#but I never see it said (well typed) with hyphens

[caela-xae-and-zyllynn]

Better "Out of 10" Scale

While I don’t hate the basic "out of ten" scale where 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest, there is a different variation of this system that I much prefer. One in which 0 is the lowest and 15 is the highest (at least the majority of the time), as follows:

0 - One of the worst that you have experienced/seen/heard/etc.

5 - meh. No strong feelings. You don't care

10 - Very good. Nothing wrong with it. You can't really expect anything better

15 - The best, or one of the best, that you have experienced/seen/heard/etc. Maybe not perfect but close to it.

The primary reason I use this system is because a basic "out of 10" scale makes it seem that a 10 is perfection since based on that rating it couldn't be any better, but at the same time a 9 seems to indicate that its not good enough. So, something can either be Perfect or not quite good enough. Sure using decimals makes it a little better, but 9.9 still is like "oh your so close, but your still not quite good enough." But with this "out of 10" system 10 is good enough but it also isn't saying that it is perfect, which then leaves 11 through 15 to denote something that is exceptional as a sort of "S tier" (I mean what is a better representation of overachieving than an 11/10 ["yes, yes a 12/10 or greater. shush. You know what I mean."🤭]). Even a 15 isn't perfection because you have already gone above a 10 so who is to say you can't go higher.

On top of that, this system of course has more than just 10 options lending to a bit more nuance without forcing you to use decimals (of course you can totally still use decimals if you want to [I do]).

Reblog if you agree :3

[moronicromantic]

Someone asked for a post on punctuation months ago. I haven’t gotten to it until now. My apologies. I’m using proper punctuation here because it’s meant to help. Most of this information is just what I remember learning. There are probably more uses for each section, but I can’t describe everything well enough. Keep in mind that this is American English, not British English. British English and American English have different words and rules. I learned English as a second language, yes, but I learned American English. Please be mindful of that as you continue.

Question marks ( ? ) are used to indicate a question. You don’t need a full stop when using a question mark.

Is that my shirt?

Why are you wearing my shirt?

Exclamation marks ( ! ) are used at the end of a sentence to indicate a strong feeling of emotion. They add emphasis to the sentence. You don’t need a full stop when using an exclamation mark.

I can’t believe it!

That’s amazing!

Semicolons ( ; ) can be used as a replacement for a period (full stop) when you have two closely linked independent clauses next to each other. Independent clauses can stand as their own sentences. They don’t necessarily need any extra information to make sense.

Call me tomorrow; you can give me an answer then.

You can also use a semicolon before words like however, but only when they introduce a complete sentence and when you put a comma after.

Bring any two items for the charity event; however, toiletries and shoes are in short supply.

Semicolons are also used when there are commas within a list.

We will be traveling to Rome, Italy; Nice, France; Madrid, Spain; and Berlin, Germany.

Colons ( : ) are not the same as a semicolon. They are explanations of different things. They may introduce a list, an explanation, or a quote. Colons can connect independent clauses with lists and nouns.

Here is what I need: paper, a ruler, paint, and a pen.

If there are two or more complete sentences following a colon, capitalize the beginning of each sentence.

My mom taught me three rules: Be honest. Be vigilant. Never hurt others.

Dashes ( — ) add emphasis, just as many other types of punctuation do. However, they can also change the tone of a sentence. They usually indicate a dramatic pause or an interruption of some sort.

You’re the one, the only one, I want to marry.

You’re the one—the only one—I want to marry.

Dashes can separate unnecessary information from the rest of a sentence.

Maria—my friend from tennis—got married on Wednesday.

Dashes can show an interruption in dialogue.

Eloise screamed, “Help! I need someone to help! My sister is fall—“

Dashes are also used to show a duration of time.

It is from 1:35–6:25.

Hyphens ( - ) bring words together.

They can connect individual words to make different phrases.

State-of-the-art.

Off-campus.

Hyphens can help to make new words, like original compound verbs.

Video-games.

Hyphens can also be used to connect two last names from different people.

Mary Smith-Johnson.

Arianna Rivera-Hughes.

Quotation marks ( “ “ ) are used most often in dialogue. Capitalize the first word if you have a complete quotation.

Marianna said, “There is nothing more unfortunate than a man who is too blind to see his faults but has eyes perfect for seeing women.”

If you are continuing a sentence, don’t capitalize the quoted material.

Marianna told us that it is “unfortunate” to see a man who is “too blind to see his faults but has eyes perfect for seeing women.”

Parenthesis ( ) are used to enclose clarifying information that isn’t necessary to understand the sentence. Periods go inside parenthesis when the whole sentence is in the parenthesis. Otherwise, the period goes outside.

Please read my research. (You'll be shocked.)

Please read my research (you'll be shocked).

Commas ( , ) can be used to separate a list of things.

We need to buy apples, blueberries, bananas, and strawberries.

I have been to Japan, Taiwan, Italy, and France.

The sentence above is also an example of the Oxford comma. This is the comma used before “and” in lists.

Without the Oxford comma: We need to buy apples, blueberries, bananas and strawberries.

With the Oxford comma: We need to buy apples, blueberries, bananas, and strawberries.

Commas are also used to to separate independent clauses that are joined by any of these conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.

The performance was over, but the crowd refused to leave.

I spent an hour explaining the equation, yet my brother still didn’t understand.

Commas can also be used to separate nonessential or nonrestrictive clauses from the main clause.

The dog ran down the road, wagging its tail.

My brother, who used to be a teacher, is retiring in May.

Commas are also used to introduce and interrupt dialogue.

Marianne laughed, “I have never seen you so devastated. And for what? This?”

“I don’t understand,” Laura sniffled, “why you have such little empathy.”

[90363462]

At this point if you white folks keep dressing up in blackface you might as well take your whipping and the foot in your butthole because I’m super done talking. Get your whipping you disobedient cracker you

Spooky Soup Cookies: A Ghastly Gallery Of Ghoulish Celebrities And Politicians Who Dressed Up In Blackface

Bossip

Bossip Video 

Source: James Andanson / Getty

Welp, it’s that time of year again. While most people are dressing up and going to Halloween parties to have fun, we’re sitting here waiting to see which ignorant, tone-deaf, non-room-reading white person will don Blackface for clout points and feel the 280-character backlash.

This train is never late and the tradition of mocking Black skin is something that a great many elite whites have practiced over the years. The list is long but we took the liberty to point of some of the “standouts” if you will.

Source: Randy Holmes / Getty

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel had a longstanding sketch where he performed as ex-NBA baller Karl Malone.

Apparently, people like *peers through spectacles* @clockdiesel think this type of thing is pure comedy…

Source: Christopher Polk/NBC / Getty

Speaking of Jimmy, the other Jimmy, Fallon, was also a big fan of painting his face to mock melanated skin. He once performed a Chris Rock impression on Regis Philbin’s show in full Blackface complete with racist jokes. Jamie Foxx ain’t trippin’ tho. #NeverForget

Source: BLAIR GABLE / Getty

But its not just actors and comedians who have enjoyed the white privilege of consequence-free Black skin, Canada’s gun-banning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once painted his skin to appear ethnic while wearing an “Arabian Nights” “costume” at the big age of 29-years-old. Hard to believe he didn’t know better…

Again, certain people see this as hilarious. We’re not laughing…

Source: Lou Rocco / Getty

We also have wince-worthy woke white Joh Behar from The View who outed herself as a proud Blackface participant saying, “It was a Halloween party. I went as a beautiful African woman,” she told her cohosts. “That’s my hair… I had makeup that was a little bit darker than my skin.”

We’d be remiss if we left someone as A-list as Howard Stern off the list. He was outed during an ironic case of white-on-white crime AND the pot calling the kettle black at the same damn time!

Cool, Donnie Jr., now do yourself, we have no doubt whatsoever that there are photos of you somewhere in blackface or using the n-word to degrade Black people. It’s practically part of your DNA.

Source: Orlando Sentinel / Getty

In lesser known political circles, Florida Secretary of State Michael Ertel resign from office back in 2019 after he was outed for dressing up like a “Hurricane Katrina victim” in Blackface. Which is doubly interesting because it is an acknowledgement that the Hurricane affected Black people the most as did the subsequent lack of aid and resources.

Source: Gotham / Getty

Multi-hyphenate do-nothing socialite jawn Gigi Hadid took heavy fire after appearing on the cover of VOGUE Italia looking…not like this above photo in the slightest…

Stop it, 5.

Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty

Back in the 60s when Ivey was in college, she admittedly wore blackface to act in a skit. According to INSIDER: “I fully acknowledge — with genuine remorse — my participation in a skit like that back when I was a senior in college,” she said.

Sure, Jan.

The list goes on and on and on and we suspect that by the end of this spooky day, there will be more names to add to list.

Happy Halloween.

[malcolm-reeds-pineapple]

Free or Cheap to Use Writing Programs tested and reviewed part 1 - Papyrus Author

If you're new to this, I'm what George RR Martin has once referred to as a gardener writer. The type of writer that starts at the fun part rather than the beginning. This in turn leads me to have a bunch of google docs about the same bunch of assholes that are all around the timeline as well as some docs that can only be described as fanfiction of my own work. Last week, I started my quest to find the best possible free or cheap-to-use writing program to help my disorderly and, frankly, absurd writing workflow.

The first program I tested out was something called Papyrus Writer. It's a program that focuses on formatting your writing as well as giving you a bunch of tools to make things easier for people like me. Things like sticky notes and built-in character sheets aim to keep all your thoughts all in one place and slightly organized.

Immediately upon booting it, I could tell that the program had a lot more bells and whistles than my basset-hound-ass brain could handle. It's got all sorts of modes and stuff and requires tutorials in order to use it. I watched half of one before I moved on to more exciting escapades like watching that guy who scams phone scammers. Essentially, I was so overwhelmed with options that I kind of killed my own productivity.

Things I Like About Papyrus Writer

Sticky notes - This function makes it easy to get ideas down quickly while not needing to get over to your ideas doc or notes app. It will also scroll down with you so you can see it all the time. You can also use this function for a text snippet where you highlight text, add a text snippet, and then that text is there until you replace it in the doc. Think of this as Word Jail. The sticky notes go on your pinboard (the area behind the document) although you can only have one in the free version

Integrated Character Sheets - I like that I can quickly and easily add a character sheet or access existing ones to make changes when I write something new about them. It keeps me in check with my own lore so I'm not forgetting details or writing them OOC. You can hyperlink their names as well for quick acess

within these character sheets, you can also add images and avatars to have everything in one place. You're also able to click to a list of all the characters you have in the project so you can pull up their respective sheets

3. Thinkboards - While I'm renowned for never having a plan in my writing short of my daydreams, I do like this feature. They have tons of templates to pick from or you can build your own. I haven't played with this a ton, but I found it helpful to even just look through the template

4. Moving Chapters Around - This is arguably the most important aspect for me considering how I like to write. You can move your chapters around and reorder them any way you like. Along this same vein, there is a timeline function but I've so far found that less than intuitive. With that said, simply moving the chapters around is done by just clicking and dragging which I appreciate.

Things I Don't Like

The full version is a subscription service. I don't think I need to elaborate on why 14.99 USD billed monthly doesn't appeal to me. However, the program is very useable without paying the subscription. Everything that requires the subscription is clearly marked and only enhancements to the software are paywalled (ie: multiple pinboards, changing the picture on your pinboard)

I'm not fully sure how to describe it but typing on the software is just weird to me. Like it will hyphenate words instead of just going to the next line which is great for formatting for print and all but I'm just not used to it

No mobile option - rip to people who do their best work on their phone/tablet i guess. I mean I guess when I consider everything this program can do, I'm not mad at it. I personally prefer to have access to my work at any time in case I get the urge to write randomly.

Overall Thoughts

I think it's a good all-in-one program, honestly. It's definitely the most organized I've been with my work in a while. I like that it's got a lot of dodads and thingamabobs that are all in all pretty useful. I also like that id doesn't suck my laptop battery dry. On a scale of 1 (1 tab open on chrome) to 10 (Adobe products) I would put it at about a 4 especially considering I had my browser open and working all day too.

[visionpiner]

Ditto mark

Ditto mark software#

Can we expect a follow-up post on hyphens ems and ens? Really nice article and very well written, thanks Sonia. The tools we use should be updated to do the right thing. Print should never adapt to “current usage”. You embed them into web sites using character entities, not graphics, and they scale just like any other text.

Ditto mark software#

Most word processing software automatically creates curly quotes when you type primes, so most printed material does use proper quotation marks.ĪLL computer fonts distinguish curly quotes. Oops, the quotes should read be written &(remove)ldquo, &(remove)rsquo etc. Many CMSs automatically parse the prime marks to the correct punctuation.Įven though you’re not used to seeing them online or in print, doesn’t make using prime marks correct. Use “ ‘ ” ’ (Left Double Quote, Left Single Quote). ‘Twould seem that some print stylings must needs be changed in order to adapt to online – or even current – usage. Very few computer fonts distinguish these marks, and about the only way to embed them in Web site text is to use a graphic as the punctuation, thus precluding proper resizing capability for accessibility purposes. Sidebar: I cannot recall the last time I read a book, or even a poster or leaflet, that made use of this – these? – convention(s). Even the printed word – unless coming from a print shop – has lacked these symbols since the advent of the typewriter. I’m not so certain this post is relevant for most folk today, save for the printed word. PsPrint is an online printing solutions company, which you can follow on Twitter and Facebook. Sonia Mansfield is the content editor for PsPrint and editor of PsPrint Blog. If you are quoting someone, use quotation marks. If you are making a contraction or showing possession, use the apostrophe. In most cases, you can remember the difference between apostrophes and quotation marks by looking at their purpose in the text. The sheep is the same price as the goat, $10. But again, it will show if you are using certain types of font. The word “ditto” literally means “same as before” or “repeat.” The truth is, double quotation marks are usually used in the place of actual ditto marks. It indicates that the line you are on is a repeat of the one above. You may be asking yourself right now, “What the heck is a ditto mark?” A ditto mark looks like this ( 〃 ). No matter how amazing your typography turns out to be, a little mistake like this can ruin the work. Check and double check all your apostrophes, prime symbols, and quotation marks. But, you might be using a font that makes it painfully obvious. Depending on the font you use, it can be impossible to tell the difference. For example, 5′ means 5 feet, and 2’ ‘ means 2 inches. The prime symbol ( ‘ ) looks similar to the apostrophe, but you should use it in mathematics and measurements. The Apostrophe and Prime SymbolĪnother very common mistake in typography punctuation is using the prime symbol in place of apostrophes. Another thing you should know about apostrophes is that they are not the same as prime symbols or accent marks. You get the idea, but it’s good to memorize these if you’re weak in this area of grammar. Not like the kind women get when giving birth, but the kind that makes “do not” into “don’t.” You can also use apostrophes to form contractions. For example, “Sally’s ice cream” is the proper use of an apostrophe to indicate the ice cream belongs to Sally. One of the correct uses of an apostrophe is to show the possession of something. “Henry said, ‘good morning,’ this morning,” said Ben. Most word-processing programs change them automatically, but always double check when you’re done. Opening quotations look like tiny little sixes, while the closing quotations look like nines. There are four types of quotation marks: single open, single closed, double open, or double closed. Quotation marks, or quotes, are used in punctuation to emphasize a phrase or word or to indicate speech. It’s hard to mistake it the other way around, but it will be worth your while to learn the differences. A lot of people just get the two confused, using double apostrophes instead of actual quotation marks. A common mistake in typography is the use of apostrophes instead of quotation marks.

[sscoutregimentss]

L, D, F, U and Y w eren pwease🥺

modern au, again. also, i realize these arent very romantic lololol ohhhh well.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Helping out with Historia's volunteer club has gotten him pretty used to kids, but honestly half the time he floats off to the corner and doesn't really interact with them because they're so preoccupied with Connie and Sasha being... Connie and Sasha.

He actually does pretty well with older kids like 9-13 year olds, mainly his dad's friend's nephew Falco. He thinks Eren is like the coolest guy ever (next to Reiner. Sorry Eren you're not taking his spot any time soon lol) and Eren thinks Falco is really sweet.

I like to think that toddlers like Eren too, especially when he gives them those pretty smiles that light up his entire face. But he prefers to be with older kids if he can. Mainly because he's a little shit and can get them to do stuff for him.

The amount of times he has gotten Falco to run errands or do chores for him in exchange for ice cream (or like... Vbucks... do 13 year olds still play fortnite? I'm lost) only for the poor kid to never see said ice cream... uncountable. If he paid it all at once he'd be dead broke.

And despite Gabi fronting about hating him because him and Reiner aren't friends anymore, she enjoys hanging out with him and Falco because Eren doesn't really baby them as much as her cousin and his friends do. Those two butt heads like crazy, though. He literally doesn't call her by her name, he just calls her "Brat" or other variations.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

I'll talk about settling down more in the next letter, but Eren is like both the most messy and most clean person ever.

He's the type of person to let his environment reflect himself. If he's stressed, his room looks like a pigsty. When he gets angry, he purposefully makes messes, because punching a hole in the wall means he doesn't get his security deposit back. But when he settles down, he uses his skills picked up from cleaning the locker rooms and club rooms with Captain Levi for hours on end and makes his room spotless in record time. It's a talent.

Good at chores because he has flashbacks of Levi going "Oi, Jaeger brat... you think this is clean?" every time he's doing something. He procrastinates a lot though.

You know I came on here wanting to say he is a god awful, terrible cook, but I don't think so. I mean, it's just a practical life skill he has from not having parents for most of his life.

The problem with Eren's cooking is that he over seasons everything. He hates bland food so he can't tell when to stop. Like if a recipe calls for a teaspoon of chili flakes he's adding 3 tablespoons just for good measure. He will watch Jean put a whole head of garlic in something and chop up a small garden worth of herbs and still goes "that looks bland."

Really likes spicy food. If you have a low spice tolerance, don't count on him cooking. Poor Armin is already half dead.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

I don't think he'd want to get married. You guys could be together for 20 years and he still wouldn't propose.

He thinks it's dumb to define your relationship with a flimsy piece of paper, and that your value becomes too stringent on your partner when you're married. Plus, all the legal stuff, ugh such a bore. Literally the only thing motivating him to get married is being able to call himself your husband because he thinks its cute.

If you guys have a really long term relationship (like living together, kids, everything) he eventually just starts calling himself your husband even though you aren't technically married. No one is going to correct him anyways.

He would like a wedding though. Just because he thinks it'd be fun. Maybe like a commitment ceremony? His love for you is very personal, so he'll do whatever he wants. If he wants to literally throw a party and call it a "We Love Each Other, Kiss Our Ass!" celebration, he will.

Your children would have hyphenated last names. If the world's end is dependent on you marrying Eren Jaeger, he refuses to change his last name, and urges you not to either.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Short. Freaking. Temper. It's the easiest one to point out. And it's always been a prominent trait, only made worse by his rough childhood.

Eren's inner child is deeply hurt, and he thinks the best way to heal him is to just get pissed off. This, combined with his fiery and passionate personality, plus general recklessness just makes for a 6 foot tall, muscled, handsome ball of rage.

The best way to prevent Eren anger? Just nip it in the bud. You notice he side eyes you after you say something? Ask what you did. He's happy to tell you if you ask, but otherwise he just let's it build up and blows up on you.

He's a good apologizer though. Good balance of kind words and actions = happy relationship. It's just him having a hard time communicating with you, and he's eternally grateful for you helping him get better.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He cannot stand people with no conviction. If you're saying one thing to some people and other things to others just to fit in, he probably won't like you. Like, if you're a "popular kid" who likes nerdy shit, just fucking own it, stop being two faced. He doesn't like people who feel the need to hide who they are.

That doesn't mean he doesn't like shy people though. If you have trouble standing up for yourself, he's prone to step in and help you out. He just really doesn't like fake people.

[justanotherblonde23]

You Can’t Please Everyone - A Marcus Moreno Story

Author’s Note: Welcome to Part 3 of my Marcus Moreno and Doctor Iris Moreno one shot series! This wasn’t originally the one I planned on releasing today, but I was going through it last night and @autumnleaves1991-blog​ suggested that I write my feelings out and let it all pour into my writing. She was right, I felt so much better afterwards. Still no descriptions for what Dr. Moreno looks like, I want you to feel like you can see yourself as her <3 Thank you all for your love and encouragement, I really appreciate it. 

Warnings: angst, crying, parental problems, hurt/comfort, pregnancy mentions, language

Let me know what you think, what you’d like me to write next, want to be on a tag list for this series, etc. I want to interact with you all! 

Iris opened the front door, trying her best to be quiet; she didn’t want to wake the kids. If Marcus got the timing right, their girls should have just finished their bedtime routine and have settled in for the night. She took her jacket off, hanging it up in the coat closet. All she wanted was to grab a glass of wine and curl up and have a good cry. Unfortunately, being pregnant meant no alcohol, so she would soldier through with a good cry in the shower, maybe. 

Her heels clacked on the stairs. She went slowly, her heart and mind weary. Both girls had their doors open a crack, the universal sign that they wanted kisses and to be tucked in by momma, too, even if she came home a bit late. The drowsy kisses and ‘I love yous’ filled her with joy, covering the ache just a little. She knew that no matter what went wrong throughout the day, she would always be coming home to two precious little girls that loved her dearly. At this point, she couldn’t even imagine life without them. 

Marcus was right where she expected him to be, in bed curled up with a good book. It still blew her away every time she stopped and realized that he was hers, and she was his. Being his wife, it was bliss in every sense of the word. She hadn’t expected him to propose; how could she when his last marriage ended the way it did? Iris would have been happy to be with him forever in any way that he’d have her, but she had to admit that she had wanted to be his wife. She had changed her name as fast as humanly possible, for the thought of being Dr. Moreno filled her with pride. He had suggested keeping her last name or maybe hyphenating it after he proposed. He knew how hard she had worked to make that name worth something, and he didn’t want to take that away from her. She had appreciated the gesture, but she insisted that her work was her own, no matter her last name. She wanted to share everything with Marcus Moreno, including his last name. 

The man in question looked up, giving her one of his earth-shattering smiles, the one that made her feel as if she was the center of his universe. How could she not melt when his soft brown eyes held her gaze, baring his soul to her? She loved this beautiful man with every breath she took. 

He frowned when he noticed her eyes had welled with tears, leaving black mascara tracks down her cheeks. Silently, he stood up, gently unzipping her dress for her and helping her into a shirt of his that she loved to wear to bed. He knew that she would talk to him when she was ready. He would wait her out; it was better not to press her. Marcus led her into the bathroom, sitting her up on the counter while he cleaned her face with a warm washcloth and makeup remover. With each tender swipe of the washcloth, more tears fell. He could feel her shaking underneath him, the silent sobs giving way to heaving gasps.

Once he finished washing her face, he cradled her in his arms, carrying her back to their bed. He settled her on his lap, her legs straddling his hips, arms wound around his neck, face tucked in next to his own. The closer he could get to her, the better he knew she’d be able to feel. His hand snaked under the shirt, rubbing soothing circles on her back, fingers pressing patterns into her spine. He whispered words of comfort in his wife’s ear, willing her to hear what he was saying. Darling, I love you. I’m here for you; you’re not alone. Let it all out, baby. It’s okay to cry. Don’t keep it all stuffed inside; just cry it out. Missy loves you, Jules loves you, I love you. He went on and on, pouring his love and adoration into her. Eventually, her tears subsided, and she was ready to talk. She pulled back a bit so that she could look into those kind eyes of his that never judged her or made her feel less than. 

“Dinner with my dad was a disaster, Marcus, it was horrible. I should’ve known it would be bad, but I was hoping that this time might be different.” 

He nodded sympathetically; her relationship with her father was complicated. That man was manipulative, two-faced, selfish, and frankly a terrible parent. He had never approved of their relationship, blatantly refusing to even come to their wedding, insisting that they’d be getting a divorce at some point anyway. No matter how happy they were together, that man was always finding something to nitpick. If it wasn’t the age gap, it was the fact that Iris had stepped up and filled the spot of mother that the girls had so desperately needed. He hated their jobs, their house, the fact that they were individuals with enhanced abilities. Marcus couldn’t think of a situation where he had ever said anything positive about, well, anything. 

Despite all of this, he knew that Iris still loved him, still cared about him, and desperately wanted some type of relationship with him. She was the kindest person that Marcus had ever met. Her passion for people, her ability to truly empathize with others and try to help them heal was inspiring. He had never seen anything like it. He had seen it firsthand with his girls. She poured every ounce of love and devotion into them, treating them as if she had given birth to them herself. She said time and again that there was no difference to her. They were her girls just as much as they were his, and she loved them as such. That love and care extended to her father, too, no matter how many times he hurt her. 

“What did he do, honey?” he was hesitant to ask. Marcus knew that he would get mad at her father and have to rein himself in. He hated to see his wife hurting like this, and it made his blood boil. No one should cause her this much turmoil, especially someone that was her parent. 

“The whole thing was just a mess from the start. Dad was giving the poor waitress a hard time the second she came to the table. You know when he acts like he’s funny, but actually, he’s just rude? He was playing that game. I tried to talk him off the ledge and get him to bring it back in a bit. You should’ve seen her face, Marcus. She was petrified. Every time she came to the table, I could see the apprehension in her eyes. I tried to make sure that I was as nice to her as humanly possible to make up for him. Jesus Marcus, he should know better. I bartended to help mom with money when she was sick, for goodness sake. I was just like that poor girl all through med school and up until I got hired at Heroics HQ. You’d think he’d be willing to consider that.” 

He shook his head, placing a kiss on her forehead, not interrupting her as she spoke. He knew that Iris needed to get it all out before he chimed in. 

“Then he realized that I didn’t order any wine and commented on that, and oh fuck Marcus; it just came out. I just blurted out that I wasn’t drinking because we’re having a baby. He fucking laughed at me, told me not to joke about shit like that. When he figured out that I was serious, he was furious. He told me that I made a mistake, that this baby would just tie me down. He told me that this was a sign that it was time to give up my career and commit to being a mother. I just- I can’t believe everything he said. He went on and on about how I was finally having a real kid of my own as if Missy and Jules aren’t mine, and how it was unfortunate that this baby was yours. I thought that maybe he’d be happy that he’d be excited, but it was a shit show. He didn’t ask how far along I was or anything. I don’t know why I even do this anymore, why I even hope for his approval. It’s a battle I’m never going to win, so why even try? And fuck, these pregnancy hormones are making me so goddamn emotional. I couldn’t even make it through the main course. I made up a work emergency and left. I’m hurting, I’m fucking starving, and I just want to curl up and call it a night.” 

There was silence for a few moments, Iris once again hiding her face in the crook of Marcus’ shoulder. He wished he could physically take the pain away, that he could take her heart in his hands and cradle it to his chest, protecting it from everything that threatened to break it. It killed him to see her like this, and it wasn’t fair; she didn’t deserve this. It didn’t help that at 12 weeks, her pregnancy was beginning to take a toll on her. It was always tricky for enhanced individuals to carry a child, even more so when the child was also enhanced. It just made everything a bit more complicated. He hadn’t seen it up close himself before. His ex hadn’t had powers. To see Iris suffering and struggling with harsher than average symptoms tore at his heartstrings. They were both so excited to have this little one; it would just be a bit more challenging.  

“Baby, I’ll be right back. I’m gonna grab a few things, get comfy okay?” 

Marcus hated untangling himself from her, but he knew what might make her feel a bit better. She let out a noncommittal grunt, letting him know that she heard him. He quickly went down to the kitchen, grabbing supplies. He put everything on a tray, double-checking that he had what he needed before going back up to the bedroom. He set the tray on the bed, earning a grin from his darling wife. 

“Okay, so you said you were hungry; I thought I’d grab the things you’ve been craving recently. I’ve got a bowl of butter pecan ice cream with strawberry sauce, the whipped cream from a can, and crumbled up potato chips with a side of frozen Reese’s peanut butter cups and that guava juice you started liking last week. Oh, and a grilled cheese that I made earlier and put in the fridge. I know you like them cold right now. I’m not gonna question it. I’m sorry you didn’t even get to eat anything when you went for dinner, but this might be even better.” 

He settled into bed next to Iris, putting the tray on her lap. The giggle of delight that left her mouth made him feel warm inside. He watched her dig into the ice cream, telling him about the new developments that she was working on for his katanas, how she wanted to adjust the grips a certain way, and asking for his input. There she was, his wife was crawling back out of the pain and the hurt. He adored her enthusiasm for science and invention. She always had some idea or other to improve his weaponry and armor. He could listen to her passionately explaining her thoughts and ideas for the rest of his life, and he’d never get bored. 

By the time she finished, the disaster of a dinner had been wholly forgotten. Marcus got up, placing the tray on the dresser. He’d deal with it in the morning. They spent another hour talking, cuddling, and holding each other tightly. After a while, he noticed that Iris began to nod off, her eyelids struggling to stay open. He adjusted their position so that they were lying down, and his love was wrapped securely in his arms. She fell into sweet slumber to the sound of Marcus murmuring sweet nothings in her ear and his hand rubbing her tummy, holding her and their baby close. She may not be able to please everyone, but she had Marcus, their two girls, and this baby. In the end, that was everything. It was all she needed.  

Tag list: @autumnleaves1991-blog​ @madness-roses​ @bisexual-space-slut​ @dindjarindiaries​ @frannyzooey​ @cinewhore​ @revolution-starter​ @mrschiltoncat​ @softpedropascal​ @paniclana​ @jollyrancher87​ @hdlynnslibrary​ @maybege​ @corrupt-fvcker​ @cyaredindjarin​ @magicsuperheroes​ @flightlessangelwings​ @itspdameronthings @fallingoutofthe1975​ @thestreamergirl​

[khaleesiofalicante]

I always Imagined Clace and Sizzy to hyphenate their last names because I don't think any of them really want to give up their last names honestly

Also I always saw Clace and Sizzy as letting their kids pick which last name they want for themselves

For 1, Jace has already changed his last name so many times, I don't think the babe needs to do it again *then again what's one more time, I guess*😂 and I also feel the Herondale name now has some meaning to him

For 2, I like it when people hyphenate

For 3, Simon said he wants to take Izzy's last name but I could see them hyphenate

4, I have never seen Izzy as the type to change her last name in marriage but maybe she will

I would love if they could hyphenate as well. As long as all the family names find a way to survive 🥺

[bnha-almost-a-hero]

*✧･ﾟ━━envy,

shigaraki tomura has always been left in the shadows. he accepted early, that life was an ever-flowing stream: people moved forward and he was just a rock, a hitch in the waters. he was always content to stay that way, until you came into his life and brought with you the devil in his eyes. now, he won’t be so mellow. part of my ‘seven deadly sins’ anthology.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬; yandere! shigaraki tomura, the lov, a poor friend

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬; yandere & unhealthy relationships & death & knives & manipulation & torture & shigaraki has big bad thoughts (involving murder) & jealousy & my gross overuse of ampersands and hyphen-minuses.

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬; tumblr’s turning me into an html coder i swear. gonna be hacking databases soon, everyone watch out- 👀

You brought them, Shigaraki noted as you swung open the metal door to the League’s newest hideout. No, you hadn’t just brought them, you were holding them, arm in arm, like some kind of—.

Like some kind of couple.

Shigaraki had been tolerating it ever since you convinced him to let your creature of a ‘friend’ join his League. Hell, he hadn’t even noticed your two’s closeness until he overheard Toga and Dabi commenting on it, yet, when he did, he couldn’t help but feel the bile in his gut simmer every time he saw you two together.

Admittedly, he had brushed all of this under the carpet, steering his thoughts back to the undermining and then destruction of hero society. After all, the innovators of socio-political reformations didn’t envy a irrelevant pawn. The grand boss did not weep over a lost romance with a side character.

Shigaraki was more than that.

Shigaraki was better than that.

Shigaraki had never considered himself a knife person. He never really considered himself a weapons person in general. Sure, he had a few replica swords which cost way too much money that he stuffed into his closet back in Kamino Ward, but he had never used a weapon as a tool for when he need to get the job done.

That was more of Toga and Spinner’s forte and a weapon was an exercise in futility when one had a Quirk which could crumble flesh to dust. 

Even so, Shigaraki had to admit that using his Quirk on your friend would be much too easy. He had come to this conclusion upon seeing your friend place their slimy hand against the swell of your hip, rubbing it gently which sent you into a flurry of laughter. 

Perhaps a knife wasn’t so bad after all.

Your smile is the worst thing about this ordeal, Shigaraki decides.

When you first joined, you gave Shigaraki a small smile that made his heart flutter against his ribs. He thought himself special, that that smile was only reserved for himself. All that stopped when he first observed you giving that same smile to Toga; then Magne and Twice; then Compress and then Spinner and Dabi and finally your little friend.

Toga, Magne and Twice he wasn’t too bothered by, all of them were amicable with the rest of the League and they seemed to attract the rest of the members to themselves like magnets. It was only natural that you got along with them, surely.

With Compress, he was irked. He was irked by his magic routines and he was irked by your constant awe-filled glimmer in your eyes whenever he performed one. A trick, Shigaraki convinced himself, he’s a trickster—he doesn’t deserve you... But I do.

He found Spinner quite puzzling. You had gone out of your way to break the lizard out of his shell and, in that regard, Shigaraki was annoyed that you had invested your time bonding with someone that wasn’t him. And yet, Spinner and Shigaraki had a silent brotherhood amongst each other: a bro-code if he were an obnoxious frat-boy. And, over video games and tabletop sessions, Shigaraki realised: Spinner was no true competition, not when held against—

Dabi, Shigaraki gritted his teeth. He was the wild card, the wrench in his perfect plans. He was always there with a snide comment and his shoulders slouched whenever he spoke with Shigaraki. When he was with you, however, he took on another demeanour: the demeanour of a suave bachelor, looking for the next person who’s heart he would eat. 

He was particularly touchy with you, an arm slung over your shoulder; hand on your head, rubbing it. Worst of all were the whispered conversations he’d have with you when you two were hidden in some corner of the hideout and your echoing laughter and the way Dabi would angle his head to look at Shigaraki with those electrifying eyes. 

He knows, Shigaraki thought, he’s playing with you, he’s playing with me. And, somehow, that made him even angrier, but also calmed his nerves. Dabi wouldn’t take this seriously, Shigaraki realised, if I don’t take this seriously. The key to chasing Dabi off lay in your little friend.

Dabi was both one of the strongest and weakest link in the League. His Quirk made him priceless in the grand scheme of things, though his loyalty wasn’t absolute. He could very well win the League the game just as he sold them out to any vigilante that came running. Still, his Quirk at least put him ahead of your friend.

Your friend—who was distracting you from your assignments.

Your friend—who’s loyalty was only based on if you were still in the game.

Your friend—who was constantly fucking everyone else over during engagements because they’re tunnel vision constricted them to look out for the safety of themselves and you as opposed to the safety of the team.

Your friend—who’s Quirk might as well have been the ability to piss water compared to the multitude of useful powers simmering with the League.

They were the weakest link.

They needed to go.

And he’d need Dabi to ensure their departure.

“You’re real crazy you know that, boss?” Dabi had drawled when Shigaraki had first propositioned him for the task. ”But what do I have to do with it? Isn’t she your girl?”

Shigaraki tried to keep the emotion from rising to his face, “No.” He said, cold as frost. “I’ve seen the way you act with her,” Shigaraki almost bit his tongue as he recited his rehearsed lines. “Don’t you want to get rid of the common denominator in all our problems?”

“I don’t have anything against them,” Dabi retorted, though his spine and jaw were stiff and his lips whispered something that his vocal chords did not speak.

“Not after they insulted your scars or when they jumped in front of you during our raid and blamed you when they got burned?” Only the latter was true, the former Shigaraki could only draw from his own insecurities. “I never pegged you for the forgiving type, Dabi.”

The flame-user’s face darkened, eyes glowing a pure blue. “What did they say about my scars?” 

Jackpot, Shigaraki thought. Dabi was always one to tease and a fair bit of the League would retort to those chaff by teasing his scars, but Shigaraki had seen the way his eyes would narrow or how he’d cringe slightly at every scar-related epithet.

“I overheard them, on the phone, a few days ago. They said it was a bother to look at you, that you were a detriment to the League with your attitude,” Shigaraki was never good at speaking, never good at manipulating someone, but his obsession was driving him toward you. He was always going towards you. “But, I think we both know who the real detriment is.”

“Right,” Dabi mutters as he shoves his hands in his pants. “I’ll have them by tomorrow, just let me get one in first. I want to make them look just like me.”

Shigaraki rasped and raked his fingers across his neck, “Whatever.”

Dabi, true to his word, had made them look like him. In fact, they were so scarred up that Shigaraki could barely get a piece of pristine skin to ruin. They didn’t last very long, all things considered and Dabi’s fire reduced them to ashes in the wind—not a trace left.

You were devastated, of course, sobbing on Shigaraki’s shoulder as you explained how your friend hadn’t called in two weeks. Soon, Shigaraki told himself, those weeks would turn into months and months into years. Your dear friend would fade from the League’s memory and, with time, yours. 

He would be the beacon in your time of darkness: just like his Sensei had been for him and you’d forget that this ever occurred.

Because, in truth, it never happened.

[thedeaditeslayer]

INTERVIEW: Bruce Campbell on the enduring legacy of horror classic ‘Evil Dead’.

Bruce Campbell, the multi-hyphenate actor who has had a tremendous cultural impact in the world of entertainment, has put together a résumé like no other performer. He’s known for playing the iconic character of Ash in the Evil Dead films and its spinoff TV series, Ash vs.The Evil Dead. This horror credibility is by no means exclusive; he has also acted in many other projects, including Burn Notice, Bubba Ho-Tep, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess and The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Add to that a couple bestselling memoirs, and his professional life has been a full one.

Now he’s ready to talk about perhaps the best-known bullet point on that résumé: his starring turn in the original Evil Dead. On Saturday, Jan. 23, Campbell will take part in an interactive virtual watch party while the horror movie plays for an online audience. The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio is one of the national venues hosting the event. Tickets are $25-$50.

Recently Hollywood Soapbox spoke with Campbell about his career, about the horror movie that started it all and his new “retirement.” Here’s what he had to say …

On what fans can expect from the virtual event …

They can expect amazingness at every turn. You know what it is, it’s not your father’s commentary. Your father’s commentary was on the old DVDs, and the movie starts, and the actors sit around and shoot the shit about what they remember. But it’s real time. It’s OK, but you miss a lot of stuff. So in this case I’ve got some kind of device that’s going to allow me to stop, start, maybe even rewind because you can get a lot more detail. My problem with the old commentaries I would do: You tell a story, something, something. You look up, and you go, ‘Oh, I wish I could have told that story, but it’s already gone.’ So this is a chance to expand the experience, get a little more detail, more trivia. I can kind of tease stuff up. I can pause it and go, ‘Oh, oh, oh,’ and let the people know something [is coming], so it’s just a different type of format done in a very safe and responsible fashion in this modern era.”

On his other work during this pandemic …

My agent kind of put this together because I’ve done similar stuff. I have worked with Wizard Entertainment a lot over the years, and I’ve been doing Last Man Standing as a game show host virtually through Wizard Virtual. And we’ve done that a bunch of times, and we’ve done this sort of Hercules type of reunion sort of stuff. So we’ve danced around it, but this is a way to kind of do another version of something where you go, OK, let’s do a little sit down. You know what it is, it’s just a live performance without the theater. I would be doing essentially the same thing in a movie theater, but until those open again, this is a pretty good second opportunity because the cool thing about the broadcast is it’s open to the world.”

On his hopes for the future of this type of virtual programming …

I hope it works because there are a lot of other movies that I’d be happy to sit with and watch.

On whether he knew Evil Dead would be so legendary …

We knew it from day one. [laughs] No, we did not. Honestly, it was a struggle just to finish the movie. We were under-funded. We shot in Tennessee, but we left 12 weeks later. We were supposed to be there for four weeks, so everything fell apart. We put it back together again. It fell apart — raise a little more money, shoot a little more. So most people think it was 1981, when it came out, but you’re close. But it’s really 1979 is when we actually shot the movie, and then it took several other years just to cobble the thing together. So, no, there was no heightened sense of oh my God we’ve got Star Wars on our hands. We felt fortunate that we had just enough money to finish the damn thing.

On whether he was OK with the gore …

Going in, we knew we wanted to have no holds barred. The only scene I objected to as an individual was the vine rape scene, but it wasn’t my character they were doing it to. So my dog wasn’t really in that fight.

On how he approached the role of Ash …

Well, look the first Evil Dead is pretty straight. It’s kind of a melodrama. There’s not a lot of cracking jokes. By the second Evil Dead, he’s sort of like a veteran with a little more sardonic cracks here and there. By the time you get to Army of Darkness, he’s sort of the ugly American. He’s morphed into the full braggadocious guy — I’ve been through stuff; get out of my way. And then by Ash vs. Evil Dead, now he’s on the downslope. The guy is picking up chicks at the Last Call. He’s doing mescaline. It was fun to follow the character as he progresses and digresses.

On whether he wanted more episodes of Ash vs. Evil Dead …

You can never tell a company that’s putting up the money that they need to pay you more and finance more seasons because they have their own agenda, and they gave us three seasons, which is a fair shot. … Hey, they allowed us to do three seasons of basically unrated television, so fans certainly got their mouthful.

On whether he likes changing it up in his career …

I come from Detroit where in manufacturing they would do job rotation, like Fridays you’d work on tires, next week you’d work on fenders. This is in the factory, working in the auto factory, so it would be a way to keep the workers sort of interested. So, yeah, I love bopping in front of the camera, behind. This year I’m going to be a publisher. I’m going to publish a bunch of books later this year. I started a publishing company because there are a lot of projects that’ll never get made into movies, but doggone it, they sure can be made into novels and books and all kinds of fun stuff. … I’ve got 10 prospective books that I’ll sort of squeeze out over the next couple years. I’m just prepping each one, coming up with a cool cover. There’s tons of projects over the years that I developed. You look at it, and you go, well, no one is going to put up $10 million for this movie. But it won’t cost that much to put it out as a book because I think there’s a lot of stories that we thought were cool. I’d hate for them to wind up in a digital graveyard.

On whether he would ever play Ash again …

I’m officially retired, but I’m sure actors have said that before. I feel like I left it all out on the table for the TV show, and then beyond that, there wasn’t much I was either able or interested in lending to it. I’m going to do the voice for the video game. We’re doing an official Evil Dead game.

On whether he likes to meet fans at conventions …

I have no problem with it. It’s a fun interaction. You get to see new towns and see what folks are up to. You can do your own market research about what are they into, what are they like, what are they all about, who are they, how old are they, what do they look like, so that’s pretty fun. And staying relevant in front of a crowd is always fun, to torment the kids, so I’ll probably get that done if they’ll let us. I might do a drive-in movie tour later this summer.

On the fans who like the sequels as much as the original Evil Dead …

I just know that it was nice of them to embrace the rest of the movies, for different reasons. There are aficionados who like the straight horror of Evil Dead. There are people who like the wackiness of Evil Dead 2, which is sort of splat-stick. And there are some people who can’t really handle the gore, and they like Army of Darkness. It’s jokes; it’s talking skeletons. I mean a 12-year-old could watch Army of Darkness.

On being remembered for Ash above any other role …

You can’t predict how the viewing public will want to remember you over the years. I’m OK with it because Evil Dead got me into the film business and has given me gainful employment for years. What I found in the past is there’s no point grousing over what you think you are perceived as. Every person perceives an actor differently. If you only watch westerns, you might watch The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and love it, but hate Evil Dead. You might love spy shows and watch Burn Notice, but you’re still not going to watch Evil Dead. So I’ve found I’m sort of known by what people watched, and that’s good. I’m OK, as long as they watch.

[atlafan]

Take it Slow - Part Fifty-Six

a/n: okay this is my first shot at a harry:y/n fic, and it will be multiple parts. y/n had a bad experience with an ex over a year ago, and finally accepts her coworker and good friend Niall’s invitation to go on a blind date with his friend Harry.

Warnings: Smut and Fluff.

Masterpost (all previous parts can be found in the masterpost)

A couple of weeks had gone by, and you were feeling a lot better. You and Harry hadn’t tried doing it from behind again, and you both were fine with it. When you truly felt ready he knew you’d tell him. You had been getting up early almost every day to go to the gym, and you felt like it really gave you the energy you needed to get through the day.

Harry had taken the pictures of Louis proposing to Eleanor, and she of course said yes. It was an extremely beautiful moment that he genuinely was happy to be a part of. You had surprised him with an evening in for Valentine’s Day. He came home from work and there were rose pedals everywhere. You had bought a skimpy silk robe, and you both ate chocolate covered strawberries and made love in the kitchen.

You’d be meeting your mom at Bernie and Phil’s this weekend to shop for dining room furniture. You were excited to finally set up that area. Once it was done you’d be able to plan a house warming party. You and Harry were coming back from grocery shopping when Michael, the desk attendant, called out to the two of you.

“Mr. and Mrs. Styles, you both have packages.” You and Harry walk over to him. A smile creeping on his face on the thought of you being called Mrs. Styles.

“Oh, Michael.” You giggle. “We’re not married.” Harry’s smile fades.

“My apologies…guess that’s why this says Y/F/N Y/L/N on here.” He hands you the package. “Here you are Mr. Styles.” He hands Harry his.

“Thanks.”

“Do you need help bringing anything up?” Before you can answer, Harry cuts you off.

“Think we can manage, mate, thanks.” You both go into the elevator. “These are from the same address.”

“They’re from Lou.”

“Oh! What do you think’s in them?”

“No idea.”

You both get into the apartment, and once all the groceries are put away you open the boxes.

“Oh, he’s so cute.” Harry says. “Look.” He shows you a framed picture of the two of them and a shirt that says Best Man Mate on it.”

“He wants you to be his best man?! Oh my god, that is cute.” Harry feels tears prick at his eyes.

“I’m so honored, honestly. This is such a nice picture of us too.”

“Your hair so long.”

“I know, it was forever ago.” He smiles. “Open yours.” You tear it open.

Inside was a note and t-shirt. The note said: I know we’ve only known each other a short while, but I’d be honored to have you in my wedding party. You’re important to Harry, Harry’s important to Louis, so you’re important to us too. You were surprised, but delighted. The shirt said Bridesmaid on it.

“How sweet! Let’s call them to accept.”

“Okay.” He takes his phone out and puts in on speaker.

“Oi! How’s my favorite lad doin’?”

“Good! You’re on speaker just FYI.”

“Oh, so I shouldn’t say how lovely I think your fat ass is?” You burst out laughing. “Hi Y/N!”

“Hi Louis, is El with you?”

“Yeah, lemme get her. El! Harry and Y/N are on the phone!”

“Oh! Hi guys!”

“We got your packages.” Harry says.

“And we both happily accept.”

“Oh wonderful! I didn’t know if it would be weird to ask you to be in the party or not. I sent one to Sarah too since Lou asked Niall to be a groomsman.”

“Not weird at all! I’m honored.”

“Loved the picture of us, mate.”

“That was all El!”

After talking a little while longer, Harry takes the phone to catch up with Louis privately. You get some homework done while they talk. You hear Harry giggling every few minutes, and then you hear a giant belly laugh come from the loft. You look up and see him wiping away tears. He hangs up and comes down the stairs and sits next to you.

“He’s so fuckin’ funny.”

“What he say?”

“Nothin’ in particular, he’s just so quick.” You hum in agreement. “Workin’ on homework, baby?”

“Mhm, almost done though. Just responding to some people’s posts.” He watches you type quickly.

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Type so fast?” He starts laughing.

“I don’t know.” You start laughing too. “Let me just finish this up, okay? I’m telling this person how much I agree with them.” You roll your eyes.

“Definitely don’t miss that about school.”You finish up your responses and close your laptop with a sigh. “What time are we meetin’ your mum tomorrow?”

“Um like eleven I think. We��ll wanna leave here around ten to get there on time.”

“Alrighty.” He looks at you. “Hey, come sit on my lap.”

He spreads his legs and stretches out on the sofa while you crawl into his lap. You rest your head against his neck. You enjoyed your lazy days together.

“Downstairs earlier, you laughed when that guy called you Mrs. Styles.”

“You know his name is Michael. And I simply giggled because it made me nervous.”

“Why’d it make you nervous?”

“I don’t know.” You shrug.

“You know that’ll be your last name someday.” You scoff at him. “What?”

“Who said I’ll be taking your last name if we get married?” You play with the curls on the nape of his neck.

“When.” Your cheeks blush and you feel butterflies soar through your body.

“Alright, when.”

“You don’t want my last name?” He pouts.

“S’not that I don’t…what if I go for my PhD someday? I’m the one doing the work, why should you get the credit?” You laugh. “I’d probably hyphenate it…maybe. I don’t know, is this something we need to discuss? Even if I didn’t legally take it I’m sure plenty of people would refer to me as Mrs. Styles.”

“I just think it has a nice ring to it.” He smirks.

“You act like we’re already engaged, babe. We’re a ways away from that, don’t you think?”

“I suppose.” He nods. “Am I gonna have to like check in with your dad before I do anythin’? You know, when the time comes.”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate it, but you certainly don’t need his permission, I’d be the one marrying you, not him.”

“What kind of wedding would you want?”

“Where’s all this coming from?” You giggle.

“Talkin’ t’Lou. Him and El literally just got engaged and they already have all these plans in motion.”

“Well, they’ve been together a long time right? I’m sure there are things they’ve thought about before.”

“Right, so I’m curious to know what you’d want.”

“It’s not just about me.” You kiss him on the cheek. “But I suppose an early fall wedding would be nice. Like late September? Some of the leaves have started changing, it’s still warm, but we wouldn’t be sweating. I’d want it to be at a hotel with an outside space for the ceremony. I’m not really into the whole reception is at a barn thirty minutes from the hotel so catch this shuttle at this specific time thing. I’d want it all in one place.”

“You don’t want to be married at a temple?”

“Well…I don’t think we could because you’re not Jewish. I’d want my cantor there maybe to bless us, but I’d be just as happy having a friend officiate. It doesn’t need to be religious.” You shrug.

“Fall weddings are less expensive too. So I’ve noticed.”

“Yeah! You know my style is pretty simple, so I think if things looked clean and elegant I’d be fine with whatever theme. I’d want to plan everything myself though, like with you only. I hate when there’s too many cooks in the kitchen.”

“Agreed. It’s for us, no one else should stick their nose in.”

“Exactly.”

“What kind of dress do you think you’d get?”

“No idea.”

“Really? I thought girls thought about that all the time.”

“I think it’s better to not have an idea and just go in with an open mind. I watch these people on Say Yes to the Dress and it’s exhausting.” You think for a moment. “I certainly know what I wouldn’t want. I know my taste well enough. I’d want something with lace probably.”

“Love when you wear lace.”

“What kind of suit would you want?”

“Somethin’ eccentric. I hate plain black suits. Somethin’ with a pattern maybe? A pop of color?”

“Anything you wear would look good.” You nuzzle your nose to his and he smiles.

“You’re cute.”

“No, you’re cute.” You both giggle. He presses his soft lips to yours for a tender kiss.

You lightly lace your fingers through his hair as you open your mouth for him. He licks into your mouth, getting a good taste of you. He moves his mouth, nipping at your jaw and then your neck.

“Don’t leave any marks, I don’t want my mom to see.” You roll your hips down on him.

“You can just wear a scarf.” He says against your neck.

“Please, bite me anywhere else.”

“Lift your shirt.” You take your shirt off. “Bra too.” You reach behind and unclasp it, letting it fall off your shoulders. Harry gets it the rest of the way off you.

His lips connect to one of your nipples. He sucks on it lightly at first, and then with more vigor, really getting his teeth into your skin. You let out a gasp. It felt good, too good. The way he would swirl his tongue around your pebbling nipple while also twisting your piercing with his teeth was incredible.

“Fuck.” Your head rolls back. He lets it go with a popping noise. He gazes at it while it turns a dark purple. He smiles and looks up at you.

“Y’like that, dontcha?”

“Mhm.” You smirk. “Let me do it to you. I’ve never sucked on your nipples before.”

“Mine are all hairy.”

“Not really. You manscape pretty nicely actually. I appreciate it.”

“You appreciate it down under.”

“True, if you had a full bush I would just not be able to suck you off.” You both laugh. You tug at the hem of his shirt and he helps you take it off. “M’gonna give you a good one.”

“Please, be my guest.”

You lean down and kiss one of his nipples. You start sucking on it, and he chuckles.

“What?”

“Just feels weird, keep goin’.”

You continue with your biting and sucking. You feel him raise his hips to yours, and you can feel how hard he is against you. You kiss down his chest, and torso, and lower stomach. He knew he was in for a treat. You undid the button on the top of his jeans and slowly undid the zipper. He lifted his hips so you could pull down his pants just slightly. You reach inside his boxers and pull out your not so little friend.

You kiss your way up from the base to the shaft and then to his tip. Your lips were already swollen, but you didn’t care. Harry loved the way you looked. His hands lightly graze through your hair, and you kiss his tip again. You open your mouth and lick up his shaft.

“Jesus.” He says through gritted teeth.

You lick up up and down a couple more times, and then make eye contact with him as you take him into your mouth. He bites his bottom lip as you work your way down. You close your eyes as you hollow your cheeks and bob your head up and down on him.

“Mm, baby, feels so good.” His head falls back.

Your hands tug his boxers down his hips so you can cup his balls. He bucks up further down your throat. You groan against him, feeling yourself getting wet from pleasuring him.

“Shit.” He pulls your head off him.

“What?” You say trying to catch your breath.

“Wanna be able to fuck you, love.”

“Oh.” Your cheeks flush. He pulls your face to his to kiss him. He bites down on your bottom lip and sucks it into his mouth. You groan again feeling the ache in your lower stomach grow.

“Do you want it here, or in the bedroom?” He says against your lips.

“Bedroom.”

“Alright, up we go.”

He holds onto you as he stands up, you wrap your legs around him. He steps out of his pants and boxers, leaving them behind in the living room, as he carries you into the bedroom. He lays you down, and reaches for your leggings, tugging them and your panties off in one motion. You part your legs for him, and he smirks when he sees that you’re glistening. You reach a hand down and rub on your clit, which was throbbing at this point. He stands there for a moment, just watching you play with yourself. It’s when you let out a soft moan that makes him get on the bed, and he moves your hand away.

“Please, allow me.” You giggle.

His fingers trace over your folds lightly, collecting all the wetness. He moves up towards your clit and your back arches slightly. He was being soft and slow, and it was turning you on so much. Light touches, like you could only just barely feel him. It was enough to drive you over the edge. He slips his middle and index finger inside you while his thumb stays on your clit. You gasp as he curls his fingers up, reaching that spot inside. Your walls tighten around his fingers, and loves how soft and velvety you are. Your hands clutch at the blankets. You grind your hips against his hand. Your head was far back in the pillow. Sweat was starting to form at your brow, and you were panting.

“Come for me baby, go on, you know you want to.”

“Fuck.”

Your back fully leaves the mattress as you release onto his fingers. He doesn’t let up though, he pumps in and out of you faster, and you clutch his bicep.

“Shit, Harry!”

“Gonna make ya come over and over, angel.”

“Fuck, shit, oh, OH!” You release again, and he retracts his fingers from you. You were drenched, absolutely fucking soaked. He sucks his fingers into his mouth, and moves to hover over you.

“Ready f’me?”

“God, yes.”

He lines himself up with you and pushes inside. You both moan at the delicious contact. You wrap your legs around his waist as he begins to move. He pushes some hair away from your face and your hands move to his broad shoulders.

“So beautiful.” He kisses you, and your tongues collide.

Your hands rake down his back, and your nails find themselves sinking into his ass. He groans into your neck. He was making you moan and pant like never before, you weren’t sure what it was about tonight.

“Harry.” You whimper when you feel him bottom out. You bite down on his earlobe.

One of his hands moves up to caress your breast, and he kneads it. He was really paying attention to your entire body tonight, you couldn’t get enough.

“You feel so good, Harry.” You moan. “Your dick is so fucking big.” You tighten around him.

“Like the way I take care of ya, baby girl?”

“Fuck, yes.” Your hands move to his hair and you tug at his roots.

“Shit.” You tug on him harder how you know he likes.

“Harry, I’m gonna come.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm, I’m gonna comeeee.” You moan loudly into his ear as your third release comes.

His thrusts become sloppy and quick as his own release comes. He grabs one of your hands to hold as his come spurts inside of you.

“Oh god.” You say as you feel it fill you up.

He pulls out of you slowly, and he collapses on top of you. Your hands play with his hair as you both catch your breath. You feel his come start to drip out of you and you scrunch your face. He kisses your cheek before he gets up to use the bathroom.

“What do you feel like eatin’ f’dinner?” He asks when he comes back out.

“Pizza?”

“I’ll pop it in the oven.” He puts the robe that you bought for him on and leaves the room.

You get up and use the bathroom and put your own robe on, meeting him in the kitchen. You wrap your arms around him, and hug his back to your chest.

“Hi baby.” He says.

“That was incredible.” He chuckles and turns around to face you.

“Yeah?”

“Maybe after dinner we could do it again?” He kisses the top of your head.

“It would be my pleasure, love.”

//

Harry woke up cuddled in your arms around 8:30 when your alarm rudely woke him up. Sometimes he wished you weren’t so punctual. He didn’t want you to end the warm embrace you had around him. But he soon felt a kiss to his cheek, and you move away from him. He turns over watches you stretch and yawn. You rub the sleep away from your eyes before you get up to shuffle into the bathroom. He moves to the middle of the bed where you were just laying, just to bask in your warmth for a moment longer. Your pillow always smelt the same as your shampoo; apples and cinnamon. He was grateful that your mom wanted to buy the two of you some furniture, he just wasn’t thrilled to be sharing you today.

“Baby?” You say, voice still thick with sleep, after you come back from the bathroom.

“Hm?”

“Time to get up, my doll.” You rub your eyes again and move to the dresser to grab some clothes.

He popped up at the new term of endearment. You had never called him that before, and he wondered where it came from from. He wondered who else, if anyone, got to a point with you where you’d call them that. He flips the covers back and gets up.

“M’gonna turn the lights on now.” You say as he gives you a kiss to your temple, and goes into the bathroom.

You flip the lights on and grab a pair of black jeans from your dresser. You put on a baby blue sweater and throw your hair up in a high pony. You put on some fuzzy socks, and go into the kitchen to make a quick breakfast. You think oatmeal is a good idea for today, something nice and warm.

Harry comes into the kitchen just as you’re pouring the hot water over two bowls of oatmeal. He smiles and thanks you for the breakfast. You both sit at the island and scroll through your phones, neither of you really awake to talk yet. You both sip on some coffee, and you get an incoming call from Rachel.

“Hey girly.” You say.

“Hey! Do you have plans next weekend?”

“Um….” You look over at Harry. “I don’t think so, why?”

“Planning a girl’s night out for Sarah’s birthday.”

“Oh hell yeah! She doesn’t have plans with Niall?”

“They’re doing something Friday night. Figured we could all get together Saturday. Go to the club, have a sleepover after. She said she’s into it.”

“Yes! Yes, a thousand times yes.” You look at Harry again who’s looking at you. “Um, one second.” You put your hand over the speaker. “Harry, next weekend would you mind if I went out with the girls for Sarah’s birthday? Rachel wants to have a sleepover at their place.”

“Which night?”

“Saturday.”

“Sure.” He shrugs. You didn’t need to ask his permission, but he still appreciated the consideration.

“Okay, yeah, that definitely works.”

“Please don’t tell me you just asked Harry if you could come out to play like he’s your father.” She groans.

“You know I never asked my dad for permission for something in my entire life.” You smirk. Harry raises an eyebrow at you.

“True, you’re very good at telling someone you’re doing something instead of asking.” She laughs. “Cool, this’ll be so much fun. We should go to Pinz, they have the best dance floor.”

“Agreed.” Harry taps you on the shoulder. “What?”

“Ask her about when she wants to see Mariah.”

“Harry wants to know if you still want to get together with Mariah.”

“Definitely! We’ve been texting a lot. I think we’re both nervous to make a move for some reason.”

“Maybe we could do that Friday night then.”

“Works for me, I’m wide open.”

“Alright, I’ll have Harry set it all up since he’s been so adamant about it.” You giggle. “Talk to you soon, bye.” You hang up the phone and look at the time. “We should head out.”

“Okay.”

You and Harry head down to the lobby, hand in hand. Michael gives you a warm smile and you give him a little wave. Harry furrows his brows as you walk down to his car.

“The Weeknd has some new singles out, do you mind if I play them?”

“Go for it. When does the album come out?”

“March I think, so really soon.”

“Would you ever want to see him in concert?” Your jaw drops.

“Um, yeah. His tickets are on sale already, but I’m such snob I’d wanna be up close. The tickets at the Garden are way too expensive.”

“Hm.”

“Don’t, we’re not paying an arm and a leg for something so silly.”

“So you won’t be buyin’ them yourself then?”

“No.” You sigh. “My trip is going to set me back a bit. It’s too bad too, he’s coming in July. I love a summer concert.”

Harry already bought tickets for the two of you of course. The second he saw them go on sale he bought two seats relatively close to the stage. Your birthday was in August, he thought it would be a fun, early present. He couldn’t wait to give them to you once they came in the mail.

He watches as you listen very intently to After Hours. How you gasp when the beat picks up, and how you start laughing out of excitement.

“What?”

“This, it sounds a lot like is second to last album, I’m so excited. Heartless is really good too. God, he’s so talented. I read once that he makes music that would play in like a haunted strip club, and it just makes sense you know?” Harry chuckles.

You make it to Bernie and Phil’s and your mom is there waiting for you.

“Hi kids!” She says cheerily, giving you both a hug and a kiss. “You took measurements of the dining area?” She asks you as you walk into the store.

“Yup, got them on my phone.”

“Perfect. Now, are you two thinking square, rectangle, oh maybe round? Round is good if you’re very social. Do you want it to be more of a social space or formal?” You look up at Harry and he just shrugs at you. He truthfully doesn’t give a fuck about the shape of the table.

“Round might be nice. Let’s just look at everything and see what catches us.”

“Sounds good.”

Harry knew exactly what you were going to do. You were going to stay quiet while your mother made comments here and there. You were going to scan over every piece of furniture and make mental notes of all the pieces you liked. He watches as you’d brush your hand over tops of tables, and your fingertips would drape over certain tops of chairs. Afterwards you came up to him.

“I think a darker wood would like nice. Not black, but a nice dark brown.”

“I agree.” He says. “Show me the ones you liked best.” You take his hand and lead him around to three different options.

“Mummy, what do you think of this one?” You say pointing to a long rectangular table. “I looked at a few round ones, but you’d need stools for all of them and I just don’t think I like that.”

“I like this one a lot actually. I like the chairs that go with them too.”

“No padding on them…” Harry says, and you both look at him.

“We can buy cushions. It’s better to do that so you can replace them easier. Then you don’t have to pay to have each chair reupholstered.”

“Ah.” Harry nods.

“Do you like this one Harry?” You ask looking up at him with those big green eyes that he loves so much.

“Yeah, seems like it’ll do the job.”

“Why don’t you both sit down and see how you like it.”

You both do as she says and sit at either end of the table. The chairs were comfortable and proper. With a rug underneath, this table would be perfect in the dining area.

“It’s perfect, mumma.” Harry had never heard you refer to your mom like this either. Maybe you were just extra soft today. She kisses the top of your head.

“Then it’s yours.” You stand up and hug her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re more than welcome. Now, let’s go find some cushions and a rug to go with it.”

“Good idea.” Harry stifled a groan. Shopping like this practically knocked the wind out of him.

“C’mon, babe, you can pick out the cushions. Anything you want.”

Harry perks up and goes over with you and your mom to where the accessories were. Harry loved yellow, so he found some yellow cushions. You and your mom approved and found a yellow and grey patterned rug to go with them.

Your mom goes up to speak with a sales associate to get everything in order. You give your mom another hug after she pays for everything.

“How about some lunch kids? The Texas Roadhouse is just down the road.”

“Oh my god they have the best bread and butter. Up for it Harry?”

“Sure. Thanks again for everything.”

“Oh, you’re more than welcome honey.”

You all drive off to the restaurant, and get a table to sit at. You all order salads, and plenty of bread. You fill your mom in on how your class is going, and Harry tells her about his trip to Florida.

“Honey, we should go shopping next month to make sure we have some fun outfits for Aruba. God knows your Nannie is going to have the best bathing suits in the business with her.”

“Yeah!” You giggle. “It would be fun to bring some bright colored outfits down. I don’t need much though from the shopping we did last year.”

“Harry have you ever been to Aruba?”

“No, can’t say I have.” He tries to smile.

“Maybe some year we can have you come down too. Nannie’s place isn’t that big, but if we plan it out we could always see if she could switch one of her weeks with someone who has a two bedroom.”

“We could just us an air mattress.” You shrug. “The only time we spend in the room is for sleep as it is, we wouldn’t need a whole separate space.”

“I know, but it’s nice to have privacy. I could always bunk with Nannie and you two could take the pull out. Just something to think about for next year.”

“True. Would you like that next year Harry?”

“If you’re Nan’s okay with it.” He smiles.

“We can put a bug in her ear.”

“God, I can picture all the old biddies at the pool now.” Your mom laughs. “They’d go gaga over you.”

“I think Nannie would pass out seeing all the tattoos on Harry’s body though.”

“You have more than just your arms?”

“Yeah, he’s got these swallows on his collar bones, a giant butterfly here.” You point to it. “And these ferns right above his hips. And then you have that tiger on your thigh.”

“Oh right I remember you mentioning that.”

“And then he’s got a couple on his knees and ankles. They're all really cool.”

“Please don’t suede my daughter into getting one.”

“Would never dream of it.”

“Although I may get my nose pierced soon. A nice hope right here.” You touch your left nostril.

“Oh that would like nice actually. Those are really in style right now.” You nod along.

“So you were against her getting her be-“

“Harry!” You shake your head no and cough. Your mom squints at you.

“Let him finish his question.”

“Oh, I was just curious, um, because Y/N mentioned she wasn’t allowed to have her belly button pierced. So, um, you don’t mind her nose?”

“Nose piercing doesn’t get infected as easily. A naval piercing just says hello I’m open for business.”

“Jesus, mom.” You put your palm on your forehead. “Can you not be so judgey?”

“I’m not being judgey. I just think they send the wrong message is all.”

After lunch you and Harry thank your mom again for everything. All of your items will arrive in just four weeks. As you get into the car, Harry asks the obvious question.

“Wait so, your mum doesn’t know you have your naval pierced?”

“No way! She flipped when I got this fucking stud in my cartilage after I turned eighteen, no way in hell I was going to tell her about this.”

“So what do you wear on vacation?”

“Oh, I just take it out.”

“She doesn’t notice the hole from it?”

“She’s not inspecting me. I also tend to wear a one piece on family vacations. No need to be so revealing.”

“And she’s never seen a picture?”

“My Instagram is private, and I would never post anything too revealing on my Facebook.”

“Do your siblings know?”

“Erica does, but she’s the only one. I swore her to secrecy, she has hers pierced too.”

“You guys are wild.” He chuckles.

“Sometimes leaving things out is more convenient. Less of a headache. She doesn’t need to know everything about me.”

“True. Would’ve been helpful if I knew it was a secret.”

“I didn’t think it would ever come up.”

“So, when are we gettin’ that little nose of yours pierced?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I’d love to have the hoop in before I leave. Mariah said I need to get the stud done first.”

“Why don’t we go one day after work? It could be fun, I could get a new tattoo while you get it done.”

“I’d want you to hold my hand!” He chuckles.

“Alright.”

“What tattoo would you get?”

“Absolutely no idea.”

He did have an idea. He wanted to get a small sunflower where he had space on his left arm. Sunflowers were your favorite, and he wanted a tattoo for you, but he didn’t want to get anything crazy just in case.

“You’re so spontaneous, I love it. Yeah, maybe Wednesday after work?”

“I’ll make an appointment for us.” He smiles.

“I can pick out a new stud for my stomach while I’m there. I’m sick of this one.” You lift your shirt slightly to show him.

“What would get instead?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you can help me pick something out?”

“Sure.” He pats your belly and you giggle.

This weekend was a very good for you two. You were feeling happier day by day, and you knew seeing Dr. Mara consistently had something to do with it. You and Harry had been working on so many things, and you both noticed the small changes.

[megmachine]

Mistakes

A/N: this is the first section of my WIP star trek fic. See the tags before reading if your interested, and please let me know what you think! 

The last time Jim ever saw his aunt alive, she was crying. He was thirteen and being led onto a bus alongside his cousins and had glanced out the darkened window on a whim. She had been standing in the doorway to their farmhouse, clutching little Sarah’s favorite blanket, arguing with one of the large men dressed in black that had come to take them back. The man had laid his hand on his belt, saying something, and Aunt Josie had broken down crying. Through a cloud of red dust as they drove away, Jimmy saw her fall to her knees and sob. Tear tracks cut through the dirt on her face, leftovers from when they’d been playing in the garden earlier. They turned a corner and trees finally blocked his view, and he turned back to talk to his cousins.

He was only supposed to be on Tarsus IV for six months. Driving the car into the canyon had been the last straw, and even though they’d ‘worked things out’ with the cops, Jimmy knew he’d pushed too hard. Frank was fed up with him and he’d been suspended from school again and his mother was still out there, exploring space without him. Winona said she would be earthside ‘in just six months, Jimmy, it’s only six months,’ and that this was just a stopgap to get him away from his step-father.  What a load of bull that was, not that he’d say it to her face. Two months in, when he moved into boarding school full-time and wasn’t counting down the days till his shuttle home, Winona messaged him. She told him her ship, the U.S.S. Faragaut, would be delayed eight additional months and for the first time, he wasn’t heartbroken. Fourteen months in the colony, he could make it fourteen months. His aunt actually liked him, she never even hit him, and his cousins didn’t treat him like a burden the way Sam used to. Classes challenged him, for the most part, and he got to go back home every weekend to see his aunt and the farmhouse. Sure, meals weren’t that big, but Jimmy had never really gone hungry here, either. Tarsus was good. Life was good. 

This time, though, as the farmhouse faded from view, he could tell his Aunt knew something was different. Clouds of red dust obscured his view and it felt like he was losing something, somewhere he’d finally started to call home. It was silly to get so melancholy about a semester at boarding school, he’d thought. He’d thought a lot of things that ended up being wrong.

It was two Saturdays later when Jimmy and Will wondered if something was wrong. A full two weeks since they had seen the rest of their family. They were sitting on his cousin’s bed, each with a PADD in hand, working on their homework. Their teacher, Hoshi, had been grilling them on languages, and despite Jimmy’s efforts Will couldn’t grasp Vulcansu conjugations. 

“No, see, it’s a past tense irregular verb, and you forgot the hyphen-”

“Jimmy.” Will interrupted him, something he never did. His face, normally an open book, was drawn and stiff. Jimmy held his tongue and swallowed back his knee-jerk snarky response. His cousin took a deep breath, held it for five seconds, and let it out in a huff.  

“I’m worried about my mom. She hasn’t been responding to my comms all week, and Mr. Davies told me we aren’t doing home visits next weekend, either. I just… I know you think it’s stupid to get all worked up over family, but this isn’t like her.”

Neither of them said anything for a minute, both brains running through the options. Finally, Jimmy sighed. He knew his cousin well enough to know where his mind had immediately gone, and had an idea of how to deal with it. 

“Look, Will, I do understand where you’re coming from. If you’re really that worried about Aunt Josie, how about we go see her? Will that make you feel better?” Jimmy tossed his PADD aside and stood up, stretching his arms over his head and groaning exaggeratedly. Honestly, he’d been wanting to stretch his legs too, but hadn’t had the right opportunity to sneak out until this moment. 

His cousin wasn’t convinced yet, though. “What do you mean? How are we supposed to get home if buses aren’t running to the farm?”

Jimmy smirked, tilting his head and glancing back. “Why, we’ll be breaking out, of course!”

That line sealed the deal. After all, Will was a bad boy at heart, too.

It was dark out by the time they could put their plan into motion. The double moons were rising in the west, casting everything outside the range of the street lamps in a faint, pale light. They took a walk in the botany gardens after dinner, a fairly inconspicuous thing to do. Subconsciously, Jimmy noted that a few of the plants seemed wilted, white flecks spotting a few lower leaves, but he wasn’t a botanist and so made no comment. Will kept an eye on the teachers that patrolled the area while Jimmy made his way to a shadowy corner, the one place he knew of that the cameras wouldn’t see him. From there, he accessed the security system from his PADD - he’d been teaching himself programming since he was five, sitting in the back of his kindergarten classroom, it was a breeze to hack these types of systems - and ran a loop of camera feed. From there the two made their way to the chain link fence that surrounded the school. 

The principal told them it was to keep wildlife out, since Tarsus had some rather nasty native predators. Of course, there was a hole in the fence that Jimmy had known about for a few weeks, and nothing had managed to get in, so he didn’t know the validity of that statement. The gap was barely big enough for him to squeeze through, scrawny as he was, but he’d kept it in the back of his mind in case he ever wanted to sneak out. There hadn’t been anything suspicious going on, at least as far as he was aware, so he’d had no reason to utilize it before this night. He was enjoying his classes, and had no reason to mess around. At, least, not until then.

Jimmy went through first. After making sure the coast was clear, Will forced his way out, too. The fencing groaned, and they both held their breath for a minute before determining no one else had heard. After that, it was smooth sailing for the rest of their ‘escape.’ The fence opened up into a thick forest, full of a mix of native and terran flora that formed a dense canopy and heavy shadows. They could still use the moonlight and their knowledge of direction to make their way towards the nearby town of New Franklin. The school they attended was fairly secluded, so their hike took nearly an hour. The principal and teachers, when asked, had said that the governor thought it important that students learn astronomy and botany and all types of things you couldn’t study well in the city, so their school was the only thing this far out. They were surrounded by forests on one side, and a massive plain on the other, and as far as one could see there was no other sign of civilization. When he first got there, Jimmy had thought all the greenery was wonderful. Now he was starting to hate it, as he was slapped in the face by yet another palm frond-looking thing.

Eventually, pushing through the thick greenery native to Tarsus, Jimmy thought he could hear the murmur of human life. It was about time - they still had to consider the hour-long drive to and from the farmhouse, and he wanted to get a little bit of sleep that night. Their plan was to either hitch a ride from a kind stranger, an idea Jimmy wasn’t a big fan of, or steal a vehicle, something Will didn’t like - even though Jimmy had argued that they wouldn’t really be stealing, they'd be borrowing with the intent to bring it back unscratched. That argument was part of why they’d gotten started so late, and now Tarsus’ first moon was more than halfway through the sky. Its blue face watched them as they foraged on through the woods, unwavering and unyielding in its faint light. 

They popped out on a paved road, the outlines of squat, wide-spread buildings against the tapestry of stars the only sign of civilization. There were next to no lights on, Jimmy noticed. No street lamps, or illuminated windows, or headlights. He’d have thought the town was dead, if not for the hum of generators he could still make out. A curfew, then? Why? Neither of them had any answers, but this did throw a wrench in both their transportation options. More so Will’s favored plan than his own, though his would be difficult to pull off too. 

Well, there was no way around it. The two boys exchanged glances - neither had said a word their whole adventure other than to warn the other of a hole or tree branch, too scared of being heard and caught - and advanced towards the dead town. Jimmy knew more than enough about hotwiring to be able to steal most civilian vehicles, and Will had been driving aunt Josie’s truck for the past year, so they were rather confident in their abilities. But that all depended on whether or not they would find something to steal. 

The first couple of buildings they approached were barren. Jimmy could make out the muffled sound of human voices and movement behind the walls, but there were no vehicles other than a couple of rusting bikes parked out front. The first hovercar they saw was all black and parked in the middle of town square. The engine was still running, but no one was sitting inside the car. Jimmy made a mental note of it and kept creeping along, hoping for a less suspicious get-away vehicle. The next one they saw was sitting in front of a small house. The car itself had four wheels and more than a little bit of rust, but it obviously hadn’t been used in the past few hours. The house it was parked near, similarly, didn’t show any signs of life. Neither Jimmy nor Will wanted to think very hard about that fact. Still, this was a better option, less likely to be noticed missing if they could get away quietly. Jimmy cracked his knuckles, gave his cousin a grin, and eased the driver’s door open.

Since he’d been old enough to start developing his fine motor skills, Jimmy had been playing with wires. Maybe not a sign of the safest childhood, but it certainly had its perks. For one, he could open a panel inside any car, four-wheeled or hovering, and get it running in under five minutes if it was a model from the past half-century. Thankfully, this one was. Another thing Jimmy was thankful for, he considered once the engine hummed to life, was that 23rd century cars were so much quieter than previous renditions. Not even the house a block over could hear it starting up. Will nudged his cousin over, crawling into the driver side and adjusting the seat to his liking. 

“I’m still sticking by my argument that I could drive this puppy just as well as you,” Jimmy grumbled from where he was buckling himself into the passenger seat. 

Will ignored him, throwing the car into gear and ever-so-slowly crawling out of the driveway and onto the road. “How the hell am I supposed to navigate all the way home if I can’t turn on the headlights?” he hissed, peering over the steering wheel in a way that didn’t really give Jimmy much confidence in his abilities. 

He sighed, hunching over the center console and pulling out more wires from Will didn’t even know where. In between stripping colorful rubber with his teeth, Jimmy explained himself. “Most modern cars actually have the ability to display an active infrared view through the windshield - night vision. It’s better than using the headlights, actually, but we humans are too attached to the way things have always been to use it. Manufacturers even got rid of the easy-access switch, but they never bothered to get rid of the tech itself. Lucky us.” He spared a second to glance up at his cousin, grinning wildly, before twisting two bare wires together and clipping them to a circuit board. Jimmy had no idea how like his mother he looked in that second, and the excited expression faded almost as suddenly as it had appeared. 

The windshield display flickered once, twice, before the pitch black landscape became visible in various shades of green and grey. The compass, temperature read out, and clock reappeared in their usual location (lining the top of the windshield, out of immediate eyeline), now a bright white against hunter green shadows. 

Jimmy almost whoop-ed, catching himself at the last second and instead silently punched the air. “What’re you waiting for, Willy?” He snickered, flopping back into his seat. Will grumbled something about ‘cocky little nerds’ and eased his way down the pavement, gradually making his way out the town as a pace that had both of them out of their minds with boredom before they’d even made it a mile. 

It took a little over ninety minutes to get to aunt Josie’s farmhouse. More often than either of them wanted to acknowledge, they’d pulled off the road and held their breaths, paranoid that they were being followed, only to laugh at themselves when no one showed up. Jimmy didn’t voice the alternative - that they were being stalked, toyed with. Will was on edge enough as it were. 

The lights were off when they pulled up. Neither were that worried - Aunt Josie had always been more of a morning person, after all. Her red pickup was still parked under the carport. As they walked up to the front door, Jimmy watched his cousin unwind, tension easing out of his muscles. Will pushed the door open - again, not worrying, they lived far enough in the country to not bother with locks - and stepped into the kitchen. The house was silent. Jimmy followed, hands in his pockets but eyes darting around the heavily shadowed room. 

Making their way deeper into the house, Will seemed to relax further and further while Jimmy felt the hairs on his neck stand up. Something felt off, but he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly was wrong. It was a somewhat similar feeling to what he would get when Frank was about to come home, full of cheap liquor and anger he’d take out on Jimmy and Sam. The air felt stale in his lungs. At the end of the hallway, the door to Aunt Josie’s bedroom was closed. 

Will was smiling as he nudged the door open. He took a deep breath, ready to call out to his mom, ready to be reassured of her health and safety. The next second he was hunched over, hands clasped over his mouth and stomach rolling. The smell of decay overwhelmed them, and Jimmy finally identified what, exactly, was wrong. 

Aunt Josie was laying on the ground near her bed, an archaic bullet hole through her chest. The light grey rug under her body was stained dark brown with old blood. While Will clung to the doorframe, trying desperately to keep his dinner down, Jimmy stumbled forward to her side. He’d always heard that people were peaceful in death, but Aunt Josie looked as distraught as she’d been when he last saw her, through a school bus window, two weeks ago. Her body was breaking down, past rigor mortis and well along in the bloating process. Deep tan skin was now motley green. The stink of rotting meat and excrement and who knew what else was thick in the air, having been trapped in the room with her. Dark liquid covered the wood floor, leaking out from her body, more fluid than one would expect from a corpse. If he looked closely, which he tried not to, he could see the small movement of maggots and cadaverous bugs within her small wound and under the skin. 

Saliva pooled in Jimmy’s mouth and he turned away, stumbling out of the room before collapsing to his knees and retching. Will staggered after him, pale and sweating. Neither of them said a word for the longest time. Will was barely breathing, not making a sound as tears pooled in his eyes and ran, silently, down his cheeks. 

“How long has she been dead?” he finally whispered, choking on the word.

Jimmy hated how his mind automatically went through the stages of decomposition, hated how for a split second he could objectively analyze how far along the body (his aunt, not the body, it was his aunt lying there) was. He was barely aware of his lips moving and the words coming out of his mouth. “It takes around eight days for discoloration to start. She’s probably been… for over a week.” 

“Fuck.”

It took another ten minutes for either of them to move. Jimmy pulled himself to his feet, dragged his cousin behind him, and made his way towards the front door. Will didn’t make a sound as he was led along, eyes unfocused and staring into the distance. It was past midnight at this point, and Jimmy knew they had to get going if they wanted to avoid being caught out. As he passed the kitchen table, a stack of mail caught his attention and he grabbed them, curious, glancing over the words. 

‘In response to your request… Cannot supply more rations… Distress signal…’

Jimmy swallowed and stuffed the papers in his coat pocket without a second thought. 

Will was still unresponsive when they reached the stolen car, and without a second thought Jimmy shoved him into the passenger seat before climbing behind the wheel. Driving this old thing couldn’t be more difficult than the corvette, and this time he wasn’t trying to run from Frank and the cops and Riverside. Jimmy didn’t spare a second to glance in the rearview mirror as he pulled away from the farmhouse. If he did, he wouldn’t have been able to leave. 

It was only when they got close to town that Jimmy noticed they were being tailed. At first he thought it was a figment of his paranoid imagination. It was barely there, in the corner of his eye, and his cousin was of no help in differentiating real from fabricated. Will hadn’t spoken a word since the farmhouse. Jimmy stepped on the gas a hair and fixed his eyes on the road in front of him, ignoring the tingling in the back of his mind. 

Jimmy pulled off on the side of the road and stared out the back window. He’d seen it again, bigger and more obvious. He was 85% sure there really was something out there, in the black of Tarsus night. Either way, he wasn’t too keen on getting caught, so they would be legging it through the woods the rest of the way back. He hopped out of the car and led Will behind him into the dense forest. He'd finally started responding when Jimmy asked him questions, and could see his surroundings well enough to avoid low hanging branches.

“Come on, we’ve got to go, they’re behind us Will, we’ve got to hide,” Jimmy panted in his cousin’s ear. They were making far too much noise, stepping on twigs and getting slapped by branches. He just hoped they could get far enough ahead of the people stalking them, out of hearing range and back to school before sunrise.

 Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard boots stomping through the undergrowth after them. “Hey! Where’d you go? You know the punishment for breaking curfew, it’ll hurt less if you just stop running!” The overt threat of pain and punishment sent a chill down Jimmy’s spine and he couldn't let himself get lost in memories of Frank, he had to get his cousin back to safety. He grit his teeth and made a conscious effort to be quieter, shushed Will when he spat a curse at a vine that tangled around his leg but it was too late. Bright flashlight beams cut through the greenery and into Will’s face and shouts filled the air. 

Then they are running through the woods, abandoning all hope at subtlety and there are crashing footsteps behind them, the high pitched whine of phaser blasts and deep voices calling out promises of pain, and - 

Will trips over a branch, twists his ankle, and Jimmy hauls his cousin up and behind him. He’s limping and leaning heavily on the younger boy but Jimmy clings tight to him. He won’t lose more of his family, he won’t, not after Sam, he can help Will, it’s not too much further to the fence and if they can just lose these guards they’ll be fine.

Gunshots and phaser fire follow them, sinking into tree trunks in their wake, cutting through leaves and then they hit something definitively not wood and Will is screaming, crying, begging Jimmy to stop but he’s bleeding out all over Jimmy and it’s too much, too much, he can’t make it stop please make it stop! There’s a hole in his stomach, gaping in what little moonlight is filtering through the tree branches. Hot blood is burning his hands, his face, and he can’t put enough pressure on the wound while trying to run and he can’t stop running or they’re both dead. They’re both so, so dead.

Will is clawing at Jimmy’s hand and at first he grips it tight, trying to take some of the pain from his cousin, but he’s being slapped and Will is glaring at him with as much strength as he can muster, though it’s fading fast. Jimmy has never seen so much fire in those brown eyes until now. He’s wheezing, but he can force out a mouthful of words. “Leave me, Jimmy. You gotta get out of here.” The men are gaining on them and they don’t have much time left. Will lets himself go limp, still staring at Jimmy, shrugging out of his hold and collapsing onto the ground. He shoves him once, for good measure, when Jimmy stops moving. “Go!” Will shouts, the force of his words making blood spew from his paling lips.

 Jimmy runs. He runs, and doesn’t look back. 

[ashley-ghuleh]

Chapter 1: A Friend

(Little note, this is waaaay longer then I thought it would be. But I’m pretty happy with it, here’s to just writing to have fun~<3)

In which a Phoenix befriends a Crow. And the roaring Fire is to meet the Icy Sea.

High school for the rich, some think it would be nicer than a middle class school. Nice kids from prestigious families with good standing reputations. Those people are wrong, rich schools are just as bad if not worse than those of anything lower than them.

Rude kids who were living either spoiled lives with parents who gave them everything they’ve ever wanted.

Or kids coming from homes where they feel smothered by the ‘charitable acts’ their family was known for, or how controlling their parents could be.

And then the kids who didn’t have it so rough who rebelled no matter, just wanting to cause trouble for fun, showing up for school properly dressed and disheveling themselves once in the building without a care if a teacher scolded them, though most teachers have given up on this type of student and their stubborness.

But not all students who acted or dressed this way came from a household that was normal or standard for a rich family. Some who did this came from a place like, The Kohle family.

When it came to higher power in a society of nothing but fake suits and dresses.

The Kohle’

A house made of a mother and father like most were, Elizabeth Grace Kohle Heiress to the original bloodline of Kohle, and James Kohle, formally James McKnight though when he married into the family he had taken the Kohle name in place for his given name as to gain further power from the title. This family on the outside looks picture perfect. Seven kids, six boys and one girl, blessed with many children to continue on the family name. Two loving parents to care for the kids and bring their family to greatness. But under the picture of a ‘perfect’ family portrait lies the full unedited truth. Seven kids, six boys and one girl, six prodigal children and one black sheep. It wasn’t easy being the disappointment, but it was a dirty job and somebody had to do it, and that somebody was Marcus Kohle, born fourth before the twins, his father’s only hated child and his mother’s favorite. 

Being babied and spoiled by his mother and disregarded or shunned by his father and other siblings his father has turned against him, happened to be what shaped this tiny rebel.

Marcus looked like any normal teenager going into school, but these students wouldn’t know this was his fifth transfer for fighting and being an all around troublemaker. 

He walked through the halls remembering the short tour, his school uniform tidy and neat, his hair nicely styled as his mother had done for him before he left that morning, everything in its place. 

Until he stepped through the doors, heading right to the locker rooms. Changing into black beat up combat boots and then ruffling up his hair so it hung perfectly a mess, while undoing the buttons on his uniform dress shirt and loosening his tie to hang lazily around his neck. Walking out he strolled with his bag to his locker ready to cause some chaos.

Those feeling suffocated by the bosom of their parent’s cloaked public affection were like Ashley Carter.

The Carter’

This home was built on a steady arranged marriage of two high school sweethearts, David Carter and Adela Guilani now Adela Guilani-Carter. She kept her maiden name so if things got ugly she could easily drop the hyphenated last name of her husband. Two ‘loving’ parents of course, who were blessed with a single gifted daughter. 

Being born with birth defects that stunned the two parents had been such a reputation concern, that they announced the birth of their daughter without showing her face. The doctor had said Ocular Albinism didn’t run in the family lineage as far as they could find, it just happened to be a rare occurrence.

Rare she was, Ashley Carter was an oddity in a world of normalcy that her parents tried to force upon her. Once she had hit 14 she didn’t care much anymore.

She was the family disappointment, a disgrace to the family name and she would never be what her parents wanted for an heir or a child.

This torn family dynamic wasn’t lost on most other families, some of them were sympathetic, giving the pale eyed girl a safe place to decompress and feel as though nothing or no one could do anything to her, they couldn’t touch her in these safe havens.

Walking into school, she was in her school uniform of course. Hair tied up in high ponytail and her uniform skirt pulled up some to show off her knees as well as her top two blouse buttons undone and her cherry red converse squeaked softly as she trudged to her locker, another day of torture was all she could think.

But she didn’t know that she was about to make the friend that would fight for her till the end.

Some of her friends met up with her to walk to the lockers, chatting softly as she would adjust her sunglasses, the indoor/outdoor lenses for these ones taking a little longer than usual to switch over.

Ashley looked the same as she did the year prior, but with this new year and being a year older, she had changed her looks a bit, having decided she was done hiding she no longer wore her colored contacts to hide her eyes and the most outrageous part of her new look was her new hair color.

Kids from other classes and her own watched her walk by, chest length hair that was now a bold fiery red, Ashley was tired of hiding, wanting to be seen for the girl she could and would be. This new color caused her ‘poor’ mother to faint and her father to demand her to “Wash it out! Now!” Only for the recently rebellious teen to reply with, “ It’s permanent. And no~”

The colors resembled the many hidden within a burning flame, reds, oranges and even some soft pinks, yellowy oranges, all laid out with the best strategies to make her unnatural hair color look.. Well natural. It made her skin seem paler but brought out the color of her freckles, her eyes though always milky crystal seemed to be brighter in a sense.

Closing in on their destination, Ashley and her friends slowed to see a new student being cornered by the lockers, the red haired girl’s happened to be the one this boy’s back was pressed to. “ Hey! I said to say something funny, you're the new foreign kid right? I bet you got a fucking hilarious voice and accent! Go on skinny, say something!” This teasing voice, that was oh so grating on Ashley’s ears made her groan, it belonged to a boy she hasn’t been able to stand since they met at the age of 10, “ Tommy. Fucking. Wilson.” She grumbled now standing before said boy, a born jock through and through. It was like in the dna for that family or something. He would’ve been handsome if he didn’t act so ugly.

“Ashley Carter~ Finally ready to submit to me and become my girlfriend.” The new student against the locker, snorted with a sharp inhale before snickering. “ She’s way out of your league.” His voice was soft, masculine for a 14 year old boy and oddly feminine in an angelic satisfying way. 

The two girls that had been walking with Ashley giggled at the remark and not so much the strange European accent he had and tried to fight around.

Tommy and his two friends looked confused and then shrugged it off. “ I changed my mind, totally thought that you would sound funny but you don’t and honestly..” He narrowed his eyes at the new boy. “ The sound of your voice makes me wanna punch you.” He brought his fist up and Ashley stepped in, smacking Tommy on the back of the head, while he reacted she spoke, glaring down at him. “ If you lay a finger on him, I’ll remind you of what I did when you messed with Cecilia’s lunch and fed her meat. Knowing full well she went vegetarian.” The young jock’s eyes widened at the idea and he straightened himself out and dusted his shirt off. “ Well.. I guess-” “ You're just going to let a girl scare you?” Came the squeaky voice of another boy in Tommy’s little friend group.

Ashley stepped forward putting more heat into her gaze while taking her sunglasses off to show fully the anger in her murky eyes. “ Test your luck punk.” She hissed before the small gaggle of boys and Tommy became legitimately scared and ran off down the hall pushing passed students as they went.

The new boy stood up and sighed, running his hand through his messy hair, “ They didn’t hurt you did they?” Came a sweet soft voice belonging to a beautiful girl only describable as looking like a picture of a blond bombshell girl, the little accessories she wore and her vintage looking makeup were perfect replicas of most early war propaganda posters from the 50s. “ I’m fine thanks..” He said softly trying to not talk too loud, any louder than he was his accent would slip.

“I’m Cecilia, you can call me Cici~” She held out her hand, cocking a brow. He took it and shook it weirdly, clearly uncomfortable.

A tall raven haired girl on Ashley’s other side grinned and gave a tiny two finger wave. “ I’m Lilith. Call me Lili or Li'l.” He nodded at her before looking at Ashley whole nodded at him. “ I’m Ashley. Also the girl who just saved your little tush. What’s your name, new kid?” She asked while getting into her locker and arranging her things and grabbing what she’d need for her class.

He grumbled something under his breath and then sighed through his nose. “ Marcus.. Kohle..” Cecilia jumped and gasped. “ Holy shit! Like the Kohle family from Germany that owns and operates a huge oil rig branch?!?” Groaning the new kid, Marcus, nodded and rubbed his forehead.

“Don’t remind me please.” He sighed, Lilith and Ashley both nudged Cici who shrugged and flailed a bit, “ S-sorry sugar.. Didn’t mean to upset you. So! You guys just moved here right? You're gonna need some friends!” She giggled, smiling brightly. Ashley nodded, “ Yea, and it might as well be us if you're gonna survive in this jungle. Especially if you want to avoid conflict with Tommy.” Marcus grinned and laughed coldly. “ I was doing my best.. Not to hit him.” Lilith nodded.

“Steer clear of him if you can kid, he packs a punch..” Ashley snorted and shut her locker, “ When he can land one. My depth perception is clinically off by birth and can aim a hit better. Tommy couldn’t hit the broad side of a cow with a banjo.” She quipped while looking down slightly at Marcus. “ What class do you have first?” The german boy looked at his curriculum list. “ English li-....” He frowned at the word he was obviously having a hard time with. Cecilia peeked over his shoulder and saw it, “ English literature.. Not to be rude, hun, but I’m guessing your English reading is..” She raised a worried brow and Marcus frowned deeper and flapped his hand back and forth, the three girls looked at each other and nodded. “ It's okay, we’re all in that class with you, so we’ll help you. We’re friends now! So we’re gonna do what friends do best and help each other~” Cecilia giggled, her giggles were infectious and Marcus smiled softly, Ashley looked down at him taking him in for a moment, small and thin as a whip. His hair was messy and was a rich, dark black, it was so dark it had a soft tint of an iridescent shine like crow feathers. His face was sharp, feminine. His skin was almost sickly pale, but his eyes were what stood out to her.

Deep, blue oceanic eyes. They looked tired, obvious by the deep set circles under them, but she found herself feeling like she was falling into a dark blue void, swirling through an angry whirlpool in the temperamental sea. Even with how emotionally exhausted he looked, his eyes held this intense energy to them.

Ripped from her thoughts by her friends, she looked to see if they noticed she had spaced out, Marcus didn’t notice, neither did the girls, Lilith was running her fingers through Marcus’ messy tresses. “ Your hair is so cool.. It reminds me of a crow~” She grinned, the foreign boy nodded his thanks softly. “Oh! Oh! Our little friend group is complete! We’ve got the sassy Italian’s,” She giggled, waving at herself and Lilith, “ I’m Italian too..” Ashley pouted, “ Yes, but now we also have.” She sang that ‘a’ to draw it out while shoving Marcus and Ashley shoulder to shoulder, “ The phoenix and the crow~” The blond bubbled and grinned brightly.

The two looked at each other and then shrugged, “ Works for me. Just don’t be calling me that around others.” He grumbled though wasn’t actually grumpy about it, Ashley nodded, “ I mean I like it but it's a little… Stage name-y? How about something more subtle for general use?”

Marcus looked up at her and immediately spoke before anyone else could. “ Ash.” He stated plainly. “ Phoenix's rise from ashes, reborn into the world. Becoming greater with every rebirth.” He said with a bored tone almost like it was so obvious before adding on, “ Plus it's her name but shortened.. I am foreign but not dumb.”

The girls all laughed and smiled at the boy’s antics, he was going to be a lot of fun to get to know and hang out with. Already each girl held special places in their hearts for this precious kid and wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

“Well gang.. We better get to class before Professor Davidson comes searching for us.” Groaning at the idea they made sure they all had everything including Marcus and went onto class.

Walking down the hallway were four new best friends, and two who would stand up for the other no matter the scenario. Beautiful bonds were made between the Phoenix, and the Crow. 

But the two thought, how would the intense Fire handle meeting the Freezing Sea, that’s been raging for centuries?

That’s something they’ll find out together. As they would do so, with many things to come.

[ominousunflower]

Day 10 - Charm Bracelets

For @adrinetteapril 😊

Summary: No one quite understands the color scheme for Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s wedding.

Rating: T (brief implied adult content) Word count: 1591 

[Read on AO3]

*** *** *** *** *** ***

“Why are you being so secretive?” Alya asks, wiggling as Marinette tries to pin the fabric of her gown. When Marinette glares up at her, she stops moving, though she still adds, “Are you ever going to tell us? Or is this going to be one of those unsolved mysteries that they put in your biography? No one quite knows why Marinette Dupain-Cheng chose such a bizarre color scheme for her wedding, but historians have speculated that—”

“Alya,” Marinette says, rolling her eyes. “It’s not a secret. If you figured it out, I’d tell you that you were right.”

“Then why don’t you just tell me?”

“Because it’s personal,” Marinette says. “I don’t know. It feels wrong to tell people.”

For weeks, Alya has begged Marinette to explain the color scheme for her wedding—and of course, the moment she set foot in the fitting room, the litany of questions began again. At this point, Marinette’s really just keeping it a secret as a matter of principle.

“I swear,” Alya says, “you always said that Nino and I were bad back in collège, but you and Adrien are even worse. Sometimes I think the two of you share one brain.”

“That,” Marinette says, pinching a piece of fabric, “would be a nightmare. Adrien only says half the puns he thinks. I don’t think I could handle double the wordplay.”

Alya cackles. “Yeah, okay. Fair.” She hums to herself. “Okay, so, I get the pink and blue. Those are your and Adrien’s favorite colors. Right?”

Marinette shakes her head, then removes a pin and holds it with her teeth. As she gathers the fabric to re-pin it, she mumbles, “That’s not why.”

“And why yellow?” Alya says. “You hate yellow. It’s Chloé’s color.”

Sighing, Marinette plucks the pin from her mouth. “I don’t hate any colors,” she says, slipping the pin throuh the fabric. “They all play an important role in design.”

“Is it because Adrien’s blond?”

Marinette snorts. Alya has to know that they wouldn’t have based their color scheme on Adrien’s hair, of all things. But she does wonder how Alya’s reporter eyes haven’t latched onto the only other yellow thing in the room right now: the golden beads sitting against Marinette’s wrist.

“Your eyes are blue,” Alya says. “And Adrien’s eyes are green! I’m onto something, aren’t I?”

“You caught us,” Marinette says drily. “And the pink is for my hair, obviously.”

Alya groans and stomps a heeled foot against the platform she’s standing on. “Damn it!” she says, and Marinette can see her frustrated face reflected in one of the fitting room’s mirrors. “I thought I had it.”

Laughing, Marinette stands and circles Alya, observing her dress. It’s one that Marinette designed herself, of course—she wasn’t going to let her best friend wear something by some other designer. The honey yellow fabric contrasts well with Alya’s skin and hair, much better than any of the other wedding colors, and the snug bodice and slightly-flared column skirt emphasize her curves perfectly.

“I wouldn’t look as good in the other colors,” Alya notes, regarding herself in the mirror. It’s almost like she read Marinette’s mind. “Is that why you chose yellow?”

“That’s right,” Marinette says. “You figured it out.”

“Really?”

“No.”

~~~

“Dude,” Nino says, as Adrien shows him pictures of the prototype floral arrangements that Rose has created for the wedding. He’s slouched next to Adrien at a table in their favorite coffee shop, his cup drained long ago. “I thought Marinette was a designer.”

Adrien frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know much about design,” Nino says. “Like, I’ve never put much thought into what I’m wearing, or whether the colors go together. But…pink, blue, yellow, and green? You’re just two colors shy of a rainbow, man.”

“Technically three,” Adrien says. “Red, orange, and violet. And pink isn’t officially a color of the rainbow.” He swipes to the next photo. “Okay, so, Marinette and I are stuck on this one. I think it’s the best, because it features roses, which are her favorite flower. But she doesn’t like it, because she says that the roses are overpowering the arrangement.”

“Colors are overpowering the arrangement,” Nino says. “You realize that the four of us are all wearing different colors for this wedding?”

“It’s just accent colors,” Adrien says, waving Nino off. “It’s not like I’m wearing a bright green suit. Marinette would kill me if I did that.”

Nino shrugs. “I don’t care one way or the other, but Alya’s going crazy. She hates that she can’t figure out the color scheme after knowing you two for a decade.”

“Oh,” Adrien says. “Right. I forgot about that.”

He smiles fondly at the bracelet wrapped around his wrist, the same one he’s worn ever since Marinette gave it to him back in collège. Back before they were dating, back before he figured out that she was his superhero partner and the love of his life. He should have realized sooner why he cherished Marinette’s lucky charm so much.

“Why are you smiling at the table?” Nino asks.

“No reason,” Adrien says. “Now, help me come up with an argument to convince Marinette that we should go with the arrangement I want.”

“An argument to convince Marinette that your design ideas are better than hers?”

Adrien pouts. “She cares what I think. We make all our major decisions together, Nino.”

And Nino doesn’t realize just how true that is. Whether it’s marriage or saving the city of Paris from evil, Adrien and Marinette are partners through and through.

“I don’t think flower arrangements count as major decisions,” Nino says.

Rolling his eyes, Adrien goes back to scrolling through flower pictures.

~~~

“Maybe you should take pity on her,” Adrien says one night, as Marinette sits next to him on the couch with a mug of tea in her hands.

“She deserves it,” Marinette says. She snuggles into Adrien’s side, her cheek pressed against the soft fabric of his hoodie. “She spent practically every day of lycée begging me for details about our love life. We’re allowed to keep a few things to ourselves.”

“You know, buginette,” Adrien murmurs, “I didn’t take you for the vengeful type.” He presses a kiss to her hair. “Aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one?”

“I don’t know,” Marinette says. “It’s exhausting being responsible all the time. And I really enjoy trolling Alya. I think you can be the responsible one, at least until the wedding.”

“I’ll make sure I add that to my vows,” Adrien says. “And I, Adrien Agreste, hereby revoke my role as the responsible one, returning it to my lovely soon-to-be wife…”

Marinette giggles. “Anything else you want to revoke, while you’re at it? Your dishwashing duties, maybe?”

Laughing, Adrien tightens his hold on Marinette. Sensing what he wants, Marinette sets her mug on the coffee table and allows him to scoop her onto his lap.

“Actually,” Adrien says, “there is one other thing, yes.”

Marinette tilts her head back to glance up at him. “And what’s that?”

“My name.”

“Right,” Marinette breathes. “Your name.”

She still can’t quite wrap her head around the fact that Adrien’s going to be taking her last name once they’re married. Of course, all those days she’d doodled Marinette Agreste in her collège notebooks, she’d never actually planned to take his name. She’s proud of her family, her name, of the accomplishments she’s earned under those two words and a hyphen.  

But it never occurred to her that one day Adrien Agreste might be signing papers as Adrien Dupain-Cheng.

“You don’t mind?” Adrien asks, his green eyes scrunching in concern. “If it makes you uncomfortable—”

“I love it,” Marinette says. She leans forward to kiss his cheek. “And I love you. I’m more than happy to give you my name.”

“My name, my clothes, my lucky charm bracelet…” Adrien leans forward, his lips brushing featherlight against Marinette’s. “Why, my lady. Pretty soon I’ll be all yours.”

Marinette reaches down to take Adrien’s wrist, her fingers running across the beads of his charm bracelet. “Aren’t you already?”

Adrien’s hand finds Marinette’s bracelet as well, rubbing one of the beads between his thumb and index finger. “I’ve always been yours,” he says, his green eyes shining. “You know that.”

Somehow, even after dating Adrien for so many years—after being engaged to him for almost two—Marinette still finds herself overcome when he turns that soft gaze on her. And so, speechless, she leans forward and captures his lips in a kiss.

Hands wander, clothes disappear, and they quickly relocate to the bedroom. And as they move together, kissing and lost in each other’s bodies, Adrien’s hand stays intertwined with Marinette’s, the beads of their bracelets matched together like their hearts.

~~~

Weeks later, when Marinette and Adrien join each other at the end of the aisle—and Adrien does, in fact, revoke his role as the responsible one during his vows—only a few keen eyes catch the gold and blue bracelet hidden under the flowing sleeves of Marinette’s dress, or the pink and green beads peeking out from underneath the cuffs of Adrien’s dress shirt. Even fewer eyes notice that the colors of the bracelets are the accent colors of the wedding.

“Bracelets,” Alya mutters, during the exchange of rings. “It’s the bracelets.”

Adrien takes Marinette’s hand, his fingers slipping under her sleeve to feel the bracelet around her wrist. “You know,” he murmurs, leaning forward, “you’re my real lucky charm, princesse.”

“Kiss me already, you sap,” Marinette says.

Smiling, Adrien does just that.

[purplesurveys]

1119

survey by icantloveu

Today:

Who was the first person you saw? It was my dad. I fell asleep in the living room last night and he was the first person to go downstairs.

Who was the first person who called you? I have not received any call today so far and I’m not expecting any to come through today, a Sunday.

Who was the first person you called? I haven’t called anyone, either. The closest is an eyewear store I messaged on Messenger just a few minutes ago to ask if they accept walk-ins, since I didn’t know they’ve mostly taken appointments throughout the pandemic. If they don’t, I’ll have to wait until Thursday to get a check-up.

What was the first thing you did? I was mad at myself for falling asleep early last night and kinda wasting my weekend, so the second I opened my eyes I got up and looked for a survey to answer, lol.

What'd you have for breakfast? Fried rice, eggs, hotdogs, kikiam, and danggit, with crab paste.

Lunch? Skipped lunch as always since we have late breakfast. I might make coffee.

Dinner? I’m still indecisive on whether I’ll have dinner at home or somewhere outside. In any case, I can’t tell what I’ll be eating just yet.

Who'd you hang out with? I’ll be just by myself today.

What'd you do? I plan on taking a couple more surveys after this. I also wanna do some work ahead of tomorrow and watch the newest episode of 2 Days 1 Night as well.

Favorite song you heard? I am finding Ravi and Lee Naeun’s Rain Drop preeeeeeetty catchy.

Did you see anyone you hadn't seen in awhile? Not today. But last Friday this was the case as I saw Al, Pia, Kyelle, Gab, and Sam for the very first time in well over a year. Angela and Hans were part of the group as well but we were able to see each other during the holidays.

Last:

Thing you ate? The last spoonful of my rice, which I think I topped with the last of my egg and hotdog.

Movie you saw? Midsommar, I think. Last Christmas. I don’t watch a lot of movies anymore.

Girl you hugged? Angela. We saw each other for like, 15 seconds yesterday afternoon so that she could return the abaca mat I lent her for her graduation shoot.

Guy you hugged? I believe it was Hans, when we were saying bye last Friday. If not him, it would have been Al.

Family member you hugged? No idea. Maybe an aunt.

Type of soda you drank? I don’t drink any softdrinks. I did drink red wine that turned out to be carbonated last Valentine’s Day, though.

Flavor of gum you chewed? It’s a gimmick-y kind of gum that is extremely sour when you first pop it in your mouth; but once you start chewing it the sourness dies down and it goes back to the classic bubblegum taste.

Time you brushed your teeth? Last night.

Time you showered? Midnight yesterday when I got home from the aforementioned hangout with friends. I wasn’t able to take a shower yesterday because it had been freezing cold all day, but I plan on having one today.

Time you rode in the car? Yesterday when I drove out of the village to briefly meet up with Angela.

Word you said? Not sure; maybe just a ‘hi’? I greet my dogs a lot.

Person you talked on the phone to? My mom called me last night to tell me dinner was ready.

Time you cried? Genuinely no clue. I’d say a couple or even several weeks ago.

Currently:

Wearing? I have on an olive green sleveeless turtleneck top, and a pair of shorts.

Eating? None at the moment but I do feel like munching on something. Salted egg chips sound amazing right now, actually.

Drinking? Nothing, but I am in the mood for coffee.

Thinking? What else I can do today to maximize what’s left of my weekend.

Doing? [besides this survey] Looking at possible frames to buy for my new eyeglasses.

Friends:

Last friend's house you stayed at? Eugh, I think it had still been Gabie’s. I haven’t stayed at anyone else’s place during the pandemic so far; I’ve driven by Angela’s house briefly a couple of times, though. Mostly to just like return stuff or hand her a gift.

Last friend who stayed at your house? Angela and Hans.

Who has the coolest siblings? Probably Rita. All her siblings have got their own things and gigs and passions going on and I find that awesome. Of course, their family is filthy, old-money rich so their parents have more than enough money to let them sustain their hobbies, so I guess that’s a crucial factor in this too. But even then, they’re all humble and insanely nice so they’re still cool lol.

Who's an only child? Angela, Jo, Luisa, and I think Blanch??

Who have you gone on the most trips with? I don’t go on many trips with friends.

Who's met your family? Angela, and because of that one time my orgmates held a meeting at my house - Kate, Patrice, Jo, Jane, Aya, JM, and Edi.

Family:

Who's the craziest? There’s honestly a lot of chaos on my mom’s side, tbh. There’s past and current animosities, land issues, and general attitude problems among many of them. Of course, they try to hide it from the younger generation and everyone puts disagreements behind them during family gatherings; but the older I’ve gotten, the more my mom has let me in to some of the stories. That said, I can’t tell you who would be the craziest of them all.

Sanest? [is that a word] I would trust one of my aunts with my whole life, if it comes down to it. She has such a warm personality, is an amazing and sweet mom, and talking to her has always felt like talking to an old college friend that you’re having drinks with. I feel like I should do more for her as her niece, but yeah, I love her a lot.

Loudest? I will happily refer you to the entirety of my mom’s side, again. Everyone’s mode of communication seems to be yelling.

Lives the farthest away? Everyone who lives in the US.

Who do you live with? Both of my parents and my two siblings.

Has the most dogs? My dad’s immediate family, from whom Kimi actually came. There’s two dogs I can play with whenever we visit - Spike and Gucci - then they also have several other dogs but they aren’t too guest-friendly.

Has the most cats? My mom’s sister-in-law used to have like, 3 or 4 cats but I’m not sure if they’re still alive.

Has the most cars? I’m not sure. Most seem to have 1-3 which is the average for families anyway.

Random..

What color are your shoelaces? I’m not wearing any shoes at the moment.

Describe your sunglasses: I don’t own any.

Song you listened to last is...? Some jazz-y coffee shop-y tune I heard on YouTube.

Do you have a digital camera? Not anymore. I just use my phone to take photos.

What's the last type of cookie you ate? It had coffee and dark chocolate in it, but I can’t exactly remember what the name of the product is anymore.

Do you have your own computer? I have my own laptop. I never had a computer; I just went straight to having a laptop.

Describe your computer chair? I never had a computer chair per se but my work chair is nothing fancy, it’s just a plastic black chair that my parents bought initially just so that I had somewhere to sit on for my internship at my now-employer. Eventually I didn’t like how I was working in my room because I stopped being able to separate my personal life and my work life, so I’ve been working at the dining table these days.

Why is it called a computer chair anyways? I didn’t know this was a term, actually. I usually just keep hearing gaming chair.

What do you call the remote for the TV? Remote control, or sometimes just remote.

Do you have a crush on anyone? Nope.

What's on your walls? A few posters and wall decors. Some paintings from Gab towards which I have zero feelings or attachment anymore but I feel too lazy to take down.

Do you sleep with your door open or closed? Closed. It would be impossible for me to fall asleep otherwise.

Can you fall asleep with the TV on? Sure, but the program has to be something I was watching to begin with so I can be lulled to sleep. If it’s a show about something I don’t find interesting, I might just find it as noise.

What is the last book you read? I don’t know.

What's your least favorite class? I don’t go to school anymore but in my final semester I hated my business writing class. I hated all my journalism classes, actually; but it was business writing that made me feel the most nervous.

Are you cold? I’m just right. It’s chilly enough not to need the fan, but I’m not shivering either.

Where are you? I’m in the living room.

What is touching your foot? The couch.

Are you wearing any jewelry? Nopes.

If so, what?

What's your name? Robyn.

Do you like it? Sure.

Would you change it if you could? Not at this point.

[for girls] Are you going to keep your last name when you get married? I would hyphenate it, yeah. This is also so that I get to keep my middle name as well.

[culticunti]

hi can i get the whole alphabet with bakugou? ty xx

hey <3 i hope u enjoy these! (//ω//)

A... Affection - How do they show affection?

Bakugou is usually very prone to mood swings, and the same could be said for his temperament in your relationship. He can be smiling and affectionate one moment, and the moment someone else walks into the room, he'll be stoney faced, as if nothing ever happened. 

B... Babe - What kind of nicknames do they give you?

Katsuki may not seem like it, but he’s very comfortable using nicknames for you. His personal favorites are Babe, Sweetheart, and Moron. The two former were reserved for behind closed doors, but the affection on his face as he calls you a moron in public is so plainly obvious it hurts.

C... Coddle - How differently do they treat you in a relationship/out of a relationship?

The difference between how he treats you and how he treats everybody else is almost laughable. To everyone else, he’s this raging figure of fury and harsh words, but to you he’s nothing but rough hands and heartfelt words. 

D... Daddy - Do they get along with your parents?

Since he was a little kid, Katsuki's mother had drilled it into his skull how to be respectful of his future partner’s parents. Though his short temper remains, he definitely puts on a facade around your parents. It makes you happy, after all, seeing your family adore him, and he wants nothing more than to make you smile.

E... Earful - How talkative are they about your relationship with other people?

Bakugou is surprisingly vocal about your relationship. Though he doesn’t bring it up unprovoked, if Kirishima or one of his other friends ask, he’ll be more than happy to tell them how great of a partner you are to him.

F... Flaunt - Do they brag about you?

Again, Katsuki won’t go out of his way to show you off to his friends, but he will slip a few words in here and there about how pretty you look in bed and whatnot if Mineta and Kaminari get too out of hand while ‘observing’ you.

G... Gifts - Do they spoil you?

Believe it or not, Bakugou loves to spend money on you. It may not be obvious from an outside standpoint, but he’ll make sure to pay for meals before you can notice, will buy you anything you’ve even so mentioned in passing to him, etc.

H... Heartfelt - How do they compliment you?

Compliments from Katsuki are a rarity, but each and every one feels just as special as the first. His words are soft when he says them, voice low, almost as if he speaks them too loudly they’ll turn on him and turn into insults. The first compliment he couldn't help but let slip out, a small “Wow, Baby, you look… you look amazing.”

I... Intuitive - How easily can they read your emotions and comfort you?

Bakugou doesn’t have much of an issue with recognizing when you’re upset, but the issue arises when he expects you to bring however you’re feeling to him first. He always feels like he has something to prove to you, even if he’s so very cocky in the other aspects of his life, and he doesnt wanna overstep.

J... Jealousy - How easily do they get jealous over you? vice versa?

Katsuki gets jealous very easily, even if he hardly ever acts upon it. Mostly, though, it’s when Kaminari and Mineta are saying filthy things about you he knows could never be true, but he just can't help it when his palms start to spark and the room catches the scent of burnt sugar. You, on the other hand, hardly ever get jealous over Katsuki, if only because of his piss poor attitude around everybody but you. Occasionally, a stray female fan will approach him and you’ll feel your heart pang, but he always brushes them off and spits at their feet before they can speak to him.

K... Kisses - Where is their favorite place to smooch you?

Katsuki’s favorite place to kiss you is the back of your hand and your forehead. Once, at the beginning of your relationship, you said you loved it when he did that, and that it made you feel like the most special person alive, and he hasn’t stopped doing it since.

L... Lonely - How attached to you are they?

Unsurprisingly, he’s fine without you during the day, but he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t hard for him to sleep without you at night. Ever since his kidnapping, Katsuki freaks out when he wakes up to an empty bed. His heart stops in his chest, and his breath dies on his lips as he shuffles around blindly in the dark looking for you. When he finds you, he wraps his (admittedly slightly sweaty) arms around your waist and hold you tight until the sun rises again.

M... Mannerisms - What silly things do they do for your attention?

Funnily enough, if Katsuki feels like he’s not getting enough attention, he’ll pick a fight with a classmate and get heated enough for you to come over and have to calm him down. In private, he’ll tug on a lock of your hair if you’re too preoccupied with your phone or a game that you’re playing to give him any attention.

N... Name Tag - Who’s name would they take after marriage?

Bakugou would insist on hyphenation after marriage. He, by no means at all, wants to erase all the accomplishments you’ve made using your own last name, but he feels more secure knowing that you now bear his last name. 

O... Oath - What promises have they made you?

The biggest promise Katsuki has ever made to you was to never shout at you. It’s hard for him to control his volume, as his ears are constantly ringing due to the nature and proximity of his quirk to his eardrums, but he does his best to make sure you never feel as if he’s upset at you. Even if he does get upset, you’re always there to calm him down before he gets too out of hand and hurts himself or others.

P... Provoke - What silly things do you do to get their attention?

When Katsuki isn’t paying you any attention, you occasionally swipe his phone and press random numbers on his password screen, even if you know his password by heart. It only mildly irritates him, as he doesn’t have anything important on his phone, but it’s still a small inconvenience.. However, he can easily overlook that if it means that you want his attention.

Q... Quiet - What are some things that they do that renders you speechless?

After going a while without being around Katsuki, the way he smells always shocks you when you reunite. The air around him, sickly sweet with the smell of his caramel sweat, fills your lungs as you stand there, immobilized by his beauty.  His small, tight lipped smile that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle when he holds you in his arms never fails to make your words die on the threshold of your lips.

R... Rapt - What part of you did they notice first?

The first thing Katsuki noticed about you was your grit. Even if you’re not a very confrontational person, he really admires your sense of self-worth when others question it. Your sass, as well, always makes his lips curl, and your eyes- god, your eyes- do so many unimaginable things to him and never fails to make his stomach feel like a swarm of butterflies.

S... Sour - What kind of candy do they like to share with you?

A little known fact about Katsuki is that he absolutely adores sweet things. Honestly, it’s a miracle he hasn’t gotten any cavities from his late night snacking yet. He has a secret stash of all his favorite candies underneath his bed (sealed shut of course, he can’t stand the thought of bugs getting into it.).

T... Truce - What’s one thing the two of you will never agree on?

Bakugou is too hot headed to admit that any other type of manga besides romance is at least halfway decent. As an avid consumer of horror manga, you can’t help but roll your eyes when you notice new volumes of his favorite series stacked on his bookshelf.

U... Unconscious - What’s something they do around you without realizing it?

Whenever Katsuki holds your hand, he’ll rub circles into the back of your hand absentmindedly. You find it quite cute how often he gets lost in thought, and every time he startles when his name is called after being spaced out you can’t help but stifle a giggle.

V... Vulnerable - What’s a topic that you should never bring up with them?

The attack on the training camp is one, if not the single most sore subject to katsuki. His nightmares are vivid, and his knees practically wobble when he remembers how helpless and useless he felt back then, even if he pretends it doesn’t bother him. For the weeks after the attack and after he was home safely, you were practically glued to his side, watching over his every move and making sure he didnt do anything stupid. 

W... Weightless - What’s the happiest they’ve ever been around you?

Katsuki can’t pinpoint the first time he realized you were the best thing in his life, but if he had to choose a moment, it would be the first time he kissed you. Or rather, you kissed him.

The sky was alight with stars, and the two of you had spent the day hiking up a small mountain in the countryside. The stars seemed to whisper to him, calling his name and capturing his eyes prisoner to their beauty. Next to him, the only thing you were prisoner to was your own desire to confess your love to him right there and then. 

So you did, and with the heavens as your witness, you grabbed him by the collar of his stupidly bright All-Might t-shirt and opened his eyes to a beauty so much greater than the stars- you.

X... Xanax- How do you calm them down?

A hand through Katsuki’s hair, a soft kiss pressed into his neck, and a few comforting words and Katsuki is down for the count. 

Y... Yearning - How often do they find themself thinking about you?

Even if you’re the last thing he should be thinking about, Bakugou is always thinking about you to some degree. You practically live in his mind 24/7, but the same could be said about him living in your own head rent free.

Z... Zzz - Do they fall asleep easily?

Katsuki’s favorite and most frequented place to fall asleep is in your lap. With your fingers running through his hair, you talking quietly about your day, and the dull hum of the air conditioner in the background, he feels like he’s on cloud nine.