#as much as i miss the store i also outgrew it a bit i think. which is fine.

[onepiexe]

im off. weird day.

[moxfirefly]

Can i get a breeding kink prompt With mikey please? 👉👈

👁👄👁 I am-

Listen, do not get me started on this...

Okay here we gooooo

Rated Explicit (18+ only)

Michelangelo had everything down to a science, which he always found hilarious since he wasn’t the science guy here. But ironic joke aside, he truly did have it all thought out to the point of near perfection.

Because Spring sucks.

Spring is annoying.

Everyone’s in a mood, everyone is in a state of perpetual chest pumping and nothing gets done. Mikey had long since learned that skating the excessive energy out of his system worked fabolously, combine that with some much needed alone time with a skin magazine or video and he could call it a night.

Spring is so annoying.

With you though, he had glossed over in a vague matter that maybe it would be best for you to hang back for a few days. Naturally that was odd, Mikey sometimes wanted to glue you to his shell if he could. A quick look of the calendar filled in the blanks, mutterings about approaching Spring Fever as they had named it were ongoing on the nights you’d been there. Mikey was being courteous, nay he was being shy at the very least.

Curiosity on your end though, would be your undoing.

So you packed your overnight bag with the essentials . He was probably overselling this whole Heat issue, it wasn’t like Mikey’s libido was at a soft two even on a bad day. That man could watch you shaver your legs with a full on mud mask on your face and still pop a boner. Naturally though you maybe should’ve listened

but your feet were already taking to the nearest Lair entrance.

Mikey felt antsy , even after spending three hours on his board. He even took out his old normal board to practice basic tricks on it, he’d played video games for an hour, thought about you for another hour and still his skin felt electric. The air in the Lair tonight was about the same, everyone was locked away to avoid unnecessary fighting. He figured he’d shower, think about you once again and retreat back to his room.

He felt a little better after the hot shower, he’d even found that you had left one of those sweet smelling body gels. That had significantly distracted him and now he couldn’t stop smelling himself, for he smelled like you. In his trance he neglected to perhaps notice that your scent had picked up a little more but he figured it was himself.

He nudged the curtain aside that led to his room (Raph had moved out a few months back) and tossed his towel somewhere in the chaos.

Then he saw you there, on his bed, flipping away on some random magazine he had lying around looking like a dream. Mikey froze on the spot, you looked up and smiled.

“So what’s the big deal? Aside from how funeral like quiet everything is around, has anybody sprouted a third arm?” You joked whilst setting the magazine aside, you sat up and assessed him. He was freshly showered, smelling of your favorite shower gel and wearing nothing but his boxer briefs.

For Mikey though, his literal reptile brain was only making him notice how gorgeous you looked in nothing but some stay at home shorts and a flimsy oversized crop top. Naturally you had settled into your relaxed attire once here, most of the time it consisted of things Mikey either outgrew or didn’t use anymore. He approached, tentatively.

“No third arms dude, just you know; tension in the air” He chuckled and so did you, you couldn’t help but notice how fixated his gaze was. He looked at every little detail of yours more intently, enjoying it even more. Mikey reached out and ran his knuckles across your chin. You kept your smile, sneaking down to press a soft kiss on his wrist. “What’ya been up to then?” You not so innocently asked as he started playing with your hair.

Mikey’s mind was too clouded, it had been clouded all day with scandalous thoughts of you. Even now as you sat in front him, the picture of sweetness and loveliness all he wanted was to consume himself in you. “Thinking of you” He answered distracted by ideas of pulling your hair, watching your mouth open in a gasp, body shaking with pleasure.

Maybe spring didn’t have to be so annoying...

“Well I’m here now, you should’ve just said so” You liked how concentrated he seemed, fascinated with your hair or with caressing your cheek. You also didn’t mind that he was barely dressed, all strong legs and thin waist for display. You wondered just how badly he was fighting to not make his arousal so evident.

Then his hand retreated and he got down on both knees. His hands rested on your knees and you swore his pupils were blown out already, you pressed your legs tightly together.

“I can smell it, don’t hide it”

That sentence shook you. Your face flushed at his words but it only served for another shot of heat to pool beneath you. Mikey seemed so different, that cheery flirtatious nature of his wasn’t all quite there and you couldn’t help but wonder what lay in store for you.

He hooked his fingers in your shorts and pulled them down slowly, his excited energy was there but more zeroed in on the task at hand. You let him take them off for you, soon your underwear as well, his firm but gentle hand nudged you backwards. You laid down, breathing anticipation and exhaling desire when you felt those strong hands of his spread you.

“You smell so fucking good” Any and all rational thought had exited. All he wanted was to taste you, fuck you and claim you as his. He bit the inside of your thigh, enjoying the muscle tremble. When you felt a string of spit on your core and that wet warm tongue flick up your slit, you bit down on your lip. Mikey was never controlled, especially in this activity, he went at it like it was his last meal. But this honed in method left you shakey and needy.

He wanted you shakey and needy.

Thus he did the same, licking and sucking slowly, calculatedly. You looked down, his meticulous attacks making you squeeze your legs against his head. That brought a lengthy groan out of him, his hands gripped your thighs more and his movements picked up a little more in forcefulness. Soon enough he had you teetering on the precipice, close and closer and each second you swore he’d give it he took it back. You whined frustratedly, hand smacking down on the bed. Your heated gaze found Mikey’s, mouth wet with your essence, pupils still so blown you could barely make out his baby blues. He sucked a finger into his mouth and found your opening, your eyes rolled back into your head.

“You’re so damn wet, like you always get this wet whenever I eat you out” He was knuckle deep, making you crossed eyed as he found your spot and thrusted. “I wish you could feel what I feel when I slide into this pussy” He angled his finger, loving how you bit down hard to muffle a moan. His thumb found your clit and you nearly sobbed. “Fuck you’re so good, you’re all mine aren’t you? This...” He made a come hither motion with said digit. “This all mine?” He asked, rubbing slow circles on your clit.

You nodded vigorously, anything for him to just apply a little more pleasure to hit that spot with just a little more force.

Then Mikey was pulling out his finger and sucking the digit clean.

Yet another frustrated sound left you and you swore he smirked. When he got up, you bit your lip. He was fully hard, leaking and staining the front of his underwear. Good, served him right for the torturing. You made do of your shirt, not missing the hungry look when he saw you were bare beneath the shirt. Opting for some retaliation you fondled them, pinching and kneading. Mikey’s eyes followed them as he kicked off his underwear.

When he gripped your waist you figured he was going to climb on you.

You didn’t expect him to quite literally turn you around and manuveour you onto all fours.

This wasn’t an usual pose for Mikey, it’s not to say he didn’t indulge in it but he preferred to watch you ride him or to be so sweetly spooned against you. This felt, primal. He still seemed unsatisfied that he couldn’t watch you, so he improvised.

Once again wrapping an strong forearm around your waist he took you towards a small dresser that had a mirror. Your wide eyes were comical at this point, this was so unlike him and yet you found yourself so insanely turned on by it. He nudged your legs apart with his foot, hand on your lower back he guided himself in with his other.

That initial burn would never stop being your favorite and Mikey had full view of your eyes leaving their sockets. That gravely churr startled you, his usually didnt run that deep more along the lines of a pleasant purr. You clenched around him and his mouth hung open. That very sensation was something he could dream about awake. He had that feeling committed to memory, often times trying to replicate it with his hand whenever he missed you.

“Jesus fucking hell, Mike please move” You rested on your forearms, trying to move back against him but he held a firm hand on your lower back denying it. He remained quiet, you whined. “Please babe, please I want it so bad” Your eyes drifted to the mirror catchi. Mikey’s heated gaze and grin, he was definitely eating this display up.

He leaned over you, mouth close to your ear. “If... if I start I’m gonna keep going until you’re filled up with my cum” He tested his words by starting to move, hands gripping your waist tightly. The relief that washed over you was immediate, this angle was always a weak point for you so you knew lasting would be difficult.

Then Mikey slammed into you with enough force to rattle the dresser and it’s contents. Your mouth opened in a silent gasp, you watched how consumed he was feeling you. “Oh fuck Mikey, that’s so good” You felt him pulse inside of you, always one for praises this one.

“You’re gonna take it for me? Mhm?” He thrusted hard, demanding. You threw your head back, a blissed out grin breaking out on your face. “God yes, all of it baby, fill me up” You moaned, more so when he wrapped his arm across you chest and held you against his hard plastron. “Yes you are, you’re gonna take it all, every last drop” He shoved his finger into your mouth, pace quickening, churring nonestop.

He continued his words, each one making you hotter, the two of you were going to be a blushing mess after this. “Gonna fill you up, knock you up” He grunted against your ear, the angle was slightly uncomfortable but you were too lost in the lust to bother. You nodded trying to say ‘yes yes yes’ with his thick digit in your mouth.

Mikey felt you tighten so suffocatingly hard that you bit down pretty hard on his finger. He took it out just as you started to scream with your pent up release. “That’s my giiiirl” He groaned against you, slamming two more times before spilling himself in you. It felt never ending, each spurt deep within, Mikey’s short hard thrust making you slump forward in his arms. “Fu-uck Mike” Your voice shook, legs trembled as he emptied himself inside of you. He remained there, buried so far in, loving the mixture of his mess and yours.

Mikey bit down on your shoulder, hips starting to move again, his member twitching back to life. Your eyes shot open, watching him through the mirror. He kept you against him, this time by gripping both your breast.

His previous statement swam inside your foggy brain.

‘If I start, I’m not gonna stop...’

Spring was officially your favorite season.

[keanureevesisbae]

Coach Cavill - Chapter 2

Summary: Benji really likes his new coach and Amelia can only agree. 

Coach!Henry Cavill x Amelia Jung (Asian ofc)

Wordcount: 3.3k

Warnings: None

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

‘Annabelle did not pee her pants today,’ I tell Greg, when I place the shopping basket on the counter. ‘She actually managed to reach the toilets in time, so no clothes in a plastic bag today.’

When I walked out of school today, I got a text from Eve, saying that if Benji, Isabella and I wanted to have dinner at her place, I should bring some ingredients back with me and I really want to have dinner at her place. She is a much better cook than I am. Or even will be for that matter.

‘I’m proud of her,’ Greg chuckles, as he scans the articles. ‘By the way, I heard coach Cavill is a success.’

I agree to that a bit too quickly, but Greg is clueless (bless his heart) and doesn’t hear the desperation in my voice. Two practices have passed since the first one on Monday and usually I would bring some work with me, but now I’m enjoying every second of it. It’s something about how Henry handles the kids. I mean, when men are good with kids, it’s always a plus (I mean, have you seen Chris Evans with kids?), but it was different with Henry. The way he would grab the back of Benji’s brown belt, hoisting him up, it was something fatherly.

I remember when Benji was younger, Dean would bring him to practice. Since Benji had this thing about not changing in the locker rooms when he was younger (he finally outgrew that, thankfully), he’d get dressed back at home and Dean would carry him into the practice centre, as if Benji was a sports bag.

What has changed between Benji and Dean?

Henry’s deep voice fills the judo hall, with compliments to each kid. Some of them prefer the yelling type of coaching, while Benji prefers an one on one moments, where the coach would softly and privately tell him how he is doing.

No one hears the things he says to my son and I can’t believe this man knows how to handle my son within one week.

However, I’m not the only one who is enjoying the training, since the crowd of drooling moms is expanding with the minute. ‘Benji really likes him.’

Greg nods. ‘Good, good. Henry is already a well liked customer here. He buys a lot of groceries,’ he says. ‘I heard he lived in the old house miss Bonny used to live.’

‘He lives in that dump?’ I ask. That house has been empty for at least five years since her passing and kids are often told that the spirit of miss Bonny is circling around. Now my kids never believed in that, since I told them that was untrue. It’s just… The place scares me a bit, so I never walk passed that place when it was already dim outside. ‘Why?’

‘Has too much time on his hands?’ He shrugs. ‘I have no idea, never really asked about that, but what is a Brit doing here anyway?’

‘Trying to disrupt the peace here and breaking up marriages. You should see the bleachers during practice,’ I chuckle. ‘There are more women than there are kids. I saw Lotte Gambles even sitting there.’

‘Lotte Gambles doesn’t have any kids nor is interested in judo or any sport for that matter,’ Greg notes.

‘My thoughts exactly,’ I laugh. ‘I mean, how obvious do you want to make it that you are thirty seven, single and desperate?’

‘I bet you’re glad you got pregnant when you were in college, so you’d have a kid, thus an excuse to ogle the handsome coach.’

‘Greg,’ I tell him in my stern teacher voice, ‘I know what tooth broke off. My fist can do that again.’

He holds up his hands in defense. ‘I’ll shut u— Oh no.’

‘What oh no?’ I look over my shoulder and let out a frustrated sigh. Why is Dean here? With Mindy of all people? Is she incapable of doing something herself? Whenever I see her, it’s always with Dean. I don’t think I’ve ever run into her without my ex by her side.

Dean notices me and holds up his hand. I simply turn around again and say to Greg: ‘I’ll give you an extra twenty bucks if you can speed it up a bit.’

‘Amelia,’ I hear Dean say behind me and I clench my jaw out of frustration. I hate the way he says my name. I just hate him anyways. I can’t believe I was married to someone, who had the capability of hurting me so bad. ‘I still haven’t heard if I have Isabella over this weekend.’

I might’ve “forgotten” to text him. ‘She didn’t want to go,’ I simply tell him, ‘but she will think about going for the rest of the weekend, when she sees you tomorrow at the match.’

‘And Benji is still sure that he only wants me there?’ Dean wraps his arm around Mindy’ waist and I’m ready to stab my car keys or anything really in his eye. Why is he rubbing in that he has someone new, a younger model that he exchanged me for?

‘Benji is more than sure.’ I pay for my groceries and Greg hands me the plastic bag. ‘Thank you, Greg.’

‘Wish Benji good luck from me, will you?’ Greg says. ‘I’m not going to be able to make it tomorrow.’

‘So no snacks for us?’ I ask him, pushing my wallet back in my purse.

‘Sorry, Amelia, but I’ll put something behind the registry. When you guys come over, I’ll give you something to make up for it.’

‘You are amazing, Greg. Thank you.’ I look at Dean and say: ‘I’m serious, don’t go and bring,’—don’t say the toddler, Amelia, you have to be more mature than that and you are—‘her with you. Your son specifically asked for you and that means only you.’

I don’t even want to hear what he has to say about that, but I have known Dean for quite some time now: he has plenty to say. I walk to the lot and as I try and find my keys, when I hear a: ‘Hello Amelia.’

I look up so quickly, I nearly break my neck. ‘Coach Cavill,’ I say with a smile.

‘Henry, please.’

‘Excuse me, Henry. What are you doing here?’

‘Just going to get some snacks at the store,’ he explains.

Why going to get some snacks, when you are the only snack around? Thankfully I have the ability to shut my mouth, but I need to tell Eve this as soon as I get to her house. I bite my lip as I look at his outfit. I mean, he is a delicious looking man in his judogi. Normally men don’t wear shirts underneath it, but I do think he is aware that if he were to grace us with a glimpse of his bare chest, all the women would be dead in a heartbeat, me included.

But now, he is wearing jeans and a thick sweater and it looks so homey. I’m just going to put it out there: it’s an outfit that I have dreamed about, in a setting where he is sitting on our couch.

I simply nod. ‘Well, Benji really looks forward for tomorrow,’ I say. ‘He has been talking non stop about how great of a coach you are.’ It warmed my heart to hear Benji speaking so highly about his new coach, he barely does that. ‘He really doesn’t want to let you down.’

Benji always says that he doesn’t want to let me down. Not his dad, not Eve, not Johnny, not his grandparents, not even his sister, but only me. Hearing how there is someone else that he doesn’t want to let down, someone he met just this week, it makes me all sorts of happy. It’s all I ever wanted for my son, to have someone who shares his love for judo on a much deeper level.

I mean, sure, he and Johnny are close, he and my dad are close, but that is different. They don’t share his love for judo with him. Just like Dean and Benji never shared his love for judo. Their bond was never optimal.

Dean is loud, sometimes a bit crude and that was a bit too much for Benji from time to time. A real dad might tone it down a bit, however Dean is not a real dad, from my perspective of course.

‘Really?’ Henry smiles brightly, as he buries his hands in his pockets. ‘That’s always good to hear. I mean, whatever happens tomorrow, I’m proud of him anyways. Your son is an amazing judoka, Amelia. I’ve been training judoka’s for quite some time now, but Benji is on another level. I swear, the way that kid prepares before the throws, it’s quite something. Very unpredictable.’

Hearing other people gush about my children, is something that I always love, but hearing it from a coach who is new, but also seems like the type of man that really, really knows what he is doing, makes it extra special.

‘Really?’ I ask. ‘Wait, now it sounds like I’m actually surprised that he is good, while I know that Benji is amazing, but… His other coaches never gushed about him like you just did. And how long have you known him? A week?’

‘It comes with being a good coach, I guess,’ he says, with an even wider smile on his face. ‘When you see someone talented, you recognize it right away. I’m serious.’

‘Thank you for believing in him.’

‘That’s fairly easy when someone is that good,’ he tells me. ‘I’m not trying to infiltrate in yours and Benji’s life, but… I just have to ask. The divorce, it’s really hard on him, isn’t it?’

I sigh. ‘It is. I mean, it’s hard on both of my kids, but Isabella is really different. She understands that we are never getting back together, that her father is starting a new life and that I’m trying to do that too, but she never blames herself for it. Not one second. Benji on the other hand, keeps assuming it’s his fault. He keeps thinking if he was a better kid, a different kid, Dean wouldn’t have left.’

‘I’m so sorry to hear that,’ Henry says. ‘It must be tough on the three of you.’

‘It is. I mean, Benji is so sweet, but he takes a lot too personal, while this whole divorce had nothing to do with him.’ I sigh deeply and add: ‘It’s good for him that he has another male role model in his life that he shares something so important with.’

Henry smiles and is that a little blush on his cheeks? ‘Happy to be that for him.’

I realize that what I’m saying now, belongs in a therapy session, not on a parking lot with my son’s hot judo coach ‘I’m so sorry, that’s too much information about a messy divorce you don’t want to hear about.’

‘No, I brought it up myself. It’s just that… I can see it with Benji, how much he is seeking for approval. Just let him know that I’m never going to be disappointed in him. No matter how he performs tomorrow and all the trainings and competitions after that.’

I blink my eyes, as I try to not cry. ‘I’ll let him know. Thanks, Henry, for everything.’

‘No problem, Amelia.’ He motions towards the store and says: ‘I’ve got to go, I’m terribly sorry.’

‘No, no, I understand,’ I quickly say. ‘Please, don’t let me stall you. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

✰ ✰ ✰

Isabella, Benji and I finally managed to sneak out of Eve’s house. Normally I’m not too strict with bed time, especially when it’s weekend, but we have to wake up pretty early tomorrow and I want Benji to feel fresh and fit for his match. I already gave Isabella a kiss, before I walk over to Benji’s room. He is scrolling through his phone and looks up with a smile.

‘Hi sweetheart, what are you doing?’

‘Just checking the opponents.’

‘Can I come in?’ I ask.

‘Of course, mom.’ Benji places his phone to the side, as I sit on the edge of his bed.

‘Benji, we have to talk.’

‘Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?’ His voice is dripping with worry. I should’ve worded it differently.

‘Oh, no, of course not. It’s just that… I ran into coach Cavill today at the grocery store and he wanted me to let you know that he is not going to be disappointed in you, no matter how you perform.’

Benji nods, as he leans with his back against the headboard of his bed. ‘I just don’t want to let him down, mom.’

‘And you’ll never will,’ I say to him, running my fingers through his hair.

‘Dad said that too,’ he mumbles.

I nod. ‘But he always was disappointed when you didn’t win gold,’ I fill in for him. ‘I know, but remember, your dad was overly competitive and was a failure in every single sport out there, thanks to his selfish personality. But you should remember, that not every man in your life is like him. Uncle Johnny and grandpa and even Greg from the store, they are all incredibly proud of you and those men don’t even understand judo. Imagine how proud coach Cavill is going to be, since you both share a love for judo.’

‘But, mom, what if he thinks that I’m not good enough?’

‘You are good enough, honey,’ I say with a smile. ‘And you always will be, for everyone around here and that means for coach too. He will always think that you are good enough, He even said that you were on another level today and he knows his stuff about judo. Remember again, he is not your dad.’

He sighs. ‘I’m scared for tomorrow.’

My sweet and worried Benji. ‘You want me to call coach for you? I think I have his number somewhere in my email. Maybe he can calm you down a bit, prepare you for tomorrow.’

He wants to appear a little tougher than he is, so he shakes his head, but his puppy eyes say something completely different. Thankfully my mom instincts have barely proved me wrong, because I grab my phone from my back pocket and scroll through my mail, trying to find the introduction email from Henry. I click on his phone number and bring the phone to my ear, while holding Benji’s hand even tighter in mine than before. ‘Henry,’ he says when he picks up.

‘Hi, this is Amelia.’

‘Oh, hi Amelia, what a nice surprise. Are you okay?’

This man is quite something else, asking if I’m okay. When was the last time that Dean asked me something like that? I think it was at least six months before I found out he was banging his intern Mindy Simpleton, so that makes it more than a year.

‘Yeah, I’m okay, but I have very a nervous young boy here, who doesn’t believe that he is good enough.’

‘That can’t be good.’ Henry says. ‘You want me to talk to him?’

‘If you want.’

‘Of course I want that. You can put Benji on.’

I hold out my phone for Benji and he hesitantly takes it out of my hand. ‘Hi, coach,’ he says and I stand up, as I clean up his room for a bit, making sure his sports bag is all packed and ready to go.  I know he should do that himself and he does, but it never hurts anyone to double check. ‘Yeah … No, I’m just worried … My mom said that too … Yeah, she is indeed … I’m sorry … No, I really am … I’ll see you tomorrow … Will do … Thank you … Of course.’ Benji holds out the phone for me and says: ‘Coach wants to say something to you.’

I take the phone and say: ‘Hi, it’s me again.’

‘I hope that worked.’

‘That was quick,’ I whisper, as I see Benji getting ready for bed, with a smile on his face. ‘How did you do that?’

‘I’m that amazing,’ he says. ‘No, just kidding. I recognize myself in him, so I know how he feels.’

There is so much I want to ask him. He recognizes himself in my son? Why doesn’t that match up in my head?

‘Anyway, just wanted to tell you that he is a great kid, he’ll do fine and that tomorrow I’ll be his coach and his coach only for that block.’

‘Could you wait for a second?’ I ask him. ‘Just real quick.’

‘Of course.’

I hold the phone away and ask Benji: ‘Are you okay, honey?’

‘I’m fine,’ he says.

‘Well, good night and I’ll see you tomorrow. Rise and shine at six.’

He groans. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, sweetheart, I’m sorry. It’s quite the drive.’ I give him a kiss on his forehead. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too, mom.’

I smile at my handsome boy, before I walk out of his room, flicking off the light and closing the door. ‘I’m sorry you had to wait.’

‘You need to find better and more appropriate moments to apologize,’ he says. ‘You’re always apologizing, even when you shouldn’t.’

‘Yeah, it’s an annoying trait.’

‘Not annoying, little bit unnecessary.’

I walk downstairs and sit on a stool at the kitchen island. ‘It’s amazing, really,’ I say, ‘what you managed to do to him. I barely recognize him.’

‘What I said, I see a lot of him in me. It’s hard being that age and… Well, having to deal with a divorce.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘What did I say about apologizing, Amelia?’

I can’t help but laugh. ‘This wasn’t an apology,’ I defend myself. ‘This was empathy, very nice of me. You should appreciate that.’

‘You’re right,’ he chuckles.

I sigh. ‘But it is hard on him. This town barely has experience with a divorce, especially if all parties stay in town. We’re all figuring out how to deal with it really.’

‘Yeah, I heard. After you and I saw each other at the lot, Greg told me who you ran into in the store.’

‘Greg, what a big fat blabbermouth. He was never like this back in high school, but the store changed him.’

‘He means well,’ Henry laughs. ‘I haven’t been here too long,’ he continues, ‘but I’ve heard quite some things going around about you and Dean and the kids. I just want you to know that you are doing an amazing job and that Dean is the one who lost out.’

I can’t help but blush and I’m so grateful that he can’t actually see me now. I bite my lip. ‘I just can’t believe that you arrive here when I’m in the spotlight of the town gossip.’

‘Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m not interested in town gossip,’ he says. ‘I can tell you that I trust my own judgement a lot more than rumors.’

This shouldn’t make me tear up and I blink away my tears, before clearing my throat. ‘That means a lot.’

‘Of course.’ Henry’s voice is soft and I wonder what he is doing right now. Is he also in his kitchen, is he relaxing on his couch or was he doing work and have I interrupted him?

‘I have to hang up,’ I say. ‘There is a lot that I still need to do. Preparations for tomorrow and such. You want me to bring something for you? I’ve heard that I make great sandwiches.’

‘What a mom move,’ he laughs and a chuckle escapes from my lips. ‘But I’m never saying no to a great sandwich. I love everything, so surprise me.’

‘Will do. See you tomorrow, Henry.’

‘Yeah, see you tomorrow, Amelia.’

✰ ✰ ✰

Taglist: @diegos-butt​ // @henrythickcavill​ // @thelastsock​ // @onlyhenrys​ // @agniavateira​ // @needmorereading​ // @summersong69​ // @coldmuffinbanditshoe // @chamomilebottom // @toomanystoriessolittletime // @shadesofarrogance​ // @crazybutconfidentaf​ // @oddsnendsfanfics​ // @gearhead66​ // @star017​ // @iloveyouyen​ // @thereisa8ella​ // @thethirstyarchive // @nina-skyee // @rn7rocks // @hollytehmoomin // @star017 // @abschaffer2​ //

[sneezyminniejo]

Hi, can I request a sneezy Jimin with cat allergies? Thank uu

This 100% got away from me, but I hope you enjoy

You Don’t Always Outgrow Things

The seven members of BTS had decided it was time to get another pet. They loved Yeontan, but felt bad about constantly leaving him at the dorms alone, so they decided to get him a companion. They didn’t feel like they could properly accommodate a second dog, so they decided on getting a cat.

Jimin was super excited at the prospect of getting a cat. He hadn’t been able to have a cat nor a dog when he was a kid because his parents were allergic. Truthfully he was slightly allergic to cats when he was kid as well, but he hoped he was one of the people that outgrew his allergy, so he never felt the need to tell the others about it.

A couple hours after they had gotten the cat moved into the dorm and settled, it was becoming apparent to Jimin that he hadn’t outgrown his allergy. His nose had been getting itchy, and his eyes had been watering a bit as well. Because he didn’t want to disappoint the others with the bad news, Jimin decided that he was going to try to play off his symptoms as the beginning of a cold until he could buy some allergy meds.

“Heptschh, hetschh.” Jimin had sneezed for the fifth time in two hours and he could see some looks of concern beginning to form on the other members’ faces. Jungkook got up and grabbed a box of tissues, bringing it over to the third youngest. Meanwhile Yoongi had disappeared into his room. “Here hyung, you sound like you could use some tissues.”

Jimin gratefully took the offered tissues and began to blow his nose. By the time he had finished Yoongi had reappeared holding a thermometer. “Open up Jimin-ah. You’ve been sneezing a lot today, and you might be getting sick. I want to take your temperature to see if you have a fever.” Jimin wanted to protest at getting his temperature taken, but he knew it was either that or admit to his allergy, so he just went along with it.

When the thermometer beeped, Yoongi was quick to take it and look at the reading. “98.4, If you are getting sick, it might just be a cold. How do you feel?” Jimin sighed before speaking. “I feel okay hyung. At the moment it’s pretty much just in my nose and sinuses, probably just a head cold.” Jimin lied, but Yoongi and the others accepted the answer. Seokjin had disappeared at some point and came back with a tray of tea for everyone.

Things weren’t getting much better as the afternoon progressed. Jimin found himself constantly rubbing at his nose in an attempt to quell the ever present itch, and every so often he’d break out into small fits of messy and itchy sneezes. The others were getting more and more concerned about Jimin’s well being, but no one really wanted to press the matter, except for the second youngest.

“Jimin-hyung? Do you want any medicine? It might help with some of your symptoms.” Jimin was only able to nod before pitching forward into a tissue for the upteenth time that day. “Heh-tschh. Me-medicine wou-would be gre-heptschhh great Tae-ah, thank you.” Yoongi was about to get up to look at their medicine stash, but Taehyung stopped him. “I’ve got it hyung.” Taehyung quickly left and returned shortly with the medicine and a glass of water. Jimin quickly took it after Taehyung explained that it was merely a decongestant and painkiller for the headache he had most certainly developed from all the sneezing.

After a little while, Jimin’s headache began to fade along with a small amount of the congestion. He knew however, that unless he could get his hands on some allergy meds, his symptoms weren’t going to get any better anytime soon.

Namjoon and Hoseok had decided they wanted to go to the store to grab some groceries, as they had completely forgotten to shop for themselves when they were getting the pet supplies. Jimin asked to go with, and even though the two older members were hesitant to let their sick dongsaeng leave the dorm, they couldn’t resist his puppy dog eyes.

At the store Jimin tried to sneak a box of antihistamines into their shopping cart, but was caught by Hoseok who turned to the cart at just the right time. Hoseok looked extremely confused, but before he could ask anything, Jimin cut in. “They’re for Jungkook, he asked to grab some on our way out.” Hoseok merely nodded knowing that the pollen count was supposed to get pretty high this week. To be on the safe side he grabbed another box and put it in the cart along with the box Jimin had grabbed. They also picked up a few more boxes of tissues for Jimin’s sneezy cold and apparently Jungkook’s impending allergies.

When they arrived home, the trio began to unpack the bags. “Jungkook, here’s the antihistamines you requested.” Hoseok called. Jungkook came out of his room looking confused and was about to say something before he caught Jimin giving him a pleading look. “Right, thanks hyungs. You all are life savers.” Jungkook took the medication and went back to his room.

Now that Jimin was back in the environment with his allergen, his sinuses were burning again. He needed to get the medication from Jungkook. He was almost at Jungkook’s door, when his breath began hitching. He managed to make it to the door before he couldn’t hold back anymore. “Heh-itschh, heptschh, hep-TIEW.” The last one ended up being louder than the other ones, as he hadn’t been able to stifle the force of it. Jimin was able to hear a slightly muffled ‘bless you’ from Jungkook on the other side of the door before it opened.

Jungkook gave Jimin a sympathetic look as he walked into the room. He also didn’t feel like partaking in any smalltalk, so he got straight to the point. “Okay, hyung. Why did I pretend that I asked for allergy meds? I have plenty right now.” Jimin sighed before plucking a tissue from the nightstand and blew his nose before responding. “I don’t have a cold Kook-ah. I’m allergic to cats.” 

Jungkook stared at Jimin, dumbfounded at the revelation. “So your plan was what exactly, secretly take antihistamines and if anybody asked why we were getting more you were going to say they’re for me?” Jimin nodded, a blush creeping up his cheeks out of embarrassment. “Hyung, you need to tell the others, we can’t keep the cat if you’re allergic.”

Jimin’s eyes became wide at that statement “No, everyone was so excited about the cat. I don’t want to disappoint anybody. Let me see how I fare on the meds first, and if I don’t get any better then I’ll tell them.” Jungkook really wanted to tell Jimin was being stupid, but he looked so determined to make it work, he decided to let it slide. “Okay hyung, if the meds aren’t working after they kick in, I’m telling the others.” Jimin agreed to that quickly and took the meds and left.

Now that Jimin was properly medicated, he was doing significantly better. He was still sneezing occasionally, but not nearly as much as earlier. However, he was still sneezing at least once every half hour or so and Jungkook decided that that wasn’t good enough, especially since the plan was keeping the cat. Jungkook decided to call a group meeting.

Everyone looked very confused once the meeting started, because normally they’re only called if there’s a problem that needs to be addressed. “So Kook-ah, why did you call a meeting?” asked Seokjin, genuinely concerned that he had somehow missed tension amongst his dongsaengs. Jungkook got straight to the point. “Jimin hyung has been hiding something, and I feel that it needs to be shared. If he doesn’t say anything I will.”

All eyes turned to Jimin, who was subconsciously rubbing at his  nose. He was so preoccupied with it and how to formulate his answer, he didn’t notice the cat jump onto his lap. But he certainly noticed when the cat’s tail brushed under his nose though. “Heptschh, het-ischh, hicktiew,itshchh, ngxt.” Taehyung was quick to offer some tissues to the slightly older member.

Once Jimin finished blowing his nose he started speaking. “Jungkook’s right, I have been hiding something all day. I’m not sick and I don’t have a cold.” The other members were about to cut in with their own objections, but Jimin held up a hand signalling for them to wait. “I’m allergic to cats. I was really hoping that I had outgrown the allergy, but I clearly haven’t. I didn’t want to disappoint you guys, and I don’t want to get rid of the cat.”

Namjoon sighed as he weighed their options. The easiest and quickest fist of course, would be to take the cat back to the shelter, but he knew Jimin would beat himself up over it. The second option was to leave things be, which Namjoon didn’t really think was viable based on how symptomatic Jimin was. Before he could ponder any more options, Hoseok chimed in.

“Jimin-ah, what if we schedule you an appointment with an allergist? You can probably get an allergy shot or some prescription allergy meds that will be more effective than what we bought at the store.” Jimin nodded excitedly at the idea, and Namjoon was quick to call their manager to schedule an appointment.”

The appointment had managed to be scheduled for the next day, and the doctor gave Jimin a shot saying that if that didn’t resolve his symptoms to his desire, he should take some over the counter meds as well. When Jimin arrived home, the first thing he did was go find the cat to see if the shot was working. To his glee, Jimin’s symptoms had almost entirely disappeared. “Now that that’s taken care of we still need to name the cat.” said Jungkook. Jimin smiled widely and said “Seokyeong, because she’s like a beautiful little flower petal.” All the members agreed happily.

Yeontan warmed up rather quickly to his new playmate, and they soon became best friends. It soon became rather normal for the members to find both Yeontan and Seokyeong curled up together on the same bed. They would also play with each other throughout the day, which relieved all of them, because it meant they succeeded in finding their pup a playmate so he wouldn't be alone so much anymore.

[saraaaisabelll]

Is this love?...

A question I have been asking myself for over 3 years now. About the same person, no matter who comes in my path, nothing can erase him. The moments I shared with him can become a blur now and again, but they always seem to have a way of hitting me in the heart, mind and gut so vividly that I almost freeze when it happens. I can almost always transport, what feels like, my soul back to the moments I loved so much with him. And it fills me with so much happiness, warmth, and sometimes sadness. 

Although we had attended the same school system, pretty much our entire adolescent lives, we officially became apart of each other’s lives December 2014. It was just a few days before Christmas that you “slid in my DM’s” , but I never took your approach to me in that context as anything bad or corny. We never really had seen one another in person since high school , or so I assumed. I can specifically remember you telling me how you used to see me in all sorts of places, but always with my ex. Which made my entire body blush on the inside. Were you watching me?

We hit it off almost right away. I remember you coming over to my apartment so many nights and us just vibing, talking and smoking. I remember how nervous I used to feel around you, that good nervous that makes your bones feel like they’re going to melt any second. I specifically remember how your voice had me in this trance-like state , so deep yet so delicate. I hung of every other word you spoke. And all you could see was my goofy smile. I remember one of the first times we actually ate out together, we went to get wings. I remember the exact outfit I wore and how you came over while I was finishing up curling my long hair. I remember when we got there how I was scared to eat wings in front of you and you tried your best to show me that it didn’t matter if I got messy while eating. 

I’ll never forget New Years Eve. I remember that night very clearly as well. It was freezing, and my dumb ass wanted to wear a mini skirt. I was alone all night, past 12, wondering where you were. I was disappointed that we weren’t together for the ball drop, and thats when I knew something was happening inside my heart for you, I had gotten attached. But you eventually showed up, I can’t remember if you apologized, I feel like you did but you had mentioned that we didn’t really plan on being together for 12AM to hit & that you were with your friends. So we carried on into the night, meeting up with my friend at a bar & us heading to her family’s party. We dropped her off and took a ride down the block to smoke. I remember getting SO stuck to a point where I told you we had to go and you needed to drive us back home. At this point we had yet to make love and I was in a mix of dying to feel all of you but loving every moment of getting to know all of you. I remember us coming home and I asked you to stay. I remember me getting under the covers and you decided to sleep above the sheets under a blanket. We cuddled to sleep that night without any moves being made. I remember you kissing me on my ear as I laid on my side in bed. That memory always makes my heart flutter.

The night we made love always comes back to me in bits and pieces. Although I can recall the many times after that we made love, this specific time doesn’t quite come to me so well. I remember exactly what we were doing prior and how it started. We were watching Guardians of the Galaxy and it had ended. We were cuddled on of the couches and I looked up at you and we started kissing, and it got more and more intense as the credit screen rolled behind us in the background. I remember standing up and taking your hand & leading you into my room. But sadly from there I can’t remember, and I have no idea why.  But I do remember that I had never felt more pleasured and loved at the same time than I had every time I was with you.

Weeks passed that felt like months. Making wonderful love, sharing ourselves with one another, and always going to see movies was our thing. But at the time you met me, even you knew, I had a lot of growing to do and eventually I allowed my ego and insecurities get the best of me. Something wanted to tell me you weren’t loyal and I sadly opened those flood gates. After our first fight things never really felt like they mended completely, they never went back to the same place for us. I had broken your trust by not trusting you, and after all these years I still don’t think I’m fully able to forgive myself for being so foolish. 

As time continued our arguments became more and more frequent. On the one side was me, a lost, insecure, dependent young woman who just didn’t want to lose love again. And on the other side was a young man growing into himself more and more as the seconds of each hour or each day passed. Was it that you maybe just outgrew me in the midst of it all? I’d never really get to have that answer come out of you in person because that summer I decided to move to D.C. Feeling that it was the right choice & allowing myself to have space from whatever was between us because I was damaging myself about it. You didn’t really ever express sadness or pain for me when I left. I remember how bad I wanted to see you on my last day there & you never came. Why? Was it now your ego getting the best of you? I’ll never know. You never really liked to open up about your feelings once things started to change. I’m so sorry for being the cause of that wall you built.

We kept in touch for a few months, I wanted you so badly but I could feel the change in you, and it was breaking my heart every time we spoke. That was the first time I tried to cut you out of my life, which would eventually fail. I had met someone that winter who I thought was such a great match for me, he was fun, energetic, talkative & I guess his sex helped me to forget how you felt. I ended up getting pregnant by him, but knew I couldn’t go through with it. That was the end to the relationship between the both of us, and I could only think of calling you. Which I think may have only pushed you further away from me by hearing what had happened, but you stuck by me and consoled me everyday that I needed you. I’ll never forget that, thank you.

As 2016 came into the picture so did another relationship. I had seen you maybe once between this lull of relationships I had. This time it was someone who also lived back home & as I continued traveling back to see him I found myself feeling pulled back to you more and more. Finally, as summer was coming to an end I decided to cut it off with him because I was still in love with you. I told him everything, how I still felt about you and that I couldn’t do that to someone knowing I would never fully be committed to them. And so the Fall began.

I remember the month or weeks prior to you coming to visit me for the first time I had visited New York by myself. I was on this personal high & felt myself sprouting roots and growing into someone I knew I was meant to be. And all I could, and still do, think about was how you were the one to push me into this growth and transition in life. So a couple weeks later you came to visit me in December. Thinking now how ironic it was that it was around the same time that we first met. I was living in this small, old, basement & you teased me, innocently, for it. I remember walking to go get groceries with you the day you arrived. And on one of the days you were there we got into the African American History Museum on sheer luck! But I knew you were so thrilled. 

After you left, things somewhat dimmed. I ended up traveling to Colombia later on that month to see my family & thats when I decided, internally, to move here. Time passed and we ended up planning for you to come again during March of 2017. Just a week or two before my birthday. I took you to the Zoo & my favorite neighborhood in the city. I remember you accidentally missed your bus back so you had to wait til later that night to go home. And I can’t say I wasn’t happy about that. But I remember pouring my heart out to you that day in my room, your head pressed against my stomach as I held onto you like I was never going to see you again. You were still a man of few words. You had dinner at my job & got in your lyft to the station. I wouldn’t see you again til mid April.

I came down a few times during that spring/summer and you came up once more during the summer with your family. That was after I had moved into my new room & I had just gotten Calvin. You were weird about him because you’re not really a ‘animal person’, but you were cute about it. I remember it was just for one night that I saw you. It was raining horribly & I picked you up at your aunt’s house. We came back to the city and you were hungry but nothing was open, so we had yet another grocery store adventure to add to our list. I remember you met one or two of my roommates and then we headed up to my room. We proceeded to watch Fury, which we never finished because we stopped it and began making love. Although the room was new to me, it was slightly old to the house itself, having a hole in the corner of my ceiling, we could hear the rain leaking in. You, as usual, found humor in it and teased me about it. But that was the last time I actually saw you. 

I traveled home about three more times, making efforts to see you, but never having that effort really come back from you. During the fall I ended up falling for someone else. He was different & I felt you being covered up so well. Things were rocky at the start between he & I, but eventually it became this weird yet passionate love between us. I left home for Colombia on February 20th and we kept our relationship going for a while. It was great but there was a lot of problems as well, and one day something clicked. I fell out of that type of love we had and I didn’t really think about you. But then, little by little, you started haunting my thoughts again. You began popping up in my dreams here and there & then it became almost nightly. I would think about you , but not just a typical thought, it was like we were connecting even though there is this great distance between us. So I decided to message you. I told you how I hadn’t really lost any love for & you told me you didn’t see me in that way.

So I thought to myself , ok well that’s that. But weeks later, here you are, still weighing so heavy on my heart. Flooding my thoughts, making my blood rush and my heart flutter without even being here in the flesh. The thought and memory of you, can’t go away, you’re stuck there. I can’t help but question, still, is this love... ?

[sunkissis]

Bonjour mes amis,

It has already been two months since our arrival in Paris! I cannot tell you how fast this time has flown by. We exchanged our house in LA with a sweet French couple in Nation (12th arrondissement) for the first two months so we could have time to apartment hunt. I am so happy we were able to live in Nation mostly because we were able to experience a new part of the city we have never seen before.

I feel like I have finally mastered taking Liv to school on the Metro. I used to be confused about which direction the train would go and call myself out as an obvious tourist during the ride by watching for every stop. Now, we know all the lines and have the cool, I can’t be bothered look while on the train. Although once on a crowded train I got my skirt caught in the door.

    My hair is huge here. I spend hours flat ironing it and yet the second I go outside it turns into an instant pouf. Must be the humidity, there is so much moisture in the air.

Liv and I usually discuss our plans for the week and how we are adjusting to life in France during the ride. I ask her about the differences between LA and Paris. She makes statements like France is so much more cultural and historic than California. She told me, “In Paris everyone takes public transportation but hardly anyone in LA does. Most people at the grocery store are grumpy but here they care about helping you.” She also said the food here is much better than LA. She’s doing well in school. I have met some of the parents of her classmates (although very few speak English). Her curriculum is very similar to her French school in LA but they go off the campus for PE (which is called sports) and I feel terrible because I can’t help her with most of her homework (only math and English).

After I drop her off, I usually take the bus home because the Metro is very crowded and grab my luggy to pick up the day’s groceries. I still can’t get over how frequently I have to shop here. We go through groceries like crazy!

So far we absolutely love living in Paris. I still cannot believe we are here after dreaming of this for so many years. However, there are some downsides to life in France. Please don’t think I’m some entitled brat complaining about my great life, I just want to keep it real and show both sides of our life.

It is very expensive! So far we have plunked down quite a bit of euros for household items (new towels, shopping at Ikea for our new apartment, basic toiletries). It’s harder to stick to a budget because we had to stock up on basic items. Our first week here I bought Liv a scooter, new clothes and had to replace a pair of shoes she outgrew. This month Antz and I needed some new clothes because we (happily) lost weight! I spend €225 every month on our Metro/bus passes but sometimes in a pinch, we need to use Uber and depending on how far we are from home, it can be expensive. We needed to rush home from Versailles to make it to a birthday party on time and it ended up costing €65 for a 30 minute ride.

Liv really enjoyed her €9 smoothie.

Then Monoprix had to come out with this rad limited-time collab with Maison Chateau Rouge. Just take all my money!

The romper was for Liv but if they had my size I would totally rock it. I pretty much cleared out their home decor display.

However, groceries seem less expensive here than in LA. Like cheese, meat and beverages are super cheap. But let me tell you about the most magical, delicious item in all of France… la beurre!

Back home I buy insignificant Land of Lakes salted butter for like $3.99 on sale. Here, I only buy Sel de Mer de Noirmoutier and it is so delicious. I use it on everything, you could tell me it has crystal meth in it and I would still be like “Pass the butter.” I must say, America is missing out on this fucking amazing butter. It costs €2.35!

However dining out is still costing a fortune. We stopped ordering cocktails and are sticking to drinking water but we can’t seem to keep our bill under €75. Recently, while out on a stroll around the neighborhood we found the famous rue Montorgueil. The heavens parted and angels sang as we discovered the most intoxicating smells of baked bread, meats and fresh fruit. The oldest bakery in Paris is located here. It’s now my favorite place to buy fruit and we fell in love with all the restaurants.

We brought home the best BBQ ribs and a half a kilo of cherries for lunch. Liv gobbled them the whole tray in five minutes! Oh, and I am now a basket lady. I have bought three baskets since I got here. This is who I am now. Note: The fluffy hair.

We found this incredible living wall called L’oasis d’Aboukir. It rains almost once a week so I guess that is why this garden is so insanely green.

There are a few other annoyances here that I can’t seem to figure out. Like getting mail delivered. It seemed to be easier to get our mail when we were staying in Nation but that could be due to our sweet neighbors helping us out by accepting our packages. In our new apartment, we have a mailbox that we put our names on but nothing has been delivered so far. It took many attempts to find which of the local post offices our address belonged to. My French is not as great as I thought it was. I was able to pick up one package (I ordered five weeks ago!) yet three more are in mail limbo because we were told if our building has a locked gate, they can’t deliver packages. Uh, like every single building in Paris has a passcode door so why wouldn’t they at least email me or leave a note so I know where to pick up my stuff? Today I am going to Fed Ex for the third time to pick up a package that was delivered nine days ago! My Mom sent me a huge care package and it took me two weeks to figure out how to track it down.

  Another thing I will never get used to is the military presence here. I mean, they all seem like nice soldiers but it’s jarring to walk down the street and then boom, there’s five or six fully uniformed army folks casually carrying guns that look like they belong in a video game. I don’t dare take photos of them but they do say bonjour without a smile as I walk by. Oh, and they wear berets. I suppose I am lucky to live in a relatively safe neighborhood because there have been random knife attacks since we have arrived and sadly, I am always cautious when we are in large crowds.

I also seemed to have a hyper-sensitive aversion to noise. I was equally annoyed by the nonsense noise caused by our hillbilly neighbors (they had the world’s lamest garage band) in LA. Here, the sounds are subtle but torturous. For example, we noticed the first night while in bed, the upstairs neighbor’s toilet must be directly above our heads. Imagine the sounds we heard. They also had some type of saloon door that swings shut. This door produced a boom, bump, bump, bump sound all day long, just about every 30 seconds. I was very close to paying them a friendly visit to offer some felt pads but we moved into a new apartment. Just as we arrived at our new home we were welcomed by the constant cooing of les pigeons. They nest outside of our kitchen window and their incessant cooing sounds make me want to murder.

My final (first-World) problem is our new apartment doesn’t have a separate dryer. They consider this country sophisticated? I was warned about the hard, scratchy towels of Paris so I’ve always traveled with my own towel. The night before we left LA, I took a shower and used my soft, brand new bath towel that I packed in my carry-on. Then as we were re-packing our stuff I realized I only had enough room for either my winter coat or my towel. I was already wearing my camel year-round coat on the plane so I had to make a Sophie’s Choice. I decided it won’t be so terrible to buy new towels in Paris once we arrived. Guess what? Soft, plush towels do not exist here! I was stuck using my face towel for the first week. Monoprix does sell towels but they have a scratchy texture and cost $32.99 each. So, lesson learned, travel with your own pillowcases and towels. I did bring my allergy-free pillowcase covers with me. So, I’m living in 1925 y’all!

I adore freshly dried linen sheets or hand-washed pajamas but putting on stiff as cardboard undies sucks! Now I understand why everyone has to iron clothes here.

In other fun news, it’s peony season! My favorite flower is in bloom and you can buy four stems for 20 euros. Well, that’s how much they were at the marche however Antz found a sweet bouquet for me for Mother’s day for just ten euros.

  This is how they look three days later, swoon.

May 1st is May Day. According to Wikipedia, on 1 May 1561, King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm. He decided to offer a lily of the valley each year to the ladies of the court. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became custom to give a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of springtime, on 1 May. Nowadays, people may present loved ones either with bunches of lily of the valley.

Liv has been a crafting machine since most of her toys couldn’t fit in her suitcase. She has decided she needs a handmade sword and shield.

  I took her to La Droguerie to buy a pom pom making kit. This colorful place is located on

9-11 Rue du Jour, 75001 Paris, France

She was able to customize her own glitter! This kid and I were in rainbow craft supplies heaven.

We try to go to visit a new arrondissement every weekend. The parks here are absolutely gorgeous. Just don’t ever step on the grass. When the sky turns blue here, you grab a picnic basket and run outside!

Jardin de Luxembourg Rue de Vaugirard, Boulevard St. Michel, Rue Auguste-Comte and Rue Guynemer 75006 Paris, France

The boat rentals are €4 for 30 minutes. Liv chose Mexico to rep her Grandma Maria.

I think the pony ride was €8. Sweetest pony but our seven year old child is a giant.

Parc Floral 4 route de la Pyramide | Bois de Vincennes, 12th, 75012 Paris, France

We also love strolling our new neighborhood to hunt for Invaders.

Liv pointed out the heart shapes in the window panes.

One evening we took a stroll and ended up on Île de la Cité just at sunset. I swear I am never going back to the US!! Life here is tres beau.

Ask me anything about living in Paris.

Life in Paris: Month Deux Bonjour mes amis, It has already been two months since our arrival in Paris! I cannot tell you how fast this time has flown by.

[canaryatlaw]

well, for a shitty week, today was pretty damn good, even though I feel guilty for somewhat blowing off my bar prep (but I did get some of it done tonight so it’s not a total loss). I woke up at 8, earlier than my normal church wake up because I was gonna do the whole shower thing, which ended up taking me less time than I expected so I was like sitting at my kitchen table trying to kill time, and then continually getting frustrated because the bus only comes at 9:00 and 9:20 and I need it at like 9:10 to work properly, but I always end up getting on the 9:00 bus because I hate being late and then I’m just like awkwardly early, and I end up getting pulled into the 10:30 huddle when I’m not serving till the 12:30, but oh well. So all of that happened, and then I went up to the service. I’d been gone the last two weeks and I really miss my church when I’m gone so I was glad to be back, and during worship they played the song they played when it was my first time there that I really like so that made me happy. The sermon was mostly about spiritual gifts (which sounds like a super churchy thing but it’s legit just like the logistics of what you’re good at doing) and exploring that, they even made an online quiz they gave as “homework” where you can answer questions and it’ll tell you what you’re best suited for, or something like that anyway (I don’t think it’s meant to be taken 100% seriously). I pretty much know where I’m at in that regard being that I’m with the babies legit every Sunday, sometimes I don’t even make it to the service but I’ll still be with the babies 😂 but yeah, service was good and then I was with the babies, and boy was it a “when it rains, it pours” day. Most of the time we have super calm services, but every so often we’ll just get a shitton of babies and half of them will be screaming and everything’s on fire, it’s either one or the other, no in betweens lol. there were a LOT of babies so I’m not going to list them all, but I’ll talk about the few I mainly interacted with. This one girl, she’s gotta be like 18 months by now and we’ve had her since she was like 5 months but she just recently started crying when her parents leave (I hate when they regress like that) and she had been in the babies room for the last service, and her mom had come to pick her up, but then she ended up having a meeting so she gave her daughter back to us just for a little while while she was in her meeting. Well, this little girl was not having it. I felt bad because I knew she was probably confused, but she was crying a lot, she would get distracted and stop for a while then start again out of nowhere, so that was a little trying, but thankfully her mom was back before long. We then got an endless stream of babies coming in like, halfway through the service which never makes sense to me but always happens lol, at one point this mom came in with her son and she was just like “would it be okay if I just came in there with him for a little bit?” and I was like YES PLEASE, PLEASE DO because we did not need another unoccupied baby running around lol. For a while I did play with this little girl who was the cutest little thing, I know I say that a lot but seriously, this baby was so. cute. she had these bright blue eyes and the top of her ears stuck out just a little bit and she had this little smile and like....I just melted looking at her because she was so damn cute. She was like 7 months and her parents said she couldn’t quite crawl yet but was getting there, so we sat her on the floor and let her move as she wanted, a few times I’d hold her up so it was like she’s standing and she like, hasn’t fully grasped the concept yet because she keeps most of her feet off the ground and is just on her tip toes, which is also very cute, and she got really happy when I did that and she’d like, try to grab on to me to hold herself up but just ended up like, touching my face awkwardly but it was too damn cute. Okay, I think I ranted sufficiently about how much I wanted to kidnap this perfect little angel (but of course, I restrained myself). There was another little girl I held for a bit who was crying before giving her over to one of the other ladies who was holding her last week and they kinda bonded which does happen haha and she basically just held her the rest of the time. It was a lot of on and off crying, but by the end of the service it was fairly calm so that’s good enough for me lol. I had been texting Jess making plans to get food once I got out of church, and I suggested we go to the cheesecake factory because she loves that place, but the only one I knew of was downtown and you can’t drive downtown because there’s no place to park and it was way too hot to get there by any way other than driving, but she knew of one up in Evanston that was like 30 minutes from us since we’re pretty far north, so I ubered back to her place after church because I’m impatient, and got in the car, stopped at mcdonalds for ice cream cones because it’s never a bad time for ice cream, and from there we drove up to where it was in a mall complex. We had also been planning on seeing Oceans 8 at some point (we were gonna do it last weekend but ended up being too wiped out from our other activities) and there was a movie theatre in the mall complex, so we resolved to get food, look at some stores, and then go to the movies. We got seated right away at the cheesecake factory which I was kinda surprised at because I thought it would be busy with post-church traffic but I guess it was late enough at that point (it was like 3) that most of that crowd had passed through. Our food came out like wicked fast, it was actually there before we even got our bread, which I was very slightly sad about because I like their bread lol. I got the same pasta I always get but it was the lunch portion so I actually finished it for like, the first time I think lol. We were pretty full after that so we opted for no cheesecake (and I mean, we’d already had ice cream) so we paid and then went to wander the stores. Forever 21 was right there and they were having like, a super sale, so we wandered around there a while. I used to get like, most of my wardrobe from there, but more recently I guess I kinda outgrew their stuff and I don’t really own much from them anymore, guess that happens. From there we went into Garage quickly because like, about half of their clothing is actually wearable and cute but the other half is total garbage lol, and then we went into Charlotte Russe for a while. From there we decided to move the car around to the other side of the mall where the movie theatre was, so we did that and then went to assess the movie theatre situation, and dude, this was like a super fucking fancy movie theatre. Like I’ve been to nice ones before, but this was soooo over the top. It had like, waiter service for all these fancy things, and they’ll bring you blankets if you want (they were polyester of course, but I forgive them) and like, their menu was insane, it had like filet mignon for $39 like....who is actually so fucking extra that they would order a fucking steak at the movie theatre (I actually know the answer to that because the answer is my father, but still) so we got popcorn and Jess got a shake and I got a coke because I was still full from lunch. So we chilled there for a while until the movie started. Like all of my internet friends have been raving about this movie for weeks now, so I had pretty high expectations, and they did not disappoint. I’ve seen all 3 of the original Ocean movies and enjoyed them all, so if they were going in that direction I knew I’d like it. And oh, it was so genius, I loved it. Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett were fucking great together, and I have to agree with much of the speculation I’ve seen, they’re totally in love lol. I also really loved Anne Hathaway, she was great through the entire thing, but when she shows up (maybe spoiler?) at the end she just became such a boss and I loved every minute of it. At the last scene, right up until the screen was black, I fully expected George Clooney to walk up any moment because I mean, is anybody really dead if we didn’t see them killed on camera?? lol, but it’s good they at least left the door open for it. So yeah, I really liked it. When we got out most everything else was closed since it was getting late on a Sunday, so we headed back home and had some GPS adventures, but eventually made it home. Throughout the day we had also discussed going to New York next week because I have doctors appointments and shit and Jess legit wasn’t doing anything so I was like well you should just come with me and she was like okay cool so I got home and booked that flight, we’ll leave next Sunday and come back that Friday, should be a nice little break. We plan on making the most of our time in NY, so I already obtained tickets to see a matinee of Hello, Dolly! (only because of Victor Garber, I don’t really care about anything else in that show, at all) and then tickets to see Mean Girls that night because I’m rapidly becoming obsessed with this show and I need to see it in person. Once I got all of that done I turned back to the simulated bar thing I was supposed to be doing and got through 50 out of the 100 questions I had left to do, so not too bad. The site did save all the answers I put in before my computer got fried, so that was good, I could’ve just re-entered them if needed because I marked them on the pages, but it was helpful that I didn’t have to. And yeah, after that I did normal computer stuff and beta’d some fic for a bit until I decided to get ready for bed and now I’m here. Tomorrow I gotta get those questions finished, and then I have a “live webinar” with a bunch of bar students going over the answers and such, so that should be.....interesting (not sure I can think of another word to probably describe it really). We’ll see. Well, it’s past 1:30 am, which means it’s time for me to go to sleep, even if my apartment is still hot as fuck which makes it super annoying to do anything, but I am still gonna need sleep at some point, so I might as well do it now. Goodnight darlings. Have a fantastic Monday.

[thotyssey]

On Point With: Jenn D’Role

Part of the venerable tradition of SUNY Purchase drag queens coming to slay NYC’s nightlife, this lovely showstopper also happens to be the admin of one of “RuPaul’s Drag Race’s” largest social media fan communities. Fresh from DragCon and ready to turn it out at two of Brooklyn’s hottest kikis, it’s Jenn D’Role!

Thotyssey: Whattup Jenn! Thanks for talking to us tonight! 

Jenn D’Role: Hey Jim! Thank you for having me, gurl!

So I heard that for Maxxx Pleasure’s show Guilty Pleasures at Gold Sounds the other night, you and Maxx did a duet from RENT. Is that your guiltiest pleasure?

Hahaha! Not my guiltiest! But! People are shamed for loving showtunes, and showtunes get a bad wrap sometimes for being “corny.” I think that I wanted to live that Broadway fantasy, and knew it was a bit rock-n-roll--and Maxxx had the perfect vibe for that number.

It must’ve been epic! So uh, were you a fan of anything about the royal wedding that just happened?

Royal what!? Royal who? Hahaha! No I’m glad that there’s a brown woman of royalty out there. We are overdue for that representation.

That's true! It’s all just escapism I guess, considering all that is going on. What are your thoughts on the state of this country today? Has everyone lost their damn mind?

I think the word of the year here is Empathy. I think a lot of people in the country are lacking that human trait. Also communication is big, too! If we just understood and talked more, I think we could truly overcome our differences. But with that said, the state of the union is a reflection of what our society is.

Sad but true!

 So, a more fun subject: DragCon! Tell us what you did there, and how it went.

Ahhh! DragCon was a dream! So, I am the admin of the RuPauls Drag Race Fan Group, which is one of the largest groups on Facebook.The team at Facebook hit me up with an opportunity to represent the group on panels and interviews at DragCon, as well as work the Facebook booth and Interview some queens live.

That must’ve been an amazing opportunity! But I think it was Miz Cracker who recently made a wise-ass comment about Facebook's presence at DragCon, considering that they still won't let so many queens use their drag names on their accounts.

I mean, she isn’t wrong! But also, Facebook has been trying to fix that. Its a big company, and I’m sure the process is not an easy one.

I bet! And no one can deny that Facebook's been essential to drag's success, both for the local queens and the Drag Race girls.

As an obvious superfan of the show, was Drag Race your first exposure to drag?

Actually VH1's The RuPaul Show was my first exposure to drag! As a young child, I always knew about Ru. But Drag Race was definitely that big reintroduction to drag back in ‘09. Talk about memories, bitch!

I loved her first show, too! So you created this hugely popular group for Drag Race fans on Facebook. There are countless outlets for Drag Race fandom, how did you get yours to be so essential?

I think it became so essential because it was the first. I started it back in 2011-- Season 3 of Drag Race--way before it took off with audiences today. Also,  myself and the other admins really try our best to keep the group a positive place to talk all things Drag Race, and really share the love and experience.

I appreciate the intensity of the fandom, but I imagine that the insanely hostile negativity that often comes from these trolls must be like a 9 to 5 day job for an admin to manage.

WELL! It can be tough. But I have great help from my fellow admins, and for the most part people follow the guidelines we have set for the group.

Regarding the show’s current season: don’t you think that the Drag Race editors are presenting the narrative that Eureka is going to be the winner?

Well, I'm not sure how they do the editing. I do know that Ru has talked about how they try and edit the gurls to look the best possible on what the girls have given them. I will say, however, I think Eureka is a really strong competitor.

I feel that Monet’s amazing talent and energy was totally overshadowed by this Eureka star treatment.

I agree that Monet had been coming up short... and that’s my baby! So I feel you on that.

What cstmembers of the show, past and present, did you get to meet at the Con?

I interviewed Jiggly, Sharon, Trinity, India and Phoenix, to name a few. And I got to meet and chat with Morgan, Bebe, Peppermint and Naomi Smalls. They were all great gals!

You live in New Rochelle... is that where you’re from?

I'm actually not! It's just where I can afford an apartment at the moment. I was originally born in Miami-Dade County. Then I was raised in upstate New York--about a two hour drive from the city, in a super poor county. 

What did you do there?

There was not much to do as a poor Latino child. I really took an interest in cinema and music. It was the only thing that really kept me alive back in those early days.

I hear that. Did you / do you want to pursue that as a livelihood?

I mean, that would be a dream! And being a performer is where I feel my most authentic. So I would say I am already living my life as a performer, among other things.

When did you begin performing as Jenn?

About two summers ago, actually. Before that, I went by another name... but let’s not talk about that!

Lol, we won’t force it out of you!

Did you ever perform in Westchester?

Yes! I went to school at Purchase, and was really a staple in the small drag scene we had.

Oh, you were a Purchase queen! Quite a few NYC performers came through there... did you know any back then?

Just my fave girl, Miz Jade!

We love her!

I met her when she came back as an alumni; she saw me my first time in drag. I'm hoping she doesn't remember!

How did you find yourself performing in BK shows with Horrorchata and company?

Well, I used to do a karaoke bar gig back in Red Hook, and one night I made my way to Macri Park with a friend in drags. I met the DJ--who just so happened to be DJ Ickarus--and I asked to perform. He let me know Miz Jade was in the house and I told him I knew her, and then she let me perform that night. 

From there, Ickarus invited me to perform at the first Tanlines [patio party / show at the Rosemont] last year, and I there got the chance to meet Hannah Lou and then Horrorchata. I made quite the impression, and from then on we became really good friends!

How would you describe your brand of drag to the uninitiated?

My aesthetic is very disco, superhero, alien, 80's, 90's, early 2000s hip hop latina. If that makes sense, haha

Absolutely! Do you get to perform a lot of Latin numbers, usually?

YASS! I'm the resident girl at YAS MAMA, Horrorchata’s monthly QPOC party at C'mon Everybody! It's really helped me get more in touch with my Cuban roots.

How did that Night of 1000 Selenas edition of YM go, two months ago?

PERFECTO! it was a true dream to pay tribute to the one and only Selena,  alongside mis hermanas (my sisters) Lady Quesa’dilla and Horrorchata.

And the next Yas Mama, June 2nd, will be the Pride edition! What’s in store for us then?

Well you'll just have to come through and see, babayy!

You mentioned the monthly party Tanlines earlier. That was the Rosemont’s seasonal outdoor patio party with live entertainment that became this huge thing. It basically outgrew the space, and this Saturday it debuts as a monthly event in its new, much larger venue: The Knockdown Center in Maspeth, the home of Bushwig! This should be Everything! 

Yes, that’s correct! We also have some great vendors and unique Items coming through. Also, the amazing La Favi will be making her second appearance on the BK scene. I performed alongside her last year, when she first came through! And we have some great BK babes Like Zenobia, Crystal Mesh, Jacquée Kennedée and Untitled Queen! We are looking forward to a great turn out! Def what we need for that good summer vibe!

Looking forward to it! Anything else to mention?

I’d love to plug that Yas Mama might move to a daytime event for Pride month. As well as, stay tuned for future work with Facebook and DragCon NYC!

Okay last question: should Miss Vanjie win Miss Congeniality this season?

IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION!? Miss Vvaaaaaannnjjiieee for the win!

Thanks, Jenn!

Jenn D’Role usually performs for the party Yas Mama on first Saturdays (10pm) at C’Mon Everybody. Check Thotyssey’s calendar for all her scheduled appearances, and follow Jenn on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

On Point Archives

[eurolinguiste]

Warning: incredibly long post. Skip here if you want to get straight to the language learning stuff.

Not long ago, my parents decided to make a few changes to their home. This meant that they needed to move their furniture around and the items I had stowed away in some of that furniture had to go.

You see, my husband and I had just moved in together, so I had only taken what I needed from my parents’. That meant that a good part of the possessions I accumulated over the years remained in my old bedroom.

It was time to decide if I would bring it home with me or let it go for good.

And it was one of the hardest things I had ever done.

I don’t consider myself to be very materialistic. Yes, there are things that I like to have – books, mostly. But I didn’t realize just how much stuff I had acquired or saved.

There weren’t just books but old school projects, every piece of music I had ever received for performance or practice (what if I needed it again one day?), various collections I either started on my own or was given, remnants of the various activities I participated in over the years such as girl scouts, softball, and dance.

Up until that point, I never had a good reason to go through it.

And even then, I wasn’t ready.

So I packed most of it up in boxes and brought it home. Those things remained stacked against a wall longer than I care to admit.

What would I get rid of and what would keep?

What would I get rid of and what would keep? The question was harder to answer than I assumed.

My desire to hang on to things stemmed from stories I often heard (and still hear) from my dad growing up. He always mentioned things he had as a kid that he wished he had hung onto or taken better care of because of what they are worth now. It stuck with me.

He constantly told me to take good care of my toys and he was the first to pack them up into boxes when I outgrew them or lost interest “in case they might be worth something someday.” Everything that I bought became a little, mini investment and I dreaded having to get rid of anything just in case.

And “just in case” wasn’t my only fear.

Things and the Memories Attached to Them

To be honest, when I decided to get rid of my old clothes, toys and collectibles, I thought it would hurt. I feared that some part of me would feel like it was missing if I no longer possessed the things I once so greatly cherished.

The truth is, many of my “things” had memories. The baseball cards my father brought me when he returned home from trips, the clothes that I wore on my first date with M, the books that I collected when I decided I wanted to pursue music as a career.

I felt like those memories were tied to those items and that getting rid of them would be like getting rid of the memories themselves.

But then I realized something important.

What purpose did those memories serve if I never brought out the items to experience them?

I took things even further.

What purpose do books serve sitting on the shelves if I never intend to read them again? Wouldn’t they better serve to go to someone else who would be interested in reading them?

Do I really need a closet full of clothes that I only keep just in case something comes up where I need that exact item?

Isn’t it better to have a few items that I really enjoy and cherish or clothes that I love wearing than it would be to own several items I no longer have interest in?

I took a look at the boxes I had brought from my parents’ house, still packed and cluttering our living room. It was clear that I had to make a choice. I’d rather make room in my life for the things that I truly love and truly enjoy than bury myself with things that no longer matter.

And so, I began to minimize. Little by little.

A Little Wasn’t Enough

It has been a few years since I finally worked up the courage to open those boxes and sort through them. And during that time, I’ve continued to make efforts to minimize unnecessary distractions (both physical and digital) from my life and routine.

But it was something that I wasn’t aggressively doing. I was pretty passive about it.

My goal was to get rid of one item per day. Instead, I’d often let several days (or even weeks go by) and then do a big purge just to catch up.

The problem was that it wasn’t enough. Especially since I only occasionally accounted for the new things that entered my home.

And it wasn’t just physical things that were cluttering my life.

My digital spaces were also full of clutter to the point that my phone ran out of space for photos or new music and I had so many hard drives I couldn’t keep track of which drives held which information.

The result? A lot of mental clutter and an inability to focus on what was important.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

I knew things couldn’t keep going the way they were. I needed to tackle minimalism seriously.

I decided to start by reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. And I kid you not. That book is life changing.

To be clear, I don’t agree with everything in the book. I didn’t envision myself thanking each item I chose not to keep and nor did I imagine asking my house how it wanted to be organized helping me in my mission.

But it did make me realize I needed to reframe how I was thinking about what stayed and what went.

It isn’t about figuring out what you can get rid of, but about deciding what you keep.

Making that change in mindset allowed everything to fall into place.

How Minimalism Can Be Applied to Language Learning

 At some point, you’ve probably heard me say that I only like to work with 3-4 resources at a time. This stems from my desire to keep my study spaces clutter free.

If I allowed it, my desk would be covered with books (both coursebooks and native language material), my iTunes library filled with audio language lessons and podcasts, my Internet bookmarks overwhelmed with an incredible collection of online language resources, and my to-do list packed with various new-to-me tools I wanted to check out.

Sound familiar?

For me, it was all too familiar. There are just too many amazing language learning resources and it’s tempting to want to try them all. But as an experienced learner, I can tell you that this is never a good long-term strategy. In a way, a wide range of material to choose from is a good problem to have, but it can be distracting. In a past post, I discussed how to choose the right learning language resources for your language learning goals, but even when you narrow down the types of materials you use, you can still end up with too many and not enough time.

And sometimes, it can take too much time and energy to decide what to work with (so much so, in fact, that it can quickly eat up a good chunk of your study time).

For many of us, time is short as it is. So why waste any more of it than necessary?

Spending a bit of time paring down up front will do wonders for your productivity and focus during your study sessions. Here are a few ways you can apply the minimalist approach to your language learning so that you can be more focused and productive in your studies:

1. Do not allow yourself to own more than you’ll use. This includes digital resources.

Stuff isn’t just a waste of physical and digital space. It also quickly becomes a waste of time. I’ve found that when I have too much stuff – whether it’s stuff stored on my computer hard drive or stuff on my desk – I spend more time sorting through it to find what I need than is necessary. I also have to invest more time to keep it organized.

I found that the quickest way to keep things from getting in the way of my productivity is to just not have them to begin with. This means you’ll:

A) Need to get rid of the items that you aren’t using and B) Think much harder about whether or not you really need something when it comes to acquiring new materials.

Doing this will also save you a surprising amount of money.

2. Have a place where you keep what you’re currently using so that it’s easily accessible. NOTHING else should be kept in this space.

You should keep the resources you’re using on hand. This might mean a neat stack of books on your desk or a folder on your computer desktop.

This also means that whatever you are not using at the moment should be put away. You might stick your books on a different part of your bookshelf, in a closet or in a box somewhere and digital files in another folder on your computer.

3. Limit the number of tools you work with at any given time.

I talk about this in some shape or form quite a bit here on Eurolinguiste. But that’s only because it’s something that I strongly believe in.

I believe that in order to be truly productive with your learning, you should focus on working with only 3 to 4 resources at a time for any given language. This isn’t to say the resources won’t change as you progress, but if you work with any more than that at once, you’re not likely to get through them as quickly (plus you risk repeating a lot of material by using too many resources rather than taking on new material).

4. Be selective with those limited tools you work with.

What are your language learning goals? Not sure yet? Take a moment to sit down and think about them. This article will still be here when you get back.

Got ’em? Good. Write them down and stick them somewhere you’ll see them often.

Now that you’ve established what your goals are, take a look at the resources that you’ve been using. Are they helping you work towards those goals?

If not, get rid of them and spend some time finding (or creating) resources that a better suited to helping you work towards your goals. It will be worth spending that time once you have them. If the tools you already have are helping you, then make sure they are one of those 3-4 resources that you’re working with regularly.

5. Minimize the Process.

Spend the last five minutes of every study session preparing for the next. One of the toughest things about studying a language is getting started – both starting in general and starting each session. The easier you make it to pick up your studies the next day, the greater chance there is that you’ll sit down to work on language learning.

For me, for a long time, the hardest part about practicing (music) was getting started. I’d look at my sax case and think, “ugh, I have to set up my saxophone” and that would be enough to deter me from actually sitting down to practice. It wasn’t even that setting up my saxophone was hard or that it took a long time (I’ve got it down to under two minutes). It was just that there was something about that step that was keeping me from working on my craft.

I quickly found a way to keep myself from using that particular obstacle as an excuse.

I took my sax out of the case, set it up and left it sitting out where I’d walk by it regularly. The result, I ended up practicing a whole lot more (every day, in fact) just because my sax was right there. Eventually, it got to the point where practicing became a habit like brushing my teeth, so I was able to put my sax away safely. The days I didn’t practice made me feel so guilty that the “set up” process no longer kept me from practicing.

I minimized the process, or the steps I needed to take, to practice each day and in result, I got more practicing in. It just took a little planning to figure out a way to prepare myself for practice (and to make it more accessible).

These five steps are a great starting point when it comes to applying the minimalist approach to your language learning, but there are, of course, quite a few more things you can do to really break things down and focus in on what’s important. The key to doing to doing this successfully lies in knowing what you think is important for your language learning goals. And once you figure that out, you’ll also find that you’re language learning process actually becomes faster!

Worried about the actual decision process? Don’t worry, I won’t leave you on your own just yet. Here are a few techniques to help you decide what stays and what goes when simply holding the object and decided whether or not it ‘sparks joy’ is enough.

1. Start with the items you have no attachment to.

In the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo advises you to start with the objects that have the least sentimental value and work towards those that have the most. She determines this by category. Her order is: clothing, books, papers, miscellaneous, and then sentimental items.

But if you’re anything like me, and as a language learner, you probably are, books are much closer to the sentimental or difficulty line than miscellaneous.

Let’s take a look at the types of items we acquire as language learners and see how we can apply the minimalist approach to language learning.

The tools you’re most likely to have are:

* Writing tools and papers * Physical books * Digital books * Online bookmarks and resources * Mobile apps * Miscellaneous (games, flashcards, etc.)

Take a moment and put these in the order of least sentimental to most. For me this is: writing tools, online bookmarks and resources, mobile apps, miscellaneous, digital books, and then physical books.

Start with the least only keeping what you need and use, working towards the most.

2. It Doesn’t Have to Be Thrown Away

For physical items, you can sort them into three boxes labeled ‘donate’, ‘sell’ and ‘trash’.

For digital resources or mobile apps, you can create a list for later as a single document, but remove them from immediate access. Or, if you’re a blogger, create a roundup post to share them with other learners who may find them useful but then delete them from your devices or bookmarks for yourself.

3. Set Up Systems for the Items You Can’t Make Decisions On

Sometimes you just can’t decide if an item should stay or go. But there’s something you can do to decide this for you.

With my clothes, I turned the hangers in my closet around backwards. When I took out an item and wore it, the hanger was put back facing the correct way. After a few weeks, it was easy to see what I actually wore and what I didn’t. I pulled the items that I hadn’t worn and went through them to see if there was really anything I wanted or needed to keep.

The same can be done with books. Turn them around so the spines face backwards. Or if you have to many and won’t know what they are, turn them so the titles are facing the wrong way. After a few weeks or months, see what you’ve read or referenced and what you haven’t. It will make the decision of what to keep easier.

For digital items, you can throw all of your bookmarks or apps into a single folder. If you use one of them, move it onto your desktop or a folder that’s easier to access. After a few weeks, get rid of the rest.

4. When You Sort Through Your Tools, Empty the Space Where They’re Stored

It’s hard to truly evaluate if you need to keep something when you look at it on a shelf. Pull everything out and put it in a pile in the middle of your floor (or in the case of digital files, in one folder). Handle each item as you decide whether to return it to it’s place or get rid of it.

It’ll also give you an opportunity to clean the spaces where things are stored in ways that you can’t when you clean around the objects stored in them.

Feeling lazy? Don’t. Emptying the space completely is really effective because it’s impossible to miss or overlook items.

5. Once You Make a Decision, Follow Through Immediately

Once you decide where each item is going, deal with it right away. That way you can’t change your mind and the items you are getting rid of don’t take up space somewhere else in the interim.

6. You Aren’t Done Once Your Initial Purge is Complete

There are always more ways to cut down and boost your efficiency. Plus, you need to be as vigilant in keeping new items from entering your space unless they merit it.

I found that completing the Konmari method made me much more conscientious about the new items I brought into my home and study spaces. Don’t fall back to old habits just because you felt the work was already done!

A few tips on How to Minimize on a Daily Basis

+ I still keep my books reversed.

Even when I buy a new book, I put it on the shelf with the spine facing inwards. I want to make sure that I actually use all the books I’ve invested in, so I’ve stuck to this method.

With my clothes, I’ve stepped up the backwards hanger technique. I also started to color code my hangers (red ones face out and white ones face in) because the items I’m not wearing stand out to me even more. This also helps me cut down the total number of clothing articles I wear because I don’t allow myself to add in any other colored hangers (even though I have them).

I thought, why not do this with language?

So I bought two colored boxes. In one I place the miscellaneous learning resources I haven’t used. Once I use them, I move them to the other box. If something hangs out in the first box for too long, I don’t keep it.

+ One in, one out.

If I decide I want to buy something new, I have to get rid of something that resides in the storage space the new item will call home.

When I buy a new book, I have to donate one that I already have. If I bookmark a new website, I have to delete the link to one I’m no longer using.

I’ve found this to be extremely effective for two reasons. The first is that it keeps my total number of possessions down. The second is that it forces me to think about how badly I want something new because I’ll have to give up something else to have it.

+ Spontaneous Purging

When I have a little bit of downtime (or when I’m feeling overwhelmed), I empty out a space and reorganize it (like I did at the beginning but on a smaller scale). So instead of emptying out my entire storage closet, I may just empty out one shelf. This gives me the opportunity to see exactly what is kept where so that I don’t forget about things I’ve stored that I may no longer need.

I found that even after my initial efforts, that minimalism is an ongoing process. I constantly evaluate and eliminate what doesn’t work for me and I advise you to do the same.

What I Noticed Immediately After Applying the Minimalist Approach to Language Learning

Once I started to get rid of the learning materials that I didn’t use or need, I noticed three things immediately:

1. I felt overwhelmed less often; 2. I felt less distracted; 3. And I had a little bit of extra money from the items I sold or didn’t buy (which made me feel less stressed about work and have more mental energy for language study).

It was noticeable with simple things like deciding what to wear in the morning or getting to work at my desk. Without the clutter on my desk I became more focused with the tasks at hand and with fewer items in my closet, it was easier to pick out my outfit for the day and start my day without decision fatigue.

I also found that I had the room for things that I really wanted but didn’t have a place for before I got rid of stuff. For example, instead of the three outdated music business books on the shelf collecting dust, I could have one Chinese language learning book that I actually used.

It was incredibly liberating and inspired me to continue.

What about you?

Do you think that your language learning could benefit from a bit of minimizing?

If you’ve tried your hand at minimizing, what are some of the techniques you’ve used to keep your possessions to a minimum?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

PS. Here’s an interesting video from Tim Ferriss on Minimalism and Language Learning.

Happy studying!

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