#7s drop the pen

[mr-1-2-3-4]

I’m going to regret this probably- @pampanope

[voidcat]

Intrusion

– 5 : bach & vitamins (wc: 2k)

prev ; next ; m.list

a/n: there’s a scene of card playing so if you dont like anything to do with playing cards,,, its by the end. It’s bluff & i didn’t explain it in the fic bc its rlly simple but i’ll insert the mini note to explain a specific thing i wrote in the fic by the end as a bonus note! + def not my best playing but yea, bach prelude no.1 is played in the fic so..

It’s like any other school day coming to an end. The teacher’s voice getting lost in the sea of students’, as they discuss loudly what to do and where to go, ‘Oh and did you see that?’s here and ‘Have you heard this?’s there, hands and words scattered around as the notebooks and pens are tidied up, put away inside the bags until not a single sign of life is left in the classroom.

It’s almost like any other day, with everyone doing the mundane actions they do each day. And just like any day, you pack up on a whim, place each item in your bag carefully, never interrupting the order of your bag but unlike any other day you walk away from the door and stand over the brunette you’ve come to know more.

It doesn’t take a fake throat clearing on your side, for he notices your presence fast. Getting up and holding his bag on one arm, he gives a curious look your way. If you’ve taken the time to approach him out of nowhere, you must have something to say.

You blink a few times as you look at him. “I was wondering if you start practice right after school or if at least half an hour later.” Words don’t come out in a struggle unlike your expectations.

“Half an hour later. Why?”

“Just- Follow me.”

And so the two of you end up where you first met, properly. This time you’re aware of his presence and he is of yours. This time, it is all planned, not a ‘caught-up-in-the-moment thing. And this time, it’s shaky hands instead of cold, leaving bruises in the papers you’re holding, so you place them on the piano’s open lid quickly.

He sits down with you, to your right, much closer than before. If you make an effort to see him sideways, you can, so you try to brush off the idea itself. You have enough distractions at hand.

Keeping a rhythm with your right foot and tapping it eight times, you take one last deep breath and start hitting the keys. Eyes glued on the papers before you, your left hand starts and joins right after. The first hits are too quiet to your liking and a little out of sync, you hope it’s not noticeable. Eyes going back and forth, you take little moments to watch your hands once in a while, when you’re ahead of the notes, already knowing your next moves.

As your first favorite goes and the first volta is repeated, the tone starts going down, much deeper this time but as lively as the previous ones. You start hitting the keys with more force, trying to achieve the echoing sound you can do once in a while, only when luck is on your side.

Bemols start entering the scene and you start getting quiet at the beginning of each volta. As the melody rises again, so do you. Back straightening without noticing.

Similar repeats of different tones, same pattern made with new sounds, almost flooding around you, almost surrounding you. So close, too close yet never carrying the same satisfying taste.

Quiet once, an echo full of force afterwards, back and forth, the same playing routine.

Your hands keeping going down, to your left. As you go down and down, the melody never falters. Getting to A again and moving your right hand in small scales, you go up again. Up, up and alive, full of life.

This rise is flawed, it doesn’t come as smoothly, much to your dismay. Trying to brush off the pressure of failure, you keep playing. The familiar Cs and Es come once again and playing the same exact notes you did at the beginning, you do the nursery rhyme of an ending. Finishing off with an anxiety arpeggiated chord, more like another failed attempted of it and you pull your hands to your sides, head turned to Iwaizumi a bit too quickly.

He doesn’t seem impressed. He seems far from that actually, almost annoyed. Your frown matches his. You are 100% sure you’ll blame whatever conversation to happen between the two of you on Bach later today.

Tapping your foot again, much quicker and impatient this time, you admit defeat, head dropping back once with a sigh, you face him, again. “So?..”

“So what?” Fine, if you want it be that way.

“So, what do you think?”

“It was alright.”

“That’s it? ‘Alright’?” Irritation clear in your voice, it bothers even your ears. He seems either oblivious or unaffected by it.

“Unless the last time was a fluke, I think you could do better than this.” Your eyelids drop, brows furrowed. Why did you agree to do that again? What came over you to do this again?

Ignoring the look you give his way, Iwaizumi keeps speaking. “If you’ve trusted me enough to bring me here and listen, it couldn’t have been for some inconsiderate pampering. If it was honest opinion you were looking for, here it is. If it was just hitting the keys on correct timing, you got that covered, that’s for sure. But the way you played was soulless.”

Hearing your own thoughts come out of a stranger’s lips is never easy. Never pleasant or welcoming either. No matter how close or how far the person is, it always stings. Even when you know he only means well, doesn’t mean to hurt you with criticism. Because he is right, if you wanted to get compliments from someone who won’t even fully listen to your playing, you could’ve gone and called any of your friends. And still, knowing these doesn’t make the comments any warmer or nicer.

“What time is it? I’d hate for you to be late for practice because of me!” Getting up from the bench a bit too fast, ignoring to comment on his previous words, you can see another emotion spread across his features. You just can’t decide if it’s hurt or disappointment. You’d rather not know.

Picking up his bag and offering you yours, he trails after you and parts ways at the school gates.

Not a word is exchanged between the two of you until you say a hushed “Good bye.” accompanied by a wave.

Empty lunch boxes already cast aside, you find yourself focused too much on the cards. As your friends chat between one another, noises making no sense nor reaching your ears, you mindlessly shuffle the deck, the same words from yesterday echoing in your head.

It was alright.

Alright.

Alright.

Not an insult per se yet not what you wanted to hear. Not from a stranger, is he still a stranger? The way he seemed to decode you that well yesterday argues with your statement. You could brush it aside if that was said by someone in-and-out with music, someone who plays or at least studied it. As far as you know Iwaizumi Hajime was neither of those things, he must have figured it out himself, but how? Isn’t it too soon, too quick?

As you recall your tutor’s words again, referring to Bach as ‘vitamins’, you can’t help but smile. You really don’t like Bach.

Clasping your hands together, deck still between them, you raise your head to your friends. “Alright! Who’s ready for another round?” The glint in Matsukawa and Okemia’s eyes tell it all, Etsuko nods once and you start handing the cards, ready for another round.

Losing count on how many rounds, as Okemia pulls another mass-placing-down-cards move of hers, everyone comes to a halt, turning towards the figure coming their way, a little out of breath.

“Mattsun, there you are! The meeting’s about to start, are you coming?”

“Have the trash king and Godzilla arrived?”

“You know him. The ‘v’ of volleyball comes out of someone’s mouth and he’ll transport there.” As a knowing smile is exchanged between the two, you find your friends eyeing one another. So this must be the infamous Hanamaki Takahiro.

With a shrug, Mattsun turns back to you, eyes focused on his hand. “They must have started bickering with one another again, it’s safe to assume that ‘meeting’ is already dead. Three 7s.”

“Probably. Mind if I join you guys?” He sits as he finishes speaking. “Sure.”

“One 7.” You place downyour card and watch for the reactions. Hanamaki seems to realize what’s going on only now. “Are those… playing cards? Aren’t those forbidden at school?”

“Oh no! These? They’re not ours, we just found them in this spot.”

Okemia joins in to back you up. “We’re just making sure none of these cards are damaged or lost so we’re keeping an eye on them until the owner arrives.”

“By playing?” “Yes. Bluff. Wanna join after this round?” He returns your smile. As the round comes to an end, won by Koto this time, you start gathering the cards and the others explain the rules. He’ll probably fall for all the honestmoves the first time.

This round ends shortly, won by you, Hanamaki falling for all your honesty and ignoring your bluffs. Why would anyone think a single card placed down to be a bluff, you have no idea, but as long as people keep falling for it, you’ll keep doing it.

As the game goes on everyone in the circle seems to have won, except for Hanamaki. After a while it becomes apparent the problem lies within him, he is awfully bad at this game. Mattsun does the same tactic Okemia likes to use and each time, Hanamaki calls ‘bluff’, ends up with the cards, all fours, but he can never use them right. At one point you start feeling really bad for the guy and try changing the topic.

“So Mattsun, now that you’ve read that comic as well, what do you think?” “Weren’t we right?” Koto adds.

“Wait, which one? The one you read in between breaks?”

“Yes-“ “What? Were your hands sweaty?! Hanamaki! Were his hands sweaty?”

“Call me Makki, everyone does. And don’t worry, his hands were as clean as baby skin.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?..”

“I think the phrase was ‘as soft as baby skin’. Remember that moisturizer I’ve used recently?”

“Yes Okemia but it makes no sense. That one was really soft though. Mattsun if my comic book smells of teenage boys, sweat and testosterone-“ “Do you think I’d actually do that?”

“Did Pietro Maximoff betray his family before?” He only laughs in response as the conversation divides into several, everyone talking between one another, joining in another conversation. Makki fits in this dynamic so well, not having any trouble adjusting. Maybe the volleyball team is like that too.

When the topic, one of the topics, focuses on desserts and a new place to try, he joins in on the plan as well, picking a day with the lot of you. Gathering your things after that, you start walking back to class. You walk with Mattsun and Makki to get your book first.

“Ah wait! It caught my eye but we were all walking so I didn’t want to be nosy but… What’s the deal with pants?”

“It’s a long story actually.”

“I’m sure I can make time, if you want to tell. So I take it, you guys are the first ones to do the whole breaking-dress-code-partially thing, right?”

“I-“ You rest your head to your head with a groan. “It’s not breaking the dress code if we wear the pants that are a partof the said code. But yes we were the first ones to do it. For comfort and safety reasons, if you really want to know.”

“Got it! There are rumors everywhere and I didn’t want to go snooping around. But I think it’s cool what you’re doing. So you guys really don’t mind if I tag along to this handsome more often at lunch?”

“It’s fine, a friend of Mattsun’s is a friend of ours too. Plus it’s fun to watch you struggle with all these cards.”

“You won’t be saying that next time!” “We will see.”

As your exchange with him comes to an end, the bell rings, as if on cue. Rushing to your class, you wave at Iwaizumi once, the same smile infected by Makki still on your face.

a/n 2 about Bluff:  When you have enough cards in hand (full sets of enough numbers, ie: four 7s, 5s, 8s,9s,Js, Qs etc) the Player starts placing down four at once. The people doubt at first do usually someone calls Bluff, if it isn’t Bluff, next time the player does this almost no one says a thing. These are the actual times the player bluffs, one bluff and one honest move... And before you know it, the player gets rid of their incomplete set of cards and the rest they hold are the sets of four so they finish quickly. I for one don’t like using this because it’s not the safest opinion but if you’ve done that once or twice, you start to get known for this too and this effects future rounds/plays.

[ciarawritesmarvel]

First Year [Teacher!AU] - One

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: Language, fluff, vague sexual references but I mean very vague

A/N: Here’s the first chapter! Full of fluff and perhaps not much substance but hang in there, I just wanted to reintroduce the relationship and the characters. I toyed with making the rest of the Avengers teachers but eventually decided to go down a slightly different route and make them students instead. Please let me know what you think of this, I beg of you! <3

FIRST YEAR MASTERLIST // MASTERLIST

September

“Are you sure about this, Buck?” you asked, taking another spoonful of cereal but just holding it on the spoon, too deep in thought to actually eat it, “I mean, there must be some rule about teachers not dating each other?”

“I’ve spent two months trawling through codes of conduct and I promise you, there isn’t one. We’re not doing anything wrong,” he smiled at you, so genuine it made your heart hurt but still, you couldn’t help but worry.

“But what if-” he cut you off by leaning over the table and grabbing your hand, lifting the spoon to your lips and making you eat the cereal.

“Shut up and eat your food, Miss Y/L/N.”

You rolled your eyes at him but still did as you were told, knowing that he was right and that you didn’t have anything to stress about. He really had looked all over for any possible rules you two were breaking but there didn’t seem to be any. Once you’d finished your mouthful, you smirked at him.

“Save that little nickname for school-” you insisted, then placed two hands on the table and leaned over it so that you could whisper in his ear, “-and the bedroom.”

You sat back down and continued eating as if nothing had just happened, but you could feel his gaze locked on to you and see his slightly open mouth out of the corner of your eye. You fought back your laugh.

“How could you do that to me on the day we go back? How am I supposed to cope with having to call you that all year?”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” you smiled, getting up to put your bowl in the dishwasher but you kissed his cheek on the way past, “Mr Barnes.”

You could have sworn you heard him groan.

***

“What have you got first, anyway?” you asked Bucky as you walked side by side through the hallways towards your shared office. Well, he was walking and you were practically waddling. You were pretty envious of the fact that he seemed to be able to fit all his neatly organised folders in one single briefcase and you still had this bloody box full of loose paper and lesson plans. He’d offered to organise things for you over the summer and had just offered to carry the box but there was no way you’d let him do any of that; it would have been like admitting defeat.

“Russian with the new Year 10s. I think there’s 8 of them?”

“That’s an amazing turn out!” you exclaimed happily. Teaching Russian at the school had always been a dream of Bucky’s as he’d told you four years ago but he’d only made that dream a reality this year. He had to convince at least 5 students to choose it for the school to let him teach it and he’d finally managed it, “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you, doll,” he smiled, eyes sparkling and it still made you weak at the knees every time, however annoying that might have been. You grinned back, desperate to stop walking and kiss him, just quickly, just to remind yourself that you could. But you couldn’t, not when there were so many kids passing you with cheerful smiles and hellos that you’re all too happy to return. Later, you remind yourself, you’ll be able to kiss him as much as you want.

He certainly wouldn’t complain.

“Morning Mr Barnes!” Steve Rogers walked past, flashing a hearty smile at his favourite teacher and completely ignoring your presence. You pressed your lips together to hide your amusement.

“Welcome back, Steve! I’ll see you in Russian?” Bucky asked him and he nodded before hurrying off and you turned your head to watch him scurry away.

“That boy dotes on you,” you shook your head, a light chuckle escaping your lips and you were sure Bucky puffed up his chest just slightly.

“And rightly so.”

You rounded the corner to your office just as you were laughing at him and he opened the door and gestured for you to go first.

“Always the gentleman, aren’t you?” you teased, but you joined his antics nonetheless with an awkward curtsy that made him snort before you walked into the office and dropped the box down on your desk with a thump.

“I like to think so,” he winked at you and your heart rate sped up of its own accord. Things like that were only supposed to happen when you had a crush on someone, you reasoned with yourself, not when you’d been in a relationship for a couple months.

Bucky was surpassing expectations.

You’d had one of the best summer holidays of your life with him, holidays as a teacher and student included. It wasn’t as if you’d done anything crazy or gone anywhere special. Just days of lying on your backs in his garden, looking up at the sky, wanting to make shapes out of clouds that weren’t there. Days of staying in and watching TV despite the wonderful weather outside. Days of walks along the nearby canal, Bucky picking you up and pretending to throw you in. That day when he did throw you in, by accident of course.

On second thought, perhaps that wasn’t the best moment.

And yet still, each grin made your heart flutter, each wink turned your legs to jelly, each kiss just made you melt. And from the look he was giving you now, that look that you’d caught him with too many times to count, you couldn’t help but hope it was the same for him.

“Earth to Y/N?” he waved his hand in front of your face and you blinked out of your daydream, seeing him sitting on your desk in front of you, “Whatcha thinkin’ bout?”

“Summer,” you bit your lip, feeling a little niggle of frustration at the back of your mind at how nervous you still got around your colleague, “And how perfect it was.”

“It was pretty perfect, wasn’t it?” he agreed, reaching out for your hips and pulling you to stand between his legs, your hands instinctively falling to his thighs for balance.

“Bucky…” you warned, using your leverage on his thighs to push yourself from his grasp, but he held firm. You turned and checked nobody was watching you through the glass door, but just because there wasn’t now, didn’t mean there wouldn’t be any second, “Not here.”

“Come on, no one’s around. One kiss?”

“No!”

“Just one tiny kiss?”

“Get your hands off me, Mr Barnes,” you laughed, swatting away his hands on your waist and he finally obliged, though he looked like a sad puppy with those eyes that often made you cave in. Not this time.

“I never asked you, what do you have first?” he changed the subject deftly as he hopped down from your desk and rounded it to sit down at his own.

“Spanish with the Year 7s, bless them, they’re always so scared on their first-” you didn’t get the chance to finish your sentence as the bell signalled the beginning. A new day, a new term, a new year.

“If anyone can put them at ease, it’s you,” he assured you and you could feel the heat creeping up the back of your neck, “Knock em dead, doll.”

“I think that’s the opposite of what I’m trying to do, idiot.”

“Oh, cállate,” he muttered, shooing you out of the office and you grinned at him, picking up your box making your way out of the office and towards your first class, which was only a couple of classrooms down the hallway.

Once inside the room, you carefully placed the box down underneath the desk and got out everything you’d need for the lesson, arranging it in almost-neat lines on the desk. Grabbing a pen and uncapping it with your teeth, you wrote your name in large print in the middle of the whiteboard, glancing at the door and smiling at the line of tiny students that was slowly growing outside.

As soon as you were sure everything was as ready as it possibly could be, you walked over to the door and opened it with a flourish, a genuine smile painting your entire face as you glanced over the kids.

“Hello everyone, come on in, sit where you like guys,” you chimed, standing with your back against the door as they filed in, keeping the smile plastered to your face. You saw mostly scared expressions, but the few shy smiles you received in return for yours made it all worthwhile. As you were about to close the door, you saw Bucky in the classroom across from yours, closing his own door and your eyes met across the corridor.

Bucky mouthed ‘buena suerte’ at you with a smirk and you mouthed ‘удачи’ back. His eyebrows shot up at your unexpected knowledge of Russian. You didn’t speak the language, but you loved it when he did and had secretly learned just a few phrases that you thought might come in useful. With a wink, you closed the door and turned to your class.

“Okay, hola everyone! I promise there’s no need to look so nervous, soy muy simpatica!” you smiled warmly but were met with a sea of confused faces, “Anyone know what that means?”

Silence. Hands stayed firmly by their sides.

“It means ‘I’m a witch!’” you joked and finally saw a few stifled giggles. You’d never get away with such humour with your Year 11s but these were Year 7s and you could get away with a bit of plain old silliness, “I’m kidding, it means ‘I am very nice’ but we’ll get to that later. Today, we have a bit of admin to do and some names to learn!”

You rubbed your hands together before starting to get the exercise books out of the drawer and plonked them down on your desk. As you were getting therm out, you could hear the first murmurs of chatter spreading throughout the room and smirked. At least the terrified silence stage was over.

“Whilst I could get one of you to hand these out for me,” you began, leaning on the books with one hand holding your chin up in a well-rehearsed and perhaps even perfected act, “I think it would be far more fun if I threw these at you, don’t you?”

A few more stifled giggles this time and you grinned at them, picking up a wad of books with one arm and using the other to start flinging the books at the students. Well, not really at the students, just at the desks and at an extremely controlled pace in a practiced pattern. It wasn’t as if you really were a witch, after all.

This time, the class was properly laughing, a few kids nudging others and the ones you could already tell were quieter just simply smiled to themselves. You silently congratulated yourself on easing the minds of these children, despite the fact that you’d done it so many times before: each class was a challenge in its own right.

“Who wants to play a game?”

This time, all hands in the room were up instantaneously. You’d be winning this lot over in no time.

***

When the lunch bell rang out and you dismissed your fourth class of the day, you sank into your chair with a loud sigh. Mondays this year were definitely going to be a struggle. With classes every single period until lunchtime, you had your work cut out for you staying energised and upbeat. You managed it, of course, but it was hard. All you wanted was some bloody food.

That was, if you could find the energy to stand up.

Just as you were thinking it, your phone beeped in your pocket and you cursed, thanking whatever god might be listening for not letting it ring during your classes. Without the need to unlock it, you saw Bucky’s text on your lockscreen.

Want me to bring you fish and chips? I’m front of the queue ;)

Briefly considering the fact that your boyfriend might actually be a mind reader, you quickly typed out your reply, putting your head down on the desk immediately afterwards to get just a few minutes of rest before he arrived.

Best. Boyfriend. Ever.

All too soon there was a soft knock at the door and you smiled in spite of yourself.

“It’s me,” came the harsh whisper and you groaned as you lifted your head from the desk, stretching out your neck as you saw his face peering in through the glass in the door and beckoned him in, “Sleeping, are we?”

“Sneaking food out of the canteen, are we?”

“Touché.”

He pulled a chair up to your desk, even though it was far too small for him and sat down, chest pressed against the back of the chair and legs poking out of either side. You bit your cheek to prevent the bubble of laughter from escaping at his positioning but forgot all about that when he presented you with fresh fish and chips in a paper bag. You took it eagerly and began eating before he had time to blink.

“Tha-” you swallowed your bite and made to take another, “Thank you.”

“No worries,” the hint of amusement in his tone went unnoticed by you as you continued eating, as did his random glances in your direction, fondness laced within his gaze. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough of staring at you, even with the funny feeling it stirred in his stomach.

You spent the remainder of the lunchtime telling each other stories from your surprisingly eventful day so far, laughing when he told you about the amount of holiday homework Steve had done for him and you explained that he hadn’t even done yours. Shaking your heads in sync at Clint Barton’s blatant refusal to listen to instructions and marvelling at Tony Stark’s new invention to help him do his homework that he had been far too open about.

“-seriously, I swear I have never seen someone leave a class as fast as that Maximoff!”

“I know! It’s as if he-”

You were interrupted by a knock on the door, though it wasn’t nearly as soft and inviting as Bucky’s had been forty-five minutes earlier. Nevertheless, with a quick glance at each other, you called for them to come in, smiling when you saw that it was just Miss Hill.

“Maria, how can we help?” you asked, brushing the salt from your hands.

“I wondered if it was your car blocking mine in the car park? I’m taking some kids to this stupid maths challenge thing this afternoon so I need to get out.”

“Oh no, it’s not mine sorry,” you said quickly and you saw the confused blink at your rapid answer.

“But it looks exactly like yours?”

“It can’t be hers, I’m afraid, Miss Hill, I drove her in today,” Bucky spoke up, smiling over at you but you just looked panicked. Maria’s demeanor changed instantly and she suddenly lost her look of hurry and had all the time in the world. A smirk made its way onto her features.

“Oh, you did, did you, Mr Barnes?” her tone was dripping in intrigue and you felt the blush on your cheeks before they saw it, “And why was that?”

She was directing her question at you. She’d known about your crush on him for almost as long as you’d had it, so it was only natural for her to be asking questions now, you supposed, however awkward it made you feel. Before you knew it, you had opened your mouth and were speaking.

“My car broke down,” you blurted out and Bucky raised one eyebrow at you, “It happened yesterday so I called old Mr Barnes here and he helped me out. I owe him one really.”

Your voice was so shaky you wanted to scream and you wondered when exactly you’d become such a terrible liar. Bucky was giving a look that bordered on offended but was mostly just amusement. Maria, on the other hand, was radiating pure smugness.

“Right…” she drew out the word for far too long and you stood up from the desk before she could say anything else.

“If that’s all, I better go prepare for this afternoon, I’ll see you both later!” you smiled, or at least hoped you did, though you were pretty sure it probably looked more like a grimace. You hurried out of the room before they could question you any further and rushed to the office, closing the door behind you and leaning against it, letting out a puff of air.

Only seconds later, you were propelled forwards and had to fight to keep your balance as Bucky opened the door. One hand on your chest to steady yourself, you turned to him with a glare.

“What the hell was that?”

‘What?” you tried, scratching the back of your head and pretending not to see the look Bucky was giving you. But it seemed he wasn’t going to give up, “Honestly? I don’t know! I just panicked, Buck, I’m sorry, please don’t think that it’s anything to do with you, it isn’t, it’s hardly that I’m embarrassed of you, I mean look at you but I just-”

“Y/N-”

“I don’t think I want to tell people yet!” you exclaimed, far too loudly for the situation at hand and you watched Bucky blinked a few times. Inwardly, you were screaming at yourself, knowing that he could take that the wrong way, that he could think you weren’t really in this. Outwardly, you were stiff and still.

“Y/N,” he began, and his eyes were serious even though they were hardly ever serious with you, “We don’t have to tell anyone yet. I’m not sure I’m ready to face Nick’s teasing anyway.”

His last sentence was said with a cheeky grin but your hands were wrapped tightly within his and you knew then that he understood. This was still new and still fresh and still yours. You wanted it to stay yours for just a little longer.

The bell put a stop to whatever you wanted to say next and you smiled apologetically as you squeezed his hands once.

“I’ve got Year 11s now, but I’ll see you later?”

“Seeing as I’m your ride home, I’m sure you will,” he mocked and you rolled your eyes, which seemed to be becoming a habit.

“Мудак,” you muttered, leaning forward to kiss his forehead quickly, once you’d checked over his shoulder for anyone outside. He gaped at you yet again.

“I swear, I have never heard anything as hot as you speaking Russian,” he murmured and you copied his signature eyebrow waggle as you walked away, only letting your hands drop from his once you were out of the door.

You could hardly wipe the grin from your face as you walked into your class of Year 11s, all sat in their seats and awaiting you eagerly. You’d been taking this class for French for three years and knew them almost as well as if they were your own.

“Missss!!” they chimed as you walked in and you chuckled fondly, grinning at them all.

“It’s so good to see you all, how are you doing? How were your summers?”

“Oh my god!”

“You were so right, Nat, I owe you, it’s written all over her face!”

“Steve said it too, wow, just look at that grin!”

“What are you all harping on about?” you asked, hands on your hips in a faux warning, but the class just dissolved into giggles, a certain Barton practically snorting in the corner as Romanoff tried to calm him down, “Guys!”

“We all know you and Mr Barnes are together, Miss,” Wanda spoke up, despite the fact that Vision was trying to cover her mouth and stop her. Your eyes widened briefly but then you managed to control your expression.

“Whaaaat…”

“You can’t fool us, Miss!” Thor shouted.

“Nat saw you guys in your office!”

“Shut up, Peter!” Nat hissed but you were already on your way over to her.

“Is this true Natasha?” you asked, ignoring her scoff at your use of her full name, “You shouldn’t be spying on people. And anyway, I checked and nobody was there!”

You were whining by the time you finished speaking and Nat stood up and placed both her hands on your shoulders.

“Miss, if I don’t want you to know I’m there, you won’t,” Nat admitted and you sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose, “Why wouldn’t you tell us anyway? We’ve been shipping you two since you first started!”

“I know, I know, but...I just don’t want the teachers to know yet okay. Can you all promise me not to tell them?”

“Only if you spend the first five minutes of this lesson telling us everything!”

You looked at the sea of expectant faces and sighed yet again, walking over to sit down at your desk. You held your head up with both hands under your chin.

“Five minutes, no more.”

They were crowded around you in an instant and you smiled at their barrage of questions. As their teacher, there were very few you could answer and as a rather proud woman, there were very few that you wanted to.

But having some of the best kids you’d ever taught be almost as excited as you were about you and Mr Barnes? It felt pretty damn good.

***

if crossed out, i couldn’t tag you for some reason - sorry! tag lists are open so please just drop me an ask ^-^

permanent tags: @mightyhemsworthy @aheadfullofsherlock @ign-is @buckysboobear @bibibucky @thefridgeismybestie @avengersbabe13 @mixedupsammy @memyselfandmaddox @ginger-rxchxo @stephie-senpai @hottrashformarvel @queenoftrash97 @buckysmetalgoddamnarm @yknott81 @mell-bell @dolphinpink310 @sgtjbuccky @dreamerinfinity @selenasoftly @spiderlingss @slightlycatdependent @shamelessbookaddict @vintagepigeon @bodhi-black @realgreglestrade @demoncrypt1066 @skeltn @bucky-at-bedtime @hanscait @battlebunnyteardropsinthesun @milkywaybarnes @scurtscurt2021 @jitterbuck @slowly-but-shurley @jaamesbbarnes @yesdruidess @dixonsbugaboo @lortise @whiskeybucky @n-lafayette @theassetseyeliner @mylovelymarvel @horrsegal

bucky: @residentdemonhunter @theglowstickofdestiny

first year: @feelmyroarrrr @donner5822 @cassifrassidy96 @lilith-snappinnecks-demon @dontpanc @olivespock @propertyofpoeandbucky @ican-do-this-all-day @paintballkid711 @buckysothiccbarnes @futuremrsb-r-main @significantlysirius @bornfortherainydays @stevieboyharrington @classicswolf @just-add-butter @moni-poloni @srhls @directionerfae @clevertheoristpainter @wisestydia-15

[st4rryspace]

I’m not waiting for any replies, so here you go, it's all under the cut, cuz there's a lot !!

.exe/.exe/.exes/.exes/.exeself

0/0/0s/0s/0self

3/3/3s/3s/3self

3rr0r/3rr0r/3rr0rs/3rr0rs/3rr0r$3lf

7/7/7s/7s/7self

9/9/9s/9s/9self

Just call me by name

a/ace/aces/aces/aceself

a/aro/aro/aros/aroself

adorbz/adorbz/aborbz’/adorbz’/adorbzelf

and/and/ands/ands/andself

ang/angel/angels/angels/angelself

angel/angel/angels/angels/angelself

ani/anim/animals/animals/animalself

au/aur/auras/auras/auraself

au/auti/autis/autis/autiself

auti/auti/autis/autis/autiself

bat/bat/bats/bats/batself

be/berry/berrys/berrys/berryself

bite/bite/bites/bites/biteself

bork/bork/bark/barks/barkself

bork/borks/bark/barks/borkself

bri/brigh/brigh/brighs/brightself

bug/bug/bugs/bugs/bugself

bun/bun/buns/buns/bunself

bun/bunny/bunnys/bunnys/bunself

byte/byte/bytes/bytes/byteself

ca/care/cares/cares/careself

catboy/catboy/catboys/catboys/catboyself

chi/chit/chits/chits/chitterself

cloud/cloud/clouds/clouds/cloudself

co/coin/coins/coins/coinself

cor/corps/corpses/corpses/corpself

cor/corpse/corpse/corpses/corpself

cotton/candy/candies/candies/cottonself

cry/cryp/crys/crys/crypself

cryp/cryp/cryps/cryps/cryptidself

cryp/cryp/crypts/crypts/cryptidself

cryp/crypt/crypt/cryptis/cryptidself

cub/cub/cubs/cubs/cubself

cute/cute/cutes/cutes/cuteself

dave/dave/dave's/dave's/daveself

de/dev/devil/devils/devilself

dead/dead/deads/deads/deadself

deity/deity/deitys/deitys/deityself

dem/demon/demons/demons/demonself

di/div/divis/divis/divineself

doll/doll/dolls/dolls/dollself

drop/drip/drops/drips/dropself

ember/ember/embers/embers/emberself

en/by/enbys/enbys/enbyself

en/envy/envys/envys/envyself

et/ete/etes/etes/eteself

eye strain/eye strain/eye strains/eye strains/eye strains self

fa/faun/faun/fauns/faunself

fai/fairy/fair/fairys/fairyself

faun/faun/fauns/fauns/faunself

fi/fidge/fidges/fidges/fidgetself

fi/fire/fires/fires/fireself

fie/fire/fires/fires/fireself

fix/fix/fixs/fixs/fixself

fla/flag/flags/flags/flagself

fla/flare/flares/flares/flareself

fli/flight/flights/flights/flightself

flutter/shy/flutters/flutters/flutterself

for/forest/forests/forests/forestself

fox/fox/foxs/foxs/foxself

fun/fun/funs/funs/funself

fuz/fuzz/fuzzes/fuzzes/fuzzself

gho/ghost/ghost/ghosts/ghostself

ghost/ghost/ghost/ghosts/ghostself

giggle/giggle/giggles/giggles/giggleself

go/goth/goths/goths/gothself

goo/goo/goos/goos/gooself

grime/grime/grimes/grimes/grimeself

grime/grime/grimes/grimes/grimself

gut/gut/guts/guts/gutself

h*/h*m/h*s/h*s/h*mself

h3/h1m/h1z/h1z/h1m53lf

h3/h1m/h1z/h1z/h1ms3lf

h3/h1m/h1z/h1z/h1mz3lf

he/him/his/his/himself

honk/honk/honks/honks/honkself

hu/hush/hushs/hushs/hushself

hug/hug/hugs/hugs/hugself

hx/hxm/hxs/hxs/hxmself

hy/hyp/hyper/hypers/hypself

idol/idol/idols/idols/idolself

it/it/its/its/itself

joke/joke/jokes/jokes/jokeself

king/king/kings/king's/kingself

kit/kit/kits/kits/kitself

kitty/kitty/kittys/kittys/kitself

kni/knight/knights/knights/knightself

kya/kya/kyas/kyas/kyaself

lo/love/loves/loves/loveself

lol/lol/lols/lols/lolself

lor/lord/lords/lords/lordself

mad/mad/mads/mads/madself

mao/mao/maos/maos/maoself

meow/meow/meows/meows/meowself

mew/meow/mews/meows/meowself

mew/mew/mews/mews/mewself

mo/gai/mogai/mogais/mogaiself

mo/moth/moths/moths/mothself

mon/ster/monsters/monsters/monstelf

moon/moon/moons/moons/moonself

mrr/mrrp/mrrps/mrrps/mrrpself

multi/multi/multis/multis/multiself

multiple/multiple/multiples/multiples/multipleself

ne/nem/nems/nems/nemself

note/note/notes/notes/noteself

ny4/ny4/ny4z/ny4z/ny4zelf

nya/nyan/nyans/nyans/nyanself

nyan/nyan/nyans/nyans/nyanself

officer/officer/officers/officers/officerself

owo/owo/owos/owos/owoself

paw/paw/paws/paws/pawself

pey/pen/pens/pens/penself

phone/phone/phone's/phone's/phoneself

pika/pika/pikas/pikas/pikaself

pip/pip/pips/pips/pipself

pitter/patter/pitters/patters/pitterself

pix/pixel/pixels/pixels/pixelself

plu/plur/plural/plurals/pluralself

plum/plum/plums/plums/plumself

plural/plural/plurals/plurals/pluralself

poison/poison/poisons/poisons/poisonself

pri/pride/prides/prides/prideself

pri/prin/prins/prins/princeself

pubby/pubby/pubbys/pubbys/pubbyself

pup/pup/pups/pups/pupself

pup/purr/pups/pups/purrself

puppy/puppy/puppys/puppys/pupself

puppy/puppy/pups/pups/pupself

purr/purr/purrs/purrs/purrself

pyr/pyro/pyrs/pyros/pyroself

quee/queer/queers/queers/queerself

rai/rai/rains/rains/rainself

rat/rat/rats/rats/ratself

ring/ring/rings/rings/ringself

ro/rose/roses/roses/roseself

rot/rot/rots/rots/rotself

ruler/rule/rulers/rulers/rulerself

scene/scene/scenes/scenes/sceneself

sh3/h3r/h3r/h3rs/h3rself

she/her/her/her’s/herself

sheep/sheep/sheeps/sheeps/sheepself

sheri/sheriff/sheriffs/sheriffs/sheriffself

sno/snow/snows/snows/snowself

sof/soft/softs/softs/softself

spark/spark/sparks/sparks/sparkself

sport/sport/sport's/sport's/sportself

star/star/stars/stars/starself

stim/stim/stims/stims/stimself

sun/sun/suns/suns/sunself

sy/sky/skys/skys/skyself

sy/sys/sys/systems/systemself

teddy/teddy/teddybear/teddybears/teddybearself

th*y/th*m/th*ir/th*irs/th*mself

th3y/th3m/th31r/th31rs/th3m53lf

th3y/th3m/th31r/th31rz/th31mz53lf

theri/ther/ther/theria/therianself

they/them/their/theirs/themself

thou/thee/thy/thine/thyself

ti/ger/tigers/tigers/tigerself

to/toad/toads/toads/toadself

tric/trick/tricks/tricks/trickself

uwu/uwu/uwus/uwus/uwuself

vam/vamp/vamps/vamps/vampself

vi/vir/virus/virus/virusself

vo/voi/voix/voix/voiself

voi/void/voids/voids/voidself

vxy/vxm/vxr/vxrs/vxmself

were/were/wolf/wolfs/wereself

whisp/whisp/whisps/whisps/whisperself

wing/wing/wings/wings/wingself

wol/wolf/wolf/wolfs/wolfself

wolf/wolf/wolfs/wolfs/wolfself

woo/wool/wools/wools/woolself

x3/x3/x3s/x3s/x3self

xd/xd/xds/xds/xdself

xe/xem/xems/xems/xemself

xe/xem/xer/xers/xemself

xe/xem/xir/xirs/xemself

xe/xen/xeno/xenos/xenoself

xe/xet/xets/xets/xetself

xo/xox/xox/xoxs/xoxself

☁️/☁️/☁️s/☁️s/☁️self

☄️/☄️/☄️s/☄️s/☄️self

☎️/☎️/☎️s/☎️s/☎️self

♊/♊/♊s/♊s/♊self

⚠️/⚠️/⚠️s/⚠️s/⚠️self

⚫/⚫/⚫s/⚫s/⚫self

⚰️/⚰️/⚰️s/⚰️s/⚰️self

⛓/⛓/⛓s/⛓s/⛓self

⛓️/⛓️/⛓️s/⛓️s/⛓️self

✒️/✒️/✒️/✒️s/✒️self

❄️/❄️/❄️s/❄️s/❄️self

❤/❤/❤s/❤s/❤self

❤💛💙/❤💛💙/❤💛💙/❤💛💙s/❤💛💙self

➳/➳/➳s/➳s/➳self

➵/➵/➵s/➵s/➵self

⬛/⬛/⬛s/⬛s/⬛self

⭐/⭐/⭐s/⭐s/⭐self

⭐️/⭐️/⭐️/⭐️s/⭐️self

🃏/🃏/🃏/🃏s/🃏self

🃏/🃏/🃏s/🃏s/🃏self

🌈/🌈/🌈/🌈s/🌈self

🌈/🌈/🌈s/🌈s/🌈self

🌊/🌊/🌊s/🌊s/🌊self

🌌/🌌/🌌s/🌌s/🌌self

🌑/🌑/🌑s/🌑s/🌑self

🌕/🌖/🌗/🌘/🌑self

🌙/🌙/🌙/🌙s/🌙self

🌙/🌙/🌙s/🌙s/🌙self

🌧️/🌧️/🌧️s/🌧️s/🌧️self

🌨️/🌨️/🌨️s/🌨️s/🌨️self

🌩️/🌩️/🌩️s/🌩️s/🌩️self

🌫️/🌫️/🌫️s/🌫️s/🌫️self

🌹/🌹/🌹s/🌹s/🌹self

🌺/🌺/🌺s/🌺s/🌺self

🍉/🍉/🍉s/🍉s/🍉self

🍥/🍥/🍥s/🍥s/🍥self

🍩/🍩/🍩s/🍩s/🍩self

🍭/🍭/🍭s/🍭s/🍭self

🎀/🎀/🎀s/🎀s/🎀self

🎤/🎤/🎤/🎤s/🎤self

🎲/🎲/🎲s/🎲s/🎲self

🎵/🎵/🎵s/🎵s/🎵self

🎶/🎶/🎶s/🎶s/🎶self

🎼/🎼/🎼s/🎼s/🎼self

🏹/🏹/🏹s/🏹s/🏹self

🐁/🐁/🐁s/🐁s/🐁self

🐉/🐉/🐉/🐉‘s/🐉self

🐍/🐍/🐍s/🐍s/🐍self

🐐/🐐/🐐s/🐐s/🐐self

🐧/🐧/🐧s/🐧s/🐧self

🐭/🐭/🐭s/🐭s/🐭self

🐲/🐲/🐲s/🐲s/🐲self

🐺/🐺/🐺s/🐺s/🐺self

🐾/🐾/🐾s/🐾s/🐾self

👑/👑/👑s/👑s/👑self

👠/👠/👠s/👠s/👠self

👥/👥/👥s/👥s/👥self

👾/👾/👾s/👾s/👾self

💀/💀/💀s/💀s/💀self

💉/💉/💉/💉s/💉self

💎/💎/💎s/💎s/💎self

💘/💘/💘/💘s/💘self

💚/💚/💚s/💚s/💚self

💤/💤/💤s/💤s/💤self

💥/💥/💥s/💥s/💥self

💫/💫/💫’s/💫’s/💫self

💮/💮/💮s/💮s/💮self

📿/📿/📿/📿s/📿self

🔋/🔋/🔋z/🔋z/🔋zelf

🔥/🔥/🔥s/🔥s/🔥self

🔪/🔪/🔪s/🔪s/🔪self

🕊️/🕊️/🕊️s/🕊️s/🕊️self

🕷️/🕷️/🕷️/🕷️s/🕷️self

🖍️/🖍️/🖍️'s/🖍️'s/🖍️self

🖍️/🖍️/🖍️/🖍️'s/🖍️self

🚁/🚁/🚁s/🚁s/🚁self

🥀/🥀/🥀s/🥀s/🥀self

🥩/🥩/🥩s/🥩s/🥩self

🥳/🥳/🥳s/🥳s/🥳self

🦄/🦄/🦄/🦄s/🦄self

🦊/🦊/🦊s/🦊s/🦊self

🦋/🦋/🦋’s/🦋’s/🦋self

🦴/🦴/🦴s/🦴s/🦴self

🧁/🧁/🧁s/🧁s/🧁self

🧛/🧛/🧛s/🧛s/🧛self

🧸/🧸/🧸s/🧸s/🧸self

🧼/🧼/🧼s/🧼s/🧼self

does anyone want to see ash’s pronoun hoard ? (it’s a lot and very good if you’re looking for more pronouns :D)

[salfordelim]

Greetings once again on this not so summery summer’s day. Boo. Gloomy it may be, but hopefully you’re not letting that dictate the mood of your household!

Last week we looked at Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus and this week we carry on with Chapter 9 from verse 20-31. I’ve read it a few times and it’s a bit of a weird one in that there’s not anything totally immediate to me jumping out to share with children for them to apply to their lives. This could well be one of those weeks where the outcome will be to have learnt the story and a bit more about Saul’s life as a disciple and that the suffering Jesus told him about when he appeared to him in the vision last week, didn’t take long to get started. Let’s see how we get on…

Things you’ll need to do all activities/craft…

Print out any of the colouring pages or the template for the scene craft.

Colouring pens, crayons, pencils or paint (if you dare…)

Scissors

Glue or tape

Game

How about a game of hide and seek? Or your own version of it? In the story today, Saul has to escape from people who wanted to kill him (!) and he needed his friends to help him stay out of sight!

Or play a guessing game- hide some items in a basket and cover it. Have your child/ren put their hands under the cover and guess what’s inside by feeling the items.

Bible Bit

As usual, here is the passage from the International Children’s Bible. You can read with your child/ren, find the story in their bible and or watch the video links that also tell the story.

Acts Chapter 9:20-31

20 Soon he began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “Jesus is the Son of God!”

21 All the people who heard him were amazed. They said, “This is the man who was in Jerusalem. He was trying to destroy those who trust in this name! He came here to do the same thing. He came here to arrest the followers of Jesus and take them back to the leading priests.”

22 But Saul became more and more powerful. His proofs that Jesus is the Christ were so strong that the Jews in Damascus could not argue with him.

Saul Escapes from Damascus

23 After many days, the Jews made plans to kill Saul. 24 They were watching the city gates day and night. They wanted to kill him, but Saul learned about their plan. 25 One night some followers of Saul helped him leave the city. They lowered him in a basket through an opening in the city wall.

Saul in Jerusalem

26 Then Saul went to Jerusalem. He tried to join the group of followers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe that he was really a follower. 27 But Barnabas accepted Saul and took him to the apostles. Barnabas told them that Saul had seen the Lord on the road. He explained how the Lord had spoken to Saul. Then he told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

28 And so Saul stayed with the followers. He went everywhere in Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of Jesus. 29 He would often talk and argue with the Jews who spoke Greek. But they were trying to kill him. 30 When the brothers learned about this, they took Saul to Caesarea. From there they sent him to Tarsus.

31 The church everywhere in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the group became stronger. The believers showed that they respected the Lord by the way they lived. Because of this, the group of believers grew larger and larger.

Videos

This one is from Saddleback Kids.

This one goes over Saul’s conversion from last week and into this weeks passage too.

This is one with actors bringing to life Saul escaping in a basket.

This one is for the younger kids

3-7s: After you’ve read or retold the story, ask the following to help your child/ren learn from it. Remind them of the story from last week, where Saul stopped trying to hurt people who followed Jesus after he was blinded for 3 days and Ananias prayed with him.

Why did Saul need to escape? (Because some people didn’t trust him or like him talking so much about Jesus.)

How did Saul escape? (In a basket)

Do you think Saul might have been a bit scared? He will have had to trust his friends not to drop the basket!

Even though some people wanted him to try to kill him, did Saul stop telling people about Jesus? (No)

Some of the disciples didn’t trust that Saul had stopped trying to hurt them and actually loved Jesus like them now. Pray with your child/ren that they will be trustworthy and others will know they can be trusted and thank God that we can always trust Him to be the best for us.

7-11s: Have your child/ren read with you and or watch the videos to tell the story/

Ask:

What stands out? Anything weird? Ask your parents/carers about anything you don’t understand.

Recap the story from last week and this one.

So now we notice that Saul is the one people want to kill. The tables have turned! Does Saul give up and stop telling other Jews about Jesus? (No)

How does he escape from Damascus? (lowered in a basket)

When he gets to Jerusalem, the disciples there don’t believe he is actually a Christian now. Can you think of someone you’d find it hard to believe if they started following Jesus? What could you pray about that?

What is the name of the disciple who accepts Saul and takes him to the apostles? (Barnabas)

What happens after the apostles accept Saul and he starts teaching in Jerusalem? (Some other Jews don’t like what he’s saying and want him killed)

Where does Saul end up going to get away from those wanting to kill him? (Tarsus, where he comes from)

Do you think Saul could have been afraid?

At no point has Saul given up wanting to tell others about Jesus and already, his life has been threatened twice. Pray with your child/ren that they would have the same courage, desire and trust in God to share the gospel with others.

Craft/Activities

Choose one of the colouring pages to print off and colour in. One is less detailed and suits younger children

Colouring (3-7s)

Colouring (7-11s)

Print off these activities

Spot the difference

Maze

Word Search

Word Scramble

Print off the Saul in a Basket template to create the scene from today’s story! Print off the template (or you could draw your own!), colour and cut it out and then glue some string or wool to the basket and hang it over your wall. It should look something like this:

Fold along the dotted lines.

Glue support to the back.

And…

TA-DA!

[kitanoko]

Can you do TodoMomo confession? I want her to pick up advice from the girls and do something cute, like a love letter!

               Note: Thanks! I was inspired by some of the official art including this one so I decided to add the girls cooking! I decided to do something other than a letter though. It’s fluffy…Enjoy!!!

In which Yaoyorozu bakes him cookies and leaves him a card.

“You’resure you don’t want to add seaweed this time?”

“Ugh,Jirou, you never let me live it down after that ONE time I thought we neededseaweed.”

 Jirou crossedher arms, “we were making cheesecake last time, Yaomomo.”

The girls of class A were havingan emergency meeting at Yaoyorozu’s house. The creation heroine, after whatfelt like an eternity according to Ashido, messaged the others to go over toher place in order to ‘discuss something’. The other girls, undoubtedly so,were confused as to why they couldn’t gather in their dorm rooms as usual butAshido kept insisting that her intuition told her it was definitely aboutYaoyorozu’s long time crush. Despite the numerous times the vice-president ofthe class furiously denied this claim, Ashido felt something was going onbetween her and a certain classmate.

And was Ashido ever wrong?

Jirou stopped for a second andnoticed Tsuyu and Ashido reading the ingredients list beside Yaoyorozu whilemeticulously trying to identify what exactly the dark-haired girl just added.

“Wait, Yaomomo,”Ashido started, “You’re sure that was cocoa?”

“Ofcourse it was! It was brown!” Yaoyorozu looked slightly irritated, “Could youguys trust me a little more?”

Yaoyorozu frowned when a littlebit of the dough spilt out onto the counter. Everyone knew she was the best in the classand one of the smartest students to set foot in UA, but the girl’s horrible sensein cooking was so pathetic she made Jirou’s leftover casserole look like amasterpiece.

“So now that these are almost done,”Yaoyorozu shoved the bowl into the freezer and wiped her forehead with the backof her hand, leaving a small streak of cooking reminiscence in powder formalong the way, “I really want to ask for your opinion….on how to write a loveletter…” Her voice was uneasy and she tilted her head up to look for a reactionfrom the others and was welcomed with thoughtful smiles.

“I think Yaomomo should draw alot of hearts and write about how much he means to her,” Ashido was the firstto blurt out her suggestion. As the acid heroine was putting her hands on herhips, Yaoyorozu fished out a pen and notepad from her pocket and began tofuriously note down every single word.

“And I mean pouring your heartout!” Ashido almost cried out her last point and at that, Yaoyorozu’s facereddened but she kept nodding, her pen still moving in a frenzy.

Tsuyu looked over, doing herusual finger-to-chin gesture and commented in a courteous voice, “I agree withAshido, but I think it would be better to add something more ‘Yaomomo-like’in the letter. It would really add something special, I think.”

Yaoyorozu tapped the end of thepen against the page a few times, pondering about Tsuyu’s valuable opinion andJirou turned her head over to her before giving the others a quick glance, “I’dsuggest something like song lyrics?”

Uraraka grinned at that, “Ya! Ithink lyrics are so romantic, that’s perfect!”

“Or even a poem!” Hagakure’sgloves in socks lifted off the air showing her joy, “Yaomomo, didn’t youmention how you used to be president of a poem reading club back in middleschool?”

Yaoyorozu leaned back against thecounter and looked up from her notepad, “Ya, that sounds like a good idea.”Taking a sip of water, she paused.

“The biggest problem though,”Yaoyorozu put down her mug with a clink. Something else was irking her and her mouthformed a thin line.

“I’m not sure how to give it to him.”

~~

Thenext morning came as fast as the night receded and Todoroki was sure the box ontop of his desk must have been a prank of some sort. Curiosity got the betterof him though, and as he approached his seat, he held the quaint white box inhis palm and lifted the lid up.

 An intensechocolate aroma drafted out of the box subsequently and he looked around toobserve the others as to gain a clue. He cocked a brow.

“Midoriya,”he looked over, pulling the last coat sleeve off of him after dropping the boxdown, “did you see who put this here?”

His friend walk across the room, “NoI didn’t. What’s inside?”

“Cookies,”the boy answered, fixing his collar.

“Ehhhhh?”Midoriya quickly covered his mouth, “A girl must have left it for you,Todoroki!” He scanned the room, “I actually just came to the classroom a littlebefore you did. Maybe we could ask around to see who put it here.” He closedhis eyes, doing a signature rambling session by himself for a few seconds, andstopped abruptly, eyeing as the boy beside him moved the box around in aroundabout manner.

“Well?”Midoriya took a step closer to take a look, “is there anything else inside?”

 A card thatwas snuggled underneath the baked goods peeked through, and Todoroki pulled itout without hesitation and turned it over.

“Wellthere’s today’s date at the top….and also a poem,” Todoroki skimmed it over, “It’sShakespearean I think, not sure though, not that fond of that kind of a thing.”He flipped it around, searching for more, “By the looks of it, a girl wrotethis. But she didn’t sign it.”

 Todorokiseemed nonplussed and closed the box right before pushing it into his desk, “Iguess I’ll deal with this later. I’m not too interested in seeing who left thishere. For all I know, it could have been poisoned.”

Unbeknownstto him, Yaoyorozu was watching far from her seat, pondering as to why he didn’tbother to take a bite out of the cookies. Her shoulder slumped, lookingdefeated, and after taking a deep breath, she continued her Vice-Presidentduties, writing the day’s agenda on the chalkboard.

~~

Throughoutthe class, the girl would shift her gaze over to the boy sitting next to her tosee if anything has changed, but her gift to him still lied unloved inside thedark caverns of his desk. By the end of the day, Yaoyorozu’s solemn expression wasbranded onto her and it wasn’t until she told the girls about the morning’sincident that she felt a teeny bit better. Her friends waved goodbye after somewarm encouragement and they parted ways; Jirou saying how she had to make sureKaminari mastered English literature by midnight while the others wanted to do somegrocery shopping before heading back to their dorm. Yaoyorozu sent them a smilehalf-heartedly, clutching a strap of her backpack as she did so and trekkedpeacefully through the streets of their campus alone.

It wasn’tuntil she felt a tap on her shoulder that she realized someone was behind her.

“Yaoyorozu.”

Thegirl stopped dead in her tracks as a few cherry blossom petals fell at herfeet, and she turned around, trying as hard as she could to summon a bout ofcourage.

“Todoroki,”she said, faking a smile, “you’re heading back now too?”

“Mm,”was his response and he walked beside her, not once giving her a glance.

Theusual silence conquered their path and Yaoyorozu distracted herself byanalyzing the beautiful landscape. He, however, had something elseplanned.

“Thanksfor the cookies.”

Herheart skipped a beat.

“Took meawhile to figure out that it was you,” He continued and he didn’t catch thehitch of her breath that released her from her tension, “I read your writing onthe board every single day so I should have known earlier, but who else loopedtheir 2s and crossed their 7s like that on their dates.”

“Did I…notput my name…?” She mumbled to herself, stunned, and gradually recalled her blunder. She paid no heed to Todoroki’s hidden smirk as her face grew warm from affection.

“Nexttime, I’d suggest to sign it,” he said, and swiftly unzipped his bag to yankher box out, “and also to use less chocolate and more flour.”

Heopened the box and the contents surfaced. She gasped at the horror, looking asif she was looking at a crime scene. The cookies became puddles of brown gooand no identifiable shape was present.

“They…melted?”She said in disbelief. All the hard work gone to waste!

 Themelancholic ring of her voice goaded Todoroki to pull out the spoon in his bag,and the girl observed as he scooped a spoonful into his mouth.

“Still tastes good though,” henoted appreciatively and began to scoop another. This time, he pushedit in front of Yaoyorozu.

The girl’s jaw dropped at hisnext words.

“Do you want to try it?” He said,oblivious to the ramifications of what he implied, and the girl took a fewsteps back in embarrassment.

“What?!” She had to calm herselfdown, “We would be sharing a …sharing a spoon!”

An indirect kiss? She thought as she covered her flushed face inher hands and detected Todoroki’s apathetic stare.

“Fine,” she finally gave in, eyeslooking downwards and took the spoon. She gagged at the taste. Whatever sheadded was definitely not cocoa. How was the boy in front of herenjoying any of this disgusting sludge?

“Throw it away,” she said, voice lacing with disappointment, “Ittastes horrible. I shouldn’t have made anything. I have the worst cookingskills ever.” She tried to snatch it away from his hands, but he turned it awayfrom her.

“I like it,” he stated simply,eyes locking onto hers, and the passion in her eyes betrayed her as he leanedforward, “How does the poem go again?”

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’sday-” She started shyly but he cut her off. Yaoyorozu’s heart hammered against her ears.

“Right,” he stopped for a bit,examining the tug of her lips, and continued, looking like he was cautiously rolling the next words around on the tip of his tongue before letting it escape.

“Thou art more lovely and moretemperate.”

His response lingered fora moment and her eyes twinkled, surprised that he even remembered. Watching asa trail of cherry blossom petals rained down around them, the girl swallowed hard.

“I’ve…I’ve admired you for a long time, Todoroki,” she said, “if you could understand…from what I did…I just wanted to show you how much I appreciated your help. And..and..” This was too nerve wracking and as she stuttered, Todoroki bent down to place the box beside where he was.

“Yaoyorozu,” he let his hand rest on the back of neck, “Don’t be so nervous.” 

He took both of her hands in his.

“Show me some of your favourite poems tomorrow.” He cleared his throat twice, attempting to break the awkwardness. He’s never done this before, but he knew she hasn’t either. It’s only fair for him to share some of her burden, even though there was nothing for her to worry about. 

“Maybe over some coffee and cake down by the bookstore?” 

Yaoyorozu lips widened into a delightful grin and nodded at his proposal. 

“I’d like that,” she answered, feeling engrossed by the new feeling of his touch, “I’d like that a lot, Todoroki.”

[kakakarinhhh-blog]

Online Sale VOYO Electronic Pen for VOYO I7 PLUS

Cheap TABLET ACCESSORIES sale, VOYO Electronic Pen for VOYO I7 PLUS,and more products which you need. We will refund you within 30 days! If the product is not what you expected or if you changed your mind, you will be completely reimbursed.100% New. 1 year Warranty, 100% Guarantee Quality and Fully Test!

TABLET ACCESSORIEScompatible model:

SIZE GUIDE： Product size: Package weight: Package size: Package Contents:

I7 PLUS special pen, material: aluminum alloy, the product is equipped with a AAAA dry battery

Shipping is not equipped with battery

13.00 x 0.80 x 0.80 cm / 5.12 x 0.31 x 0.31 inches

0.202 kg

16.00 x 2.00 x 2.00 cm / 6.3 x 0.79 x 0.79 inches

1 x Electronic Pen

Our advantage:

1.A wide range of products: We offer a wide range of products and we make sure to show you all the details so you can quickly research and compare products.

2.Transparent price: In addition to quality service, you will find a guarantee of competitive prices and absolute transparency.

3.High quality meets standards: Each of our products undergoes rigorous testing and quality control. We offer the highest level of safety and the highest quality products.

New Products

8.4-inch PU + TPU Drop-proof Business Bracket Leather Case for ALLDOCUBE M8 Tablet M8 Tablet

Jumper Original Keyboard for Jumper Ezpad 7S Tablet

Original ALLDOCUBE Tablet Keyboard for ALLDOCUBE iWork10 Pro

8.4 inch Tablet Case for Teclast Master T8

7 inch Universal Flat Leather Case for Samsung / Huawei / Lenovo

Ballet Girl DIY Musical Notes Mirror Wall Hanging Wall Clock

[nipashe411]

Grieving the death of my husband, KCB Rugby star

Grieving the death of my husband, KCB Rugby star

TONY ONYANGO,Kenya 7s and KCB Rugby star collapsed and died in his house on March 3, leaving behind a young wife, MARIA MUINDE, 29, and autistic son. Weeks after his burial, she penned down on her social media what will go down as arguably one of the most tear-dropping tributes to her husband 

Harriet James @harriet86jim

March 3, this year began as any other normal Tuesday for Maria Muinde, a…

[itsworn]

392 Chrysler Hemi Build and Dyno Test: How Does the Whale Motor Respond to Bolt-On Speed Parts?

Fire Power Flirtations

In a 1952 presentation to the Society of Automotive Engineers titled “New Horizons in Engine Design,” Chrysler Engine Design Chief James Zeder wrote, “The power of an engine should be based on physique, not on stimulants.” Had Zeder been a sports coach addressing a locker room full of athletes, his message would have been akin to urging the guys to hit the gym instead of pumping steroids.

As we’ll see in this buildup of a Chrysler 392 Fire Power V8, there’s a lot of “physique” in the legendary whale motor. But who exactly was Zeder accusing of juicing with “stimulants” in his presentation? That would have been General Motors’ groundbreaking ’49 Caddy and Oldsmobile “Kettering” V8s (named after GM engine design boss Charles Kettering). No, GM wasn’t stashing hidden nitrous oxide systems in early Olds Rocket 88s and Coupe DeVilles; rather (in Zeder’s opinion), GM’s “Boss Kett’ was too reliant on high compression—and high-octane gasoline—to complete the picture.

In 1921, GM’s fuel research lab, led by Charles Kettering, discovered tetraethyl lead (TEL). The petroleum industry adopted it, and the problem of spark knock in car engines was greatly reduced. The addition of TEL to the nation’s fuel stocks allowed engine makers to nudge compression ratios upward from the Model T’s 3.98:1 into the 5s, 6s, and low 7s by 1940. The added compression was good for overall efficiency, not just peak power, as each drop of gas was better utilized.

So when GM conjured its new, post-WWII OHV V8s, it banked on ever-escalating compression ratios and publicly predicted the average passenger car engine would be as high as 12.5:1 by 1960. This was to be made possible by wartime advances in fuel quality, as the average octane jumped from 65 to 80 points after the war.

But Chrysler’s Zeder didn’t agree. He reasoned that relying on external factors like high-octane gas (the “stimulants”) would spell disaster if fuel shortages ever materialized and only low octane was available—which is what happened in the early 1970s with OPEC.

Elsewhere in Zeder’s 1952 SAE paper he wrote, “In recent years, so much attention has been paid to fuels that it is necessary to remind ourselves periodically that we work with a hot-air engine; and in order to get power out we must get air in…it is amazing how often the hot air finds its way into the advertising, and not into the engine.” Thus, instead of GM’s compression/octane-based strategy, Chrysler embraced the hemispherical combustion chamber for its “octane indifference,” i.e. ability to run on lousy gasoline.

Between July 1945 and December 1947, Chrysler built a group of experimental engines with many combustion chamber configurations, compression ratios, cylinder counts, and crankcase layouts. One of these engines would be chosen for mass production and play the key role of motivating Chrysler cars for the next decade. No pressure, right? Wedges, pent-roofs, Heron-style, and hemispherical combustion chambers were all evaluated, and through it all, the hemi-type proved its ability to make solid power without the need for high-quality fuel. “Physique” won out over “stimulants.”

In January 1948, the decision was made to bring the 331ci Hemi to reality for the ’51 model year. It was a humble start. With its single two-barrel carburetor, single exhaust system, and 7.5:1 compression, the inaugural ’51 Chrysler Fire Power delivered 180 hp at 4,000 rpm and 312 lb-ft at 2,000 rpm. But it was a full 20 hp ahead of Caddy’s top ’51 V8, which also utilized a 7.5:1 compression ratio, displaced the same 331 cubes, and inhaled through a single two barrel, but had wedge-type combustion chambers.

From there, the Hemi grew from strength to strength and spawned smaller DeSoto (1952) and Dodge (1953) siblings. By 1958, the Fire Power maxed out at 392 ci; and with a solid cam, dual Carter WCFBs, and 10:1 compression aboard the mighty 300D, it delivered 380 hp at 5,200 rpm and 435 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm.

But as history has shown, the octane race never materialized, and octane stabilized at 90 to 104 points for the next two decades. To suit these conditions, Detroit compression ratios languished in the 8.5 to 10.5:1 range, with sky-high numbers reserved for factory Super Stock applications. (Chrysler’s 413 Max Wedge tickled the 13.5:1 mark in 1962.) None of this validated—or discredited—either Kettering or Zeder’s strategy.

Seventy years later, we now know that the massive Hemi’s octane indifference was a largely unappreciated/unnecessary marketing feature. Instead, its breathing potential became the key selling point. Unfortunately, performance potential didn’t sell new cars, and the substantial added cost associated with its dual rocker shafts and jewel-like rocker arms triggered termination after the ’58 model year (though some ’59 Dodge trucks were Hemi equipped).

As the cheaper-to-produce wedge-head 413 big-block took over as Chrysler’s prime mover in 1959, the early Hemi became the go-to engine for nitro drag racers like Don “Big Daddy” Garlits and growing legions of rodders who simply appreciated its “physique.” With its broad shouldered look, there are few engines that gather a crowd when the hood goes up like a Hemi.

Let’s watch as Donnie Wood and the crew at R.A.D. Auto Machine exploit the whale’s physique with some interesting intake and exhaust goodies.

1. A 0.040-inch overbore brings the cylinders to 4.040 inches. The first-generation Hemi block lacks the crankcase skirt extensions of the second- (’64-’71) and third-generation (2003-present) blocks. This rules out cross-bolted main caps, but with quality machine work and assembly, it’ll handle 600 hp.

2. Like the post-WWII Cadillac 331, Oldsmobile 303, Studebaker 232, Ford Y-block, Buick nailhead, Pontiac 287, and Packard 320, the Fire Power’s tappet chamber is sealed by a baffled, stamped-steel cover. The CE57 stamping on the right-hand end of the block identifies this block as being from the ’57 model year.

3. The 68-pound, forged-steel 392 crank’s output flange is drilled for eight flywheel fasteners, just like the later 426 Hemi. But obviously, they’re not interchangeable. Key swap meet giveaways are the Fire Power’s non-threaded flange holes and absence of the raised flywheel/flexplate register ring seen on 426 Hemi cranks.

4. To set the thrust bearing, constant forward pressure is applied to the crank while the 2.6875-inch-diameter main caps are torqued to 90 lb-ft. Earlier 331 (’51-’54) and 354 (1955-1956) Hemi main- and rod-bearing diameters are smaller at 2.500 inches.

5. The pen points to the polishing work performed on the forged rod beams. For contrast, the factory-issue grainy surface texture (right) can trigger stress cracks. Earlier 331 and 354 rods are shorter than 392 units, 6.625 inches versus 6.951, and have smaller big ends, 2.250 inches versus 2.6875. The 392 block’s 10.865-inch deck height is also taller than the 331/354 block’s 10.38/10.32-inch respective spans. As such, 331/354 and 392 intake manifolds do not interchange without effort.

6. Spiral locks secure the floating pins within the KB Silv-O-Lite hypereutectic pistons. The 392’s “smallish” 103cc combustion chambers don’t require massive (and heavy) piston domes to achieve compression. By contrast, second-generation 426 Hemis have 172cc combustion chambers and require larger domes to achieve the same compression ratio.

7. The nearly flat pistons with valve relief notches yield a pump-gas-compatible 9.5:1 compression ratio, just half a point lower than the ’58 300D. With its 0.040 overbore, this 392 now displaces 398 ci. Rings are plasma-moly faced Speed Pro (PN 24122) gapped at 0.018/0.020 (top/second).

8. Lack of the rare and expensive adjustable rocker arms used in Chrysler 300D and certain marine/industrial applications forced us into a hydraulic cam. For this street-and-strip build, we opted for an Isky Mega 280 with 0.485-inch lift, 280/280 degrees advertised duration (232/232 @ 0.050-inch lift) on a 108-degree LSA. It’s hotter than the 300D cam’s 0.435/0.442-inch lift and 276/276 degrees of duration. The hydraulic lifters impose no penalties whatsoever at this level of performance.

9. A nifty vintage finned aluminum FGT multi-piece timing cover contains the Cloyes True Roller timing set (PN 9-1103). R.A.D. painted the engine black rather than the stain-prone silver paint originally used by Chrysler.

10. With the fresh ARP rod-cap fasteners torqued to 52 lb-ft, a stock 5-quart Chrysler center-sump oil pan and matched pickup tube work with the Hot Heads oil pump (PN 21920). Hot Heads offers a rear sump pan that’s ideal for most hot rod applications (PN 21811). Higher capacity oiling systems are also available from Hot Heads and Milodon, but the stock arrangement is adequate for this 6,000-rpm street machine.

11. Though 392 heads won’t spoil the recipe, earlier 331 heads are said to have better port floors. Bearing casting number 1556157-1, the stock 331’s 1.81/1.5-inch valves and seats are upsized to 2.00/1.75 inches, matching stock 392 dimensions. Metal was also removed from the throat area directly behind the valve heads.

12. Pop quiz: Which cylinder head is heavier, a 331 Hemi or a Chevy 454? Surprise! At 64.4 pounds bare, the Hemi is 3.8 pounds lighter than the fabled Rat! The free-flowing square intake (top) and ovoid exhaust ports (bottom) complemented the hemi chambers and have won countless races. Later 354 and 392 iron heads are also much lighter than Bow Tie goodies.

13. A set of Hot Heads dual valvesprings (PN 40062) works with the stock retainers and locks to deliver 135 pounds of pressure (closed) and 325 pounds at full lift. Installed height is 1.700 inches. P.C.-style seals control valve stem lubrication.

14. R.A.D.’s Donnie Wood carefully guides the heads into position atop the Best composite head gaskets (PN 585). Compressed, the gaskets are 0.040 inch thick and help deliver the 9.5:1 compression ratio. First-gen Hemi heads are interchangeable side to side as long as bolt-on caps seal the unused water passages at the firewall end of things.

15. Any Mopar 273, 318, 340, or 360 distributor will fit the 392 block as long as a Hot Heads intermediate shaft (PN 21930) and alignment collar are used, as shown here in the lifter galley.

16. Proven stable to more than 7,000 rpm (with sufficient valvesprings), the cast iron rocker-shaft stand hold-down bolts do double duty as head bolts. Though only four bolts pinch the head gasket atop each cylinder, the arrangement is bulletproof when naturally aspirated. Supercharged applications must employ studs and other tricks to increase clamping force.

17. For an extra measure of control, Hot Heads 3/8-inch diameter chrome-moly pushrods (PN 21086) with adjustable ends connect the lifters to the rocker arms. R.A.D. set them at half a turn beyond zero plunger lash.

18. R.A.D.’s Steve Chmura installs the vintage Mickey Thompson finned, cast-aluminum rocker covers. At 6.100 inches, second-generation (426-style) Hemi spark plug tubes are 0.250 inch too long for use on the 331-392. Hot Heads offers replacements for lost items.

19. Working with the Hot Heads driveshaft and alignment collar described earlier, a box-stock PerTronix Flame-Thrower billet aluminum distributor (PN D141700) fires the Autolite No. 65 plugs at 32 degrees BTDC. Though first- and second-generation Hemi spark plug tubes are not interchangeable, the wires and rigid insulators are. A set of 8mm Taylor wires (PN 75089) need only final trimming and terminal crimping for use.

20. The stock cast-iron 392 thermostat housing (in hands) is too short when 331 heads are used on a 392 block. Hot Heads remedies the hassle with a hose kit and adapter fittings (PN 21404). Though this dyno setup uses an electric water pump, Hot Heads offers numerous street- and strip-friendly alternates.

21. Hot Heads offers these adapter spacers (PN 20209) when using shorter 331 heads on the tall-deck 392 block. Two sets of gaskets are needed.

22. To evaluate the classic and the new, let’s compare a vintage 7263 Weiand dual-quad manifold (left) with a modern Hot Heads 50000 high-rise, single-four-barrel unit. With so much distance between the M/T rocker covers, will the single carburetor look naked compared to the dual-quad setup?

23. For the single-carb test, R.A.D. used a 750-cfm Quick Fuel double-pumper (PN HR-750) to meter fuel and air.

24. Exhaling through stock center-dump Chrysler New Yorker exhaust manifolds, the Quick Fuel carb delivered 408 hp at 5,500 rpm and 463.6 lb-ft at 3,300 rpm. Box stock metering is ideal.

25. Switching from stock manifolds (in hand) to Hot Heads 1-7/8-inch block-hugger headers (PN 60010) unleashed an extra 23 hp and 25.6 lb-ft. Hot Heads also offers a full line of under-chassis and equal-length headers as well as reproductions of the “big mouth” iron manifolds used on Chrysler 300 letter cars.

26. With the headers still in place, the old-school Weiand dual-quad intake manifold and tandem 500-cfm Edelbrock Performer carburetors (PN 1405) were installed. The twin Edelbrocks work just fine right out of the box, though the bottoms of the linkage arms interfere with the intake bolts. A simple trim solves the matter.

27. The dual carbs delivered 436.5 hp at 5,700 rpm and 440.4 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm. Sure, the extra 6.5 hp is nice, but losing 44.8 lb-ft of torque is a hard pill to swallow.

Sources

ARP; 800/826-3045; arp-bolts.com

Best Gasket; 888/333-2378; bestgasket.com

Edelbrock; 310/781-2222; edelbrock.com

Hot Heads; 336/352-4866; hothemiheads.com

Isky Racing Cams; 310/217-9232; iskycams.com

PerTronix; 909/599-5955; pertronix.com

Quick Fuel Technology/Holley; 866/464-6553; holley.com

R.A.D. Auto Machine; 413/583-4414; radautomachine.com

Weiand; 866/464-6553; holley.com

The post 392 Chrysler Hemi Build and Dyno Test: How Does the Whale Motor Respond to Bolt-On Speed Parts? appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/392-chrysler-hemi-build-dyno-test-whale-motor-respond-bolt-speed-parts/ via IFTTT

[danielphowley]

Galaxy Note 8 preview: Samsung's big bet

It’s been just about a year since Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 exploded onto the market with its red-hot features and smoking design. And if it weren’t for the phone’s propensity for blowing up in people’s pockets and while charging on their nightstands, the Note 7 would have been one of the best handsets around.

Despite that setback, Samsung is bringing back the Note brand with its all-new, Android-powered Galaxy Note 8. Available for pre-order on Aug. 24 and launching Sept. 15, the Note 8 looks to improve on its predecessor in every way. Heck, Samsung even went and got the battery certified by the folks at the Underwriters Laboratory to ensure it’s safe.

I spent about an hour with the Note 8, and it certainly does help you forget about the Note 7 fiasco rather quickly.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note line is back from the brink with the all-new Galaxy Note 8. But can it make up for the disappointment of the Note 7?

A familiar face

To be sure, the Note 8 isn’t the first major Samsung smartphone release following the Note7 debacle; that heavy lifting went to the Galaxy S8. Samsung says it has shipped a relatively similar number of those phones as it did the Galaxy S7.

The Note 8 is essentially an elongated, more rectangular version of the S8. There’s nearly no bezel along its top and bottom edges and the Infinite Screen Super AMOLED display wraps all the way around its left and right sides. Those smaller bezels also mean the Note 8’s screen is far larger than the Note 7’s, 6.3 inches versus 5.7.

Oddly, the Note 8’s panel is just 0.01 inches larger than the Galaxy S8 Plus’ 6.2-inch display. The Note’s value has always been with its large screen and S Pen stylus, but it seems as though Samsung is now leaning more heavily on the benefits of the S Pen.

As with the S8, the Note 8’s fingerprint reader has been moved to its rear, which means, yep, you’re going to confuse it with the camera. That’s because the reader is positioned directly next to the camera, which means you’ll get plenty of smudge marks on its lenses.

Camera time

Yes, that’s lenses, as in plural. Samsung is jumping onto the dual-lens camera setup bandwagon with the Note 8. Like Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 7 Plus, the Note 8’s camera includes one wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens. Both lenses will capture 12 megapixels each and unlike the iPhone 7 Plus, both lenses will get optical image stabilization.

That’s a big deal, since when you zoom in on a subject, every minor movement of your hand is exaggerated, which can lead to blurred photos. By adding optical image stabilization, you’ll be able to zoom in on a subject without having to worry about a minor hand movement ruining a great shot.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 has a dual-lens camera, but it’s fingerprint reader is right next to it.

Of course, Samsung is also adding the ability to take bokeh-style photos, images with the subject in focus and the background blurred. You’ll also be able to adjust the blurring effect in real time via a slider, as well as after you capture your image. What’s more, the Note 8 will take both wide-angle and telephoto lens pictures at the same time, so you’ll have the option of switching between the two.

That also means you’ll use about 8MB an image, which is a ton. Thankfully, you can disable the features if you want to preserve space.

Styling with the stylus

The Galaxy Note’s S Pen stylus has always been an important part of the phone’s formula, so naturally it’s making a return with the Note 8. This time around, the company has worked to make the S Pen’s tip feel more like that of a ballpoint pen.

Samsung’s new Live Messages feature is similar to Apple’s Digital Touch.

What’s more, Samsung has added a new feature to its S Pen apps called Live Messages. Similar to Apple’s Digital Touch function found in its Messages app, Live Messages lets you send a sketch or written message that your recipient can view as if you’re writing in real time. It’s not exactly original, but it’s still fun. Plus, Samsung lets you add photos to your Live Messages, which you can then draw on.

Power up

Samsung crammed the Note 8 with the same 8-core processor found on the S8, as well as 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. That should make for quite the speedy machine. And if you plan on playing VR games with it using the Gear VR, it better be fast.

More importantly, the battery — which was the source of all of the Note 7’s troubles — clocks in at 3,300 mAh, which is smaller than the Galaxy S8 Plus’ 3,500-mAh power plant. Still, I’d expect the Note 8 to last more than a day.

During a meeting with the firm, Samsung explained how disappointed consumers were when they had to turn over their Note 7s following their highly publicized battery problems.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 comes with expandable storage, something Apple’s iPhone lacks.

Tim Baxter, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America, said the Note 7’s issues were a “stumble” for the company, but said that the brand has recovered since last fall.

Samsung is desperately hoping consumers aren’t so turned off by the events of last year that they’ll completely abandon the Note line. So it makes sense that they’d want to assure customers the Note 8 is safe. Still, it feels like the company went through all of this when it brought out the Galaxy S8.

We’ll see in a few weeks whether the Note 8 can bury the ghost of the Note 7.

More from Dan:

Norton’s Core wants to be the ultimate watchdog for your home tech

Your next smartphone’s camera could get a huge improvement

Google drops neo-Nazi site out of ‘immediate concern of inciting violence’

5 ways you get ripped off when buying a new TV

How the iPhone 8 and iOS 11 could make you a better photographer

Motorola’s Moto Z2 Force has an unbreakable screen, but it isn’t flawless

Everything we expect from Apple’s iPhone 8

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

[salfordelim]

Here’s this week’s resources! I hope you find them helpful in talking through the passage with your kids and have fun

As always, please share the fruits of your labours at any point on Beyond Sunday or with myself, Ian or Neil via an email, WhatsApp or carrier pigeon

Things you will need:

Look through the print-out options (colouring sheets, puzzle, worksheets) and select the one/s you’d like to do with your child/ren. (The ‘Money Bag Detective’ one is for kids ages 7-11, the ‘Worksheet’ is for 3-7s.) The Honesty Activity Set has some other ideas with it, bit you can just print out the first colouring page if you like

Printed template for the ‘Lying lips’ craft and a lolly stick. (1 template makes 2.)

Colouring pens or crayons.

Game

How about a few rounds of 2 truths and 1 lie? See if you can come up with a lie so believable or truths so unbelievable that you can fool your household members!

Bible Bit

Here is the passage from the International Children’s Bible:

(You might want to read it yourself and re-tell to younger children.)

Acts Chapter 4:32-5:11

The Believers Share

32 The group of believers were joined in their hearts, and they had the same spirit. No person in the group said that the things he had were his own. Instead, they shared everything. 33 With great power the apostles were telling people that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from death. And God blessed all the believers very much. 34 They all received the things they needed. Everyone that owned fields or houses sold them. They brought the money 35 and gave it to the apostles. Then each person was given the things he needed.

36 One of the believers was named Joseph. The apostles called him Barnabas. (This name means “one who encourages.”) He was a Levite, born in Cyprus. 37 Joseph owned a field. He sold it, brought the money, and gave it to the apostles.

Ananias and Sapphira

5 A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land. 2 But he gave only part of the money to the apostles. He secretly kept some of it for himself. His wife knew about this, and she agreed to it. 3 Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan rule your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit. Why did you keep part of the money you received for the land for yourself? 4 Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to men!” 5-6 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.

7 About three hours later his wife came in. She did not know what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me how much money you got for your field. Was it this much?”

Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was the price.”

9 Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door! They will carry you out.” 10 At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with fear.

Video links for the story

This one has a bit more artistic interpretation in that it suggests Ananias and Sapphira were jealous of Joseph after he was praised for selling his land.

This one is from Share Faith Kids and has a bit more detail:

Ages 3-7: This is a passage with some harsh details. There’s no getting away from what we read though and so I would still tell the younger children what happened. Ultimately, whether we understand or like it, the dishonesty of Ananias and Sapphira led to their very untimely deaths. The point to make is that God really values honesty and actually, so do we. Ask:

Have you ever told a lie? Did anyone ever find out? How did it feel?

Have you ever been lied to? How did it feel?

Has anyone ever said something about you that isn’t true? How did it feel?

Have you ever done something generous? Can you think of something generous you could do this week for someone else? Maybe someone in your family or a neighbour?

Talk with your children about any times you can remember when they definitely lied (maybe they confessed at a later time) but don’t bring up something that’s going to start an argument! Especially between siblings…! Ask how they felt in each instance. Were they worried they’d get found out? Did they feel sad that someone lied to them? Did they feel angry or upset if someone said something that wasn’t true about them? Maybe someone said they did something wrong when they didn’t.

Help them to think through how important it is and feels to be honest and treated with full honesty.

Ages 7-11: This is a passage with some harsh details that there’s no getting away from. Ultimately, whether we understand or like it, the dishonesty of Ananias and Sapphira led to their very untimely deaths. The point to make is that God really values honesty and actually, so do we. Ask:

What are your thoughts on hearing this passage? Does anything strike you or stand out, have you got any questions?

What is the most generous thing you have ever done? How did it feel?

Has anyone been generous to you? How did it feel?

Have you ever told a lie? Did anyone ever find out? How did it feel?

Have you ever been lied to? How did it feel?

Has anyone ever said something about you that isn’t true? How did it feel?

Can you understand why Ananias and Sapphira might have been so dishonest about how generous they were being? It’s important to note that they weren’t told or made to give all of the money they got for selling their field, they could have told the truth and said they had kept some back for themselves or whatever.

The fact that Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead after lying is something that can raise questions. Some people think it was the shock that their lie was exposed that killed them. Some think that God took drastic action to stamp out lies to protect the church in its early days so it wouldn’t become an organisation no one could trust. Whatever the reason, we do well to remember God is holy. When we lie, we lie not only to ourselves and those we’ve lied to, but to God also. We can fool others and maybe even try to fool ourselves with lies, but God sees our hearts. When we think of the holiness of God, the gift of forgiveness he gave us and what it cost Him (the death of His own son), lies suddenly become very cheap. God calls us to be honest people. Honest with our words, actions and thoughts. He also calls us to be generous. Generous with our possessions, time, talents, and lives. We can’t fool Him into how well we do either of those things. Dishonesty is so destructive. It destroys friendships as it hurts all those involved. Even when we make a mistake, if we are honest and own up, we can have the chance to make it better.

Can you think of something generous you can do for your family and/or church community? How about giving a few hours of your free time to ask your family if you can do any jobs for them? Could you help a sibling? Could you share or even give away something you have but feel it would be a blessing to someone else?

Song

Here’s the link to the song from Ian

Crafts/Activities

For All Ages:

Have a look through the print-outs and choose which ones you’d like to do to consolidate the story

Quiz Worksheet

Wordsearch

Detective Worksheet

Colouring Page

Honesty Activity Set

Try the ‘Lying lips’ craft below

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.

Proverbs 12:22

Instructions

1. Print this template onto card

2. Colour and cut out all of the pieces. 3. Take the tongue piece and fold on the solid line, creating a crease. 4. Glue the tongue to the lips. 5. Decide if you want to use the moustaches or not and glue them if required! 6. Glue a lolly stick to the back of the lips to create a handle.

It should look like this: