#a billion with a b. i would throw my whole phone away then buy a new one and hire someone to check it and telle only the important things

[cryptidiopathic]

Imagine having a billion with a b dollars and choosing to spend your time arguing on Twitter...

[rainywritingsx]

Scenario: Shoji, Todoroki and Midoriya protecting their very shy s/o

Request: Would you be okay writing about Shoji, Shoto and Izuku protecting a very shy s/o? Maybe someone is mean to them or there's something falling from somewhere. S/o can't stand up to ppl (maybe s/o is also not in the hero course but in u.a.?) thamk so much and have a nice day ~the one you matched with shoji btw lol

oh hi there :D this request is so cute, I hope I did okay with writing it! You didn’t specify whether you wanted  a scenario or headcanon, so I went with scenarios, hope that’s okay. Have fun reading!

xxx Damla

Reminder that as of right now, requests are closed!

Warnings: none :)

words: 2670

If you’d like to give me a small tip, you can buy me a coffee! ^^

Shoji Mezo

As soon as the bell rang, I pretty much jumped out of my seat and left the classroom. Finally, I can leave. This class isn’t particularly my favourite, which is due to the fact that I don’t have any friends here. Most of them, as well as my boyfriend, are in the hero course.

When I arrived at my locker, I was surprised not to find Shoji waiting as usual. Maybe he had to train? Right at that moment my phone beeped. I opened my bag and took it out. Shoji had texted me.

I’m sorry love, I was training in teams with Tokoyami and he got injured. I will be there in 10 minutes

A soft smile spreads across my face. He really is one of the most caring people I know. While I’m not exactly happy to be alone, it’s most likely that some of Shoji’s classmates can be found in the cafeteria, so I will just go there.

I open my locker and quickly take out the books I need after lunch. Luckily there aren’t many, since I only have English and then PE. I close it again and zip up my backpack before making my way to the cafeteria. Luckily it isn’t that far, and the halls are empty.

I look outside out of the large windows. The sun is shining brightly, and it's clear that it’s spring. Many flowers have bloomed, and I see a lot of birds. There are people having their lunch outside, some are even training. Wow, that’s some dedication… My eyes land on Jirou, who is sitting at a table with Yaoyorozu. Our gazes meet and she smiles before patting the spot next to her. Alright, I guess I’ll eat outside too.

I make my way towards the door. It’s pretty heavy, but thankfully I manage to open it. I’m about to run up to the girls, but I freeze when I hear what I think is the door slamming against someone.

“Oi! What the fuck!” I turn around wide eyed, to see someone whom I thought to be a student of my homeroom class. I don’t remember his name, but he has never been very nice to me. Something gives me the idea that I’m in trouble. I gulp and slowly walk backwards on the grass, but soon my back hits a wall.

“I-I’m so-”

“you’re sorry?” he interrupts, taking a step closer to me. I cower slightly. His closeness is making me way too uncomfortable. “Yeah, you better be! Maybe if you stopped daydreaming about your stupid boyfriend from class 1-A you’d actually notice your surroundings.” I’m speechless. A billion thoughts are running through my head. I want to curse at him for talking about Shoji like that, but my body isn’t doing anything. It’s like I’m glued to the brick wall my body is resting against

“You’re gonna pay for-”

“It was an accident.” An indescribable amount of relief comes over me when Shoji stands in front of me. His right hand reaches behind him for mine, and I immediately hold it. It’s only now that I realise my hands had been shaking the whole time, just like my legs. The guy who was almost yelling at me a second ago, now has a smirk on his face but I can tell he’s a little intimidated.

“Still, your partner should look where they’re going.” I can’t see any of their faces, but by his posture I can tell that Shoji remains completely calm and unfazed as usual.

“Okay,” he calmly responds. “I’m sure you’ve given them enough of a scare, so they’ll be more careful in the future. Still, I don’t think it was okay for you to talk to them like that. That wasn’t exactly behaviour fit for a UA student.” he didn’t even comment anymore, but just bowed to us both and apologised, his tone shaky. Before I knew it he was gone. He was all talk, I knew it.

Shoji turns back to me, still holding my hand and I smile. “Thank you, Shoji.” I can see his eyes moving upwards a bit, which shows he’s smiling too.

“No need to thank me. I guess it isn’t always bad to look scary to people.” I can’t help but laugh at that. Shoji’s appearance is something that he’s insecure about, so knowing that he can joke about it a bit makes me happy.

However, I can’t help but feel bad for not being able to have said anything to that guy when he was insulting Shoji. And I was sure he heard it too…

“I’m sorry.” I sigh, looking down in shame. For a moment, there's silence. Then I see Shoji’s feet taking another step closer to me. His other hand grabs mine as well.

“Can you look at me, please?” his tone wasn’t demanding, rude, or angry. He’s calm, it’s a simple request. He gives me the idea that even if I said no it would be fine, but I look at him nonetheless.

“Y/n, I really don’t care that much about people like that. He doesn’t know me, or you. I only care about what you and the other people in my life think. You don’t need to defend me. I know people like that don’t change minds easily.” I have to admit that he’s right. I mean, I don’t even know his name, so why did I care that much?

“Let’s go, I saw you were on your way to Jirou and Yaoyorozu, right? Tokoyami is there too now.”  I nod and Shoji is about to walk, but he stops when he realises I’m still standing. I smile and walk over to him, stand on my toes and kiss his cheeks. A giggle leaves my mouth when I see his eyes have widened. Even though I would usually have the same reaction, today is different.

“Yep, I’m ready now.”

Todoroki Shouto

Of course, as soon as one person found out I’m dating Shoto, the news spread around the school like fire. Of course I notice the glances at me in hallways, the quiet whispers, the way that people approach me now. Some act nicer, but there also some that seem to suddenly dislike me. And I can’t do anything about it.

In theory I can, but I’ve never been able to even tell someone that their tone was rude, or that something was uncalled for. I’ve even been called names sometimes, and when people see my flustered face, they laugh and throw more insults at me.

Despite all this, Shoto isn’t aware. I never told him, and I’m not planning to. He already has enough going on for him and what has been happening to me just seems like a mild inconvenience at this point. It’s times like this where I’m glad that he isn’t the type of person to keep pushing if he wants to know something.

And of course this happens today too, as I’m walking to the hero course department of UA. I can already hear some people snicker at the fact that I’m even here. I ignore it, because as usual, I don’t want to cause a scene.

My eyes scan the hallway. His classroom is supposed to be somewhere here, but where? Idiot, y/n, you had to ask him what class he currently is in. Now I have to check everywhere.

I don’t see any students from 1-A so he definitely has a class right now. At least I know something. I look through the windows in the doors, but every classroom is empty. Why are there even so many classes here? Maybe I can ask a teacher what subject 1-A has right now. Wait, but isn’t that weird? No, they probably know that I’m looking for Shoto.

In my train of thought, I completely forget my surroundings. So it’s no surprise that I bump into someone and fall on the ground. I hiss when my knees graze the floor, but then remember that that was a person that I bumped into. I look up and my eyes widen when I see Monoma from class 1-B. He looks down at me with a smirk and laughs at my confused state.

“Look who’s here. Looking for your boyfriend?” Without thinking, a billion apologies leave my mouth as I place my books that had fallen earlier back into my bag. My knees feel like they’re burning but I’m more worried about what just happened.

“Wow,” Monoma chuckles. I can feel his eyes on me as I finally zip up my bag and get up. “Can’t even walk properly. I knew that the other departments were losers, but this?” My grip on my bag tightens as he speaks.

“Well, at least you’re kinda good-lookingI guess. Still, I would’ve thought someone from 1-A would go for a person who’s way better than you.” In surprise, I lift my head up. Of course the thought of Shoto deserving better has crossed my mind before. He’s the son of the current number one hero, of course people expect someone who’s the opposite of me. I always try to tell myself it’s amazing I even got into UA at all, but at times I cannot help but wonder if it would be better for Shoto to leave me.

“You know it too, don’t you?” Monoma continues. “No need to tell me, I can see it in your eyes. You want to say so much, but you’re way too much of a coward to do it.” he laughs and looks away for a moment.

“That’s why everyone picks on you and your sweet prince charming has no idea. You can’t even stand your ground, how pathetic. Nobody understands what he even sees --” his voice trails of. Monoma moves his head to his side, and his grin widens.

“Ah, there he is, just as I was speaking about him!” I turn around and gasp when I see Shoto walking in our direction. Shit. He saw it all, didn’t he?

“Your prince charming just knows when to save you, huh? I mean, with such a weak significant other, I probably-”

“My classes are done, let’s go y/n.” Todoroki says, completely ignoring Monoma’s presence. He grabs my hand and is about to walk away.

“One more thing.” he says as he turns around and looks at him.

“Y/n is the best partner I could ask for, and if all you care about is what their education is, you are the disappointment here.” he glances back at me and grabs my hand with a small smile. “Let’s go.”

Midoriya Izuku

The silent aura of the library usually brings me at peace, but today, as I’m entering it by myself, I feel uneasy. A part of me feels like everyone’s eyes are burning through me. So, I keep my gaze down and just walk over to a random bookshelf. As I lift my head again and look through some books, I try nonchalantly scanning the library for any sign of my boyfriend, but Izuku is nowhere to be found.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I quickly grab it and see that Izuku texted me.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, I had to help Kaminari with something related to Hero Studies. I’ll be there soon. I love you ❤︎.”

He’s too sweet. I text him back, assuring him that it’s okay and put my phone back in my pocket. Maybe I should pick one book and read it until Izuku comes here, or else I’ll be bored doing nothing. Also, I feel like people keep whispering about me here.

Izuku may not be the most popular student of this school, but people definitely know of him. I mean, he’s a class 1-A student, he worked at Nighteye’s agency, and has done more impressive stuff. So obviously, when he gets in a relationship people will talk about it. While I do get it, I also hate the attention it brings. People have been mostly nice to me luckily, so that’s a relief.

I decide to take a seat at a table with only a few people. It’s also close to the entrance door, so Izuku will be able to spot me easily when he gets here. After also placing my bag on the ground, I finally start reading. After what feels like a few minutes, but probably is a lot more, I’m already halfway through the thing.

“Y/n?” a familiar voice whispers. A smile can’t help but grow on my face as I turn my head to find Izuku standing next to me.

“Hi.” I reply. He smiles and kisses me cheek, to which my eyes widen. We’re in public, what is he doing? I quickly cover my face with the manga I was reading earlier, so people don’t see my embarrassed expression. Izuku only giggles softly.

“Babe, there’s almost nobody here.” he reassures me. “and I missed you.” he adds with a small pout. Ugh, I can’t be mad at him when he makes that adorable face.

“O-okay.” I close the manga and get up. “I’ll just put this back, and then we can start studying.” he follows me to the shelf.

“So, how was your day?” I ask as my eyes scan for the right manga series. Izuku starts telling me about his day, making me almost laugh a few times when he mentions some silly moments, like Sero and Kaminari trying to prank Bakugou but only failing and angering him as a result.

“Oh, and we will get to work with the other departments of the school for some projects, I’m really excited about that.” I smile. Yeah, that sounds fun.

“What is it for?”

“Well,” I accidentally bump into the bookshelf behind me and yelp quietly. “Mr Aiza-Y/n careful!” I squeeze my eyes closed, preparing for anything falling on top of me, but I feel nothing. My eyes open again and I look up. Izuku is holding some books that would’ve landed on me if he wasn’t here. His expression shows that he was a little scared, but soon relief takes over.

“I thought something was going to happen to you..” he sighed as he placed the books back on the shelf. I awkwardly stand up straight and fiddle with my fingers, mumbling a soft apology. Of course I had to be stupid and not take in my surroundings

“Hey, it’s okay.” he grabs my hands and smiles. “I’m not upset, I’m just glad you’re alright. Just be a little more careful next time, okay, honey?” I nod, trying to hide how flustered the nickname makes me feel and squeeze his hands softly. I look at his hands, and rub my thumbs over them. There are a few new bruises on there.

“Did you get hurt again?” I ask, examining his knuckles. Izuku chuckles awkwardly.

“I-It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. I already went to Recovery Girl for it.” he lets go of one of my hands and wraps an arm around my shoulders.

“I-Izuku, there’s people here…” I say hurriedly, hoping that nobody will see us. I’m not embarrassed by him, of course not. It’s just that I always feel a bit nervous when it comes to PDA.

“I have an idea. How about we study in my dorm room? Can I have cuddles then?” he asks sweetly while removing his hands from me. I nod softly.

“That sounds nice..”

“Okay, let’s get some of your favourite snacks first and then go.” my face lights up and I nod again.

“Let’s go.” I hear him giggle before we both leave the library.

“Oh, we can also get dinner together somewhere if you want, I’m sure there’s food in the kitchen or we can get take-”

“Izuku.” I stop him. “L-let’s get those snacks and study first.” he chuckles and nods.

“Yeah, sorry, I’m just really happy we get to hang out again. Let’s go then, the grocery store is only a few minutes away from UA.”

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S4 Ep 23: Roland Freaks Out for 25 Straight Minutes

Oh man, took a break from the blog for a bit there because I gave myself a project to do that is 160ish color panels to draw by June 30th and um...it takes a while to do that, it turns out. Every time I’m like “wow I actually have enough time to make a buffer for the blog” I get so distracted.

But anyways, I started having some issues with my wacom tablet, my mouse is a nightmare, and so...I’m just gonna look the other way and write a recap and unplug all of the wacom stuff and just stay the hell away from whatever happened to that...tablet.

maybe It’ll be fine tomorrow?

*sweats nervously*

Thank God I didn’t buy a cintique, that’s all I’ll say. 

Anyway, lets go back to Yugioh. Where were we?

That’s right. Mokuba is checking in with my favorite Kaiba, Roland, who is currently just trying to keep the company running while the official Kaibas are flying to California.

And I’ll be honest, as I was typing this I thought “and why are they going to California again?” and it took me like...10 minutes to remember that Seto dropped absolutely everything and jumped on this massive plane in order to beat Rafael at cards to win the title “King of Games” which...Yugi had already lost to Rebecca about 2 years ago prior, but don’t tell that to Seto. Or Rebecca.

Also don’t tell Seto that the “King of Games” title originally comes from being possessed by a very emo ghost that has a tendency to set people on fire with Russian whiskey and has nothing to do with whatever shenanigans went down with Pegasus.

Honestly, I like to think that in the modern version of this show, Pegasus threw the “King of Games” line out there as like a corny joke, and when the teenagers started latching onto it like it was real, he was like “Oh what?” and left it alone because he just got his left eye ripped out of his face and was very distracted by the large amount of cultists in his basement that he suddenly needed to let go.

But youknow it’s the end of the world, Kaiba’s company is being bought out by a competitor, one of Dartz’ assassins are trying to kill both him and his brother, but he has to go to California immediately to play Rafael while he has the chance. Not sure how Alister got the tip-off that Kaiba would be flying back to California so quickly, but knowing the Kaibas, they probably jump on a plane several times a week.

I’m just still baffled that Mokuba’s doing this over a cell phone. That he was like “I better call someone.” and instead of calling the Airline or the Coastguard he’s like “I’ll call Roland💗”

I’m pretty sure Roland saw that phone ringing with Mokuba in the callerID and was like “NO NO NO NO NO”

(read more under the cut)

Luckily for Roland, everyone at Kaiba corp has to learn how to fly planes in order to pass the entry exam.

For reals though, that plane just casually bumped off a mountain like it’s in Diddy Kong Racing.

There’s a lot of levels of brother’s saving brothers in this episode. You have Seto who thinks he’s saving Mokuba, but in fact it is Mokuba saving Seto by keeping this plane afloat. And then in reality, you can take another brother step backward and say it was Roland who was saving Mokuba who was saving Seto by giving the phone to that rando, and take even another step backward and say it was this Random Guy who was saving Roland who was saving Mokuba who was saving Seto.

So in reality, no brothers were really able to save eachother, it was actually that one secretary at the desk who screamed “JUST PULL THE LEVER HARDER, I DUNNO” until it worked.

But just remember that the theme of this episode is brothers saving brothers, although Mokuba is too small to really fly this plane, and Seto is too crazy to stop this duel and Roland is not really the secret inept heir of the Kaiba bloodline, and only in my little headcanon.

And also, I just have no idea who that random secretary is.

Anyways, Alister made this thing happen on the field.

Hey guys?

How many guns do you need on a tank?

Like I...

That is a hilarious amount of guns on this tank.

Like every character designer part of me is dying right now. It’s when you’re learning Maya, and you finally figure out the duplicate tool, and you just--you just strap a billion guns on a spaceship. We’ve all done this.

But like...this gunship has a face, and that face has it’s own tiny Oricalchos.

All I’m saying is that Alister is having a hell of a time in his Maya 101 class he takes at the local community college when he’s not busy working for Kaiba Corp Airlines or busy killing people for Dartz. I want to know what grade he got on this project, because in my Maya classes the only people who were this dedicated were building weird ass warships for their games or building intense 3D My Little Pony fanfic.

Here’s a list I can think of from the top of my head of challenges Seto Kaiba either quit or completely failed outright (basically the times Seto has NOPEd out or been forcibly kicked out):

-Joey Wheeler’s many challenges and also Spanish Class (as mentioned above)

-Beating Yugi in a card game

-Not joining Pegasus’ tourney initially so he could go on a vacation.

-We’ll just assume he’s only taken like a bunch of random college classes but only got an honorary degree

-Chess (like he was a Grand Master at one point but wtv, cards exist now)

-Didn’t arrest the Big Five or remove them from his mmo so they freakin died in there.

-Being the actual owner of the Millennium Rod

-Every time Yami tells him that they should be friends

-That whole story line where he was dating a dragon in a past life

-fulfilling that prophecy of killing Yami in the present timeline to end the world

-attempting to blow up his own battle city tournament before it was over because he didn’t win

-Getting all 3 Godcards

-When a possessed Tristan appeared over a mountain top to duel everyone and Seto just went “I’m out” and simply walked away

-Flying a blimp from point A to point B without it setting on fire

-Getting his Dad to build an amusement park

-Just anything to do with Noah

-the existence of magic in general

-every attempt he’s had to rebrand Kaiba Corp as “funtime games inc I swear we don't make tanks anymore, stop looking at all the tanks”

-Seto Kaiba’s entire Destiny storyline this season that he has gone way out of his way to get away from.

And like I’m sure there’s more, but I feel like half of Kaiba’s MO is that he is either Too Good To Bother With This or he has Lost Everything Very Dramatically. Mokuba at least has the right idea, by being one of the few people who has beaten Yugi Muto by peacing out halfway through the duel and stealing all Yugi’s stuff off of Yugi’s side of the table.

Anyway, despite it being like...5 seconds since we saw Roland in a weird cyber room in what I assume was Japan, we now see him with his head pressed against the glass of this helicopter being like “BOYS NO NOT AGAIN WHY”

And youknow, Roland was just trying to do the right thing, but he accidentally made things a million times worse by just showing up.

And so Alister was like “well I better crash the plane now with this gust of green energy that destroys all mechanical equipment.”

Really not sure how Alister was planning to leave this plane after this duel was over. I don’t know if he thinks that far ahead.

this isn’t even a joke I made up, Roland really did run up to the pilot and was like “Just throw down some ladders! That should work!” and it’s like...Do you not see the giant ship covered in a thousand guns right now, Roland?

And then Alister and Seto decide to have a fight about ethics where they’re both pretty wrong.

I mean it’s not the exact line but yes this is basically what Seto said, point blank, and I was like “well...at least he owns it.”

So cards happen, dragons get played (so MANY dragons) and because we had to end this arc, Alister loses the duel as we kind of knew he would.

And then Mokuba, because he knows no other life, sees an asshole older brother in pain and just wants to adopt him.

Enjoy that trauma tossed onto your already megalith sized trauma pile, Mokuba.

Elsewhere, the legendary dragons have started syncing again, which is a weird thing that they can do that none of these guys have any control of.

Mostly it just irritates whoever is holding these cards at the time.

But behold! the glory!

The glory of three tubby dragons wielding a plane!

It’s what Kaiba always wanted but he had absolutely no idea he was doing it. Will anyone tell him that he managed to summon three dragons to fly him around the sky like a mamma bird? No. No one bothers to tell him that his wildest dreams just came true.

FYI There were other stills of more of the dragons and the plane, but I kept pausing on instances where it kinda looked like they were humping the plane so I gave up.

But, at least we all get to meet up, around the smoke coming out the back of this giant plane that now...will just sit here...until someone sues KaibaCorp over it, I guess.

Like a soccermom, now Roland gets to give the whole frenemy crew a ride with...copters or whatever.

I dont’ know how Roland got here, y’all.

This happens a lot with animated shows, youknow, there’s a lot of plot threads, a lot of scenes and episodes that get freelanced out and outsourced, and people who make these shows aren’t working on the whole thing at once, they’re just going off of director notes--so there’s a good chance they had no idea that Roland...just shouldn’t be here.

But it’s OK, I enjoy whenever Roland is panicking in the background. He’s good set dressing.

Seto does not give any more explanation of this corpse.

And then, sprinting as fast as he could out of his copter comes Roland, who does what Roland does best. It’s this moment where you would usually see a parental figure reveal how much they care and adore their little children. But because it’s Roland, and these are the Kaibas, he instead takes this moment to reveal exactly how inept he is at the very last second.

Never change, Roland. I love this massive green haired disappointment.

Anyway, I’m not sure when I’ll get the next update out, since I’ll be knee deep in drawing art I don’t need to draw, but just know I’m not dead. Usually I post fanart or whatever, but all I have is this Dartz I started drawing but he just has so much hair that I don’t think that one will ever get even remotely finished.

But anyway, if you just got here, this is a link to read these from the start.

[strawarmada]

The Go-Ware Set and it's Awesomeness (A story about a chance meeting, old school sales, and buffalo sauce tofu)

It's 11:30 am on a Friday in the middle of August, 2019. There's a familiar, yet unwelcome grumbling in the center of my belly. I'm halfway through my shift at Whole Foods as a Grocery Team Member. This is about the time my hunger starts to rebel against my work ethic and makes a viable stand against my ignoring of its presence. I make my way over to the hot bar to scope out what the offerings of tofu smothered in random sauces are on the menu today. OH HOT DAMN!!! Buffalo Sauce Tofu is glowing in bright glorious orange steam filled deliciousness, beckoning me to indulge. And believe you me, I will.

This is my "real" job. I'm also the Founder of Straw Armada, a Eco-Conscious straw company that donates $.50 of every straw (or item) back to organizations that are helping to clean the oceans of plastic pollution and debris. I'm 40 and homie needs benefits!!

Working at a Whole Foods is an ideal workplace for someone who is Eco-conscious. They have a variety of options for your waste. A can for recycling, a can for compost, and a can for waste that is neither (items that unfortunately go to the dump). Every day after picking up my smothered mystery sauce tofu, I cringed as I approached the condiment station having to grab a plastic utensil. Albeit, these utensils are recycled. I will also throw them into the recyclable waste bin when I'm done.  But something about contributing to the use an item that will get 15 minutes of life out of me and immediately be discarded into an existence of meaninglessness is a cause of such shame and guilt for me. As it should be.

The amount of plastic items that are used in this way in just America alone is absolutely staggering. I mean staggering!! 40 BILLION. That's the number annually in our country that gets used and a very small portion of that gets recycled.

With this fact in mind, I immediately began to search for an alternative for this online. Was there anything I could carry with me to work each day in my messenger bag? I could essentially bring some metal utensils from home with me. Then I'd have to wrap them in something so they didn't get dirty (lord knows what's lingering in the bottom of my bag). How could I bring reusable utensils with me easily and keep them clean and separate? That's when I stumbled across an ad.

It took me all of 2 seconds to be suckered in by what I saw in the photo connected to this ad.

I could see there was a set of 5 Bamboo items all neatly organized into a beige case I could roll up and snap closed.  It consisted of a fork (for stabbing tofu), a spoon (for collecting tofu sauce), a knife (no explanation needed), Chopsticks (F*CKING CHOPSTICKS MAN!), a Bamboo straw and even a straw cleaner. NEED!!!

I purchased this set for what felt like a bit steep of a price ($16.99) and waited patiently for its arrival by mail. Being in the E commerce industry, I knew to expect a few weeks for delivery. In the meantime, I brought a fork wrapped in a dish rag. This was no way to live I might add. On a Monday afternoon, my shipment arrived and it was like Eco Christmas!!

I was honestly just excited to go to work the next day to unveil these puppies. There's a very evident stigma with the BYO crowd. People look at you funny. Think you're a germaphobe, or a just a wack job. I think the general public needs a severe desensitization to reusable items. Cups have made the transition nicely. It's now the time for straws and utensils to become commonplace.  

With great pride and excitement, I unrolled my set for it's first official debut. It was everything I dreamed it would be. Now I completely understand if you think I'm being overly dramatic about this experience. I am. As an environmentally empathic human, these simple lifestyle hacks that help to relieve my footprint shame are difficult to quantify. These are the moments my friends.

Within minutes, and as expected, i was approached by a woman who was, almost uncomfortably, staring at my new bamboo friends with a intent to either

a) steal them, or,

b) take a bite out my lunch

Her first words were "Gimme your utensils bro!"

No seriously she said "Where can I get those?"

I told her I found them online. I mentioned how I worked there and everyday at lunch, I needed reusable utensils so I didn't need to use plastic. She went on to tell me she was interested in the movement of banning single use plastics and wasn't really sure what things she could do to help. Just to do her part. As I usually say when discussing this with people, I stated "Just don't do nothing. Change something about your life that cuts back on the footprint you leave." Of course shamelessly, I mentioned "My name is Nikko and I own an Eco-friendly straw company that donates back to ocean clean up." I recommended she go to StrawArmada.com to pick up a straw and help me to help our cause. She said "I'm Anya. It's too bad you don't offer these utensils too because I would absolutely buy them from you if I could." It was like a lightning bolt!! I had to find out where to buy these and how I could offer them on my site.

I spent that evening searching for a supplier for these items with not only a price point that would allow me to offer them reasonably priced, but also of the quality I expected from my own purchases. After some research, I had selected my supplier and worked out a fair deal and I immediately updated my site with our newest item.

MONTHLY FEATURED ECO-ITEM: The Go-Ware Set. Priced at $10.99, with Free Shipping.

E commerce is a tough business. It takes relentlessness and determination to even get people to your page, much less purchase items. I entered this business with a goal to offer affordable Eco-friendly items that reduce waste and to give a portion of those sales back to help clean the oceans of all this crap we throw away that pollutes our world and endangers our wildlife and ourselves. I owe it to our mother to be an earth child she benefits from creating, not to her detriment. I'm a visitor on her stage and I don't want to be a cancer. I want to be a help.

At approximately 9 pm the following evening, I heard that certain ding from my phone that brings me immense amounts of joy. That sound that lets me know some other kind soul has just donated $.50 more cents to my cause. As usual I checked the order to prepare it for fulfillment. And there in the customer column is the name Anya. It's a unique name and I knew it had to be the same Anya that approached me looking like she was about to steal my stuff. There was a order for 5 of these sets. 5!!!!

I always write a personal email to each and every new customer that makes a purchase from my page. I honestly appreciate every sale in a way that's hard to explain. The work and the effort I've put into this company is emotionally tangible for me and I am paid back, not with profits, but with acceptance by the online shoppers community.

I received a response within minutes of my email. It was her.

In short, the email consisted of her appreciation for the advice and passion I exuded about the topic. She said she bought a set for everyone in her family and wished me success in my venture.

I wanted to share this story because it provided me a unique sense of purpose and meaning. The individual connection with a customer that was made and hopefully the impact our introduction will carry on rippling through time. This is why I started this. To feel this way. Straw Armada is not yet profitable in economic terms. In emotional currency, I am being paid more than I deserve.

Thank you Anya.....

Nikko Raptoulis - Founder of Straw Armada

[lubdubsworld]

Tumblr Prompt ( Min yoongi * OC)

arranged marriage angst. okay, so Yoongi comes back by popular demand. let’s watch him struggle to win her back. okay... lights camera, action.

....Read the rest of the stuff here : 

Part 1         Part 2         Part 3       part 4

~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 5/6

“This is one of the first pieces i designed. it’s called ,  Aeturnum. which is the Latin word for eternal. The necklace is made of sterling silver, something that has long been associated with magic . The stone used here is a ‘ Cat’s eye foiled cabochon. It looks like its holds the galaxies in it, doesn’t it? And it also looks so warm and full of love? and i thought, if anything is eternal, it’s the universe we live in. And the love that we fill it with...” 

I finished nervously , nodding at the applause. So far the room, filled with about 50 to 60 of the leading antique jewelry collectors in the country had been silent. they had reacted positively to most of the pieces. And I knew that this last one would be the most important. 

it would also be the most difficult . 

i took a deep breath. 

“People talk about recovery often. there are so many books describing how you can build yourself up. But no one talks about the fall. Because no one wants to relive it. “

I swallowed, taking a small sip of the water on the table. 

“A year ago, I thought i  lost something very.. valuable to me. i spent weeks trying to get it back. i wanted to go back in time and redo everything till i had that... thing again.  But funnily, what i never realized was that it had never been mine to lose.” 

I carefully shifted around, pulling the lever that would make the lots fall in place, revealing the extravagant necklace in lapis blue. The colors flashed bright in the dim lighting and i felt my heart lurch, as i remembered the tears i’d spilled, the broken syllables of his name just stuttering out without my permission as I slaved over that perfect cut. 

“this one is called fulgur which is latin for lightning. it describes the moment you lay your eyes on that special someone. it’s like you’ve been hit by a flash of lightning, something that has changed you forever. No matter how things work out, you’re no longer the person you were before you saw him/her. you’re changed , forever. it’s aquamarine, lapis lazuli and sapphire. ” 

I hesitated before grabbing the second lever. 

“This one is called  mirage. Which we all know is nothing but an illusion. it’s when you see things that don’t exist. You see meaning in meaningless touches and you convince yourself that what you’re seeing and feeling is real. when in fact it isn’t. when in fact, you aren’t really as important as you think you are. this stone is called the margarita stone. There’s a rhinestone pin set in the center with rose cut diamonds all around.  “ 

I took another look around the room before composing myself. why was this so damn difficult. 

“the third one is called error, which is latin for delusion. it’s when you feed your illusion, so much so that it starts becoming a delusion. you start giving parts of yourself to this person, convincing yourself that he loves you , just the way you love him and so you start losing parts of your soul, not knowing that when he leaves he’s going to take those parts of you with him and you’re just.. never going to be complete again. “ 

 just get this over with.

“ And finally... This is called Supernova. This is when all you mistakes come together and explode, destroying all your delusions and leaving behind a black hole of emptiness. You’ve lost everything that mattered to you, because the only thing that ever mattered was him , and now that he’s gone you can’t function. This is just Obsidian Stones. pure black and nothing else. “ 

I caught sight of movement out of the corner of my eye and went completely still when i saw the figure at the side entrance, leaning against the ornate door. 

And there he was, looking so good that my breath hitched and my jaw went slack. i stared at him, the lean frame, the broad shoulders. The perfectly styled ash blonde hair and the iridescent complexion. He was staring right at me. Dark eyes heavy as he watched me. 

 i saw the way some of the women turned around to get a second look. a better look. Because Min Yoongi was the sort of person, who made you look twice. 

With Yoongi , once would never be enough. 

you couldn’t just look once and ignore someone like that. You had to go back and reassure yourself that yes, he’s real. it’s not a dream after all. He’s real and he;s perfect and he’s there....  . 

My Lightning. My illusion. My delusion. My mirage .

Of course he’d be back. the moment i’d heard from a friend that Min yoongi was back in Seoul, i’d known that he would be back. 

with Yoongi once would never be enough. 

Not even when it came to breaking my heart. 

“The entire collection speaks of the crash. Because while healing is beautiful, heartbreak can be too. the crash and burn of emotions that go uncontrolled. Wild fire that burns down whole forests. And something beautiful , can come out of something tragic. Like these pieces. i hope you will recognize it for the sentimental value it carries and cherish it accordingly. “ 

As the exhibit ended and everyone began mingling freely, i slowly started putting the pieces in place. I knew he was making his way towards me and i was proud of myself for not turning tail and running. 

“Y/n.” He said softly and my name... on his tongue was just as sweet as it had always been. i smiled as i turned to look at him. His cologne still hit me like a truck and the sight of him, so close and so... reachable. touchable. it did things to me. i wanted to touch. To reach out, unbutton this shirt and press my palm to his chest, feel the warmth of his skin , the vibrato of his heartbeat and the heat of his muscles, firm beneath my fingers. 

it was like being hit by lightning , all over again. 

But i wasn’t an idiot.

“Did you enjoy the show, Doctor?” i said softly. He hesitated. 

“Y/n....”

“It was inspired by you after all. “ i said , still smiling and he flinched. 

“I should go.” He said stiltedly. 

i nodded. 

“You really should.” i said coolly, before turning back around to fix the jewelry. 

When I turned again, he was gone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From : unknown.  10:43 PM

 Did you really have to do that, baby?  A bullet would have been kinder, if you were trying to kill me.

To : Unknown  10:45 PM

 yoongi?

From : unknown. 10:50 PM

Yeah.. it’s me... I... Hi. 

 I stared at the words , feeling helplessly lost and miserable. 

He did not have the right to do this to me. He really didn’t. But then... this was Yoongi. And without thinking too much i typed out the first thought that came into my head. 

To : Yoongi  10:55 PM[ unsent]

Why did you leave ?? [draft]

 i didn’t send it of course. A few minutes later my phone pinged again. 

From : Yoongi. 11.00 PM

i know i don’t have the right to say this... but... I’m sorry. i know the words don’t mean anything. i know you hate me and i won’t ask you to forgive me. i don’t deserve your forgiveness but.... I’m just... i’m happy. that you seem happy now. You’re successful and I know that you’re dating Seokjin. I’m happy for you. i really am. 

 I gripped the edge of my pillow biting my lips hard in annoyance. 

To : Yoongi 10:55 PM [ unsent]

Why did you come back?? [draft]

From : Yoongi. 12.50 AM

Good night, sweetheart. 

~~~~~~~~

“After spending an year in one of the prestigious universities in the World, Dr. Min Yoongi returned to Korea, last  week, only to have a mammoth fall out with his parents , who hold major shares in the Min Super Specialty Hospital in Seoul. The cause of the disagreement hasn’t been made public but close associates speculate that this has something to do with Dr. Yoongi’s very public divorce earlier this year.

The elder Min made it very clear that he did not approve of the divorce. But their personal feud spilled into their commercial life when Mr. Min announced that he would be withdrawing his support to the Hospital, from March.

As of today, Dr. Yoongi officially has announced that he intends to buy out his parents from the board of Directors to take full ownership of the hospital.

this is both extremely reckless and unwise, because the Mins have a net worth of 200 Billion Won ( approx 20 million USD ) in terms of shares and there is no doubt that this move will pauper Dr. Min Yoongi , especially because his hospital specializes in offering free and top quality healthcare to children...”

“ Y/N!! What are you watching?”

I moved to turn the TV off but it was too late. My sister stepped into the room, caught a glimpse of Yoongi’s face on the screen and her nostrils flared.

i jumped when my sister pulled the plug out of the outlet, causing the TV to fizzle out. She turned around to glare at me, eyes flashing with so much anger and annoyance that i recoiled.

“unnie... i was just...”

“what did i tell you about this?”

I sighed.

“He’s in trouble... i can’t just...”

“Can’t what? Can’t throw him away? Well, here’s news for you. He did the throwing! He threw you out like last night’s dinner and walked out of your life. So, it’s time you stopped watching and thinking and fucking caring about him...”

“I.. i don’t care about him..” I lied softly and she scoffed.

“No. Hell no.You do not have any excuse to watch this crap.  i will not sit here and watch you fall into that fucking rabbit hole again Y/N... he divorced you. He left you without so much as an explanation... he does not deserve that look you have on your face right now, alright. He does not... . it’s over. you do not have anything to do with him anymore. “

it’s not that easy. it’s not easy because this isn’t him. this is something bigger and stronger and more important than any heartbreak i may have experienced.

“I’m not going to do anything stupid, I just... he can’t possibly scrap up 20 million USD.” i said impatiently. “ it’s not for him.. it’s the hospital. You know how important that hospital is unnie.. So many kids and families depend on it and I just... i don’t want Yoongi to lose the Hospital...”  

And I don’t want Yoongi to lose his dreams.... i don’t want hurting. Did both of us have to be unhappy? I was suffering as it was so did he have to suffer too? It didn’t seem fair somehow....

“Are you serious? You want to help him now... after everything he did to you...”

“i want to help the hospital. There’s a difference. A huge difference. And i just.. i have an idea. “

“Y/N... Are you out of your mind? You actually want to see him again, that makes no sense..”

I sank into the seats, feeling defeated. Did i want to see him? No. Not really. At least not in the way my sister thought. I wanted to see him, just to remind myself that he was happy without me. That perhaps, letting me go had been good for him.

I thought that might help me move on.

But it didn’t work that way. i still loved him . Maybe more than he deserved. But then when was love a quantified commodity? If we only ever got the love we deserved, would anyone ever be loved enough?

If you only loved someone because they loved you back, how many people would you find to love anyway?

“I want to help him. I’ll always want to help him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Maybe move the amethyst and jade on to the left? I think the rhinestone necklace and the bullet cabochon need to be on the second set of exhibits.” i said, scribbling down the instructions on a piece of paper, and watching one of Seokjin’s men carefully move the pieces as instructed.

“This is pretty damn amazing. all the tickets are sold-out. Not bad for a first time exhibition. “ Seokjin winked, giving me a one armed hug , his smile wide and happy.

I grinned and stretched my neck up to kiss his cheek.

“all thanks to you and Chae Rin unnie.... You guys really didn’t have to do this.”

“Come on, it’s the least we can do after you helped us out with Chae Rin’s show last month.”

Chae Rin’s fashion festival had hit a rut when her jewelry designer had taken ill all of a sudden. I’d designed jewelry for her entire line in a short time and in repayment, Seokjin and his sister had sponsored my first exhibition in Seoul. i was still completely overwhelmed by the attention and the flooding reviews and orders. it was surreal.

With Chae Rin endorsing my brand , almost the entirety of Seoul’s elite had become potential customers and long time clients in the space of a few weeks. i’d just shifted to a bigger studio last week, and the orders were still coming. I still worked alone though so most of those piece had a three month waiting period and amazingly the clients really didn’t seem to mind. Apparently, they absolutely adored the thought of wearing something that was handmade and customized , just the way they wanted.

“i think this is going to be a good show. “ i said with a smile, grabbing the clipboard and running my finger through the pieces, feeling a bit like I was dreaming. A dream that i could perhaps reach.

in the wake of that thought came a sharp searing pain right in my gut.

a dream..  

But not the one I’d dreamed so hard and so long, i thought bleakly.

“He’s back.” I said softly. Seokjin frowned.

“what?”

“Yoongi. He’s back in Seoul.” I sighed.

Seokjin looked surprised.

“i think he’s in trouble. I just.... I know i shouldn’t care but Seokjin... is there anyway you could help me meet him?”

Seokjin looked torn.

“Y/N...”

“it’s just.... there’s something i think will help him... help the hospital, I mean. i just want to make sure that he doesn’t have to lose out on the hospital...”

“Please tell me this isn’t about the...”

“We could make it an auction...” i said desperately. i didn’t really want to talk about Yoongi with Seokjin. this thing with Seokjin was still new and budding and i didn’t want to wreck it before it even began.

“Y/N! it’s your first exhibit... You can’t just make it an auction and...”

“of course we can. Look, i have it all planned out. I’ll have a pre-show,  during which i’ll talk about each piece and tell it’s story. anyone who buys it can get a one on one consulting with me and i can tell them exactly how and why the necklaces were made. Women like that. if they realize that the jewel has a special meaning, they’ll pay more for it. . Trust me, it will work. i’ll work hard for it... i can..”

“Y/N ...is it even worth it to...”

“Please..just... please Seokjin. Let me do this.” I felt my breath hitch. “ Yoongi saves lives. He saves helpless children. Nothing can be worth more than that....”

Seokjin sighed, gently wrapping his arms around me in a hug.

“okay, sweetheart. But that bastard better fucking apologize for the shit he pulled. You’re too good for him. You need someone who will cherish you for the amazing woman that you are. ” he said fondly, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. 

I hesitated, hating the way it was Yoongi’s face that flashed through my head , everytime Seokjin kissed me.