#I’m not complaining I’m just… flabbergasted that this is how I might spend the waking hours of my 21st birthday | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

christinesficrecs · 3 years

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A very long list of updated snowed in fic recs for @starsandmoony 💜

On my Way by Gia279 | 17.9K

Huge black paws smacked the window, followed by a fuzzy face smooshing up against it.

He scrambled over the gear shift, tipping into the passenger seat. Bear, he thought hysterically. It had to be a bear, a freaking bear.

A big pink tongue rolled out, lips pulling back as the creature panted.

I’ve got chills... They’re multiplying! by DropsOfAddiction | 12.3K | Explicit

Derek is literally wrapped around him, one heavy leg and one heavy arm pinning him tight to Derek‘s front.

Warm and steady breaths tickle the back of Stiles’ neck. He tries not to freak out and he wonders how he’s going to extract himself without waking Derek. He totally isn’t ready to face into this conversation.

Stiles stretches gently and Derek grumbles clutching him tighter in his sleep. Stiles tries not to yelp when Derek buries his face in the back of his neck.

Well fuck.

One Star Awake by zjofierose | 9.5K

When Stiles gets stranded in the snow one dark and snowy night, he's in real danger. Fortunately, he gets rescued by a man on a horse.

Emergency Contact by bewarethesmirk | 1.2K

“Derek here hasn’t left your side,” the nurse coos, and Derek glares at her back. “You’re so lucky to have such an adoring husband.”

snow day by kellifer_fic | 8.3K

“It’s not a big deal. It just happens when I’m… cold,” Stiles offers, scratching gingerly at his head with a claw and then grimacing at it like it’s betraying him.

“Are you serious?”

“Hey, who are you to judge, wolfman?”

Your love warms me up by Smowkie | 1.2K

“At least it’s slowing down,” Stiles said, his lips slightly blue tinted and his teeth clacking.

“Yeah,” Derek said. Stiles had his arm hooked with Derek’s, and he was stumbling a little as they walked. “Come on, keep walking, keep warm.”

“Yeah, keep walking,” Stiles agreed.

Derek didn’t like how weak he sounded.

In the Dark Midwinter, Light by rhysiana | 3.7K | Mature

Really, Derek and Stiles being sent to an empty druid's cabin to fetch a book for Deaton and then getting snowed in could have gone so, so much worse.

it doesn't have to be a snowman by triggeringthehealing (froggydarren) | 4.9K

The Beacon Beans coffee shop is what Stiles would refer to as a lifesaver. They supply his dose of sugar whenever he needs it, they don't ask questions, and their hot chocolate is delicious.

And now they're running a snowman building competition where the grand prize would get him an entire year's worth of drinks. Really, all he needs is a partner to team up with. Only everyone else from the pack already seems to have paired up.

three words have never come easy by the_problem_with_stardust | 1.5K | Mature

If someone had told Derek five years ago that Stiles Stilinski would be the one living in a secluded cabin in the woods, Derek never would have believed them. Even now, he had a hard time reconciling his memories of Stiles as a high schooler with the young man who preferred the quiet found amongst the trees.

Whenever he’d inquired, Stiles had just smiled that enigmatic smile, so like Deaton or Morrell, and said something about being unable to think around the bustle of town.

“Don’t you dare throw that snowba-, goddammit!” by jadore_hale | 2.3K

“I’m sorry,” Stiles sighed heavily, coming back down to earth, “But when you woke me up this morning and said that we needed to go out into the woods and find the evil Snow Witch that brought this shit here, I thought that was your emotionally stunted way of saying come build a snowman with me.”

In The Arms of A Werewolf by literaryoblivion | 9.2K

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Stiles is flabbergasted. How is this even possible? Werewolves he can take. Poisonous lizard creatures, sure. Once dead, now living creepy werewolf uncles, bit of a stretch but he can roll with it. Sacrificing ancient druids that masquerade as teachers, okay fine. But this?

An honest to god abominable snowman? In Beacon Hills, California no less?

Nope.

Winter Storm Stiles by 42hrb | 2K

Stiles isn’t looking forward to weathering his first snow storm on his own, then he meets a handsome stranger at the grocery store who might be able to help.

Find Me Sitting Fireside by kaistrex (weishen) | 13.2K

With the news that an Alpha wants Beacon Hills for their own, Derek and Stiles are forced to attend a couples retreat at a ski resort to learn their enemy’s identity. However, the threat is the least of Derek’s problems when he’s expected to fake a relationship, share a bed and suffer through candlelit dinners with the man he’s secretly been in love with for the past four years.

Waiting for Winter by Twice_Shy (notboldly) | 3.2K

Everyone had a soulmark, a special shape on their body that formed during childhood and was meant to lead each person to their soulmate.

Unfortunately, Derek’s soulmark is shaped like a snowflake, and that fact has been actively ruining his life since he was six years old.

world tilts by wearing_tearing | 1.5K

The guy is gorgeous as hell, and Stiles kind of wishes he could stare at him forever.

He figures he deserves a treat after almost slipping to his death.

Wait, What? by wangler | 5.3K

When a significant portion of the Beacon Hills Preserve ends up coated in three entire inches of snow, the pack looks into it. If by looking into it one means packing a bunch of garbage bags and huge Tupperware lids into the back of Stiles’ Jeep to go look for a decent sledding hill. Things go sideways, because of course they do.

A Very Sterek Christmas by TobyRosetta | 13.5K

It’s actually snowing in Beacon Hills, and it’s got everyone out of whack. Out of the kindness of his own heart, Stiles decides to take some things up to the the old Hale Mansion for old Sourwolf himself. But when the storm kicks up and snows them both in, the night takes an interesting turn.

Blanketed by got_the_bite | 3.3K

“Stiles, where are you?” Derek demands again. His voice is higher than usual Stiles notes.

“You would be such a nice tenor if you joined a choir,” Stiles thinks aloud.

But In Case I Stand One Little Chance by mikkimouse | 8.6K

Stiles’s Jeep breaks down in the middle of the snowstorm. He’s rescued by his high school crush, and as the cherry on top, is trapped in a cabin with said crush until the roads clear.

Fuck his life.

Snow Flirting by thepsychicclam | 11,396

As Beacon Hills get pounded with foot after foot of snow, single dad Stiles can't quite keep up with his four year old, his job, and shoveling his driveway. Derek makes his teenage son shovel Stiles' walk, and that just leads to Derek helping Stiles out with a whole bunch of other tasks. That's okay with Derek, though, cause any chance to be with Stiles is okay with him.

Baby, It's Cold Outside by Jebiwonkenobi | 2,791

Beacon Hills has a snow storm. Totally-not-cuddling happens.

Come Fly With Me (Or Don't) by stilinskisparkles | 15,325

Stiles is overworked and stressed out when his flight home gets delayed due to copious amounts of snow. He finds entertainment with one Derek Hale, whom he hasn't seen since high school but really doesn't mind getting reacquainted with.

Especially when it turns out Derek is surprisingly hilarious and will reluctantly play snap with him. And can walk on his hands.

The Man in the Snow by mikkimouse | 15,894

Derek finds a young man injured in a ravine on the border of his ranch. That's strange enough, but the mystery only deepens when the young man wakes up without any memory of what he was doing out there.

Blizzard Boyfriend by literaryoblivion | 1,897

With a record-breaking snowstorm on the horizon, threatening a city shutdown for a few days, Stiles gets the bright idea to put an ad up on craigslist for someone to spend his snow days with that would be filled with cuddling, movies, alcohol, and potential makeouts or more.

It's a joke until someone responds.

and home before dark by verity | 3,175

The mystery of the absent Hale brother was hardly a mystery at all until he appeared at last, set on taking up residence out in the woods.

(In which Derek is a hedgewitch. With a cat.)

Let it snow! Let it snow! (but please let it stop eventually) by relenafanel | 19,123

Stiles grew up with his bedroom window overlooking Derek's bedroom, so when he returns home for the holidays he's surprised to find a stranger in his nerdy neighbour's bedroom.

Only, he's not much of a stranger.

It is Derek Hale, the guy who is going to be his new step brother, if the rumours are true.

Red Against the Snow by Ember | 34,219

Stiles is trapped for the holidays in the cabin of a strange man/hermit named Derek. A strangely friendly wolf befriends Stiles during his stay. It's up to the teenager to find out why Derek has secluded himself from society, what the feelings he's beginning to have means, and what the connection between the mysterious man and the mysterious black wolf is.

an exaltation of larks by llassah | 25,370

All Derek wants is to get through the lambing season with his body and spirit intact. He had thought that the blizzards would be the main danger, not a highborn omega with beautiful eyes and a stubborn streak.

The flamingo in the yard by Vendelin | 6,107

It isn't fair that Stiles needs to work Christmas, when his dad is on the other side of the country. Or that his really hot, next door neighbour is around for the holidays as well. Or that there's a power outage that makes things even worse. Or better.

(Fake) Winter Weather Brings Us Together by tylerfucklin (zimothy) | 10,535

So naked cuddling with Derek while suffering from hypothermia wasn't really on Stiles' to-do list for the week, but neither was that kiss--so who was Stiles to complain?

It's a Wild Pitch (But He's a Contact Hitter) by jettiebettie | 11,828

They're combating supernatural forces with blunt instruments now. Seems legit. As long as Stiles doesn't end up getting frostbite, he's willing to roll with it. Not that his friends have to worry about that. Fucking werewolves.

Abominable by Revenant | 20,277

Where Derek buys a secluded cabin halfway up a mountain, meets a yeti and falls in love with Stiles, but not necessarily in that order.

stilinski v. a. snowman | tumblr ficlet

This fic was inspired by this prompt: ‘we’re stuck in a log cabin overnight during a snowstorm bc of some stupid school team building exercise and it’s freEzing and I can’t sleep and you can hear me shivering in the next bed so you pick me up and dump in your bed and good grief you are hot in every sense of the word’ au

#sterek fics #ficrecs #snowed in #winter #winter fics #snowstorms #this is so long #🤦🏻‍♀️#starsandmoony

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alengmae · 3 years

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Rabble Drabble V: Advances

Colin fights off the advances of his wife in a drunken stupor.

A/N: Just so people know that I’m not completely heartless from the last chapter of my other fic. Here’s pure fluff. Enjoy!

Penelope glanced at the grandfather clock near the fireplace. It’s getting late and Colin was still not home. She wasn’t bothered much. It was a guy’s night out, after all. Whenever Michael, Benedict and Philip were in town, all the Bridgerton males made time to meet up and hang out. This guy’s night happened once every other month.

She’s not worried, knowing full well that Anthony would be responsible for the rowdy boys. But tonight, Colin had been unusually late coming home. She could not help but entertain her growing unease. She did just get married to him. She would be really pissed if Colin ended up making her a widow so soon.

She was about to call Kate when the doorbell rang. She answered the door promptly and was greeted at the sight of a disheveled Anthony keeping a drunk Colin upright. By the look of things, if she were to have taken her time from opening the door, Colin would have been sprawled on the ground, most likely pulling his brother with him.

“Hey, Pen,” Anthony managed to say between grunts. He pulled on his brother, who was swaying dangerously on the spot. In his van behind him, Michael pressed on the car horn obnoxiously, to Anthony’s consternation. Benedict’s hoot and Philips yelp was very audible in her quiet neighborhood. Penelope would have to bake cookies again to appease her neighbors.

“Fun night?” she asked with a laugh. She stepped up, anchoring her husband’s left arm over her shoulder. Colin, even in his drunken stupor, turned and bowed to the men in the car. He almost face-planted on the ground, if not for Anthony’s fast reflexes.

The prominent vein on the left side of Anthony’s forehead was ticking dangerously. Penelope hid her giggle since he might go off any second.

“Annoying gits,” Anthony mumbled as he shoved his brother into the house and into Penelope’s arms. “Always testing my patience. You got him, Pen?”

She nodded after hearing the car horn again. As much as she wanted him to help her with Colin upstairs, he needed to bring them home before her neighbors complained. She guided her husband to the stairs after saying, “Thanks Anthony. Close the door, will you?”

Her brother-in-law assented but added before rushing out, “Brunch tomorrow at mother’s, don’t forget!”

“Got it!” she shouted as he shut the door close. “Alright, my love. Work with me,” she pleaded when she tried to get Colin up the stairs without any accidents.

Colin shook his head, as if willing the booze away from his system, and took a good look at the stairs ahead of him. Then, he crouched down to all fours and slowly climbed up. Penelope was too flabbergasted to stop him.

“Not what I have in mind, but I’ll take it,” she muttered as she followed him, making sure he did not make a misstep.

He continued on until he reached the top. He stood up abruptly, with her guidance and made for their bedroom. Upon reaching the bed, Penelope stopped her husband from flopping onto the bed so she could take off his jacket, which reeked of booze. But before she could pull his sleeve off, he cut her off.

“Excuse me, madam,” he slurred insistently, “I am a kept man. I do not care for your advances as I am very happily married.”

Well, if that didn’t bring a bright smile on her face, she didn’t know what will. But she still needed to take off his jacket. “I just need to take off your jacket, love.”

He acquiesced however, he refrained her from touching him with a light slap of her hand. He took it off easily then crashed head first on the bed.

Penelope was torn between annoyance and affection as she cradled the hand that he slapped away. In the end, she chose to linger on the fierce devotion he showed to her. She was successful in taking off both his shoes. When she was close to getting his socks off, he moved his feet out of reach.

“No means no, lady,” he almost bellowed. “I’m married.”

“So you kept saying,” she retorted as she chased his foot to pull on a sock. After a tedious minute, she was able to take it off and the other one too amidst his elaborate footwork dodges. She inhaled loudly, trying to be patient with her drunk husband. At this point, she may be okay with being a widow since she just might kill him herself.

She sagged right next to him on the bed, her fatigue from the day catching up. She was ready to fall asleep when a scandalized, “Excuse me!” prevented her from falling asleep.

She scrunched her face and whispered to Colin, “You are really exhausting all my patience tonight, darling.”

“I only sleep with my wife,” he insisted again, with a slur. “My Pen is the only one allowed to this,” he said as he gestured to his body. To his defense, it was a pretty tantalizing body. But she could not help but wonder if his brain was rendered useless with the alcohol in his tantalizing body.

“Colin, just sleep, okay? I’m tired. You’re tired. Just go to sleep,” she appealed to him with wry fondness. She pulled on the comforter and tried to cover both their bodies with it. Unfortunately for her, he refused to cooperate.

He fought off the comforter as if it were armed enemies, both his hands in a karate chop stance.

“Colin! Just...oh my god,” she muttered under her breath. She’s never going to let him come back drunk ever again if he was going to be such a pain like this.

“My beautiful wife will have words with you, lady. Stop trying to molest me.”

She wanted to strangle him but his compliment gave her pause. “Your wife must have the patience of a saint.”

“My wife has everything,” he snootily replied. “She’s so witty and beautiful and insanely hot and funny and has the best rack,” his hands cupped the air daintily and she glowered at him, “and she’s sexy and she’s a great kisser and best of all, she’s mine.”

She wanted to wince. She honestly really hoped he didn’t talk about her breasts in public like this. But she would be lying if she denied being touched by his raining flattery. The muscles on her face tugged into a wide grin.

“She should be lucky to have you. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“I know I’m a catch,” her smile fell off, replaced by exasperation, “but my wife is leagues ahead of me. She’s the best. She’s absolutely, astoundingly gorgeous and that’s the least interesting thing about her. I’m awed that she chose me out of all the fools around her.”

Well, shit. His words tugged into her heart, churning her insides into mush. Even the way he smiled dreamily as he went on and one about her sent her into a giddy rush.

He continued, “I worship the ground she walked on. When she said she loved me, it felt like my life, only then, really started. Everything else was background noise. I’ll spend the rest of my life showing her how important she is to me. She is my dream fulfilled.”

Aww. This was better than his wedding vows. Her eyes misted as she tried to hide how touched she was at his drunken declaration. Penelope had to admit that drunk Colin was her favorite version of her husband.

She leaned closer to him to give him a fervent kiss when his palm connected with her face. It wasn’t a slap, more of a forceful push. His outstretched hand pushed her away from his side.

“God, lady, I just told you I’m married. I’m going to have to call the cops.”

All of the goodwill she harbored from his flowery speech about her vanished. How could he use her face to push her entire body away from him? He’s definitely going to pay for this tomorrow.

She left the bed at his unrelenting pushes. She grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen and a bottle of aspirin. When she came back to their bedroom, he was fast asleep on his side of the bed. She placed the glass and medicine on his bed stand.

He definitely was a handful but he was hers.

She laid down on the bed, careful not to wake him from his slumber. It did not take her long to pass out in a dreamless sleep.

She awoke to the glare of sunlight peeking from the drawn curtains a couple of hours later. She tried to rub her eyes but her arm was encumbered by her husband’s body. Colin, in his sleep, latched on to her side, curling his body flush to hers. She remembered his sweet words last night and grinned affectionately. However, she also remembered the way his hand connected with her face when she only wanted to give him a kiss.

“Good morning!” she loudly exclaimed.

Colin winced and cradled his head with a whine, “Why?”

His obvious pain was enough to balm the annoyance from last night. She ruffled his hair. “There’s water and aspirin there for you.”

He mumbled his thanks and burrowed even deeper into the crook of her neck. She giggled when he peppered tiny kisses on her neck.

“We have to be at your mom’s in a few hours. Think you’re up to it?”

He grunted a response, tightening his embrace on her. She reminded him of his mother’s special waffles and he seemed to be more amenable after.

“I love you,” she told him, after a beat of silence, as she caressed his head.

He peered at her. “I love you too. If I am to be greeted with this every morning after I get drunk, I’m drinking more often,” he answered with a joke.

“Please don’t,” she asked with a glare.

His face scrunched in confusion and all Penelope did was give her befuddled husband a sound kiss.

#bridgerton #polin #penelope x colin #colin x penelope

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bendywackyadventures · 5 years

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Escape to the City Chap.6

Tonight I decided to finish this story. Today was just a simple day, and I figured I spend it working on stories before going to bed. I am having a busy weekend along with a busy week next week, so I figured getting some stories done.

Enjoy!!

AU: @cozylittleartblog

Jenny skipped back to Damien’s hideout wearing her pink dress dancing and skipping around. It’s been a few days of practicing, but the time came for Jenny’s performance. Jenny knocked on the door of the base, but saw no one responded. The young girl was confused, and knocked on the door again.

“Its open!” Boris yelled. Jenny quickly opened the door and saw the toons and her brother having a conversation.

The toons and Damien faced Jenny, who was concerned over everyone’s mood. Jenny looked at her brother and friends wondering what was going on? What were they talking about? “What’s wrong?” Jenny asked.

Bendy and Damien faced the young girl. “Jenny. Boris, Alice and I are going to be leaving soon. Right after your performance.” Bendy spoke up. Jenny’s expression changed into sadness.

Damien put his hands on his sister’s shoulder. “Jen, we talked about this the toons have to go after your show. They have a family too you know.”

“B-But. I thought you would change your mind. After all the fun we had last night.” Jenny added.

Damien frowned. “I did have fun, but you have to understand.”

The young girl didn’t want to understand and dashed off from the clubhouse. Damien and the toons rushed off to find Jenny before anything could happen to her. “Jenny, hold up!” Alice yelled. The group went after Jenny seeing her run into the street.

“Jenny!” Damien yelled.

The toons realized if the young girl wasn’t going to listen a car would hit her. Their fears came true as a garbage truck was coming her way. Not wanting to see her friend get hurt Alice pushed her out of the way, just seconds before the truck would hit the both of them.

“Jenny!” Damien yelled.

“Alice!” Bendy and Boris yelled.

The guys went over to the girls and saw they we’re all right. Except for the small tear in Jenny’s dress, she was okay. Alice slowly got up, with Boris helping her stand. Damien picked his sister up. “Jenny are you CRAZY?!” Damien yelled. Jenny flinched hearing her brother yell at her. “YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN KILLED!” He yelled.

Jenny didn’t speak and looked down with tears in her eyes. “I-I’m sorry brother. Its just I wanted to be with the toons forever.” She whispered. “All the fun we had before you ran off from mommy and daddy. I missed that.” She explained. Damien started to calm down feeling sympathetic. “I thought you might change your mind being with the toons, so I never thought of saying goodbye to them, and if they stay with us we could be a family together again.”

The toons felt like tearing up hearing the story. Damien felt bad, since he’s been a loner he’s missed out on the fun times with him and his family. He felt like he needed to take all the blame.

“Jen. I’m sorry that I left you, ma and pa behind. It’s just after what happened I wanted to be on my own. I didn’t know you missed me that much.”

“I did! A lot!”

The brother gave a small smile and hugged his sister tight. “Jen. Do you want me to come home?” Damien asked.

Jen pulled away looking at her brother in disbelief. “Y-You really wanna come back?” She asked. Damien nodded. Jenny gave a smile and hugged her brother tight. She was happy her brother was coming home. The toons we’re happy as well and gave the siblings a big hug.

DING DONG

The group looked up and saw the clock ring at 4:00 PM. “Oh no!” Jenny exclaimed. “The show will start in half an hour, but they weren’t near the theatre. “The show is going to start in half an hour!” Jenny yelled. She looked down and saw her dress was ripped, and was too far away from home to get it fixed. “And my dress is a mess!”

Bendy stopped the young girl’s complains. “Don’t worry Jenny, us toons can help ya!” Bendy exclaimed. The demon snapped his fingers as he and Alice went at full speed fixing up Jenny’s dress.

“There! Tada!” Alice beamed.

Jenny looked at her dress and smiled twirling around seeing her dress well as new. She laughed and giggled continuing to dance around.

Damien was flabbergasted over how quickly and magically they fixed his sister’s dress. “How did you?” Damien asked before being cut off.

“Toon logic.” Boris replied.

Damien shrugged in response and quickly rushed the group where the performance was held. Luckily, Boris and Bendy held hands with Damien and Jenny so they were able to go high speed to get to the theatre.

“Hey wait up!” Alice yelled. Swiftly she ran to catch up to her brothers. The angel wasn’t fast enough, but tried to catch up. They group finally made it to the theatre and saw one little boy performing.

Jenny sighed giving a smile, “Okay I won’t be up for a while.” She said.

Damien smiled. “Okay, get on out there!” He reassured. Jenny nodded and went to the back where the stage was. Damien smiled and saw two familiar people sitting down near the stage. He gave a frown seeing it was his parents.

The wolf toon looked at the young boy who looked down seeing the sight of his parents. Boris gave a smile and rubbed the young boy’s back. “Don’t be scared.” Boris whispered. Damien gave a small smile and entered inside the theatre. He slowly waked up to the isle his family was sitting at, holding his breath. He let it out slowly as he faced the row where his family sat. “Is this seat taken?” He asked.

The couple looked up and too their surprise it was their son. Damien’s mother, Ruth felt like crying seeing her little boy again. She cupped his cheek and smiled before giving him a tight hug. Damien chuckled and hugged his mother back.

Damien’s father, John smiled and hugged his son too. Their hug was interrupted when Jenny was announced on stage. The audience clapped seeing the young girl do a curtsy before sitting down in front of the piano and played her piece.

The audience, and the toons looking outside the window watched the young girl play her song. She played elegantly and gracefully with her fingers pressing on each key.

“She plays beautifully.” Alice commented.

“She sure does.” Bendy replied.

The young girl got done with her piece, got up from her seat and gave a bow. The crowd cheered and clapped giving Jenny a standing ovation. Jenny smiled and ran from the stage to hug her family, now full again.

“Come on let’s go home.” Bendy suggested as they walked away from the family reunion to get back to their family.

The toons ran back to the studio and decided to go up the window to their room. Boris went in first, and pulled Bendy and Alice in. They scurried to the couch, and snuggled in before anyone could hear them.

“Did you hear that?” Wally asked behind the door. The janitor walked into the room and opened the door. His eyes widen as he saw the toons back home sleeping on the couch. Wally ran as fast as his legs can take them yelling at the rest of the crew. “GUYS THEIR BACK! THEIR BACK!!!” He yelled, before slipping on a wet floor he cleaned earlier.

#ask-joeydrewstudios #cozylittleartblog #bendy the ink demon #BorisTheWolf #alice angel #Damien #Jenny #Wally Franks

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the-canary · 6 years

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Sky Full of Song - B.B (2/10)

Summary: Giving a recovering amnesiac the proper musical education he was missing, wasn’t supposed to involve feelings, right? (Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: “Should I reveal exactly how I feel?”

Word Count: 1357

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @redgillan writing challenge. Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter. We had waffles at work yesterday and this chapter just came together really fast. I hope you enjoy. It also should be noted that the main character won’t be called by her “code name” alot, but I wanted establish what number she was within the group.

Feedback is always appreciated.

Warnings: Waffles and David Bowie references.

Part 1 |

“ Live without the sunlight. Love without your heartbeat ,” you hum softly as you enter the small room with a duffle bag in hand. Two nods in your general direction, but Four groans at the sound of your voice humming a familiar song. You take a seat on the chair next to him and slide the bag underneath your desk.

“How many times did you watch that awful movie this weekend?” he asks as you laugh. While, the three of you didn’t spend a lot of time together, hell you barely knew each other’s real names, there were certain quirks that showed every once and awhile.

For example, Two was really into gardening (all the plants and flowers blooming on her desk showed it), Four was really into the Pittsburgh Steelers (he never stopped complaining once football season started), and you -dear little Seven- were really into music of any kind, and musical movies were sort of your favorite thing.

“ Twice ! It was a good weekend,” green eyes roll at your enthusiasm because only you would consider Monday part of the weekend. While, it might have bothered you in the beginning, you knew that Four simply didn’t like the movie because it marked a decline in one of his favorite artists’ career, the man is dedicated to David Bowie (another one of his quirks) and for that you couldn’t really fault him.

“Please don’t forget to send your report to Three,” Two chimes in before going back to working on whatever she has placed on the metal table in the back. You give her an thumbs-up and proceed to get ready what you are going to present to Three – the most senior member of your group, because while you did have time to spare on watching movies, you had been more focused on the small mission they sent you away for the weekend – collecting of data and software in ways only you could.

You grab a small hard drive from the duffel bag and connect it to your laptop. There are jitters running up and down your spine at the thought of seeing Three again, who wasn’t a scary man, but he was a father figure whose disappointment always made you feel bad about yourself. You let out an aggravated sigh and get up with your computer at hand.

“I’m gonna go raid the kitchens,” you huff as Two shakes her head. You get up and walk out of the room, Four yelling out at you to bring him some Nutella.

fourth night.

It was one of those nights where neither him nor Steve could sleep after a mission, they had gone running around the compound a few times and even trained in the gym for a couple of more hours. However, midway it was starting to become obvious that the jetlag and injuries were starting to get to them both, though Steve was far more willing to go to bed. Bucky was too afraid and unsure of what horrors and memories would wake him up this time around. It was just a few hours that he had to kill, he could find something to occupy his time with. He just didn’t know that certain something was in the kitchen, saying good night to Steve and promising not to leave it in ruins, like you had done the last time.

It’s 3 in the morning when he finally decides to leave the gym, wearing baggy gray sweatpants and a white tank top-- and head back to face whatever might be lurking in his head, and while he wonders what had happened to the young music woman from a couple of nights before, he tries his hardest not to seek her out again – no normal person should be burdened with him. However, that’s easier said than done when you are standing in the kitchen once more with a bunch of food surrounding you like it’s nobody’s business. He walks over to you and this time you are ready for him.

“Good morning, Sergeant Barnes,” you smile from behind the kitchen counter-top, a plate of waffles in front of you as the toaster pings up another pair, “Waffle?”

He shakes his head in affirmation and you grin before handing him the next batch. The fruits, syrup and a bag of chocolate chips are all placed near the laptop softly playing a voice that he remembers but can’t quite place. You take your own in front of the computer with a mouth full of waffle and powdery sugar, while typing out a few things. The song closes and another one begins with that same female voice slightly softer than before as she questions her romance in the song, until it clicks.

“Ella…Fitzgerald?” he questions and turns to look at you nodding, though your eyes are still on the computer.

“It’s Too Soon to Know . She sang it in 1948,” you explain and glance at him from the corner of your eyes, “My grandma used to like her earlier stuff.”

“How long did she keep singin’ for?” he shuffles in his seat before taking a bit of his whipped cream and strawberry topped waffle.

“Early 90’s, if I remember correctly,” you explain as a strawberry falls onto his plate. His bright blue eyes grow a little in size at the comment, and it causes you to raise an eyebrow. Was it really that surprising that she lived for so long, I mean look at him . No, it had to be something else.

“To be honest, I love her older stuff from the 60’s,” you comment and a confused look crosses his face for moment before easing back into eating his sugary concoction.

“I haven’t heard any of her music past the 40’s,” he meekly explains as you turn your full attention to him, work completely forgotten now.

“ Wait, Wait ,” you put your hand up in front of him as your voice gets a little higher at the prospect of this man missing decades of music. It hurt bottom of your very soul.

“Have you heard the Beatles ? Elvis Presley ? Queen ?” now you were just rambling to the poor man.

“I’ve heard of them,” he shrugged it off and while you could clearly understand where he was coming from –being the Winter Soldier and then a wanted criminal didn’t really give you time to hear the newest jams- but, it was high time he learned about what he was missing, no?

“David Bowie?”

“Who?”

“ Blasphemy ,” you seethe to yourself and you are sure Four would have cried out at such a crime, he certainly did when you explained you didn’t know any of the man’s music outside of a certain favorite film of yours. Though that wasn’t the problem you were facing right now. And suddenly, an idea pops into your head.

“Well, we have to change that, Sergeant Barnes,” you grin at the flabbergasted look he gives you, but you are too deep into your own idea to backtrack on it now, “And you have the perfect teacher for it.”

“Good, I guess,” he gives off an awkward smile, trying to understand what he has just gotten himself into, “When can we start?”

“ Now ! Now is completely perfect,” you give him a rueful smile before grabbing your phone and pulling out your Ella playlist, and secretly hoping that Two doesn’t find you slacking off again.

“Okay, Sergeant,” you pause and begin to play a song with her and the Delta Rhythm Boys. It was better to start him off with something closer to his time period before moving onto your personal favorites. He leans in close as the countertop and various placed toppings let him. However, he corrects you on one thing before the vocals set in.

“Bucky,” you look up at him for a further clarification, “You can call me Bucky.”

“Oh! Well, you can call me Seven,” you grin as Ella’s voice leads you into the daybreak once more.

Part 3

#maisieswritingchallenge #series: sky full of song #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #fabiola trying to write

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beccaboosthings · 5 years

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1-65 for the odd asks💛

1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you?

Idk if I’m just tired or what, but idk what this means lol

2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you?

Maybe like a 2?

3. The person you would never want to meet?

Trump

4. What is your favorite word?

Idk about it being my favorite but my cousin reminded me that flabbergasted was a word today, so theres that

5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be?

Mapel

6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought?

“wow I look like shit”

7. What shirt are you wearing?

A 2016 Homecoming shirt my mom had to wear because she works at a school

8. What do you label yourself as?

Some weird Bi girl who knows more about fictional worlds then the real one

9. Bright room or dark room?

Dark

10. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Watching Netflix wile and trying not to wake up my bff

11. Favorite age you’ve been so far?

I’m going to have to say maybe age 7? Life was just so much easier

12. Who told you they loved you last?

My gf :)

13. Your worst enemy?

Some bitch I used to be best friends with. I cant stand them

14. What is your current desktop picture?

This

15. Do you like someone?

yes

6. The last song you listened to?

High Hopes by P!ATD

17. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?

Idk lol

18. Who would you really like to just punch in the face?

The person I hate

19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do?

I dont like the concept as an actual “slave” but ya know when you are little and you make your sibling do stuff for you, I would want that

20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional)

My hair. People always complain if their hair is strait or if its curly and they like the other, but my hair does both depending on what i do with it after I wash it

21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?

I would look like Dan Howell probably, and idk what I would do haha.

22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it?

I dont think I have any

23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of?

Being buried alive

24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal.

Idk, I dont really eat sandwiches, I guess just pb&j, because childhood, ya know?

25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it?

Right now? probably christmas presents

26. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go?

London

27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be?

I have no clue haha. Sorry Im boring, I also might be like half asleep right now but shhh

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?

Acceptance for all, no matter race, gender, sexuality, ect, everyone is welcome and anyone who disagrees can get the fuck out

29. What is your favorite expletive?

Fuck

30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno?

My phone. It has all of my pictures on it and what not

31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

Family drama shit

32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world!

I would move to london, or maybe paris lol

33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back?

As long as she would be 100% healthy, My sister.

34. What was your last dream about?

I’m pretty sure it was my gf

35. Are you a good….[insert anything you’d like here]?

Idk what to put lol

36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital?

Yes? I think?

37. Have you ever built a snowman?

I did the other day. It was just a small one but it still counts

38. What is the color of your socks?

White and teal

39. What type of music do you like?

Pop, Pop punk, Rock, basically anything but rap and country

40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?

Sunsets

41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor?

I dont really like milkshakes lol

42. What football team do you support? (I will answer in terms of American football as well as soccer)

I dont pay any attention to sports lol

43. Do you have any scars?

Yes, I have more then I can count, i scar EXTREMELY easily

44. What do you want to be when you graduate?

Idk. I want to do something that ha to do with art

45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My mental health

46. Are you reliable?

yes

47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be?

does it get better?

48. Do you hold grudges?

nope

49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create?

a bird and a fish. does it have to be in the water? does it fly? who tf knows

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had?

Me and my dad once had the conversation of would different dog breeds taste different if you were to eat them?

51. Are you a good liar?

Sometimes. If i am strait up lying, not really, but if i am bull shitting my way through i could do it for hours

52. How long could you go without talking?

a few hours maybe. I mean i dont speak when I sleep so maybe 12?

53. What has been you worst haircut/style?

I dont think i have had any bad ones

54. Have you ever baked your own cake?

I do all the time

55. Can you do any accents other than your own?

I can do a british one pretty decently

56. What do you like on your toast?

either butter or peanut butter

57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of?

flowers

58. What would be you dream car?

I like punch buggies so i can go around and see people wack each other haha

59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain.

I just think way too much when i shower, thats why they take me like an hour haha

60. Do you believe in aliens?

Yes

61. Do you often read your horoscope?

Never

62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?

I have never thought about this before haha. May be A? Idk lol

63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons?

Dragons

64. What do you think about babies?

They are cute as long as they arent crying and i dont have to deal with them

65. Freebie! Ask anything interesting you can think of.

Lol

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gracewithducks · 4 years

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Bartholomew and the Oobleck: The Hardest Words (Matthew 6:5-15) - The Gospel of Dr. Seuss series #2, preached 3/8/2020

Last week, we started our series on the Gospel of Dr. Seuss with the story of one of Seuss’ most familiar characters – the Cat in the Hat – who taught us about grace and reminded us how important it is to know when to ask for help.

This week, we go back to an even earlier Seuss, one which is perhaps more unfamiliar to most of us: the story of Bartholomew and the Oobleck.

I don’t remember hearing this story when I was growing up – and when you remember that I grew up as the child of two elementary school teachers, that’s pretty surprising; I didn’t think there were any Dr. Seuss books I didn’t know. But Bartholomew and the Oobleck somehow flew under the radar: perhaps because the story doesn’t rhyme, or perhaps because level-headed Bartholomew isn’t quite as flashy of a hero as the persistently optimistic Sam-I-Am or the fun and funny Cat in the Hat.

So for your sake and for mine, let’s revisit the story of the Oobleck.

The story starts in the Kingdom of Didd, in The-Year-the-King-Got-Angry-with-the-Sky. And in an unlikely twist, the hero of the story is not the king but the page boy, Bartholomew. Then again, if you remember that this is a children’s book, it’s not so surprising that a child is the hero. Or if you’ve ever read the bible, if you remember the stories of David, the overlooked youngest son, or if you remember young Samuel’s call story, or the young person whose lunch fed thousands, or the king who was born in a stable, the Messiah who called us to have the clear-eyed faith of a child – then it’s not so surprising that a child sees more clearly than the proud and pompous king.

But anyway, back in the story, we learn that the King is a person who gets angry often. In this particular year, the King gets angry with the sky: he growls at the rain, he growls at the sun, he growls at the fog and he growls at the snow. And maybe you know people like this king, who spend their lives growling at things they cannot change – and who are so busy growling that they miss the beauty right in front of them. Maybe you’ve been a person like that; I know sometimes I have been: so caught up in the false feelings of power that anger gives me, that I miss what’s right in front of my face.

So here we have this King, angry with the sky, wishing for something NEW to come down. And because he is the King, he is determined to have exactly what he wants. The King decides to call for his royal magicians, to force them to make something new come down from the sky.

Bartholomew, the page boy, tries to get the king to slow down, to think his plan through, but the King won’t listen. And Bartholomew, bowing, says, “Your Majesty, I still think you may be very sorry.”

The king’s magicians are summoned, shuffling up from their secret hideaway, chanting their secret magical words, and the king commands them: “I wish to have you make something fall from my skies that no other kingdom has ever had before.”

And the magicians speak one word: “Oobleck.”

“Oobleck?” says the King. “What will it look like?”

“Won’t look like rain. Won’t look like snow.

Won’t look like fog. That’s all we know.

We just can’t tell you any more.

We’ve never made oobleck before.”

And as the magicians shuffle away to summon the Oobleck, Bartholomew begs the King to call them back. “I won’t stop them,” says the King, “not for a ton of diamonds! Why, I’ll be the mightiest man who ever lived! Just think of it! Tomorrow I’m going to have Oobleck!”

All night, while the king struggled to sleep, Bartholomew kept a sleepless and anxious watch, afraid of what the morning might bring. At first, when dawn breaks, it seems like the silly magicians have failed, but just as Bartholomew breathes a sigh of relief, he notices a wispy little green cloud. As the cloud comes closer, lower, he notices tiny little greenish specks.

Bartholomew can’t say why, but those green blobs frighten him. He wakes the king, who looks out the window in delight, even as the little specks grow bigger and bigger in size. The King calls a holiday: “I want every [one] in my kingdom to go out and dance in my glorious oobleck!” And he sends a protesting Bartholomew to ring the holiday bell… but the bell won’t ring; it’s full of sticky green oobleck.

And that’s only the beginning. Bartholomew sees a bird in her next, stuck in gooey, gummy, glue-y goop, and he realizes: if the green stuff sticks up robins, it’ll stick up people, too!

He runs to wake the royal trumpeter to sound the alarm – but a glob of oobleck flies right into the horn, and not a sound will come out. The trumpeter reaches inside to clean it – but he ends up with his hand stuck tight.

Bartholomew runs for the captain of the guards, who ignores Bartholomew’s frantic warnings, and – in an effort to prove his bravery – eats some of that beautiful green oobleck… and his mouth is glued shut. Bartholomew runs to get more help – but it’s too late. The oobleck is falling in globs as big as footballs; it’s too late to warn the people, who are already stuck in their fields and in the streets. The oobleck piles, still falling, until it breaks through the windows, pouring into the palace, and everyone ends up stuck, panicked, terrified, right where they are. No one can move – no one but Bartholomew, who carefully continues to avoid the green goo.

He runs back to the throne room, looking for the King – and there he finds him, “proud and mighty ruler of the Kingdom of Didd, trembling, shaking, helpless as a baby.”

Bartholomew finds the king, stuck to his own throne, his crowd stuck on his head; oobleck dripping from his eyebrows and oozing into his ears.

“Fetch my magicians!” he yells, but Bartholomew says, “It’s too late.”

“Then I must think of some magic words,” groans the king… until Bartholomew says, “Don’t waste your time saying foolish magic words. YOU ought to be saying some plain simple words!”

“What do you mean, boy?” asks the king.

“I mean,” said Bartholomew, “that this is all your fault. Now, the least you can do is say the simple words, ‘I’m sorry.’”

The king is flabbergasted; no one has ever spoken to him like this before. “Kings never say ‘I’m sorry!’ And I am the mightiest king in all the world.’”

“Bartholomew looked the King square in the eye. ‘You may be a mighty king,’ he said. ‘But you’re sitting in oobleck up to your chin. And so is everyone else in your land. And if you won’t even say you’re sorry, you’re no sort of a king at all!’”

Friends, Dr. Seuss wrote this book in 1949. He was inspired, he said, from a conversation he overheard while stationed in Belgium during World War II: during a rainstorm, a fellow soldier complained, “Rain; always rain. Why can’t we have something different for a change?”[1]

Knowing Dr. Seuss’ great imagination, that conversation caused him to dream up just what else might fall from the sky – and what might make that soldier more careful what he wished for.

But knowing Dr. Seuss, and knowing the world of the 1940s, it’s not hard to see a deeper caution in the story of Oobleck and the King. Just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should. Just because we don’t intend devastation, doesn’t mean we aren’t responsible for the destruction that follows our choices. And pride, the desire to outshine our neighbors, our love of power and love of self – those are dangerous, devious motivations indeed. And if we are not careful, we just might end up being the reason that devastation rains from the skies.

It was an important message in the aftermath of the war, but it’s also an important message for us today: when we find ourselves stuck, mired in broken systems, watching devastation unfold around us, while those with the power to make changes stubbornly refuse to take any responsibility, to apologize, to change or to grow.

Friends, the systems we live in are broken. We are stuck. I don’t think that any of us, no matter where we fall on the political spectrum, can deny that we find ourselves divided on nearly every important issue, longing for a better system but unable to imagine one, feeling hopelessly gridlocked, just as stuck as if we were sitting in Oobleck up to our ears.

We’re stuck. We’re stuck with one person of wealth and privilege spending billions of dollars trying to prove they’d be a better leader than some other person of privilege and wealth… while for most of us, nothing changes at all; we’re stuck, lobbying accusations and insults at each other, while a virus preys on our prejudices.

We’re stuck in a society where women and minorities are still locked out of the rooms where decisions happen.

We’re stuck paying thousands and thousands each year for health insurance and even more thousands in copays and deductibles and medical expenses because we’re afraid of the cost of health care for everyone.

We’re sinking into the racism our forefathers mixed into the very foundation of our nation; we’re stuck in a cycle of inherited wealth for a few and generational poverty and despair for everyone else.

We’re stuck in a nation where we are so afraid of being taken advantage of that we’re willing to let children go hungry and veterans sleep under bridges while retirees freeze in their homes.

We’re stuck in the church, too. We’re stuck in a church that tries to cling desperately to the golden past and spends our time and energy preserving what we have rather than joining Jesus out in the world looking for the lost – and we’re stuck in a denomination that has spent decades and billions of dollars fighting over whether all really does mean all.

We’re stuck. We’re stuck; we’re overwhelmed, bogged down, mired in the hopelessness and helplessness of it all.

And this week, Dr. Seuss teaches us a very important lesson about what to do when we’re stuck. For one thing, when we’re stuck, sometimes the best thing we can do is listen to the children: to the voices of the young people, who haven’t been so hardened or become so comfortable that they’ve stopped dreaming of the way the world is meant to be. Bartholomew warned the king not to let his own pride guide him, much like the child in another story who was brave enough to admit that the emperor had no clothes. When we’re stuck, look to the next generation: their voices, their passion, just might help get us moving again.

But just looking for something new isn’t enough: before we can move in a new direction, we need to figure out how to get unstuck from the messes we’ve already made. I think often of the words of Greta Thunberg, the teenage activist who went on strike – and inspired a generation to rise up and demand action on climate change. When she was invited to speak at the Senate, Greta said, “Don’t invite us here to just tell us how inspiring we are without actually doing anything about it…”[2] Listening isn’t enough – not if we don’t figure out how to get unstuck and do something.

Last week, the Cat in the Hat taught us how important it is to ask for help. But this week, we learn it’s just as important – and often far more difficult – to say, “I’m sorry.”

It’s so hard to say, “It’s my fault.” It’s hard to say, “I contributed to making the mess we’re in today.” It’s hard to say, “I’m sorry.” We don’t want to admit our mistakes. We don’t want to confess we were wrong. We don’t want to have to change our minds or change our ways. We don’t want to learn, to be challenged, or to grow.

Even when, like the King of Didd, we can’t ignore the evidence of our mistakes, we’d rather sit, proudly stuck in our own messes, than apologize.

But Bartholomew forces the King to recognize that, just as his unbending pride got him into this mess, his unbending pride is what’s keeping not only the king but the whole kingdom stuck. Because the king’s sin doesn’t just affect him; his refusal to acknowledge or apologize means no one can move on.

And maybe that’s the lesson we need to hear, as we search for a way to get unstuck: maybe it’s time to stop pointing fingers and assigning blame – because until we are ready to acknowledge that we’ve all helped make the messes, until we are willing to admit the ways we’ve all be wrong, we won’t ever be able to get unstuck and start moving towards a new way of living, towards making things better, for everyone, together.

This season of Lent is traditionally a season of repentance: a time to take a good look at our lives, to confess where we’ve gone wrong, to do what we can to make it right, and to commit ourselves to turn and go in a new direction. This is a season to say “I’m sorry” – to God, and to the people we’ve hurt, to all those who’ve gotten stuck in the messes we’ve made – this is a season to say “I’m sorry” – and acknowledge the ways we’ve benefited from systems we may not have built, the times when we’ve been willing to be silent and look away rather than confront the hard truth – this is a season to say “I’m sorry,” recognizing that there is magic and power in this words; when we apologize with humility and honesty, when we say we’re sorry and we really mean it – we open the door for healing to begin.

As soon as the King of Didd finally confessed; when he sobbed out, “It is all my fault. And I am sorry…” all the oobleck began melting away. Our messes are rarely so easily cleaned up; it can take quite some time and effort for us to get unstuck, but until we are sorry, until we find those words, we cannot even begin.

Beloved in Christ, I am sorry. I am sorry for the ways the church has missed the boat. I am sorry for the ways the church has abused its power, for the times when church leaders have let their fear be bigger than their faith. I am sorry, on behalf of every pastor who has hurt you, who abandoned you, who kicked you out, who beat you down, and who told you your pain and grief were your own fault. And I am sorry, on behalf of every pastor who let you off easy, who told you only half the gospel, who never challenged you to examine the log in your own eye, who promised you heaven without showing you the kingdom of God here on earth.

I am sorry for the times when I should have said something – but I didn’t. I am sorry for the times when I should have listened – but instead, I said everything wrong.

I’m sorry. For myself, for this church, for the global church: I confess that we have failed. There are many things we’ve done right – but there are also many times when we have fallen short. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves, and we have not heard the cries of the needy. We have served other lords than the Christ who comforted the hurting and unsettled the comfortable – and I am sorry. And I pray that, as we confront our sin, as we confess and repent, we may begin to find a way to move into the future God dreams for us to see.

I am sorry. But I’m not the only one who’s “stuck” today. So I ask you: what are you sorry for? What messes have you made? What is it that’s got you stuck? What do you need to confess before God? And what do you need to confess before others? Whose forgiveness do you need to seek out? Who is it that you need to forgive – so that, even if they’re not sorry, you at least can come unstuck? What broken relationships are you being invited, in this season, to try to set right? And what are the systems we are being called to take responsibility for – to apologize for the things we’ve allowed to go on for far too long, and to find that, as we take responsibility for what’s wrong, we discover we also have the power to help make it right.

Beloved ones, may we be strong enough to say we’re sorry. May we be humble enough to ask for help. And in our confession, in our forgiveness, in our faith, may we find again and again the power of grace.

O God, we are sorry. We have failed. We have let our pride lead us astray. We have chosen to sit stubbornly in our mistakes rather than admit where we’ve gone wrong. We have let ourselves get stuck – and we’ve let others sit, stuck, in our messes, too. O Lord, have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Hear us, as we cry out to you: hear us, as we name our sins, as we face our own responsibility for the messes around us. And Lord, by your mercy, by your grace, as we face the choices we’ve made that have helped get us stuck, may we also discover that we have the power to begin to clean up the messes, to transform puddles of oobleck into rivers of justice and oceans of grace. In the name of Christ, who hears us, who forgives us, who calls us to new life, we pray; amen.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartholomew_and_the_Oobleck

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/17/greta-thunberg-to-congress-youre-not-trying-hard-enough-sorry

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allybish16-blog · 7 years

Text

Short Story

The Best Worst Date

Lillian Foster was the nicest girl in school and also the prettiest and most popular girl at Coldwater Creek High School. All of the girls wanted to be like her, because of her great character and ability to be a good leader. She spent her weekends at the local homeless shelter volunteering and her free period helping tutor younger kids from the elementary school. She also helped fundraise for a new gym for the middle school; no one could say no to her beautiful, big brown eyes. The thing about Lillian that astounded the whole high school is that, she hardly ever went on a date with any boy. She was asked many times, but she never said yes to anyone. The teenagers at Coldwater Creek High School were brought to the conclusion that only a special guy could take her out on a date. That guy was Joseph Carmichael, the president of student council and a captain on the varsity, guy’s soccer team. Joseph Carmichael was very good looking with his baby blue eyes, and spiky brown hair. He was very desirable in the school and volunteered for many activities. So when he asked Lillian out on a date, everyone expected them to become the power couple of the school.

It was a regular school day at CCHS when Joe Carmichael approached Lillian Foster at lunch time. All of the students were in the lunchroom, and Lillian was surrounded by her large group of friends. Joe came up to Lillian in a quiet manner and got down on one knee right in front of her. The whole cafeteria got quiet and everyone looked on at the two most popular people in the school. Without any waver in his voice Joe asked Lillian,

“Lillian Rose Foster would you like to go out with me this Saturday?” The whole lunch room was silent, every person waiting to hear her answer. Joe stayed in his position, his hands stretched out and his face held in anticipation. Lillian’s mind whirled with too many thoughts for her to figure out. He looked too stiff and nervous for her taste, but she didn’t know what else to do. She didn’t know him that well, but everyone expected them to get together and Lillian hated disappointing people.

“Fake it till you make it,” is what Lillian’s grandmother would tell her. Among other words of wisdom like, “Get good grades in school. Try your hardest at everything. Try not to let people down.” Her grandmother was very strict and loving, spending her whole life taking care of other people and Lillian took her words to heart. She came to a decision and answered him in her most confident voice,

“Yeah, I’d love to go out with you.” The whole room erupted in cheers, happy for the soon to be couple. Everyone thought that they would be together forever. What could go wrong with these two?

That Saturday began with Lillian frantically getting ready for her first date. She was a perfectionist at heart and since it was her first date ever, she wanted it to go perfectly. She meticulously did her makeup, making sure that any blemish disappeared from view. Her black hair was curled to perfection and her clothes were not too fancy, but not too casual. She couldn’t make it seem like she was trying too hard. Everyone at school thought that it was going to go well.

After waiting for thirty minutes, Joe’s car finally came up Lillian’s driveway. She sighed in relief, it was about to begin. The door of the minivan opened up and out popped Joe’s mom. The passenger door in the front opened up and Joe’s older sister came out and the back door opened and Joe and his two younger brothers came out. Lillian watched in horror, dread filling her entire being. ‘Is this going to be a group date? I thought he already had his driver's license.’ she frantically thought.

Mrs. Carmichael came to the front door and rang the doorbell. Lillian slowly opened the door, begging the universe to not make the date have chaperones in the form of Joe’s family. She opened the door with a smile.

“Hi Mrs. Carmichael please come in!” Lillian tried with all of her might to try not to sound disappointed or worried. Mrs. Carmichael stepped in and smiled at Lillian saying,

“I know you’re probably confused, but we’re just dropping everybody off at their sports practices and I have to be at a party. Joey never told us that he was having a date until this morning. You’ll just have to ride with us for a little bit.” Lillian sighed in relief in her mind, she did not want to have his family with them on their date. But she was also taken aback, hearing that he hadn’t thought to tell his family about their date.

“Fake it till you make it. It will be fine, he has two cute brothers and he probably got too busy with schoolwork and soccer to remember to tell them.” She quietly explained the situation to herself with these words; over and over, calming herself down so she could go with the flow. They were stuck in the car with his family for an hour before they were alone. The entire time, Lillian had been stuck in the back with Joe’s twin brothers, Jack and Joshua. They had been throwing pencils and erasers at her the entire time while Joe had been complaining to his mother about his laundry. ‘Fake it till you make it, it’s fine he shouldn't be that bad, everyone acts different around their family,’ was the mantra going through her head. When they had left, the car had been filled with silence as Joe and Lillian sat in the car not knowing what to talk about.

Joe took them to a fancy restaurant in the middle of town called Chaucer's. Lillian had always wanted to go there and she was excited to finally officially be on a date. Getting into the restaurant, Joe was a total gentleman, opening the door for her, pulling out her chair, and saying that he would pay for her, since Lillian had forgotten her wallet with her confusion over having to ride with Joe’s family. She finally started to think that the perfect date was going to begin. They had ordered their food and things seemed to be going well until Joe suddenly stood up and got on top of his chair. Lillian jumped back when he started singing in an awful, loud voice,

“Oh Lillian! Sweet fair Lillian! Your earlobes are glorious and fillian! When you’re on the street my heart skips a beat! I don’t like to tweet, but you Lillian are like my shoe, which I quite love too! Your nostrils make perfect pepostrals and I can’t help but get lost all, the days of my life! Your eyes are like perfect flies and I just can’t disguise my love for your dark hair, as dark as the sky! Oh Lillian nothing can compare to the beauty of your teeth!” The entire restaurant had been staring at the two teenagers throughout the horrible song. Lillian just wanted to hide in the corner with nobody looking at her. She wondered if he had been dropped on his head when he was a child. Joe got down from the chair, bowing and smiling like he had just won the gold medal. You could have heard a pin drop in the restaurant. Lillian didn’t know what to say except,

“Um that was really nice Joe. You didn’t really have to say all of those.....nice things about me.”

“Oh but sweet Lillian! You deserve all of those lovely compliments and more! Like how perfectly symmetrical your arms are to your torso! Or how amazing your nostrils are on your nose! I also really love the size of your huge feet and the little mustache that you have is my favorite part about you!” Lillian just sat there wondering if she was having a nightmare and soon she would wake up to go on a date; with perfect, athletic, and kind Joe. The Joseph Carmichael that everyone at school knew and loved. What kind of person would say those things! She just sat there wondering if she should just leave when their food came.

“Oh good the food is here!” Joe said loudly, and he began shoveling the food into his mouth, chewing loudly with her mouth open. Yet she just couldn’t say no to food from Chaucer’s, and she thought that she could easily endure just a few minutes of this date. When their food was all gone Joe checked his pockets and pulled out his wallet. He looked in the wallet and asked Lillian with a shocked voice. “Um. do you have any money? I don’t have any at all. I sort of forgot to put some money into it when I left.” Lillian looked at him with horror all across her face.

“No I told you that I forgot my wallet, and you said that you could pay!” She could not believe that this was happening to her. This was a nightmare! The worst kind of nightmare that there is! ‘Is this guy for real?’ He shook his head and casually said,

“Well I guess we have to sneak out.”

“What?! That's against the law Joe! I'm not doing that!” She had never broken the law before and she was determined not to now. They could get arrested!

“Come on!” Joe growled, grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the restaurant. Lillian followed him astounded by this guys idiocy. He quickly pulled her into the car and drove her home. Lillian sat there in shock not knowing what to do. Joe walked her to her door, smiled sweetly and left to pick up his family. Lillian was flabbergasted by the casual way that he acted after just breaking the law. She just wanted to get rid of him and never see Joseph Carmichael again. Inside of Lillian’s house, her mother smiled when she saw Lillian and asked her,

“How was it honey? Would you go out with him again?” Lillian's shook her head still a little shaken up,

“Never again Mother. Never again.”

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