#and intolerant... maybe. of people's failings? no. of slights against him? yes.

[sinsolucion]

MBTI SUMMARY.

ENTJ  /  THE COMMANDER.

strengths: ● efficient ● energetic ● self-confident ● strong-willed ● charismatic & inspiring ● strategic weaknesses: ● stubborn & dominant ● intolerant ● impatient ● arrogant ● poor emotional handling ● cold and ruthless

commanders are natural-born leaders. people with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. however, commanders are also characterized by an often ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves.

if there’s anything commanders love, it’s a good challenge, big or small, and they firmly believe that given enough time and resources, they can achieve any goal. this quality makes people with the commander personality type brilliant entrepreneurs, and their ability to think strategically and hold a long-term focus while executing each step of their plans with determination and precision makes them powerful business leaders. this determination is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, as commanders push their goals through with sheer willpower where others might give up and move on, and their extraverted nature means they are likely to push everyone else right along with them, achieving spectacular results in the process.

at the negotiating table, be it in a corporate environment or buying a car, commanders are dominant, relentless, and unforgiving. this isn’t because they are coldhearted or vicious per se – it’s more that commander personalities genuinely enjoy the challenge, the battle of wits, the repartee that comes from this environment, and if the other side can’t keep up, that’s no reason for commanders to fold on their own core tenet of ultimate victory. if there’s anyone commanders respect, it’s someone who is able to stand up to them intellectually, who is able to act with a precision and quality equal to their own. commanders are true powerhouses, and they cultivate an image of being larger than life – and often enough they are. 

tagged: @bloodxhound ( ˶˘ ³˘(⋆❛ ہ ❛⋆)!♡ 

[wildwoods1]

Making the Climb 

In front there was a  sheer ragged wall. Clips and gadgets she had no intention of knowing well enough to call by name littered the ground…  People were shouting  right behind her and she assumed that they were speaking a foreign language until she turned to look at them, she heard the words she understood all too well. “C’mon you lazy ingrate, climb!

”Might as well be Sisyphus! Push, climb, what’s the difference. Maybe climb was the Roman version. Homerian humor not withstanding, it was still a grim task for someone afraid of heights. But why she was there, what her fate was to be if she failed… or succeeded for that matter, none of it was plain. She was just suddenly there out of no where, apparently  expected to draw on inner resources she did not know  she had. There was a certain irony, given the train of thought, in her name, Helena. In Montana. The yelling was louder now since she had been ignoring it. Still no explanations. She had nothing… Hm. Not exactly true. There was a feeling, something like inner movement trying to trip the pawl of her psyche. Difficult to tell what was going on, just that something was. Helena was grateful she could at least be aware of that. A small stone hit her side. Another and another. Someone yelled into the crowd for patience and it stemmed the tide of intolerance, but not with much comfort. “She’s goin’ up, you know that. That’s why we’re here, to make sure! Calm down now, she ain’t needin’ stonnin’ yet.” There was an ominous weight hung on the “yet”. Obviously she wasn’t leaving here without an effort. But what she did finally get was that it was important that she try. No idea why. "Just do it. It’s time," was all she got. 

With a deep breath she looked at the ground not knowing anything about the equipment she saw scattered around her. Turning to the crowd, she asked “Can anyone tell me how to use this stuff?” 

They replied with some degree of disgust “That’s your problem”. “We ain’t nursemaids, ya know.” “Lookin’ for the easy way, like always!” 

The feeling within persisted with vigor. No getting around it, apparently. She started deep breathing to build oxygen. Knowing she was not very strong didn’t help. It had to be by her wits, holy Jees! 

She walked up to the rock face and for the first time noticed that she was dressed for the climb right down to her fingerless gloves with leather palms and belt with steel re-enforced loops, which, by the way, were anything but encouraging at this moment. Surveying the area directly in front of her she saw some hand holds. Straight up marched a series of over lapping rock layers seeming to slide over each other and then at the right moment, stick where they were; it was horizontal layers stacked vertically. It wasn’t stairs but a welcome navigation. A little to the right beyond the last of the layers was a cave-like hole about the size of a hawk’s nest. Directly to either side there were outcroppings good for holding, plenty of room for feet, and so on it went. Hesitant to step back into the crowd, she leaned back so far she almost fell on them. It seemed to be a climb and a half but maybe do-able .Helena walked up to the rock and for what seemed at first an ironic belligerent act, bowed to the rock like a worthy opponent. Before she could straighten up she felt it. It was a response from the stone; an acknowledgement so precise and formal that she almost laughed out loud as a nervous reaction. With that little surprise she reached out to touch the rock and felt it reaching out to her hand. Something told her to move her hand a little and as soon as she did, the energy subsided. She made sweeping passes over the rock fairly slowly and found that when she was over a good handhold, the energy was present, when she passed it, the energy collapsed. Well, that was good to know. Imagine the only help coming from the rock! 

Feeling a little more confident, she clapped her hands together rubbing her gloves against each other and reached for her first holds. For being completely without experience, she felt she was doing fairly well, so far. About ten feet over and above the small cave, she started seeing small Chameleons popping out of crevices and coming toward her, one after the other, about six in all. They would run toward her from either side and when they reached her they tuned and scampered straight up. Oh. No. They were all going on a straight line until they suddenly veered left around some invisible barrier and then resumed upward movement. That was very odd. What peculiar behavior was this? Something repelling them at that point? A smell, perhaps?

After that last step, she realized she had no more foot holds. Gone! Hand holds, yes. But the feet, they had to have something. Oh god, she was done for. A good thirty feet down now. Too high to jump down, no where to go. She was on the verge of letting her panic have full reign when she felt the rock. It felt like a wavy projection, making her a little dizzy. But it continued to repeat itself in this fashion. Suddenly the pattern was familiar. Her eyes glazed over and she was thrown into a memory. It was her counselor, Caroline; “When you cannot find a way, use the structures that are already in place. The structures already in place. In place…” Well… the rock was in place… how… No! This is not the time to think, this is the time to sense. OK. Chameleons… that was the familiar pattern… but also they went left and… Oh, they didn’t go back and forth looking for hand and foot holds, they swayed their weight in the stream of moving upward… and .. She felt her body ever so slightly swaying, opening up to the guidance as to where to go next. As she gave in to this silent slight rhythm, a whole scene materialized. She was in the midst of a Carlos Castaneda scenario with the luminous body-egg of energy  clearly evident as the person’s field around him. She could see it gleam with bits of snags and energized areas. Parts of it were completely clear, others seemed dense, some areas filled with light. The scene was percolating in her like a beaker in the chem-lab ready for potent discovery. Remembering only parts of the description, she scanned it until she recognized the image as coming from a time of particular clarity in her life. For now, she needed the sense of that time, a sense of the rock, and its structure. She envisioned her own energy egg around her body. Scanning that she felt the area of rock pressing on her. Ah! The unmistakable surge of guiding energy, she looked at her energy field in her mind’s eye to see if anything in her field matched with the rock. There! A few inches to the right and then over to the left and up. She opened her eyes to be sure she put things in the right places. A little to the right, OK. Now… But… There was nothing there. A bulge in the rock to the left showed no sign of relief for her feet. But it had to be. “I felt it! I saw it!” she said out loud to absolutely no one.

The bulge in the rock didn’t allow her to lean back and see anything. It was big enough to be useful if she could get up there but she could see no way for a hand hold. Her arms were getting quite tired and her thighs were way past burning. There was little left for pauses. No ropes, no clips, no nothing.

Something tickled her nose so she opened her eyes. It was the tail of a Chameleon stopping long enough to turn around and look back at her… sort of “Are ya getting’ it honey, cause I ain’t got all day”. He then scrambled directly left, made a little jump into nothing she could see and disappeared behind the bulge of rock. He showed up on the top side of it, stopped to look at her for a heartbeat and scampered straight up over the edge into to a crevice. She swallowed hard at the implication. She’d have to just grab at whatever was on the other side of the bulge and hope something would be able to hold her. It required reaching past her arms length; this was a real risk, not a little bit of wishful thinking. Taking one last look around to be sure this was the only way, she took some very deep breaths and threw herself toward and past the edge of the bulge.. Yes! It was not only a hand hold, it as like a handle, firm and true for fingers to wrap around… and wet! Oh god what was that? Pulling herself over around the bulge she could see that it was the tiniest of springs in the rock. A hole about the size of her garnet beads, which would be approximately four millimeters, allowed water to pour in dribbles onto the rock. It looked as if there was hematite-laced tiger iron through the layer now being flooded. Previously some of the sandstone above it had given way to the onslaught of incessant excavation. The water carved a trough in the rock until it reached the tiger iron making what looked for all the world like a car door handle. The angle of it gave her the leverage to pull herself over with no problem. Foot holds were a comfortable height and depth; beyond the vertical ridge, the slanted rock face allowed her to lean forward and rest her full weight on it. Rest. Oh god.  It never dawned on her that there were no chameleons of this type in all of Montana.

A drink! Sheer heaven. Wiggling out of the glove she collected the water in her hand and found some real relief.

Too soon she knew she had to get moving or her muscles would seize up. Deep breath, look up for the path and…She was standing outside of a butcher shop looking eyeball to eyeball with a long since dead fish. “This has got to stop!” she thought in desperation.  She was afraid she was still on the side of the mountain hanging precariously by fingertips in the “door handle” of the rock. One foolish move and she may not have any thoughts at all after that! 

She asked anything that would answer what to do next. Of course it was the fish who answered.  Fog covered his eyes as dead as could be but he was speaking none the less.  “You made it up the rockface, sweetie. The people down below never knew how easy the last little stretch was. They would have cried “foul!” if they had. But as you have realized, you were not there to please them.  You made it! That’s all you have to know. A good soul left the rope “seat” for you and you got in to be hauled to safety.  You are safe now. You are NOT on the rock. You are on the street. Talking with a dead fish. By that reckoning, you could say your troubles weren’t over yet! Turn right. Go to the next door on your left, come in and press the button over the 3rd mailbox. You’re safe now. Truly, you are.”  The fish, was once again dead, cold, immobile. What choice did she have? No money, alone on some unknown street, god knows where.  Right, door on left, third mailbox.

“Helena? You are expected. Please come up to the third floor, door on the right.”

As she opened the door she saw a middle aged man in an orange robe, shaved head, beads at his waist. He bowed to her and motioned that she sit in one of two chairs in the room.

 “I am Yonten Palsang and if you are willing, I offer you guidance. You have come a long way….in mind and heart, not just body. Please accept my humble offering of tea.” Helena found herself fascinated by his eyes, it was only one more second before the pinpoint of light flashed in his left eye as he began to pour the tea without looking.  Something in the faint flash of light…. something very friendly and chameleon-like.

[wackygoofball]

Moodboard: Jaime x Brienne - Elementary AU

Just FYI, I am sending ahead that I absolutely, with all of my heart adore Elementary and Jonny Lee Miller’s and Lucy Liu’s portrayals of their characters, which is why this moodboard should please be regarded as an homage to the show above all else, even if I take the romantic high road here despite the fact that the show seems to follow the trajectory of the platonic love (which is so pure and so well written I still cry) up until this point of time, though as a shipper... one can still hope, right?

I will also send ahead that I had to do some tweaking to create the Watson/Sherlock dynamic since Jaime’s character is different from a Sherlock Holmes in many ways, so I employed a little workaround I hope suffices.

To give a bit of a teaser, here the plot bunnies I have thus far:

Brienne of Tarth knows what she is getting into whenever she takes on a new client. After all, she chose to become a sober companion to deal with the unexpected and help those who can’t help themselves in times of crisis. What she doesn’t know is how she stumbled over this most curious case. First she gets an ominous phone call from an assistant to Mr. Blackwater to request her services for his friend who just came out of rehab and now needs some looking after, then she finds out the same man would not meet up with him.

All Brienne knows about her client is that his name is Jaime Lannister, a former consultant for the King’s Landing Police Department, and that yes, this is the same man known as the Kingslayer in the Seven Kingdoms after he killed Aerys Targaryen, but was found to have acted in self-defense even though evidence begged to differ a lot, or so she heard on television. From the medical files she was provided by the facility, Brienne knows that he lost his hand and as a result got addicted to pain killers, which resulted in his drug abuse that landed him in the rehab in the first place.

Their first meeting couldn’t be any more unfortunate as it doesn’t take long for the truth to unfold that Jaime Lannister does not want and won’t tolerate a sober companion, or “mannish drug nanny” as he puts it, to watch every of his steps.

“I have no intention to be using again, so Bronn can just fuck off and leave me alone. He actually has a lot of experience with that ever since he got his villa.”

Brienne won’t budge, however, she never does, and makes it clear to her new client that she won’t be going anywhere until she knows for sure that he is settled in and doesn’t run the risk of relapsing anymore during this very critical transition period from rehab center to normal life again.

She is used to clients who display hostility towards her, show mistrust, but Jaime Lannister puts a new level to it, because no matter what, Brienne not once encountered an client who would play fanfares late at night, arguing it vital to his recently picked up again consultant duties, dumping trash on her bed for a “long overdue experiment concerning decomposition of evidence” or introducing her to police staff as his “personal valet.” Though Brienne will have to admit, despite his sheer intolerable behavior, Jaime Lannister is even better than the rumors about him would let one assume: through deduction alone, he sees right through a crime scene, gets down to the bottom of it and finds the culprit. It is such a stark contrast to the childish man trying to drive her out of the house. On the job, he is exceeding any expectations, is sharp, focused, and cuts through lies and stories with the precision of a scalpel.

Jaime, for his part, would rather have this sober companion gone for good, but Miss Tarth appears stubborn enough to stick around against better judgment, or perhaps Bronn pays her better than he would have calculated. His interest in her witnesses a slight peak while working a case, since his “personal valet” happens to have some medical insights bringing him forward in finding the murder suspect that would have taken him quite a while longer.

Not that he would admit that to her, of course. After all, Jaime shouldn’t be surprised by her knowledge of the field. He did his research and knows for a fact that she is a former army doctor turned drug nanny. Nevertheless, she happens to have deductive skills of her own, he discovers, and while unrefined in some aspects, she has a certain clarity in her mind that most others lack.

However, in the end, that shouldn’t matter. Jaime has other things to do, and she is just the constant reminder of his failure, which is why Jaime undertakes the efforts necessary to drive her out of the house. At last, his research reveals that one thing that may drive her over the edge – how she ended up as a sober companion in the first place. In the course of a heated argument, Jaime snaps and confronts Brienne about it that she only ever took on the job because she failed to keep Renly Baratheon safe when she worked as his personal secretary and he ended up getting shot in the streets outside a restaurant where they met with Catelyn Stark for business dealings.

When Jaime considers himself the winner at last, he is taken aback by Brienne’s reaction, however:

“It appears your only method of dealing with your own emotions is by projecting them on others.”

“So you deny you have any problems? Please. I just proved that wrong.”

“I know I have them, and that means I am three steps ahead of you. Because you can’t look into the mirror because you are ashamed of what may be looking back at you. And quite frankly, I find that… craven.”

After that, neither one knows how to talk to the other for a while. Brienne genuinely considers quitting the job, but before she makes that decision, Jaime brings himself to an apology, which is, she knows, an absolutely rare exception.

“I overstepped a line to drive you away. I am not used to have other people deduce things about me. I tend to think that no one ever really got me other than my brother, perhaps, but that’s another story. Because yes, I wanted you gone so that I don’t have to face the fact that this is the reason why you are here. I want to do my job and forget about those past months. I wished they never happened.”

“They don’t go away, though.”

“I know. But there is just going forward from here, for me at least… but… it was wrong of me to take that out on you. Which is why I am generous enough to offer you my services as part of what I tend to refer to as a truce: I am willing to dedicate some of my free time to Renly’s murder case.”

“Hell no.”

“… I actually thought you would be flattered by that. You are aware that I am the best consultant currently residing in King’s Landing, arguably in all of Westeros I daresay?”

“That is my responsibility and my responsibility alone.”

“… You want to find the person responsible yourself.”

“Your deduction skills are, as per usual, very much on point.”

“… Well, if that is the case, I can only offer you my resources, should you decide to dig into his case again, or otherwise be of assistance. I still propose a truce as part of our agreement of sober companion and client because, frankly, I gave it some thought and I suppose you are the least trouble. Imagine some dimwit stepping on evidence at crime scenes. You at least know how to stay put.”

“… I suppose that is a compliment.”

“You may take it as such. So do we have a truce?”

“You need trust to have a truce.”

“I trust you.”

And on that trust, they start to build for the next weeks. Brienne finds herself more and more drawn to Jaime’s work whereas Jaime can no longer deny Brienne’s apparent talent for detective work outside the medical sphere. She is perceptive and thanks to her military training knows more about fighting than most ever will.

He finds her… promising, in a way. Just like someone once found him promising, only to destroy it all, but maybe, just maybe, he can make things right this time, who knows?

While Brienne enjoys the work more and more, she knows that her days with Jaime Lannister are limited, which means she must not get attached to either the man or his profession. When Brienne communicates that to him, Jaime starts distancing himself from her. Brienne already fears for a relapse and is close to calling Mr. Blackwater to request an extension, but before she can make the call, Jaime breaks his silence with a sudden offer: to become his apprentice and become a consultant like him.

“If you decide to take the offer, of that I assure you, I will train you to the best of my abilities. Make you cry, very likely. But once the training is completed, you should know all there is to know about solving crime the way I harnessed that skillset.”

“I am a sober companion.”

“And before that you were a personal assistant to Renly. And before that an army doctor. You see, a woman once told me that I was craven for running away from my problems, and I think it is time I give these wise words over to the next generation sitting before me. I think you are running away from an opportunity, just because you are afraid of making that step. You want to be out there. I saw you at the crime scenes. I saw the satisfaction on your eyes when we got the bad guys.”

“And I don’t deny it. But I am helping people, too, as a sober companion. I am preventing people from relapse, I am preventing them from committing crime.”

“And that is admirable, without a doubt. And you are good at your job. You kept me from the drugs and I thought that was virtually impossible. Nevertheless, I think this is an opportunity for you and…”

“And?”

“And me as well. Because I have to admit that… that my work has been better ever since you started to come along. I don’t know why, I just know that this is the case. That I am better with you.”

Brienne remains unsure about the offer for a while, but eventually agrees to the training regiment, no matter how much spiteful glee Jaime takes in basically tormenting her.

Jaime, for his part, rediscovers how much joy it gives him to do this job, and discovers something new as well, starting to understand how Tyrion loved training him to become a consultant back in the “good old days,” not just to make the other suffer, but to see them grow, deduce, put the pieces together. When he watches Brienne, when he sees her succeed, Jaime finds himself succeeding. And when Brienne is proud and happy, he finds himself smiling along.

As things progress, their truce soon grows to a deeply felt friendship since both lacked someone to rely on with those very private insecurities and inner demons for a very long time.

Brienne admits to how she ended up as Renly’s assistant, namely because she was hopelessly in love with the man, as Jaime had rightly deduced on the day they had their first fallout, and that she chose to join him to be around him.

“After I came back from my military service… I don’t know, I had so many people die, slip through my fingers, people we were sworn to protect, good people, good soldiers and far too many civilians. And then I heard that Renly was running for presidency after Robert’s death and I just… I just wanted to be sure that he was alright. I have seen the results of political upheavals in times of crisis during my service as an army doctor. I know that political enemies tear each other to shreds and that this will always lead to bloodshed on all sides. No one really questioned me and my decision because… you know, trauma. Everyone just assumed I wanted something boring, something conventional after all that I saw and went through. And perhaps I did, I don’t know. I just wanted to keep close to Renly, that much I knew. But then… Renly was killed and I only ever held him as he died.”

“And you couldn’t identify the guy.”

“It was a shadow. And it had Stannis’s name all over it.”

“Can you prove it?”

“Not yet.”

“You see, it’s always risky to deduce from the conclusion to the fact. It should be the other way around.”

“Those are the facts. Renly ran as an independent party to split potential votes between him and Stannis because he didn’t want Stannis to ever make it past the primaries. He had a motive to want to have him removed. Many of Renly’s voters went ahead and joined Stannis after his death. He has a woman in his ranks who will carry out almost any kind of task you give to her. It was Stannis. I know it, I just need a way to prove it.”

“Melisandre of Asshai. I read some interesting things about her.”

“She is a murderer. And one of these days, I will be able to prove it that she and Stannis did this.”

“You just need the remaining evidence.”

“Even more so since he runs for president. I will rather leave the country than live under him as my commander in chief.”

“And you would just abandon me? How rude. Even more so as a former sober companion.”

Jaime, for his part, also finds the courage to let Brienne in on his secrets, even the ones he kept so well for all those years, such as the true nature of Aerys’s assassination and Tyrion’s disappearance, and how it broke him that his brother went behind his back to kill their father and Tyrion’s ex-lover Shae before disappearing to Essos as it was planned to buy Jaime time to prove his innocence of Joffrey’s murder.

“What pissed me off foremost, though, was that he didn’t trust me. That was always the thing we relied on, that was stone one. That was our truce. He trusted me and that I trusted him. Blindly. Or so I thought. Because my smart, smart little brother didn’t trust me to clear his name. He didn’t trust me as his brother, as his friend, as the consultant he helped frame when he picked me up after the Aerys affair to offer me a new perspective. He believed he was the only one who could clear his name, and when Tyrion saw no chance anymore, he quitted, on himself, on me, on our work. And I will never forgive him for that. Well, that and murdering two people for the simplest and most basic motive there is: revenge.”

As things progress, it isn’t until long that they run into a hacker group called No One run by a man named Jaqen H’ghar. They “help” them on a number of occasions to gather evidence they could not otherwise acquire, in exchange for oftentimes publicly humiliating Jaime, such as carrying around a sign to encourage people to “Slay the Kingslayer with a Golden Slap,” a task many people happily agree to, apparently. The members remain ominous, only ever appearing in chats wearing masks. A young group member, a teenage girl, catches their attention as Brienne pieces together that this is in fact Arya Stark. Due to Brienne’s personal involvement with her family, she feels ever the more urged to help the girl and keep her from potentially committing worse crimes to carry out her revenge against the people she deems responsible for the deaths of most of her family.

However, Jaime’s and Brienne’s attention soon turns to politics as the elections come into the hot phase, only to be shocked to the core when a newcomer emerges from Essos to enter the race rather late: Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons as she is called, wants to become president of the Seven Kingdoms alongside her rivals Stannis Baratheon and Cersei Lannister.

Things take a sudden turn with the re-emergence of someone Jaime thought he would never see again in a life time, and a nemesis who may no longer be just after the infamous consultant Tyrion Lannister but now the new detective team solving cases in King’s Landing.

And if history taught them one thing by now, then it is that this person will do anything to get what he or she wants. And from the sounds of it, that is one thing and one thing only:

Power.

A game of cat-and-mouse begins, putting everyone involved in danger as a country is bound to decide on who will come into power next…

 Additonal Image Sources: Elementary ( 2012-), http://gwendoline-christie.com/.

[calico-daydreams]

{ Don’t Kiss And Tell }

Jimin x Taehyung (Private Academy / High School AU)

Jimin is a confident, not-quite-out-of-the-closet gay, whereas Taehyung, just a precious, innocent bub, has never second-guessed his sexuality until Jimin stole his first kiss.

Genre: slight fluff, angst, will kinda be slow burn Words: 2,032

A/N: This was originally from a Hoseok x Reader WIP with a side of best friend!Taehyung x confident gay!Jimin, but I can’t seem to stop writing vmin. :’)

"C-Can I try something?"

"What is it?"

"It's not me confessing or anything! I-I just want to test something."

"Tae, you're confusing me."

"May I kiss you?" Wait, what the f-- "I-If you're not comfortable with that, it's okay! We can just pretend this exchange never happened…" His voice went quiet as he tried to sink into the driver's seat, "Please…"

"Please forget about this, or please let you kiss me?"

"Um, either one… Jesus, this is so embarrassing--"

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"Okay, you can kiss me."

"Are you sure, Kat?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Tae. I also appreciate you asking because it's already an upgrade from that one boy in middle school who shoved his braces on my mouth." If he weren't so nervous, he would've gagged at that mental image. "So, yes, you may kiss me."

She turned in her seat to face him, waiting for him to approach her when he was ready. He hesitated before taking a deep breath and leaning forward, closing his eyes and gently pressing his lips against hers. She did the same, kissing him back with little pressure. It was only a chaste kiss, and it didn't last more than a few seconds before he pulled away, his brows furrowed in thought.

"Well?"

"I didn't feel anything."

"That's what every girl loves to hear." She giggled when he averted his eyes, pink dusting his cheeks as he leaned back into his seat. "Why did you want to kiss me?" Her eyes widen, "Wait, wasn't that your first kiss? Tae, why--"

"N-No…"

"My best friend had his first kiss and didn't tell me? I'm wounded, Tae."

"I-I…" His voice dropped to such a low whisper that it was surprising she could even understand him. "I kissed a boy…"

Well, she didn't see that one coming. "Oh! Oh…" She nodded as it dawned on her, "And it left you confused?"

"Y-Yeah… It seemed like a joke, but when he kissed me… Kat, he's kissed my cheek before a couple of times, and I didn't think much of it. But…"

"Do you like him?"

"I… Maybe." He ran his hands through his hair before resting them on his voice, his next words muffled, "I didn't know I could feel that way. When he kissed me, I felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest!" Removing his hands, he pouted at her. "But kissing you was like kissing a brick wall."

"Gee, thanks."

"What do I do, Kat?"

"Talk to him."

"Do I have to?"

"Tae. Do you like him?

When Jimin greeted the front door, he wasn't expecting Taehyung to be standing there unannounced. A flash of panic crossed Jimin's eyes, but the following happiness and smile that accompanied it were just as genuine as always. "Hey, Tae…" He expected the scared expression the younger wore at their last encounter, but the boy took a deep breath and grinned, just as happy to see the other boy. "What are you doing here?"

When Taehyung asked to speak to him in private, Jimin was not at all prepared for the boy to step so close the second he shut his bedroom door. The older opened his mouth to question the boy's actions, but as soon as his eyes meet Taehyung's bright eyes, words failed him. All he could register was his heartbeat pumping louder in her ears as he got lost in the dark sea of his eyes. And when the younger's hands met his cheeks in a gentle albeit nervous caress, Jimin knew he was in trouble. The feelings of guilt he experienced after their first kiss, after which Taehyung couldn't get away from him fast enough, came rushing back and fought with his current confusion before his heart won over and tumbled out of his mouth.

"I'm so sorry, but for the love of god, please kiss me."

"Please kill me."

Kat was considering whether or not stabbing her eye out with her pen would be more painful than trying to comprehend her science homework before a well-timed interruption in the form of her best friend waltzed into her room and flopped himself down all over her bed of papers.

"I did something stupid, Kat."

"What is it this time?"

"Wait, are you implying I often do stupid things?"

"Tae, two weeks ago, you let your baby cousin shove gummies up your nose."

"They were gummy vitamins. I had a head cold, and he just wanted to make my nose better."

Tossing her textbook to the side, she lied next to him and sighed, "I'll admit the thought was cute. Now, what happened?"

"I talked to him like you told me to."

She perked up, turning to prop her head on her elbow. "And? How'd it go?"

He blushed, "We didn't talk much."

She furrowed her brows in confusion.

"I, uh… I might've kissed him."

Her brows shot right back up as she coughed, "Wow. Well, that's one way to confess."

"Only I didn't."

"Didn't what? Kiss him? You're confusing me here."

He finally turned to her, grabbing her shoulders. "I didn't confess. He did."

"I-Isn't that what you wanted?…" He nods. "So, what's the problem?"

"That wasn't part of the plan!" He shook her shoulders a few times to emphasize his frustration, "I had my confession planned out, but he threw me for a loop by saying, ‘I really like you' first!"

"I mean, the guy kissed you first, so him admitting that shouldn't be too much of a surprise, Tae."

"Yes, but I was so caught off-guard that I couldn't even say it back."

"What did you say then?"

He sighed, his frown just as heavy, "What do you say to your grandmother when she gives you socks for Christmas?"

"Did… you thank him?"

Releasing her from his hold, he returned to his original position, whispering hopelessly at the ceiling, "I thanked him."

"He… thanked you?"

Jimin dropped himself gently onto the couch, resting his head on Jungkook's thigh, "He thanked me."

"Well, you are a good kisser."

"I thought we agreed we'd never bring that night up again."

"I didn't. I merely stated you were a good kisser. God blessed you with those luscious pillow lips."

"Well, these luscious pillow lips regret it…"

"Jimin Park regretting a kiss? And it's not with me? Oh my god, the world is truly coming to an end."

"Why am I friends with you again?" The question went ignored as Jungkook finished his game before paying his full attention to the pouting boy in his lap.

"Let me get this straight," This is a gay dilemma though, Jimin thought to himself. "He showed up, claimed he wanted to talk, you led him to your room, he kissed you--"

"Well, I kind of asked him to."

"Okay, and he happily did so, so you say. After that, you blurted out your feelings?"

"It might have slipped before I could think it through."

"What'd you say, exactly?"

"I really… really like you…"

"Eh, boring, but it gets the point across, I guess."

"Jungkook."

"Sorry. What about after that?"

"He, just… Froze? Then next thing I know, he's thanking me and running out the door."

"Hm…"

"What do you think?"

"I think he's an embodiment of panicked gay."

Jimin deadpans, "I'm going to straighten your ass."

"I'm already straight, baby," Jimin closed his eyes when Jungkook started running his fingers through his hair, his younger friend frowning at him. "Jimin…" The unmoving boy hummed, relaxing under his touch. "You really like him, don't you?"

Without intending to, his response came out in a whisper, "A lot, Kookie. And I wish I wouldn't scare him off every time I make it obvious."

"Taehyung doesn't peg me as the type to lead you on, so… I think… He may like you back, but this is all so new for him that he doesn't know what to do with his feelings or curiosity."

"He didn't peg me as the type to run away from his problems, but look where we are now."

"You're not a problem. You're just scary." He finally cracked an eye open, skepticism written in his features. "Okay, you're small and adorable and loveable, but you wear your heart on your sleeve. When you care about people, you give them your all, and it may be overwhelming to him." Worrying his bottom lip, Jimin considered his friend's words. "There's also the fact that you're extremely comfortable with your sexuality, whereas Tae's admitted that he has zero experience. Well, he can check ‘first kiss' off that list, thanks to you."

"Don't remind me." Jimin whined, burying his face into his hands, "I still feel terrible about that."

"It's not like he didn't like it."

"He ran away!"

"Yes, both times, but he came back for more, didn't he?"

"I-- Yes, but--" He sat up with a huff, fixing his hair. "That's because I have luscious pillow lips."

Jungkook carefully watched the blonde gather his phone and jacket. "Where are you going?"

"To take my lips and do less kissing, more talking."

"Do you even know where he lives?"

"…Hey, Kookie--"

"Let me grab my keys."

The worst case scenario would've been getting the door slammed in his face the nanosecond Taehyung saw his face. Jungkook thought that getting chased down the street by a homophobic dog would be worse, but Jimin deemed that highly unlikely. Dogs love him. Dogmatic fathers? They didn't take that into consideration. At all.

Now seated across from Taehyung's father, a sharp-dressed man running for mayor who gave off a heavy aura of authority, Jungkook was beginning to feel suffocated. He had a sick feeling about this. To his left, Jimin seemed calm and collected. The blonde was sitting up straight and silent, behaving well-mannered with his hands clasped together in his lap, just as respectful, albeit shy, as Jungkook expected. However, there's one thing Jimin lacks that has always been both a concern and a nuisance to the younger boy: he couldn't sense intolerant people. And right now, Jungkook feared the firm man before them would see nothing but that damned crest over Jimin's heart.

"You're here to see my son, you say?"

"Yes, sir." Jimin nodded while Jungkook remained unresponsive, too engrossed in observing the man.

"How do you know Taehyung?"

"We're friends, sir."

The man glanced over Jungkook, "You look familiar; I've seen you bring games while Taehyung was supposed to be studying. Jungkook, is it?" The boy offered only a single nod. "My wife thinks you're a nice kid."

Jungkook grinned, "I think Mrs. Kim is splendid as well." His smile didn't reach his eyes, and Jimin was starting to feel the tension gathering in the room. "Her cookies are especially bomb." The man grunted slightly and turned his eyes to Jimin, or more specifically, his uniform jacket.

"You're from the academy."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm surprised to see the likes of you around these kids." Mr. Kim's remark surprised Jimin, but not as much as his following statement shocked him, "Proud youngsters like you display your jackets as if they make you more important when in reality, your mommies and daddies buy your way into higher status just because you have money and God on your side." Jungkook began to wonder if he could get away with assaulting the future mayor.

"I-I'm sorry…" Jimin sounded so confused and hurt that it finally snapped Jungkook out of his silence.

"With all due respect, Mr. Kim…" The tight smile was back. Only this time, he couldn't hide the fire in his eyes. "I think it's highly unfair of you to judge so harshly when you don't even know him." The man blinked but remained composed. "Higher status? Ha! Hilarious. Jimin is my next-door neighbor in my poor-as-shit neighborhood. He got into the academy on a dance scholarship. His parents work their ass off just so they can afford to keep him in that school. Does that make them self-righteous?"

"Kookie…"

"Does that make him holier-than-thou? He's a literal angel, not a goddamned brat."

"Kookie--"

"You talk to your mother with that mouth, son?"

"You satisfy your wife with that small dick energy, sir?"

Cross-posted on Ao3

[crtaylorbooks]

The Enemy

Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany  |  Luke 6:27-38

Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. So who thought this was a good idea?

Do to others as you would have them do to you. Most of us are good with this one. We can wrap our minds around it, and it isn’t even specific to Christianity — there are other flavors of the golden rule floating around out there. We like the idea, until we realize that “others” includes everybody, including our enemies.

Loving our enemies? It makes no sense. It’s impractical and unproductive behavior. Unpatriotic, one might say. From people in the next booth at the Waffle House to military strategists, everyone will tell you that helping your enemies is not a sound principle.

What we all really want is to discourage, even punish, negative behavior — anything negative toward us, that is. Whether on a personal or a cultural or a national level, we want to intimidate our enemies. Nuke the bastards. Turn their houses into radioactive ash heaps, and you won’t have to put up with them anymore.

Art by Banksy. Stolen from his/her/their website.

And if we are a righteous, God-fearing people — we may substitute the name of our country, people group, or militant bridge club here — God is on our side, right? It isn’t about resentment or petty retribution. It’s now the judgment of a wrathful God upon our enemies. Right?

I confess that I have a list. There are people whom I’d like to see fall through an open manhole cover into a disease ridden sewer to land on the snout of the largest, most evil, ravenous, albino (because that’s weird and more frightening), man-eating, ebola-infected, urban crocodile ever imagined, with only prolonged and ragged screams ever emerging from that darkened pit.

Ok, maybe I’ve spent a little too much time thinking about it, but I’m not the only one.

The gospel message is that we ought not feed the darkness. To a degree, as with the Do Unto Others teaching, we can go along with it, but for most of us the notion that there is something worthwhile in every person loses steam in the face of certain individuals. Hitler is the classic example, but I’m sure we could all name less famous folk, some a great deal closer to us.

James Thurber wrote a story called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It’s a hilarious tale of an ordinary man who fantasizes about being extraordinary. A famous pilot. A brilliant surgeon. We laugh, until Mitty’s secret fantasies begin to hit home for us, and then we smile to cover our discomfort.

Most of us have pictured ourselves as heroes, destroying the bad guys. If we’re more passive, we imagine getting the phone call informing us that our enemy is humiliated, or ruined, or dead. And plenty of quiet grandmothers have imagined using a cast iron frying pan in non-culinary and extremely satisfying ways.

Most of us spend too much time thinking about the past. We drag up old resentments, slights, losses, injuries, and we make them into the central plot of the mental play of our lives. The movie plays in our heads relentlessly, and we keep watching, never imagining that we could change the channel. 

Let’s be honest. We don’t want to love our enemies, even if we knew how. That’s the whole point of having them in the first place.

Paul, writing to early Christians in Rome, tried to put some spin on it — by doing good to our enemies, he wrote, we pour coals of fire on their heads. That sounds encouraging, and I can think of at least a dozen people who’d look great with their heads on fire. Unfortunately, Paul didn’t explain the mechanism by which it works, and we remain unconvinced.

Test yourself. Think of the worst person you know, the bottom (or top as it may be) of your list, and then imagine that you were given carte blanche. You could do anything you liked, and no one would ever know — no reprisal, punishment, or rocks to be thrown your way. What would you do?

Me, too. I wouldn’t even have to ponder it very long. It’s why so many of us secretly enjoy the Beatles’ Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.

So what do we do with this Love Your Enemies business? Most of the world’s inhabitants ignore it as dubious advice from a man who ended up crucified by his enemies. See where it got him?

Moby Dick, illustration from 1892 edition

On the other hand, if we do have the inkling (let alone actual faith, but who has that?) that there is a God, or if we consider that we are all connected, or if we can accept that there is something greater than our own personal interests, then we’ve got to consider some possibilities.

For one thing, maybe doing good to our enemies introduces, activates, or confirms some value, worth, and possibly life changing power in their lives. Damn it. Maybe they are our enemies for reasons we do not see — in the movies playing in their heads, we are the ones who acted wrongly or who deserve their disdain. Or maybe they are truly loathsome people — some people are — but the nature of our response can undermine their world view. Maybe.

Another possibility is that doing good to our enemies adds intrinsic value to the universe. There may be other universes, other planes of existence, but here we are in this one. Making our universe a better place is our responsibility. Nobody is going to do that for us.

The best reason may be personal — doing good to our enemies has some intrinsic value for us. Yes, my imagination fails as well, but there it is. Helping another person, particularly when there is little question of reciprocity, has a greater effect on us than on them. It changes our estimation of their value as a person. It shifts the plot of the movie in our heads.

You don’t even have to be a Christian for these ideas to work. Compassion and forgiveness are embraced in many traditions, religious and non-religious ones. Compassion makes us better humans. Empathy and understanding make for more peaceful communities. And it is difficult to put out a fire by adding fuel.

The whole point is to stop thinking of ourselves as separate from everyone else. That’s hard to do, particularly in America, where our entire national mythos is built around the rugged individual.

This Gospel notion, though, isn’t for me, or you, or for that jerk over there. It’s for all of us. All inclusive. This Kingdom of God idea includes everybody, or at least invites everybody. No exceptions, no matter how much we’d like to submit a list of rejects. In Buddhism, the notion of connectedness hasn’t been diluted by western individualism, but Christianity has to reach for it.

We might even find that people we think are our enemies really aren’t. They may not even give us much thought. Of course, that isn’t always the case. There are dangerous people out there. Hate groups. Neo-nazis. Terrorists. Thinking that our response to our enemies is a purely personal act, as opposed to a broader cultural or national one, is also dangerous. It limits our possibilities, and it limits our understanding of our responsibilities. How we as individuals choose to act is important, but we are not relieved of responsibility as members of a community, a culture, a religion, a nation, a civilization.

What does it look like, this doing good to our enemies? A lot of it is obvious. Some of it isn’t.

If I see a person in need and do nothing, am I their enemy? If I see someone being harmed, oppressed, held down, injured by individuals or by society or by some groups in that society, and I do nothing, am I their enemy? Maybe I am.

And religion, particularly Christianity, doesn’t have a good track record on this one. Plenty of Christians used faith based arguments — wrongly, of course — to justify slavery. Today, plenty of Christians use faith based arguments against LGBTQ people — again, wrongly, although this would be an entire topic of its own. How is hatred and exclusion and intolerance furthering the kingdom of God? Even if Christians could manage to justify regarding some people as enemies of their faith, the gospel commands a response of love and of doing good.

Instead, Christianity has often become a bastion of exclusion, intolerance, and hatred disguised as religious observance. That’s not what the gospel preaches, people. I don’t know what label to put on the exclusionary and intolerant form of religion often practiced today, but it isn’t Christianity. It is something else, dressed up in the forms and language and symbolism of the Church.

To put it another way, Christianity has become its own worst enemy. Being excluded by Christians can be harmful, in real and in dangerous ways. Being within the Christian world can also be toxic — we may find that we are our own enemy. And it may be that loving our enemies begins uncomfortably close to home, maybe even inside our own heads.

When we love our enemies, we are reaching. And we’re remembering that we are not able to place ourselves in a different world than they occupy. We’re in this thing — love it or hate it — together, and we need to embrace it. And one another.

Bernard of Clairvaux, in his work On Loving God, concluded that the best and strongest reason to love God is God — love is its own reward. In Luke’s gospel we hear that “the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Perhaps that is the reason to love our neighbors, our enemies, ourselves. The love we give is the love we get.

Art by Banksy. Stolen from his/her/their website.

The Enemy was originally published on C R Taylor

[grs-the-neighborhood]

Sophia Maricela Masters - daughter of Vlad Masters and Courtney

Age: 13

Height: 5'6"

Gender: Female 

Birthdate: Oct. 25th; Scorpio

Sexuality: Pansexual

Species: Human

Ethnicity: Mixed; White Latina

Nationality: American

Alignment: Young Blood Alliance (Bad)

     •She too isn't part of the group yet 

Powers/Abilities: 

     •Unnatural Strength: she won't turn into the Hulk but she can throw heavy objects at long distances when angered.

     •Genius - Intellect

     •Swordsmanship

     •Experienced Combatant

     •Rich

     •Master Strategist

     •Master Manipulator

Appearance: Sophia has her father's midnight blue eyes, but they are almond-shaped like her mother's. She has her father's nose but she doesn't have freckles. She basically resembles her mother in whom she has her head shape and brown hair. Except her skin is a shade lighter than her mother and Sophia's hair goes all the way down her back. She always keeps it in a neat high ponytail and allows a few strands of hair to hang in her face. She wears khaki faux suede overall dress, with a white, short -sleeved turtleneck crop top underneath. Then she wears brown-heeled ankle booties for shoes.

Background: When Sophia was born Vlad didn't have such a strong reaction as he did with Olevia at her birth so he decided not to take too much interest in her. Especially when, strangely, Sophia showed no signs of ghost powers he didn't care too much to train her either. Sophia is always kept out of the loop, which angers her to the max. All she's heard from eavesdropping is that her half-sister is going to Townsville for a mission to join some group. Sophia is extremely envious of her sister and doesn't hide it. They barely have a relationship since Olevia is consistently being watched while she's being neglected. Sophia busts her ass to prove that she is better than her sister and deserves most of the attention. She gets the best grades in school, she gladly attends her mother's "mom and daughter dates," and she follows their rigid schedule without complaint. Yet it still never feels like enough since all eyes are on Olevia. She watches and learns some moves from watching Olevia and their father’s training sessions and does her own research in the paranormal ghost world. She has her mother's determination and refuses to feel bad about herself. 

When comes across news about the Young Blood Alliance and their fight against the Vanguard League in Townsville, she immediately is captivated by them. She sees this opportunity to join them, as a way to prove to her parents that she's as good as, if not better than, Olevia. When her sister begins her move to Townsville, Sophia immediately beings to set up her own trip to the same city. She has some difficulty of course with her helicopter mom, but she disguises her trip as a study abroad plan at her school. She had (artificial) documents and letters from "teachers" ready to show her mom, knowing she would ask for them. Then she gave (fake) papers from her parents to her school stating she is transferring to a school in Townsville. Next thing Sophia knew she was scot-free and on the train to Townsville. 

She now resides in some apartment and is working hard to find a way to communicate with the Young Blood Alliance. She wants to offer them her skills and wealth. She is willing to do anything to prove that she's better than Olevia even if it means bringing others down in the process.

Sophia's Relatives:

Vlad Masters (Father)

Courtney (Mother)

Olevia Masters (Half-Sister)

Personality: If you looked up brat on the Internet, you'll most definitely see Sophia's face on the first page. This little girl can be downright cruel when given the opportunity; she's ruthless. Now is she a badass? Kind of, she's still young and still learning but her downfall is she underestimates many people. She's good at hiding her personal feelings in front of people, but don't tell her a secret cause she'll use it for blackmail. She's one of those fake people who will charm you but then she'll turn on you at the drop of a dime. Kind of like her father. She can argue with someone on a subject for long periods of time, she's no pushover and struggles to compromise. She's smart and practical. Admittedly she has the potential to be a good leader, her mother runs her own law firm after all, but she's bossy and has much to improve on. Out of the few things that her and her sister have in common is that she too is boujee. Sophia has an explosive temper and can lift heavy objects when in fits of rage just like her mother. 

Relationships

     •Vlad: He mostly neglected his second daughter's. He knows she exist of course but he leaves Courtney to take care of her. Courtney tries to force a good relationship between the two, but it clearly isn't working. Sophia wants nothing more than to truly please her father. Having her father's eyes consistently following her sister no matter what, eats away at Sophia's ego. She wants to prove she's the best and kisses his ass whenever the chance arises. She really admires her father. It's pretty sad but Sophia has yet to realize that it's pointless to try and win her father's favor.

     •Courtney: cares for her daughter, she's the first child she ever gave birth too. However, Sophia feels as though Courtney cares more for Olevia then her. This isn't necessarily true, but Courtney does focus more Olevia since it still bugs her that they don't get along. Courtney just wants to complete this idea of this "happy powerful family." But knowing Courtney, she doesn’t really like when people defy her. She cares for both of her daughters and just has a poor way of sharing her affection. Courtney sometimes can see through her daughters' lies, she's not dumb, but they do manage to get away with things.  When Courtney does manage to be genuinely affectionate with Sophia, she feels on top of the world.

     •Olevia: at this point it's pretty well established that Sophia envies and loathes her sister. She is determined to beat her, embarrass her, and give a full display on how weak she actually is. Sophia was a big jerk to her sister and was one of the people who made fun of her ecto-acne. At the moment, she doesn't know that her sister is thinking about being a true member of the Vanguard League and Olevia doesn’t know that she's in Townsville at the moment.

     •Gigi: Sophia follows Gigi's gossip blog and enjoys learning interesting information about people that she could possibly use against them. Although, Sophia isn’t into cheering, she is impressed by Gigi's physical skills. She also finds the gadgets that she uses very interesting and asks her about them often. Even though she can find Gigi overbearing and very nosey, she does enjoy gossiping about people with her at school.  She finds it extremely entertaining making fun of people.

Quotes: 

(Fighting against some random do-gooder)

Sophia felt a delightful grin stretch across her face as she watched the weakling cradle his broken arm. She got a slight thrill in their suffering and calmly said, "I show the weak no mercy."

~~~

(Speaking with Gigi at school)

Sophia was completely zoned out as Gigi's not stop talking became nothing but static noise. It never fails to surprise her how long and detailed Gigi's nonstop tangents about people could last. But as she was contemplating walking away from this one-sided conversation, something she said had finally caught Sophia's attention.

"Wait--stop, what did you say?"

"Say about what? The guy who's cheating on his girlfriend? The girl on my squad, who's totally bringing our team down? The gross girl in my Alliance--"

"YES! Yes, Alliance! What Alliance are you referring to?" Sophia cut her off before she could continue

Gigi eyed her suspiciously, especially after she so rudely stopped her mid-sentence. "What do you think I'm referring to?"

Sophia glanced around the room, making sure there were no wandering eyes or listening ears on their conversation. She looked back to Gigi and into her eyes, "The Young Blood Alliance. Are you…with them?"

Gigi smirked, "I might be… Why? Are you interested?"

Sophia smirked back, "Very, interested."

Trivia:

     •Sophia is Greek for wisdom (which she often lacks) and skill (which she does have).

     •Sophia's zodiac describes her well for the traits of a zodiac are strong-willed, passionate, jealous, and secretive.

     •She has a penchant for bad boys/girls like her mom. They easily influence her, which always leads to nothing good.

     •Sophia also only carries cash on her

     •She speaks fluent Spanish and English. Doesn't know a lick of French.

     •She lactose-intolerant

     •She is part of the Speech and Debate club at school

     •She knows how to play the violin

     •Sophia's not really interested in pop culture but she does enjoy watching trashy TV shows like Maury, Jerry Springer, etc. She even enjoys reality shows.

Story:

Perfect 

“Father, I managed to make the top 10% at school today!”

Sophia stood eagerly next to a seated Vlad in their grand dinning room. Vlad took a sip of his tea and continued to flip through the newspaper. 

“That’s wonderful dear…” he said not looking at her.

Sophia fidgeted from side to side, “Thank you! I was also given the position of team leader for our speech and debate club!” 

Her father simply flipped to another page 

“We’re going to our first competition next week! Is it possible that you could sign these papers so I can—” 

“Did you share this with your mother?” he cut her off harshly

Sophia flinched, “No, I—”

“Then maybe you should. I’m quite busy at the moment.”

He still has yet to look at her. Sophia bowed her head, mumbling a quiet ‘yes, father,’ and walked out of the dinning room. 

Red-hot embarrassment encased her entire mind; Sophia basically made a fool out of herself in front of her dad. Not once did he look at her, she must have seemed like some annoying little girl when standing next to him.

I bet Olevia never felt this way. I bet father would have looked at her. The thought made her stop in her tracks. 

Olevia.

Perfect Olevia.

Anger joined in with Sophia’s whirlwind of emotions and she continued forward, practically stomping now towards her mother’s office.

She stood in front of her mother’s office and knocked three times. She knew her mother was definitely in there during these hours.

“Mother, it’s me. I need to speak with you.”

She heard her mom give permission through the door and Sophia pushed it open and closed it behind her once she entered.

Courtney sat behind her grand oak desk that held a large computer screen, which blocked her face. Courtney looked around it and smiled at her daughter’s presence.

“Hello, my little Sophia! Come sit!” she pointed at the chair in front of her, which Sophia slowly made her way over to.

Once seated she waited for her mother to close any documents that were open on her screen. When she was finished, she got up from her chair and moved to sit on top of the desk completely facing her daughter.

“So, I’m going to assume this is about school. Did the rankings come in today?”

Sophia nodded.

“And?” 

 “I made top 10%”

 “Oh…” Courtney grimaced, 

“Not top 5%?” 

 Sophia shook her head solemnly, her embarrassment increasing even more.

 “Well that’s unacceptable. We’ll just have to push your study time, now won’t 

we?” Courtney crossed her arms.

 “How did speech and debate go?” 

 “They appointed me team leader.” Courtney’s face shifted into a smile and she clapped her hands,

 “Excellent! That’s the kind of information I like to hear!” Sophia felt herself loosen a bit from the praise she was finally able to receive. It’s not much but it makes her feel a bit better. She allowed herself to smile a little, 

“Yes, next week is our first competition so I need to get these papers signed.” Her mother nodded eagerly,

 “Of course! Oh, I can’t wait to tell Olevia this! She’ll be so happy that you finally became a leader of a club! Did you know she was the leader of two groups in high school?” Sophia’s smiled completely wiped off her face and she said tensely through gritted teeth. 

“No, I didn’t.”

 “Yes, our lovely Olevia is so perfect!” Courtney exclaimed.

 Yeah, perfect Olevia.

Sophia belong to lordgrape

[nolimitsongrace]

April 21: Choose To Let It Go

Choose To Let It Go!April 21, 2020

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. — Colossians 3:13

Every day we encounter opportunities to get upset with people about something they did or said. If we let down our guard and indulge in these urges, we will live in a continual state of frustration and strife, and our spiritual lives will suffer dramatically. Sometimes it can be very difficult to convince our minds to overlook a perceived slight, forgive the offender, and move on with our lives. However, the Bible offers us a powerful strategy that can be used to cultivate peace in our relationships: We must learn to extend grace to others and to realize that humans act human.

In Colossians 3:13, the apostle Paul wrote, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” This verse specifically outlines how we are to respond to people in our lives who disappoint or upset us. And since life is filled with disappointments, it’s important for us to understand exactly what Paul meant when he wrote these words.

Paul began with the phrase, “Forbearing one another….” This word “forbearing” is from the Greek word anechomai, which means to endure one another, to put up with one another, or to have tolerance of one another. It is the opposite of acting intolerant or being short-tempered with other people. At some point along the way, we all become frustrated with our friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances. In those moments, the most Christ-like attitude to demonstrate may be to simply show forbearance and let it go. That doesn’t mean we have to compromise or ignore an obvious problem; however, it does mean that sometimes taking the higher road means shutting our mouths and letting go of the offense or disappointment.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

That’s why Paul said in this verse that sometimes forbearing or putting up with the people you interact with in life is the highest road you can take. So when your flesh gets offended or you find yourself wanting to nitpick someone about what you perceive to be his or her failures, take some time to get quiet before God and ask Him what to do. It may be that His highest will in that situation is for you to simply show forbearance and let go of the matter. Although loving confrontation is needed at times, it is not always the right course to take.

Paul went on to say, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another….” The word “forgiving” comes from the word charis, the Greek word for grace. It carries the idea of wholeheartedly forgiving, freely forgiving, or readily forgiving. This is a step beyond simply being forbearing; it requires our response to go to the next level as we choose to freely and wholeheartedly forgive with no restraints and no strings attached. Just as God has extended His grace to us so many times by freely forgiving us of our sins against Him, now the Holy Spirit instructs you and me to extend forgiveness to those who have wronged us or offended us.

In the latter part of this verse, Paul relayed the core of his message, saying, “…If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” The word “quarrel” is a Greek word mamphe, which means a complaint or grievance against someone and usually depicts a complaint that is backed with solid evidence.

Perhaps someone failed to do what you expected him to do or acted in a manner that was below your expectations of him. Regardless of what you perceive that this person did wrong or what “quarrel” you have with him, the Bible commands you to forgive “even as Christ forgave you.” Isn’t that what Christ did for you?

It’s difficult for me to imagine why any of us would refuse to forgive someone else for a perceived offense in light of how graciously God has forgiven us. Certainly we are all guilty or worthy of blame! How could we ever forget that it was for our dreadful sin that Jesus died on the Cross? Jesus bore unspeakable suffering by taking on punishment He didn’t deserve — and He did it freely for us.

Now Paul urged us, “…As Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” You and I didn’t deserve the forgiveness we received, but God forgave us anyway. He forgave us for all we have done in the past, and His mercy is so boundless that He continues to forgive us in the present when we ask for forgiveness. Now we who are forgiven have a responsibility to forgive.

So if you’re having a day filled with opportunities to get upset with people and you feel yourself sliding into a state of frustration and strife, take a moment to pause and meditate on the truths of Colossians 3:13. When you remember how much you’ve been forgiven by Christ — and by others whom you’ve deliberately or accidently wronged in the past — you’ll realize you don’t have a right to stay upset with anyone!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You that the Holy Spirit is a Revealer of truth. He will lead and guide me into all truth and show me things to come. I thank You that I never need to worry or even wonder about what You want me to do in any area of my life. If I ask You for wisdom and open my heart to hear, the Holy Spirit will make Your will clear to me. I praise You for Your wonderful plan and for helping me fulfill my part in it for Your glory!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that the Lord guides me continually by His Spirit within me. I trust in the Lord with all my heart and don’t lean to my own understanding. In all my ways I acknowledge His wisdom and His presence, and He meticulously directs my steps to follow the good path He has prepared for me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

Can you think of a specific moment when the Holy Spirit “revealed” an answer that you desperately needed to know? How did He reveal that answer to you?

Have you ever had a “revelation” — a moment when the Spirit of God supernaturally removed an invisible veil that obstructed your view of things — and when that view was removed, you could see everything you needed to see and know exactly what you needed to know?

What are you doing in your life right now that is a direct result of a special revelation from the Holy Spirit? Maybe it’s more than one thing, so why not write down your thoughts and demonstrate to yourself just how much the Holy Spirit has revealed the will of God to you?