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sometimes-iwritestuff · 3 years

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Splash!

Kara was in the zone before she even stepped onto the poolside. It was the National Diving Championships and Kara had been training upwards of 30 hours a week, her season had been great.

She was one of the best 10m platform divers in the country, a shoe in for a spot on the National Team, heading to the World Championships in a few weeks. All she had to do was secure a spot on the podium in this competition, not that she’d be happy with anything else than gold.

The only competitor she really had to worry about was Lena fucking Luthor: she was a member of Metropolis Diving Club and had been Kara’s arch rival since they began

competing more than 10 years ago. Of course National City Diving Club was the best club in the country, no competition, in Kara’s eyes but MDC were up there among the best, majority of the National Team trained in Metropolis.

“Hey, Danvers.” Kara rolled her eyes, she could already hear the smirk in Lena’s voice. She stopped riffling through her bag and turned, scowl permanently fixed on her face. “Aww, don’t do that, you’ll give yourself wrinkles.” Lena pouted.

“What do you want, Luthor?” Kara sighed.

“I just came to wish you good luck. You’re going to need it.” She paired the condescending statement with a sweet smile.

“Shouldn’t you be over there with your team, Luthor?” Alex said, coming to her sisters aid.

“Do you always let your sister fight your battles for you?” Lena pouted, Kara growled and took a step towards her. Lena just laughed, not intimidated at all by Kara “The Human Puppy” Danvers. She tapped her on the nose and sauntered away, swinging her hips.

“You always let her rile you up,” Alex groaned.

“Yes, Alex! I’m very aware of that fact, but she is incredibly fucking irritating!”

“Kara!” J’onn chided, he looked at the floor. Kara growled through her gritted teeth and dropped onto the floor to do her set of push-ups, she kept her eyes on Lena who was stretching across the poolside.

She was shorter than Kara, her body the perfect mixture of hard muscle and soft curves, not the traditional body type for a diver which meant she had to work extra hard to make sure she was perfect.

Kara was tall and muscular with long, lean legs and a natural talent for the sport. That didn’t mean she didn’t work as hard, Kara was the most dedicated athlete on the team, she adored the sport and would put in the same amount of effort in the dryland as she did in the pool.

“Maybe, don’t stare at her the entire time. You’re giving her the wrong impression,” Alex smirked.

“I’m not staring, I’m channelling all my disdain towards her.” Kara muttered, shooting dangers towards Lena who was stripping her team tracksuit off.

“Just don’t let her get to you. This is your last chance to show everyone how talented you are, just compete a solid list and you’ll earn your spot on the National Team.” Alex squeezed her shoulders and Kara nodded.

They warmed up and Kara grabbed her shammy from her bag, heading up to the highest board, ready to start her final training session. Lena was already up there, pressing up into a perfect back armstand and Kara definitely did not stare at her ass while she was doing it.

Kara ran through her dive list twice before getting out of the pool and finishing her session, heading to the showers so she had plenty of time to get changed. She let the warm water run over her muscles, relaxing them, she rolled her neck and shook out each of her limbs. She was feeling loose and limber, fully prepared for the competition.

She heard that distinct giggle and every muscle in her body tensed up again, Lena and her best friend/synchro partner Sam Arias rounded the corner. Kara immediately grabbed her stuff and went to leave before Lena wound her up again.

“Going so soon, Danvers?” Lena teased, Kara didn’t say anything she just scowled at the pair. “You know, your list is really shaping up this season, now you might be able to keep up for once.” Lena ducked under the spray and ran her hands over her hair.

“What are you talking about? I’m the defending champion and my list has been higher in difficulty than yours for the past three years.” Kara spat, Lena may be her toughest competitor but she wasn’t unbeatable.

“Yeah, but your season hasn’t been the best,” Lena snickered. “You’re inward 3-1/2 has been... below par. We both know the only reason you choose that dive is because you need the extra DD.” Sam giggled at the remark.

“Whatever, Luthor, we’ll see who’s on top at the end of the day,” Kara stormed out of the showers before they could see the blush coating her cheeks and went to get changed.

She put her headphones on and laid on the poolside, there were three more competitions before hers, she put a podcast on and relaxed. Alex woke her up just as the third competition started, it was a small one so she made her way to the dryland to begin her warm up.

In a short amount of time it was time for the parade, Lena was too occupied with her own preparations that she didn’t have time to irritate Kara. They both had their own competition routines which meant they didn’t have any interaction during the event.

They’re lists were both relatively the same with only one difference: Lena competed inward 2-1/2 somersaults pike and Kara chose the slightly harder dive: inward 3-1/2 somersaults tuck. It was more of a risk but Kara knew she could score 9’s most of the time.

They were pretty much neck at neck up until the last two rounds of dives, five points separated the top two spots. Kara managed to score 9’s on her dive, Lena on the other hand, scored perfect 10’s, grinning as she climbed out of the pool, knowing she had nailed it.

It all came down to the last dive: front 3-1/2 somersaults pike. They were neck and neck, Kara was ahead by just 3 points due to her higher dive difficulty. Kara took a deep breath and set off on her run up, she knew as soon as she hit the water that she’d over rotated slightly, she could feel it on the back of her calves. Kara scored 8’s, it was a solid score but she knew it would be close.

She watched with bated breath as Lena measured her run up, she ran her shammy over her face once more before throwing it down to the pool side. Lena closed her eyes and visualised the dive going perfectly, she set off and Kara felt her stomach drop and Lena entered the water with a perfect rip entry.

Lena Luthor was the new Women’s Platform National Champion.

“Well done, Kara.” Alex gave her a hug, Kara could help but feel disappointed, silver was still an incredible accomplishment but it wasn’t the spot she wanted. “2nd is still something to be incredibly proud of and the National Team would be stupid not to take you.” Kara nodded, “now, go get your jacket on. They’re presenting the medals in a moment.”

Lena was elated, Sam swept her up in a tight hug, congratulating her over and over again. Lena couldn’t keep the wide grin off her face, smiling from the moment they announced that she’d won the title, all the way to the moment she locked the door of her private shower cubicle. Her team mates knew that she needed time alone after a competition to decompress and reflect on her performance, no matter where she placed.

She heard a soft knock on the door and she opened it to tell Sam she would be out soon.

Instead she was met with bright, blue eyes. She allowed Kara to slip inside the cubicle and pull her into a tight hug, “congratulations, baby. I’m so proud of you,” Kara mumbled into her ear.

“Thank you,” she sighed, it had been a gruelling year for Lena, she was at the pool every single day working as hard as she could and it had finally paid off. It was just a shame that for Lena to win, her favourite person had to lose. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to retain your title.”

“Hey, no, we agreed to leave it in the pool, remember? Besides, you’ve worked your perfect ass off for this title, you deserve it.” Lena chuckled and captured her lips in an earth-shattering kiss, it had been months since they’d last seen each other.

They broke away to catch their breath and Lena looped her arms around Kara’s neck. “Just three more months.” Kara hummed, holding her close.

In three months, Lena would be moving to National City for college and they could finally be together. Lena’s family were incredibly strict, they were hell-bent on their daughter being the Olympic Champion one day. That meant no distractions and no dating, oh and they were also incredibly homophobic so Kara wouldn’t be invited to Thanksgiving any time soon.

The young couple had to pretend to hate each other until Lena could move away for college. They had an agreement that any mean comment they said to each other, they really meant the exact opposite. Kara got so wound up because she couldn’t go up to her girlfriend and wish her good luck or give her reassurance without saying something horrible to her.

“You dived so well today, you don’t have to worry about getting picked.” Lena kissed up to her ear. Lena had already been chosen for the team and they were both still nervously waiting to hear if Kara had a spot.

“What if I don’t?” Kara mumbled.

“Then I’ll sneak you into my suitcase and they’ll have to pick you,” she heard Kara’s small chuckle. “I love you, darling.”

“I love you too.” Kara whispered back.

They had started off hating each other, their clubs had the worst rivalry in the country and the pair were always pitted against one another. Up until two years ago when Lena had placed third at a local competition and Kara had found her crying in the stairwell after her mother had yelled at her. Lena had told her to go away but Kara hated seeing her beautiful, green eyes look so sad. She was so used to them being filled with mirth and mischief, instead of leaving she pulled her into a hug and held Lena’s shaking body. From then on they were friendly to each other, they were still competitive but the comments weren’t as harsh. Until one particular meet when Lena cornered her in the showers and accused her of deliberately putting her off during her final dive. They’re heated argument quickly turned into an, equally as heated, make-out session.

***

Kara was stood in the shower, basking in the glory of her third win this season when Lena came storming into the showers, tears in her eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Kara grabbed her elbow, but Lena pushed her away.

“Just get away from me! This is all your fault,” Kara was taken aback.

“Whaa? What do you mean it’s my fault?” Kara accused, she furrowed her brow and stepped closer to Lena.

“You whistled during my last dive, you put me off!” She yelled, pressing a finger against Kara’s chest.

Kara scoffed, “oh my God. I didn’t put you off! You lost! Get over it.” She said through gritted teeth. Lena didn’t just lose, she came fourth, she hadn’t not medalled in years, her parents were going to kill her. In return, she was going to kill Kara.

“You’re such an asshole! I thought we were friends now,” Lena had gone from teary eyed to full blown rage in less than a second.

“Your head is so far up your own ass, you can’t handle the fact that you messed up on you own!” Kara yelled back.

“I hate you!”

“I hate you more!” They were so close that Kara could see one of her green eyes was slightly blue, she surged forward and captured Lena’s lips in a bruising kiss. Lena let out a squeak of surprise before kissing her back feverishly. Kara gripped her hips and pulled her closer, Lena moaned into her mouth, tugging on her hair. Kara spun her around and backed her up against the tiled wall, she cupped Lena’s face and ran her tongue across her bottom lip.

Lena suddenly stopped and pushed at her shoulders, “I can’t, I’m sorry.” Lena said, breathless. She tried to brush past Kara but the blonde stopped her.

“Wait. Don’t go, please. I’m sorry if I went too far, I just-“

“Kara, it’s okay, you didn’t go too far. It’s just my parents don’t approve of... this.” She gestured between the two of them.

“Screw them! Do you want this?” Kara circled her wrists and ducked her head to look into Lena’s eyes. She searched her eyes and dropped her gaze down to her parted lips.

“Yes,” Kara backed away, leading Lena towards the shower cubicle. She locked the door and recaptured her lips.

***

After that day, Kara had asked for Lena’s number and the rest was history.

They still had to keep up the facade until Lena moved, but Kara quite enjoyed the sneaking around, it meant she could have Lena all to herself and with everyone knowing she was off limits already, she didn’t have to worry about anyone else trying to worm their way in. Not that it would worry her anyway, Lena was head over heels for Kara and vice versa.

“You think you can sneak out of your hotel tonight?” Kara asked.

“Mhmm, Sam is usually out like a light after a day of competing,” Kara began swaying slightly, soothing the girl in her arms.

“Meet you in the parking lot at 9?” Kara suggested, Lena nodded. “It’s a date and I can’t wait to spoil the new National Champion!” Kara grinned.

#kara danvers #lena luthor #lena x kara #supercorp #supercorp fanfic #supercorp fic #supercorp au #diving #diving au #the diving au no one asked for but I wrote anyway #secret relationship #honestly the lack of creativity or effort that went into that name

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okayoonoh · 4 years

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clumsy joy

“This clumsy little joy that giggles oh so brightly in his arms makes everything that pains him worth it.”

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- PAIRING: johnny seo x reader - GENRE: cute, tooth rotting, family fluff - RATING: E for everyone - WORD COUNT: 3,284 - WARNINGS: other than the possible heart attacks of imagining johnny seo as a dad? no warnings whatsoever

a/n : i wanted to take a quick break from writing the descriptions of the kids because i’ve been writing so many descriptions, i need to take a sec to keep things original lol

also! here’s the masterlist to all things nct dad related! i hope you guys like this little scenario :)

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Deep breath in, deep breath out.

Johnny thanks the staff that helped him get all the way upstairs with all of his stuff.

He just finished a tour with his group, equally rewarding, equally hectic. Don’t get him wrong, Johnny loves his group: his fans, his music, his members, but sometimes, the hectic life of an idol is too much for him. Sometimes, NCT’S Johnny just wants to be Johnny Seo: husband and father of three beautiful children.

He takes out his keys, a smile on his face. He’s excited; after 3 months of only seeing you, his lovely wife, and his adorable little children through a screen, he’s excited to finally see them in person.

He steps inside, completely ready to hear the natural noisiness of his family, but a beat of silence rushes over him instead. He checks his phone, 2:30 PM.

Oh, Noah and Leo are still at school.

Only a couple lights throughout the house were lit, the gentle buzz of the A/C hums in the background. He walks towards the living room, about to call out your name to see if you’re home. He stops right before he does though, glad he stopped when he did. His heart flutters at the sight he sees in the messy living room: you asleep on the couch with your daughter sleeping on your chest. Her fist is clenched near her mouth, drool leaking out of her mouth onto your shirt. Her long lashes rest against her cheeks, her nose, which resembles your own, sings a sweet whistle displaying the life within her lungs, her chubby cheeks squished up against your chest, moving up in down in a calm pattern. Your hand rested on her back, reassuring your daughter that you were there.

Everything about this moment in time is perfect in Johnny’s eyes.

He takes out his phone from his back pocket, snapping a quick picture of his two girls. He leans over, kisses your temple, kisses his daughter’s head, then heads off to your room to unpack. Of course he wanted nothing more than to spend quality time with his two girls, but he also knew that waking the two of you mid-nap is basically a death sentence.

Besides, he has two boys who’ll be home in less than an hour. Johnny waited for 3 months to see his family, he doesn’t mind waiting another hour.

---

“Mom! I’m home! Kaleb is here, too!”

You jolt awake to the sound of your oldest son, Noah, opening the door. You feel the little sleepy Luna on your chest begin to stir, but you shush her and lull her back to sleep. You yawn as you gently move her to the little tent sitting on the side of the living room that Johnny set up for the kids, pulling her favorite blanket over her as she remains asleep.

You walk over to your son and his best friend, greeting the both of them. “Hey you two! How was school?”

Noah and Kaleb both give you a hug, “It was fine. We played soccer today and they put Kaleb and I on separate teams.”

“I won, Auntie!” Kaleb beams with pride, a wide smile on his face. You smooth over his long hair, smiling down at the happy kid.

“Good job, Kaleb! I’m sure your dad is going to be very proud of you!” Kaleb giggles at your praise while Noah rolls his eyes on the side.

“You totally cheated though!” Noah crosses his arms.

“Are we seriously still on this?”

“Yes! Last time I checked, when the ball goes out of the line, it’s out.”

“It didn’t even go out of the line though!”

You chuckle under your breath with how far this little argument is escalating. Kaleb and Noah’s dynamic is just like their fathers, even down to the smallest details.

You lower your voice to a whisper, acknowledging the sleeping toddler in the side of the living room. “Alright alright, you boys can settle it on another game of soccer later, but right now, you have to be very quiet. Luna is still asleep, okay?”

Noah and Kaleb nod at your request, immediately lowering their volume as they still argue about who truly won. Both boys decide to let bygones be bygones, knowing that their science project is way more important than this argument.

“Kaleb and I need to finish up our science project. Is it okay if we move to the kitchen after we prepare everything?” Noah asks.

You nod, “Just as long as you guys clean up when you’re done. I’ll go ahead and make you guys some snacks for now.”

Noah then whispers to you, “Okay! Thanks, momma. Oh, by the way, is appa home? I thought I saw his shoes…”

“I’m not sure, is appa home?” a voice whispers from behind you.

Noah, Kaleb, and you all turn around to the source of that voice. Johnny stands behind you, a wide grin on his face. Your heart jumps as you return that smile, hugging the tall man. Noah then runs, hugging his father. You are a little confused: last time you talked with your husband, he said that his flight won’t land until late at night. The fact that he’s standing in front of you is genuinely a serendipitous surprise.

“I thought you weren’t coming home until--”

“--My flight left earlier than expected. I got here like an hour ago.” He replies, his wide smile still plastered on his face.

“An hour ago?” You gape, “I’ve been home since then… I’m so sorry, how did I not notice you?”

“You and Luna were both out. Don’t worry about it; it was one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.”

You all break away from the hug, then Johnny squats down to his son's height. Noah smiles at his dad as Johnny holds his face in his hands, giving him a big kiss on the top of his head.

“You’ve grown so much, Noah!”

Noah giggles at his dad, wrapping his arms around his neck, giving him another hug.

Kaleb then walks over, greeting the tall man, “Hello Uncle!”

Johnny gives him a hug as well, “Hey Kaleb! How are you doing?”

“I’m doing well,” he replies, “My dad is having a little bit of a hard time with Shawn and Aria, but with mom’s help, he’s just fine.”

“I bet. Do you like being an older brother?”

Kaleb doesn’t miss a beat, “I like being able to tell Shawn what to do. Aria is still too little and she doesn’t understand me. But Shawn listens.”

You and Johnny laugh at his response. Kaleb is definitely Ten’s son. The two boys then excuse themselves and head over to Noah’s room.

You head off towards the kitchen, making the snacks you promised as Johnny crawls into the tent his sleepy daughter rests in. She starts to get a little fussy in her sleep, Johnny shushes her gently and smooths over her growing hair. He then finds a pacifier resting on the table right outside of the tent, putting it inside of her mouth. She falls asleep peacefully again. Johnny could watch his daughter for hours and he would, but then again, he is a bit peckish and his loving wife is in the kitchen. He stands up and with long strides he easily reaches you while you work, chopping away on some carrots.

He digs his head into your shoulder, placing a heavy kiss on your cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

You gently place the knife down and smooth your hands over his arms, relaxing into his embrace. “I’ve missed you, too.”

“Europe was fun, but almost everything I saw reminded me of you and the kids… speaking of, where’s Leo? I thought he was coming home with Noah?”

You turn around in his arms, looping your arms around his neck, “Leo went on a playdate with Jaeseok and Jaehun. I was going to go and pick him up later, but since you’re home now, do you want to?”

“That’s no problem.” He smiles. “I see that Leo has taken up acting now?”

“He spent one afternoon with the twins and they watched their Uncle Renjun in his drama once and now they want to dedicate their lives to it. I’ve been looking into some auditions for some commercials for him and he seems pretty excited for all of it.” You look up as you list all ideas you’ve been thinking of to help out your second son. Johnny gives you a smile filled with pride.

“Really?” he exclaims, “That’s so exciting!”

You nod, now digging your head in his chest. You missed this, feeling safe and secure in the arms of your husband. He presses a long kiss the top of your head, taking in a deep breath.

“What time does he need to be picked up?” He says, breaking the silence.

“Around 5:30. He’ll definitely be excited to see his dad.” you squeeze him one last time then he lets go, you go back to finish snacks you promised for your boys.

Johnny’s ears perk at the sound of Noah and Kaleb leaving Noah’s room, arguing again about Kaleb’s win as they head to the table, laying out all of their equipment to work on their science project together. He takes a step back to look at this one point in his life. He’s happy.

---

“Dad… dad, wake up, this is the best part!”

Johnny takes in a quick breath, feeling a tiny but mighty shake on his left arm. He wakes up from his 2-minute micro nap, attempting to take in what he’s missed. Leo sits on his left, Luna gnawing on a cracker to his right, Noah and Kaleb sit at the dining table working diligently together and you’re in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Leo watches the screen with intensity, seemingly trying to take in every subtle detail in the acting on screen. Luna watches too, but she definitely takes more interest in her cracker than the handsome man on the screen.

Johnny rests his hand on his son’s head, “Do you want to be an actor when you grown up?”

Leo looks up at his dad, his big eyes full of excitement. “Yes! Jaeseok and Jaehun want to join me too! They said that we'll be the best in the world! That’s why I want to study up, I don’t want to miss anything the professionals say!”

“Well, the best way to learn acting is to watch it,” Johnny smiles, “I also need to study up to improve my acting too, I’ll study with you!”

Leo returns his father’s smile with one almost identical to Johnny’s own, excited to have his father’s support in this.

Luna looks at her big brother and her father, chewing the last bits of her cracker. She then huffs, she wants to be on the ground so she can work on her newfound ability of crawling and standing up on her own. She cooes and raises her arms, which catches Johnny’s attention. He then picks up his little one, placing her on his lap. She huffs again; this isn’t what she meant. She wants down, not up. Luna attempts to wiggle out of his grasp, frustrated that she can’t vocalize what she wants.

“Oh, you want down?” Johnny asks his youngest. Yes, appa. She wants down. He then helps her to the ground, keeping an eye on her to make sure this is what she really wanted.

Her fussing ceased as she crawled around on the padded floor, heading straight towards the tent to grab her favorite toy. Johnny and Leo both bring their attention back to the drama, letting Luna play on her own for a little bit.

Luna enjoys each and every single one of her toys, from her brother’s old trucks and dinosaurs to her very own plushies. She decides to occupy herself with her current favorite toy: her red soft chewing circle. Almost all of her teeth have grown in, but her insatiable hunger constantly needs her to at least chew on something. She grabbed the toy and crawled her way back in front of the TV, now gnawing on the red circle rather than her cracker. This will have to do for now.

She looks up at the people trapped behind the screen. She can’t really understand what they are saying and she doesn’t understand why they are not dancing in colorful costumes. As quickly as she gained interest in this drama, she lost it. Luna decides that now is as best time as ever to practice her newfound skills.

She drops her toy. It’s now or never. She leans forward until her palms hit the ground, she huffs again, putting all of her might in this motion.

She adjusts, planting her sock clad feet on the padded surface and takes a final mighty push up, taking her stand. It’s a little wobbly, but she did it, she’s up on two legs. She stands for a mere beat more, but then the strength of her legs can no longer hold her up as she falls on her diaper covered bum. She giggles, enjoying her small accomplishment.

No one notices Luna do her thing; Johnny and Leo focus the drama, Kaleb and Noah work on their project, you working hard to make sure the house doesn’t burn down. Luna doesn’t mind, she knows that everyone in this house already witnessed her do this before. It’s the next stage that she wants her family to acknowledge.

She’s happy, but not satisfied. She knows she can do more. Luna wants to take her skill a step further. She readies herself, preparing everything so she can successfully stand up.

Step one: standing. Complete.

She balances with determination; she can’t fall. It takes too much energy to fall and reset, she must keep pushing with elegance and poise.

She then moves her right foot, stomping in the motion she watches everyone in her life move with. Okay, that wasn’t so bad. She does it again, but she slips, her balance gone.

This fall was louder than the previous, catching the attention of her father.

“Oh no, Luna,” Johnny coos, “Are you okay?”

“Oh, don’t worry dad. Luna likes to stand up on her own and fall on her butt. It’s her new favorite game.” Leo informs his father, his eyes never leaving the screen. Johnny nods, then turns his attention back to the drama.

She’s fine. She’s okay. Sympathy is not what Luna needs right now. What she needs right now is a break, so she can gather up her strength and go again.

Okay. It’s go time. This is the one. Luna will take her first steps tonight.

She repeats the process and stands mighty and tall, this time easier than the other times. She stomps her right foot; easy peasy. She presses her weight on her right, balancing herself out.

“Hey, I’m gonna grab my water, I left it in your room,” Kaleb says, standing from his seat. Noah nods, too invested in coloring the water droplets for their water cycle project.

Kaleb begins walking towards Noah’s room, passing by the living room where Leo and Johnny watch their drama. The TV grabs his attention first, but a small, wobbly thing moves in his peripherals, causing him to look towards the foreign thing in his vision. He sees Luna on the ground, wobbling back and forth, but on two legs?

He looks at Johnny and Leo on the couch, trying to see if they notice this two but both of their attention is on the screen, captivated by the actor’s performance.

Is this Luna taking her first steps? Surely Noah would have told Kaleb about this milestone, but Kaleb can’t recall Noah even mentioning anything like this. He watches Luna again, seeing her lean too far to the left. He rushes over to her, catching her before she falls. He squats behind the toddler, his hands hovering on her sides just in case she loses her balance again.

“Uh… Uncle Johnny…” Kaleb starts, uncertain with this entire situation. Luna still marches on, or at least, tries to. “I think Luna is taking her first steps.”

Everyone’s attention is now on Kaleb and Luna, Kaleb steadying Luna again as she starts to lose balance, this time, to the right side. Her arms grab onto his hands as she steadies herself, determination fills her features. She is sure as heck not giving up, but she’s glad she has assistance now.

Johnny audibly gasps and rushes over to Luna and Kaleb, stepping a little further from Luna, expanding his arms.

“Babe! Come here! Luna’s walking!” He exclaims to you, excitement prevalent in his voice. “Come here Luna, walk towards appa!”

Luna giggles. Yes! Of course! This is the exact determination she needs! Her arms spread wide as she waddles towards the outstretched arms of her father.

As realization hits, you quickly turn off the stove and run towards the living room, Noah trailing behind you. Leo and Noah stand to the sides of Luna, both helping Kaleb steady her. You kneel beside Johnny, clapping and cheering on your daughter.

“You can do it, Luna! Go to appa!” you cheer. Luna giggles again, stumbling to the side. Leo catches her and helps her steady herself.

“Don’t worry, Luna! We’ll catch you if you fall! Keep going, you can make it to appa!” Leo says to his baby sister. She grunts in agreement. This has to be the one. She knows that she’ll get there eventually. But, Luna lives in the fast lane. What she’s doing right now is far too slow for her. And frankly, Luna knows that she will waste all her energy if she continues it at this pace. She knows there’s only one thing left that she can do.

With all of her remaining strength, she sets out to do what she sees her brothers do every single day. She suddenly moves her feet in a faster motion, using every last ounce of her strength to land in the comforting arms of her father. The boys are caught off guard, being left behind by the determined toddler. They quickly catch up to her, their hands ready, again, to catch her if she falls.

She clumsily runs (more like stumbles) towards her dad and right before she falls, her father reaches over and scoops her up, standing up and tossing her in the air.

“You did it Luna! You took your first steps!!” he cheers, tossing and catching her. You and the boys clap and cheer on the side, all so happy to witness this milestone.

Cheers are yelled from everyone in the house, everyone so proud of the youngest member in this household. Everyone is jumping with joy, all eyes on Luna. She giggles. Luna knows that soon, she’ll be running alongside her brothers, now able to keep up with them. Johnny brings her down and gives her head a million kisses. His heart is so full with happiness and joy.

Moments like these are what Johnny lives for, what makes him work harder with every new comeback and performance, because he knows that at the end, he’ll come home to this, his true happiness. This clumsy little joy that giggles oh so brightly in his arms makes everything that pains him worth it. Every late night, sore muscle, lost voice, everything.

His life may be loud and busy but he is sure as heck he wouldn’t trade it for anything. This clumsy joy that everyone in his life gives him is really what he pushes for.

He’s happy, he’s satisfied, and he can’t wait to see what comes next.

---

johnny would really be one of the sweetest dads :,)

i wanted to take a little break with the descriptions and have a scenario out there!

now since i have more kids described and stuff, i will start to write more scenarios! the second i have a complete group, i’ll write a scenario with that completed generation :)

oh and i’ll also make a list with all of the kids with their bdays (i honestly just chose random dates lol) and which generation they belong in as well as a chart with who their best friends are!

last thing! requests are open! you can request anything and everything under the sun; it doesn’t have to be related to nct with their families (but i’m totally down to write more scenarios about this) and i’m don’t mind tagging people if you want to stay updated every time i add to this growing series!

i hope you guys liked it! let me know what you thought or if you wanna just come by and chat, i’d love to make new friends!

- amy <3

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izziesos · 4 years

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The Best Mistake. Part 1: (Dad!CalumHood. Multi Shot.)

Summary: Basically this is about Calum Hood and his new daughter. I know this is probs shit. This is my first fic so yeah.

Warnings: Mild swearing. Some sensitive scenes. Such as, drugs, achohol abuse, homophobic behavior and mental disorders.

This is dedicated to @cakesunflower because her fics are amazing.

Calum’s POV:

“Mr Hood?” A female voice comes through my phone. It’s one that I recognize as my ex-girlfriends midwife, Melissa. “Aria has gone into labour. I’m assuming you want to be here?” I start to shake.

“Um uh yes. I’ll be there soon.” I hang up and run back into the recording room to grab my shit. “Aria has gone into labour. I’m going to the hospital. Ash will you come with me?” I nervously blurt out. Ash nods and grabs his jacket and car keys.

“Good luck Cal!” Michael yells as we run out to Ashton’s car. When we get to it we hurriedly get in. He shoves his key into the ignition and starts it up. We don’t say a work until we get the front desk in the labour ward. “Hi I’m Calum Hood. My ex-girlfriend is giving birth to my child? Her name is Aria Matthews.”

“Ah yes. Room 4.” The man at the front desk replies with a smile. I drag Ash through the double doors and head straight for Room 4. We find it, and stand outside the door for a minute. I look at Ash who’s stood next to me.

“Ash. I’m 17, I can’t be a dad.” He guides me over to a chair that is positioned on the left of the doorframe. “What do I do? How do I feed it? How do change it? What happens if it cries?” I ramble with my head in my hands. I can hear the blood roaring in my ears. My throat feels like its about to close up. Ashton says nothing but instead hugs me. This small gesture means more then he could ever say. I know that he’s there for me. All of the boys are. Mum has already said that she will help in anyway that she can. My big sister Mali is going to fly over tomorrow to help me out. This thought gives me a bit of strength. I lift my head up and look Ashton in the eyes. “But I’ll figure it out. If I’m gonna be a dad. I’m going to do it properly.”

“I’m hella proud of you for that Cal. You’ve got this.” Ashton says calmly. We stand up and I pause before my shaking hand knocks on the door. A very flustered Melissa opens the door and her face goes from stressed to slightly happier. She steps aside for me to walk in. I walk past her my whole body shaking. I find Aria on the bed screaming. I feel the colour drain from my face. I find the willpower to get my ass over there and hold her hand. Me and Aria absolutely hate each other, but we’ve got a kid together so we are going to have to be civil to each other. She squeezes my hand so tight I thought it was going to explode. After half an hour of screaming from Aria and swearing from me. Melissa proudly hold up our baby.

“It’s a girl! Well done Aria. Congratulations both of you! We’ll get her cleaned up while you two discuss what her name is going to be.” Melissa smiles at us and walk out of the room with our daughter. Aria lets go of my hand and throws a dirty look in my direction. I rub the back of my head nervously, and clear my throat.

“So, um Aria. Have you got any name ideas?” I ask.

“Yes. I want to name her London.” She scoffs. I feel my blood start to boil. She’s only saying that because she wants our daughter to get bullied.

“I hope my kid’s life is hell.” Aria said this when she found out she was 4 months pregnant with our daughter. She refused to admit she was pregnant up until I made her go to the doctor to find out. Me and Aria broke up when she was 2 months pregnant because she threw a china plate at me during an argument. I found out she was pregnant through one of her friends. Like I said she was refusing to admit that she was having a child. After she was confirmed pregnant we took a test to find out if I really was the dad. Turns out I was. By the time she found out, it was too late to abort our child. And I didn’t want to give her up for adoption. So looks like I’m a teen dad.

“How about Madison. Maddie for short.” I say. Aria just sits there and says nothing. “Aria?”

“Whatever Calum I don’t care, name her Madison if you want.” She spits. Melissa returns with my daughter wrapped up in a pink blanket.

“Aria would you like to hold her?” Melissa asks softly.

“Fuck no!” Aria yells startling the baby. I hold out my arms to say that I want to hold her. Melissa places the writhing baby into my arms. I hold her close. I remembered something that my mom told me when my baby cousin was born. I gently rock her to soothe her, she stops crying and looks up at me with her beautiful deep brown eyes. I swear my heart melted right there and then. I freed one of my arms and stroked her cheek. Her tiny hand grabbed my pinkie and held it in her tiny fist. I look up at Melissa and Ash walks through the door and gasps quietly.

“So Calum what are you going to name her?” Melissa asks. I look over at Aria who is glaring at me like it’s my fault that she had a kid. I look back at my newborn daughter and gently whisper her new name.

“Madison Akona Hood.”

#calumthomashood #dad!sos #dad!calum hood #madisonakonahood #firstfic

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alediazpizarro · 3 years

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Senior Soundtrack

Music is a love language. Lo he tuiteado, lo he dicho, y —con ustedes— lo he vivido. Parte de mis 7 años en ASF ha sido la música que he compartido: canciones que son intereses en común, recomendaciones, o hasta tracks de obras de teatro que nunca voy a borrar de mi memoria. After all, de eso se trata la música en parte: de acordarse. Y sepan que cada vez que oiga una de las canciones en esta lista, va junto con su recuerdo. A todos ustedes, de todo corazón, gracias. No sé que sería de mi vida sin ustedes.

Les dejo la playlist que construyeron conmigo, whether you knew it or not, de 2014 para acá.

PS: si no aparece su nombre en esta lista de canciones, lo único que quiere decir es que we have yet to share a song. Los adoro a todos.

Abarca

Burn · Lin Manuel Miranda You have the voice of an angel, and every time I think of this song I no longer hear it in Philippa Soo’s voice, but in yours.

Tuyo · Rodrigo Amarante Dancing Kermit.

Alexander

"Eungenio” Salvador Dalí · Mecano We love the music, hate the lyrics.

Na Na Na · My Chemical Romance Debate bus trips. Blasting it from the backseat, with Nesquik and cold pasta at hand.

I’m Not Okay · My Chemical Romance “¿Estos son los Rolling Stones?”

Being Alive · Stephen Sondheim Life’s dream: be Bobby. Not literally. That would suck.

If I Could Tell Her · Benj Pasek & Justin Paul You once said this is the song you would dedicate to me. Though I think we’ve grown past that, I will always remember how warm it made me feel when you said it.

Ana

Isle of Flightless Birds · Twenty One Pilots Ya sé que me odias, pero DARARAAAARAAA

I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket · Pierce The Veil El concierto que más he disfrutado en mi vida (and that’s saying a lot), y parte de por qué fue porque fui contigo. Lloramos en esta canción y en el video que grabé con mi horrible teléfono se oye lo feo que cantamos.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea · Neutral Milk Hotel De un Tiktok (de miles) que me mandaste pero de los pocos que sí abrí.

Numb · Linkin Park WAWAWAWAWAWA

Anna

Fashionista · Jimmy James Really obscure pre-middle school memory, pero every time it gets stuck in my head me acuerdo de ver el lyrics video en el ballet y la miss Celia regañándonos.

Ari

Life Itself · Glass Animals It slaps. Plus, concert.

Remember When · Wallows My favorite song in my “Drive” playlist, cada vez que sale I remember sitting in the backseat of your dad’s car and you turning the volume up so we could drive over the Reforma speed limit with this blasting.

The Cave of Two Lovers · That LSD guy from Avatar SECRET TUNNEL!!!!!!!! SECRET TUNNEL!!!! THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN!!!! SECRET SECRET SECRET SECRET TUNNEEEEEEEL!!!! (No Spotify version, so here’s the surf rock cover.)

Covarrubias

Toxic · A Static Lullaby Flashbacks a clase de Ms. Miranda en 7º.

Back to Black · Amy Winehouse No puedo oír esta canción sin acordarme de tu audición para Grease. Rizzo could-have-been?

Diana

The Adults Are Talking · The Strokes Es chill yet vaguely nostalgic Diana vibes to the max.

Stuck on the Puzzle · Alex Turner Thank you for liking Alex Turner. :`)

Dark Red · Steve Lacy Memorias de una tarde que pasamos armando Repentinos con una mini guillotina y pláticas de Dinamarca.

Diego

Thinking of a Place · The War on Drugs La primera que me recomendaste, y la mejor para manejar de noche.

Vissi d’Arte · Giacomo Puccini No creo que hubiera visto Tosca si no me la hubieras recomendado. Qué bueno que lo hiciste, porque esta aria se volvió de mis favoritas.

Money · Pink Floyd Alguna vez jugamos music trivia en el salón de Stearns y me acuerdo de que yo todavía no la ubicaba pero tú la adivinaste sin problema. Years later, eres la persona que sé que le gusta Pink Floyd tanto como a mí. Lástima de Roger. :(

Layla · Derek & The Dominoes Este año tuve un classic rock renaissance que empezó, you guessed it, cuando me recomendaste esta. Clapton no falla.

Klavierkonzert Nr. 21, No. 2 “Andante” · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart También me hiciste escuchar mucha más música clásica de la que conocía, y aprendí a disfrutarla. Esta sigue siendo mi favorita.

Sara · Fleetwood Mac De las pocas de Fleetwood Mac que no conocía pero que me recomendaste en uno de esos exchanges a las 12 am y que oí con audífonos in the dark.

Resguardum Ether · León Larregui También de las pocas de este cuate que nunca había oído pero que se volvió de mis favoritas.

Fer

Good Life · OneRepublic Buenas vibes.

Can��t Fight This Feeling · REO Speedwagon Horton --> improvised conciertos en el baño.

What the Heck I Gotta Do · Lin Manuel Miranda Más conciertos de regadera/vestidor en lo que nos arreglamos juntas.

Beth · KISS El club Glee y el karaoke en el Wii.

Miss Jackson · Panic! At The Disco No lo vas a admitir, pero te gusta mi música y lo sabes. Anytime que dudas, sólo es cuestión de ponerte esta.

The Man · The Killers Nada como nuestros buenos trips manejando de noche.

Fernando

The Bad Touch · Bloodhound Gang You and me, baby, we ain’t nothing but mammals...

EugeRiq

This Life · Vampire Weekend Siempre que la oigo pienso en ti.

I Wear Glasses · Mating Ritual Me la recomendaste en alguna de mis countless Close Friends stories.

Jose

I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) · The Proclaimers Picture it: a gaggle of eight or so kids marching around Cumbres de Santa Fe loudly screaming this in a terrible Scottish accent after watching a horror movie.

Somebody Else · Clones of Clones A bop!

Ocean Man · Ween I will only say four words: Lord of the Flies.

Lauro

Desencuentro · Residente ft. Soko Clases de Domínguez contigo were always lovely. Plus, who could forget the iconic “NO HAY SEÑAL”?

I Don’t Know How to Love · The Drums Otra de cuando we were still developing our own music tastes.

Luz

Papaoutai · Stromae De cuando estábamos haciendo Haiti research and really wanted to get into the francophone mindset.

Moonlight Sonata · Ludwig Van Beethoven Those Knowledge Bowl kids never saw it coming.

Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke) · Panjabi MC Memoria tangible de Vancouver: cuando pusiste esta en el restaurante indio al que fuimos.

Madison

I Know Things Now · Stephen Sondheim No sé cuántas veces me ayudaste a ensayar esta canción. Me ayudaste muchísimo todo Into the Woods, y desde ahí en 6º sé que te tengo como amiga.

Mare

Rumour Has It · Adele ¿Te acuerdas del proyecto que hicimos de Mr. Kamm en 7º estilo “fleas on rats”? Literal después de que usamos esta canción ya no puedo cantar las lyrics de la original.

Mariana

Bitter Sweet Symphony · The Verve La oíamos dizque “para concentrarnos” en el salón de Austin.

Pas de Quatre from Swan Lake · Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky De cuando te fui a ver bailar ballet con Fran. :)

Tú y Yo Somos Uno Mismo · Timbiriche EL SOL

Manu

Fly Away · Laid Back The moment you played this at Montero’s party you literally made everyone be vibing. It’s like the Fairy Godmother of Chill. That was also the day you stopped being “Manu from TEDx” and were just “Manu” there on. Probably ‘cause you appreciated my ability to drive a stick. :`)

MDRH

Choke · I Don’t Know How But They Found Me I wouldn’t like this Dallon spinoff as much as I do without you. It’s like emo, but evolved, mature— like you. In a good, compliment-y way.

Oceans · Frank Iero Remember when we were gonna see him in concert? :( Thanks for being the only person with whom I can enjoy weird throaty emo screamy shit. At least the guitar is good.

House of Wolves · My Chemical Romance Something about the aggressive guitar and fast pace of this song has always reminded me of you.

Mich

Tear in my Heart · Twenty One Pilots Your Koreaboo initiation before you even knew it.

The Kids Aren’t Alright · Fall Out Boy Remember the lyrics from this I wrote as a dedication in your eighth grade yearbook? I meant them.

I Write Sins Not Tragedies · Panic! At The Disco I CHIME IN—

She’s My Winona · Fall Out Boy Something about Folie à Deux, and especially about this song, always carries a you vibe.

Perfect · Simple Plan From when you got angsty and Montes called you out on it. Then it became a bit of a joke.

One of THOSE Nights · The Cab Back in seventh grade, this was the most ambitious crossover ever attempted.

Montse

I Want To Hold Your Hand · The Beatles De cuando saturamos la rockola del Johnny Rocket’s con 15 canciones y pensaron que no servía. But we knew. Plus, a really fun Snapchat video de nosotras bajando las escaleras a tambos y aplausos con esta canción.

Something · The Beatles Too bad Eric Clapton stole George Harrison’s wife.

I Am the Walrus · The Beatles Want to feel what it’s like to do acid without actually doing it? Play this song on Rock Band!

Don’t You (Forget About Me) · Simple Minds De la única pijamada que me han dejado hacer, donde vimos tu película favorita. An unforgettable night with an unforgettable person.

Pato

Hit the Back · King Princess The best experience of my life was one I’m glad I shared with you. Still want to murder those Rock Lobster loiterers though— blocked us from KP. >:(

Just the Same · Bruno Major I had never heard of him, but to be next to you enjoying him, with our KP t-shirts in my bag and just-refilled water bottles, was one of the highlights of my night.

The Louvre · Lorde Remember when we played Melodrama in your bedroom? This is the song that I feel best captivates that: shoes on the floor, laying softly on the bed, sunlight streaming in through the window, the vinyl spinning, and a general feeling of levity.

No You Girls · Franz Ferdinand Friendly reminder of literally the worst physical experience of our lives. :))))

The Other Side of Paradise · Glass Animals The first GA song I ever showed you, which is a nice chain thing because it’s the first GA song I ever listened to that Jordan showed me. And a birthday vinyl we played in your room.

Romina

The Only Thing · Sufjan Stevens This entire album is your personality. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.

Futile Devices · Sufjan Stevens Same as above. It’s not your fault you’re a Sufjan Suf-stan. But every time I listen to Sufjan I remember you playing him at the Open Mic. That’s a very nice feeling.

Mama · My Chemical Romance Indisputably goes HARD and hey what are mommy issues without a little angst/general gender confusion?

Sam

Goodie Bag · Still Woozy El día del college fair que estuvimos juntas al principio y conocimos a la USC rep que nos cagó traías tu camisa de Still Woozy. Since then, el grupo me recuerda a ti.

Vale

Heart of Glass · Miley Cyrus Tú viviste esta out-of-body transcendental experience al mismo tiempo que yo, el día de mi cena.

Don’t Stop · Fleetwood Mac Espero que ya te guste Rumours completo. :)

Yuhis

Chiquitita · ABBA I didn’t know you could sing. After listening to you sing this one (and almost crying), I wondered why you didn’t do it more often.

Beauty School Dropout · Frankie Avalon I am sorry pero literal I can only think of this song in your voice. Iconic!

Gracias por todo. Los quiero. Los voy a extrañar.

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jjr1971 · 5 years

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Finally finished Sound! Euphonium, Seasons 1 & 2. Let me start by declaring I could be COMPLETELY wrong in my analysis here. But for me, it was a very beautiful series, and emotionally satisfying. Definitely not "Binge" material but rather something to be sampled a few episodes at a time, over time. Kind of like how I watched all 3 seasons of Aria. oh and ******SPOILERS FOLLOW***** (duh) It was interesting how they built interest/tension in the latter half of the series....Asuka is such a joker, but there's serious intent behind everything she says and does. Like inviting Kumiko over to her home (which she hasn't done for anyone else)...then playfully asking her if she's going to confess her love to her....then later playfully telling Kumiko on the street "I love you, Kumiko"...but always with plausible deniability. If not for her obsession with the music teacher, Reina and Kumiko could definitely be a thing...but that obsession is a thorn in the side of their otherwise beautiful relationship. Not to mention Kumiko starts to neglect Reina because she's so focused on trying to help Asuka stay in the band. I was pleasantly surprised by Kumiko's love confession to Asuka after graduation. Senpai noticed her. Also, Asuka gifts Kumiko her father’s notebook of Euphonium music...the title of which is where we get the title for the whole franchise. It's a subtle and all subtext, of course...it's not overt but Kumiko always gave me vibes that she was gay. Unlike her straight friends, shows zero interest in boys, etc. Reina is probably bisexual; she is obsessed with the teacher, but her relationship with Kumiko is intense and affectionate also. And Asuka is probably a lesbian too...very pretty, no boyfriend, shows no interest in boys...all subtext but plausible. In the first season Reina doesn’t have any friends and is very intense and dedicated to her craft as a musician....only very slowly does she learn to open up to Kumiko and befriend her. They become deeply affectionate towards each other. Kumiko’s relationship with Asuka is a bit more complicated and to an extent always at a distance due to Asuka being slightly older. Not an adult, but definitely her senpai. Kumiko goes the extra mile to help and encourage Asuka for the latter half of Season 2. Asuka is kind to Kumiko but maintains an ironic distance. It is Kumiko who forces Asuka to confront the seriousness of her situation and the intensity of Kumiko’s feelings about her, wanting her to play in the band despite Asuka’s mother’s objections, etc. The show is about striving to be the best you can be, of course; in this case an ensemble of youthful musicians...but their relationships with each other are the most interesting aspects of the show. I also like how Kumiko reconciled with her older sister by the end and how she confessed that she had been Kumiko's inspiration from early on, when big sis was a trombone player herself back in High School. Kumiko was given the Euphonium because the her junior band had plenty of trombones already and nobody else wanted the Euphonium. In High School, there are only 3 Euphonium players...and only Asuka and Kumiko were good enough to go to nationals. It was a really sweet scene when, with Asuka graduating, Kumiko is practicing alone and two friends pop in expecting to see Asuka and compliment Kumiko by saying her playing now sounds just like Asuka senpai. I suppose at some point I will go track down the additional movies that continue this story. I did see Liz and the Blue Bird in theaters, and surprisingly, this one was picked up for an English dub...I was only able to see the sub version since the English dub wasn't being screened in my area that I could see. But Liz and the Blue Bird is a side story and doesn't really advance the main plot...it's a shift in focus to 2 side characters Mizore and Nozomi, the oboist and the flautist, respectively. I don't see the rest of the franchise getting dubbed necessarily. It's kind of a niche show. I'm surprised one of its movies got dubbed. I might try to buy Liz and the Blue Bird on Blu-Ray once it gets a physical release, so I can re-watch it with the English dub. Just curious to see the performances. Plus the show would probably be a nightmare from the sound design/music rights angles. Reproducing the music just right for the dub, securing the music rights for all the songs not in public domain, etc. In any case, Sound! Euphonium is a beautiful series that I’m glad to have watched. After concluding the final episode of Season 2, I then turned to watch a few more episodes of Anonymous Noise, which I will review later, but which is also about teen musicians in school and their screwed up relationships.

#sound euphonium #hibike! euphonium #crunchyroll #lgbt #queer #musician #concert band #high school #high school girls #anime #Japan #relationships #lesbians #bisexuals

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cbcanime · 6 years

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Cause I’m bored :D

Britt: Hello everybody. For no particular reason, I decided to make a list of Ash's traveling companions ranked from favorite to least favorite. These are just my personal opinions, and I’m bored. So here ya go!~

I’m also putting this on Tumblr instead of DeviantART because I talk about Pokemon characters waaaay too much over there haha....^-^”

ALSO, I respect anyone’s opinion who’s different than my own as long as you respect my opinions as well :D

1. Dawn-

I loved how Dawn was a co-star to Ash and got entire episodes dedicated to her and only her. I also found her contests more realistic and exciting to watch than May's.

2. May-

Other than May's contests, I'd say she was a pretty relatable character. She just wanted to travel the world, and she didn't care for Pokemon at first (like how people in real life don't really like animals.) I also liked her relationship with her brother (despite me not liking Max.)

3. Iris-

Oh, the horror! Iris is a favorite of mine! But in all seriousness, I loved Iris. Tomboy characters are usually the ones I favor over the more girly characters, but Dawn stood out to me more and that's why she's my #1 and not Iris. I also thought Iris was bad-ass. Her calling Ash a kid got old and annoying fast but that's the ONLY reason I see for why people don't like her, and I think outside of that she was a pretty unique Pokemon character.

4. Clemont-

I liked Clemont the most out of Ash's male companions, because he was the first one who felt like a best buddy/bro to Ash. Brock and Cilan felt more like mentors or older siblings he couldn't really relate to, but Ash and Clemont I'd say, bonded well and felt like they were closer to equals (even if Ash was worshiped by damn near everybody in XY.) His gag got old, but pretty much any character who has a gag got old super quickly.

5. Lillie-

I think Lillie has had some good character development. She got over her fear of Pokemon and stood up to her mother. Plus she seems like the only female in Sun/Moon that the writers are bothering to put any effort into. I also like her character design. I haven't played very many Pokemon games, but when Sun/Moon first came out, Lillie looked like a spoiled rich girl. I'm glad she didn't turn out to be that way.

6. Bonnie-

Honestly, I just thought Bonnie was a less annoying and more competent version of Max. Her gag got old (just like everyone else's), but she didn't piss me off like Max did, plus she seemed a lot more mature than him despite Max acting like he was "mature" when he clearly wasn't. She also had her own Pokemon, which gave her the responsibility of raising her own. Plus, she's adorable :)

7. Lana-

Again, the Sun/Moon girls don't have a lot going for them, but I like Lana. She's cute and I like her personality and her quiet voice.

8. Brock-

Tbh, Brock doesn't have a lot going for him (to me) other than nostalgia. Just like everyone else's running gag, his got old suuuuuuper quickly. And the fact that he was with Ash in 4 different regions made it worse and annoying. He's still better than Cilan, though. And he could be funny, and he was like Ash's older brother.

9. Kiawe-

I dunno how to feel about the Sun/Moon guys, either. Honestly, it feels like Ash is taking the majority of the screentime like he did in XY, so I don't really care for anyone else besides Lillie and Lana. Kiawe's pretty alright I guess, though.

10. Sophocles-

Same for Sophocles. I dunno how to feel about him. I thought he was similar to Clemont by a lot, but Clemont has a charm to him that Sophocles doesn't. Idk :/

11. Mallow-

Mallow is just kinda boring to me. She doesn't do much of anything at all in the show. Even Lana does more than her, and Lana hardly does anything, too! It's really sad. I hope the writers pay more attention to her eventually.

12. Cilan-

Cilan annoyed me more than Iris did, yet people still found Iris to be unbearable while giving Cilan a free pass. My favorite thing about Cilan was his voice, cause I really like Jason Griffith. Otherwise, didn't care for him that much.

13. Tracey-

Imma be honest, I almost forgot he existed lmao (like most people do.) Tracey was alright. I didn't hate his guts for replacing Brock like most others did, and I liked that he was an artist (like me) but he was kinda just...there. He didn't do much of anything. He was boring and plain.

14. Verity-

She's ok. Felt like a mixture of Misty and Dawn. Didn’t get a lot of time to know much about her or Sorrel.

15. Sorrel-

Meh. His Luxray died cause of him. Kinda sucky.

16. Misty-

Probably not gonna make many friends putting Misty so low on the list, but eh....I don't really like her. Same with Brock, she doesn't have much that makes her "better" than the others other than nostalgia. She used to be my most hated companion of Ash's till Serena came along, though. I don't hate her anymore, and I don't even dislike her as much as I used to. But I don't think she's all that great, either. People harp on Iris for teasing Ash and calling out his stupidity when he SHOULD'VE been a lot smarter than he was, but then they'll let Misty get away with hitting both Ash AND Brock, and yelling at Ash for being a complete noob. I personally don't think that's fair, but hey. What do I know? Plus, once she got Togepi, she was boring and lifeless.

17. Max-

Max was annoying and he did a lot of things that I hate about kids. He acts like a know-it-all, treats Ash and May like they're retarded, and whines all the time. I hated it. He made fun of Ash for losing the Johto League, and then cries and steal's Ash's badge from him when he beats his GYM LEADER DAD at a gym battle! I just couldn't stand this kid. He had a more realistic relationship with May than Clemont did with Bonnie, but that's probably another reason I didn't care for him. Younger siblings suck. I thought he was OK in the Jirachi movie, though.

18. Serena-

Aaaaaaand lastly, Serena. Along time ago, Misty would've been here instead of Serena, but Serena's fans have made me borderline despise her. I already didn't care for her character, and her worshipers put her in an even worse light for me. But I thought Serena was a boring, girly, passive stereotype who's only "unique" quality is her crush on Ash, anyway. I didn't dislike her immediately, though. In fact, I went the first couple episodes actually liking her and I thought she had great potential. But, that went away. Fast. Plus, her goal...was not that great. Felt like a sexist rip-off of contests. And her "rivals" were incompetent. She beat them every time (not including Aria.) Plus from what I hear, showcases are based off of Japanese idol culture. If that's true, Serena wouldn't get to date Ash anyway. Too bad :/ At least she’s the prettiest I suppose.

I'll add the characters from the 21st movie once I've watched it :)

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thisdaynews · 4 years

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Ian Wright, former footballer and broadcaster - 10 things we learned from Ian Wright's Desert Island Discs

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/ian-wright-former-footballer-and-broadcaster-10-things-we-learned-from-ian-wrights-desert-island-discs/

Ian Wright, former footballer and broadcaster - 10 things we learned from Ian Wright's Desert Island Discs

Ian Wright is a former footballer and is now a TV and radio broadcaster. He grew up in south-east London, and unusually he didn’t sign with a professional football club until he had reached his early 20s, starting at Crystal Palace in 1985. After impressing as a forward at Palace, he was bought by Arsenal for a record fee in 1991, staying there until 1998.

Ian retired in 2000 and in total, he played 581 league games, scoring 387 goals for seven clubs in England and Scotland, and earning 33 England caps. Since his retirement from football, he has had a career in television and radio and continues to appear as a pundit on Match of the Day. Here’s what we learned from Ian’s Desert Island Discs:

1. Ian Wright was a late starter as a professional footballer

When he signed for Crystal Palace aged 21 he was a Sunday League player who worked as a labourer to feed his young family. It was his foreman who said his job would be waiting for him if football didn’t work out that persuaded him to take the deal. He went on to be the second highest scorer in Arsenal’s history and to win 33 caps for England.

2. Ian thinks his ‘best match’ was his very first league game for Arsenal

“It was with my dear friend David Rocastle. We grew up on the same estate. I’ve known David since he was five and I was nine and he was an inspiration to the whole estate because when he was 15, 16 he got signed by Arsenal as a youth team player.”

He was the one who’d encourage Ian saying: “You should be playing, you should be trying to get in.” “It’s moments like this,” says Ian, “where it’s difficult to speak about him because he was always looking out for me, wanted me to do the very best I can with the opportunities. When I got to Arsenal our first league game was away to Southampton and I scored a hat-trick in the game and David scored the other goal, it’s the best football match I’ve ever played in.”

David Rocastle died aged just 33 from Hodgkin lymphoma. “I don’t think of the accolades or the trophies I’ve won or the England caps – which mean the world to me – all I think about is the fact that I played with him for a year as a professional.”

3. Ian’s first music choice for the island is his ‘surprise disc’

“I know people would never ever guess this one,” says Ian, because it’s music that he reckons no one would ever associate with him. It’s an aria from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, as featured in the film The Shawshank Redemption. On his one hour commute to Arsenal this is the first track Ian would play, because he wanted to be calm at the start of the journey, before turning up the volume: “When I’m close to Arsenal I’m probably blasting out The Prodigy or something like that. But this is what I’d start with.”

4. He would have cried the first time he played for England except for Paul Gascoigne

Seeing his boots under the England number 9 shirt in the dressing room at Wembley, Ian could feel the tears welling up: “I remember Gazza saying: ‘Look at Wrighty, he’s going to cry.’ And I swear, if Gazza doesn’t say that then I’m probably going to burst into tears.”

5. A teacher at Turnham Primary School changed his life

Ian describes how he had a difficult time at school, finding it hard to concentrate until he met one particular teacher, Mr Pigden, the person Ian credits with changing his life: “I don’t know why he chose me but he did. He gave me responsibility, I used to collect the registers from the teachers, then they made me milk monitor. It was really good, I just felt important. He wouldn’t let me play football if he heard I’d been naughty in class. He just gave me a sense of feeling like I had some use… He was the greatest man in the world.” Ian dedicated his 2016 autobiography to Sydney Pigden.

Mum wasn’t really fussed. Maybe because I used to leave the house in my school uniform. And then get changed and go to work!

Mr Pigden repaid the compliment telling Ian that he was more proud when Ian made his England debut than his own flight over Buckingham Palace as a pilot to mark the end of the Second World War.

6. Ian left school at 14 and became a plasterer

“How did your mum react?” asks Lauren. “She wasn’t really fussed,” replies Ian, before adding: “Maybe because I used to leave the house in my school uniform. And then get changed and go to work!”

7. Ian was in prison in 1982 for 18 days

Ian received a prison sentence for failing to pay fines and driving without a licence, among other offences. “I couldn’t take it…” he says. “I cried from the first day to the last day. It made me realise I can’t do this. When I came out it was a case of trying to find the kind of job that would pay me so I could focus on getting that trade until [my football career] started to happen.”

8. Success on the football field brought its own problems

“You start to think you’re a bit special,” says Ian.

“A little bit too big for your boots?” suggests Lauren.

“Absolutely, I went through that. If I’m totally honest [they’re] not my proudest years. I caused a lot of problems for my family… I made some terrible decisions. I found that when I went on the football pitch everything I was doing off it didn’t bother me. On the football pitch is sanctuary.”

9. So how did he turn things around?

There were times at Arsenal that Ian’s temper got the better of him. “I needed therapy. I’d got to a stage in my life where you’re not hearing the word ‘No’ because you’re doing do so well and that’s dangerous to the point you’re obnoxious. I went to see this wonderful woman and she recognised after the first few sessions [and said]: ‘You’re not telling me the truth – why have you come here? If you want to waste money go and do it somewhere else because I’ve got too many people who need help and you are wasting my time.’ She said that and then I burst into tears… and then I poured it all out and the therapy was the best thing that ever happened to me. What I realised was that a lot of it stemmed from my youth and when I was a child. One time she asked me about being hugged. She said ‘Can you remember the first hug you got from your mum? Can you remember any time your step-dad showed you affection?’ And I literally couldn’t remember anything like that.”

How did the therapy help? “It made me realise that it wasn’t great when I was growing up but I turned it into something and I’m just pleased that I got to a stage… I didn’t want to be that guy that when I looked in the mirror I didn’t like myself.”

10. What are his hopes for the future?

“All I want my kids to do is be wonderful with their kids, to do the best they can, give them the best education and lots of love,” says Ian. “Now, I feel I’m in an unbelievable place, I’ve got an unbelievable woman and with everything I’ve gone through to get to marry someone like my wife Nancy I know someone is looking out for me.”

#desert #Wright's

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madewithonerib · 4 years

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How to Find Your Place | Derek Prince [2 Timothy 1:9]

2 Timothy 1:9-11 | He has saved us & called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose & by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time eternal. And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death & illuminated the way to life & immortality through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, & a teacher.

Everything is based on the teaching of the Word of God.

If I ever get away from teaching the Word of God, I get into trouble. When I’m teaching the Word of God, I’m like a duck in water.

I’m absolutely free, in my element. But you take a duck out of water & put it on land, then it looks very clumsy.

That’s how I am if I ever get out of the scope of my ministry.

>> I give you this as an example, because it’s true in some measure for every Christian. In your ministry, in your calling: You’re like a duck in water.

When you get out of your calling, you’re not in your calling, you’re like a duck on land. A duck waddles on land, its clumsy. You look at it & wonder how it ever get around. But once it gets onto the water, it’s all together different.

That’s why it’s so important for everyone of us to know the area, in which we are called.

Another thing that I would bring out in those words that God spoke to me, He said: “In truth, & faith, & love.” And that again has proved progressive.

Before I was saved, I was a philosopher, I was a logician (a reasoner). So the first thing that I grasped in Scripture was TRUTH; & I sought to find the truth — to fit the truths together & see what I would call the intellectual framework.

But people used to tell me, I was very hard to approach; I was distant, I just presented truth & left people to help themselves.

Truth sometimes can frustrate you, if you can’t receive it with faith. Because you can see what could be, what you could be, but you can’t appropriate it.

GOD led me to a place, where I could minister in faith; & I could minister faith to the ppl, whom I ministered truth.

So that they were then able, by faith, to apprehend & apply the truth. But that wasn’t the end. Because the end, of the commandment is love [1 Timothy 1:5].

1 Timothy 1:5 | The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, & a sincere faith.

Basically, I have learned that we cannot really help people—in the Christian life—unless we love them. You don’t love ppl, you can’t really do much for them.

And I have to give God the glory that gradually, He has melted my somewhat austere military British exterior—that today I really love people.

austere: severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance. (of living conditions or a way of life) having no comforts or luxuries; harsh or ascetic.

I love you people, I look at you with a love of God. I long for the best of every one of you—whether I’ve ever known you personally, or not.

>> My desire is that you should be all that you can be—in Christ.

That is just an example of the faithfulness of GOD, with respect of calling. _____________________________________________________

Now you probably don’t have the same calling that I do. But you have a specific calling from God.

And you will never be really satisfied, you’ll never be a duck in water—until you are in your calling. There are many different callings.

Going back to 2 Timothy 1:9, we find it even more exciting.

It says, “He has saved us & called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose & by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time eternal. [2 Timothy 1:9]

I want to emphasize that your calling is HOLY. Once I realized what God had called me to be, I made up my mind that I by His grace would be the best teacher of the Scriptures that I could be.

Not comparing myself with any other teacher. And for well over 40 years, my life has been shaped by my God-given desire to be able to teach the Scriptures the best that I can. _____________________________________________________

One of the things that I’ve done is (1) Discipline my mind, I am very careful what I let into my mind. Basically, I hardly ever read anything—unless I feel God wants me to read it.

Before I was saved, I read hundreds of books in various languages.

But I’m not that way now. I very seldom look at the newspaper. If I want to find out what’s going on in the world, we buy a weekly news magazine.

I don’t want to advertise any one particularly on television—but there are 2-3 magazines. You see you try to find the news by television, you waste a whole lot of time. You’ve got to sit through a lot of advertisements; & a lot of news that is absolutely unimportant one week later. You might just as well never heard it.

I don’t want to waste time.

For me time is extremely precious, so I try to store my mind only with the things that will enable me to teach the Bible—with clarity.

If I have one ambition, it’s to be clear. Sometimes I’ve worked at it, for years, there are truths in the Bible that were very confusing to me (years ago). But I have plowed away at it; worked at it—whittled it down, until in most cases, it’s what I teach.

I’m able teach with simplicity & with clarity.

My aim is not to confuse people.

Sometimes at the end of a sermon, somebody will come to me, “Brother Prince, that was a deep message;” & I say, “Lord, what did I do wrong now?”

My aim is to be simple,

People have sometimes said about me, that when I teach: they think, “Well why didn’t I ever know that? Because it’s obvious.” That’s my aim.

I would like everybody to go out of a meeting & say, “Well what he said was absolutely obvious.” I have no higher ambition than that.

So I’ve disciplined myself.

Let me give you an example from athletics...

Any athlete that wants to compete in the Olympics, has got to discipline themselves—such an athlete has to be very careful about what they eat, by the way they spend their time, the exercise they take, the things they read.

They’ve got to build up a positive attitude, in their minds.

They’ve got to go into that competition that they can succeed.

I was a very close friend in my early years, with one of the most famous ballerinas of our century. Anybody who knows about ballet, her name was Margot Fonteyn.

Dame Margot Fonteyn, DBE, stage name of Margaret Evelyn de Arias, was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet, eventually being appointed prima ballerina assoluta of the company by Queen Elizabeth II.

I was a close friend of hers—when she was an unknown dancer. And I consider her to be the most successful ballerina of this century.

But I’m not surprised, because I knew how seriously she took her dancing.

There were other ballerinas in the same company, that perhaps had the same ability, but they didn’t have the same dedication.

Now I’m not encouraging you to go into ballet. What I’m trying to show you is: IF you want to succeed, you’ve got to discipline yourself.

You’ve got to order your priorities.

You’ve got to eliminate a lot of things out of your life—which are non-essential.

So it’s a Holy Calling, I wonder if you understand that? I mean it’s not to be played with, it’s not to be bartered for anything else.

It’s HOLY.

2.] Then Paul goes on, here in 2 Timothy 1:9, “

2 Timothy 1:9 | He has saved us & called us to a holy calling, not according to our works, but by His own purpose & grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.

That’s an exciting statement, before anything was ever created, before God ever set time in motion—He knew what He was going to do.

He knew you would be born. He knew you would become a believer. And He had a plan for your life.

I tell people: “You are not an accident.” There’s a divine plan & purpose for every believer, which didn’t start in time. It started before creation. GOD fore-knew us.

The Scripture says, “He predestined us.”

That means He arranged the course that our life is to take.

And He had a specific plan & purpose for everyone of us.

Then it says it was not according to our works.

IT’S NOT ACCORDING TO WHAT WE CAN DO!

It’s not necessarily according to what we’ve been trained to do. I think I can illustrate this from my own case:

I was an only child, I never had brothers or sisters. Girls were a very strange race to me. I didn’t understand them. I mean I had g/fs but that’s different.

You can have a g/f without understanding girls.

And I was intellectually very successful. So you’d think that God would have me to be some professor in some college, or something like that. When I discovered my calling, I married a lady who had a children’s home—with 8 girls in it. And I became a father to 8 girls in 1 day.

You couldn’t think of anybody less qualified—for that position than me.

Basically, God tends to put us in a position for which we’re not qualified. That’s not always true. The reason being, He doesn’t want us to rely on our own abilities—it’s not according to our works, but it’s according to His grace.

You think of some of the most successful servants of God, throughout the centuries—they’ve been weak people, often ppl with few qualifications. Who’ve been put in places of danger & difficulty. You wouldn’t ever imagine that they would succeed.

But you see the thing about grace is this: Grace cannot be earned.

You’ll never achieve grace by working for it.

Works & grace are mutually exclusive. I explain it this way, grace begins where human ability ends.

>> If you can do it by yourself, why should God give you His grace?

But when you come to the place where God wants you to do something, & you can’t do it, then you have to depend on His grace.

And that’s what God wants us to do.

So let me read that verse again: If you can just begin to grasp that, it’ll give you a sense of being important—not that you become conceited. But that you realize that you are part of a tremendous plan that GOD conceived before He created anything. _____________________________________________________

One of the greatest problems with ppl in the world today is: Low Self-Esteem. They don’t think they’re worth much.

I would have to say a person with low self-esteem is unlikely to make the best of life. And I believe a Christian should never have that problem.

Let me explain two reasons, 1st the one I’m given:

If you’re a Christian, you’re part of an eternal plan. You have a special job, a special calling, one that nobody else has. You have a responsibility that no one else can carry out.

Then 2ndly, you know how to find out how much you’re worth? I’ll tell you, suppose right now my wife & I are in the middle of selling a house, & let’s say we were told when we bought it that it was worth $55K USD—when we tried to sell it we discovered nobody would pay $55K USD for it—so we were happy to get $50K. Now what’s the house worth? It’s worth what someone will pay for it. You can put any price tag you want on something you want to sell. But it’s worth what someone will pay. No more. Now you are worth what God was willing to pay for you. What did He pay for you? He redeemed you with what? The precious blood of Jesus Christ. Something that is infinitely valuable. Something on which you can put no price-tag.

And if you can grasp that fact: GOD was willing to pay the blood of His Son, to redeem you—you’ll never feel, you’ll never have a problem with self-worth again.

>> Because you’re worth what GOD was willing to pay for you.

Do you see that? I’m sure you didn’t see that, because I see you’ve got a look of surprise on your faces. Well try to digest it, try to absorb it, meditate on it.

Read it over & over again, until it becomes real to you.

You see God’s Word is a mirror, & if you want to know what you’re really like inside you have to look in the mirror.

The first time you look in the mirror: It’s horrible. You discover you’re a sinner; you’re defiled. Your garments are horribly unclean.

But if you’re wise & you act on what God shows you, you repent & trust Jesus for salvation—you’re cleansed, you’re washed, you’re sanctified.

God takes away your filthy garments, & clothes you with the garments of salvation & a robe of righteousness. And next time you look in the mirror, you’re astonished because you don’t see the old (whatever it might be).

You don’t ever see that old person. You see somebody quite different. You’ve changed, transformed. Wearing a garment of salvation & spotless robe of righteousness.

But that’s only the beginning, because God intends to go on changing you. I didn’t intend to look at this Scripture, but take a look in 2 Corinthians 3:18.

2 Corinthians 3:18 | And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

What’s the mirror? Word of God

If you want the Spirit of the Lord to transform you, you’ve got to keep looking in the mirror. If you look away from the mirror, the Spirit of God no longer works on you.

He only works on you when you are looking in God’s Word. So if you go on looking in the mirror (Word of God), & yielding to the Spirit of God, you see glory that’s to you.

And you think that’s wonderful, the next time you look: You’ve been moved from glory to glory...It’s progressing. Understand?

The problem with most Christians, who have a low sense of self-worth, is they don’t spend enough time looking in the mirror (reading God’s Word).

They spend a lot of time looking in the physical mirror. And they’re not always satisfied with what they see. But they don’t spend time looking in the Spiritual Mirror (God’s Word)—which is very satisfying, if you yield to the Spirit of God.

And really there are no limits, we are continually being transformed from glory to glory to glory to glory—indefinitely. _____________________________________________________

Alright now let’s turn to Ephesians 2:8-10, which was the passage that both Ruth & I proclaimed.

>> Ephesians 2:1-10 | Made Alive in Christ By Grace Through Faith And you were dead in trespasses & sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body & the mind, & were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— & raised us up with Him & seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His Grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (v.1-7) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

I understand that to mean: We didn’t get the faith, God gave us the faith. >> He gave us the faith to be saved.

I know when I was confronted with the gospel, I realized two things. (1) I couldn’t understand the gospel; & (2) I couldn’t believe it.

>> I wanted to understand, I wanted to believe.

But God brought me to a place, where when I did understand it, I realized God had given me the understanding. God had given me the faith.

I had nothing to boast of. It didn’t proceed out of myself, it was given me by God’s grace.

Then it says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

That’s a wonderful Scripture, it doesn’t fully come out in the English translations. But the word for workmanship, in Greek, & its the word from which we get poem. So we’re God’s poem, we’re not just something He manufactured—but we’re His creative masterpiece. Created in Christ Jesus.

Then it really blesses me when I meditate on this is: When God wanted to show the universe just what He could create, to display His creative ability to the whole universe & all of that had been created by Him.

Just to prove what He could do, He went to the scrap heap for His material. And that’s where He created you & me—on the scrap heap. Is that right?

At least I know where I was, & God said: “Do you want to see what I can do with scrap material? This is going to be the crown of all My creative genius.

>> It’s the church of Jesus Christ. The Bride of Jesus Christ.

That’s what we are. We’re His poem, we’re His creative masterpiece. And we’re created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

That brings out the same truth as 2 Timothy 1:9, we don’t have to decide what we’re going to do.

We don’t have to fashion a career for ourselves. We have to find out what are the good works—which God prepared beforehand for us to walk in.

You see I’ve seen Christians take two different courses, some of them they’re saved—but they’re personally ambitious, they want to make something of themselves in this world. So they go about the ordinary way of getting an education & so on, they work hard at it; & they become something.

>> But it probably isn’t what God intended them to be.

Then there are other Christians, who abandon themselves to God — they give up their personal ambitions, they say God make me what You want.

I don’t want to boast but in a certain sense, when I married my first wife & became father to those 8 girls — I renounced a very promising university career. The leader of my college told me that within a few years, I’d get such & such positions. And really I was set for success.

If you know the British educational system, before WWII: If you had become a fellow at King’s College Cambridge at the age of 24, you had it made.

And a lot of my friends thought I was just throwing my life away. To give all that up, to take responsibility for 8 girls.

Well if I had gone back to Cambridge, & got the position that I could have got, I would have had to retire at age 65. If not sooner with a very minimal pension.

Here I am nearly age 74, I’m not even thinking of retiring, I’m travelling the world. I’m doing the thing I enjoy most. I’m seeing lives continually changed.

WHY should I have not give that up for the sake of some little career at a university. See what I’m saying?

I’m sure you’ve all heard of David Livingstone, the missionary who really opened up Africa — who is a world famous name. He became a doctor, but then went to Africa. His brother also became a doctor, so when David went to Africa — his brother thought David was totally doing the wrong thing. The brother said, “I don’t want that kind of life; I want to make a name for myself.”

Today in the British Encyclopedia Britanica, David’s brother has one line stating that he’s the brother of David Livingston. David has 16 paragraphs. (lol) You see? In the long run, it always pays to trust GOD.

There will always be a step of faith. You will always have to give up something. Jesus said you have to give-up your own life. But if you lose your life, you’ll find the life that God has for you — which is exciting, its challenging.

I don’t for a moment suggest that you’ll have exactly the same kind of life that I have — but you will have a life that will be rich & exciting & challenging.

And when you come to the end of your life, you won’t look back on many many years that produced nothing of permanent value. You’ll have fruit that will endure for eternity.

So bear in mind, you are God’s workmanship — created for something special that He has for you to do — & you will never find full satisfaction until you discover that special something, so my aim is to help you.

Now I believe the best place to turn to in the Bible, for the steps to discover what God wants you to be is Romans 12:1-8.

Romans 12:1-8 | Therefore I urge you, fellow believers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy & pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test & approve what is the good, pleasing, & perfect will of God. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.

Just as each of us has one body with many members, & not all members have the same function, so in Christ we who are many are one body, & each member belongs to one another.

We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let them use it in proportion to your faith; if it is serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let them encourage; if it is giving, let them give generously; if it is leading, let them lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let them do it cheerfully.

Now in the first line contains the word therefore, & I’m always telling people, some of you have heard me say it: when you find a ‘therefore’ in the Bible, you want to find out why it’s there for.

So I want to tell you why the ‘therefore’ is there for: The previous 11 chapters have been the most wonderful exposition, in my opinion the greatest masterpiece of logic in language.

By which Paul has unfolded the eternal plan of God: For salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. He’s dealt with it in many different aspects. Also in CH 9-11, he has particularly unfolded God’s plan to deal with Israel.

And now he’s dealt with the theology, & I want to point out to you that the NT never presents mere theology. It always challenges us to apply the truths in our lives, in a practical way. And so that’s where the therefore comes in.

Paul says: In the light of all that God has done for us, of all His grace & mercy, what is our appropriate response?

And now he tells us.

I beseech you therefore brethren that..

Now I love this passage. Because I was a philosopher, I know how complicated philosophy can be—how involved—& a lot of theology is just philosophy with religious language. And the fault of being an average theologian, you come out with a lot of complicated long sounding words. But he didn’t, he came down to what the Americans call the knitty gritty.

What is it? What do to with your body.

So in the light of all His glorious truths, Paul says now I want you to put your body on God’s altar as a living sacrifice. So it’s essentially what you do with your body that’s going to determine your success in life.

Why does Paul say a living sacrifice?

Because he’s contrasting it with the sacrifices of the OT. Where the animal sacrificed was placed on the altar, but it was dead. He says I want you to put yourself just as really it was dead.

He says I want you to put yourself just as really, but alive not dead. >> So that’s the response that God requires: Is that we give ourselves unreservedly to GOD, as a sacrifice. We put ourselves on the altar.

Now Jesus in His teaching to the Pharasees, He pointed out to them that the sacrifice didn’t sanctify the altar, but the altar sanctified the sacrifice that was placed upon it.

To sanctify means to make holy.

Now I don’t need to go into your background, but many of you in the course of your lives up to this point had been involved in things that were impure & sinful & unholy. Basically that’s the major problem of the younger generation in the world today. They’ve been involved in sexual immorality, drugs, the occult.

Maybe by God’s grace, that doesn’t apply to some of you.

But suppose someone like that gets wonderfully saved by Jesus. >> Is there any possibility that a body that’s been defiled by sin & evil practices can ever become holy? The answer is yes, but only in one way.

If you place your body on the altar, the altar will sanctify what’s placed on it. There’s no other way, that you can have a holy body in the light of all that you’ve been through...some of you.

And suppose that you’re not married. You meet another Christian that you want to marry. Marriage is the union of two bodies. Can you come together—with holy bodies? YES, if you’ve placed your bodies on God’s altar.

It’s marvelous.

When I think of my own background, & I don’t need to go into any details, but I could look back on so many things that I wished I had never done. But I don’t have to spend the rest of my life regretting what I did. All I have to do is put my body on the altar, & let the altar take care of the past.

>> The altar sanctifies the sacrifice. _____________________________________________________

So that’s the 1st thing. And then Paul says that your sacrifice will be acceptable to God, & it’s your reasonable service.

It’s the least you can do, in view of what God has done for you.

You see the first great sacrifice, in the Christian life, was offered by who? Who offered the first great sacrifice? JESUS, that’s right.

He gave His body, on the cross, as a sacrifice for our sins. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree.

That we being dead to sin, might live for righteousness. By whose wounds we were healed?

Now if we follow in the steps of Jesus, we will come to the place where God asks us to put our body on the altar — not in literal crucifixion — but in a total surrender to God.

Where you say: “God now my body is Yours. I don’t control it. I don’t choose what happens to it; it belongs to You.”

From now on, I don’t decide what work I do. The clothes I wear, the food I eat. All that’s Your responsibility. Because I’ve given my body to You.

#duck swimming #duck in water #in your element #holy calling #2 Corinthians 3:18

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diaryofaninsanewriter · 5 years

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Dear Readers, from this blog post onwards, DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter begins a series that is called the Untold Stories Of Success. In this series, we will be covering inspirational stories of people who have made it big despite challenges. These amazing souls continue to inspire others through their work.

It is an honour to start this series with the story of Vibhuti Duggar Mutha, a transformational trainer and poetess. In 2016, her poem broke records and trended on social media and WhatsApp. She later created a soul-stirring poem for this blogzine and you can view it here: Sawaal hi Galat ho toh koi Jawab kaise dega?

On a rainy day in Mumbai, DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter got an opportunity for a heart to heart tête-à-tête with this AMAZING lady. Meeting her was one of the best experiences we have had. She is so warm, enthusiastic and resonating with positivity. Meeting Vibhuti Duggar Mutha taught me a lot about life and dreams. Through this UNTOLD STORY OF SUCCESS, DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter hopes that you too will be inspired by Vibhuti’s journey.

Vibhuti’s Untold Story Of Success

Without further ado, here is Vibhuti’s story: The girl who had no dreams!

She was someone who never interacted with anyone apart from her close group of friends.

Someone who never had the guts to look into a stranger’s eye

Someone who did not know what grooming is

Someone who could not speak in English fluently

Someone who would never protest for anything

Someone who had no idea about what she is good at.

That was VIBHUTI in 2003, the girl without dreams!

In October 2018, she chose to move from Dubai to Raipur in India so that she could use her training prowess to transform lives in this small town. It’s RARE to see such acts of selflessness in today’s times where everyone wants to work & earn big bucks in metros.

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Yesterday: The girl who had no dreams…

Today: She left her cushy life in Dubai & moved to Raipur to transform lives

Imagine a girl wearing salwar kameez, meek, no confidence, no opinion about anything in life. She would very quietly agree to norms of the society like – not talking to boys, not wearing western clothes, not aspiring for a career, not going out after 6.00 pm. This was who she was until the age of 21. She could see her life forward very clearly wearing a sari, married to a businessman, cooking, cleaning, producing kids and managing life with a lot of compromises. That was the old Vibhuti for you.

Today’s Vibhuti is the Founder of – Project Purpose, Dubai and an internationally acclaimed poet who writes at Poetry with Purpose by Vibhuti

As a trainer, she has decided to dedicate her life to guide, train & uplift entrepreneurs & others in Raipur and Chattisgarh.

How is it possible for a girl to have NO DREAMS?

(She shrugs her shoulders and smiles) I did not have to kill my dreams because I had none. I just thought I am not allowed to have any. Just because marriage was not happening, guys were rejecting me. I was asked to join an MBA course. I hated the idea the only thing led me to join the MBA program was the incentive that I would have 2 more years without marriage. That was the turning point of my life as if someone told me why are you inside the cage when the door is wide-open can’t you see?

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Yesterday: Comfortable communicating with a small group of people

Today: Touching many lives through her training sessions & soul-stirring poems

Where do you originally hail from?

(She continues speaking softly, her voice is very silky & her stance oozes confidence) As a new entrant in this world, I was placed in what I believed, was an almost unheard town of India named Raipur. Being presented with a conventional life, my reality was wrapped in narrow-mindedness and restrictive norms of my community. Much like other girls I was groomed to keep my mouth glued unless granted a permit to speak. Innately, speaking to anyone known or unknown would send a shock wave through my body.

How did you start writing poetry?

During those days poetry writing had been my hobby though it was a private affair and a way to release my concealed feelings. It liberated my soul.

What was the turning point of your life?

(She straightens up, runs her fingers through her hair casually and comes forward excitedly) One day, a friend of mine announced unexpectedly that I would recite poetry to my MBA fellow mates facing a class of 60 students. I can live that moment so vividly for I was overtaken by shock; fear, desperation, anger and excitement ran through my veins like an odd mixture. Being in the limelight was the last thing I would have asked for. My wish was to vanish physically, yet I took those 20 odd steps forward. To get up from where I was seated, to the front of my classroom, seemed like the longest distance I had ever covered. With all those curious eyes fixated on me, my body temperature rose and yet I felt frozen. Swaying among these extremes, I mustered the courage to raise my head up and recite the poetry first time ever in public.

How did you begin reciting poems professionally?

(She lets out the sweetest smile while her eyes begin to shine) From a casual environment where my writing was shared with known faces, I decided to recite the poetry of famous writers at my workshops. My colleagues were in awe of this way of starting a formal session and in fact, began adopting this method going forward. This continued for some time and I took on to sharing my videos on social media with few reactions and comments.

With my work-life getting busy this part of my expression was at a halt until business slowed down. In my free time, I began creating poems and it struck a chord with those were known and not known to me. From then on I always had opportunities and reasons to write. Either my followers would send a request to put a video or some subject would trigger my creativity to flow. Be it politics, social issues or self-reflection, I was overflowing with thoughts and ideas that would easily turn into poems.”

Your poem went viral 3 years ago, how was that experience?

(Vibhuti beams in excitement and continues smiling while she speaks) Well, like I said earlier, I was reciting poems to small groups of people, putting them on WhatsApp groups and social media for my friends, relatives & some followers. November 2016, one of my poems went viral not to a huge number but it reached around 400,000 views if you combine counts from all the pages it got published on.

It literally happened over a period of 3 days and it was overwhelming, I had no idea how did it happen. I received messages from 20 different cities in India, few from other parts of the world like USA, Canada, UK. These messages were filled with appreciation and blessings I realized something after this that I should just keep writing and reciting the poems which are written with emotions will always reach to people. It was like a chain reaction and I started writing more poems and created my own page.”

How are you different today?

From that meek girl of 2003 the one who had no dreams at all to this one who, in 2019, is all about dreams, it is indeed a journey yet to begin, it is a journey which has seen a lot already and yet not done for life.

What is Vibhuti all about in 2019?

(continues in a business-like tone while the smile continues adorning her pretty face) Today I am an MBA and Licensed Instructor in Mind Mapping. I am also an NLP Master Practitioner (ABNLP), TimeLine Therapy™ Practitioner & Hypnotherapy Practitioner (ABNLP). I recently shifted from Dubai in order to help transform lives in India. I have chosen to serve in smaller towns as that is where the help is needed the most. Almost everyone wants to cater to the metros, I, on the other hand, aspire to provide help where it is most needed.

It is a journey of contentment where I run a company, I am a poet with her own created audience, I am a faculty at a university, I am an artist who has painted everything around, I am a dancer who dances her heart out and known for it, I am a mother of two beautiful kids, I am the wife of a proud husband. I am so many things today that people know me for and I am proud to say that I did create my own path with my own mistakes.

What does poetry mean to you?

Its really amazing how poetry can make you smile, laugh, think, feel through words and expression. I knew now I am all about expressing with words filled with emotions and that’s all I do through my poetry.

Any message for our readers?

(smiles & continues looking at me straight in the eye) A cage is not a cage unless you begin to notice it until then it is your world. And what happens, when one day it dawns upon you, that, you are trapped? It becomes the beginning of umpteen stories, of human potential, of human desires, ambitions and courage.

We concluded the interview with a warm hug.

Penned by:

Mayura Amarkant

Do let us know if Vibhuti’s story impacted you. Leave a comment and let us know your views. In case you have an untold story to share, you can email us on [email protected].

A small town girl with no dreams is today transforming many lives through her training sessions and soul stirring poems. Read on to know about the #UntoldStoryOfSuccess of Vibhuti Duggar Mutha @Vibhutimutha11 Dear Readers, from this blog post onwards, DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter begins a series that is called the Untold Stories Of Success.

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j0sgomez-blog · 5 years

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Ultralight Backpacking Tent Slingfin 2Lite Trek $329, 2 lbs. 6 oz. slingfin.com

The world of ultralight backpacking tents can sometimes resemble a sort of Galapagos Islands of backcountry shelters, where odd-looking species evolve along a track (that probably defies some basic rules of evolution) toward competing goals of becoming stronger and incrementally larger while becoming lighter. Looked at from that perspective, the 2Lite Trek from Slingfin—a small company co-founded by a former Mountain Hardwear designer—doesn’t depart radically from traditional tents, other than pitching with trekking poles. But a unique design allowed it to stand up to winds of 30 to 40 mph in the Grand Canyon and Idaho’s City of Rocks. It’s also relatively roomy and featured for a two-person tent weighing under 2.5 pounds.

If a light pack on the trail is priority one for you, read on.

The 2Lite Trek rippled and snapped a bit but was largely unaffected by relentless winds of 30 to 40 mph during three June nights of camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve and four May nights backpacking the Grand Canyon’s Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop. Even tents that outweigh the 2Lite Trek by a pound or more can bend in 30 mph winds. I tested it in wind, pitched with and without its rainfly, in both of the tent’s configurations: with trekking poles, as well as substituting the optional bow pole for trekking poles (more on the pole options below). A friend who used it on a six-day bikepacking trip in Arizona reported similar conditions and results.

The Slingfin 2Lite Trek in trekking poles setup.

Without the rainfly on, the interior canopy walls naturally got pushed around some in those winds, but the poles held up well—reinforced by me taking about five minutes to install the internal guy lines at the head of the tent, which help stabilize it. The rainfly presents a broad, flat wall at the head end of the tent that I thought would act as a sail; but it sustained hours of direct winds gusting over 30 mph without so much as bending under that assault.

The unusually good stability for an ultralight tent that pitches with trekking poles owes to the unique design of the pole sleeve over the tent’s peak, which can be tensioned using adjustable straps at each end of it. Plus, the 2Lite Trek employs two small poles, at the peak/head and at the foot, which contribute a lot of structural integrity for their minimal additional weight.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Click here to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

Slingfin 2Lite Trek interior, door open.

Weighing just two pounds, six ounces (without the optional front pole, which isn’t needed when pitching with trekking poles), its interior measures 89 inches (2.25m) long and has 28.5 square feet (2.6 square meters) of floor space, with a 41-inch (1m) peak height—that’s more living space than typically found in two-person tents in this weight class (more, for instance, than the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2, which is two ounces lighter). It sits two standard, 20-inch-wide air mattresses side by side, though with little room to spare, so two average-size adults should expect to bump one another occasionally. After all, this is an ultralight tent, and none of them would be confused with a palace. In its stuff sack, the packed tent measures a compact 13×5 inches (33x13cm), comparable to its competitors.

The two vestibules extend the length of the tent, measuring 10.7 square feet each—larger than found on many tents in this weight class—creating space to store midsize packs out of the way, with space to spare. The vestibule doors roll almost completely back to really open up the tent in good weather. The 2Lite Trek has a good drip line: The vertical side walls and overlapping rainfly keep all but blowing rain out of the tent when entering and exiting.

Plan your next great backpacking adventure in Yosemite and other flagship parks using my expert e-guides.

Slingfin 2Lite Trek with rainfly, from above.

Pitching isn’t as complicated as with some ultralight shelters with unique designs, but worth going through a dry run in your yard the first time. A traditional double-wall tent, though not freestanding, it pitches using two trekking poles to reduce pack weight. (An optional front pole, weighing four ounces, can be purchased separately and used instead of trekking poles; that conversion kit costs $54. Slingfin’s 2Lite is identical except that it pitches using the front tent pole instead of trekking poles, and a different conversion kit, costing $45, can convert that model to the 2Lite Trek. My advice: Use trekking poles and get the 2Lite Trek.)

After staking out the four corners, you attach a fabric sleeve that toggles to the high points of the tent and anchors the two trekking poles. Slide a short, bow pole through that sleeve and into grommets at each end. Straps adjust the tension on the bow pole, increasing it for more stability in windy conditions. You only have to attach this fabric sleeve once, unless switching between the trekking-pole setup and the optional front-pole setup. An arched pole supports the lower, foot end of the tent.

Slingfin 2Lite Trek setup with optional front pole.

Lastly, adjust your trekking poles to about 44 inches and insert them into pouches at each end of the fabric sleeve and ground-level side grommets; the trekking poles lift the front end of the tent. Cord loops at the corners of the rainfly secure it to the same stakes used on the tent body corners, and the two vestibules stake out independently. Tabs on the underside of the rainfly secure it to the arched pole to enhance structural integrity.

From the PU-coated, nylon ripstop rainfly to the walls and mesh of the interior tent, the fabrics are all 15-denier, while the floor is a PU-coated, 20-denier nylon ripstop—all very lightweight, as expected, but also more susceptible to tearing than heavier tent fabrics. When I had to use a couple of large rocks to “stake out” the vestibules in a campsite with ground too rocky to pound in stakes, the steady, strong wind caused the stake cord at the bottom of one vestibule door to rub back and forth over the rock (which had rounded sides, not sharp, but coarse granite), sawing it almost completely through.

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Yes, ultralight tents and other gear make the carrying part of backpacking trips more pleasant, and they’ll hold up fine as long as you exercise a reasonable amount of care when handling them and selecting campsites. But wear and tear happens faster.

I wouldn’t bother purchasing the optional footprint ($60, 5.5 oz.) for the 2Lite—you might as well just buy a tent with a more-durable floor.

Whether you’re a thru-hiker, dedicated ultralight backpacker or bikepacker, or simply want to prioritize minimizing pack weight and don’t mind a confined tent, the Slingfin 2Lite Trek offers good living space and strength in strong wind for this tent category, and two doors—rare qualities for a sub-2.5-pound tent—all at a competitive price.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking this link to buy a Slingfin 2Lite Trek at slingfin.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See my “Gear Review: The 5 Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

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itsyokythings-blog · 5 years

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My Five Acres. Travel. Adventure. Yoga. My Five Acres. Travel. Adventure. Yoga. - Travel. Adventure. Yoga.

Do you need for Vietnam ? Yes, there are a few you should definitely have and few more to consider to avoid unexpected health calamities. This simple guide wil help you understand exactly which you need for Vietnam.

What’s in our guide to Vaccines for Vietnam?

1. 3. 5. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, cycled across northern mountain ranges, sailed Ha Long Bay, motorbiked the coast, lazed away days on beautiful beaches, volunteered in rural villages, and so much more.

Vietnam is an incredible country which offers visitors a diverse set of experiences.

Vietnam is a diverse country with a huge range of experiences.

Of course, it also offers a diverse set of health risks. Getting your injections for Vietnam before you leave home is the first step to a healthy trip.

As always, when seeking health advice online, it is best to double-check with your doctor or expert before you make any final decisions.

With that said, read on to learn all about…

Also don’t miss these posts:

Solo in Vietnam �� Vietnam advice → The best Vietnam itinerary →

Vaccines you should definitely have for Vietnam

Make sure you are up to date on your routine jabs including:

MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)

Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis

Chickenpox (Varicella)

Polio

Annual flu shot

You will also need to add at least these two :

Hepatitis A

Typhoid

Both of these diseases can be contracted through contaminated food or water in Vietnam.

All lers should be vaccinated for Hepatitis A before going to Vietnam.

Travellers who plan on staying in home stays or with friends, visiting smaller cities or rural areas, or eating street food or in small restaurants (so almost everyone), should also get the Typhoid vaccine.

Vaccines you might need for Vietnam

We can give you general advice about these but if you are unsure about what you need, please make an appointment with a vaccine specialist at least 2 months before your trip.

Japanese encephalitis

The Japanese encephalitis vaccine is very expensive but is generally recommended if you plan to stay in Vietnam for more than a month, or plan to spend a lot of time in rural areas or outside.

Full disclosure: We have never gotten the vaccine for Japanese encephalitis, even though all of those conditions apply to us. But just because we took the risk doesn’t mean you should — speak to your local vaccine specialist who will help you decide.

Hepatitis B

You’ll need this if you plan on have sex with strangers in Vietnam, or you’re going to get a tattoo, a piercing, use IV drugs, or have any medical procedures. Obviously, we recommend that you don’t engage in any of these activities on your Vietnam trip!

Malaria

It is rare for lers to get malaria in Vietnam. You might consider taking anti-malarials if you’re going to be camping, or are planning to spend a lot of time in the outdoors in the central and southern areas bordering with Cambodia. For most lers, liberal use of a deet-based mosquito repellent is sufficient for Vietnam.

If you’re going to wild regions of Cambodia and Laos as well, you should consider taking anti-malarials for that part of your trip. I got malaria in northern Cambodia / southern Laos last year and it was the most awful experience of my entire career!

Stray dogs, bats, and rats in Vietnam can all carry rabies. Probably not this cutie though.

Rabies

You can get rabies from dogs, rats, bats, and other animals in Vietnam. Not fun! If you’re going to be outside a lot, have a penchant for caving or playing with street dogs, or are ling with children, you might want to consider a rabies vaccine.

Yellow Fever

There is no yellow fever in Vietnam and you only need proof of the vaccine if you’re ling there from other countries with yellow fever. This applies to many African and South American countries.

Zika

There is no vaccine for zika and it is present in Vietnam. Your best protection against zika is to avoid mosquito bites! Be diligent about wearing mosquito repellent and opt for long sleeves and long trousers. If you are pregnant or considering getting pregnant, to countries where zika is present is not advised.

The cost of vary widely, depending on where you are getting the and what type you need. This is a rough estimate of the expenses you’ll face for your Vietnam shots:

$100 consultation fee with vaccine expert

$50–100 for each vaccine you need

$1–5 per day for anti-malarial pills

Budget $300–600 for and consultations for your trip. If you’re on a tight budget, don’t be tempted to skip your injections. If you get sick, not only will your trip be ruined, but you’ll have the additional medical fees to worry about.

This little guy can cause you lots of problems, so beware.

The best way to avoid these diseases is to avoid getting mosquito bites.

Which Kind of Mosquito Repellent Should you Use?

In the west, you might rely on “natural” repellants to keep you from getting bitten. In areas where mosquitos carry disease, this is not good enough. These repellents, though they smell nicer and are less full of disgusting chemicals, tend to be less effective against mosquitos — and their effectiveness varies depending on the breed of mosquito.

If you must use a natural repellent, those containing Lemon Eucalyptus Oil have been shown to be the most effective “natural” repellent. Be aware that you need to apply it more and more frequently than you would with DEET.

There are other options, such as insect repellent clothing, which might be useful if you’re going to spend a lot of time in rural areas.

Are Mosquitos the Same Everywhere You Go?

In Asia, mosquitos can be quite different than the ones you’re used to:

Some are so tiny you might not even notice them flying around or biting you

They are quieter, too, so you might not hear them buzzing

Some barely leave a bite mark and the itching can go away in a matter of hours, while others leave huge misshapen welts that itch like crazy

Certain breeds are active during the day, while others are more active in the morning and evening

Because of this, it’s important to wear repellent even when you don’t notice any mosquitos or notice them biting you. Don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t need mosquito repellent!

Is It OK to Avoid Repellent if Mosquitos Don’t “Like” You?

One last caution. Mosquitos in the east can have different taste buds from mosquitos in the west.

In North America and Europe, Stephen is a mosquito magnet. He can’t go anywhere without getting a bite. I am the opposite; mosquitos barely notice me at home. In Asia, it’s the other way around. I get bites left and right, while Stephen gets by relatively unscathed.

Why is this important? Because Western lers often tell me “Oh, mosquitos don’t like me so I don’t have to wear repellent”. Don’t assume that your experience with mosquitos in the west will be the same as with mosquitos in Asia.

Vietnam is very safe but accidents can happen anywhere.

World Nomads insurance.

It is convenient, affordable, trustworthy, and easy to apply for.

Find out more about World Nomads →

The Best Tools & Companies for Your Trip

These are our favourite tools and companies for planning and booking your s in Asia. We have used all of them and recommend them for their dedication to providing you great experiences.

Best gear: Minimalist Packing Guide →

Cheap flights: Kiwi.com →

Hotel savings: Booking.com →

Small group adventures: Intrepid Travel →

Incredible bike tours: Grasshopper Adventures →

Best cooking classes: Cookly →

Bus & train: 12go.asia →

Tours, tickets & transfers: Get Your Guide →

Mindful journeys: BookYogaRetreats & BookMeditationRetreats →

Convenient insurance: World Nomads →

We hope this round-up of vaccinations for Vietnam helps you plan your trip. As always, we only provide health information as a starting point for your planning. Please consult your doctor or a medical expert before making any final decisions.

♥ Happy mindful adventures, Jane & Stephen

We’re not going to lie, it takes a LOT of work to create guides like this. But it’s easy to help us out! If you book or buy something using one of our personal links in this post, we’ll earn a small fee at no extra cost to you. Of course, we would never recommend anything we didn’t 100% believe in! Huge thanks in advance! –S&J

Pin this for your Vietnam trip.

The post Vaccines for Vietnam – Which Ones Do You Need for Safe Travel? appeared first on My Five Acres. Travel. Adventure. Yoga..

#>Vaccines #where #>Cautions #cost #>Do #vietnam #travel #vaccines #myfiveacres #mindfultravel #ecotravel #vaccines>When #cautions>How #insurance

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bulletnick · 7 years

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A Year of NecroDancing

Exactly one year ago, the 13th of May, 2016, I played Crypt of the NecroDancer for the first time. I figured that it would be worth to look back and examine how far I’ve come in that year. I’m still playing every week and doing my best to improve myself. Improving my times, my scores, and my consistency, and my resolve to clear ever harder challenges. And while I’m always looking forward to what I’ll tackle next, I wanted to take a moment to remember everything I’ve done. As of the time of writing, the latest version of NecroDancer is still v2.45 of the Amplified DLC.

I’ve beaten All Zones with all the characters. Cadence, Bard, Melody, Eli, Dorian, Dove, Monk, Bolt, and Aria. (And later, when the DLC hit, had no problem with Nocturna and Diamond.)

I’ve managed to improve my speedrunning times, to the point where I cleared all of those characters in under 7 minutes in Classic NecroDancer. Some of the highlights include clearing Dove in 2:18:97, and clearing Monk in 6:09:84, which for a brief period was the #10 spot on the leaderboard.

I had the patience and consistency to reach at least 3 Deathless wins with all of them.

With the few exceptions of Cadence Score and All Characters speed, by the time the DLC hit, I had Top 100 in every single unseeded category, with my final achievement being #99 in Cadence Speed with a time of 6:22:37.

I cleared Story mode, getting it all the way down to almost exactly half an hour. (Apologies for the poor quality of the video.)

Mustered the patience to get at least 10 Deathless Cadence wins.

I resolved to get a Low% Aria clear, still one of my favorite categories, and did it over a dozen times, eventually putting a Low% Aria clear in 10:39.58.

After many tries, with shaking hands, dry mouth, and incredulous mind, I managed to get an All Characters mode clear, unlocked Coda, and fulfilling the original goal when I started this game, and basked in joy and euphoria achieving such an incredibly difficult achievement.

I beat every single one of the other characters in Low% mode, an immensely difficult task, including Low% Bolt is almost eight minutes, and Low% Monk in 15 and a half minutes.

After a while, I decided to take it even further, by completing All Single Zones with Coda, to see if I had what was needed.

On the 14th of January, 2017, I achieved what I once felt was impossible for me: An All Zones (Phasingless) Coda clear. This remains one of my proudest gaming achievements in my entire life, and certainly one of the most difficult. I still can barely believe it myself, that I actually managed to pull it off. It fills me with pride and joy to think back on it.

After that, I dedicated myself to make a list of all the people who cleared Coda legitimately, and including videos of their first clears. I wanted to give back to the community that supported my amazing feat with a helpful resource that took a lot of work to put together, to perhaps help those that would come after me.

When the Amplified DLC finally hit, I decided to then beat Zone 5 as Coda, to complete the All Single Zones category.

Wanting to prove myself, I decided to beat the Amplified game with every non-Coda character in Low% once again.

The game introduced a No Return mode, so once again, I beat No Return mode with every non-Coda character, including a potential World First No Return Aria Clear.

Feeling insane, I then moved on to getting what could be the World’s First Low% No Return Aria Clear, still one of the craziest and most difficult challenges I’ve decided to take on.

When Hard Mode was introduced, I once again finished it with every single non-Coda character, including the brutally unforgiving Hard Mode Aria Clear.

I tried to beat the Amplified game with Coda once again, and got far into the game, getting all the way to level 4-3. (Unfortunately, I only have my previous PB of 4-2 on video.)

But my love for the game went beyond just gameplay; I also feel in love with the characters and story and lore. So far, I’ve written three short fanfictions for NecroDancer: Undeadly Melody, Harmony in Dorian, and Familiar Dance. I’ve also written four poems, each focused on one character: Cursed Cadence, Melancholy Melody, Agonising Aria, and Ringer’s Rage. I am just as proud of these creative works made out of love and passion for the game, as much as my gameplay feats achieved out of dedication and persistence.

And last but absolutely not least: Through this game, I’ve met lots of lovely and wonderful people, and even made a few good friends along the way, and with whom I can share my love of the game with, and hopefully have good times with for a long time, and beyond just the scope of the game.

To all those who supported over an entire year, to all my friends who made the experience so much more worthwhile, to everyone involved in the creation of the game and its stellar soundtracks, to all those who watched and commented on my feats, to all those who gave kind words of encouragement, during this year...

Thank you, everyone.

#crypt of the necrodancer #necrodancer #amplified #personal #bulletnick #speedrunning #achievements #difficulty #support #encouragement #anniversary #community #friends #cotnd #self-esteem #joy

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