#and weve always talked about a life spent together?

[im14andivebeen14foramonth]

ha ha ha. the way my feelings started to grow for my best friend right before I found out he's moving states and states away over the summer. ha ha ha. so pony and johnny core hahhaha

[daisy-has-too-many-wives]

Hello everyone.

This is William; Daisy's brother.

Daisy's actual name was Charlie. They asked me to tell this to you all.

The message ahead was pre-written, in case of this situtation.

"hi guys :]

ive asked my brother to post this in case of something awful happening, so i hope you will never have to see this.

if you are reading this message, then im probably dead, or at least incapacitated

basically, ive got a lot to say, so im just going to say it.

when i first joined this community, i was not in a good place of mind; but seeing you all, and talking to you was starting to be the highlight of my day

i didn't realise how big an affect this would have on me in the long run

thank you all. so much.

you are all such lovely people, never forget that; every moment that ive spent on this accursed website, i have felt loved, and respected. everyone is so kind and so lovely.

thank you all so much, for this time, with you

and to abby, my love, thank you so much for being with me <3 i can't believe that i somehow managed to get together with the girl of my dreams. i love you so so so much, i love you to infinity and back <333 thank you so much for being with me through this - you are such a lovely, genuine, kind, sweet, beautiful person. thank you my darling, i will always love you.

and to you, my dear (probably) mutual, i thank you so much for this journey that weve had

you all mean so much to me, and i love you all so much 💕

this is me, signing off, for the last time

thank you :]

goodbye"

Charlie passed away an hour ago. The cancer spreading was detected too late, unfortunately.

It wasn't a painful death; they passed away peacefully, in their sleep.

I want to let you all know how much they've talked about you all in the past two weeks. How their face would light up when tumblr was brought up, how they would smile at me and tell me about your various antics.

I think that all of you made my siblings life better; that talking to all of you was the highlight of their day.

Thank you all - you made my sibling a happier person. And some of you, I think, genuinely became a part of their life.

Charlie loved you all so much.

"Even when I'm gone, I will still look at you from the stars, and my smile will be like comets across the night sky." - Charlie Dinh, 19/05/2000 - 22/09/2024

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for inviting my cousin to an LGBT meet up?

Cw: mentions of suicide and transphobia

I (18M) am a trans man and my cousin N (21F) is a lesbian who is very masc presenting. We're the only queer cousins in the family (at least in our generation) so weve always been good friends and shes been one of the biggest supporters of my transition, defended me from bigoted family members and always corrected family when they used my deadname/old pronouns. I lowkey hoped she would come out as a trans man or nonbinary as well. We dress in the same style which makes it so when were hanging out together one of us is gonna get misgendered since people asume both of us are trans men or masc girls. When N is the one being misgendered she doesnt bother fighting it since its more trouble than its worth but looking back i think it really annoyed her.

Earlier this year N was severely struggling with her mental health. I apologize for the wording i may have since i dont know the proper terminology for this stuff or any specific disorder diagnosis she may have (other than autism). She was having some sort of manic or depressive episode. She was dead set on pushing people away and making them hate her so she could take her own life without regrets.

I visited N once to give her my support during a struggling time but i stupidly told her there was nothing she could say that would push me away. She told me not to test her but i kept pushing it and i admit what happened next was my fault. She told me in a very cold voice that she was a terf, though that she didnt want me dead but that "we" (im guessing she meant trans ppl) made it so much harder for her to exist(???????). I didnt let her keep talking just and left her room, said my goodbyes to her family and just cried while driving home.

Im still not sure if she meant it or if it was part of her mental episode and just a way for her to hurt me and push me away. On one hand ig it explains some of her behavior? N sometimes complained when she got asked for her pronouns or being misgendered like I mentioned before. On the other hand, I gen do not believe she has been a terf all along esp with how supportive shes been of me. If she was a terf youd think she would try to subtly talk me out of it, but that has never happened. My friends have nicknamed her schrodinger's terf lol

Anyway, i went no contact with N for a few months for my own wellbeing. During this time i heard that she tried to kill herself a few times, which got her into a mental hospital. She was given higher doses of meds and seems to be doing way better.

We had a family reunion this week and i decided to approach her. N seemed a little hesitant to talk to me but stayed polite. I tried testing her and talked about the effects T has been having on me but she acted like she always had and congratulated me and even complimented me on how deep my voice has gotten. I wasnt satisfied cause i wanted an apology for what she had said to me so i pushed it more. She did end up apologzing but it was a very surface level apology. At this point i didnt want to keep pushing in case it set her off again so i just took her apology (plus i wanted my best cousin back) and spent the rest of the day hanging out with her.

On the way home my mom said she was happy me and N had made up and that i should invite her to the lgbt club meetings Ive been going to this year. It seemed like a good idea to me, she lost a few friends during her episode and she could make more queer friends here. If N is trans and just in denial it could help her get the resources she needs to feel comfortable coning out. If N IS a terf maybe having more positive interactions with trans ppl could change her mind on it. Overall i thought it would be a win for her.

I brought it up to my friends and some of them blew up at me. Their argument was that itd be exposing the other trans ppl in the group to a terf and putting them in danger. I truly hadnt considered this angle so im kinda conflicted now. She had never felt like an unsafe person before and now that her episode is over she feels normal again. Even if she is a terf i dont think she could actually cause harm? I want N to get better but i dont want to put my trans friends at risk.

So tumblr, WIBTA for inviting N to my lgbt meet up?

What are these acronyms?

[boofts]

have you ever cried so hard you stopped breathing and your chest hurt so bad that you thought you would feel better if maybe you did stop breathing?

im stupid.

an overthinker

insecure

and overall, a hopeless romantic.

my thoughts trap me inside my head, and i spent the whole day trying not to cry at a volleyball camp, thinking im not good enough after i was placed in the lowest group for gameplay.

im good,

arent i?

i always thought i was.

im supposed to be.

but i dont think i ever have been.

i look back and see failure after failure, placed in the lowest group each and every time. i thought i deserved better, i thought i was better.

but maybe i was wrong.

so here i am,

crying in my bed.

clutching the bee swarm simulator plushie my girlfriend bought me for christmas.

it came in a pretty little bag along with the order to not open until december 25th, a necklace matching her own, which i wear all the time, and a card.

i opened it a day early, and it saved my life. because the day before christmas i wanted so very badly to die. i was overthinking, like i always do.

what if instead of a present, it was a breakup letter? and she just wanted to let me down gently, or at least, not in person.

but no, it was a present that saved my life.

a bee swarm simulator plushie with an inside joke i named Zipper, that i squeeze when i feel alone and unloved.

a necklace i wear to think of her, which is constantly.

and a card, that in the moment said everything i needed it to.

but what got me to overthink it in the future was that, for her present i wrote the most heartfelt thing i could think of without flat-out telling her she saved my life. and she did tell me i changed her life (for the better) and she loved me "sososo much", but people can lie, cant they?

she almost never texts first, used to not tell me she loved me back. the last few times we called she said it first, but last night i told her i loved her before we hung up and had to go to bed. no response. just hanging up.

okay,

i mean, no problem really. i told myself i wouldnt overthink things again.

"On a balcony in Italy, I know I won't. But I might."

a line i wrote this Fall.

then today i get back from the volleyball camp, and in a groupchat with two other friends who are talking about their next year schedules.

she says she has summer homework for AISE english next year.

which is weird, because we picked our schedules together and we decided to take English 2 honors together. i checked the test schedule paper i was given, and sure enough. English 2 honors is printed on the paper.

i message my guidance counselor asking to change my schedule to match hers.

am i being annoying?

thats probably being really clingy?

maybe her parents wanted to change it and she just forgot to tell me?

she doesnt tell me many things about her life.

she doesnt love me anymore does she?

so here i am, spending the night listening to a playlist i made a while ago, one i named "Maybe I Should Try Harder" after the Beachbunny song Sports.

one i created because i felt like i was never good enough.

thinking about weve been together for almost a year, and my chest hurts. because maybe i want to grow old with her. and so what if im just a hopeless romantic. but what if she dosent think the same, hasnt thought about it at all, or even worse, just dosent care?

here i am hoping this post gets lost and never gets read by anyone i know, anyone at all.

or maybe im hoping the right person sees it and knows exactly what to do to help me.

i dont know what i want.

maybe i just want her to kiss me, kiss me and tell me she loves me more than i love her.

[aroaceofthesea]

Anyways a bit of a recap of my life these last few weeks bc its crazy how much stuff ive done what do you mean its only the 14th of july it feels like summer should be ending soon and ive been very inactive on here:

Starting with sant joan lol (aka 24th of june) some friends came over and we hadnt really seen each other in a couple years (like yes but not really really like it was always super awkward but it was super cool this time😋😋)

Then the next day when they left one of my best friends came home too :) he was at the town next to mine and we spent the afternoon together :)

Then we did diving classes with my mom and also some family friends im now an open water diver that was pretty random ngl

Then after like. 2 days. chilling with just my mom (my sister was like 100% of the day every day with some friends that were around) some friends from a summer camp i did last year came over😋😋

They spent like 4 days i loved every day ngl we played cards a lot we went to the beach we did so many things how did we have time to play mao so much thats crazy lol (also so many crazy rules @ ppl that i know irl i have so many great rules to add when we play again weve gotta do iit)

When they left it was sad :( but i had no time to mope bc i had exactly 15 minutes at home so i kust took a shower and then went with another friend to canet rock (catalan music festival) it was super coool :) had the opportunity to see oques grasses live again♠️🪿 (though they didnt play bancals😭😭 one of my fave songs ever)(they have too many epic songs to play them all they need an extra hour at least ngl) anyways it was crazy loved almost all of it (not miki nuñez why did they put that guy in there) and yeah it was super cool

Then i went home arrived at like 9:15 am and proceeded to sleep almost 25h until 10 am the next day im told i missed a sushi lunch with family friends :(

The next day some friends were like who avalon :) so ofc i was like meee (usually during summer im not in the city but i was that say so ofc i was like i gotta go) (just so you gt an idea i couldnt talk like at all like half my sentences were whispered bc i had lost my voice at the festival and that game is like. you gotta talk or why are you playing lol) anyways luckily they guy i had gone with to the festival was also there and also couldnt talk so at least i wasnt alone😅😅

Then i was going back home and on the way home i met one of my only remaining childhood friends lol she went with me to elementary school (or idk what you call it until 6th grade whatever) and plays the trumpet with me and we spend a lot of the summer together and it was nice to see her she had also gone to that festival (its a very very popular festival and ppl my age could go basically for free so a lot of ppl went) and also had no voice lol but it was nice to see her

Then with my parents we went and had a pizza :)

Then i spent the week in barcelona (were talking about this week already) and tuesday a friend came over bc hes from outside but had a play in barcelona like every night that week (he plays the trombone hes reaaally good) so we spent the mornings together and then the afternoons he went there (i wish i could go they were playing with fucking dagoll dagom (catalan company that made famous musicals in catalan like mar i cel and they are closing the company this year😢😢) like hoow i wanna go😭😭)

Then friday i went to my summer home and there were my mom and also that friends brother and father lol so anyway weve spent the weekend together and it was rlly fun

And also like i was looking for cool concerts around here this summer bc festa major concerts are just 🔝🔝 you get to see your fave groups for free and like even if they are pretty popular when it isnt in a big town or a very well connected one maybe you have 100 or 200 ppl to very known bands like its crazy anyway i was checking (using the very efficient method of looking where each concert of each group was and putting it on google maps) and i was getting kinda depressed bc there werent any of the bands i like most and then i was like ok whatever lets check buhos AND THERE WAS ONE YESTERDAY (THE DAY I WAS LOOKING) AT LIKE 20 MINS so obviously we went and like even though i was basically alone (bc the guy i was with is like 14 and he knew some friends that were also close and went too so he spent most of the time with them and i didnt have any friends close) it was a buhos concert so obviously it was super cool also rlly cool bc they are like one of the only bands i like that didnt play at the festival from last week so rlly cool that ive gone to concerts of all my fave bands in just a week i love this (also i was like. 3 meters away from where the tahirt they threw fell😭😭 i wanted a buhos supporter tshirt thats sad)

OH ALSO yesterday too we went to the beach and we played volleyball with random ppl and it had been a whilr since we did that bc they usually see my sister who is very good and they are intimidated but my sister wasnt there so ppl kept coming and asking us to play (we have a net which is like telling ppl pls comee if youre less than like 7 or 8 ppl) and it was rlly fun (even though that one guy was very very annoying but the rest were rlly nice lol)

So yeah now you know basically everything about my life the last 3 weeks

[purrincess-chat]

Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Remix CH19

People weren’t happy with how things went down with Alya in the original MDCSP, so I hope this version suffices. ;)

Previous     First      Next     AO3

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Chapter 19: Miss Missing You

Alya chewed her nails, pivoting back and forth in her desk chair as Lila settled on her bed. Her thoughts raced too fast for Alya to make sense of them, and Lila’s grave expression did little to calm her nerves. When Alya told her about Adrien and Chloe, she insisted on meeting up. Maybe this way they could both talk to Ladybug, but something was off about Lila. Her jaw was a little too tense, and those green eyes swirled with an intensity Alya couldn’t place. What was going on?

“Is Ladybug on her way too? We have to let her know what they’re plotting,” Alya said, but when Lila remained quiet, she asked, “What?”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Lila said. “This is going to be hard for me, but I trust you over anyone else.”

“What’s wrong?” Alya asked, and Lila shifted her weight, tucking a strand of long hair behind her ear.

“Well, Ladybug and I…we kind of had a falling out.” Lila lowered her gaze to her lap.

“What?”

“Remember when Chloe tried to impersonate her to make everyone hate me? Well, I told Ladybug about it, and that she shouldn’t trust Chloe anymore, but then last night she gave her back her Miraculous without consulting me.” Lila recounted. “I tried to talk to her and understand why she’d trust Chloe again after what she did to me, but Ladybug freaked out on me and told me not to question her judgment.”

“For real?” Alya gasped. “That’s not like her.”

“I know,” Lila said, “and after what you told me on the phone, I definitely think something weird is going on with her.”

“You don’t think Chloe is manipulating her, do you?” she asked.

Lila pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Not Chloe. I think that…well, I’m sorry, but I think Marinette is behind all of this.”

“Marinette?” Alya shot a glance at the Ladyblog pulled up on her computer, a sinking feeling in her gut.

She hadn’t posted about Queen Bee’s return—couldn’t bring herself to. Something was definitely off with Ladybug, but was it really all Marinette’s doing? Marinette wasn’t one for petty revenge, but maybe she had changed since she left. Or maybe Alya just never knew her like she thought she did.

Alya thought back to the night she was akumatized, the distant look in her bff’s eyes. She’d seemed tired, like all the fight had been drained from her. She didn’t even argue when Alya suggested they stop being friends, a fact that had haunted Alya ever since. Why had Marinette abandoned her so easily? Surely if her stories were to be believed, she would have fought harder, right? Wasn’t the truth worth fighting for?

“You said so yourself, Chloe and Adrien said they were going to get Ladybug to talk about me for Marinette. I think she’s manipulating all of them to get back at me because she can’t let go even after she’s been gone for a month now,” Lila said.

“But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would Marinette do that? When I last spoke to her, she didn’t want anything to do with you or anyone here really,” Alya said. “Well, except Adrien, I guess, but she’s always been head-over-heels for him.”

“She’s obsessed! She’s never liked me, and I never understood why. The only thing I’ve been able to figure out is that she didn’t like me talking to Adrien, so now she’s lured him over to her side and fed him all kinds of lies about me. I don’t even like him that way, but she’s just so insecure and jealous that she thought Adrien would fall in love with me because of all of my accomplishments.” Lila hugged a pillow to her chest. “Now she’s taken one of my best friends away from me too!”

Alya crossed the room to sit beside her on the bed, draping an arm over her shoulders. “I’m sorry, girl. Maybe we can talk to Ladybug and convince her not to do that interview tomorrow.”

“I don’t think we can,” Lila whimpered. “She hasn’t responded to any of my calls ever since the Queen Bee thing. She’s on their side now.”

“Are you sure? I’ve met Ladybug a bunch of times, and she would totally pick up on it if something fishy was going on,” Alya said.

“Watch the interview tomorrow. If Ladybug says anything about me that sounds like them, then you’ll know I’m telling the truth,” Lila said.

Alya pursed her lips but didn’t argue. Lila’s story was just as probable as theirs at this point, and she was right. All they could do was watch the interview and see what happened. For their sake, she hoped that Chloe and Adrien’s plan failed, and Ladybug never mentioned Lila. But a heavy pit was already forming in Alya’s stomach, filling her with dread for the coming day. How had she gotten herself into the middle of all this drama? And how long would it be before the truth was finally revealed?

♪♫♪ Don’t Blame Me ♪♫♪

“How long before we give up?” Adrien asked the next afternoon. He leaned against the railing while Chloe manned the spotlight beside him.

“It’s hasn’t even been 20 minutes, Adrikins. I’ve sat up here for entire akuma battles before.” Chloe chided.

“Sorry, I guess I’m just nervous,” he said, letting a breath pass his lips.

Chloe spun on him with a scowl, jabbing her finger into his chest. “Oh no, you are not backing out this time. We’re doing this, so just think about Dupain-Cheng’s awful split-ends or whatever it is you need to keep you motivated.”

Adrien pursed his lips as Chloe turned back to her bee signal. She was right. No backing out this time. Lila was going down once and for all, then Marinette could finally be free. Marinette…

His heart fluttered, warming his cheeks. It would be obvious after today that he was helping Chloe take down Lila. Being intentionally cruel wasn’t in his nature, but he’d do anything to protect the people he loved. To protect the girl he loved.

It had taken him longer than it should have to realize his feelings for her, but now they burned so brightly, he had to wonder how he’d ever missed them. Marinette was a wonderful girl and a dear friend. If ever there was a person to fight for, it was her. She’d understand why he did all of this. It was all for her—always for her.

His heart ached with longing. Now that Marinette went to a different school, he couldn’t see her as often as he used to. Sometimes they went several days without seeing each other, and his heart grew heavier the longer they stayed apart. At least when he loved Ladybug, he got to see her every day when they fought akumas or patrolled the city, but even that wasn’t enough.

Adrien had spent too much of his life alone. Couldn’t the universe give him just one person to cure his loneliness? Missing Marinette was torture. What was she doing right now? Was she thinking about him?

He pulled out his phone and typed a simple message: what’s up?

Ugh, no, that was lame.

Hey cutie ;) what are you up to?

No, too forward.

I was just thinking about you

Too clingy. He backspaced over his message again, eyebrows knitting together in concentration. Why was flirting so much harder as Adrien? If he were Chat Noir, he’d just drop a few cat puns and tell her how pretty she was, but that might be a little abrasive coming from Adrien. The last thing he wanted was to scare her off. After all, she almost kissed him in the garden too. That meant she loved him back, right?

Pressing his lips into a determined line, he typed another message and hit send without overthinking it.

Hey, how’s your day been?

A minute passed before his phone buzzed with a reply: busy. I’m finalizing my designs for Clara. I present to her next week and im super nervous!

Aww don’t be clara is gonna love them.

I hope so! she replied. So what are you up to today?

Uhh im working on a school project with chloe. He lied. We have to interview someone we look up to, and shes demanding we interview ladybug so weve been standing on the roof with her bee signal for like 30 minutes.

Wow ladybug huh? I hope she shows up for you guys. Anyway these designs aren’t going to finish themselves so ill talk to you later! Bye!

good luck!

He smiled down at her messages. Marinette was always running a million miles an hour working on some project or another. She was so driven and passionate—something Adrien deeply admired. Clara would love her designs, and he and Chloe would definitely take down Lila this time. Then he and Marinette could be together without having to worry about anything. They could move to the suburbs and buy a cozy home for their three kids, a dog, and a hamster named-

“Looking for me?” Adrien and Chloe spun around, and Ladybug cocked a hip. “What’s the emergency?”

“Uhh,” Adrien stammered.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “We have to interview one of our personal heroes for a school project, so we picked you. Isn’t that right, Adrikins?” She nudged him with her elbow.

Think about Marinette. Everything was for Marinette. The tears she’d spilled, the pain she’d suffered… Adrien was going to take it all away. Lila would never hurt her again.

“Yeah. Do you have time?” Adrien asked.

Ladybug glanced between them and smiled. “I have a few minutes. Make it quick.”

“Excellent.” Chloe clapped her hands together and paced toward the stairs. “Everything is set up in my suite.”

Adrien took a deep breath as Ladybug fell into step beside him. A month ago being so close to her would have sent his heart into overdrive, but now his heart was pounding for a different reason. Ladybug hated liars. Deceiving her was a direct betrayal of her trust. Even if his feelings for her had changed, he was still her partner, and manipulating her like this didn’t feel right.

“Wait.” He stopped abruptly and caught Ladybug’s wrist. Chloe was already through the doorway to the stairs, and he sent her a silent apology just in case his next words ruined everything. “Chloe and I lied to you. This isn’t for a school project.”

“Then what’s all this about?” Ladybug asked.

“It’s…” Adrien took a deep breath and continued. “You remember Lila, right? She lied about you saving her and how you two are bffs?”

Ladybug sobered. “Yeah?”

“Well, her lies have gotten out of hand, and she hurt someone important to me. Chloe and I planned to trick you into admitting you two were never friends, so that everyone can finally see the truth about her. The interview was just a coverup,” Adrien explained, hanging his head low. “We shouldn’t have lied to you. I’m sorry.”

Ladybug eyed him with pursed lips, those blue eyes working out a solution like he were one of her lucky charms. She seemed to come to a conclusion, her face softening. “Thank you for being honest with me.”

“If you don’t want to help us, I won’t blame you. I know it’s wrong to seek revenge,” Adrien said.

A knowing smile spread across her lips. “That friend of yours must be really special to you.”

“What?”

“For you to resort to something like this, you must care about your friend—the one Lila hurt—a lot,” she said, then with a sigh added, “I don’t normally condone revenge, but I know how dangerous Lila can be. I’ve almost lost my Miraculous because of her several times, so I think you’re right. It’s time everyone learned the truth about Lila Rossi.”

Adrien blinked. “So, wait… You’re going to help us?”

“I made a promise to keep Paris safe, and if we continue to let Lila go unchecked, she’s only going to put more people in danger,” Ladybug said. “It’s time someone put her in her place.”

“Hurry up, you two! I have a hair appointment this evening, and I do not want to be late!” Chloe shouted from the doorway.

Adrien held Ladybug’s gaze, and she gave him an encouraging nod. “Uh, coming!” he called.

He gestured Ladybug ahead, following close behind her, cheeks hot. This was really happening. Ladybug was going to help them stop Lila. After today, everyone would know the truth, and Marinette would be free. They all would.

“Ladybug, you sit on this side.” Chloe directed. “Adrikins and I will sit on this side.”

“Okay,” Ladybug said, sliding onto the couch smoothly.

Adrien took the seat across from her, wiping his palms on his jeans while Chloe barked orders at her butler. Satisfied with the camera angle, Chloe sat beside him and fixed her hair in her compact before calling “action.”

Chloe’s butler—Adrien couldn’t remember his name—started the Instagram live, broadcasting to all of Chloe’s followers. There was no turning back now.

“Hello out there, my little worker bees. Your queen is here with some very special guests today,” Chloe cooed in her token attention-seeking voice. “My favorite people in the whole world besides myself, obviously—Adrien and Ladybug!”

“Hi.”

“Hey.” Adrien waved.

“As you all know, I helped Ladybug defeat another akuma last weekend. Being Queen Bee again was such an honor, and I admit, even I have people I look up to,” she said, flipping her ponytail. “So, Ladybug, thank you for allowing me to become a superheroine. Queen Bee is truly an inspiration.”

“Uh, sure.” Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Chat Noir and I always appreciate help from our allies.”

“You heard it here, everyone! Ladybug values my help,” Chloe said, and Adrien cleared his throat. “Now, onto the topic of today’s livestream. People everywhere are inspired by superheroes like me and Ladybug, so today we are going to give you all the inside scoop on what it takes to be a hero.”

“That’s right, Chloe,” Adrien piped up. “I don’t have superpowers, so I have to ask: what’s it like being a superhero, Ladybug?”

“Well, everyone thinks that having superpowers is all fun and games, but in reality, Chat Noir and I have a huge responsibility. Defending Paris every day requires sacrifice, and we know the whole city is counting on us to succeed. It’s a lot of pressure,” Ladybug said.

“Of course, I know what it’s like being a superhero myself, but can you tell everyone how overwhelming it is to save the day all the time?” Chloe prompted.

“Yeah, totally. It’s a lot of work fighting akumas. Sometimes Hawkmoth makes supervillains at the worst times, and I have to drop everything to go save the city. Leading a double life is challenging, and sometimes it even impacts my day-to-day life. School, friends, family—I’m always rushing all over the place juggling two lives.” Ladybug admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. “But I’m happy to do it. Paris is my home, and it’s an honor to defend it. Besides, when the going gets tough, I know I can count on my partners to have my back.”

“So, when you pick a new partner, what qualities do you look for in a person that makes them a good fit to work with you?” Adrien asked.

“I look for people with courage and good intentions. Often times, the people I pick are ones who have stepped up to do the right thing, even if it’s hard. They’re people I know I can trust,” Ladybug said.

“Would you say you consider your allies close personal friends?” Chloe beamed, flashing the camera a wink.

“Well, I don’t know all of them in real life like you, Chloe,” Ladybug said with a cautious glance at the camera. “Sometimes they are people I meet during a battle that impress me, and who prove themselves to be trustworthy.”

“And how do you know if you can trust someone?” Adrien asked. “Do you consult anyone for recommendations, or do you operate on the fly?”

“Most of the time when I give someone a Miraculous, it’s because they’ve demonstrated their character to me. Every person I give a Miraculous to has earned their right to wear it either by helping me or showing that they’re willing to sacrifice to save others. The decision about who gets to wear one and who doesn’t is deeply personal to me,” Ladybug answered. “Not even Chat Noir knows the identities of our allies. It’s something I don’t share with anyone.” She shot Chloe a stern look. “Under normal circumstances.”

“So, you pick the allies by yourself?” Adrien followed up.

“Yes. In the middle of a battle, I wouldn’t even have time to consult anyone if I wanted to.”

“In other words, if anyone were to—I don’t know—claim that they help you choose your partners, they’d be a liar, right?” Chloe added.

“Yeah, I don’t talk to anyone about who I pick.” Ladybug shook her head.

“Ya know, Ladybug, there are some people out there that claim to be your best friend. How do you feel about people lying about knowing you to make themselves more popular?” Chloe asked.

Ladybug locked eyes with Adrien, the weight of their mission heavy on both of their shoulders. She clasped her hands together in her lap and said, “As I’m sure both of you are aware, there will always be people who use your name for their own selfish gain, but I want everyone out there to know that I take my job very seriously. Protecting all of you is my number one priority.”

She took a deep breath. “Being a superhero is dangerous, and that’s why, with the exception of Chat Noir and my trusted allies, Ladybug doesn’t have friends.”

“So, anyone who says they’re your friend is a liar, right?” Adrien asked.

“Yes, and they’re putting themselves in danger. Hawkmoth will stop at nothing to get my Miraculous, so please, if you’re out there… Do the right thing, and tell the truth.” Ladybug pleaded to the camera.

“It’s utterly pathetic when people lie about who they know just to get attention,” Chloe sighed in disgust. “You heard it here, my little bees! Chat Noir and I are Ladybug’s only friends.”

“Well, I’d consider you more of an ally than a frie-”

“And as one of Ladybug’s bffs, I want all of the losers out there to buzz off! Ladybug has much more important things to do, like spending time with me,” Chloe said.

“Right.” Ladybug’s yoyo beeped, and she glanced down at it briefly. “I should really get going. A hero’s work is never done.”

“Of course. Thank you for your time, Ladybug,” Adrien said, shaking her hand.

“No problem. It’s important to me that everyone in Paris knows I’m doing everything I can to keep you all safe, and the people I choose to fight beside me are people I truly trust. We’ll all keep fighting hard to protect this city,” she said, waving two fingers. “Bug out!”

“Well, that does it for this livestream, little bees. Your queen will see you all again next time. Bye-bye!”

♪♫♪ Impossible Year ♪♫♪

“So, anyone who says they’re your friend is a liar, right?”

“Yes.”

Lila was right. They really had gotten to Ladybug. Alya had done her best not to think about Marinette since their falling out. Remembering her old bff was too painful and confusing. Everything Alya thought she knew changed the moment Lila came to their school. The person she trusted became a stranger overnight. Alya wanted to believe that Marinette would never align herself with Chloe or orchestrate a hostile takedown just because she was jealous, but Alya had seen her do crazier things to win Adrien.

“I’m doing everything I can to keep you all safe, and the people I choose to fight beside me are people I truly trust.”

How was Chloe more trustworthy than Alya? All that was necessary for the triumph of evil was that good people do nothing. She’d known from day one that Chloe was evil, so why couldn’t Ladybug see it?  Why would Ladybug align herself with the queen of all evil over someone who dedicated herself to doing the right thing? Was this really all Marinette’s doing? And why?

Was Marinette really that desperate to win Adrien? Did she hate Lila so much that she’d willingly team up with her worst enemy to get back at her for stealing attention away from the boy she liked? From where Alya was sitting, it looked like Marinette already had him, and Lila had always been clear that she wasn’t interested in him that way. Why go through all that trouble to get Ladybug to denounce Lila just to win a boy? But if Marinette was involved with Ladybug…

It all made sense now. The reason Ladybug had picked someone else to wield her Miraculous. How long had they been plotting all of this? And how could Ladybug trust Marinette’s word over Alya’s without even trying to hear her side of the story? Or Lila’s? How could Ladybug not see that she was being manipulated? She was a hero, and one of the best Alya had ever seen. So why was she fighting for the wrong side?

Her head spun, and she gripped the side of her desk for support. Someone needed to tell Ladybug the truth.

“You want to save Ladybug from those you deem evil. Let me help you, Ladyblogger.”

Alya jumped at the sinister voice in her head. She smoothed her thumb over her phone screen, now glowing with dark energy. A cold feeling washed over her, all of her pain and confusion bubbling to the surface. In the center of it all stood her determined resolve, driving her to give in.

Someone needed to tell Ladybug the truth. Someone like her.

[cafeinthemoon]

The Senju brothers finding out their little sister is going out with Madara 💥

Lately I’ve been into family drama and such, so when anon requested this I couldn’t say no lol Btw thank you, anon, for this scandalous incredible idea 😘

In this scenario/list/idk we have the Senju brothers finding out their younger sister and Madara are seeing each other. As you might expect, the news provoke different reactions in each of them, but the main point is how she will deal with this situation.

So I’m gonna shut up now and leave you with this:

Fandom: Naruto | Senju Brothers

Warnings: none, just a heated argument and a looong list ahead

Symbols: 💙 | ◻ | ▶▶

Hashirama

Being Hashirama and Tobirama’s younger sister, of course you and Madara were known to each other, but being more than just a friend to him wasn’t in your plans… until now 😳

You used to admire and respect each other, not only because of the alliance between your clans, but mostly because you both were worthy being praised. Plus Hashirama has always been talkative about his best friend’s qualities, which slowly transformed the way you saw the Uchiha leader, but you only noticed this a few weeks ago

During a meeting/party/whatever at your brother’s house, Madara and you spent more time than usual talking to each other. Turned out that you discovered many things in common beyond the fact that you two were shinobi, including your views on life, politics, etc.

If Hashi noticed something, you couldn’t tell, but it was strange that during all the time you were there together he didn’t come to join you (not that you complained about it)

You and the Uchiha saw each other a few times on the next days, and the feeling of familiarity between you only grew. You weren't sure of how to call it. You were fond of each other, but saying that you were just friends didn’t seem to be enough now

You both agreed that it was too soon to name it as a date or something, so you didn't tell anyone, not even your brothers

You wanted to be sure of your own feelings before making a statement. Were you still friends? Were you really in love? Was it just a crush, a superficial attraction? You wanted to understand what was going on

During this time, Hashirama didn’t make a comment or anything that suggested that he was aware of this situation, so you were a bit surprised when one day, he came to talk to you about it

“So you and Madara are engaging in a secret romance and you dared leaving your big brother out of this, y/n? Where did you learn such behavior?!”

“Don’t you really know?”, you smirked

“Excuse me?!”

“Am I the first person in this family to keep secrets that involve Madara, Hashi?” 😑

THE REDNESS ON HIS CHEEKS WAS PRICELESS LMAO

Hashirama was your elder brother aka the person who has been taking care of you since your parents left this world, so not only his worries were valid, but he also had the right to know, so yeah, he was a bit disappointed that you didn't tell him first

Now, I think his feelings about this were not as plain as some can imagine. In fact, he had a mixture of contradicting feelings and ended up talking about them more than demanding an explanation from you

On one hand, he was happy because he loves you both, so finding out that his little sis and his soul brother might have started a relationship was exciting 💖

On the other hand, he was worried because you were even younger than Tobirama, while Madara was not only older but more experienced than you and he knew his friend’s flaws better than anyone else

However, Hashi was an understanding person and was willing to listen, so you explained your feelings and your reasons to him, as well as part of your conversations with Madara, pointing out that making things this way was a mutual decision, for the best of you two and the people you knew

He pointed out that despite not calling your meetings a date, you two were already thinking as a couple 😏

You blushed and asked him to keep quiet, at least for a while

He promised you he would not say anything, but not before hugging you tight and crying about how his lil sis was growing up so fast saying how much he was happy for you two 💓

Tobirama

Prepare yourself to get your ass smacked and burning for an entire week lmao

Okay, so as you can easily imagine, it didn’t take much effort from Tobirama to find out that something was going on between you and Madara

It wasn’t that you two were reckless, it was just that your second brother was not stupid an observing man (and tbh how hard it must be to keep a secret from a smart sensor shinobi, uh?)

Unlike Hashirama, who took some time to connect the dots, he noticed small changes in your routine and behavior since the start

Why have you been so quiet, distracted lately? What has been occupying your mind? You were spending more time alone and/or out, and (yeah, he noticed that) you weve more concerned about your looks and manners than usual. Of course you were up to something 

Besides, you’ve suddenly became too defensive towards Madara and the Uchihas in general. Anything Tobirama said that sounded slightly negative about them was promptly refuted by you. You seemed to have a deeper understanding of their ideologies now, as if you were having long conversations with their leader

So, it was with no surprise that you saw the storm coming ⚡

One day, Tobirama came to your room without warning and just by looking at him you knew he figured it out 

How did he find out? Hashirama and his big mouth, probably. Or did he follow you and saw you two together? Well, he could have simply traced your chakra and once he sensed Madara’s close to you, the riddle was solved. But did it matter now?

His first words: “What is it?”

You don't need an explanation: you little sis + Madara Uchiha problem™ + maintaining your privacy keeping secrets from him

And now you were a brat possessed with the Uchiha evil, and not just with any Uchiha evil but with MADARA’S Uchiha evil 🔥🔥🔥

There was no way for you to have a normal conversation in the current circumstances. You had a heated argument, and I’m sure you’re capable of imagining what it means to have a heated argument with Tobirama

“Tobi, listen to me, I-”

“No YOU listen to me you brat possessed with the Uchiha evil”

Your brother didn’t even let you speak. He stated that not telling anything to your elder brother was not only wrong, but some sort of betrayal, then started remembering serious sh*t from the past when you were so young that you couldn’t even carry a sword the right way and everything you’ve already heard from him countless times before

But now you were done with his incapacity of simply listen, so you just stated that your elder brother Hashirama already knew it and that it was you who asked him to keep it a secret just for a while

“Hashirama is our leader, and if he knows and approves it, that’s enough for me and that should be enough for you too!”

“Hashirama is too soft with you, and this is why you behave like this!”

“Like this how? Living my life without asking for your permission? Is that what you mean?”

“Being unnecessarily connected with a man with whom we need to be careful in our treats, that’s what I mean. Our elder brother purposely ignores the fragile spots of this alliance and you know it, so there’s no excuse for your attitude!”

“Speaking like this about our ally could be considered some sort of betrayal, Tobi. If I was you, I would be careful!”

“Why? Are you going to tell him in your next date?”

“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!”

“Yes, I’m getting out and having a serious conversation with our brother about this!”

“Tobirama, the war is over! We all have to move on, whether you like it or not! So instead of wasting your time with something that’s none of your business, you should go and live your life as well!”

Yes, you lost your temper, and you only realized it when your brother fell silent and lowered his tone

“You are right, lilttle sister. But let me tell you something. My way to show that I care about you might not resemble Hashirama’s, but my feelings towards you are not less deep than his”

You were heartbroken after he left, yes, but you had to stand your ground. Tobi could be very controlling if he was given space to, so you had to learn to deal with this early in your life. In this point you were better than Hashi, who was too easygoing for his own good, so you felt like you had to be strong on your resistance for both of you, otherwise Tobirama would dominate every aspect of your life without even realizing. You loved him as well, but your decisions didn’t have to always gravitate towards him

Still, you weren’t proud of your words about the war. That was a sensitive matter for Tobi. Despite his silence about it, you sensed he was offended. You knew you went too far 💔

The conclusion

Later, Hashirama came to mediate the conflict, and he had some words for both of you. When Tobirama and you found ourselves in the same room, you were about to start a new argument, but your eldest brother elevated his chakra and demanded you to be silent, bc now it was his time to speak

“Brother, I understand you are worried about our sister and I am sure she acknowledges your efforts to protect and guide her, but that doesn’t give you the right to interfere in her decisions regarding her own life. She’s right to remind you about our alliance with the Uchiha clan and to say that we need to move on. If moving on means starting a relationship with Madara in her case, things are what they are. It is her life, not yours. And do not think I haven’t talk to her about this. Y/n is no longer a child, Tobirama. She’s aware of the challenges of maintaining such connection with the Uchiha leader”

“Little sister, I understand that our brother’s way to express his worries uses to irritate you. It happened many times when you two were little. But that doesn’t invalidate the honesty of his intentions. He loves you and cares about you as much as I do. Besides, I’ve already talked to you about thoughtless mentions of the war. That was a though period for all of us, which includes your brother. You were not with us at the battlefield, that’s true, but you weren’t immune to the dark consequences of what happened at it. You mourned our siblings with us, but you were too young to understand everything that was involved. That was not Tobirama’s case. He doesn’t talk about it, but he has his reasons for that, and this must be respected”

Hashirama left you two hoping you would be capable of getting along again, which eventually happened, but at its own pace

The next day you found Tobirama working at his desk. He already acknowledged your presence, but that didn’t discourage you. You hugged him from behind and said you were going out to the river, and he could come with you if he wanted to fish. His first response was a groan

“Is there more people coming with us?” = “Is there any possibility of Madara showing up?”

You kissed his bristly hair

“No. Just us. I promise. And when we get back, I’ll cook fish for you”

Your brother’s next groan meant many things at once, “I agree”, “Thank you” and “I apologize” being some of them 😜

[ging-pegger]

Ok but this scenario that where you trained with kite under Ging as well and he falls in love with you, but is too nervous to say anything to you so instead writes you a letter confessing and you only receive it once you find out he dies. I might write for this as well but It's been on my mind all day😩‼‼

IM NOT GOOD WITH ANGST BUT I'LL TRY

cw: angst, death, spoilers for the chimera arc 😰🚶‍♀️

ALSO IM SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG 🥴

You clenched the strap of the leather sachel that lay next to you as you leaned against a tree. The sun was unforgiving and cruel.

Just like the chimera ants.

There was no calm in this moment. Your mind, was racing. You envied gon who was knocked unconcious, he didnt have to think about the what ifs.

The scene of kite, loosing his arm. The anger, that took over you the more you thought about it. That thing. That monster... it had came out of nowhere. And there was nothing any of you could do.

You and kite had been friends for years. You had both trained under ging, and stuck together over since. You were always together. Whenever one was spotted, the other not far behind. And if you were being honest, you enjoyed the partnership. Every moment the two of you had spent together was unpredictable and exciting, until this very moment. A threat neither of you stood a chance compared to. Had most likely taken his life. You couldn't bear it.

You had left because you were told to. Because you had promised each other come a time when you could not save yourself, that it then became a matter of every man for themself.

You looked at the sachel. It was kite's.

It was almost as if something were drawing you to check the contents inside. For some reason, you were compelled to snoop through his things.

You had never, in the entire time you had known him, invaded his privacy nor had you overstepped your boundaries. It wasn't something you were eager to do, but, you just couldn't help yourself.

You glanced over at killua and gon. Gon was still out cold, and killua was resting his eyes in the shade of the tree. You felt comfortable knowing they weren't paying attention.

You took a deep breath, your hand shaking as you open the sachel. It was a mess. Random items, unorganized and left just as he had it the last time he opened it.

As you sifted through the items, something caught your eye. A neatly folded piece of parchment. You pick it up between your index and middle finger, carefully unfolding it.

To your suprise, it was addressed to you.

Greetings, my dearest, __,

Over these many, many, years we've shared a beautiful friendship journey together. From the moment we first met, training under Ging, i knew you were special. We've remained strong together through difficult times and even shared some great laughs. Today, I can't shake my feeling of confidence that our friendship has developed into something much more. I am well aware that it is your company that I seek at all times in my life. I wish to take you on all of my adventures of life, even the ones that are mediocre at best compared to the ones we've shared together throughout these years. I want to create new adventures with you. I'm not hesitant to say it, i am in love with you __.

I'm in awe of the person you are. The vulnerability, and truths youve revealed to me those nights we were alone together. In the moments weve shared under the night sky, staying up and talking. Sharing our hopes and dreams. Yearning for adventure and new expiriences, even talking about sharing them together. I've realized that you're the one I want to love and care about for the rest of my life. I've no doubt that you've picked up on the changes in my mannerisms , so I wanted to tell you what's been on my mind. Whatever your response, I assure you that I will not make anything different or weird between us. I value our friendship over anything, and if you don't desire to move forward, I completely understand. But I ask that you consider these thoughts I've presented to you.

Yours devotedly and lovingly, Kite.

As you were reading this letter, something clicked inside of you. Tears streaming down your face, you stared at the letter in disbelief. You were in love with kite.

"We have to go back-" you blurted out, your emotions taking over you. "We can't leave him there to die!" You stood up, grabbing the sachel, and slinging it over your shoulder

"What the hell did you read!?" Killua called after you. "You heard kite! He said to leave. He made us promise to leave him if he said to!"

"I cant. I can't let him die." You wiped the tears from your face, staining it with the dirt that was on your hands. "Kite is my best friend... you two can stay here, but I'm returning."

Killua watched as you headed back towards the entrance of the NGL. "You idiot!! You're walking into a death trap!" Killua called after you.

His words of warning only acted as encouragement. Reminding you of the danger he was in.

You looked over your shoulder, waving at killua before stepping inside.

[pbandjesse]

I am at my parents house! Things feel good. I still miss James very much. But its been a pretty excellent day. 

I did not sleep well. I couldnt fall asleep until almost 3. And so when I woke up at 8 I was pretty miserable. I considered sleeping more, but I didnt. I shook it off and got ready. I wanted to get in the car and go. 

It was very cold and rainy this morning. James texted me and told me it had snowed where they were. Crazy. 

I got up and ready and I felt alright. I had to make two runs down to the car to get everything in order. I was very proud of myself for how I packed. And I was out the door around 830. 

I took the long way to the mcdonalds, not on purpose but whatever. I got three hashbrowns and a sandwich and was on the highway around 9. I did miss the entrance and had to backtrack a little. 

It wasnt a bad drive. I enjoyed my podcast. It was mostly just a boring drive. Only had a little trouble near Delaware. But I made great time and was at my family's house at 11.

It was so good to see my parents. We spent lots of time talking. Joking. It was really nice. And after lots of hanging out me and mom headed out into the world. 

It was the first time weve gone out and shopped together in over a year. Which was really weird in how it just felt so normal. Everything felt super normal and it was just really nice. 

We went to goodwill and I got a small ratten foot locker, and some clothes. I also got James some shirts. And I got a salt and pepper shaker that looks like a duck. I love it. It was just a fun time though. 

We went to a restore next. I got a basket and a beanie baby. The smaller version of the one James got me for my birthday. Its its baby. We just talked about stuff and it was a good time. 

We went to marshals next. Smelt all the soaps. I got birthday cake scented soap, mom got lavender. And then we went to have a late lunch at Panera. 

It was only the second time Ive eaten inside in a year.  We only did that because it was so windy outside. We got soup and I got a salad. Mom got a half sandwich. We talked about plans. About travel. About weddings. About depression and medication. Ive missed this. 

We headed home after that. Jess texted me so it wouldnt be long until I was on the road the 5 minutes to go hang out with her. 

It was a great time. We roller skated! It started raining and it was very windy. But it was fun. We will do it again for sure. We went inside and her family had ordered pizza. So I enjoyed that. Jess cannot eat pizza right now, so I ate it for her. And then we talk to her mom. I told her crazy stories about my life and work and family. It was good to tell stories. I always like that. 

We went upstairs and exchanged the squishmallows we got eachother. And then she cut the back of my hair. Kerry, her sister in law, came and sat with us and we talked about DND for way to long but it was so cute and fun. I am having a blast. 

But man am I tired. I was at Jess's until about 730. But I had to head out. I made a stop at the grocery to get mom some flowers for mothers day. And some drink. Raspberry blood orange juice, coconut milk, a box of tea. Im going to make some concoction tomorrow. 

So now Im sitting in the kitchen. Not in my old tall chair, but at the table. Making orange tea. And soon I will take a shower and try on my new clothes. I really hope I can sleep tonight. I hope you all have a great night. Take care of eachother. Goodnight. And happy mothers day

[hello-yue-here]

Pass the happy! 🧡 When you get this, reply with 5 things that make you happy and send this to the last 10 people in your notifications!

this is so cute!

lets see

1) my best friend. shes been my best friend since like 5th/6th grade and weve been there for eachother through everything and i feel very lucky to have her in my life. my school does a senior retreat every year and i went in the same group as her for mine and there was this one night where we recieved letters and affirmations from family members and friends and we have a time of meditation where we could do whatever we wanted like meditating, journaling, writing our own letters, and i spent the entire two hour meditation writing a letter to her about how much she meant to me. she went on to be a leader for another groups retreat and read the letter i wrote to her on that groups meditation night. as a leader she wrote a speech and after reading my letter she rewrote her speech based on what i wrote her and i sobbed when i read her speech. she means the world to me and idk what id do without her.

2) performing. i love singing and acting (and dancing ig but im rlly bad at it lol) and ive been in like 47 musicals so thats always been a huge part of my life and a way for me to escape my own life and become someone else for a little bit. sometimes real life becomes a little too much but onstage im not me anymore and its nice. wrote my college essay on this i thought it was pretty good.

3) my family lives on a block with four families that all have small children from like 2-7 years old and my family is right in the middle of it and im the youngest (18) but our yards are all connected and my family has a fire pit and my dad always sets up the fire and a movie screen and my mom buys smore supplies and all the little kids come to our yard for movies and smores and they like when i play tag with them and the parents all talk and drink beers and its so much fun and everyone always having a good time and these little kids always come to our house and ask for fruit snacka because they know my mom will give it to them. i think my parents like the feeling of being able to look after little kids again so its just a very nice feeling all around. i love those nights we all hang out together its so fun.

4) atla obviously lol. this show was intended for kids but like,,, watching it as a 17 year old for the first time i was blown away. it was beautiful. the storytelling and the messages that it taught and the lessons. everything was so incredible. it inspired me to get back into fandom life and writing and being creative which was such a needed thing for me because i was in a sad place during quarantine but this helped me to become creative again and write again and i love that for me

5) learning. i love the idea of traveling the world and exploring nature and learning about other cultures. i want to know as much as i can about how people live differently from me. i want to know how things work. i want to know about animals and how they survive. i want to know about the stars. i want to know about other religions and the history of cultures and countries that they dont teach in the US. learning through my own desire to learn instead of being forced to learn in school is the type of learning i love and the type of learning that makes me happy.

i did not expect to write this much but i hope you all enjoy what makes me happy!! this was very cute and wholesome and put me in a good mood :))

[beingjustbeing]

Coloring pages and child development

Can you draw a straight line? Most adults dont consider themselves artistic. Parents do, however, worry about their toddlers art abilities. As a child care provider for the past 10 years, Ive had many discussions with parents about how their toddler is doing as far as getting ready for preschool or kindergarten. They worry a lot about the final product of their toddlers art projects. I try to explain to them that art is not just knowing how to draw a flower or a puppy, or whether or not little Jason colors in the lines. Little kids need to experience self-expression and the doing of art more than having a page from a coloring book to hang on the refrigerator.

When a two-year old puts his chubby little hand in a tub of finger paint and happily smears all of the colors together on the paper or when he makes yet another snowman out of play-doh, hes creating. Granted, he will certainly tell you that his painting is his dads truck even though you just cant see it. The important thing to remember is that by allowing our little kids to experience art in their own way, we let them show us how they see the world around them, how they feel and think.

I always enjoy art time with my toddler and preschool age groups. Yeah, they can make a mess, but they just wiggle with excitement when I take out the arts & crafts tub of supplies! Having lived in a few different places, Ive always returned to providing home day care. As a result, Ive had to make do with whatever space I can find in the various homes weve lived in. Theres not always a lot of room, but art can take place just about anywhere. Ive found that the activity is most effective when its pre-planned and when Ive set goals for the activity.

Art is important for toddlers because of the way it makes little kids feel special and good about themselves. When your toddler finishes a magazine cut-out collage and holds up his masterpiece to you with that beaming smile doesnt that make you feel good about both of you? Through creating simple art projects, that same toddler is not only learning to take pride in his accomplishments, but also to think and refine his hand-eye coordination and physical skills. Through art, children learn to identify colors, cause-and-effect, shapes, problem solving, sharing and cooperation among many other skills.

Parents must remember to ask toddlers or preschoolers questions about their projects that will make them think about what theyve made rather than ask them What is that? For example, C.J., tell Mommy about your painting. C.J will start to talk about his work or anything else he feels important at the time! This also shows your child that you are interested in what he thinks and arent just confused about what you see! Make sure to hang the art work up in a prominent place in your home so the entire family can enjoy it.

Art experiences are a major part of a toddlers daily activities. They have grown enough to grasp objects and tear paper and hold crayons and brushes. Naturally they are thrilled with the anticipation of a new art project, and most importantly, with the quality time spent with the important adults in his/her life.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR EASTER EGG COLORING PAGE

[angelicguy]

My (23F) fiance (23M) is asked to go home to do chores for several days at a time and im sick of it

I need strategies for discussing this issue, since im getting progressively angrier about it and i dont want this to turn into a larger issue. Weve been together for 4 years, for some context. My fiance is often asked to go to his parents house for several days at a time to do house maintenance and yard work. He missed our anniversary last year because he needed to paint the house for the hundredth time. Hes currently there now, since theyre putting in a new fence, and he spent 2 days staining fences and pulling out thistles. The only reason he didnt put in the fence and refurbish the old one was because it was storming yesterday. They just give him a list of random chores to do. Hes now helping his mom transfer photos from her phone to her computer. He doesnt know if he will be home for dinner and wont know until hes done with that. He has a 17 year old brother at home and a 20 year old brother closer to their house than we are, since we live 1.5 hrs, 2 hrs away. That brother lives 45 mins away. I  am getting progressively more irritated that the 17 year old is apparently incapable of doing any chores, and the 20 year old who is CLOSER gets a free pass as well. Like really, your mom needs YOU SPECIFICALLY to transfer these pictures when she has a capable other son at home? I have talked to him about it in the past, and he says he feels guilty because he messed up his first 2 years of college really really badly, and they helped him financially and forgave him for basically failing out (Hes back on track now with good grades). I want to scream that we have our own life now. You may not always be within driving distance, like what are they going to do then? I am essentially your WIFE and you cant tell me if youre going to be HOME FOR DINNER? PLEASE reddit, i need some advice

[captainstevenrogerswrites]

Human torch and Iron man: an unlikely match that's gone from strength to strength....

The human torch and Iron man have always been used to hitting headlines on their own but they both made massive waves through headlines together last year when they were seen kissing outside a cafe. Two famous playboys now devoted to one another.

Now a year on they are happily married, have a multi billion dollar empire, created a charity to help people get off the streets and into full time jobs and a roof over their heads. Stark Industries have even started an internship for people older than the typical young age to make sure everyone gets a chance of a second chance. They also have five homes across the world and a life that makes anyone jealous but unlike many celebrities they have kept their private lives.....well private.

In their first interview together , we try and find out what keeps this relationship going and how they make it work so well.

@flamingshieldwrites @sassystarkinatorwrites

[[MORE]]

Location: central park.

I had honestly expected for this interview to be at Stark Industries, but as I sit on one of the many bench tables here, listening to the birds, people going by and the warm sun on my back, I get why they insisted on coming here.

First to turn up is Johnny, his slightly longer hair gelled back and his stubble still shining on his face, two features that people have noticed since their relationship. Hes dressed up in a dark pair of jeans and a tight fitted white tee with sunglasses over his eyes and his swade jacket loosely over his shoulder. He offers me that big kid grin hes known for as he reaches for my hand to greet me, telling me it's so nice to meet me and his husband is minutes away.

He isnt wrong either, a man in a dark grey suit comes jogging towards us, the classic Tony Stark look and I can understand why some people feel intimidated as he reaches for my hand and apologies hes late after a meeting over ran. He jokes that it's one of those meetings that shouldve been an email instead, in a way we all feel him there.

I'm now sat opposite the two most private yet talked about men in New York and they seem so happy together, reaching for each others hand, you wouldnt be blamed for thinking they were still in the Honeymoon period of their relationship.

Q. Congratulations it's nearly your first anniversary together, any plans yet?

J- Thanks man, not killing each other for a start -laughs- I'm joking dude, I seriously couldnt be happier.

T- Damnit that was my line, darling -nudges his shoulder and smirks- Thanks, cant believe it's nearly a year already and who knows, maybe I'll marry him again.

You can see how much they banter how inlove they really are. This isnt an act for the world but a real love between them and I cant help but try not to swoon as I witness it all.

Q. You've both had very public relationships before one another, why did you decide to go private with each other?

T- it's not out of shame. I love this man to bits but when you find the real thing, its precious and you realise how much it means to protect such a thing. We find it important to have a private life and be with one another and besides keeps all you lot guessing.

J- play nice, Tones -they chuckle together and I swear theres alot of inside jokes between them going on- we value our privacy which I know some people say is hypercritical to say we are public images but its our life and we love how we both can come home and relax together, leaving the outside world outside for a while. Everyone needs to recharge man.

Q. Did you find it weird that Johnny was a massive fan of yours?

T- No, I actually enjoyed it and I didnt blame him. The only drawback is that he had loved me for longer before I met and loved him.

J- Daaaaaaamn shouldve crashed into your life sooner then.

Q. Was it love at first sight?

J- Yes!!! I mean look at him.

T- more like love at first oops -Tony laughs as Johnny rolls his eyes playfully-

Q. Who's idea was it to come up with the charity?

J- Both of us , we kept seeing people on the streets and thinking why are we living in such a world?. We couldnt keep walking past them and not try and help them.

T- Johnnys right, we live in a world so advanced and yet we still have people living on the streets. The Government wouldn't or couldn't do anything so we put our heads together and bam the charity was born.

Q. How do you deal with Johnny looking like Captain America?

Johnny rolls his eyes as if he's heard this question a million times.

T- I dont see it and out of all the people, I've spent years with the Cap and very intimate with my husband, if there was a similarity then I would be seeing it. They're two completely people, I dont go around trying to kiss the Cap thinking hes my husband. They're different, trust me.

J- Well I hope you dont kiss the Cap -johnny chuckles clearly joking-

T- you taste different anyway-he winks, but you can imagine how their jokes might be conceived as rumours at times-

Q. One piece of advice to give to others that make a relationship work...

J- communicate the hell out of each other. Talk about it all, talk through everything, dont leave the other second guessing. Whatever happens talk to one another. Tony and I do and theres nothing left unsaid, think that's what makes us stronger too, good or bad, we talk shit out.

T- Dont leave or go to bed angry or upset. If we have a disagreement I refuse to go to work until weve sorted it out, same with sleeping. I'll stay up all night if it means sorting shit out too. What if you didnt and something fucked up happened, angry or upset words are going to haunt you forever if they're the last words.

Q. Do you miss your playboy ways? You both could go anywhere and get attention.

T- Tony laughs as Johnny looks slightly unamused- yeah all the time -he gives off the famous tony stark rolling eyes- not one second of it. I still get attention but my husband is the only one that gets it back. So try all you want, hes the one walking home with me every night.

J- I'm HIS playboy and like he said we go home together so fuck the rest.....not literally.

((Part 2 coming soon....))

[wiferhi]

2020SEPT13

On Sept 5th, Christian went to Toronto and Josh and Helen got married. It sounds like Christian had the time of his life with his two closest childhood friends and his skeptism of the relationship completely disappeared when he saw Josh and Helen together and how happy they were. Getting married 6 months after meeting still seems a little crazy, but if I think about it, I did know aroums the 6 month mark that I wanted to marry Christian and I havent wavered since.. my love has grown a million times deeper since then too. Christian ended up telling everyone at the wedding that we are getting married, and I told Katherine and Maddie already.. so much for us keeping it a secret until the ring comes 😂

I know I will cherish this time for the rest of my life. Christian and I have been talking about how we never expected our love to just keep getting deeper and our relationship to keep getting better and better. I look back on even just a few months ago, and I never thought I could be more in love then but here we are. We both well know that we are in a secone honeymoon phase, were planning a wedding and have just moved to a new city and are seeing our futures together with stars in our eyes. Just blessed beyond belief. I hope and I pray we are able to live a long and healthy life together.

That being said we have found a couple neighborhoods that we love and Im really excited about it. Weve spent the last 2 days exploring the neighborhood, going to the trendy pubs there and comedy club. Imagine us living on that street.. we wohld be the trendiest parents around lol.. anyway dreaming about the future is fun and Im feeling so happy and I just always want to remember this time 💓

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu – The Tokyo Battle

Entertainment Station Interview Translation with Nagata Takato and Kondou Shouri

Full interview translation and more photos under the Read More! Please do not repost my translations or scans.

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Nagata-san and Kondou-san, it’s been about year since we’ve seen you appear in this series since “Start of the Giant.”

Takato: One year huh... Ever since we first appeared back in December of 2016 with “Karasuno, Revival!” we’ve done an Engeki Haikyuu every six months afterward, and at that pace I sort of worried if I might get a little tired of it, but I’ve been able to add to my experience with other plays in the past year, and now I really want to bring “The Tokyo Battle” to life.  

Shouri: Karasuno High won’t be appearing in “The Tokyo Battle,” but together with everyone in Fukurodani and Nohebi, we’re going to get everyone even more excited about the amazing production that is Engeki Haikyuu!

When you’re doing photoshoots for the play visuals, do you get back the feeling of Kuroo instantly once you put on the hair and the makeup and the uniform?

Shouri: In one sense, but even more because we move around a lot during those shoots, and when I start to feel sore after we’re done, then I feel like, “Ah, this is Haikyuu!” (laughs)

Takato: Once rehearsals start, you basically live with a little bit of muscle soreness all the time.  Every single time we do this, the day after the first day of rehearsals, I’m sore all over and it’s hard to even walk.

Shouri: I move around a lot in other shows too, and I go to the gym regularly, but even so Engeki Haikyuu rehearsals are seriously tough! The stage is slanted, and just from that alone you end up using muscles you don’t normally use just to brace yourself on certain parts of the stage.  

Takato: That’s how we train our “Haikyuu muscles.” (laughs)

Speaking of those “Haikyuu muscles,” which specific muscles would those be?

Shouri: Mostly your lower half.  Your thighs and calves get especially rock-hard.  The road back to rehearsals is a lot of, “Yeah yeah, that! That pain,” but that is part of the Engeki Haikyuu experience, and I’m going to enjoy it all over.  

This time we’ll see Fukurodani Academy and Nohebi Academy as they compete for a spot for the Spring High national tournament.  What are your impressions of your opponents?  

Takato: When it comes to Fukurodani’s Bokuto Koutarou and Akaashi Keiji, this will actually be our third time appearing together with them, but this will be Nohebi Academy’s first appearance... so I wonder?  But you can tell just by looking at the school names that our secondary theme is “Battle of the Animals,” and the thing to look for will be to see how the fight will go when it’s cats versus owls or when it’s cats versus snakes.  

As a fan, I’m very much looking forward to see how Engeki will portray the various highlight scenes from the manga.  Do you personally have any parts where you think, “It’d be great if we could have that scene from the manga,” or “I’d love to make this my highlight scene?”  

Shouri: For me, it’s the combination plays between Kuroo Tetsurou and Kozume Kenma.  When I read the manga, I immediately thought, “That was amazing!” for certain parts and I definitely want to recreate some of those on-stage.  

Takato: In the manga, this is the part where we get a lot of great expressions from Kenma.  For example, after Haiba Lev joins in, the usually poker-faced Kenma starts to make a lot of snide comments. (laughs)  But that side of Kenma is cute too, and I always want to play him while keeping that in mind.  And then of course, Nekoma will be the main school this time, so we’ll be situated right in the center of everything, so our level of responsibility has changed. We’re going to lead the company with confidence and make a magnificent play.  

Shouri: For Nekoma, I’m looking forward to seeing the first-years develop.  I’m looking forward to Ishikura Noah’s Haiba Lev and Kimura Fuuta’s Shibayama Yuuki, and the new female cast members!

Since this will be an episode without Karasuno who have been the main characters thus far, and adding in the new cast members as well, this production as a whole is going to have a different atmosphere and color and style, isn’t it?

Takato: If we don’t change to something new and good, then everything we’ve built up so far will go to waste.  I think it’s going to be extremely difficult, but we’re continuing the will of the Engeki Haikyuu that we’ve built up together with Suga Kenta and everyone else in the first generation of Karasuno who led the way, and from now on, we have to be the ones to lead the way... I firmly believe that.

Shouri: Let’s help each other!  We’ll help each other, support each other, boost each other... because that’s our specialty on Nekoma.  

Takato: Yeah.  I can say with confidence that we won’t lose to any other school when it comes to our teamwork.  We’ll display that great teamwork of ours front and center, and hope to create a new Engeki Haikyuu with everyone in the cast. 

And now I’d like to look back on previous tours.  I’d like to ask you about your memories of the Karasuno cast who graduated at the end of last year.

Takato:  We spent about two years with them starting with “Karasuno, Revival!” and in a certain sense, we have an inseparable relationship.  Even if we’re a different school, we’ve been Karasuno members ourselves in some ways...

Shouri:  It does feel like even the Karasuno cast think of us as part of them.  “Karasuno and then some.”  During the Miyagi portion of the “Start of the Giant” tour, me and Takato, Kenta-kun, Kosaka Ryoutarou, and Arita Kenji were talking, and then suddenly everyone from Karasuno had gathered together, and someone said something along the lines of, “This will be the last Engeki Haikyuu with these guys, and that’s sad,” and I just involuntarily started crying.  

Takato: We had a closing party of sorts in the middle of the tour, and when I hugged Kenta-kun, I just wailed.  

Shouri: At first I thought, “Come on, we haven’t even finished all our shows yet,” but then suddenly it was me and Takato and Kenta-kun all hugging and wailing together. (strained laugh)  Seeing us like that, everyone laughed and said, “You guys, we’re not even done yet, why are you crying?!” but we were really sad about Karasuno’s graduation.  

Takato: But it doesn’t mean that our relationship ends just because they graduated, and I definitely want to act together with them in some other production.  Probably they’ll come hang out during rehearsals of “The Tokyo Battle”?

Shouri: Kenta-kun said, “I’m going to keep watching over Engeki Haikyuu from the audience, and I’m going to stay over in the dressing rooms too!” (laughs)

Takato: In exchange for us just turning over a dressing room for Kenta-kun’s use, he can treat us to bentos!

Shouri: Let’s LINE him and say, “Treat us to some bentos ♡”.  (laughs)

As rehearsals formally begin for “The Tokyo Battle,” is there anything you’re especially looking forward to?

Shouri: There’s a lot I’m looking forward to, but the most important thing is that we stay careful and focused so that we don’t get injured!  I really think we have to be careful about injuries, and in the worst case that someone does get injured, that the damage will be minimal.  So I’ve been thinking that I need to do some training on my own starting now.  

Obviously this is true of cast injuries, but when I heard that even the director Worry Kinoshita-san isn’t free from injury, I was surprised. (laughs)

Takato: Ah, that makes it seem like it’s our fault but it’s not! (laughs)  Worry-san will watch us at rehearsals and then on his own just go, “No, not like that! That part’s more... -jerks his ankle- Owww!” and then he twisted his ankle, but we didn’t do anything.  

Shouri: Worry-san gets the most excited when he’s with our group.  When the music gets going, he’ll dance his “Worry☆Dance,” and then when he gets too excited from that, he ends up hurting himself. (strained laugh)

Engeki Haikyuu obviously has dancing, lifts, and acrobatics, and I’m always surprised with the various ways in which you use your bodies to express everything.

Takato: It’s the appeal of Engeki Haikyuu: it surpasses the general concept of a stage play and greedily takes in and incorporates all sorts of challenging things.  We attack our limits and then the breadth of what we can show gets steadily more expansive. It’s fun for us, and I think it’s really cool.  

Be honest, have you ever once had a moment where you said, “This is impossible!”

Takato: Even if I think it’s impossible, when I try it out I can be surprisingly capable.  In “Start of the Giant,” there’s a part where Shouri and I do a one-handed backflip followed immediately by a dolphin and then from there we do a scorpion to get up... Trying to explain it is... It’s easier to understand if you just watch the DVD (strained laugh), but even that seemingly impossible sequence of techniques is doable once you try it.  In “Summer of Evolution,” when Shouri and I were using pro-wrestling moves like Luchadors, I got that down in one blow.  

That was when you wrapped your legs around his neck and then flipped around, right?

Takato: Yes, exactly.  That’s a contact move, so it’s really important to have a lot of trust in each other.

Shouri: If we don’t match our timing, he’d go flying so it’s a pretty scary technique, but we just went, “Something like this?” and tried it, and we did it.  

Takato: At Engeki Haikyuu, we have brainstorming sessions and there people suggest things going, “I want to try this kind of thing,” and then we decide what we’ll use.  During “Start of the Giant,” I wanted to throw in hints to a line from the manga about “a controlled fist-fight” and suggested, “For the Nekoma and Fukurodani match scenes, what if we have us appear on-stage in those hooded robes like boxers wear and make it look like a boxing match?” and people went, “That’s great!” and we went with that.  

Shouri: And this time I think we’ll be using a lot of moves that mimic animals according to our school names, so please look forward to how that’ll look.  

“The Tokyo Battle” opens on April 5th starting in Osaka, then moving to Miyagi, then Tokyo for a one-month long tour. Please give us a message to everyone who’s looking forward to seeing this play.

Takato: We are carrying on the torch for Engeki Haikyuu, and from here on I think a brand new Engeki Haikyuu will begin.  We will meet the expectations of everyone who’s loved Engeki Haikyuu until now, and to people who haven’t yet seen Engeki Haikyuu, we’ll show them the Engeki Haikyuu charm.  To that end, everyone on the cast will give their all together, so please come see us!  

Shouri: This is a production that children and adults, men and women can enjoy without question, so if you’re on the fence going, “Should I go see it? Hmm, what should I do?” I want you to take this chance and definitely come see us.  We’ll definitely make you have a good time, and put on a production that’ll work up your spirits!  We’ll be waiting for you at the theater!!  

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Translated by @nimbus-cloud Please do not repost my translations

If you appreciate the work I do for this blog and want to support my translation efforts, please consider donating a ko-fi!  (x)

The original interview can be read online here: (x)

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Bonus: Kenta quote-RTing their interview

Kenta (x) The crybaby duo.

[apriorisea]

BTS Imagine: Insecure - Hoseok

You exhale in relief as you kick off your heels inside the door of the apartment: work had been kicking your butt lately and you were excited for the weekend. A whole 2 days of absolutely nothing except hanging out with your boyfriend and NOT thinking about work. You rub the back of your neck. “Hobi?”    “In here,” he calls from the bedroom.    You smile automatically as you pull off your least-favorite work blazer; you hadn’t realized until just this moment how much you’ve missed him. Your schedules seemed so out of sync lately, to the point where you’d had to turn down his dinner invitation a few times; you’d even missed accompanying him to a music-show taping. In the 7 months the two of you had been together, you hadn’t ever missed even one.    He’s sitting cross-legged on the bed, his computer in front of him, in comfy joggers and his favorite hole-y hoodie. He smiles up at you. “Hi angel,” he says brightly. “How are you?”    “So tired,” you groaned, flopping onto the bed. He immediately adjusts so you can rest your head against his thigh, one of his hands going to stroke your hair automatically. “Why do I keep going back to that place??”    He makes a soft, pitying clucking sound. “Because you love it. Usually.”    You sigh at his reminder and curl into a ball, closing your eyes tight as if that can make his rational statement evaporate. “I guess. But now I have the whole weekend off—-2 whole days without having to worry about deadlines or anything else!”     “That’s good. What do you want to do with all your time off?”     “Sleep and eat and watch dumb TV shows and sleep some more!” You open your eyes when he only makes a quiet ‘hmm’ in response. You roll over to look up at him. “What about you? How was your day?”     He shrugs and looks away from you for the first time. “It was fine. Nothing special.”     You trace the pattern of the logo on his joggers. “Well how about your week? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. How was the taping?”    “Good! You know how much we like going on that show—always an experience.”    “Oh yeah?” you ask, hungry for information. “What happened this time?”    He lifts one shoulder in another half-shrug. “Oh, you know, we made our way through it. I only had to yell at Jin-hyung once.”    You hesitate. It was an answer, but not a real one: you both knew that Hoseok didn’t have to yell at Jin very much anymore. It was clearly a joke, an old one that you hadn’t heard for a long time. “Oh…” you say more slowly. “Nothing else? That host was so rude to you guys last time!”    “Yeah, that was crazy,” he says. “But, you know, it was good. Nothing we can’t handle!”    This makes you frown. “So you’re saying he suddenly got a million times more respectful? Because—”    “It really was fine, angel,” he interrupts you. “What do you want for dinner? Are you hungry? I think some of the guys might be doing pizza night at Jimin’s, if you want?”     You sat up abruptly, knocking his hand away from your hair as you did. “Pizza night with the guys?” you repeat. Something is wrong. The two of you hadn’t been able to hang out alone for the last week, and he’s offering up pizza night with the guys? You look at him carefully.    “Sweetie? Everything okay?”    He doesn’t lose his pleasant expression and that’s when it hits you in the gut: this was the old Hoseok, the one from your first and second and third dates, the one who wasn’t sure how much to trust you, the one who held back from revealing too much, who kept it light and shied away from anything too real. This wasn’t your Hoseok, this was J-Hope, noted sunshine and happy virus from the most popular boy band in the world. The realization stings. “Hoseok…” you say slowly. “I’m really sorry I missed the taping. I wanted to be there, you know I did, I just…my stupid partner at work made another dumb mistake and so I had to fix his mess. I really am sorry.”    He smiles (again) and shrugs (again). “It’s really okay.” He reaches out to close his laptop. “So, what do you think about dinner? We could also go to the ramen place on the corner.”    The busiest and loudest restaurant in the neighborhood. You swallow down your hurt, trying to figure out what could have happened to make him react like this. “Do you not want to be alone with me?” The blunt question rushes out of your mouth in one breath, the words slurring together.    “What??” he blinks in astonishment, but unfortunately for him, you’ve grown too accustomed to his for-the-camera reactions. “Why would you say that? I’m just feeling like some tasty ramen, that’s all.”    You stare him down, waiting for him to break. When he doesn’t, you say, “You guys are filming the new dance practice video on Sunday, aren’t you? How is it going?”    “Oh.” He can’t maintain eye contact. “It’s fine. Great, I mean, you should see the outfit Tae is planning to wear!”    “So you’re not worried about how sloppy the bridge looks anymore?”     “Nah.” He brushes it off with a grin. “We’ll make it work—we always do!”    Another idol-ism. You grind your back teeth in frustration, then go in for the kill. “I was talking to Yoongi yesterday: he said you strained your shoulder during the taping. Is it okay?”     “Of c—”     “Knock it off.” You couldn’t take it anymore. “What is the matter??”     He shifts uncomfortably; you notice that he doesn’t move the strained shoulder very much. “Nothing, angel, I—”     “You’re lying to me,” you accuse. “You haven’t answered any of my questions. This isn’t a real conversation, this is–this is—” You can’t find the right words, so you go for the easiest ones. “This is you being an Idol instead of a boyfriend.”    He looks hurt, but can’t actually deny it. “I—” The edges of his mask start to crack, and in-between the lines you see the real him.    You feel some of your frustration disappear when you see the hurt in his face. You duck your head to catch his eyes, and reach out for him; when your hand lands gently on his shoulder, he winces, and you lean forward automatically. “Hobi,” you say softly. “What is going on?” You move your hand to touch the side of his face and feel him break.    His face crumples. “You don’t love me anymore,” he breathes.    “Excuse me?” You feel your jaw drop slightly. “How exactly did you come up with that?”    He shrugs—you notice that it’s the uninjured shoulder that moves—and the first little tear escapes. “I don’t–I don’t know. You’ve just been gone so much, and I-I know how nice you are, angel, you’d never want to hurt anybody, so I figured…I figured you were just letting me down easy, slowly distancing yourself because you don’t love me anymore, and I just, I didn’t know what to do.”    You take this in slowly: this week must have been even harder for him that you had realized. Between the shoulder injury, the uncomfortable taping, the time spent apart, and the pressures of the job, he had obviously been running himself down and was now at the end of his energy. You felt bad that you hadn’t seen it sooner. Taking a small breath, you lean in and press your lips gently, but firmly, against his cheek. “Okay,” you say as you straighten. “Lay down, sweetheart.”   He looks over at you in surprise.    “Go on,” you encourage, scooting off the bed and putting his computer away for him. “Make sure your shoulder is comfortable.” You give him a look until he follows your instructions, then hurry down the hall to get a heating pad. You wait impatiently while the microwave does its job, every part of you itching to go back to him. When it’s finally done, you go back to the room to find him sitting back against a mountain of pillows, his shoulder supported carefully. You climb onto the bed next to him and set the heating pad gently against his shoulder, wincing with him empathetically. “So,” you say softly, brushing his hair out of his face. “You’ve had a rough week, huh?”    He doesn’t answer, still trying to pull himself together.    You sigh and lean in to kiss him. His eyes close slowly. You smile as you feel his arm wrap around you to hold you in place. After a long moment, you pull away and brush through his hair again. “You really think I don’t love you?” Before he can answer, you add, “I’m really sorry I haven’t been around lately. It killed me not to be at the taping, and I’m so sorry you hurt your shoulder.” You readjust the heating pad.    “I love you, angel,” he says quietly, his hand still resting on your lower back. “I don’t know why I got so crazy, I just….”    “I think you’ve had a long week,” you reassure him. “And…this is the first week we’ve spent completely apart, so maybe this was good.” He scoffs under his breath and you smile. “Okay, not good, but we survived it, right?”    He tugs you down next to him, curling his arm around you. “Barely,” he admits, turning to kiss the side of your head. You feel him wince again as the movement hurts his shoulder.    “For the record,” you say after a second, “One of the best moments of my life so far was when you started opening up to me, when I became your best friend, when I fell in love with you. So when you shut down like that….”    “I’m sorry,” he says immediately. “You are my very best friend,” he adds earnestly. “And I love you more than anything. I’ll be better from here on out.”    You shake your head. “You don’t have to be “better”–just be you.”    He rests his head against yours, content and relaxed again. “Promise.”