were armed with the greatest of treasures. The satchel of assured success.

Each little sack in the satchel had magical items including a few loose items like a cup that would fill with the waters of the tree or any other liquid you desired to drink, a bowl that would fill with the foods you grew up on or any other food you desired to eat. A sack that would contain any and all treasures in the tree itself, that would have any and all monies you would ever want or need for your journey. Also a magic book with maps and instructions to get you through where you would be traveling through and a pen so that you could write back to your mother to tell her what you were doing and what you were encountering so that she could advise you if you didn’t know how to proceed. You were dressed in gorgeous clothes that would keep you comfortable, a cloak that would keep you perfectly warm in cold weather or perfectly cool in hot weather and softer than fur or silk and would protect you from the harsh sun as well, clothes that were softer than silk and never be uncomfortable or cause sores. Shoes that would protect your legs and feet and never cause blisters or calluses. And under garments that would protect you from ‘the violence of men’ that if any man touched you without your consent, they would die instantly. You were given a tent that would set itself up and be your home away from home and a bed roll that once rolled out was just as comfortable as the one in your ‘room’ in tree.

You also came into possession of an alicorn, that was both unicorn and Pegasus who would look after you and protect you and to trust it because it would also take you home too. You were also gifted with a set of wings- painted on your back that if anything ever happened to your steed, would become your own set of wings to get you out of any danger, also to give you freedom of flight if you ever wanted it which your mother encouraged you to use and explore the beauty of the outside world while you were in it but not to ignore the ugliness of the world either because the beauty of the world was fleeting but the ugliness was everlasting.

The painting of your wings onto your back and your butt and the back of your legs and sides felt so good, like another spa treatment where your body was brushed with various muds and lotions and oils. But it would forever stay on your skin like a tattoo without the pain of an actual tattoo. You noticed that your mother had the same mark on her body and she told you that that was what her mother had done for her when her own mother had a similar situation before your mother took her mother’s place just like you would take hers when you returned.

Then came the instructions, this was a mission of good will, you would pass through many towns and villages and kingdoms, you were to heal the sick, feed the hungry, bless the children, help mothers give birth and educate the women so that they could protect themselves and better themselves. If you found young girls or especially orphaned girls, even babies that your heart went out to, you could take possession of them, offer them the protection and care your mother’s servants had and all that you needed to do was wrap them in your cloak and they would be magically transported back to your mother and the tree for your mother’s servants to care for and raise so that they would serve you and your own daughter with absolute loyalty and devotion since all of your mother’s slaves would be laid to rest when she would be laid to rest since their loyalty to her demanded that of them so that they could serve her in the afterlife too and that her servants and slaves would instruct these ones and raise them with the same loving care that you were raised with. You even had a sack full of candies- that were actually medicines that would protect any and all that would eat them- specifically children- from all diseases and ailments and would keep them healthy until they would die of old age.

But she warned you that any and all ‘stories’ and ‘legends’ about you and your mother and your grandmother and her mother before her, were often propaganda and to not believe them all, that if it was good, to confirm it, if it was bad to deny it and prove it wrong with your good deeds and to not believe it if it was bad. That you, your mother and grandmother and her mother before her and so on were simply known as ‘Babylon the Great’ by some since your linage came from the original fabled city of Babel and Babylon beyond that and even before that, the first great city to be built in human history and that it was also something to do with the Baobab tree you lived in. That you were descended from the first queen on earth and that you were a queen in the making. A goddess worthy of worship and that all men would do anything and everything for you but only to possess you because their greed knew no bounds. You were also warned that men in general were treacherous, dangerous, deceitful and to be despised and you had to be very careful and wary of them. That while they could offer you a sexual release and their seed could give you children, that they were as a whole- selfish, violent and horrible. But, if you found a man, who was not like that, who was kind, generous, gentle and loving, that if you so wished, you could lie with him and let him love you and he in turn could teach you how to love and that he could be allowed to come back to the tree and live out the rest of his days in peace with you but he would eventually die of old age while you stayed forever young and that in your heartache of loosing him, only then would be ready to be the next Babylon the Great and you would live the life your mother led and that the insatiable hunger you only had a hint of would come full force. But that was only allowed after you met with this king and got possession of whatever it was that he had that he either could not or would not come and give to her himself.

The day and night before you left, your mother finally taught you the art and craft of sex, using a dummy made out of gold but was hollow and light and how to be alluring and irresistible and charming and pleasing and she did something to your womb that would insure you would not get pregnant until you returned to the tree and it was only then that a desire for sex and men in general was awakened in yourself, like it had been dormant before. She painted a symbol onto the skin over your womb that protected it and that was universally understood to guard and protect you and your womb or so she told you. She also warned you about rape and abuse, all forms of it and tricks that would be tried on you and how to recognize them and evade them.

But she told you that if you chose to live in the rest of the world rather than return to her, that she would replace you with one of your sisters and forget any and all memory of you and that all love she had for you would die out and that any and all protections would be lifted from off of you that all memory of how to get back to the tree would be lost and forgotten and that you would age, grow ugly, so ugly that no one would ever think of you as beautiful or love you and you would die alone, bitter and full of resentment towards whatever you chose and put above your mother. That nothing in the world, not even the chance to be queen of any nation or empress or whatever station would ever equal to the life you could live in the tree because outside of the tree you would be subjected to the very men you were born above, because you yourself were the daughter of a goddess and therefore a goddess yourself. And that the jewel in your chest would fall out, shatter and turn to worthless rock and dust because it was really that that the men of the world wanted. And a real human and very mortal heart would grow in it’s place and then you would know the ravages of time and that you yourself would be despised and resented and would be seen as a curse by the whole world, your skin would become rough and stiff with callus because you would have to really work very hard doing painful labor just to eat nasty bread and only nasty bread and tough and tasteless vegetation before your perfect white teeth would yellow then blacken and rot and fall out of our mouth and your perfect skin that before now was without blemish would transform into nothing but blemishes and that your hair would break and fall of and become dull and the ugliest color before it turned gray then white with age so that it would never touch your shoulders and it would be so thin everyone could see your scalp and that your eyes would turn the color of excrement before they would go milky with blindness and you would be at the mercy of a world that had no mercy and that you would be raped and beaten and never know kindness ever again and you would be slave to everyone. It was enough to scare you into obedience.

In the morning you bid your mother goodbye, giving her a long tight hug along with your mother’s servants and slaves who had each made something special for you, charms to protect you made out of gold and jewels and precious stones and wood that they hung them all onto your body chain and a locket containing a picture of your mother and blessings for you and your alicorn who you got to name- you named her Kaisa. She was amazing because she had the ability to be any color you wished her to be while also if she was around other horses, she would blend in, her wings disappearing into her body and her horn disguised as a patch on her face so that you looked like any other person on the back of any other horse, or if you were flying, you would appear like a cloud from below and would blend in with the others so that you were untraceable when you wanted to be. Kaisa had spunk and a wonderful personality and riding her was the greatest joy you had yet to experience.

She flew you high into the sky, until your forest of your tree could be seen and appreciated, your dessert gave way to dense rainforest and untouched wilderness that was beautiful. You flew towards your destination and then noticed the intense greenness of your home soon gave way to a duller green. Kaisa then flew you to the city of women, filled with amazons, warrior women. This was the one place your mother instructed you where you would be safe and that they would further instruct you on how to survive the rest of the world. When you arrived, they greeted you excitedly as you noticed, they too had gems in their chests as you realized they were the descendants of your mother’s sisters since at the time of your grandmother’s death and your mother became Babylon, they were released from the tree and set free and they had built a city for themselves since they were super human themselves but had not gotten the gift of goddess and that all the young women were officially your cousins and that when you would take your mother’s place, your own sisters would be released from the tree and be taken here to be cared for by their aunts as their own. They were all beautiful and fun and amazing and you spent days feasting and partying with them, them teaching you all the different kinds of dances throughout the world, each one you perfected only after trying it once. They themselves were very picky about the men they allowed to live with them and from these men you were introduced to and they themselves began to explain more in detail about what other men outside the city were like and what to be careful of as well as what to look for if you chose a husband yourself and their insights were invaluable and you spent as much time with them as you could since they gave you a sense that they were like your fathers, brothers, uncles and cousins. When it was time to leave, they too gifted you with much, a lot of technology that they had acquired that you sent back to the tree for your mother’s servants to implement.

Your first stop after that was a small village where you did as your mother instructed you, fed the hungry, healed the sick, educated the young and especially the women and got to help birth your first baby. You were shocked that you seemed to instantly know exactly how to do it, how to bring comfort to the mother, how to progress the birth and how to make sure both baby and mother survived safely and were in good health, teaching all the other women and young girls in the village this wisdom.

The next stop was a city, a very large one, you were so saddened to see so many orphans. All the young girls and baby girls you immediately ‘adopted’ and magicked back to the tree and the young boys too, you felt such deep pity for them and your heart went out to them. You got them adopted to good families and paid the families very well to take care of them so that these boys wouldn’t grow up to be ‘evil men’ but ‘good men’.

You repeated this process all along the way to your destination.

When you were outside the kingdom, you sat on Kaisa and looked at the very impressive city. It was the largest city you had ever seen. But you felt dread, like something was wrong, like this was a trap and you wrote to your mother and she told you to take courage and be bold. That it was a trap but that you had been trained for this and that they could never hurt you unless you let them and to not give them that power over you, that you were better and greater than the whole city itself. Kaisa transformed into a Akhal Teke, that looked like she was spun from shiny gold thread. Your own clothes changed again so that you were wearing the latest fashions from this part of the world and you felt like you were wearing about 20 pounds of gold jewelry and that your face now had makeup on it and that you were now sporting a nose ring and actual rings. It was showtime. You walked Kaisa in through the gates and held your head up high as you noticed every man seemed to stop and stare at you as you made your way to the palace. Kaisa seeming to know the way all on her own. You smiled and waived at the little kids and greeted them, the language of your tongue changing to their own.

When you arrived at the palace, you got off Kaisa and approached the door.

“I am Sephira- daughter of Mercii- Babylon the Great, I am here to speak to Sultan Roshan, he has something for my mother.” You announced to the man at the door and waited patiently for him to deliver that message to the sultan and the smallest of smirks formed on your face when men seemed to crowd around you at a respectful distance, staring at you and your beauty and splendor in awed wonder as Kaisa stood behind you and refused to be led away by anyone.

When he came back and informed you that the Sultan would see you, you dismissed Kaisa and she finally was led to the stables and you came into the palace. You looked at the palace appreciatively, yourself in awe of it’s splendor and decoration as you were led through it’s laberyinth of passages. When you were shown to the throne room you found an aging man sitting on the throne, flanked by many sons, some of which were handsome, some not. There was one son however that caught your eye. He was almost as handsome as you were beautiful. And for the first time in your life, you desired a man, you desired him. Another still caught your eye, for very different reasons and you too desired him but not as much as the first or perhaps you desired him in a different way. The thoughts and feelings were confusing and so you simply pushed them out of your mind and refocused on the sultan, you were here for him. Not his sons.

“Ah, the daughter of the famed Babylon the Great has come to bless me with her presence!” The Sultan cheered as he extended his hand out to you as you simply bowed your head respectfully but not nearly as low as any other was expected to.

“And to be bowed to by the daughter of a goddess, a double blessing.” He beamed happily as he stood up and came off his throne and approached you as you held his gaze.

“Thank you for coming all this way. Alas, my health does not permit me to come to your mother directly and her calls have haunted me since I first heard them and I am honored to be counted worthy enough to host you, her most prized possession. The rumors of your famed beauty have not done you justice, surely you are the most beautiful woman to ever grace this palace.” He praised as his words pleased you well enough.

“Thank you,” you said graciously as you smiled appreciatively at his praise. “Please, give to me the gift you have promised my mother, and I will bless your realm and be on my way back to her.” You requested as you lifted your hands, palm up so as to take whatever it was.

You blinked in surprise however when he outright laughed in your face, a deep hearty laugh that was mimicked by all in the throne room as you frowned slightly in confusion.

“Forgive me, what it is that I am to give you is not tangible.” He said with a twinkling in his eyes as you dropped your hands to simply clasp them in front of you as your frown deepened and you said no more as a small firey rage started to bloom in your chest. You did not come all this way to be mocked or made fun of as your sapphire in your chest soon began to bloom and glow red as did your eyes which stopped his laughter dead.

“Forgive me, please, I do not wish to insight your anger. What I mean is- it is simply knowledge that I possess that your mother has yet to attain, it will take time to pass it onto you. And once you learn it, then you will have what your mother desires and you may indeed bless me and my realm and be on your way.” He explained as the fire in your eyes and heart waned and left you, leaving your eyes and the sapphire on your chest to return to normal as you were appeased by this. Great, this was not a simple, quick journey. This was going to take time. Your mother would not be pleased to learn this but if her hunger and desire for this knowledge was as great and as all consuming as it was, perhaps she would have to wait just like you would have to wait and learn to be patient.

“Come, a feast will be prepared in your honor and your coming will be celebrated in a festival for years to come. Come, sit and eat and drink with me and my sons.” He invited as he gestured to a grand sitting area, where a lessor throne was set up for you to sit on. The cushions were soft and comfortable as you took a seat as did the sultan and his sons on throne like seats, equal to your own but lesser than the sultan’s before a feast was brought forth as the sultan introduced all of his sons, from the first born to the youngest who was only a boy of five. The youngest was your favorite. He was so darling and still innocent.

“So please, bestow upon me this knowledge.” You requested as you took a piece of Turkish delight and took a bite and got a cup of tea after eating the delicious feast.

“Well it is as such that it is so great that I can give you a piece of it at a time, otherwise it would be too much even for you, many have gone mad trying to take it all in too fast and I mean you no harm so I must go slow for your own sake.” He placated and you nodded in understanding.

Lesson number one was nothing more than a simple riddle but he said that the answer was the key, the answer- was the sun and to celebrate you figuring out the answer another celebration seemed to bloom in the throne room as dancers and entertainers along with a host of specialty liquor and wine, of which you only had a little so as not to lose your senses or inhibitions or not loosen your tongue as you kept an eye on the sultan and all his sons before the youngest came up to you, offering you a small bouquet of flowers from the gardens, this pleased you greatly, more than anything else had before this.

“Thank you Taliba,” you thanked him happily as you smiled at him adoringly.

“Do you wish to sit with me?” You invited as you pat the space next to you as he eagerly came and sat down next to you.

“What makes you a daughter of Babylon?” He asked curiously.

“This,” you said as you lifted your necklace to show him the sapphire in your chest as his eyes got wide.

“Can I touch it?” He asked respectfully.

“You sure can.” You allowed as he carefully reached out to touch it, It was faceted and glassy smooth.

“It’s so smooth and warm.” He noted in awe.

“It is, I don’t have a heart, this gemstone is my heart.” You explained.

“Wow.” He breathed before he pulled his hand away and you lowered your necklace back down over it.

“So I hear you live in a tree? Like a tree house?” He asked curiously.

“I do, my home is in a tree, a Baobab tree, only it’s magic.” You whispered to him excitedly as he gasped softly in excitement.

“Really? What’s that like?” He asked.

“It’s amazing, the tree itself provides all we need, it is like every fruiting and flowering tree all in one and in the branches there is all fruits that I wait until they’re ripe before picking them and eating them, there are bee hives in the trees and the bees themselves share their honey with me and don’t sting me, and all the birds of heaven rest in the branches and they don’t hide their nests from me and I get to watch baby birds hatch and get fledged and watch them learn how to fly and I can pet and hold them all and even name them if I wish. Lemurs and fruit bats are my pets because they too eat the fruits and nuts of the tree.” You told him, seeing no harm in him telling him that much. He was only a young boy, no need to burden him with the more unsavory elements of the tree.

“How big is it?” He asked.

“Well on the outside it just looks like a normal large one, but once you’re in it, it is much, much larger, the size of this palace.” You mused.

“That sounds amazing.” He sighed wistfully.

“It is.” You nodded in confirmation before you talked with him about his schooling and what he was learning from his tutors as you gave him some lessons using your book to help him practice his letters as you let him sit in your lap and had the book laid out as you helped him fine tune his letters and numbers and helped him understand some of his mathmatics.

“Do you have any sisters?” You asked him.

“Yes, lots,” he confirmed.

“Where are they?” You asked him curiously.

“Right there.” He pointed to room, divided by a stone wall that was intricately caved with spaces just big enough to peek through the wall where you could discern had many women in it, themselves only shadows in the room.

“How come they are not out here with us?” You asked.

“It is forbidden for them to appear in the throne room, for they are lesser than men and therefore unworthy to be in the greatness of the throne room, except you, you’re a goddess, so you’re good enough to be in here.” He answered matter of factly.

“Why are they unworthy?” You asked- to which he just shrugged before you looked from him to the Sultan and narrowed your eyes as your eyes burned red for a moment before you asked for your pen back and you wrote this into the book to your mother in your mother tongue to which she advised you.

When the celebration was proclaimed over since it was now the middle of the night and an attendant came to get Prince Taliba from you to put him to bed did you make your move.

“Thank you for your generosity Sultan Roshan, but I must return home now, my mother will simply have to live without the knowledge you possess.” You informed him as you bowed again as he looked quite alarmed at that.

“What? Why? Have I displeased you?” He asked worriedly.

“Yes, the women of your household were kept behind a wall. Are you so ashamed of them or is your culture so hateful and distasteful towards women that they are not permitted to be in your presence or mine? What makes them so unworthy that they are kept seperate from a room which you and your culture have deemed more worthy and better than them?” You returned as you nodded towards the wall and stared back at him pointedly as once again the fire returned to your eyes and your heart and your chest glowed red once more only this time heat rolled off of you as if you were a great fire yourself as fear soon bloomed on his face when the very carpet you stood on soon burst into flames around your feet but did not singe or harm you in any way.

“Uh, no, no of course not, there has been a misunderstanding, but of course, I am in the wrong and have erred by not having them in here with us, please forgive my error.” he stuttered and pleaded for your forgiveness.  

“Then if you truly wish for my forgiveness and to me stay and for peace in your realm and for me to not burn your palace down to the ground with you and your obviously oh so precious sons in it and only save the women of your family- you will apologize to them, right now for not including them and not counting them just as worthy, important or precious as your sons and even more so because without them you would not be in existance or I will never see your face or the faces of anyone from your line ever again after I save the women in your family and hand them over to my cousins of Amazon and you will know the wrath of Babylon from this day until your dying breath.” You threatened as smoke and soot soon began to collect in the ceiling before he went over to the wall and bowed down to it and apologized profusely to all of his wives and daughters for excluding them and begged for their forgiveness and proclaimed them all worthy all honor and glory which appeased you. Most of his sons however were doing their best to hide their own outrage that you made their father, the sultan do such a thing, the second of his sons that caught your eye looking at you as if he would love nothing more than to kill you where you stood while the other simply smiled at you proudly.

“All of you apologize too.” You demanded as your face twisted into an angry snarl before the sultan ordered for his sons to join him in apologizing to the rest of the family as they reluctantly obeyed their father and followed his example and you could tell that their apologies were for your benefit and were not heartfelt at all except for the youngest and the one who had first caught your eye, they were genuine at least. But they were apologies. So you simply took it with grace and let your anger cool and cast a spell to fix the carpet that you burned and allowed yourself to be taken to your room for the night. Your bed for the night was not nearly as comfortable as your own and you simply took out the bed from your satchel and put it over the bed and only then were you lulled into sleep because now the bed was to your liking.

In the morning, you requested to meet only with the women of the Sultan’s family to make your time in the house fair to everyone and his many wives, concubines and daughters to bless them. You were shown to the royal house of women where the harem resided. You did not wear makeup or jewelry other than your body chain, you dressed simply to make yourself as approachable as possible.

All the women were eager to meet you, the most powerful woman they would ever meet who had the power to order the sultan himself around and to bend him to your will. You spent the day hanging out with them holding their babies and little ones and all their pets, blessing all of them, solving conflicts between the women to bring about peace and harmony within the harem and educating them and making sure they were all in good health, again healing all those with ailments and imparting as much wisdom and advice as you could as you really impressed upon them that they were as precious as sisters to you and you told them that you were going to champion for them to make sure they and all their daughters and their granddaughters would be treated better and that if the Sultan would not agree to this, you would personally take them to the city of women, the city of your cousins so that they would be treated like the precious beings they were and that they deserved men who adored them, dignified them, treasured them and revered and respected them the way you were. To this, they seemed very honored and thanked you many many times before they brought a book to you, they themselves could not read the language written in the book since it was foreign to them but to you, it was written in your mother tongue, a language that you learned was in fact quite ancient to them. A language only a handful of people could speak much less read.

It was a book of prophecy, one that their father had consulted before answering your mother’s call. In it, you were depicted as a half demon, that your soul could be saved if only you were persuaded to lead an army back to your mother’s tree and wage war against your own mother and defeat her and then the gem in your own chest would turn into that of white diamond with hues of every color and you yourself would become a new person- ‘the chosen bride’ that you would rule over the world from a throne of the first city which would rise from the ground and become established and brought back to memory since that too had been lost to time and you would break the cycle that you were born into, you would free all the sons in the tree of your mother and her line and they themselves would be true brothers to you and would help establish your own rule, the badness and evil in the tree itself defeated and the true forest of the tree being able to seen by the whole world instead of being hoarded by your mother and yourself and your servents, the fountain of youth under the cesspool would be able to be made available to the whole world and the cesspool itself would dry up and cease to exist and would never come back into existence ever again and that you yourself would cure every disease and every plight and plague. And instead of dying ugly and alone, you would be forever even more beautiful than you already were and adored the world over and would bring world peace and bring balance to the world because the love of your life, who was the son of a god- the one called Alpha and Omega who the wives and concubines of the very rulers who your own mother gave sons to, gave them sons and daughters too and it was your mother’s sons and the sons of the Alpha and Omega who were in conflict over all the kingdoms and empires of the world- the chosen son was named Yeshua but also could be understood as Yehoshua,  himself from the other side of the world, who had a gemstone in his own chest, the size equal to the one in your chest that of an alexandrite, the color of your eyes but who’s eyes were the color of the gemstone in your own chest, a midnight blue sapphire. And together you would break the cursed cycle you were both born into of serving the ruling classes of the earth and would bring an end to it all and no longer feed off of death, but instead be satisfied with life and never grow hungry and the world itself would not know hunger either for food and what satisfied all would be in overabundance.

You were both thrilled and terrified to read it. You wondered if your mother knew of this prophecy. You also knew that if she was, she would hide this from you because this would threaten her and her fate for you. You took your blessing to copy any book you found that piqued your interest and got a copy of it, by smacking the face of it and another copy fell from the bottom of the book and compared the two to make sure they matched up perfectly before you told them to put the original back to where the sultan kept it and to keep the fact that you had seen the book and had made a copy- a secret they had to take to their graves to which they all agreed and vowed.

You didn’t know what to do with the book though, not trusting that if you put it in your satchel that you would be able to retrieve it ever again before you were given a second satchel to keep the book in which you accepted gratefully. That evening all the women in the house were invited for the evening meal which was also another feast and this time there were more dignitaries that came from far and wide to see you, the one true daughter of Babylon and that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see you with their own eyes instead having to go half way around the world to see you or your mother and thankfully the Sultan had warned them that you insisted on meeting the women of their family too so you took keen delight in meeting them all, especially with the other women and daughters of such ones, again, bestowing blessings on them all and at the feast, you insisted that you eat it with the women, the sultanas and queens and empresses and the like sitting at your table. As you asked them in hushed words about this ‘Alpha and Omega’ and they all excitedly confirmed that such a man existed and that all their sons by him also had gems in their chests just like the gems your mother’s sons had so now you didn’t know if you saw another man with a gem in his chest if he was your brother or if he was the son of this Alpha and Omega. This complicated things because the son himself would not know if he was the son of your mother or not because he could not remember her and the women always gave birth to their sons back in their ruler’s house so that the ruler felt he was the father and the gemstones would not be visible to him just like the gemstones of the sons of your mother went unseen by all other women but to you, you could see the gemstones as clear as day but you didn’t know how to be able to distinguish them and gave you worrisome fears. Part of you longed to meet this Yeshua and part of you hoped he was perhaps meant to be your daughter’s mate, maybe this prophecy wasn’t for you and your mother, maybe it was for your daughter? You hoped so.

Once again, you looked out over the all of the party that had gathered as you realized, there were over a dozen Yeshua’s here. The Sultan’s eldest son was even named Yeshua, the one who had caught your eye while the second one was named Yehoshua who had also caught your eye. But they were all clothed, you couldn’t tell if they had gems in their chests or not. But because of the candle light, you knew alexandrite looked like ruby in candlelight. So even if you could see their chests, you wouldn’t be able to see who had a ruby or alexandrite. This was become a battle of gems. A battle between the Alpha and Omega and Babylon the Great for who would ultimately rule the world. 

[cooperjones2020]

Second City, chp. 9

Summary: Sometimes she worries she’s settling — for a smaller job, a smaller city, a smaller life than she’d promised herself — but that was before she found out Jughead Jones lives in Chicago. That was before she found out the final secret of Jason Blossom’s murder.

ao3–>http://archiveofourown.org/works/11409360/chapters/26199753

Second City one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight (ao3)

Nobodies Nobody Knows one / two / three / four / five (ao3)

In which Betty finds out where the bodies are buried

It’s almost impressive how the universe has decided to screw with her. It’s also just sick. She realizes, looking at the date stamp on the printout, that it has been 12 years to the day since Jughead left her, one year and seventeen days after Jason’s death.

She feels him enter the room behind her. And (she might be imagining it, but) she feels the air pressure change when he realizes what she’s holding.

“Betty—”

“What is this, Jughead?”

She turns and he’s leaning against the doorway, wearing only the towel from earlier wrapped around his waist. His arms are crossed so tightly the tattoo on his chest bulges and she can see all the veins in his forearms.

“Security footage.” She glares at him and he sighs, his whole body sagging, before scrubbing his hands over his face.

“You remember the tape?”

“Of fucking course I remember the tape.”

“Well it didn’t show…all of it. Hal was there.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

She tosses all the photos but the one back onto the desk and moves to push past him, but he grabs her arm. “Where are you going?”

“To get dressed.”

“What?” For just a second, he squeezes her wrist so tightly it hurts. Then he drops it like a hot coal.

“You are going to tell me what this is. But I’m not talking about it while we’re both practically naked.”

She rushes to the kitchen and shoves her jeans back on her body, dropping her bra in the tote still sitting on a chair. When she returns, Jughead’s bedroom door is closed, so she sits on the couch and pulls her hair up into a tight little ponytail on the top of her head.

When he comes back out, he drops his beanie on the coffee table and sits in the armchair to her right. He pulls a comb out of his pocket and proceeds to brush his hair. He does all this while staring at the wall over her shoulder.

She waits silently. Eventually he lets out a deep exhale and stands, throwing the comb down on top of the beanie. He disappears down the hallway and comes back with two mugs, a chemex, and an electric kettle. He leaves and returns with spoons, a jug of milk, and a roll of paper towels.

She lets him fiddle with his props a while. When he’s folded a paper towel into a square and set a steaming mug of coffee—prepared the way she still likes it, only with milk—on top, she lays the photo down on the coffee table between them and says, “What was he doing there, Jughead?”

“I don't know. I've been trying to find out.”

She thinks of the laptop, the notebook, the manuscript. “And you were what? Going to write about it?”

Out of the swirling vortex of emotions her mind is currently unable to process, anger emerges and she clings to it like a buoy. Except for the moment he grabbed her wrist, he has been so calm. She wants a rise out of him. She wants some indication he’s feeling even an iota of what she does. This situation is so unbearably familiar.

“Yes! No. I don’t know.” His hand clenches around the handle of his mug. She watches the tendons pop out then fade again. “I’ve definitely thought about writing about it.”

“And you weren’t going to tell me?” The look he gives her would be funny if they were in any circumstances but the current ones.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we haven’t exactly been on speaking terms the past dozen years.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Your father’s!”

“What?” Anger gives way to an anxiety that bubbles in her stomach and claws its way up her esophagus. For the first time in a long time, she has difficulty keeping her hands from balling into fists. She snatches up the paper towel Jughead had placed her coffee cup on and commences shredding it into smaller and smaller pieces.

“I’ve been trying to find out what he was doing there—what he knew—since it happened and—”

“What do you mean since it happened?”

He looks confused at her interruption. “Oh. No, not it as in Jason. It as in us. Since my dad’s trial. Do you remember Viper? He started bartending at the Wyrm the fall after we broke up. Told me there was another camera that Keller fucking missed. Helped me and the lawyer pull the footage.”

“Wait the lawyer? What about Mary?”

“She couldn’t represent FP. She doesn’t do criminal law and her bar license had lapsed in New York. The Serpents had their own lawyer, anyway.”

“Okay. But why was my dad there? What does this have to do with us?”

“Can we maybe just focus on the Jason Blossom murder plot for now?”

“Fuck no. You’re not wiggling your way out of this anymore. What. Is. It.”

Jughead stares at her for a moment and at first she can’t tell if he’s angry or annoyed or what. She sees his jaw working back and forth. But then she watches the decision to tell her wash over his face. She couldn’t tell you the moment, couldn’t tell you what individual feature change made it happen, but it’s as if a mask he put on in the parking lot of Pop’s twelve years ago finally comes off. Every plane of his face is etched in pain but the flint in his eyes tells her his fury simmers under the surface.

“You know how Southside got out of school a week before Riverdale that year? Well, one day I was hanging around the Wyrm waiting for it to be time to pick you up from school and your dad showed up. He said—” Jughead laughs but the sound is sharp, bitter. “God, I remember it exactly. He said, ‘Your relationship with my daughter has gone on long enough, don’t you think?’” His eyes cut to hers.

“He told you to break up with me? And you listened to him?”

“Actually, he threatened.” A roaring noise fills her ears and she becomes aware that she’s breathing way too fast. Jughead is staring at her as if he’s either expecting her to start crying or to explode. Thankfully, he doesn’t try to touch her. She’s sure if he did she would cry, she wouldn’t be able to stop the panic tears she’s only barely restraining now. He just waits a minute for her to get herself under control, then picks up the photo.

“He WHAT.”

“Well, he did try bribing me first.”

“What the hell did he trying bribing you with?”

“Nothing I wanted. So he showed up again later that summer. I asked you once how far your dad would go to protect Polly. To protect you. And I found out. Betty, he said — he told me he was there, that night, at the Worm. The night Clifford Blossom shot Jason. He said he was willing to testify that FP was an accomplice. That he didn’t just clean it up but that he helped Daddy Blossom plan it. It would have meant fifteen years, Betts.” His voice cracks on her name.

They argue their way around his apartment. In the kitchen, he gets her a glass of ice then turns to wash the dishes they’d just created. When his back is turned, she pulls out a cube and moves to stand next to the trash so it won’t make a mess as it melts. He tells her about finding the video too late. Two months after she’d stopped calling him. He tells her about the night Sheriff Keller brought her dad in for questioning. He tells her her parents own a stake in the Whyte Wyrm. That that’s why Hal said he was there. That Keller bought his story. That Hal smirked and nodded at him as he left the station. Like they were in cahoots. Like they had a deal.

When they leave the kitchen, she moves her bags with them, if only to keep having something to do with her hands. Then she stands outside the bathroom while he replenishes the store of toilet paper under the sink from the closet. While he refills the hand soap, he tells her about FP’s trial. About her dad’s testimony. He tells her and she hates that she’s not surprised she didn’t know any of this was happening.

He leads her back into the spare bedroom. He gets down on his knees while she tries not to stare at the photos she’d tossed so haphazardly across the desk. They seem indecent now. Like crime scene photos. Which they sort of are. Only the crime isn’t just Jason Blossom’s shot and leaking body, it’s this moment and that moment and all the moments in between in which she wondered what she did wrong.

What she did was be born to the wrong parents. And FP paid for it. Jellybean paid for it. Jughead paid for it.

He slides a banker’s box out from under the desk and sits with his legs spread around it as he lifts off the lid. She drops down beside him. He hands her a manila file folder off the top. It’s FP’s record. Tampering with evidence. Obstruction of justice. Mishandling a body. Perjury. Five years.

They’re details she already knows but it’s as if she’s had the outline sketch and now he’s suddenly filled in the color. “You didn’t put any of this in the book.”

“What? No, no I didn’t.”

“That’s a pretty fucking important thing to leave out, don’t you think? You wrote about everything else. You wrote about Clifford Blossom’s suicide. You even put some of the trial stuff in the afterword. You wrote about…” But her voice cracks and she can finally feel the tears coming, so she stops. She blinks quickly to keep them from falling.

“I didn’t want you to find out that way. I didn’t want you to find out at all, but definitely not that way.”

“So you lost your father so I wouldn’t have to lose mine?”

“I was losing him anyway. FP was guilty, Betty. Keller’s a dick but he was right. FP did let the Serpents kidnap Jason. He did tamper with the evidence. Hell, he tried to toss the body. And I knew I’d get him back if I kept my mouth shut. You couldn’t un-know this. I always knew who FP was. I always knew he wasn’t a good guy. If you knew, you’d lose Hal forever.”

“But I still did. Don’t you get it? I still lost him. I’d already lost him. I lost him when he sent away my sister. And I lost you.”

Betty fights to control her voice, her hands, her tears. The whole time, Jughead keeps his head down, looking at the file on her lap. She didn’t need him to protect her from who her parents were.

“I wouldn’t have judged you for picking FP over me, Juggie. I would have told you to.”

“I know that. But I didn’t want you to have to. It wasn’t a choice you could make for me. It—and the guilt—were mine. I couldn’t let you absolve me of them. By the time the trial was over, you hated me. I hated myself. And I had no cell phone and I was being babysat every fucking second of the day. For months I thought of nothing but coming after you and telling you what I’d done. But then when everything kept coming up roses for your dad—If there was even a chance he could come up with some evidence, they could always try FP again. It’d be a new charge. I couldn’t risk calling his bluff.”

“So you let him bully you. You let me believe you didn’t love me anymore. You let me give up on us.”

“What did you want me to do, Elizabeth?”

In some small corner in the back of her mind, Betty has been marvelling at how incredible this conversation is. She can still hear the picnickers on the boulevard outside. Shafts of sunlight and laughter swing between the billowing curtains. But inside, in the shadows of his apartment, Jughead is quietly and methodically dismantling everything she’s known about her life. Except for the occasional cracks, everything has been measured, calm. Now, though, now his anger begins to bleed through.

“You should have told me.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference! I still would have had to choose.”

“But I deserved to know! It would have made a difference to my life. My dad was the guilty one, Jughead.”

“He was your father.”

“He was guilty. How can you stand there and defend him?” Her anger is feeding on his and all she wants is to whip them both into a storm that will purge them of a dozen years of hurt and anger and betrayal and longing. But he’s right. She can’t un-know. And again, he manages to put the lid back on.

“I’m not. God, believe me I’m not. But I have had a bit more time to process this than you. I hate him. I will always hate him. But I can’t blame him for doing everything in his power to protect you, even though he thought he had to protect you from me. I would have done the same.”

She’s suddenly aware that the wooden floor has been digging into her knees. She shifts and draws them up against her, massaging out the lines the floor has cut. Now, though, they both lean against the wall, nearly shoulder to shoulder.

“You were right.”

“What?”

“I told myself it was for your own good. To protect you. That it was inevitable anyway so I was just setting you free. But that wasn’t it. I don’t know if I was more afraid of taking your dad’s offer or rejecting it. It didn’t matter, I was afraid of screwing up. So I let him choose for me.”

It’s what she’s always known, but somehow it hurts more to hear the words aloud. Somehow the explanation hurts more than the excuse.

“But don’t you get it? I had to. I had to do it, Betty. Even if you’d known. If Hal had come after us. Me. If he’d come after FP and you knew—you would have tried to stop it. We would have done stupid things to try to stop it. This wasn’t just breaking into convents and finding abandoned cars. I couldn’t get through it if I had to be worrying about you every second of the day too.”

“And that’s it, isn’t it?” she says quietly. She’s been fighting it off, but the pain swamps her then. It whooshes through her. Concussive. Massive and totalizing in its intensity. She stands and staggers back into the living room.

“What?”

When he follows her, she continues, “You know, there are a million reasons it didn’t work out with Hunter, but one of them was that no matter what I did or what I achieved, he always treated me like I was something fragile, something to be protected. You didn’t. Or I thought you didn’t, but I guess I was wrong. So I just need a minute—” She squeezes her eyes shut and wills herself, once again, not to cry. Not over him. Not where he can see. But it would take more than a minute to fit the broken pieces of her heart back together again.

He remains in the doorway to the spare bedroom, as if the liminal space, somewhere in between knowledge and memory, past and present, truth and fiction, will somehow protect him.

“When I was deciding to call off my engagement, I thought about all the men I’ve loved in my life. Hunter. Archie. My dad. Kevin. Even Reggie and I were pretty close friends at one point. And I realized, even Archie and Hunter, I loved them like I loved Kevin. Like I loved Reggie. I thought maybe the butterflies and the fireworks were just because we were in high school, that real life, that grown up love didn’t look like that. I thought maybe I didn’t get to have it. But that’s not true. What’s true is that apparently I’ve never been in love with anyone since you. And even you didn’t know me well enough or care about me enough to know that I didn’t need you to protect me. I just needed you to be honest with me. To pick me. To trust me. You should have told me.”

“God, Betty.“

“I have to go.”

“What? Betts, no—”

But she’s already out the door.

[talesofzestiria-r]

Script: Elysia, Home of the Seraphim

Part 2 - Elysia, Home of the Seraphim

Download as PDF: click

For the complete list of skits, refer to this post: Skit List

For the overview of the whole script, click here: Script

If you find any mistakes or have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

S = Sorey

M = Mikleo

A = Alisha

Z = Zenrus

(Arrival at Elysia)

M: I'll go report this to Gramps.

S: Guess we can't keep quiet about all this.

M: Coming by afterwards?

S: Yeah.

Hey everyone, got someone to introduce to you!

(All seraphims of the town are gathering, but A can't see them)

S: This is my family living here at the shrine.

A: Is this... Uh... Some kind of perfomance piece?

S: uh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it.

A: You're an odd duck, you know that?

S: I guess?

That's my house. You go ahead and rest. I've got something to take care of.

A: May I have a look around the village?

S: Well, sure. But don't cause trouble!

A: Of course not. I'll behave as if I were in a shrine to the seraphim.

S: Yeah, exactly!

A: I'll try not to make any waves.

S: Oh man. I sure hope Mikleo's chat with Gramps went over well.

(S enters Z's house)

M: And I'll let you hear the rest from Sorey himself.

Z: I reckon I'll have to.

You idiots!

S: Hi Gramps... I'm back.

Z: How could you bring a human into our domain?!

M: Easy, Gramps. Didn't you say you'd listen to Sorey's side of the story too?

Z: That's just what I'm about to do!

You know full well the rules, Sorey. How could you break them like this?

S: I'm sorry Gramps. But I couldn't just leave her there.

Z: Her kind is sure to bring nothing but trouble to our domain!

S: But I'm „her kind“ too, you know.

Z: You were raised aloung with our kind, which nurtured in you the ability to perceive us and converse with us. Normal humans have no such capacity. You should understand that more than anyone else!

S: Well, it is true. She doesn't appear to have any resonance.

M: But Gramps, this is the first time Sorey's ever met a fellow human.

Z: Perhaps. But if she can't see or hear the same things we do, she has no business in this realm.

S & M: …

Z: I have raised both of you as my own since you were but babes, all the while doing my best to protect this land.

S: And for that I am grateful.

Z: And I did that because the time draws near when you will both serve to protect this shrine, just as all the oterhs have done. Our priority is the peace of Elysia. Any intruders, no matter how harmless, must be cast out.

S: Yes...

Z: Then it's time she left.

S: Can we at least give her time to prepare for her depature?

Z: Hmph... Just make it quick.

S: Thank you.

M: Gramps?

Z: I know, I know Mikleo.

He means well, in all things.

But that's the very reason I'm so worried for him.

(S enters his house)

M: Hey.

(M gives S the glove of the Shepherd)

M: Here's that thing I found in the ruins.

S: Oh?

Is this crest what I think it is?

M: Yup. This is the mark of the Shepherd.

S: I knew it!

The chosen one who communicates with the seraphim, controlling their incredible powers as if they were his own...

The „Shepherd“. Hah hah!

M: Sound like your kinda thing?

S: Maybe.

M: I always thought that mankind's savior would actually look a bit more imposing.

S: Be silent, seraph-beast!

M: I shall not.

S: Hmm.

M: Excavated relics aren't play-toys.

S: True.

M: She certainly is taking her time.

S: I'll see what's up.

(S goes outside and meets A)

A: Hmmm...

S: Enjoy yourself?

A: I sure did. But it's weird, I felt like I was being watched the whole time.

(stomach growling)

A: Ah...

S: Shall we eat?

A: I'm sorry. I feel like I'm going to faint!

S: Let's head to my place!

(On the way to the house)

Gosh, I hope we didn't worry him.

A: Hm?

S: Oh, uh... nothing.

Welcome in.

(Both are eating, A seems absentminding)

S: Hey.

A: Hm?

S: So then, what's your hometown like?

A: Well, I'm from the capital, Ladylake, in the Kingdom of Hyland.

S: Ladylake? Like in the legend of the Sacred Blade?

A: You've heard of it?

S: It was in the Celestial Record!

The legend says the Lady of the Lake guards the Sacred Blade, and the one who draws it becomes the Shepherd, right?

A: Yes. It was a lively and bustling town blessed with bountiful water, rich in festivals and fine drink.

S: Wait... „was“?

A: Well, it used to be.

S: Things must be hard for folks in the world below.

A: Below?

S: The land that lies beneath the mountaintops. I've never left home before.

A: You've always lived here by yourself?

Sounds to me like you're the one who's had it rough.

S: Heh heh.

Oh, let me help you get ready for your return trip tomorrow!

You need anything? Bread, rations? Stuff like that?

A: That'd be great! If you have any tools or a sleeping bag, it'd be great too.

S: Gotcha. Well then, first we'll need to do some hunting! I'll be your guide tomorrow.

A: Thank you so much for everything.

(next day, outside of the house)

M: Good morning.

S: Good mornin'.

Seraph: Come on, hurry it up, Mikleo! We ain't got time to mess around!

M: Yeah, I'll leave in a moment.

Gramps gave me all kind of things to take care of. I'm gonna be pretty swamped for a while.

S: Bummer. Well, don't you worry about me at least.

M: Sorey, Gramps only wants--

S: Yeah, I know.

Seraphim: Mikleo!

M: Maybe later.

S: Sure.

(To A) Good morning! You sleep okay?

A: Yeah, like a log! Been ages since I've done that.

S: Allright then. Shall we?

The prickleboars lurk to the left of the entry gate. It's an ideal hunting place.

A: Got it.

→ Skit/ Discovery Point: Elysalark Fledglings

S: Oh hey! There's no baby elysalarks in the nest anymore. I remember when one of 'em fell from the nest, I was gonna keep it and raise it, but Gramps wouldn't let me.

„A kept bird will never learn to fly“, he said. „Put it back.“

Guess you made it out of the nest on your own, huh?

→ Skit/ Discovery Point: The Elysian Goat

A: Such robust horns... Just like the dragons of legend.

S: Hahaha! What, like in fairy tales? You're something else.

A: Don't go near it! There's no telling how dangerous untamed beasts like those are.

S: Aw, don't worry, we're friends! Uh, well mostly. They did kick me four or five times when I was little.

A: You're... „friends“?

S: Yup! Sometimes they give me milk, and I make cheese and yogurt with everyone.

A: The mark of true friendship.

S: Yeah, it's the best!

(Seeing a monster)

S: There's a prickleboar.

A: So that's one, huh.

S: Their meat is easy to preserve when smoked, and super tasty! And the skin has all kind of uses too.

A: I almost feel sorry for it.

S: Wanna leave?

A: No. My spirit is prepared. Besides, I can't get this sort of experience back home!

S: Okay. Here we go!

S: hey, pretty smooth moves!

A: Thank you. You're rather capable yourself.

S: Okay! Guess we need a few more.

A: I don't see any around.

S: You'll find them if you look.

S: Hey, how far is it to Ladylake?

A: Let's see. I expect about to or three days.

S: Really? I had no idea it was so close!

A: But the forest at the base of the mountain is surprisingly easy to get lost in.

S: Must be the power of Gramps domain.

→ Skit: Battling the Prickleboars

A: Sorey, your sword technique is... eclectic.

Which school are you from?

S: Which school?

A: Yes. Isn't there a name signifying the style? Your swordmaster's name, perhaps.

S: Hmmmm.... I guess mine would have to be the „prickleboar school“!

A: Prickleboar school?

S: For me, it was food. For prickleboars, it was survival. Everyday, me and them, a neverending life-or-deat struggle.

A: You really are a child of nature, aren't you.

S: But it was those days that taught me how to fight.

There's no better teacher—no more exacting taskmaster—than the humble prickleboar!

A: Thus, prickleboar school.

S: You got it!

But I guess I should say „tuskmaster“.

A: Heh.

(Inside the house)

A: Sorey?

S: Oh, did I wake you? Sorry 'bout that.

A: You're sure into that book, aren't you.

S: I've read it countless times since my childhood.

A: One day, I want to explore ruins all over the world.

Everyone who's read the Celestial Record says that, and I'm no exception.

But sadly, now is not the time for some jaunt around the world.

For several years now, the world has been plunged into a nigh-incomprehensible state of chaos.

S: Chaos?

A: Mysterious illnesses, incessant storms, people bursting into flames...

There are those that say even the dead have begun to walk the earth again.

S: Woah, hang on. What are you talking about?

A: You don't believe me? Or you think this is a joke?

S: No, I...

A: The situation is beyond grave.

S: Huh?

A: The chaos has caused abnormal climate changes all over the world.

As a result, we are on the verge of endureing widespread crop death, famine, and starvation.And worst of all are the rumors of governments planning to replenish their dwindling resources through war. It mustn't come to that.

S: Can nothing be done?

A: Who knows. There's nothing to hang onto but legends.

S: Which is why you---

Nevermind. I won't ask.

I think I'm gonna just hit the hay here myself. Sleep well.

(next day)

A: Good morning.

S: Good morning! You ready to get to work? We gotta make those rations and bags from the prickleboars we hunted yesterday.

A: You got it.

S: Heh heh. Afraid it isn't exactly super fun, though!

A: Well, let me know when you're ready to start.

So, what do you need me to do?

(all things are sewn)

A: Sorry for putting you to work like this.

S: Oh, I'm pretty used to it.

A: With your help, I'll be able to leave tomorrow. Thanks so much.

S: Yeah? Great. Well, better rest up for tomorrow.

I ought to let Gramps know.

(S outside, alone)

S: Wish I'd asked her more about the world below.

(S in Z's house)

S: Hey, Gramps. She says she's leaving tomorrow.

Z: I see. We'll all be sure to see her off. After all, one must always be hospitable to one's guests.

S: Thanks!

(next day, entry of Elysia)

A: I really owe you. Thank you so much.

S: You gonna be okay by yourself?

A: I cannot cause more trouble for you than I already have.

S: I see.

(A sighs)

S: You'll be fine. Just follow that map and you'll get through the forest with no problems.

A: Oh, it's not that. I believe you.

Alisha.

S: Huh?

A: That's my name. Alisha Diphda.

S: Alisha?

A: You didn't even know who I was, and you helped me without asking anything in return.

Whereas I thought only of myself, leaving you without even a name by which to call me... As a knight, I am ashamed. Please find it in your heart to forgive me.

S: I-it's okay.

A: I must confess something to you.

S: Hm?

A: I know this sounds strange, but I believe that the seraphim really do exist.

The myths and legends that are preserved in the Celestial Record must be more than mere fairy tales.

S: Yeah.

A: This crisis that has befallen our world...

I believe that only the one spoken of in the ancient legends can truly restore order.

S: The Shepherd you mean.

A: You're not going to ridicule me? Everyone back in town does.

S: Of course not.

A: You're a real saint, you know that?

The Sacred Blad Festival is soon to commence in Ladylake.

A trial will be held based on the legend of the Shepherd's sword.

A trial I think you might be interested in.

S: Me?

A: Time to go.

But please, give it some serious thought when you have the time.

S: How come?

A: The Shepherd I see in my mind when I read the legends...

I have to say, he reminds me a lot of you.

S: …

(M gives S a dagger)

S: What's this?

M: Gramps asked me to go out search the ruins and find some clues about that girl. I've been down there looking.

S: So wait, this is Alisha's?

M: This is the crest of Hyland.

I don't think this „Alisha“ is any ordinary knight.

Z: I know this is diffucult for you, but it really is for the best.

M: Gramps?

Z: Hmm... Someone has infiltrated my domain.

Blast and damnation! Hiding your presence, are you? Crafty bugger!

Everyone, be warned! There is an intruder in our realm! Find them!

They've concealed their presence, so chance are good it's a hellion! Search with extreme caution!

S: We'll go, too.

Z: Very well. If it is a hellion, quick measures must be taken. I'm counting on you.

Seraphim: I have a hunch we'll find it around the forest.

S: Good idea.

(In the ruins)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!

(Lunarre (L) eats Mason (Seraphim))

S: Mason?!

L: How odd. I didn't expect to find anything but the main course here...

But now there's two more side dishes!

M: What on earth is this thing? Is this the hellion?

This is not the place for one such as you! Leave at once!

L: Hee hee hee heee!

Impudent brat.

I can smell the fear wafting off of you. Thos tender arms, trying to conceal their shivers...

(L steckt S in Brand, M löscht) (L sets S on fire, M extinguishes)

S: Urgh!

M: Sorey!

L: Mmm, aren't you a succulent treat.

M: What?!

L: Did I stutter?

I'm saying I'm going to eat you!

S: As if! I can take you! Prepare to meet your doom, hellion!

(after the fight)

M: All talk, aren't you.

S: Still haven't had enough yet?

M: Begone!

(L eats Mason completely)

S: Ah!

M: Mason!

S: He... He ate Mason!

M: Is... Is this what hellions are capable of?

(Z and all other seraphim of the town appear)

Z: Away with you, evil being!

Seraphim: Or you wanna take us all on at once?

L: Hmph. I shouldn't be snacking anyway. Not when the main course is getting away.

(L is gone)

S: Mason...

(Everyone is shocked)

Z: We can handle the rest.

M: Gramps. That fox-looking thing... Was that really a hellion?

They can talk to us?

Z: Yes. That's the form of a human who has become a hellion. Corrupted, essentially.

S: Humans can become hellions?

Z: Now, it's time you went back home and rest.

M: We should. C'mon... Let's head back.

S: Right.

(S and M are out of hearing distance)

Z: So... It begins anew.

(House of S)

S: … What on earth did it come here to do?

(Backflash)

L: How odd. I didn't expect to find anything but the main course here...

Not when the main course is getting away.

S: Wait a minute. Was it going after... her?

(Backflash end, S packs his things and wants to leave Elysia)

S: They'll probably freak out with me gone suddenly...

Sorry, everyone!

(S looks back)

Okay.

M: Oh?

S: Woah, Mikleo! Why are you here?

M: Thought I'd let you duck out of here?

S: Well...

M: I'm going too.

S: Seriously?

M: We can talk more while we travel. We don't have time.

But from what the fox man said, it's fair to assume that he's after Alisha.

S: You picked up on that too, huh?

M: Of course. Now, let's hurry.

S: Hey.

M: What? What's gotten into you all of a sudden?

S: I'm just really happy you came with me!

M: I couldn't let you navigate the world of humans alone. Not as guileless as you are.

S: I bet Gramps is mad though.

M: He was ready for it, in a way. He knew you'd leave someday.

S: Hey, I'm just stepping out for a bit, I'll see him again.

M: Gramps has always known.

That once you left, you'd live the rest of your days with humans.

(M gives S the pipe from Z)

S: Is this from Gramps?

M: We'll need money to get by in human society. He said to sell that if we're ever in a bind.

And there's a message for you as well.

„Walk the path you believe in and live your life to the fullest, and I know you will not go astray.“

That's what he said.

(S hugs the pipe)

S: Let's go!

(M and S see the outside world for the first time)

M: Incredible!

By themselves, people are such frail things. That is why, in times of calamity, they pray for a Shepherd to save them.

S: Woah! This is really it! This is our world!

The era later known as the „Age of Chaos“ gave birth to a new Shepherd. This... Is his story.

[heathertruitt]

Organifi Review: all your superfoods in one glass

Organifi superfood powder is a greens drink packed with energy-boosting ingredients to give everyday a healthy kick start.

All ingredients are totally natural and organic, which is why it’s popular with those who have an ethical attitude towards taking care of their health.

This Organifi review intends to assess this green juice and it’s capabilities in greater detail.

Attention Organifi readers: Click here for our #1 rated green drink

Benefits

Organifi is packed with eleven key ingredients, it provides your body with a whole host of vitamins and minerals to help you feel great fast.

The green juice contains ingredients chosen for their rich nutritional content leading to many health benefits. These include improving your skin, removing toxins from the body, and aiding digestion.

Other benefits of Organifi are shown below:

Stress Reducing

Everyone is affected by stress at some point in their lives. When we feel under intense pressure our inner response kicks in and causes the body to release more of the hormone cortisol into the bloodstream.

In certain circumstances stress can actually be beneficial – as it sharpens your concentration and helps you meet challenges. However, if it becomes a regular occurance it can cause health problems.  

Symptoms of stress include: headaches, increased heart rate, lethargy, or sleep and digestive issues. (1)

In fact chronic (long term) stress is actually linked to the top six causes of death: cancer, fatal accidents, heart disease, breathing conditions, liver damage and suicide. (2)

Ingredients in Organifi help to create a sense of calm and reduce stress in our daily lives.

Mental Energiser

Sufficient energy levels don’t just impact on tiredness. They also impact upon your mental capacity.

The term “brain fog” is basically fatigue of the mind.

It causes issues like: forgetfulness, difficulties thinking clearly, lack of concentration and bad judgement. (3)

The nutritious ingredients included in Organifi, lifts your mental and physical energy levels. This helps you to improve mood, concentration and all important brain power naturally.

Immune Support

Our immune system provides our body with resistance to infection and toxins. We can all feel a bit under the weather at times and because our immune system has taken a hit.

When our immune system is low it’s unable to protect our bodies and fight infections as it should. This is when we are far more prone to catching infections and it can also make us feel tired and lethargic.(4)

Many factors affect our immune system such as: stress, poor sleep, not getting enough protein in our diets and also ageing.

Organifi is loaded with powerful superfoods which are full of vitamins and nutrients to help boost your immune system and keep it in tip top condition.

Ingredients

Organifi contains eleven naturally powerful ingredients, here’s the science behind them:.

Chlorella

Chlorella has superfood status for a number of reasons. It’s an algae grown in freshwater conditions.

This aquatic plant is a very rich source of protein, omega-3, iron, zinc and vitamin A.

It has the ability to remove pollutants from the body. In fact studies show it can deplete toxins generated from lead exposure, although this was in mice. (5)

Chlorella can help to promote healthier, smoother & more youthful looking skin.

Other talents recorded by this superfood include: weight control, boosting immunity and cancer prevention.

Moringa

A tree native to India, moringa is known for its powerful metabolism boosting properties.

It can also aid weight loss and is rich in antioxidants to help detoxify your body.

Moringa can also help to lower blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol.(6)

It’s packed with a variety of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, iron and magnesium.(7)

Spirulina

This is an marine plant growing in both fresh and saltwater, it’s is often referred to as blue-green algae.

Spirulina contains high levels of  protein, vitamins B1, B2 & B3, copper, iron, magnesium & potassium.

It also contains small amounts of pretty much every other nutrient our bodies need. This means gram for gram Spirulina could well be the most nutritious food on the entire planet.

It’s also low in fat (about 1 gram per tablespoon) and contains all the essential amino acids that we need.

Spirulina has many other health benefits, including strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.(8)

It has the ability to lower blood sugar and blood pressure. Studies have also shown that it could help to build muscle strength and endurance while working out.(9)

Mint

Mint is also very rich in nutrients such as: fiber, vitamin A, iron, manganese & folate as well as being high in antioxidants.

It’s used to aid digestion and ease IBS symptoms.

Studies have shown that peppermint oil in particular can speed up the rate that food moves through our stomachs relieving any digestive issues.

Other benefits include relieving nausea and alleviating bad breath, mint contains antibacterial elements, (10)

Red Beet

A popular root vegetable is packed with essential vitamins, minerals and plant compounds – some which have medicinal properties.

Beetroot is low in fat but high in vitamins and minerals including: vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus & iron.

This vegetable can help lower blood pressure due to a high concentration of nitrates. Nitrates are converted to nitric oxide in our bodies which widens blood vessels and causes blood pressure to drop.

Studies have shown that it can also improve athletic performance as it enhances the performance of mitochondria – which produces energy in our cells.(11)

It can also help to fight inflammation, improve digestive health and aid weight loss. Additionally it may also have some anti-cancer properties.(12)

Matcha Green Tea

Like traditional green tea, matcha comes from the camellia sinensis plant but it is grown differently and had a unique nutrient profile.

Matcha contains nutrients from the entire tea leaf, which gives it higher amounts of caffeine and antioxidants than usually found in green tea.

Matcha is not only naturally high in antioxidants but it also has many other benefits.

Matcha green tea contains a component called l-theanine which regulates electrical activity in the brain. This has been shown to help reduce stress levels and aid relaxation. (13)

It can also help to protect the liver, as well as your heart and speeds up metabolism. This can also aid weight loss and boost fat burning. (14)

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice with powerful anti-inflammatory and potent antioxidant properties.

It’s has been used for centuries as part of Indian culture yet this golden spice has a vast array of benefits towards health.

Turmeric has an active ingredient called circumin which displays anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. It’s also used for it’s benefits against depression.(15)

Curcumin can also improve mental function and help prevent brain diseases.(16)

As well as lowering the risks of heart disease it can also help to prevent (and possibly even treat) cancer.

Lemon

Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C & fiber. It can help to support weight loss, digestive health, relieve nausea and prevent kidney stones.(17)

The citric acid in lemon increases urine pH & volume helping to stop kidney stones from forming.

Vitamin C also helps your body to absorb as much iron from the food we eat.

Coconut Water

Coconut water is the juice from the middle of a young, green coconut. As the coconut ripens some of the juice remains whilst the rest ripens into the solid white coconut flesh.

There are a number of valuable nutrients in coconut water, such as: fiber, protein, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium.(18)

Coconut water is beneficial to our health in a number of ways. It can reduce blood pressure, has antioxidant properties and improves risk of diabetes.

It is also a perfect beverage to rehydrate your body and replenish electrolytes lost during exercise.

Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass comes from the sprouted leaves of the wheat plant, it’s high in nutrients and antioxidants making a great addition to your daily diet.

It contains high amounts of vitamins A, C & E as well as iron, magnesium, calcium and amino acids.

Research has shown that it can help to reduce cholesterol, promote weight loss and could even help to kill cancerous cells.(19)

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a herb used for thousands of years as an alternative medicine to relieve stress.(20)

It’s provides your body with the benefits of lowering blood sugar levels.

An increase in concentration levels and a boost in brain function are other known traits. (21)

It is know as an adaptogen. This means it has the power to help your body manage stress and reduce symptoms of anxiety or depression.

Side Effects

Organifi claims there are no known side effects with their products as they only use high quality organic ingredients.

As with any new diet or supplement, it is recommended to consult your doctor first before purchasing especially if you have any health conditions that may react with the ingredients in Organifi.

Dosage

Organifi recommend taking half a rounded tablespoon of the green juice powder every morning.

It can be taken just mixed in a glass of water or blended in your favourite smoothie or juice. Alternatively it can be blended with milk or a dairy free alternative to make a healthy milkshake.

FAQ

What is Organifi?

Organifi is a powerful organic dietary supplement designed to boost energy, curb cravings & improve your overall health.

How to take Organifi?

The directions are as follows: take half a tablespoon of powder mixed with water or an alternative drink of your choice first thing in the morning.

Who should use Organifi?

Anyone wanting to improve their overall health. It’s suitable for both adult men & women providing you don’t have any health conditions that may react with any of the ingredients.

How much does Organifi cost?

Organifi green juice is around $60 a bottle which contains 30 servings (1 month supply) However prices do vary depending on where purchased.

Is Organifi legal?

Yes it is completely legal and uses only organic ingredients.

Is Organifi safe?

Yes. Organifi claims there are no known side effects with their products as they only use high quality organic ingredients.

Where to buy Organifi?

Organifi can be purchased directly from the official website. However it is also available through online sites such as amazon.

Does Organifi really work?

As with any supplement it’s not going to work for everyone. However, Organifi does contain some powerful natural ingredients which will have a positive effect on your health if taken correctly and regularly.

Are there any Organifi alternatives?

Athletic Greens. You can also see our #1 rated greens drink here.

Summary

After taking onboard all the facts about this product, it’s clear it contains some very nutritional ingredients which are also natural and 100 percent organic.

Breaking down each ingredient really shows the health benefits each element brings to the table. When these are combined together I have no doubt that they will benefit anyone who tries this.

As with all supplements it’s not going to be suitable for everyone, but if nothing else I’m sure it will put a little extra spring in your step.

Attention Organifi readers: Click here for our #1 rated green drink

https://bodynutrition.org/organifi/

https://bodynutritionorg.wordpress.com/2018/07/12/organifi-review-all-your-superfoods-in-one-glass/

[allen-vc]

Health, Vitality, and Courage

During the dark years that followed my diving accident, I deviated from my wholesome eating habits. This deviation was partly due to my limited control over my diet, as I lived in a hospital or a group home. It was also due to my reduced health-consciousness. Largely disgusted with life, I was proportionally hedonistic and suicidal. I sought consolation in gustatory pleasure at the risk of undermining my health. To be more precise, I often overindulged my fondness for fatty and savory foods or sweet ones, with the result that I gained weight and lost my edge-- that is, part of my vitality. This loss was ominous. It took a wealth of vitality to accept and overcome the difficulty of attaining happiness. The more I was devitalized and consequently weak, the more I was likely to be daunted by this difficulty.

Devitalization was the worst form of impoverishment. In a state of weakness, it was tempting to deny that happiness was possible or worth the effort and choose the easy option: idleness and carelessness or death. I never gave in to this morbid temptation, but my overindulgence in fatty and savory foods or sweet ones caused my vitality to lessen and my depression to worsen, thereby reinforcing my hedonistic and suicidal tendencies. I had entered a vicious circle, or rather a downward spiral that led to hell.

Fortunately, before it was too late, I became disgusted with my way of life, as opposed to life itself. I was less a victim of circumstances than a fool who brought about his own misery, on account of his negative attitude and self-destructive behavior. I began my uphill journey to wisdom and health.

Health is the basis for every human achievement, even when it is poor, in which case it provides a lot less vitality and longevity than when it is good. I pledged to do everything possible to be healthy to maximize my potential to live and love.

In fact, health is not just a matter of vitality and longevity; it is also a matter of sanity. A sound mind is a complement to a sound body. Furthermore, the one is dependent on the other. This dependence had dawned on me with dazzling clarity a few months after I had moved into my apartment and improved my diet. By then I had studied many health books. They had helped me define and meet my nutritional requirements much more wisely.

My body needed a balanced and moderate amount of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, and vitamins to function well. Correlatively, the foods containing these nutrients had to be properly chewed to aid digestion and absorption (this did not apply to fiber: a type of carbohydrate that the body can neither digest nor absorb). Proper chewing reduces foods to mush and proportionally increases the effect of the digestive juices on them or the availability of the nutrients that are ready for absorption. I thoroughly performed this simple chore, at the center of life.

Tip: If you want to live a happy life, always consume honey from honey I mean real and organic honey, also if you want to lose weight, you can also go here and check garlic and honey for weight loss

To start with, carbohydrates are simple or complex sugars that I generally obtained from fruit, honey, milk products, beets, rutabagas, potatoes, legumes (beans, lentils, or peas), nuts, seeds, whole grains, and the bread, cereal, or pasta made from these grains. Simple sugars and digestible complex sugars serve as an energy source and participate in the synthesis of DNA and RNA molecules: the genetic information and the genetic messengers that enable the organism to regenerate and reproduce. 

Indigestible complex sugars, better known as dietary fiber, are capable of promoting the elimination of waste through the intestine. Refined foods are depleted of this fiber, without which constipation is a predictable outcome that bodes ill. Except on festive occasions, I resolutely avoided them.

Lipids include two main subdivisions: saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated fats (with a phosphoric component in some of them-- i.e., in phospholipids versus triglycerides that are pure fats) and cholesterol, which is a singular fatty compound. Like simple sugars and digestible complex sugars, saturated fats and monounsaturated fats serve as an energy source. In addition, they contribute to the integrity of the body tissues. Polyunsaturated fats and cholesterol also contribute to this integrity and are used for a variety of vital functions involving the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, and immune systems.

A distinctive feature of polyunsaturated fats is their instability. When exposed to heat, light, or air, such as in processing, intense cooking, or prolonged everyday use, they can suffer damage and become harmful. In view of this fact, I was careful to eat the foods that contained them-- for example, walnuts and seeds, and the oil extracted from either-- in their most natural (unprocessed and if possible uncooked) form and fresh (unspoiled) state. When cooking was necessary, as in the case of fish or tofu, which numbered among these foods, I resorted to steaming or baking in preference to frying and proceeded with caution, while avoiding the pitfall of undercooking. I applied the same basic principles to the foods that contained monounsaturated fats, like peanuts, almonds, olives, and avocado, and the oil extracted from any of them, though these fats are less unstable than their polyunsaturated counterparts. As for cholesterol, found exclusively in animal products, and saturated fats, found mostly in land animal products, they have a reputation for causing arterial blockage and organ dysfunction if consumed without restraint. I limited my intake of them by following a largely vegetarian diet where animal flesh was the exception, not the rule. Actually, I exercised restraint in my consumption of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats as well. The opposite, like any lack of moderation, is a health hazard.

Now for proteins. They are various macromolecules that comprise a large number of amino acids (nitrogenous molecules that occur in twenty-two different forms). In the course of digestion, these macromolecules are broken down into these molecular components, which act thereafter as raw material or building blocks to produce new molecules or new macromolecules (polypeptides, smaller than proteins, or proteins) that suit our physiological needs in many areas: the metabolism, the blood, the mucous membranes, the skin and the tendons, the muscles, plus the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. These molecular components act so if the body has enough carbohydrates and fats to satisfy its energy requirements. Otherwise, they are stripped of their nitrogenous part and mobilized into satisfying these requirements. This constitutes a waste of precious amino acids and a burden to the kidneys, in charge of eliminating the free nitrogenous part after the liver has transformed it into urea. As it happened, my main sources of protein-- namely, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and the bread, cereal, or pasta made from these grains, together with milk products and eggs-- were also rich in carbohydrates or fats. Here the fats that mattered were saturated or monounsaturated, whereas the polyunsaturated ones were not a favorable means of satisfying my energy requirements, given the many other important roles they played.

Lastly, minerals and vitamins are a group of some thirty substances that complement carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. A deficiency in one of them can hamper a bodily function and jeopardize in so doing the health of an individual. Collectively, as precursors or components of useful agents, or as useful agents themselves, they assist in numerous processes: vision, nerve impulses and neurotransmission, muscle contraction, digestion and absorption, regulation of blood sugar and of the metabolic rate, respiration, energy production, regeneration and reproduction, formation and maintenance of bones and teeth, coagulation, protection against free radicals (noxious atoms or molecules), and immunity. My usual sources of carbohydrates, lipids, and protein already supplied me with minerals and vitamins, all the more since they were unrefined. Refining is a terrible refinement that depletes fibers and nutrients in foods. Nevertheless, to make sure I got enough minerals and vitamins, I rounded off these usual sources with additional vegetables: carrots, radishes, cauliflower, red cabbage, green vegetables, leafy or non-leafy, garlic, and onions. I drank plenty of water to boot, though not during or immediately after meals lest I interfere with my digestion by flooding my stomach. Drinking water typically contains a minute quantity of minerals. Much more importantly, it has the ability to replenish the bodily fluids and cleanse the system of undesirable substances.

The best thing about my improved diet was that in a few months my state of mind had taken a turn for the better in a big way. Never before had I thought so clearly and felt so enterprising. I was brimming with vitality and soon became immersed in the writing of my book on "vital efficiency." It appeared I was a lot more capable of rationalizing and embracing the challenge of leading a fulfilling life, because I was a lot more alive. My energy level had risen dramatically. I could sleep three hours, rest another two hours, and go about my business for the remaining nineteen hours. In conjunction with this rise, my morale was unusually high. Circumstances alone could not account for this boost. My relationship with my girlfriend (an extremely kind and gentle, and rather pretty nurse) was in the doldrums and on the brink of termination. My new apartment, on the other hand, was a significant improvement; but what changed for the better during the few months in question was primarily the condition of my body, which impacted my state of mind. I was vibrant with health, notwithstanding I still experienced bladder problems that somewhat weakened me on occasion. This health was both physical and mental. I had a vigorous and joyous sense of purpose that kept me going and especially writing.

In the effort to be healthy, a reasonable diet is not everything. Fresh air and regular exercise ought to form part of this effort. There are two types of exercise; both require stretching, before and after, plus warmup and cooldown periods, to avoid injuries.

The first type of exercise is anaerobic, not dependent on the intake of oxygen. An example of anaerobic exercise is weightlifting. Done frequently, in vigorous workouts, it strengthens muscles and bones. The second and most beneficial type of exercise is aerobic, dependent on the intake of oxygen. An example of aerobic exercise is jogging. Done every day or a few times a week, for at least fifteen minutes (enough to markedly and sustainedly increase the activity of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, responsible for delivering oxygen to the body tissues), it yields numerous health benefits. Besides strengthening muscles and bones, it raises endurance, improves the handling of stress, promotes good mood, boosts the immune function, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, and helps to prevent obesity together with disorders like diabetes and hypertension that often accompany this condition. In a nutshell, fresh air and regular exercise are important aspects of a wholesome lifestyle. They result in someone being stronger, feeling better, and probably living longer.

[campbellhugh]

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Unfortunately, like most of the much wanted height in a matter of genetics, there are the routines that will make you taller quickly.Every short woman wants to grow 2 - 4 more inches, so that they can aid you to finish your veggies as a limiting factor.They carry the weight your body grows stronger through exercise, thorough training in addition to these growing taller demand.For those of less than 8 glasses a day, every day food menu contain?

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