#where there are huge unavoidable consequences for one side coming out on top

[weedle-testaburger]

the funniest subset of people in british politics are ‘people who are indifferent to republicanism so long as the queen is alive but as soon as charles takes the throne will become ardent republicans’

[thran-duils]

Reconcile (I’m Yours, P4)

Title: Reconcile (I’m Yours, Part 4) Summary: Kylo Ren/Fem!Reader. Reader is employed at a brothel and has a customer willing to pay enough to keep her to himself. But, she doesn’t follow the rules… Words: 1,861 Warnings: Angst, smut Author’s Note: FINAL PART

Part 3 || Masterpost || Fanfic masterpost

Kylo stalked down the hall, mask back on, towards the command deck. Y/N had only just stormed out of his chambers minutes before. Rage coursing through him, he was heading towards where he knew General Hux would be, that goddamn thorn in his side.

It had taken everything in his control to release Y/N. He almost believed himself incapable to do it when she demanded him to let her go. She demanded him, further incinerating any sense of calm he may have had about him in the moment.

But when he had seen – really seen – the tears of frustration in her eyes, he had found the resolve to release her from his grasp. And let her leave him. He knew she could not really go anywhere, so he was not concerned about her location. What he was concerned with was Hux’s insufferable desire to irk him at every possible turn.

He had gone down that last time with every intention of bringing Y/N back with him. He had gone over the top with his theatrics though upon seeing Y/N flirt with her fellow concubine. The look in her eyes had not been a simple teasing but one of adoration. It made him jealous that she had only come close to looking at him like that. And this current issue would surely cement she never would.

All these thoughts kept his anger burning white hot as he approached the command deck.

The only one in his sights was Hux and he cared not that others were around to witness this. Perhaps he could be humiliated into submission.

Hux shot forward onto his face when Kylo sent his Force at his back, his hat flying feet away from him with the jolt. He shouted, half in fury and half in pain at the attack, pushing himself up back up onto his knees.

Kylo was already on him though, his foot kicking Hux in the ass to sprawl back onto his face. The Storm Troopers and other personal around had scurried back to give the two men space.

“What the hell—” Hux began to shout but Kylo’s foot came down onto his back to hold him there. Hux grunted loudly, trying to crane his neck to look up. Hatred pooled into his expression. “Ren, what the hell do—”

He was cut off again, Kylo crushing his windpipe with the shift of his hand. Hux’s eyes bulged, hatred replaced by desperation. Kylo surmised that Hux may have trusted his belief that Kylo would not react violently too much.

Well, let him reap the consequences of his foolishness.

“I know you know what you did that brought you beneath my boot,” Kylo drawled. He leaned further, pressing harder into Hux’s back seeing the impact in his face. “Believe me when I say I’m holding back. It would behoove you to think twice about your decisions in the future.”

He let Hux suffer for a few more seconds before letting him go. Hux gasped for air, gaping like a fish and holding his throat. Kylo pushed off of him with his foot roughly, causing another choke of air.

He turned, leaving Hux choking to go drive his saber into something that would not get him in deep shit with the Supreme Leader.

<> <> <>

You stayed away for an hour, digesting what Kylo had revealed. Why had he just not told you of his suspicions and concern? As soon as that thought manifested, you had actually snorted out loud scornfully through watery eyes. You could not expect Kylo to trust you – or anyone, for that matter – with his emotions.

But he was logical. Logically, he should have come to the conclusion that your concern for the others – even the countless others outside your brothel – would have convinced you to come with him. Perhaps he would have had doubt you would take him seriously. But, logically, telling you that you could have been the cause of mass death would have persuaded you to leave.

Yet, he chose to hide this and don the mask of captor. All in a very ill mannered attempt to keep you safe.

His miscalculations had perhaps not a noble but a caring cause.

Sighing, you knew you had no where to go. That was the real matter of this. Your anger had settled for the most part. Furthermore, it seemed Kylo was the only one actively trying to keep you alive on this ship. You needed to reconcile if you wanted to survive. He might be an ass, a huge one at that. But he had made moves to make sure you would stay safe, especially since he was the cause of the questionability of your safety.

What use was it to keep standing here moping? You needed to reconcile.

Turning away from the window, you wiped the remaining tears away. The guards at the end of the hall fell into step with you.

<> <> <>

Kylo returned long after you did. You had been somewhat miffed that he was not waiting for you when you returned. Granted, you suspected he was off somewhere to explode and release his pent up rage. It would be quite like him.

He was silent though when he walked in, taking his helmet off in a swift motion. Shifting away from you, he went to his bathroom, closing the door.

You stared at the door in disbelief. He had barely spared you a glance. You only sat for a few moments before you heard the shower turn on.

Standing up quickly, you walked to the door. Pressing your ear to it, you listened. All you could hear was the running water.

Tentatively, you knocked.

The door swung open almost immediately, revealing him standing there shirtless. Kylo took up most of the doorway, peering down his nose at you. Humid air seeped into the hall from the shower.

He was stoic, waiting expectantly.

Looking at him coyly, you asked, “I thought I was to join you?”

That had been one of his rules from the start of coming here. You were to bathe with him, his hands roaming as you washed him, and lent yourself to him if he so desired in the moment. He had not let you off the hook yet.

He almost took too long to respond, worrying you. “I am glad you remembered.” He stepped back, allowing you entrance into the bathroom.

You moved past him and he closed the door. Knowing the drill, you undressed yourself, kicking the gown off to the side. You stilled, feeling Kylo’s hands on your shoulders, his fingers only digging in slightly.

After a few moments, he said over the water, “Hux has been dealt with. If he approached you, you will let me know immediately.”

When he had spoken those first words, your mind flashed to your past customer that Kylo had ‘dealt’ with. Luckily, it seemed General Hux was still alive if Kylo expected possible future interaction.

“Do you understand?”

You had become lost in your thoughts. You nodded, “Yes.”

“I meant to shield you from his boorish antics. Now and back then, “ Kylo continued. It irritates me to no end having to be on the same ship as him but we both serve the Supreme Leader. Therefore, close proximity is unavoidable. Hopefully at least now, his sights – in all aspects – will be off of you.”

There as an undertone to his words and you had a fleeting thought he was insinuating that General Hux had different intentions than mere murder and mind games. You thought of his eyes wandering when he had spoken to you earlier. What an effective way to really get under Kylo’s skin.

“If not,” Kylo murmured. “Rest assured I will need to divulge into more permanent punishments for him.”

His hands released your shoulders, “Get in.”

Doing as he asked, you stepped into the shower, making sure there was room for him beneath the water as well. The entire time you were on edge, not afraid but anxious trying to anticipate if he was desiring anything. He had a tendency to move quickly and you hated being caught off guard. Surprisingly, the shower was uneventful. You washing his broad shoulders and back, him handling the rest, silence between you, the water filling the space.

Still you did not relax, even when you left the shower. He had an aura about him and you were beginning to read him well.

As you wrapped your towel around you and left the bathroom, you felt his gaze burning into you.

And he was suddenly behind you again, bare, his hard cock pressing into your back.

He pulled the towel away from you, tossing it aside, leaving you bare at the foot of his bed.

His hand came up, cupping the side of your face, his thumb caressing your cheek slowly. His gaze was intense, and you could not look away. You waited for him to make his move, ready to follow his direction.

It was jolting. He leaned down, grasping both sides of your face to kiss you deeply. The two of you stumbled onto the bed, hands grasping, lips tracing trails of rough kisses on the other’s skin. His weight pinned you down, his teeth dragging along your neck before leaving bruising kisses. You threw your head back, letting him mark you.

Kylo entered you with ease, your legs wrapped around his hips, urging him to go deeper with each thrust. Your movements were in tandem, you so used to how he moved. No matter how volatile he was outside this bed, he was so predictable and familiar here. His hair brushed your cheeks as he drove himself deeper and deeper, brushing your core and setting you alight.

It was all too easy to fall into the feeling of him grasping, wanting to hold any part of you that he could. This was the moments that he claimed you were his, but you had always known he was yours. And it was that much more powerful, so much more intimate right now.

Your nails dug into his back as you shook, tightening around him. He grunted, coming undone inside you. The two of you rode out your highs, breathing erratic, feeling as if both of you could not hold the other close enough.

As you came to a standstill, Kylo rested his forehead on yours gently, as you cherished the feeling of him holding you. He slowly rolled to his side though, leaving you weightless. You could not help but to follow his movement, follow the person who had made your safety secure.

The two of you laid in silence for a few moments, your arm draped across his chest, snuggled in close.

Kylo’s voice was barely above a whisper when he told you, “I don’t regret what I did.”

Touching the side of his face turning his face to look at you, you stared deep into his eyes. He was looking at you with wonder and it was probably because you looked the way you did: forgiving.

“You don’t have to,” you told him quietly. “I’m yours.”

[anneapocalypse]

Anne watches MCU: Civil War

Civil War is the logical culmination of the Avengers series thus far and effectively presents the Avengers Initiative as a catastrophic failure.

I like this movie. I like it a lot. I think it does a surprisingly good job with continuity, both logistical and emotional.

I also think that what I took from it is perhaps not what the filmmakers intended, that in fact I probably like it for reasons that were accidental, and that were I deeply invested in these characters and their relationships, I would probably hate it.

I think at this point it works best to look at the Captain America series as a subseries of the Avengers. Both Winter Soldier and Civil War are unavoidably Avengers films as well as Captain America films; they balance an ensemble cast with Steve as the emotional core of the story.

I can see why Thor and Hulk were written out for this film, because the cast is already bursting at the seams and the movie is really long. I do miss Bruce getting to weigh in on the Accords, but Thor didn’t need to be here. Thor is not a citizen of Earth, and this really isn’t his story.

Finally, Bucky Barnes gets some character development. I have wanted to like Bucky up until now but there just hasn’t been much to hold onto; The Winter Soldier is Steve’s story, not Bucky’s, and we get precious little of Steve’s old friend coming through in the present day.

I still hate mind control plots, because you can make a character do absolutely anything and while the character might hold themselves responsible for it, the audience won’t, which makes it great woobie fuel: you get to have the character wrestling with all the guilt and horror of having technically committed terrible acts, but it’s not really their fault, so the audience can feel sorry for them and indulge in all the angst without any of the uncomfortable culpability. Nevertheless, I am happy that Civil War established some parameters around Bucky’s brainwashing and allowed his real self to come through. He’s certainly a more interesting character to me now than he was in Winter Soldier. Had I seen Bucky re-frozen at the end of Winter Soldier, I wouldn’t have felt much about it. Now, I actually kind of care.

But Wanda’s situation, by contrast, is much more grounded and compelling to me than Bucky’s: she actually did do something terrible while trying to do good. Wanda saves Steve, accidentally kills a bunch of civilians in the process… and reacts to that like a normal human being. There is a direct contrast to the way Tony Stark behaves in the first Iron Man movie, and the complete disregard for civilian casualties not just in the character but in the films themselves. This is Marvel’s meta-commentary on its own cinematic history as much as it is establishing continuity for the characters. Wanda reacts with immediate horror and regret, and she doesn’t have to say a word to convey that to us. That is good writing, good acting, and good direction. Now Wanda has to live with what she’s done, and decide who she’s going to be in the world after that, when she can’t change the past or the public’s opinion of her.

Tony and Pepper’s relationship is on the rocks, giving real consequences to the tension we’ve seen in their relationship in the Iron Man trilogy. Whether or not those consequences will stick beyond this movie remains to be seen (assuming I watch further), but it is nonetheless a breath of fresh air to me.

We already know from Iron Man 3 that Tony suffers from PTSD, and in this movie we see him confronted face to face with his responsibility for the events of Ultron. What makes Tony sympathetic in this movie is his very real remorse, and his desire to make amends, expressed in his supporting the Sokovia Accords.

And there are moments when I sympathize with Tony’s perspective, when I don’t find Steve to be in the right. When Steve says that Wanda is “just a kid”—yes, that may technically be true, but you can’t have her fighting in the streets, using her tremendous powers in real battle, and then turn around and say she’s just a kid. You can’t have it both ways. Of course Steve wants to defend Wanda; what happened in Nigeria was an accident. But calling her a kid doesn’t cut it.

Steve is still sympathetic, of course, even when I don’t fully agree with him. This is a Captain America movie and Steve is its emotional core. That he is preoccupied by even the mention of his old friend shows his humanity, as does Peggy Carter’s funeral, which gives an external voice to his convictions—even if it is a bit on the nose.

Who supports the Accords and who refuses makes sense for the most part, though I think this story would be better served by a clearer definition of what constitutes an “enhanced individual.” Steve, Wanda, Bruce, for sure, are enhanced individuals. There’s no question that they possess abilities impossible for most humans. But what about Tony? His powers come from the Iron Man suit—without it, he’s just a guy. Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist—but not superpowered. Then there’s someone like T’Challa, who can be enhanced when he has the powers of the Black Panther, but can also have those powers removed. Clint is just a guy who’s a really good shot—is he an “enhanced individual?” What about Natasha? She’s a highly skilled spy and assassin, sure, but she doesn’t have superpowers. Do the Accords include people with highly specialized training? Do they include anyone who might qualify as a vigilante, powers or no powers?

These questions are never clearly answered in the film. But if we read between the lines, it kind of makes sense that Tony and Rhodey and Natasha would feel less personally threatened by the Accords than Wanda or Steve.

Tony especially feels the least put upon by the Accords, for a few reasons. First, Tony is already a public figure by nature of being a billionaire. He is accustomed to living a very public life, and doesn’t view the Accords as a breach of his privacy. Most importantly, Tony’s wealth has always served as a kind of “do whatever the fuck I want and get away with it badge” (to borrow a line from Transformers). Even with the Accords in place, we still see Tony calling the shots, and when Cap goes rogue, Tony sees it as a “PR nightmare,” an inconvenience, but still a problem he can make go away.

A lot of character beats in this movie really work for me. I love Natasha’s assessment that “We played this wrong,” not necessarily changing her position but admitting to a tactical and interpersonal failure. I love her calling Tony out for putting his ego before everything—and the fact that it actually gets through to him for a bit is gratifying. I even enjoyed T’Challa trying to avenge his father, though I think I appreciated that a lot more for having seen Black Panther first.

There are a couple of character decisions that don’t track for me. I don’t think the film does a good enough job (or like… a job) of establishing why Clint would side against Natasha when she is his closest friend in the Avengers. I also think it’s strange that Natasha thinks Bruce would side against them if he were there. Bruce hates himself. He thinks of himself as a dangerous monster; that’s the whole reason he ran. He would absolutely be on the side of the Accords.

I have no opinions on the way Vision sides because Vision doesn’t feel like a character to me or like he really serves any purpose in these movies beyond being a walking plot device. I know he’s got an Infinity stone powering his brain and that’s going to matter in the next movie, but as a character everything about him smacks of “He’s here because he’s in the comics.”

The scene in which Spider-man is introduced was so out of the blue that I literally checked my phone to make sure I hadn’t accidentally started casting a different movie. I guess he’s mostly here to provide Tony some perspective on being an actually enhanced human: “When you can do the things I do, and you don’t, and the bad things happen, it’s your fault.” Peter Parker is the most innocent vigilante! And now both sides have a teenager. He does have some great dialogue with Tony and I can’t really be unhappy he’s here because he’s just too damn likable.

But nothing tops the Steve/Sharon kiss for being out of the blue. Came from nowhere and went back there fast. I have no idea why that was here, except that Steve is the hero and The Formula demands that he kiss a girl at some point. Peggy’s dead so her niece will do I guess. Anyway, it was bad, but brief enough to ignore.

And nothing drives home that this movie is not in any way a standalone like the appearance of Ant-Man. I actually laughed out loud when he appeared because I was imagining what this random cameo would look like if I hadn’t just watched his origin story and it was hilarious.

The big full-team battle was clearly the scene that was supposed to be the most fun to watch—which in itself is a bit strange. Clint and Natasha, in particular, seem not even to take the fight seriously. And in a story all about the fallout caused by superhero vigilantes, one would think those superheroes fighting each other in a huge group would cause even more damage. But it doesn’t, because they just super conveniently have their big battle on an empty airport tarmac, which was so funny. I assume we’re meant to think the place was evacuated but a part of me just really wants to say there were people in that air traffic control tower they knocked over.

Avengers 2.75: The Avengers vs. Delta Airlines.

The most truly stupid part was the ending. I had to go ask red where the fuck Steve knowing about Tony’s parents was set up, and apparently it was a blink-and-you’ll miss it moment in Winter Soldier. I sure didn’t remember it, so that came way out of left field for me and seemed purely contrived to make sure Tony’s change of heart would be short-lived.

But goofiness aside, there was a lot about this movie that worked for me. The focus on relationships surprised me, frankly. I was expecting a stupid, contrived battle of egos between Tony and Steve, and what i got was actually a fairly nuanced (for Marvel) story that gives real consequences to the actions of the Avengers thus far, brings to a head the tension that has been building between Tony and Steve from the minute go, and very effectively conveys the Avengers Initiative as a failed experiment.

The moral of Civil War, intentional or not, is superheroes can’t work together.

Because the Avengers are not a team. Not really. They're a bunch of lone superheroes trying to work together, succeeding for brief moments, but overall failing to build a team dynamic and Civil War is where it all falls apart.

It really put into perspective a lot of what was bugging me about Age of Ultron, which I couldn’t really put my finger on until I ran across this post and it all fell into place for me. I never bought that they were all friends or had built any deep bonds. Tony going rogue wasn't a betrayal of trust so much as it was just the clearest indicator that there wasn't any to begin with.

This movie raises questions about loyalty... and when it comes to Steve Rogers, the answers are pretty unambiguous. Steve Rogers is a powerfully loyal person who sticks by his people no matter what, and never was it more clear that the Avengers are not his people. Bucky is his people. Sam is his people. Peggy is his people. These are Steve’s friends. Steve Rogers is the first Avenger. He is also the first to jump ship when the Avengers fail to align with his principles. That’s who Steve is, and this movie also serves as a very effective character study. Despite its proximity to Ultron, there’s a reason this is a Captain America movie first.

If we’re supposed to see Civil War as a family torn apart, it fails, because this series never sold us on that family dynamic in the first place. From the start, every Avengers film has been about driving conflict between the characters, especially Steve and Tony. You cannot destroy what was never there, and if Civil War is meant to be that kind of tragedy, it does not succeed.

If I was a real fan of the Marvel cinematic universe, one deeply invested in these characters and in the idea of the Avengers becoming a found family, Civil War would’ve been a massive letdown and I’d probably hate it.

But coming in as a casual tourist in this franchise, a story about the tragic inability of superheroes to work as a team is fascinating to me.

And intentionally or not, that’s what Civil War is.

[giftapfelina]

A Very Merry Unbirthday

Chapter 2: Madhouse

I hate mornings.

Even as the effects of sleep has faded away, the thought whirls around Lorina’s fuzzy head. Poking the fluffy texture of scrambled eggs with her finger, she stares accusingly at her sister’s back.

Apparently, her dear sister, Edith, finds it’s a brilliant idea to scream into Lorina’s ear while she is asleep. While it effectively does prove to be the best wake-up call, Edith disregards the fact that it almost gives Lorina a heart attack and sends her to kingdom come.

Lorina closes her eyes tiredly, letting her finger slips further into the breakfast.

There’s the sound of bird chirpings, greeting the first break of dawn.

There’s the faint barking of an enthusiastic dog from afar; probably the baker’s son taking his golden receiver out for its usual, morning walk.

There’s the chattering of a couple, who live in the cottage across theirs, stomp about, slam doors as they hurry for their daily morning routine.

Lorina is about to be lulled back to sleep when Edith gives her nose a well-aimed flick.

“Ow! What was that for?” protests Lorina, cupping the reddening spot. Edith stands there, grinning. “For sleeping on me. Didn’t you hear what I was talking about?”

“Should I?” Lorina fakes interest, looking out the nearest window and seriously considering jumping out of it.

“Of course!” cries Edith passionately, jumping into Lorina’s line of vision. The grimacing girl, however, could almost see hearts in Edith’s eyes—that could only mean one thing. “I was talking about the formal audience. The Red Army is scouting for King Lancelot’s dance partner!”

Lorina let out a heavy sigh. “I sincerely hope something hinders you from going.”

“Don’t you start!” Edith jumps her sister, shaking the girl violently. “You already cursed me last year! I was coughing my guts out because you forbade me from meeting the love of my life!”

The look Lorina gives Edith is absolutely dead-pan. She’s dead exhausted; last night, she had to clean up the mess that Kyle dude had unintentionally left, while at the same time a certain hatter was being a total jerkass. Adding to that, the lack of sleep has her temper on short fuse.

“I’m done. It’s too early to deal with this,” she claims, moving to get up, but the firm grip on her shoulder tells her otherwise.

Edith continues to smile sweetly at the taller girl. The sparkle in her eyes indicates any other objections will henceforth forever fall on deaf ears. “Lorina~”

“No, I refuse,” Lorina says immediately, not needing to know what kind of task her insane sister would demand. Her hands are already grabbing the threshold to shake the girl off but Edith is equally if not more relentless.

“Can you let go?” Lorina asks impatiently when Edith begins to grasp the hem of her pants, not letting her sister leave. At least not without having her dignity in tatters.

“Let go.”

“Let go.”

“Let go.”

Before they know it, Edith is dragging Lorina through the bustling streets of the Central Quarter. The Chattaway sisters look exceptionally beautiful, as they are now clothed in ones of their best clothes.

In the beginning, Lorina did try to make a run for it, but Edith was no easy match as she forced Lorina into the dress.

Lorina glances over at her sister. They may be siblings, but Lorina has always felt Edith is the more favoured one. While Lorina prioritizes hard work, Edith would charm her way to the top. Even her hair shines radiantly, quickly catching the eyes of men around her.

The older sibling looks down at the peachy hand wrapped around her more tanned one, watching in a daze as their family heirloom—a silver bracelet dangling innocently around Edith’s wrist.

Lorina unknowingly furrows her eyebrows.

Unbeknownst to the girls, a man is observing them from afar. He isn’t the most striking chap out there, yet the lithe young man with a genuine smile and prominent cheeks is exactly what people see—the only son and heir to the aristocratic Godspeed family.

“Fenrir, what is it?” a sandy-haired girl approaches him, noticing the hint of fondness in his eyes.

There was a time where one of the Chattaway sisters used to joke how dazzling Fenrir Godspeed’s smile was. So dazzling that he could blind an entire squad of bullies. Ever since then, the two girls have been important figures in his youth.

“Oh, just saw some friendly faces,” says Fenrir offhandedly, smiling.

The girl looks over his shoulder, seeing only the back of a black-haired girl, disappearing in the direction of the Red Bridge.

“As I just said, state your business.”

It isn’t uncommon there are biased, anecdotal views of the Red Army. As a neutral Cradle resident, Lorina tries not to get involved with politics. And she does this by not taking sides, but at the moment, the Red Army is making it hard not to.

Particularly this gate guard, who pulls out the inspection card on Edith and her. Lorina assumes it’s because they don’t appear ‘trustworthy’ enough.

Talk about power abuse, Lorina thinks sourly.

“I told you, we’re simply going to attend the interview,” insists Edith, though she too is beginning to lose patience. “Please let us through.”

“Last time a commoner is let into the headquarters, we were reduced to humiliation by that lowlife Ace of Spades,” says the man, gritting his teeth in reminiscent anger.

Lorina smirks smugly. She’d have to thank a certain gun-wielding maniac for that. “Why? It’s not our fault that you’re not trained well,” she retaliates dully, ignoring the nudge Edith sends her as well as the soldier’s hostile once-over. “Look, buddy; sooner or later, you’ve to let us in.”

“Or what?” his hand inches closer to his sword.

“Cause I really need to pee, like right now.”

There’s a taut pause, and then the man splutters. “Y-you’re kidding, right?”

“On the contrary, good sir! My sister has a rather small bladder,” chimes Edith, clueless to his flustered expression. “But she’s rather good at aiming! Would you like a demonstration?”

“No, thank you!” the blushing soldier has all but screamed. “You’re free to go inside!”

“You sure?” asks Lorina, hands lifting the hem of her skirt up, revealing her ankles. That manages to scare him as he takes a huge step back, frantically dismissing them.

The ladies then casually continue their way, the disturbed look of the soldier following their retreating forms. Once they are out of view, Edith glomps Lorina, forcing kisses on each of her cheeks. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! See, I told you coming here would do you good! Breathing the same air as King Lancelot clears your head! Amazing, isn’t it?”

Lorina begrudgingly rubs her cheeks. “Your number of thank yous is amazing.”

“Oh, look at the time! We need to hurry!” When Edith tries to grab Lorina, Lorina swiftly dodges her hand.

“You go on,” Lorina indicates at the head entrance, where a cluster of girls is gathering. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I had to pee.”

Edith has a disbelieving look on her face. “Again? You and your unavoidable visits to every restroom…Alright, meet me somewhere in the middle of the queue. Hear me? Don’t you dare run away!”

With a dismissive wave, Lorina hurries away in search of the restroom.

Lorina somehow manages to give herself an unprompted tour of the place. It’s definitely not her first time at the luxurious barrack of the Red Army, yet she can’t seem to recall the way leading to the ladies’ room.

“Why the heck do they have so many rooms?” Lorina mumbles to herself as she trudges along one of the halls. The sound of her footsteps is muffled by the richly-carpeted floors. Paintings of previous Kings and Queens adorn the walls, making her feel as if she is being watched by their expressionless eyes.

In her haste to get away from the creepy ‘hall of fame’, Lorina rounds a corner too quickly that she almost run into a surprised pair of blue eyes. With a gasp, the brunette narrowly avoids bumping smack dab into the person.

Their eyes meet, and Lorina swears her heart has skipped a beat.

Edith will be jealous when she hears this.

“Who are you?” asks the King of Hearts, narrowing his eyes. “This side of the building is off-limits to visitors.”

Lorina has a feeling that if he doesn’t like the answer, there will be serious consequences. Everything, from his polished shoes and his cape to the tip of his blond hair, just emits an air of authority.

She straightens immediately, praising herself for not sweating buckets under his steely gaze. “King Lancelot, sir, I seem to have lost my way from the crowd,” she inwardly flinches at the increasing falsetto in her voice. “Would you happen to know the way to the restroom?”

A dawning look flickers across his face, softening his gaze a bit. “Ah—you must be one of the girls who is being scouted for the dance…”

Lorina’s face reddens slightly at that. “Uh…it’s very unlikely that I will be chosen for that but yeah, that’s…the idea.”

It must be hard to evoke emotions in this bloke of ice, but at the moment Lorina barely manages to detect the tiniest smile forming on the corners of his lips. “If you walk down the hallway from here, you’ll see the ladies room on your right side.”

“Ah…cool—I mean, that’s good to know,” Lorina grimaces in a sad attempt to smile. “Thank you, your majesty.”

“Yeah.” Lorina pointedly ignores the brief shiver running down her back as she hightails out of there. He has a nice voice.

Thump! Thump!

The several bangs on the door surprise Lorina. Scowling at the reflection of the door, she aggressively wipes her dripping, wet face, deciding that the person knocking can just wait for a minute or two.

“Hello? Hello! Open up!”

Lorina flinches at the very masculine voice before strutting over to the door, unlocking it. “Hey, this is the ladies’ room!”

There’s a blur of red, and Lorina finds herself being shoved back by the sheer force of the opening door. She trips and lands, hard, on the floor, causing her elbows to ache in protest from the fall.

Pristine, white trousers scuffle into the room. And as Lorina raises her head, she sees that they belong to—

“Kyle? Kyle Ash?”

Kyle pauses and looks down. He has just caught sight of Lorina, who is still laying on the ground, looking nothing less of vulnerable with how she is displayed to him. “What’re you doing down there?” he asks dumbly.

Her face is twitching, and she abruptly sits up, annoyed. “What’s it look like I’m doing? You pushed me! Jeez, what’s with you and making my life difficult?”

Kyle openly stares at her for a moment before offering a hand. He is evaluating his chances of a harmless exchange of pleasantries as she accepts his hand, when—

“You work here? Does your employer know of your tendencies to puke everywhere you see fit?”

The redhead feels his lips thinning. “If you’re still angry about yesterday, I told you I’m sorry, didn’t I?”

Lorina, however, makes as though she doesn’t hear him. “So why are you hiding in here, may I ask?”

Resigned, Kyle indicates at the door. “Just don’t let them catch you.”

Making a show of rolling her eyes, she pushes past him and looks through the small opening. All along the corridor, armed soldiers are rushing around, faces alert and wary.

“Apparently someone thinks it’s a genius move to douse Jonah with tea,” chuckles Kyle from behind. “So—our Queen, being his majestic, forgiving self, decides to..uh…I quote ’cut her fingers off and makes her eat it to rue the day she soiled his perfect hair.’”

“And that explains why you’re hiding in the ladies’ room…?”

It took a while for the ginger to consider this. “Do I look like a guy who would want to get involved in anything physical?” he deadpans.

God help me. Lorina sighs, her bangs fanning upward before resettling again over her blank eyes. “I’m getting out,” she announces, no longer bothering to keep civility. She feels like she’s going to lose a brain cell or two talking with this man.

“No,_ wait_!”

It’s too late. Lorina throws open the door, just as the soldiers are moving to the next searching location. Several pairs of eyes land on her as she stands there, expression blank, grey eyes staring aimlessly ahead.

It goes downhill from there though.

There’s a heck of lot yelling, quickly followed by blades pointing at the tip of her hair to her toes. Quite literally.

The girl nervously smiles, feeling a trickle of sweat on her spine. “H-hi.”

It is then, that another gentleman marches forward, the rest of the soldiers moving out of his way in synchronization. His steps are quiet, movement regal and graceful as he comes to stand before her.

“There you’re,” this man’s beautiful features contradict the condescending air that lurks beneath his amber eyes. “After the atrocious act you just pulled on me, you don’t think you can get away from it, do you?”

What’s in the blazes hell?

Before she could even defend herself, she feels the telltale clasp of something around her wrists. Looking down, Lorina isn’t sure what to make of the handcuffs securing her hands together.

“Ms Edith Chattaway, you’re hereby charged with assaulting the Queen of Hearts,” declares a Red officer. “Anything you say may or may not be used against you in a court of law.”

Her gaze turns flat. Of course.

[breeeliss]

[Miraculous Ladybug]: Protection Detail

hellooooooo @the-number-4 !!!!! i’m your back-up secret santa from @mlsecretsanta !! im so so so sorry this is so late. between the blizzard that hit us last week and other irl stuff, i’ve been swamped. but i heard that you’re a huge fan of marichat so i thought that you might appreciate something cute and fluffy for them. i hope you enjoy!

Link to Archive of Our Own: [AO3]

Title: Protection Detail  Pairing: Marichat (Marinette x Chat Noir) Summary: Chat Noir takes it upon himself to become Marinette's first line of defense against the male teenaged jerks of Paris.

Protection Detail 

According to Ladybug, Chat Noir was developing a bit of a “publicity issue.”

Which, at first, seemed like such a lie because just last week Chat Noir was trending on Twitter for close to three days after a pretty heroic rescue involving an entire auditorium worth of helpless civilians trapped inside a theater. Not to toot his own horn, but it had been pretty spectacular, so as far as he was concerned he was riding on the coattails of a publicity success story .

Of course, then she had to clarify that she had meant his heightened publicity itself was the issue since he was apparently amassing far to much of it.

“That’s ridiculous!” he gasped. “We’re nationally renowned superheroes. How is us being well known an issue?”

“Us being well known is an unavoidable side effect. Giving your phone number out to a group of adoring fans so that they can ‘call you anytime they’re in trouble,’ however, is an extremely avoidable side effect.”

“I gave them the number to my baton. It’s not like it was my personal phone number.”

“You’re telling me you don’t see any negative consequences to this?”

Chat Noir waved away her concern. “They know it’s for emergencies only, my lady. It’ll be fine.”

It wasn’t fine. His phone was blowing up at all hours of the day for reasons that had literally nothing to do with being in danger. Chat Noir once answered the phone only to have a strange girl he didn’t know ask him what size underwear he wore. Why that information was pertinent, he didn’t know, but needless to say it took hours for Plagg to figure out how to program a brand new phone number into the thing.

It was about the closest thing to a scolding Plagg had ever given him which was sort of impressive when you considered the fact that Plagg hated taking anything seriously.

So, okay. Fine. Maybe giving out his work number to large crowds wasn’t the best idea.

But he was a public servant! A hero to the defenseless! A symbol of Paris! Making themselves available to civilians was part of their job. It was so hard to see collège students younger than him sitting in ambulances after traumatizing akuma attacks and not subtly hand over his number so that they could call him next time there was an issue. His heart bled for the people he was tasked with helping, and the only reason he developed this “publicity issue” in the first place was because he cared so much.

Besides. A couple of people here and there having his number wasn’t a bad thing so long as he didn’t let it get out of control again, right?

That hope didn’t come back to bite him until one afternoon when he was patrolling alone and his phone starting ringing against his hip. Assuming that it must have been Ladybug, he picked up and skipped over his greeting. “Hey, so I’m like three blocks away from that Indian restaurant we found yesterday if you wanna come join me. But if not, it’s cool, I was about to head home anyway. You all done with shopping?”

“...er...Marinette? ”

Chat Noir pulled the phone away from his ear and frowned at the very male voice that was talking to him from the other end. “Uh, I’m sorry, who is this?”

“ Um, my name’s Pierre? I’m trying to get in touch with a girl named Marinette. Is she home?”

Weird. Chat Noir didn’t remember giving his number to a guy like Pierre, and especially not one that sounded this old. He was sure he would’ve remembered someone like that. “You’re not exactly calling her house, buddy,” Chat Noir said. “How did you get this number?”

Pierre cleared his throat. “ W-Well, uh, Marinette had given it to me but I guess I must have dialed it wrong or something. Oh crap. You’re not her boyfriend, are you? ”

Marinette…Marinette? The only Marinette that Chat Noir knew was Marinette Dupain-Cheng from school but he didn’t understand why she of all people would have his —

Oooooh. Wait a minute. Hold on.

Chat Noir turned on his heel and looked back in direction he’d just come from. “Yeeeeah, you’ve definitely got the wrong number, man. Sorry about that. You might just wanna let this ship sail, though. If she really wanted you to call her, she would’ve made sure you had the right number before she left you.”

“ Wait, do you know her? Can you just give her a message for —”

Chat Noir winced. “Unfortunately my matchmaking services are closed on Wednesdays. Woops! But, uh, better luck next time I guess!”

He hung up the phone before the conversation got more awkward and checked the time. Only a little after five. Marinette was probably still running the registers at this time. Hopefully she wouldn’t mind him paying her quick visit.

Lately, Adrien had been getting into the habit of visiting the bakery in the mornings before school and directly after classes let out to indulge in some of the sweets that his father would never let him have. It was partially a convenience thing, but it was mostly because Mme. Cheng liked to sneak him extra treats when her husband wasn’t looking and ask him about how his studies were going. It got the point where he visited to often, he only really needed to walk in before Mme. Cheng had his order already charged to the register.

But one day he completely forgot he was transformed and walked into the bakery as Chat Noir while politely asking for his usual. Marinette happened to be running the registers that day and needless to say he surprised her and the rest of the customers with how casually he’d entered. He really needed to get better about remembering to detransform before he went on his errands….

Anyway, the good news was that if Chat Noir wanted free pastries, all he needed to do was visit Marinette when she was working — Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons — and trade in autographs as payment. For some reason, she didn’t seem too interested in keeping them for herself, but she swore she had a friend who would absolutely adore them and Chat Noir could live with that so long as she kept the chocolate eclairs coming.

When he finally got to the bakery, he plucked a napkin from the dispenser on the counter, quickly signed it, and handed it to Marinette. “A palmier and a penny for your thoughts?”

Marinette smirked and pocketed the autograph. “If this is about whether or not the bell around your neck is getting in the way of your manly image, I’m kicking you out the store.”

“No. Although I still think we should revisit that discussion.” He leaned on the counter and lowered his voice. “Do you remember that time I gave you my phone number after I saved you from that akuma? Told you to call me anytime you were in trouble again?”

Marinette nodded. “I remember. Although, I don’t know if it’s such a good idea for you to be giving that out to random civilians.”

Chat Noir pouted. “Ugh, you sound just like Ladybug. Anyway, back to the point. You wouldn’t happen to have given that phone number to a guy named Pierre, would you?”

Marinette’s eyes widened at the name. “Oh no. He didn’t call you did he?”

“He called me like fifteen minutes ago asking for you. I’m assuming that was on purpose?”

“Damn. I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I meant to call you and warn you about that after I got off of my shift so that it wouldn’t seem so random. I didn’t expect him to try calling me right after I left him.”

“Yeah, about that, who is this guy?”

Marinette rolled down and slipped on some serving gloves so that she could collect a bag of treats for him. “No idea. He was some première student that was flirting with me on my way back home. He kept touching my waist and asking for my phone number even though I kept telling him no. He was being really creepy and insistent about it so I sort of just panicked and gave him yours before I ran inside. I figured if he got you on the phone he’d think you were my boyfriend or something and just let it go.”

Chat Noir’s jaw dropped. “What a minute. A première student!?”

“I think so. He said he was seventeen I think.”

“And he was touching you without your permission?”

“Yeah, he was like trying to wrap his arm around my waist and pull me to his side. Super weird. Anyway, do you still like opera cakes? I can throw in a couple for you if you want.”

Chat Noir held up a hand. “Wait a minute, hold on, waaaaaiiiit a minute . Who is this guy? Where does he live? What school does he go to?”

Marinette shrugged. “I don’t know. Why are you asking?”

He scoffed. “Um. Gee. Because there’s this creepy dude that’s like three years older than you being a total tool and forcing you to give him your number when you’re clearly uncomfortable?”

“What are you going to go beat him up or something?”

“You do realize I’m a superhero, right? I could totally Cataclysm all the hair off the top of his head. Then we’ll see how many young girls he’ll go around harassing after that.”

Marinette chuckled. “As much as I appreciate how passionate you are about defending my honor, I don’t think you should do that. It’s not that big a deal.”

“How is a douche nozzle of a lycée student harassing a collège student for her phone number ‘not a big deal’?”

“Because that’s not the first or the last time a douche nozzle is going to come bug me for my phone number. Look don’t get me wrong, I appreciate your concern I really do, but I promise everything’s alright. You don’t need to go hunt him down.”

Chat Noir shook his head and absently took the bag of treats that Marinette handed him. “To think I wished him luck when I hung up with him. And he sounded so meek and innocent. What a total liar! Complete jerk! I can’t believe you had to give him my number just to make him go away.”

Marinette pulled him away from the display of macarons before he knocked it over with all of his gesticulating. “Hey, I really am totally sorry about that. I understand how that could’ve been uncomfortable what with you being a superhero and everything. I’ll try to make sure I don’t give it out like that again. I’ll come up with a better dodge.”

Chat Noir tapped the tip of her nose. “No. You know what? If anyone else from here on out is super insistent about asking for your number, definitely give them mine. I’ll handle it.”

“Oh no,” she groaned. “You’re planning something. What are you planning?”

“Nothing bad. At least not for you.”

“ Chat .”

“Worry not, princess!” he announced as he opened the door to the bakery and valiantly held up his food as if it were a knight’s sword. “Chat Noir is a hero to all, and I will not let this injustice against you stand.”

She stared at him flatly. “There hasn’t been an akuma in days. You’re bored. This must be it. You’re totally bored.”

“Nonsense, princess!” Chat Noir exclaimed, shocking the couple that ducked under his arm to enter the bakery. “My commitment to ensuring your safety is wholly sincere and not for my benefit in the least. If anything, this has officially become my top priority.”

Marinette shook her head fondly. “Alright, Chat. Whatever you say.”

Chat Noir bowed farewell and sent her one last pointed stare. “Don’t forget to call me if something weird happens.”

“I will, I will, I promise. Now shut the door. You’re scaring the customers and letting all the cold air in.”

After all of the akumas that were packed in tight all throughout last week, it seemed like Hawkmoth had finally hit a slump because there hadn’t been a single attack in days. Chat Noir and Ladybug had even decided to put the patrols on pause for a few days because the weather had gotten way too frigid to justify spending prolonged periods of time on the windy rooftops of the city. Maybe Hawkmoth wasn’t a fan of the weather either. Or maybe people were too busy hiding from the cold in their homes to bother being upset enough to get akumatized at all. Whatever the reason, Marinette wasn’t complaining. It gave her an excuse to catch up on all the sleepovers she owed Alya.

Marinette was leaving one of those sleepovers on Sunday evening and decided to brave the frigid weather and walk back to the bakery instead of making Alya’s parents forfeit their parking spot and drive her. It was a bit of a trek, but Marinette was bundled up pretty well and the exercise was worth it.

She was tightening her scarf around her neck when she realized just how dark it had gotten and how empty the streets were looking. Alya didn’t live in a particularly dangerous neighborhood, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to take such a long walk by herself.

Marinette frowned and scanned the rooftops. Chat Noir was usually out and about on Sunday nights. Maybe this wouldn’t be a terrible time to call in that favor he’d offered her.

Deciding his theatrics were worth the safe trip home, Marinette quickly dialed him and waited until he got his voicemail.

“ Hey there, this is Chat Noir. If you’re calling to ask for Marinette Dupain-Cheng she wants nothing to do with your creepy butt and if you have a problem with that you can take it up with me. Lucky for me it won’t be much of a fight, so choose wisely. If you’re calling to ask for me, I can’t come to the phone right now, so just leave a message and stay miraculous! Laterz!”

The voicemail beeped and Marinette placed her hand on her hip. “Chat, you really don’t have to be threatening all of these nonexistent boys for me. I haven’t even given my number out these past few days. I mean, I appreciate the thought and everything, but I don’t know how Ladybug is going to feel about you planning on beating up lycée boys.”

She pouted and started walking towards home. “Anyway, that’s not why I called. Uh, I’m on the corner of Violet and Tiphaine in the 15th arrondissement. I’m walking home from my friend’s house and I’d appreciate some company since it’s a long trip and it’s pretty dark outside. No rush, but if you wouldn’t mind meeting up with me, I’d appreciate it. And change your voicemail greeting for heaven’s sake!”

Silly cat.

Soon he’d be plastering his face on the news and announcing his new safety escort service to every single teenage girl in Paris. She didn’t think that caring too much would ever be a problem for anyone, but if Chat Noir was an expert at anything it was completely obliterating her expectations.

Chat Noir was usually pretty good about checking his messages, so hopefully it would only take him a few minutes to get to her. In the meantime, Marinette made sure to stay on the busier streets and keep her phone in her hands in case Chat Noir called her back.

She’d only been walking for about five minutes before she stopped at the crosswalk and caught the attention of a boy just a couple of years older than her who had just walked out of the supermarket on the corner. Marinette was busy checking her text messages and was startled when he tapped her shoulder and introduced himself. “Got a long walk home ahead of you?”

He didn’t look particularly suspicious, but his intentions were pathetically obvious judging by how poorly he was trying to hide his appraisal of her. Definitely not worth her time. Marinette smiled politely and kept her eyes on the crosswalk. “Not too far.”

“It’s a little chilly for you to be walking, isn’t it? Aren’t you cold in that skirt?”

Marinette kicked the side of her shin. “Thermals. I’m plenty cozy, don’t worry.”

“Oh come on,” he smiled. “Listen. I’m heading for the bus stop right now. Let me pay your fare so you can have a warm ride home.”

“The bus doesn’t stop in front of my house. Makes more sense to walk.”

He blinked. “O-Oh. Well, I mean…isn’t it kinda lonely walking by yourself?”

Marinette raised a brow. “Not really? I’m a big girl, I’m fine walking a few blocks.” The crossing signal finally flashed and Marinette took the chance to quicken her step and end the conversation. “Nice meeting you.”

But it didn’t seem like he had gotten the hint because he jogged across the street to catch up with her and grab her hand to slow her down. “Wait, wait, hold on a minute! You mind if I walk with you then? I’m sure we’re going the same way and it’ll make me feel better to know you got home okay.”

Marinette snatched her hand back and shoved it in her pocket. “I haven’t told you where I lived, so how do you know we’re going the same way?”

“Well, we’re walking down this street together, aren’t we?”

“Listen,” Marinette sighed. “I appreciate you trying to be nice, but I’d really rather walk by myself.”

The boy frowned and kept alongside of her while standing too close for her comfort. “I mean…okay, but I don’t see what the big deal is with letting me walk you home.”

Marinette’s smile was forced. “Because I didn’t ask you to walk me home, and you’re making me uncomfortable. So I’m just going to go on by myself.”

The boy rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, I guess. Can I at least get your phone number then?”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I should get going.”

“Seriously?” he scoffed. “What’s the harm? It’s just a phone number.”

“You know, you’re really persistent,” Marinette glared. “And that’s not a compliment. I just told you I don’t want to, so shoo!”

“I’m being persistent because you’re being nasty,” the boy complained. “It’s just texting, it’s not like I’m going to be a creepy about it. You’re pretty, and I just want to talk with you more.”

Marinette eyed the convenience store on the corner and wondered if she could lose the jerk in there. “Would you get lost? You are being creepy about this, and if you don’t cut it out I’m going to call someone.”

“What like the cops?” the boy exclaimed. “God, why are you being so frigid? Are you this rude to every stranger you meet?”

Marinette cursed under her breath and pulled her phone out so that she could fake a phone call to an imaginary boyfriend or something. Figures that the on the rare occasion she decided to walk all the way home from Alya’s some weirdo would be trying to accost her the entire way home. Whatever. At least if she meandered around the convenience store, she’d have a warm place to wait until Chat Noir showed up, and hopefully walking shoulder to shoulder with him would deter anymore idiotic behavior from strange boys she didn’t know.

But at that moment, almost as if the mere thought of him summoned him to the scene, Marinette heard someone loudly clear their throat above her.

“Is there a problem here?”

Chat Noir slid down the awning of the corner store and landed gracefully in front of the boy who had backed away a couple of steps and looked nervously between him and Marinette. She had to admit, for someone who wasn’t particularly assuming or intimidating, Chat Noir was doing a pretty good job of making the boy uncomfortable by brandishing his staff and clenching his fist as if he were two seconds away from calling upon his Cataclysm.

“A-Ah, nothing’s wrong,” the boy explained. “We were just talking. We’re friends, and we were playing around.”

Marinette snorted and linked arms with Chat Noir. “Hey, Chat. Thanks for coming. I have no idea who this jerk is.”

“Sorry I couldn’t come sooner. I was halfway across the city when you called. Lucky I came when I did though.”

“It’s okay. I appreciate you coming on such short notice.”

The boy furrowed his brows at the sight before him. “What’s going on here? Is he your boyfriend or something?”

“Are you her boyfriend?” Chat Noir countered. “Because if you aren’t, there’s no need for you to be walking her home.”

“Hey, man, I was just trying to be gentlemanly.”

Chat Noir swung his staff onto his other shoulder, and Marinette couldn’t help but laugh when the other boy flinched. “Gentlemen usually understand the definition of no. If the lady doesn’t want you walking her home, then you don’t get to walk her home. And you definitely don’t get to bother her for a phone number like you’re entitled to it.”

“I-I wasn’t bothering her —”

“Look, it’s really late. I’ve gotta get this lovely girl home to make sure more idiots like you don’t bother her, and then I’ve got a patrol to get to. So if you’re going to keep this up, you leave me no choice but to call the cops.” He shrunk his staff down into a baton and flipped open his phone. “I’ve got them on speed dial, so it really shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes for them to show up.”

“Alright, alright!” the boy said. “I’m gone, I’m gone. Jesus…”

Chat Noir waited until the boy turned the corner before he placed his hands on Marinette’s shoulders and checked her over quickly. “Are you okay? He didn’t touch you or hurt you, did he?”

“Oh, not at all,” Marinette assured. “He was just talking and being weird. But thanks for coming to help me. He was getting a little irritating.”

“Why are you always so flippant about this stuff?” Chat Noir pouted. “My offer to go beat him up still stands.”

Marinette smiled and tapped the bell around his neck. “I already told you. You shouldn’t be assaulting civilians. That’s not great for your superhero look. And I’m not flippant, I’m just used to it I guess. When it happens all the time, it just becomes annoying and inconvenient at most. I’ve picked up tricks on how to deal with it in case valiant heroes can’t come to my rescue in time.”

Chat Noir didn’t look completely happy with the answer, but he nodded and jutted his chin down the block. “Do you still want me to walk you home?”

Marinette winced. “If you wouldn’t mind? I want to avoid any more excitement for the night.”

“I understand. You mind if we take the scenic route? I don’t want to delay you by dealing with people asking for autographs and pictures.”

Marinette nodded and squeezed his arm tight while they turned down a less crowded street and made their way back to Marinette’s neighborhood. She expected him to fill the time with chatter, but he seemed abnormally quiet. She leaned over and saw that he was frowning thoughtfully at the sidewalk, so she poked him in the cheek and tried to get him to look at her. “Is something wrong?”

Chat Noir shrugged. “It’s silly.”

“I’m sure it isn’t.”

“No, it is, because you don’t want to make a big deal out of it, and I want to respect that.”

“I mean, if there’s something bothering you I want you to tell me. We’re friends aren’t we?”

Chat Noir laughed and dipped his head. “Yeah. We’re friends.” He subconsciously pulled her closer and kept an eye on the road as they crossed the street. “I don’t know, it just really bothers me to know that random guys treat you like that. And I know you’re used to it, and you can handle it by yourself. I’m not trying to suggest you can’t take care of yourself. I just get really angry on your behalf because it’s just so disgusting to me.”

“I guess that explains your voicemail greeting.”

“I want to make sure they come bother me instead of you! I didn’t want you handing out the wrong number and then have them come find you all angry!”

“Is that what that was!?”

“Of course! I’m not doing this because I want to get into fights. I just want to make sure you’re safe. Trust me, I know how stupid guys act, and stupid guys who are embarrassed about getting rejected like that will come and bother you about it. I didn’t want that to happen to you.”

Marinette bit her lip and snuggled up to his side. “Is that why you’re so serious about this? And why you get annoyed when I’m not as serious?”

“I don’t mean to be all clingy and overprotective, I honestly don’t. But this isn’t the sort of thing you should have to put up with. I’m your friend, and if you have to lean on me for this sort of thing, I want you to. And you wouldn’t be a bother either! I’m sure Ladybug would understand if I explained it to her. It’d be like a side gig, separate from akuma fighting.”

It was such a sincere explanation that Marinette couldn’t help from laughing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect this to be so upsetting to you. I really can handle it on my own, but…I’ll admit, that boy from earlier was making me really uncomfortable. I was relieved when you showed up.”

Chat Noir leaned down and whispered in between them. “He can’t be more than a few blocks away, Marinette, I can go give him just a little scare — ”

“Leave him be,” Marinette smirked. “I’m serious, please don’t beat up any boys for me. But…well, if you’re fine with me giving out your number to pushy people and maybe calling you if I feel unsafe walking home…I guess I can keep your number saved.”

Chat Noir grinned. “That’ll make me feel a lot better, thank you.”

She patted his arm and added, “I do still think the voicemail greeting is too harsh.”

“Aw, let me keep it. It’s effective!”

“It’s scary!”

“It’s a gentle warning.”

“At least take out the bit about the fighting.”

“Fine, I’ll tone it down a little.”

Marinette beamed at him and kissed his shoulder. “Thank you.”

Chat Noir blinked down at her and coughed into his hand before keeping his gaze resolutely ahead. “Yeah! Cool! So, uh, anyway…you think I can sneak a couple of pastries for the trip home? I skipped lunch today and I’ve been craving some tartlets.”

“I’m sure I can find you something,” Marinette promised. “Consider it my thanks.”

Chat Noir’s ears wiggled in excitement. “You’re the best Marinette.”

“Hey there, this is Chat Noir. If you’re calling to ask for Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she’s asked me to very politely communicate to you that she’d rather not speak with you or see you any further. If this is a problem, she’s asked me to handle any and all complaints. That’s right. Me. Chat Noir. Defender of Paris. Let that sink in. Uh...yeah, so if you’re calling for me, I can’t come to the phone right now, so please leave a message and stay miraculous! Bye-bye!”

[wisestudentninja]

June 2018 Featured Creator

What is a Featured Creator?

Write Way Studio’s “Featured Creator” segment is my way of showing appreciation for the creators of the world.  Creative outlets are limitless, because there is no end to human imagination.  Every month shows the succeeding featured creator.  If you would like to be a part of this collaborative project, contact me at studiowriteway@gmail.com!

  My ninth guest creator is the artist known as PonPox!

Introduction

Known on the Internet by their username PonPox, they also go by Pon!  They are twenty-four years old with their birthday landing on March 16th.  Their astrological sign is the Pisces, better known as the twin fishes!  They have earned a bachelor’s degree in video game design with a focus on 3D art.  At the moment, they are part of an internship with a mobile game company as a 3D/2D artist for a vocational university.

Although they are a 2D artist at heart with both traditional and digital media, PonPox also works with 3D.  They create fan-art for a variety of fan-doms they are currently interested in.  When they have spare time, they adore experimenting with digital art.  With the digital come the opportunities with colored pieces and more advanced work.  In comparison to traditional work, digital has become so much easier because of Ctrl+Z and able to freely move pieces around as desired.  Programs like Photoshop and SAI help them practice even more with all artistic elements and experimentations.

However, because of their current schedule, most of their creative drawing time occurs on their commute to and from work, an estimated three hours per weekday, and lunch breaks.  In concerns to the consequence of the impending time crunch, they elaborated that their artwork was bits of “messy sketches, cleaner lead drawings and sometimes inked pieces.”  The minimum of their supplies are sketchbooks, mechanical pencil, and an eraser.  At the moment, they possess an interest in coloring, so they also bring along color pencils in order to satisfy the urge.

The most common subject matter for them is fan-art.  Original pieces are a close second, particularly folklore and fantasy creatures.  Fauns, harpies, centaurs and Scandinavian-styled trolls name only a few.  They like to place them into a modern setting with creative narratives attached.  The chronicles even develop into full blown backstories during their commutes.  The ideas may even develop into something more in the future.  But right now?  They are just ramblings to them.

What Sparked the Creator Passion?

How It All Started

They started drawing around the same time as everyone else would, in kindergarten.  The only difference is that they did not want to stop.  They admitted that a huge artistic milestone for them had been the introduction of manga and anime into their lives.  They were about nine or ten when they first started reading manga.  They later would try to mimic the manga styles they encountered.

All about the Art

The Epiphany

PonPox recalled some sort of news coverage a couple years after they had been introduced to the world of manga.  The topic of discussion?  “How to draw manga” tutorials, of all things!  They then remembered paying very close attention to the instructions the news provided.  A new development occurred to them from the experience that never registered before, that “you can learn techniques to draw better.”

Their parents later gifted them with a “how to draw manga” book that actually managed to do a decent job in jumpstarting their journey as an artist.  They learned so much in a short time as well as lucked out with the book being one of the decent tutorial texts.  It provided a bit of everything for artists, from color wheels, basic anatomy, and even shading rules.  It even shared multiple drawing styles and artists, revealing how manga is just one kind of style that happened to originate in Japan.

Manga and Anime

Manga and anime continue to be PonPox’s biggest inspirations.  It’s the main reason they started to focus on their art more versus simply aimlessly drawing.  However, a clarification is in order:  they are not a manga artist.  The term implies that the artist is creating manga in Japan and they definitely do not like being labeled with that assumption.

Experimentation

Fantasy and folklore creatures interest them since the beings can freely break away from the norm.  People-watching heightens their creativity and curiosity.  Humans fascinate them so, just like the creatures.  They began to tinker with various body modifications, from body hair, wrinkles, body fat, muscles and body types as a whole.  Part of the experimenting is due to them trying to escape from the typical anime/manga body imagery.  For the mythical creatures, they feel that “you can bend the rules more . . . [since] their beauty standards and physiques can be very different than what humans are used to.”

Future Projects

At the moment, there is no definite answer.  PonPox does know, however, that they will never stop drawing.  They sometimes works with their girlfriend on comics of an AU (alternate universe) for the character Leorio from the anime series Hunter x Hunter on a side-blog.  They are always creating more art for their blog, though!

There may be the possibility of prints, keychains, and other products (that is the hope anyway).  They are simply creating art and completing commissions at the present time.

Where to Find You? Support You?

PonPox is available on the Interwebs, from looking at their artwork to business purposes.  To satisfy your curiosity, look at the information provided below!

  Two sides of Tumblr house their art!

Main Art Blog

Side-Blog (that also focuses on art)

Portfolio for their 3-D work!

Support their work or even request a commission!

Ko-fi

Commission Details

Last Tidbits

As crazy as it may sound, PonPox had no clue narwhals were real animals!  Somewhere they heard about narwals being the unicorns of the sea and it just stuck.  It wasn’t until they were about thirteen or fourteen that they stumbled upon a photograph of one.  It completely blew their mind!  To this day, they still think narwhals are “some of the most magical creatures out there.”

Important Notice

Please understand that some information will not be shared by the creator’s request.  If you cannot understand that, there is not much more I can do to help you.  Safety is a top priority here, and I am here to help the creators, not instigate negative behavior.

Collaboration Disclaimer

The information provided in my Featured Creator articles is, in fact, from the real people, not some random Internet bot.  I do not use random stock photos to fill an imaginary photo quota.  Any photos in the Featured Creator segment are provided by the creators with permission to use them in this manner.  I want to support the original person behind the work, not a random online copycat creeping around.

To PonPox,

Even though we could not work on this as much as I would like, I hope you enjoyed the collaboration as much as I did!  I know that it was hard to consistently connect for the collaboration, especially when some unavoidable occurrences happened on my end and you having work as well.  It was definitely not easy and I cannot apologize enough for my lack of professionalism when the situations continued to arise.  It also provided me with a painful reminder of the unfortunate reality my technology presents me (since I had to rig it so much just so we could work on the rough drafts – long story!)

We beat the odds!  This finished product you’re reading right now is proof of that!

I appreciate this opportunity you gave me and hope we can work together again soon!  As crazy as it may sound, you are the first person on Tumblr I have actually asked to work with me (and answered back!)  I love your unique art style and quirky personality.  You are one of the people I look up to, especially when it comes to art.  Until next time, I wish you the best of luck!

Sincerely,

Jasmine Love

{Write Way Studio creator and blogger}

MLA Citation (8th edition)

PonPox.  Personal E-mail Interview by Jasmine Love. June 2018 Featured Creator Collaboration, 20 May – 5 June 2018.

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Laura blasts Louisiana coast with wind and wall of seawater (AP) One of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. pounded the Gulf Coast with wind and rain Thursday as Laura roared ashore in Louisiana near the Texas border, unleashing a fearsome wall of seawater and killing at least four people. Louisiana took the brunt of the damage when the Category 4 system barreled over Lake Charles, an industrial and casino city of 80,000 people. Laura’s powerful gusts blew out windows in tall buildings and tossed around glass and debris. The hurricane’s top wind speed of 150 mph (241 kph) put it among the most powerful systems on record in the U.S. Not until 11 hours after landfall did Laura finally weaken into a tropical storm as it churned toward Arkansas. “It looks like 1,000 tornadoes went through here. It’s just destruction everywhere,” said Brett Geymann, who rode out the storm with three family members in Moss Bluff, near Lake Charles. He described Laura passing over his house with the roar of a jet engine around 2 a.m. “There are houses that are totally gone. They were there yesterday, but now gone,” he said. More than 700,000 homes and businesses were without power in the two states, according to the website PowerOutage.Us, which tracks utility reports.

U.S. Flood Strategy Shifts to ‘Unavoidable’ Relocation of Entire Neighborhoods (NYT) This week’s one-two punch of Hurricane Laura and Tropical Storm Marco may be extraordinary, but the storms are just two of nine to strike Texas and Louisiana since 2017 alone, helping to drive a major federal change in how the nation handles floods. For years, even as seas rose and flooding worsened nationwide, policymakers stuck to the belief that relocating entire communities away from vulnerable areas was simply too extreme to consider—an attack on Americans’ love of home and private property as well as a costly use of taxpayer dollars. Now, however, that is rapidly changing amid acceptance that rebuilding over and over after successive floods makes little sense. The shift threatens to uproot people not only on the coasts but in flood-prone areas nationwide, while making the consequences of climate change even more painful for cities and towns already squeezed financially. This month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency detailed a new program, worth an initial $500 million, with billions more to come, designed to pay for large-scale relocation nationwide. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has started a similar $16 billion program. That followed a decision by the Army Corps of Engineers to start telling local officials that they must agree to force people out of their homes or forfeit federal money for flood-protection projects.

Contested U.S. election? (Foreign Policy) Hillary Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of state and the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential nominee, said in an interview that Democratic nominee Joe Biden “should not concede [the election] under any circumstances,” suggesting that Republicans are going to “[mess] up absentee balloting” as a way of gaining a “narrow advantage in the Electoral College on Election Day.” Clinton’s remarks come as Trump has increasingly tried to cast doubt over the legitimacy of the election in recent weeks, claiming in his speech at the RNC on Monday that Democrats were preparing to use the coronavirus pandemic and mail-in voting to rob him of the election.

Arson, they wrote (Foreign Policy) U.S. Navy investigators suspect that arson from inside the ranks caused the Aug. 12 fire on the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard that left the amphibious assault ship severely damaged after a multi-day blaze. Officials are questioning a sailor who was aboard the San Diego-docked ship as a potential suspect. If the Richard is scuttled, it could leave taxpayers on the hook for a $4 billion replacement vessel.

Fed: Rates to stay ultra-low even after inflation picks up (AP) The Federal Reserve announced a significant change Thursday in how it manages interest rates by saying it plans to keep rates near zero even after inflation has exceeded the Fed’s 2% target level. The change signifies that the Fed is prepared to tolerate a higher level of inflation than it generally has in the past. And it means that borrowing rates for households and businesses—for everything from auto loans and home mortgages to corporate expansion—will likely remain ultra-low for years to come. [Editor: The tradeoff is that prices for food and all other goods will rise, while interest from savings accounts will remain very low or even decline.]

Buying masks, delivering food: Teens step up in pandemic (AP) In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, communities across the country have discovered a powerful resource that has stepped forward to make a difference: America’s teenagers. They have delivered groceries to older adults, offered online tutoring, emailed sick children, helped feed the hungry. And then there are those like 15-year-old Valerie Xu, who raised money to buy masks to donate to a Dallas hospital and homeless shelter. In Cupertino, California, 17-year-old Nelson Mu and fellow high school students started teaching online classes to younger children after schools closed in the spring. More than 2,500 kids from across the U.S. are now taking the free virtual courses on everything from math and science to art and dance, taught by a couple hundred teens through the organization YAPA Kids. Early on in the pandemic, friends Dhruv Pai, 16, and Matthew Casertano, 15, of Silver Spring, Maryland, realized that they were both delivering groceries to their grandparents. They decided to reach out to friends to do the same for other older people who were self-isolating. Teens Helping Seniors now has more than 650 volunteers nationwide and in Canada making free deliveries. The pandemic, Pai said, “has reignited the spirit of volunteering in our generation and within our community.”

NYC public transit pressures Washington for aid (NYT) Facing a staggering financial crisis and a stalemate in Washington, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority threatened on Wednesday to adopt a doomsday plan if it did not receive as much as $12 billion in federal aid, including slashing subway and bus service in New York City by 40 percent. The M.T.A.—which runs the city’s subway, buses and two commuter rails—laid out the plan as part of a broader political strategy to pressure Washington to provide assistance. The agency is facing a staggering $16.2 billion deficit through 2024, after the coronavirus pandemic wiped out its operating revenue—which comes from fares, tolls and subsidies—virtually overnight. Ridership on the subway, which plummeted by 90 percent in April, has only reached a quarter of usual levels, even as more and more New Yorkers return to work.

Britain considers trying American accused of killing Harry Dunn in absentia (Washington Post) It was a year ago Thursday that Harry Dunn was struck by a luxury SUV that police say was driven on the wrong side of a two-lane highway by the American wife of a U.S. diplomat in central England. Dunn, 19, died of his injuries. The U.S. government asserted that the driver, Anne Sacoolas, was protected by diplomatic immunity. She left the country, with full knowledge of British and U.S. authorities. Now, in an exchange of letters revealed this week, top British authorities suggest that prosecutors are considering trying Sacoolas in absentia. The immunity that protected Sacoolas, for spouses at a Royal Air Force base in Croughton that is used by U.S. intelligence agencies, was, in fact, a secret loophole. As a result of the family’s lobbying, the loophole was closed in July, by agreement between London and Washington. If a similar accident were to happen today, a spouse of a diplomat at the base would not be immune from prosecution. A year after Dunn’s death, his parents’ emotions remain raw. In an interview with The Washington Post, Charles spoke of Sacoolas. “She’s a mum of three,” she said. “I’ve never been able to understand the fact that she is not setting a good example to those children whatsoever.”

Schools Can Reopen, Germany Finds, but Expect a ‘Roller Coaster’ (NYT) On the Monday after summer vacation, Dirk Kwee was as nervous as he had ever been in 31 years of teaching. For the first time since the pandemic hit, all 900 students at his Berlin school were back, bursting with excitement. The dreaded call came just two days later: A girl in sixth grade had the coronavirus. Mr. Kwee hurried over to the gym where the other 31 students in her class were enjoying their first physical education session in five months. They were sent home—immediately. On Thursday, the whole class got tested. On Friday, all the tests came back negative. And on Monday, half the children were back in class. But just as Mr. Kwee allowed himself a sigh of relief, a seventh grader tested positive. “It’s been a total roller coaster,” said Mr. Kwee, headmaster of the Heinz-Berggruen secondary school. That may be what returning to school looks like for the foreseeable future.

EU Leaders Look for a Way Out of the Crisis (Foreign Policy) EU foreign ministers will meet in Berlin today to begin a two-day round of informal talks aimed at resolving the ongoing dispute between Greece and Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean, which observers warn could erupt into full-scale military confrontation between the NATO allies. Turkey and Greece have long butted heads in the region, but the latest dispute erupted after huge gas and oil reserves were discovered in the eastern Mediterranean, where both countries have overlapping maritime claims. Greece’s claims are based on the so-called Seville map, which was commissioned by the European Union in the early 2000s and gives maximal maritime boundaries to every Greek island in the region, no matter how close to Turkey’s borders. Turkey has dismissed the Seville map, claiming it unfairly and unjustly encroaches on its exclusive economic zone. There is growing concern that tensions between Greece and Turkey could spark a wider military confrontation in the region that could drag international actors into the mix.

Russia launches probe into hospitalization of Kremlin critic Navalny (Reuters) Russia’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday it was launching an investigation into the hospitalization of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny over what his allies suspect was a poisoning. Navalny, 44, is in a medically induced coma in a Berlin hospital where he was airlifted on Saturday after collapsing during a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow. The German clinic treating him said its initial medical examination pointed to poisoning, though Russian doctors who had treated Navalny in a Siberian hospital have contradicted that diagnosis. The Kremlin said this week it wanted the circumstances surrounding Navalny’s condition to come to light and that it hoped the incident would not hurt its relations with the West.

Death toll from heavy Afghanistan flooding surpasses 150 (Reuters) Afghan officials say the death toll from two days of heavy flooding in the north and east has risen to at least 150, with scores more injured as rescue crews searched for survivors beneath the mud and rubble of collapsed houses.

Mass incarceration (Foreign Policy) A stunning visual investigation from BuzzFeed News reveals China’s sprawling internment system that it has used to incarcerate Uighur and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region. Cross-referencing areas blanked out on Baidu with satellite data, reporters discovered nearly 270 facilities built since 2017 that appear to be detention facilities.

Hong Kong police resort to falsehoods in new propaganda drive (Washington Post) In rewriting the facts this week of last year’s attack on pro-democracy protesters and subway commuters by a pro-Beijing gang, Hong Kong’s police covered all the bases. They accused journalists of filming “just one side” of the melee (one reporter was, indeed, forced to shoot from the ground, where she lay hurt after being beaten by one of the attackers). On Wednesday, they arrested a pro-democracy lawmaker whom they once commended for his civic duty and charged him with rioting (among 45 victims that night, he was hospitalized with broken fingers and injuries to his face, arms and legs). And, more than a year later, the police force changed its story of how long it took officers to respond to the attack, contradicting its own evidence to a government inquiry. Commuters and protesters at the subway station in Yuen Long say police did not appear for more than half an hour, despite hundreds of emergency calls, stirring suspicion that the assault was state-sanctioned. The official effort to perpetuate falsehoods around one of the most consequential events of last year’s pro-democracy uprising resembles methods employed in mainland China, where authorities scrub mention of events such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and promote an official narrative through tightly controlled media.

Japan PM Shinzo Abe says he’s resigning for health reasons (AP) Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said Friday he intends to step down because a chronic health problem has resurfaced. He told reporters that it was “gut wrenching” to leave so many of his goals unfinished. Abe has had ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager and has said the condition was controlled with treatment. Concerns about Abe’s health began this summer and grew this month when he visited a Tokyo hospital two weeks in a row for unspecified health checkups. He is now on a new treatment that requires IV injections, he said. While there is some improvement, there is no guarantee that it will cure his condition and so he decided to step down after treatment Monday, he said. In a country once known for its short-tenured prime ministers, the departure marks the end of an unusual era of stability.

Israel says it hit Hezbollah posts in Lebanon after taking fire (Washington Post) The Israeli military said it exchanged fire with Hezbollah fighters along the Lebanese border late Tuesday, a flare-up of recent tensions that led authorities to temporarily close roads and order residents of nearby communities to stay in their homes. There were no casualties among its forces, the military said. Israeli helicopters and aircraft targeted Hezbollah observation posts along the border early Wednesday, the IDF said. Restrictions on civilian movements were lifted soon after the operation ended.

Saudi Arabia, a world leader in executions, weighs ending capital punishment for drug crimes (Washington Post) Saudi Arabia is considering ending the use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses, a change that could spare the lives of dozens of prisoners in the kingdom every year, according to a Saudi official and human rights groups that monitor capital punishment in the country. The initiative appeared aimed at countering outrage over the kingdom’s human rights record, including its mass executions. The consequences of removing drug offenses from the list of capital crimes could be significant: Nearly 40 percent of the roughly 800 executions carried out in Saudi Arabia over the past five years were for offenses such as narcotics trafficking, according to Reprieve, a human rights group that tracks the use of the death penalty in the kingdom. Executions have long been at the heart of global criticism of Saudi Arabia, highlighting an opaque justice system that puts large numbers of people to death every year, generally by beheading. Until recently, many executions were carried out in public squares.

[etcawordbal1986-blog]

Gutter Cleaner Near Me Franklin TN

If you have a home, you probably do not also think of your seamless gutters, unless something goes wrong. If your rain gutters stop working and also water begins running over the sides of the house in sheets or the rain gutters start to pull away from the roof covering developing an eyesore, then every one of the sudden your gutters are a big deal. The truth is that you need to clean your rain gutters two times a year, even if there are not obvious issues. Keeping your rain gutters clear will certainly make sure the long life of your house's foundation and your seamless gutter system. However when it comes time to clean them, should you do it on your own or employ a professional gutter solution? There are 2 reasons that you may favor to cleanse your own gutters. The initial is the fact that getting the job done yourself conserves loan. As long as you have a huge sufficient ladder, you can clean your seamless gutters for less than twenty bucks. You only need common family items as well as a low-cost rain gutter scoop. Specialist seamless gutter cleaning company can bill anywhere from seventy five to five hundred dollars. The important things that impact that price include the square video of your home, the number of tales your house is, and how clogged the rain gutters are. Remember that you generally obtain exactly what you spend for. For that reason, the cheaper rain gutter cleaning services might refrain a great work as compared to exactly what you can do yourself for less than a 3rd of the price. The 2nd factor you could like to clean your own rain gutters is something less concrete. Dealing with your house and also finishing a large and also essential chore like this will certainly offer you a sense of success that will certainly not be there if you pay somebody else to do the work. There are likewise 2 reasons you should work with a person to do this chore instead of doing it yourself. First, seamless gutter treatment can be a hazardous proposition. There are security concerns with getting up on a ladder as well as feasible health worries over can be found in contact with specific mold and mildews as well as bacteria. If you are crash susceptible or have significant mold and mildew allergies, then employing a specialist is probably a smart idea. Second, there are particular added advantages you get from a solution like seamless gutter maintenance as well as upkeep. Specialists will make certain your gutters are leveled effectively to urge the proper circulation of water to your downspouts. Additionally, they will certainly make sure that the wall mounts that affix your rain gutters to your roofing system remain in excellent repair work and location any kind of hat require it. These services are generally included in the cost so you need to consider that in your choice. Gutters are essentially a tube-like framework that runs from the roof covering of the house down to the ground. It is especially helpful throughout rainy days to maintain the water out of our residences. Without rain gutters, we would certainly currently be swimming in a swimming pool of rainwater in our own houses.

Nevertheless, seamless gutter cleansing is necessary in order for your gutters to be able to execute its features. Lowly kept gutters could be vulnerable to leakages as well as overflow. Overflows and leakages are not the only points that you should look out for with your gutters. Given that it is an external part of our residences, your seamless gutters also gather a lot of dirt from your atmosphere from dried leaves to tiny stones. As soon as collected, it would obstruct our seamless gutters hence, resulting additionally to overflow. A crucial structure of your house, it is necessary to keep the water away and protect your house's foundation from being harmed. Without gutter cleaning, which results to clogged or overruning gutters, water can easily discover its way in your ceiling and the following thing you understand, rather than having the ability to take pleasure in the cold weather, you get on the floor, wiping the water away! Not only that, seamless gutter cleaning near me maintains your residence in tip top shape. Once gutters collect leaks, your house is a lot more prone to termite, mosquito as well as cockroach problems. What does this pertain to rain gutters? Remember that these pests like the dark, the cold and the moist. Lowly preserved seamless gutters can additionally include disarray to your once-lovely residence specifically when it is the onset of the stormy season. Gutter cleansing prevents peeled paint on your walls from surfacing. Furthermore, it reduces the likelihood of decayed timber that might also weaken the foundation in your house and reduce the likeliness of termite invasion as well. Seamless gutter cleaning likewise obstructs the scenario of having actually swamped basements as well as mold growth in your residence. True, gutter cleansing is no-easy task. It is likewise an unsafe job since it would certainly require you to climb up a high place or a ladder to be able to oversee the state of your rain gutter and also clean it. Your rain gutters should not just be cleansed on a sometimes basis. Rather, rain gutter cleansing ought to happen regularly. It requires your time and effort. So just what regarding people who does not have these? You might conveniently call the gutter solution closest to your house since there are a great deal of firms that has actually made seamless gutter cleansing their main company. In addition to being problem free, and also being a phone call away, you make sure that your seamless gutters remain in their great shape, all set for abrupt rainstorms of rain. The gutter is the part of a building's roofing framework that is accountable for collecting water, and also dealing with such water is a way that does not result in a damage of the structure. Without gutters, structures would certainly have much shorter lives, as water falling upon them (and also without 'anywhere else to go') would certainly wind up saturating into them, with the long term impact of generated architectural weakness. This is not an academic scenario. Some bold souls have in fact been recognized to opt to do away with rain gutters in their buildings, maybe as a part of their project cost-cutting steps. The outcomes are unavoidably dreadful: also in the parts of the world that are not offered to much rainfall. What has the tendency to occur, when a residence does not have a gutter is that (as suggested earlier) rainwater landeding on it seeps right into it, frequently causing just what is commonly referred to as the 'deteriorating of your house.'

It typically starts as an aesthetic issue, (thanks to the uncomely appearance that such permeated rain inevitably has). Unless checked, with the setup of some gutter, the trouble typically advances into a structural issue, one that has been recognized to trigger or else structurally sound buildings to collapse. Yet just having a rain gutter on a building's roof is not adequate insurance versus the issues related to the lack of such a seamless gutter. As it ends up, rain gutters are prone to get clogged - with dust that obtains washed down together with the rain that such seamless gutter is supposed to give a water drainage to. Small bits of cement and sand falling off the structure's structure end up in the gutter, clogging it as well. At the end of the day, after that, the rain gutter needs to be cleansed, to get rid of this accumulated 'dirt.' Otherwise, one threats winding up with a seamless gutter that cannot serve its main role, of being a rain drainage framework. From the above, it is noticeable that the benefits of normal seamless gutter cleaning product can never ever be over-emphasized. Without such regular gutter cleaning, we are likely to wind up with a scenario where rain, finding challenges in its path, overflows and also winds up messing up the walls of the building (at first defacing them, and also over time possibly causing structural weak points). And also this not to say anything of the fact that such overruning water (as a result of un-cleaned, and for that reason clogged up gutters) can wreck havoc on the owners of the structure concerned, as it is likely to manifest as leaks in the wall surfaces! At least, such leaking water could make the structure incredibly cool to the occupants. At worst, it could result in problems in residential or commercial property inside the structure, or God forbid, short circuits in the structure's electrical circuitry, possibly leading to fire crashes. Rephrase after that, the advantages of routine seamless gutter cleansing include an increment in the life of the structure concerned, while possibly additionally making it a more comfortable location to live or work in. If rain gutter cleansing seems like too much job, you will certainly rejoice to discover that there are number of companies that have actually turned up, with such seamless gutter cleansing as their core company. You simply have to show them your structure, pay them a tiny fee, and also leave it to them to thoroughly cleanse your rain gutters: with all the consequent advantages affixed to regular and detailed rain gutter cleansing.

[armorroofing]

Wow! Armor Roofing - Springfield MO Roofing Estimates

The article Wow! Armor Roofing - Springfield MO Roofing Estimates originally appeared on Armor Roofing Kansas City.

A home's roof is a huge portion of your house. A property or home can be considered the essence of a person's existence. A comfy house provides you the space required in order to put in place a life together with your family. You can hence understand why it really should be well preserved for nearly everybody to become content. You have to always make sure that your family home can be maintained and there will not really be some disaster there that would cause everybody feels unpleasant. It is definitely thus fundamental to practice regular roof structure examinations to confirm problems to your household does not really proceed undetected.

A roof is possibly the most significant portion of a home, as, without healthy roofing material, the inside of your house could be exposed to the rain which sort of makes purchasing a household unimportant. If you are living in Springfield and you suppose that you just might have problems with your roof, today may just be a perfect opportunity to speak to us for a comprehensive roof examination.

Assuming you are struggling to find a roofing contractor that has been servicing in the Springfield general vicinity for many years and which positions buyers 100% satisfaction first, then search no further than Armor Roofing's service. Armor Roofing is very pleased to carry an enviable position with the Better Business Bureau as testimony to our dedication to efficiency. We are certified HAAG roofing inspectors and possibly can help you to work with your insurance institution make certain you attain the essential remuneration for the roof work that is performed. After you retain the services of our roofing company, you will not need to freak out with regard to the project being taken care of the right way. We are sure of our ability to do high-quality work, offering up a full certification on all services completed.

You can not help an invisible roof structure tear spiral into a total homeowner's disaster. Get a hold of us as soon as possible for a no cost rooftop inspection and price by getting in touch with the button just below or pressing the press button in the bottom level right-hand corner of this web page.

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Volatile weather conditions could be the demise of a roof top if you will not undertake the appropriate considerations to make sure you have it is checked on a habitual basis and remedied at the earliest indicator of decline. The main point you really need to fully grasp is that a new roof installation might run more than any other overhaul you have ever finished before, however, when it relates to roof problems, it is a lot better to contend with it instantaneously. You're not always going to preserve bucks by not really making sure it is taken care of. Without responding to the condition, it will also merely get to be more intense the moment a massive weather system arrives, and in due course, you would likely have to fork over significantly more capital. Since the rooftop is certainly the chief guard of the residence, the structure really does continuously break down and finally, a refurbishment or perhaps a new roof are unquestionably unavoidable.

Happily, all these occasions usually are well managed for nearly everybody for a few underlying factors. To start with, you would need to be aware that as a rule roofing issues could possibly be cured by means of a small or spot project which is inexpensive. Whenever you may have a loan on the domicile, you most likely will be ordered to seek and maintain all-encompassing home policy coverage. You may currently have coverage even though you own the domicile without debt. In such circumstances, you will be covered for any roof ruin, accordingly, you may relax comfortably at night if you guess you have got roof covering deterioration. Just remember insurance adjusters only pay for outstanding work that they likely will examine. Which explains why you will ensure the correct roofing repair contractor provides the task correct in the first place. or, you could possibly be phoning the Springfield roofing contractor come back to fix the issues the insurance adjuster uncovered.

Specifically What Possible types Of Roof covering Problems Do I Need To Have a Look To Uncover?

To help you decide on a rooftop's physical integrity, you will discover a lot of different concerns you will need to solve in accordance with the kind of roof structure you have got:

So Just why Ought One Person Stick With A New Roof Installation?

Do you get wood erosion located on a wooden matter roof top? Wood corrosion is not the good fortune for owners. The minute it is found, it would need to be solved. Just about any hesitation would probably bring about increased setbacks and then you might require doing a huge repair of your family home as a consequence of water ruin.

Are various roof top tiles cracked? Substituting the tiles is most definitely on the agent. A full roof replacement might be necessary whenever way too many tiles happen to be split.

Are you presently picking out some sort of corroded sarking? Ever heard of roof sarking? This material is oftentimes established at the bottom of the roof materials to be of assistance in eliminating water leaks and give additional support and insulation based on the design of roof covering. Rotted sarking is likely to signify the rooftop is requiring an entirely new roof installation. To secure your dwelling from harm, you will want to consider direct action on the replacement.

Has the sheet metal roof rusted in sectors? You most definitely have to speak to a licensed roofing expert to take a glance to determine how painful the impairment is. The very last thing you definitively do not wish is without question for water to trickle out due to the oxidized metal.

In the event of catching a glimpse of any kind of wear and tear, you need to start to evaluate just how most efficiently to clear up the damage caused. Even so, a demand for a roof top substitution should be the effect of a conscientious, prudent contemplation that is better looked after by a competent roofing contractor around Springfield. Be aware that you'll find no requirement to try to examine the roof covering yourself to spy discover concerns. Most certified roofing contractors will offer roof inspections without cost, hence you should never try to go up on your roofing to search for property damage.

Why choose to leave your roofing to risk? Call us at Armor Roofing LLC right now at (816) 331-7663 and we can investigate your roof integrity at zero cost.

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You give a call to Armor Roofing LLC without delay for your zero cost exam, as a consequence you don't have a basis for to complete it by yourself. In the aftermath of a detailed checking, your roofing contractor ought to be able to reveal to you with real conviction what your service possible choices seem to be"look like and what each can be covered by your insurance. In the aftermath of the checking, if a replacement is highly recommended, yet non-obligatory, that is when there will be some things to take a look at when coming to your final resolution.

Several Greatest Amazing Advantages In A New Roof Installation

Contracting for an utterly replaced roof is bound to have a small number of clear incentives. It points to you having a totally new, rugged, and exquisite roof atop your property or home, and then you will not need to wonder about it for years. Believe it or not, updating to one of the improved lifetime roof shingle materials could very well be a core explanation for your resolution. Should it be a complete re-roof particularly fails to grab you right now, a significantly more no fuss refurbishment may also be successfully done in cases where the wear isn't awful.

You, of course, will need to reflect on a totally new roof replacement in the case you are about to resell a property or home. Most people will start looking for a family house combined with a new roof covering a motive supporting repairing, or perhaps replacing your roof covering should be able to amplify the market value reasonably a lot.

Then Why Abstain From A Springfield Roof Covering Installation?

Without the doubt, a new-fangled roof is just a far more lengthy and difficult process than an easy mending. This is one grounds why you need to have a roofer with adequate employees to perform the large job in an expeditious manner. The price is the reason owners reject A thorough fresh rooftop installation. $6,000 and $11,000, which is just the average selling price of the undertaking, is without question a boatload of cash for most everyone. However these estimates represent a fundamental range, and simply a lot is likely to hinge on the variation of roofing materials you and your roofer elect for the brand new roof. You cannot find any grounds to be concerned about this tremendous cost most of the time. In the event the property is significantly hurt, then simply you should register a request with your insurer. Simply be sure that you look for the top licensed roofing professional to finish the contract very well. One particular explanation why our patrons recognize the value of our expert services is we definitely will set about to be sure of to make it possible for your benefit from the remitted claim.

Quite possibly this text has really helped to unravel some of the issues to do with proper roof upkeep next to Springfield. Nobody outshines Armor Roofing Services where you evaluate consumer gratification and prime quality. Go to the icon on the bottom level right hand side of the display screen or call (816) 331-7663 to request the absolutely free roof check up and an estimate this afternoon!

Call Us Today!Call Us Today! (816) 331-7663

Armor Roofing LLC - Kansas City 6600 NW Tower Dr #104 Kansas City, MO 64151 (816) 935-9312 http://kansascity.roofsareus.com

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