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persephone-plasmids · 3 years

Text

Deacon X Sole

The Deathclaw Incident

[AO3]

Sole stood in front of Deacon with her eyes narrowed. A large glob of green slime dripped from the ends of her hair onto the ground with a dull splat. Deacon’s mouth twitched in the corner but he didn’t let himself smile.

“Don’t. Say. Anything.” Sole warned, her already narrowed eyes getting even smaller.

Deacon raised both of his hands up in front of him, the perfect picture of innocence. “I didn’t, Charmer.”

“And don’t call me that,” Sole said with a groan of frustration.

“Why not? I thought you loved the code name?”

“You only call me that when you want me to smile. And I don’t feel like smiling right now,” Sole said, green slime still dripping from her.

“What’s not to smile about? You just killed a Deathclaw while I stood by with a busted gun,” Deacon said, the corner of his mouth now twitching up into a ghost of a smile. “That’s awesome.”

Sole allowed her eyes to lose some of their suspicion as she nodded slowly. “I guess that’s true. I am pretty amazing.”

“And who knows, maybe Deathclaw innard chic will become the new style,” Deacon said, now letting a full-blown grin spread over his face. “Maybe that Deathclaw exploding when you used the alien blaster was the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“There it is,” Sole said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “I knew you couldn’t actually be trying to cheer me up right now.”

Sole stomped away towards the nearby sinkhole, careful to avoid the torrential water that would try to pull her into the underground cave if she wasn’t careful.

“Wait, where are you going? I was totally trying to cheer you up!” Deacon said, trotting to catch up to Sole.

He thought it was cute the way she huffed under her breath when she was mad. And he couldn’t ignore the adorable little line that formed between her eyebrows when her face got all scrunched up in anger.

Deacon wanted to take Sole seriously, but these little characteristics that he’d grown used to over the past months were so distracting. He tried to ignore the way his chest tightened when he thought about this.

“Come on. A little slime actually looks kinda cute on you,” Deacon tried.

“I’m going to rinse off in this waterfall, and then we’re never going to talk about this again,” Sole said, pointing an accusing finger at Deacon.

“Scouts honor, boss,” Deacon said, holding up two fingers.

“You were never a scout,” Sole scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

“I totally was. I was the leader of my bear pack… or... whatever they call it,” Deacon said.

Sole shook her head, her face still a perfect mask of annoyance. But when Deacon watched her carefully, he could see the small ghost of a smile that threatened to give her away.

He was getting to her. He was cheering her up.

The thought made his heart leap in his chest and suddenly, the only thing that mattered to him was making that familiar smile appear on Sole’s face.

“We roasted radroach meat and sang songs to get badges on those little sash things. It was adorable,” Deacon said, his easy smile returning to his face.

“Deacon, boy scouts weren’t even a thing in your lifetime. The only reason you know about them is because you’re such a book nerd,” Sole said, her voice significantly softer now.

“You say ‘book nerd’ like it’s a bad thing.”

Sole let a soft small smile pass over her face, another emotion there that Deacon couldn’t quite decipher. Fondness? He hoped that was it.

“It’s definitely not a bad thing,” Sole said. She looked at the ground for a moment, not wanting to meet his eyes. “I actually really love that about you.”

Deacon worked hard to keep his face carefully neutral at her words.

He had never been so grateful for the sunglasses he constantly wore.

“So, are you going to wash that Deathclaw slime off you or what?” Deacon asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence. His tone was light and teasing. He’d mastered the art of appearing calm and collected when he felt anything but.

“Good point.”

“We don’t want you sending off some weird Deathclaw mating pheromones or something. A bunch of Deathclaws looking for a good time is the last thing we need.”

Sole pulled a face of disgust at this. “Yeah, let's avoid that.”

Without another word, Sole turned her back on Deacon and carefully picked her way across the slippery wet rocks to where the waterfall crashed into the sinkhole.

Deacon told himself that he watched Sole to make sure she didn’t lose her footing and get sucked into the underground cave, but he knew that was a lie. Of course, being the incredible liar he was, it only took a moment for him to actually believe that that was what he was doing.

His ability to lie to himself was unmatched.

Deacon watched as the water crashed around Sole, washing off the slime from the Deathclaw fight and the muck from their travel across the Commonwealth that day. Her skin was shiny under the waterfall and her clothes clung to her in a way that made Deacon think he should look away. But he didn’t.

When she finished, Deacon quickly turned away, hoping she wouldn’t be able to see the blush in his cheeks.

Blushing? Really? He was a highly trained Railroad agent who had worked hard to remove any attachments from his life. The fact that he was blushing over a fully-clothed woman was just embarrassing. This was hardly the most compromising position he’d ever been in with someone of the opposite sex.

“I feel so much better.”

Deacon jumped at the sound of Sole’s voice beside him. He had been so focused on appearing uninterested in her little impromptu shower that he’d actually lost track of her for a moment.

“You smell a lot better now too,” Deacon joked, trying to keep his voice light and disinterested.

“Maybe I should have just stayed disgusting. It would be some nice payback for all the showtunes,” Sole said, giving Deacon a sideways smile that made him feel warm all over.

“You should feel privileged that I give our missions their own soundtrack,” Deacon answered. “Besides, I have the voice of an angel and you know it.”

Sole’s sideways smile morphed into a full grin as she watched him. “You do have the voice of an angel.”

Again, the sunglasses were proving to be extremely helpful today in a way Deacon had never anticipated.

“Glad you think so, Charmer.” Deacon let his own smile grow in the quickly fading light. “Wait, am I allowed to call you that again or are you still anti-smiling?”

Sole took a step closer to Deacon with an amused look. “You’re allowed to make me smile again. Now that I’m all clean.”

“Glad to hear it. If I can’t make you smile, what am I even doing here?”

His question was rhetorical but he felt it to his core.

Deacon had been excited for a new person to joke around with when he and Sole had been assigned to start doing missions together, but he knew something had changed. He craved the satisfaction of her smile. Every time it ghosted across her face, he felt like he’d accomplished something incredible. And in those rare instances when he actually managed to make her laugh, it was like he finally knew why he was still wandering across this barren wasteland. Why he hadn’t given up all those years ago after losing Barbara.

Because now, for the first time in years, there was a glimmer of hope. A hint that he could actually be genuinely happy again.

Sole shivered in the dying light, her clothes still wet and clinging to her.

“You’re going to catch a cold if we don’t get you warm,” Deacon said, taking off his leather jacket and wrapping it around Sole’s shoulders.

“Well look at you, Deacon. Who knew you could be such a gentleman,” Sole said, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

Deacon was positive that Sole didn’t know what she was doing to him right now. She was being playfully flirtatious, the way they always were with each other. But for him, it felt like she had his heart in a vice. Every smile only tightened the grip she had on it.

Deacon swallowed hard, desperately trying to hold onto his lighthearted facade that was one smile away from shattering into a million pieces.

“You’re not the only one who can be a charmer,” Deacon said, but his voice sounded all wrong. He hoped Sole wouldn’t notice.

Without thinking, Deacon put his arm around Sole’s shoulders protectively. “Let’s head back to Goodneighbor and get you warmed up.”

Deacon tried to take a step forward, but Sole didn’t budge. When he looked down at her, Sole was watching him, her eyes serious. It was an expression he didn’t see her wear often.

“Something wrong?” Deacon asked, his voice still giving away just how keyed up he was.

Sole swallowed hard and Deacon couldn’t help but notice the rise and fall of her chest. Her breathing was shallow. “I just… thank you for always having my back.”

Deacon shrugged nonchalantly. “You’ve got my back too. It’s just what we do in the Railroad.”

“Just one big dysfunctional family with guns?” Sole asked, repeating Deacon’s words back to him. It had been one of the first things he’d said to her that had made her smile all those months ago.

“Exactly.” His words came out soft. Softer than he’d meant for them to. But their close proximity made him feel like he needed to whisper.

Sole’s eyes darted down to Deacon’s lips for only a split second, but it was enough time for him to suddenly feel self-conscious. Involuntarily, his eyes also trailed down to Sole’s full lips, but he had the added benefit of hiding behind his sunglasses.

“Deacon… all joking aside, I really appreciate you watching out for me.”

“There’s no such thing as ‘all joking aside’,” Deacon said, his eyes still transfixed on the way Sole took her bottom lip between her teeth when she was nervous.

“Maybe just for a second?” Sole asked, turning her body so that she was now facing Deacon head on. She shifted her weight, bringing them even closer together.

He could feel the heat coming off of her body in waves, even as she shivered.

Sole took Deacon’s hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. Deacon’s breath caught in his throat at the unexpected closeness, making him feel ridiculous all over again.

“I guess I can be serious for one second,” Deacon answered. “But it might actually kill me.”

Sole leaned into him, her body now touching his. “It’ll be worth it,” she said, her voice low in a way that gave Deacon chills of his own.

The fabric of Deacon’s white shirt instantly dampened from the water still dripping off of Sole, but he hardly noticed, instead focusing on just how close they now were.

Sole leaned up and touched her nose to Deacon’s lightly, closing her eyes. Deacon seldom saw Sole in such a vulnerable position and the amount of trust it showed shook Deacon to his core.

He tried to be professional; at least, as professional as he ever was. He tried to tell Sole this was a bad idea, that it would make things complicated going forward. But he didn’t do any of that. Instead, he closed the last few inches between them, pressing his lips gently against hers.

Even though Sole had been sending him some obvious signals, Deacon still worried he’d misread the situation and she’d pull away from him. He was surprised when, instead, he felt Sole’s hands press against his stomach, slowly running up his body to his chest and finally behind his neck to pull him firmly against her.

Deacon let his hands rest on Sole’s waist, drawing her to him in the now dark wasteland. With the sound of the rushing waterfall beside them and the occasional distant gunfire that was all-too-common in the Commonwealth, Deacon revelled in this rare stolen moment.

His lips moved over Sole’s slowly and deliberately, wanting to take his time with the kiss. She felt soft and perfect. The way her fingers tangled in his dark hair and her shirt soaked his own grounded him in the moment.

The kiss lasted only a moment, but when Sole pulled away, Deacon felt the inevitable shift in energy between them. He already missed the feeling of Sole’s lips on his own.

“So, did it kill you?” Sole asked, her eyes searching Deacon’s face.

“It did,” he confirmed, still breathless from the kiss. “But you were right. It was worth it.”

Sole placed her hand gently against Deacon’s face, her thumb running along his cheekbone. Every time she touched him, it sparked something inside of him that he hadn’t felt in years.

It was dangerous but thrilling at the same time. Part of him wanted to give into it, but the other part was far too scared to explore those feelings.

“Consider it payment for the jacket,” Sole said, her grin returning before stepping away from Deacon’s embrace.

He instantly missed the warmth from her body, instead left with a dampened shirt and empty arms.

“That jacket is only on loan, you know. I expect it back,” Deacon said, impressed by his own ability to sound nonchalant when, inside, he was dying to be close to Sole again.

“Fine. I’ll give it back one day,” Sole said. “But it looks much better on me.”

“That’s obvious,” Deacon answered. “And if this is the way you pay me back for loaning you a jacket, remind me to give you any article of clothing you ever ask for.”

Deacon raised his eyebrows suggestively at Sole, making her laugh. The sound was soft and musical.

“Now we’re even Sneakin Deacon,” sole called over her shoulder as she sauntered away into the darkness.

Her tone was joking, but before she turned away, he saw the look in her eyes. It was the same one that hid in his own behind his trademark shades.

The kiss had devastated her and much as it had him. It had meant more to her than she was letting on and he knew it.

They were so screwed.

(Part 2)

#fallout #fallout 4 #deacon #deacon x sole #deacon x sole survivor #fanfic #fallout fanfic #deacon fanfic #sole survivor #fallout sole survivor #fallout 4 fanfic #fallout companion #fallout 4 companion #fallout companions #fallout deacon #fallout 4 deacon

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cobaltusami · 3 years

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I made a trope in a discord server and realized it could work for Ishimondo. Whether Taka is person A or B it could work perfectly

asjskngf angryboisaywhat--

Oh my gods yES! That is so perfect for them!

Hhh i can't resist--

Now I'm inspired... Ishimondo drabble below the cut :DD

EDIT AFTER WRITING: I mean't for this to be shorter but it ended up at 1098 words hehe... Oh well!

Taka wandered around the school looking for his boyfriend. eventually he strolled into the rec room and spotted him sitting In the corner of the room, pouting like a damn child.

He went to approach him but Makoto pulled him aside and warned him that he was really grumpy today, and that he had already tried to start a fight with each one of his friends in that room.

"Thank you for your concern, Makoto! But I know how to handle him!" Taka reassured with a bright smile, shrugging off his hand and approaching the sulking biker.

Mondo glanced up at his beaming boyfriend for a split second before going back to sketching something in his notepad... something Taka has encouraged him to do when he wasn't feeling very social. He found it calmed him down.

Typically he would sketch simple things like scenery, but sometimes he would sketch out projects he wanted to make when he got better at carpentry.

"Hello, Kyoudai!" Taka greeted cheerfully, sitting down on the floor next to him. "I heard you aren't In a great mood today, Do you want to talk about It?"

"No." He mumbled, his eyes never leaving the paper.

Taka glanced down at the paper just in time for Mondo to scribble out the drawing out of frustration and flip the sheet to a new one aggressively. (same Mondo same)

The hall monitor gently put his hand on Mondo's to stop him from drawing a new image. "Mondo, Why did you cross out that one? It looked good."

"No It didn't." He huffed, setting the pad and pen down. "It's fucking trash, just like all my other ones."

"Hey! don't say that!"

"It's fuckin' true. I just need to face the facts that I'll never be good enough to be a carpenter..."

Taka frowned, he hated seeing Mondo get in these moods. He might not show it all the time but he was actually really self conscious about carpentry and showing people his concepts and creations.

He racked his brain for the best response, and after a moment of silence, he knew just how to deal with his bad mood.

Taka snuck his arm around Mondo's waist, resting his hand on his side. "You know that's not true, Kyoudai. Whoever said those horrible things Is very wrong!"

Mondo didn't even sense the danger he was in. He just remained silent, brushing off Taka's attempts to make him feel better.

"Come on, Kyoudai... Where's that smile?" He cooed, squeezing his side.

The biker tensed, biting the inside of his cheek to fight the urge to smile and giggle like a dork. "You're not getting It." He pressed out from behind gritted teeth.

Taka took this as a challenge.

He also took note of the playful glimmer in Mondo's eyes when he said this, welcoming the challenge.

"Well," Taka stopped squeezing his side, smiling at the brief look of disappointment on Mondo's face. "Then I guess I might as well not ever try this,"

He poked at both of his bottom ribs at the same time, causing the bigger man to jerk in surprise.

"And I suppose this button would be useless too." He prodded at his stomach, drawing a sound similar to a whine in response.

"T-Taka! Knock It ohohohohoff! hehehehehe!" He broke out into a fit of giggles when the poking and prodding to his stomach increased rapidly.

"This Is probably useless too." Taka sighed dramatically as he slipped his fingers under the Bikers arms, wiggling them lightly.

Mondo squealed, falling over onto his side as his giggles picked up.

"Nahahaha! Tahahahahaka! Heheheheheheh!"

Taka smiled at the way Mondo practically laid still for him, silently welcoming the tickles. "Yes?" He hummed softly.

"Ihihihit tihihihickles!"

"Astute observation, My ticklish Kyoudai~" He cooed teasingly, continuing to lightly tickle his boyfriend.

This went on for a bit, until Mondo was gasping between giggles. Taka could tell he had enough so he ceased his teasing tickles.

Mondo laid there for a few minutes recovering, he was still giggling lightly as he caught his breath. He had a big grin plastered on his face still.

"Do you feel better now?" Taka asked gently, to which Mondo nodded.

"Yea... Thanks, babe." He said quietly, sitting up and wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Now that you're calm, what got you so upset in the first place?" Hiro spoke up, reminding the two that they weren't actually alone in the room.

"Yeah, It's not like you to just pick fights randomly anymore." Chihiro agreed.

Mondo sighed as his friends came over to join the two in the floor. "Ah, I was sketching some possible shit to build and Byakuya and Hifumi were making fun of it." He explained. "Hifumi kept comparing my drawings to his fuckin' manga, and Byakuya was insulting it."

"Well first off, Byakuya's full of shit anyway." Leon scoffed. "Hiro and I will deal with him."

"Yeah!"

Chihiro picked up the abandoned art pad and lightly dragged a graphite pencil across the clean piece of paper, revealing most of the picture Mondo crossed out.

"Mondo, From what I can see of it... This drawing is really good." Chihiro complimented. Hiro, Makoto, and Leon all looked over the small programmer's shoulder to look at it too.

"Yeah! It's a dresser right?" Makoto asked, Mondo nodded silently in response. "It's nice!"

Leon grinned. "Ooh, that would look really good In like, maybe a mahogany wood??"

"What's Mahogany?" Hiro asked, receiving an eyeroll from Leon.

"Mondo... When you feel comfortable with It, I would love for you to make me a new desk or something!" Chihiro smiled cheerfully.

"Ooh! or a guitar case!"

As his friends threw out suggestions and praised him, he couldn't help but smile and look over at Taka. He felt a lot better, he even got inspired by his friends for a few new projects and began jotting them down.

While he did, Taka looked at the dresser concept fondly. Something caught his eye in the vague details that were saved by Chihiro's pencil trick.

'M + T'

Their initials were engraved in the side of it, in a tiny heart shape. Mondo planned to make this for their house one day whenever they decided to move in together.

Taka couldn't help but smile lovingly at his dork of a boyfriend, who was none the wiser that he'd caught that detail.

Chihiro put a hand on Taka's shoulder, silently letting him know they saw it too. "You're really lucky." they said quietly to Taka.

"Yeah, I really am."

#Cobalt drabble #thh tickle #dr1 tickle #ishimondo tickle #Lee!Mondo #Ler!Taka #hhhhhh this was just too cute not to write #I headcanon that Mondo writes down projects he wants to build one day #should I make a drabble series??#thoughts?#the idea of Leon and Hiro on their way to wreck Byakuyas shit amuses me lmao

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geminiblackout · 3 years

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{Random HPCs} All the icons cause i'm too lazy to add them all!

|| RANDOM HC MEMES (Finished!) || This is a long, long post. So everything will be under read more!

🥳 -How do they spend their birthdays? Jackson: He loves a small outing with his friends. Bowling, dinner out, video game cafes, he really does not need a lot. However, he’s not a very social person, and would prefer to keep these outings to close friends only. Even the idea of people coming up to him to wish him a happy birthday is a little nerve wracking, he doesn’t like all the attention. Holt: Holt doesn’t really understand what a birthday party is supposed to be since he didn’t have a lot growing up (He was only able to be out at night, when most of the other kids would be asleep depending on the time of year). Now, he would prefer to throw his own party or event and invite anyone who wants to come.

🎃 -What’s their favorite holiday? Reasons? Jackson: Jackson has always been a fan of horror movies, so he really enjoys Halloween. He is definately the type to not get scared because ““he knows exactly what is going to happen next”“, and his personal connections to monsters allows him to pick fact from fiction. He still enjoys the genre, and doesn’t mind dressing up for the holiday either. Ironically, he really enjoys taking on a character outside of himself. Holt: Holt used to really enjoy Halloween, but after certain events he feels somewhat melancholy about the Holiday. He likes the party scene and the energy the holiday brings, but there’s still a part of him that’s a little iffy about it all. But, compared to the other holidays in the year, this is one of the best ones.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 -What’s their relationship with their family like? Oh dear. Their family is where they are canon-divergent kind of. They only have one parent, Sydney, just like in the books. However, like in the webisodes, Sydney is the Jekyll and Hyde monster and their father is an unknown fire elemental who left when they were extremely young. Technically, Jackson and Holt are the sons of Sydney’s Hyde and their father. They only have a connection to Heath’s family because of Sydney’s research and her desperation to get help once Holt appeared around age four. Emma, their grandmother, was completely clueless on how to raise a half monster child, and when Sydney became a mother, she was even more clueless on how to raise a half Hyde half Fire Elemental child. Heath’s family was extremely helpful in this, even if Jackson spent far more time with Heath than Holt ever did (Queue: Heath didn’t even recognize Holt when they were reuinited). Jackson: Jackson had an extremely close relationship with his mother. She was extremely protective of him and he trusted her, even looking up to her as a scientist (or, in her case, science teacher). He never got into much trouble growing up and shared a lot of information with his mother. However, after discovering Holt, this relationship was damaged. Sydney gave him very little information on his grandfathers and on who Holt was, leaving him to have to do research for himself. Though he still loves his mother, there is a little bit of resentment there. Sydney generally lives her life as a normie and her Hyde does not come out very often, so Jackson has no relationship with her Hyde side. Holt: Holt has an extremely poor relationship with his mother. She projected a lot of her hatred towards her own Hyde onto him, and was scared of what Holt would mean for Jackson. Sydney did realize he was still apart of her son, and so still loved and treated him like her own, but the favoritism was very apparent. Holt was always getting into trouble as a kid, and he didn’t care much for school. He wasn’t too surprised that she had kept the secret from him, but there was a lot of frustration there. Unlike Jackson, Holt really didn’t care to know about his past, and from what little he does know, the idea of being related to Edward makes him uncomfortable. He aims to make the Hyde name his own and something unrelated to the man and the two Jekylls he lives with. 🚿 - What are their bathroom habits like? (How long do they shower, what do they do in the shower, what’s their bathroom routine, etc.) Jackson: Jackson is very clean, he’s a casual athlete and spends a lot of his time around chemicals, so he really can’t afford not to care for himself. Being part fire elemental, he really enjoys hot showers, so hot they would burn any normal human. His mother specifically got a shower to fit his needs, which much confusion from the plummer. Henry typically isn’t depicted with facial hair, so it is very likely Jackson cannot grow any. Beyond redying his hair and other basic hygiene, he doesn’t do much to care for himself further. Holt: Holt hates showers, but luckily for him Jackson usually handles that aspect of self care. Fire elementals and water don’t mix well, and the bathroom usually just ends up as a mess of steam and smoke. Water doesn’t hurt him, but it’s not a comfortable sensation. He is a bit more concerned with his appearance compared to Jackson, and will take more time to fix up his hair in the mirror and take care of his piercing. Holt occationally does wear eyeliner for outtings, but it is not part of a daily routine, and he wears very little of it. The mark on his face is a birthmark and does not need to be redrawn.

🧼 -What’s their hygiene like, what do they smell like? Jackson: Jackson has to be more careful with fragrances since he works with so many chemicals and around lab mice. If he is working in a lab around animals, he tends to skip the cologne. But, when he’s not, he usually smells like spice and woody scent. Holt: He just looks like he wears axe, and Holt is absolutely the type to go hard on the cologne. It’s very sharp and distinguishable. Sometimes, their two colognes clash with one another and creates a scent unique to them.

🛌 -How do they sleep, how much do they sleep? Jackson and Holt, as a single monster, need less sleep than the average normie or monster would. When one side of the brain is activated, the other gets to rest. When one of the boys is out, the other personality is essentially in a semi-conscious dream state. This means that they only need to sleep enough to allow their body to rest since all the muscles are shared between them, so they really only need a few hours of true sleep a night. Jackson tends to take on true sleep more than Holt, and being part fire elemental he loves to sleep in warmth and will cacoon himself under blankets to make a little oven. Holt on the other hand really can’t sleep that well with the music blasting in his ears, though occationally he will take small naps. Both of them do sleep in very similar ways, and with the muscles in their face relaxed, the simularity between them is striking.

🧸 - Do they have any collections? If so, what? Jackson: Jackson is a huge nerd, and in my HC, really enjoys collecting Magic the Gathering Cards, D&D Dice and Books, and console videogames. He used to collect Pokemon Cards as a kid (And maybe, absolutely used to play with Heath), but he stopped collecting them when he started focusing on MTG. Holt: Holt really isn’t a material person, but he does collect records that he guards with his life, especially now that the trigger switched and he doesn’t have to hide himself from Jackson. He’s not a huge fan of old music so he doesn’t have a lot of vintage records, they are mostly new alblums.

💲 -Do they have a lot of money? What do they usually spend their money on? Jackson: Jackson doesn’t have a lot of money. It mostly comes from his family for birthdays and holidays, and since in my headcanon, he only has his mother and Heath’s immediate family, that isn’t much. Even though he’s fairly confident in getting scholarships, he tries to save most of his money for college (or, in older verses, grad school), but will occationally splurge to buy himself cards or games. Holt: Holt makes a good amount of money DJing. A single night can get him hundreds of USD. It’s certainly more than any monster his age should have. However, like I said before, he is not very materialistic, and he mostly spends it on equipment or nights out, but he does end up saving most of what he makes.

🎼 -Do they play any musical instruments? How good are they if so? Jackson: The last instrument Jackson played was the recorder in third grade. He doesn’t have much interest in the arts, not that he can learn any instruments at the moment anyways. Holt: Holt taught himself to play the guitar and can play both accoustic and electric very well. Not so much an instrument, but he is also fairly skilled in remixing music over a computer. He’s not that tech savy, but he knows how to use the application.

🍔 -Favorite foods and drinks? Jackson: Just in like canon, Jackson really enjoys mac and cheese. He doesn’t really have a favorite drink, but with his mother being British and the weird timeline skipping that went on, he does drink tea. Holt: Hot wings, the hotter the better. He doesn’t really have a favorite drink, but he does enjoy anything spicy.

🕒 - What’s their morning routine like? Jackson: Jackson is usually the one to handle the mornings, because he is the only one allowed to drive. He usually showers to get out all of Holt’s product from the night before and combs out his hair to a messy mop before getting dressed and going, minimal effort required. Generally he doesn’t eat the meals given to him by the school just because it can be a little hard for normies to digest (or, even stomach) monster food, so he does try to grab some kind of breakfast before he leaves. Holt: Holt is usually not out in the morning, but in the rare occation that he is, he usually fixes up his hair, throws on a shirt and his jacket, and packs on the cologne.

#13xwishes #ask answered #//adfs thank u for this heres my life essay #//abuse mention #//animal testing mention #jj #hh #headcanon

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pumpkinlass · 4 years

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This might be a stupid question but if you have adhd how did you manage to stick with drawing so long that you got so good?

No stupid questions! It’s an Interesting question with a vaguely interesting answer? I wanted to just message you back privately, but the message was SUPER long so I’m just going to post it-- I hope you don’t mind!!

Warning. Long Ramblings below

TLDR: I needed to do well in school because otherwise I would be a ‘failure’ and the only way I could focus was by doodling, so by doodling all my life and just copying styles I saw online as I saw them ‘oh neat, lets do my eyes like that’ I have come to be able to draw ‘good’ (-ish) I haven't actively practiced at drawing the way that people practice other hobby skills like sewing or painting or stuff like that. I just... draw ! And I guess now other people like how I draw too

Okay! So right off the bat!

1. For me, ADHD manifests in a lot of ways. I have difficulty prioritizing tasks, I’m incredibly forgetful, I lose focus on conversations easily, I have intense difficulty regulating my emotions, I have trouble beginning tasks and trouble ending them. (I won’t start drawing some days until 11pm because I just... can’t bring myself to start. but then I get into it and I won’t be able to put down the pen until like 3 or 4 in the morning.) I spend entire chunks of the day straight up daydreaming. 90% of the time I am exhausted and frustrated even though I’ve done nothing :/

There’s lots of things in my life I didn’t ‘stick’ with, painting, piano, guitar, animation, etc. etc. but doodling has always been present and if you doodle enough and just copy things you see eventually you just... draw Idk how to explain it LOL.

2. I don’t consider myself good at drawing lol! Like hmmm how do I say this.

I just have certain things I like to draw and that I’ve become ... consistent at. Specifically drawing characters and bright colors. When I see my own art ... I just see what’s lacking. I don’t like drawing scenes, or backgrounds or complex things or interesting poses or...you know doing anything mmm you know ‘art-like’ stuff that like other artists I see do!! I hate shading, I struggle with coloring inside the lines and I hate making line-art.

Because [ADHD section now I guess lol]

3. I was, and still am, a very very fidgety person that had a very hard time staying focused on things or not zoning out. I was also though aware from an early age that I needed to do well in school. (blah blah strict parents w/e) And the only way I found that I could stay focused on anything and retain information, was by drawing.

From 6th grade (honors math because someone that that was a good idea LMAO) to 9th grade

All the way up to undergrad:

This was the only way I was able to get through school lmao.

If I’m doodling or moving my hand (at places where I can’t doodle I’ll do other things like wrap a hair-tie around my fingers in knots for hours or fold paper... crumple paper. tape my fingers together... ) I’m able to focus on what I need to be doing. Like listening or taking notes in honors classes --> undergrad --> grad school --> work meetings + professional development.

It’s a way for me to focus.

I literally cannot stress this enough: For 20 years I’ve just drawn characters facing forward or sideways again and again and again lol.

I’ve been actually feeling very nervous and self-conscious about posting my art because I just seem to lack the ability to get in there and make it ... ‘presentable’.

My drawings are filled with fuzzy shaky lines because I don’t like going back and making it ““clean”“ I don’t have the attention span for it (and am SUPER jealous of all those amazing artists out there with clean vectors and sharp beautiful lines and shading) My work is also filled with color bleeds because I also struggle with going back and doing that as well.

And it’s the reason that I’ve stayed away from posting my art online for so long because I can never seem to finish anything!

90% of my “art” is just this. Unfinished sketches and doodles. I struggle to finish anything lol.

and if I do color it’s lazy like this:

And it used to be that if DID attempt backgrounds (which was very rarely.) they looked like this:

I’d get bored halfway through and leave. I’d say most of my ‘’’art’’’ art is just me getting bored and leaving.

But like the things that I do keep ? The things that I’ve always done is just draw characters again and again and again:

From 2005

To 2016

And recently I’ve just found that people like to see this kind of stuff as much as I like to make it!

That is to say, I don’t see this all as “sticking to drawing” it’s not... really a conscious decision of mine. I can’t be a 100% sure, but it seems that you consider drawing like an active process that requires commitment and attention. And you’re of course right in that, but for me, I am a flighty non-committal person, and drawing is just a hobby of mine. And over time, it just happened that I got ‘better’ at it

I mean, lol, right now! I’ve spent the last 2 hours trying to answer this and ONCE AGAIN failing to start the commission on my to-do list :/

I hope some of these ramblings made sense.

#jfc I hope any of this makes sense #this was so difficult to verbalize lol #long post #pumpkin asks #REALLY long post

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surveys-at-your-service · 5 years

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Survey #232

“i’ve never bought a suit before in my life, but when you go to meet god, you know you wanna look nice.”

Do you have trouble typing when the room is dark? No, I don't look at the keyboard. When’s the last time you had a headache? I had an abomination of a three-day-long headache before my cycle like a week or two back or something. How often do you take surveys? Not as much as I used to now that I actually have school, but occasionally. What did you last write on paper? I think some items to Mom's shopping list? Does anything on your body hurt? No. What do you currently hear? "Bullet" by Hollywood Undead. I can hear cars outside, as well as Bentley biting himself incessantly. Sounds gross. Do you have any goals you’re trying to fulfill? As for in the near future, hopefully - I'd pray if I believed in it by this point - start losing weight again. Grow more in my photography, 1.) because I want this so badly and 2.) there's no way I could handle the stress of school and a "real" job but we're in serious need of money right now. I'd really like to make progress with driving too, but I haven't been able to in months because a headlight in broken, the license plate or whatever is expired, and the car can't pass inspection, so Mom doesn't want me at the steering wheel and get pulled over for it. Being on the borderline poverty line is A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you ever do the dishes? I'mma be real, real honest here. Not really. Reason being we don't have a dishwasher and I am super queasy actually hand-cleaning dirty dishes, I get frustrated because I feel I don't clean them well enough (being a germaphobe is also fun), and my OCD goes absolutely insane trying to play Tetris with the drying rack thingy. All that being said, it's my least-favorite chore. At your house, does everyone eat together as a family? No. We started to drift apart when I was... maybe a pre-teen? When did you last have butterflies in your stomach? Sara decided she wanted to try making out and I was fucking terrified of going too far or scaring her. Are you independent or dependent? I'm embarrassingly dependent. Who last made you smile? My pup. How did you find Bzoink? Taking surveys for so long. What’s your dream job? If travel and heat weren't considered, a meerkat biologist. Do you brush your teeth twice every day? Just once. Do you have a pool? No. Are the streetlights on? We don't have streetlights on my road. When you wear a hoodie, do you pull the sleeves over your hands? Not unless I'm really cold. Do you trust anyone, besides yourself, fully? Sara. I would say Mom, but I'm entirely aware she's lied and made stories up about Dad. Do you believe the saying “once a cheater, always a cheater”? No. I've never really understood this. People change. Are you in any advanced classes at school? I bypassed the freshman English class, yeah. Well, is that considered "advanced?" I don't believe it's like an AP course or anything, but it's not a class I'm supposed to be taking as a freshman, so??? How often do you eat your favorite food? Every once in a while. Have you ever fallen asleep on public transport? (including planes) Probably. What was the last TV show you watched? Uhhhh I think it was all the way back when Colleen and I were still friends and we checked out The Good Doctor. Or it was either Parks and Recreation with Sara and her family or Avatar: The Last Airbender, also with Sara. Where was the last place you went on vacation/holiday to? Who’d you go with? The beach with Colleen, her husband, and their son. Well, does that count since it was only for a day? Does the place you work have music playing? What sort? I don't have a job. What’s your favorite type of donut? It varies between chocolate frosted, glazed, and plain. What do you usually eat for breakfast? If I even eat, it'll probably be like, a meal replacement shake or Pop-Tart. Can you touch your toes without bending your knees? Surprisingly. When was the last time you went out for dinner? Like at a sit-down restaurant? Hm. I think it was El Tapatio with my mom and Nicole maybe near two months ago. What was the last thing you said to someone else in person? Idr, something to Mom. Do you use Windows, Mac, Linux, or something else entirely? Windows. How many times do you call someone on the phone a week? Like zero, usually. Have you cooked anything today? What was it? No. Do you have a lot of cousins? What are their names? Yeah. I'm not sharing all their names on the Internet, and besides, I don't even know most. What does your shampoo smell like? I don’t know. What about the body wash or soap you’re using at the moment? I don't remember, even though I got out of the shower like an hour ago. Any movies you’ve seen recently that you’d recommend to me? No, I barely ever watch movies. Why did you last go see a doctor? The primary reason was for my night terrors. Do you know how to play Minesweeper? No. What was the last thing you bought online? A new heat lamp for my snake Venus. Where do you usually park your car? I don't have a car, but Mom parks in the driveway behind the house. Does your mail get delivered to your house or do you have to collect it? It's put in the mailbox on the other side of the road. Are you more logical or creative? Creative, I'd say. Do you cut tags out of clothing so they don’t itch and bother you? Usually. How many times a year do you go on vacation? Pretty much never. Can you curl your tongue or do anything else cool with it? I can curl it a little bit, but my snake eyes piercing prevents me from doing it all that well. What was the last job interview you went to? For a deli position at a Food Lion. Got the job, lasted not even two hours. :^) What embarrassing music do you listen to? I'm not really *embarrassed* of any I listen to. Just kinda surprising to admit to some people sometimes. What’s your biggest talent? Writing, I guess? What’s the best gift you ever received? My dog. What fear would you like to overcome? More than ANYTHING? Probably being judged in a negative way or being seen as "weird," and not in a good way. AvPD is a bitch and makes me less open about myself (mostly just irl, but yeah), which I REALLY don't like. Would you rather ride in a hot air balloon or hang-glide? Hm, hang-glide, maybe. I dunno. What habit would you like to break? Procrastinating, lately. Describe the most romantic moment you’ve ever had. I can think of a few, but here's the one that had the most biggest effect on me, I think. There was one time Jason and I were kissing, I told him I loved him, and he whispered, "I love you too, wife," before going back to kissing me. Remembering that still hurts, a lot. I know now us separating was for the better, I don't want someone who doesn't have faith in my strength, just the memories like those from the time I was convinced our love story was a fairy tale are very painful. Just typing it caused a discomfort in my stomach. What’s your worst personality trait? Laziness, probably. Or impulsiveness. Have you ever cheated on a test? No. What’s your favorite karaoke song? I don't sing karaoke. Do you know anyone with two different colored eyes? I don't believe so. What was the last thing you bought for someone else? Sara's anniversary present, which was a pillow that said something along the lines of, "Hug this pillow until you can hug me" or something. Do you like hot fudge sundaes? My fat ass can't even associate with you if you don't like HOT FUDGE SUNDAES????????????? Do you like to sleep a lot? It's funny, I tend to like naps during the day, yet I don't look forward to trying to go to sleep at night. It always takes longer, and there's also the possibility of just waking back up and struggling to fall back asleep for the rest of the night. Is there a garbage can in the room you’re currently in? No. Have you ever been in a class that you thought you were too smart for? I don't think so. Can you type without looking at the keyboard? Yeah. We had a mandatory typing course in middle school, so I learned it exceptionally well. Have you ever been snorkeling? No. Who was the last person you apologized to? Maybe Sara? Do you throw things when you’re frustrated? NO. I am very conscious of not expressing my anger with physical violence of any sort. How much do you get paid at your current job? N/A Are your friends mostly older than you or younger than you? I think younger. Would you ever get a pet tarantula? Nah. Do you want to dye your hair? Ugh, you have no idea. What’s your favorite zoo animal? Meerkats, duh. Is there anything in your room you’d be ashamed to show to your parents? I'm VERY self-conscious of my artwork, so I'd be mortified if my mom saw my drawings, even though there's nothing "wrong" with them. I'm just shy about 'em. Have you ever accused someone of cheating when they weren’t? Yeah, hence the end of that day-long relationship. Him cheating was a lie from his insane ex, but at the time, I just believed it, but it was absolutely for the better. He wasn't for me. I really shoulda just listened when my art teacher literally took me aside one day and warned me about him. Wha'd'ya know, he wound up on house arrest or something similar, and who the hell knows what he's done by now. When was the last time you played hide and seek? I played with my niece and nephew some months ago. Don’t you hate when people stare at you? Fuckin' yes. I'm too self-conscious for that shit. Have you ever accidentally caught yourself on fire? Well thank god no. Are you Jewish? No. Does anyone copy the things you do? No. Is your dad still alive? Yes, yay. Have you done anything lately that you instantly felt was a mistake? Possibly. What melts your heart/makes your knees weak? Watching Mark with kids causes me severe physical pain. What would you consider unforgivable? Rape. What are your views on spontaneous human combustion? Freaky. Parasite Eve first made me think "oh shit what if this could actually happen," and I've also watched a Shane Dawson video about it, and the idea of it possibly being a real thing is absolutely terrifying. How many dryer sheets do you put in an average load of laundry? I think Mom uses one or two? I dunno. Have you ever felt trapped in a relationship? No. What is your favorite frozen treat? Ice cream. Do you have a sexual fantasy? ...What is it? There's probably something I could think up. Maybe like bang on a church pew or something lmao idk. Who was the last person to insult you? I'm not sure. What color is your brush/comb/whatever? White. Is it wicked hard for you to sleep when its hot in your room? It is almost entirely impossible. Have you ever purposely given someone wrong directions? No, but then again, it's not like I even give them. I have a horrible sense of direction and don't know street names, highway numbers and locations... What is your favorite thing to do with your best friend? I'm not sure. Everything is fun with her. Are you easily offended? It depends. In most contexts, no. Have you ever acted as tour guide for friends/relatives from out of town? Not really. If you were an anime character, would you be a yandere or a tsundere? HAHAHA I AM PAINFULLY A YANDERE. If you have glasses, do you get days when you don’t feel like wearing them? No, because I like to see. Have you ever played bingo at an actual bingo hall? No. Ha ha, this reminds me tho, I can't recall if he did it once or just WANTED to, but my brother may have gone into one, yelled "BINGO," and immediately left. Did your parents ever collect any magazines they didn’t want you to read? Uhhhh no. I'm quiiiiite sure neither of my parents had those. Have you ever pledged money to a Kickstarter and it reached its goal? No. I probably would if I had excess money and really believed in it, though. Is there a color combination that holds a significance to you? Because Jason's favorite thing in the world was the Joker, seeing purple and bright green together is one I just prefer not to see. I wouldn't call it a PTSD trigger, like I don't freak out about it, it's just like an "ugh ew" sorta thing. If you use Facebook, do you ever look at the Memories page? No. I cringe 90% of the time when they pop up. Do you have a drawer where you just throw some random stuff? No. Have you ever had to provide an alibi for something? No. What’s the funniest shirt that you own? I have a Batman one I'm trying to shrink back into that says something like "I wish I was Batman but I'm poor and hate fighting" & I love it. What is something you absolutely refuse to pay for? Idk off the top of my head. Has a stray/runaway cat or a dog ever followed you home? Cats, I think? If so, what did you do with it? Fed it with the other cats, and I'd assume Mom would've called the owner's number if given. If you could grow a beard or a mustache, would you? I'm a cisgender female so like... Is there a stranger you expect to see every day? No. What is something you take pride in? I'm proud of just how deeply and genuinely I care about people. And my writing and photography, mostly. What does the nicest dish set you own look like? All our dishes are literally the same, and they're ancient. I think they were my grandma's but given to Mom. Pattern's worn and everything. They're ceramic with a floral design. Why did you stop working at the last place you were employed? I absolutely cannot be in a position of responsibility or customer service, and the environment was way too busy. What would you do if you found out your ex was pregnant/fathered a child? I... don't know how I would react? Picturing it, I first feel like I'd be so happy for him, but I KNOW my PTSD would act up at some point shortly after and I would probably end up in a bawling ball (lol "bowling ball" that wasn't intended sorry) because "that was supposed to be me," but then I'd be fine again after I got all that emotion out. Who was the last person to smoke a cigarette in front of you? Someone at school. You can smoke outside, and it's the one thing I don't like about my college. Are you very close to your siblings? Not nearly as close as I wish we were. How often do you watch the news? Never. Do you have a dishwasher? No. What is the worst lie you’ve ever told? I don't like talking about it. Well, it wasn't a lie, but I stretched the truth because anxiety's a goddamn asshole. Where is the last place you drove to? I drove to, probably home. What is your favorite Disney movie? The Lion King. I may even like the live-action remake more, but I can't say with certainty. Do you have a fan in your room? Yeah. What color is your lampshade? I don't have a lamp. Do you like to wear belts? Not anymore. What is the most expensive electronic in your room? This laptop. Only a year old and yet it's so abused with how much it's used. Are you involved with any charity work? I wish I was in the position where I could, anyway. Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? No. Have you ever hatched an egg? OKAY SO! I remember in elementary school, maybe like 1st grade or something, we incubated a chicken egg and hatched it. I can't remember where it went. Do you chew gum on a daily basis? No, I rarely do. What brand shampoo do you use? Suave. When is the last time you went to an amusement park? Years ago shortly before the breakup with Jason and Dillon. Or Dustin. Whatever his name was. Do you have a garden shed in your backyard? Nope. Are you obsessed with anything? Y'all know I don't know how to love in moderation, not even remotely. Do you prefer non-diet or diet soda? I hate diet, and the artificial sweetener also gives me serious headaches. Who was the last person you hugged? My mom, maybe? What did you do when you found out Michael Jackson died? We were swimming in the pool while Mom or Dad was grilling, idr. What’s your best friend’s favorite band? Pink Floyd, Evanescence, and Within Temptation. What’s your favorite kind of beer? Never tried it, don't want to. How do you get songs out of your head? Binge it 'til I'm tired of it lmao. Have you seen all the High School Musicals? I've only seen the first two. Do you dress appropriately for your age? I don't know? Probably not? Do "normal" 23-year-olds wear graphic tees? What’s your favorite word? "Serendipity." What’s the worst sickness you’ve ever had? A serious stomach virus that made me puke all the food I'd eaten since birth. Do you take compliments well? Of course I appreciate them, but I get shy. Are excessive piercings sexy or trashy? Well they're definitely not "trashy," but SERIOUSLY excessive ones, I don't usually find attractive. But it really depends on the person, the size, and where. What do you put on toast? Cinnamon, sugar, and butter. The Southern cinnamon toast. Have you ever watched Fear Factor? I LOVED it when I was younger, and I still enjoy it if I happen to see it. Joe Rogan was one of my earliest crushes, too. How many songs do you have on iTunes? Over 1k. What song reminds you of summer? MAN I remember as a kid, back when I liked country, my sisters and I loved "When The Sun Goes Down" by Kenny Chesney. Big summer vibes. Has a bird ever flown into your window? OH WOW I don't think so, but I do remember one flew into the car's grill when I was very young and going on a trip. Safe to say it died.

#survey #quiz #questions #random #bored

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lilithhawthorne · 5 years

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It’s time for me to share what I created for the reverse MASS EFFECT BIG BANG hosted by @mebigbang!! I was lucky enough to get the amazing art of @jubberry and inspiration for a story where a Shepard who never left the Reds has a run in with everyone’s favorite C-Sec detective. I had a few personal issues that meant I wasn't able to finish in time, so I hope you don't mind that I will be posting the THRILLING conclusion next week. I thought this was a better option than rewriting something that had a rushed ending.

BUT ANYWAYS, here is CHAPTER ONE (of two) of

[Cross Posted on AO3]

Skulking. The shop keeper said they had been skulking, and when he had gotten the call from dispatcher Omega Schebler she had shaped the word skulking into a concussive round that said your punishment isn’t over. That’s why Garrus Vakarian, the detective with egg on his face so fresh it could have been salvaged to make an omelet, got the call and not a beat cop who had the time.

“Be nice to the old lady,” his partner quipped as Garrus called up a patrol car. “The Citadel can be a scary place for lonely old ladies, and you know groups of humans are never a good thing.”

Garrus opened his omnitool while Dix blathered on behind him, the human’s self-deprecating jab avalanching into a series of anecdotes from his first days working the Wards. The skycar flashed a green light, accepting his authorization code, and the door lifted with a gentle hiss. Stale cigarette smoke and the stench of unwashed bodies, of all kinds, permeated from the worn upholstered seats.

“I thought they were required to clean these things out more often,” Garrus muttered. With only Dix around, he didn’t bother to suppress the ire in his voice.

Dix stuck his head in the open door and took four open-mouthed and rapid breaths, his stomach caving in and billowing out beneath his shirt. “I don’t smell nothin’,” he said. “But, hey, I only got this human nose.”

His omnitool beeped, an automated reminder that it had been 10 minutes since the call had been logged scrolling rapidly across his screen. With a click, he sent a response that he was en route. He turned back to look at his partner before folding himself into the car. Whoever had sat it in last must have been human, and his bony knees chaffed against the dash before he could adjust the seat. “No one has a nose like you, Lemley. I hear they’re thinking of making it a Citadel Monument, the thing is big enough to direct traffic.”

“Oh har har.” Dix looked over his shoulder to make sure no one from the office was in the lot before raising his middle finger in response. “Have fun on your petty crimes beat, Detective Vakarian.”

Garrus bristled in response, his mandibles pulled tight and his talons splayed across his lap. The joke soured between them. After a moment, Dix leaned close, his hand pressed against the sensor to keep the door from bumping his head on the way down. His brows knitted together and his voice dropped. “Hey, look, it’ll be a lil’ bit longer, so what? Someone will fuck up sooner or later, and Boomie will forget all about - “

“Yeah,” Garrus interrupted, “sure.” It had been said before, by everyone at least once, and by Dix at least once a day since he had been called into Captain Baumvi’s office. That had been two weeks ago, and the captain seemed disinclined to forget anytime soon.

Dix puffed his cheeks up and squinted at Garrus, his not-so-subtle indication that he was hurt Garrus wouldn’t let himself be comforted. “Fine,” he said, letting his mandibles loosen in a display of affable good-faith. “I’ll tell the captain that you and Seegmiller call her Boomie behind her back, that’ll put me in her good graces again.”

“Ehhh that’s the spirit. Okay now fuck off and go wrangle those errant skulking humans.” Dix stepped back from the car, rapping the window with his knuckles as goodbye. Garrus entered the coordinates of the store, and the patrol car lifted off into the orderly flow of Citadel traffic.

Garrus stopped himself from pinching his mandibles, but he couldn’t keep the warble of frustration from his voice. “So you didn’t see them do anything?” he asked Orsant Varana for the second time.

“Well, they were - “

He raised a hand in the air, halting the shop keeper before she launched into another diatribe about what the humans she saw were planning to do. “Again, it’s a yes or no question. Did you see the group of humans do anything besides skulking?”

The salarian blinked up at him, her large eyeballs audibly moist. He wasn’t an expert in xenoculture, but he guessed her body language suggested she was very angry with him. Her tiny frame hunched before him, eyes blinking rapidly, he recalled Captain Baumvi’s warning: I don’t give a fuck who you are, who you think you are, or what you think you bring to the team. Cut the attitude - you’re a detective, not a Spectre.

Keeping a trill of frustration buried beneath his subvocals, he made a conscious effort to uncross his arms. “Orsant,” he tried again, using her first name in a bid to come off as friendly, “I can’t arrest a group of tourists on the Citadel for being in one place for too long. Believe me, I would if I could “ - he broke off and forced a laugh, his arms splayed in a suggestive display that he hoped she would appreciate. Tourists are the worse, his carefree laugh said, I hate them, too!

Orsant looked unimpressed.

“Ahem, anyways.” He looked back at his omnitool, paraphrasing from her extensive complaint. “Despite the fact that they were all wearing red and looked suspicious, I can’t do anything about it unless they actually commit a crime. Did you see them do anything illegal?”

“You can never trust humans who have a uniform, especially when they are in groups,” she warned.

“Yes, well, I’ve never heard that saying,” he replied slowly, hesitant to say that she was wrong because, well… she wasn’t. “But other than that….” He trailed off, hoping she would supply him with the kernel he needed to take her complaint seriously.

She didn’t take the hint. “Mark my words,” she intoned aggressively, gesturing with a long finger up at him, “they’ll be back! They’ve been outside the store every day for a week! They’ll be back!”

Garrus excused himself and exited her store, his omnitool ringing the captain as soon as he was out of earshot of the shop keeper. He was required to check in with her whenever he wasn’t at the station, a condition of his punishment that inconvenienced both of them and kept her angry.

“What is it?” she barked into the line.

“Hey, Captain.” His greeting fell flat and was unreturned, so he rushed to fill the silence. “I’ve just spoken to the shop keeper, Orsant Varana. The group of humans she called in about, although annoying, haven’t done anything.

“Her initial report said they come back every day. Have you seen them yet?”

“Well, no, but - “

“Great. Pull up a seat. Wait ‘em out.”

Silence dipped between them as Garrus searched for something to say. A stakeout? For a group of tourists? She was trying to kill him with boredom.

“Is there anything else you need, Detective Vakarian?” Her voice was almost cruel over the line, and he was glad it was only voice so she couldn’t see his mandibles flare in frustration.

“No, captain, that’s all.”

Baumvi disconnected the line without saying goodbye. He thought about sending an update to Dix, but committing the idiocy of his detail in writing would only further irritate him. Instead, he turned the display off and looked across the sprawl of shops in search of a suitable spot to begin his watch. Across the way, impeded only by a few benches and a shallow pond, he saw a volus cafe with more than half the tables empty.

There was a vidscreen behind the counter playing a news station with CITADEL: ALL NEWS, ALL THE TIME emblazoned in the corner of the screen. The volume was distracting, and Garrus raised his voice to compete with the newscaster. “Do you have any dextro drinks?” he asked, eyeing the menu with trepidation. There were many variations of lattes.

“Just one,” the volus breathed back.

“I’ll take it.”

The volus went to work making his drink, a complicated whir of machinery and shakers adding to the cacophony that overtook the small cafe. There were four others, scattered across three tables, and only the couple in the corner seemed unaware of the ruckus. They seemed oblivious of anything that existed outside the circle of their intertwined arms.

He took a seat close to the door, the spotless glass walls allowing him full view of the gift store across the way.

The news program had shifted stories, a cheerful asari talking over a picture of two humans in matching armor. Garrus’s gut heaved as if he had just been thrown across the room. It was the newest Spectres, a team of humans that the council had entrusted to go after Saren Arterius. He focused on what the asari was saying, although he already knew the story. He had read it every day since the story had debuted just under a month ago.

“ - Kaidan Alenko and Ashley Williams, humanity’s first Spectres, unexpectedly encountered their rogue counterpart on Virmire. Although the total number of casualties has not been confirmed by the STG, sources close to the battle suggest that the numbers would have been higher had the two Spectres not been present. Leaked footage shows Spectre Williams facing off against a charging krogan! The two could not be reached - “

Garrus slammed his fists down on the table, startling the volus who had approached from behind with his drink.

“You will be charged for anything you break,” she warned, placing the glass cylinder in front of him with extreme care.

“Can you turn that off?” He motioned to the news, the asari still gushing about the fine work of humanity’s greatest assets.

The volus shrugged and lowered the volume, but the screen stayed on.

“Not a fan of the news?” a voice from behind inquired.

There was a leaden ball bouncing beneath his carapace, and the question irked him more than it should. “Tired of hearing about their exploits,” he responded with venomous disdain.

“Tell me about it. Blah, blah, blah, we get it, they’re saving the world. Let me know when it’s about to blow up, that’s all I care about.”

With a huff of amusement, Garrus turned in his chair, his eyes connecting with a human woman sitting the table over. Her feet were propped on a chair across from her, a crumpled jacket and bag thrown across the other two. A little human taking up a lot of space. Typical. But her smile was easy and engaging, and she seemed keen on conversation.

“I’m Shepard,” she supplied without him asking. She stuck a hand out, leaning forward to reach across the table. Hunched over, he could see the couple in the corner table, an asari and a human man, were sitting knee to knee and staring intensely into each other’s eyes.

Garrus took the offered hand, focusing back on the least weird of the strange things in the cafe, and gave it a stiff pump, up and down, before letting go. Dix was also a fan of handshakes, he handed them out everywhere they went, but they felt strange to Garrus. Maybe it was because humans had such small, soft hands, and even with gloves on, he could feel how fragile they were. Yet he had witnessed Dix attempt to shake not one but two krogan’s hands. “Vakarian.”

Dead silence filled the space between them. Shepard smiled blithely, unaware or uncaring that his introduction was wooden. She gestured to his drink and asked, “What’s that?”

“Uh.” He looked at the untouched beverage in front of him, then took stock of the four empty glasses in front of Shepard. “Dextro, I don’t think you’d like it.”

“Ah, right.” She nodded, a curly red ponytail bobbing behind her, and tapped her temple with a finger as if she had been given the missing piece to a puzzle. “Different biology.”

“Very.”

The volus was busy behind the counter helping a new guest, her machines chugging away as she ripped open fridge doors and slammed them back shut. The amount of noise she was making seemed impossible.

Shepard smiled wide enough to bare her teeth, and she jerked her chin towards the volus. “She’s always like that. This place, too. Super loud, impossible to have a conversation. Or concentrate. Forget about making plans,” she said with a laugh as if she came here often to make plans.

Then why are you trying? he thought, but he managed to say, “Must be bad for business.”

“Could be why it’s so slow.” The human shrugged and readied herself to say more, but a beep from her omnitool cut her short. Her brow furrowed for a moment, but she looked back up at him with another quick and easy grin. “That was work. I’ve got to run.”

Garrus tensed his mandibles as she began to gather her things, but nodded as if he understood her rush. He thought about his own work, the monotonous task that brought him to the cafe in the first place and had by extension trapped him in an awkward conversation.

The woman breezed past his table, her unfolded jacket revealing a brilliant crimson geometric pattern on the back. “It was nice meeting you, Detective Vakarian.” She paused mid-step to glance back at him, her smile morphing into something wicked. “It’s usually better to make your calls to the captain in private. Never know who could be listening.”

Shit.

He rose to his feet, but before he could make it around the table, she had pitched her bag at him. He raised his arms, expecting something hard to pelt him, but instead, the limp fabric bounced off his carapace and clumped at his feet. A crude but efficient distraction; it bought her enough time that she had made it out the door, pushing through a crowd at a full sprint.

The volus yelled something after him, but he was out the door in pursuit. Even at this hour, the Citadel was crowded, and he could see Shepard fighting her way through a crowd near the stairwell.

“Citadel Security!” he shouted, his voice carrying over the din of conversations. “Stop that human woman!”

Shepard had just worked her way through the crowd and was rocketing down the less congested stairwell. She jumped down the last few steps, stumbling before correcting herself and turning the corner, descending out of sight.

“Hey, officer, which human?” someone shouted back as he ran by.

“Forget it,” he hissed between clenched mandibles.

He made the stairwell in half the time she had, his long legs carrying him a greater distance and making it easy for him to vault down double the steps. The floor below was slightly less crowded, but the red-headed human was nowhere in sight.

That’s not a problem, he thought. He opened his omnitool and turned on the pathway that allowed his visor to pick up bio-signs. Not strictly legal and not something the captain would be happy about if she found out. He had promised to use it only with prior authorization. Baumvi claimed it amounted to illegal use of monitoring equipment, but he had a point to prove.

Tiny heat signatures flooded his field of vision, and with a few more taps he had limited the readings to include those that belonged to “xenobiology: human,” increased heart rate, and perspiration. The pinpoints of activity reduced to a more manageable number.

He took a brisk but controlled tour of the floor, matching the signatures to anyone he could see. There were a lot of sweaty humans, but only one he was interested in.

His tour stretched past the show floor and into what should have been an employees-only loading dock. It contained the back product and newest arrivals for all the stores, restaurants, and cafes in a specific floor range. The door was coded, but the friendly green light indicated this one had been unlocked recently. And just inside the room, no more than a few feet from the door, a panting, sweating human.

Got you.

Garrus wasn’t interested in a shoot out - though he had no idea if she had a gun - and wrestling with a suspect never looked good. The room would be full of crates and shelves, and though she looked low to the ground, he couldn’t tell what she was behind, or how much stood between them. There were too many unknowns, even if it was just one human. He opted for the more peaceful route, rapping the back of his hand on the wall before hollering, “If you come out now, all I’m going to do is ask you a few questions!”

The signature bobbed, a sign that she was shifting her position in some way, but the distance remained fixed. She wasn’t coming out and she wasn’t running.

“I’m going to come in,” he warned, and after a pause, he stepped into range of the automatic doors.

A few things happened all at once, but before she smacked into him, he noticed with unease that the room was empty. There had been nothing between her and the door, and as soon as it opened, she lunged at him, her arms wrapping around his waist and her legs dropping between his. She was falling to the ground and taking him with her.

He was dense and under normal circumstances, she shouldn’t have been able to take him down, but she had the element of surprise. He was unsteady on his feet from the shock, and she dragged him down before he could correct his stance and stand firm.

“Ooof.” The fall knocked the wind out of Shepard, and she lay still beneath him, a look between mild amusement and frustration playing across her features.

“Didn’t think that out did you?” Garrus rose quickly to his feet, alleviating some of the pressure she was feeling. She had managed to take him down alright, but she hadn’t been prepared for the weight of a turian.

She regained her composure quickly and rejected his offered hand. “No,” she admitted as she stood, her knees still a little shaky, “but I thought it was worth a shot. Did the job well enough.”

He didn’t take his eyes off her as he unholstered his weapon. “Did what job well enough?” he inquired. Though it was all beginning to make sense.

She took a few steps away from him, her lips pinched together as she eyed the gun in his hands. Then her face relaxed, the now familiar grin pulling at the corners of her lips, only this time he saw how fake it was. “I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. You’ll get a notice that there’s been an armed robbery, and it will be awful embarrassing when it turns out you were at the scene of the crime, chatting away in a cafe.”

“We were talking for two minutes,” he spat. Two minutes was all it would take for professionals, he knew that, especially if they had already started by the time he sat down. It was just enough time for them to slip out, and even without alarms, he would have clued in on a group of humans leaving. Would have looked enough to know that something was up even before the alert was sent.

Shepard knew what he was thinking, and the grin reached her eyes as she looked up from the gun, her chin tilted back in defiance. “Plenty of time,” was all she said.

I’m never going to hear the end of this.

A quick sweep of the room confirmed that they were alone, but there was nothing more he could do with her here. He was going to have to take her in and face the wrath of the captain. “Alright,” he began, holstering his gun again and pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “You’ll be coming with me.”

The ease with which she submitted should have raised a few alarm bells. If not that, then the toothy grin she offered up as the handcuffs tightened over her wrists. Everything pointed to a reckoning. But all Garrus could think about was how angry Captain Baumvi was going to be.

Orsant was right; groups of humans couldn’t be trusted.

#fshakarian #mass effect #mass effect big bang #mass effect fanfic #mass effect fanfiction #garrus vakarian #jubberry

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bigherosixfeels · 7 years

Note

Hey hey :) I was wondering if you could make a Hiro x reader fan fic? I have this cute vision in my mind that a cute and sweet girl comes to the lucky cat cafe, and drinks cocoa and draws an outstanding drawing that captures Hiro's attention and they end up having a nice conversation and becomes friends? Just an idea :)

Aw, that sounds so adorable!

Eye For Art

Fandom: Big Hero 6

Rating: K

Characters: Hiro Hamada and the Reader

Word Count: 1,270

Summary: anon makes it clear :)

Taking another sip of your warm, steamy cocoa, you cherished the peaceful scenery before you. A charming and quiet, yet popular cafe felt like the perfect spot for you to complete a daily drawing. Placing your mug down, you reached over for your purse, unzipping it to take out your sketchbook. You flipped through the pages, quickly admiring your past work before finding a blank page.

The only thing you questioned was what you were going to draw. Perhaps your half empty cocoa mug. Or maybe that old lady sitting in the corner, staring out the window. The more you looked around the room, the more potential you saw for drawing. Grabbing your purse again, you took out your phone, snapping a quick picture of the view in front of you.

You began to draw, starting with the tables. Once those were finished you sketched in the chairs and those that were sitting in them. Looking at the picture you took, you smiled seeing the middle-aged woman who gave you your drink taking someone else’s order. This small detail would definitely add to how inviting this little cafe is.

Unfortunately, you grew frustrated drawing this woman. You couldn’t seem to get her short, wavy hair the way you wanted and her proportions didn’t turn out right. Erasing yet another failed attempt, you decided to move on and draw the counter. Sketching the pastries inside seemed to be a lot less challenging. Working your way up from that, you drew in an employee cleaning the counter and the menu board on the wall.

The overall sketch was nearly complete. All you had to do now was sketch in the walls, flooring and somehow draw the cafe owner to your liking. Putting your pencil down, you took your last sip of cocoa; automatically feeling more calm about the final touches to your illustration.

As you started drawing in the walls, you couldn’t help, but feel as if you were being watched. You initially shook this odd feeling away. It was possible that another customer was just standing behind you and would leave soon. Though that wasn’t the case. Curiosity built up inside you, so you turned around to see if anyone was, in fact, within your radius.

Sure enough, someone was behind you, but it was no customer. It turned out to be one the employees with a tub full of dishes at his side. Although he was a bit of a distance away, he still had his eyes locked on your sketchbook. Despite knowing someone had been watching, it still shocked you enough to jump in your chair.

This took the raven-haired boy aback. He hadn’t expected you to turn around or be so startled by his presence. “S-sorry,” he stuttered, his free hand now rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I-I was just looking at your drawing. You’re really good.”

Despite still being tensed up from the shock of someone looming over you, you were flattered by this compliment. If you were being honest with yourself, you didn’t think of you were that great of an artist. Hearing positive feedback on your work, even over something as simple as a rough sketch, helped motivate you.

“Really?” You asked, your voice still slightly shaken from being spooked. “Wow, thanks! This isn’t my best work, but I’m glad you like it.”

The boy rose a brow at you before examining your unfinished work. You felt a little self conscious of him doing so, but the grin on his face reassured you otherwise. “Are you kidding? This is really cool. I’ve never seen anyone draw the cafe before.” He chuckled to himself, continuing to admire your work. As his eyes wandered around the page, a certain detail seemed to catch his attention. “Hey…is that…me?”

Looking to where the employee was pointing, you could tell just by the hair alone that it was him in your drawing. “Oh uh yeah…that is you,” you confirmed. “I took a picture a little while ago and you were by the counter. I hope it’s okay.”

You thought maybe he had a problem being drawn at first, but you were proven wrong by the laugh he gave you. “It’s cool. No one’s ever drawn me before. I think I turned out well.”

You managed a soft giggle in return. “I wish I could say the same about the owner. I can’t seem to get her to look right at all.”

“Don’t worry about that. Aunt Cass would be thrilled to know that someone drew her no matter how it turned out.”

His aunt? You thought to yourself. Now I really want to get her done right. “If you say so.” For some reason, you had expected the conversation to have ended by now, but it didn’t. In fact, you were actually enjoying talking to this employee. He seemed friendly and genuinely interested in your work. As busy as he seemed with work, you wanted to keep talking with him, even if it would be cut short. “So, are you much of an artist?”

Shrugging, the boy said, “Not really. I’m more into robotics, but I do have to draw sketches whenever I make something.” He glanced over to the empty chair across from you. “Do you mind if I…” he trailed off, walking closer towards the seat.

“Not at all.”

Placing the tub of dishes to the floor, he sat down, reaching for his notepad and pen. You watched as he quickly started to doodle away. You had to admit, you were impressed. He was drawing with a pen and didn’t seem to make any major mistakes with…well you weren’t sure what he was drawing. Having this quick sketch be a surprise was a little exciting.

“Alright, here it is,” he announced, turning the notepad around. A smile grew on your face seeing the his fast sketch of what looked to be a rather plump cat.

“Cute,” you told him, appreciating how well the doodle appeared despite how little time he spent on it. Nonetheless it was actually done well. The fur looked fluffy and the bell for a collar was a nice detail to add. “You know, if robotics doesn’t work out for you, you’d make a good artist.”

The boy shook his head at you followed by a comical eye roll. “I never considered that possibility, but I’ll keep it in mind. Besides, I’ve gotten used to drawing Mochi by now.”

You would have laughed, but a thought had just occurred to you. You had been talking to this employee for at least ten minutes now and you hadn’t even introduced yourself yet. Of course, you hadn’t originally planned to do so, but given that your conversation was going so well, it only felt like the right thing to do.

“I’m (Y/N) by the way,” giving him a proper introduction.

“Hiro,” he happily exchanged. He held out his hand in a manner of wanting to give you a handshake. However, right as you were about to, a loud voice called out Hiro’s name.

“Enough chit chatting with the customers, Hiro!” His aunt lightly scolded. “I need those dishes washed!”

“Oh uh right!” Hiro scrambled to get out of his chair. Grabbing the tub as fast as he could, he reached over for your finished mug of cocoa. “It was nice meeting you!” He yelled in your direction. “Good luck on the drawing!”

You couldn’t help, but smile. As you got back into your rhythm of sketching, you felt grateful for making a new friend because of this still uncompleted piece.

This was so fun to write! I can definitely see Hiro befriending someone over a drawing. Thanks anon for the request! I hope you enjoyed it :D

#fanfiction #big hero 6 fanfiction #bh6 fanfiction #big hero 6 fanfic #bh6 fanfic #hiro #hiro hamada #hiro x reader #reader x hiro #platonic x reader #platonic!reader #big hero 6 #bh6 #anonymous

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jeremystrele · 4 years

Text

Artist Dawn Tan On Her Scary Start To Motherhood + Keeping Calm In The Time Of Corona

Family

Ashe Davenport

Photo – Sarah Collins.

Dawn Tan is sunshine in human form. One only needs to glance at her watercolours of Care Bears, croissants and Iced VoVos to figure that out. She makes things that make people happy. And very, very hungry.

Anything’s possible in Dawn’s world. Take for example, her yurt out the back of her Yarraville home, where she teaches art classes. It had been a dream of hers to build one, so that’s exactly what she did. She’s a dreamer and pragmatist, which, objectively speaking, is an unstoppable combination of things. When self-isolation became a reality only a few days ago, Dawn pivoted straight away to offering art resources and classes online to help cooped up kids and parents.

We spoke on the phone on a rainy weekday. Dawn was in her car outside a cafe, inside of which Darren and baby Louie were kindly buying us time. I was struck by her honesty, generosity and strength, both in general and regarding a truly messed up situation.

Dawn Tan for PM.

How are you guys coping with this whole Corona business?

We’re trying to keep calm and carry on! I guess we’re just going with it day by day because who knows what’ll happen tomorrow? A lockdown for a month? You never know!

Despite the uncertainty, we’ve chosen not to panic buy, as we figured we won’t be building any toilet paper + tinned food forts for protection. Instead, we’re choosing to try and keep things as normal as possible for Louie. I believe kids pick up on their parents’ anxiety, so we’re trying our best not to get too carried away with all the inaccurate social media reporting and political arguments. We’re upping our game with our sanitising regime and I’ve been wiping every surface down. I feel like I’m 38 weeks pregnant again, when my one sole mission was to clean down the entire house Hazmat-suit style! Call me crazy, but I actually do love cleaning.

What’s your parenting mantra?

Go with it. That’s our take. Darren and I made a conscious decision not to read any parenting books or download any of the (parenting) apps. All babies and kids are so different. There’s no ‘one size fits all.’ We figured we’d just wing it, and deal with the poop when the poop hits the fan.

Has it hit the fan?

Oh yeah. Several times. It’s been a pooplosion. Late last year in particular. There was a lot of crying from all involved. A huge amount of stress. Basically I was sent to a psych unit. It’s a long story.

We have time, if you feel like sharing it.

Well, Louie had severe eczema. He still does. It’s been tricky to manage. In spring last year, it was the worst it had ever been, because it was his first exposure to hay fever season. I couldn’t handle it. He was five months old and just always crying, always screaming, all day and night from all the pain. His onesies and sheets were often stained with blood from scratching. Darren and I slept on either side of him so that we could pin one of his hands each, to try and stop more irritation. We finally took him to emergency one night after his entire torso turned bright red. We were provided with a treatment plan, but it stopped working after two weeks. So we went back. And that’s when it all turned upside down.

How so?

I broke down in emergency and cried my eyeballs out. In addition to seeing Louie in so much pain, an immediate family member had just been diagnosed with cancer and another faced a job loss. Being so far from family, it was hard. Long story short, a social worker told me I had severe postnatal depression and anxiety. I was told it was okay that I couldn’t cope, but that it was normal for babies to scream and cry a lot. I was confused because I knew my normally happy baby was screaming because he was in pain, and yet I was told to accept it.

I was then recommended a night at the psychiatric ward, but I refused to be away from Louie, so we ended up staying with him while he was seen for his eczema. An MRI and scans were ordered, but I wasn’t sure why. We were stuck at the hospital for a week. Turns out, Louie’s MRI was to rule out head trauma. Child protection services even got involved!

HUH?! On what grounds?

I was asked if I’d hurt Louie by a social worker, who thought I’d said, ‘Yes.’ That was it. I had to be placed under supervision and could not be alone with Louie. I couldn’t even feed him in peace. All throughout the week, I was made to believe I had completely lost it. I kept questioning myself and wondering how I ever let it get that bad. There was so much self-blame. It broke me. I was ‘strongly encouraged’ to check into a mother and baby unit. We were told it would be nice and gentle, “like a sleep school.” So we went.

We were promised a calm and nurturing environment, a space where I could chat through my ‘problems’. But it was far from what was promised! Turns out, the unit was for mothers who had been deemed a danger to themselves or their babies. There were no locks on doors. You could tell, everything was ‘suicide-proof.’ We were checked on every hour during the day and even at night, a flashlight came poking in through the door hourly!

I was told admission was voluntary, but it felt like all my rights got taken away the moment I entered. There were words like “applying for leave” and warnings of what would happen if I didn’t return. Sleeping pills were prescribed to “calm my anxiety.” So yeah, the poop hit the fan, and by that stage, it was flinging everywhere.

How did you get out?

Eventually Darren got quite firm and insisted we speak with the head psychiatrist sooner rather than later. I also spoke to the admissions doctor prior to that, which was when we discovered the grossly inaccurate report. It was stated on my file that I’d hurt Louie, despite all the scans and checks coming back clear. Of course I didn’t hurt him!

Miraculously, I was fast-tracked to see the psychiatrist. And after all of five minutes she could see there had been a huge error. I’d been misdiagnosed. Any new mum would have had a total meltdown given the situation I was in… Simply put, I was under a tremendous amount of pressure, stress and coupled with the lack of sleep, I turned into an emotional wreck at Emergency. We were told to go home right away as being at the unit would do more harm for me mentally. Soon after, Child Protection Services came visiting and ended up apologising for all that had happened. They explained this was the first time in over 20 years that a case had escalated as quickly as mine! Lucky me!

What was the aftermath like?

We’re in the process of making a formal complaint now. It’s a tonne of paperwork, but we have a letter of support from the head psychiatrist, which should be helpful. It’s not a nice thing to have on my file, especially given that I’m a teacher. We’re just trying to stay positive. It happened, and we can’t change it. It can only make us stronger. We’re just so grateful for the two nurses at the crisis unit who could tell something was amiss with my report and advocated to have me discharged. And for all the nurses and pediatricians who took such great care of Louie and supported us.

Has the experience changed the way you seek support now?

Going to or even driving by the hospital can be quite triggering, but we tell ourselves if we are there, that we are there for Louie. So he can seek the best medical help possible. Fear aside, I still believe in speaking up. I always have. That’s why I spoke up in the first place. I think it’s really important to acknowledge and share what you’re going through. Especially if you need help. Mental health is so important and I believe the first step to helping ourselves is to speak up. Darren and I have an open and honest relationship. We share when we’re frustrated or pissed off about something. We have conversations all day long.

‘This too shall pass’ is a thing parents say when things are hard. What are your thoughts on that?

I don’t like it. I know it ‘shall pass.’ Louie has lots of allergic reactions, some that have required ambulance rides to the hospital, and he still has severe eczema. He has flare ups almost every other week. Even a play with some tan bark or a walk on a mildly windy day can trigger an entire week’s worth of flare up. He’s never slept all that much from day dot. He’s a piglet who prefers cat naps and breastfeeds every few hours, 24/7. Needless to say, he’s never slept through the night. The one time he did, we thought Christmas had arrived!

We count our blessings as we know we have it so good. We are so grateful that Louie is overall a healthy, happy and thriving baby. That said, some days are so hard. I cry my eyeballs out. Sometimes I even regret and question if I’ve ruined my life by becoming a Mum. Then I feel guilty that I’m not appreciating him more, and because I know not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to have kids.

Darren and I went through our own fertility journey with Endometriosis and tricky Fibroids. Louie’s our little miracle. So surely we should never ever feel frustrated about our new life as parents! But some days, it’s just so hard! People often tell me ‘This too shall pass’ but I see it as closing the door on what I’m feeling, and I don’t like that. Whether I’m having a good day or a bad day, I want to acknowledge it. I feel, to become better parents, I need to let my emotions out, accept them, then move on. There’s the good days and the bad. The ups and downs – It’s all part of parenting!

Family Favourites

Favourite at home family activity?

Snuggling in bed solving a Rubik’s cube – Louie’s favourite toy. Hah!

Sunday morning breakfast?

Pancakes with lots of berries and honey!

Go-to album?

We’re classical music nerds. We like old school jazz classics too, Etta James or Frank Sinatra.

From today, every Friday, Dawn will be releasing a FRIDAY FREEBIE FUN Art Lesson on her Instagram TV / Facebook page. Simple, easy to follow along videos for all ages. More great stuff will be released next week, and you can purchase art supplies from Dawn’s online store!

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inkdrinkershadowsinger · 7 years

Text

NIALL HORAN

Credit to Café Astrology entirely. The normal font is them, the italicized are my thoughts. Thank you.

Sun in Virgo

It is rare to find the stereotypical nitpicky, exacting, “clean freak” in modern-day Virgo. Have you met Niall? He said in a recent interview that he was very orderly something about Louis’ mess on the bus during tour that drove him up the wall, and I believe it. In all the shots he shares of his house his place is always so tidy. He’s a Clorox toting, rubber glove wearing, “clean freak” and no one can tell me otherwise.

`Virgo people are generally respectable, hard-working individuals who have a love of knowledge and know-how. Niall likes to know things. His little adventure at N.A.S.A. How long do you think he studied for that? Watching movies so that he can get conversation material. He likes to be well-informed in his subject matter of choice, entertainment. He knows musicians, he stays up to date on pop culture, and in the fandom, though not as much as Louis, even if tries to deny it. Niall just likes to know stuff. It’s easy to connect with people if you have something to talk about, and he’s really good at that.

Virgos symbol, the Virgin, shows itself in the lives of Virgos through a love of all that is “natural” and a certain purity of spirit that keeps Virgos self-sufficient and self-contained, at least on the surface. He looks very clean, pure, and young. Every Virgo has this sort of youthful, pure look about them.

They are generally reticent when faced with anything or anyone new. It looks like he’s had his friends for years, or are family. Although he is friendly, it seems like he would have trouble truly accepting new people into his group unless he’s thoroughly vetted them and found them worthy. He prefers the tried and true method of doing something verses trying to find new paths.

Many Virgo Suns are not too comfortable with the limelight. These types are just fine living in the background, as long as they feel useful and appreciated. We’ve all heard that sometimes musicians use their instruments as buffers, and I think that could be the case here with Niall’s guitar, at least in the beginning. I think he’s grown more comfortable with the limelight over the years. But I think he may sometimes still feel this way.

Solar Virgos have a strong sense of responsibility. Even when they’ve convinced themselves to be irresponsible about something or other, they worry about it. Everything is planned. Everything is calculated. Niall just doesn’t put a step out of order because he’s thought about it. He can see several moves down the game board, and that’s brilliant. A little intimidating if you were with him, but it would be comforting to know that if you needed something or needed something to get done, that he’s probably already taken care of it. Like he can sense or keep track of things like when you need your oil changed and he’d already have it serviced for you before you even noticed it. Very on top of things. Very responsible.

Not all Virgos are workaholics. Niall is though in a sense. He works hard and plays hard. However, when Solar Virgos are not involved in some kind of project, there is generally a vague feeling of discontent. He’s not happy unless it’s perfect, then probably still not happy after that. Even when their lives are filled up with work, they are restless and somewhat nervous creatures. He definitely has a nervous excited energy about him.

The fear of under-performing is often strong. He wants to be perfect. Some are exacting and thorough and those Virgos who have convinced themselves to do a less-than-perfect job will generally feel incomplete. His album could get number one, which t deserves, and he still would be thinking about how it could have been better. There’s an odd combination of the intellectual and the practical in Virgo that is sometimes mistaken for coolness. He rationalizes his emotions. I see him being more passive aggressive when angry verses blowing up.

In fact, Virgos are often self-effacing and shy. He’s very apt to poke fun at himself or to try to put himself down. Add plenty of worthwhile projects to keep them busy. He needs to be doing something or working towards something at all times to feel even remotely at peace, even if that something is relaxing or taking time off. It will be scheduled in even if he doesn’t realize he’s doing it.

He’s analytical. He is very observant and future thinking. He is intelligent. Niall is super smart and introspective. In that one interview with him, Niall, and Liam when they’re in Australia or New Zealand, I think, and the interviewer asks him what he would do if he were Mayor or something and he just spits out this brilliant answer about improving public transport and this and that, and yeah, Niall is smart. Just because he comes off as easy going and carefree doesn’t mean that he doesn’t think.

He is reserved. Now, I wouldn’t normally say that Niall is reserved, but I think there is a difference in his public persona, “work mode” and his personal life. Would he be someone to try and dance with you at a club? No. He isn’t forward like that. He might buy you a drink if he was sure that you would be okay with that and if he was really wanting some that night, but I don’t think he’s overly confident or forward in things like this. Business is different, because he already has an established base with those people. Business people appreciate talent and even more than that money. Would he have been able to go and introduce himself to big suit types at the beginning of the band? Maybe, but not with as much confidence or gusto or surety as he would now. He is critical. Oh yes, my friend, and it’s a Virgo thing. They just want to help really by telling you that your hair looks horrible like that so that you’re not dumb enough to do it again. Or he’s being an arsehole because he’s had a bad day, and is being critical of your every move for no good reason other than he’s feeling crappy and has no place to put his anger than on you.

He is helpful. One hundred percent the kind of person who would help an old lady cross the street, or would stop and give you really detailed directions if you were lost some place. The boys a sweetie. He is conscientious. I think we can say this considering just the sheer amount of charity work that he has been involved in. He cares about more than just himself. And he is appreciative of the fans, not just because he loves them, but because he is so smart. He know that no one buys a horrible persons album. He knows that if he is horrible and unappreciative of his fans and the role they have had on his life that they aren’t going to buy concert tickets. He knows that fame is fleeting. He’s said it more than once through the years, and in their last book, and he knows that he has to take care of what he has both physically and professionally. He has a good name right now, and he knows that he needs to hold onto that because he is conscious enough to realize that the future is still uncertain and that things can change on a dime.

Sun in 12th

You have a tendency to be introspective and need some space and seclusion in order to pull up your strength. He thinks a lot, maybe over thinks sometimes, unless he’s thinking with another part of his anatomy then he doesn’t think enough. You may avoid the spotlight, and if you do find yourself in a public role, you tend to hide your true self behind that role. Is happy, friendly Niall just a front?????? I think it’s just the part that we readily see, but I also think that he’s doing a good job of showing us more of his real self as time goes on.

Honor your need to be alone with yourself, but avoid over-identifying with your inner world to the point that you truly feel alone in a crowd. I think he has a good balance here. You shine when you serve others in some way. Performing could count as serving here I’d say.

94 Trine Sun-Uranus

You easily embrace new ways of doing things, you stick up for the underdog, and you express yourself in unique and inspiring ways. Mr. You don’t pay my bills, they do. You are far from pretentious. I hope. You value honesty and truth, and you avoid putting on airs. Most of the time, but I think he’s mostly no B.S. You possess an unmistakable enthusiasm about life, and generally your life is interesting because you invite unusual or adventurous experiences into your life. He loves life. He knows he’s got it good and he’s enjoying it. There’s no shame in that. You are generally appreciated by others. Yes, everyone loves Niall.

Nothing really seems to faze you! You take things in stride, and are rarely shocked or taken aback by human behavior. You get the vibe that he’s pretty easy going, but in that, you also get the feeling that he doesn’t really care about a lot of stuff, not deeply anyways. In their last book he spoke some about not feeling homesick ever like some of the other boys, and I thought that was interesting. You never hear about his relationships good or bad, he’s never giddy like Liam and he may talk about stuff that frustrates him, but nothing that’s sad, nothing that really upsets him. He’s very composed.

89 Trine Sun-Neptune

He has a marked appreciation for music, and the arts. Yes. You are naturally compassionate. How many charitable causes does he champion? Niall does more for charity than all the other boys combined, with maybe the exception of Believe in Magic, and definitely more than any popstar I ever hear of.

Your attraction to spiritually and metaphysical subjects is usually marked. Interesting. These aspects favor writers, artists, and musicians. Writer, musician, yes. You are sensitive to those who are suffering, although you are not usually taken advantage of. He’s too smart for that, I think. You are a humanitarian. Here’s this again. You are not one to dominate others or assert yourself to the point of brashness. I think he gets what he wants though that’s for sure. You have a fertile imagination, full of inspiration, and very emotional, all qualities that you may use on the professional level. Like writing a future number one album. He’s so talented. If people don’t get it they’re nuts. I highly expect him to out sell all of them.

150 Sextile Sun-Pluto

It is easy and natural for you to find a passion and pursue it, and to focus on a goal. Yup. You are not much scared of anything. I agree. He doesn’t have much to fear yet because I don’t think he has anything really that he’d be truly frightened to lose. You love a good mystery, and you are adept at solving it. He likes to know how people and things tick. The physical vitality is generally strong, and the body is usually ale to heal quickly. Bionic knee, baby. You are not afraid to get your hands dirty, and you are usually quick to help others, not only with mundane tasks, but also on a spiritual or psychological level. Okay.

Your insight is sharp and sometimes awe-inspiring. He doesn’t look like he’s a deep thinker or very introspective, but he pays attention and remembers things and people. There was that interview with Louis, Zayn, and Niall at something for Midnight Memories, and Louis said that Niall is the one who always remembers people’s names and stuff about them. He is very sharp and is constantly cataloguing everything.

You are perceptive and not easily rattled or surprised in life. Because he’s already thought of every possible scenario for any situation more than a few times. He’s ran through all the possibilities and knows he can handle whatever because of that. You are not fond of superficiality, and are generally the first to spot pretense of any kind. In personality at least, but he seems to like rather done up partners. There are two types Niall seems to go for. 1.) Petite, tan, Hispanic looking brunettes or 2.) Tall, too much makeup, fake boobs, fake eyelashes, fake hair, skimpy clothes, and fake blonde hair. Some people with this aspect are perfectionists, demanding much from themselves and reasonable amounts of effort and honesty from others.

Moon in Leo

When he feels comfortable, he does like being the center of attention. Even then, I think he’s more comfortable letting someone else fill that role to be honest. That is, they like being in the “spotlight” in the comfort of their own homes and with family and friends. They enjoy entertaining others, and often take on the role of comic. I feel like his house is like a hub, always full of people and friends, always loud and fun. There is always something going on. Lunar Leos often feel a need to organize, and generally like to oversee the goings-on in their inner circle. Micromanaged to within an inch of your life. “What have you eaten?” “Where are you going?” “Call me when you get there.” Is he your mom or your partner?

This is a rather creative position of the Moon. At the very least, Moon in Leo people want to create and entertain. You can say that again. And they can be a little bossy too. There would be temper tantrums if he didn’t get his way, eight thousand percent.

When they feel slighted, these people can be dramatic in their emotional displays. More fake tears and throwing himself down on the floor. When their pride has been hurt, they are given to big scenes and sulking. But, but….it’s not fair. Lunar Leos are far too concerned about their image to make splashy scenes outside the comfort of their own homes. He doesn’t want to seem out of control or uncool in any way. Lunar Leos are often personally popular folk. He’s very popular. Generally, it is easy to reason with a Lunar Lion. Appealing to their well-developed sense of fairness usually works well. Unless he feels like huffing and puffing. He can probably be a bit stubborn, but not as much as like Liam or Harry could probably be.

He is sharp. Very smart. Very witty. He has a great sense of, and respect for, justice. I love it when he rants about politics on Twitter. Fucking sexy. Organizational sense. Mr. Neat Freak. Selectivity in friends, but it not overly influenced by them. He does what he wants. He’s the type who would go to the movies alone if none of his friends wanted to see movie, but he wanted to. Taste for splendor. He seems pretty simple to me, but that might have been his upbringing.

He is changing and has numerous affections. Is the grass greener on the other side or not? Am I settling? Panic would ensue at every turn. He is emotionally demanding and proud. He won’t let others talk him out of what he wants or what he believes in.

Moon in 11th

Lots of friends, relationships. He makes friends easily and uses his relationships to further professional success. Feelings of friendship are sometimes superficial. A lot of his friends are in the industry. I don’t think it’s intentional though, just happenstance.

This position of the Moon indicated an emotional need for a feeling of belonging with, and support from, friends and associations and groups. He’d be a little lost, but I think he’d manage. You look to acquaintances for support, and offers the same in return. I don’t think he looks for it, but I think he gives a lot of support, help to people. Waxing and waning feelings for others can cause problems in your relationships. This is another staple in his chart. Maybe because he’s got such high expectations. He is never satisfied with anyone. You are a person who is filled with many dreams, wishes, and hope for your future, and most of these are altruistic and good-hearted desires. I hope so. However, you might change your aspirations frequently, with your changing moods, and have a hard time settling on goals to work towards as a result. How long has this album taken, exactly? Just kidding.

57 Conjunction Moon-Venus

You are generally amiable and project a soft and yielding manner. You possess natural charm and you are highly imaginative and sympathetic. You can make an excellent mediator and go-between. Yes. You are keenly aware of your need for relationships and for intimacy. He may want someone, but not enough to take them as they are. He wants someone who fits in with his independence, someone whose there, but only when he wants them to be. And people just don’t work like that.

People appreciate you for your tender heart and friendly, diplomatic disposition. You should enjoy a good measure of personal popularity and success in your life. Yup. At times you can be complacent, downright lazy, and over-indulgent in the “pleasures” of life. He likes to take it easy when it’s time to take it easy.

You are gracious and warm. I agree. Gracious, definitely. Warm? Maybe lukewarm on a good day.

Mercury in Libra

Usually quite diplomatic and tactful, he evaluates and weighs things up endlessly, often to the point of indecisiveness. He has trouble pulling the trigger on some things. He expresses himself clearly. He’s never been “misquoted” or issued a statement and he won’t be because he says what he means. The end.

Before coming to an opinion on a subject, he listens to the opinions offered by various people and can compare them before making up his own mind.

Mental affinity in his relationships is paramount. They have to click personality wise if it’s going to last any time at all. And I don’t think he’s had that yet. Insert awkward photo of Niall and Australian girl at café. Gosh he looked constipated.

Mercury in 1st

Lively, alert, penetrating and ingenious mind. Ingenious, I’m sure he’d love that. He expresses himself easily, is a born orator. He’s a great storyteller. He always looks on the bright side. Because he’s already went the other direction and knows that if things go badly that he can handle that just as well. He has a plan for everything. Very adaptable. For sure.

You are mercurial in appearance or manner. He always looks perfectly put together even in sweats. You are adaptable, changeable, easily distracted, versatile, and nimble. He has a precocious manner. Which is how I’ll be describing Niall from here on out.

Lively and interesting, you quickly adapt to new situations. He takes on different roles in different groups or settings to be who he needs to be at that time, but it never comes off fake though. In fact, you treat most new endeavors with curiosity and great interest. Your first reaction to new stimuli is logical and curious rather than emotional. Logic over emotion again. Logical is another great word to describe Niall.

242 Conjunction Mercury-Ascendant

He is intelligent, with quick and lively reflexes. He is preoccupied by his circle; likes to exchange ideas with his friends, but also with strangers. Of an open nature, he goes out to others.

Venus in Leo

This position of Venus can turn humble Virgo Suns into somewhat demanding lovers. He would demand a lot of his significant other, perfection on top of perfection. Enough to give anyone a nervous breakdown. It would be a different story if you tried to tell him that someone flirted with you. He would go full on nuclear meltdown if someone else hit on his partner. That’s when you’ll hear the lion roar…and, no doubt, you’ll want to keep these cats purring. Venus in Leo wants to appear experienced in love, even if they have little or no experience whatsoever. I can see this.

Venus in Leo people have high expectations. To the point you may feel like nothing you do is right, that you can’t please him no matter what you do. He would need a really confident, outspoken person to combat that. They are really quite big-hearted about most everything else. He would be very generous in love, that’s for sure.

They are threatened by a relationship that appears to have settled too much or one that’s lost it’s spark. I feel like once he was well and truly interested in someone that he would be stunned by the fear that they may leave him. Old insecurities might creep up and make him feel unworthy so then he’d pull back and lose them before realizing what he did wrong, but it would be too late. “This Town” makes me think of something like this.

Pleasing Venus in Leo involves paying loads of attention to them. It would mean being someone he and others want to pay attention to. There’s a reason he has been linked to so many celebrities, because he wants people to want what he’s got, to be jealous of him for this, to have the hottest, best girl out there and he won’t settle for anything less. Maybe with time though this will change. The Virgo wants to nipick at partners to make them better for the partner’s sake, but the Leo nitpicks for Leo’s own good.

Respect and appreciate them always. As you should in every relationship with anyone. They want to be seen as attractive by you, so avoid at all costs putting them down in this area. Fragile ego. You can expect that any letdown will be acted out in a dramatic fashion. He would have bad dramatic breakups. You probably wouldn’t be friends afterward.

Remind them, in a gentle way, that your emotions count too. He might forget this. If you are feeling a little jealous, let them know. He is one flighty heifer, but he doesn’t come off as unfaithful though a little flattery might push the boundaries. Clearly defined relationship boundaries would be helpful here. Saying you can’t see your ex is not saying that you can’t like their posts or you can’t hug them when you run into them in public even if you meant that it that way. Men don’t understand generalities. You have to be very specific. Always.

Let them decide where to go on a date, and let them pay too. Bossy little thing. When Venus in Leo feels loved and appreciated, they reward you with loyalty, a big sense of fun, and plenty of physical expressions of their love. Everyone says that when Niall falls that he’ll fall hard, and I believe it.

Sincere, frank, and warm affections. He is full of tenderness. High hopes in love. He likes to live and satisfy his passions to the fullest. When he is in love I think yes, but I don’t think we’ve seen this part of him yet with anyone.

Venus in 11th

Successful professional life in great part due to good relationships, friends, or patrons. One Dream, One Band, One Direction.

The friendship level of your relationship needs to be genuine in order for him to sustain romantic interest. It would almost have to be this way because he has such trouble truly trusting people, but if his friends like you then you’re automatically have that much more acceptance by association. Thumbs up from the friends is always a big deal anyway, but huge if you wanted get something real started with someone like Niall.

You tend to focus on a partner’s unique qualities, what makes them the most attractive. The most attractive is important here, what makes them the best there is? Is what this means.

You may meet lovers through group activities. Friends again. Although you value friendships and group affiliations highly, you might jump into friendships without considering the responsibilities they might entail. They would be level headed to be avoid this in a romantic sense. They would have to be the one to put the breakers on to make sure that he was being one hundred percent earnest and to make sure that he really wanted what he says he does, because he might just think he does.

150 Sextile Venus-Mars

He is amorous, not a peaceful and calm lover, but a passionate one with a strong temperament. He is demonstrative in love, and likes healthy pleasures. He enjoys life to the full.

127 Sextile Venus-Jupiter

He is good-hearted, generous and has a good character. Definitely a good character, a good person. He likes well-being, comfort, a life without problems. He has to learn how to deal with problems productively or he’ll blow up on someone he really doesn’t want to lose, but it would be too late. He has good relations with his circle. Yes. He is easy to approach. Seems friendly, and very open most of the time. All the same, he falls in love easily. He falls into lust easily, but more of a one and done kind of guy so he doesn’t get attached. He has a successful married and professional life. Hopefully.

He is hard and does not know how to express his emotions. He seems so put together that expressing how he feels might truly frighten him. He is frightened of showing his love and this leads to disappointment, break-ups, lack of satisfaction. Like I just said. He doesn’t want to put himself out there because he feels like he won’t truly be enough for someone. He has a very relatable mindset here to a lot of insecure people. He doubts, is suspicious and jealous. He is until you get close, probably, yes. He will learn how to be happy in love. If he can find someone who likes all his bad habits, someone he can put on a pedestal not because they’re the best of the best or because they’re perfect, but because they’re them, and they’re the one.

54 Square Venus-Pluto

In an attempt to control the outcome of a love relationship, or the loved one’s feelings, you can turn to manipulative games. I can see this. Your feelings are intense, and even extreme, when it comes to love. You easily put pressure on your partner, as you expect much loyalty and honesty in your intimate relationships. To be perfect. To match his high expectations.

Certainly, you will learn much about yourself through your relationships, and you may not always like what you see. You will meet yourself through your relationships, and you may not always like what you see.

You will meet the darker side of yourself through your relationships, and it will be critical that you recognize it as your own “material” and not project it onto your partner. Hopefully, he has or will realize his pitfalls and fix his own insecurities in regards to others. He sees other couples and they are happy. He doubts his own self then automatically doubts the quality of person he’s with because they wanted to be with him in the first place therefore they automatically must have bad judgement or be using him or something. Letting go of a relationship can be hard for you to do, especially if your Venus is in a fix sign like Leo. Which it is. I’ll never have that again or feel that way again. He’d be plagued by what ifs and would try to “fix” what went wrong, stopping himself from moving forward. He’d try to get back together with someone, but they won’t want that making him feel even more insecure and obsessive. He might romanticize his past relationships even if at the time he was miserable.

Mars in Libra

Decisiveness is not their strong point, but they do, eventually, get things done. Here is this indecisiveness again.

They always play innocent when challenged, and can generally charm the birds out of the trees to win your favor. He does look very innocent. Passive-aggressiveness is practically the hallmark of this position. Big time, I think. On the other hand, some Mars in Libra people turn the Mars energy into action, and they fight for Libran justice and fairness in the world. He might do something here in the future.

Mars in Libra people are adept at predicting when problems and discord will occur well in advance. So he can get the heck out of dodge. They know how to compromise and are excellent at conflict management. He would be a good mediator because he can see all the sides of something.

Mars in 1st

He gets carried away a lot. By a lot. Great spirit of enterprise. He has a lot of ingenuity.

He tends to begin new endeavors with gusto, although follow-through is not necessarily indicated by this position alone. He can be fiercely independent, and he is usually direct and straightforward. Very independent. Likes to do things alone. Genuinely believes he can do anything he needs to do on his own, he can accomplish whatever he needs to without help from anyone.

Some might stir up trouble, whether consciously or unconsciously, when he is bored.

209 Conjunction Mars-Jupiter

He has a good sense of organization, he is jovial, frank, and sincere. He is full of dynamism and over-abundant energy. He loves life and takes all it has to offer. He likes sports and the outdoor life. Golfing. Soccer. He likes being active. Don’t see him wanting to go like camping or anything though. He is successful professionally and emotionally.

He is honest and forthright in his dealing with others, and he tends to trust others readily.

47 Trine Mars-Saturn

He is energetic and determined. He has strength and resistance, ability and patience. He does seem very patient and cool headed. He puts all his energy and talents into overcoming all the obstacles to his success. He has the proper drive to achieve his ambitions which is why he makes it.

He is obstinate, calculating, does not take on anything without having thought of all the possible consqequences, he can take all the time in the world and never loses patience to achieve his objectives. He is literally going to take over the world one day. Y’all wait and see. He is not particularly popular in this circle, but he is feared and respected. Smack talk café astrology style.

37 Square Mars-Uranus

He is full of contradictions. What he wants verses what he needs. He fights to the bitter end to overcome hurdles, and has the strength to overcome them.

34 Square Mars-Neptune

This is a challenging position, as you have difficulty trusting in your ability to go after things that you want in a direct manner. Professional life. It may also be that you have difficulty pinpointing what it is that you want, or that part of you doesn’t feel you deserve it due to a basic lack of self-confidence. You fear rejection as well as criticism, and often use roundabout means to go after what you want. Friends to source information on if someone is interested in him or not. He relies on others to promote him because he doesn’t feel like he could or should toot his own horn.

You easily imagine things going wrong, just as you easily fantasize about good things. Although you can be very creative at keeping your motives and personal agenda hidden, in fact, many of you seem on the surface of things to be quite gentle and yielding. He seems like a bit of a push over, but if you’ve ever listened to Niall talk you know he’s not.

You are often passive-aggressive in your approach to others. Passive-aggressive again. You are usually found of chasing a dream. Is the solo career his dream or is it something else altogether. Adopting a more direct and assertive approach to life is something that you should be working towards. Without being an arsehole.

Learning to take responsibility for your actions, and to avoid blaming others for failures, is important. To say or do this is how I feel. It isn’t someone else making me feel this way, it’s my choice to feel this way. No one can make you feel anything that isn’t in you already.

At your worst you can be disorganized in your approach to life, easily procrastinating and lacking follow-through when you do begin a task. I can see this. Some of the most important lessons you need to learn in life are self-control, self-assertion, and trust in yourself. I think he’s working toward this. At your best, you are a creative person with a powerful imagination and great stores of compassion. Niall Horan is a good man I’m tellin ya.

Jupiter in Libra

He attracts the most good fortune when he is fair-minded, treats others with equality, is bending without being a doormat, is gracious, and uses his talents at promoting and mediating. Politics are a possible avenue for success. Ohhh,,,,

Jupiter in 1st

He is jovial, expansive, dynamic, kindly, and altruistic. He has good judgement, is tolerant and likes food. He has a good education and a prosperous life. He’s very bright despite not finishing school. Intelligence isn’t gained by simply going to school, but by having the will to learn, curiosity.

6 Trinue Jupiter-Saturn

He is serious, patient, honest, hard-working, and orderly. He’s very orderly, very pulled together. His judgment is good and he thinks things over. Maybe too much. He pursues his objectives to the bitter end, usually knowing when to choose the right moment. Very determine again. He is upright and respects the law. I bet he doesn’t even speed. He probably drives like an old lady.

70 Square Jupiter-Uranus

He is too independent and his liberty is all-important. Even though he wants someone, he only wants them on his terms. He wants someone some of the time, but not all of the time, and that causes conflict. He has a number of internal tensions. He battles with himself.

60 Square Jupiter-Neptune

He is easily influenced. He is a dreamer, who lets himself be seduced by fine words, which are not always sincere. He does not see wickedness and is often fooled by people. He could be fooled or tricked by people, but he really does seem to be too smart for this. I hope so anyways.

Saturn in Aquarius

Long-term studies, and if family circumstances do not allow this, he will teach himself. The guitar? He is serious and methodical in work. Like recording in his underwear at every available opportunity, yes, he is very serious.

Saturn in 5th

He likes method, calculation, concentration. He is not drawn towards amusements, or please in general. He likes a list. He likes having something to do, to accomplish. He has few friends, but has deep and sincere feelings. He has deep feelings for a very select few, even his family could be shunted here, I think. He is serious in everything. Most things. You’ll want to laugh and have fun, and he won’t. When he’s being goofy though its only okay for him. He expects others to maintain their composure at all times.

78 Square Saturn-Pluto

He is not open for other’s ideas, especially if they are free-thinking. He is an egoist and has a narrow mind. He does in some things for sure.

Uranus in Capricorn

His mission in society, in the world means everything to him. He wants to affect change, to use his position to really help and that’s admirable.

Uranus in 4th

He does not like bureaucracy, administration, and has problems as a result. Politics. He doesn’t like people who only see things one way. He has avant-garde ideas, he is original and does not tolerate constraints on his freedom. I see him as being very left wing, very liberal.

2 Sextile Uranus- Pluto

He fights to improve his daily life, he is persevering. He constantly wants to improve.

Neptune in Capricorn

He is discerning, wise, and sensible. True.

Neptune in 4th

He succeeds thanks to brilliant and unusual ideas. This album should be a reflection of that. Slow Hands and This Town are already so different, I think he’s album should be quite different.

Ascendant in Libra

Everybody seems to like Libra Ascendant natives. They just come across as nice, pleasant, and fair. Him, for sure. Look a little closer at their lives, and these nice people may have had quite a few problems in their relationship. Some of them have had a string of relationships, and it can be hard to imagine why! He’s too picky. He’s standards are too high. He’s nitpicky. And the sheer number of partners would put some people off.

Libra rising generally appear to be smoothing everything over. They have charming smiles, a gentle approach with others, an easygoing image. Most pay a lot attention to their personal appearance, the colors they wear, their hair, the way they walk. Very meticulous, to be honest.

Libra rising people can be enormously persuasive, although they will almost always use a “soft sell” approach when they want to win others over, which is all the time. It’s never him, it’s anyone’s fault, but Niall’s fault. A tendency to pass the buck and keep up that “nice guy” image are their worst qualities. However, they can make excellent mediators and will generally be the first to accommodate you. Very friendly and open. Libra rising natives are usually attracted to competent, active partners. He wants someone busy with their own lives, not entirely dependent on him. Their relationships are characterized by bickering or competitiveness until they learn to drop their sweet image once in a while and to stop blaming their partners for everything that goes wrong.

House 2 in Libra

Income may come through artistic expression. Café astrology predicts the future once again. Partnerships can help further financial goals. Success in a collab song, maybe?

House 3 in Scorpio

Makes a good investigator because he is very curious, likes researching and does this with a lot of patience, likes to solve mysteries. Knows how to take risks, while being aware of the dangers. This is about everything. EVERYTHING.

House 4 in Capricorn

After working all his life to obtain his objectives and finally having reached that goal, he wants to retire in peace and quiet and to have a retirement full of contemplation, with few tasks, close to nature. As he was very careful with money all his life, he will administer the properties he has acquired. Niall is ready to retire now, play golf all day and watch his grandkids. He would have been retired at 35 even without the stardom.

House 5 in Aquarius

He is also a friend one can count on.

House 6 in Pisces

Job in commerce. Making money, honey.

House 7 in Aries

Doesn’t want to change his habits, so domestic quarrels to be foreseen. Cause he’s a stubborn piece of poo.

House 8 in Aries

House 9 in Taurus

Doesn’t change principles, practically never changes his mind. On anything

House 10 in Cancer

Likes contact with the public, the crowd. Profession that involves meeting a lot of people. Professional success thanks to sense of duty and application to work. This is his actual fortune.

House 11 in Leo

Friends are not always chosen by chance. Even if the feelings of friendship are sincere, these friends must automatically bring something, professional help for example. A lot of his friends are professionals in the industry.

House 12 in Virgo

Work in a research lab. Fan fic meticulous lab tech Niall who is finicky about his beakers, please and thank you.

This is totally credited to café astrology. I am not an astrologer just a fan. So, keep that in mind.

I used 8:04 a.m. birthtime and his birthday 9/13/1993.

#Niall Horan #Niall Horan Astrology #Niall Horan Natal Chart #Louis Tomlinson #Liam Payne #Harry Styles #Astrology #Natal chart #horoscopes #virgo #this town #on the loose #slow hands #can't wait for Niall's album

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onlinecoachdan-blog · 6 years

Text

What Is The Purpose Of Your Life?

I want my life to have a clear meaning.

Right now something's broken inside me. Boredom and sadness always come when I get disappointed in my hobbies, because sometimes, instead of offering me what I really want, they give anger and confusion (which if fine, but it does go over the top every few months). What is it that I really want?

Also, I don't have the courage to find the job while attending to the University: I have to complete the homework every week. Should I still try? I really-really want to buy the life purpose course, but I can't, because I don't have a job at the moment.

I'm currently a freshman in college and I am working towards being an actuary because I'm exceptional at mathematics and I want to earn a decent living. Recently though, I have been coming to realize what life is really about and its not really the size of your house that matters its the people inside it. With that being said, and with all the news as of late, I cant help but wonder what I truly want to do with my life. Even before this video I realized that being an actuary was only what other people wanted me to be, or so I perceived. Almost like some sort of socially constructed pathway for me and people intellectually like me.

But now that I am going through some sort of coming of age, I have a particular need/want to help people. Now this is where my problem lays: Is helping people as a profession what I truly want to do? Or do I really want to find some career path that I love and help people as a byproduct or even as a hobby of mine? Either way I realize most people would take it as a noble pursuit and thats not why I do it. I would be doing it solely to make myself truly happy on the inside. Not some fake shit that can be sold to me from some greedy corporate manager. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'm finishing a masters degree in engineering. Unsure what I want to do, but employment at this level requires high level of specialization. Can't travel, I have too many loans. I've had a decent amount of experiences outside academia in terms of the social realm but I can't seem to find anything tangible that I like. Any time I've seen what an engineer does in a corporation, it bores me. I find myself prodding my own brain and reading, I am almost dreading applying for jobs.

How refreshing it is to know I was conscious enough to do this on my own. In college I excelled quickly and discovered I really like teaching and tutoring others. Out of college I became a web and app designer/developer. I once again excelled but the job became boring. I learned I hated sitting inside with little human interaction staring at a computer all day. However that career gave me the income to do a lot of new things like martial arts, fitness, and nutrition education. I'm now leaving the world of computers, I've started a fitness business to TEACH/TRAIN fitness and nutrition.

I just graduated from a community college last semester, and I am not sure what to do with my life at this moment, I currently work at a corporation warehouse. I don't like my job because it gets extremely hot in there. It pays well, but its hot and I get one day off now. I have been told by people at the job and my parents that I should go back to school. My plan was to work for a little more and take some time off from school for a semester. I don't want to go back and not take classes I am not interested, I wanted to pursue psychology, but my mind was in it for the money more then the enjoyment of the work. I didn't go further because I don't know how to handle helping people.

I am 45, with a post graduate degree and I have all the money I need. I have no passion whatsoever. I have reached a plateau. I guess I just wanted to make money and now that I have it, I don't feel like working at all. I have probably worked 2-3 days out of every 3 months for the past 4 yrs. and those times I worked, I had to force myself cuz things were starting to go south. I have lost a lot of time and money I could have had and enjoyed but I just don't want to do anything. Literally nothing! Changing my job is not an option and would make no difference, I still want to do nothing. How the heck do I find passion and motivation to get out of my resort like mansion?! My shopper buys my food; my cook makes the food; and my cleaning lady does the cleaning. Everything I want is right here. I don't think you'd want to leave if you were here. How do I find the hunger and the fire? How do I get out of the house and get back to society? I have no desire. Well actually, I do have the desire to have a passion. Can you help?

I was one of those guys that knew what he wanted at an early age. I was a musician from age 12 and all I could think about was being a great player. I tuned pro at 17, made my living as a pro, at 30 it was over. I was done. But I had lived my dream. I was never happier, but I just couldn't do it anymore. I knew I was something more. I realized I did it all for ego. for that "approval" That ego identity didn't fit anymore. So here I am 20 years later, There is nothing that gives my authentic self, motivation. I have tried everything. The things I love, I cannot make money at in known framework. I am almost ready to become a hermit, or monk. I have experienced the joy of passion. its like what do you do after you have been to the moon? what else is there?

I graduated and started working nearly 4 years ago. And I have changed 3 companies already. I also want to upgrade me, to allow myself to see new things, to learn, etc. But my history of changing job too many times impacts me badly right now. It seems that all recruiters do NOT like this, and I have been unemployed for 7 months, failing lots of interviews. Please share with your thinking and how to get out of this situation?

I'm 23 and looking for my purpose. I know for a fact I want to help people in some way. For the longest time I thought psychiatric work would be my career but whenever I truly think about it, I want to make a bigger impact in peoples lives. It's frustrating being so close but not being able to specifically know what it is I really want to do with my life. I'm definitely not settling for something small though.

I've been fortunate to have been able to do everything you've suggested except travel the world so far. Funny, but I'm happiest when I'm covered in paint. Doesn’t matter if I'm painting walls, furniture, or a painting. I need to make that into a steady income somehow!

I seriously have a problem with finding my passion. sometimes i'm passionate about something and sometimes I’m not. For example, I loved playing soccer like for my whole life and when I became the captain of the team and the best player there I felt like wanting to try something new despite having a great chance of being a successful soccer player. I left soccer for bodybuilding. I read a lot about nutrition and everything about gaining muscles and getting fit and I got the size I always wanted and same story looking for something new. That's really frustrating sometimes I'm crazy about something and sometimes I'm not.

I'm into arts but I'm already turning 17 so I feel like if I go to art school now I missed out on so much. And I'm in A school that is considered "smart" and I feel like if I go to art everyone in my school will find me stupid? I know this sounds stupid but these are my worries.

I'm a sophomore in High School but I have a a really big problem. I actually don't know what career to focus on I need to to come up with an idea fast I don't have time to explore I just need to know what I'm really good at. So I can choose the right courses for my career , I don't wanna end up choosing the wrong courses at the end of the day when I really find my passion I won't be able to pursue it because I didn't have the right foundation.

RESOURCES

https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-do-you-figure-out-your-lifes-purpose/

http://coachinginst.com/online

http://coachinginst.com/career/

https://www.bustle.com/articles/197962-12-life-coaches-give-you-their-best-career-advice-for-2017

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/business/smallbusiness/18webshifting.html

#life coach #motivations #goals #personal development #self improvement #psychology #health #coaching

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the-record-obituaries · 6 years

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May 9, 2018: Columns

Elections, always interesting...

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

Being an election year, I always like to have the chance to tell the few election stories I know--or at least that can be repeated.

Several weeks ago, I was at the Wilkes Art Gallery for an exhibit opening and there was an artist from Sylva, North Carolina, with work on display. As we visited, the name Cagle came up and I was instantly reminded of my (somewhat misspent) youth at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, and the 1970 mid-term election. I was helping the Jackson County Republican Party headed by a man known as Baldy Cagle--known so for obvious reasons. An old line politico, cigar and all, he found out that I was from Wilkes County, and, all he really wanted from me after that was to haul as much whiskey as my old 1957 Studebaker could pull up Black Mountain.

This is the same Mr. Cagle who, on Election Day, was at the polls late in the evening when an ambulance pulled up. An election official climbed into the ambulance and shortly returned. An elderly lady standing next to Baldy Cagle remarked that it did her heart good to see someone on the way to the hospital making sure they got to vote. Baldy smiled and said, "Honey, that ambulance ain't on the way to the hospital--it's on the way to the funeral home."

And with all the hubbub these days about voter ID’s, I need to explain what was loosely known for years as “…the North Wilkesboro way.” This made sure that anyone who wanted to vote could do so, early and often, as they liked to say. In North Wilkesboro, if a tombstone hadn’t been chiseled for too long, that person quite often “voted” in two or three more elections–by way of what amounts to the ultimate absentee ballot. And, at least once, a van load of folks from Boomer came to the North Wilkesboro Fire Department to vote in an election, apparently they were thinking about moving to town and wanted to feel a part of the community. Conley Call, then an election official, put a stop to that one.

But my favorite election story is about the ‘64 Presidential Election between Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater. Johnson’s campaign slogan was “All the way with LBJ,” and Goldwater’s was “In your heart, you know he’s right.”

Salisbury is the home of the soft drink Cheerwine, regionally popular for many years, and, during the '64 election, the story goes that the Cheerwine plant was the place to find a new “political” drink. AU-H20—or “Goldwater” as it was affectionately known. “Goldwater” was widely distributed in North Carolina during that election, sold both as a novelty item and as a fundraiser for the campaign.

I was a 15-year-old kid at the time and working at the Thrift Super Market in North Wilkesboro for Mr. H. D. Ball. I was at the Thrift I saw my first display of AU-H20, but there was lots of it available in heavily Republican Wilkes County.

Well, you know how that election went—it was indeed LBJ All The Way in a landslide, and the Cheerwine bottler had pallets and pallets of the stuff left over in a warehouse in Salisbury. In what was one of my first exposure to a clever marketing campaign, the Winston Salem Journal ran a story and a picture of the bottler’s plan to liquidate (no pun) his leftover inventory. The photo in the newspaper showed a huge display of the “Goldwater” drinks stacked in a grocery store with a steeply discounted price in big letters. Under the price sign was another one which read, “In your heart, you know it’s just ginger ale.”

He sold out.

Thoughts to my Children

By LAURA WELBORN

I recently ran across this quote and thought it was perfect with Mother’s Day coming up:

“When My Children remember their childhood, I want only for them to remember that their Mother gave it her all. She worried too much, she failed at times and did not always get it right…but tried her hardest to teach them about kindness, love, compassion, and honesty. Even if she had to learn it from her own mistakes, she loved them enough to keep going, even when life knocked her down. I want them to remember me as the woman who always got back up.” Positive Living Inspiration quote

Some of the things I wanted my children to learn was how critical attitude is in life, and when we can work off of kindness, love, compassion and honesty we can always get back up with pride. I found these thoughts from the Marc and Angel Hack Life blog that seemed to hit home for what I tried to model and teach children no matter their age or relationship to me:

1. “Your attitude often reflects a certain level of self-centered self-victimization. – We all have the tendency to put ourselves at the center, and see everything—every event, conversation, circumstance, etc.—from the viewpoint of how it relates to us and only us. And this can have all kinds of adverse effects, from feeling hurt when other people are rude, to feeling sorry for ourselves when things don’t go as planned, to doubting ourselves when we aren’t perfect. When you catch yourself feeling like a singled-out victim, think about other people you might help. Finding little ways to help others can snap you out of your self-centeredness, and then you’re not wallowing in self-pity anymore—you’re starting to think beyond yourself, for your own good.

2. Your attitude is still greatly affected by old stories. – In the present moment, we all have some kind of pain: anger, sadness, frustration, disappointment, regret, etc. Notice this pain within yourself, watch it closely and see that it’s caused by whatever story you have in your head about what happened in the past (either in the recent past or in the distant past). Your mind might insist that the pain you feel is caused by what happened (not by the story in your head about it), but what happened in the past is NOT happening right now. The pain, however, is still happening right now because of the story you’ve been subconsciously telling yourself about that past incident.

3. Your attitude often reflects your inner resistance to reality. – Most people make themselves unhappy simply by finding it impossible to accept life as it is presenting itself right now. Do your best to catch yourself. Be mindful. When you accept the reality of the moment, regardless of how painful, you allow yourself to grow and heal. Ultimately, happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them.

4. Your attitude gets caught up in fearing and hiding from change. – Sometimes, no matter how hard it is to admit, there are things in your life that aren’t meant to stay. Change may not be what you want, but it’s always exactly what’s happening. And sometimes saying goodbye is the hardest thing you will ever have to do

5. Your attitude is affected by your passivity and procrastination. – So many of us waste so much of our time and energy waiting for the ideal path to appear. But it never does. Because we forget that paths are made by walking, not waiting.

6. Your attitude reflects your aversion to discomfort. – Many of us don’t want to be uncomfortable, so we run from discomfort constantly. The problem with this is that, by running from discomfort, we are constrained to partake in only the activities and opportunities within our comfort zones.

7. Your attitude is often rooted in unrealistic ideals. – Despite what you keep hearing inside your head, you can disappoint people and still be good enough. You can fail and still be smart, capable and talented. You can let people down and still be worthwhile and deserving of love and admiration.

8. Your attitude easily defaults to self-contempt. – Next time you catch yourself wallowing in self-contempt, remind yourself that you were not born feeling this way.

9. Your attitude often reflects a lack of presence and self-awareness. – One of the hardest challenges we face in life is to simply live in our own skin. To just be right here, right now, regardless of where we are. Too often we use compulsive work, compulsive exercise, compulsive love affairs, and the like, to escape from ourselves and the realities of living.”

I didn’t always get it right and sometimes I think I missed the mark more than I hit it, but I made a conscious effort to try and will continue to remind myself to keep getting back up and not let my attitude hold me back from trying. So having been a full time mother to two and part time step mother to another seven, an Aunt who adored her nieces and nephews, and a surrogate grandmother to many I hope I have made a difference in some small way to instill love, kindness, and compassion to others.

Dismantle the Occupation Myth

By EARL COX

Special to The Record

After a recent U.N. debate that included Palestinian issues, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters: “We challenge the liars who advocated lies in the Security Council yesterday.” Asked if he was calling U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley a liar, Mansour backtracked saying Haley’s speech was “not credible.”

With similar diplomatic finesse, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat snapped at Haley to “shut up” when she criticized PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Haley declined Erekat’s “advice” at the Security Council, with Abbas listening: “I will not shut up. Rather, I will respectfully speak some hard truths.”

Palestinians’ jarring style aside—lies versus “hard truths” are at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And a major falsehood is the politically infused myth of Israeli “occupation.”

Truth prevailed when the U.S. State Department recently struck “occupied” from its description of the Palestinian Territories in a 2017 report, for the first time in almost 40 years. As Trump house cleans the Department of State and sweeps out the Deep State cobwebs, Israel’s 3,000+ years of Jewish history, genealogy and archeology, and international law supporting Israel’s sovereignty become admissible evidence.

Evidence of Palestinian leaders’ habitual lying also is accumulating. It’s getting harder to be a good liar in today’s digitized communications milieu, with its speed-driven, global access to truth for those who care enough to search for it.

If anyone wonders why Palestinian leaders preach peace and claim the victimization of their people in English (to woo international support)—but spew hatred and terror in Arabic (to incite their people), it’s because the Koran condones lying as a way of jihad to deceive Islam’s enemies until they’re slain or subdued.

Problem is, it’s harder to cover up blatant lies today than it was when Roman Emperor Hadrian named the land “Palestina” to erase “Judea” from the map. Palestinian leaders tap into this august Roman tradition by claiming descent from the “original Canaanites”–a clumsy political effort to pretend that Israel is “occupying” their ancestral land.

But there’s no trace of Palestinian genealogy in Canaan. “Palestinians descend primarily from … Muslim invaders, Arab immigrants, and local [forced] converts to Islam,” said historian Alex Joffe. No Arab or Palestinian entity ever formed a national state in Israel, Judea or Samaria; therefore, the Palestinian Territories have no legal or political basis, said Ambassador Alan Baker; no international agreement, contract, treaty or binding international resolution exists that defines these territories as Palestinian.

But Palestinian leaders won’t drop the hype. Erekat proclaimed at an international conference in Europe: “I am a son of Jericho. My age—10,000 years. I am a proud son of the Canaanites, and I was [here] 5,000 years ago, and 500 years before the coming of Joshua bin Nun, who burned my city, Jericho, and I will not trade in my history [because of a demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state].” In other words, as correspondent Pinhas Inbari points out, Erekat won’t recognize Israel’s history because he was there first, and besides, that makes Joshua bin Nun a war criminal.

But the Erekat family’s genealogy—including entries on his own Facebook page—tell a different story, Baker said. “Erekat’s family is Bedouin, part of the Huweitat clan that originated in the Hejaz area of Saudi Arabia, arrived in Palestine from the south of Jordan, and settled in … Abu Dis.”

Because the Palestinians know that historical, archeological, religious and genetic records indisputably prove Jews as the indigenous population and with a continuous presence in the land, they deny Jewish history and destroy or usurp archeological evidence and ancient Jewish religious sites.

Genealogical and historical records actually identify the Palestinians as the true occupiers, Joffe said. “The Muslim conquest of Palestine in the 7th century CE, and Muslim immigration … under the Ottoman and British Empires is a textbook example of settler-colonialism.”

Since these truths are evident and well-documented, why are they so often met with doubt and silence? What explains it?

Why does the EU attack Israeli sovereignty while ignoring NATO ally Turkey’s illegal occupation of Cyprus? “Where,” asks Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz, “are [their] demonstrations on behalf of the oppressed Tibetans, Georgians, Syrians, Armenians, Kurds … Ukrainians? … Only the Palestinians, only Israel? Why? Not because the Palestinians are more oppressed … but because their alleged oppressors are Jews and the nation-state of the Jews.”

Anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, combined with Islam’s hatred of Israel, threaten to dangerously blur the line between truth and lies. The United States, and every nation that upholds, defends and declares the truth is to be applauded.

Mules, dogs, and a Great Adventure

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas

I believe if you can get to know people who own and care for mules and donkeys you will in time come to appreciate the people and love the animals too. That’s what happened to me, and over the years I have formed friendships with both.

Some years ago, I was invited to attend Mule Days at Leatherwood in Ferguson NC. It’s a beautiful place in western Wilkes County where nature seems to be at peace with human interaction. It’s the kind of place where deer, wild turkeys, and other friendly animals are not always on heightened alert.

The relaxing streams are home to an array of fish, and they may also be happy, but I think the fisherman are even more so. It’s the kind of place where stress levels drop as nature administers its therapy.

When I first visited Mule Days, I was amazed at all I did not know about these fantastic animals. Mules are smart and surer-footed than their equine companions the horse. Donkeys while often small can be mammoth in stature and personality.

Like people, the personalities of mules and donkeys differ and offer up a variety of expressions and behaviors that once you get to know them you will find it difficult to not think about them. I enjoy having dogs in my life, however for the most part donkeys do not feel the same way.

Mule Days appears to bring out the best in everyone, and even the donkeys and dogs seem to get along just fine. Maybe it’s the mountain air. Ben Snipes of Lancaster SC brought his dog “Tater” who is a Catahoula Cur. Also known as a “Catahoula Hog Dog” and is the state dog of Louisiana. They are smart and energetic. One interesting trait of this hunting bread is the “cracked glass” or “marbled glass” eyes which have blue or blue-white in the color mix.

Shannon Huffman leads the Mule Days at Leatherwood gathering and has a friendly mule by the name of “Seven” and a donkey named “Madalina” that attended the event. Both are perfect ambassadors.

Morgan Jones is the 2018 Mule Days Queen and represents the event well. Her love of mules and the people who care for them was evident. It was great to see Bernie Harberts and his mule Polly. I first met them some years ago when they had just finished a cross-county trip and were planning a trip from Canada to Mexico. That trip is now completed along with a documentary of the journey. “The Lost Sea Expedition” premiered on Rocky Mountain PBS and is now available on Amazon Prime.

It is a fantastic story that was filmed by Bernie with the gear he carried in the small wagon pulled by Polly. This is a fine story of A Man and A Mule and how they made a journey that inspires everyone who watches it unfold.

When you consider that it was the two of them and the people they met along the way it’s a remarkable story. From what I have witnessed about many of the “Mule People” They have high drive and passion and are willing to do more than many in the pursuit of a great adventure.

Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote, “Some kinds of animal’s burrow in the ground; others do not. Some animals are nocturnal, as the owl and the bat; others use the hours of daylight. There are tame animals and wild animals. Man, and the mule are always tame…”

Carl White is the executive producer and host of the award winning syndicated TV show Carl White’s Life In the Carolinas. The weekly show is now in its seventh year of syndication and can be seen in the Charlotte viewing market on WJZY Fox 46 Saturday at noon. For more on the show visit www.lifeinthecarolinas.com, You can email Carl White at [email protected].

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