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writerfromtheshore · 3 years

Text

MorbuVir-04: A Bionicle Coronavirus Story

Brander picked through the remaining pieces of his forge. He realistically knew he wouldn’t find much, but a part of him hoped for anything salvageable within the wreck. He was going to have to start over— but to have some pile of tools, scraps, anything really would help him better set up anew.

Around him, other Ta-Matoran dug through other parts of the building, looking for anything salvageable underneath the tons of protodermic bricks and rubble. Kapura picked tediously, while Keahi and a few others dug through other points of the collapsed building.

“Time to move on,” said the Matoran heading the scavenging party. Picking themselves up off the rubble, they climbed to the ground to regroup. A salvage cart stood nearby, a small pile of things they had found resting within it. The remnants of his previous Ta-Metru forge had completely collapsed in on itself. Brander thought they would have come up with more, but the damage to the old forge was considerable.

“This is not bad,” said Keahi to Brander as they walked. The director of the scavengers lead back to their work center, hoping to get back before the changing of the shift.

“I would still like more,” Brander replied. “It is going to be hard to know what I still need to set up anew.”

“Toa Lhikan will defeat the Morbuzahk soon,” assured Keahi. “and you will be back in a forge before you know it, and it will be like this never happened.”

“Let’s hustle!” said the head Matoran. The two broke off their conversation there and marched forward with him, back to the heart of Ta-Metru.

However the sounds of scavenging still rang from the pile. Junk slipped and fell, bricks shifted. The director looked around in annoyance. “I thought I said let’s—“ he began to bark. His voice died in his throat though. His eyes lit up in horror at what he saw.

The rest of the Matoran turned to see what was paralyzing the head scavenger, only to wish they hadn’t. The pile of rubble was shifting, giving way as something from below pushed through. The pile fell wayside as something slithered out of it. Small bits of metal and brick caught onto it and dropped to the ground as one, two, up to half a dozen dark green and brown tentacles emerged from the ground.

“Morbuzahk!” called Keahi. “Run!”

Even though they had no audio receptors, the vines seemed to snap at the sound of their name. They shot in the direction of the Matoran, reaching for the little legs of the foragers as they tried to run away.

Blasts of energy cut the vines short. Vahki Nuurahk swept down from the skies, launching a steady stream of energy bolts from their staffs and Kanoka blasts. The vines recoiled upon being struck with the energy, and writhed as multiple Kanoka powers rippled through its form. The squad of Vahki enforcers had been waiting on the outskirts of the ruins to overwatch the Matoran as they worked, and waited silently for something to happen. Now this was their chance to hop into action.

The vines writhed in the air before slamming themselves down on the pavement. The mini bioquakes the tremors produced shook the group of Matoran, throwing them on their backs. Picking themselves up, they continued to run.

The ground began to crack around them. The Ta-Matoran yelled in horror as they saw more vines burst out of the ground. Readying their Kanoka launchers, Brander and the others fired discs of their own. However, they misfired, and the vines, sensing their prey, dodged the discs and made a straight shot for the scavengers.

Brander found himself pinned, the vine having wrapped itself around him like a Doom Viper. Like his brothers around him, he struggled and squirmed as the Morbuzahk dragged them away from the Vahki. The enforcers had noticed the second group of vines, but were too busy fighting the group by the ruins of Brander’s forge to be any help. Brander look around, straining his muscles as he fought to free himself…

The vine went limp, and suddenly he was running again. Another Nuurahk had sliced down on the vine, severing it from its other limbs. More Vahki had done the same for the other Ta-Matoran, and were now peppering either party of vines relentlessly with bouts of energy. Brander, Keahi, Kapura and the rest watched the battle with a mix of fear and awe.

It took some time, but soon the vines were either severed or retreating. The area grew still with the threat defeated. Brander and the others breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, grateful for the breath in their lungs. That moment was quickly gone however, as the Vahki all swarmed upon the Ta-Matoran, taking scans and chirping amongst themselves.

Brander looked down as the light of the Nuurahk scanned his body. His arm was damaged, he saw. The Morbuzahk had squeezed him so tightly that it had collapsed the armor. More than that, the muscle was exposed and swollen, and there was something on there that he could not identify. Not dirt, but some green-blue spore seemed to be spotting all over the exposed muscle. Worry began to flood him as he began to look for other damages in his armor. First his forge gone, now his arm busted! How could Mata Nui send him through such punishment?

Apparently he was the only one whom had received such damage. The Nuurahk led the others back their homes in Ta-Metru, while one picked him up and began to fly him elsewhere.

***

The scope of the Ga-Matoran’s Akaku looked over the muscle in his arm. Brander waited impatiently as she carved various notes on the tablet she carried, sharing none of them with the Ta-Matoran. The dented armor and injured forearm was something Brander could easily repair himself; the spores on his arm however were something that needed to be answered, and the sooner the better.

“What are they?” he finally said.

“The Morbuzahk has touched you, hasn’t it,” said the doctor. Brander nodded.

“I have seen several cases of this,” said the doctor. “These vines that are creeping through the city… every Matoran they have touched have come to me with these spores. We are still studying what it is and what the effects are, but the vines have left these spores on every Matoran they have come in contact with.”

“What do the spores do?” asked Brander, nervousness running through his system.

“Nothing fatal,” said the doctor, giving a smile. “Rest assured that this will not kill you. However, it will plague you a bit. Some have reported a burning. Some have reported the need to scratch our muscular tissues… I believe the term for it is ‘itching’.”

“Neither of those sound good,” Brander said. “I need to get rid of this, sister. Doctor. Please.”

“Cold seems to be an effective way to combat this,” said the Ga-Matoran. “What I want you to do is go to a private bath here in Ga-Metru. The Vahki Bordahk have set up a station in the northeast sector for just this purpose. Show them the insignia I will give you and they will see to it that you have a cleansing bath. Other than that, try not to itch and take it easy on the arm. If you work the arm too much it will inflame these spores.”

Brander looked at her. Not use his arms, his hands? He needed to get a forge back up and running. He needed to get back to his duty. How could he not do his job?

***

Brander fumbled as he strapped on his tool belt with a struggle. Even though he could still use the isolator cast equipment— which he and many of the Ta-Matoran were calling an “ice” cast— it was about as maneuverable as a Po-Matoran carving field.

Brander was so occupied with the securing of his tool belt that he did not notice the Vahki standing outside of his door until he bumped right into it. “Oh! G-Good morning, Vahki Nuurahk!” he cried. “I swore I was running on time, I am heading to work, it’s just this belt won’t go on—“

“Matoran unit designation ‘Brander’,” said the Vahki. This enforcer, a delegation model, had specifically been given speech protocols. Two backup Vahki stood behind it. Brander swallowed as he acknowledged his designation. “Your recent travel logs have shown your visits to Ga-Matoran doctors. There you have been diagnosed with recent Morbuzahk infection.”

The Vahki said nothing more, simply handing him a tablet.

Citizen Brander,

You have been recently diagnosed with a new infection. This infection’s origins, the Morbuzahk, are a largely unstudied case. The recent spread of spore infections from Morbuzahk plant life have cause alarm in your district.

Due to the spread of this Morbuzahk spore infection, we are requiring all documented infected cases to quarantine for a minimum of two weeks. This is to isolate the infection and prevent further spread of sickness within your district. We apologize for the inconvenience, but it is for the safety of the Metru.

Thank you for your compliance

Yours in Duty,

Turaga Dume and health board of Metru Nui.

Quarantine.

The word jumped from the letter out at the Ta-Matoran. His plans for the day, his work…

“I am in discussions about acquiring a new forge!” he protested to the Vahki. “I can’t miss an appointment I have today! I am not feeling sick, I am fine! I promise!”

The Vahki he addressed shook its head, while the backups glowered menacingly. One of the backup’s Staff of Command crackled to life.

“You have made your point,” Brander agreed. “I can stay home for a few days.”

***

The day went. Brander watched it from the behind the window looking out from his home. He had sent a messenger to alert any future appointments of his condition, and now he was sitting in his home ridden with anxiety. The city of Ta-Metru, and the larger Metru Nui, was a rapid pace environment. If you missed a day of work, you missed a lot of what was going on. Because he could not make the appointment to secure a new forge, the land could be instead developed into a factory outpost, a warehouse… a number of things. He would have to accept his losses, but it would take some time to process.

Brander looked around at his home. He could do some work here— draft designs for tools and send messages— but that was about it. Most of what he needed was at his forge…that he did not have anymore.

He frowned as he looked around his hut. This was going to be a long two weeks.

***

Thrill coursed through Brander’s mind as he walked the streets of Ta-Metru for the first time in a fortnight. He walked through the sights of the factories, the smell of smoke and metal, feeling the heat of the district around him… he must have looked like a tourist, but he did not care. He was just glad to be outside of the four walls of his home. He had spent days in there, awaiting the day he could get back to furthering his work. He was ready to get out there and back into the business of the Metru.

And yet… Ta-Metru did not seem that busy. There were carts and airships on their way to places, yes, and the sound of clanging metal came from some of nearby forges… but silence hung heavy in the long moments between those sounds. It seemed as if the district were emptier. This was how he imagined another district might feel— maybe Po-Metru or one of the industrial sections of Ga-Metru— but not the heart of the Ta-Metru forge district.

“Long time no see, hammer head,” came a voice. Brander whirled to see Keahi strolling down the street. Brander smiled, offering his fist to clank with Keahi. The Ta-Matoran grimaced, simply nodding.

“No offense, but I don’t think that is a good idea,” Keahi told him. Brander frowned, confused. “You have clearly missed a lot during your quarantine.”

“I am headed to a follow up appointment at a Ga-Metru doctor,” said Brander. “Fill me in on the way to the chute station?”

Brander reeled as he thought about what Keahi had told him. The Morbuzahk was gone, but this virus it had spread was turning into something far worse. From the sound of it more Matoran were going into quarantine by the day. Brander had sent out messages in his isolation, but there were many Matoran whose houses were dark and had not been heard from. To add to that, Toa Lhikan had gone missing, there were rumors of Dark Hunters being spotted in the city…

“If you want some good news though,” Keahi said, trying to make light of the scenario. “Vakama hasn’t been heard or seen lately— last anyone heard of him he was on urgent business weeks ago to Ga-Metru. His forge has been vacant. I am sure that the Vahki wouldn’t mind if you started working from there.”

Brander’s eyebrows raised. He liked the sound of that. Vakama had a state-of-the-art mask making forge. While Brander was not as learned in all of the tools the premier mask maker might have, he was sure he could make his way around.

***

“It hasn’t spread,” said Brander as doctor inspected his arm. “The itching stopped.”

The doctor nodded. “But it hasn’t gone away.”

“It hasn’t spread either though,” Brander reminded the Ga-Matoran. She said nothing for a moment, then peeked again at the flesh under his armor.

“I am approving you for work release,” the doctor said. “You can go back to forging, but I would like you to apply ice to it every morning before work, and every evening after you arrive home.”

Brander thanked the doctor for her time, already thinking of Vakama’s forge calling his name.

***

A few weeks later

The mask of Turaga Dume appeared on displays all over the city. Matoran paused in their work, Brander included, to pay attention to what their leader had to say.

“Matoran of Metru Nui. You are required to gather at the Coliseum,” Dume’s voice boomed through every telescreen. His voice echoed throughout every Metru. He smiled for a moment before the broadcast ended and the screen went blank.

Brander stood with his hammer in hand in what once was Vakama’s forge, having paused to listen to the city-wide message. The Turaga’s words echoed in his mind. This was an executive order, a message to all of the Matoran in Metru Nui. But was it safe to gather together, the Ta-Matoran wondered, even with this virus spreading so easily amongst them?

The knock of the Vahki on the door answered that question. Setting his hammer down, Brander turned low the flame on the forge and went to meet the Turaga’s summons.

Masses of Ta-Matoran filled the streets as they seemingly obediently made their way towards the Coliseum. Brander followed the crowd filing towards the city’s center, keeping his doubts of the safety of this to himself.

Vahki stood posted along the walkways near the entrance of the Coliseum, their audio receptors eavesdropping on the Matoran whom made their way through. Some chatted innocently to each other, catching up with their seldom seen friends, while others murmured about their concerns.

“Something’s going on,” one Matoran insisted. Others nodded in agreement. Why else would the Turaga ask them to gather so hastily? they supposed.

“What could it be though?” asked another worker. Had the Dark Hunters been caught? Or was it something else happening in the city that had caused the summons?

One of the robotic guardians chirped, its staff crackling menacingly with energy. Any further speculation would have to wait, the Matoran knew, until they were seated in the stands and safe from the Vahki.

Although there were still large groups of Matoran filing in, Brander could not help but think that the stadium seating of the Coliseum felt empty. Many Matoran were reported to have been taken by the Morbuzahk, its vines having grabbed citizens in the streets and dragged them off to the unknown places.

Brander had thought that the rumors had been exaggerated… but looking at the gaps in the upper levels of the stadium seating, he was beginning to wonder if word spread were actually true.

Brander’s attention was diverted to the floor of the arena, where swarms of vehicles crawled into view. Vahki were seen in the pilot seats, with a few Matoran accomplices guiding them on the arena floor. These vehicles had been seen throughout the city in recent weeks, but no details had come out about what they really were. The Ta-Matoran supposed that this was the big reveal.

“Faithful citizens,” rang the voice of Dume from atop his position on the Coliseum tower. He had clearly not brought the Matoran together for an akinili match. “Our city has been plagued with misfortune for a number of months now. We have experienced the disappearance of our beloved Toa Lhikan and the rest of the Toa Mangai. We have been plagued by the the Morbuzahk and its disease spread amongst you, our citizens. We have been harassed by the six imposters calling themselves Toa, but battling our Vahki in disastrous battles that have damaged our streets.”

The events have caused tensions in each of your neighborhood. They have caused battle and destruction in your streets. They have brought fear into your recent history.”

Agreement in the form of murmurs waved through the crowd of the gathered Metruans.

“However, we gather to rejoice!” exclaimed the Turaga of Fire from his position on the Coliseum tower. “For today will be a momentous climax to your history.”

The numerous vehicles had filled the hexagonal tiled floor of the Coliseum. Vahki pilots and Matoran assistants were now bringing out silver pods from the vehicles, placing them on the ground. Many of the crowd patrons recognized them— just like the vehicles, these odd spheres had been sighted around the city without any explanation as to what they were or what they did.

“The Vahki enforcers have worked strong and hard to protect you,” Dume continued. “The scientists of our esteemed staff, your neighbors and friends, have been working tirelessly in labs and foundries helping combat this virus the Morbuzahk has brought upon our city. Today I gather you all to announce that a cure has been found!”

Applause rippled through the stadium, Brander himself clapping in celebration. Around him, others were on their feet, shouting with joy. Had it really happened? He wanted to hear more of what the Turaga had to say.

Once the hollering and celebrating calmed down, Dume resumed his speech, going into details about the cure. The entire population of Metru Nui would receive it today, and in two week’s time, this virus plaguing the city would be just a memory.

The telescreens cut away from Turaga Dume, refocusing on a group of Matoran at the floor of the Coliseum. One of the spheres was in the frame with them, a door opened on it. Several diagrams cut in to the presentation as the Matoran explained how the spheres work and what they would do. A Vahki would open one and the door would slide down. The citizens would climb into the pods and close the door, they explained, and the Matoran would go into a brief stasis for a few days. The mechanics in the pod would emit a wavelength ray that would course through the Matoran occupants, which would nullify the virus if it were within their system. After that, the Matoran would be in stasis for a few days while their body absorbed the medicine that was being called the cure.

As the presentation concluded, Dume thanked the Matoran orators, as well as some of the scientists whom had developed the cure. While he did so, the thunderous cheer that had gone through the crowd earlier subsided into murmurs as some of the skeptics—mostly claustrophobic Le-Matoran— questioning this. If they were all in stasis, Metru Nui would grind to a halt for a time. Who would work the city in their absence? What would happen to the Great Spirit Mata Nui if they were all under and away from their stations?

“Test subjects have undergone this procedure, and they will be waking up within the day to resume their work,” Dume reassured those questioning. “With the assistance of the Vahki the city will be maintained while you are undergoing treatment.”

Most of the skeptics had been swayed at this point, and it was time to get the Matoran into the stadium center. Vahki appeared amongst the crowd of Matoran, beginning to usher the citizens in an orderly towards the pods.

“It is important that you cooperate with the Vahki enforcers,” Dume’s voice rolled over the crowd.

Brander found himself going along with the crowd, watching the endless stream of fellow Matoran ahead as they made their way into the arena. Many people within earshot could be heard chattering away at how excited they were for this, at how much of a relief it was. Brander said nothing aloud, merely thinking to himself as he went along in line.

A cure had been found! He should be ecstatic.

Then why didn’t he? Having already experienced the virus, he thought his body might be partially immune now. What would this cure do if he had already been through the virus? Would it work and make him stronger because of what he had been through, or would it take away all that his body had experienced? He comprehended everything that the Matoran presenters had explained but at the end of the day he was a crafter. He did not understand this.

It still didn’t stop him from worrying.

After an eternity of thinking about it, Brander found himself at the front of the crowd. The silver spheres were ahead. Beyond them, the stadium seats almost glowed white in their emptiness, and the tower of the Coliseum reached higher above than he could fathom. Brander observed the Matoran assistants helping their brothers and sisters into the pods and then closing the door. One watching could see the pod shut, and through the little window on the door the occupant’s eyes go dark as they went into stasis-like sleep. Two Vahki came to load the pod onto one of their vehicles, while another two came to set a pod down for the next Matoran.

He wondered what would happen if he could refuse going in the pods, but Vahki monitoring on the far edge of the crowd made him feel as if he was better off not asking.

Maybe after a few days his worries would wash away, and he could return to crafting without the concerns of the virus taking up his mind. After all, it was only a few days of this stasis.

He climbed into the pod, taking the assistance of the Matoran helper. It was small in the pod. The sphere was barely big enough for him to stand in without his mask touching the ceiling. Brander had enough room to wiggle around, but he could not spread himself like he could on his sleeping pallet at home.

The Matoran assistant nodded to him as they grabbed the latch and hoisted the door up. Brander breathed in deeply and took one look at the crowd of Matoran still waiting in line before he closed his eyes. Sleep overcame him.

As he relaxed, he began to drift off into what would be not a few days stasis but an endless slumber. His worries, and the rest of his memories, were from then on no more.

____________________

It never really made sense why the Matoran so willingly got into the capsule balls in Legends of Metru Nui. Plus there was never really any fallout with the Morbuzahk and the Matoran population-- it was just a bad guy for the Toa Metru to defeat. Plants in the real world such as poison ivy infect humans who touch it, so why can't the Morbuzahk give something to the Matoran? I took two problems and figured what I thought was a solution.

I could have written more about the life of a quarantined Matoran, but honestly I didn't want or care to. I was more concerned with overlapping the main beat, so sorry if this seems a little bare bones.

Last note: Not trying to make any vaccination agendas or anti vax or any political statement of any kind. I just wanted to write a piece that creatively blended real life with fantasy.

#bionicle #writing #contemporary #half baked?#covid #coronavirus #Legends of Metru Nui

8 notes · View notes

sillyfudgemonkeys · 4 years

Note

Was reading your response to the Okumura Ryuji/Morgana fight, and the way the person worded Ryuji's character made me wanna ask... Do you think a bad fanbase is a fair reason to dislike a character? I've heard people say things like "no look at the character too", but... For example, I'm very neutral on Ryuji. When he's good, hes SO GOOD, EXCELLENT BOY, but Ann is my favorite girl. Guess who he pervs on exclusively and is rude to all the time? I've never seen his fans talk about (1/2 sorry)

His rude behavior, or his pervy tendencies, or his more selfish desires regarding the PT. That's fine!! Not everyone wants to constantly talk about bad things their fave has done!!! But people referring to him as a "woman respecting king" so insistently rubs me the wrong way, since he treats Ann Like That. That, and (more personal) i remember making a post/ask thing once about my grievances with Ryuji, esp his perv stuff, and the fans that interacted very aggressively denied his behavior (2/3)

And it even turned into a big discourse on the blog I submitted it to (it was that one confession blog). All the people that responded and just tried moving the arguments to "well Yusuke did this-" or even tried to push blame on Ann "she was asking for it" just kinda cemented my already growing dislike for Ryuji. Super sorry this is so long!!! Final question: is a bad fanbase a fair reason for disliking a character? (3/3)

Don’t say sorry about multiple sent asks, I don’t mind kfdsjla;fja As for the answer, I want to say yes and no, but really it’s just “yes with a side note attached.” Yeah, it’s ok to not like a char because of their fans, but I think it’s as long as you know why you dislike the char beyond the fans (well tbh, imo it’s usually the crazy fans so I think stans is a better word, but even then there’s diff stans). And tbh, I....can’t....think of a character I don’t like that the fandom/fanbase does....but I know nothing about the char all the while (closest and most recent example this....is....I know people dislike that grey haired moe blob on twitter even tho I don’t think they watched the show, and while I’m not a fan of the moeblobness I don’t know anything about the char so I’m personally not upset). I can only name chars I don’t like because of what happens in the text, fandom be damned (but sometimes they don’t help). Which is why it’s a yes with a side note. If you don’t like the char despite not knowing them.....probably get to know the char first even if your impression is clouded by the fandom....at least you gave the char a chance.

Under cut cause length (first few sentences in the first paragraph under the cut/tldr at the end gives you the answer a bit more in depth, the rest is rants related to that and why I get frustrated in a similar sense too, but yeah sorry if I repeat myself, I kinda jumped all over + my tendency to try to nail a point home I feel like might’ve had me repeat a bit more than usual akslfjdakfjaf):

I say this because.....it’s hard....it’s hard to keep them separated, unless you completely isolate yourself from the fandom (which is basically impossible if you wanna keep up with news, even the comment section is part of the fandom tbh...and you might be looking down their for diff reasons). And then.....well...the big reason....sometimes seeing the fans really highlights the reasons you dislike the char. That’s what happened to me and Makoto, specifically cause of....a certain fan (and buddy if you happen to see this, nothing against you, no bad blood, def won’t mention your name I respect you and the debates we had)....AND TO THE TUMBLR READERS WHO GET NERVOUS: It wasn’t on this website in case anyone is freaking out so if you’re thinking “Oh god it’s me” it is most likely not you (tho I think we do know each other on here cause of usernames/saw each other in passing but we def aren’t mutuals last time I checked), and while I do respect that person.......my god did they highlight the reasons I had issues with P5 and Makoto. Ironically in trying to defend her and show off her good sides, I realized the writing issues more and more and her bad sides became more glaring. It turned my frustrating dislike and attempt to try to work out my issues with her and P5 (ironically “working out” in hindsight would’ve been me....denying and refusing to look at P5′s flaws) into....well......the salt factory you know today. (same thing happens with like......Yukari and Junpei fans too tbh...that’s more recent tho, it feels like they are just downplaying their negatives constantly and I’m not about that). Basically, you probably have issues already, they are just more pronounced now.

As for “look at the character”....you kinda already are doing that, and that’s probably where your existing issues originated from (tho if someone wants a more in depth reason as to why, while you DON’T OWE them an explanation, it is also hard for someone to understand your feelings and reasons if you don’t try to explain).

As for Ryu, yea, I getcha, I like the guy, I’m neutral positive on him....was my best bro but he’s 2nd best thanks to post-Kamo writing. I like him because of his positives, but I always keep his negs in mind because. Cause like while I agree with the fans IT MAKES NO SENSE! P5′S WRITING IS BAD! it happened, same as I agree that Anne kicking Ryu’s ass, along with the other girls, is shitty. Hate the scene, and I accept that it happen (low key gonna start some kinda 2nd wave war with this bs cause the fandom be like that, but I’m really surprised no one took Anne smacking Ryu behind the neck cause he was being too loud as super offensive and abuse.......it’s def something a friend might do, not like belting him just a tap, and it’s framed as chill and also as warning him to reign in the volume control, but high key surprised no one has tried to cancel her cause of that). BUT that DOESN’T mean it erases all the creepy stuff he’s done. Is he the goodest boi when he’s being good? The best. Is he always a good boi? No, he def is not. And hearing that he is can be frustrating to people that do see his flaws (cause they are there). And like....you are 100% able to like a character despite and because of their flaws, while also accepting they have those flaws. I do it with Yosuke, Ryuji (for the most part), Teddie, Shinji, Ken, Kanji (when he’s not around Naoto, then he’s in a trash can for me), P1/2 casts, Aigis, Mitsuru, as long as the flaws are within reason and are treated pretty well....then I’m ok with it. (again, Kanji/Ryu have moments when I’m like....NOPE! but when they aren’t doing the bad thing I’m cool with them). As long as the flaws are withing reason (aka they aren’t making a jerk person out to be the person in the right, or the writing is trying to sweep what they did under the rug, or trying to force us into empathizing with them despite what they did while also trying ot sacrifice empathy towards another char.....*cough*Makoto/Yukari/Junpei*cough* if the writing isn’t doing that...... I’m probs neutral to pos on them).

Like I’m fine if they are criticizing the writing and being like “Him doing this makes no sense cause it conflicts with the good boi we’ve already seen!” That’s a-ok! Not only do you recognize your char has flaws, you also are able to identify issues with the writing. But saying “so I’ll choose to ignore that scene” isn’t....ok. Because sadly it did happen, as contradictory it did happen. AU it all you want, but you have to accept it happened outside of that AU. Like, I don’t like the Mika conflict in Anne’s CoOp, by which I don’t like how it went down (100% fine with Mika, and there being conflict with her). How it the whole thing started doesn’t make sense if you put MainStory!Anne in her CoOp. MS!Anne can read the room and other people’s emotions (only other person capable of that is Haru, or at least with Mona), hell she was so good at it she noticed something was up with Shiho without Shiho telling her about it! The issue was the fact Anne’s not a mind reader and could only assume the issue Shiho was going through that Anne was aware of (and that was her spot on the team). Now MS!Anne is not like Yosuke, she doesn’t put her foot in her mouth. She’s not like Naoto who can’t read the room. She’s not super eloquent, but can empathize and when she can interact with people she can do it pretty well. So why the hell does she basically not think before talking and insult Mika? Sure Anne’s not GREAT at school, but she’s not a moron, she can talk to people. But her CoOp makes her a moron all around, 100% airhead, and that’s how her issues with Mika start, by not thinking before talking and accidentally insulting her via blatantly “not caring” about the job to a full time person......it’s stupid, it makes no sense, I hate it. But it’s there, the flaw might not be present in the main story, but for the all around character (cause CoOps are included) it is now and I just have to deal with it. We can bitch about it all day (and trust me I will) but it happened. Basically never frame it as “it didn’t happen,” but instead “It SHOULDN’T HAVE happened.” One is denial, the other is critiquing the text.

Anyway my rant aside, yeah I hate it when...well Ren/Ryu/Yusuke (no one’s said Mona yet, cause....well yeah...which is good they haven’t labeled him as it yet tho), are labeled as “drinking respect women juice” and I’m like “I have one to a few women who would disagree.” I know some people will argue Goro is drinking it, and imo he’s not....he’s just eating the “I don’t discriminate sandwich” which is different. And yeah the “But Yusuke-” yeah yeah we’ll get to him, but right now we’re talking about RYUJI. I’m not a fan of derailing a topic *war flashbacks* *shivers* anyway. But yeah I remember that debate, I was probably one who was like “We’ll get to Yusuke but right now we’re talking about Ryuji” and pushing the blame onto Anne is disgusting and Kamo Arc!Ryuji would be very upset. >:( (btw high key I think I was the first one who started the first anti-makoto war wave with me saying “yeah Anne shouldn’t have apologized Makoto started it and blah blah she was an ass” not the exact words but basically just calling her out on her shitty behavior cause the game certainly didn’t......tho as Miley Cyrus would say.....”I didn’t mean to start a waaaaaar~!” I actually wrote my first Persona Problems on that topic.......but it got lost in the drafts....my photo examples kept getting messed up which is bad considering the whole post really relied on them....I should try to dig it up tbh....)

Tldr/short answer: Yeah, you probably already have issues with the char to begin with tbh, and the fanbase can highlight those issues more. It’s also hard to escape the fanbase (I see stuff I don’t wanna see despite trying my hardest to avoid certain circles, it just happens).

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glrlwlthluv · 5 years

Text

Everything Has Changed // Zabdiel De Jesús

hey y’all, i’m sorry this took so long to update. dealing with school and now working for a bit, fills my time up but i will try and update as much as i possibly can but enjoy :)

word count: 12.4k+

|| prev. ; next ||

*RING* *RING* *RING*

You hear your phone ringing, feeling like it had been going on for the millionth time tonight. You open your eyes slowly and notice your room was still dark, indicating that it was the middle of the night. You look towards your nightstand where your phone sat and thankfully, it stops ringing. You decide to lay back down and try to relax, wanting sleep to take over your body. Not even five minutes into laying back down, you hear your phone going off. This time, it wasn’t someone calling your phone, but someone texting you over and over again. You groan and lift up your hands to your face with frustration, all you want to do was sleep and someone wasn't letting you. You sit up and reach over to turn on your lamp on your nightstand next to your bed and reach for your phone. You rub the sleep out of your eyes and look at your phone to see that it was full of missed calls and texts.

23 missed calls from Zabdiel

10 texts from Richard

14 missed calls from Christopher

34 texts from Zabdiel

You groan and look up to read the time on your phone.

3:15 AM

You close your eyes and groan loudly, slightly hoping it wasn't loud enough for the neighbors to hear. All you want to do right now is throw your phone across the room so you could sleep in silence, but now, you were fully awake and irritated. As you were about to unlock your phone to see what was happening, your phone started to ring, someone was calling you. You open your eyes and look down at your phone to see that Richard was calling, you answer the phone with an irritated tone in your voice.

Y/n: Richard, it’s 3 in the FUCKING morning! WHAT THE FUCK is important at this time because I'm trying to FUCKING sleep in peace but I CAN’T. All because of you spamming my phone with texts and calls. So, you better have a good damn excuse or else I'm coming there later today to whoop your ass, I SWEAR.

Richard: Y/n shut the fuck UP! You already know Chris and I wouldn’t be spamming your phone if it wasn’t important. I’m cutting to the chase before you interrupt me because this is urgent, but Zabdiel is out at the bar down the street from your apartment. He called us, inviting Chris and me down there with him, but we said no and asked if he needed a ride back. He started yelling like crazy over the phone. We could tell he’d been there a while because you could here the drunkenness in his voice. We asked him where he was and he said he was at the bar so we went. We got there and tried to take him back to the apartment, but he said wanted you to get him because he only wanted you and that you would be the only one who would understand him. We tried taking him out again and he threw a tantrum and almost started a whole scene at the bar so our last resort is you. We know he’d listen to you and you’ll take care of him, he seems like he’s going through something so if you need anything Chris and I are here, but we’re sitting here with him now and he keeps calling out for you.

Your mind fills with worry and as your silent, you can hear Zabdiel in the background calling out your name and asking Richard if that was you on the phone, Richard whispers a yes to him. You can hear rustling on the other end mixed with shouting, hearing clearly that it had to be Richard and Chris.

Zabdiel: Y- Y/n, I- I- I r- really need y- you right n- now. Rich- chard a- and Chr- is a- are t- t- try- ing to t- take me b- back and I- I don’t w- want to. I n- need y- you right n- now Y/n. P- po- por f- fa- favor amor.

You could hear the drunkenness in Zabdiel’s voice, but it was also mixed with sadness. Without hesitation, you got out of bed and walked to your closet to grab a light sweater. You were dressed in grey shorts and one of Zabdiel’s shirts that he left at your place. You forgot that you were still on the phone and talked back to Zabdiel on the other end while you walk out to the kitchen to grab your keys and wallet.

Y/n: I’m on my way Zab okay? Please don’t do anything stupid or start anything because you’re not thinking straight right now. I’m coming okay? I’m here. Give the phone to Richard or Chris so I could let them know okay? I’m coming, don’t worry.

You could hear Zabdiel sighing and rustling, knowing he was handing the phone over to either Richard or Chris. You were now outside your apartment door, locking it as quick as you could and speed walk to the stairs. You open the door to the stairs and made your way down to the ground floor of your apartment complex. You heard Chris’ voice on the other end right when you opened the door to the lobby.

Chris: Hello? Y/n? Are you still there?

Y/n: Hey Chris, I’m heading to my car right now and I'll be there in five to ten minutes. Try and keep Zabdiel away from alcohol right now, don’t let him drink anymore. I can tell something’s definitely wrong with him so I'll take him for the night, you and Rich can head back to your place once I get there. I’ll see you all in a bit.

Before Chris could answer you back, you hang up the phone. You were now walking to your car door. Unlocking the car, you hopped into the driver’s seat and turned your car on. You fasten your seatbelt and start to back out of your parking space, not even letting your car warm up. You could sense something was definitely wrong with Zabdiel. You didn’t know how bad he was hurting or if he was hurting at all. Zabdiel drinks but being on the phone with him, you could tell he had way more than enough and you were now in panic mode.

Once you back out of your parking space, you made your way out of the parking garage and straight to the bar down the street from your place. It wasn’t long until you were pulling into the parking lot of the bar. You took the first parking space you see and park your car there. Trying to rush to get inside, you turn off your car as quick as you could and got out. You look around and notice Richard’s car parked a couple of cars down from yours, confirming they were definitely here. You slam your car door and lock it, with your keys, wallet, and phone in hand. As you walk towards the entrance of the bar, you look down at your phone seeing it was now fifteen minutes to four in the morning and you mentally groan knowing you weren’t going to be able to sleep anymore since the day was almost starting. You reach the bar door and open it, making your way inside. The doors close behind you and you scan the bar, looking for Zabdiel, Richard and Chris.

The smell of alcohol, along with the smell of food being made fills your system. You look to your right and there laid high tables filled with groups of people laughing, having a great time and talking to each other while downing alcohol together. To your left were pool tables laid out for people to play. The lights dangling down from the ceiling illuminating the pool table while people played made you want to stay and play, but you knew you were here for one person and so you look to the middle of the bar. There were tables spread out within the floor with the bar taking up the whole back area behind the tables. You scan the bar for the three boys you were looking for and to no avail, you spotted them sitting at the bar. The last 3 bar stools on the right being taken by Richard, Chris and to no surprise, Zabdiel. From where you were standing, you could see Zabdiel’s drunk state and the two boys trying to comfort him. You made your way over to the boys and Richard had seen you make your way towards them. He nudges Chris and he caught eyes with you while you smiled weakly, tiredness still shown on your face. Chris shook Zabdiel’s arm indicating to him that you were here. Zabdiel was emotional without alcohol and as you grew closer and closer to the lot, you could see the shot glasses lined up one after another. You looked at the boys and they gave you sympathetic looks and then looked at Zabdiel, you knew you’d be in for an emotional roller coaster of a night.

You finally made it to Zabdiel and the boys, you set your hand on Zabdiel’s shoulder and he jumped away from you with an angry and hurtful expression on his face, something you didn’t expect at all. When he realizes it is you, he looks at you for a few seconds and goes wide-eyed. He made his way past you and heads towards what you thought was the bathroom and once he was gone, you turned to the boys with a mixed expression on your face.

“What the fuck? What the fuck happened to him? I’ve never seen him do that to me before, let alone make that face to me.” You say to Chris and Richard, your voice filled with curiosity, anger, and sadness while you try to wrap your mind on how Zabdiel was acting.

“We don’t know. He won’t tell us anything at all. We even tried to talk to him, but every time we did, he would yell and go on and on about how we don’t understand. At the end of every time we tried to talk to him, he always asked for you and we’ve been sitting here for over 3 hours. 3 FUCKING HOURS UGH! We’re sorry to wake you up, but we need you and as you can tell, he definitely needs you too.” Chris says to you and as he finishes talking, Zabdiel reappears behind you and comes around to sit on his original seat at the end of the bar, his head in his hands and you stand at the end of the bar.

You examine his drunken state and try to figure out how drunk he was. You rub Zabdiel’s back and you could tell he was tired, but also broken. The four of you stayed at the bar for another fifteen minutes when Chris and Richard started to get their stuff together and you did the same, helping Zabdiel up. Once you were all situated, the boys paid for Zabdiel without him knowing and once that was taken cared of, you and the boys made your way towards the exit to get into your cars. You unlock your car and Richard opens the door as you help Zabdiel into the passenger seat and buckle him in since he couldn’t do it himself. You close the door and see Richard and Chris behind you. You walk to give them both a hug, you hug Chris first and he thanks you for taking in Zabdiel to take care of him and walks to Richard’s car, hopping into the passenger seat and closes the door. Next is Richard and he gives you a bear hug, holding you for a bit. Something you need right now knowing you’d be in for a long and draining night and day ahead of you.

“I know you’re not feeling the same since that night Y/n and I know tonight will be hard. I just want to remind you that I’m here for you hermana and I always will be. If you need anything at all, call or text me and I’ll be there okay? Remember, you’re not alone and you have me and three other of those dorks you also call brothers but seriously, we love you and we’re all just a phone call and text away.” Richard says as he breaks apart from the hug and kisses you on the forehead. You smile and thank Richard as you make your way to the driver’s side door. Richard hops in the car and starts it. Before you hop inside your car, Richard is already pulling out of the parking lot and as he makes his way out, he and Chris wave goodbye to you and you do the same. You open your car door and sit down, as you close the door, you see Zabdiel knocks out and you laugh but slowly remembering it was almost daylight and he was drunk. You turn on the car and leave the bar, making your way towards your apartment, mentally and physically preparing what was in store for you when you both got there and what would happen once Zabdiel sobered up.

You and Zabdiel arrive back to your apartment garage and you park your car. You looked to Zabdiel in the passenger seat and give him a weak smile. Knowing that he wasn’t looking at you, you took in his features that you loved so much. His eyebrows were furrowed as stirs a bit in his sleep, you looked towards his lips wishing that one day you would be able to feel them against yours. One day. Your weak smile falling slowly from your face reminding you that one day will never come. Your mind went into deep thought as you remember the night that you and Zabdiel were on your couch. Zabdiel was asleep and you were awake, you remember the past events and what you told yourself.

“Maybe we were never meant to be.”

Those seven words repeating itself in the back of your mind. That night was merely three weeks ago and from that point until now, you were okay, but also not okay. You still couldn’t accept the fact that Zabdiel is in love with someone who broke his heart over and over again and he was okay with it. The past three weeks were just days and nights passing you by like it was nothing. You woke up and wanted the day to be over because you didn’t want to feel or deal with your feelings anymore. You felt numb and hurt 24/7 and the feeling never went away. When night came, it was the only time you were happy, but only for a brief moment because it meant you were able to sleep and not be able to feel anything you were feeling when you were awake. You want to be happy and you want to be happy with someone you love, and for that, someone love you back the way you loved them, but you knew that it would never happen. The person you love is sitting next to you, but he loves someone else who didn’t deserve his heart of pure love. It was a constant reminder that his heart belongs to someone else and that person wasn’t you. Zabdiel loves you, but in a way, best friends love each other and you love him in that way as well, but you knew you wanted more and that was never going to happen as long as he was with Gwen. Your mind awakens from its deep thoughts as you hear Zabdiel move around the passenger seat of your car, waking up in his drunken state. You grab your phone and open your messages to text Richard.

Y/n: Hey Rich, I just wanted to let you know Zabdiel and I made it home safe, I hope you did too. I just parked my car and I’m going to bring Zabdiel upstairs to try and see what happened tonight, once I find out what went down, I’ll let you know.

You lock your phone and look towards Zabdiel who was already looking at you. He groans feeling the pain of a headache coming to him and you laugh at him.

“Well good morning to you sleepyhead, how are you feeling?” You ask him with a teasing tone in your voice and he groans while you laugh a bit more at him.

You gather your things and open your door to get out of your car. You close your car door and walk to the passenger side door hold it open for him. You look down at him as he holds his head in his hands.

“C’mon, get up. All you have to do is walk up to my apartment and you can settle down there for the time being. I’ll help you up, don’t worry. You can explain to me whatever caused you to be this way tomorrow.” You reassure him as you reach your hand out for him to take and he did.

You help him out and place him on the side of the door behind the passenger side so you could close his door. Once you close the door, you grab Zabdiel’s arm and throw it over your shoulder so he could have support as you both made your way to your apartment. You make sure you lock your car and you both make your way to the lobby of your apartment. You get to the front of your apartment building and try opening the door, struggling because you were holding Zabdiel up. Luckily, someone had seen you both and opened up the door for you. You make your way in first with Zabdiel trailing close behind as you thank the person who held the door open for the both of you. You both make your way to the elevator and press the up button. As you both wait for the elevator to arrive, you look at Zabdiel and begin to admire him again. It wasn’t a moment later that the elevator bell rang letting you know the elevator arrives and you felt Zabdiel’s body shudder at the sound of the bell. You chuckle as you bring him into the elevator pressing your floor number and watch the doors close. You take the time to realize how much you carried Zabdiel, proud that you haven’t collapsed yet. You hear the elevator bell ring again indicating that you arrived on your floor and you felt Zabdiel shudder again.

“FUCK! That alarm is too loud, MAKE IT STOP!” He exclaims and you laugh loudly at him as you guide him out of the elevator and towards your apartment.

You both walk down the hallways making sure Zabdiel didn’t make a lot of noise to wake your neighbors. You grab your key to unlock your apartment door and bring Zabdiel in before you turn around and close the door, locking it and putting your keys on the counter. You turn around and see Zabdiel leaning on the wall of your hallway by the door and chuckle. You walk over to him and grab his arm again walking him to your room and sit him down on your bed where instead of sitting up, he falls back and groans while he drags his hands across his face and you laugh at him. You walk to your closet and grab a pair of Zabdiel’s shorts and t-shirts he’s left at your place before, he always kept spare clothes here in case he needed them and also because you love wearing his clothes and asked him to leave some so you could wear it when he was gone. You walk back out and throw the clothes at Zabdiel while he was laid out across your bed.

“Change into these and leave your clothes on the floor, I’ll go and wash them with mine tonight. I don’t know what happened tonight but as I said, I won’t bother you about it tonight but when tomorrow comes, I expect to hear what happened Zab. I don’t like seeing you like this, this isn’t the Zabdiel I know. Remember if you need anything, I’ll be outside getting the couch ready. You can sleep in here tonight and I’ll take the couch.” You say to him as you walked towards your door.

You had to create boundaries not only for him but for you. He has a girlfriend now and that meant setting boundaries between the two of you which you hated because all you wanted to do was cuddle with Zabdiel and help him feel better, but you knew you couldn’t now. He now had someone else who can do that for him. Before you were able to walk out, you felt a hand grasp yours. You didn’t notice Zabdiel had gotten up from his spot and you felt like the wind had been knocked out of you as he rubbed his thumb across the top of your hand. You turn around and looked up to Zabdiel, both of you catching and staring into each other's eyes. It lasts for about a couple of seconds before Zabdiel starts talking.

“Y/n, you don’t have to take the couch. This is your home, I should be the one taking the couch, not you. I know you and you’ll protest against me so why don’t we both just sleep in here like we always do? There’s nothing wrong or different now than it was before. We’re best friends first before anything. As I said, I may have a girlfriend, but that doesn’t change anything between us. You mean too much to me for our relationship to change just because someone new comes into my life. You know I love you and I will always be here for you. You’re stuck with me and it’ll be you and me until the end of time.” Zabdiel says as he looks down at you and hugs you. You melt into his arms as the two of you stand there, holding each other in silence.

“By the way, thank you for taking care of me. I know I kept asking for you, I wanted to say that I’m sorry I bothered and dragged you out of your house in the middle of the night. It means a lot to me that you’re here Y/n.” Zabdiel said to you, him still holding you in his arms and you want to cry to let out all of the feelings you had building up inside of you, but you couldn’t.

You let go of Zabdiel and gave him a weak smile. You leave your room to give him privacy to change out of his clothes. You walk towards your kitchen and stood by your counter, not realizing tears had escaped your eyes until a couple hit your kitchen counter. You hate this feeling of how Zabdiel knew the right words to say to you for you to fall in love with him more and harder than you did before if that was even possible. You lean on your counter and let the tears flow out, making sure you weren’t making noise to alarm Zabdiel. You didn’t want him to question you because you knew that you would make up an excuse and he would be able to see through your lie. Your phone started vibrating, catching your attention. You grab a paper towel to wipe off the tears on your face and grabbed your phone off the counter. You look and see you had missed calls from Chris and Richard.

12 missed calls from Richard

7 missed calls from Chris

3 text messages from Chris

5 text messages from Richard

You open Richard’s text messages first before you opened Chris’.

Richard: Hey Y/n, we made it home safely and just wanted to let you know

Richard: Also, thank you again for taking care of Zabdiel tonight. It means a lot to us

Richard: If we find out anything about what happened tonight, I’ll let you know

Richard: So, we just found out what happened and you might want to check it out. It’s all over social media

Richard: I know this is the last thing you want to be dealing with right now. You’ve been through hell these past weeks and this is the last thing you want to hear right now, but just talk to him. We know you’re the only one that could get everything out of him. If you need anything, text or call me and I'll be here for you, buenas noches hermana

A sick feeling starts to arise in the pit of your stomach. You had a feeling of what happened tonight and you didn’t want to deal with it. You sigh, put your phone back down on your counter and walk towards your room. You open up your room door and see Zabdiel fast asleep with his clothes thrown on the floor. You sigh and grab his clothes as quietly as you could, trying not to wake him up in the process. As you walk in and pick up his clothes, you hear Zabdiel stir in your bed and look towards him. He stops and opens his eyes slowly, you take that to get out of your room as quickly, but quietly as you possibly could.

You open the door and before you close it, you hear Zabdiel’s voice calling out your name. Before you realize it, you close the door and rush down towards the kitchen as fast as you could. With Zabdiel’s clothes still in your hand, you grab your phone off the counter and walk towards the laundry room where you start washing your clothes that needed to be washed, along with Zabdiel’s. Once you finish putting them in the wash, you lean on your washer staring down at your phone. You were tempted to see what happened to Zabdiel tonight and what events lead to him ending up in a bar drunk. Your inner thoughts fight each other for a couple of minutes and in the end, temptation gets the best of you. You pick up your phone and go on twitter to see what Richard was talking about. It took some time but you finally found what you were looking for, the headlines not shocking you anymore.

“Zabdiel and Gwen: Trouble In Paradise? Are They Over?”

You look through tweets to see what people were saying and soon enough, you came to an article and decided to read it.

“Zabdiel De Jesús of the Latin band, CNCO, was seen earlier tonight outside of a bar in downtown Miami with his not so ex-girlfriend anymore, Gwen Garcia Leets, or has she become his ex-girlfriend again? These two have been on and off in the past but more recently have gotten back together and have been cozier than ever and have been doing well, or so we thought. Earlier tonight, De Jesús and Leets were seen outside a bar in downtown Miami and seem to be arguing. We don’t know what, but, people who were at the bar and bypassers have said that it had to be something serious and that De Jesús became emotional. As the couple kept arguing, not long later, Leets was seen getting into an uber, leaving De Jesús trying to convince Leets to stay, but in the end, she left. De Jesús went back into the bar where a couple of hours later, De Jesús’ bandmates, Richard Camacho and Christopher Velez Muñoz, made their way into the bar. From that point, we don’t know what happened inside, but a couple more hours later, we see De Jesús’ close friend, Y/N Y/L/N, coming into the bar as well. Not long later, The four are seen leaving the bar, heading to their cars. We have been told that De Jesús had been heavily intoxicated thus the reason why his friends came to rescue him. What will be in store for Zabdiel and Gwen? Are they still together? Or have they broken it off again? Hopefully, we all find out soon. We also hope Zabdiel and Gwen are okay.”

You put your phone face down on top of your washer and that’s when everything now clicked for you on why Zabdiel was the was he was last night and it made your heartache for him more now than ever. You hate seeing Zabdiel hurt and in pain, especially by someone he gave his whole heart to, who kept breaking it over and over again. It made you question, why did he choose her? Why out of all people, her? What was special about her that always had him running back? What did she have that you didn’t? The last question you asked yourself lingered in your mind. What did Gwen really have that you lacked of? That question always tore you apart and has been tearing you apart since the day you figured out your feelings for Zabdiel, especially when you would see him go through the pain Gwen put him in for him to go running back to her. You turned your phone over again and skimmed over the article once more, a word caught your throat and tears threatened to spill out of your eyes.

couple.

That word alone made you cringe when you thought of Zabdiel and Gwen’s relationship. To you and people who could see through the bullshit, that word didn’t describe them for their relationship. Couples went through trials and obstacles, no relationship is perfect. Couples know where they need to improve and learn from their mistakes to not make them again, but Zabdiel and Gwen’s relationship was far from that. Yes, at times they’re happy and in their own world, but that was temporary. Those moments slipped away once they got into a fight, Gwen causing most of them from what you heard from the boys and the countless times Zabdiel came to your home a crying mess while he poured his heart out to you on your couch. The word you found for their relationship was toxic. More toxic for Zabdiel than anyone and it made your heart hurt not only for him but, mostly for you.

Zabdiel’s relationship with Gwen affects you so much that you were now just realizing how bad it affects you not only mentally, but physically as well. It made you think about yourself and who you were to Zabdiel. What was different about you? And what was different about Gwen? You couldn’t figure it out and the only person who knew the answer was Zabdiel. You look down at your phone and see it is past six o’clock in the morning and you groan. Many thoughts going around in your head and you didn’t know you had the energy to stay up for the rest of the day to deal with Zabdiel’s situation. Before you could think about it more, you turn to see Zabdiel standing in the doorway of your laundry room. He was barely awake and you could tell he was still drunk but not as bad as before. You look towards him and give him a weak smile looking back down at your washer. You were glad that tears weren’t spilling out of your eyes, you didn’t know what you’d do if that was to happen or how you’d get out of it. You continue to stare down at your washer when you heard Zabdiel shuffle himself towards you and soon enough, you could feel his arms enclose around your figure from behind.

You feel his head on your shoulder as he lays his arms loose around your body. You thought of how you two fit together like a puzzle piece whether it be as friends or when you guys held each other. You felt it, but Zabdiel didn’t and it hurt you, more now than ever. You both stay like this for a bit until Zabdiel broke the silence that had taken over the two of you.

“Amor, are you okay? It’s too early in the morning to do things right now. I know you’re helping me, but you need your rest too. I woke up and you weren’t there, it worried me Y/n. Come to bed and get some rest. When we wake up, you can do this and I’ll try to help you with whatever you need to, thank you for helping take care of me tonight. I wouldn’t know what I’d do without you Y/n and I truly mean it.” You turn around and look up to the man you had fallen in love with and it took all the strength you had in me to not break down in front of Zabdiel.

Your somewhat glassy eyes catch his sleepy eyes and you give him a weak smile. You hug him with your arms around his waist and your head on his chest while his arms were around your shoulders and his head was on top of yours. The two of you stood there for what felt like forever and as you both held each other, your mind was going a million miles a minute with all the thoughts hitting you from every direction. With the events that happened tonight to the real reason why Zabdiel was the way he was to Zabdiel’s words hitting you a different way, it was too much to deal with and all you wanted to do was go to sleep so you wouldn’t have to deal with those thoughts anymore. You lift your head from his chest to look at him, he looks down and gave you a sleepy smile. Your eyes connect and you both look at each other, you could feel it in you of how much you want to grab Zabdiel and kiss him right there. You want to say fuck it all and let your emotions out, to lay it out on the table to Zabdiel, but you knew deep down you couldn’t. You didn’t have it in your heart to lay it out on the table. Zabdiel had been through enough within the past couple of hours and with this, you knew it he wouldn’t be in the right headspace. You also knew that he wouldn’t ever feel the way he feels about Gwen with you.

In moments like these, where you were in your vulnerable state, you had to put it through your head that it wasn’t going to happen. You were best friends and only best friends, your heart and mind had to accept that, but more importantly, you had to accept that the fate of you and Zabdiel was only going to be friends and nothing more. You both unravel your arms from each other’s bodies and Zabdiel grabbed both your hands. He looks down at you as you looked down at your feet, feeling his eyes on you. You look up towards him and just stared into his eyes, getting lost in them. You took your left hand and place your palm on his cheek, Zabdiel leaning his head into your palm. You caress your thumb on his cheek and stared at Zabdiel, taking in everything you loved about him. The way his skin felt against your palms, how you feel the electricity coursing through your veins every time your skin touches his, and how every time you’re near Zabdiel, your heart goes a thousand miles a minute. You take in all of the things he didn’t like about himself or his flaws and love them even more. You brought your forehead to his and closed your eyes, taking in the moment you two were sharing, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Zabdiel would take matters into his own hands. You want him to make the first move, you want Zabdiel to close the distance between the two of you, you want him to finally be yours.

You open your eyes and you were immediately met with Zabdiel’s, your foreheads still pressed against each other. You both stood there for a moment, you hoping he’d do something, anything at this point. To your disappointment, Zabdiel lifts his forehead away from yours and hands still intertwined with each other’s, he plays with your fingers. You didn’t know what to do anymore and at this point, were too drained to do anything about it until Zabdiel breaks the silence between the two of you.

“Amor, let’s go to bed. I’ll take care of this now, go make your way to your room and do what you need to do to get ready for bed. It’s the least I could after everything you’ve done for me tonight.” Zabdiel gave you a smile as you stay silent and looked up to him, you nod your head.

You were not only mentally, but also physically drained to fight anymore. He let go of your hands and instead put both of his hands around the back of your neck, the palms of his hands holding your cheeks while taking both of his thumbs and caressing the apples of your cheeks. You look at Zabdiel again and stayed still, afraid to make any sudden movements. Zabdiel closes the gap between both of you and brought his lips to your forehead, letting it linger longer than usual. You closed your eyes and savor the moment between the both of you, his lips left your forehead and he nudges you to go make your way out to get ready for bed and you didn’t protest against him. You walk out of your laundry room and heard Zabdiel doing what he said he would do.

You make your way towards your bathroom, closing and locking the door behind you. You placed both of your hands on your sink and looked up to be met with your reflection. Your face almost familiar, dark circles under your eyes that held tiredness in them as well. You could see that your eyes were puffy and a tint of red, but not as bad, still going unnoticeable. You were already in your pajamas and all you needed to do was fix yourself up. You decide to wash your face with cold water, hoping it would calm our nerves and thoughts down. Once you were done you wiped your face dry and fixed your hair for bed, you turned off the light in the bathroom and made your way out and towards your room. You didn’t take long and as you opened the door to your bedroom, you stopped and was able to hear Zabdiel doing the laundry and it made you smile a bit, you thought it was cute. You look inside your room that was dark when you last were in it, now illuminated with the sunlight shining through your windows and you sighed knowing you’d most likely way up in the afternoon. You walk towards your bed and collapse on top of it, feeling tiredness hit you like a train. You snuggle up in your bed and was about to check the time when you forgot you left your phone in the laundry room. You want to get up and get it, but you were too comfortable to get up and you also didn’t want to deal with Zabdiel because you thought about the moments the two of you shared in your laundry room. You close your eyes, slowly letting sleep take over you after an exhausting and eventful night.

Not long later, you heard shuffling in your room, indicating Zabdiel’s presence as you were half asleep and too lazy to open your eyes, you stayed in the position you were while you still let sleep take over you. You could feel Zabdiel in front of you and put something on your bedside table, guessing it was probably his phone and not a moment later, you felt the bed dip next to you, indicating Zabdiel was laying down in your bed. You felt a pair of arms snake around your waist and you felt warmer than you did before. Zabdiel snuggled himself into you from behind and though your eyes were closed and you were half asleep, you could feel Zabdiel’s eyes on you. Not too long later, you felt Zabdiel’s lips kiss your temple and he snuggles into your neck, getting himself comfortable.

“Te amo siempre, Y/n.” Zabdiel whispers softly in your ear, thinking you were fully asleep, but you heard every word. Now you were a bit more awake than before and your heart was beating fast.

Te amo siempre.

Hearing those three words coming out of Zabdiel’s mouth made your heart warm, but broke it even more. You love Zabdiel and always would. He is your best friend, someone you would and could come to for anything and everything and he would be there for you, someone you could run to when you were sad and needed someone to talk to or someone who you needed in general, someone who was always there for you and knew you for who you were, inside and out, someone who you loved unconditionally and that is where your heart broke to pieces, more and more as the days went by. You love Zabdiel more than a friend and it made your heartbreak because you knew that your relationship with Zabdiel would never go beyond the two of you being friends. You knew that you two would always stay and remain friends and as you grew up, he would eventually settle for a beautiful woman and they’d eventually get engaged, become husband and wife, have kids and grow/have a life together, eventually growing old and you knew the woman that captured Zabdiel’s heart in that way, would never be you and it broke your heart every time your mind reminded your heart of it.

A few tears escape your eyes and you wipe them away before it could slip down your eyes or before it led to you having a mental breakdown. You close your eyes trying to slowly fall back asleep wanting sleep to takeover you again to escape the pain your heartfelt. Your heart was doing okay for that past couple weeks and after tonight, it broke back into pieces as the night progressed until now, your heart was shattered if that was even possible after all that it had been through. With all the thoughts and emotions going through your head and coursing through your veins, you finally let sleep take over your body, finally feeling the peace you craved, the warmth of your bed warming you up and then you remember, you were wrapped in Zabdiel’s arms and you knew that it was wrong because he had a “girlfriend” and though he said it changes nothing, it changes everything for you, but you didn’t fight against it and let sleep consume you, your thoughts and feelings fully.

*A FEW HOURS LATER*

The sunlight against your skin felt warm and inviting but something else was making you feel more warmth than usual. You open your eyes, being met with the sunlight illuminating your room. You knew it was well past the morning seeing as how you didn’t fall asleep until after 6 and by how the sun was out, it was early in the afternoon. You try to move, but feel the weight over you and look over your shoulder to a sleeping Zabdiel cuddled up into your back, you give a sleepy smile towards him and turn back to your bedside table to grab yourself phone. You look at the lock screen and see the time.

2:30 PM

You set your phone down and groan, knowing your sleeping schedule would be fucked up but last night was the most you had slept in awhile, ever since the incident, you couldn’t sleep well since. The past weeks were hell for you but sleeping in the same bed as Zabdiel helped you out a lot and it hurt you, knowing that he was your weakness and the only person who could make you better but at the same time, hurt you the most. The memory of what happened last night and why Zabdiel was here hit you and you felt more energy drain from your body knowing that once Zabdiel woke up, you had to get to the bottom of the situation not only for him but for you because you had to make sure he was okay. You decide to get out of bed but Zabdiel’s arms were wrapped around you, you slowly lifted his arms and put it to his side and slipped out of bed slowly. You look down to him and he stirs a bit until he grabs the pillow your head was laying on and cuddled into it and you smiled down to him. You open the door to your room and slip out silently making your way to your kitchen to make food for you and Zabdiel.

As you look in your fridge and pull out ingredients to make “breakfast” for you and Zabdiel, you miss the warmth of Zabdiel’s arms around your body. You miss his touch and the way his hands fit perfectly on the curve of your waist when he hugs you from behind or how his head fits perfectly on your shoulder when he would be nosy and see what you’d be doing. You push those feelings and thoughts away, not wanting to dwell on the past and things you wish would happen on a daily basis with the person you called yours instead of your best friend. Not long later, you were almost finished making breakfast when you heard a door open, letting you know Zabdiel had finally woken up. You tense up from knowing you had to confront Zabdiel about last night and having to deal with controlling your feelings wasn’t helping you either. Zabdiel close your room door and walked down the hallway to find you in your kitchen cooking breakfast though it was past 3 in the afternoon. He looks at you and at an instant had a feeling something was off as though he could feel it from afar. You continue to make breakfast when you felt Zabdiel looking at you from where he was standing and instantly, you heard shuffling and knew Zabdiel was coming towards you. Your breath hitched in your throat when you felt warmth found your body. The warmth came from Zabdiel snaking his arms around you from behind, holding you in his arms letting you know he was there for you. He continues to hold you as you stayed at the stove finishing up whatever you had left to cook, you love the warmth Zabdiel gave you. You would miss this. You would miss him holding you when you would need it and when you didn’t. Zabdiel was still holding you, his head on top of yours the both of you silent, not wanting to say one word because you didn’t know what to say and neither did he. You finished making breakfast for you and Zabdiel and you had to move everything to your small dining room table, but you weren’t able to due to Zabdiel still holding you in his arms.

“Zabdielllll, I need to put this food out so you and I can eat because I’m hungry and I know you are too. Can you let go of me please so I can do that? By the way, you still need to explain to me what happened last night and why I had to be your knight in shining armor instead of sleeping the night away,” you say to Zabdiel as you felt him groan while his arms around you were squeezing your figure a bit tighter than before.

You felt Zabdiel’s arms slowly unwrap themselves around you and though you felt bad about bringing up the situation, it was bound to be talked about sooner or later. You already felt drained and wanted to talk it out with Zabdiel before you didn’t have the mental capacity to anymore. You brought the food over to your small dining room table where you found Zabdiel sitting down in one of the four chairs that were there. You walk back to bring more of the food when you heard Zabdiel get up from his place and walk towards where you were. You continue to grab what was left to bring to the table and looked up when you heard your cabinets opening. You look at Zabdiel who was grabbing plates along with utensils and cups for the both of you and as you continue to look at him, he caught you looking at him and all you could do was smile to him since you couldn’t form a sentence to come out of your mouth. Once he was done, you both made your way back to the table and as you laid out the rest of the food, he set up both of your plates and utensils out on the table. You smile at him and he pulls out the chair that was directly across from where he was sitting and looks towards you. You laugh and walk towards him to sit down, he pushed the chair in and went back to where he was sitting earlier. Before he could sit down, he stops and walked back to the kitchen. You had a confusing look on your face, but when you heard Zabdiel walk back to the table, you see that he has orange and apple juice in his hands.

“I know you like your apple juice in the morning so I went to grab it for you and orange juice for me.” You thank him and smile at him as he sat back down in his seat.

You gesture for him to start grabbing things to put on his plate to eat since he needed it more than you because he was drinking last night. You could tell he recovers quickly by the way he is acting and how he carries himself. You still smile at the small things Zabdiel remembers about you and it made you feel special, but that thought and feeling soon went away reminding you of why he was here in the first place. Your smile fades slowly and you look up to see Zabdiel eating across from you, you sigh softly not ready to bring up the subject but you knew it had to be brought up. As you were grabbing food to put on your plate, you cleared your throat not ready for what has yet to come out of your mouth or what Zabdiel would say toy you.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened last night? And why Richard and Chris called me to come to the bar where I found you drunk off your ass not wanting to go back with them, but with me? What’s going on Zabdiel? What are you not telling me? It’s obvious that something's wrong and it’s bad because they wouldn’t have called me if it was serious to a point where it’s only me who could get you out of there. Talk to me Zabdiel, please because last night, it pained me that you were the way you were and I didn’t know why. I can’t help you if you don’t let me in to help you.” You ask and tell him with a pleading voice.

You can see Zabdiel’s mood had changed just by looking at him. He kept silent, not answering what you had asked and said to him and you being you, continued to grab your food to put on your plate. You were done and at this point, Zabdiel kept eating and stays quiet, hoping you’d change the subject but you wouldn’t budge. You pour yourself a glass of apple juice and settle down to start eating, looking towards Zabdiel to see if he was going to say anything. When he continues to eat and nothing came out of his mouth, you let out a sigh, grabbing your plate and drink, you stand up. Zabdiel looked at you and you just looked at him, hoping he would say something. Anything at this point and when he didn’t, you shook your head and headed toward your room with your plate and drink in hand.

Zabdiel was stunned when you stood up and walked away from him. He put his fork down and sighed while the palms of his hands rubbed over his face. He knew you were going to ask him what happened last night and why he was in the state he was in last night. Last night was a whirlwind of emotions and he was hurt, but what hurt him most was that you were hurt and he was the person who caused you to be that way. It’s the last thing he wanted to do and he contemplated either give you space and leave or go to you and explain it all. He continues to finish his food while he thought of what to do and once he was finished, he cleaned up his plate and put it in the sink. Not long after, he cleaned up the table and put whatever was left away in the fridge. Once he was done, he decided that he would go and talk to you because if he left, it would leave you both on a bad note and he didn’t want that. He made his way to your bedroom hoping you would hear him out.

You were tired of feeling this way, the past couple of weeks you were away from Zabdiel were hard, but you were learning to live without him always with you. You were learning to be your own person without always depending on Zabdiel to be there for you because now he had someone else do that for and it wasn't you. You had to repeat this in your mind over and over again, changing your routine wasn’t a thing for you. You love the way things are or now, was because the biggest part that was going to change was having Zabdiel and he wasn’t yours to have to yourself. You thought about if Zabdiel would open up to you as you sat on your bed and ate your food while you watched “The Office” on your TV. You heard a knock on your door and look up to see Zabdiel standing there with a somewhat worried look on his face. You look back to the TV, continuing to watch it while Zabdiel kept standing there not moving an inch inside your room.

“Well, are you coming in or not? Are you going to finally talk to me? I thought we were best friends and we didn’t keep anything from each other? You know I’m only this way because I care about you and since you have a history with Gwen, you can’t blame me for getting on you about this. I remember when you came here and you cry your eyes out while you poured your heart out to me about her. It hurts me to see you hurt Zabdiel. I just want to make sure you’re okay because I love you… and you’re my best friend. It’s what best friends do, be there for each other.” As you stop speaking, you felt the bed dip next to you letting you know Zabdiel had moved from standing by your door to next to you on your bed.

You held the tears that were trying to escape your eyes, the words you had just said repeating in your head.

“I love you… and you’re my best friend.”

You had to repeat it over and over again because it was true. You did love Zabdiel, but he didn’t love you the same way you love him. He did love you, but in the way of a best friend and it would forever be that way between the both of you. You sniffle softly trying to let it go unnoticed by Zabdiel but he heard you and at an instinct, he wraps his arms around you hugging and squeezing you as much as he could, but still left room for you to be able to breathe. You reciprocate the hug, holding onto Zabdiel like he’d slip through your fingers and disappear if you’d let him go. He rubs your back and that’s when the tears that you kept in your for so long finally spilled out.

“Lo siento amor. Lo siento. I didn’t mean to hurt you at all. I know you care about me and you know I care about you. I’d be the same way with you if you were the one in my position so I understand. Last night brought back so many bad memories and my mind went into overdrive. The thing about our argument, it was over you Y/n.” You went limp in Zabdiel’s arms and couldn’t find any words to say. Zabdiel let go of you and you wipe the tears off of your face wondering why they were fighting over you, out of all people, why you? You stay still sitting on the edge of your bed, your head hanging low while you played with your nails. You sigh wondering if you wanted to hear the answer to your question you asked in your head, but you had to know.

“W-why did you g-guys f-f-fight about me?” You ask Zabdiel while you stutter out the question, not ready for what Zabdiel would say next. Zabdiel laughs while he looked at you and he instantly regrets it when he saw that our face is etched with concern along with a couple of stray tears coming down your face. He immediately wipes the tears off of your face and took your hands in his.

“Gwen got mad or jealous, i don’t know which one, about how you and i spend a lot of time together. She kept going on and on about it and how she thought you would take me away from her. I got mad because i told her over and over again the whole time we were arguing that she had nothing to worry about at all and that at the end of the day, she has to get used to you being around and in my life. You are and always will be my best friend. You are one of the special people in my life and want nothing but the best for me and for me to be happy. I told her just because I have her in my life and am in a relationship with her, it doesn’t change my relationship and friendship with you. You’ve been there from the very beginning before Gwen came along, nothing changes with us from here on out Y/n. Once I told her that, she called an uber and did what she does, she ran and left me. That’s why I got emotional and I kept telling her not to leave, that nothing would change. At the end of the day, she’s my girlfriend, I come home to her and I’m with her. You are my best friend and you always will be, again, nothing changes from here on out. I promise on my life Y/n, no one could ever replace you, though I have Gwen, you will always be by my side. Since she left the bar last night, we haven’t spoken or talked since. She still has yet to reach out to me and me with her.” You look up at Zabdiel and were met with his eyes already fixated on you, his eyes glossy.

You brought him into a hug and held onto him for dear life, nothing would replace him in your life and you knew that for sure. Your heart was still broken, but you had Zabdiel in your life and that was better than not having him in your life at all. You rub his back and that’s when Zabdiel broke down in your arms. Something that hasn’t happened in a long time and that was when you knew for sure that Gwen has been and always will be, a big part of Zabdiel’s life and nothing was going to change how he felt for her. She had his heart in the way you wanted to have his, but you knew from this point on for sure that it would never get to that point. The way he and his heart loves you was in a friendly way and it would always be that way for as long as you were in Zabdiel’s life. You let go of Zabdiel and wipe his tears off of his face, something that he was doing for you not that long ago. Zabdiel hesitates to talk, but he had to let it out before he explodes.

“Y/n, I love her so much. Though we have our falling outs and fights, she is one of the only other people that get me. When Gwen and I broke up, I was devastated and heartbroken, as you know. Yes, I know she hurt me, but Y/n, no matter how much she hurts me, I think I would still and always love her. Fuck, I’m in love with her and nothing has changed since. When I went on dates to try to get her off of my mind, it didn’t work because I wished that on those dates, she was there instead of the girl who was sitting across from me. When I had one night stands, it didn’t work because every time I hooked up with a girl, it wasn’t the same. It was just fucking to me, it didn’t have the passion and love I had when I was with Gwen. I know that was too much but I truly meant what I just said. She’s the love of my life and it scares me that I fell for her so quickly that I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose her and the fact that she made a big deal about you breaks my heart and my heart for you, you are my best friend and I’m only seeing her, no one else. My mind is jumbled and I can’t think straight, I wish I could talk to her but I feel like she doesn’t want to talk to me or want anything to do with me at all anymore.” Zabdiel let out a small sob and it broke your heart.

You didn’t like seeing Zabdiel the way he was, it always broke your heart when you saw your best friend, the man you love, in pain when he didn’t deserve to feel that pain. Zabdiel was your best friend and he always would be. You wanted the best for him even if it wasn’t with you and you didn’t like the outcome of it, but happiness and love are what he deserves. You being the best friend you could be stood up and put your hand out for him to take. He looks at your hand and then up and you, you nodded at him to take your hand and he did so. Once he got up, you walked to your nightstand and grabs his phone, walking back to him. You hand him his phone, which he grabs and you look at him. You smile at him masking the pain and heartbreak you felt on the inside and held his hands.

“If you really meant what you had just said to me, you already know what to do. If you truly love Gwen, then you need to go and talk to her. If Gwen really loves you the way you love her or more, she’ll hear you out and talk to you. It’s hard to find the love you have for Gwen in life and you need to cherish what you have and the love you have for her. At the end of the day, I will always be your best friend Zabdiel. I will always be there to support, love, care for and about you, and be there by your side, but now… Now you have a woman who you love and who loves you in your life and you can’t push her aside because of me. I will always be here for you, but you have Gwen, someone who you love and makes you feel what everyone in life wants to feel for someone they love in their life. That’s someone you can’t let slip through your fingers. To me, I can see she holds a very special place in your life and in your heart, go and get your girl Zabdiel before it’s too late.” You gave Zabdiel a soft smile along with the encouraging words. Zabdiel smiles down at you gave you a hug.

When Zabdiel hugs you, your whole world came crashing down knowing that once he let go of you, once he walks out your door, you would have to let him go. Though it pained you so much that your heart hurt to let him go, you had to. Not only for Zabdiel to be happy, but for you to be there for Zabdiel. You couldn’t live without Zabdiel in your life since the first day you met, you knew he would always be special and part of your life. You would rather have Zabdiel in your life as a best friend and if you couldn’t have him more than that, then it was okay with you. You couldn’t imagine a life without Zabdiel in it and though it pained you to not be the one to hold him, kiss him, spend the rest of your life as his lover, he was still in your life as a best friend and that was worth the heartbreak.

Zabdiel let go of you and when you look at his face, he had an exciting look. You nod at him towards your door, letting him know to go to Gwen. He walks away from you, you trailing behind him, grabbing your dirty dishes, you both head towards your front door. You walk to the kitchen and put your dishes in the sink. You look over to see Zabdiel standing there hesitating time to leave your apartment. You walk toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. He put his hand on top of yours and you rub his shoulder, giving him encouragement to go and reassuring him that everything would be okay.

“What are you waiting for? Go get her!! No matter what happens, I will be there for you always. Though I know everything will work out in the end, all I’m saying is that I’ll be here for you. I believe in you Zabdiel and that everything will work out for both of you. You love her and I’m pretty sure she loves you too or you both wouldn’t have gotten back together, so go. Go get your girl Zabdiel.” You push past Zabdiel and open your door, gesturing for him to go. He smiles down at you and kisses the top of your head. He nods at you and walks out of your apartment, looking back at you, you could tell that there were nervousness and anxiousness etched on his face. You gave him a reassuring look and nod to him. He smiles and left to the elevator, pressing the button and waited for the elevator to come. The elevator bell dinged and he walks in, you watch him and watch the doors elevator doors close and once it did, you immediately close your door. You walk to your window in your living room to see Zabdiel on the sidewalk, guessing he ordered an uber or lyft to pick him up. You wait and watch Zabdiel while the uber or lyft came and once it did, he looks up to your window and waves at you, you waving back at him. You watch Zabdiel close the car door and the car takes off. Once it was out of sight you walked to your dining room and cleaned up the mess you and Zabdiel had made. You start doing dishes when you look over at your stove to see the time.

5:00 PM

You sigh, more than half of the day slipped by you and you felt drained and exhausted that you were ready to go back into your bed and cuddle into your blankets while you watch “The Office” for the rest of the night until you fell asleep. Once you were done doing the dishes, you walked back to your room and grab some clothes in your dresser to sleep in after you took a shower. You grab your phone along with your speaker and clothes and walk to your bathroom, feeling numb and like all the energy you wish you had in the first place, drained from your body. You close the door behind you and set all of your things down. You turn on your speaker and connect your phone to it. You go on spotify and put on your sad playlist you had created on shuffle. You heard piano keys filling the bathroom through your speakers and instantly knew what song was playing. You undress and hop into the shower trying to wash out the pain and sadness you were feeling. The words you heard next you knew would hit you like a train that’s when you let the tears and sobs out.

Now the day bleeds

Into nightfall

And you're not here

To get me through it all

I let my guard down

And then you pulled the rug

I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved

You sank down onto the floor of your tub and cried. Whatever you had in left in you that you bottled up inside was now being let out. You couldn’t hold it in anymore. The pain was unbearable and you felt like your whole world crashed and burned over and over again like it was stuck on repeat and would never stop. Your heart was broken and it kept breaking to a point where you felt your heartstrings tearing apart whenever you were reminded that Zabdiel was never going to be yours completely and after today, you knew that after what Zabdiel had said, you’d only ever remain his best friend. The type of love you crave from Zabdiel wasn’t the same type of love he gave to you. To him, you would always be his best friend, someone he could go to if he had problems in his life, the person that understood him the way no one else does and he liked it that way. You knew that from the get-go, but you were always left wondering what could be if you both ended up together, but deep down you knew, it wasn’t meant to be. After listening to more of your sad playlist, you got out of your shower and got dressed for bed. You did your nightly routine and once you were finished, you look at yourself in the mirror. Last time you looked, you couldn’t recognize the person you were looking at. You look at yourself in the mirror and now the person you see looking back at you is you, but a different version. The person in the mirror that looked back at you was going through heartbreak, trying to figure out how to move on from this while still trying to be there for your best friend while not trying to hurt yourself even more. The person looking back you gave out all the love they could and once they were ready to tell the person they were in love with their true feelings, it became crushed by finding out the person they were in love with was in love with someone else. You continued to look at yourself in the mirror and more tears pooled out of your eyes, remembering the pain you felt the night you found out Zabdiel and Gwen were together, remembering that they’d been together for before you found out, remembering that you were the last to know out of everyone. It pained you and the more you tried to take your mind off of it, the more your mind dwelled on the pain of it all. You tried to remember the fun times you had with Zabdiel, but your mind switched to making those happy memories into sad ones reminding you that even though Zabdiel said things wouldn’t change, you knew it would. Though you tried to tell yourself things wouldn’t change, you knew it would one way or another. You turned off your bathroom light, grabbed your phone and speaker, and made your way to your room.

You turn off your sad playlist and made yourself comfortable in bed, the office still playing on your TV. You continued to watch and the episode that was playing was where Jim and Pam were getting married. The relationship between the two characters was how you and Zabdiel were. The way they were best friends who got along and got each other the way no one else could, the way they were there for each other, the way they loved each other as friends and only wanted what was best for one another even if they didn’t think it was the best, the way they wanted nothing but happiness for one another even if they couldn’t make the other person happy, they knew they deserved it. The difference was instead of coming together, figuring out they liked one another though the timing wasn’t right, and falling in love, you and Zabdiel stayed right where you were. You didn’t know what the future held for both of you, but you knew that you wouldn't be anything more than best friends. The pain faded away and all you felt was numbness all around you, you decided to turn off your TV and stare at your ceiling. Your mind had to teach your heart to learn five things.

You were going to remain Zabdiel’s best friend and that would never change.

Zabdiel and Gwen were together, for as long as it goes on, you wouldn’t ever be in Gwen’s position.

If Zabdiel and Gwen ever broke up, you still wouldn’t ever be in Gwen’s place.

Zabdiel is in love with Gwen and you knew Gwen is in love with Zabdiel.

Though Zabdiel said things wouldn’t change between the two of you, you knew from this point on, everything has changed.

taglist: @waterlilyshaista @dolanfivsosxox @lunayxcnco @h-bea92 @dimelo-cnco @flaviadiamondpt @mellany1997 @ericks-mala-actitud

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amandabe11man · 4 years

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a VERY LONG post about Hell on Wheels

YEAH i forgot about this post in my drafts... it’s been like a year since i finished the show now and i feel i’ve barfed everything out into this post (that i can think of), so here it goes (you’ll have to shield your eyes after the spoiler warning if you don’t wanna be spoiled btw. i can’t seem to be able to add a read more-link...) :

SO... i finished watching “hell on wheels” at last, pm half a year since i started. it’s funny because i was under the impression that i’d sOMEHOW be able to binge all five seasons within just one month (reason: i wanted to watch it before my free trial on HBO’s website went out). honestly, that wouldn’t have been possible because it was a LOT more emotionally draining than you’d think at first glance... after being gutpunched three times in a row in season 4, any reasonable human would need a little break.

anyway, it feels-- weird. i’ve never been big on following tv-shows so i haven’t been able to relate to that feeling ppl describe once they’ve finished a show they’ve become so attached to, except NOW i can relate. the show’s not groundbreaking, it’s not perfect, but i’ve had a lot of fun. what a ride it’s been...

looking back, i’d say HOW’s biggest weakness is its tendency to forget or ignore certain plot points. i guess that’s not too weird, with such an arsenal of characters, but still, i find that’s what bugged me the most, if anything bugged me at all. for example--

[SPOILERS for those who might wanna watch it after seeing me go on abt it, idk]:

first off, what REALLY grinds my gears is how ezra dutson’s plotline was handled. it was set up perfectly in the beginning; having him escape from the swede (who promised him that, and i quote: “i’ll find you, ezra! i always do”), the original plan was obviously for ezra and the swede to “reunite” some time in the future so that ezra could tell everyone that the swede killed his parents, thus tying up loose ends and giving some closure to that whole arc. some might say this would’ve been too predictable, but i would rather have that predictable storyline than having it just end unceremoniously like it did, with ezra dying ACCIDENTALLY and off-screen by sidney snow’s hand, simply as a way to further bohannon’s pain and set the stage for ruth’s final arc. this might’ve been fine, if the writers had made it so that ezra actually, y’know, TOLD SOMEONE WHY HE’S AN ORPHAN TO BEGIN WITH. but they didn’t even give the viewer that form of closure, instead just deciding to use him as a plot device for the other characters’ increased angst... bohannon and the others were never even made aware of ezra’s last name, and this is all what bugs the everliving SHIT outta me: the only ones who know, or will EVER know, ezra’s full story is the swede and the viewer, tho after season 4′s end, ezra is never mentioned or acknowledged again-- not by bohannon, and not even by the swede. ezra went from convenient character with a PURPOSE to “nameless” orphan forgotten by history. thanks, writers...

then there’s the whole deal with campbell coming to town to reinforce The Law™, which wasn’t a bad arc, mind you-- campbell and his goons were the most infuriating little shits for a while there-- but the thing is; didn’t campbell LIE to his men about the president giving him the position as governor? i might’ve misunderstood it, but i’m PRETTY sure the president didn’t give him THAT much of an upstanding role, but that campbell just went ahead and took that position anyway? if that was indeed the case, then that’s another plot hole, cause nobody finds out about campbell’s possible trickery to become the governor. nobody rats him out, despite literally no one in “his” town liking him all that much, so they’d have no reason to protect his “secret”. (correct me if i’m wrong on this one though. i might be misremembering things)

then there’s the other pretty infuriating issue of bad guys never getting called out for doing bad shit (unless it’s the swede, who gets all the blame, all the time), for example:

major dick bongbendix(???idk he had a silly name like that) is presented VERY MUCH as a bad guy in the beginning. y’know, just casually beheading natives on all his missions and collecting those heads and taking them to the bar like a fucking nutcase-- those little details. he also seemed to believe in racial biology, so yeah, definitely not a good guy. but by the end, he’s been watered down into some quirky guy who’s ALMOST on friendly terms with the main characters. yeah, uh-- seems everyone (writers included) collectively forgot the whole public display of cut-off heads he had going on...

aaron hatch: started off as a guy too proud for his- or his family’s own good when he shot the police officer, BLAMED IT ON HIS FUCKING SON and then just kinda let bohannon hang the kid even though it was pretty obvious hatch was just shifting the blame away from himself. THEN he reappears with some other mormons and causes a full-on shootout in the town (probably getting some people killed, i don’t remember), TAKES EZRA (also a mormon) HOSTAGE SO THAT BOHANNON WILL COME WITH THEM WILLINGLY and passive aggressively forces bohannon to marry his daughter who bohannon knocked up. somewhere along the line, hatch’s bad side is just thrown to the wind, and bohannon at one point describes him as “a good man”. yeah, ABOUT THAT--

sean and mickey mcginnes: unlike the ones mentioned above, these two started out as seemingly decent dudes, but ended up pm as secondary villains in the end. however, like the ones mentioned above, they hardly face any consequences for whatever crap it was they did in boston, OR the fact that they killed and fucking mutilated/dismembered a man in cold blood (a man who WAS gonna kill them, yes, but HE did it because he thought they had killed his friend, which wasn’t a farfetched idea since mickey DID brag about killing the dude even though he didn’t actually do it). sure, they face their OWN demons as time goes on, they get ostracized, and they start losing faith in each other as well, which ends up with mickey killing sean before the latter can confess(?) his/their crimes. so, while sean was spineless and a creep, at least he thought about finally owning up to what he’d done in the end, whereas mickey lives on to keep doing shady shit, killing people, and getting increasingly more corrupt. he does end up pursuing new goals in the end, but it’s obvious he’s not happy about it anymore. that’s-- really all the comeuppance he ever gets, and the only one who knows about his shady businesses are pm just bohannon, durant and eva (also, personal gripe here-- they seemed to not settle for “just” tarring and feathering the swede and publicly humiliating him, but i’m pretty sure i recall mickey telling bohannon they were thinking about having the swede killed too. keep in mind, this was BEFORE the swede truly lost it and started killing people left and right. apparently, being kind of a douche about taxes is bad enough to warrant being tortured and cast out by the entire community... i’m obviously biased here, but still-- the mcginnes bros’ double standards are amazing to behold)

now that i’ve aired some of that out-- here are some highlights, according to me:

unexpected friendships, like that between eva and durant. i’d say the swede finding that stray dog and fawning all over him qualifies into this category too

durant and campbell fighting in the mud before finally coming to an agreement -- just- durant and his competitors being petty as fuck, honestly. it’s hilarious

bohannon trying to get through to elam by reminiscing about their friendship, especially since bohannon isn’t one to show his feelings often OR get sappy -- in fact, EVERY time bohannon loses his stoic facade is a good moment. when he was gonna bury elam and he just broke down completely for the first time since we were introduced to him... that shit had me in tears as well, but man was it a great scene

jimmy two-squaws

every time the swede opens his mouth (yes, even when he’s spouting some lies and bullshit like that)

ruth’s character development. i admit i didn’t like her at all in the beginning, idk something just felt off about her, but man did she ever grow on me. just-- how everyone kinda relied on her eventually, even though she’s only like in her 20′s or something... she still became a pillar of the community. bless ya, ruth :’ı -- also, her essentially adopting ezra was Pure as heck. I Lov it

the fact that this was the 1800′s and the only backlash the (openly) LGBT characters faced for it was pm just “yeah they’re a bit confused maybe but they’re not hurting anyone”. maybe that’s not very realistic but WHO GIVES A SHIT AMIRITE

mr tao just being a sweet old man

chang’s sunglasses, straight out of Django Unchained

mr toole’s complete heel-turn from racist POS to someone who sticks by his word to turn himself around. that shit was impressive coming from him, tbh

bohannon just calmly running into a buffalo by the train tracks

mei posing as a grown man instead of a boy (which is what she looks and sounds like, oml)

another thing i realized is that bohannon is a classic gary stu. there’s just no getting around that fact after seeing him being revered by most everyone he meets, how he’s somehow the only person able to build the railroad(s) fast and efficiently, and even wooing the literal PRESIDENT and becoming close friends with him-- all this despite his Bold and Brash personality. of course, there’s more to bohannon than these gary stu-symptoms, but i felt someone should bring it up, for the lulz

#hell on wheels #amc

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dailyaudiobible · 4 years

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01/18/2020 DAB Transcript

Genesis 37:1-38:30, Matthew 12:22-45, Psalms 16:1-11, Proverbs 3:27-32

Today is the 18th day of January, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it's great to be here with you today as we end a…end a week. This is actually…I’m looking at a calendar…this is the third weekend of this new decade. I guess I hadn't realized that until just now. Nevertheless, we have set sail. We have moved all the way here 18 days on our journey and we will continue that journey today. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week, which is today, and we have been working our way through the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose name became Israel. And now we’re going to pick up the story of Israel and Jacob's son Joseph. So, today Genesis chapters 37 and 38.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for another complete week together in Your word and starting to feel the rhythm of the year now, this new decade upon us, starting to settle in, which is one of the words that we spoke of this year. And, so, we ask that You help us to do that, to find within ourselves, amidst all of the disruption that the Bible can bring to us, that what's really happening here is that what's false is being shaken. And sometimes we didn't even know it was false until it's exposed. But there is the truth deep within us where You live where the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells and this place is true and we want to learn about this place within us, because this is the place that Your word speaks to. And, so, come Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. This is the promise the Scriptures give us, and we believe that You will. Lead us on the narrow path that leads to life. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to stay tuned and stay connected

The Community section of the website, and for that matter, the app, you can get all these sections in the Daily Audio Bible app by pressing the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. And by the way, while we’re talking about this, I mean, over the years of the Daily Audio Bible there’s been different iterations of the app. The latest iteration is the one that we are really trying to move everybody into and onto because we have finally reached a place where so many of the technologies that we were building and dreaming and living into and having to come up with, finally, we have like an incredibly stable environment where, if you check a box that you listened, it checks the box. We even had problems with that last year. Like if you check that box, it's checked, it's done. Done deal. In fact, you check a box it's checked on any device you are logged in. Like, so, I had a fun time playing with this. like logging in on the web player, then using the app and checking the checkbox that I’d listened to a certain day on the app and then watching it instantly appear on the computer. It’s like across the board, finally. So, I say all that to say, if you haven't updated recently then go to your web store and look for Daily Audio Mobile app. You may see other Daily Audio Bible apps. Some of those other previous apps, they are being depreciated, they’re going away. Look for Daily Audio Bible mobile app. And even if that's the app that you're using, but you haven't updated in a while, this most recent update that we've done back, actually back at the beginning of the year, is by far…I mean…what's under the hood….the technology under the hood…is really what you’re gonna want to be using. So, update. How did I get on all that? Like I was talking about navigation. So, like, alright, back to the website or the app, go the Community section of the website, find a different links to different social media channels that we participate in, links to the Prayer Wall, like ways to stay connected and praying for one another and now we’re a couple weeks into this year. So, one of the rhythms that become apparent is that we’re a community that's actually incredibly loving, incredibly accepting. Like everybody knows that we’re in this together and we’re all…like…we’ve decided to try to live in the truth, like Jesus is demonstrating for us, which means that…that we accept each other on…on the journey that were on knowing that we’re sharing some history together. And the best thing we can do is love one another, pray for one another, encourage one another. And, so, you know, that's…that's the Prayer Wall and that's the prayers that come in at the end every day. So, you know, kinda like a little bit of a discombobulated conversation, discussing all these things, but I think that's really, I wanted to say is stay connected. That makes all the difference in the world on a journey like this. So, stay up to date and stay connected.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link that lives on the homepage and I thank you profoundly and humbly for your partnership. If you're using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi, this is Candace from Oregon. I love you Daily Audio Bible. Have I told you that lately? And Brian and Jill thank you so much. Oh Lord that none of us ever take for granted this amazing situation. I want to thank Rachel from Pennsylvania and everyone else who’ve been praying for me and my household. We were under terrible attacks. Starting in November, it went on all the way into January and made…the holidays were good…but this was sort of underlying it and very stressful. I think it’s much better now. Please pray. January 28th, I have a beloved in law who might…who has to go to court and might end up doing some jail time. So, please pray that whatever is the best thing for this dear one will occur, be that jail time or not and that the judge and everyone he has to interact with will know how to point him in the right direction. Lord have your way. Also, please for my February 8th piano recital, that all the students will do well and that the whole experience of taking these lessons will be part of drawing them into a relationship with the Lord Jesus. Thank you so much for your prayers and I am praying for all of you as well. May the Lord’s name be praised.

[singing starts] I will send out an army to find you in the middle of the darkest night. It’s true I will rescue you. I will never stop marching to reach you in the middle of the hardest fight. It’s true I will rescue you [singing ends]. Hey this is for Anonymous who called back on December 27th and to anyone else who thinks since God’s so good and we’re so bad we’re not worthy and He doesn’t want anything to do with us, but like the song says He’s doing everything He can to get to us and He will rescue you. So, just a little encouragement.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is Carla Jean from Las Vegas calling today asking you to pray for my son Noah. He’s 23 years old and has been fighting a spiritual battle most of his life. I keep thinking that God must have great plans for this boy for him to be so pursued by Satan. He’s 23 and he contacted me yesterday in the middle of an anxiety attack and we Facetimed for an hour trying to get him to seek help. He lives in a different state and he’s afraid because he has no health insurance and I told him I don’t care, just get the help you need, and I will take care of it financially. I’ve asked him if he wants me to come to him and he does not want me to go there. He is a sweet boy and I’m just…am asking you to storm heaven with me. Matthew 8:16 said many who were demon possessed were brought to him and He drove out the spirit with a word and healed all the sick. That’s my prayer for my son Noah and I’m praying for all of you who are fighting spiritual demons right now. May the Lord grant us all peace. Amen.

Some skim the surface while others dig deep yet both of them say Your commandments they keep one says confess and believe in your heart and you shall be saved you’ll have a new start and nothing and no one can take that away salvation is yours, whatever may but then the other one says action speaks louder than words and faith without works is just air for the birds if God is in your life then there should be some change all things are new if they’re not something strange but both of them say that Christ is the way that judgment is coming and you should trust and obey but yet and still both of them put others down including each other the cycle just goes round vicious in nature and not from our God which they both claim to represent which really seems odd traditions and customs leading to sin the Sadducees and Pharisees all over again what will it lead to where will it end misleading the children of God is a terrible sin though not by intention for they too are deceived but that original serpent also fooled Eve some skim the surface while others dig deep yet both of them say your commandments they keep

[email protected]. Like to give a shout out to Sherlock Washington and Kim and Michelle from LA. Hope you both are doing well and know you’re all in my prayers daily. And once again Brian and the Hardin family thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit flow. Keep it flown’ y’all. All right bye-bye.

Hello sweet DABber family this is Trusting Father in South Carolina. It is Sunday the 12th about 4 o’clock in the morning and I’m a five-year listener, this is my second time calling in, the first time being about a year and a half ago when my daughter had an affair. Since then she divorced and went into another relationship, a real bad relationship and from that she is pregnant, and we have a precious little baby boy on his way in April. But also, in her family she has two other little boys, one is five and the other soon to be three and I’m asking prayer for her. She…I don’t even know how to put it into words, but she is…she is very confused. She is in a high-powered job and, you know, before she went into her affair, she and her husband were…you know...they like to party and…and I’m…I just…I don’t even know. I feel like her…she’s just messed up mentally, emotionally, physically and, of course spiritually. So, I need to also tell you this, that I have a son who’s an alcoholic and a recluse and he’s 34 years old and we have another daughter who’s been in a 10 year relationship with another woman and my husband has been depressed before we were even married when where we are age 19 and 20. So, it has been very intense here, especially lately. And I want to, I don’t know, I just felt very led to reach out just ask for your prayer and I’m just so grateful in knowing that Father’s faithful. And thank you so much.

Hello this is Duncan from Fredericksburg Texas. I’ve tried…I’ve been on here once at least, I know that. For the lady in South Carolina whose sister is…is in...is in ICU let me pray right now. Oh Father so many hurting people and there are many listening to this who are broken and hurting and at various stages of grief, various stages of anger, various stages of anything that’s not good. Father, I know I’ve been in…I’m still…the post-holiday __ or hardships of life are…are sometimes harder to deal with and especially Father for those of us who have lost loved ones as I have lost my wife back in October. Father just take care of…of this gal, just please touch her and heal. Father just raise up people, more people who will love her back…back to health. Father, I believe that can be done with encouragement and father with being ministered to and I just ask you to do that for this lady who is suffering from bipolar and is in the ICU. And for…I cannot remember names, so many of them. So, just take care of them Jesus. Thank you. Amen. And now, just for me. I request, I am a pianist, I am…just happened to be totally blind but that doesn’t stop me. I’m 73 years old that does not stop me either. And I will be going to upstate New York next weekend and then to Long Island and then finally back up to Buffalo. I leave Saturday the 27th and then come back…no…Saturday the 18th and then come back the 27th then a player local gig on the 28th. So, I just ask you to pray for me…

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is J from Nashville. Got a little bit of a something going on with my throat, but I wanted to take a moment to pray for the people who just feel like they can’t catch a break. Heavenly Father, in the precious and mighty magical name of Jesus Christ, God we come before You this morning adoring You and lifting up the holy name of Jesus. Mighty God bless You as we confess of any sins that we may have committed knowingly or unknowingly. Lord we rest in Your forgiveness and we thank You for Your grace and mercy allowing us to come to You again and again receiving this precious gift that You give us. Father, we need You in this moment. We pray for Your comfort. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will give us wisdom and understanding in these times where we just feel like giving up, where You feel like all the odds are against us and we can’t find a single way out. Lord we ask that in these moments of despair, confusion, fear, we ask that You will remind us in a way that only You know how, that You are there and You will always be there and You are in control. We love You Father. We praise You Jesus. We glorify You God and we thank You. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. I love you family. I miss you. Until next time.

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trollhunter-nomura · 6 years

Text

Chapter 1: Becoming

Finally finished ch one of this au story about Nomura being the trollhunter.

.....

Zelda Nomura was not in the best of moods. Her alarm didn't go off, so she was running late. And her bottle of favorite perfume fell off her dresser and all over her shoes. She didn't have time to scrub it off of her either, so she had a very strong perfume scent to her.

She was lucky she didn't have to deal with Bular tonight, as Bular already hated human perfumes and cologns and would most likely kill her had she had to be near him. But tonight a peice of the bridge was coming in and that would keep Bular occupied at least this evening.

But that didn't change the fact that due to all these circumstances she was going to be late for work. As she approached the drain canal she contemplated taking a shortcut. The sewers went all over Arcadia, and if she used those she'd be much faster in her toll form.

She jumped down to the bottom and looked for an access grate. As she approached one, she heard a voice.

ZELDA NOMURA

This caused her to pause. No one ever called her by her first name. Not even her boss. She went on high alert. She may be trapped in her human form, but she was ready to fight if it came to her.

ZELDA NOMURA

It called again. She noticed it was coming from a nearby pile of rocks. She walked slowly towards it and realized it was no ordinary pile of rocks. They looked more like troll remains to her. And the voice was coming from it. Her heart pounded as she shifted some out of the way to spot a glowing blue object.

No way.

It seemed to pulse as she lifted it to examine it.

ZELDA NOMURA

Her mouth felt dry. She quickly looked around to ensure she was alone, that no one could possibly see her with it. Least of all Bular. When she was sure she was alone, she shoved it into her purse and headed back to the street above. At this point she was beyond late, and the shortcut wasn't worth it. Heart racing she headed to the museum, wondering how to explain her tardyness to her boss.

As she ran off, six eyes seemed to glow from the sewer grate she was originally going to take.

"It chose a human!!" A voice shouted, ducking back into the shadows.

....

It was late in the evening as Nomura walked out of the bathroom having just come out of the shower, finally smelling normal for once today. As she toweled off her hair she reached into her purse and pulled out the amulet, still marveling that she was now in possession of Merlin's treasure. As she stared at it, the words on the outer most part changed, cycling thru different languages from trollish, which she knew vaugly by reading but not how to speak, thru various other languages till it landed on English.

"For the glory of Merlin..."

Before she could finish, there was a knock on the door. She wasn't expecting any visitors at this hour. She reached for one of her decorative swords she had on display, that she just so happened to keep nice and sharp, and opened the door; only to find the last thing she ever expected: a four-armed, six eyed troll.

"Salutations good madam, I am..." He trailed off, noticing the sword in her hand. And immediatly held up his hands. "Oh dear."

Nomura tightened her grip on the sword, pointing it at him. Mind racing she had to think quick, she couldn't let known she knew more than she should.

"Who, and What... Are you?" She said, with a slight firm scowl.

The troll held up his four hands as she pointed the sword at his nose.

"Blinkous Galadrigal, at your service. You may call me Blinky if you'd like." he gave a gesture with one of his hands, before holding it back up. "I promise I mean you no harm."

He gave a small grin, blinking his eyes almost out of sync. Nomura slowly backed up letting the troll inside.

"That answers the 'who' not the 'what.' I've never seen something like you in my life. And I want to know why you're at my apartment."

"I am, to put it simple, a troll. A creature who lives under this Fair city of Arcadia. As for the reason I am here, we saw that you had found the Amulet of Merlin this morning."

At this point Nomura put the sword down on the table and picked up the amulet.

"This thing? It knew my name." She knew exactly what it was, but continued to feign ignorance. Centuries of subterfuge in the making. "What is it exactly?"

"It's an amulet created by Merlin himself to protect both your world and ours." The troll continued.

"From what, exactly?" She asked.

"Evil trolls called Gumm-gumms. We can go in-depth if you'd like, when we return to troll market."

Something about how he said that caught her attention.

"We? Are there other trolls outside my door?" She opened the door to an empty hallway.

Blinky steepled his fingers. "There is another troll, but he is outside. He unfortunately was too large to fit thru the door."

There was a gentle tap on the window, which Blinky gestured towards. Nomura opened the window and saw below it was a rather large troll covered in green moss-like fur. He waved at her.

"Meet ARRRGGGH. My closeest companion."

"Hello." The other troll said in a gruff voice, giving Nomura a rather toothy grin. She gave a light wave back.

Pulling her head back into her apartment she looked over at the other troll.

"So, what does this mean for me exactly, like how does this work?" She gestured at the amulet.

"Well, if you read the inscription on the amulet, it will adorn you in magical armor to allow you to fight the evil trolls. Have you had a chance to read it yet?"

She tucked a hair behind her ear, "No, not really."

Blinky tapped a finger on his chin. "Perhaps it would be best if we adjourn to the nearby park before you try."

Nomura quirked an eyebrow, before grabbing her keys, following the troll to the park just across the street.

....

"Now, if you were to read the inscription, it will grant you the armor."

Nomura nodded, looking at the amulet's inscription.

"For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command."

In an instant, the amulet floated out of her hand and she suddenly felt weightless. Silvery blue peices of armor floated and covered her body. She landed to the ground almost soundlessly. She looked over herself taking in the transformation. The armor, silver with blue glowing runes, felt as if it was lighter than air, but also very durable. The armor covered her fore arms, her chest area and her legs completely, tho her biseps were merely covered by a seemingly dragon scaled mail. She turned around to get a glimpse of what she could, peering over the shoulder pauldrons and noted the plate skirt that protected her hips and thighs. She halfway wanted to transform to also see how it would look in her troll form. She noted that right at this moment she did not have a helmet, wondering if the amulet would provide one if needed? She marveled at how light the armor was, and flexible.

"Magnificently done, Madam...?" Blinky trailed off realizing that he did not know the trollhunter's name.

Nomura, distracted at admiring herself, introduced herself. "Zelda Nomura."

"Ah, Master Zelda!" Blinky said with a grin.

She realized her mistake. "No, do not call me that. You can call me "Ms Nomura if you like, or just Nomura, but never use my first name."

Blinky held up to of his hands. "My apologies Master Nomura."

She shook her head obviously she wouldn't be able to get him to not call her 'master.'

"Now, all that is missing is the sword of Daylight, and the transformation will be complete."

"How do I make that appear?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"Simply hold out your hand, and it should appear."

She did just tho, and within her hands, appeared a rather large unweildly broad sword; it's weight catching her off guard. She frowned. She never was a fan of broad swords, whishing it was more like a saber or even like her khopesh scimitars. As if hearing her wish, in a flash of blue light the sword transformed to a long thin sabre. The guard was wide, almost braided, adorned with the similar glowing runes as her armor, the grip was comfortable. The blade was long, shimmery and seemed quite sturdy. She tested it out, doing some simple fencing feints and lunges.

"Now this is more like it." She grinned enjoying how easy it was to move it.

"Remarkable, I have never seen the sword of Daylight do that." Nomura shrugged at Blinky's exclamation. "You also seem well versed in using the sword."

"Well, I took fencing classes so I'm no stranger to sword play." She gave an innocent smile.

"TROLLHUNTER!!!" A voice shouted from the other side of the park. A voice she knew very well.

"Uh oh." ARRRGGGH said, looking over her shoulder.

"It's Bular!" Blinky shouted. "Come, we must run!"

Nomura was definitely for that, wishing more than anything the trollhunter's armor had a helmet or a mask. SOMETHING to disguise her face if Bular recognized her she was as good as dead. As if responding to her wish, a helmet surrounded her head and face. She had no time to admire it, as Bular was gaining on the three of them, knocking over benches in his stampede.

"Where are we running?" She shouted.

"To the drain canal, it's where the entrance to Trollmarket is." Blinky responded.

Bular was right on top of them practically when they finally made it.

"We cannot open the door with him so close. We do not want him to gain access to Trollmarket. You have to distract him Master No--"

"Distract him??" She shouted in alarm, cutting him off from saying her name. "By myself? Can't you help ARRRGGGH?"

The big green troll shook his head, grunting. "Pacifist."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"It will be a pleasure to kill you right where I killed the previous trollhunter, human." Bular said in almost Glee, drawing his swords as he started towards them.

Nomura looked around the area and got an idea. It was risky, but she had no choice if she wanted to live.

"I have an idea, be ready to do whatever you have to to open that door." And she took off running, leading Bular from the other trolls.

Once she was a good distance from them she turned to face the imposing Gumm-gumm, heart pounding in fear. She drew Daylight and stood ready.

"Centuries of tollhunters and I would have killed two in as many days." Bular gave a menacing grin.

"It seems you're good at math, Bular." Nomura taunted, hoping the armor distorted her voice enough.

It was now or never for her plan. She saw a signal from the others and took off running, Straight for Bular.

"You must have a death wish human!" He roared at her.

At the last second, when she readied to jump, she instantly transformed to troll, using the anatomy of her legs to get better lift on the jump. She felt the armor shift with her, keeping all vital parts covered. She tucked into the jump, flipping directly over the evil trolls head, and landing deftly behind him as he stumbled, losing his balance. Before he could regain his footing, she shifted back and ran straight towards Blinky and ARRRGGGH as they opened the portal, she dove in and they followed, closing it moments before Bular could reach it; his frustrated roars and pounding against the wall fading.

"I can't believe that worked." Nomura stated, breathless from her efforts, sitting at the top of a luminescent staircase.

"How spectacular!" Blinky whooped in joy. "I had no idea humans could jump so high!"

Grateful they did not see her shape shifting, she thought of a quick response, "I took gymnastics as a child."

"Ah, well that definitely came quite in handy. Come now." He lead the way down the stairs.

What she saw next took her breath away. Thru the cave entrance was a sight to behold, one she wouldn't dream of ever seeing.

"Welcome, to Heartstone Trollmarket."

#trollhunters #trollhunter nomura #fic #ch 1

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ghazaleh1362 · 5 years

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Japan was the country that I always loved to visit since I was a child. The opportunity to visit Japan through Japanese field study has given me a chance to experience the culture that I have always wanted since childhood. This amazing and unforgettable journey started in Vancouver, having two weeks classes learning about Japanese culture, history, and religion. After two weeks, we left Vancouver to Japan to experience what we have learned, and every day become memorable and remarkable. I was so lucky that we had an amazing team and best instructors that made my journey very special and unique.

We started our journey in Tokyo by visiting Meiji Jingu shrine. We had a chance that two priests were taking us through and explaining everything about this shrine and Shinto religion. To get to shrine we walked through an amazing trail with so many trees that were donated to this shrine, it was so beautiful and peaceful that I was totally forget I am in the middle of busy Tokyo city. It was quite interesting to know that Japanese culture is not a very religious culture, however there were significant number of locals that prayed within the shrine’s located throughout the city. It was here in Meiji Jingu I saw and learned how people enter a shrine and purify themselves. Before entering was a huge gate that everyone had to bow to show respect to the kami of the shrine.

# bow before entering

Purification:

Before getting to main shrine everyone had to purify oneself at the purification fountain near the shrine's entrance.

After purification it was time to pray. It was great to see Japanese and non-Japanese people carry out a routine: donate the money to the box, bow twice, claps twice, make wish and bow one more time.

# praying

#meiji shrine

Ringing Belt :

Some other shrine and temple we visited had bell that I saw people ringing first the bell, through talking to university student I found out that the reason is for calling the kami (god) of the shrine to get kami’s attention.

# calling kami

Upon leaving a shrine or temple, certain items were sold such as: Omamori ( lucky charm, protection charm), Ema (house shaped wood tablet that you write your wish and hang it on Ema-Gakari), Ofuda or Shinsatsu (purchase usually on new year and return the one for the year before to the shrine, and Omikuji ( fortune telling paper strip, if its good you keep them if not you tide them to the branches of a tree in the temple or shrine grounds). This was quite an interesting experience.

# omamori

# Ema

# Fortune teller

How religious are Japanese people?

One of my biggest question in this trip was how religious are Japanese people? It was not easy to find the answer, what I saw and what I heard was not the same. The great things about this trip was we had chance to see Japanese people, do activity with them and ask question. Most of Japanese people and students that I asked, they said don’t have religion, some university student mentioned that their grandparents believe in Shinto or Buddhism but their parents and themselves they have no religion. However, these students explained that when they have an exam, game, or any wish, they will go to shrine or temple and pray that their wishes become true. Each shrine has its own speciality, shrine to pray for relationship is different than the shrine you go to pray for your exam.

# fushimi inari shrine

# shrine where people pray to find a good partner ( if you are single don't forget to visit this shrine ;)

Through our conversation I noticed that people are going to shrine or temple for new year every year to pray for a better year and will buy lucky charm and shinsatsu. Throughout the year Japanese citizen are involved with some religious ceremony and they respect these rituals, donate money to temple and shrine, they are praying and buying these lucky charms for protection. When I look closely to religion and Japanese culture I think there is a significant contradiction between what Japanese people believe and how they act. Most Japanese people consider themselves as non-religious even though they respect all religious ritual and ceremony. We were talking to one university student who told us she is not religion at all, but she believed that her grandfather that passed away became a kami (god) and he is protecting her and her family. We had a group discussion with university student in Mito and I was wondering that if they have no religion what was their thought about life after death? each of them had different idea, one said that in elementary school thought her that if you are a good person you will go to heaven and if you are not you will go to hell, another believed that he can become a kami after death, and another believed in reincarnation. I think for me the most surprising part wasn’t about having religion or not having religion, was these young people they believed in this thing because they have been thought and they accept it without questioning it. When I asked them why? Their response is because they learned this way. As I learned more about Japanese culture and religion this was more obvious to me that in Japanese culture people they don’t question their teaching, and as a result they are unable comprehend concepts that are outside their norm of teaching. On the contrary, I grew up in a country that I learned I have to fight for my right and question things that are against my belief and my right, then when I moved to Canada I learnt to be more of a critical thinker and voice my opinion along with my beliefs.

My view is that even Japan is not a religious country, but through deep seeded cultural belief’s of superficial values it has implemented a marketing industry that feeds those values. So many places that foreigner visit in japan are temple and shrine, for some of them you need to buy ticket and inside these places visitor spend a lot of money on lucky charms and fortune teller. Japanese people typically donate money on each visit to the temple or shrine. Furthermore, Japanese people often buy lucky charms several times a year. It is evident to me that within this culture the people are more spiritual than religious and at the same time religion does exist as an underlying value for the people.

# lucky charm ( health , business, family , luck , keep away devil ,....)

# this is common in Kyoto in front of doors to keep a way evil spirit

Mount Koyasan:

Last town that we visited with our group and I love to talk about is Mount Koyasan. The experience I had in Mount Koyasan is hard to put in word as the time we spend in Koyasan was filled with many new adventures that I would never forget in my life. Having an opportunity to eat like monk (vegan monk’s food), meditate like monk, sleep on tatami like monk and pray with monk. This was quite an unforgettable experience. It was interesting to see how monks live in such simplicity and devote themselves to the religion.

# my room in Koyasan ( wall made of paper )

# vegan monk food

# our mattress and blanket (amazing night with the sound of rain )

The night in Koyasan was very mysterious, we visited the Okunoin Buddhist cemetery guided by one the monk. Koyasan is the birthplace of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism that was found by Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi 1200 years ago. What they believe in shingon Buddhism was very interesting and unbelievable: they believe there are no dead in Okunoin cemetery they are only waiting spirit. Kobo Daishi is not dead, he is in eternal meditation and praying for us. That night we went to visit Kobo Daishi.

Through our journey in the cemetery the monk was explaining some of the fact and some interesting stories. He mentioned about one of the most famous Buddha, sweating Buddha. This buddha is the one that people when they have pain, or they are sick or struggling in their life visit him and they will tell him what their problem is and actually transfer their pain to him and he will sweat and suffer instead of people. I just love the idea behind it, this buddha is like the best friend that you can share everything with.

#sweating Buddha

It was some of teaching that I really enjoyed, and I was telling my friend when I returned back to Vancouver. One of the statues was shaped as a half moon design, which they are all over Okunoin. As monk explained, moon is very important in Buddhism teaching, Kobo Daishi has been said that our mind is like moon, moon originally is round, bright, clear and pure like original mind. However, the moon shape changes everyday same as our mind and our behaviour, we can’t be happy or sad or stress everyday, we will change often. Their belief is very fascinating, and I just loved to know more and more about this philosophy.

It was dark and as we made our way through the cemetery we get to the most sacred place. The Gobyo no Hashi Bridge, the entry to the Mausoleum of Kobo Dashi. Before we entered we had to purified ourselves, and we were not allowed to eat, drink or take any pictures. Hands together and bow to respect Kobo Daishi to enter the Mausoleum. It was a gate that was closed, and the monk explained that Kobo Daishi entered there in 835 when he was 62 years old and he closed the door behind him and started meditation since then. In 921, was the last time that a monk opened the door, cut Kobo Daishi ‘s hair, beard and changed his clothes. He is still in eternal meditation and pray for us. After all his explanation, he asked us to close our eyes and focus on one wish and he read sutra. It was something about that night, very peaceful, quiet and touching. While he was reading sutra two of my friend and I were crying. The atmosphere was very different and holly. After that we all get separated, I had a moment by myself, standing alone complete in silent in the middle of this huge and beautiful cemetery and was wondering what made this place so unique and different. I love cemeteries and I always think cemeteries remind me that life is short and at the end no matter who you are, how much power or money you have, you will end up dead. Before that happens to me I would like to experience life by visiting and learning about different cultures.

# in kansa region when someone die the body will be burned and ash and bones will be divided to two boxes, small and big box. most of ashes and bones will be in big box and will be kept in temple close to the family, throat bone will be in small box and buried in Koyasan.

#this picture is the symbol of universe from ground to space , in Shingon Esoteric Buddhism believe everything in universe made of 5 element: earth, water, fire, wind, space.

#morning ceremony in koyasan

# fire ceremony (burning wishes )

My travel to Japan, with field study through School, was quite priceless. I have gained a unique experience and insight on the culture and religion of Japan and the hospitality of it’s citizens. Within this beautiful culture I have learnt about the daily routine of the people and there way of life. I highly recommend a travel to Japan as it has been a wonderful educational experience for myself.

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coffeebooksorme · 7 years

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THE BLACK WITCH REVIEW

GOODREADS REVIEW: Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter of the last prophesied Black Witch, Carnissa Gardner, who drove back the enemy forces and saved the Gardnerian people during the Realm War. But while she is the absolute spitting image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else. When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the university, which admits all manner of people—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians—is a treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch. As evil looms on the horizon and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew will be challenged and torn away. Her best hope of survival may be among the most unlikely band of misfits…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to hate and fear.

I have to preface this by saying that I was not originally interested in reading this book. I have to admit, the original backlash brought forth by that review definitely put off even wanting anything to do with this book, and then I joined book twitter. I noticed quite a lot of people defending the book (specifically POC & marginalized people) and was intrigued. So I went to GR to read some reviews and after I scrolled through all the 1 star reviews from folks who hadn’t even read the book, I found some decent reviews from folks who had. Interest piqued, I decided to pick up a copy and give it a shot.

I’m also quite apprehensive about even posting this review because I’ve seen the vitriol and hate slung at people on Goodreads over this book. I’m more than willing to engage in discussion with anyone that would like to discuss this book, but I will only do so in a mature fashion. I’m not going to get into a screaming or name calling match with anyone.

First off, the accusation of racism/sexism is absolutely correct. This book contains a lot of racism/sexism in it, sometimes too heavy handed for me, but I think that was the point. IMO, the author was trying to show us readers just what kind of vile and horrendous world that our MC & friends live in. And it worked. Think the end of Harry Potter 6 with the beginning of Harry Potter 7. Umbridge pushing Hitler like propaganda about wizard purity and ‘testing’ for genetic purity of wizards. Anyone not of purebloo are rounded up and imprisoned. ‘Mudbloods’ being tortured by Voldemort. Racial slurs thrown around like a baseball. All that happened in the HP world, but it was to show just how vile and horrible the world would be if Voldemort was in charge.That’s the world Elloren is in in ‘The Black Witch’. Now let’s add some religion onto the story. All the racism, segregation, and hatred are stemmed from religious beliefs, and the Gardnerians are religiously indoctrinated from birth to believe this racist baloney. Religion is prevalent in every aspect of their culture; their dress, their patriarchal society, the way they marry, to even the way they eat a dang cookie! They are religiously brainwashed to believe that their almighty ‘God’ created them to be the ‘special’ people, the most important, the greatest above all, etc. As a matter of fact, each race has their own version of this ideal within their own religions. Now, imagine a member of the FDLS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) is moved from their home to, let’s say, New York City, San Francisco or, even, Detroit. It’s going to be one HECK of a culture shock for them because they’ve lived a very secluded life with heavy religious influence. They’ve been brainwashed from a young age to believe certain things. They’re ignorant, yes. But not willfully ignorant, IMO, because they don’t know any better. The culture shock alone is going to be enough to make them recoil, especially considering they’ve been raised in a religion that demonizes anything that isn’t part of their group. Now add in them being brutally attacked upon arriving to their new city. That will certainly reinforce whatever preconceived notions they have from their religious indoctrination. That is Elloren in this story. She was raised in a heavy religious society to believe certain things. Not only that but she was hidden away at the edge of the country in a small town with barely any outsiders. Moving from Halifax to Verpax was one hell of a culture shock. She’s our sheltered FDLS member that’s been taken from her small town home and thrust into a bustling university in a major city. She was brutally attacked before arriving at University so the fear is only encouraged. Upon arrival, again, she is brutally attacked, verbally assaulted, and threatened with future physical abuse. This attack was completely unprovoked, mind you. It happened because she is part of another race. She’s constantly judged because she looks exactly like her grandmother (who, upon research, Elloren finds out was a brutal person who committed genocide against people), and she falls in with the wrong crowd by becoming so smitten with Lukas (the first male to show her any romantic attention, btw), who, in her mind, is her only protector from all the bullying, violent attacks, and threats. Because Elloren is scared, she reacts badly. Badly is an understatement because she feeds into the racism and hatred. Rather than turning the other cheek to attacks and verbal abuse, Elloren reacts in kind and throws back racial slurs, runs to Lukas who in turn commits atrocious, racially spurred actions on her behalf, and she even commits a few herself because as Lukas teaches her, ‘Dominate or be dominated’. Does this justify her actions? Absolutely not. Under no circumstances are her actions or words justified. But I can understand why she reacts this way. Fear is one hell of a motivator and when that’s combined with religious indoctrination, it’s a dangerous thing. I think that was the whole point the author was trying to make. Was it done in the best way possible? Probably not. But as a first time author, I think she did a pretty decent job. The whole story is about how Elloren is submerged in this racist, sexist, homophobic society and how she overcomes these notions to form her own opinions by interacting with the other races, researching the history instead of blindly believing what’s been presented to her her whole life, and eventually, fighting back against the inequality because she wants a better place not only for herself but her brothers and her friends as well. Sure, some of her old racist habits come through every now and again, but habits die hard, especially those that were indoctrinated into you from birth. She’s trying. Obviously, POC are going to be very uncomfortable reading a story that shoves racism down their throat for the first half of the book. If I read a book with fatphobia for the first 3/4 book, I’d be uncomfortable as well. I get the reluctance and the flat out refusal to read a book that would make you uncomfortable. If you don’t want to read it then that is absolutely your prerogative and I do not blame you one bit. I do not agree, however, with calling the author or it’s readers racist POS and white supremacists that support a racist narrative. That’s flat out condescending and erroneous. If you’d read the book rather than someone’s subjective review, you’d see how the story is about a girl overcoming the indoctrination of her racist society. People also seem to have a problem with this being a ‘white savior’ book. I can see where people think that, but I do respectfully disagree with that point. I understand why people are upset because it’s like ‘Oh god, another story about a white person saving the day’, but that’s the whole premise of the story. That’s the whole point behind a lot of ‘chosen one’ stories. HP was a ‘chosen one saves the day’ story about a white boy fighting a racist POS villain at the root of it’s story. The Hunger Games was a story about a white girl saving the day for the poor folks. Divergent is about a white chick saving the day from oppressors. If you look at any ‘chosen one’ stories, it’s about someone saving a marginalized group. Is the YA community saturated with that trope? Yes, absolutely. Is ‘The Black Witch’ racist for using that trope as well? Absolutely not. I really enjoyed this story. I laughed. I was upset. I was deeply uncomfortable at times. It’s one of the first YA stories that has really made me stop and think about things. It’s unfortunate that it’s gotten a bad rap because of one persons opinion, and even more unfortunate that the mob/herd mentality has vilified readers who have enjoyed it. I implore anyone who has even thought about reading this book to give it a shot, read with an open mind, and realize that this book was never intended to be a fluff, easy read.

#booklr #books #book review #book reviews #the black witch #laurie forest #mine #bookworm #book dragon #bibliophile #bookish #bookish thoughts

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donjetadsberingerin23insura-blog · 5 years

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12 Retail Examples That Will Inspire You to Run a Better Business

https://120profit.com/?p=2340&utm_source=SocialAutoPoster&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Tumblr One of the best ways to get inspired in your retail business is to see merchants like yourself who are killing it. So for this post, we’re putting the spotlight on retailers that are doing a great job at running their stores. We handpicked a number of retailers (mostly SMBs) from various industries and highlighted some their successful business practices in this post. Our hope is for you to leave this page brimming with inspired ideas to implement in your business. Dive in below or select an industry from this list: Examples of fashion and accessory stores Do you run a fashion or accessories boutique? Here are some retail examples in your market that are worth checking out: 1. Gossamer & Grace Bra Fit Studio: a lovely shop that sells bras for women of all ages, sizes and body types Founded by Kelly Franko, Gossamer & Grace Bra Fit Studio (formerly Kelly’s Elite Boutique) in Cortland, OH, originated after Kelly grew tired of watching her mom struggle with finding a good-fitting bra. “I decided to start a new journey into bra fitting,” she said. “I love helping my customers find what they need. There are few places that offer what we do or provide the service we provide.” Retail practice we love Gossamer & Grace Bra Fit Studio is more than just a bra store. This boutique has professional Fit Stylists that handpick selections for each client. So, every woman who walks into the store enjoys a curated assortment of products as well as remarkable customer service that can’t be found anywhere else. According to Kelly, “I soon realized that I wasn’t really selling bras, I was selling confidence. Women often come in feeling unhappy with the way they look. Once supported properly, their outlook changes and they leave my store with a new confidence about their image. It’s a great way to serve others.” 2. Solfire: an athleisure apparel company with a big focus on building their community Solfire is a Brooklyn-based active retail company that launched just a few short years ago. Their goal? To create a strong athleisure apparel brand that brings together individuals who are passionate about fitness. Retail practice we love Two things make Solfire successful: first is their solid commitment to producing high-quality products. The company only works with manufacturers that meet their standards to ensure that everything they sell is top notch. Another thing we love is the effort that Solfire exerts to build a community and cultivate relationships with patrons. In their brick-and-mortar store, for examples, they set up a juice and smoothie bar along with a “fitness oasis” — an area for clubs to meet and exercise. Additionally, the retailer set up a community board to showcase “all the studios, all the places people sweat, all of that within the area around the store.” The folks at Solfire also gather customer details so they can further engage them. They do this by handing over their iPad POS at checkout, so shoppers can fill in their information. According to Solfire, they have a near-perfect customer engagement rate. Almost 100% of shoppers input their details so Solfire can stay in touch and inform them of happenings in the community. 3. Dresden: an eyewear retailer that sells personalized and sustainable products Dresden isn’t your run of the mill eyewear store. The company produces upcycled eyeglasses and sunglasses made from plastic waste and discarded fishing nets, then sells them at affordable rates. Retail practice we love In addition to selling great products, Dresden also offers an interesting in-store experience. Unlike other eyewear retailers that sell ready-made stuff on their shelves, Dresden lets shoppers create their own pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses. Starting from just $49, customers can get lenses and frames made up as they wait. They can choose their frame styles and color combinations, which means they can get a pair that’s made just for them. Key takeaways Ponder what you sell beyond your products. For example, at Gossamer & Grace, Kelly doesn’t just sell bras, she sells confidence. Apply the same thinking to your business and use the insights you gain to improve your customer experience. Focus on your community. Think of ways to bring people together in your store. Can you hold classes or events? Perhaps you can set up in-store facilities like what Solfire did with their smoothie bar. Can your incorporate personalization into your business? Is there a way to let customers “build” their own products through mix and match and other tactics? Personalization is growing trend. Consider exploring how you can use it in your business. Retail examples of homeware stores and gift shops If your store sells gift items or products for people’s homes, here are a couple of similar retailers that you can draw inspiration from: 4. Christmas Elves: a holiday store that grew 250% in three years Christmas Elves, as its name clearly states, is a holiday store that sells Christmas trees, lights, decorations, costumes, and more. The store’s owner, Jason McIntyre always loved Christmas, so when the chance to own a holiday store came up, he left his job as a software architect to follow his retail dream. Retail practice we love Jason implemented several action steps that led to the growth of Christmas Elves, but the thing we love most is his clever use of retail data and reports. Specifically, he looks closely at his sales velocity — i.e. the speed at which products are selling. “I have to place my Christmas orders in January or February each year, so we pretty much get one shot at purchasing. If I under-purchase and sell out then I lose sales opportunities. But if I buy too many or the wrong types of products then I’ll have to look into discounts and promotions.” That’s when the sales and velocity reports come in, he says. By looking at when sales spike and which products are selling the most, Jason and his team can get a clearer idea of how many units to order. Jason says he looks at sales velocity reports for specific products and their overall categories, and this allows him to figure out what items to order and if there are any related products that he could purchase. 5. MyDIY.ie: a multi-channel retailer that sells home improvement products MyDIY.ie is your go-to source when it comes to your home DIY needs. Whether you’re looking for power tools, decorating and wood care, or workwear, MyDIY has you covered. According to Alan Grant, owner of MyDIY, his business has experienced 30% year on year growth, and he attributes that success (in part) to smart inventory management. Retail practice we love Expanding their product range was one of the top actions that led to their growth, said Alan. “We’ve expanded our range by probably about 40%, but we really haven’t expanded our stockholding because we have to keep our stocks nice and tight,” he shared. “That has been a massive help for us. Before we would order 6 or 12 or 48 units of a product. But by looking at our inventory information from Vend and the previous years’ trading, we’re able to stay on top of stock purchasing and keep our inventory levels optimal.” Doing this also helped them offer more choices, which shoppers loved. “We offer a customer experience that gives them more options. If they’re looking for a hammer, they don’t have a choice of just three, they have seven different hammers.” Another great practice? The store uses their loyalty program to sell slow-moving products. According to Alan, they offer double or triple loyalty points when shoppers purchase items that the store wants to move. Doing so helps them move inventory without resorting to huge discounts. And since the effort is tied into their loyalty program, shoppers have an incentive to buy and come back. 6. TheSuperCool: a gift emporium that curates interesting objects from all over the world Based in Melbourne, this six-year-old retailer has a brick-and-mortar shop, an ecommerce site and a mobile store that serves as TheSuperCool venue for pop-up events. Retail practice we love We truly admire TheSuperCool’s commitment to “supporting small business makers that offer organic, fairtrade, and handmade products and helping their small family businesses grow.” TheSuperCool is also very in touch with their community and they use social media to drive word of mouth and traffic. “We’ve been in business for nearly six years, and we began as a mobile emporium that went to the people. We had no fixed address and would use social media to keep our fans on their toes with our next location. We’ve been fortunate to be recognized locally and internationally with awards for innovative retailing and visual merchandising,” says co-founder David “Noonie” Nunez. “Fast forward to now, and we’ve had 30-odd pop-ups in various locations, from two-day events to 12 months! We now have a huge emporium within the design space (SO:ME Space) of the iconic South Melbourne Market. And in the last two years, we’ve expanded into TheSuperCool Kid (offering all those SuperCool families a place to shop for their kids!).” Key takeaways Forecast demand by looking at the speed at which your products are selling. Pay attention to your sales and inventory reports and use the data to make inventory decisions. Do you implement loyalty in your business? If so, use your loyalty program to help move lingering stock. Strive to support other businesses that stand for something. It could prove to be a smart move for your company, as shoppers increasingly want to align themselves with businesses that focus on being ethical and real. Examples of sports and outdoors retail Looking for examples of sport and outdoorsy retailers? Here’s a couple that you’ll find super interesting: 7. Sitka: an environmentally conscious surf retailer that sells socially responsible goods Founded in 2002, Sitka was started by two friends shaping surfboards out of their garage. The business has grown quite a bit since then, and today, Sitka designs and sells clothes as well as outdoors goods that are sourced in the most environmentally responsible way possible. Retail practice we love We love how much passion and purpose goes into each of Sitka’s products. According to Sitka’s Managing Director Andrew Howson: “At Sitka, the products we create are unique and purposefully designed, and everything we make has a story behind it. Almost all of our decisions are based on environmental stewardship, encouraging others to learn about the environment, and teaching them how to become passionate about it. This, in turn, inspires many and puts a smile on my face.” 8. Rockets & Rascals: a bike-shop-slash-cafe that helps people fall in love with cycling Based in the UK, Rockets & Rascals is a bike emporium and cafe that sells high-quality bikes while serving top-notch coffee. According to Steve Toze, Marketing Director at Rockets & Rascals, their purpose is to share their love of bike riding with the community. Retail practice we love Aside from the huge focus on their creating a strong biking community, we love how Rockets & Rascals implements their loyalty program. The retailer uses a simple structure where shoppers earn loyalty whenever they spend money at the store. Best of all, the store doesn’t use physical cards. The entire loyalty program runs on their POS platform and all shoppers need to do to earn and redeem their rewards is to give their name to the cashier. “It’s a wonderful lifesaver for a cold, wet cyclist that’s come in without their wallet,” shares Steve. Key takeaways Be more thoughtful with your product assortments. See to it that each item has a story and purpose. This will help your merchandise stand out. And when shoppers can relate to the stories you tell, they’re more likely to become customers for life. Make it easy for customers to participate in your loyalty program. And if you’re still using physical cards, do yourself (and your patrons) a favor and switch to a digital solution! Retail examples in the food and beverage sector Moving on to the food and beverage space, here are some F&B merchants with delicious products (and awesome retail strategies and tactics): 9. Grain & Vine: an omnichannel retailer that sells boutique wine and spirits Grain & Vine’s purpose is to give people a better way to shop for beverages. Their spacious and easy-to-navigate store features a curated assortment of drinks from all around the world. Grain & Vine currently has 10 employees, two New York outlets, and an online shop. Retail practice we love Grain & Vine is truly an omnichannel retailer. They sell in-store, online, and on mobile through same-day delivery apps such as Postmates, Minibar, and Drizly. All of their sales channels are tightly integrated, so inventory and product data are synced across all platforms. How do they juggle their POS, ecommerce, and delivery apps? Two words: tight integrations. Grain & Vine takes advantage of the solid integration between Shopify and Vend to ensure that they’re able to stay on top of sales and inventory. The two systems can “talk” to each other and share data in real-time — so when orders come in, Grain & Vine’s inventory is synced across its physical and digital stores. As for the different delivery apps, they use an XML file to sync their inventory with the apps. According to Michael Nagdimunov, the shop’s owner: “We’ve created an XML file that constantly pings our Shopify platform for inventory updates. And because Shopify and Vend integrate almost natively, both inventories are always in sync. Those XML files are then being sent to our providers [i.e. delivery apps] and they, in turn, have constant access to updated inventory. That way, we’re never in a situation where they sell something we don’t carry.” 10. Collingwood Olive Oil: an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting bar and retailer Collingwood Olive Oil is run by Alex Yuen and Cheryl McMenemy, a husband and wife team based in Ontario, Canada. Founded in May of 2014, they source and sell the freshest extra virgin olive oils, along with a selection of natural balsamic vinegars. Retail practice we love Collingwood Olive Oil is all about the customer experience. According to Cheryl, customers can taste any product before buying, and they ensure that their employees are well-trained and are true product experts. Collingwood Olive Oil has won plenty of awards because of this. They’ve earned accolades such as Small Business Owners of the Year, Innovative Business of the Year, Metroland Reader’s Choice: Favorite New Business, and #1 Retail Shopping in Collingwood on TripAdvisor. Key takeaways If you’re selling food and beverages, let your customers experience your products through taste tests. It’s a fun experience! Plus, it will help shoppers find the best product for them, which in turn leads to higher satisfaction! Are you selling on multiple channels? You should. A study of 46,000 shoppers found that 73% have used multiple channels throughout their shopping journeys and those shoppers are more loyal and spend higher amounts in-store and online. Check our in-depth guide (with detailed steps) on how to seamlessly sell online, in-store, and on mobile. Examples of electronics retail Now it’s time to put the spotlight on high tech retail. Here are a couple our favorite electronics stores. 11. LifeLine Repairs: a retail chain that offers repair services for your electronics LifeLine Repairs is a chain of 20+ stores that provides repairs for electronic devices including smartphones, tablets, and computers. Retail practice we love LifeLine’s local expansion strategy is remarkable. With over 20 stores across the US, LifeLine has managed to strike a great balance between brand consistency and localization. According to Kestas Masanauskas, the Chief Operations Officer at LifeLine Repairs, they’re able to achieve consistency by standardizing their processes and equipment. For instance, all of their stores use the same point of sale system (Vend) and their headquarters shares and uploads products to the various locations. They also have standardized procedures and use guidelines and flowcharts to provide information on things like equipment handling, inventory storage, and more. As for their local strategy, Kestas says they do a ton of research when expanding to a new location. Then, Kestas and his team cook up unique outreach initiatives for each market. For example, when they established a new store in Boise, Idaho, the LifeLine Repairs team discovered that the location has an incredibly strong biking community. So to grab their attention, the retailer ran an event where people can borrow bikes for free. 12. Sennheiser: a brand that uses retail to help customers experience sound in a whole new way Sennheiser is a leading global brand specializing in the design, production, and retail of both consumer and high-fidelity audio products. Retail practice we love Sennheiser is known for their amazing concept stores in various parts of the globe, but some of our favorites are the popups that they set up in New York City (one in SoHo and another in the Westfield World Trade Center) in 2016. Both stores allowed New Yorkers to experience Sennheiser sound first hand through their products and innovations. According to the press release: The new SoHo store has been designed to transport visitors sonically and visually: Stepping into the store guests enter via the sound tunnel, which has been carefully engineered to damp external noise levels bit by bit – making the buzz of the city streets outside recede as you go further inside. This transition in sound is complemented by what you see. The tunnel brings visitors into an area where large screens show the company’s core: the Sennheiser logo, a milestone product from the company’s 70-year history and Sennheiser’s vision to shape the future of audio. Key takeaways If you’re running multiple stores (or are planning to), be sure to find the right balance between brand consistency and localization. Check out what LifeLine Repairs is doing and see if you can apply their tactics to your business. Make your store more experiential. Find a way to make people feel like they’re entering a new world when they walk into your shop. Your turn We talked about some amazing retail examples in this post, but now we’d love to hear from you. Can you name retailers that are thriving in today’s market? What are some of the things that they’re doing right? Let us know in the comments. About Francesca NicasioFrancesca Nicasio is Vend's Retail Expert and Content Strategist. She writes about trends, tips, and other cool things that enable retailers to increase sales, serve customers better, and be more awesome overall. She's also the author of Retail Survival of the Fittest, a free eBook to help retailers future-proof their stores. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Google+. 120profit.com - https://120profit.com/?p=2340&utm_source=SocialAutoPoster&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Tumblr

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