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queenlists · 5 years ago

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Twisted Halloween

A Dandy mott x reader where the reader is Dandy's friend and gets kidnapped by twisty on halloween and Dandy is angry but doesn't reveal his identity to the reader only gives them special treatment! (Sorry if that doesn't make sense!) ~signed just a simple Dandy loving anon~ (Request)

Word Count: 3104

A/N: Thank you to the Dandy loving anon that sent me this request! I hope that this is similar to what you wanted. We are at 168. Thank you all for the support! I really do appreciate you all. If you want to find my masterlist, please click here! I hope you enjoy this ✌

Post Date: 05/14/2020

“We can just come pick you up. You’re cutting into our Halloween party time,” Dandy whined into the phone. “I’m almost done! Don’t worry about picking me up, I will take my bike,” I stared at my costume, wondering what it was missing. “I’m sure you want your own mode of transportation after everything. I understand,” I bit the inside of my cheek as I slowly worked on my costume, not sure how to respond. “It’s okay. Really it is...is this tomato on my sandwich? I specifically asked for no tomato! Where’s your manager?” I sighed, listening to Dandy tear into an unfortunate caterer. Stepping back, I admired my work “Alright, I’m on my way!” I chirped into the phone before ending the call.

It’s Halloween. Every Halloween, Dandy and I have a small party. Just for the two of us. We haven’t missed a single Halloween since we met and despite the heated fight we had, we couldn’t miss this one..

“You can’t do this to him. You can’t do this to me. Please, Y/n, one more Halloween. Just one more!”

What a mistake

My eyes fluttered open as the sunlight danced on my face, waking me of my involuntary deep slumber. My head pulsated with pain as my dirt covered body shivered. As I lifted my arm to rest my hand on my aching head, I could hear the chains scrape across the floor. Where am I? My eyes scanned the dusty room. A cage. I was in a cage. In a cage on a bus. My eyes continued to scan the room as they fell upon old toys that must have been older than I am. Dirty dolls in worn, ragged dresses. Some missing one eye, one arm, one leg, or even their head. Wheeless toy trucks. Squeaky toys that probably spat dust out when squeezed. I heard a small cough nearby. I slowly turned my head, wincing. My neck felt so stiff. My eyes connected with another's. A girl around my age and a little boy. I immediately identified them as the missing siblings from just a few weeks ago. No one knew just how long they were gone. Their parents were on a vacation at the time of their disappearance. Their faces were plastered on flyers, newspapers, milk cartons, the news channels, etc. They looked different now compared to the clean, polite, bright eyed children the pictures portrayed. They were covered in dirt, dirtier than I was. Their hair matted. Their clothing torn and riddled with holes. Their eyes sunken. They must’ve been here for awhile now.

"D-do you know who did this?" I stammered, licking at my cracked lips. I tasted blood and my lip was swollen. I continued to run my tongue over my enlarged bottom lip as the girl began to sigh "The clown. Twisty the clown,"

Twisty. Dandy, my best friend, had talked about Twisty over a million times before. Dandy became obsessed with clowns and even had his mother buy him a clown costume. A few of them actually. I had always assumed the disappearances were blamed on an urban legend as they were so mysterious and unheard of in this part of town. Nothing happened like this in Jupiter. The streets were innocent. They were so innocent that the cops were so bored from the lack of action in town that they’d drive on down to the freak show to stir up some trouble themselves. As corrupt as that was, no one really complained because without it there would be nothing for the bored to gossip about. There would be nothing to gasp and read about in the daily newspapers. Nothing to wake up tired eyes. Nothing to shake and stir the town. Kids were free to roam around until nightfall and even then as long as they stayed in or around their yards, they continued to play with little to no adult supervision. No harm done. Every child accounted for by supper. The only odd and sometimes looked down on thing in town was the freak show and even that wasn’t bad. Jupiter was safe..up until now anyway.

“Twisty? Isn’t Twisty just a name they plastered onto the missing case?” I looked between the girl and the boys. “Twisty is real. He’ll come back sometime today to give us supper..maybe,” the little boy looked down, poking at a stale piece of moldy bread. “How long have you been here?” I chewed on my lip, producing more blood. “It’s hard to remember,” both the boy and girl whimpered, their eyes lowered as they stared blankly at the floor. I choked down a sob as I shook my head in disbelief. Why me? Why them? Why is this happening?

There were crunching footsteps coming from the distance. My ears perked up as I scrambled to my knees. “It’s him,” the little boy whimpered as the girl pulled him towards her, rocking him back and forth as she hummed to him. As the footsteps got closer, I could hear the tingle of little bells. Goosebumps perked up on my skin as the bells and footsteps got closer and closer. Louder and louder. After a minute or two I could hear maniacal giggling. Shuddering, I closed my eyes as shivers shot down my spine. I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard the bus door peel open. I could hear the tingle of bells paired with heavy breathing. I felt myself slip into an abyss of panic, so I went to my happy place:

The warmth of the sun kissed my skin as I frolicked in the flowered garden with him. My cheeks burned from the stretch of my smile and my stomach clenched with my heavy laughter. His blue eyes hid behind wrinkled eyelids, his sparkling white teeth shone in the sunlight through his smile. I ran my thumb over his hand as he led me towards the big mansion that he lived in. The inside of the mansion smelled of sweet baked goods as a hint of cinnamon lingered in the air. Fresh bread. Fresh pie. Fresh cookies. You name it, it was there. Flowers. Big bouquets of flowers placed here and there, adding a pop of color to the big mansion. A sweet treat for the eyes.

You could hear the faint tune of Dora’s hum from the kitchen as well as you could hear the gentle, light clicks of Gloria’s heels coming towards us. “You look absolutely wonderful today, Y/n. You look handsome as ever, Dandy!” Gloria pressed her lipsticked lips together in a pleasant smile as she stood in front of Dandy and I. “Mother, have Dora bring us up a platter of desserts as well as finger sandwiches and some iced tea!” Dandy ordered. “Please,” I added with a smile. Gloria’s eyes were glued to our interlocked fingers. “Mother!” Dandy shouted, tightening his grip on my hand. “Yes, dear! I heard you clearly. I will send her right up when it’s all prepared,” Gloria’s eyes slowly travelled up to my eyes. We held eye contact for some time before she nodded, walking away towards the kitchen.

“Let’s go!” Dandy grinned, leading me upstairs. I looked through the design on the staircase railing at Gloria who stood in her place, looking back at me. Her eyes were quiet and gentle, but at the same time telling. Almost warning. My footsteps quickly matched Dandy’s as he began to drag me up the stairs and through the house to his playroom.

We laughed and joked around from sun up until sun down. His laugh, contagious. His smile, breathtaking. Time flew by with him. There was so much to do in so little time. “Together we can do anything, Y/n! We’re the bestest of friends that ever existed. We can be rulers, we SHOULD be rulers! We could rule the universe and take over galaxies. We’re unstoppable. We’re immortal and invincible!” Dandy preached, flailing his arms around with a big smile. Pointing everywhere as he stomped around with his head held high. His confidence beamed and poured right out of him as he spewed “Y/n, we could move mountains and drain oceans. Shall we take over?” Dandy’s smirk slithered across his face as he leaned in closer to me. “We shall,” I grinned at Dandy.

Pleased, Dandy flopped onto the big couch that I perched up on, laying his head on my lap “I got this for you,” Dandy handed me a piece of my favorite candy as well as a flower that he had picked from their garden “To an amazing friendship,” “To an amazing friendship,” I smiled back at Dandy, smelling the flower.

I could feel the warm bursts of heat coming from the other side of the cage as Twisty breathy panted by my face. The smell of mint drowned my senses. I heard the wired cage dangle and shake as Twisty grumbled. I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes as I heard the locked cage door screech open. I could hear the bells jingle as metal clanked and spun on the floor. “Mr. Clown, can we leave after supper?” I heard the boy squeak before the girl shushed him. Twisty didn’t respond. There was a continued shuffle then a brief pause. I knew that Twisty or whoever this clown is was staring right at me. I refused to open my eyes even after I felt something drop at my feet. I kept my eyes shut when the cage screeched to a close and keys jangled as the door locked.

I finally opened my eyes when I could hear the shuffling start to fade away. I could see the back of the clown walking away before prying the bus doors open then closed again. I looked at the girl and the boy who were shoveling what looked like plain oatmeal into their mouths from metal plates before looking down at my feet. My favorite candy and a familiar flower along with my favorite meal that looked eerily similar to Dora’s style of cooking. I scrambled to my feet to try to get a glimpse of the clown, but by the time I made it to an open window the clown was gone. I could only hear the faint jingles of the costume.

My stomach grumbled as I fell to my knees, unwrapping the candy and shoving it into my mouth with a satisfied sigh. “He never gives us candy,” I heard the little boy whimper. “Or anything other than oatmeal,” the girl added. I slid the container with my favorite food in it to the siblings “It’s yours,” I watched as their faces lit up, small smiles as a thank you. As they began to eat, I sighed and twirled the flower in between my fingers awaiting Dandy.

“Oh my gosh, Dandy! You can’t just say that,” I giggled, covering my mouth as Dandy stood in front of one of his many mirrors. “But the beauty of it all is that, I can!” Dandy grinned, staring at himself in the mirror. “Do you know what you want to be for Halloween?” Dandy nodded before turning towards me “Have you heard of Twisty the clown?” his eyebrows wiggled as his eyes stared into my soul. “Oh yeah, Jupiter’s killer clown! Instead of pinning the cases on a legend, the police need to be searching and catching leads” I rolled my eyes. “No Y/n it’s not a legend. He’s real!” Dandy stamped his foot before sighing “Twisty is real,” I watched as Dandy pulled out a clown costume, dangling it in front of himself as he posed in the mirror. “You’ve been into clowns a lot lately,” I watched as Dandy began to admire himself in the mirror, his eyes dressing himself up in the costume. “I met Twisty. We are partners,” Dandy ran his fingers up and down the costume.

I mildly laughed, shaking my head at Dandy’s ridiculousness. Dandy was known to come up with fantasies in his head and get wrapped up in them. It was best to not argue with him. “Why are you laughing?” Dandy snapped, his eyes burning holes into my head. “Calm down!” I defended, shocked by his tone. I was used to him speaking harshly, but to everyone else and never me. “I will not calm down. You are disrespecting me,” Dandy began to slowly creep over to me, his tone getting louder and louder. His tone of voice sending unpleasant chills up and down my spine over and over again “You’re supposed to be my best friend and you don’t believe me?””

I quietly stood up, backing away from Dandy “I just didn’t think he was real. I believe you Dandy. I do,” I backed myself up into the wall as Dandy got closer and closer until his body pressed against mine. His sharp eyes searched mine before a smile ripped across his face “Okay! Let’s play a game, huh?”

My thoughts were cut short as I heard the bus doors pry open. I snapped my head towards the clown, gasping. I felt a thousand bullets tear into my body as I looked Twisty up and down with watered eyes. “Dandy,” I whispered, covering my mouth. Dandy grunted through the dirty mask, walking towards the cage. Dandy stood in front of me, staring at me with those eyes. I stuck the flower through the case, staring Dandy in his eyes “Why are you doing this Dandy?” Dandy’s eyes were glued to the flower. “You’re better than this,” I whimpered, looking at the boy and girl behind me “Let them go. Let me go! We can talk about this,” I snapped my head back towards Dandy with pleading eyes “Please,”

Dandy wasn’t hiding behind that mask. It only covered his mouth, leaving his slick back hair and bright eyes open to see. Dandy grunted into the mask, his eyebrows squeezing together as he jumped up and down, rattling the cage. I heard shuffling as the girl held onto the whimpering boy. I didn’t move as I stared at Dandy who continued to rattle and shake the cage in an attempt to scare me. “You don’t scare me. I know you!”

Dandy ripped the flower through the cage, tearing it up into pieces and throwing the tiny brightly colored pieces towards the boy and girl. “Leave them alone!” I demanded “You are a monster!” Dandy began to heavy breath as he threw the bag of stuff at the cage before stomping away and out of the bus. I crouched down as I reached for the bag. Pulling on the string, the bag fell over and some of the contents spilled out: my favorite snacks, my favorite bottled sodas, a greasy brown bag of food from the small diner that Dandy and I frequented, a container of sloppy oatmeal, wet wipes, a brush, a crumpled up ball of paper, and one pair of clothes.

My clothes. The clothes that I had left the night I ran out on Dandy.

I tried to stay away from Dandy as much as I could without him taking much notice. He started to become increasingly angry. More physical. More uncontrollable. More spontaneous. We were enjoying a late night snack with Gloria. We were dressed up in these new, silky pajamas that Gloria had spotted on one of her out of town outings. I had agreed to a sleepover after Gloria showed up to my house, proposing the idea that I come spend time with Dandy sick or not due to his lonely behavior. “He misses you dearly and so do I” she pleaded. The woman goes through hell with that boy, so it was hard for me to not agree.

“Let’s shoot the freaks!” Dandy laughed, waving a gun around. “Let’s not,” I bit my lip as I glanced at Gloria who sipped at her cup of tea. “Stop being a buzzkill!” Dandy shouted at me. “You’re being so unreasonable! You’ve been acting so different, Dandy. This is why I’ve been avoiding you!” I screamed back. I covered my mouth as I shook my head. I didn’t mean to say those words. It was supposed to be subtle. Leaving his house an hour early. Two hours earlier. Three hours earlier. Staying home “sick” for a day. Then two days. Then a week. Progressively detaching him from me was the plan and now it’s out in the open with no way of backtracking.

Dandy stumbled back “You weren’t sick last week?” I pressed my lips together as I looked down. “You are such a liar! No wonder why you refused our doctor to visit. You are nothing, Y/n!” Dandy screamed “You are..nothing,” “Dandy, no!” Gloria screamed.

It all happened so slow. I heard Gloria scream. I heard the tea cup shatter. I felt little drops of the hot tea splash at my legs. I felt Gloria’s hands as she pushed me down and out of the way onto the floor. I heard the loud bang of the gun. I could smell the smoke and gunpowder. I could hear the bullet crack through layers upon layers of the living room wall. Gloria kept shouting, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. The only thing I could really hear was the ringing in my ears. I laid on the ground for a moment not wanting to believe that my best friend would have shot me dead.

I would have been dead had I been alone with Dandy.

It took a minute for that to seep in, but once it did..

“You’re crazy! You’re a monster!” I screamed, scrambling to my feet and running out of the door. I could hear Dandy shouting followed by more gunshot noises. I could feel the heat from the bullets as they chased and missed me. My feet had never ran faster.

“I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” Dandy screamed with every bang of the gun.

I opened up and smoothed out the piece of paper and sat down on the floor to read it:

“I’m kind of sorry” was sprawled out in beautiful red writing. Not Dandy’s handwriting but it was Gloria’s.

I shook my head in disbelief as I passed the boy and girl the greasy bag of food and snacks. I watched as they tore open into the bags, hungry for something other than cold oatmeal.

I could hear erratic jingling of bells outside along with the famous words of Dandy “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”

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rosesloveletters · 4 years ago

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This is a very personal post for me. I never thought I would be making it, but I would like to share the trip I took with J exactly a year ago; I’ve spoken about this trip on a number of occasions and it is what really bonded us together. We’ve been inseparable ever since. J is not the kind of guy to open up easily, yet this trip was the very beginning of the both of us learning how to trust again.

I don’t like to share such personal details of our relationship, but it’s been a year since all of this took place and I kept it mostly quiet for that time; I’ve had the chance to hold this close to my heart and keep it only to my own knowledge, but now I would like to document it, as I’ve been looking back on it heavily today.

The rest will be under a cut, because there are pictures and I don’t want to clog everyone’s dash with useless info, photos and such if you don’t want to see. For those that read on, please enjoy.

In all of my life, I have never been away from my home for the holidays. Every Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day, I am never anywhere but home. Last Thanksgiving was a ‘spur of the moment’ kind of thing that came to fruition only a few months before the holiday.

I had been sick a week prior to the trip and J had remained with me throughout that time. I can’t say I am completely new to F/Os, though before joining this community I did not know that self-shipping had a “name” or that “F/O’s” is a term; I have never had another F/O stick by my side during an illness. I tend to push them out of my mind when I have a virus, but I learned quickly that J is persistent. He did not leave. I was completely alone for the entire day and feeling J there kept me from utterly falling apart.

After my illness, the very next week we were on our way to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. If you’ve never been there, it is extremely touristy and crowded, but I love it. It has been practically a second home to me for so long; my family and I used to go there every summer. We stopped a long while ago, but I was thrilled to finally be back in a place so familiar. I know where all the restaurants are, all the stores I like, the aquarium (which we visited!) and more.

Our first day there was not much because we had been traveling the whole way. We rented a bed and breakfast up in the mountains; it was a fifteen minute drive of terror to get there. There were no guard rails on the steep hill and nothing keeping us from a sheer drop every time we came up or down, but what was at the top made it all worth it. Our little apartment was perfect and the view was spectacular.

This was our place at the top of the mountain and the spiral staircase that led to the loft where I stayed with J:

I could tell he felt safe up here in the middle of nowhere; I wanted to take him somewhere he wouldn’t be recognized. Within the hustle and bustle of the city, though, he had to be careful. He wore old clothes that he had saved that had been his, dark suspenders and black lace up shoes most days. This trip was the first time I saw him without his face paint. The point of the trip for us, was for us to be able to grow closer. J is a tough nut to crack, but we’ve known each other a long time; we got to know each other in a much different light on this trip.

This is the view from our balcony the first morning after we arrived:

We achieved a kind of solitude up there that we never would have in the city. J doesn’t like the city, despite his adamant request that we continue to live there. He has such a recognizable face that he is only truly at ease in a place like this, with civilization miles away.

When we did go into town, we stood in line for donuts. Of course since it was Thanksgiving, it was swarming with crowds and crowds of people (J hated that and several times he thought someone had recognized him.) J is a sucker for sweet treats and he was thoroughly excited with the idea of donuts; I later took him into a candy store in the same venue and he behaved, well, as one might suspect. I think he shoved a bunch of rock candy into his pockets because when we got back to our apartment later I heard him crunching on something and we didn’t buy any chips.

This was where we stood in line for donuts (I got a glazed donut with white frosting and sprinkles and J had something called a ‘pillow’ which was basically a square-shaped donut with creme filling):

We sat on a bench by the fountain and ate our donuts; J had his finished in about thirty seconds and was licking his fingers by the time I was on my third bite. That was the best food we had had there so far; the night before, we went out for pizza and it was horrible.

After we had had our donuts, J was ready to get away from the crowds; he felt like someone had been staring at him, so we headed out to the park for a while. J is not much of an outdoorsman, but he likes the solitude and that no one would be around to spot him. Everywhere we went, there were people, so J and I headed further back in the park where there was less of a chance to be around anyone. We got out and walked along a deserted pathway and stood on the edge of the creek as it rushed past us.

Here’s a photo from our walk:

After that, we headed back into town for lunch. Before we went inside to sit down, J dug around in his luggage for a purple knitted hat of his and put it on so he’d be less recognizable and his identity would be concealed enough for us to sit down long enough to share a meal. We had Mexican food; I learned that J has a thing for tortillas and extremely spicy salsa (and that he’s a messy eater.) We had our food fast and I think J had a margarita or two, but his scars were attracting some unwanted negative attention and people were staring, so we left fast before he could say anything. We went and bought tickets to the aquarium, per my request.

Inside the aquarium was the first time J saw my childish side; I get super excited at aquariums and zoos because of all the animals and it reminds me of all the fun school trips I used to take when I was little. We saw all kinds of sea creatures. J was most fascinated with the sharks and the jellyfish, while I was busy looking at the sea turtles and string-rays. However, my favorite exhibit was the penguins. We stood and watched them for close to thirty minutes. The staff members were feeding them and the little penguins got so excited. One man held up his cup and straw to the glass and one little penguin tried to grab it!

J and I were shocked when we saw this sitting inside the medical facility’s window where they tend to the penguins (for those who don’t know, Burgess Meredith was the actor who played the Penguin in the original Batman television series with Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin and Cesar Romero as the Joker):

We spent much of our time that day in the park after the aquarium trip and then we retired to our apartment at the top of the mountain and spent that night watching movies. That night was the night J told me the origin of his scars. He had never told anyone the full and completely truthful story and that was the first time he ever did and probably the last. This trip was full of ‘firsts’ for us; it was the first time we ever made love (watch him get pissed at me for saying that pffft.)

On Thanksgiving morning, J whipped us up some cinnamon rolls. It was a scene watching him try to use the oven; it was an extremely ancient appliance and he was dropping f-bombs left and right and I think he also burnt his hand on the pan. The only thing J will make correctly are things that come from a can, tin or otherwise are pre-made or sweets. In this case, we had a very decent breakfast:

We spent the rest of that day in the park and then that evening, we traveled over to the next town for our dinner reservations. Even though we had reservations, there were so many people we still had to wait over an hour to be seated. It was cold and we were wedged into a tiny corner as we waited. There was nowhere to sit and so I leaned back against J; he rested his chin on top of my head and would occasionally tap on my shoulders along to the music coming through the overhead speakers.

When we were finally seated, we were brought several courses, the first being apple fritters and drinks (the highlight of the meal), then we had some soup and it was terrible, and finally we were brought the main course: turkey, ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce and dinner rolls. There was so much food and, spread out across even such a large table, it was unimaginable how we were expected to eat it all. J finished almost all the turkey and about half the ham (he didn’t eat all day so he could “save room” for the meat.) He went to town on the rolls and mashed potatoes as well. He kept sneering at the cranberries and watched me with disgust as I ate them. He threw a dinner roll at me across the table to get my attention and grinned when I looked at him; he had corn stuck in his teeth. he took his hat off halfway through dinner because it was warm inside the dining room and somehow he wound up with mashed potatoes in his hair.

Here’s our meal before J had ravaged it all 9utter chaos ensued after this photo was taken):

Our last full day in Gatlinburg was fairly relaxed; we went into the city that morning, but it was even more crowded (it was a Friday) and J decided we’d better head out. We went into the park and started up one of the mountains. I let J drive and he drives like a maniac; we made such sharp turns I almost ended up out through the open window. He sped up the mountain and we quickly made it to the top. The view was breathtaking but J didn’t even blink. I know he had to have appreciated it as well, but he doesn’t make a big deal out of things. The farther up we went, the more deserted the lookout spots became and when we found ourselves alone, J scooped me into his arms and kissed me. Seeing tiny glimpses of his humanity was unsettling at first because I had never known him as such; J still finds ways to surprise me, even now.

This is the view we had at the top of the mountain:

and this is the spot where J kissed me:

( Cameron: and she kissed me

Pat: Where?

Cameron: in the car )

Little did we know that on the way down from the mountain, we would be sitting in the car for almost three hours stuck in traffic. We made the most of it; J wouldn’t let me turn on the radio for some reason, so I talked to him. He didn’t say much, but he listened. This was when I found out J was more of a listener unless he was in a playful mood.

When we got back to the apartment that night, we watched a Christmas movie together. I don’t fully embrace Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving - I owe it to all the holidays to give them equal time and attention (and I like Thanksgiving a lot.) No Christmas movies, music or decorating until after Thanksgiving. J kept talking through the entire movie and every time he laughed it scared me because he was so loud. It doesn’t bother me if he talks through movies because I do it too.

The next day, we packed our things and left to come back home. This is the view from outside our balcony on our last day:

I keep coming back to the memory of this trip because it was the last trip I got to take before the start of Covid; no one knows when it will be safe to travel again or if it will even be next year. I miss when everyone was able to do so and we weren’t risking our health and safety as well as other people’s just by going out. Of all the trips I’ve taken, this one will always be special to me because of J; he was like a light in my life and he came in at the most opportune time.

I haven’t felt that happy in so long. I had been suffering greatly a few months prior to the trip, but because of him things were beginning to change. I might not be a part of this world if I hadn’t met him again at the time I had and I am lucky that I got to experience such a lively time in my life and all the little ways loving J has renewed my sense of self-love and awareness in the world and things around me.

This trip is one I owe to J, but also to myself; I felt aware of myself and my space in the world.

I have no idea how I talked J into making this trip with me, nor if I’ll ever convince him to come with me anywhere ever again, but I will hold the memories close to me forever and I’ll always look back on this time of the year as something special and happy.

#self-shipping #jaie #my stuff #I love my J #I dont know if he feels the same but I know how I feel

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fandima-moved-read-pinned · 5 years ago

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Would it be awesome to see you do all 100 asks? Yes. Will you do them? We shall see.

Wanna bet

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? - More cereal than milk!

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?- No, actually. I hate the cold ^^' And if there's cold air on my cheeks then it's on my nose and that's no good

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? - Usually a post it note! Not very random, but it's normally what I have on hand.

4: how do you take your coffee/tea? - Depends on my mood! Sometimes I'll take my coffee black, other times ill add a fricc ton of creamer, whipped cream, and sugar. Also sometimes I mix coffee with hot chocolate and it's amazing.

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? - Very.

6: do you keep plants? - Always. I still have the carnations from Valentines Day (which surprisingly haven't died yet)

7: do you name your plants? - Nope.

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? - just a mechanical pencil or a graphite pencil. They usually end up being sketches. But if I like how it looks I'll go over them in pen.

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? - Yes and no? I'd do it more often but I don't want anyone to hear me. Especially my mom.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? - Side, always facing the wall.

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? - The only one I can think of off the top of my head is *slap slap slap* *jumps out window*. No I will not explain.

12: what’s your favorite planet? - Pluto! Or Make Make. Make Make used to be my favorite because me and my brother would pronounce it wrong on purpose. But Pluto is ver pretty.

13: what’s something that made you smile today? - seeing my brother's reaction to his birthday present from me! I made a little felt monkey with bushy eyebrows (I needle felted it)

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? - Probably very messy. But also it would constantly smell like food!

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! - Mars is shrinking. It is Smol.

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? - Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp! It's what I usually ordered at Olive Garden until I found out that it was expensive and was probably stressing out my parents.

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? - Don't laugh okay but pink! I want to dye the bottom half of my hair bright freaking pink. Like hot pink.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. - That time I slapped a guy twice for picking me up. That guy was my best friend. He picked me up from behind and I sorta whipped around and slapped him. The first time he didn't put me down, he just laughed. So I slapped him again. He got the hint.

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?- I don't. I tried a while back, but I figured it would be easier just to talk to people about my issues instead of writing them down.

20: what’s your favorite eye color? - Green. Or dark brown.

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. - Not sure what this means, sorry. I've got this pencil pouch that has a tree print on it that I've used for a few years now even though it has a hole it it. Does that count?

22: are you a morning person? - No. I wake up at 5:30 am on weekdays and usually don't get out of bed until I have ten minutes to get ready and leave.

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? - Stay in my room and draw! Although I don't have lazy days. Every time my mom comes upstairs I immediately start cleaning because if I don't she'll yell at me for being lazy.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? - Yes. Take a look at who sent this ask. Also my other two online friends! One of them I spam with worms on a string and the other I just know I can trust and I don't know why.

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? - the only place I've broken into is my own house. I had to climb the backyard fence to go through the back door because me and my brother forgot our keys.

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? - My plain black tennis shoes. I need to get new ones because these ones are old and barely fit but every time I mention it, it's like I never said a word.

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? - Candy Cane!

28: sunrise or sunset? - Sunset! I get to see the sun setting behind the Rocky Mountains and it's really pretty.

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? - exist

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? - Yes. I'd rather not talk about it.

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. - socks can burn in hell for all I care. I hate socks. I only wear them if I have to (like while wearing shoes)

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. - I remember being at a sleepover a few days before I moved (this was in South Korea) and I woke up at 3:34 am (yes I remember the time don't ask why) because one of my friends was playing Megalovania on the keyboard. Then she turned around and asked who the hell took her pretzels. They were under her pillow.

33: what’s your fave pastry? - c w a s o a n t (with jelly inside!)

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? - I still have this stuffed animal now (I have all of my stuffed animals. I haven't brought myself to get rid of them). It's a little pink blanket with a bunny head named Squeek. Not Squeak. I didn't know how to spell that.

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? - No. I don't have any.

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? - https://youtu.be/7TqLXIBG-6g not a band but still

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? - Messy! It may sound strange, but I can't find anything when it's clean. It also feels empty unless I've got stuff all over the floor.

38: tell us about your pet peeves! - When I tell remind someone of the rules and they say "okay" and continue breaking them. Like we aren't supposed to put pans in the dishwasher because it ruins the pans. Yet my brother always puts them in there. I remind him and take it out, and he says "okay" and puts it back. I also hate it when I ask someone to stop doing something (usually when it's making me nervous or upset) and they ask "WhY?" in a really annoying tone and keep doing it. I ALSO hate it when I'm in charge and yet no one listens to me.

I also don't like it when no one says thank you. It makes it seem like they don't appreciate me.

39: what color do you wear the most? - Grey. I want to wear colorful clothes but the last time we went clothes shopping and I asked for pastel colors, I walked out of the store with grey, light grey, brown, and dark blue clothes.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? - I have a locket that I made for my seventh birthday. It has little charms in it (a rose, my first initial, a heart key, and a birthday cake) and it's gold. I love it and I don't know why.

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving? - There's a book series that I don't remember the name of but it's about a girl who is forcibly turned into a siren by three other sirens. She has to eat human hearts to live. It's kinda gorey, kinda romantic, lots of action. I love it.

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! - Unfortunately no, I usually get coffee at a gas station ^^'

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? - My dog Freyja! Whenever I take out trash, she comes with, and when the sky is clear I like to point out the starts with her before we go back inside. She's very sweet. But I can't stargaze for more than a minute.

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? - Last year I went on a trip to Florida to stay with my grandparents for a week. I remember waking up one morning with a beautiful view of the ocean and the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. My grandparents have an apartment of sorts that faces the Atlantic and you can literally go down the stairs and go swim in the ocean if you want to, it's like a two minute walk, not even. I love the ocean and the sound of waves and seagulls is always calming to me. But my house is very loud and there's no peace here.

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? - Yes. When I have a bad feeling about something, I address it. It's not always true, but I don't want to risk anything.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. - Sorry, I don't know many puns. I guess I'm just not a pun-ny person.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? - fucking macaroni with bread crumsb that shit is nasty af

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? - Storms, especially tornados. Now my biggest fear is death. Whether I'm the one dying or its someone I care about.

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? - Not really, I don't have money to buy anything ^^' Even when I do have money, I spend it on art stuff. That reminds me that I need to fix my radio.

50: what’s an odd thing you collect? - Fabric. I have so much and I don't even use it. But when I see a nice fabric, I get it (if I have money).

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? - 'Old Timer Rock and Roll' (probably not the name of it) always reminds me of my dad. One day we were driving in his Jeep, just us two, and I mentioned that I wasn't a fan of the music on the radio. We ended up compromising and that song was the first one on the radio station that we switched to.

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? - I am unfortunately not up to date with the memes. Although the ones where it's like "you've mc-ed your last Donald" or "you've ratted your last tatouille" always make me exhale aggressively.

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? - None of the above! I've been wanting to watch Heather's though. I just never get around to doing it.

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? - My brother. Not the same one from before.

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? - nothing, sorry. I'm not very dramatic.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people? - when they pour their heart out about a certain subject that they love. I know a lot of people tend to bottle up their opinions but when someone trusts me aniugh to tell me all about it, it's just sorta nice.

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? - I just sorta spaced out for the first have then did a little dance for the rest of it. I love the line "I see a little silhouetto of a man" and it's more upbeat and the music just makes me dance a little

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? - bold of you to assume I have a group of friends

59: what’s your favorite myth? - There's this one I heard as a kid that involves a faceless girl on the side of a highway who tries to steal faces.

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? - I can't think of any off the top of my head, but poetry is nice!

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? - I don't really remember. I try to only give gifts that are meaningful.

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? - nope! I usually drink milk!

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? - I usually leave my music to its own devices, but all the books are organized by series and genre.

64: what color is the sky where you are right now? - Blue! Just any other afternoon sky.

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? - My older brother. We don't get to talk much.

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? - Colorful, with a few white flowers!

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? - Those are usually the days that I don't feel anything.

68: what’s winter like where you live? - The weather is all over the place. A little snow, then the next day, it's like 60°F. Not even joking. It snowed Friday and Saturday was warm.

69: what are your favorite board games? - Monopoly and Battleship!

70: have you ever used a ouija board? - No, but I really want to. But my dad won't let me.

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? - I don't really drink tea, sorry!

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? - Nope. I'll forget it anyway. I usually set alarms for certain things but then I don't do it.

73: what are some of your worst habits? - Biting the inside of my cheek and scratching/pinching my arm when I'm nervous.

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. - kind, a good listener, talented, and understanding

75: tell us about your pets! - We have four dogs. There's Emrys (the dog I've posted pictures of before), Cirilla (a husky German Shepard mix, very sweet), Cayde-6 (a Rottweiler mix I think, super energetic, loud, and steals food off the counter even when someone is watching), and Freyja (a German Shepard mix, puppy, also very sweet! She knows the phrase 'give hugs' and she always comes with me to take out the trash for whatever reason). I also have a Guinea Pig (who I want to get a friend for because she's lonely, but my parents keep saying no) names Neo.

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? - Working on my Someconsious series, cleaning, and probably checking in with some friends.

77: pink or yellow lemonade? - Pink

78: are you in the minion hateclub or Fan club? - Hate club. I don't like them. They're just annoying and bright and their language is stupid to me.

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? - One of my exes surprised me with a cars and roses out of nowhere. It wasn't Valentines Day, it wasn't my birthday, he just went out of his way to do something nice for me when I was having a rough week.

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? - They're a sort of off white. I want to paint them light lavender or pale blue but my parents have only painted the living room and refuse to paint anywhere else for whatever reason. I know we can afford paint, I know we have time. They just stopped caring.

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. - Not sure what it means by abstract, but I'll try. Her eyes are similar to the bottom of a small river. The brown in the middle with green rings on the edges remind me of a river I used to go fishing in back in Oklahoma.

82: are/were you good in school? - I'm okay. I have all A's and B's, but I have easy subjects that aren't very hard.

83: what’s some of your favorite album art? - I don't really listen to albums, my music taste is mostly individual songs. Even then I don't really pay attention to the art.

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? - I want to get a quote of sort on my ankle. Something in another language so I can tell them it means something mysterious and deep when in reality it's the description of a toaster oven that hasn't been cleaned since 1995.

85: do you read comics? what are your faves? - I read a few webcomics if that counts! I like Castle Swimmer a lot! Gay fish bapeys are best fish bapeys.

86: do you like concept albums? which ones? - I don't know what those are, sorry

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? - The Princess Bride and the Last Unicorn. But I'm biased because they're both a part of my childhood.

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? - not in particular!

89: are you close to your parents? - I'm only close with my dad. My stepmom can go fuck herself. She just told us that's she'll be making a schedule for the next two weeks because there won't be school. One of the weeks was spring break anyway! We aren't missing much!

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. - I like Palm Beach in Florida! It's fairly quiet, right next to the ocean, and filled with retired people who are all really nice.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year? - Nowhere, we don't travel much. I really want to go to Florida again though.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? - I don't add cheese at all! It sort of ruins the texture for me. Especially the grated sprinkle cheese stuff l. I hate now it feels.

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? - I just keep my hair down. I don't like it in any other way.

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? - My brother. His birthday is today!

95: what are your plans for this weekend? - cry a lot cry some more lose feelings for a few hours draw watch YouTube art videos then try not to yell at my mom like I did last week

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? - I just get it over with so I can do whatever needs to be done. Or I schedule it for when I'm not going to be using it.

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? - INFP-T/Mediator, Scorpio, and Hufflepuff

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?- A few weeks ago. And no, I did not enjoy it considering I was supposed to be working on an important project that day.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. - Where We Started, If You're Going Through Hell, and We Like to Numb (a mix of We Like to Party and Numb)

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? - Future. In five years I plan on being in college and I want to see what I should be prepared for and if my interests have changed.

This took me at least an hour and a half. Thank you though! I

#Long Post #Aven Answers #tw cursing

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neverwatchedonepiece · 6 years ago

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611-612: "A Small Dragon! Momonosuke Appears!" and "A Deadly Fight in a Blizzard! the Straw Hats vs. the Snow Woman!"

Caesar’s Minion: “Wait... Didn’t Vegapunk leave a man made Devil Fruit here.”

Felt the pace across this pair of episodes was a bit slower. Not a problem, though, because all the loose ends must be tied up. To to this, all plot threads must be lovingly prepared and set in place before the final, arc-ending knot is tied.

So far, Oda’s been great at that, so I’m not worried. Even if some threads are left loose, they’ll just be woven into a future plot because he planned it that way. At least Momonosuke, the last outstanding plot point, has finally wound his way onto the stage. All that remains are those elusive sea prism stone cuffs.

But there was one Huge Reveal here...

MAN MADE DEVIL FRUITS.

THEY ARE A THING.

WTF?

Your Dad Talked Through His Farts

I loved this weird little meeting between Luffy and Momonosuke.

Luffy worked on his past experience with talking dragons on Punk Hazard. First, he thought Momonosuke would be edible (nooooooooo!) Then, he figured the child’s voice was coming from someone who was stuck on the dragon’s body and maybe Momonosuke was talking with his farts.

“How rude!” Momonosuke seethed. These samurai are very proper people, Luffy. Gotta show some class around them, I guess.

Then little Momonosuke’s tummy rumbled and Luffy realised the dragon kid was starving. That was sad. Instant empathy for dragon child right there.

But Momonosuke was a samurai child. They did not get hungry after only ten days of fasting. (Only ten.) He asked who Luffy was and why he was there. When Luffy introduced himself, Momonosuke didn’t think he could be a pirate, as pirates were “all big, heavyweight men. More violent and strong-looking.”

I guess he is from an isolated island and has never seen Buggy the Clown and Galdino: the Dream Team.

Once they talked a bit more, Momonosuke said he wanted to get out of the garbage dump to help save the kids trapped in the labs. Why? He overheard Caesar saying something shocking.

On the kidnap ship bound for Punk Hazard, the other kids tried to make friends with shadowy Momonosuke. But he was a samurai type and didn’t appreciate their attempts to “give alms”. Crucially, this meant Momonosuke did not take any of the candy Caesar and Monet offered. (Nice one, Momonosuke.) In fact, he escaped and wandered the lab corridors, looking for an exit, because he had something he needed to do in his home land.

He happened to wander into the Secret Room (that everyone knows about, lol). Starving, he spotted a suspicious looking fruit in a glass cabinet. He took one look at it, smashed the glass and scoffed the fruit.

I knew it was a Devil Fruit. It was purple and had those spots on it. But I was not prepared for what Caesar’s minions would reveal. It was a Man Made Devi Fruit constructed by none other than Vegapunk himself! The minions heard it was a failure. Obviously, that wasn’t the case, as Momonosuke morphed into a dragon, freaked out and scarpered. Maybe like Caesar’s drug, the man made DFs only work on kids? Or Caesar was lying about the fruit being a failure (seems more likely, knowing Caesar).

But... this is huge.

Man made Devil Fruits. This could turn the whole power structure of the OPverse upside down. Rich pirates could demand and receive whatever power they want. Hell, the WG could have whatever power they wanted at their disposal.

I imagine a man made Devil Fruit could go pretty wrong too. Maybe some wicked side-effects.

Caesar has some world-shattering stuff in that lab. Now I get why he has such a great booze collection. He’s probably swimming in cash from Doflamingo, who is the one who’s managed to secure his services.

And now I know what you guys were talking about when you said to look at the texture of the fruits. Momonosuke’s man made fruit was SMOOTH. The true Devil Fruit, the one Smiley had eaten, was swirly and textured.

Luffy listened to Momonosuke’s fruit tale and was like, “You’re a Zoan type. Why don’t you just change back?”

Momonosuke didn’t know he could do that. (Maybe he can’t with the man made type?) Still, it wasn’t a priority. He had to get out to tell the other kids what he’d heard.

Caesar Makes People So Angry They Morph Into Popeye

As Momonosuke was skulking about in his new dragon form, he walked past an open door and heart Caesar and Monet talking.

“We have another group of obedient kids. The others are growing bigger without problem. But after all, this is an experiment to see the limitations of drug dosing. I don’t think they can take it that long. I assume they’ll all be dead in five years.”

“So we’ll need more kids?” Monet asked.

“Well, experiments come with failures. It’s a necessary sacrifice. Those stupid kids can help the world’s greatest scientist and do good for the world. Even if it’s a short life, they have to be happy with it.”

Holy. Moly.

Those poor kids. It’s lucky Chopper and Nami met them when they did. Hopefully, Chopper will help them get off the drugs and they’ll be well enough to go home. I wonder about the giant kids, though. Will they be giant all their lives? Probably.

Flash forward again and Momonosuke finished his tale. All he wanted to do was save the other kids. He thought Caesar was a doctor but he was a bad man who would let kids die. Momonosuke was on his way to save the kids but fell into the trash heap. It would be a disgrace to his honour as a warrior to not help them.

Luffy’s eyes were shaded. You know when that happens, he is maaaaaaaad.

He decided to climb out of the garbage dump and take Momonosuke with him.

Luckily, he didn’t have to climb anything. Momonosuke had a weird, triggering moment when Luffy said, “Stay with me...” which unleashed a Goku/Monkey style golden cloud power. (Everyone knows from DB and Monkey that you can walk on golden clouds. “Born from an egg on a mountain top. Funkiest Monkey that ever rocked. If you’ve never watched that show, hook yourself up with an episode. It’s hilarious.)

The luck, alas, did not last. Momonosuke came to his senses and they fell back down into the heap. At least Luffy is stretchy, right?

BREAKING NEWS: Caesar Sets Morality Bar Even Lower!

Meanwhile, Caesar had kicked back in his lab, waiting for the bottleneck gas chamber carnage to unfold. Little Mocha was tearing away from the other kids, who wanted to attack her for the candy.

Naturally, she was distraught. The people she had thought were so nice: Caesar and Monet, turned out to be the worst pieces of actual shit ever.

The flashback of Caesar from Mocha’s point of view actually made my jaw drop.

Every time I think, surely Caesar can’t sink any lower? No, it’s not possible.

In true scientist fashion, Caesar continues to push the boundaries of possibility.

Mocha was one of the first kids to be transported to Punk Hazard, including the blonde kid who’s name I forgot. (Sorry, blonde kid.)

Caesar came to meet them personally when they arrived. He ramped up the charm and faux-concern, of course. “I’m glad that you made it! Good to see you. My name is Caesar Clown. Call me Master. (First red flag right there, imo.) You two are a part of my first generation of patients. I’m looking forward to working with you.” Brief interruption for a hug. I cannot believe he even hugged those kids. He is such a SNAAKE. xD “I bet you were scared and worried when you heard you were sick out of the blue. But everything is okay now. You don’t have to worry about anything. I will treat you at any cost!” (Technically true but, kids, you will not like the treatment.)

Then he dropped the bomb that actually made me gasp.

“To tell you the truth, I lost my only son to this disease. I never want to see another child suffer from it. I don’t want to see another parent lost their child and have to grieve like me! Oh... Oh, I’m sorry. How embarrassing. I shouldn’t cry in front of you.”

I just...

I can’t even.

I mean, Caesar is a great villain and all, but damn, Oda, that is low.

The morality bar has not only been lowered. It is buckling under the sheer weight of Caesar’s evilness and will snap at any moment.

Why Has Zoro Not Yet Kicked Ass and Taken Names?

Monet pretty much said what I’m thinking right now. She wasn’t sure she could beat Zoro: a swordsman who uses Armament Haki trained by Dracule Mihawk himself. But for some reason, Zoro hasn’t made a move. All he’s done is parry and protect the other Strawhats.

Then again, it is a dangerous environment with a lot of friendly fire concerns.

The Biscuit Room has devolved into a freaking riot. There are crack-candy addicted kids charging about. Mocha, the one kid who is off the candy, is an ally, so they need to be extra careful around her. Sure, they’re not in the Biscuit Room any longer, but collateral from the fight could take them out. Sanji and his G5 army of fans have appeared. Nami, Robin and Chopper are still around and have been sealed in the room by Monet’s ice wall.

Plus, Monet is no slouch. She has some blade skills and a good logia fruit to boot.

Nami could be an asset in this fight. The Heat Egg attack has been the only one that’s really put the hurt on Monet so far. (Zoro, use that haki please.) If Nami could power up a strong heat attack, she could take out Monet.

I loved it when Monet was monologuing, debating with Chopper about her being responsible for the kids. Who planted that rebellious spirit in Mocha’s mind? Then Zoro mercilessly cut her short. He does not respect villain speeches. xD

Monet called out the Strawhats for acting like pirates. “Every day we treat the children nicely and allow them to live in great comfort. What you people are trying to do is take away these treasures from us foster parents. You people are like pirates.”

Laying aside the awful issue of gaslighting children, experimenting on them and claiming you are anything like a foster parent (that could be an entire post in itself), Zoro’s reply was ice cold and straight to the point.

“So you have no problem with it, right?”

There’s the awesome main-character grey morality again. I really do love that about One Piece. Zoro is like Luffy in that regard. The Strawhats are pirates. They will “kidnap” kids if they have to. Though this time, the Strawhats are on the right side of the moral divide. They’re counter-kidnapping the kids to return them to their parents.

But Zoro had better hurry up and make that move against Monet if he wants it to happen any time soon.

The G5′s Grand Entrance

And I totally was not expecting a comedy gold moment to interrupt a boss battle.

Just as things were getting serious, Zoro heard the sound of Sanji’s voice in the distance. Obviously, this turned Zoro’s head and he was greeted with the sight of Sanji leading a charge of G5 soldiers.

“WHY ARE YOU LEADING THEM?” Zoro yelled.

“Oh, there’s Zoro!” Sanji shouted. “Alright guys, stick out your lower lip and make fun of him.” xD

But Zoro knows Sanji inside out, so he said, “Oi, Nami and Robin went that way.”

Unfortunately, Monet, the feathered siren, proved a distraction. Monet’s flirtatiousness is a big part of her character (she flirted with Law and Luffy for fun). It must be pretty lonely being stuck in Punk Hazard with Caesar, so it made sense that she enjoyed the attention for half a second before getting back to business.

She burned through a couple of fodders with her Ice Form (freezing and biting a chunk out of one’s shoulder was savage).

Then Tashigi made *her* grand entrance.

And she can use haki.

That was a revelation.

She has always been several steps behind Zoro. Teaming up with him to take down a villain might boost her confidence. I sure hope so, anyway.

Meanwhile...

Usopp, Foxfire and Brook (or should I say “Corpse-dono”) are still charging about, hunting for sea prism stone cuffs. Shinokuni gas is now following them, so they’ll be caught up in Caesar’s bottleneck gas chamber plan.

I’m guessing that’s where they’ll find the cuffs. If Tashigi and the G5 also end up there, Usopp could pilfer or borrow some cuffs from her. I’m just assuming captain-level Marines carry cuffs on them here. The fact Usopp willingly initiated a “let’s split up” plan and offered to work alone was pretty brave of him. Usopp definitely has got stronger and more confident in his abilities.

Must also say there was some really nice art in the Smoker vs Vergo short update in episode 611. Not an artist myself, so I don’t tend to notice or be very good at critiquing these sorts of things. But even I noticed the quality this time. Good job, whichever team worked on it. :)

There goes the morality bar again, slip slidin’ right into hell...

#one piece #neverwatchedonepiece #nwop #never watched one piece #monkey d. luffy #momonosuke #caesar clown #monet #roronoa zoro #sanji #usopp #nami #tony tony chopper #nico robin #brook #mocha #foxfire kinemon

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raccoonpatriotism · 6 years ago

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260 [Random, Useless Headcanons 📂] from @homeofthevan | Part 2 Explosive Boogaloo

1-100: Here

101: He’s always had an, uh, ‘excellent’ temperament with old women - starting from being forced to help out at Old Folks Homes to get him out of the Orphanage.

102: He yells to show he cares.

103: He also yells for the sake of it.

104: You have to constantly say his name if you want him to continue to be part of the conversation.

105: that’s why he so often repeatedly uses names, nicknames, a simple ‘son’ when speaking to people.

106: He assumes everyone’s just like him until proven otherwise.

107: Along with what I said earlier about him not being empathetic; he really isn’t able to visualize himself in someone elses shoes unless he’s been walked through, like, a specific a few times.

108: He respects Miss Pauling the most out of everyone he knows.

109: Smissmas and Thanksgiving are tied for his favorite holiday.

110: Jane really likes Halloween though, and isn’t a grump on Valentines day.

111: <- Jane’s password for anything he owns that requires a password. More 1s if necessary.

112: When he’s thirsty he’ll go to the nearest form of water for hydration - catch him just drinking out of the bathroom sink - leaning up as he wipes his mouth, chirping, “Hello, private.”

113: He guzzles coffee like it’s fuel, but he has a very strict, No Caffeine after lunch protocol.

114: Decaff is for WIMPS.

115: Jane plays the trombone.

116: Subsequently, in most music, he appreciates and hums along with the bass parts.

117: Modern AU-Jane may be a Call of Duty fanboy, but he respects Halo for being another accurate depiction of life on the battlefront.

118: Speaking of modern Jane, the Military didn’t accept him in the 80s either.

119: His love for the military lead him to believe for sure he’d be accepted he was the Perfect Patriot and his enlistment would be a surefire way to help fund his transition--

120: But of course, as strong as he had become he’d spent his youth very sick and with the possibility of the illness to return along with a terrible psyche eval and 80s typical transphobia that lane was firmly closed.

121: At least he had DOOM to fall back on. And he was physically strong enough to hold down jobs to at least pay for testosterone.

122: And then Call of Duty came out and he became an early era streamer. (Went viral as one of those guys who basically RPs being an actual soldier in the voice chat.)

123: BACK TO CANON JANE because those headcanons just.. plain, aren’t useless. canon jane doesn’t have to deal with transphobia. tch.

124: He’s not the best to have on your football team as menacing as he is. He’ll start tackling everybody. Running the wrong way. Trying to steal the ball from his teammates.

125: If you tell Jane something’s American after he criticizes it, watching him backtrack is really fun.

126: Jane doesn’t get sick often, which is good because he is insufferable. Either goes full isolation straight up outside somewhere. Or is whining to everyone and everyone how it’s not allowed that he can’t be burrowing somewhere outside.

127: His hands are always warm - if they’re cold he’s probably having an Episode of some sort.

128: Rock and Roll helps his tinnitus, though he’ll still refer to it as Hippy Garbage. Like most music.

129: Jane could probably tapdance if given proper shoes. Mmm no, he’d stomp through the floor. Horse level clomping.

130: He’ll be the hype-man for anyone on his team.

131: Despite not being a fan of mint flavoring, he loves himself a candy-cane.

132: His thumb isn’t double jointed - seeing someone showing off their double jointed-ness would have Jane proclaiming magic was necessary.

133: LT. BITES lightning round!! Lt. Bites sees jane as its “General”

134: It got the bite taken out of its ear fighting over sour cream - it won.

135: Jane doesn’t give any raccoons a higher rank than Bites.

136: Lt. Bites doesn’t crave human flesh or anything, but it likes the sensation of biting people!

137: Jane has tried to get his raccoon a job at RED.

138: You can tell when Jane is having a really good day on the battlefield because you’ll round the corner and there’s Naked Soldier.

139: He’s waxing poetry about the beauty of the Male Form, take it in you soft quivering maggots.

140: I can’t get the image of Jane crowd surfing out of my head? That’s, like, his ideal dream for being recognized for his heroics. Medals and a mosh in his Honor.

141: Anytime he sees a Bald Eagle he entirely stops what he’s doing to place his left hand over his heart.

142: Jane loves The Art of War and is still awaiting Sun Tzu’s next book.

143: [ Alcohol ] Jane only sees ghosts when he’s starving, drunk, or suffering from a concussion. And it’s merely a way for such a boar minded guy to internalize what’s going on around him.

144: He can touch his toes keeping his knees straight.

145: Jane has minor ice-skating knowledge, as most growing up in the midwestern united states do. He’s not, good, though, he’s really intent on Taking Steps instead of gliding.

146: Put him in front of a piano and he’s holding out on finger and pressing down on one key at a time like an old man at a desktop keyboard.

147: Jane is ready to beat up your father.

148: Especially if your dad is shitty, unleash good ol’ Solly on him.

149: While he favors picking his nose with his pinkies, neither of his pinkie pads have any feeling.That makes them a little less dexterous when the time comes.

150: He’s always aching to be active, his brain will take things literally if it means he’ll be doing something.

151: Rum pineapple juice and malibu caribou -- Er. He doesn’t like pineapple flavoring. Isn’t a fan of mixed drinks in general?

152: He’s capable of staying out of the picture and not picking his nose, often times if things aren’t focused on him he’ll just sorta.. Stand out of the way playing with his hands - rifling through his pouches. Some times he’ll even, *gasp* pay attention.

153: He really likes to but in with his opinion is the thing.

154: He’s an American and his ideals must be heard.

155: Merasmus out here having doing the most for Soldier, in helping him reintegrate back into society. You think he’s bonkers now?? Psh. You should’a seen him fresh home from Poland.

156: He’s shown up to Civil War reanactments with a real gun.

157: Jane is incapable of yawning silently.

158: Stairs are overrated.

159: Catch Jane with a lukewarm mug of water pouring coffee grinds directly into it and saying “Damn, that’s a fine cup of Joe.”

160: Only. 100 left? Sweet Joseph Wetnurse of Jesus He’s got dirty blond hair leaning toward brunette.

161: Any righteous death deserves a warrior’s burial - That’s why you’ll find Jane, helmet over heart, giving a stirring eulogy about the Toilet from the Men’s Restroom that Got Unearthed and Shattered By... Nobody In Particular.

162: He will just join in large groups of people - like protests? He’ll just fall in line and preach his own stuff which sometimes doesn’t exactly align with the group at large.

163: i asked myself, would jane pick someone else’s nose? Yes.

164: His hugs are always really warm.

165: He would notice his wallet being pickpocketed - unless it was replaced by something the same weight. He’s like a temple from Indiana Jones.

166: Mentally? Jane’s fine with being alone, but. That leads to him living in a box or a room straight out of that “Damn, bitch, you live like this?” comic.

167: Despite deep cold being triggering to him (SEE HC, 67.), he loves snow-forts and hot chocolate because those are great American past-times.

168: next one is this post’s 69 brace yourselves! Jane’s never truly in silence, the constant whistling in his ears will see to that. That’s why sometimes, when it is quiet, you’ll catch Jane looking into space like he’s trying to see where the sound is coming from.

169: Important to note, he ain’t popping a boner any time he’s fighting nude. Or, really, fighting any time. Intent is really important for him. (If he gets all rubbed up on, though, Well,)

170: Jane is under the assumption that everything he comes up with is ingenious and people like Red Spy are holding society back by ignoring such wide plans.

171: He’s secretly soothed by everyone on his team’s voices.

172: First off, himself. He loves to hear himself talk. Mostly fueled by self-important intent, the tenor of his own voice also soothes his eardrums.

173: Pyro’s is muffled yet energetic - and never fails to get Jane pumped up.

174: Scout’s got that accent that is pure and simple, American. Soldier may not listen to half of what he says, but for background buzz and funny colloquialisms

175: And, Engie's accent garners a whole other sort of American respect out of the Soldier. As far as soothing goes? Engie’s is like butter.

176: Soldier hate’s Heavy’s accent on principle, but below his American Stubbornness is a love for the deep, thoughtful symbols Heavy provides. Plus, y’know, he appreciates a fellow loud guy.

177: Demo’s voice makes Solly a happy man. It used to make him furious, an all Scottish accents did, but more recently it makes him feel nostalgic.

178: Jane would swear up every mountain he can that there’s nothing positive to be found in Spy’s accent, but zoning out to such poised speech patterns and rounded vowels is a common occurrence.

179: When Sniper gets that gravelly tone going on, when he takes things really seriously? Jane like that.

180: Jane can’t find it in him to be really put off by anything Medic says during surgery, so his voice only causes a feeling of safety throughout the Soldier. He can’t get enough of hearing Enthusiasm in the Medic’s voice.

181: He doesn’t believe the Police can arrest him because they aren’t the official Government.

182: He looks at a baby and is like “What animal is this?”

183: Big hands.. talented at giving massages.

184: BEWARE HIM BREAKING YOUR SPINE - just specify ‘and don’t kill me’!

185: Jane doesn’t gossip so much as, be around people who are gossiping which makes him want to make up some Hot Goss. Also, he’ll act like every rumor someone else shares is spoken truth.

186: Jane picked up finger guns from Scout. He either uses it constantly or doesn’t use it for weeks at a time.

187: He lifts, broskis.

188: Jane will talk about trucks because the Average American Male is expected to. He knows nothing about cars.

189: He’s an impulsive liar, so caught up in in his web of ‘things he says to impress people’ that he believes everything he says. So are the woes of being an adult with ADHD.

190: He goes between being smell-blind and having the scent skills of a bloodhound. It’s probably a mental thing, because there’s no in between, but Jane doesn’t know anything.

191: i’ve been working on these for 5 days at this point... i hope they’re appreciated JANE prefers..soft food. jane Does Not lov the cronch.

192: Which is what makes cashews his favorite nut. they’re soft-ish. and they have just enough crunch to not gross him out.

193: He loves immediate gratification.

194: Beyond joining the Military? Jane’s never had a solid plan for his future. Lives too in the moment.

195: As long as he’s having fun, Jane’s a pretty content guy.

196: Any artistic skills he may have once had go into making Maps for war planning sessions.

197: He’ll fall victim to Sleep Paralysis occasionally and, once able to move, will spend the rest of the day curing ghosts and Merasmus’ magic.

198: He was SUPER into Howdie Doodie Time in his youth, and being put in front of any reruns will have him basically hypnotized into silence.

199: He’s proud of his ass.

200: Jane can keep marching pace for hours at a time. And if he’s not lugging around his rocket launcher he can keep marching for an entire day no pausing.

201: Jane isn’t shy about telling jokes, because he believes everyone has the same sense of humor as him.

202: He knows karate but refuses to use his knowledge because it is not an American Form. He will stick to brute strength and loud yelling thank you very much.

203: He’s the type to state every time he’s going to use the bathroom. Like, people can be having a serious conversation and hes like, “I am going to take a shit now!”

204: Jane’ll go a week without washing his hair, but he always brushes his teeth two times a day.

205: He gives a damn good kiss.

206: All Human Nudity is safe for work. As it was God’s Intention to make people strongest when not held back by fabric.

207: All he wants is recognition.... for his good deeds...

208: He’ll have staring contests with the Sun. He’s yet to win, but that damn star shouldn’t get too comfortable.

209: Much like his pinkies, his feet have been crushed, blown up, and bruised so many times that he doesn’t have much feeling in them either.

210: He’s never washed his bellybutton.

211: He prefers savory to sweet, but he prefers sweet to sour.

212: Half assing is not in Jane’s vocabulary.

213: His brain will get stuck on simple Math - like, he tries his best to figure it out, it’s just.... Numbers..... they are a construct. And so he’ll end up pondering what 5+7 is for, like, 5 minutes.

214: Jane is constantly torn between wanting to be a Figure of Authority and also being a man born in the trenches following orders.

215: Have I mentioned lately Jane fucks?

216: Jane’s room is sparsely decorated, but it’s only because he’s not materialistic and doesn’t generally receive gifts.

217: He’s more than willing to strip Right This Moment and fight something.

218: Jane’s not afraid to call other people losers.

219: He crops his own hair once a week. Same day he’ll do his wash.

220: Jane’s stubble grows in really fast, but he can’t deny the feeling of having a freshly shaved jaw is amazing.

221: If a teammate is struggling emotionally..... Jane walks away.

222: If they’re struggling again, /then/ Jane will give them some uncalled for American Advice. Like, meaningfully yelling “GET OVER IT, YOU SLOBBERING FOOL.”

223: He has a very, very high pain threshold.

224: He accidentally walks into walls all the time.

225: He can’t magically see through his helmet - he just knows everyone’s feet super well.

226: It’s good that Lt. Bites is a wild, self sufficient animal because Jane is terrible at pet care. And child care. And any sort of care.

227: On the very rare occasions Jane gets overwhelmed with depression he’s a shadow of his former self questioning the sanctity of American Ideals and wondering aloud if War really is the answer to his problems.

228: Next day he’ll be fine and forget he was ever upset.

229: He’s never gotten a real back massage before, if he were to get one he’d probably literally melt? Some women he’s slept with liked to say sensually ‘oh what a big tense man you are’ and, like, weakly rub his back. they didn’t get paid to fix this man’s back muscles LMAO

230: Any backwards period-typical beliefs about women went out the window upon meeting Miss Pauling.

231: His love for America is truly as pure as it gets.

232: Jane’s pretty xenophobic, but he can learn better, I’m sure. he’s gotten his ass kicked for being ignorantly racist and he grew to be a better person.

233: He takes really well to learning things through violence, the only issue is.. dealing with Soldier Being Violent.

234: There’s nothing a fist to the face won’t fix.

235: He’s not much of a napper, his brain being far too active to let him rest during daylight hours.

236: He’s constantly moving, even in sleep.

237: Hell, give him a few hours after being knocked unconscious and he’ll start wiggling something around.

238: He doesn’t stop to smell the flowers, because if they wanted to be smelled they’d approach him.

239: He believes in the good of all humans, it’s just buried down past his Fight Everyone radar.

240: He only likes musicals about fighting Hitler.

241: His biggest regret is not punching Hitler.

242: He does not fear death, he does not fear punishment. He lives for his ideals and if he’s taken down believing in himself? Then that’s okay.

243: Jane needs deodorant reminders.

244: He takes personally being betrayed as people betraying the country of America.

245: (oh shit i slacked off it’s been like two days since i wrote something, Who Is Soldier?) CEREAL THEN MILK, MAGGOTS

246: Jane doesn’t know the word migraine so he really can’t describe how he feels.

247: Look, he loves his friends, he loves his guns, but he’s stingy with the word.. Love because that’s what he feels for America and the country will always be number one.....

248: Jane’s not too partial to sarcasm outside of combat, but it’ll find it’s way into his speech. His tone is usually hammed up to signify he’s joking around or being cruel.

249: He’s like a cartoon character, he can only understand sarcasm if it’s Funny to at the moment.

250: Jane likes his hair being pet.

251: He likes his hands being played with as much as he likes playing with other people’s hands. (A lot.)

252: He loves dogs, but is more of a cat person. Dogs and him just echo energy and HYPE feelings back and forth at each other until they pass out and then Jane feels more emotionally exhausted than hanging out with people.

253: The weirdest parts of rom-coms make him cry.

254: He appreciates a good non-american explosion, but he has his preferences.

255: You show Jane genuine kindness and interest and he’s like, Yours. Jane vc: Are you the vice-president?

256: If he were to have a reptile for a sidekick instead of a raccoon, he would have a turtle.

257: He can be delicate when he needs to be, but cracking eggs is a different story.

258: While not too partial to sugary beverages - he has a figure to maintain, root beer and ginger ale are his go-tos.

259: He can appreciate a salad! Jane Doe will eat his greens!!!!

260: Soldier has no tattoos, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be open to getting any. Just never crossed his mind.

SWEET SPIRIT OF JOE BIDEN AM I FINISHED?

thank you,... for reading my garbled thoughts.. for respecting The Soldier... and for being a creative individual. But mostly the respecting Soldier thing.

#patriotic headcanons #patriotic answers #like hell im gonna proofread lets go baybeeeeeeee #//THANKS AGAIN #I LOVE SOLDIER TF2 #tf2 soldier

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kilesplaysthings · 7 years ago

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IkeSen Custom MC/OC Meme

(just so you know, i’m pulling this straight outta thin air lol it’s late and i’m brainstorming as i fill this out XD)

Hello there, time-traveler / feudal heroine / warlord! What’s your name?

Oh hey there! My name is Ana Hill (I’ve been told I need to work on my Japanese letters - and I probably should be writing this in Japanese too - but hey, what Ieyasu doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?!)

Age? Height?

21! Uh, I guess about 5′3 or so?

What’s your fashion like? [Time travelers – pre & post-wormhole!]

Well, before I pulled a Marty McFly back into the Sengoku, my style was..um..nothing? I dunno, a simple t-shirt and jeans did the job for me. And Converse. Man..I miss my Converse.. Well, at my job I had to wear a nice pantsuit as well. Not too big on skirts, but I liked wearing dresses now and then. Heels were ok, but only for formal occasions. Now that I’m here in the good ol’ 1500s, I like to rock the kimono, if you know what I mean. Though I’ve been seriously considering swiping one of Mitsunari’s..or Ieyasu’s Hakama sometimes (they seem closer to my size, I think). Those look very comfortable!

Where are you from?

Glouchester, Massachusetts (USA)

Feudal era – pros and/ or cons?

Ooh boy, here we go. Pros: It’s quieter here, plus the scenery is beautiful, like the different castles and shrines I’ve seen, not to mention all the nature!! Oh, and no pollution, either!! I get to be up close and personal with a lot of wildlife too, like horses! I’ve learned how to ride one too! Which is something I’ve always wanted to learn! Since I’ve been set up as a Princess I’ve been treated pretty well and everyone is very kind and helpful. And there’s a lot of lovely kimono I’ve been allowed to try on. Cons: Language barrier is worse in this time period. I could get by with speaking Japanese back in the modern day, but here, it’s different.. and I’m completely lost when it comes to reading their alphabet! I had no idea the letters changed over time! Also, they don’t call it the Sengoku era for nothing! It’s one thing to see it in the movies, it’s another thing to hear about and see the real thing. There are some things I don’t think I’ll ever un-see.. As for more lighthearted matters, I do miss wifi, not gonna lie.. and air conditioning... what I wouldn’t give for air conditioning again.....(and tampons but ANYWAYS)

If you’re not in your homeland/time, do you want to go home?

I do miss my grandparents, but also my time was also the time where I had to watch my mom die... so... a little bit of yes and a little bit of no...

What’s your home life like?

I lived with my grandparents, whose parents actually immigrated from Portugal. My dad was of some other nationality, like German or Dutch, I think. He skipped out on us when I was a kid. My mom died in my teens. You know, being able to actually speak a little Portuguese helps with the warlords? At least, with Nobunaga and Hideyoshi. Didn’t realize there were Portuguese merchants that visited Japan back then. The more you know, I guess!

You just got your dream job! What is it? / Or, what’s your line of work?

My line of work WAS being an English teacher in Kyoto. There was a cool exchange program in school that allowed us to go to Japan and I loved it. After that I learned that you could get a job that allowed you to teach English over there. I loved Japan, and I wanted to be a teacher. The rest is history. heh...

Any other hobbies or skills? Do you use them / how do you use them in the Sengoku period?

I’m a big movie buff. American film, French film, Japanese film, Korean film.. name it, I’ll watch it. It’s just a hobby of mine. Nothing very useful for the Sengoku period, though. Watching Kurosawa films does NOT make one a Sengoku scholar, I found. Though it is fun seeing all those warlords baffled at my lame 80s references.

Where is your base of operations? Azuchi Castle? Kasugayama Castle? A pirate ship? Running all over the woods or in a secret monastery? Some other cool place?

Azuchi. Nobunaga and Masamune were names I recognized. And Nobunaga can speak some Portuguese, so I went along with him. Good choice? Bad choice? We’ll see...

How do you feel about killing and violence?

It’s the Sengoku period. It’s just what goes on here. That doesn’t mean I like it, and that it doesn’t scare me half to death, but I just kinda...live with it? I couldn’t kill a person myself, though. Unless maybe in self-defense.

Have you learned to fight? If so, what’s your weapon and/or fighting style of choice?

Fighting kind of scares me. I did agree to learn how to shoot a bow. And Masamune gave me a dagger to protect myself.

What are you fighting for?

To survive? Being a Princess of Azuchi isn’t always safe, I’ve found. Especially when its Lord decides to drag me into battle even though he knows I don’t know a thing about fighting??!!

What are your feelings about authority?

Hey man, I don’t like dictators, but I come from a different time period. I can’t just assume that people are gonna understand or agree with the morals that I’m used to. If someone is pointing a sword or a pistol in my face, I’m not gonna act stupid and be disrespectful, you know? There’s a time and a place for things.

How do you handle someone invading your personal space?

If it’s someone I know and am close with, I don’t mind it at all! But if they’re a stranger, I get uncomfortable.

…do you invade people’s personal space?

I wouldn’t say so, unless, again, if you’re someone I am close with.

Are you more open, or more reserved? Are you secretive?

I tend to be more on the open side. I can keep a secret, though, if need be (though it depends on if I think its something that should be kept secret).

Is this the first time you’ve been truly in love?

With a real person that I actually know? Yes...

What’s your style as a lover? (interpret this as innocently or not-innocently as you please ;) )

I can be a bit of a cuddler. Again, if I know you, I like to be close. Kissing is..yes. I like it.. I also like to play with hair and have mine played with. Honestly, just snuggling close to someone and talking about anything and everything is a perfect way to spend an afternoon for me. I’m not too complicated. I grew up in a small house where we shared everything. I’m used to simple things and am easy to please.

What are your favorite ways for someone to show you love?

Simple, everyday things please me. A nice comment, a random hug or kiss, a sweet gesture; just something that shows they were thinking of me... I grew up being taught that family is very important, so knowing that I am wanted and that I can be a part of someone else’s family would be a wonderful thing.

Do you use a petname or endearments for your lover(s)?

Hmmmm...maybe? When I was little, my grandfather once said my grandmother was fofo, which means cute or soft. Maybe I’d call him that...

How do you feel about…

Nobunaga? Weird. A mix of scary, funny, childish, and admirable all rolled up into that...admittedly attractive...mountain of a man. Good conversationalist too. It’s extremely entertaining telling him all of the stories from movies and books back at home.

Hideyoshi? Scary at first, but super sweet once he got used to me. Very helpful and considerate. I’m slowly but surely winding him down and helping him chill out about Nobunaga sneaking out to get candy (because I want some of my own, darn it!!!)

Masamune? Also Scary. But man can he cook! Also he has a PET TIGER. One of these days, im stealing Shogetsu and keeping him for myself!

Ieyasu? Porcupine. Also a good teacher, but super strict! Gave me a real appreciation for herbal medicines.

Mitsunari? He’s SO CUTE? Literally, the cutest person I’ve ever seen?? Good study buddy, too. He’s helping me learn the language better and I’m teaching him English!

Mitsuhide? Scary. But cool. But scary. But funny. I can’t tell you how many times he’s made fun of the way I’ve stared at him since we’ve met.

Shingen? Hot. Too hot. Dangerous. gotta keep your eye on that one. May or may not have imagined him in a suit.

Kenshin? He’s got..two different colored eyes? Like a cat? Intimidating as all get-out. All he thinks about is war. Needs a hobby like stamp collecting. I want to touch his fluffy haori.

Yukimura? Reminds me of a guy I knew in school. Kind of a jock, but not the kind that has a way with the ladies. Lovable but awkward. That kind of guy. He’s funny when he’s with Sasuke though. Hilarious to tease too. He called me an enchantress one time and I tried to sing that one song from Hocus Pocus to him. Didn’t go well.

Sasuke? Bestest pal ever. Would 100% time travel with him again. We have so many inside jokes we could write a book. (omg we should do that.. gotta remind myself to tell him that next time I see him!!) It’s a shame he lives so far away.

Kennyo? A warrior monk who wants to kill but also loves animals? Doesn’t compute. If only I could get him to a therapist...

Motonari? I’m gonna teach him the “Pirates Life for Me” song one of these days...that is, if he doesn’t try to kill me or kidnap me or something first...

Any other friends/notables?

I did have some friends when I was teaching English, yes. I also got along with my students pretty well too. Mostly, it’s my grandparents I worry about while I’m stuck here...

Freestyle! Tell us anything else you’d like to share!

I have a massive sweet tooth like big man Nobunaga here. Hideyoshi has accused me of encouraging his addiction.. it’s true, sadly. Portuguese merchants are my best friends and I’ve haggled them enough that I get some of their delicacies for lower prices. I’m becoming Nobunaga’s best friend because of this, I think. My name might as well be Lucky Charm. Shingen may or may not have recruited me to his sweet dumpling team though. Those are super good...

*goes to think about all the sweets she misses*

Thanks for introducing yourself! ♡

(you rock, @nyktoon-ikemenlove !)

#well i did it #its silly but i did it #ikesen really would be one big comedy if i wrote it haha #also i learned some things about portugal because of this so yay!#ikesen #ikesen oc #ikemen sengoku #ikemen sengoku oc meme

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sellerstale · 8 years ago

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Ruins 1

-There ain’t much, but we’re living fine here, said the bunny-lady. Well at least, it’s quiet. I’ll let you explore this place, if you don’t mind. There’s nothing really dangerous in here, anyway. While you’re out playing, I’ll gather some good food for a nice meal to celebrate your coming here! The child shook their head, looking happy. The tall lady show them the puzzles, and explained them a bit about the FIGHT and how to ACT your way out of it with an old dummy, and introduced the froggits and the whimsuns. The had a brusque tone when she spoke, almost gruff, but she was in fact very friendly, nice and patient. And more than everything, she didn’t take Frisk for a complete idiot unable to do anything by themselves, even if they were just a kid. She gave them an old cellphone, there was only one number registered in the contact list. -There, take this, if you ever loose your way, or get stuck on a puzzle, just give me a call and I’ll help you. But it’s not complicated at all to get to my home, you just have to follow the main road. And she quickly left after she stroke Frisk’s hair a little. Her touch was a bit tough, but the child appreciated the gesture, as clumsy as it was. Frisk is left alone, in the dark ruins. They don’t know where the light comes from, but it’s not pitch black. Just dark. Dusky. Like a shadow veil in front of their eyes, and little by little, they get used to it, and in the end, they can see very well. There is no trace of the sun down there, but light comes from the inside. There are some kind of stars on the roof here and there, but they are not really a source of light. The child continues on the road (after taking a candy from the collective pot), jumps along the froggits, avoids the moldsmals’ pollen, tries to comfort the whimsuns, walks in the leafs on the ground (or not)... and for some reason, their pockets are getting filled with some kind of money pieces. They don’t really understand how or why. It’s not like they’re forcing anyone, they’re not the kind to make threats or to extort anyone! Maybe money is not so important here. Or maybe it has a different value than it has on the surface. But they keep the change. One never knows when it might be of use. The child gets used to the contact of magic just like they got used to the darkness. It’s so strange how a simple cluster of pollen can hurt so much, here! No one looks like they want to hurt them, but still, accidentally or not, hits are done, and when it happens it hurts, and Frisk would almost be tempted so hit back. Just a little. But hey, they’re not of a violent nature, they don’t want to disappoint the nice bunny-lady, and, really, they know it’s not their fault. And just look at them, I mean, you could kill them by hitting once with your stick. Not even fair. They just have to be careful with their SOUL, that’s all! One can never know what to expect in a magic world. For example, Frisk never expected to have to negociate with a rock to have it move to the right place. Rocks are beings that are way more complex than they appear! And there are dinly shining stars on the ground… Frisk doesn’t know why, but their determination just gets stronger by touching them. Their health also gets better from it, which is actually pretty cool and reassuring. And… it may sound strange… but they know from touching these stars that the tale progresses, step by step. -zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… Frisk just came into a room that was large at the entrance, than smaller in the middle, and looked larger after that. Probably because of the structure of the rocks in the mountain. There was a passage, yes… but it was obstructed by some dead leaves… and on this bed of red leaves was a sleeping ghost. A true, authentic ghost, just like a white-ish translucent bed sheet with a face. And this ghost was sleeping in the middle of the way, there was no way to just get around it. Frisk tried to touch it - well if it was possible, it was a ghost after all! -ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!! Well it was pretending so hard to sleep, you know, it’s not like people really do that kind of sound when they sleep, right? Also, does a ghost need sleep? And if they do: do the snore? Do they breathe? The author of this fanfiction will let the readers answer these very important questions, because Frisk was trying to touch the ghost. -NO REALLY!!! Can’t you see I’m trying to nap? The ghost opened big, oval eyes and stood up, floating a bit above the ground. It looked very unhappy, angry, even, while Frisk just stood there, surprised and awkward, their hand still stretched. Ok, maybe it was not the best idea to try to touch it. They didn’t even know if they touched it or phased through. But they have to continue… right? The child quickly said that they were sorry they disturbed the ghost’s sleep. But it was so angry that it was shooting some lightning bolts! -I’m not in the mood for such pathetic excuses! More bolt appears from the furious ghost, harder and harder to dodge. Frisk was panicking a little, not knowing how to manage this kind of situation. It was the first time someone down there tried to attack them, to hurt them for real! They took their courage and their walking stick with both hands, and tried to FIGHT… -Are you a complete IDIOT, kid? I’m a GHOST! Physical attacks don’t work on me. Do you really think I’ll just lower my HP for your fun? And it was raining lightning bolts. Frisk was doing their best to dodge them, but some damage was unavoidable. They stood up after the attack, and reapplied the bandage from the bunny-lady. It was a bit gluey, but it did its job, and healed the wounds. But Frisk still didn’t know what they could do against such a monster… Suddenly very inspired, Frisk told the ghost that they couldn’t help want to touch it, because it was looking so gorgeous, sleeping there in the middle of these leaves, just like a nymph. The ghost’s complexion got a bit pink. -Oh please, darling. I’m just a floating bedsheet. And the lightning bolts appeared again, but there were notably less of them. They were on the right way! Frisk continued to flirt with the ghost, telling that it should have more self-confidence, that it was superb, looking super soft, that they really would have loved to hug them. The bolts were less and less menacing, and the ghost didn’t look very angry anymore. -I didn’t know that my style was so popular with humans! Hey, I like you my darling, so I’m going to show you a little trick. And a few lightning bolts appeared… but instead of attacking the human child, they swarmed in front of the ghost to form a glittering bow tie under its face. -Not bad, don’t you think? I call it: Eleganttaton! The child clapped their hands, a smile on their face. The two spared each other, and Mettaton the ghost did a little bow and smiled before disappearing into thin air. The way was finally free. The tale could continue.

O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O

Crappy drawing by yours truly. Don’t worry I asked better artists for other characters. XD

Next chapter: https://sellerstale.tumblr.com/post/165154521863/ruins-2

Previous chapter: https://sellerstale.tumblr.com/post/165154356103/prologue-en

#sellerstale #sellerstale_en #fanfic #fanfiction #undertale au

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livingwithashipname-blog · 8 years ago

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I was tagged by @scorpion-life! This one looks like fun!

-Jane Austen: Who was your first love? Haven’t fallen in love because I haven’t made any moves in my love life. Personal choice. But I did have a really big crush on a kid who was a grade ahead of me in elementary school. Met him at a sign language class during the summer. Found out our mothers worked together at the same hospital. It lasted 3 years until I literally let it go. These was an embarrassing time in my life because I would be so extra at times! Lol!

-Ray Bradbury: What is your favorite book? There are so many books I could choose, but I will pick one that I have read in the past couple of years. I like romance, dystopian novels, and scientific thrillers, but my favorite genre is psychological thriller (or any book that explores a psychological disorder, event, or phenomenon in a dramatic storyline). So my answer would be The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. Girl with a sketchy family gets kidnapped, develops Stockholm syndrome, gets rescued, but also deals with the fact that she is pregnant with kidnapper’s child who died during capture/rescue. Book continuously goes back and forth between the present and past. I also appreciate nonfiction accounts like Coming Clean: A Memoir by Kimberly Rae Miller that talks about a woman’s childhood & adulthood experiences with her parents’ hoarding. If I had to recall books I enjoyed in my childhood, I would have to go with The Babysitter’s Club collection. That collection was one of the reasons I spent so much time at my local public library.

-Charles Darwin: What is your favorite animal? Not really an animal person, but I love nature docuseries! Mad respect for the zoologists, conservationists, and camera crews who work hard for years collecting rare footage of amazing animals! Intrigued by birds of paradise and lemurs.

-Alice Walker: What is your favorite color? Green

-Kurt Vonnegut: What is your favorite breakfast cereal? Blueberry Morning by Post Cereals

-J.D. Salinger: What was your favorite subject in school? Since “school” is ambiguous, I will break it down for elementary, junior high, high school, and college.

Elementary - mathematics

Junior high - mathematics

High school - chemistry

College - psychology & philosophy

-J.K. Rowling: What is your favorite magical creature? Centaurs (forever trying to figure them out)

-Neil Gaiman: What religion are you? Non-denominational Christian

-Oscar Wilde: What is your vice? Perfectionism (always been a blessing and a curse)

-Julia Child: What is the best meal you’ve ever eaten? Fried flying fish back home in Dominica gives me life (add sailfish and bakes, smoked herring, chicken roti). Crap! Now I am hungry for something I can’t get in the US. 😭😭😭😭

-Stephen King: What was your last Halloween costume? Never dressed up for Halloween.

-Harper Lee: Who was your childhood best friend? Her name was Krystle. We met in kindergarten. She was shy. I came to her and asked her to be my friend. Bonded as only children for our parents (well I have 2 much older step sisters but practically raised as an only child). Sadly, our friendship disintegrated when I graduated from high school early and went to college.

-Brothers Grimm: What is your favorite fairytale? As a child, it was Beauty and the Beast. Now, I rock with Rapunzel. Love the story as told in Tangled.

-F. Scott Fitzgerald: What is the best party you ever attended? Many of my cousins are club promoters, DJs, and entertainment company owners. They organize great parties. Love the calypso battles they do. But the best one I have attended was in El Salvador. Was there for medical missions. Went out with a group of my colleagues and turned up! I sang Alica Keys a cappella during the party. Club owner loved it so much that he tried to book me for future events. When I didn’t oblige because I simply couldn’t, he gave me free wine before I left! 😂😂

-George R. R. Martin: Summer or winter? I’m West Indian. Give me summer all day baby!

-Mark Twain: What was your favorite thing to do as a kid? Dance (tap specifically)

-Edgar Allan Poe: What scares you the most? Failure

-Herman Melville: Beach or mountains? Beach!!! But the mountains are cool too!

-Roald Dahl: What is your favorite candy? Hands down... Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme

-Jack Kerouac: Where do you want to travel? US: California, Colorado, Massachusetts; Canada; France (to visit my cousin and attend the French Open); Dubai; New Zealand

This was really fun! It’s like one big “get to know me” using cool book authors. I tag @scribeshan, @palirt, @quintisforlife, @tobyquinns, and anyone else who wants to do this as well!

#tag game #this was fun #livingwithashipname #scorpion-life

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chorusfm · 7 years ago

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Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town

Born to Run was the album that sparked my appreciation for Bruce Springsteen’s music, but Darkness on the Edge of Town was the album that made me a fan. In 2015, when Born to Run turned 40, I wrote about the day I fell in love with it. A chance discussion about Springsteen at a family reunion sent me reaching for the Bruce albums on my iPod the next day, as my family traversed an epic snowstorm to drive back home. I had five Bruce records on my mp3 player, but I’d never really given full attention to any of them. They were all records from my parents’ CD collection, and at the time, I still stupidly believed (perhaps self-consciously) that older music couldn’t be my music in the same way as something released in my lifetime. On that snowy drive home, I cycled through the Bruce albums on my iPod: the bombastic, optimistic dream of Born to Run; the scrappy underdog symphony of Greetings from Asbury Park; the deeply ‘80s-sounding Born in the U.S.A.; the resilient recovery rock of The Rising; and the sparse storytelling of Devils and Dust. I loved Born to Run immediately. I liked The Rising a lot, too. I had trouble getting over how dated Greetings and Born in the U.S.A. sounded to my ears at the time, but I liked the songs. And Devils was fine, but mostly didn’t move me. Still, I was intrigued enough by what I heard to do the requisite full catalog download when I finally got home that night. Even though I didn’t love everything I’d listened to in the car that day, I could sense that there was a songwriter here who had something to say about the world I was living in, about my life. The assumption that my parents’ music couldn’t be my music too was fracturing before my eyes. The next day was the first official day of Christmas Break, but I had to head into town to run a few errands and meet up with friends. For the drive, I chose Darkness on the Edge of Town. It was an album that had been name-dropped in a review for my favorite album of the year, Butch Walker’s Sycamore Meadows. Both were albums made in the wake of some sort of strife or tragedy, and both supposedly found the artist at their liveliest and most resilient. If Darkness was anything like Sycamore Meadows, I was sure I’d be a fan. By the time “Badlands” hit its first chorus, I knew Bruce was going to play a big role in my life. Bruce sounded so hungry. I didn’t know much about him or his story or legacy at that point, but I knew what passion sounded like, and this guy had it. The other songs on the record were no less impressive: the spectral cries at the end of “Something in the Night”; the dejected hopelessness of “Racing in the Street”; the harmonica-blasted stomp of “The Promised Land.” As I drove through my snow-covered hometown, letting those songs explode through my car at a volume that was probably unsafe for both my ears and my speakers, I fell in love. In the weeks, months, and years that followed, I’d journey deep down the Springsteen rabbit hole. By the end of Christmas Break, I was well-versed in his discography. By the end of my senior year of high school, less than six months later, he was in the running for my favorite artist ever. Almost 10 years later, his music has served as a soundtrack and guide at so many significant moments in my life. I’ve even come to appreciate those records that I didn’t love in the car on that snowy day in December 2008. In Born in the U.S.A., I found a complex story about friendship, nostalgia, and faded glory. In Greetings, I found the drive and ambition of an artist who wasn’t a superstar yet, but was going to get there out of sheer force of will. Even Devils & Dust eventually clicked, its lush production lending potency to both its lightweight, infectious pop songs and its heavy narrative-driven ballads. Without Darkness, though, I’m not so sure any of that would have happened. I didn’t relate to it as much as Born to Run, which is the perfect album for someone hurtling toward the end of high school and all the possibility that lingers beyond. But I sensed that these songs would speak to me more as I got older and started learning some of the bitterer truths of the world. It says something that, even then, I was thinking about what Bruce Springsteen’s records would mean to me five, 10, or 20 years down the road. I know lots of Springsteen fans who started out like me, as ardent devotees of Born to Run, but eventually shifted their allegiances to Darkness on the Edge of Town. The leap makes sense. Where Born to Run is an album about dreaming with every fiber of your being, Darkness is a record about what you do when the lights go out, and you’re all alone, and none of those dreams ended up coming true. For Springsteen, the shift in mindset came from a bitter legal battle with former manager Mike Appel—a war that barred him from the studio for three years. For the rest of us, the shift tends to come from life itself, and from the little failures and stumbles that turn into mountains we cannot climb. Personally, I never stopped believing in the optimism of Born to Run. Thoughts of rolling down the windows and letting the wind blow back my hair, or of dying on the street tonight in an everlasting kiss, still sound as romantic to me at 27 as they did at 18. Of Bruce’s “reality” records, I’ve come to appreciate The River more than Darkness, for how it distills both darkness and light into a record that, to paraphrase Bruce, sounds as big as life. Still, I was right when I predicted that Darkness would come to mean more to me as I got older. While The River offers a more complete portrait of adult life and family, Darkness has the distinction of being Bruce’s most resilient record. Darkness on the Edge of Town is the Springsteen album that sounds best when you feel like your life is going nowhere…or at least nowhere good. There are sadder records: Tunnel of Love is a better friend for those nights when you drink your loneliness away, and Nebraska is hypnotic on dejected late-night drives through the middle of nowhere. But Darkness can hold you in its grasp when you’re not sad enough for Tunnel or hopeless enough for Nebraska, but also not in the mood for the anthemic Bruce that everybody loves. In the wake of my college graduation, as I stumbled around trying to figure out what “life in the real world” looked like for me, Darkness was the Bruce album I reached for. I remember one afternoon, sitting in the apartment I shared with my girlfriend (now wife), when she was off at work. That day alone, I’d sent off probably two-dozen resumes and cover letters that I fully expected never to hear back about. I was feeling low: defeated, directionless, and maybe a little worthless. I don’t remember putting Darkness on, but I do remember reveling in it. The songs never sounded as clear to me as they did on that afternoon: their grit, their blood, their rage. I especially gravitated to the closing song and title track, the last verse in particular: Some folks are born into a good life Other folks get it anyway, anyhow I lost my money and I lost my wife Them things don’t seem to matter much to me now Tonight I’ll be on that hill cause I can’t stop I’ll be on that hill with everything I got Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost I’ll be there on time and I’ll pay the cost For wanting things that can only be found In the darkness on the edge of town Reading and listening to people talk about Springsteen over the years, I’ve come to understand that people view this verse as powerfully sad and almost unrelentingly bleak. It’s not hard to see why: the character here has lost everything and knows it ain’t coming back. Springsteen himself cast the song as a work of tragedy, by saying that Darkness mirrored the “four corners” structure of Born to Run. Each side begins with hope but concludes with defeat. But where “Jungleland” seems to end Born to Run by killing youth at the end of a grim, bloodstained night, I always heard hope in “Darkness on the Edge of Time.” “Tonight, I’ll be on that hill, cause I can’t stop/I’ll be on that hill with everything I got. As bad as things look for the protagonist of this song, nowhere does it sound like he’s giving up. That’s what I took from Darkness that day in my post-college apartment, and what I continue to take from it half a decade later: don’t give up. Sometimes, things come easy. Other times, you have to work at them; be on that hill with everything you got; walk the darkness of Candy’s hall; prove it all night. I eventually figured that out, and the revelation got me to a better place. Today, Darkness on the Edge of Town isn’t necessarily my favorite Bruce album to revisit. It takes me back to a time when I felt angry and aimless and betrayed, even though I was probably just scared: scared of what the future might look like if I failed, if Born to Run turned out to be a lie. During the summers after that, I rediscovered the innocence of Bruce’s early music and fell back in love with Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A. and The Wild, The Innocent, The E Street Shuffle. Darkness never gripped me in quite the same way again, because I didn’t need it to. But for all the souls still feeling lost, still chasing something in the night, still racing fast Chevys down streets of fire, searching for something they cannot name, I’d imagine Darkness on the Edge of Town remains Springsteen’s foremost masterpiece. Born to Run made immortality feel achievable, but Darkness tells you what to do when you realize it’s not. And some days, the latter is just way more comforting. --- Please consider supporting us so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/review/bruce-springsteen-darkness-on-the-edge-of-town/

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pamphletstoinspire · 7 years ago

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Catholic Physics - Reflections of a Catholic Scientist - Part 87

God doesn't accept bribes! On Giving up for Lent!

Story with image:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/catholic-physics-reflections-scientist-part-87-harold-baines/?published=t

High Priest Offering Sacrifice of a Goat at the Temple - from Wikimedia Commons (Caption for linked image)

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. -- Psalm 51 (KJV)

"Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.

I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.

I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High." -- Psalm 50 (KJV)

INTRODUCTION

Lent is upon us, and I thought it meet to write about my Lenten penance, and how my goals in this have changed since my conversion.

Let me preface these remarks with an account of my bartering with God before my conversion, because this connects with the title. At that time (and to a degree, after my conversion) I was a worrier--the future I foresaw was always gloomy, with the worst possible scenario coming to pass. For example, if my wife (or wife and children) were off somewhere and past the expected time of return by a half-hour or more, I would envisage car wrecks, abductions, .... And so I would say to God, "Please let them come home OK, and I'll give up chocolate" (or stop biting my finger-nails, or ___ fill in the blanks.)

Even though I was not altogether sure then that there was a God, I usually made good on these bribes, at least for an extended period of time, or until the next occasion of potential disaster arose. But it never occurred to me, as my wife pointed out later after my conversion, that this was a very pagan practice and totally against Catholic notions of what God demands of us. And so to Lent.

JEWISH PRELIMINARIES

One of the things one is supposed to do at Lent is fast. This was not a new thing for me. As an ethnic (non-religious) Jew I would observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, by fasting (only water and coffee, a fast which at 87, I try to observe) and by reflecting on the past year and what I had done wrong. You should note that the Catholic fasting regimen is more lenient than the Jewish. Even by drinking coffee I was not holding strictly to a Jewish fasting regime. More interesting are speculations as to why fasting arose with the Jews; according to the Jewish Encyclopedia,

"others, again (e.g., Smend), attribute the custom to a desire on the part of the worshipers to humble themselves before their God, so as to arouse His sympathy."

As the linked article notes, there were a host of holidays and occasions on which ancient Jews would fast, particularly if they sought mercy from the Lord:

"And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them." --2 Samuel 12:15,16 (KJV)

So, again, bartering with God.

MY LENT AND HOW IT GREW

My first Lent after my conversion to the Church in 1995 pretty much followed my Jewish ideas. I fasted in the Jewish mode on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and I gave up things and practices -- candy, biting my fingernails, watching some favorite TV shows (Frasier, Seinfeld) -- in other words sacrificing, not a goat but stuff I enjoyed, hoping that this would please God. There was no thought of doing that which would make me grow in faith.

As the years passed, and I listened to more homilies on Lent and I read more about the Church and Lent, it struck me that God didn't need this -- He wasn't going to eat the candy or ice cream I gave up (His was the "Big Rock Candy Mountain"). What He wanted was that I grow closer to him, that I share-in a very little way - the sufferings of Christ and thereby appreciate more fully what Christ had undergone and what He has gained for us.

So, what I did over the years was to modify my Lenten resolutions, year by year.

To cultivate the virtue of patience, I resolved not to pass cars going the posted speed limit (I learned to drive in Southern California, where the race is to the swift); this was the resolution broken most often, but these last few years I've learned to adhere to it (or maybe that's just the consequence of growing older).

To lessen my concern with things of this world, I resolved not to visit eBay or buy things online;

And again, to lessen my concern with the material world, I resolved to not watch those cooking show competitions to which I had become addicted;

I resolved not to eat between meals and eat only one helping of any food that I liked; this was also a difficult resolution to keep, and I've modified it. I don't want this to be a diet, but something to moderate concupiscence. There's a quote from St. Augustine that's pertinent:

"I struggle each day against concupiscence in eating and drinking. It is not something that I can cut off once and for all and touch no more, as I would with concubinage. The bridle put on the throat must be held with moderate looseness and moderate firmness. Is there anyone, Lord, who is not carried a little beyond the limits of personal need?" -- St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions 10, 31

And on a positive note, I've resolved to attend Mass every day, to spend time with the Liturgy of the Hours, to do more volunteer work, and to be more liberal in alms giving. And most important, not to pray for things or actions, but rather to pray to accept the will of God, to put my trust in Him, and to know His love. I still pray for healing for others and for the Holy Spirit to send grace to family and friends, but this is for others, not myself.

To some degree these resolutions have been carried through outside of Lent, particularly the positive ones. I don't claim to live a perpetual Lent, but there have been changes effected by the forty days. In the main, I try to remember that God cannot be bribed; that Lent is not for Him, but for me.

Have a good, a fruitful and a holy Lent.

From a series of articles written by: Bob Kurland - a Catholic Scientist

#catholic physics

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miamibeerscene · 7 years ago

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Revolutionizing the Future of Chocolate Beers

Credit: CraftBeer.com

December 14, 2017

Humans have been caught up in a love affair with chocolate in its liquid form dating back to 1900 BCE when the earliest known traces of the rich flavors produced by cacao nibs were discovered.

Celebrated as a super food, chocolate is nutrient-rich and filled with an abundance of antioxidants and flavonoids, boasting more iron and magnesium than any other food.

It’s a natural stimulant and mood enhancer, and because chocolate borders on a major food group for some people, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that craft brewers have embraced the stuff. It’s one of the few ingredients in the industry that has outlived trends and become a mainstay on most taproom menus.

Beer drinkers just can’t get enough of the sweet and roasty character that chocolate adds to beer, which has left brewers in a perpetual state of experimentation. Brewing with cacao nibs often results in clogged pipes, hoses and valves, and aside from transforming a good brew day into a massive clean-up project, the fatty nature of cacao nibs has a tendency to suck the foam retention right out of a beer — leaving brewers on a hunt for a way to get authentic chocolate flavors, without the mess.

(READ: 10 Peanut Butter Beers You’ll Crave)

A Go-to Ingredient

Pittsburgh’s Copper Kettle Brewing uses Cholaca in its Mexican Chocolate Stout. (Credit: Cholaca)

Enter Cholaca — a Colorado-based chocolate company gaining a big following in the craft beer industry. In 2012, owner Ira Leibtag founded the business with one goal in mind: “to bring healthy, organic and regeneratively farmed liquid cacao to the world, while curating sustainable economic partnerships with farmers throughout Peru and Ecuador.”

Made with just cacao, water and coconut sugar, Leibtag’s sustainably minded, 100 percent pure cacao product has become a staple in coffee shop drinks, on chocolatiers and baker’s go-to ingredients list, and most importantly for beer drinkers, in brewhouses across the country.

(READ: Movie Inspired Beer Names and the Stories Behind Them)

Great American Beer Festival Event

During this year’s Great American Beer Festival week, Leibtag enlisted three Colorado brewers to sit on a panel at an educational “How to Brew the Best Chocolate Beer” event thrown by Cholaca. Brewers and homebrewers in town for the fest packed into Tap Fourteen, a local craft-beer-focused hangout, to learn more about best brewing practices when it comes to creating chocolatey beers.

Over the course of an hour, Leibtag and his panel made up of Left Hand Brewing‘s Steven Brockwell, Jeremy Gobien of Copper Kettle, and Christopher O’Connor of Sleeping Giant discussed the evolution of chocolate beers and the benefits of brewing with Cholaca.

(READ: Chocolate and Chili Beers)

Suggested dosage rates were shared, praise was given for the product’s ability to create a rich, smooth chocolatey taste that brewers previously using cacao nibs, extracts and powders were unable to attain, all while keeping a solid foam retention.

“I always shied away from making chocolate beers because they never tasted like chocolate,” Gobien told the crowd at Leibtag’s GABF event. “Cholaca is much easier to process and you can pull a lot of rich chocolate flavor from it.”

Oskar Blues Approves

Cholaca is part of the magic in Oskar Blues’ Death by Coconut. (Credit: Cholaca)

It was that rich flavor that Oskar Blues’ brewmaster, Tim Matthews, was after when he first took a chance on Leibtag’s liquid cacao product. Looking to breathe some new life into the brewery’s award-winning Death By Coconut — an Irish Porter that boasts a backbone of chocolate flavors so intense, some beer drinkers compare it to an Almond Joy candy bar — Matthews experimented with Cholaca and quickly became one of Leibtag’s top customers in the craft beer industry.

Applauding the product for its ability to boost different layers of flavor already in the beer, Matthews also noted how easy the liquid cacao was to the work within the brewing process, and in the clean-up phase.

(READ: Stone Brewing Takes Down Instagram Troll)

Liquid Cholaca can be added in an unsweetened, lightly sweetened or sweetened form into a brite tank post-fermentation, where the level of chocolate flavor is easily controlled and the liquid byproduct is much easier to clean up than cacao nibs, which must be enclosed in a mesh bag when added to a brew to avoid the nibs clogging up the major arteries of a brewhouse.

“Using cacao nibs is kind of a tricky subject,” Brockwell said. “It’s hard to get repeatability. It’s hard to get something that is dependable.”

Cholaca’s liquid form also proved to be less wasteful, saving brewers money along with headaches in the long run. Brewers found that less of the product was needed to obtain a strong chocolate flavor in their beers. For breweries making small batches of chocolate-inspired beers, Cholaca offers a 1.5 gallon jug. It also offers a 5-gallon bucket for breweries using a moderate amount of chocolate, and a 50-gallon jug for larger breweries such as Oskar Blues who fly through Cholaca to keep iconic beers like Death By Coconut on the shelf.

Try a Chocolate Beer

If you can’t get enough chocolate, track down one of the following beers and be the judge on whether Cholaca’s revolutionary liquid cacao is indeed the future of chocolate beer.

238 Brewing | Partyline Porter

Aardworlf Brewing Co. | El Mariachi Imperial Stout & Biere Joie

Alluvial Brewing | BA Imperial Stout with Cholaca and Coconut

Alter Brewing | Altered Cake Dream

Bellefonte Brewing | Chocolate Stout

Bent River Brewing Co. | Chocolate Milk Stout

Black Bottle Brewery | Scrumdiddlyumptious Bock

Bluebird Brewing | Cholaca Milk Stout

Bosque Brewing | Imperial Chocolate Coconut Stout

Boxing Bear Brewing | Chocolate Red Ale

Coopersmith’s Pub & Brewing | Mocha Milk Stout

Copper Kettle Brewing Co. | Mexican Chocolate Stout

Crazy Mountain Brewing | Cholaca Banana Wit

Dead Lizard Brewing Co. | Komodo “Koko” Dragon Chocolate Stout

Diamond Knot Brewing | Mexican Chocolate Brown Ale

Explorium & Cigar City Brewing | Chocolate-Cherry Imperial Stout

Fate Brewing Co. | Raspberry Chocolate Stout

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. | Weapon of Mass Seduction

Foothills Brewing | Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout

Front Range Brewing | Colorado Fall Golden Co ee Stout

Gilman Brewing Co. | Oil Pan Chocolate Stout & Blackberry Chocolate Stout

Great Divide Brewing Co. | Yeti Chocolate Stout

ICONYC Brewing Co. | Salted Caramel Porter

Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery | Chocolate Stout

John Harvard’s Brew House – Framingham | Edge of Forever Imperial Stout

Joyride Brewing Co. | Dr. Friese’s Breakfast Stout

Left Hand Brewery | Lotta Cholaca Love Porter

Mockery Brewing | English Dutchmen Oatmeal Stout

Next Door Brewing Co. | Wonka Tonk Chocolate Stout with Coffee and Cocoa

Ocelot Brewing Co. | Baltic Porter

Oskar Blues Brewery | Death By Coconut & Rum Barrel-Aged Death by Coconut

Paddle Hard Brewing | Milltown Java Porter

People’s Brewing Co. | Milk Money Coco Milk Stout

Shine Brewing Co. | Whiskey Barrel Aged Porter

Six Ten Brewing | Butterfinger CBGB (Berliner Weisse)

Spada Farmhouse Brewery | Rye Barrel Belgian

South Park Brewing | S’mores Imperial Stout

Sudwerk Brewing Co. | Three Best Friends

Thirsty Nomad Brewing | Flying Snake

Tilted Mash | Chocolate and Vanilla Bourbon Winter Brothers Stout

Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub | Tommyknocker’s Cocoa Porter

Triple Rock Brewery | Holiday Stout

Troegs Brewing Co. | Chocolate Stout Nitro Beer

Two Bandits Brewing Co. | Crooks Christmas

Urban Artifact Brewing | Sliderule Chocolate Raspberry Gose

Ursula Brewing Co. | Colorado Buckeye Chocolate Stout

Verboten Brewing | Little Nonsense Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

Wicklow Brewery | Coconut, Vanilla & Cholaca Stout

Wilmington Brewing Co. | CaCow Chocolate Milk Stout

Zwei Brewery | Saluu

Tyra Sutak

Tyra Sutak is a freelance writer sharing stories about her favorite things: travel, food, music, craft beer and entertainment. Based out of Boulder, Colo., Tyra gathers inspiration by exploring the world by foot, bike, train, car, plane, greyhound bus, and any other form of travel that will lead to a new adventure. Whether it’s climbing 14er’s under a blue ColoRADo sky, sailing on a boat in Costa Rica, living out childhood dreams on Wrigley Field, or simply taking a moment to appreciate the everyday adventures that can be found at home, the open road calls—and Tyra’s bag is always packed.