#but if you wanna donate to help the animals left behind donating to the local organization Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)

[sugakuns]

[sc] 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐛𝐨𝐲 ?

sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs: kozume’s twitch had blown up lately and his subscribers love to bully him with you

ᴀ/ɴ: gn reader

-> this has been in my drafts for AGES and i kinda need to post... sorry for any grammar mistakes..

⤷ mlist

Kenma was having a chill stream, one where he sat back from the games (surprisingly) and spoke to his fans. He preferred these streams when he had a particularly hard day at work wherein he had to sit in long meetings while elderly executives yelled at him for not working his business the way they would prefer.

But for now, he sat on a familiar black gaming chair with white and red accents, on his head sat a pair of pink headphones with little cat ears and white fur details. They were gag gifts from Kuroo when his stream started to get more popular but Kenma had actually liked them and genuinely started using them since they did work. They’re pretty much a staple in Kenma’s online image too.

His set up was quite minimalistic due to the room he used for steaming being a spare room within the house. The white walls behind him had a few gaming posters stuck to the walls, along with LED lights and picture frames of random images ranging from cute photos of your cats to pictures of you and Kenma on dates. Kenma sits in the middle of the screen, camera positioned from the waist up to barely show the offcial Kodzuken logo (stylised KDZKN) printed on the front.

“You guys wanna see [y/n]?” He asks after observing the fast flowing chat. Multiple animations flared on the screen from money donations to gifted subs and messages relentlessly asking for you to come on the stream. They loved to see you two interact, especially since Kenma seems so much more confident and snarky when you’re on the stream.

“They’re watching so they’ll come up if they want” He tells the chat as he runs his fingers through his hair, grunting lightly as he pulls his hair into a lazy low bun. The front strands of his hair were always let down to frame his face due to the fact he never grew out of his habit of using his hair as a shield from others.

He can already hear you padding down the hallway anyway, mentally ticking down the seconds until the door clicks open and you stumble in the streaming room but for now his eyes gaze over the chat.

“I’m not gonna wear a maid dress you guys” He groans. He knows many of his followers like to imagine him as very feminine - and yes, fair enough he had painted his nails and let you put eyeliner on him but dresses were far out of his comfort zone. It’s something he’s already discussed with his fans as being something that crossed the line when requested.

His eyes flicker to the corner of the screen where he catches the movement of the door opening as you quietly slip into the room. You’re wearing a pair of sweats and some random top but he noticed how you fixed your hair (and makeup if you wear it!) to look a little more presentable for his fans.

“Hi everybody” You greet softly, bending down to get a better look at the stream. It took you a while to understand his setup with the three large and extremely expensive monitors balancing on some random white table you bought at a local Ikea. You have no idea why Kenma isn’t more careful about the placement of his things but you’re sure it’s down to the amount of money he’s accumulated from multiple platforms.

The personalised and familiar sound of Happy from FairyTail saying “wow” chimes through the air as a donation appears on the screen. A feminine robotic voice follows shortly after as it reads out the short message displayed on the screen.

“Is your boyfriend a catboy?”

A giggle ripples from deep in your chest at the playful question but you nod anyway. Kenma’s blank expression judging you through the monitors reflection is enough to make you double over with laughter too, making his eyebrows curve downwards in a display of annoyance.

“I’m not a catboy”

“Babe you literally have cat ears on your headphones” Kenma groans, hands wrapping around the plastic to pull them from his head to rest around his neck. A few more donations come in repeating the previous question but the two of you are distracted by a letter argument.

“You literally went to a school with the word cat in it!”

“That’s not the point”

“Kenma we have two cats! Plus i’m pretty sure I remember you looking into getting some Hello Kitty things” Kenma attempts to cover your mouth with his hands but the last few words come out audibly muffled. The chat of course explodes, claiming you to be his My Melody to his Kuromi but he chooses to glare at you instead.

“Don’t you have Hello Kitty hair clips?” He retorts, letting his eyebrows furrow as he purses his lips into a strange mixture of a pout and a frown.

“And I wear them with pride!”

“You’re worse than me” Kenma pouts, leaning back from his keyboard as his left hand comes up to snake around your shoulders and lovingly rub your upper arm. He knows you get a little nervous when speaking to his fanbase, especially after you’ve seen what they’re capable of doing to other fanbases or people in general.

The chat continues to flow rapidly with new questions, a few donations coming in randomly with by gifting subs or asking questions that Kenma briefly answers.

“They’re asking if you’ll make a Twitch” Kenma smiles, eyes darting from the screen to watch how you fidget as you think of an answer.

“No” You chew on your bottom lip “I don’t think i’m that entertaining... maybe if i do anything I’ll make a youtube channel..”

“You’re not boring” Kenma retorts swiftly, promoting a small smile to appear on your face. You can’t help but feel a little happy with the positive attention you’re gaining from his fans, but you’ve thought about it before and you’ve seen what having a large fanbase can have to a person. You’re literally dating Kodzuken.

“Thanks, Ken”

[scrap-paper-origami]

Since this past Sunday (Jan. 12, 2020) Taal Volcano in the Philippines has been spewing ash. There’s yet to be an actual explosion but it’s still at alert level 4 (as of the creation of this post: Jan. 17, 2020) and according to experts from the likes of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) it can happen within the next few hours or days. As a result, everyone living within a 14 km radius has been evacuated but due to the urgency, many of them were not able to bring much in terms of personal belongings or supplies. Here are a few articles on the current situation.

Timeline of Taal Volcano

Why Taal Volcano eruption will be different

Phivolcs Report

From my personal research, most of the local efforts are taking physical supplies to help the evacuees but I’ve found the information for a couple accepting monetary donations.

Philippine Red Cross-Cavite Chapter

DSWD Region IV-A

Tulong Kabataan

De La Salle Lipa

And more organizations and their information can be found in THIS article (where I pulled the listed from). If you’re not able to donate a reblog would be appreciated. It’s still a waiting game with the volcano so these people’s situation is likely to stay the same for a while.

[ironmandeficiency]

falcon, falcon, goose!

pairing: sam wilson / reader

word count: 3547

summary: there were reports of geese leading people to their soulmates spanning centuries, and it seemed like a cool concept, but why did it have to coincide with you coming out of your writing slump?

warnings: cursing, geese, dumbassery, implied happy au where the avengers get along, iw and endgame who?

a/n: this is an older piece i wrote a couple years ago, decided to brush it up and repost it. and the reader works for snl bc why the hell not? keep in mind that the original was written before everything went to shit w iw & endgame. posted from mobile yet again yall what is wrong w me

it was a sunny day outside, and deciding that you had been cooped up for far too long, you brought your laptop to the park a couple blocks from your studio apartment.

being a writer for saturday night live wasn't always so peachy, what with the lack of a social life outside of your co-workers and constantly explaining your job to confused relatives. you had been in a slump for the past couple weeks, the fact most of your sketch ideas not making the cut for the next episode continuing to throw you off your rhythm.

this week, you were going to change that. Your headphones were playing your concentration playlist full volume and you were hyped to the max. with your laptop on the picnic table in front of you and a warm cup of tea beside it, you were ready to blow the producers away with your next idea.

"honk! honk!"

you felt something nudge your leg, but you were too engrossed into what you were typing to care. after getting through a few more lines, it happened again.

"honk! honk! honk!"

you couldn't hear the sound but the feeling on your leg got a little bit rougher, more demanding. you moved your headphones to the side for a minute and took a moment to look around you. there was no kid running to get their ball back or any squirrels nearby that dropped a nut.

strange.

but you put your headphones back on, trying to keep your groove alive while hoping the interruptions are finished.

"HONK! HONK! HONK!" the goose honked louder, pecking at your leg harder than it had earlier.

you were getting frustrated and a little pissed. the creativity was flowing through your veins for the first time in what felt like ages and this — whatever it was — decided that today was the best day to annoy you.

you kicked your legs out with a strange flail and when you came into contact with something large and solid you nearly screamed.

"ow! motherf- oh my god!"

standing on the ground beside your table was a goose. it honked yet again with impatience (geese could do that?) and nipped lightly at your thigh closest to it. looking to the pond nearby, it was nearly an entire gaggle of the damned things.

so here was this goose honking at you and nipping at you like you were supposed to know what the hell it wanted from you.

"i don't have any bread, dumbass. go find someone else to bother." thinking it would leave if you ignored it, you turned away and continued your work.

"HONK! HONK!" it continued to honk and decided to peck you before flapping its wings, landing itself on the table next to your computer.

"get outta here, ya damn goose!" while you were trying to shop it away, it expertly evaded you. "go! shoo! leave me alone!"

it just stayed over on the bench, expertly dodging your attempts to get it to leave.

a few people nearby had heard your altercation with the infernal bird. one of them was an older gentleman that laughed as he sat across from you, the mirth in his eyes glinting as you give him a sarcastic side eye while trying to deal with the current issue.

"that bird won't leave you alone, you know." At his voice, the goose calmed down and waddled a few feet away from your arm's reach.

that was the first time the thing had been seemingly calm since he showed up at your little table.

"what do you mean he won't leave me alone?"

he pauses, part of him enjoying the irritation in your tone. he remembers someone talking to him like he was to you many years ago, and it made his heart smile at the idea of repaying the favor. "have you ever read about soulmate geese?"

"hey we're gonna go for a run, wanna join?" steve’s offer was given with a smirk. ever since reuniting with bucky, the two supersoldiers found so much humor in doing laps around sam every time they went out jogging.

it annoyed the shit out of him, the "on your left" comments from steve and the newer "on your right" jabs from bucky, but it also pushed Sam to work harder during his runs. ultimately he knew his non-enhanced body didn't stand much of a chance beating them, but he enjoyed when he was able to close the gap between their times just a little bit.

"sure, just gimme a few to eat breakfast and I'll join you guys." the blond nodded and turned back to the elevator, having woken up far earlier than sam and therefore already ate.

he hummed otis redding as he laid the bacon flat into the pan, shoulders moving along with his created rhythm while changing the grounds in the coffee filter. this was how he spent most of his mornings, barring the occasional hangovers and missions where he couldn't afford the distraction.

he ate, got dressed, and told FRIDAY to let bucky and steve know he was ready to go. h had his water bottle in hand, giving his body a pep talk in preparation for the run. they met in the common room and soon, the trio was off.

"on your left!"

"on your right!"

"oh, come on!"

he knew it was gonna happen, but for some reason it felt like it happened sooner than normal. either they were trying really hard to mess with him today, or he was off his game. but regardless, he pushed his body harder than he probably should have because when there was something obstructing his path, he didn't pause. no, he charged it straight on through and fell hard.

steve and bucky had seen this from a distance and immediately rushed to get to their friend.

sam rolled onto his back, exhausted and now in terrible pain from the fall. he closed his eyes and just let it all sink in. when he opened his eyes at the sudden foul smell flooding his nostrils, he could feel the palpitations, thinking he was about to have a heart attack.

"holy shit!" sam sat up like a rocket despite the way his body was throbbing from the fall.

the goose stared at him curiously and turned its head toward the pounding footsteps from the approaching brooklynites.

"sam! What happened?" steve was concerned, inspecting sam while bucky noticed the bird. The brunet bent down to meet the goose eye-level and was somewhat surprised that it didn't run away at the close proximity.

"did you trip the dumbass? was it your fault sam landed on his face? Huh, little guy?"

"honk! honk!"

"i thought so. good job, man." bucky pats the animal on the head gently before turning to help steve get sam off the ground.

"nothing’s broken but there's probably a sprain, can't really be sure until we get to cho." sam and bucky lift their friend from the pavement and they have no problem supporting his weight.

they began the walk back to the tower in silence. well, almost silence. there was a faint pitter-patter of tiny, webbed feet behind them that sam and bucky weren't paying attention to.

steve noticed the goose slowly waddling behind the trio and looked at sam with a smile. sam responded to steve’s happy face with a glare, not enjoying any of the situation he found himself in.

"look behind us, guys."

both men took turns looking behind them and see the goose waddling behind them patiently. sam wasn't particularly happy about the culprit from moments before trailing behind him, but bucky thought it was hilarious.

"do you know what this means?"

sam rolled his eyes because he thought the blond was about to make some sort of poetic comment about one thing for another.

bucky had paused to think about the implications of a random goose for a moment before gasping. "dude," bucky nudged sam softly, being conscious of his friend's injuries. "you’re gonna meet your soulmate, man!"

"a soulmate goose. man come on, are you out of your mind?"

"steve got his goose back during the war, i think we know enough about it."

sam had only heard vague reports of soulmate geese throughout his life, but now that he thought about it, it did make sense. the goose showed up randomly in the middle of his routine, completely throwing him off, and was now refusing to leave him alone.

"well if this is my soulmate goose, then somebody’s gotta tell tony about our newest avenger." they laughed at the implication, viciously eager to witness tony’s reaction to the newest resident of avengers hq.

it has been three days of dealing with your goose, and you were now teased at work as “bird brain”, walking into your office to see several loaves of bread covering the desk. your goose, that you had named piper once you got home, was excited at the prospect of more food, but you planned on donating most of the bread to local shelters, only keeping a couple loaves for the house.

the guest host that week was mick jagger, and he had emerged into the room “i dream of jeanie” style, startling both you and piper, who honked at him in irritation.

it was time for you to work on the song for your little sketch with him, and you had only two more days before performance night (it was thursday) to finish writing it. after settling down and getting into the right mindset, the writing process had begun.

"alright let's see," mick murmured. "let’s all go to the picnic, let's all have a drink. what rhymes with 'drink'?"

you thought for a moment and said quietly, "think?"

you weren't prepared for the absurd response you received from the man, his accent making him round mean as he barked out a loud "NO!" with an unnecessary hand gesture.

piper just about lost it. she was honking and flapping around your office in a tizzy (but staying away from mick because the man was seen as a stranger she wasn't comfortable with).

you racked your brain for another solution, something else to rhyme with 'drink' and you eventually found it: "sink?"

mick thought about it for a moment before replying with a much lighter "yes!" also paired with unwarranted pointing.

‘motherfucker, is this how you write songs?!'

thursday and friday came and went, and soon it was time for your piece to be performed by mick. du to an accidental ankle twist someone else suffered, you were forced to perform a skit live for the first time in your career. it would have been great, but there was one teensy problem: piper blatantly refused to leave your side when it was time to perform, and she would honk and bite anyone that tried to keep her from you onstage.

even poor bobby, who she had grown fond of, was taking the brunt of it. she was not allowing you to be more than a couple feet away from her, and it was almost endearing if you weren't being broadcast on national television.

apparently, piper would also be making her debut appearance on saturday night live tonight as well.

saturday had arrived, and it was sam’s day of rest. he spent the day doing the bare minimum, eating junk food and watching almost everything on netflix he could find.

he didn't stray too far from tradition, not really. it was just that now he had a goose accompanying him the entire time, honking at this and that and eating occasional pieces of popcorn that sam didn't want to share.

he didn't mind his feathered companion, he was actually quite fond of his goose at this point. whitewing (not to be confused with redwing) was the most calm goose any of them had seen, no biting or nipping and especially no honking at ungodly hours of the night.

steve was perplexed. "Are you sure whitewing hasn't done anything bad? no waking you up at night or bites when you don't feed him soon enough?"

sam would chuckle and shake his head, proud to have such a calm goose. "why are you so keen to see him misbehave? aren’t all soulmate geese like this?"

"for lack of a better word, most geese are assholes. i don't know how whitewing is so well behaved," steve balked at the very idea of all geese being so mellow and decided it was story time.

steve’s goose from the century before was the most rambunctious animal anyone had ever seen. he recounted the first and several occasions following where his soulmate goose, jimmy, fended off the blond man's alleyway attackers.

sam was extremely grateful that whitewing had less feral and goose-like tendencies. whitewing was extremely well behaved and had an almost human way about him, the way he honked in reply to sam or the rest of the team when they talked to him.

it was late in the evening when clint decided to plop down onto the couch and flick the channel to nbc, where tonight's host was mick jagger.

"why are we watching this?" sam was enjoying his sitcoms before the other bird man had showed up.

"i haven't watched it in ages, plus mick jagger is on tonight."

"alright, whatever you want."

the intro played like usual, and whitewing was perfectly complacent. they laughed in the right places with the occasional honking from the bird, and everything was great.

"hey man, look!" clint interrupted, keeping sam from being able to hear the punchline. "i think that's a goose!"

"why is there a goose? The skit has nothing to with-"

sam and clint seemed to come to the same realization at the same time as whitewing, the goose beginning to honk incessantly. he was going absolutely berserk, flapping his wings and hopping off of sam’s lap and onto the coffee table, occasionally pecking at the tv where he saw the other goose.

he was going absolutely bonkers.

"whitewing! whitewing, no! calm down!" sam scrambled to calm down his goose, but he was having none of it. the whole entire skit, whitewing was honking and flapping and being a general nuisance.

he found his soulmate.

whitewing kept at it until the screen went to a commercial, his soulmate off of the screen.

"y’know," clint spoke around a slice of pizza. when did he get pizza? "if you hurry, you could go to the studio and meet your soulmate. the show is about halfway over."

before sam could think over the proposition, tony’s voice was heard from the corridor. "somebody shut that damned bird up before I pay ramsay to cook it!"

"i’m taking care of it!"

with that, sam heads to the armory with whitewing on his tail to get his wings. once he's equipped, sam heads to the window and jumps, immediately setting his course for studio 8h and his soulmate.

you’re released to go back to your office once you finish the skit alongside mick and piper, the show almost over. you’re gathering your things lazily, knowing that you have no other responsibilities for the night.

just as you lock your office and piper is waddling beside you without a care in the world, you see kyle running towards you with a look of fear in his eyes. that fear seems to only triple when his eyes land on piper beside you.

"kyle! what’s-"

"there’s another goose on the set! no one is safe!"

wait, was he bleeding?!

you were going to try and help your friend but one look at piper sent him off the rails, the lanky man nearly falling on his ass in an attempt to skid the corner. you hoped that someone would help calm your panicked friend, seeing as you were literally the worst person for the job at the moment.

without further incident, you are able to say goodbye to cecily and mikey before you're stopped in your tracks by michael, who gives piper a funny look.

"wait, so the goose that attacked kyle wasn't piper?" You shake your head in confusion. "dude, your soulmate must have come to the set!"

piper must have either understood what your co-worker had said or she could sense a change in the studio, but she began to honk erratically and run away from you. the last thing new york needed was two feral geese running around attacking people, so you did what anyone would do and ran after her.

"piper! piper, come back!" michael laughed as you chased after your goose. while you were running, you nearly died when you heard a honk that you knew wasn't from your piper. hers were carved into your brain, and you were positive that you could pick hers out of an entire gaggle of geese, so there was indeed a second goose in the studio.

to your dismay, piper did not stop and wait, she just kept on honking and flapping and scaring people in pursuit of the other goose, poor old you having to chase her.

there was another voice you assumed was yelling at his goose since you didn't know of anyone naming their kid whitewing. your eyes were not looking straight ahead when you suddenly bumped into someone, immediately stumbling a bit before regaining your balance.

piper had stopped her honking and that scared you. did someone hurt her? was she-

her and another goose were making muted honks to each other. they sounded like affectionate honks, which is one of the weirdest sentences you ever constructed in your head. but it was true! they were cuddling close to each other and making really quiet honking noises at each other, and if that wasn’t affectionate then you didn’t know what would be.

so if piper found her soulmate, that means yours was-

"i hope comin' to your job was okay. whitewing wasn't gonna give up until I left, so here we are." your eyes were dragged from the touching scene of piper and her special goose to a pair of dark brown irises that radiated warmth and a promise of happy days.

you were absolutely dumbstruck. your mouth was unable to form coherent words, so you decided to take in the appearance of your soulmate. he was wearing a soft grey tee and sweatpants, and socks without shoes. did he realize how unsanitary the streets of new york were?

but upon further investigation, you realize that he probably didn't walk to the studio. on his back was what you would normally call a jetpack, but when you recognize the face your mind completes the puzzle: your soulmate is sam wilson, otherwise known as the falcon. holy shit.

"uh yeah of course, i guess you flew here? no sane person in new york would walk around barefoot in the street." did you really just say that?!

sam nodded and then remembered that he was in his pajamas in front of his soulmate without any shoes. "yeah, he wasn't gonna stop attacking the tv once he saw uh…"

you realized he was asking for your goose’s name, and so you hastily gave it to him.

"yeah, once he saw piper, he went wild. caused more chaos in five minutes than he did in five days!"

you laugh, the nervousness falling away as you recount the story of you first meeting with piper.

people are staring at the pajama-clad avenger and his soulmate, their geese finally satisfied. after all, it wasn't every day so many people were able to watch soulmate geese (and their people) meet for the first time.

sam gently took your hand, his thumb smoothing the skin on the back of it, just listening to you talk. you asked him a question about whitewing and he was in the middle of telling you when he cut himself off. "i just realized i don't even know your name!"

in most scenarios you’d be slightly put off by this, but you didn't have an issue because of the specific circumstances. if he weren't an avenger you wouldn't have known his either, and plus, no one really pays attention to the little rat writers. you give him your name and smile when he introduces himself, his voice even helping show off the brightest smile you’ve ever seen.

with impeccable goose timing, piper and whitewing honk at you to hurry your introductions and leave the studio.

"do you want to fly back to your place , or can I drive you?" it was a risk to ask him such a question, but you were genuinely concerned. you hoped he wouldn't think you were trying to jump his bones only minutes after meeting him so you used (terrible) humor to show your intentions. "you shouldn't fly so late at night without headlights, no matter how high up you get."

sam’s laughter was infectious and soon you joined him, your geese about to get more irritated with their humans.

"yeah, I'd like that. lead the way, soulmate." piper and whitewing honk as the two of you head to the lobby hand in hand, the birds waddling behind you just as happy as soulmate geese could be.

[floralamongtheclouds]

Hi! May a request a scenario about Yuno when as a baby, he was found at the doorstep of S/o domain. S/o is a kind-hearted Noble young woman who after finding Baby Yuno begin to raise him as her own son, during Yuno’s 6th birthday 🎂, he befriends an orphan named Asta with the same dream as him : becoming the new emperor-mage. Following this event, S/o begin to train Yuno (her foster son) to Wind magic so that when he grow up, he will be able to join a magic guild.

So, I’m not going to lie, this one was a bit hard for me, but I tried my best and I hope that this is what you wanted (I added in a few extra details, I hope that’s okay)! If you wanted something different, please let me know and I’ll rewrite it or add more!

Warnings: None

Yuno and (Foster)Mother!Reader

-When Yuno first arrived on your doorstep, you had half a mind to travel to the next town over, Hage, to drop him off at the local church (the closest church to your very small town), but one look at his tiny little face melted your heart and changed your mind.

-You were one of the few nobles in your town, living alone after your parents left to live with your sister and brother-in-law (who’s family was far richer than yours), leaving the estate to you. It had been lonely, but being a caretaker for Yuno might give you the company you yearned for an din turn you could give him a better life than one as an orphan.

-Yuno was a quiet child and usually stayed close to you whenever you went out, which was fine by you. It meant that you didn’t have to worry about losing him in the market and even if he was quiet, he was still very animate when it was just the two of you. He also showed great potential with his wind magic (coincidentally the same magic as yours), even at a young age.

-However, those qualities of his made it hard to surprise him for his birthday. You couldn’t quickly buy him something without him noticing and he seemed to always catch you when you tried to sneak out to the market for him, even though you could never sense him coming up behind you to ask where you were going.

-His sixth birthday was coming up, unfortunately it fell on the same day you traveled to the church to make your monthly donation. You used to leave Yuno with one of the maids when you traveled, but you figured he was finally old enough to come with you, making it the first time he’d travel long distance. You felt bad, but he seemed so excited to go with you. This also meant you would have to get his present after you came back, but when you told him this, he told you that he thought you taking him with you was his birthday present.

-Traveling to Hage was fairly simple. Yuno was too busy watching the passing scenery to get bored and get fussy. When you arrived, Father Orsi and Sister Lilly were already waiting outside for you. 

“Ah, Lady Y/N! It’s so lovely to see you again!” Sister Lilly greeted you when you got close enough.

“Likewise Sister Lilly, Father Orsi.”

“Miss! Miss!” A young voice cut into your conversation. You looked over to see Asta running towards you. According to Father, he showed up at the church around the same time as Yuno and they seemed to be around the same age. He was a really excitable kid who couldn’t wait to meet your own foster son so he could “have a new friend” as he put it.

- Well hello little Asta, how are you today?” You greeted him.

“Great!” He shouted, giving you a toothy a grin, but his attention was quickly diverted when he noticed Yuno who was clinging closely to your skirts. “Is that your son?”

“Yes, this is Yuno,” you pushed Yuno slightly in front of you, “Yuno, this is Asta, he’s an orphan here at the church. Why don’t you and him go play so us grownups can talk.”

“But-” Yuno started to protest, but was cut off by Asta shouting in glee and pulling on Yuno’s arm to drag him off to play.

-When you were leaving Hage, you asked Yuno if he had fun with Asta. He nodded and said, “I wanna become the next Emperor-Mage.”

“The Emperor-Mage,” you questioned, “What brought this on?”

“It’s Asta’s dream too and now we’re rivals.”

“Ah, I see. Well, becoming the Emperor-Mage is hard work, you’ll have to train everyday.” You smiled slightly. It was heartwarming to see Yuno like this, maybe you’ll travel more to Hage so Yuno could see his new friend more often which might help him come out of his shell even more.

“Would you help me train,” Yuno excitedly asked, “I wanna become stronger just like Asta!”

“Of course, sweetie.”

“Thanks mom!”

[baroquebucky]

forgotten birthdays and puppies

Everyone in the compound forgets it’s your birthday, so you get a puppy. But bucky is determined to do the most.

some angst and v fluffyyyyy pls request something !!

————-

You woke up disoriented, forgetting what day it was for a second. Last nights mission was a whole mess, but so was every other one honestly. You checked your phone from next to your pillow, a few texts from friends back home texting at 2 am long paragraphs and some from 30 minutes ago.

Silently smiling and replying something sweet to each of your friends you slipped out of your bed and headed out from your room. Your hair was messy from sleeping with it loose and somewhat wet, in an oversized shirt and some shorts. You felt a bubble of excitement grow in your belly as you saw your hero friends, expecting them to burst out yelling happy birthday. But to your disappointment nothing happened, they were all chatting not even aware of your presence.

‘It’s okay they’re just tired from last night’ you comforted yourself holding back the lump you felt growing. You smiled to yourself and made your way to the kitchen, sliding with your fuzzy socks across the hard wood floor.

“You’re gonna get hurt one day y’know” the groggy voice spoke from behind you, startled you slipped and almost fell, luckily you caught yourself on the table near you.

“Good thing I’m young and a slip won’t break my back huh Barnes” you quipped back smiling at him. His blue eyes somehow sparkling despite the fatigue ever-present on his face, hair messy but silky in a small bun you called it the raddish because it was so tiny.

As you made breakfast not one person wished you happy birthday, not even bucky. Not that he had to, i mean you weren’t dating so whatever right? I mean sure we flirt here and there, and everywhere, but still, not dating. Yet. You were so caught up you didn’t notice Wanda talking to you about some guy she met that she claimed was ‘maybe the one’ which she had said about the last three. You nodded and said “no way” here and there. The conversation ended, and no ‘happy birthday!’ she was your best friend you know you had told her it was your birthday today.

You put your plate in the sink and went back to your room, the lump in your throat making its way closer to its escape. No way, you weren’t crying on your birthday. You got changed and headed out, you were gonna be happy and make this memorable. You walked out of the compound with confidence, but once you stepped out into the busy streets, your confidence blew away with the winds of New York and you shyly walking towards who knows what.

After a good hour of walking around and buying a few small things to decorate your room with or to just mess with you cane across an animal shelter. “Don’t do it, no you can’t” you scolded yourself as your feet made its way inside the shelter, pushing open the double doors. The smell hit your nose and you smiled, embracing it instead of scrunching up your nose. An expected mixture of dog, cat, and cleaning product.

“Hello! How can I help you today” the guy at the front desk asked you, a charming smile sent your way. “Uhm, do you have any dogs? Well, of course you do but can i see some?” You said face palming mentally, way to go Y/N.

“Of course! Right this way” he smiled and led you to the dog section of the shelter. “Feel free to look around, if you wanna play with one of these guys let me know” he smiled and went back to sitting down. “I’m Dorian by the way” he said before leaving the hall.

Slowly you walked by each kennel, giving every dog your utmost attention. Baby talking to each of them. It is your birthday isn’t it? You tapped your foot debating if you should get one of these babies and deal with tony later. Fuck it. You smiled and went up to the front, “uh Dorian? can i adopt one of the dogs?” You asked shyly tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “Of course! Who’s the lucky guy that gets to go home with a beautiful girl like you?” He smiled at you.

There was a dog that had caught your eye, he was brown and had a black snout and ears and a tail to match. “the little guy with the black nose and tail” you beamed at him, “he’s gonna get big ya know that right? He’s a mix of a lot of things” he informed you. “You think i can’t handle him?” You teased as he became flustered. “I- I didn’t mean it like that-“ you laughed “I’m kidding man.” He smiled at you and proceeded to lead you to your soon to be sons kennel.

“Usually people have to wait a few days for the dog to be ready but this puppy is all ready surprisingly.” Dorian apple as he came back with your new puppy. “okay yeah that’s amazing.” You spoke bouncing on your heels making grabby hands to your new puppy. “What are you gonna name him?” He asked as you filled out the paper work. You thought about it for a while. “Ace. He’s the only puppy in his litter with his markings, one of a kind.” You said setting down the pen and looking at the puppy in your arm, almost smiling up at you.

As you walked into the local pet store and bought the necessary supplies you called an Uber and headed to the compound. You were gonna get killed by tony. You were too excited to care though, this little furball in your hands made this birthday into a much better thing.

As you entered the compound and snuck to your room you set the supplies down, quickly puppy proofing your room. “Okay here’s the deal, it’s my birthday, I’m not supposed to have you, but in my defense no one told me happy birthday.” You said firmly to Ace as he cocked his head to the side and then continued smiling at you. A knock at your door startled you, and Ace too as he barked.

“Y/N? Is that you?” Oh no, Tony. “Uh yeah sorry i was, practicing my barks. Gotta throw people of their rhythm you know?” You cringed as the words left your mouth. Running to open the door before he could open it all the way. “What’s up?” You asked your body covering the bed where ace laid, or so you thought.

“I just thought you wanted to join the team for movie night? I think Thor is picking the movie....” he trailed off eyes wandering down to your feet. You felt your soul leave your body. “Is that, is that a puppy?” Tony said every word becoming louder. You quickly picked up your companion and rushed you into the living room, “i can explain i swear” you said sweating already fearing having to give up this canine you claimed as your son.

“I told you NO DOGS, you’re too smart to make an idiotic mistake like this Y/N.” Tony said visibly angry shouting, causing the team to surround you two. “How do you expect me to live here isolated from everyone? You know i love dogs and you take that from me too?” You yelled right back, small barks erupting from ace as you shouted.

“I don’t get why you’re so impulsive maybe if it was your birthday this would be acceptable but it’s not!” He scolded you, and that’s when the lump in your throat bursted out. Voice cracking and tears flowing “it is my birthday you prick” you furrowed your eyebrows and everyone around you get shocked and disappointed in themselves for forgetting.

After spending a few hours setting up aces things in your room and crying for half of it. You hear a gentle knock on your door. You get up, careful to not wake ace, and you look to see who it is. Bucky Barnes. The one man you had fallen in love with but no one seemed to notice. Not even him. Your clock read 2:46 a.m. and you slowly opened the door as he stood there with guilt on his face. “I’m sorry i forgot, i didn’t know and i know it’s technically over but can i try and make it up?” He said making eye contact a few times and fiddling with his fingers. You smiled, your heart melting, how could you say no? As you walked down the shirt hall you saw some candles light their way to the table which had your favorite cupcake with a single candle in the middle, a small bag next to it and a note.

“Buck you didn’t have to do this” you said tears welling in your eyes as you started in awe. “Just read please” he said in a shaky voice.

hi y/n,

I know everyone forgot about today, but i promise i didn’t mean to. You mean so much to me, more than you can imagine. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on doll, you always make me stutter and somehow i turn into a blushy mess. Everyday you look so beautiful and you take my breath away. You don’t realize how much you mean to this team and to everyone around it. I realized it when we all went stargazing and they were all messing around but you kept everyone together, and as a team we admired the stars as you named each constellation and gave facts about them. I realized when you solved so many things with your common sense that none of us apparently have. I realized when you cried over killing a plant because you gave it too much water, or how you broke the TV because tony would change the SPCA commercial and then you stole his debit card and donated $20,000 dollars as a “reparation for emotional damage.” I didn’t just realize this. I realized i was in love with you. All the things you do, from how you type on your phone to how you focus on your work and you’re so gentle with the things you love and you can be so forward with someone. I’m in love with you, and i hope i can spend your birthday with you. Because on this day that you were born, the birds sung, stars shone and flowers bloomed. - bucky barnes

You teared up. “Bucky you really mean all that?” You felt the hot tears flow down your cheeks. Smiling and snuggling up at him. “Every damn word doll.” He smiled. You hugged him and you stayed there for a while, your head on his chest arms around his torso as he kissed the top of your head, arms wrapped around you. “Open the bag sweetheart” he said as he pulled away reluctantly. You smiled and opened the bag. Inside was a box. You opened it and inside was a ring you had been talking about for months.

“No way- you didn’t, tell me you did not James Barnes” you spoke in disbelief as the ring shined even in the dim candle lit space. Bucky smiled at you proud of himself as you jumped around with the ring. “I know you said you wanted it really badly and that when you got it you knew that ‘you had made it’ and let me tell you, you definaltly made it, saving the world and helping everyone.” He smiled as you slipped the ring on admiring it once more. You beamed up at him, practically glowing. Even with your slightly puffy eyes, and your hoodie and shorts you looked gorgeous to Bucky.

“How do i even repay you?” You asked hugging him once more. He smiled at you “it’s your birthday, nothing to repay.” You wanted to just marry this man on the spot. ‘Just ask me out already I’m in love with you’ you sighed as you blew out the small candle on the cupcake. “Maybe i will” Bucky smirked as your blood rushes from your face, “did i say that out loud” you closed your eyes hoping you didn’t say that out loud. “You did doll” he said leaning closer to you, you could feel the heat radiating off his body. He ticked a strand of hair behind your ear as he slowly leaned down and your lips connected. Fireworks was an understatement, it was magical, as cheesy as it is you felt like you were floating. That was until you heard something barking ‘ferociously’ at bucky. You both pulled away to see ace standing between you two, barking at Bucky standing protectively on you your feet.

You both laughed as Ace calmed down when you picked him up, “he’s a good guy buddy, we love Bucky in this house” you smiled as the puppy relaxed and licked Buckys face. “I think he likes me now” he smiled petting the dog gently. “We have good taste” you winked at bucky as a small blush reached his cheeks.

After splitting the cupcake and watching the sunrise together with ace, you yawned and were about to go to your bed when bucky grabbed your wrist and pulled you into his body, kissing you. His hands cupped your cheeks and your hands tangled into his hair. You stopped when you ran out of breath, smiling at each other you stepped away and patted your thigh “cmon buddy” you said to Ace as he followed you back to your room. Your face was hot and you couldn’t stop smiling.

“Y/N!” Bucky called out, you turned around to face him. “Will you be my girl?” He asked shyly.

you smiled and nodded “of course i will James.” I guess some bad birthdays have an amazing ending. You walked with ace as you smiled and he wagged his tail.

[caitlinriley]

Did you know statistically it's higher that the deployed solider cheats on his significant other with a fellow solider he's deployed with than it is with the significant other who was left behind? Thought you'd wanna know!

Honestly what were you hoping to achieve by writing this to me? That I would freak out and start becoming paranoid that he's going to cheat on me while he's gone and what, leave him so I would be single again and just waiting to be swept off my feet by some random person on the internet? Oohhh or are you an ex of mine or his? So many options! He's gone to do a job and serve his country, not to mention I'm prettttttyyyy confident when I say he's the love of my life and I'm his. Appreciate you trying to stir the pot bud, but it was a failed attempt. Why not instead of going after a deployed servicemans significant other, you take the same amount of time you took to write this to donate to a worthy cause? I would suggest:Homes for Our Troops (89% goes directly to building homes for homeless veterans and their families)Fisher House Foundation (provides free housing to military families so they can be close to loved ones during an illness or medical treatment)Operation Homefront (financial and recovery assistance for wounded service members)Or check in with your local animal shelter and volunteer for the Pets for Vets program to help military veterans suffering from ptsd and other battlefield related injuries find and train their service dog to make their everyday lives a little easier.See, doesn't that all sound better than that bullshit you were spewing? Byyeeeee ✌🏻

[anneathenadura-blog]

The cause behind what I do

Growing up, I‘ve been conscious enough to take part in various volunteering activities. Activities involving the reforesting of a mountain after a series of fire episodes, nursing an old lady, donating blood every six months, field research and fossil cleaning and most recently volunteer teaching in schools and collecting clothes, food, and money for the refugees. 

Throughout each process, I met wonderful people. People willing to help strangers. Kind souls that cared for their fellow human beings and the environment.  I haven’t had the chance to volunteer for animals yet, stray or wild. I’ve met people who care a lot about animals, but I haven’t worked with them. That’s why I’ll only write about what I know.

What I’ve experienced 

It’s amazing how much love people could give away. It’s incredible how some people dedicate their whole lives in order to see other people smile. Some of them touched my soul, some I fell in love with. 

But human beings are not perfect. Each and every one of those kind people has a dark side. Some betrayed me, hurt my feelings and eventually broke my heart. And I don’t mean the love kind of heartbroken. I mean the kind where they abandon you last minute and you have to do all the work and all the lifting on your own, and cover all possible expenses by yourself. The kind where you donate the only money you have left for a specific cause and you find out that no one bothered telling you the money they needed was funded three days ago. The kind of betrayal that leaves you heartbroken and broke generally. 

 I mentioned those cases ‘cause they were very recent. Similar incidents have happened in the past. Maybe I’m just too innocent. Maybe I’m stupid. Or maybe I believe in humanity. I’m a very frank person and I appreciate honesty. I’m not ashamed to show how I really feel about that. I was so hurt, I gave up volunteering, donating and helping altogether.

I used to believe that each individual can make a change. And even though I have no power over anything, I thought I could offer something to this world. What’s the point of living if you don’t help those in need?

Now I see how difficult it is to make a change when you’re alone. 

As a geologist specializing in natural disasters management, I study many cases of previous disasters and crises. Needless to say, the corruption is apparent. Money donated to Haiti has been lost, pregnant women in the Philippines were left to give birth in the demolished buildings, when Nepal needed teachers all it got was religious people trying to expand their religion... 

Some people help because they feel better afterward. Some do it because they care about people. From personal experience, the latter ones have more to offer. Whether you feel good about what you do or not, at the end of the day it’s not about you. Not about me. It’s about them. The victims of epidemics, disasters, wars etc. 

Growing up I heard this phrase a lot, ‘Do good and forget about it.’ Weeeeell, I cannot not think about where my blood ends up every time I donate. Same goes for the food, the money etc. I can’t teach voluntarily in Nepal for two weeks then disappear into the comfort of my life in Athens. If I do that, there’s a chance I’ll feel better afterward. I can’t deny that. But taking a look at the greater picture, here’s why I shouldn’t:

Within two weeks, I won’t get to know all the kids. I might know their names and I might come close to some of them, but that’s not enough to teach properly. Some children learn faster than other. Some learn with pictures, other with stories. Even if two weeks were enough to figure out what works best for each of them, they’re definitely not enough to apply the right methods. If I wanna do it right, I should move to Nepal for at least two years. 

That’s just one of the issues that might occur. And just because I’m aware of it, I wouldn’t feel better for offering my time. I’d feel terrible for not doing it right. Or maybe I’m just super guilty about everything.

The point is, there are wonderful people out there who want to help, but don’t really help. And there are people who could actually change everything and decide not to. I’ve met some of those people with the fame, the fortune, the power to make the world spin whichever way they want. And I’m disappointed to see how little they do for the world. I figured it’s not that they don’t care. It’s pure ignorance. 

Remains of Tacloban city after Typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda) swept across the Philippines in November 2013.

So how does this fit to today’s blog title? 

I always wanted to do something in my life to help people. Whatever I chose to do, my main purpose was to offer something to this world. That’s how I give purpose to my existence. 

Since I was very young I encountered the beauty of literature. With this huge imagination, I created stories all the time. I changed genres when I realized I could use the stories I write to inspire my readers. That is why most of the stories I write involve social matters I’m concerned about, such as domestic violence, religion, war, LGBT rights, physical and mental health awareness and more. 

I’ve always been fascinated by sciences and mechanics, too, however. Back in high school, I took drawing classes. I was aiming to get into engineering school and become an architect. I thought I could manage somehow to get involved in making infrastructure less susceptible to earthquakes. Unfortunately, I did not get into engineering. 

However, I got into geology. And after four years of trying to figure out what I like best (among technical geology, hydrogeology, environmental geology and natural disasters), I applied for the Environment, Disasters and Crisis Management Master Studies Program, which I found suited me best. I hope that working on improving mitigation and preparedness, someday I would be able to play a part in protecting some people from future natural phenomena and disasters. Till I graduate, I might have changed my mind, but right now that's what I want to do. I might even have to take extra courses to fulfill the range of all types of natural disasters. Maybe a Ph.D. will get me where I want eventually. 

Speaking of disasters management, mitigation and preparedness are not always enough to cope with a future incident. Disasters will continue to happen. This is why I’d be very satisfied if I managed to start a not-for-profit organization at some point in my lifetime. I’m still working on it inside my brain, so I have no specific details to offer at the moment. 

Another thing I would like to do in my life is teach. As I mentioned above, I find inspiring others very fulfilling. Whether it be future geologists (teaching at the university) or future citizens of this world (teaching in schools), I very much wish to transfer my passion to them. If I manage to get into a class, that would be the most overwhelming thing I could ever do. And it terrifies me more than being a freelance writer (imagine!). 

Nevertheless, I feel like I owe future scientists the knowledge of the beauty there is in both living and non-living things. And if you care enough, everything is a living thing (take that from a non-geologist who once asked me how geology has shaped me as a person and confessed that ever since he started reading geology books he considers rocks and tectonic plates to be living, too). 

So, back to the title of this post, I’ve seen both the good and the bad side in people’s actions. The good side has settled in me and I keep that in my heart in order to remain in my path. Those who hurt me, I forgive them. Those who helped only so their organization could be known - well, they did good anyway, so I forgive them for betraying me (they know who they are, I won’t say more, they know what they did). There’s a Greek saying that roughly translates: “The purpose blesses the means”. Although I totally disagree with that, in this case it’s considerable (kind of). 

What I choose to do in my life should not be interfered by how people treat me. I promise myself I won’t bother with the past anymore and I’ll focus on what I do. ‘Cause at the end of the day, it’s not about me, not about those who help. It’s about those who need the helping hand.

I’m sure there are people out there who have tamed their dark side and only have love to give to the world. I won’t stop searching for them.

Sorry for the long post.

Have a nice day! 

__________________________________________________

Anne Athena Dura

B.Sc. Geologist

Freelance Writer

email: andura94@gmail.com

website: www.anneathenadura.com

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