#'actually me and my daughter both thought you were a massive loser :) she still had to marry you tho'

[swordsonnet]

so we've already established that arthur didn't actually love bella, and now in the new episode we find out that bella didn't love him either and her father basically forced her to marry him, despite the fact that he didn't like arthur

what a messed-up family

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Alternate Ending: War is the death of Honor

Humans are such curious creatures when you think of them in the grand scheme of the universe. We are beings with a dark history. A history of war, of violence. A history of acts of cruelty and insanity. A history of ignorance and betrayal of all that we preach to hold dear.  Yet for all the wrongs we have done we have also done even greater good. What wonders of majesty and magnificence we can create, what acts of bravery and courage we can perform, what simple acts of kindness can comfort the lost.  Sometimes an act of malice or of virtue is decided in but a moment, yet the choice can have ripples that echo outwards across time for ages to come. One can only imagine the possibilities should a person change paths at their crossroads.  One can only imagine....... ---------------- Xiaon stood before massive doors depicting some sort art work. The doors parted and Xiaon saw a massive room. An entire side of the room was a reinforced window showing the Combra homeworld below. Xiaon saw a group of figures huddled around the window and he assumed they were the leadership. Some turned to face Xiaon as the doors opened, others glanced in his direction before resuming conversations they were already having, one figure Xiaon noticed had not appeared to react at all and continued looking out the window at the planet below. “Presenting General Xoon as requested.” One of the security guards spoke. “It’s General “Xiaon” actually.” Xiaon said to the guard. The guard turned to him and leaned in close and whispered “I don’t give a fuck what you call yourself. If it were up to me I would have blown your ass out the nearest airlock the moment you entered this ship-” “Thank you master of arms.” The new voice came from the seated figure who had not risen when Xiaon entered. The guard saluted the figure without hesitation and stepped back several paces. Xiaon recognized respect when he saw it and clearly this human guard held the figure in high admiration. A slender Slimpton stepped forward from the group. “Would you please come closer General, we can hardly discuss such  important matters with you so far away.” Xiaon looked around the room and then back at the guards. “Do you not think I would not use my arms to strangle the lot of you were I to get close to you?” Xiaon responded. Several of the figures took a step back in fear but the seated figure merely chuckled. “I’m sure you would try, but I have faith that my security team would be over you in a matter of seconds and break your legs and arms without hesitation.” “You would not kill me?” The figure chuckled again. “Unlike your kind, we do not shoot the messenger here.” Xiaon stepped closer to the group and was now at the base of the window. He could all of the Coalition species here. One by one they introduced themselves until only the sitting figure remained. “Who are you?” Xiaon asked. The figure finally stood up and turned to face him. They appeared as a human female. Youth radiated off her dark skin like the heat of a sun yet Xiaon could see some grey strands of hair making him unable to properly judge her age. She had a strange cloth wrapped around her head revealing only her face, but this concerned Xiaon little as he had never bothered with human fashion. “You may call me Admiral Amara, leader of the retaliatory fleets.” Xiaon snorted. “Were it not for your victories I would have laughed at the idea of a female leader of war.” Without warning a guard stepped in behind Xiaon and brought the butt of their rifle hard against the back of Xiaon’s knee causing him to fall to the ground. “YOU DO NOT SPEAK TO THE ADMIRAL WITH SUCH DISRESPECT!” The guard shouted. He raised their rifle again to strike Xiaon when Amara held up a hand to stop them. “Thank you master of arms. You don’t need to worry on my account over such trifling thins as insults. They are the signs of a poor loser which only makes the general’s situation all the more laughable, wouldn’t you agree?” The guard saluted again and stepped back into position. Xiaon rose to his feet unsteadily. From the reactions of the surrounding leaders it was clear that even though it was a coalition, humanity played a larger role when it came to handling matters. None had sought to stop or censor the guard or the Admiral for their actions. Admiral Amara returned to her chair and looked at Xiaon. “I believe you came here to discuss something did you now?” She spoke with a smile. Xiaon nodded. “I have come before you as the leader of the Combra Empire to discuss a cessation of hostilities and lay the ground work for a better future for our children.” Many of the delegates nodded and smiled at the words. Xiaon could only imagine that many had longed for the day to see the Combra people defeated. Xiaon eyed Amara as she sat in silence. Were it not for humans the Combra would have won the war and these fools would be at his feet begging for mercy. “Do you have children General?” Amara’s question took him by surprise. “Excuse me?” “Do you have children General Xiaon?” Amara asked again, her head cocked to the side as she smiled at him. “I have two sons who both serve alongside me. They are still on the planet below.” Amara nodded at the answer. “With a reputation such as your I imagined so. Females of you species must be lining up to bear the great war heroes children.” she chuckled. Xiaon was unsure how to respond to that and shuffled in place. Before he could answer Amara turned to the other delegates. “Anyone else here have kids?” They all rattled off varying answers, Xiaon was suprised to hear that the Morbith member had some 500 children back on their homeworld. With each answer Amara smiled and nodded her head until she was the last one. She pulled a picture from her pocket and showed it. “This is my daughter Gabi, I carry this picture with me every day so I can see her smile.” Amara flipped the picture around and looked at it. “One of the smartest kids at the academies back on Earth. Aced all her classes, never got into any trouble, always willing to help her friends when they needed it. The size of her heart would make any parent proud.” Amara stared at it for several seconds more. Xiaon was confused by the situation, this was not what he had expected when he had decided to surrender. From the looks of the other leaders Xiaon knew they were just as confused as he was.  “I wonder if she can see me even now.” Amara said softly, cradling the picture, running a finger over her daughters smiling face. “I wonder what she would think of me accepting the surrender of the man who murdered her.”  The surrounding delegates gasped and took a step back from Xiaon. Behind him the clatter of the guards could be heard as they brought their weapons up but did not aim them at the general.  Xiaon glanced around the room and saw only faces of surprise, fear, anger. “There must be some mistake Admiral.” Xiaon began. “I have not taken any field of battle since this conflict begun. I have led my warriors but I myself have not killed anyone.”  “You are mistaken dear general. “ Amara corrected him, fixing him with an icy gaze. “Every death is on your shoulders for at the end of the day you were the one that gave the order to begin the war.” Amara stood from her chair and approached Xiaon, her daughters picture still in her hand. “Every world attacked, every ship broken and left adrift in the stars, every soldier dying on a forgotten world light years from their loved ones they’ll never see again, IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!” She stood before the general and despite being a foot shorter than him Xiaon felt as if she was towering over him. Amara held out the photo for Xiaon to see. “LOOK AT HER!” She forced the picture out farther, tears welling up in her eyes. “LOOK AT HER DAMN YOU!” Xiaon looked at the photo. He saw Gabi and Amara together on some grassy area. Both smiling as if they didn’t have a care in the world for just that moment. Gabi’s face was difficult for Xiaon to stare at. It made him feel things he couldn’t find the words for. “Shame?” Xiaon thought. He turned to gaze at Amara again and saw her weeping. “Do you know how many lives you ruined because you wanted glory?” He stood in silence, words failing him. Amara’s hand was trembling. “Do you even care?”  The room was deathly quiet with the exception of Amara’s grieving. The delegates looked on in silence, eager to see what would happen.  Xiaon was speechless. His mind was now racing with ideas and thought that had never been there before. He had always limited his knowledge of his enemies, demonizing them. It made it easier to wage war when those you were fighting were less than living beings. But now, seeing such pain that had been rought by his own actions he realized the monster he had become.   Without a word, Xiaon got down on his knees to the shock of everyone present. He gazed up at Amara. “I can not undo the damage that I have caused, nor can any offering that I could make repair the pain.” He lowered his head until his eyes gazed at the floor. “But if taking my life will in some small manner ease your pain, then I gladly offer it.”  A guard came forward and presented the Admiral with a pistol. A bulky weapon in her hand but strong enough to rip apart Xiaon’s skull in a single shot. She grabbed the weapon and pushed it into Xiaon’s head, cocking the gun in a single motion. The delegates moved to protest but the guards stepped in and presented their guns, silencing them.  Xiaon closed his eyes to the world, ready to accept his fate. The sound of Amara’s sobbing so clear to him he would take it into the next life and carry it to mark his shame.  He could feel the gun trembling against his head as the sobbing grew louder. “RAGHHHH!” Amara cried as the gun went off.  Xiaon’s flinched as it did and then remained still. Am I dead? Is this the afterlife? He did not feel different nor see the lands of his forefathers.  Gently, he opened his eyes. Amara still stood before him, the gun smoke still trailing from the barrel no longer pressed to his head. He turned his gaze and saw she had fired at the floor behind him.  The gun clattered to the ground heavily, Amara falling as if all strength had left her. A guard rushed forward and caught her and assisted her back to her chair. Her hands covered her face as she continued sobbing and crying.  Xiaon was confused. Had she not wanted his life? Had she not despised his very existence? “Why?”  “She......Gabi....Gabi wouldn’t have wawawanted this.” Amara spoke, her voice distorted from her sobs. “But you hate me! I’m the reason she’s dead!” Xiaon declared, rising to his feet undaunted by the guards now training their weapons on him. “Why did you spare me!?”  “You...” Amara said, her sobbing dying down. “You.....you have to know when to stop. It’s over. The war......it’s over... We’re done here.” Xiaon saw the mighty woman bent over in her chair, hands still covering her face while the guards lowered their weapons and began ushering the delegates out.  Xiaon was about to follow when he noticed something on the ground.  He bent down and picked up the picture and strode to the Admiral. The guard behind her raised his weapon but Xiaon was unafraid.  Amara stopped sobbing and raised her head to see Xiaon handing her back the photo of her daughter. With a trembling hand she took it and stared  once more at it, lost in better time.  “I did not know your daughter,” Xiaon said, “but I am sure if she is watching you she would be proud you were better than the monster you faced to avenge her.” Amara looked at Xiaon who nodded to her and then turned to leave. Amara watched the general leave then looked back down at her daughter. A faint smile appearing on her face as she hugged it close with what strength she had left before returning it to her pocket.  ------------------ To see the original ending to this story feel free to check out the story on my page or follow this link: https://niqhtlord01.tumblr.com/post/185604083511/humans-are-weird-war-is-the-death-of-honor  

[omgrachwrites]

Ocean Avenue (Bucky Barnes)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC

Summary: When Darcie Baker - the daughter of a police officer - breaks her misfit friend’s heart at 16 she regrets it everyday even after she graduates though she knows she can’t go back and change what happened. Everything changes when over 10 years later she meets the gorgeous mechanic.

Warnings: little bit of fluff, little bit of angst, swearing, protective Bucky, jealous Bucky

Words: 2051

A/N: I’d like to say a massive thank you to my love @theonelittleone for helping me out with this part, there will be two parts to this chapter which is why I’ve left it on a bit of a cliffhanger. Please enjoy and let me know what you think, I love you all xxx

Part Seven

Bucky tried his best to supress his groan as Steve, Thor and Loki all but turfed him out of his own apartment, Sam was in work today so he couldn’t join them. Though Bucky’s distaste must have been as clear as day on his face because Steve rolled his eyes, dragging a hand through his sleek, perfect hair.

“Come on Buck! Don’t be such a baby, we’re all friends with Darcie so it’s only fair to her that we try and get to know the guy she’s dating,” he raised an eyebrow and slammed the door shut behind them so it was pretty clear to Bucky that there was no going back now.

Bucky huffed like a child and stuck his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and he pushed his bottom lip out into a pout, “I’m really not too fond of him,” Bucky started, Darcie had been dating the fireman guy for a couple of months now, Bucky hadn’t expected them to last so long, “he gives off a bad vibe and besides, we can get to know him any old time. Why does it have to be when we’re going day drinking?”

Bucky’s voice was a whine as Steve merely rolled his eyes again – he’d been doing that a lot lately because lately Bucky had been insufferable. Thor let out a booming belly laugh and clapped a strong hand on Bucky’s shoulder as they strolled out into the brisk afternoon air. Bucky winced slightly; sometimes Thor didn’t know his own strength.

“You’re just jealous that he’s got better hair than you and he’s got that whole Irish accent thing going on, all the ladies love it,” he chuckled.

Bucky glared at Thor and kicked the back of his leg so that he stumbled, “long hair is so last year,” he paused awkwardly as Loki raised an eyebrow at him, “uh, it looks great on you though man. Also that accent makes him sound like a loser, totally not sexy. I don’t know what she sees in him.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow but he said nothing, “what?” Bucky demanded as they walked into the first pub and sat at a table that was right next to a crackling fire.

Steve scoffed and he threw his hands up in surrender, “I didn’t say anything,” he remarked as Thor and Loki watched them bicker, amusement plain in their eyes.

“You didn’t have to, your eyebrows said it all, at least you weren’t giving me the ‘eyebrows of disappointment’ so I guess I should be grateful for that,” Bucky muttered, causing Steve to shake his head in amusement.

About ten minutes after the boys got to the pub Liam turned up with a laughing grin on his face, he greeted everyone like he’d known them for years and that really annoyed Bucky. Bucky really didn’t like Liam, though he couldn’t say why or at least that’s what he had told himself. He nodded at Liam tightly, his jaw clenched as the Irishman sat at the table. Bucky was quiet for the next hour or so, he was leaning back in his chair, watching Liam with narrowed eyes. Everyone jumped, slightly startled when Bucky finally spoke up.

“So, how are you and Darcie, you guys have been seeing each other for a couple of months haven’t you?” he asked, ignoring the way that Steve glared at him. Bucky continued as casually as he could, picking at the chipped wood of the table, “she your girlfriend?”

Liam’s hazel eyes studied Bucky for just a minute as he sipped his pint of beer, “no, we’re just having a bit of fun. What about you?” he elaborated when Bucky quirked an eyebrow at him in confusion, “handsome guy like you, you must have a girlfriend.”

The mood around the table suddenly went tense as Steve, Thor and Loki exchanged worried glances, it sounded like Liam was challenging him in some way. Bucky looked away, shrugging and made a non-committal noise. Steve internally groaned as Liam kept on talking, obviously not getting Bucky’s hint to shut his mouth.

“You never had a thing with Darcie did you Buck? I was getting a weird vibe between the both of you the first time I met all of you.”

Bucky’s blue gaze snapped back to look at Liam, “there’s never been anything between us,” Bucky denied, feeling bad for lying, “why do you want to know?”

Liam smirked at him, “that’s good to know; I wanted to know because I don’t enjoy sloppy seconds.”

The table went deathly quiet, Bucky couldn’t believe what he’d just said, Liam obviously wasn’t as sweet as everyone thought he was. Bucky felt the rage bubbling up inside him like wildfire. Before Bucky could open his mouth or throw a punch to defend Darcie’s honour, Loki spoke over him, his normally calm voice shaking with anger.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, folding his long fingers together and placing them on top of the table, that was the British way of saying, ‘what the fuck did you just say?’

Before things could get any more awkward and heated, Thor diffused the situation successfully, “come on guys, let’s get to the next pub, yeah?”

Bucky nodded in agreement, “that’s a great idea Thor,” he swallowed the last of his drink, slammed the pint glass down on the table before storming out. Thankfully, Bucky didn’t hear Liam mutter about how touchy he was, there genuinely would have been a blood bath. Bucky made a mental note to tell Darcie that the guy she was dating was an ass.

Bucky was still seething when they walked a couple of blocks to the next pub, he’d moved onto a double whiskey on the rocks. The tension soon subsided a tiny bit and Bucky could finally look at Liam without lunging over the table and murdering him.

“Bucky?” he looked up at the mention of his name to see a woman with short blonde hair, dressed all in black, Bucky beamed when he realised who it was and he stood up, pulling the woman into a hug.

“Hey Gen, it’s great to see you.”

“Yeah, you too!” she smiled and looked over at Steve, “hey good looking,” she winked.

“Hi Gen,” Steve chuckled as he gave her a little wave.

“So, I actually wanted to speak to you, I was going to call considering I’ve just moved to the city,” she smiled, turning her attention back to Bucky, “I’m getting married in a couple of months and you guys are more than welcome to come, bring your girlfriends too,” she beamed.

Steve nodded, “thank you.”

Bucky paused for a moment; he had expected it to feel awkward being invited to the wedding considering that Gen was his ex-girlfriend but it wasn’t awkward at all. The most awkward thing was the fact that he didn’t have a girlfriend to bring, “yeah, yep. I’ll bring my girl,” he didn’t want to admit to her that he was single.

“Awesome, I’d best get back to work, see you guys later,” she patted Bucky’s shoulder before she walked back behind the bar.

“Who was that?” Loki chuckled before Bucky could reply Steve did it for him.

“That was his ex, why did you guys break up by the way? You never told me.”

Bucky blushed and fiddled with his fingers, dark strands of hair falling over his eyes, “she um left me for a woman. We’re still on excellent terms though as you guys could probably tell.”

Steve blushed crimson and looked as though he shouldn’t have asked while the others exchanged glances and smirks full of glee, “and are you bringing your imaginary girlfriend Barnes?” Thor laughed.

Bucky snickered despite himself, rolling his eyes as he replied, “I’ll get a girl for that wedding Thor, don’t you worry. I’m going for a cigarette,” he paused, looking over at Steve who was raising his eyebrows at him, “oh don’t give me the ‘eyebrows of disappointment’ Rogers, I’ve had a very stressful day,” he narrowed his eyes at Liam before taking off outside.

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Steve shook his head with a chuckle before he decided to text Peggy to see what kind of day the girls were having, they had also gone day drinking and they were going to meet up with the boys later on. A couple of moments later she text him back with a picture of the drinks on the table, most of it was flavoured vodka. Steve smirked in amusement as he texted Peggy back.

To: Peggy Carter, 2:43pm

‘I’m surprised that Darcie is drinking that cherry vodka after that wild college party, glad you girls are having a good time xxx’

A few minutes later Peggy messaged him back,

From: Peggy Carter, 2:50pm

‘What party? She said that she has no idea what you’re going on about babe xxx’

Steve frowned down at his phone; did Darcie really not remember a night that seemed to be pretty important to her? She had revealed a pretty big secret to Steve that night. Before Steve could do much of anything he was getting a call off Darcie, “I gotta take this,” he murmured at the guys before he walked to a quieter part of the pub, “hey Darc.”

“Steve, hey,” her speech was slightly slurred “what are you talking about? I didn’t see you while I was in college,” Steve sighed, nerves bubbling up in his gut and he chewed his lip.

“You clearly don’t remember but there’s something you should know,” he spoke nervously as he started to tell the story.

Steve had been sitting on Darcie’s living room couch; they’d gone to a party while Steve was visiting home from the army. Bucky didn’t want to come due to obvious reasons.  Darcie had drunk copious amounts of cherry vodka and now she was pretty sick. Sam smiled at Steve as he padded into the living room, “how is she?” Steve asked, pretty concerned about his friend.

Sam pulled a face, “not too good, she’s pretty upset and she wants to talk to you.”

Steve nodded as he stood up, “I’ll go see to her,” he said and walked up the stairs, worried about what he’d find in the bathroom. She was sitting with her back propped up against the bath, her blonde hair was a mess and her makeup was streaked down her face.

“Steve!” she whimpered, reaching out for him, she looked utterly distraught.

“Hey doll, what’s the matter?” he asked, slightly alarmed and he sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her, holding her close to his chest.

“I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered.

“For what?” he asked, stroking her tangled hair soothingly.

“For hurting Bucky,” her tears stained his shirt, Steve had no idea what to say or how to reassure her, “I hate myself, I love him. I love him so much, I always have and I definitely always will, my heart stops when I think about him and my heart breaks when I remember what I did to him. I love Bucky Barnes but we’re doomed, even if I did see him again he’d never forgive me and I can’t blame him. Please don’t’ tell him any of this, he can’t know.”

Steve finished his story, continuing to speak when there was silence on the other end of the phone, “you didn’t speak about it again so Sam and I assumed that you didn’t want to talk about it. I left before you woke up in the morning; I never imagined it was because you didn’t remember anything.”

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Darcie whimpered a little as she shut her front door and held her head in her hands, she’d left early because the rest of the girls were meeting the boys and she couldn’t face Bucky after what Steve had just told her. She had absolutely no memory of that night; she didn’t even know that she had felt that strongly about him. Her true feelings for Bucky must have been hidden deep in the back of her mind.

What should have been a great day ended as one of the worst days that she could remember. Not only had Steve dropped a bombshell on her, her mom had called her with some bad news about her dad.

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@void-imaginations @theonelittleone @thesswintersoldier @dreamacoholic @harryngtonewithyourshit @iamariotgrrl @wavyjassy @nobody444

[vickypoochoices]

A New Chapter part 8.

[MASTERLIST.]

Part 7 [B].

8 Years later.

'No way is Uncle Tyler the best, he's such a loser!'

'You only like Uncle Zack so much because he buys you toys to keep you sweet.'

'Uhh actually, he buys me toys because I'm his Godchild, and we all know that means I'm his favourite.'

'Oh whatever, keep your stupid toys. Next time you need help with your homework don't ask Uncle Tyler, I'll be telling him what you said.'

'Oooo I'm scared. You are such a suck up and a teacher's pet!'

'Now what's all this about you two?'

'Dadddyyyyyyyy!' The two girls squealed excitedly, both running over to Zig and clawing at his legs, desperate to be picked up.

Effortlessly he picked one up in each arm, holding them firmly to his chest as they both squeezed him, holding on tightly.

'You weren't arguing again were you?' He tried his hardest to make his tone stern, something he had always struggled with. His girls had him wrapped around their little fingers and they all knew it.

'Luna started it.'

'No you started it Louisa.'

'You're the one that said Uncle Tyler was a loser.'

'I wasn't starting anything, I was just telling the truth.'

Zig shook his head as he listened to the constant flow of snipes coming out of his daughter's mouths.

Luna was now 8. She was Zig's double look wise, but she had her mother's attitude. She was so sure of herself, confident and way more sassy than any other 8 year old he'd ever seen. Sometimes it felt like they were living with a full on teenager already.

Just two years separated Luna and her sister Louisa, and although they shared the same looks, that's where the similarities ended.

Often people mistook Louisa as being the older sibling, based purely on her personality. She was hands down the smartest 6 year old Zig had ever met. Her head was constantly buried in a book, she was top of most of her classes. She was especially good with numbers, taking after Zig by excelling in her maths class.

Zig knew he was blessed to have two beautiful daughters. But he loved how completely different they were. Yet that did make life somewhat difficult at times. Though the girls constantly squabbled, it went without saying they loved each other. Luna in particular had inherited that fiercely protective trait from her father. Taunting and teasing was all well and good when it came from her, but she didn't hesitate to give a little attitude to anyone at school who dared to mock her little sister for being the massive nerd that she was. Not that she would ever let Louisa in on that little secret.

As both girls voices grew increasingly louder, Zig finally lowered them both to the ground.

'Girls, I know how to settle this for you both.'

They both turned to him, eyeing him skeptically.

'Who tucks you in at night and reads you bedtime stories? Who checks your closet every night for monsters? Who sneaks chocolate into your rooms and hides it under the pillow? Who gives the best hugs known to man?'

'Eurgh Daddy, are you really doing this?' Luna peeked down at her nails, feigning disinterest. Zig suppressed the urge to laugh at her, once again acting older than her years.

'Okay but most importantly, who's going to take you both out today shopping. Anything you want, you've got it.'

'Anything?' They both crossed their arms, staring him down. For all their differences, they knew how to work together when they wanted to. He gulped, mentally cursing to himself. He should have known better than to try and outwit his daughters, he was no match for them. God knows how much today was going to cost him!

'That all depends. Who's the best? Uncle Tyler? Uncle Zack?'

Luna and Louisa shared a knowing look, turning back to him with the sweetest smiles they could muster.

'Oh no Daddy, you are most definitely the best!'

*** With every mile that passed, the feeling of unease in the pit of his stomach grew more intense. Zig knew he'd be in the doghouse for a while after this little escapade. How was it possible that these two tiny humans had so much control over him?

Checking his mirror, he could see Luna and Louisa still beaming at each other and excitedly nattering away. It was moments like this that meant everything to Zig. The little things. As long as his girls were happy, nothing else mattered.

After pulling up on the drive, he walked around the car to Louisa's side, unclipping the harness of her car seat and helping her out of the car. Of course she was more than capable, but Zig couldn't kick the habit. To him they were both still his babies, and he knew Louisa would indulge him more so than Luna. Never the less, after setting Louisa down, he rounded on the other side of the car, only to find the door popping open and Luna stepping out herself.

'I'm 8 Daddy, I don't need your help anymore!'

Her words stung just a little despite them being glaringly obvious.

'Okay, okay!' He raised his hands in mock surrender, then rushed forward, sweeping her off the ground and spinning her round and round in circles.

'Daddddyyyyyy! Stoppppp!' Luna gasped in-between giggling.

After a few more rounds of spinning, he slowed to a stop, still holding her close.

'You know you'll never be too old for my help right?' Holding her at arm's length, he searched her eyes, willing her to understand that this was him playing the serious Dad card for once, and hoping she'd always take him for his word.

She managed a sheepish smile, before shaking her head side to side and rubbing her nose affectionately against his.

Zig felt his heart melt, very much aware of how much his eldest daughter disliked any public show of affection. Inside the house she'd cuddle up to him constantly, but she was always on edge outside, not wanting to be outed as a softie.

'Ready to face Mummy then kids?'

Louisa placed her hand in Zig's.

'Good luck Daddy.'

'Thanks princess, I'll definitely need it!'

*** Luna and Louisa went on ahead, running circles around their mother excitedly.

'There's my girls! Don't tell me you've talked Daddy in to another shopping trip again?'

Luna mimed zipping her mouth closed, whilst Louisa turned her attention back to Zig who was hanging back, partially hidden behind the kitchen door.

'Wow, you girls must have outdone yourselves this time on picking out the most annoying toy if Daddy is too scared to even bring it in the house.'

'We didn't get any toys this time Mummy.' Louisa replied, sitting down out of view behind Zig.

Glaring at Zig, she swept her hand through her hair as she tried to stay calm in front of the kids.

'I thought we had a conversation about them not getting phones until they are way older. I'm serious, I didn't have a phone until I was like 14.'

'Daddy didn't buy us phones. But FYI I'm not waiting until I'm 14 for a phone.' Luna butted in before Zig could respond.

'FYI, I'll make it 18 if you don't cool it with the sass young lady.'

Suddenly a tiny yelp came from behind Zig.

Unsure where to look, Zig nervously rubbed the back of his head and took a step forward, pulling a small cage out from it's hiding place behind him.

'ZIG! A puppy? You bought the girls a puppy? Seriously?' He could tell she was struggling to reign her temper in.

'Umm no.'

Raising her eyebrow she scoffed 'Really, because from where I'm standing that's exactly what it looks like.'

'I mean yes, I did buy a puppy. But not necessarily just for the girls. Come on, you always said you wanted a family pet. What better time than now?'

With her arms crossed firmly against her chest, she stared him down until he couldn't take it anymore. Bending down, he opened the cage and gently lifted the small golden retriever up towards her.

Noticing her hesitate, he pushed the puppy close to her face, until the dog started licking her repeatedly.

After a minute or two of puppy kisses, she set the dog down on the floor, trying her hardest to stop herself from smiling but failing. Who can stay mad when puppy kisses are involved?

'Okay girls, go and take your new present in the living room and think of a name.'

They both skipped off down the hallway, immediately raising their voices as they began an argument over what the puppy should be called, the dog obediently bounding after them.

Her attention immediately turned to the washing machine as she began pulling out garments, folding them, and placing them into a neat pile.

'You really think it's the best time to bring a dog into this family?' She sighed, not looking up from the task in hand.

'We've always talked about getting one, and you saw how happy the girls are. So sure, why not babe?'

She swept her hand up and down her body, before gesturing furiously towards her middle.

'How about the fact we've already recruited one new member for the Ortega family this year.'

Zig bit down on his bottom lip guiltily as he watched his pregnant wife increase her folding pace as she grew more and more agitated. They hadn't planned this baby at all, although Zig had made no secret of the fact he wanted a big family, four at least. She was quite happy to settle on two, hating how badly her body reacted to pregnancy. Things had been different this time though. No morning sickness and no complications so far, and she was pleasantly surprised to find herself enjoying it this time around.

Placing his hand upon hers, she stilled, one of the girls leggings dropping to the floor. Resting a hand to her bump, his thumb slowly brushed back and forth over the thin cotton of her baggy maternity top.

'I'm sorry gorgeous, I just couldn't say no to those girls. The way their eyes lit up when they saw that little guy, what kind of a father would I be to crush their dreams like that?'

She raised an eyebrow in response.

'Don't you think you're being a tad over dramatic?'

Pulling her close, one hand on her hip, the other on her shoulder, he guided her into a little dance, making a show of twirling her at the end.

'Who, me?' He gave her an innocent look, before brushing his lips against hers.

'Fine. The dog stays. But you hear me now Zigmund Ortega, any mess in this house and it's your job to clean up. The walks are all on you, and don't even think about letting him sleep in the bed with us!' She pointed a finger sternly in his direction, eventually jabbing it at his chest.

'Yes Ma'am.'

Returning to the laundry, Zig noticed a familiar baby vest amongst the pile. Holding it out to her, she nodded in recognition.

'How sure are you this time?'

Clutching the vest and inhaling the fresh scent, he smiled at the strong emotions it evoked as he read over the wording 'Daddy's Girl', remembering fondly how he had gone back to buy it, hiding it in his car until Luna's arrival. Both Luna and Louisa had worn the garment as their 'coming home' outfit when they left hospital, and now he mulled over the idea of a third girl wearing it.

'I think girls is what we're good at.'

'I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Kinda feels strange doing this gender reveal thing now after two surprises.'

'You know how persuasive the girls are. It makes no difference to me though, but I do think Luna and Louisa will need the time to adjust to the idea of another girl if those balloons rain pink confetti tomorrow. They are really digging the idea of a baby brother.'

'Hmm yeah, that would be a change. It would be kind of nice to have two of each wouldn't it?'

Pulling her close to his chest by gently tugging on her wrist, he raised his eyebrows.

'Two of each huh?' Smirking, he brushed away a stray piece of hair.

'If you play your cards right.' She bit down on her bottom lip suggestively. Zig closed the space between them but found himself frowning as she giggled and backed away from him.

'It's awfully quiet. Either they've legit killed each other, or they've settled on the name Sir Fluffsalot. Let's go find out which one.'

*** The next day everyone excitedly gathered in the back yard for the gender reveal.

'Look at my baby boy all grown up! I may have been wrong the last two times, but I am certain there's a little grandson coming my way!' Linda pinched Zig's cheeks roughly.

'We'll see Mum.'

'Are we going with Zigmund Junior?' Zig clocked the look of panic cross his wife's face at the suggestion.

'If we have a boy, Ernesto, Emilio or Alexander are all contenders. Looks like it's time to find out!' Pecking her on the cheek, he jogged over to his wife's side, next to a large balloon.

'Ready baby?' 'Ready!' Hands raised in unison, they eagerly poked the balloon, blue confetti instantly scattering as an erruption of cheers started. 'Looks like 2 of each is on the cards babe!'

@zigortega4life @indiacater @emerald-bijou @brightpinkpeppercorn @fancyanatomyeyescookie

Thank you for the name suggestions, i've included at least one from every person that commented!

[multifarrious]

Reputation | Richie Tozier | Part 1

Anonymous said: An IT imagine where reader is Bill's older sister and Richie has a MASSIVE crush on her. She has a pretty bad reputation ( kinda like Bev, but worse. Like done things with Henry Bowers, etc. ) Plot can be up to you! Just maybe a scene where she's all sassy and this kinda represents why Richie likes her so much?? Thank you. Love your writing so much!

Richie Tozier x Reader.

Warnings: Swearing.

Part 2

Part 3

After the passing of your brother, Georgie, all you ever felt was grief. It followed you like a shadow every where you went. And frankly, you wanted it to piss right off. Over the months that your youngest brother had been missing and - in many eyes - presumed dead, you’d grieved in a way that worked for you. 

You’d heard all the insults before: ‘Whore’, ‘Slut’, ‘Ash-head’, ‘Chimney-breath’. The list went on, and somehow you’d learnt to live with it. Some of the things people said about you were rumours, but majority wasn’t. You were only fifteen, but had gained a name for yourself all over the town. As many would say, the list of the people you’d fucked, the amount of cigars you smoked during the day would cause a brand new pen to run out of ink before the list was even near finished. 

Long story short, you’d gained a pretty bad reputation for yourself over the course of seven months. Although, the person you once were was still there; buried underneath miles and miles of stone walls you’d built around yourself. Only a selected few were able to see this. Those who could be bothered seeing you for who you really were and not the stupid status you’d made for yourself due to the consequences of grief. 

These selected few were your brother and his friends. They didn’t care about what you’d done. Hell, Bill didn’t even believe any of it, though you never had the guts to tell him most of the so called ‘rumours’ were true. You were yourself around them and for a long time you thought you’d lost that ability; to be yourself. 

During this time of you hanging around with the losers, it was made clear that Richie Tozier had formed a giant crush on you. It was no secret that Richie liked you, he was hitting on you every chance he got. Though you’d never admit it, you also had gained a somewhat affection for the younger boy. Nowadays, most boys you’d interacted with were only looking to have sex with you, or call you horrible names, but Richie - as much as he did make sexual jokes - never looked at you like other boys did. He never looked at you the way everybody else in this town did. Truth was, you’d never been looked at in such a way by a boy before. He was immature, said things at the wrong time, and always, always made inappropriate sexual jokes, but not once had he ever said, nor thought about saying anything about your mistakes. He respected you, and you valued that more than anything.

“We were attacked, M-m-Mrs. K.” Your brother explained as Eddie’s mom - whom you’d never met before - frantically tried to find the correct key to open her car. In her mad rush, she dropped the pile of keys on the gravel road, cursing under her breath. 

“Here, let me hel-” Beverly begun, as the girl started bending down to pick up the keys, but Eddie’s mum beat her to it, a look of disgust washing over her face as she stood back up, locking eyes with Beverly. 

“Oh, I’ve heard about you Miss Marsh. And I don’t want a dirty girl like you near my Eddie.” 

You’d heard every insult there was. You’d heard every slut joke in existence and you knew how it felt. You knew how it felt to be looked at like you were meat, and you could take it. But the difference between you and Beverly was that you knew Beverly let it crawl under her skin a lot more than you did, and her ‘reputation’ was literally based on rumours.

“Excuse me?” You spoke up, gaining everybody’s attention, including Mrs. K’s. You hadn’t uttered a word yet, so you assumed the woman hadn’t even acknowledged you were here yet until now, as the older woman diverted her disgusting stare from Beverly, and let it land directly on you. And she gave you the same look every other fucking person gave you in this stupid town. “Don’t worry, I’ve heard lots about you too, Miss Denbrough. Running around with that Bower’s boy, and I’ve heard the list goes on.” 

You clenched your fist, taking a step forward but you were pulled back by someone grabbing your wrist, refraining you from doing anything. You didn’t bother to look who it was. Instead, you glared daggers straight at Mrs. K. “I don’t want someone as vulgar as you anywhere near my son.”

Anyone who knew both you and Bill, knew you were nothing like him. He was a lot more kind than you were. A lot more compassionate. The things you said and the things you did came as a complete shock to those who knew you were related to Bill. In fact, you didn’t even look like him either. Many referred to you as the ‘Milkman's Daughter’ insinuating your mother had an affair with the milkman and you were the resulting offspring. In all honestly, you preferred to be called this disrespectful nickname above all others, as it was the least dehumanising of them all. 

“Why don’t you suck my dick, Mrs. K?” Your face remained expressionless, as the words left your lips, pretty damn satisfied with yourself. She was a grown woman, practically calling you a whore in front of your friends. If she wanted to act like a child, then so would you. 

As much as you didn’t care when people called you names directly in front of you, that changed when you were around your brother and your friends; the people you actually cared about. That’s when the insults hit you hard. You valued their opinions; their thoughts and you never wanted them - of all people - to look at you like everybody else did. 

Her mouth opened, in pure shock, “You are a disgusting girl, Y/N Denbrough.” And she mean’t it. She mean’t every last word. 

You chuckled a cold laugh, and if looks could kill, Mrs. K would be six feet under. “I've been called worse things by better people.” 

You heard someone snicker behind you, and you didn’t need to look to know it was Richie. Mrs. Kaspbrak sent you a cold smile, “It must be difficult for you, exhausting your entire vocabulary in one sentence.” The woman told you. All you did was force a half-assed smile, attempting to mock her own.

“Bye, Mrs. K. I hope the rest of your day is as pleasant as you are.” And with that, the older woman huffed and hopped in her car, driving away without saying another word. 

You sighed softly, before reluctantly turning around to face everybody, fearing that they would be staring at you with discomfort, and not look at you the same way. But instead, they all smiled at you, clearly impressed as Beverly thanked you for sticking up for her. And you couldn’t help but smile too. 

“That’s my girl.”

“I’m not your girl, Richie.” 

“Right. Sorry, Y/N.”

But, truth was, you kinda were.

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

Jason He's made out to be the new, better Percy . He is also a massive Gary Stu in my opinion. Leo He's really rude to Frank. I know they got over it but still also he acted like it was all Percy's fault Calypso was on the island even though Percy tried to help. Piper She had so much potential but whenever anyone talks about her being Aphrodite's best daughter or whatever I'm like 'Do you remember SELINA??!!) also she has a huge I'm not like other Girls complex and is kinda obsessed with Jason.

We have REALLY different views on them so I’m gonna see how well I can articulate My Analysis Of My Children okay let’s go:

Jason…I think the point was that he’s perceived as a ‘Gary Stu’, ‘better Percy’ type guy when that’s actually not the reality of who he is? Like, his whole life everyone’s always been “Your father is the king of the gods! You should lead us!” and so he’s had to get used to this role, he’s had to create this character to make people feel like they’re in good hands…but he hates it. He hates being the leader and being in power, but up until the 7 meet up that’s the only thing he really knows. He never really had a chance to discover himself outside of this role shoved onto him. At first, he doesn’t really know who he is other than ‘Jupiter’s Son’.

He can’t help that everyone has high expectations for him, and he’s a people pleaser so he’s going to do his damndest to meet those expectations, but like? We saw how stressed out he was leading the quest in HoH. He was barely sleeping and practically pulling his hair out, pushing himself to fix everything and make sure everyone was okay while ignoring his own problems. That’s what Jason must’ve been like when he was leading the legion- everyone remembers him as a strong and regal leader, because that’s the expectation, that’s what they want him to be, and he came damn well put on a good performance when he needs to, but 24/7 while he’s living in closed quarters with people? Yeah, no. He wanted Percy and Annabeth back so he could stop having pretending he knew what he was doing (and because he was worried about them obviously). 

The thing is, once you strip away “Son of Jupiter”…Jason doesn’t really meet any of the expectations placed on him. Over the course of the series he starts worrying about that less and less, he loosens up and actually starts to find out who he is other than what people want…He doesn’t match up to the image:

He’s not actually the strongest demigod out there- he’s a very well trained fighter, sure, but like…We’ve seen Thalia shoot out massive amounts of lightning like it’s no one’s business without breaking a sweat. Jason has to actually ask for a helpful bolt and the effort almost knocks him out. His talents lie with the winds, which…I don’t think ‘wind’ comes to anyone’s minds immediately when talking about Jupiter. And it’s also not a power that, at face value, seems super helpful. But Jason manages to cultivate it and makes it powerful enough to stall Gaea. 

He’s not strong and regal, he’s excitable and dorky. He gets so sucked in to reading some book he found interesting that he walks into a tree. He bounces and hugs people when he gets happy. He can’t keep his glasses on straight and looses them on top of his head. He loves talking about history. He got so distracted by how pretty his girlfriend is that he forgot what he was talking about. He got shish kabob-ed and his immediate reaction was “I finally managed to stay conscious for an entire fight”. He was trying to talk a goddess out of killing his friend and the first thing to come to mind is “I’ll get Olympus to make an action figure of you!”. This kid is a LOSER.

He’s not a stoic ruler, he worries about every single person under his command. Individually. He doesn’t lead troops like, well, troops- he leads them like teammates. He’s greatly affected when the people working with him are upset, and he’s very perceptive about their feelings. His constantly checking in on Nico after the Cupid scene, his understanding of Piper’s issues in TLH, his belief in Frank, his worrying about Percy and Annabeth…this boy knew Leo was upset simply by looking at his DRINK ORDER, and then even though Leo offered up no real information, it took him like under five minutes of just observing him to know Leo was heartbroken. 

There’s so many other points but like…Jason’s story was about a boy born with crazy expectations shedding those and growing into his own person while still maintaining the sense of duty he had to the people he cared about. He had an entire identity crisis for this very reason. Camp Jupiter was his home, but Camp Half Blood is where he found himself. He loved both places and by the end of the story he came out with a strong and comfortable sense of self. He came out of it with a new path and set of expectations that he decided for himself. He went through trials and dealt with his emotions and found peace with himself and his role in the world. I think it was a very compelling plotline and not ‘gary stu’ like at all. 

Leo…We really have to take into account that Leo’s always assumed the role of ‘the jokester’. Despite the fact he’s a genius, Leo doesn’t actually see himself as talented and the environment he grew up in absolutely shapes that. He said himself in TLH- being the funny guy kept him safe most of the time. He didn’t feel he had much else to offer, and no one around him believed he did either, people only kept him around for jokes. I think what happened with Frank was like…his default setting. That sounds bad (and it is) but it really does need to be taken into consideration- we know Leo’s only been in, like, exclusively bad environments before the events of the series. Anyone who just kept him around for a laugh probably didn’t wanna hear knock knock jokes about engineers. His best bet for not getting in trouble or abandoned would be to rag on someone who was an easier target than him. Leo knows he can trust Jason and Piper, and he’s scared of Annabeth but is mostly sure she won’t kill him…but then he gets possessed and blows up half of New Rome. Everyone’s mad at him. Including the three new people he knows absolutely nothing about but all look like they could eat his tiny scrawny ass for a snack. I feel like it’s not a stretch to say he felt an old urge to protect himself kick in, to make sure he fits into this group because what the hell is he gonna do if he doesn’t? The fact that Frank was already annoyed with him for looking like Sammy didn’t exactly help their dynamic…Like, I’m just saying, I think he really stepped it up on the Frank jokes because of his ‘seventh wheel’ complex. He’s used to using comedy to make himself valuable to people. He knows he has to be on this quest no matter what, but that doesn’t mean people have to want him there, you know? He wants to be wanted. That’s Leo’s whole thing? He already built the entire boat but they’re mad at him for things out of his control. He feels like he’s gotta do something else to be relevant to the group so he just…slides into his old defense mechanism and as he’d be used to, it’s easiest to go for the easiest target. Who is Frank. And the whole weird Sammy and Hazel situation definitely exacerbated the whole thing. And it wasn’t fair to Frank, absolutely, which Leo himself eventually realizes and knocks it off. But I just think it’s not fair to say “Leo’s doing this because he’s a dick”. Like, people are often more complicated than that. 

As for the Calypso situation…Listen, I think Percy feeling guilt for Calypso still being on her island made no sense and someone needs to assure him that that’s not his fault. However, Calypso didn’t know that. Calypso didn’t have all the facts. She had every right to be upset with Percy. It was going to be awkward with Leo and Percy anyway, because like, oh hey dude while you were in hell I made out with your ex and she loves me now. But like…I don’t think it was wrong for Leo to be upset on Calypso’s behalf? The girl he’s crazy about is trapped on an island because Jackson couldn’t be bothered to check on her! (Which is of course NOT THE CASE but that’s Calypso’s view on the matter, that’s what she told Leo). I’m just saying like, he’s relatively new to relationships and he heard a biased explanation of the situation…It makes sense that he’d side with her? 

The thing we need to remember is…Leo and Calypso both have abandonment issues. And from Leo’s understanding, he’s sharing a boat with the guy that had Severely Hurt the girl he now loves. (And if she HADN’T been so hurt when they met, they might’ve had more time as a couple before he had to plunge back into the unknown) Looking at his actions and thoughts from an outside, biased viewpoint might make him look awful and crazy but…From his specific point of view, it makes sense. And Percy was able to see that, which is why they were able to talk it all out. I just think it’s a real shame that Leo Valdez is this complex, compelling character, but people only remember him for fighting with Frank and being crazy about Calypso. It’s reducing him. He had a lot more going on and was a very believable character with easily explainable traits and actions. 

Piper…Was one of Aphrodite’s best children, though? She had the most powerful charmspeak in generations. Like, that’s canon. Silena was a great character and a great cabin head, but she had no powers and was a relatively weak fighter. I love her as much as the next, but that’s just canonical fact. Her strongest asset was her heart and loyalty, which were used against her, and she died trying to make things right. She wouldn’t have made it on the Prophecy of the Seven quest. She wouldn’t. But Piper was a powerful charmspeak, was immensely brave, and constantly worked at being a better fighter (which, again, in canon, the Aphrodite kids are not the best fighters). By the time the series ends she’s a wickedly skilled swordsmen, is the only one who can work the cornucopia because of her inner strength and giving nature, has a dagger that can see the future, always knows how people around her are feeling, completely dominated a literal temple of fear and terror, and was powerful enough to order the literal planet earth to sleep. Piper is strong and brave and she’s constantly working on bettering herself. She was able to not only see the other side of Aphrodite, but to fight for it to be what everyone sees. She changes people’s perception of the cabin and the goddess herself. She did have a ‘not-like-other-girls’ complex when we first met her, but she was a bullied kid who grew up around rich white teens in Hollywood. But it’s a complex she catches in herself and grows out of- she stops trying to be #edgy and lets herself be comfortable in her skin, grows her hair out and wears a little makeup and puts thought into her outfits- but she also stops judging other people. She learns to see the beauty in everyone she meets. She redefines her outlook. That’s admirable, in my opinion. 

As for ‘obsessed with Jason’, I mean…it really just kinda reads, personally anyway, as “I’m A Teenage Girl And I Think My Significant Other Is Just The Coolest Thing Since Sliced Bread”…? Like? He’s her boyfriend, she’s fifteen. He’s cute and cool and a dork all at the same time. She goes from ‘mega crush heart eyes’ mode to actually falling in love with him, that’s not an obsession, that’s like…a natural progression of feelings. She’s always had her own storylines and she’s fully able to focus on things that aren’t Jason. But of course she thinks about him, he’s important to her? They’re a good match, they’re usually on similar wavelengths, and they work well together. She doesn’t think about him more than Annabeth and Percy think about each other. Piper shouldn’t be reduced to a fangirl just because she occasionally thinks to herself “Damn my boyfriend is hot”. She’s a very relatable and impressive character that deserves more than that. 

I really hope this doesn’t end up being like, a ramble, and that I actually properly articulated how I see the characters, but like…yeah. I do love this trio. 

[adriennescomingbacktolife]

(V)

“... it looks like you and Danny Levi, a once prominent star on the indies, were once married? Does he have any plans to come to Carnage as well, or do you have any connection to him still?” Belle Silva had texted Adrienne earlier that week about some of the questions she would like to ask. She had thought deep and had prepared extensively how she would answer. She didn’t know about the last one. In hindsight, she couldn’t blame an investigative journalist such as Belle to not ask the hard questions. In that moment however, Adrienne felt herself shrinking under the hot lights, cameras clicking away, and the collective shocked reaction of the people in the audience. Seconds later, the terrifying Mia Rayne had done her a favor. Being an unwilling participant in a confrontation she didn’t understand, she almost felt relieved to be pushed out of the way, painful as it was. But as the conflict continues, as she witnessed the courage of Belle and the righteous fury of Zephyr Quinn, Adrienne felt she could fight back, too. The rest of the night was a welcome distraction. Alex Winter in particular had proven to be a ruthless opponent. However, this was a team affair and his partner was less than compatible. She knew that Steve had become apathetic to the raging maelstrom of masculine fragility that Winter had become. Lashing out against everyone, he had made no allies. It was rather easy to target and isolate Party Boy at the end. Adrienne was lost on Insidious. They had decided to have some coming out party and had nearly infected the entire show. For someone like Nathaniel Grant to claim that he cared little about Matt Knox - sending out his indistinguishable lackeys to do his wet work on him seemed to say otherwise. Inadvertently, she had been caught up in her second conflict of the night. No one would set her aside like that again. Not Mia Rayne and not, what was it? Grant or whatever goofy name he was going by however wasn’t really the leader of Insidious or Empire of Blood or -- The lead tip of her pencil broke against the paper as she tried to sketch out the web of conspiracies involving Insidious in a study notebook, “Damn it.” Fortunately, no one was around to hear her potty mouth. Adrienne was back to reality. Ice cream sundaes, luxury hotel rooms, and nearly unlimited access to resources beneficial to the growth of her career sure were nice. But Baltimore was not her home. She felt a sense of dread when she had been welcomed back to Clearwater. Eventually, Adrienne just accepted that lonely nights in her apartment were the norm. She especially missed her new friends and was looking forward to a promised Zoom call soon. But tonight’s solitude was nothing a few glasses of wine couldn’t help. Digging through the junk drawer in the kitchen, she sought a way to continue her studies. Random batteries, loose coins, a half-used roll of electric tape, an empty prescription bottle of Wellbutrin and … finally, a purple cylinder shaped pencil sharpener. However, her mind wandered as she doodled a picture of Sah���ta Thor in a stylish Hugo Boss inspired uniform. Belle wasn’t the first one to bring up Danny. Matt Knox did, too. She could sense that he wanted to teach her husband a lesson. A lesson in what, she wondered. Matt was a good guy. He had realized the error of his ways and had asked her to be his partner in a future affair against Insidious. He had trained her as an equal. But most of all, she hadn’t been reduced to a sexual conquest. And something else had happened because all of the weird vibes of being a replacement daughter had dried up in that desert seemingly. But this idea of vengeance against Danny was misplaced. Adding the finishing touch of stink waves on the tribute to her future opponent, she tossed the pencil onto the coffee table and closed her notebook for the night. Danny Levi was a good man. Twisting the wedding band with a nervous energy, she tumbled head first into his world.     “San Jose was a joke.” Last March, the Levis had just returned from the California experiment. It had failed miserably when Magnificent Danny Levi had failed to gain any traction. The promoter had taken one look at Adrienne and said she could branch out on her own. It wasn’t the nearly dozen losses he had accrued. It wasn’t that the audience expressed complete apathy to his cheap tactics. It was because one person paid her a little attention. Said that she made people smile, especially the children who had attended her shows. There was a candid photo this promoter shared of Adrienne waving goofily to a kid behind Danny’s back. Danny had ripped the picture in two and had walked away from his committed appearances. These incidents weren’t new. For the past few years, Danny had transformed his body for the better. Through hard work, sure. But the anabolic steroids had made him prone to anger. Coupled with a complete lack of accountability, Adrienne was an easy target. That night. That night was no exception. Adrienne looked up from her copy of Night World, Vol. 1, “I liked it there. The people were nice.” It was just past midnight. It was the first night back and they hadn’t even bothered to unpack yet. Tomorrow would be a long day. Danny would have to go back on his hands and knees to Clearwater’s Best. And that meant - Adrienne would - Danny’s raised tone cut through her introspection, “The fuck are you going on about?” “I’m sorry,” she sat up in bed, clutching the book to her chest, “but please don’t start tonight. I just meant it was …” “Start tonight?” His voice was full of indignation as he kicked off the sheets and rolled to the edge of the bed. His back was massive and checkered with acne. Instinctively, she shrunk away from the hulking mass. It wasn’t like Danny had ever hurt her but sometimes she felt like he wanted to. Her words were quick and almost melded together as she tried to calm the situation down, “It was a long day, Danny. For the both of us. But look, I called Kaplan. It’s only been a month and I have a job with them still. And like-” “Shut up.” “Danny?” Standing up, he looked larger. Adrienne and Danny were actually the same height but in this rigid stance, with his fists clenched, he looked a giant. He turned around. His black boxers riding up high on his right thigh. His breathing was heavy. “You okay?” Muttering under his breath, “This was on you.” Perplexed, Adrienne shook her head. “Don’t you deny it. I should have known. You … you refuse that fucking prick Fairman one time and then suddenly my contract’s null and void,” his bare feet plodded on the carpet around to her side of the bed. Adrienne didn’t want to visit the proposal that sent her running out of that room earlier this year. Danny had got like this before, though. Feeling sorry for himself. This would pass. She readjusted the sheet he had kicked off. It was cold this evening. Her good pajamas were still in a garbage bag that was designated for travel laundry so she opted for a long black t-shirt and a pair of boxers herself. “And then out west,” he was closer, Adrienne could hear his teeth grating, “you wanna go and be a star without me?” “No,” her nails dug into the book’s cover, “Jael was just talking to me about where we could go.” “Don’t play coy with me, cunt.” Reacting with an urge to cry every time Danny called her this, Adrienne pleaded with her husband, “Danny, I’m not. I didn’t know.” Despite the poor lighting, she could see his pupils were very dilated. Spittle formed around the corners of his mouth as he spoke down to her, “It was all about you. Everywhere I go. Everything I try. No matter what. They only want you.” “Dann--” Her husband lunged at her, hand grasping around Adrienne’s throat. Instinctively, she clawed at his arms and kicked at him. The heel of her foot went right into his kneecap. He let an anguished cry mixed with a carnal fury she’d never heard even when he was in the ring. She rolled away from him, falling off the bed. Stumbling to her feet, Adrienne ran right into him and was pushed back onto the bed. Her legs repelled his advance, “Danny!! Stop--.” As she stood up, Danny was upon her again, incomprehensible gibberish poured from his mouth as he grappled with her. One hand inched closer and closer to her neck as over a decade of realized impotence had made Adrienne his enemy. The other tore long strands of her thick hair from her scalp. It was a colossal struggle. Strength versus Will. Danny’s foot faltered in a new hitch in the carpeting and he stumbled backwards. His massive frame broke through the dry wall of their bedroom. Something felt off. Rage drained from Danny’s expression as he clutched the left side of his chest, “Ade, call 9-1-1…” Concern for her own well being was replaced with a frantic realization that her husband had just collapsed in front of her. Adrienne ran out of the room, nearly tripping over their luggage in the hallway, to retrieve a cordless phone hanging in the kitchen. Fumbling the phone in her hands, she returned to Daniel. “Danny, it’s going to be alright,” she looked down at the phone. Pressed 9. Danny’s breathing was harsh and abbreviated. He looked up with her with pleading eyes. Pressed 1. He looked pathetic. Adrienne, a mere six feet away from Danny, knelt. Their eyes met. Her finger hovered over that last press. “Call,” he whispered. She wiped away at her eyes, steeling herself to a possibility. In the long stillness of the night, she watched this man with an odd curiosity. His breathing slowed. Dropping the phone beside her, Adrienne watched the light leave Danny’s eyes. His head lulled, mouth agape, and he didn’t respond to her, “Danny?” Danny’s gone.     “Death.” Adrienne Levi was in a graveyard with nice clean cut grass. Well, one for pets. She sat cross legged next to a little marker that read “Jimmy”. Alex Winter: Loser 4 Life was boldly proclaimed in black impact font on her white t-shirt. She had on black leggings and she may have used some of her win bonus to buy her that cute pair of white and purple New Balances at the mall. About to continue, she paused, she shuffled through some note cards she had hidden behind her back, “Sorry, I was trying to be all dramatic and I lost my train of thought.” Folding them up, Adrienne put the aides back away. “Alright,” taking in a deep breath, she exhaled, “I’d cut this out later but the trial of my video editor expired so this is what you get. This is like my third take, too. So yeah, death. My cat Jimmy died just before I started working at Carnage. My mom paid for this.” Chuckling, she persisted with this possible folly, “I have a point, trust me. I don’t know what Jimmy’s last moments were. I came home one day and he was just curled up in the closet. The vet said he was just an old stray and I’d given him the best year of his life in a long time. But I have to imagine it's hard to confront your own mortality. To realize that your time is truly finite.” Looking down at her hands briefly, she watched her thumb toy with the wedding band on her ring finger. “Nathaniel Grant.” Adrienne looked back up. She had propped the cellphone horizontally against a stone in front of her. She was hoping the beloved former pet parents of Bobo wouldn’t mind, “I know you go by another name but I get super giggly every time I say it. It’s like you’re Santa but you’re really new wave about it. But you’re a global superstar. You’ve won a lot of championships. All of that other stuff you talk about. The company. The 3 percent capita increases. Training children to fight wars in third world countries. I don’t know if any of that is true. It seems like you’re a Q LARPer. And if it’s true, it makes a real simple girl like me wonder why you are bothering with a company that runs shows out of one arena.” Adrienne gave a knowing smile. “Now, let’s talk about something real. I understand you’re also battling something terminal. You talked about it somewhere else but I can’t afford cable so I’ll never know. You’re still young. Happy belated birthday, by the way. And to many more in the coming years, because despite what I’m about to tell you, what you’re going through must be pretty heart wrenching for you and your family. But whatever you’re going through doesn’t excuse you’re doing here. To me. To Matt. To this whole company.” Adrienne didn’t want to keep on this subject. She didn’t want to be here but the other one wasn’t an option, “I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings but Nate, you’re kind of a jerk. That’s not to say that jerks deserve to suffer but you’re not just that. I can’t speak for your whole career but all I see out of you is cruelty. Through your words and actions. You expect everyone to stop and care about what you're doing at all times. Your little group ran in just after my first ever victory. I know you won’t care but I’ve worked so hard for that moment and you stole it from me.” Sitting up straight, Adrienne’s tone once more raised from her normal mousey quality, “And well, I’m not going to let you get away with that. I don’t care if you weren’t there. You’re in charge. Or Aaron. I don’t care! Insidious as a concept is morally bankrupt and it’s … just dumb. Matt has a lot of issues with you personally and I can’t profess to understand but in my short time working with him, it’s clear that you’re in the wrong. So here’s what I’m going to do. I want a do over and my first victory by myself, it’s going to be against you, guy with a dozen cheesy nicknames. And then at the next big show, hold on, Matt just told me this the other day…” Snatching a notecard back, she found what was looking for. “We Are Relentless … or WAR? Oh, okay, well there, Matt and I are going to take out your flavorless goons. Nate, you’re just going to have to come to terms that nobody outside of your group gives a rat’s butt about what you’re preaching. And with your limited time left on this Earth, I recommend you try and figure out that there is more to humanity than being a prick to everyone you meet. Otherwise, your last moments are going to be pretty pathetic.” And of course, the recording didn’t just stop, “Siri, stop recording.” Siri wasn’t listening. “Darn it, okay, Just pretend it ended a few seconds ago,” she crawled towards the camera. The feed cut off as her palm enveloped the lens.