#and because green is the color i associate with computers/code

[thelemonsnek]

I'm convinced that the actual purpose of artfight is to get artists to actually finish the refs they've been putting off for months. Woe Porygon-A design be upon ye

[image id: a drawing a Porygon-Z variant, called Porygon-A. Instead of being red and blue, Porygon-A is white and yellow, and it has a halo around its body of jagged green plates, which mimics Arceus's plates and halo, and are designed to look like 0s and 1s, like binary code. In the second drawing, the halo is rainbow colored, because it is attacking. End id]

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

last set of tsumsitter ssr groovies 👀

THE TIME HAS COME

First is Pomefiore!! (Edit: The initial version of this Groovy is on the left; Rook is missing the golden Pomefiore markings on his robes. There was an update to fix this. The updated version is on the right.)

The trio is framed by a border of colorful lights, which reminds me a lot of old-fashioned movie theater signs (though not as colorful). If you look closely at the top and bottom, it seems they are posed for a candid photograph and it’s being posted to Magicam or something?? Rook and Epel look super crisp here, which I love!! I think Epel is posing with his hands held behind his back. This paired with his smile and the slight bird’s eye view of his face makes him look super cute please don’t beat me up for saying that, Epel. And Rook is being showy and familiar as usual, even putting one hand on Vil’s shoulder. Vil isn’t cringing or uncomfortable with it, which goes to show that he and Rook are truly good friends.

As for Vil, it’s rare to see him posed casually like this. Most of his cards feature him posed in very “model”-like and mature ways, so to have just one hand on hip, leaning forward slightly, and gripping his grimoire is unique for him (I mostly associate this pose with Ace, lol). His smile is quite casual too—it’s not quite the full catty smirk he has in his live2D model, it’s a lot more subtle and playful.

BahacTeHWWRVwkkwwm YHE VIL TSUM STeALS THE SHOW ThoUGH 😭 (You can tell it’s smiling despite the lack of a visible mouth) from how its eyes!! The placement of the Tsum is also funny. With Pomefiore’s peacock throne in the background, it forms sort of an angelic halo around… the sentient stuffed toy… Proof that Tsum Vil is a heavenly being/j

Next is Ignihyde!!

The Shroud brothers return to Cyberspace, that blue void with tons of ethereal floating screens, particle effects, and code www I don’t know what those three pink balls of flame are in the background, but there being three of them is a consistent theme for Ignihyde. Three pink fireballs, three Shroud brothers, three heads of Cerberus! I wish I could say more here, but I’m basically a Malleus when it comes to tech—

Idia’s pose isn’t anything we haven’t seen before (just at different angles of it, I suppose). But!! It feels different here and adding Ortho definitely adds to it. The Pokémon trainer energy of the initial art carries over to the Groovy. Idia looks like a smug, tough trainer looking down on you with a cocky grin and his face half-shadowed.

Ortho floats almost menacingly next to his big brother, his face entirely shadowed. His aura is like a phantom (fitting) or even like a Pokémon on standby waiting for the chance to fire off a Hyper Beam. This might be me overthinking things, but I wonder if the amount of light on the brothers’ faces references the original Ortho. Robo!Ortho’s face is entirely darkened because his parallel has passed on. Idia’s face is only partially shadowed because while he was close to stepping over to the “other side”, he ultimately found hope and was able to continue living, this time for himself and on his own terms.

I LIKE HoW TSUM IDIA HAS ITS OWN sCREEN TO WORK OFF OF TOO 😭 IBRO IS MAkING A sUS FACE TOO, IT’S GLEEfUL AbOUT WhAtEVRr it’S UP TO… That makes me think that it’s hard at work… I dunno, hacking something systems fnksgwiwozlapaeb Watch out, a Tsum near you might infect your computer and then bounce away happily after ruining all your programs and files.

Last but not least… Diasomnia!! THIS ONE’S MY fAVORITE OF THE SSR TSUMSITTER GROUP, WHICH I WAs NOT EXPecTING AT ALL 🤡

The violet backlight is fantastic—it adds an interesting lighting to the illustration and highlights the green flames and Silver and Sebek’s bright eyes. And speaking of Sebek and Silver, LOOK AT THEM JUST LOOK AT THEM???????? More specifically, Sebek’s arms (they look ultra meaty somehow) and Silver’s whole face(that lopsided smile??? HELLO?????)!! On either side of Malleus like that… Peak bodyguard, I REPEAT, PEAK BODYGUARD

With Lilia bringing up the rear, the three form a perfect squad to surround and to protect their liege. cbsjsbevejwlw I like that Lilia is different than Silver and Sebek; he’s hanging out upside down (as he usually does) and bears a huuuge grin, completely having fun in the moment. (… How does his hat stay on like that when he’s fighting gravity though?)

Up front and center is Malleus of course! He’s wielding his spindle staff like a king might a scepter. This with his fierce face gives the impression of a leader marching into battle with his retainers. You get a real good shot of his teeth and reptilian eyes here which I’m sure the Malleus stans are going feral for right now—and with the limelight shining down on him, he looks almost hopeful for once instead of downtrodden or gloomy.

THE TSUM MALLEUS LOOKS SO FUNKY PLACED tHERE cnsnwveuxvDFsFjqk Just. Cheekily There on Malleus’s shoulder… Because Maleficent and Diablo is a known combination, the image of those two as master and minion comes to mind. Imagine Malleus blasting you with lightning, pausing to listen to his Tsum whispering a suggestion into his ear, and then telling you the Tsum has advised that he blast you with a second strike 💀

Aaaaaah, the Tsumsitter SSR Groovies are some of the best in this game 😭 So glad they’re finally over though, it’s stressful saving rolls for what you know would be a limited event with multiple SSR banners, lol

[playing-pauls-mel0dy]

oh yeah!! pretty much when you get to, what i call, "The Petscop Young'uns" (Rainer, Mike, Belle/Tiara, Care/Paul; named like this as to not confuse them with The Petscop Kids), then it's a guarantee that they're on the spectrum/neurodivergent in some way.

Rainer's autistic, he's got OCD (look idk how to explain this one but. He Gives The Vibes. said as someone who deals with, what i've heard it being referred to as, moral OCD), and, as i've mentioned on occasion, he's schizophrenic.

Paul is also autistic, and also has schizophrenia (while there's, apparently, from what i've heard, multiple factors that go into schizophrenia, genetics is one of them. it runs in Jill and Marvin's side of the family, and while neither of them have it, they ended up passing the genes down to Rainer and Paul respectively).

Michael has autism and ADHD. struggles a lot with focus (like. Really struggles. School Is His Personal Hell) and sitting still for long periods of time. as mentioned in one of my fics, he's got dyscalculia and needs to do math slightly differently for it to make any sense to him (if you do math in terms of Numbers, then it makes no sense for him. but if you do it in terms of things then he gets it. "showing his work" on math problems makes it look like he just decided to randomly start drawing things, but no: it's just him trying to draw out the problem in a way that makes sense. If The Word Problem Mentions Apples, Expect Him To Draw Apples). and honestly? haven't thought of Mike with synesthesia before, but tbh? makes sense for him. i can see it.

Belle, like Mike, is AuDHD. those two are on similar wavelengths, if not the same wavelength. Belle struggles a lot with executive dysfunction, and they hate it. if Belle is standing, they're either pacing a bit or fidgeting. maybe both. they also need to either doodle or fidget with something to pay attention. they got some meds for it later on in life, but y'know. they've got their ways of handling it. :]

(this ain't getting into stuff like. PTSD, depression, anxiety and all that. We'd Be Here For A While If I Included Those.)

some other fun facts!!

you're right in that their arts would be opposites! Rainer, while i do imagine his second favorite class after anything Computer Related would be English, very much expresses himself creatively through the coding he does and the game assets he makes. most of the stuff in Petscop (minus about...half the things that show up in Even Care) was stuff he designed himself. he just needed some extra help with coding and designing more assets that he didn't feel confident enough in his abilities to design correctly. Mike, however, expresses himself more through painting and drawing.

yeah...autism Does run in the family! both sides of it, actually. Lina and Anna are both autistic (i've literally described Paul as having inherited Lina's Vacant Autism Stare before, so...and Lina and Anna are fraternal twins). Marvin...has something going on, but i don't think it's autism. the guy gives off neurotypical vibes to me (this dude literally couldn't have given less of a fuck about the fact his daughter had sensory issues with eating. and one of the reasons he views Rainer as a "disappointment" is because he doesn't socialize a lot. Something That's At Least Partially Caused By His Autism). Jill...she could go either way in my eyes. hell, maybe there's a reason she's at least sympathetic to her sons' struggles. Thomas, at the very least, is the one who passed down the ADHD gene(s) to Mike. HELL, maybe Jill even passed some down!! who knows!!

and finally, a fun fact! a very depressing coincidence, if you think about it: the color Mike associates with emotions of comfort and safety is purple (which is a color i associate with Belle and Rainer), and the color he associates with nervousness, unease, and general discomfort is green (don't even need to elaborate on that one).

thought about Mike...my beloved lil guy who haunts the narrative <3 (to Rainer and Belle, anyway. Rainer does some Literal haunting. of a PS1 game and not the Narrative, though).

headcanon about him and his brother <3

so like. mostly 'cause i thought it'd be an interesting idea, the way i like to view Mike is that he's Rainer's polar opposite personality wise. he's endlessly optimistic and positive, he's outgoing, you get the idea.

but they're also different in how they like. express emotions.

Rainer struggles to express his emotions because sometimes he can't put a name to whatever emotion he's feeling. so he gets poetic and cryptic with it (an exception to this is like. hatred and grief. He Knows When He's Feeling Those).

Mike can understand what he's feeling, but can Not articulate it concisely, or very clearly, since he goes on tangents. this is why he likes expressing his emotions through colors and shapes.

to give an example:

Jill asks her sons how they're doing. both of 'em are kinda pissed off. here's how they'd articulate that, though.

Rainer: I feel like a steaming kettle, like I'm about to lose it. Kinda like I wanna strangle someone, tbh. Not sure if I'm just tired or hungry, though. (< technically both of those contribute to it, but uh. Neither Are The Main Emotion He's Feeling)

Mike: Upset, like uh...Storm* when he's feelin' stormy, y'know? Like a lil growly puppy. Like a rainstorm, Ma. Think the color red but spiky n' sharp. Like this kid at school really ticked me off- (God have mercy on you if you had anything to do for the next six minutes)

(* the Hammond Family dog, given to Mike as a 7th birthday present.)

autism runs in the family doesnt it….. i love how you can potray two autistic characters so differently and still ahve them both be very autistic. i also have alexithymia and end up sounding cryptic and strange so i totally understand rainer…. adding that to the list of things your rainer does that i also do. i also feel like mike would have synesthesia because thats also more common in autistic people and also artists. speaking of art. i think their art would also be kinda opposite, more like a thinking vs feeling approach where rainer is better with design work and michael is more comfortable drawing and painting and such. just a thought….

[respectthepetty]

Reading the (Visual) Rainbow 101

Lesson 2 - Colors

Because I get so many asks about colors, I decided the best way to celebrate Pride is to educate anyone who is interested in how to better Read the (Visual) Rainbow and simultaneously allow myself to appreciate queer media.

Ready to go on a colorful adventure?

There are two groups of knowledge regarding colors: Color Theory and Color Psychology.

Color Theory <- I don't do this

Color Theory is a core element of art. It has three fundamental components: the Color Wheel, color harmony, and color use. The basic purpose of Color Theory is to determine which colors are best for which visual situation based on color mixing and color combination.

The Basics

There are twelve colors on the Color Wheel

There are three Primary Colors - Red, Yellow, Blue

Every color is a mix of these three colors

The three Secondary Colors are created from the three Primary Colors: Orange (Yellow + Red), Green (Yellow + Blue), Purple (Red +Blue)

The six Tertiary Colors are a mix of a Primary Color and a Secondary Color. They have various names, but these are the basic names: Orange-Red, Yellow-Orange, , Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Purple, Red-Purple.

Warm Colors are Red, Orange, Yellow. These are also known as Advancing Colors.

Cool Colors are Blue, Green, Purple. These are also known as Receding Colors.

This is a basic Color Wheel.

The Next Level

Each color has four hues on the Color Wheel

The first hue is the main color we saw above.

The next hue is a Tint. This is the main color mixed with white.

The third hue is a Tone. This is the main color mixed with grey.

The final hue is a Shade. This is the main color mixed with black.

This is an advanced Color Wheel.

What about Black and White?

In Color Theory, Black is the absence of color, and White is all the colors.

Color Psychology <- I kind of do this

Color Psychology is the study of colors in connection to human's emotions and behaviors. Carl Jung, the most prominent psychologist to develop modern-day color research, believed that people's personalities were connected to four colors: blue, red, yellow, green. Those colors were the basis for everyone's personality, but some people were more of one color depending on the situation. He also believed there were negatives and positives to each color.

These are the basic color personalities.

Over the years, Color Psychology has expanded on Jung's work to include other colors. These colors do NOT relate to personalities in the way Jung created his four, but they do show what characteristics people tend to associate with each color. Black and white are included in this wheel.

These are the expansive color personalities.

Color Symbolism <- I do this

Color Symbolism is the use of colors as symbols in literature, media, art, and other mediums. This combines Color Theory with Color Psychology in order to make associations between colors and their meanings within that medium. In Color Symbolism, colors are visuals we can see that stand-in for an abstract idea that we cannot see.

Application

The Basics

We have to use our knowledge of the color wheel and color personalities to interpret the colors we see. Think about your favorite color. Does it state something about your personality? Do you feel it represents you somehow? My favorite color is yellow, so what can you assume about my personality?

If you did the activities, you were asked what color you associated with SCIENCE. If you picked green, you probably were thinking of biology or another science that deals with life and Earth.

If you thought SCIENCE was blue, you might have been thinking of space or a data-driven/number-driven science.

Because trees are green and space and computer prompts are blue, we associate those colors with science even though those are general colors for trees, space, and code.

So what color did you think was associated with LOVE. Hopefully, you picked red (or pink), but why?

Because we associate hearts with love, and since hearts are red, we think of red being the color of love.

What color did you pick for HATE? Probably red again. But why?

We think of people's faces becoming red when they get upset because of the rush of blood to their cheeks. Therefore, when we think of hate, we think of red.

If you picked another color, that's okay, but think about why? It's because you associate that color with a tangible item, and that's why the color is symbolic of that abstract idea.

LOVE/HATE shows us the positive and negative of red, so when we see it in a show, we have to interpret if it's positive or negative.

But red just doesn't mean LOVE/HATE. According to Color Psychology, it could mean freedom, desire, or serve as a warning.

Another question asked what were the colors of the country's flag. In case you didn't know, the colors of flags have meaning. If we raise a white flag on a ship, it means we surrender. If someone is a green flag, they are a good person. If someone is a red flag, they are bad. If you are American, the red means hardiness and valor.

So in a black and white world, what does it mean if red emerges? How do we interpret that? Does it mean valor and hardiness? Does it mean hate? Does it mean love? Does it mean life like the red means on the Pride flag?

If you watched any of the videos from the previous lesson, Sam Smith & Kim Petras' "Unholy," Jessie Ware's "Free Yourself," or Troye Sivan's "My, My, My," the first color to emerge in their black and white worlds was red.

All the songs dealt with desire and freedom of sexual expression. Desire, sex, and freedom are all associated with red, so red would be the natural color to use to visually demonstrate this transition from a repressed world (black and white) to one with color. In the videos, once the initial red pops up, the red starts to seep into the world, tainting everything within reach.

This makes sense even in at its most basic structure. If red represents love and hate, in a black and white world (a world lacking color, therefore lacking emotions), the first color to emerge would be one that captures the strongest emotions = love and hate.

The Next Level

We must interpret what the basic colors mean, but remember that there are layers to Color Theory, and the next level is where Color Theory and Color Psychology get really exciting!

Primary Colors

When Primary Colors (red, yellow, blue) appear, they could mean one person is passionate, one is loyal, and one is happy, AS WELL AS they are the foundation to everything we are about to experience.

Warm Colors versus Cool Colors

Colors include lighting, so when we see warm lighting and colors, we can assume that situation or person is loving, kind, and warm. When we see cool lighting and colors, we can assume that situation or person is cold, isolated, and lonely.

And if we see a transition between them, we can assume that situation or person is evolving.

Color Mixing and Combining

Once again, color includes lighting, so when we see two colors merge like red + blue = purple, we can conclude the personalities, or the love they share is also merging.

Color Hues

What happens when we start mixing the main color with black, grey, and white to get different shades, tones, and tints? In Color Psychology, if black is negative, white is positive, and grey is neutral, then those hues would reflect those meanings. Let's see it in practice!

We must start with the main hue.

If we see this TONE (base color blended with grey), we can assume changes in emotions are happening, BUT the characters are unsure of those emotions (grey is in between black and white = neutral).

If we see this TINT (base color blended with white), we can assume something positive is happening with the character's life or emotions.

But if we see this SHADE (base color blended with black), we can assume something negative is happening with the character's life or emotions.

I could write twenty more posts about this, but we have to move on to the next lesson.

Activity 1 - Next Lesson

Watch both of the following videos. Try to apply the colors lesson to the first video, but focus on all the items you see in both videos: clothing, posters, environment, and additional items.

George Michael - "Freedom" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diYAc7gB-0A

Hayley Kiyoko - "She" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anIqZSfxOQU

See you for lesson 3 on Tuesday - Other Visuals

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

A post about the color magenta

Magenta as a color is interesting because it’s the absence of green rather than the presence of a unique color, which is interesting.

Most colors we perceive other than Red (long), Green (medium), and Blue (short) which we have specific cone cells for perceiving, are interpreted as being somewhere between one of these three colors. Anything that causes both Red and Green to react falls somewhere in the  Red-Orange-Yellow-Green (in all their various shades and hues) range, and anything that causes Green and Blue are somewhere in between Green-Cyan-Blue. Covering the entire light spectrum.

Magenta is nowhere on the light spectrum and is instead our brains attempt at interpreting a mix of long (red) and short (blue) wavelengths of light, except for the fact that our brain normally picks the color that sits between the two light cone colors (depending on how intensely one or the other cone reacts, and a bunch of other complicated stuff). You can’t do that with magenta though, because what sits right in the middle of Red and Blue on the light spectrum is Green, but when you’re brain is reading an absence of green light, that tells you’re brain that whatever you’re looking at is 100% not green.

And what pops out in the end of you’re brains computation? Not-Green.

This is Magenta (hex code: FF00FF):

This is Magenta inverted (hex code: 00FF00):

Which is very clearly green.

Which leads me to believe that we perceive Magenta as magenta not because it’s a mix of red and blue, but because magenta is the literal opposite of green, and our brain is interpreting a complete absence of green wavelengths of light. Like how our brain interprets light and dark. Dark is the absence of light, and magenta is the absence of green light specifically.

IDK, I’m not a scientist, just an artist thinking to much about colors.

Magenta being the absence of green light specifically, and magenta also being the color most often used to represent magic, mad science, the unnatural, and other similar themes is pretty interesting. Because green is associated with things like nature, life, and stuff like that.

And I find it fascinating that humans more or less by accident started to associate the supernatural and forbidden with a color that is defined more by the absence of a specific wavelength of light than the presence of it. To associate things not part of the natural world, with the color that doesn’t exist as part of the visible light spectrum at all?

It’s a rather peculiar coincidence don’t you think?

[tonystark-usa]

Cash App Login: Two Instant Methods and Fix Login Errors

In case you don’t know how to log into a Cash App account? Here we discuss two methods that will help you in Cash App online login. Additionally, in this post, you will also learn about issues such as can’t log in to Cash App, Cash App unable to sign on this device, and how to fix the Cash App login errors. But before this, let’s learn about the latest and updated Cash App login procedure.

Cash App is a peer-to-peer digital payment service that allows users to send, receive and request money. Cash App is the most secure and convenient online money transfer app that is free and easy to use. If you want to utilize the Cash App, you can download it for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. You have to sign up for a Cash App account and choose a $Cashtag, a username that identifies your account.

How to Set-Up a Cash App Account?

You will be glad to know that it is straightforward to set up a Cash App account; you can do this by simply installing the Cash application on your Android or iPhone device. Only You need a mobile number or email address to begin the registration process on the Cash App.

Below mentioned are the steps that you have to take to create a Cash App account:

·         Open the play store for android devices or the App Store for the IOS device.

·         Go to the Search bar and find the Square Cash App, only pick the official Cash App for the download, indicated by the white dollar $ color sign with the green background.

·         Download the app to your phone with the “Get” button.

·         Open the application and click on the Sign-in tab.

·         Then enter the phone number or valid email address. It will send a verification code to your given number or email address. Confirm the identification process by entering the code.

·         Here, you will get an option to choose the type of account between personal and business.

·         Cash App gives you the option you link your bank account; for this, you need to provide some essential details, like bank name, account number, debit/credit card.

How to Log In Cash App Account from a Mobile Phone?

Once you have set-up a Cash App account, now you are a registered user of the Cash App. You can log into your Cash App on any mobile phone you are using. It would help if you always remembered to log into details such as mobile number or email address for Cash App login on a mobile phone. These are simple steps that you need to login Cash app on an Android or iPhone device:

·         Open Cash App on your mobile phone

·         Hit the Sign-in button.

·         Enter the same phone number or email address with which you had given while setting up your account

·         Click on the option of “Send me code” to receive a login code from the Cash App.

·         Once you get the code to enter it for verification purposes

·         After verification is complete, you can access the Cash App account

Log in to Cash App Account through A Website

Cash App allows users to make account login from the desktop. It means you can log into Cash App without a phone. For this, you have to visit the official website of the Cash App. So in case you don’t have a mobile phone, you can do Cash App login web by following these steps:

·         Visit the official website of the Cash.app on your computer or laptop

·         Click on the sign-in button and enter the registered email address or phone number.

·         Click on the option of “Send me code” to receive a login code from the Cash App.

·         You will receive the code on the register number or via email

·         Enter this verification code in the given field on your screen

·         Once verification is complete, you can access the Cash App account

Some Common Cash App Login issues

Here is the list of sign-in errors:

1.       Cash app account loading problem.

2.       The server issues with the application.

3.       Cash app login platform not responding

4.       You are receiving an ‘incorrect password’ error message.

5.       Your screen is displaying scam code.

6.       The application is being closed repeatedly.

7.       Your Cash App account has been hacked.

8.       Failed to sign in to your account.

9.       Unable to create a Cash App account.

Cash App Unable To Sign In On This Device Fix

Sometimes there are common errors in logging in process on Cash App. This may result in two dire consequences for you are unable to log into the Cash App account, and the cash app won’t let me log in. The Cash App log in error occurs due to so many reasons, such as low-speed internet, an outdate app on mobile phone, incorrect login details.

This can be frustrating when you can’t access the cash app account; hence you must learn how to fix the Cash App login errors. You will have to follow the below-mentioned tips to troubleshoot these issues:

·         You should log in Cash App on your personal device, and if you log in on another person’s device, sign it out once you are done.

·         Make sure your device doesn’t contain objectionable spam & caches. If it does, clear them and restart your device.

·         To fix any Cash App error, always use the updated & latest Cash App version on your device.

·         When you sign in for a Cash App account, make sure your device is connected to a high-speed internet connection.

Conclusion:

For Cash App users seeking a guide for Cash App login, we have in this blog explained all the methods for logging into an account. We have all discussed ways to fix the Cash App login errors. If you have any other queries and still having any issues with Cash App, log in; feel free to contact our team and get the free Cash App login help.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to log in to the cash app with $Cashtag?

Cash App does not allow account log with &Cashtag. You can log into a Cash App account only with a registered mobile number or email address. The $Cashtag can only be used for sending or receiving money from other Cash App users.

How to login cash app without a phone number?

For Cash App online, you need an email address or mobile number to receive a verification code. If you are no longer eligible to access your mobile number and email address to receive the confirmation code that helps with the sign-in procedure. You need to contact the Cash App Support and get the Cash App login help.

What to do if I forgot the cash app login password?

If you have forgotten the Cash App login password, you have the option to reset it. When you begin to log in for your account, you need to click on Forgot Password option and create a new password.

Why is Cash App unable to sign in on this device?

If Cash App is unable to sign in on this device, there are objectionable spams or caches on your device. You should restart your device and ensure a high-speed internet connection to avoid this issue.

Can I login to my cash app on two devices?

You can log in to Cash App on two devices; for this, you need to associate your account with multiple phone numbers and email addresses. However, to be more precise, you should not use Cash App when logged into various devices simultaneously because it leads to so many issues.

How to log out of the cash app on other devices?

If you sign in to your Cash App account on a device other than yours, make sure you log out from it. To log out of Cash App’s other devices, tap on the Sign out button.

[purplesurveys]

1010

survey from diggitydoo

Have you ever felt a baby kick? Yes, when my mom was pregnant with my brother. What color pants/shorts are you wearing? I’m only wearing a duster gown; no shorts underneath. I just got it last night, actually - my mom wanted to donate clothes to victims of a recent fire incident in Manila and so she asked my sister and I to sort through our closets for clothes we were willing to give away. My sister ended up giving away a comfy-looking duster gown that she never even wore and even smelled brand new to boot. It ended up in my hands, ha. But apart from that we gave away a lot of stuff that aren’t old uniforms or costumes (which is what most people tend to ‘donate’, ugh), so we just hope they end up with people who really need them. When is the last time you did something truly fun, and what was it? Last night I went on our org’s Discord server and we played Jackbox games for around an hour or so. It was my first time to socialize again after around two months and I really, really needed that moment. I even met the org’s newest roster of applicants for this semester, which was neat. :) What was the scariest moment of your life? Men terrorizing me or near-car crashes I’ve had.

Have you ever heard of Leonard Cohen? The name is familiar, but that’s the most I know.

Pancakes or flapjacks? I guess pancakes, since I don’t even know what flapjacks are. What kind of computer are you on? It’s a laptop. Do you eat Chinese food? If so, what's your favorite dish? For sure. Pork buns or minced pork with eggplant. With century egg on the side, yum. What are you usually doing at midnight? Either passed out or desperately trying to sleep because I don’t want to lose any more hours of sleep and risk being cranky for the whole of the next day. Have you ever developed feelings for a friend, but you were already with someone? No. The worst thing that’s happened was being someone’s ball date (and unbeknownst to me, they apparently had feelings for me at the time) while I was already with someone. If so, how did it turn out? He figured it out by himself, which I still feel bad about. But the timing was super off and I just couldn’t find a moment to sit him down and set the record straight...ah well. It was just super complicated at the time. Give me your brief definition of love. My favorite love-related quote is “Love never says ‘I have done enough’” and for the longest time, that has been my guiding principle when it comes to it. Definitely a tad bit cheesy, but telling myself that over and over makes it easier to continue loving the people I care for and be patient with them when they’re being asses. Gab included, then and now. What is the most beautiful part of the human body, male or female? It differs for everyone but I’m a thigh girl through and through. What kind of shoes do you wear? Uh...various ones? I have sneakers, flats, heels, flip-flops, probably a couple more kinds that I can’t place at the moment. What is the worst thing you've ever done when you were really angry? Resorting to physical violence. I was a kid constantly exposed to violence in my old home, and at the time I genuinely thought that’s how most things were settled or pacified. I still feel like shit about it to this day, and my backstory isn’t an excuse at all; but the past is the past and I’ve been trying to make up for it by being a much more gentle angry person in the last few years. Are there any pills you take on a daily basis? If so, what? Nope. Do you like the smell of coconuts? For some reason I can’t stand anything coconut (which is a damn shame considering I’m Filipino) but I love dishes with heaps of coconut milk in them, like curry. That’s the one coconut-related thing I enjoy, but otherwise I’ve never learned to appreciate the taste and smell of buko juice, coconut shavings, coconut pies, and everything else coconut. What is the heaviest you think you can lift? From what my old PE class showed me, around 70 to 80 lbs. Do you take Tums? Idk what that is so I guess I don’t. Have you ever walked on a pier at the beach? I’m not sure if I’ve been to a pier before. I bet it feels wonderful and freeing and I’d love to visit one; but I also can’t keep myself from associating piers with the recurring image of Jennifer Connelly’s character standing on one from Requiem for a Dream. How about under one? No. At what age do you first remember feeling butterflies in your stomach around someone? Not sure if it was 11 or 12, but it was definitely one of those years. Do you feel that way around anyone now? Yeah, if they allowed me to see them. But I’m shut out now so I haven’t had that sensation in a while.

Do you ever talk to yourself or think deep thoughts while on the toilet? No. Do you ever sing to yourself? Sure. I’m sure most people do every once in a while. What is a sound that relaxes you? Ocean waves have never failed. How hard has it been to reach your main goal in life? ‘Main goal’ sounds so overwhelming; I make it a point to avoid one overarching goal and instead make little goals and plans here and there depending on where I am in life. Do you remember the song about hoes in different area codes? Never heard of it. What is your main heritage? Filipino. What kind of pickles do you prefer, if you like pickles? I hate pickles. What kind of cheese do you prefer, if you like cheese? Mozzarella and feta are my faves, but I love cheese and am willing to be adventurous when it comes to it. If you could have a sea creature as a pet, what would you want? Eh, they can stay in the sea where they can actually survive. I don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to keeping fish as pets. How about a farm animal? Probably pig. So, do you have hoes in different area codes? No, and ew. What is the most annoying song you can think of that came out recently? Haven’t been exposed to a lot of new music lately and the songs I do get to hear on the radio whenever I drive are actually pretty good. This totally doesn’t answer your question but my favorites so far have been Birthday by Disclosure, Kehlani, and Syd; and Plain by Benee, Lily Allen, and Flo Milli. What is a song that you hate to admit you like? Any Kanye song I like. What inspires you to get off your bum and do something productive? Not wanting to go into another downward spiral. Do you ever use Urban Dictionary? Extremely rarely. I only do when there’s a new slang I’m completely unfamiliar with. Do you find the definitions on there to be generally funny or stupid? Stupid for the most part. I find them too immature or vulgar, but that’s one of the points of the website so I guess I’m just not in their target audience lol. What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'transformation'? Uh, the Transformer robots.

What was something you regularly played with as a child? My cousins’ toy soldiers.

Have you ever given in to peer pressure? Eh, a few times. If so, what did you do? I’ve been pulled to drinking sessions here and there when I really shouldn’t be drinking because I had an important test tomorrow or something else was happening the next day that was just as significant. What part of your body have you had the most problems with in your life? Teeth, I’m pretty sure. I’ve had braces, needed a tooth extracted, gotten a cavity, and gone through a severe toothache.

Do a lot of people check you out when you're in public? Idk I never look around because being aware of it would just freak me out and make me feel like I’m naked. What is a good name for a turtle? Would depend on their personality. And this applies to all kinds of pets, at least for me. I don’t decide on their names until I have a good grasp of their attitude. Can you imitate any accents well? If so, which one(s)? Stereotypical Filipino mom and valley girl. Do you like having your ear nibbled on? Sure. What makes a good kisser a good kisser? I’ve only kissed one person so I’m not the best judge for this; but I always like it when my lower lip is tugged or grazed on. How many times a year do you have a family thing? This is a little vague for me. Do you mean get-togethers? Giant-ass reunions? Movie nights? Game nights?  What are the best things to put in a smoothie? I only like one kind of smoothie and it’s sold by a local joint – and I think I’ve already shared this before but that smoothie of theirs that I like has “apple, banana, cinnamon, oats, coco sugar, chia seeds, greens, and soy milk,” according to their menu. So I guess those are the best ingredients for me, ha. Do you ever eat with your eyes closed and just focus on the taste? When I find something extremely delicious, yeah. What do you dislike most about where you live right now? For the most part I can’t wait to get out of suburban residential villages. I’d love to finally experience living in a condo in a super busy and active city. Has anyone ever given you a rose/roses? Yes.

Are you watching your weight? Not really. I’m trying to gain pounds though, if anything. I haven’t eaten much in the last two months. Have you ever become really good friends with someone you found online? I trust y’all with my life, so that’s one. Apart from Tumblr, the best friends I made were probably the people in the AJ/Punk fandom, back when I had a stan account on Twitter. I don’t remember most of their names now and we fizzled out pretty quickly when both parts of the ship left WWE, but I look back on that period with fondness. Those people made high school a lot easier for me. What makes your best friend your best friend? She doesn’t care whether I’m on top of the world with happiness or completely self-destructive and crying my eyes out; she has always been present. Do you have a drunk uncle? *rolls eyes* We don’t wanna open up that can of worms... Do you hear weird noises in your house at night? Nope. What is something you do that is generally more like something the opposite sex does? Based on personal experience and not to come off as sexist, but it’s liking wrestling. I have never met a girl in real life who has even the most remote interest in pro wrestling or can tell me who Hulk Hogan is. And the ones I’ve had discussions with - from shallow/casual to in-depth - have all been guys. Seeing girls who are into wrestling is like finding a rare Pokemon, at least in real life. What is the girliest thing you do, if you're a girl? Idk. What is the coolest tattoo you've ever seen? Probably the spork tattoo of Josh, a crew member from Good Mythical Morning. It’s just a line tattoo. Of a spork. On his arm. But he managed to make it so goddamn fascinating lmao; and apparently, as I learned just now, it has a pretty touching backstory to it too, which makes it a million times cooler. Have you ever created anything artistic that you're proud of? If so, what? I’ve never finished any of the crafts I bought. Never finished a coloring book page much less an entire coloring book, a painting, a gem painting...it’s something I’ll have to bring my butt to do one of these days. I can’t imagine how fulfilling it would feel. Do you only eat the middle of the oreo, if you eat oreos? I eat the whole thing but I honestly find Oreos too sweet and I’ve always much rather preferred Oreo-flavored stuff instead of the actual cookies.

Do you know anyone with a huge ego? My mom. If so, is there anything else about them you actually like? She’s fed me for 22 years and gave me an education, I guess. Though it’s something I appreciate more so than like. Have you ever used a racial slur, even jokingly? Probably as a dumb kid, when historical context wasn’t a thing to me yet. I still wince thinking about it, but I suppose what matters is being better and more responsible moving forward. Do you have any friends who are more like siblings to you? Angela and to some extent Andi. 

If so, what about them do you like most? They are both understanding when it comes to me - almost to a fault. What do you like on your hotdogs, if you eat hotdogs? When you say ‘hotdogs’ here, it refers to the sausages itself. The sandwich kind of hotdog isn’t super popular here. What is everyone else in your house doing right now? My siblings are still resting in their rooms; my dad is preparing for work, I think. What is the most money you've ever had at one time? Something like P10,000 or P15,000 when my mom needed me to pay for something in cash. How long do you think it would take you to run a mile? Idk, maybe 10 minutes. I won’t be fast, that’s for sure. Look down. What do you see? My legs and the pillow I’m sitting on. What is a subject that makes you uncomfortable? Right now, probably my failed relationship. I haven’t gotten to the sharing stage yet and remotely thinking about it gets my voice all shaky. What is a subject you can talk on and on about and not get sick of it? Paramore. What kind of mood were you in most of today? It’s only 7:52 AM. My only mood so far is just woke up. Has anyone ever walked in on you naked? Yeah. Because people in this damn house never knock. Tell me an inside joke you have with someone. The word ‘ariba.’ What is the worst thing someone could do to you emotionally? Break my trust. So simple but it packs a punch. What is the worst thing you've ever done to someone emotionally? Idk if I’ve ever been that aggressive. When I want to do something destructive towards someone I always end up asking what it would feel like if the action was done to me, and it’s always been enough to sway me away from doing the thing. How do you feel now about the first person you ever dated? Sad. How about the last person (your last ex)? Same person. What is the best invention ever invented? Air conditioners.

What is something that needs to be invented? Portable air conditioners. What always makes you burp? My burps come randomly. What are you doing tomorrow? It’s my last weekend before my new job, soooooooo...I’ll be bumming around for my last two days of freedom.

[pernatius]

Lost in Space Part 6: Ch 4

Ch 3

Summary: With the fate of the universe resting in her hands, an unnamed Space Explorer and Saamuki first must find Syco to get back their friends.

Lost in Space on Tumblr

Lost in Space on ao3

“There’s a computer chip attached to the back of her head and there’s also an address somewhere embedded in it. I want you to find the address without hurting her and the chip sending any signals.”

Leaning forward and resting his hands on his thighs, he sternly looks at Saamuki. Saamuki looks back unphased by the change in character. “That’s not too much of a task, but, Saamuki, this is a human. You know that and you also know that her homeworld just got detained. That, of course, should mean all of humanity is being tried as we speak. If they find out one is missing and that she’s in our hands, your hands especially-”

“Don’t worry. We’ve been careful, Sakhra.”

“I hope for the sake of the two of us you are. For your sister’s sake, I hope so. I don’t have the same obligation towards you as I did with her, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have morals. I’ll do my best. I won’t ask why, but I could only hope it’s the safest route for you.”

“I owe you again, Sakhra.”

“Let’s hope this is the last time you will.”

Another surprise is that Sakhra had things other than rocks, a hyper-realistic painting of what I later learned is of a deceased lover and a random splotch of green in this muddy colored setting that rested between the two couches. He has quilts that depicted what I assume to be ancient history. White-colored beasts breathed out golden flames onto a town. The townspeople reacted by either throwing spears or running away screaming. Interestingly, the former have similar red symbols as the ones Sakhra just painted on. Death is depicted as well. There are symbols off to the side, also similar to the symbols on him, that I assume are explaining in depth what’s happening in the various images. Again, I’m unable to read the alien language. My now rock ally mounted them over the windows and ceiling. That’s not to say he’s a ten-foot giant. He used a ladder for that part. Then, moved aside the couch he was sitting on, which revealed a translucent screen. Some typing and clicks later and he’s walking towards us with the screen and has his eyes on me. Motioning me to turn the other way, which has me to look into Saamuki’s eyes for reassurance, I do so after I get the needed response. Still, that doesn’t stop the quickened pace of my heart. I’m trusting a stranger I’ve only met once before, but even with that instance, I’ve only known this man for an hour. In that hour we haven’t shared any words. It’s only now we’re sharing looks. 

“This shouldn’t take that,” he interrupts himself as he kneels, “Actually, no. This might take a bit. There’s been some code added.”

“Complex code,” Saamuki added. 

“For the inexperienced, yes. It’s nothing I can’t handle. It’s similar to the type of code used for military personnel. No, actually, it’s much more similar to what Space Pirates use.”

“That’s not surprising.”

“I’m not going to ask, but it is worrying that you now have a connection with Space Pirates. Well, a deeper connection now. Ah, I got it.”

She grabs the screen from him. “That was a lot faster than I expected.”

“You’re surprised, yet you came to me? Wait.” Still turned away, I get the sense his face turned pale. 

In the corner of my eye, I see Saamuki smiling at the screen. I’m not surprised I can’t read any of it. 

As her eyes move further down the line of alien symbols, her smile fades. “Wait. Why there? Why is he there?” She looks at Sakhra then looks at me as if either of us knows something she doesn’t. She looks at me like she’s expecting me to tell her there are cameras hidden everywhere and I and Sakhra have been planning this prank for weeks. Like she was then expecting our friends to come any minute now with streamers, confetti, and laughter. “Syco is above my dead homeworld.”

With her grip loosened, the screen falls from her hands. Sakhra catches it before it can hit the floor and shatter. “Syco? Why in the universe are you connected with the man that started the second war. It’s because of him our supplies are low. We’re both criminals, yes, but even those on this world don’t claim him. By now even most Space Pirates wish not to associate with him as well.”

“I thought you weren’t going to ask,” she snapped. 

“And I thought you quit drinking, Saamuki.”

“If you weren’t at that barbaric ceremony that I’m certain my sister has made it clear to you she hated as well then I would’ve kept my promise. Besides, it was only one drink.”

“Firstly, no one else knew she hated it besides the two of us. It would look suspicious if I didn’t go. Also, I had to go for other reasons. Secondly, you might not be as intoxicated as last time, but that doesn’t mean you’re no longer a lightweight drinker. I’m going to get you some water and maybe medicine if I still have any before you get even fussier.”

He got up and left the room. A late huff came out of Saamuki with a shout, “I don’t get fussy!”

Not too long after he came back with a glass of water and a small patch of what I presumed was the medicine he mentioned. He placed both in front of her. She looked up at him, offended, and then snatched both from his hands. My serpent-like companion peeled back the plastic from the patch and stuck the pink square onto her right arm as she gulped down the water. “I’m not owing you for this, but that doesn’t exactly mean I’m not thankful.”

After letting out a snicker, he takes the empty glass and replies, “No need. You having to suck it up and admit I’m smarter is payment enough.”

“I didn’t say anything like that.”

Teasingly he voices out, “That being I have more up here than you.”  He taps the side of his head. “No, Saamuki, you didn’t say it, but you did admit it the moment you chose to see me again.”

She gets up and grabs my hand. “We’re leaving.”

As she turns around and wraps her hand around the doorknob, he grabs its wrist. “No, you’re not. Saamuki, I’m not exactly sure what you’re planning to do, but what I am sure is that I can’t let you do it because it means getting yourself entangled with Syco even more.”

“You’re trying to stop me? I’m an adult, Sakhra. It should be physically obvious I’m a fully grown woman now. You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do anymore. I thought the last time we spoke had you finally see-”

“See what? The last time we spoke it cemented the fact you haven’t grown yet. You’re still a child, Saamuki.”

It felt weird watching this familiar circumstance as a third party. I kept my eye on Saamuki, but I so desperately wanted to just run out of there without her in hand before the future I know is going to happen becomes the present. 

Exploding, yanking her hand free from the doorknob and his grip, she turns around and jabs a finger into his chest. “You don’t know shit about how much it hurt me and you definitely don’t know shit about being an adult. Sure, okay, maybe I don’t act like one here and there, but I could tell you for sure I know I did at that moment. At that time I would’ve risked her life. If the same were to happen right now I’d still be risking her life. It was one of the toughest decisions I’ve made in my entire life and it would’ve been childish for me not to do otherwise. Now I’m making another one. I’m going to do what’s best for everyone and even you, a sad excuse for a father, whether you let me or not.”

“Saamuki,” I begged for her to stop. 

Ignoring me, “You always try to talk all big, but that’s just to overcompensate for your insecurities. You’re projecting onto me because I was able to do what you couldn’t do. Maybe I would’ve ended up like your wife, dead, and what would’ve been the father of our kid would’ve ended up like you, grubbling for love from a man that only used him for his lustful desires. Maybe he’d take care of his painting better than you by getting less handsy on it.”

Everything has blown out of proportion. I wish I could’ve acted quick enough, but I still grab both of her shoulders and ask for her to stop before what’s even left can be blown away too. She’s still heated, but I get the sense she went down a few pegs by the look in her eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” Sakhra apologized. 

I let go of Saamuki and turn around to him.

She asks, “What?” 

“I’m sorry, Saamuki, for everything. Yeah, you’re right I am projecting onto you. I’m jealous of you. My wife and I knew too late about the complications. Both of them are now dead and I couldn’t do anything about it, but even as I grew jealous I still helped you do it because I care about you, Saamuki. You and your sister were the only ones I had left in this cruel place we call the universe. Now you’re the only one I have left.”

Turning back to Saamuki, her head is down. Then, in a heartbeat, she runs forward and wraps her arms around him. Both he and I are surprised. The former of which had stepped back and raised his arms. It took him a moment to relax and wrap his arms around her. Just like with Mikrovos he’s trying to hold back as much of his weight and strength as he could in fear of crushing her. For me, I’m just a bystander. 

“I’m so sorry, Sakhra, for everything that I said. I knew how much it still hurts, yet I stupidly tried to use it against you.”

Resting his head on top of hers he concludes, “It was just the alcohol talking. It’s okay. Besides, I deserved all of that. I needed that. Thank you.”

“I wish I could make it up to you by avoiding Syco.” 

This wasn’t my chapter to finish, but I wish it was. Their moment of reconciliation is cut short with the sound of blasters being fired. Breaking his embrace from her, he motions for all of us to stay silent as he approaches and moves the recently made curtain away from the window closest to him. Doing so, and he quickly finds what’s responsible for the noise.

Closing the curtain and turning back around to us to relay, “Space Pirates. Lots of them. They’re fighting against some of my brothers and sisters.”

“None of them are Tauvoxes, right? Syco, specifically,” I asked. 

“No. A large group from two different factions. Although, things are getting messy out there. I’m going to escort you two back to your ship, so you can get off-world before things get any messier.”

Saamuki interjected with, “But you’re going to get hurt, Sakhra.”

“You know better than anyone that I don’t get hurt easily. Besides, it should be physically obvious.” It was at that moment I got a good look at the scars underneath the red paint, reminded by the aftermath of him going toe to toe with The Commander. “Please, Saamuki, let me do this. You won’t have to owe me for this either.”

“Fine,” she sighs, “We can’t afford for me to argue more than I already have.”

We’re off. Saamuki is in the front and I’m in the back. Sakhra is our shield at our right as a battle between two types of criminals, ones who are Space Pirates and who aren’t, wages on the other side in front of the memorial. One faction looks octopus-like as their tentacles, which each have a streak of purple paint, snake out of their shimmering cloaks as they shoot at the residence of this planet. The other faction is covered in red armor with streaks of yellow. A blue, rectangular forcefield that’s been manifested by the armored faction acts as a wall between the two groups. I get snippets of names being called, nothing important. Blasts stray away, bounced off, and hit our bodyguard. Saamuki of course notices and becomes worried. We both saw what happened in the bar, but she’s understandably blinded my emotions. He brushes her off by reminding her we have to keep moving. 

By the time we get to the ship, he’s covered in blackened spots. While dusting them off Saamuki apologizes profusely. He tries to tell her he’s okay, but she’s not having it. She becomes overbearingly concerned and eventually scolds herself, which Sakhra tries to tell her there’s no need. If the world around me was some summer blockbuster then everything seemed to go frame by frame, slow-mo, as the climax hit. Everything went ridiculously slow. I couldn’t mouth my warning fast enough. It all came with a long pause between each word. Sakhra, midway through his efforts trying to recompose Saamuki, became impaled. A familiar dagger flew right through his chest, missing where I assume is his heart by a few inches. The owner of the weapon, which the other two are slowly finding out, is the very bitter brother that wanted nothing to do about waging war on the Lords. 

[1dffchallenges]

Maybe I’ll Come Home

Written By: @harrysdodgyankles​

Summary: In which Mona Arshad, Chief Technical Officer of the Calm™ app, is horrible at not letting an accidental discovery drive her absolutely crazy. Good thing Harry Styles, her boyfriend of three years, knows all her tells. 

Author’s Note: I have no affiliation with Calm™, nor do I claim to know anything about being a CTO at a startup. Anything mentioned in this fic is purely for entertainment purposes. 

Warnings: language, inordinate amounts of goopy fluff. Enjoy!

December 16, 2022

Mona Arshad stands in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in her office with her arms crossed. She eyes a raindrop as it runs down the glass, slowly getting larger as it merges with other stagnant drops until it disappears into the puddle on the windowsill. Los Angeles is a dreary grey this morning. At least the drought is over.

She sighs, subconsciously slipping into her Ujjayi breathing. Her yoga brain is lingering after the sunrise class she took this morning. It’s the only reason she hasn’t completely blown her top at the sheer amount of idiocracy she’s experienced today--and it’s not even lunchtime.

If she closes her eyes, she’ll see her color-coded schedule behind her eyelids. Blocks of blue for meetings, yellow for phone calls, green for video calls. The only thing keeping her sane is the pink rectangle--lunch with her boyfriend. She hasn’t seen him in five weeks. Her stomach flutters at the thought of seeing him after so long.

Mona turns around on her heels and trudges back toward her desk. The light on her office phone is blinking yet again. She pushes out a lion’s breath with closed eyes and flared nostrils. “Few more hours,” she mutters to herself as she reaches out to press the call-waiting button. “Yeah?”

The crackly voice of her assistant, Devon, filters through the room. “Scott is on line two for you, Mona.”

She can’t contain the roll of her eyes, nor the sharp exhale that leaves her nose. “Did he say what it was for?”

“Nope. Probably something about the new developers. Want me to take a message?”

“No, that’s alright.” Mona runs her hands over her face and sighs. “Connect me to him. Thanks, Dev.”

“Sure thing, Mona.”

A few seconds pass. Mona settles herself into her desk chair as Scott’s voice sounds from the phone. “Mona! Glad I caught you before lunch. Did you see my email?”

Oh, she’d seen his email. The one from this morning--and the one last night, and the one from yesterday morning. “Sure did, Scott,” Mona replies, much less enthusiastically. “I told you I wasn’t looking to rotate my engineers until I figure out what’s going on with my guys. Did you know Anton was thinking about leaving?”

“Yeah, he spoke to me about it.” There’s a pause. “I just wanted to make sure you have options moving forward. I’ve vetted them extremely well--you’ll have the best of the best when it comes time to pick.”

“And I appreciate that, Scott, I really do.” Mona’s pinching the bridge of her nose with her eyes clenched shut, trying to think up an excuse to get off this call. Scott is one of her most enthusiastic recruiters and he always does his job well--maybe a bit too well, sometimes. “I also need to speak with Marta about this. Let’s arrange a meeting with the three of us, okay?” She checks the time--it’s only been two minutes. “Listen, I have to run. Just ping me on Slack with the details, please.”

“Okay! Should we do--”

Mona hangs up before she can hear the end of Scott’s question. She does feel a bit guilty--he’s just doing his job, after all--but it’s one of those days where all she wants to do is lock herself in her office and disconnect all her devices so she can just be left alone. 

Exhaling loudly, Mona collapses back into her chair. It’s still not quite noon, so it’s too early to skip out of the office to head to lunch. But then her stomach growls--fuck it, she thinks, pushing herself out of her chair and grabbing her purse from the floor beside her desk. She’s her own boss. She can take an early lunch if she wants.

“Devon, leave my messages on my desk. I’m going to lunch,” Mona says as she marches out of her office, coat and umbrella clutched in hand. “Should be back in an hour or so.”

“You’ll be back in two hours and we both know it,” Devon smirks from behind her computer. Her blonde hair is pin straight, not a single strand out of place. You would think Mona would possess even the ounce of grace that her assistant has, but unfortunately that’s never been the case. “Lover boy meeting you there?”

“Gonna call him now,” Mona quips back, phone already pressed to her ear as she pushes the door to their office suite open with her shoulder. “See you in a bit!”

The hallway is a peaceful reprieve to the bustling office. As much as she loves working at a startup--and being a ranking member at said startup--sometimes the restless energy pervading the office makes her feel especially twitchy. She takes her time getting to the elevator as the dial tones sounds in her ear. A few people from the neighboring office walk past and she waves, cradling her phone between her shoulder and ear as she pushes the down button.

The call goes to his voicemail after a few rings. The elevator arrives and she steps inside, already thumbing a text to make sure he’s even awake. Once she gets to the lobby of the building, she tries again. She’s eyeing the rain warily when he finally picks up.

“Hi, baby. Sorry I missed your call.”

“Hi,” she answers in a quick breath, already fighting a smile at the sound of his sleep-tinged voice. “I thought you might be asleep. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, I just got out of the shower.” There’s some rustling on the other side. Mona walks over to the couches on the far side of the lobby and sits, crossing one leg over the other. “You still want to get lunch?”

“If you’re not too tired. I left the office early so I’m heading there now.”

There’s a soft hum across the line. Mona can picture him in their bedroom, probably gazing out the window into the backyard. “It’s raining,” he murmurs, confirming her assumption. “Let me come pick you up.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, ‘course. I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“Make it ten,” Mona says softly. She ducks her head and says, even quieter, “I miss you.”

She can hear the amusement in his voice when he replies, “Miss you too, Moons. I’ll see you in a bit. Love you.”

He hangs up. Mona breathes a sigh and drops her phone in her purse after locking it. She stares outside at the rain--it’s coming down harder now. Good call to get picked up, she thinks. An absent smile pulls at her lips at the thought of seeing her boyfriend after over a month. He’s been all over the world in that time while she’s been at a standstill in Los Angeles. She’s ready for their life together to pick back up again.

Sometimes when he’s gone for long periods of time and Mona starts getting used to waking up in a bed alone, she thinks about the life they’ve built together. Three years is a long time to get to know someone-- you learn their habits, their quirks. You come to share their aspirations, their fears. All of these things get especially louder in her brain when he’s gone, as if her subconscious is reminding her of all the ways they’re committed to each other. 

She must have a strong subconscious because it always seems to squash any seeds of doubt about the stability of their relationship. Even with the schedule he has, being long-distance multiple times a year hasn’t driven a wedge between them. If anything, it’s brought them even closer.

A black Audi pulls up to the curb then, its hazard lights flashing as it parks. Mona shrugs on her coat and opens her umbrella as she steps outside into the torrential downpour. She runs over to the car and slips in as quickly as she can, though she still manages to get wet trying to get her umbrella closed.

“Stupid thing,” she mutters as it finally closes, leaving her with soggy hair and slightly damp clothes. She drops it at her feet with a scowl, wiping some of the water off her forehead. 

“Thanks for getting the leather wet.”

Harry calmly observes her struggle to get herself settled, elbow perched on the armrest of his door with his body angled toward her. Mona takes in the sight of him--his hair is still damp from his shower, cologne sharp and sweet and every ounce of the familiar scent she’s come to associate with home. 

“Oh, shut up,” Mona says, though the immediate grin on her face mutes the harshness of her words. “Nice to see you.”

Harry’s lips quirk. “You as well.”

There’s a pause. Then, the movements as natural as breathing, they lean forward. Mona stretches over the console as Harry reaches to cradle her jaw. Their lips meet in the middle, both still smiling. Harry breathes life into Mona again and, suddenly, her morning is forgotten.

It’s gentle. Mona’s bottom lip is caught between both of Harry’s in a delicate press. Their lips part with a soft pop after a few seconds. Harry sponges another kiss to the corner of her mouth before pulling away.

“Hi, my love.”

“Hi.” 

Mona can’t help the way her heart thrums when she sees his dimple pop. FaceTime doesn’t do any part of him justice. Sometimes she gets a bit overwhelmed by how much he glows, both in physical form and personality. 

They’re both still leaning toward each other, still grinning like idiots, but Mona is happy. Happy to have her boy home, happy to be with him again. Rain and dreadful morning aside, today could still be savaged. 

“Flight was okay?” she asks, reaching over to link their fingers. 

“Yeah, was actually a bit early. Managed to get a quick nap in, too.” 

“Your time is still pretty screwed up though, isn’t it?”

Harry shrugs helplessly. “It is what it is. But we’re leaving soon anyways, so I won’t really bother trying to correct it.”

Mona hums in agreement. Harry finally pulls back fully and switches out the hand that’s linked with hers so he can shift gears and pull away from the curb. “Can’t wait to get away from here,” she says under her breath, though she still hears the cluck of Harry’s tongue against his teeth.

“Bad morning?”

“The worst. The update we pushed didn’t go as well as we’d hoped, so now I have to get my engineers to get through the new prototypes as soon as possible so we can push another update.” Mona scowls and shakes her head. “But there’s a mutiny--half of them just want to go back to the old features. What’s the point of an update if you don’t change anything?”

“I actually quite liked the update,” Harry replies, nodding toward his phone in the cupholder. “Messed around with it a bit on the plane. Didn’t seem very buggy.”

“You know, I already let you put your dick inside me on a more-than-regular basis. You don’t have to be a butt-kissing friendly user, too.”

Harry lets an affronted scoff mixed with a laugh. “Moons, maybe I just like the app that much. Why do you think I invested in it?”

“Fair enough.” Mona leans over the console again to smack a kiss to his cheek. “I love you. Glad you’re home.”

Harry spares a quick glance at her, eyes filled with affection. “Glad to be home.”

-*-

Mona met Harry at an Eagles concert in 2018. The Calm app had just closed its first round of funding and they’d splurged on a box at the Forum to celebrate. She’d never really listened to the Eagles but she’d figured it would look bad if every ranking member except the CTO was there. 

She’d shown up begrudgingly, choosing to linger by the buffet while the rest of the group watched the opener perform. She was too busy filling up her plate with cheese and grapes to notice Harry walk in with some of the other investors. They were introduced by the head of their main venture capital firm. Harry shook her hand and said a few kind words, politely ignoring the way she was struggling with her appetizer and drink. He left her with an amused smirk and a nod, and that was that.

Fast forward to February of 2019. A perplexing Instagram follow was the only form of contact Mona had received from Harry since the concert. She didn’t dwell on it, nor their interaction. The greatest awareness she had of him was his generous investment alongside Ashton Kutcher’s firm. It was his gift that allowed them to secure $27 million in Series A funding and be valued at $250 million. She’d be out of a job without him, quite frankly.

So, it was understandable that she had been a bit confused to see a notification from him. A question, asking if she was still in Japan. She figured he’d seen her photos from her trip with her brother earlier that month. By the sound of it, they’d been there at the same time. 

She replied, saying no. The messaging began. It continued, progressing into questions about each other’s lives. It persisted when he arrived in Los Angeles once more. It was odd to get messages from him at a normal time of day rather than in the middle of the night. Pretty soon, he asked her to get a drink with him. She said yes, because--well, why not?

They got together in the easiest and simplest of ways, Mona thinks. A conversation over drinks. Liking that conversation enough to have another one over dinner. Quick lunch meet-ups turned into lunch dates. Harry asked her to be his girlfriend after a month of quiet dating. She said yes--and that was that.

-*-

December 18, 2022

“Babe! Have you seen my glasses?”

“Kitchen, maybe?” Mona calls out. 

There’s a thud, then a triumphant, “Found them!”

Mona rolls her eyes fondly. She’s sitting criss-cross on the floor of their bedroom folding Harry’s laundry. An open suitcase half-filled with her things is to her right, mounds of freshly-washed clothes surrounding her. 

They’re heading to the UK for the holidays in the morning and, as usual, they’ve both left their packing until the very last minute. One would think living with someone like Harry, who travels as often as he does, Mona would have learned how to pack quickly and efficiently. But every single time they go away together, without fail, she’s always left scrambling to get everything together.

Still, she can’t wait to leave dreary Los Angeles and trade the tumultuous, unpredictable weather they’ve been having for the last few weeks for the perpetual overcast skies of England. They’ll be stopping in London for a few days before heading north to Holmes Chapel. Mona can’t wait to see Harry’s mum and sister again after so long--the last time she’d seen Anne was on Harry’s last tour stop in London the previous year.

The telltale creak of the floorboards in the hallway alerts Mona of Harry’s presence. Sure enough, his head pops through the doorway a few seconds later. He’s got one of her butterfly clips holding his fringe back. “How’s the packing going?” he asks, fingers tapping on the doorframe.

“Horribly,” Mona deadpans. “Can you do it?”

“Mmm… don’t think so.” He shrugs. “I’m busy.”

Mona glares at him before rolling her eyes and falling backwards with a groan. She’s cushioned by a pile of winter coats. “I don’t want to do this anymore,” she whines, voice muffled by her hands on her face. “Can we take a break?”

“You’ve barely been at it for an hour.”

Mona only grunts in response. She’d had the longest day at work making sure everything was in order before they left for their extended vacation. Her VP of Engineering, Marta, would have it all under control, but she wasn’t so sure about her developers. Too many people left to their own devices spells danger in her eyes. At least there’s only a few more days until everyone’s out for the holidays.

“Darling.” A pair of hands grasps her wrists and pulls them away from her face. Mona blinks a few times, still disgruntled when Harry’s grinning face comes into view. His knees are on either side of her hips as he looms over her. “You’ve been so stressed lately,” he notes softly, simply stating an observation. “You weren’t even this stressed when you’d just become CTO.”

She blows out a sigh because she can’t find the words to reply. Yes, she’s been stressed--there’s been more pressure than ever to make sure the new updates are rolling out smoother than before. And with the company outsourcing and making hires all over the country, she’s got a new arsenal of remote developers she can barely keep track of. She won’t admit she’s in over her head--because she’s not--but it’s wearing on her, nonetheless.

“Baby,” Harry says, voice soothing. Mona looks up at him through her eyelashes, frowning. He tilts his head at her and exhales through his nose. He nods to himself, as if coming to a decision. “Okay, c’mon.”

He starts to pull on her wrists as he gets up off the floor. “Where are you taking me?” Mona whines, head lolling back as he lifts her off the ground. “Let me lay here and wallow for a bit, please.”

“Nope, we’re getting up now.” His voice comes out strained as he heaves her up. Mona collapses head first into his chest; his arms are quick to wrap around her shoulders, squeezing tightly. 

He starts walking them backward toward the bed. Mona lets herself be maneuvered by him, fully content to be dragged away from the dastardly pile of clothes. The backs of her knees hit the mattress but before she can steady herself, Harry lets his body’s momentum take them all the way down to the mattress, Mona letting out an ‘oof’ at the sudden weight on her chest.

“Sorry,” Harry mumbles from where his face is tucked into her neck.

Mona shifts so his shoulder isn’t digging into her sternum anymore. “Let me breathe, you big lump,” she grunts halfheartedly. “I didn’t ask to be squished.”

“You love being squished.” Harry’s arms tighten for a split second. “Can I tell you about my day?”

A smile tugs at her lips. Harry knows exactly when to fill in, when to provide a distraction for her ever-racing mind. Usually his distractions come in a different form--mainly one involving his mouth and the space between her legs--but she probably wouldn’t be able to get in the mood even if she wanted to thanks to how bone-tired she is. 

“Sure,” she says, burying her nose into his soft curls. “What did our mega rockstar do today?”

Harry snorts a laugh and lifts up off Mona’s chest. His nose crinkles, eyes shining with mirth. He dips down and pecks a series of quick kisses against Mona’s lips. “I love you, Moons,” he whispers, voice light. “D’you know that?”

“Think I do.” Mona lifts up to kiss him again. He takes the opportunity to deepen it, his tongue swiping against the seam of her lips. She sighs, letting her head fall back as Harry dips his tongue in her mouth briefly. When he pulls away, she says, “Go on, then. How were your tour meetings?”

Harry launches into an enthusiastic retelling of his day, talking vividly about the ideas he came up with for the new tour’s set design. Mona listens aptly, humming at the appropriate times while gently carding her fingers through his hair. He rests on her chest like a weighted blanket. The feeling of his skin on hers provides security, peacefulness. She latches onto the way her chest vibrates beneath his as he speaks in his low, raspy drawl.

“Can’t wait for you to see all of it,” he’s saying as he shifts so only his leg is draped over her thighs. He rests his head in his hand and his elbow on the bed as he gazes at Mona through lidded eyes. “After we get back from Mum’s, of course.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to get to your mom’s house. Is she gonna make the Scotch eggs again?

Harry nods. “She even got the special sausage for you.”

Mona nearly moans at the thought. “Your mother is a saint.”

He snickers at the look of faux-ecstasy on her face. Swaying a bit on his balanced arm, his eyes flicker over her face. They make quiet eye-contact for a few seconds. Mona cracks a small, sleepy grin at Harry’s inquisitive stare. She reaches forward and cradles his cheek, running her thumb down the slope of his cheek.

“Feeling better?” he murmurs, sliding his toe along her calf. Mona nods silently. Her thumb moves lower and digs into the tiny crater of a dimple in his cheek. “Good,” he whispers. “D’you want me to get started on dinner?”

“That’d be lovely,” she says, not having the energy to insist on cooking. “Can you use the last of the chicken in the fridge so it doesn’t go bad?”

“Sure.” He leans down to kiss her again, just a light peck that leaves her lips tingling. “Wraps sound good?”

“Yes, please,” she says, puckering her lips for one more kiss. Harry obliges with an easy smile. “Thank you,” she adds quietly once he’s pulled away with barely an inch between their mouths.

She doesn’t have to say what for, but Harry always knows. His mouth quirks to the side and he raises his eyebrows in full awareness.

It takes Mona a few seconds to find the will to push herself off the bed. Her suitcase stares back at her like an open-mouthed monster. With Harry puttering around in the kitchen, she figures she should get the rest of the packing out of the way so she can go join him and forget about the 11-hour flight waiting for them in the morning.

Getting off the cloud-like mattress is a Herculean task. She stands over the mounds of clothes and scratches her scalp, formulating a plan. The clean laundry needs to be put away, but it takes forever to organize her clothes and Harry tends to be particular about his shirts. The socks and underwear can be done quickly, though.

She grabs enough pairs of Harry’s briefs and tosses them into the suitcase to be folded later. The rest of them can go in his drawer. She folds them and stacks them neatly before gathering them in her arms and walking over to the dresser. Harry’s briefs and socks have their own drawer at the bottom, per her request to keep their socks separate since he tends to nick her patterned ones and stretch them out.

The drawer is a bit messy, so she starts by taking some of the rumpled underwear and refolding them. It’s when she lifts a pair of red Calvin Kleins that she sees it.

Mona stills. 

She doesn’t know why she’s taken aback. They’ve talked about it in incredible detail, more so than she ever thought she would. They’re both pragmatic, logical people--they live together, they have joint assets, they co-signed on their last three new cars. She considers his family her own, and he feels the same about hers. Her dad takes him to football games whenever they’re visiting. They’ve built a goddamn life together, for crying out loud.

And yet. The little black box has rendered her completely shocked.

She starts reaching for it--but then she yanks her hand back like she’s been burnt. What is she doing? She can’t ruin her own proposal by looking at the ring.

The ring.

Harry’s planning on proposing.

Her brain whites out. 

She shoves the boxers into the drawer in the flurry without even bothering to fold them. The sound of her slamming it shut echoes through the room. Her chest is heaving--eyes wide, heart racing. She wants desperately to forget what she’s just seen. 

A part of her feels guilty--Harry takes pride in the fact that he’s one of the only people who can successfully surprise Mona. He knows how to keep a secret well. She’s never been able to sniff out any of their anniversary or birthday plans. It isn’t like him to leave the ring in such an obvious place. Almost as if… he wanted her to find it.

Mona frowns. Whatever Harry’s intentions may be, she doesn’t have time to dwell on them. She doesn’t believe he’s that much of an idiot to throw a curveball into her already tumultuous life as of late. Besides--who’s to say how long the box has been in there? It’s not often that she has to put Harry’s laundry away, so she hasn’t opened that drawer in a few months at least. He could very well not have plans to propose any time soon.

That would be preferable.

Not that she doesn’t want to marry Harry. Of course she wants to marry him! 

Her frown deepens. 

There’s a clatter in the kitchen, effectively startling her out of the haze of internal turmoil she’s currently experiencing. “Babe?” she calls worriedly. “Everything okay?”

“I’m fine! Just dropped a tray!” A pause. “Actually, could you come here for a second?”

Knowing him, something’s definitely been spilled. Mona sighs to herself. Still, cleaning the kitchen is a better alternative to contemplating the impending future of her relationship. So, with a huff, she pushes herself off the ground, wipes her clammy hands on her thighs, and trudges out of the bedroom, hopelessly attempting to throw any thoughts of the little black box out of her brain.

-*-

Dating someone in the music industry was never something Mona expected to happen.

She’s a tech nerd, through and through. Graduating with honors from Berkeley with a degree in computer science, she fell headfirst into the startup space right when Calm was getting on its legs. It was fairly easy for her to ascend in the ranks from a novice to a proficient senior developer. 

So, it made sense for her to stay on at Calm after they were offered funding considering her joint algorithm she built with a few others lay the foundation for the app. She was head down in her work until finally breaking through and being offered the CTO position five years after starting there. Conveniently enough, that’s when she met Harry.

The tech industry is all she knew for her professional, young adult life. Similarly, the music industry is all Harry knew. It was a strategic game of push and pull to get each other acquainted with their respective lives. It helped that Harry was technically allowed to come to the investor dinners--part of Mona felt like he wouldn’t fit in with the bigheaded VC’s whose heads were so large she felt suffocated at the table. But he charmed his way in, matching their strides and taking pride in and boosting Mona’s accomplishments as CTO, letting his role as an investor become secondary.

Harry’s job was exciting, Mona came to learn. The process of creating music, the procedural task of laying down the foundation of a song and producing it in the studio, the choice to write lyrics for music or music for lyrics--it felt very similar to the operative way she wrote code. Miles away from the expectation that they’d have nothing in common, Mona suddenly found herself deeply moved by the way Harry conducted his life. 

The attention, however, was something else.

It took a while to get used to. And it was difficult--extremely so after the first time they were seen holding hands. An ill-timed moment, an unfortunate coincidence of being near a pap while walking to dinner in North London together. After that, the floodgates opened. But Mona likes to disappear from time to time, and this gave her an excuse to do it more often. 

Three years later and people have finally seemed to accept the fact that Harry and Mona are in it for the long run. Moving in together, splitting costs evenly, having a joint bank account for their combined assets--the equity Mona received from Calm allowed her to consider herself Harry’s equal in most respects. When she started earning that respect from Harry’s fans, she considered them to be in the clear.

But as Mona lays awake the night before their flight to England, she wonders how they’ll react if she steps out with a diamond ring on her finger. Some part of her knows it’s going to cause chaos. The thought is enough to keep sleep away until her alarm sounds at 6:15 the next morning.

She hardly reacts. Harry grunts next to her. He snuffles a bit into her hair, his arm tightening around her waist for a brief moment before he moves off her. “Fuckin’ hell, it’s early,” he says with a groan. He reaches over her frame and taps her phone to silence the alarm. “Want coffee?” he asks before pecking her cheek lightly.

“Sure,” Mona says. She hopes her voice doesn’t give away the fact that she’s barely slept. 

Harry peers at her through bleary, sleep-riddled eyes--this is her favorite Harry; the Harry no one else gets to see. His eyes crinkle with the boyish grin that appears on his face. “We’re goin’ on holiday,” he cheers in a croaky whisper, drawing out the last word. “Are you excited?”

“Thrilled to be sitting in a metal tube for 12 hours, yeah.”

He pouts. “Spoilsport.” Sponging a close-mouthed kiss to her lips, he throws the duvet back and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. “I’ll wash up. Could you bring the suitcases when you come down, please?” 

It’s more of a request than a question. Harry’s out of the bed and out the door before Mona can even object. She holds back a yawn as she begrudgingly rolls herself out of bed. There’s a crick in her neck that makes her wince. Should be a great flight, she thinks.

After washing up and throwing on her sweats, Mona does a final check in the bedroom. Their suitcases are closed but still unzipped. She makes sure they have all their belongings before closing them up properly and dragging them down the stairs.

Harry’s just putting milk in their coffees when she’s got the suitcases by the door. “For you, my love,” he says sweetly, placing the mug in her hand and punctuating it with a smacked kiss to her temple. 

“Thank you, H.” Mona raises on her tiptoes to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Passports are with you, right?”

“Yeah, I’m ready to go when you are--oh, could you just grab a pair of socks for me while I load everything in the boot?”

Mid-sip, Mona nearly chokes. 

Harry looks at her with wide eyes when she starts coughing. “I’m fine,” she reassures hoarsely after a few seconds. He doesn’t look convinced—she shakes her head and hurries away before he can question anything. 

Upon entering the bedroom, her eyes immediate fall to the offending drawer. “Socks, of course,” she mumbles to herself. Its handles stare back at her like two beady little eyes. 

Rationally, she should just get the socks and go downstairs so they can get on the road to the airport. But, because Mona is the way she is, she dawdles. Reaches into the drawer to grab the socks and notices the way Harry’s briefs have been spread flat rather than how she’d thrown them in there yesterday. She gulps, wary of the obvious--Harry’d been in the drawer at some point last night.

Mona pushes the underwear aside. Her eyes flit over the empty space in the corner. Somehow, she knew this would happen.

The ring is gone.

-*-

December 23, 2022

Mona’s on edge.

Harry hasn’t noticed yet--surprisingly so, considering every interaction they’ve had has left her skin prickling with the thought of him dropping down to one knee at any moment. He’s startled her too many times to count. She can’t be in a room alone without her thoughts wandering toward the proposal that is absolutely going to happen on this trip. 

After stopping in London for a few days, they set off for Harry’s mum’s house in Holmes Chapel after a lazy morning spent in bed. The drive is long enough to put Mona to sleep. Harry wakes her when they’re about twenty minutes out. It’s nearing three and her stomach is rumbling.

“Can we stop for some coffee or something soon?”

“Mum’s got a whole spread on at home. We’ll be there in a bit.”

Mona pouts a bit but drops it nonetheless, turning to face the window. The countryside flies past her eyes--she allows them to go a bit unfocused, everything turning into a green blur. She’s been looking forward to this trip for ages. She’s desperately needed a step away from her hectic work life. And since Harry had been away for so long for work himself, it was the perfect time for them to relax and recharge together, away from the bustle of their professions. 

Yet, here she is with a tense line down her spine that hasn’t eased since they boarded their flight from Los Angeles. The uncertainty of when encompasses her thoughts. Harry is none the wiser, completely oblivious to her torment. 

By the time they reach Homes Chapel, Mona is sure that Harry knows something’s wrong purely based on how clammy her palm is against his hand. She’s eager to get out of the car and get some space to herself, but that proves impossible the minute the front door opens.

“Oh, my boy! And my lovely girl!” Anne greets them with a megawatt grin, wasting no time in gathering both of them in her arms. She squeezes them for a few seconds--Mona finally finds a bit of ease in the familiar embrace. “Happy Christmas, you two. So glad you’re here!”

Harry pulls away and presses kisses to Anne’s cheeks. “Happy Christmas, Mum. Is Gem here yet?”

“She’s in the sitting room with your cousins--Mona, love.” Anne turns to her and squeezes her arm, already pulling her into the house. “I need you to try the curry--I followed your mum’s recipe but I’m still certain there’s something missing.”

Harry disappears with a peck to Mona’s lips and a squeeze of her waist. The rest of the evening progresses at a whirlwind pace--it’s always like this whenever they come visit. Harry’s always eager to catch up with his family and while Mona’s seamlessly blended into his little group of cousins, she and Anne have developed a special bond in the kitchen. 

So she spends the rest of the evening with Anne, helping her finish off the goat curry (with a little help from her own mom) and making fresh naans for the entire brood of relatives in the house. Harry acts a nuisance in the kitchen as always and keeps nicking bites of the food before it’s on the table. Mona whacks him with a dish towel more times than she can count.

There’s something about the full table with the air imbued with holiday spirit that clears Mona’s mind for a few hours. She’d never celebrated Christmas growing up--it wasn’t until she started dating Harry that she got to experience the holiday in its truest form. This is their second time spending the holidays with Harry’s family and she knows it’ll be something she can continue to look forward to for years to come.

By the time the dinner plates have been cleared away and the adults are nursing overflowing glasses of mulled wine, Mona’s nearly nodding off on the couch. Harry’s not faring much better. The two are curled up on the loveseat under one of Anne’s quilts, Harry’s head resting on Mona’s shoulder as they all watch a film. He’s got an arm laid across her thigh, his fingers scratching her bare legs every once in a while.

Mona purses her lips against his forehead. He shifts closer and looks up at her. “Alright?” he asks.

“Yeah, just a bit sleepy.” Mona smiles down at him through lidded eyes. She leans forward and connects their lips in a lethargic, drowsy kiss. “Might head up. You stay, though.”

Harry doesn’t object, knowing Mona wants him to catch up with his mother in private. He gives her a sleepy smile and she pecks his lips once more before getting up.

Mona squeezes Anne’s shoulder before heading up the stairs to Harry’s old room. She makes quick work of getting ready to sleep, halfheartedly splashing her face with some cold water and braiding her hair so Harry won’t complain of waking up with strands of it in his mouth. Turning the light off, she clambers underneath the mess of blankets on the mattress, pulls the thickest one over her head, and promptly falls asleep.

-*-

December 25, 2022

“You’ve been a bit quiet.”

Mona slows her pace a bit. She bites the inside of her cheek, staying silent.

“Moons?” 

Harry stops walking, their joined hands outstretched in the space between them. The path they’re walking on is completely deserted on Christmas morning. It’s a little loop around Harry’s house they like to take strolls on whenever they need some time for themselves.

“Hey,” he says quietly, tugging her toward him. Mona goes easily, wary of the way her face has gone tight. “Is everything okay?”

She spares a look at his face--there’s a faint divot in the space between his brows. He regards her carefully, like he doesn’t know how she’ll react. “I’m fine, H,” she reassures him. “I swear, it’s nothing.”

He sighs--she knows he doesn’t believe her. Never once has she felt the need to conceal her feelings about something. It’s the reason why their relationship works as well as it does. But right now she feels like the secret has a vice-like grip on her vocal cords. She wants desperately to tell him she saw the ring and she’s ruined the surprise, that the stress of not knowing when he’ll propose is eating her alive--but how can she tell him?

“Baby, I know… I know I’ve been a bit withdrawn,” Mona admits, stepping closer to him so she can lay her head on his chest. Harry’s free hand immediately comes up to cup the back of her neck. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, okay? Honestly, it’s mostly work stuff.”

She pulls back to give him what she hopes is a comforting smile. None of this is Harry’s fault--she has to make sure he knows that. 

“It worries me when you carry that stuff home,” Harry says. 

“It’s shitty, isn’t it?” Mona gives him a dry smile. “You’d think they’d let me relax before the holidays, but I guess not.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” Harry still doesn’t look convinced with the way he squints at her. She swallows, forcing herself to plaster a grin on her face. “Nothing you want to talk about?”

“I’m sure, babe.” She rolls onto her tiptoes to plant a kiss square on his lips. “Let’s get back to the house. I want those Scotch eggs.”

He searches her eyes for a few moments. Mona can see the fight disappear from his eyes in a split second. He nods, cracking an easy smile before looping his arm around her shoulders. They start back down the path to the house and Mona tries to keep her thudding heart under control. 

-*-

December 27, 2022

It happens in the morning.

Harry’s in the bathroom and Mona’s coming up the stairs after finishing breakfast with Anne and Gemma. The door to his bedroom is mostly closed, just a bare strip of sunlight peeking through the crack. She pushes the door open and walks in with her head down and thumbs flying over her phone’s screen. 

The sound of the sink shutting off makes her look up. “Darling, can you grab me a pair of pants?” Harry’s voice calls from behind the bathroom door.

“Yeah, one sec!” Mona tosses her phone onto the bed and goes to the chair with Harry’s suitcase on it in the corner of the room. She unzips it and lifts the flap--and freezes.

The box is sitting perfectly on a pile of folded shirts. Mona instantly knows it’s not an accident. 

This time, she picks it up. Surprisingly, it doesn’t burn her fingers. The weight of it in her hands suddenly makes the situation fathomable. The ringing in her ears drowns out the sound of Harry coming out of the bathroom. 

The door shuts. Mona startles out of her daze, whirling around to face Harry. 

“I’m sorry, I--”

Her words halt. Harry’s fully dressed--she immediately realizes he meant for her to find it.

“You know,” he starts, taking a few steps toward her, “I had an inkling this is why you’ve been weird since we left LA.” He stops in front of her and plucks the box out of her fingers, as if it were something mundane. “You saw it, didn’t you?”

There’s no use in denying it. “I didn’t mean to,” Mona says softly, voice trembling. “I didn’t look, I promise. It just… it caught me off guard.”

“I figured.” Harry smiles to himself and chuckles softly, like he’s remembering something. “I told Jeff to hide it in the closet, not the dresser. I knew you’d see it eventually.”

Mona frowns. “Jeff?”

“I had him drop it off from the jeweler’s. Had to get it sized.” It’s then that he gently flips it open, revealing the most stunning diamond on a simple white gold band. Mona can’t hold back the gasp that escapes her lips. “Should’ve known him to hide it in the most obvious place,” Harry says through a laugh.

Mona doesn’t know what to say. She can’t think. Her eyes go cloudy. “Harry…”

“I know things are hard for you right now.” His voice is more determined, filled with an intensity that has Mona’s legs feeling weak. Their eyes meet--he’s staring at her intently, willing her to listen to everything he has to say. She can’t look away. “I haven’t been around and I’ve been kicking myself for it. And I know this isn’t always the answer to everything, but…”

“Wait! Wait.” Mona holds her hands out in front of him to stop his movements. Harry stills--there’s a split second where he genuinely looks worried. “Were you going to do this now regardless of if I’d seen the ring or not?”

Harry pauses for a moment. “Well… yeah.” He shrugs. “I’d planned to have the house to ourselves, maybe cook you dinner, love on you a bit beforehand. But you were driving yourself crazy, Moons. I felt like I needed to put you out of your misery.”

Mona purses her lips at him. “I’m not some anal-retentive control freak, you know.”

“I know,” Harry says simply, dimple popping. “Besides, I figured you wouldn’t want a showy spectacle anyways. And…” The corners of his lips quirk upward in a secretive smile. “...I just really want to marry you, Mona.”

He drops to one knee. Mona can’t breathe. 

“Fuck.” She shifts, blinking rapidly to clear the sudden mist in her eyes. “Fuck, okay. You’re doing this.”

Harry nods with something fierce. “I’m doing this.”

“Are you sure?”

“Am I sure?” He chuckles with a shake of his head. “I’m the one who should be asking you that question.”

He’s right. Mona swallows, pressing the palms of her hands to her eyes for a few short seconds. “Right,” she says thickly, not even caring about how blotchy her face must look as she’s on the verge of tears. “Okay, I’m ready.”

They both take a shared breath, Harry adjusting himself on his knee and presenting the ring to her. “So,” he says shakily, and she can finally see how much it’s affecting him. They’re looking at each other through foggy eyes, but Mona loves this boy with everything she has and she can’t even believe why she was ever worried.

“I love you,” he breathes, eyes glimmering with fresh tears. “With everything I have, I swear. Will you marry me?”

Mona sniffs, a tear finally falling. She nods, slowly at first but then quickly. Her fingers are pressed against her lips to keep herself from losing it completely. “Yes,” she whispers. “Yes, yes, yes.”

Harry takes the ring out of the box with delicate fingers. It casts a rainbow over the wall from the way the sunlight hits it. Mona’s transfixed. He raises up to his full height and slides it on her finger--they’re both crying but she can’t look away. 

“Thank you,” he whispers. His forehead knocks against hers--she doesn’t waste another second and leans up to connect their lips. She tries to convey everything through the kiss, clutching his cheeks to hold him against her. 

She pulls away to ask, “Why are you thanking me?”

“Because I just--I don’t know.” He laughs stuffily, wiping a stray tear from his cheek. He takes Mona’s left hand and presses a kiss to her palm, then to the band of the ring. “I love you, Moons. We’re going to be just fine.”

Her mind is finally settled. She believes him.

-*-

They tell the world with a single photo of their entangled hands with the ring visible. Nothing more, nothing less.

[shmowlwrites]

Yellow Carnations Chapter 4

ao3 chapter 3 chapter 5

Marinette had gone a month at Alma Lycee before realizing how very out of touch with Akumas she was. 

At Francis Dupont, the Akumas occurred nearby and she could escape school with reasonable excuses. At Alma, she had to get creative and be able to swallow her pride. While she was normally the first one on the scene, she was now the last one there.

Her tardiness as Ladybug was making herself nervous. Once the weekend came, Marinette made sure to visit Master Fu. There had to be something she could do, ways to notify her if an Akuma was happening.

“Ah, Marinette. I don’t expect you to be coming by,” Fu gave her an aged smile.

“I’m sorry, but I really needed to figure something out with you,” Marinette apologized.

“Oh?” Wayzz asked, flying out from behind a screen as the two walked into the workroom.

“I’ve had to move schools, you guys know that,” Marinette began once they had settled at the table, to which both Wayzz and Fu nodded. “However, I keep coming late to Akuma battles now that I’m so removed from them. Surely there’s got to be a way for me to get notified when an Akuma happens! I can’t be getting the delayed announcements from the news. People are thinking I’m lazy!” Marinette groaned, dropping her head on the table top.

“Hm…” Fu hummed. “I agree with you, but I don’t know how. Maybe something to do with your technology?” He asked.

Tikki popped open the purse, eyes wide. “Marinette! What if you made an app or website or something?”

Marinette turned her head to Tikki, eyes suddenly sparkling as ideas danced behind her irises. “Tikki, you’re a genius!”

Fu and Wayzz looked at each other and then to the Ladybug pair.

“I could make a website! People could send in Akuma sightings, I could tell people that the reason I’m so behind is that I’m no longer in the heart of Paris. That’ll put themselves to ease and also make them more inclined to help! I could put more onto the website, but I’ll have to think it through later,” Marinette buzzed.

“You’d be making a blog, basically!” Tikki grinned, to which Marinette faltered.

“A blog? But that’s Alya’s thing, I don’t want her to think I’m going against her,” Marinette frowned.

“Marinette, it’ll be fine!” Tikki assured her chosen. “We can think about this later.”

Marinette sighed before smiling. “Alright. I guess I have to learn some coding now, huh?”

It took a week and confusing Allegra and Bridgette as she asked them questions about what they’d think about Ladybug doing a blog. In the end, Marinette had formed a website called the Quantic Blog, approved by Fu. There were buttons at the top, each correlating to a Miraculous and something she associated with them. Hovering over them changed the backdrop of the website, corresponding to the color of the button and doing a short preview of what each button offered.

A red button to list all the videos Marinette was going to make as Ladybug for updates. It turned the backdrop red, and it showed an opening video of Marinette as Ladybug.

A green button for any posts about calming techniques. It turned the backdrop into a green diamond pattern, with the first post about breathing exercises.

A yellow button for a list of videos about self-defense and getting out of any situation an Akuma might put a civilian in. It turned the backdrop into a soft, pastel yellow with black honeycomb lines. It previewed a Krav Maga beginners self-defense video, with Marinette's commentary on it in a post below it.

An orange button was right next to it, meant to teach civilians how to camouflage themselves and places to hide. Marinette hoped that this button would be taken to heart, mainly because she definitely knew what buildings had the most common collapses. She didn't want any civilians hiding in collapsing buildings, she didn't know if the miraculous cure could bring anyone back to life. The button turned the backdrop into a common orange with a fox's white tail tip as the only thing visible against it.

A black button with a purple butterfly over it was where anyone could send in a picture of an Akuma sighting and where they saw it. Tikki would sort through those and let Marinette know if there really was an Akuma. She’d make a quick post about where an Akuma was seen, and once the Akuma was captured and de-evilized, Tikki would edit the post to say that it was gone. Its preview made the background a royal purple, with the post about how to submit entries and what would happen should there be an actual Akuma.

A black button with a cat paw on it was for tracking her. Tikki and Fu got to working with each other and finally Ladybug was able to connect her yo-yo to the website so that people would know where she was, once she was transformed. She hoped to be able to do the same with Chat Noir, but she hadn’t been able to contact him yet, and neither had Master Fu. Its preview actually showed a map of Paris, with the dull Ladybug and Black Cat signals enlarged over it. They'd be minimized and light up once one of them was transformed.

Once the site had been officially published with Marinette making the first video to explain everything on it, she did not miss those suspicious glances Allegra and Bridgette sent her. Allegra finally asked the question Marinette knew was burning in their minds during lunch hour.

“So, how convenient it is for you to ask what we thought about Ladybug running a blog… and not too much later, lo and behold! Ladybug is running a blog.” Allegra grinned before sending a suspicious grin to Marinette. “What’s up?”

Marinette raised her eyebrows. “What ever do you mean?” She feigned ignorance.

“How are you in cahoots with Ladybug? I gotta know,” Bridgette stage-whispered, leaning across the picnic table.

Marinette giggled. She could work with this. “I have a terrace, and both would often drop by to rest before running off again. I got to get into acquaintance with them. Ladybug recently reached out to me to ask if I’d make a blog. I said yes.” Marinette made jazz hands. “And that’s how we’re here. Sorry, I didn’t tell you guys. I didn’t know how or what to say.”

Allegra pouted before grinning. “Oh well, guess we’ll have to make you feature us!”

Bridgette acted like she was giving it some thought before giggling, Allegra soon following. Marinette chuckled to herself. Those two acted so similarly, it was almost as if they were the same person… She could only assume the two had gotten so close in their years together that they began to take on traits of each other. Though, they did have their own differences that showed once it came study time. Marinette giggled at the thought.

The blog was a hit, but Marinette knew it wasn’t one with Alya. She’d checked the Ladyblog and Alya had made a whole big post about how this was messing with her and aimed at ruining her, albeit she had no idea why. Marinette wondered if she should even attempt to explain as Ladybug. She wondered if she had accidentally cut the last tie she had to her ex-best friend.

That led to a whole new deep thought session. Did she like that she no longer had contact with Alya? She just stole Alya’s livelihood, after all. Marinette tried to ignore that thought - the Ladyblog was for analysis. The Quantic Blog was for keeping others up to date and protection and knowing where the heroes were. Marinette assured herself with that.

Upon learning the girl behind the blog was Marinette herself, Claude would call her Coding Goddess, to which Marinette would snort at, as it made her sound like she actually knew how to code. Allen suddenly started giving her tidbits of advice, as he came to Alma riding on the computer engineering boat. Marinette took them like they were water, and the blog was slowly becoming a little more functional and better looking.

Felix himself seemed impressed by the work, rather than that Marinette literally set up a blog for Ladybug. To which Marinette found refreshing, and also found out that she liked receiving praise from the stiff boy. She had to stop that train before it reached the station though, because she wouldn’t let herself go so far into admiration as she did with Adrien. So she took those praises as they were, trying her best to not to look too deep into them.

[emdop]

11/11/11 Tag Game

Thank you so much to @itslmdee for tagging me!

1. NaNoWriMo. Yes or no? And why?

Yes! I think it’s a fun way to challenge myself and I really want my book to be finished soon!

2.  Do you write better with or without pressure? (ex. word wars)

Short term pressure like word sprints and such stress me out, but long term pressure like NaNoWriMo is good for me because otherwise I won’t get anything done

3. How much romance do you usually write into your WIP(s)?

A lot. I’m a romance writer. It’s kinda my thing

4.What colour do you associate with each of your main characters?

Hmm this is a good one. Jet = red, Greyson = gray, Violet = violet (plot twist of the year, I know), Oliver = army green and other warm earthy tones, Matthew = highlighter yellow

5.   If you had to live where your characters live, how would you like it?

They live in L.A. I would both love and hate it. They also travel a lot in the book and I’m terrible at traveling so I’d be miserable.

6.  Are there any characters you’re afraid people will ship when your WIP(s) is/are published?

Ohhhh, love this question. Honestly all of my main characters in Sing This Love would make adorable couples. I think I’d be down for any pairing. 

7.   What’s a name you want to use for a character but haven’t yet?

August, Levi, Winter, Holly, Aurora, Willow, Elijah, I could go on. There are so many good names

8.  Do you write to make art or to entertain your audience?

Entertain! My goal is make people feel warm and fuzzy. 

9.  What’s the strangest thing you’ve researched for a writing project?

Hmmm, how to make a car blow up. and what traveling on a bus for weeks is like

10.  Do you have any characters you love on the page but would hate if they were a real person?

I wish I had a better answer for this one. Sing This Love is filled with characters I would love to be real. As for my other WIPs, there’s a short story I wrote for school that had a main character I hated with all my guts. I was just so done with her bullshit.

11.   Would you like to share your favourite bit you’ve written recently?

Sure! Here’s a snippet of Sing This Love: 

I awake after a restless sleep, and toss and turn in my bunk, wishing my brain would turn off, so I can get rest. A rustle and a clatter in the kitchenette catch my attention, and with little else to do, I abandon the whole sleep thing and exit my bunk.

I find Jet, shoving tea bags, coffee filters, and miscellaneous spices into the full cabinet. He quickly shuts the door so it’s an avalanche booby trap for the next person who opens it. Still wearing his stage-clothes, he sips a glass of whiskey. He spots me when he turns around and puts a finger to his lips in a shushing motion, then points at the cabinet.

“If anyone asks, it wasn’t me,” he whispers and winks.

“What are you doing?” I ask, crossing my arms for warmth. My eyes squint in the darkness.

“Working,” he says. I go to reject that statement when he walks over to the booth and laid out on the table is his computer, notebooks, and a myriad of writing utensils. He slides over in the booth, so I can sit next to him and I study his work closer. On the computer screen, a collection of digital Post-It notes cover half of his screen and the other half is an audio software. The notebooks litter with hand written paragraphs, both in the lines and not. I look at Jet’s cramped, all-capitalized handwriting that despite the hurried appearance is readable. The notes are color coded, but I can’t tell what the colors mean yet.

11 questions (totally stealing some of the above questions):

What’s you most recent obsession?

What’s your go to book recommendation?

How much romance do you usually write into your WIP(s)?

What colour do you associate with each of your main characters?

Do you have any writing habits (your own or other people’s) that annoy you? (i.e. repeated word use, overused tropes)

Are there any characters you’re afraid people will ship when your WIP(s) is/are published?

What’s a name you want to use for a character but haven’t yet?

If you could pick one character out all of your WIPs to make real, who would you chose?

Do you have a usual time you write?

What are your OCs’ favorite holidays and why?

Would you like to share your favourite bit you’ve written recently?

Tagging: @writeawayjake @boredwriter-16 @raywritesblog @fathereira @heyabella @queenoffloweryhell @sword-of-stars @zaequeenoflazy @edgywords @fallynephemeron @milkyway-writes

[ocehans]

9 Essential WEB SITE DESIGN Methods for DIY Beginners

Let’s get right down to it, shall we? Below are a few of the very most useful styles and guidelines to learn when building your first website:

1. SET ASIDE the Mouse, GRAB a Pencil

Your site may already exist as a lovely, complete entity in your mind which is the reason why you immediately leap into Photoshop (or worse, an internet browser and HTML) to plan it out. Whoa, whoa-cool your jets for another! Don’t place the cart before the equine. First, get out a pencil and pad of paper and start putting your ideas into something easily tangible. That is an important stage to map out the framework of your site using only rectangles, doodles and influenced ideas (categorized as wireframing). Things can be very tough at this time; no one’s heading to view it nevertheless, you.

It is more easily at this time to alter designs you originally thought works however now discover are cluttered and confusing in writing. This can save you many hours of disappointment instead of making the same finding after the site is coded and in a web browser. Plus, it can help significantly to create a web page when you have research at hand to seek advice from rather than moving in blind.

2. Follow a Hierarchy

It’s an undeniable fact that a lot of web surfers tend to only check out webpages rather than take time to read everything. You should be ready because of this by placing the most crucial content first. This means that a consumer can break down the most essential information on a full page all in a single screen on preliminary load, and never have to focus or scroll. That is, of course, easier said than done. Here are some tips to help you better understand the significance of the design theory:

Keep Content “Above the Collapse”

We call that preliminary display of loaded content “the fold”-and everything below it that must be scrolled to be observed is considered supplementary. Generally, your most significant information rests “above the collapse”. The crucial thing to perform within this area is to entice a consumer to do this or generate the motivation to scroll down further.

Utilizing a “Hero” Image

A common trend in web site design nowadays is to fill this “above the fold” area using what is named a “hero” image or banner. They are full-screen history images with very succinct and to-the-point overlaid text messages, usually combined with a call-to-action button. Feasibly the whole purpose of the net web page could be included within this banner area, although it also acts as a great primer for this content to follow.

“The Collapse” May Change With regards to the Device

Here’s where things become complicated-and why you shouldn’t overburden yourself attempting to match everything above this marvelous line. Concerning the user’s device, the display screen sizes could differ greatly. A jaw-dropping 5K screen has a vertical quality of 2880 pixels, whereas an iPhone 5 has not even half of this. This means that mobile users just aren’t heading to have the ability to fit as much content to their display real property. (More upon this later.)

3. Typography Is Your Design

Unless you’re owning a photography business, the text is the solitary most important component of any website, so it’s important to get this done part right. Your web page’s hierarchy is greatly reliant on the typography you select: how your headings, subheadings, and body text message follow an all-natural circulation and stay aesthetically distinctive in one another

Make sure the written text is legible (avoid flowery fonts!) and large enough (usually around 16px for your body).

Stick to only two fonts-and make sure they set well together!

Give your paragraphs some room to inhale between one another, and arranged enough top cushioning or margin on your headings to symbolize clear breaks in content.

Avoid long lines of text. It’s easier on the eye for paragraph lines to be approximately only 15 words long-and a little significantly less than that for mobile displays.

Serif fonts are usually best only in print-unless they may be found in large headlines on the net

4. Colors & Comparison Are Crucial

We’ve discussed color mindset at length, however, the idea bears duplicating. The colors you select for your website play a massive role in how users understand your brand, as well as how motivated they could feel in taking action (i.e.: buying things) through your website. Why? Well, every color evokes certain feelings, and either for their natural character or by social fitness, these colors have grown to be associated with certain types of businesses. If a children’s toy company or a financial consultant painted their whole website in the stark dark, it could send the incorrect indicators with their meant viewers. Around the flipside, a shiny orange or an enjoyable blue, respectively, would catch the perfect firmness and consciousness for his or her customers.

If you’ve already established the colors of your brand, use those on your website then. It’s best, however, to keep it at only three colors for your site; like fonts, you don’t want to overdo it here or your site could finish up with multiple personality disorder. Also, be skeptical of way too many splashes of color across your website; our eye is attracted to them like honey traps, plus they could interrupt the natural movement of your articles. Use color only once it is most needed, such as links or control keys.

In contrast, your text message must stick out from the backdrop. Using light greys, yellows or greens for your fonts will likely render them unseen on the web page. Black on the white background is the foremost combination of comparison and is normally what you ought to stick to.

Additionally, you want your text message to pop against background images. Using very occupied photos can distract from the written text, to avoid this issue either use less comprehensive photos or use an overlay of, say, rgba(51,51,51,0.5)to help soften the image within the text.

Contrast also is important in how users are attracted to certain important elements of your site. Your most significant call-to-action control keys must get attention through the use of contrasting colors. A blue “Buy Now!” button manages to lose its urgency and well worth it when it's swallowed by a niche site that uses blue everywhere-but a red button on that same web page grabs a user’s attention by shouting “Hey! Click me!”

5. Using Pictures

Deciding on the best images to use on your website partly boils down to your artistic aptitude, but there are also intellectual considerations to consider that should assist with your selection process. First of all, avoid embellishing your site with extraneous photos because they could look nice. Instead, think of how each image you utilize serves its purpose, and how it functions as content. A well-chosen picture can convey your brand, service, product, or audience a lot more effectively than words. Use photos to help your users understand something, to evoke feelings, or even to inspire trust and self-confidence; with them solely for visual reasons should be supplementary.

Understanding Document Types & Compression

There can be an extra step that must be taken for using images on the net. Those elegant photos you have from sites like Shutterstock and iStock could be very substantial (5,000+ horizontal pixels and 10+ megabytes in proportions) which is okay for printing, but they’re unfit for websites. Not everyone has superfast Dietary fiber Internet, and that means you must decrease the size of your images to support for launching times (not forgetting 40% of site visitors will leave if the website takes much longer than 3 mere seconds to weight!). Typically, you want to keep each of your images at no more than 500 kilobytes in proportions, though your average quality should of times be around 100 kilobytes.

JPEG is the typical format for photos. It is a lossy format, this means its image quality is reduced when compressed. If you’re utilizing a JPEG for a full-width history image I quickly recommend keeping its horizontal quality at a minimum of 1200px. For general purposes, stay away from any image with significantly less than 600px horizontal quality, as it'll likely show up blurry on modern displays.

PNG is the most well-liked choice for images or for images that want transparency. It is a lossless format, which is ideal for keeping image quality but may also greatly increase document sizes. Generally, you’ll use PNG images for illustrations, symbols, or smaller images that may be stacked together with other elements for their transparency. You’ll hardly ever need a PNG to be bigger than 1000px.

SVG (Scalable Vector Image) is a more recent format that is changing GIF and even PNG in some instances. SVG wonders that it could be as large or as small onscreen as you will need it to be, all while keeping perfect clearness and crispness (but still be a little quality). You should think about using SVG for just about any logo design, icon, or vector visual on your website; as high DPI shows are becoming commonplace, the sharpness of SVG provides the best image quality.

6. Mobile-First Design

We’ve now reached a period where most people consume online quite happy with their cell phones rather than on the desktop computer. As a total result, there is much larger precedence in web site design to tailor specifically to the mobile experience, which has resulted in the “mobile-first” design viewpoint.

This means that essentially, throughout your initial sketching and planning phase in some recoverable format, it is best to focus on the site’s mobile layout first. Only the most crucial content necessary for the functioning of your site will be displayed on smaller screens. This causes you to simplify your design and slice out any distracting elements immediately. Think back again to your “above the flip” content: if you first ensure that the important info can fit on the original screen of the phone, then you’ll know for several it'll fit on bigger displays. Once you’ve nailed the fundamental mobile layout, you'll be able to start adding in embellishments or bigger images for desktop displays.

Your mobile layout assumes a far more vertical design that inspires scrolling, as opposed to the wide landscape of the desktop. If, say, your product web page displays entries in a grid of 3 across on desktops, then usually your mobile layout will display them as only a single column.

Yes, which means that you essentially need to produce several layouts for every web page of your website. Fortunately, a worthwhile website contractor should provide reactive templates that change these designs automatically so you’ll then just need to fine-tune them.

7. Keep Things Aligned

When elements appear sporadically laid across your site it is often due to an alignment issue. Imagine your website on the sheet of graph paper. Individual it into even columns by sketching, for example, six right lines. You now want to ensure that the remaining sides of your elements are distributed and aligned to only these six vertical lines.

8. Keep It Simple

It is said that the best web site design moves unnoticed; it is a poor design that phone calls focus on itself. As stated earlier, the main facet of any website is merely its text message. If you can offer outstanding typography that is a joy to learn, you won’t do much more. Wanting to overdesign your site will just mess and complicate things.

Are the package shadows necessary? The crazy, ornate patterns? A large number of colors? Not probably.

9. Big Open up Spaces

Your articles need room to breathe. White space is the prevailing design choice for modern websites: wide, open up areas of nothingness to pad areas between content. It’s a far more pleasant way to process information, looked after stimulates you to eliminate superfluous text messages and images to keep carefully the site clean.

Get more advice Thought Media is a leading Chicago web design providing professional website development services, and one of the top SEO companies. The agency has worked with hundreds of clients all over the world! Creating high converting website designs, providing reliable website hosting, and successful Search Engine Optimization Marketing campaigns!

Conclusion

Web site design can be considered a sprawling field of technology to learn, ideas to practice, dialects to review, and artistry to understand. Only with experience will all of these components start to make sense, however, you already are well on the way simply by grasping the basics of why is a good website work. I am hoping that guide acts as your launching-off point, which offers you the self-confidence to consider your website into the own hands and build it just how that only a business proprietor knows best.

[cosmetologynerd]

The Rise and Fall

It’s written in the stars.

It’s a saying as old as anyone can remember, a tribute to all that the universe holds secret. The universe in all its power, in all its vast wisdom and knowledge holds this deep rooted secret. Something you either want to hear, something that drives you to your very soul, that you just can’t help but think about. Or, it’s something that you run from, choosing like so many before you to ignore the writing in the stars and pray that it turns out differently. It’s a subtle taunt, a sign of good when it comes to lovers, a tragic whisper when a death befalls someone so young.

It can be the beginning of all things. Or the end of all things.

And yet, with you, it was so rich, so inviting, so perfectly packaged that all the other signs didn’t matter. We were written in the stars and no one could convince me otherwise.

You brought my mom flowers on our first date. Her favorite lilies bloomed on the marble island as you held my hand and joked with my dad. The promising smile of a mother, the searching eyes of a father, and the wishful, bright eyes of the girl you were hoping liked you back just as much. You made sure to walk up to my door, not to pull up and honk that you were here as so many others had done before you. You made sure you were freshly dressed, your blue jeans faded because you couldn’t afford another pair. Your favorite pink shirt had a small hole on the back right shoulder, which I would tease you about for months, but you smiled big. It was your best shirt, and you wore it proudly.

We didn’t pay attention to the time. We drove down back roads in your mustang that your dad paid for, windows rolled down in early January, the crisp winter air that only the pacific northwest could bring whipping through our hair. I laughed and sang along to a horrible top 20’s hit that you only had on because you knew I liked it. We talked for hours, you sometimes asking what way you thought we should go. I’d say right. You’d go left.

“Adventure means not having control over the path you take.”

I don’t remember if you ever said those exact words to me, or if it was more of an ideal I associated to you. Either way, that is something I learned from you.

You lived your life never minding being late, or suddenly changing plans, or just winging it all together. You would take life as it came at you. This may have been forged by the struggles you faced as a child and teen, living in a home with just as many problems as there were good moments. This may have been just how you chose to keep yourself afloat through it all, deciding that if you just went with the tide instead of fighting it that life would be easier. But it was a trait I wish I had.

I chose to live life by a much stricter, planned out manner. I have always had more planners than I can count, color coding each and every item in it, and somehow convincing myself that this meant that I had my shit together and knew what I was doing. You would watch as I set myself on the path I chose when I was four years old: Go to college, get your degree and figure the rest out later. I gave up high school experiences to go to college my junior and senior year, you watched, supporting me every step of the way as I hated my classes but passed them anyways. When I didn’t go, you reminded me why I chose that course in the first place.

And then… You moved away.

We spent a year and a half in long distance, unsure how any of this was going to work, but we made it work. I’d call you crying, you’d comfort me. We’d fight, you would drive back up to make sure we were okay. We faced hell and high water. No one thought we would make it. And when I decided, right before writing a tuition check to a college I always dreamed about going to, that I was going to change everything about my future and move into an apartment we couldn’t afford just to be with you - you were so happy.

We both wanted it so bad, the long nights apart would become less. We would live in a place we called our own and decorate it how we wanted and we would figure the rest out as we went. Because you made it easy to loosen up. I picked the place, you smiled and said you would sign the papers so long as I was happy where we were at.

The day we got our keys we were over the moon. We drove down, U-Haul loaded, gas filled to the brim with three cars of helpers beyond excited for our next step. Beyond proud that we decided to take this leap after really only being together for such a short period of time. A year and a half of distance had us convinced this was our forever, and that this was what we wanted.

We were ready, god help the poor soul who told us we were crazy.

Going to Costco with you was my favorite lazy day activity.

You’d roll out of bed, turning on the heater to keep me warm while I slept in. You’d cook, your only attire the green fleece pajama pants I bought you for Christmas, the waistband hanging low, your mouth humming the words to whatever Disney song I had managed to get stuck in your head the night before. I’d wake up to the smell of bacon, sizzling away, eggs scrambled to perfection. You’d cook them differently because, well, you liked them plain, but I liked them loaded with cheese and milk cooked right in. You’d eat them how I liked, because that’s just how you were. Making sure I was happy before anything else mattered.

We’d eat, and slowly get ready. I’d curl my hair, or put it in a bun. You’d shower, I’d do my makeup. You’d kiss my forehead as I struggled to get my eyeliner just right. I would complain, but my heart was soaring through my chest every time you did it. We’d load up in the car, winter jackets pulled on tight, my gloves battered from use, nose red from the chilly walk to the car. And off we went, pulling up to the super store, pretending we had more money than we did.

I know for a fact one time we drained the whole bank account shopping in there. But it was okay. All the other bills were paid, and we had credit cards. We could get by until payday. Life would be okay, because you said it would.

“When has it ever not been okay?”

This I know you told me. On more than one occasion.

I had anxiety, the worst possible kind. Operating silently, always there but only ever showing itself in huge outbursts. It must’ve been hard, dating me. I would be fine for weeks, working, going to school, writing, doing all the things I had to do, and wanted to do to keep myself sane. But then you would come home one day, and I would be curled up on the bed, on the floor, in the tub, just sobbing my eyes out, screaming about how I didn’t know how we could have been so stupid, that we couldn’t afford to live on our own.

You would smile sadly, heat me up some milk, pet my hair three times, but never any more and just walk away.

I never blamed you for that. But maybe I should have.

You always promised to be there through it all, promised that in the end it would all work out, that we had people who would help us- by which you meant my parents- and that it would be okay. Words are words. They help, but in four years, you never once tried to help me through my attacks by holding my hand. You would never pet my hair for longer than three strokes, panic attack or not.

It was written in the stars that we would fail.

The signs were everywhere, but I chose to ignore them. I asked to live in New York, or California, raving excitedly about how my career could thrive in those areas. I begged and pleaded for you to consider it, to take a trip to the city with me, just to see what it would be like.

You refused.

I asked for you to never move me to a small town. You knew I hated them, my childhood living in a small coastal town having instilled a deep rooted hatred of them in my very soul. I left the coast with no intention of ever moving back, saying the city was my home, knowing that walking down the wet concrete streets of Seattle or Portland as the city lights glimmered about above me made my heart feel alive in ways that no where else could. But you came home with a glowing look on your face, the job offer clutched in your hand that used to hold mine so tenderly, and yet had failed to in months.

We went.

It was a town full of things I hated. People knowing me everywhere I went. Two stop lights in the whole place, the water close by, but the docks so run down they hardly existed anymore. I could drive from one end of town to the other in ten minutes. I could drive to work in two. But you were so happy, that I decided I would try it. I would try it for you even though you never would have done it for me. I tried to be happy. I really did try. I tried to write, and I tried to throw myself into the community. I worked at the best salon. I coached the high school cheer team, my spirit trying to be happy every day, and being crushed every single day.

I asked when you started to drink so much. You were buying beer at alarming rates. Cases would be brought home. Twenty four packs, thirty six packs. You’d go to work for two days, and you’d come home for four. You’d sit yourself in front of the computer, playing video games and ignoring me and drinking the cases faster and faster until I couldn’t turn a blind eye to it anymore. It was something I worried about. You’d told me about your families struggle with it. I’d seen that struggle first hand. We agreed to always talk to each other, to never turn to the bottle when things got hard.

I kept my end of the deal. Maybe a little too well.

I don’t like to drink. The burn of amber liquid running down my throat, the stench of gin, the supposed intoxicating aroma of tequila never holding any interest to me. When I turned twenty one, you had already made up your mind on what was going to become of us. Had the stars revealed their plan for us to you? Had you been deemed worthy of insight to our future while I was to be shut out, left alone in the cold?

You asked me to loosen up, to drink whatever was put in front of me for just one day. And so, I obliged. I tried every cocktail, every beer, every wine placed in front of me. You were drunk by noon. I was still sober come eight at night and I was left to drive home after my birthday and drag you into the house, where you promptly fell asleep.

Was this what love looked like?

Was our love so stale, so fragmented that when I wanted more, you didn’t? Was it so broken that when you wanted me to loosen up, I closed myself off to you? Did we really allow that to become what our love was?

I laid in bed most nights, wondering where the man who brought my mother flowers had gone. I wondered if the drinking was a problem or normal twenty one year old woes. I wondered if you loved me, and I buried that thought away, filed it into a box in a corner to far in the back of my mind that I forgot I ever asked it.

Of course you loved me. You had provided me with everything I could have wanted. You gifted me a sweet pet when I was so distraught about leaving my pet at home when I moved out. You bought me things I wanted, no matter how small and you would do it with a kiss on my head and a smile and say “I’m your boyfriend, I’m supposed to spoil you.” You took me to Hawaii when you knew just how desperately I wanted to go. You held me when we were on a white sand beach, the sand under my fingernails and the waves lapping our toes and I got a phone call from my mom telling me my dog had died. You held me even tighter a week later when we learned his brother had died unexpectedly. You’d proven you’d loved me.

But you wouldn’t love me the same way I loved you.

I uprooted everything for you, left friends, left people I considered family not once, but twice. I did this, to go where you would be happy, where your career would thrive. You made it clear you weren’t willing to do the same for me. I brushed it away. I told myself it was okay because you, like me, wanted to see the world. But any time I asked to go, you’d say we couldn’t afford it, that it was too much money and we didn’t have the time.

When you broke up with me, you came home, on a rainy night, ignoring my probably twenty thousand phone calls, walked in the door and said you hadn’t felt the same way I had for months. You cried and texted me a song that you wanted me to listen to any time I needed to understand. You said it was the hardest thing you’d ever had to do, to break my heart. But as I held our cat in my hands, my eyes red and puffy from crying to hard, from being so blindsided by what you were doing, I watched you walk out the door, toss your suitcase in the back of your truck and drive away without another look back at me.

It was like I didn’t even matter. Like our cat didn’t even matter. Like the unpaid bills on our counter, the laundry, the dishes, our life and everything we had built over the last four years didn’t even matter.

My dad knocked on the front door four hours later. He had sadness and anger in his eyes. The cat box needed to be cleaned out, there were dirty dishes and laundry to be done and our house- my house- looked like a wreck had gone through it. But he didn’t care. He held me tight, my mom and my brother walking in behind him, helping me pack up a bag and loading me and my cat into my car, my bags tossed into theirs and they drove me home. Back to the city, and my friends, and away from you.

It’s been three weeks now since the last time we talked. Two holidays have passed since I went and packed up the house, leaving you with only the bed your dad bought us and the beat up red couch we hadn’t quite managed to take to the dump yet after buying our new ones. Three months in total since the break up. I have a job that I love. I’m taking classes to further along my career. I’m planning trips overseas that I surely can’t afford, but I’m going anyways. Because it’s what I have always wanted to do.

The mountains call, and I must go. The sea whispers out to me, and I will cross it. The next adventure of my life awaits, I just have to have the courage to take it. My future is written in the stars. It’s bigger and brighter without you, and for the first time in nearly six months, I’ve managed to write like I never have before.

It’s funny, really. How the stars hold their secrets so tight. But the best kept secrets lie among them, and you’ll see them one day. When they decide you’re ready.

Tagging: @hollandroos @h-osterfield @holland-ish @connorshero @peterparker-imagines @peterstrainingwheels @peterparkerdeservesbetter @rileywrites-parker @thekillingquill @afterglowparker @petcerparker @starksparker

[formswitch63-blog]

Programmable Logic Controllers By Dag H. Hanssen (ebook)

Programmable Logic Controllers By Dag H. Hanssen (ebook)

Widely used across industrial and manufacturing automation, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) perform a broad range of electromechanical tasks with multiple input and output arrangements, designed specifically to cope in severe environmental conditions such as automotive and chemical plants. Programmable Logic Controllers: A Practical Approach using CoDeSys is a hands-on guide to rapidly gain proficiency in the development and operation of PLCs based on the IEC 61131-3 standard. CoDeSys, which is widely used in industrial design automation projects, the author takes a highly practical approach to PLC design using real-world examples. The design tool, CoDeSys, also features a built in simulator/soft PLC enabling the reader to undertake exercises and test the examples.

Introduces to programming techniques using IEC 61131-3 guidelines in the five PLC-recognised programming languages. Focuses on a methodical approach to programming, based on Boolean algebra, flowcharts, sequence diagrams and state-diagrams. Contains a useful methodology to solve problems, develop a structured code and document the programming code. Covers I/O like typical sensors, signals, signal formats, noise and cabling. Features Power Point slides covering all topics, example programs and solutions to end-of-chapter exercises via companion website. No prior knowledge of programming PLCs is assumed making this text ideally suited to electronics engineering students pursuing a career in electronic design automation. Experienced PLC users in all fields of manufacturing will discover new possibilities and gain useful tips for more efficient and structured programming.

These conventional panels are built up depending on the logic to be implemented after the mill builder provides the overall operational method which is elaborated further by the electrical supplier as per the actual implementation. While the functionality of the mill interlock panel is similar in the PLC panels, the concept defining the number of inputs and outputs came into the use with the implementation with PLC-s. As compared to the central relay and interlock panels or mill interlock panels , the modern day PLC based interlock panels are able to handle much more of functionalities as explained under III . Since the PLC-s themselves are micro- processor or controller based they have the same working architecture like the standard computer architecture with the following elements.

The inputs and the outputs form the bulk of the hardware depending on the plant requirement and capacity. While the PLC CPU, instruction sets, software, memory, communication and other capabilities . Apart from the functionalities , the PLC type is primarily decided based on the number and the type of inputs and outputs. The defining of the inputs and the outputs got into the use with the use of PLC-s for the control and interlock functions. This is because in the PLC panels the status of the inputs or outputs ( called input and output images ) or intermediate flags can be used any number of times as these are soft signals when implementing the logic.

The advantage of this method is that even at the beginning of a project ( even during the cost estimation stage ) one can estimate the number of inputs and outputs and decide the type of the PLC. https://instrumentationtools.com/ need not even be fully clear about the logic or the total functionalities to estimate the PLC-s. An example for selecting the number of inputs and outputs is given in one of the following sections . The types of industrial inputs and outputs are discussed first . They are the commonly used input devices They have basically two parts - operating buttons (actuators) and the contact units.

Normally 2 N/O and / or 2 N/C contact blocks are common when used with the conventional relay based control panels. With PLC based system, the input block need only be 1 N/O or 1 N/C. This input along with their complement can be used any number of times in the PLC ladder diagrams . The operator buttons are of different types; i. The buttons are normally with different colours, like the indication lamps to be described under the outputs. Green is normally used for ‘on’ functions and ‘Red’ is used for ‘off’ function; other colors like yellow, black etc are used for other functions like start, stop, jog, thread etc. functions.

Sometimes the mushroom headed red coloured off (emergency) PB actuators get mechanically latched when pressed; They need to be turned in one direction to release the same. They are selected for certain locking type control functions like enable / disable or forward / reverse selection type respectively. Some times the PB actuator unit has a transparent head(with appropriate coloured lens) with in built indication lamp, apart from the contact blocks. These are normally used to sense the reaching of the required physical limit by a machinery or a motion control system. The limit switch operates on physical contact and closes a switch provided with N/O and N/C contacts.

Here the rotary limit switch arrangement is coupled to the motor or the actual load shaft driving an operation. The coupling is through an appropriate gear box so that for number of revolution on the equipment shaft side, the limit switch shaft rotates once. On the limit switch shaft are number of cams and the cam actuation positions are set at the required appropriate angles. These cam settings are adjustable programmable. With this arrangement the individual cams operate the associated limit switches. The operation of these limit switches can be associated with the reaching of appropriate limits in a linear travel; eg.

Position vi. Stop ; top position for tipping the material into furnace. However they require external power supplies. 1. They also function as limit switches but without physical contact. 2. There are two types - called inductive proximity switches or capacitive proximity switches which operate due to changes in the magnetic field or the capacitance value under the proximity of the part or item being sensed. These switches also require external power supply and the outputs are normally open collector transistor type to which an external relay can be connected or can be a direct input to PLC input card.

3. These proximity sensors can also be used to measure the speed of a motor or drive by non-contact method. Of the above mentioned inputs, many of them are on/off type (either potential free contacts or open collector type) and are called as digital inputs and some of them are providing analog inputs for continuous controls. There are also other soft inputs like the keyboard inputs etc. but they do not form hard wired inputs. The above mentioned devices are input devices for a relay and PLC control system. There are also number of output devices which get connected to a relay or PLC based control system. The functioning of contactors are similar to relays; Additionally contactors have 3 or 4 power N/O contacts (normally) which is used to switch on the power.

The contactor coils are energized through PLC output or another relays contact and through the coil power supply (110VAC, 220VAC, 415VAC etc). DC supplied coils are also present some times. The contactors are normally used to switch 3 phase AC power to say a motor or a power modulator or such an application and they are extensively used. Contactors are normally available in various sizes (size 0 to size 16 - corresponding to 16 A to 630 A and more). Most of the contactors are for AC power switching. There are also DC power switching contactors available. They require special arc- chutes for lengthening the arc.

Hence these DC contactors are more expensive and need to be carefully selected. All contactors have auxiliary contacts for inter locking and relaying functions. 2 N/C contacts are provided for these auxiliary functions. Apart from the selection of contactors to match with output load current and voltage, they need to be selected, also considering the numbers of operating cycles per hour. Like a relay and contactor, the solenoid is an electro-mechanical device. In this the electrical energy is used to magnetically cause a mechanical movement. The solenoid; like the contactor has a frame, plunger and the coil. The coil is energized by AC or DC voltage.

Upon the application of the voltage to the coil, the corresponding plunger is pulled back through a spring in case the coil voltage is interrupted. The AC solenoid draws a large in-rush current on energizing, when the plunger is fully out. The current drops to minimum value when the plunger is fully in. Due to this, it is important to ensure that the solenoid is fully energized i.e. the plunger is fully in. Otherwise the solenoid coil will take more than rated current continuously resulting in the burn-out of the coil. As against this, DC solenoid takes a constant coil current; but AC solenoid has superior initial pull.

For many industrial applications, 24V DC solenoids are normally preferred. While the contactor as output devices are selected based on the load current and voltage requirement, the solenoids are normally selected to handle appropriate pressure, force or weigh to be lifted etc. Accordingly the solenoid size varies. 1. Single solenoid (with one motion) with one coil. When it is energized it moves against the spring and when de-energized comes back to original position. 2. Single solenoid (with one motion) but with two coils. This is similar to above but with latching feature. One coil is for switching on and another is for switching off.

3. Double solenoid (with two motions, say up / down) and with two coils. When one coil is energized, the motion is upwards and downwards when the other coil is energized. It goes to neutral position when both the coils are not energized. 4. As it can be understood the number of coils to be energized decide the number of outputs per solenoid to be considered by the PLC. Normally the above solenoids are on/off devices; some times it is required to provide a motion which is proportional to the supply current amplitude. There are also continuously adjustable devices - e.g screw down in a rolling mill, measuring gauge adjustment for a cut length etc which are controlled through a proportional control system based on electrical motors or hydraulic valves .

[guzmannissen3-blog]

videopad pc crack

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[nightmare-grass]

My observations so far

Something's up with Jack

- most of these vids have Jack in a red-magenta light - Anti is associated with green, black, and red - the only egos featured so far are Schneeplestein, Chase Brody, Marvin, JJ, and Antisepticeye - most of the videos have a recurring theme of Jack talking about a neglectful and/or violent father - duality of red and blue where red is evil - use of Sandra as a placeholder name - playing the role faithfully

1) THE DOCTOR IS BACK I Gastric Bypass, Liposuction Surgery: normal lighting, Jack pretends he's a real doctor, mentions a Mirror Dimension, "Don't believe their lies.", keeps mentioning a daughter, Dr. Suzi said "Take  a stab at it!", Schneeplestein confronts Jack about playing a surgery game without him ("ZAT IS MY CHAIR"), no post-outro scene

3) Barry Has A Secret: viewer finds a small hand in a cupboard and is confronted by Jack acting unhinged, saying "You weren't supposed to find that" before grabbing you

5) Yet Another Exhausted Day!: It seems like a normal video but that red light is there, the title doesn't follow Jack's usual video-naming composition, looks to the right yelling "Ex-CUSE ME! I'm in the middle of doing an intro!", "Where'd he go? He's gone, he's gone forever.", could this be a metaphor for Jack in a coma?, gets up to actually answer his door even though the knocking is only in the game, "I'm zen, I'm asleep, I'm fine, I'm fine!", falls asleep in the middle of synopsis with fade to black before bursting awake and completing normal outro

7) THE WORST DATE I'VE EVER HAD I Check Please: the lighting, use of French accent could hint at Le Jacques Septique, talking about an abusive/neglectful father, gets dressed up in cinematic way, this Jack is broke, father's knife

9) Try To Fall Asleep!: not the normal intro, Jack appears from the TV static looking and sounding creepy, "I don't feel so good" like from Infinity War, "Hey, Presto! Abrakadabra baby!" sounds like Marvin, after the first 'FLEE' part he looked behind him to his left, "Can a doctor revive me after this?", "Ok powering down....." he says as he lowers his voice, lowers his head, and the screen fades to black, acting out the part of waking up, hidden images in the static display JJ in a white silhouette, Marvin in color (red green blue and white), and the words "JACK YOU HAVE TO" before the word 'FLEE'

10) TIE - A Game About Depression: all about Chase Brody falling further into depression, maybe Jack is in a coma?

11) Dark Silence: Jack mentions the whispers, character with lighter in game inspires Jack with lighter encountering Anti, out of the game Jack's lights flickered and burned out leaving the magenta/red lighting as he said "Oh, god! Ughhhh, creepy!" in a fearful tone, "Is there a parent around? Hello? Ap-parent-ly not!" reinforces that focus on moms and dads, mentions a “demon using the guise of a human", Anti is out and about

12) SPANKED BY TEACHER I Baldi's Basics: multiple references to an abusive father, the last time he is caught by Baldi his window goes a bit static and he yells "NOOOO" with a slight echo, cut to black, Jack is hunched over a desk writing furiously, writing looks like messy chicken scratch and paper is slightly covered by his arm, Jack sits up suddenly as he hears the thwack of a ruler on someone's hand, turns around fearfully shaking his head and saying saying "Teacher, Teacher, no! Teacher, no! I've been a good boy I've done my homework! Teacher! Teacher NOOOOOOOOOOO!" And he's cut off with the sound of Baldi catching him as the screen cuts to black, back to Jack and he's still cowering, then he pops up with an easy smile, like he just got done filming a scene

13) EXPLORING AN ABANDONED HOSPITAL I Exiles: for a few seconds it's just the menu screen, then Jack flickers into the video, confused, afraid, breathing heavily, and saying "Welcome to... Exiles, I guess. I dunno what this game is about, I dunno what-" before it cuts to the actual gameplay, says he doesn't remember how he got in his room playing the game, most of his commentary could apply to the Egopocalypse, trend of parents and "it's your fault" continues, cuts in the middle of Jack's synopsis, bright red light, Jack looks dead, his eyes are bleeding, low moaning noises, whispers, outro animation is in reverse with red filter and slowed down emergency siren noises

Stories Untold: 2) The House Abandon - Chapter 1: Jack recreated the end of the chapter by reacting to someone coming into his room when he thought he was alone when the lightning flashes and it cuts to an image of Jack trapped in a static computer screen from the game

4) The Lab Conduct - Chapter 2: like in the game, the screen flashed white light over Jack's outro, blocking it out

6) The Station Process - Chapter 3: connected all the episodes with coma theory, could Jack be in a coma because of Anti?, before he could do the outro faint whispers could be heard and as he said "This is good" the audio got muffled and the screen blacked out, Chase Brody faintly saying "Jack... Jack! This is Chase. You need to wake up.", Morse code says "where am i"

8) The Last Session - Chapter 4: cuts off before Jack's outro, cuts to Jack tossing and turning in his sleep, a green filter passes over a few times, whispers get louder till he wakes up panting, says "I remember what he did to me."