#bought some clothes for my brother but in the nice department store tell me why there’s gucci casual wear for kids

[yugiohz]

thinking about endeavor putting baby shoto into endeavor merch clothes (why the fuck is there endeavor merch for toddlers) and baby shoto throwing a tantrum until he stops breathing and turns blue so yeah no more endeavor merch for baby shoto

#thinking about kids bragging about their all might merch (canon) while shoto has an endeavor bento box someone help him #deku’s the kid whose entire wardrobe is just cartoon and hero merch #which I hate but that’s still better than kids whose parents only dress them in beiges and Ralph Lauren lord help those kids #no I didn’t forget the scar #sketches #I love kids’ fashion the range can be so funny #bought some clothes for my brother but in the nice department store tell me why there’s gucci casual wear for kids #which 5yo is wearing that <- there rlly are kids who grow up like that #keeping up with the todorokis

[script-nef]

Presents (and other things)

Category: fluff

2k words; Shopping date [3/6]

← Previous chapter | Masterlist

Out of everyone in the whole world, the person you love most in the world is Nanami Kento, your brother. He was the one who saved you from the cursed spirit that haunted you and took your parents’ lives. He was the one who took you in so that you wouldn’t be put in the system since you were still a minor. He made sure every day that you were safe and healthy even if he was injured or exhausted after a fight.

That's why in the weeks nearing his birthday, you made sure that he would have a relaxing time. He said you didn’t have to and he’d rather have you not fret over him, but that is unacceptable. He needs to have a good birthday. If you could, you would make the whole month just about him. But the last time you tried that he sat you down for a long, scolding lecture about how it’s unnecessary. So that’s out of the option.

Right now, just a few days shy of his actual birthday, you have a problem. Because you were buried in work and have a terrible memory.

His present.

You forgot to buy a present. 

“I forgot to buy a present! Why am I so dumb… Why am I like this, Gojou? It’s literally one of the most important things with birthdays and I forgot it. Because I’m an idiot. I wish the ground would swallow me up… I deserve it…” Thuds reverberate through the room as your head makes contact with the table. Repeatedly. Hard.

Wallowing in self-hate is great but your brain starts spitting out all viable present options. 

Shopping for Ken-chan is hard because he’s not materialistic in the least. He also doesn’t have a lot of hobbies. “I don’t need presents.” is a regular phrase every time his birthday or holidays come up, but then he gives presents to you and you end up feeling worse. This is all while your brain is getting thrown around. 

A hand comes between your forehead and the desk, gently bringing it up. Gojou has a small pout as his cold fingers try to soothe the burning sensation. 

“You still have a couple of days left! Don’t bang your head against the table, your brain doesn’t work enough as it is.” He easily moves out away from your slap. But returns in time to stop your head from falling again.

“I should have remembered this weeks ago. There’s no use trying to make me feel better, Gojou. I’m a terrible sister. I deserve this pain.” His fingers poke against your cheeks and he smooshes and stretches them. It’s uncomfortable but you let him.

“I haven’t bought a present either.”

“You’ve never given him a present.”

“This is the year to start! I have to get on his good side!” That’s weird since he never cared about what Ken-chan thought of him.

 “Why?”

“We can shop together!” Classic ignoring. His face comes to level with yours. “Let’s go to Shinjuku, I’m sure there are things even Nanami will like. Also, I found a new sweets shop.” You stare at him. “But I will focus on the present for today! C’mon, I can fly us there. You’ve never flown before, right? I think it’ll help.”

For some inexplicable reason, floating in mid-air with nothing to save you other than Gojou is amazing. Adrenaline pumps through your veins at the thought of crashing down to Earth if Gojou lets go. You know he won’t though. 

The air is chilly up here and there’s constant wind makes your hair whip everywhere, getting in your mouth and eyes. It doesn’t dampen your mood.

Your arms tighten around Gojou’s neck, watching the city blink with life way underneath your feet. Well, his feet, since you’re bunched up in his embrace. 

“This is so cool! Do you do this every day?”

“Yup.” He pops the p and slowly walks closer to your destination. The world looks like a child’s playhouse. 

“No wonder you’re constantly in an amazing mood! I would do this every time I’m feeling down!” Gojou’s chuckle reverberates through his chest and into your body. 

“I can take you out again when you’re sad.” A buzz takes over your body at the thought sparkles come to life in your wide eyes.

“You would do that for me?” Gojou is an incredibly important asset and therefore also very busy, needing to take care of special-grade curses that others can’t while also teaching and looking after his three students. He couldn’t be at your beck and call, you can’t ask that from him. But the gentle smile he gives is so warm and sure, assuring you that his words are true.

“Of course I would. Any day.” His grip around your body tightens.

Something weird fuzzes in your chest. It’s not uncomfortable or bad but… unique. And foreign. You got a good report back from your physical evaluation last month so it’s not something physical. Questions about what the cause could be takes over your mind but the sudden sensation of zero gravity makes all of them fly out the window. Burying your face into Gojou’s neck, you prepare for the worst.

“And we have arrived! M’lady.” Chipper as ever, Gojou’s feet touch the ground with a light plop and he lets you down gently. You look at him in confusion until realisation kicks in. And you kick him.

“Don’t do that! I think my heart stopped!” He cackles at that, finishing with a “Won’t do it next time.” If there is a next time. The probability is reduced significantly because of what he just did. 

Taking your hand in his, he escorts you down the stairs from the rooftop and into a department store. The people who couldn’t see mere moments ago high up in the sky.

As expected, it’s loud and crowded. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of people shuffling about and sweeping everyone to move even if they wanted to. It’s fortunate that Gojou has a firm grip on your hand because otherwise you’d be completely lost. Still, it’s nice to be buried in the commotion of everyday lives. It helps you forget about the whole war that’s looming over everyone.

“Any ideas on what to get?” The question you’ve been asking yourself for the past hour or so is echoed by Gojou. “We have all the time in the world, so don’t worry. I’ll keep you company for as long as you want.” 

Blisters form on the back of your feet thanks to the amount of times you walked around the huge place. Gojou bought you bandaids even though you said Shouko can fix you up. It hurts a lot less thanks to that. Finding a present is still a challenge. Every time you think you have one, your brain comes up with a rebuttal for why Ken-chan won’t like it. Two hours and nothing to show for it, you’re on the verge of collapse. Even a quick snack break didn’t help.

Gojou sets you down on a bench, letting your head roll on the backrest. The sight of thousands of coats and jackets running around upside down makes you giggle. Maybe the stress is finally getting to your head. The mantra of “I’m a terrible sister” tries to sneak in and wreak havoc. You’re just about to let it when the upside-down brand of a designer clothing shop catches your attention. 

“Gojou.”

“Yup?” His head comes into view as he copies your posture. It must look really weird to passersby but you don’t care at all. “Got an idea?” You point to the brand. Or at least you think you do. The lack of blood in your brain is making everything dizzy. “Clothes?”

“I wanna buy him a good suit.” Standing up, swaying a little from the sudden oxygen influx, you try to drag him towards the shop. He tries to make your attempt harder by using his weight and height, but a firm glare makes him concede.

“I thought he said he doesn’t want suits.” Oh yeah, you told him that when it was rejected. Ken-chan did say that, years ago, when you bought him one for your first present. While incredibly appreciated, he reasoned that there is a high chance of it being ruined since he has to fight in them. And this was around the time when you started getting paid. It was his way of saying that you should invest it in something more durable and preferably for yourself. How does Gojou remember this when it was just a fleeting complaint that you barely remember?

“He said it’s because there’s no point in spending so much money on something that might be damaged so quickly. But I’m going to buy it for a different reason.”

Collections of suits, varied by colour and pattern, line the huge shop. Skimming over a lot of them, especially ones with questionable designs, you turn to the monochromatic area. Simple is best when it comes to Ken-chan’s taste. Shuffling through the shades, you contemplate between either beige or blue.

“What’s the reason?” Gojou’s voice calls from the change room. You wonder when he got there. 

“For him to wear it if he goes back to work in an office after the war has ended. Or just when he goes out, without the worry of getting attacked and ruined. It’ll be like a promise! That he’ll do his best to survive the war to wear it.” 

Gojou is silent in response. It drags out and now you’re sort of embarrassed about what you said. Your partner loves taking advantage of others’ sappy moments, teasing them mercilessly over it. That little speech is basically perfect ammunition against you. You expect his high voice to make fun of you.

What you don’t expect is for him to pat your head, slowly and softly, like he won’t ever get to do it again.

“Nanami must have used all his luck when he became your guardian.” Voice low, bringing shivers down your body, he cards his fingers through your hair. Like he’s combing them. Seconds tick by and it feels sort of nice, telling you to relax, but your body’s on high alert for some reason.

“I think he’d like the blue one. Since he already has a brown suit, beige is too close.” A black suit adorns his body when he comes into view. Even the shirt is black. It fits him perfectly and he looks really good in it, courtesy of a good body proportion. He could possibly pull off the hideous suits you elected to shy away from at the front of the display. You clear your throat.

“Wow, you look really good in that.” His hands smooth down the creases on the jacket, preening at your compliment. “You should buy that. Wear it to dates or whatever. Ladies will fall to your feet if you show up with that.” Holding up two blue suits, your eyes scrutinize them and you try to imagine which shade will look better on your brother.

“Ladies will fall to my feet? Really?” Amusement tinges his words. The left one looks better.

“Yeah, probably. Girls love guys in suits. Well at least, I do. If they wear the right one for them, it’s really hot. Left one is better, right?” He gives a nod, a wide grin playing on his face. “Alright, this one then. Are you buying the suit?”

“Yeah. I think it’ll be put to good use.”

The checkout is quick, and it’s night when you step out. 

“You wanna go back by flying? We can try doing the Howl thing.” That’s really tempting, being able to reenact one of the most iconic scenes in the movie. But not today. 

“No, I prefer being in your arms.” Gojou stares at you with such intensity that you can feel it even with the blindfold. Then he immediately barks out a laugh, one so loud that people nearby flinch at the sudden noise. You flinch at the sudden noise.

“Ah… You really keep me on my toes, you know.” Before you can ask what that means, he takes your hand again and starts walking to the stairs. His steps are faster than usual.

Next chapter →

#gojou x reader #gojou imagine #gojou satoru x reader #gojou satoru imagine #gojo x reader #gojo imagine #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru imagine #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk imagine #jujutsu kaisen imagine #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #gojou #gojou satoru #fluff #series #female reader

[holylulusworld]

Claimed per accident - Part 11 – Forgiveness

Summary: The Winchesters are your blessing and curse at the same time.

Pairing: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader, Alpha!Sam x Omega!Reader, Alpha!John x Omega!Reader, Castiel

Warnings: angst, abo dynamics, scenting, true mates, language, tension, longing

A/N: For my fic, John made the deal to save Sam, not Dean. Castiel gripped John tied to raise him from perdition. Sam was soulless and Dean a demon. This is partially an AU.

Claimed per accident Masterlist 

While you check on all the stuff the brothers tossed into the bags you snicker as Dean seems to be more interested in the pie than the beer John puts into the fridge.

“Got an apple pie for you too, Sweetheart.” Humming you glance at the pie, as Dean gets a knife out to cut a slice for you. “I know you like apple more than cherry.”

“You only try to get more cherry pie, Dean.” While you talk about the best apple pie you ever ate and try to sort all the things the brothers bought John leans against the counter, watching you taste a piece of the apple pie.

“Not bad, but not my grannies. If I find the time between the try to not get killed and keeping three needy Alphas under control I will bake one. I still have my gran’s secret cookbook.”

Sniffling you rub your eyes. “It’s one of the few things I could take with me before I got kicked out.”

“I think all of us would like to taste a piece of your gran’s pie.” John rubs his chin, glancing at you as he tries to tell you what Castiel brought to the bunker for you.

“Castiel, he and Crowley stayed behind after we left, and our favorite angel said your father kept your stuff.”

“Why should he keep my old things? I don’t think my father wanted a reminder of the shitty daughter he kicked out of his life.” John’s features soften as he points toward Cas standing in the doorframe.

“Your father didn’t know that the neighbors, who helped him packing his belongings when he moved out, packed your things too. I read his mind and knew he does not know about it. A woman must’ve packed your things and she left a letter.” 

Taking the letter, you smile as you recognize the handwriting. “That’s Miriam’s handwriting. She was my friends’ mother. After my mom died, she became like a mom to me and I spent many nights and days at their house.” Unfolding the letter, you smile as at least one person did not judge you.

“Do you want to read it in private?” Glancing at the letter Castiel wants to leave but you shake your head. “We can give you some time on your own.”

“No. You brought this to me, Cas. Thank you.” Your fingers shake as you read the first lines.

Dear Y/N,

I hope one day you will be able to get your belongings. I know how much your diaries and the pictures of your mother mean to you. We hid the boxes on the attic when your father moved into the new house.

Your father wanted us to toss everything belonging to your away but Elize and I just could not do it. Whatever your father told us, I know things can be complicated between an Alpha and a young Omega.

My husband and I mated after knowing each other for not even a few hours. He claimed me and I became pregnant. I understand the struggle of being Omega too well, Y/N. Never let anyone tell you that you are not a good person only as you fell for an Alpha and he left you.

The same thing could have happened to me. Luckily, my mate wanted to stay with me.

Whenever I look at my daughter, I see a piece of you in her too as you helped her grow while you were around.

I pray you will grow stronger through the loss and pain. I know you will become an independent and wonderful person.

If you find this letter, you can call me anytime. My number is still the same, but I added at the end of the letter, just in case you forgot.

Have a long and wonderful life.

Stay safe,

Miriam

Tears in your eyes you press the letter to your heart. ”Miriam always was nice, but I never thought she would be on my side in this. She was strict, always said to Elize that she should not run around with an Alpha.”

“I think she tried to protect her daughter. She was in the same position as you were and knew about the problems an early bond can cause. In the end, she understood your situation better than anyone.”

Castiel saw enough pain and loss due to bonds formed with the wrong mate to know that the Winchesters regret that they were not with you to strengthen your bond. 

Smiling the angel watches you walk into the library to open the first box with shaking fingers. It inherits clothes you will never wear again and you are laugh at the crazy shirts you liked to wear.

“Cute shirt.” Snickering Sam glances a pink ‘Hello Kitty’ shirt in the box. “You can wear it anytime.”

“I do not think I will ever wear a ‘Hello Kitty’ shirt or Hawaiian shorts again. The clothes are brand-new. I think I’ll donate those.” 

Humming Dean glances at the pink shirt. While you open the next box, he snatches the shirt out of the box to hide it under his flannel.

John smirks watching his son hide the shirt. He knows Dean wants to see you in the shirt and presses his index finger to his lips to make sure Sam keeps his mouth shut.

“Books, my diaries and pictures. I’ll keep those things.” There are five more boxes and your smile grows as you see Miriam even saved your toys. “Maybe one day I can give the dolls and teddy bears to my children.”

John heart races and his cock twitched imagining you filled with his pups.

“Pups…” Purring Dean steps closer to have a look at the toys. “We will find a safe place to store the dolls and things.”

“In here are more books, CD’s, DVD’s and a few pictures.” Sam goes through one of the boxes and you nod as he shoves it toward the other box with the things you want to keep.

While you check on two more boxes Dean’s eyes never leave your face. You never thought you would ever see your things again and now it’s just overwhelming to have all your belongings back.

The last box is full of random things. Make-up, a few thongs, figurines, and other things are hastily thrown into the box. You assume Miriam did not have the time to sort the things in the last box.

“Uh-huh! A red thong…hmmm…” Sam grasps for the underwear before Dean can snatch the thongs too. “Sammy…” Whining the Alpha glances at the thongs and you shake your head at his needy state.

“Dean stop stealing clothes from our Omega. Let us help her carry the boxes into her room and we can have dinner later.”

John picks the first box up as Dean looks one last time at your underwear before he grabs a box too.

“Looks good. I like the pictures and drawings.” Leaning against the doorframe John let his eyes wander. You placed pictures onto the desks and Dean helped you fixating some drawings and pictures at the wall behind your bed. 

On the shelves are your books, CDs, and DVDs along with tiny figurines and a box with your jewelry.

You only kept two pairs of jeans, a dress, two shirts, and your shoes. Sam brought the rest the Salvation Army to donate the clothes you do not need any longer. 

“I got a call from a friend. He said your father sued us at the Sheriff’s department.” John smirks as you look at him with wide eyes.

“Good thing the Sheriff is a good friend of mine and gave a shit on your father's statement.”

“How can he do this? It was his fault my Alpha’s defended me. He should know that the law says every Alpha has the right to defend his Omega.” Walking into your room John looks at the pictures on your desk.

There is one of your mom and you. John can see you must have cut your father out as the is a gap in the picture, but he does not say a word. 

“I want to make dinner. Any wishes?” Poking his head in Dean looks at you. “Burger? Pasta? My charming personality?” 

“I’d like a burger and salad.” Nodding the eldest brother looks around your room. 

“I like the knife next to the fairy.” Liking your style Dean gives you a wink before he strolls toward the kitchen. “Y/N wants a burger, live with-it Sammy.”

“Burger? Again?” Grumbling Sam walks into your room, glancing at the pictures of you, your family and friends. “Can we not eat healthily for once?”

“Tonight, I want a burger. A girl got to eat meat to make sure she can take all of you down if needed.” John’s smirk grows as he sees a shirt of him on your bed, along with one of Dean and Sam.

“She’s a little thief, dad. Look at the bed.” Sam purrs, circling your bed like his prey. “I bet she’s rubbing her cute nose into our shirts. Dirty little ‘mega.”

“Sam be cautious, our Omega is a feisty one. Hard to handle and lovely at the same time. Look at her room, it reflects her personality. Gracile fairy and deadly hunter.” John’s deep voice goes lower every time he gets a whiff of your scent.

“I heard that, old man. You better try to get into my good graces.” Stroking the soft skin behind John’s ear you smirk as he purrs for you. “I think you should eat more meat too, John…I have plans for you…”

“This is the best burger I ever ate, Dean. You are a genius, Alpha. I hope you can cook more. Maybe we can team-up. I could bake a pie using my gran’s recipe and you can make dinner.” 

Dean’s eyes lit up when you moan after you took the last bite. He can sense you are calmer now that you claimed both, Sam, and Dean.

While Sam watches you with amusement, knowing you try to tease John with your behavior his father tries to not purr as you rub your hand over his crotch.

“Dean and I will clean the dishes. It’s getting late and I guess…” Sam can’t hold back the dirty grin on his lips as his father starts to shiver every time you stroke his dick. “You and dad need some time alone.”

“How’d you find out?” Your hand moves faster until John stops it. His eyes darken and you know you broke his resistance. “Submit to me and I am yours tonight, John…”

Your hand slides over his thigh as you lean closer to purr the words into his ear.

“I think it’s time to forgive each other our sins, John. I hated you for too long and you, you felt guilty as long as my hatred was kept alive by my memories…”

“I want you, little ‘mega. You are our queen; you’re my queen and I kneel if I have to. Let me show you I can be more than an Alpha in rut.” 

When you take John’s hand to lead him toward his room, his sons whistle.

“Be gentle. He’s an old man.” Dean snickers.

“He can’t take too much excitement. Take good care of him.” Sam adds.

“Don’t worry, boys…” Giving the brothers a wink you smirk. “I’ll make sure he purrs in no time…”

Tags in reblog.

#Claimed per accident Masterlist #dean winchester #Sam Winchester #john winchester #alpha!sam winchester #alpha!dean #alpha!john #alpha!dean winchester #alpha!dean x omega!reader #alpha!john winchester x omega!reader #alpha!sam x reader #Alpha!Dean x OmegaReader x Alpha!Sam #alpha!dean x reader #alpha!dean x omegareader #alpha!john winchester #abo #abo dynamics

[jadekitty777]

An Older Brother’s Solemn Duty

So, this story honestly started out as a joke between me and a friend a few weeks ago when Ironqrow showed signs of possibly becoming canon. I brought up the thought of the two actually hooking up and what Taiyang would do if he found out and my conclusion was basically “he’d tease the hell out of Qrow”. This is that idea, expanded and more heartfelt, but also with a hearty dash of my brand of comedy.

I decided to write out the scenario into an actual ficlet as a gift for @lacependragon as a thank you to you for posting back up some of my favorite fics of yours at my request. I apologize it wasn’t finished sooner; I wanted it done by Monday but well. Life has not been particularly kind to me this week. Still, I hope you enjoy it.

Word Count: 2,900

Rating: M, for some suggestive language

Summary: During a mission briefing, Taiyang begins to suspect something is up with Qrow when he starts acting oddly out of character. He quickly discovers the reason behind it lies with the mission coordinator himself: James Ironwood.

Pairings: Ironqrow and mentions of past STR-Crossed

Ao3 Link: An Older Brother’s Solemn Duty

~

“Well this is…rustic.” Was Winter’s comment as Tai ushered everyone into the room. His daughter’s team, Team JNR, CFVY and SSSN, Oscar, Qrow, Ironwood and his many trusted operatives from Atlas including Penny, as well as Glynda, Bart and Pete all filed in.

“I do appreciate the accommodations Taiyang, but I was hoping we’d have a holograph at least.” James spoke up as everyone took a seat. The crowd was larger than his normal class size, so while most found desks to sit at, a few of them were stuck standing in the back.

“I have a projector from thirty years ago, if you have slides.” He waved towards the old, bulky gadget sitting atop one of the counters. It was old enough the plastic was discoloring where the device got hot, more of a sickly yellow than the beige it had been.

“Pass!”  Yang voted.

“Miss Xiao Long, another outburst will earn you a detention.” Tai said in his best teacher voice. He caught her sticking her tongue out at him as he turned back to James. He waved to the rectangular box of whiteboard supplies he always kept on his desk. “If you prefer, I also have markers in fun colors.”

The uncomfortable look on the other man’s face was priceless. “I… suppose that will do.”

“Oh!” Penny zipped to their side. “Allow me, sir! It would be my pleasure to draw up the diagrams.”

James straightened up, more assured now. “Yes that would be helpful.”

She eagerly picked up the box, “Oh they are fun!” and got right to work at an inhuman speed.

Tai marveled at it. Her writing was robotically neat, easy and clear to read. The drawings were equally fantastic. “Any chance I can hire her as a TA?”

“I’m afraid allowing you to take one of my finest soldiers is out of the question. But I’d be happy to look into donating for updated supplies.” He probably meant it too!

“Certainly wouldn’t be unwelcome.” He pat his shoulder. “Floor’s yours, General.”

“Thank you.” James turned to the room, getting into his authoritative pose, shoulders straight and hands behind his back. “As you are all well aware, we’ve gathered here today to discuss our plan of attack on clearing out the Grimm at Beacon.”

As the man continued, Taiyang headed to the back of the classroom, making Ruby giggle when he ruffled her hair as he passed by. He joined Qrow in the back, sharing a smile with him. It was nice having his family back home, plus the small troop of friends they’d bought along. Many were using the guest rooms and living room floor for bed space and their excitable presence tended to liven up the nights. Though, he knew all of it was only temporary. He tried not to dwell on that bit, instead listening to the drone of James’ voice as he debriefed them on the operation.

“Once we’ve gotten in range, Qrow I’d like you to use your reconnaissance skills to scope out the Grimm species and get a rough estimate of their numbers. The most critical entry points are here, here and here.” James was drawing X’s on those spots. “Once you’re able to do so, reconvene with Taiyang here and report back to us-”

“Wait.” Qrow spoke up drawing the General up short. “Just Tai?”

He looked back at them. “Well, yes. Is that an issue?”

Curious as well, Tai glanced at his brother-in-law.

He appeared rather out of sorts, as if he were one of his students who had suddenly been called on to answer a question on the board but hadn’t studied the material. “Don’t you think we’re a little shorthanded?”

“Your teamwork has always been outstanding. And as you’re taking the West Entry which is notably much narrower, more bodies will only encumber you both. However, if you feel uncertain, I could have Clover-”

“Uh no, nevermind.” Qrow interjected hastily. “You can keep going.”

James eyeballed him, raising an eyebrow, but if he had another comment, he didn’t broach it, instead turning back to the board. “Now, Team JNR, I’d like you to-”

Subtle as he could, Tai lent over, whispering, “Everything alright?”

It was strange. Qrow had never put up a protest about them working together before. They’d been partnered at Beacon for maiden’s sake. Even odder was his request for more back-up. There weren’t many people the other man felt comfortable working alongside, too stressed his semblance would do something unforetold to them. The more people, the more potential injuries and causalities he’d end up feeling responsible for – whether they truly were his fault or not.  

Tai knew he got a pass because his own semblance, the ability to create barriers, meant he could literally protect himself at a moment’s notice.

Or well, normally he got a pass.

But, whatever was going on in Qrow’s head, it seemed he wasn’t up to sharing as he shrugged it off. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

He frowned, but decided to drop it for now. Maybe he’d get him to open up about it at dinner.

The rest of the conference went off without a hitch and James finally dismissed them all roughly an hour and a half later. As the majority of the room cleared out, Tai caught snatches of conversation.

“So, you guys going to show us around?” Sun was opening the door with his tail, waving Yang and Ruby and their friends out like a gentleman.

“Tell me there’s a decent clothing store around here.” The leader of CFVY was mumbling as she got up from her seat to follow her team.

“Tai!” Bart’s voice caught his attention, the historian waving at him. “Perhaps we can get together tonight?”

He held up a hand in response. “Yeah sure! Come by around 8.” He headed to the front of the room.

James was talking with some of his troops. “Clover, you and Penny do one last calibrations check on the airships. I want to make absolutely certain that everything is in working order.”

“Of course sir. We’ll make sure nothing is missed.” He replied with a salute.

Taiyang studied the younger man curiously, remembering he’d been the one James had mentioned pairing them up with. He was in his early to mid-thirties, had short military-trimmed hair and an eye-catching smile. Certainly attractive. One look at his attire and he could clearly see why he might irk Qrow though. The four-leaf clover medallion was bad enough, but a rabbit’s foot and a horseshoe on his belt? He had to be awfully superstitious.

Clover caught him staring, winking in his direction.

Flirty too. He could get behind that. Tai offered as coy a smile as he dared before the other man departed.

He knew Qrow had caught it, because he heard him snort. He elbowed him in the ribs.

Ignoring the grunt behind him, he said, “Your operatives sure are interesting James.”

“That’s one word for them.” He offered the red marker back. “I apologize for having to use your classroom on such short notice.”

“It’s fine.” Tai replied, dropping it back in the box with the rest of the rainbow. Now where was the eraser? “Really, this whole thing is amazing. The restoration effort, getting back the school? It feels like we’re finally putting the world back together again.”

“Wouldn’t go that far. It’s just one small piece.” Qrow said as he leaned against his desk.

James sighed, running a hand over his beard. “There is certainly much work left to do. Haven. Mantle. But Vale needs its Huntsmen training again. And the kingdom needs its-”

“‘Beacon’ back?” Tai interrupted unabashedly.

It actually earned him a chuckle.

As well as a groan from Qrow. “Don’t laugh. You only make the puns stronger.”

“You just don’t want to admit they’ve groan on you.”

Qrow’s retaliation was to throw the nearest thing in reach at him. That was how he finally found the eraser.

James was laughing more in earnest now, which was even more surprising. Even off-duty, the General rarely was so openly expressive. Not that it was a bad thing; Tai had been saying for years how he needed to cut loose and relax more. He wondered what had changed.

“Hey, why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?” Tai suggested as he turned to the board. “And don’t do that ‘I don’t want to impose’ nonsense, because I already have a miniature army at my house.”

“The offer’s appreciated, but I do need to oversee some last-minute preparations for tomorrow.” He paused, then added cheekily, “And I don’t want to impose.”

Jokes too? He was getting tempted to pinch himself and check that he was really awake.

“Don’t make me throw this at you next.” He waved the eraser threateningly.

James held up a hand pacifyingly. “I apologize, maybe another time.” His eyes darted to the other man. “Though, Qrow, if you can swing by my ship, I’d like to go over your part of the mission more thoroughly with you. I should have some time around 6?”

“I can do that. But, you still need to eat Jimmy.” Qrow pointed out, his heel tapping rhythmically on the floor.

“As a matter fact, I have plans to have a nice bird tonight.”

Tai froze in the middle of wiping away the dust cartridge checklist. Wait… did he hear that right?

The tapping had stopped. “I suppose that’s good enough.”

“Excellent.” He straightened his cufflinks, saying, “Well then, I really should be going then. Gentleman.” With a tip of his head, James walked out the door, leaving only two.

Tai stared at where he had retreated. Then, deliberately slow, he pivoted towards Qrow, staring at him intensely.

“W-What?”

He lent towards him. His brother-in-law immediately shifted back.

“What!?”

He grinned in the absolutely most shit-eating way he could and said, “He’s having ‘bird’, hm?”

Qrow’s eyes widened, the shade that rose to his cheeks almost matching his eyes. “It-It’s not what you think!”

Oh, and he was actually flustered? Tai knew he had to be in deep on this one. And as the self-appointed older brother, there was only one thing to do with such a sensitive situation.

“Oh? My mistake I suppose.” He pulled back, fishing out his scroll.

Qrow watched him suspiciously. “What are you doing?”

“Hm? Oh, nothing.” He shrugged, struggling hard to contain his smile. “Just texting James about how he can best prepare that bird of his.”

The look of horror that crossed Qrow’s face had him absolutely losing it. “TAI DON’T YOU DARE!”

Tai danced backwards as he came diving for it, holding his scroll up in the air, tapping a button. “Annnd send!” The second tackle got him, and the device was quickly wrested from his grasp.

“What did you tell him?!” Qrow practically shoved the screen into his face, his panic quickly morphing to confusion, then annoyance. “This isn’t James.”

Tai folded his arms under his head, smug as can be. “Not this time. And if you don’t want it to be next time, then you better spill it bud.”

“Have I ever told you how much I hate you?” He glared at him over the top of the scroll.

“Once or twice – Ack!” The scroll was dropped on his face as Qrow climbed back to his feet. He offered him a hand up too, so Tai knew he wasn’t actually too mad.

Getting Qrow to start talking was always a chore; but once he did, it was like breaking open a dam. Not a lot of people knew he was a chatterbox. Then again, not a lot of people took the time to get to know him well enough to learn the things he was passionate about. The first time Tai discovered Qrow could say more than six words during a conversation was when the Grimm Reaper came up one boring afternoon. It was like a flip had switched and suddenly he was recounting tales of all her old adventures, proudly showing off Harbinger as he detailed out how he mimicked her kamas, and sharing his crackpot theories about how she was actually still alive.

So to see him in a similar state of reverence, and over James Ironwood of all people, was very telling indeed.

Some time later found Qrow sat atop of Tai’s desk, finishing up the story about how the Atlas Celebratory Ball went, his gaze distant. “I couldn’t handle being around all the alcohol so I stepped out for some air. James followed after me and we talked a bit. Then he asked me to dance, right there on the balcony.”

Tai was directly across from him, sitting on one of the students’ desks. “Did you accept?”

“’Course I did, you think I’m a fool?”

A fool in love. Tai thought privately. “And? How was it?”

“It was fine.” He said with a shrug, like it hadn’t mattered. But the way he refused to meet his eyes gave him away completely.

He lent forward, raising a brow, “It was the most magical thing to have ever happened to you, wasn’t it?”

“C-Come on man, don’t say it like that!” Qrow was going bright red once more, turning away and covering his mouth to hide the grin forming there. “But, maybe.”

He laughed softly. “Knew it.” He hit the back of his heel against one of the desk legs. “This why you were so eager to have someone else on our team tomorrow? Were you hoping he’d get the hint and come along?”

This time, he looked a little guilty. “Yeah. Guess I owe you an apology for doing that back during third year.”

He remembered that – Qrow had actually gotten a little ticked off at him when he’d been constantly volunteering to work with one of the girls’ on homework, pair up on missions, seek them out during lunch hour or do whatever other half-baked idea he could come up with to spend more time with them. Since he’d been spacing it out so equally between Raven and Summer, his rather insecure best friend had taken it completely the wrong way, assuming he’d finally gotten tired of him and was purposely trying to create distance between them. Hand completely forced, Tai eventually had to admit to Qrow that he was crushing on both his sister and their leader (and was kind of freaking out about it).

While Qrow accepted this fact and even promised to keep it secret, he also spent the next few weeks see-sawing between calling him ridiculous and teasing him at every available avenue. Tai never held grudge over it but he did warn him that one day, he’d know what it was like too.

Seems that day finally came.

“Got to say, I’m a little heartbroken.” Tai placed a dramatic hand on his chest. “Suddenly I’m not enough for you?”

Qrow’s legs were long enough he could easily kick his knee. “Come off it.” He settled back on his hands, eyes trailing the floor now. “Honestly, I thought I’d feel the opposite way.”

“What do you mean?”

“I figured if I ever felt this strongly about someone else, I’d want them to be as far away from me as possible. Instead, I can barely wait to see him. It’s idiotic.”

Oh, wow. Tai regarded his best friend a long, quiet moment, joy filling him. “That’s what it’s like. Even if you could see a disaster coming, it doesn’t matter. Because being with them makes every second you do have worth it.”

Qrow arched a brow, asking knowingly, “Was that for Summer or Raven?”

“Both. I wouldn’t trade those days away for anything. Neither should you.” He slipped off the desk to step forward. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m really happy for you.”

“What, why?”

Unable to help it, he hooked his arm around his neck and yanked him forward, giving him a brutal noogie. “Because my lil’ bro is all grown up! Sober and falling in love! I’m so proud.”

“Ah! Ack! Stop it!” Qrow squawked as he squirmed in his grasp. “And I’m older than you!”

“Still the little brother.” He let him go, barely feeling the retaliatory punch in the arm. “I mean it though. It’s nice, seeing you this happy.”

“You make it sound like I never am.”

“No but, I always wished it was more frequent.”

“Oh. …Sorry.”

Tai shook his head, saying firmly. “Not something to apologize for. Though, if James is something that invokes such a feeling, he’s a keeper.”

Qrow looked away, that little lovesick smile back. “Yeah, I think he is too.”

Brothers, he was tempted to hug him. So, he did. Qrow took it as awkwardly as always.

“Come on.” Tai said, resisting the urge to swing him around in his own enthusiasm. “We better head home before everyone wonders if we’re having a secret affair.”

“You wish you could get some with an ass as nice as mine.” He joked right back, pulling away.

He leaned to the side, being as exaggerated as possible. “You have an ass?”

“Jimmy sure thinks so.” Qrow wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Tai just laughed shoving him towards the door. If he played his cards right, he just might be able to hear some of those stories too.

#taiyang xiao long #qrow branwen #james ironwood #ironqrow #rwby #fanfiction #Chase Firekitten's Tale

[invincible-selfxmade-punk]

The 27th will be my niece's birthday. I have been having a lot of dreams about her even though she isn't in them.

I had one dream that she has left all of her stuff and my grandma Mimi's house.

My Aunt Jen and I were going through them and I was telling fan she's dead I know she said I know she will never come back for this stuff.

This morning I had all kinds of dreams because I slept really late.

I did not sleep the night before so I took two Tylenol PM last night and oh my gosh, I could not wake up this morning!

First there was a dream that I was back at my dad's store but my dad wasn't there. One of our Rich relatives from his side gave me this huge box of clothes and told me that I needed to send it for her somewhere. I kept telling her I didn't have any money and neither did my dad then she said why don't you take it with you when you go on.... some trip..... I don't even remember where I was going. I kept saying that I was very busy with work and I didn't know if I was even going on the trip or not and then sure enough the date of the trip came and went and I didn't get to go on it and then the road who was really mad at me because I didn't send the stuff.

Did later in the dream dad was alive and I had bought him shirt but I had not bothered to check the size of it all and had just grabbed one. Suddenly I was so ashamed I'd wanted to get him something nice, something to show him how much I loved him, and now all I had was this western shirt which was exactly like the shirt he had on and I had no idea if it was going to fit and he was there telling me that it was okay and that he loved it anyway. It was so real and I really made me miss him.

Then I had another dream that somehow we were teaching class a Giant grocery store. The grocery store has set aside some stuff for the children to have for snacks but some of the kids were running to other parts of the grocery stores and getting stuff that wasn't approved and then so was I. I kept forgetting where I was supposed to be and we were having training in certain parts of the grocery store. I was late and I asked the department head where I was supposed to be meeting and she refused to tell me. I've been having a lot of dreams like that lately. In fact I have nightmares about that stupid department head at least three times a week. I'm hoping now that I am teaching another subject will go away but I am doubting it.

Then the last dream I had was that I was with my sister Toni. She was throwing a party and there were a lot of people there.

We were sitting outside around this big fire pit but I don't think it had a fire in it. Suddenly we looked up and there were all these drone planes flying above us and then suddenly the Drone started to crash everywhere. The drones had wings like Tie fighters in the Star Wars movies and those wins kept popping off and falling and suddenly five or six wings fell into the fire pit at once and we all ran inside.

I wasn't anywhere near my hometown and suddenly I needed to find out if my dad was okay but I could not find a working phone and I could not find my cell phone.

This is a very common name in my dreams not having my cell phone are having a cell phone that doesn't work are reaching into my pocket and thinking I have a cell phone and it turns out to be a calculator.

No matter where I look I could not find my phone and I was so scared that something had happened to my dad.

I went upstairs and there was all of my nieces stuff again so I started going through it and I found an old laptop but it was really weird and you had to put together the keyboard by yourself. Finally I got it all together and for some reason I was trying to get on Tumblr to find out if someone could go check on my dad.

Just as I got everything typed in my brother-in-law was calling me downstairs and he was really mad that I was upstairs when everybody else was downstairs having dinner.

And that's where the dreams ended and I finally woke up there were several side dreams to this too.

But I never found my dad or my niece.

#life the universe and everything #dreams #dad #LeAnn #work #teaching #nightmare

[ratedbangtann]

✧˚₊‧ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 - 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 ✧˚₊‧ 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙤𝙚 || 𝙆𝙞𝙢 𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙟𝙤𝙤𝙣

𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜. 𝙰𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚍...

Pairing: Namjoon x reader

Word count: 4.5k

Warnings: Fluff, fluff and more fluff, with just a touch of angst...

Song: Mistletoe by Justin Bieber ✧˚₊‧

"Remind me why I thought Canada was a good place to spend Christmas together this year please?" Seokjin huffed, shivering as he stood in the snow outside the log cabin the boys had rented for two weeks.

"You specifically said, 'somewhere we haven't been before where there will definitely be snow and people speak English'. Where else would we go?" Yoongi grumbled, trudging through the snow from the car to stand next to Jin.

"They speak French here too," you smiled, arms crossed over your chest to keep you as warm as possible. "I think it's beautiful! In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snow at Christmas... A cabin in the woods that we can all decorate together. It's cute!" you were far too cheery for a grumpy Seokjin and well, a regular Yoongi.

You couldn't help it; you'd barely seen the boys for longer than two or three days at a time all year. Their schedule had been crazy, and you were looking forward to two weeks of secluded alone time with your seven best friends. Especially at Christmas...

"It's alright guys, we got the bags. You stand there, looking pretty," Hobi jeered at the three of you while he, Namjoon, Jungkook, Taehyung and Jimin unloaded the two 4x4s you had rented.

"It's what I'm best at!" Jin pouted. You just shook your head with a smile and turned to go help.

"At least grab some of the food or decorations we got, Jin!" you said, pushing his shoulder until he followed you, Yoongi behind him.

You had bought a ridiculous amount of food and drink to last the fortnight from a department store on your way from the airport, and with eight large bags and suitcases that belonged to each of you, it took longer than expected to get it all into the living area of the cabin. Well, you say it was a cabin... but it looked more like a large chalet made of wood if you were telling the truth. It had to be, to house eight of you.

"Right, who's sleeping where?" asked Taehyung. "There's five rooms to this place; two rooms have two double beds in them, one has a king bed, the other two have a double bed in each. Choose wisely."

"What if we did that thing where we all pick a room that we like one at a time, and whoever ends up together just has to deal with it?" you suggested, feeling playful.

"Sounds good to me," Hobi shrugged, the others mumbling their agreements.

"Okay, let's go have a look around, meet back down here in like ten?" you asked. You all scarpered off to different corners of the house, exploring the rooms to find one you thought you would like.

They were all beautiful, honestly. It was difficult to decide which room you wanted, thinking tactically... if any more than three of you were to pick the king size bed, it'd be a very snug room. If any more than two picked a double bed, that would be just as snug. But at the end of the day, you didn't mind sharing and if needs must, you could just decide to spend one night cramped together before you split off into free rooms.

Downstairs, you all gathered after having a good look around. You had picked a random order based on several games of rock, paper scissors and Jungkook was first to pick. He scuttled off, tip-toeing around upstairs until he picked one of the rooms with just a double bed in, taking a seat perched on the edge of the bed. You received a text to the group chat when he was settled, signalling the next person.

It was Yoongi, who made his way upstairs to pick a room with two doubles in.

"My turn!" you chimed, jogging up the stairs but slowing your pace to keep quiet as you wandered down the hall, choosing the king size room. You had to; the view was beautiful even if you did end up squished between two or three others.

Namjoon chose next, finding himself in the same room as Yoongi. The two of them shared a brief bro-handshake, totally fine with sharing; they'd lived together for years and nothing really phased them anymore.

Jimin chose the other room with the two double beds in, Tae choosing the same. Hoseok wound up in the same room as Namjoon and Yoongi and Jin chose the king size room, with you.

"Y/n!" he grinned, jumping on the bed to sit next to you. "Can we have a slumber party and braid each other's hair?" he asked, fluttering his eyelashes at you ridiculously.

"You're an idiot, Kim Seokjin," you laughed, shoving his shoulder. "But I will happily braid your luscious locks."

All of you dragged your bags up the stairs and unpacked them, satisfied with the sleeping arrangements.

As you and Jin unpacked, the two of you got to chatting.

"So, have you missed us?" Jin asked, wagging his eyebrows at you. Of course, you had, not seeing them for weeks before your trip.

"Nah, enjoyed the peace and quiet to be honest," you joked. He kicked your foot lightly with a pout settling on his face. "Jin, if you ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer," you shrugged with a laugh.

"We missed you, you know. Felt weird not having our best friend with us the whole time. It was nice to have you with us in Europe, though!"

"Oh god, Europe is beautiful. And those shows were intense. All those people... I don't know how you do it all the time." You had flown out to follow them around for the European dates of the Speak Yourself tour, signing yourself off work for a few weeks for a much needed holiday.

"I'd say you get used to it, but you never really do," he mentioned honestly, hanging up some of his shirts in the wardrobe you were going to be sharing.

"I bet," you mumbled, sifting through your case to find your skin care bag. A moment of silence passed as you both focussed on your tasks.

"Joon missed you the most, I'd say," Jin teased. You rolled your eyes at him; it hadn't taken him long to bring that up.

"Shut up, Jinnie," you warned. It really had been a mistake telling him you had a crush on Namjoon. Jungkook had managed to keep it to himself when he'd been observant enough to have seen the way you looked at him when you thought no one could see, but Seokjin teased you at every given moment. Thankfully, he had kept it to himself though.

"I'm just saying! He was always talking about you, wondering how you were and what you were up to. It was quite sweet," he sang. But you didn't believe a word of it; he was just mocking you, having a bit of fun.

Little did you know, Namjoon had actually felt lost without you around.

If you had the courage to be able to tell him how you were feeling, you'd have been dating already; no doubt about it. Namjoon had been completely infatuated with you since the first day he'd met you, when Jungkook had introduced you to the boys as his best friend from back in Busan. He'd never said anything to you, for fear of being rejected and making relations weird between you and him, and the rest of the group. And that's the whole reason you had said nothing to Namjoon too.

So instead, the pair of you suffered in silence, stealing glances at each other when the other wasn't looking and imagining what it would be like to be together since before they had even debuted. You'd been pathetically pining over each other from afar for years.

"Jin, cut it out. C'mon, it's not fair!" you whined.

"It'll happen one day, I know it!" he said, dropping the subject and focussing back on unpacking. Of course, he didn't know it would happen one day; he hoped it would. If only Namjoon would grow a pair and confess to you...

In the room shared by Hoseok, Yoongi and Namjoon, the conversation was startlingly similar.

"So, lover boy; you must be glad to spend some time with y/n, finally? Hmm?" Hobi jeered, obviously directed at Namjoon. Namjoon ignored him, putting his folded clothes into the drawers he'd been designated.

"We could tell you missed her," added Yoongi, seeming to take it a little more seriously than Hobi. They all knew this wasn't some silly crush to Namjoon, but Yoongi almost took pity on the poor guy. Namjoon wasn't one to catch feelings easy and watching his brother fall deeper and deeper for you and feel like he couldn't do anything about it was heart breaking for him. He couldn't imagine how Joon felt...

"Can we drop it? I feel like it's all we talk about when she's around..." he complained. He hated discussing his feelings for you with them; they never really understood it. They tried, but they would always tell him to just go for it, to tell you. But how could he do that and get rejected? After all this time? Things would be so weird after.

"I'm not taking the piss, man. I'm just worried about you. It's a good thing she's here, you seem brighter already. You always do around her," Yoongi said softly.

"True, I think we all notice that," Hobi agreed. "Still think you should tell her. It wouldn't be weird; she'd never let that happen."

"Hoseok, don't..." Namjoon tried to stop him. "I couldn't... After all this time being rejected would just..." he couldn't finish his sentence, cut up already just at the thought of it. "And if it did make things weird, I'd feel bad for Jungkook; they've been friends since they were kids."

"But if she didn't reject you, you could have everything you've wanted for the last seven years, Namjoon..." Yoongi countered. Joon shook his head again, focussing on unpacking.

"I can't, hyung. I just can't."

*****

"Tae, can you pass me the tinsel?" you called to Taehyung who was sifting through the ridiculous amount of decorations you had picked up at the department store. "I wanna hang it over the bannister." Tae threw it to you, landing it in your arms as you clumsily tried to catch it.

The rest of the boys were working on different parts of the living space, hanging lights around the room, baubles on the tree they'd bought, stockings across the fireplace. Namjoon and Jungkook had gone out to the shed that was behind the chalet to get some firewood; nothing would feel cosier than a real fire in a log cabin.

"Ow!" Taehyung cried out, retracting his hand quickly from the bag he was digging through.

"You okay?" Jimin asked, rushing to his side like a worried puppy to his human.

"Yeah, just pricked my finger on the holly branches someone shoved in the bottom."

"Sorry, I wanted to make a wreath out of them..." Jin apologised, heading over to grab the holly carefully and lay it out of the coffee table. Tae carried on looking through all the bags, suckling on his affected finger to ease the pain.

"Hey, who bought mistletoe?" he laughed aloud, pulling a mistletoe branch out of another bag with a red ribbon tied around it.

"Oh, I did! Again, I was gonna put that in the wreath..." Jin added. "Or use it as a bargaining chip..."

Tae's eyes twinkled with playful glee as he turned to face Jimin, mistletoe in hand.

"No... No, don't..." Jimin warned, backing away from Tae slowly who was following step by step, dangling the mistletoe above his head. "Taehyung... I swear, I'll beat your ass..." Tae wiggled his eyebrows, lunging forward suddenly.

Jimin swiftly turned, running out of the way to put the couch between the two of them.

"Come on, Jiminie... It's tradition!" he chimed, wagging the branch about in the air. You couldn't help but laugh from the stairs, watching the ridiculous circus below you.

"Not in a million years, Taehyung," he dashed off again, running through the room with Tae hot on his heels. Everyone turned to watch them run about, laughing at Jimin's attempts to get away from a very determined Taehyung.

The front door flew open, Jungkook stepping in with a full wicker basket of firewood in hand. Jimin didn't have time to avoid him, tumbling into him as the wood went flying across the floor.

"Jimin-ah!" Jungkook yelled, frustrated after filling up the basket in the first place. Taehyung leaned over Jimin, still lying on the floor and planted a sloppy kiss to his cheek, skipping off back to the bags of decorations.

"Sorry! Tae was trying to kiss me..." he stood up, brushing the bits of sawdust from his clothing and helping Jungkook to pick up the discarded firewood. Just then, Namjoon followed in behind with another full basket of firewood.

"Whoa, what happened?" he asked, confused.

"Jimin ran into me," Jungkook grumbled, throwing the wood into the basket with a thud.

"Because Tae was trying to kiss me," Jimin defended. Namjoon's eyes widened.

"Huh?"

"Tae found some mistletoe Jin bought for a wreath. He was playing around," Hobi laughed, taking the basket from Namjoon to set beside the fireplace.

"Riiight..." Namjoon said, helping Jungkook with the final few logs.

"Tae put the mistletoe on the table, just hand us the rest of the lights," Jin instructed. Without a second thought Tae did as he was told, putting the mistletoe down with the holly and taking the bag of lights over to Jin to decorate the windows.

You shook your head, laughing to yourself as you wound the long tinsel through the bannister of the stairs, finishing your work on it and wandering over to help Hobi with the tree.

Namjoon crouched by the fireplace, Yoongi sitting beside him to help start the first of many fires of your stay. They both scrunched up old newspaper sheets, stuffing them into the bottom to get it going.

"So Namjoon... I had an idea," Yoongi started with a low voice.

"Hmm?" Namjoon hummed, not really paying too much attention as he screwed up more paper.

"A way of figuring out how y/n feels about you, without having to tell her..." Namjoon's head snapped up, focussing on you by the tree. You were still blissfully unaware of the conversation behind you, too caught up in decorating and singing cheesy Christmas carols with Hobi to hear anything.

"Hyung, no... I told you already, I can't. And she's right there!" he whispered.

"I know, I know, that's why I'm whispering, idiot. Listen to me," Yoongi shuffled closer, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "Jin bought mistletoe."

"So?" Namjoon asked, completely lost.

"So... You could use that, see if she's into kissing you. If she wants to, she will, but if she doesn't, she can politely decline and you can laugh it off as some stupid festive tradition. Feelings don't have to come into it."

Namjoon thought about if for a moment. No, it was stupid. He couldn't do that... He laughed at himself for even entertaining the idea.

"Yoongi that's dumb, no offense..." he scoffed and turned back to preparing the fire.

"No, no, think about it... You'll finally know. And no one gets hurt, then."

Except me, if it turns out she doesn't want to kiss me... Namjoon thought to himself.

"Yoongi you have to drop this; it's not going to happen..."

"No, we can't. Because frankly Namjoon, I'm sick of seeing you hurting yourself over this. If she declines then yeah, it'll hurt. It'll suck. But that's the closure you need. At least it wouldn't ruin the friendship, she'd never know anything was different. And if she doesn't? Happy days! You get a Christmas kiss and potentially, everything you want!" Yoongi was doing his best to encourage it, to manipulate Joon enough to trying it out just this once.

Namjoon chewed on the inside of his lip, thinking. If you said no, it would suck. But Yoongi was right; you wouldn't know any different and he would get the closure he needed.

His eyes flickered up to you when you asked the room if they all wanted something to drink, announcing you were about to make yourself one.

"Yeah, I'll have a beer," Jimin called to you. "Thanks!"

"Uh... did we get any wine?" Jungkook asked.

"Yeah, plenty. White?" you asked him, knowing his favourite by heart.

"Duh!" he laughed.

"Anyone else?" you asked, spinning to look at each member who hadn't answered. They shook their heads at you. "Suit yourselves," you sang, skipping off through the door to the kitchen.

Yoongi turned back to Namjoon immediately.

"Now's your chance. Go!" he encouraged.

"No wait, Yoongi... I-"

"Stop being a coward and go!" Yoongi pushed him to stand up, forcing him to his feet. Namjoon stumbled a little, thinking things over ridiculously fast in his mind, the cogs in his head working overtime.

Okay. He was going to do it. He was going to try and kiss you with the mistletoe...

He bounded over to the table, picking up a branch and making his way to the kitchen. He poked his head around the door frame to see you rifling through the refrigerator for the beer Jimin had asked for.

"Uh... need a hand?" he asked awkwardly, branch tucked behind his back. You looked over the top of the fridge door at him, arching an eyebrow.

"No, I... I think I can manage," you chuckled. He seemed to be acting weird around you, scratching his head awkwardly. You shook it off, rifling through the shelves of food to reach to the back where the beer was.

Namjoon stepped into the kitchen, hands behind his back still, wondering over to you.

"Uh, y/n... y'know, there's this tradition I've never tried..." he closed his eyes, annoyed at himself for the way he was going about this. He felt ridiculous. This was never going to work.

You didn't look up at him, still rifling through the shelves trying to reach the damn beers.

"Riiight..." you urged him to continue, wondering where he was going with this.

"I don't know if it's weird but, well..." he wasn't sure what to say, instead holding the branch up just above his head. Hearing him pause, you stood up to look at him, seeing exactly what he was doing.

"Uh, Namjoon..." you started to say but he stopped you.

"No, wait... it's weird isn't it? I just... I've never tried the mistletoe thing and I..."

"Namjoon, wait-" you tried to interrupt and stop his babbling but he just continued, nerves forcing word vomit out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, this was dumb and I shouldn't have-"

"NAMJOON!" you almost yelled, snapping him out of it. He shut up, eyes wide and hand dangling in the air ridiculously. "That's... that's not mistletoe..." you pointed at the branch in his hand, suppressing a laugh. In his panic, he'd picked up a holly branch instead...

Namjoon stared at the plant in his hand for a moment, a blush creeping over his cheeks with embarrassment. He dropped his hand to his side, pinching the bridge of his nose and muttering a curse word to himself. You clasped your hand to your mouth, stifling a giggle.

"Sorry, I'm such an idiot..." he mumbled, feeling like a complete and utter fool.

"No, it's... quite sweet actually," you laughed, a blush creeping onto your cheeks. "You're adorable Joonie," you reached toward him and pinched his cheek, turning to grab the two glasses of wine you had poured for yourself and Jungkook and the bottle of beer you managed to pull out of the fridge, and walked around him to go back into the living room.

Joon stood there for a moment, cursing to himself, before turning to head back to the fireplace with Yoongi, throwing the branch angrily onto the table. He crouched back down, scrunching up the paper with frustration and throwing it into the fireplace.

"Whoa, okay... what happened?" Yoongi asked.

"Nothing, Yoongi. Absolutely nothing."

*****

The fire crackled as you lay sleepily on the couch, head resting on Jungkook's shoulder with a glass of wine in your hand. The boys and you had been playing standard card games all evening just enjoying each other's company in front of the fireplace. But it was getting late, and Jimin and Taehyung had already decided to head upstairs to bed.

"Right, I'm turning in. Y/n, you coming up?" Jin asked as he stood, wondering if his roomie would be joining him just yet.

"In a bit, comfy here," you smiled, waving to him as he slinked up the stairs.

"I'm going too, the fire is making me sleepy," Yoongi said, standing up to stretch with a large yawn.

"I'll come too, Joon?" Hobi asked, looking toward Namjoon who was sat on the floor, leaning up against the armchair with his arm resting on his knee, beer in hand.

"I'll finish this, and I'll be up," he tilted the bottle towards them.

"Alright, see you in a bit. Goodnight y/n, Kookie..." Hobi ruffled Jungkook's hair as he and Yoongi walked past.

"Aaand I'm gonna go too, up to my own bedroom that I don't have to share with aaaaanyone," he sang, pleased with himself. You sat up straight to let him get up and as he looked back at you, he quite clearly made eyes at Namjoon, then gave you a not-so-subtle wink. Luckily, Namjoon was staring into the fire, still embarrassed to look at you and wishing you would follow Jungkook, so he didn't have to awkwardly bask in his idiocy.

You widened your eyes at Jungkook, wishing that looks could kill because damn if they could, he'd be lying on the floor foaming at the mouth right now. But instead, he left with a smug smirk on his face.

A beat of silence passed by when the footsteps upstairs stopped, an awkward and unsettling feeling lingering in the air. You stood up, collecting the few bottles and glasses that were dotted around to take into the kitchen, leaving Namjoon wallowing in self-pity in front of the fire.

He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. He'd messed up the one time he had any courage to do anything at all; when would he ever feel that confidence again? Probably never.

He sighed, downing the last of his beer and placing he bottle down beside him. He stood up, ready to just give up on today and head up to bed, thinking he'd just discard of the bottle tomorrow when he wasn't trying to hide from you.

He took a few steps towards the stairs before he heard your footsteps behind him, quickly catching up to him.

"Joon, wait..." you called to him. He turned around to look at you stood there, shuffling your feet nervously and smiling adorably at him. You seemed shy, wanting to say something but not sure what words to use to articulate your thoughts.

So instead, you pulled your hand from behind your back, revealing the branch of mistletoe you had picked up on your way back through from the kitchen. You lifted it above your head, waiting...

Your heart pounded in your chest, unrelenting and powerfully throbbing in your ears. But you'd thought about this all night, readying yourself.

You had noticed how disappointed he'd looked as you walked past him in the kitchen earlier. You'd noticed the way he'd been quiet and had turned in on himself ever since. You'd embarrassed him, and you felt terrible for it.

Joon stood a little bewildered in front of you, not really sure what to do with himself. Was this really happening?

"To make up for earlier..." you said sheepishly, "Try out the tradition." Namjoon swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing prominently in his neck. He was terrified as he took a step towards you, followed by another, and another, until he was towering above you inches from your face.

Your hand shook where you held it above your head, mistletoe quivering with terror as Namjoon looked down at you. God, he was unrealistically gorgeous...

From this angle, you could appreciate the tiniest of details about him; the little mole on the side of his neck at eye level with you. The dark outline of his lips that almost looked like make up but just naturally enhanced the thickness of them. The length of his eyelashes that tickled the tops of his cheeks every time he blinked.

The tiniest details were so beautiful up close.

And although you had tried to prepare yourself for it, you never could have anticipated the way his thick lips felt against your own when he leaned down, pressing them to yours ever so gently.

He didn't rush it, slowly taking his time to savour the way you felt against him. He'd waited so long for this; there was no point in being hasty.

At first contact your eyes had fluttered closed immediately, letting the feeling of bliss overwhelm you. His fingertips danced from your shoulder, down the length of your arm to meet your fingers and lace your hands together. His other hand rested sweetly on your waist, just to hold you in place as you wrapped yours around his neck, dropping the mistletoe to the floor.

After just a fleeting moment, he pressed his lips a little more against yours, a touch surer of himself now that you hadn't flinched away from any of his touches.

He dared to part his lips a little, to move against you with such gentility. The way you worked together to create a moment of pure paradise was something you'd only read about in novels, but somehow you made it happen.

When he eventually pulled apart from you, he rested his forehead on yours and looked down into your eyes with a new softness to his own.

"I think I like that tradition," he whispered, his warm breath fanning out across your lips. You nudged your nose against his slightly, smiling to yourself.

"Me too," you simpered, the hand around his neck dropping to his chest. "Well, I uh... I'm gonna head upstairs," you announced quietly. You took a small step back, letting your hand slip from his. "Goodnight, Namjoon," you whispered, turning to take the first few stairs quietly.

Namjoon watched you climb them, still completely under your spell.

"G-goodnight, y/n..." he finally forced himself out of his trance and whisper shouted to you. "Merry Christmas."

You turned to look back at him as you climbed the last few stairs, giving him a sweet smile that showed off the gleeful sparkle in your eye. And then you were gone, disappearing into the dark hallway and leaving Namjoon stood at the bottom of the stairs, so unbelievably glad that Jin had bought that damn mistletoe.

✧˚₊‧𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬‧₊˚✧ - 𝘍𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦

#bts #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #christmas #xmas #au #christmas au #fluff au #fluff #angst #angst au #cute #kim namjoon #namjoon #joon #joonie #rm #rapmon #rap monster #kim seokjin #seokjin #min yoongi #yoongi #jung hoseok #hoseok #park jimin #jimin #kim taehyung #taehyung #jeon jungkook

[cosmicnow-blog]

The scattered memoirs of CosmicSand

27. In 12 days I will be 28. This means nothing to the world, why does it mean so much to me? Not my age..my birthday. In the most recent years, evertime November 2nd comes around, I sit and contemplate my life. Suddenly I need to be alone, suddenly I need to be away, I need to run away. Each November 2nd, I realize how lucky I am in so many aspects. But I also feel out of place.

Do you ever have a “you” moment? A moment that feels like it was made for you? At this moment, whatever you are looking at seems to mean more than anything else. It could be anything- a tree, a praying mantic, a sudden stillness. It’ s always candid but it feels like you are in the right place for at least that moment. 

This blog is all over the place. I am overwhelmed with thoughts, emotions, confusion, all of the above, all of the below. I don’t want to overwhelm anyone else with it. That’s not to say they are bad listeners. But I think we all have small bubbles of this overwhelming feeling. I’ve let so many bubbles build up, I couldn’t possibly make sense to anybody, and I wouldn’t want anyone to take it personally. It’s in our nature to take things personally. It seems I take everything personally, and yet I don’t. Anytime I feel overwhelmed, I slowly let it evaporate and that brings me here.

Here I am. Tumblr. I know nothing about blogging, I’ve never felt committed enough to go through with a blog. I start social media accounts then eventually forget I have them, or delete them, or stop using it to express myself and expect others to entertain me. I fear not being present, yet I fear being narcissistic. But hey, look how much I talk about myself. While we’re on the subject:

Here I am. 27. Around this time last year, I was living at my mother’s house with mom, step dad, brother, sister/best friend. Mother- Tons of baggage from her past, but never made us [me, brother, sister] feel unloved. Hard worker and easy to make her smile. Step Dad- mysterious, secrets, hard worker, ever evolving for the better. Brother- confused, hurt, emotional, honest, deeper than he can express. Sister- sharp, listener, quiet, but opinionated, ever evolving, fast learner, emotional and wise beyond her years. While I absolutely value my alone time, there is nothing like good company. 

Anyway, living with my family, looking for new work. I was still stuck in the retail world at 26. Still living with my mother. This seems to be a new norm for the U.S. But not for a mother who walked to the states from El Salvador at 16 to avoid the war in her country- only to find herself dropping out of high school and moving in with a terrible man and becoming pregnant with none other than accidental me. I take delight in calling myself accidental, morbid sarcastic humor of mine. My mother became pregnant at 19. Lived in a small apartment with hardly any furniture of her own, but worked 2 jobs, pregnant and riding her bike to  work with no help from her roommate/ sperm donor. Even after giving birth, continued the 2 job bicycle routine, but changed it up by coming home between jobs to breastfeed me. Let’s temporarily leave her story here and honor her in another blog...

To my mother, living with your parent, with a job that offers no growth and hardly any pay, a 10 yr old car that tends to break down, born in the U.S., no kids, what the hell was I doing with my life? She never forgot to tell me how she felt. I took it personal, I got mad, I pretended to ignore her, but I heard her.

I spent the last 2 months of my retail job, being a shitty employee. Don’t get me wrong- I finished my work on time and did it right. But why was the work load getting harder while I got nowhere? No appreciation, no understanding, new employees being paid more than me with no experience, being promoted over me and finding new ways to tell me to do my job and theirs. Watching rich people treat us like their servants. Being managed by their daughters who went through with fashion degrees and became managers at their favorite retail shop. It was a popularity contest and let me tell you why else I was not popular. …

Some girls are okay with making no money and spending the little that they have on a dress or a nice shirt or the newest phone. Me, I wanted nice clothes, but I didn’t value these possessions as passionately as everyone else. I coulf easily pass to go to a thrift store. When I valued shoes/clothing enough, it went with me everywhere- hiking, biking. Nature is my element. I may fear insects/bugs, but if I I knew how, I’d live in a treehouse. Anyway

Here I was, working a nowhere job that I had no positive feelings for anymore. A job that sucked me to my bitterest point. I wanted to finish school and live the dream. But how? I just paid off my debt. No rent, but spent a pretty penny on car repairs, and that's with my boyfriend doing the labor and putting in money as well. My beautiful boyfriend. I started working before him. It was never a personal issue to me. I knew his family was more financially supportive than mine and he was so kind to me. Then he did get a job. With me. At the job I hated the most. The only job I’d ever been promoted at. A job, that when I began, I was already trained and [frankly] overqualified for. The promotion was more work than rewarding. My boyfriend started and with a much better pay than me [men]. A month in, his position was changed. He was not promoted, just another department with an even bigger pay raise. This may also be a story for another day...

Eventually (this time last year) .. I knew it was time for change. If I couldn’t do what I wanted, the least I could do was make money. Money was all that mattered to anyone else. Eventually, I spent 40% of my time looking for a new job. I’d done so many job functions at this retail job I felt like I qualified for any job I wanted, but still it was difficult when you are invisible at your workplace.

Acupuncture. Natural medicine. This immediately felt like something I could naturally relate to. Natural medicine. Natural. I don’t know where to begin on my personality. But nature and natural are key.I immediately applied for a “Zen advisor” position. Zen. Zen advisor- it felt like one of those moments that was made just for me. 30 minutes later, I’m at the park playing frisbee with my friends in the cold midst of November. It was Cathy, the woman who would change my life at least momentarily. She knew how hard retail was, she felt I had so much to offer. She saw me. I interviewed and earned the job on the spot. My pay was raised by 5$ an hour and the work was mentally harder, physically easier- and free acupuncture. After a month of calling in sick and leaving work early for interviews, I was finally chosen. The day I got the job, I bought myself what felt like a well deserved bouquet of my favorite flowers- Baby’s Breath. On this day, I also received a text....

To be continued

[cyb-by-lang]

Shell Game (8/?)

Kei tries her hand at being nice, with mixed results.

There was, thankfully, no school the next day.

Obito went back to Konoha for a bit, both to restock his eyedrops and probably take a break. Kei sat in the apartment for an annoying amount of time, staring blankly into her closet while she tried to decide if it was worth going out or not. Schools in Japan also ran a half-day of classes on Saturdays, so this was still squarely in the middle of the week.

It was a nice day out.

Fuck it.

Kei changed into street clothes and decided that today, like many of the days before term, was a day to wander town like a stray cat. She did have a list of things to buy (such as a hairbrush), but those were afterthoughts compared to the raw need to just not be in the dinky apartment anymore. To this end, she hopped on a train to some other town, to see if the stores were any different.

Two incidents in two days involving villains, Isobu commented as Kei waited for a crosswalk to change indicators. The word “villain” sat strangely on his tongue. And four incidents in four days in which you have been pulled from class to speak with administration, teachers, and the school’s healer.

Sounds right. Kei crossed the street with the crowd, headed for a shopping district.

I do not think I have ever heard of another human, even across every one of your memories, who has managed to attract so much extracurricular interference in their first week of school. Congratulations.

It’d be fucking amazing if anybody ever had. Kei checked her phone as she waited for the next crosswalk. No messages, other than the news update talking about the attack on the USJ. Nobody was dead, but Facepalm-kun and Kurogiri had gotten away. Kei couldn’t help but think that if she’d been allowed to use lethal force, she’d probably have killed Nōmu. She’d never seen anybody parade around with a weak point in full view like that.

You are assuming that Nōmu needed his brain. With that kind of regeneration speed, I do not know if he was even kept down by the injuries you dealt him.

Kei shrugged. Maybe. Maybe not. But it was a tried and true zombie disposal method, if nothing else.

Kei eventually found her way to a combini, glancing through the shelves for anything she needed back at the apartment. A cell phone card would be nice, just in case she needed to pester Obito sometime this month without invoking every emergency service known to humanity. Thus far, she only had his number and the school’s, but there was a nonzero chance that could change later.

Also, snacks. So many snacks.

Sure, most of the snacks wouldn’t survive Hayate’s next visit, but few ever did.

She was still pondering onigiri vs. dorayaki when a somewhat familiar voice said, “You again?”

Kei looked up from her vital decision and spotted a classmate looking a little surprised to see her. It was Purple Kid, but not the one from the USJ. The tall one from her class, who always looked a little less sleep-deprived than Aizawa-sensei. He was carrying a multipack of pencils and pens, along with two notebooks and a box of bandages.

“Yo,” Kei said, though he didn’t exactly look happy to see her. “I, uh, forgot your name. Sorry.”

“Shinsō,” was his dry reply. “Gekkō-san, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Kei paused. “Nice to see you outside of school, I guess? I didn’t realize we lived anywhere near each other.”

“We probably don’t,” Shinsō said, already turning away to go and search the rest of the store for whatever.

What a riveting conversationalist, Kei thought, and promptly went back to her snack debate. She ended up not deciding and bought one of everything, so she could see her brother’s face when he tried some of the really weird ones. Ramune bottles would give him a hilarious headache. Obito too, since he couldn’t just teleport the marble out.

“You’re going to eat all of those yourself?” Shinsō again, of course. Right as she was walking out of the store with heavy “grocery” bags slung over her arm.

Kei considered being sarcastic, then decided she did enough of that in her head. “Nope. My brother and my best friend visit a lot, so I’m gonna stay up late and watch weird American movies with them.”

If she had a TV, anyway. That was another thing she probably ought to look into.

“…I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not.”

“Sometimes I can’t either.” Kei glanced at her phone, noting two messages about more USJ articles. Obito still wasn’t back yet, or else he would have already texted her about being bored. “Did you have something to ask me?”

Shinsō took a few seconds to put his thoughts in order. “A couple of things.”

“I’m listening,” Kei said, as the two of them fell into step.

“What’s your Quirk again?” he asked, rather than just getting right to the point.

“Tsunami,” Kei said, because it was easier to remember than the other names she’d tried out. “Why?”

Shinsō didn’t answer immediately. Then, “That’s…a really powerful Quirk for General Studies. Almost enough for the Hero department.”

“I guess. I killed a bunch of the villain ‘bots in the test.” Kei shrugged.

“Then why aren’t you with 1-A or 1-B?” Shinsō pressed, which made Kei think they were starting to get to the root of the problem.

“My test scores sucked.” Kei readjusted her grip on her store bags. “I know it’s really early in the year and things could change later, but I think I failed every topic besides science, math, and English.” Actually, she’d probably failed math, too.

“So you basically got in on the strength of your Quirk alone.” Shinsō’s expression was a little pinched.

“I guess. What about your entrance exam thing?”

Shinsō scowled. “You can’t brainwash robots. They don’t have organic brains and they don’t exactly talk back.”

Kei stared at him. “Your Quirk is brainwashing? Or mind control, maybe?”

“Yeah, it… Wait, you didn’t know?” Shinsō’s normally half-lidded eyes were wide.

“I got back to class at the end of introductions,” Kei reminded him. “And basically nobody in that class talks to me because they’re afraid of me. Or maybe they’re afraid whatever keeps getting me in trouble will rub off on them.”

“They think you’re dangerous,” Shinsō told her bluntly. At Kei’s blank look, he added, “Like me.”

“Okay, I can understand me, since I’m the ‘Gen Studies trouble child’ and everyone knows it,” Kei said, air-quoting Aizawa-sensei’s blunt assessment. She lowered her arms. “But I don’t remember you ever using your Quirk on anyone.”

“The part they care about is that I could. I just need someone to respond to me,” Shinsō told her. “Most people just stop talking to me once they realize that’s how it works.”

“So, basically, you could’ve done it fifteen times since the start of this conversation.” When Shinsō nodded, Kei shrugged again. “Okay. You clearly haven’t. Case closed.”

Shinsō stared at her. “…That’s it? No big deal?”

“I have weirder friends.” Kei smiled a little crookedly.

The list starts with me and goes around the planet, twice.

Thanks, Isobu.

It also starts with you.

…Thanks, buddy.

Shinsō didn’t appear to know what to say to this. He looked away, and then his phone buzzed. After checking the messages, he said, “I… I’ll see you tomorrow, Gekkō-san. I’ve got to go home.”

“Bye, Shinsō-san,” Kei said amiably, and waved as he left. Then she checked her own phone.

Cyclops: im back

Cyclops: and bored

Cyclops: also

Cyclops: how do u change names on this

Kei smiled and set out for the apartment again, the day’s good deed completed.

That meant the day’s somewhat less-good deed (laughing at Obito’s attempt to get the marble-blocked soda open) was neatly balanced out.

#Shell Game #Obito Uchiha #Keisuke Gekko #shinsou hitoshi #Isobu

[umichenginabroad]

GHDI Presents: Ghana, by the Numbers

** I’m noticing that the text format for this blog doesn’t allow for a lot of space between paragraphs so I’m going to put (some random) pictures between paragraphs to make it easier to read**

Afia’s Guesthouse

May 14, 2019 at 7:41 PM

I always have trouble starting off these posts. Maybe I should start off with an objective fact or something that surprised me just to get me writing. Today the real-feel temperature was 98 deg and sunny, and definitely the hottest day we’ve had so far. It was also the day we did the most walking around; so, that kinda sucked. We decided to check out a different place (still on the hospital campus) for lunch, and it turned out to be super good! It was marginally more expensive (8 ghs = $1.6 instead of 5 ghs = $1) for food that was some of the best we’ve had here. We had been eating at the canteen within the emergency department, and this was the overall hospital canteen; changing things up is good sometimes. There are other restaurants and food stalls within the hospital walls and just outside so we’ll be sure to branch out and try new stuff!

Today is Tuesday, and our first weekend here in the city was very fun! On Saturday we had a leisurely morning (spent reading, ofc) and then our young host brother (he has to only be like 9 or 10) was our tour guide! He took us in to the Palace of the Ashanti King. I won’t go into too many specifics, but the Ashanti region is a very important region of Ghana, Kumasi is the capital, and the Ashanti king is a very important dude. Just under the president of Ghana in terms of power. The palace of said Ashanti king is right here in Kumasi! He currently lives in a very nice place located right next to the OLD king’s palace, which has been converted into a museum. Turns out we can’t roll up to the king’s place (knock knock hello hi) so we checked out the museum instead with a very kind guided tour that was actually pretty cheap (25 cedi = $5) We had to wait a bit because the president of the UN was actually visiting the palace as part of her tour around Ghana (read that in an article later fun fact) so there were actually 8 or so black SUVs just chilling in the middle of the parking lot with a peacock. Wild. With the UN president there were also other Ghanaian dignitaries there, and we got a picture with the mayor of Kumasi! Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

After visiting the palace museum, we headed to the famous Kumasi Kejetia central market! Think about the biggest market you’ve seen, and unless you’ve been to the Tokyo fish market, at least double it; then imagine that each stall is about big enough for one person to sit in sideways (maybe like 3 ft by 5 ft area with surrounding shelves about 12 feet tall, 2 ft deep, that hold the goods. The goods can be fabric (so much gd fabric and cloths wow what a time to be alive), pencils and notebooks, shirts and sheets and shiny things, anything you think of, it’s there somewhere. I hope that mental picture works for you, here’s a real picture of one of the “hallway” between stalls if it helps.

Our host mom actually works at the market and has her own stall! She sells t-shirts and towels and sheets so I ended up picking up a 3-pack of white wife beaters (pack for 15 cedi = $5) to wear under my scrubs at the hospital so I wouldn’t wear out my other shirts. I also found a pumice stone for 5 ghs = $1 so my feet can look all nice when I wear my flip flops (very important) because EVERYONE here wears sandals or flip flops (they call them slippers). Walking through the market you can be overwhelmed by how many pairs of sandals and flop flips you see climbing high above you. It’s kinda wild. I got a compliment on my Kino flip-flops (I brought these from home) from some of the kids on the street so I’m riding a high right now and I can’t let it go.

When we were at the market, it suddenly opened up and the sky started POURING rain down. We might have been able to see the sky to know it was coming but there was a little bit of fabric in the way. As soon as the first drop hit the whole market went into a frenzy. Knife stalls started wrapping their wares, food vendors started closing shutters. Fabric sellers grabbed these long poles and deftly snagged all the fabrics away from the edge and everyone closed some curtains or plastic drapes around their stalls and sat and waited for the rain to hit. It all happened so quickly and efficiently, these people are professionals. Alex and I were waiting out the rain in our host mom’s stall and showing her kids how to play euchre (on our phone). Take that image of a small, cramped stall, and now fit Afia, her brother, her two kids, and two white guys into that area for about 30 minutes. Having fun yet?

Rain in Ghana seems to come furious and fleeting. Last week we seemed to have a major downpour that literally shook the ceiling and the winds slammed all our doors open and closed until we blocked them. The rain and winds (but mostly the rain) can come out of nowhere and downpour for about 10 or 15 minutes and then be nice and sunny again. It’s like Florida on steroids (or on [insert hard drug]). After the rain ended, we headed to Kumasi City Mall, the largest mall in West Africa! There were a few higher end stores there and two main grocery/goods stores to cap the ends and some more western vibes like a dine and view movie theatre and the like. I ended up settling in the fabric store to look for patterns and fabrics out of which I can make custom tailored clothes like this!

One thing we had heard from previous students is the availability to have custom-made shirts and clothes! I love the idea so I bought some fabric and Afia contacted a tailor that came over on Monday to take our measurements and our style preference and get the fabrics from us. I ordered 2 short-sleeve shirts with a mix of simple and patterned fabric and Alex went with 1 short sleeve and 1 long sleeve out of a fabric he found in the market. They should be done by Friday so I’ll let you know what they turn out to be! The fabrics (and really most things here) were super cheap. prices at the market were 4 cedi = $0.8 per 1 yard of fabric for some of the cheaper ones and the higher end range at the mall were 26 cedi = $5.2 per yard (reference:2 yards make a shirt, normal yd prices in U.S. are usually like $15/yd). The cost to make the shirts was 50 cedi = $10 for a short sleeve, and 60 cedi = $12 for a long sleeve. To be honest it’s on the pricier side of things we’ve purchased but in perspective I think they’ll be really cool items.

I skipped Sunday, and while the morning was super relaxing and I was able to read for a while (noticing a trend? I’ve finished 3 books since I’ve been here [flex]) in the afternoon we were invited to a party! Afia’s oldest brother in law was having his 67th birthday and we scored an invite to the hottest party. It was a pretty fun event, the home was wonderful, they had tables set up outside with umbrellas and fans and free drinks (1 water, 1 malt drink, and 1 beer, nothing crazy). I don’t have much to compare it to, but it was a cool even with some optional speeches from guests about the feats of the birthday king and lots of prayers and the same 3 damn songs played over and over and over again for hours because the guy doing the music left to go inside. Alex and I chatted with some people and played lots of cards outside and had some great food so a good way to make a day when we didn’t have any plans.

Today we met with the coordinator of the medical student hostel (after he kept us waiting for 2 hours) to see about getting our room! Turns out they were more prepared for us because they had us check in, grab a key, and go to our room right then and there. The new digs are pretty cozy, Alex and I are sharing a room and then we also share a bathroom with the B side of the space but there’s no one there right now. The room costs 20 cedi/night or $4/night so for $2/night, neither of us are really complaining. We contacted someone to get access to the wifi and that was a huge success so some major moves coming out of today. We told Afia that our last night would be tomorrow night (Wednesday) and that we would move in there on Thursday; so that’s the plan. We haven’t paid for anything yet, and don’t really know when we have to. They didn’t ask for a down payment or payment for the full time we’ll be there, we already have the key so I imagine they’ll come buy sometime asking why we haven’t paid. It’ll be nice to be much closer to the hospital and the city instead of having to take a 20 cedi = $4 cab each way from Afia’s house. In the grand scheme of things, we can’t complain but there are advantages and disadvantages to living with Afia (being cooked for is a huge plus).

Quick update on hospital life: things are going well! We’re both more confident in introducing ourselves and asking the questions we need to ask about the challenges they’re facing within the hospital so we’re doing well so far.

Later this week I’m sure there’ll be fun things to tell you about (we made a friend today) as we continue exploring the city so stay tuned.

Thanks for hanging with me,

Scott

—

Scott Vanden Heuvel

Mechanical Engineering

GHDI Immersion Experience, Kumasi, Ghana

#umichenginabroad #IPEghana #ScottVandenHeuvel #IPEsummer19

[ministrynuggets-blog]

Three Rewards for Honouring Fathers

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH THEE, AND THOU MAYEST LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.

Ephesians 6:1-3

1. The first reward for honouring fathers: That it may be well with you

1. When it is well with you, you will be successful.

2. When it is well with you, you will overcome.

3. When it is well with you, you will thrive.

4. When it is well with you, you will flower.

5. When it is well with you, you will multiply.

6. When it is well with you, you will recover.

7. When it is well with you, you will hit it big.

8. When it is well with you, you will prosper.

9. When it is well with you, you will develop.

10. When it is well with you, you will increase.

11. When it is well with you, you will win.

12. When it is well with you, you will get ahead.

13. When it is well with you, you will do well.

14. When it is well with you, you will bear fruit.

15. When it is well with you, you will expand.

One of the highest blessings is that it may be well with you. Who would not like it to be well with him? However, it will never be well with you if you are disobedient to your father!

The greatest blessing for sons is hidden in their obedience to their fathers. There is something I have noticed in large families with many children.

The sons or daughters who are very obedient to their parents turn out differently from those who are rebellious, independent and resistant. It is a pattern you will discover for yourself.

One pastor told me how she had noticed this phenomenon. She described how some of her father’s children had constantly resisted their father’s advice. “It is not easy for them today”, she said. “Marriage is not easy. And financially, it is very difficult for them.”

She continued, “I can see a clear difference between those of us who obeyed and those who rebelled.”

The Difference Is Clear

Another pastor said to me, “I have a big family with many brothers and sisters but the difference is clear.”

He described how his father was cared for by one of his daughters.

He said to me, “This sister of mine cared for my father all the time. She did what he wanted and he was always pleased with her.”

“In fact”, he continued, “my father died in her arms. She was nursing him when he died. Even my mother was not around when he died but she was there.”

Today, her life is very different from some of her brothers and sisters. He began to describe horrific conditions of the cancer and poverty which had struck some of his other brothers and sisters. He mused, “There is certainly a difference between children who love and honour their parents and those who don’t.”

One day, a father went shopping with his two sons. As they walked through the department store buying clothes, the father suggested to his sons, “Take this pair of trousers, it will suit you, it is nice.” But there was a clear difference in the response of the sons to their father’s suggestions.

One of them constantly had a different opinion. He didn’t like what his father liked. He always wanted something different. He even became grumpy and angry because he couldn’t have some things.

However, the reaction of the other son was very different. He would say, “Whatever you choose for me is okay. I like what you like for me. I want what you want for me.”

You see, these two attitudes can grow up and result in two different outcomes. The highest kind of blessing is that it may be well with you. It will be well with daughters who trust and obey their fathers! It will be well with sons who trust and obey their fathers. This principle applies to all kinds of fathers whether natural or spiritual.

Become a son who wants what his father wants for him. Become a son who likes what his father likes. Christianity is based on this principle: the principle of submitting your will to the will of your father. The principle of accepting the father’s will instead of your own will.

Do not be self-willed. Be subject to your father’s will. It is safer and easier to say, “Father, into thine hands do I commit my life.” Let’s follow Jesus; He is the best example for us all.

2. The second reward for honouring fathers: That you may live long

1. When you honour your father you will overcome diseases that shorten life.

2. When you honour your father you will survive many crises.

3. When you honour your father you will continue in spite of danger.

4. When you honour your father you will endure many difficulties.

5. When you honour your father you will last a long time.

6. When you honour your father you will stay alive when people predict your death.

7. When you honour your father you will live to tell the tale.

8. When you honour your father you will be able to persist in the ministry.

9. When you honour your father you will prolong your life.

10. When you honour your father you will stay afloat.

11. When you honour your father you will make a comeback.

12. When you honour your father you will outlast others.

13. When you honour your father you will outlive others.

14. When you honour your father you will outwear others.

15. When you honour your father you will pull through.

16. When you honour your father you will tough it out.

17. When you honour your father you will come through.

18. When you honour your father you will go all the way.

19. When you honour your father you will ‘never say die’.

20. When you honour your father you will be timeless.

One of the sure ways to shorten your life is to dishonour fathers and mothers. Look around carefully and you will find this to be practically true.

In the ministry, your longevity is also determined by your relationship with your fathers. Longevity speaks of how long you last in the ministry. You will always meet people ahead of you. It is important to honour these people as fathers. Even when you have a different ministry, you must respect the fathers for who they are.

Two examples of long-lasting ministries are those of Jesus and David. Jesus’ ministry has spanned thousands of years and is getting stronger. The ministry of King David is still being felt through the Psalms he wrote and the life he led. If you want to survive and persist through the years, learn this principle now!

3. The third reward for honouring fathers: Receiving an inheritance

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints

Ephesians 1:18

There is something known as a spiritual inheritance. A “spiritual inheritance” is something that passes from fathers to sons. Only when you receive your man of God as a father do you receive the benefit of an inheritance. An inheritance will only flow from the fathers to their sons and daughters.

You will notice from the story of Elisha that he had an earthly father called Shaphat.

…Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat…

2 Kings 3:11

However, at the time Elijah was being taken away, Elisha referred to Elijah as his father. He did this effortlessly and naturally.

And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father…

2 Kings 2:12

Why is it important to receive your man of God as a father? It is because fathers leave behind an inheritance for their children. People usually do not leave an inheritance for servants, employees, friends and colleagues. The inheritance is meant for the children!

A person with an inheritance is very different from someone without one. A person with a father receives guidance and direction for his life. A fatherless person has a life full of struggles.

I never worked while I was in the university. My father provided for me fully until I became a doctor. The money he gave me each month as a student was more than my salary when I became a doctor. My father bought me a brand-new car when I was in the fifth year of medical school. I was really blessed to have a good father looking after me. My life as a student was “struggle- free” because I had a father! However, the same cannot be said for many people.

I have met countless people who did not receive guidance for their lives. They threw away their talents and became non-entities because there was no father to guide them. I know many people who do not even know their fathers.

The situation is even worse for orphans! Struggles abound for orphans. The future of an orphan is very uncertain. It is the same in ministry. When you have no one to influence you in the right way, your ministry is full of struggles. Although I have had different fathers in ministry, there were times I was fatherless as far as developing into a pastor was concerned.

I have had fathers in ministry from afar. I have gone through various struggles because I did not receive support from nearby fathers. Many of the struggles and frustrations I experienced in ministry were because I had no one to help me.

In fact, people who should have been fathers to me when I was beginning my church were more of outright enemies. They opposed my cause and fought against me.

Inheritance flows naturally from a father to his children. In the ministry, spiritual inheritance flows naturally from the fathers to the sons. When my father died, his Will was read in Court. He left his properties to his children. Although he had many employees and friends he didn’t will anything to them –– everything went to his children. Dear friend, that is the reality of life. The inheritance always goes to children and not to colleagues and friends.

There is something known as a spiritual inheritance. This spiritual inheritance of anointing and gifts passes naturally from

fathers to sons. It does not pass from father to equals, colleagues and friends. It does not even pass from father to servants. It passes from fathers to sons.

Hello “Boss”

I used to have a junior pastor who preferred to call me “boss”. I always felt uneasy when he called me “boss”, but I didn’t know why. You see, when someone calls you “boss”, it means that he sees himself more as a hired hand. A few years later this pastor departed under unpleasant circumstances. Then I realized why I had felt uneasy. A servant or an employee does not stay around forever. He’s only there for a while and will leave when it suits him.

And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

John 8:35

If you have a relationship with a man of God, which becomes a father-son relationship, you can expect a spiritual inheritance of anointing to flow effortlessly from him to you.

by Dag Heward-Mills

[psychotherapyconsultants]

Christmas with Nana: The Joys of Giving and Giving Back

We called our grandmother on my mother’s side “Nana.” Nana was a widow for most of my life. Back in 1965, my grandfather died when I was about two-years-old. Nana supported herself after that, and although she worked a full-time job, she was poor. She lived in a one-bedroom apartment overlooking Lake Erie. She enjoyed the simple pleasures: watching the boats float on the water, entertaining her family on the weekends, swimming alone at midnight in the apartment’s tiny swimming pool.

How did we know Nana was poor?

She didn’t have enough money to do her laundry at the laundromat, so she did it in her bathtub. After she washed the clothes, she’d hang them up on the shower curtain bar. She drove a very old car that had a hole in the floorboard. She often remarked that she could see the ground pass as she drove along. To compensate for this, she covered the hole with an antique oriental rug, an artifact from wealthier days. She worked 40 hours a week as a photographer at a department store in a suburb of Cleveland. Nana didn’t make much money at this.

Despite the fact that we knew she was poor, we never really understood how poor she was because she always served us Fritos, chip dip and Ginger ale when we went to visit on Friday nights. This junk food was a luxury for us because our parents didn’t splurge on extras. Nana found enough cash to cook us big spaghetti dinners. She loved to flavor the pasta with big chunks of pork; it was heavenly.

And at Christmas, she always found a way to give us each a $20.00 bill. Every Christmas, we’d open up our cards, and out would fly our 20. Since I had two brothers, a mom and a dad, this meant that she gave our family a total of $100.00 every Christmas.

This doesn’t sound like much today, but back then, it was a lot.

Pretty soon, we grew up and got our own jobs.  

I’ll never forget the Christmas my brother Tim decided to pay Nana back for some the 20s she had handed out over the years.

By this time, it was the 1980s. Tim was working as a machinist, and he was bringing in a decent wage. Quietly, without telling anyone, he bought a Christmas card and stuck ten $20 bills inside.

That Christmas, my mother cooked the holiday dinner, as usual — ham, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, coleslaw and cranberries. Not to mention cookies, bars and pecan pie for dessert. Mom did go all out at Christmas. We gorged ourselves, and then, it came time to open presents.

We took turns opening the gifts, oohing and ahhing over each one. I remember I got a leather bomber jacket, which was in style back then.

And then, it came time for Nana to open her gift from Tim. 

Of course, Nana thought that Tim had simply given her a card that year. She was very unassuming.

Before she opened the greeting card, she read the outside.

“You’ve been very nice this year, little girl.” She chuckled. Then, she opened the card. Out flew the 10 $20.00 bills onto her lap.

“Oh, Timmy,” she said. She looked him straight in the eye and said, “You didn’t.”

“All those years, you gave us each $20.00, and it was a sacrifice. I wanted to return the favor.”

Nana started to cry. “You are really something,” she said through her tears.  

“Read the inside of the card,” Tim said.

“That’s why I went out and splurged on this beautiful Christmas card. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” Nana read. She beamed at all of us.  

Then, Nana opened my present — a humble bottle of Oil of Olay, which, of course, she fussed over.

Nana passed away shortly after this unforgettable Christmas when my brother upstaged us all in the gift giving department. She died of throat cancer, after having endured weeks of radiation treatment that didn’t work.

What I wouldn’t give to sit down with Nana and have a beer and talk about current events, something she loved to do. She could tell me all the people in the news that day, and I could pretend that I hadn’t heard the gossip and the stories of the moment.

Christmas 2017 is nearing. Today, I’m raising my own child. I know a little about sacrifice, but nothing like Nana, who also lived during the Depression, knew.

I can only hope to be as bright of a beacon of light for my family that she was for hers during the holidays and throughout the year.

Merry Christmas, Nana. And thank you for showing us how to give.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/12/03/christmas-with-nana-the-joys-of-giving-and-giving-back/

#World of Psychology

[positivepsychologyinterventions]

Christmas with Nana: The Joys of Giving and Giving Back

We called our grandmother on my mother’s side “Nana.” Nana was a widow for most of my life. Back in 1965, my grandfather died when I was about two-years-old. Nana supported herself after that, and although she worked a full-time job, she was poor. She lived in a one-bedroom apartment overlooking Lake Erie. She enjoyed the simple pleasures: watching the boats float on the water, entertaining her family on the weekends, swimming alone at midnight in the apartment’s tiny swimming pool.

How did we know Nana was poor?

She didn’t have enough money to do her laundry at the laundromat, so she did it in her bathtub. After she washed the clothes, she’d hang them up on the shower curtain bar. She drove a very old car that had a hole in the floorboard. She often remarked that she could see the ground pass as she drove along. To compensate for this, she covered the hole with an antique oriental rug, an artifact from wealthier days. She worked 40 hours a week as a photographer at a department store in a suburb of Cleveland. Nana didn’t make much money at this.

Despite the fact that we knew she was poor, we never really understood how poor she was because she always served us Fritos, chip dip and Ginger ale when we went to visit on Friday nights. This junk food was a luxury for us because our parents didn’t splurge on extras. Nana found enough cash to cook us big spaghetti dinners. She loved to flavor the pasta with big chunks of pork; it was heavenly.

And at Christmas, she always found a way to give us each a $20.00 bill. Every Christmas, we’d open up our cards, and out would fly our 20. Since I had two brothers, a mom and a dad, this meant that she gave our family a total of $100.00 every Christmas.

This doesn’t sound like much today, but back then, it was a lot.

Pretty soon, we grew up and got our own jobs.  

I’ll never forget the Christmas my brother Tim decided to pay Nana back for some the 20s she had handed out over the years.

By this time, it was the 1980s. Tim was working as a machinist, and he was bringing in a decent wage. Quietly, without telling anyone, he bought a Christmas card and stuck ten $20 bills inside.

That Christmas, my mother cooked the holiday dinner, as usual — ham, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, coleslaw and cranberries. Not to mention cookies, bars and pecan pie for dessert. Mom did go all out at Christmas. We gorged ourselves, and then, it came time to open presents.

We took turns opening the gifts, oohing and ahhing over each one. I remember I got a leather bomber jacket, which was in style back then.

And then, it came time for Nana to open her gift from Tim. 

Of course, Nana thought that Tim had simply given her a card that year. She was very unassuming.

Before she opened the greeting card, she read the outside.

“You’ve been very nice this year, little girl.” She chuckled. Then, she opened the card. Out flew the 10 $20.00 bills onto her lap.

“Oh, Timmy,” she said. She looked him straight in the eye and said, “You didn’t.”

“All those years, you gave us each $20.00, and it was a sacrifice. I wanted to return the favor.”

Nana started to cry. “You are really something,” she said through her tears.  

“Read the inside of the card,” Tim said.

“That’s why I went out and splurged on this beautiful Christmas card. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” Nana read. She beamed at all of us.  

Then, Nana opened my present — a humble bottle of Oil of Olay, which, of course, she fussed over.

Nana passed away shortly after this unforgettable Christmas when my brother upstaged us all in the gift giving department. She died of throat cancer, after having endured weeks of radiation treatment that didn’t work.

What I wouldn’t give to sit down with Nana and have a beer and talk about current events, something she loved to do. She could tell me all the people in the news that day, and I could pretend that I hadn’t heard the gossip and the stories of the moment.

Christmas 2017 is nearing. Today, I’m raising my own child. I know a little about sacrifice, but nothing like Nana, who also lived during the Depression, knew.

I can only hope to be as bright of a beacon of light for my family that she was for hers during the holidays and throughout the year.

Merry Christmas, Nana. And thank you for showing us how to give.

from World of Psychology http://ift.tt/2zLohk7 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #World of Psychology