#boldfaced or italicized??

[anonymous-dentist]

You are so smart and so cool. I just wanted you to know that

99% of my accuracy when writing characters is because of my autism. It’s just simple pattern recognition! After watching through one stream, I can analyze the characters’ speaking patterns and the way they move on camera and in game and kinda combine the two and come up with an okay sort of characterization. Usually. It’s a bit harder with these non-English-speaking characters, but it’s just a matter of looking at when they pause when speaking and the kinds of words they verbally italicize or boldface and going from there

[zetto52sd]

If you would like to read the bill, here it is. The boldfaced italicized words in the bill are what would be added/changed to in the current law, which is in standard text.

Source

[avaantares]

(yet another) rant: Please stop with the frivolous Trigger Warnings

(Note: If you want to skip the recipe blog intro and get to the actual important stuff, scroll down to the header that says, "Which Warning to Use on Your Post")

Sooo I made a text post that had a few words in capital letters mixed in for effect (the rest of the text was in standard formatting). Someone reblogged it with the tags "tw: all caps" and "tw: capital letters."

The existence of these tags, specifically in the form of a trigger warning, struck me as weird. I mean, I can see why someone might be uncomfortable with an all-caps text block, if they've dealt with abusive/angry capslocked emails or something, and I can see how large blocks of capitalized text could be difficult to read, and some users might prefer to avoid them. But...

Limited capitalization as emphasis (e.g. dropping OH WAIT in the middle of otherwise lower-case text to indicate a shift in tone) does not present the same issues as a solid block of capslocked text;

I have not encountered this tag in the plethora of posts that employ the meme/joke format of subverting standard case usage or alternating case (yes, the SpongeBob meme is a thing with an actual academic definition, and it also predates the existence of SpongeBob by some decades); and

Most importantly, while formatting definitely affects user experience and can be worth tagging for that reason, I wouldn't have escalated it to the level of a trigger, which is a term with a pretty specific definition:

The concept of ‘triggering’ describes the re-experiencing of unpleasant PTSD symptoms such as intrusive thoughts being evoked by exposure to materials which spark traumatic memories. Hence, content warnings have a long presence in psychiatric literature. [source: Typology of content warnings and trigger warnings: Systematic review]

(Full disclosure for anyone who hasn't already learned from reading my rants: I have a background in behavior science, so I'm all about scientific definitions and correct application of same.)

But I thought that maybe I was misinterpreting what was being tagged, and I like learning what I should tag in future posts, so I thought I'd look deeper into those tags and see if I was missing something.

Welp. It sure was educational.

Turns out there are established "trigger warnings" on Tumblr for all of the following (not a comprehensive list; these are just the ones I also saw when scrolling through the caps tags, since many of those posts had more than one thing tagged):

any text with two or more capital letters in sequence

any text in italics

any text underlined

any text in boldface

any text in a font other than the default

any text in a color other than the default (as well as tags for each individual color)

images in black and white

images in color (how dare color exist)

images with... subjectively brighter? colors

images without ALT text

posts containing emoji

and my favorite entry, which for obvious reasons I can't describe by the content it's supposedly protecting us from:

"tw just in case"

O_o

So... where to even begin.

I guess I'll get the promised rant out of the way (for those of you who prefer to stay positive, skip ahead two paragraphs): It's no wonder that much of society mocks the very concept of trigger warnings, when they're used this... I have to come right out and say frivolously. Heck, even I'm having trouble taking the greater Tumblr community seriously right in this moment, and I've been part of it for *mumble* years and practically live here. Who in the academic/corporate/entertainment/quote-unquote real world is going to honor a request for content warnings when they see that the """kids these days""" consider italicized text a psychological trigger they need to be protected from? And you can just imagine some dudebro saying, "Wow, these special snowflakes are so fragile they're even traumatized by seeing color, lulz. We should see what really freaks them out!" ...and that won't end well.

The obvious rebuttal to that point is to argue that these tags aren't intended for use by the outside world, most of which already thinks Tumblr died years ago. Not that this has ever stopped Twitter and Reddit and Facebook users from screenshotting Tumblr posts to claim ownership of mock before, but honestly the extra-Tumblr world is the less important concern here, so I won't labor that point. The more immediate issue is how this affects Tumblr users, the Tumblr community, and the experience we're all so proud of being able to curate for ourselves.

The critical point is this: Tags exist for Tumblr users to find things of interest and avoid things they don't want to see. Warnings exist for Tumblr users to protect themselves. Conflating the two can cause not only confusion, but the opposite of the desired effect of being able to curate your experience.

Please note that it is not wrong to tag any of the things listed above. By all means, tag everything in your post! Tag away! Tag your text formatting and images and colors! Use that whole tag space so people can find/not find your content as desired! But none of these things should be categorized as trigger warnings. Trigger warnings, content warnings, and tags are all separate things, and should be used appropriately so people know what to look for/avoid in a post.

Now, you may well ask: Why do the semantics matter? If something's tagged, why does it matter how it's tagged? Isn't it better to warn people about anything and everything that they might possibly not like?

For those affected by PTSD, trauma, phobias, anxiety, psychosis, optically-sensitive medical conditions, etc., being able to trust tags -- and the community's overall reliability where they are concerned -- can be critical to their health and well-being. When the community's tags become imprecise, sloppy, or unspecified -- for example, when people start throwing tags like "tw just in case" on their posts instead of actually describing what is in the post -- it becomes unpleasant or even dangerous for those people to exist in that community. And although doubtless well-intentioned, the kind of overzealous helicopter tagging that labels things like text formatting or the presence of emoji as a trigger does two things: First, it can confuse filters and sandbag search results (for search purposes, tags are treated like a word bank, rather than individual line items). Second, it fosters a general lack of regard for real, life-threatening triggers. If Tumblr users get used to seeing every tiny little thing called out as a "trigger" -- trigger warning, there's a picture of a bird in this post! trigger warning, I can't spell so there's probably a word misspelled in this post! trigger warning, someone used a heart emoji in this post! trigger warning, here's a photo with the color orange in it! trigger warning, there's a banana in this post! Self image trigger warning, I'm having the worst hair day, lol! j/k! -- then subconsciously, "trigger warning" becomes synonymous with "lots of things random people find mildly annoying, so tag stuff if you happen to think of it" instead of "a few important things we should be diligent about tagging because someone's life might quite literally depend on it."

I know categorizing tags can be confusing, and in recent years there hasn't been much consistency in usage on Tumblr, so here's a cheat sheet to help you decide what warnings to use (and to be clear, I didn't make these up; these are sourced from academic literature and teaching guides, and were -- back in the Olden Days -- also more widely used on Tumblr.)

For a more thorough description of the most common types of content to post warnings about, see this PDF.

Which Warning to Use on Your Post:

Trigger warning (TW): Used to denote content that may trigger a PTSD episode, a severe psychological reaction, or a physiological reaction due to a medical condition (e.g. epilepsy). Broadly speaking, this warning is intended to mitigate risks that may exist because of a viewer's personal experience and/or medical status. Examples of things that should be tagged TW: sexual violence; child abuse; flashing gifs

Content warning (CW): Used to denote sensitive material that may make viewers uncomfortable or upset, or that some viewers may prefer not to see, but not necessarily invoke a traumatic personal experience. Broadly speaking, this warning is concerned with a viewer's comfort level. This can include general concepts (e.g. discussion of homophobia) as well as specific instances (e.g. use of homophobic language). Examples of things that should be tagged CW: racism; nudity; death

Descriptive tags (not warnings): Used to describe the content of a post, without value judgment, so that it is searchable and/or avoidable. (And also to write rambling comma-free essays, because Tumblr is just Like That. But that's a whole separate thing.) Examples of things that can be (generally) tagged: the themes or topics being discussed; black and white images; capitalized text; insects; the color green; memes; rainbows; digital art; literally anything else that appears in your post

Can people still dislike/be upset by things that aren't on a broadly-accepted TW/CW list? Absolutely. But that's not quite the same as a trigger, and that's why we also have general tags.

Here's an example of the difference between disliking or being triggered by content (source: "The right way to use a Trigger Warning," emphasis mine):

Trigger Warnings are here to prevent people who have experienced traumatic experiences to be exposed to something that might trigger a physical and/or mental reaction. Trigger is the key word here. “Trigger*” is used to talk about PTSD and mental illness. “Triggered” and “offended/upset” are not the same concept. I can be upset if I see a picture of a beautiful cake because I cannot bake, but it won’t trigger a post-traumatic reaction. 

You aren't going to be able to anticipate every single person's likes and dislikes, phobias, emotional associations, and so on. There's a temptation to try to cover every base imaginable, but that's actually... less than helpful. Actively unhelpful, in some cases. In addition to the reasons I cited earlier, here's an example of how "I'll tag it just in case someone doesn't like a thing" warnings can be confusing:

Let's say I have two followers: WingHater96 has a deep phobia of butterflies, while ButterSuperFly78 adores butterflies. Tagging a post "butterflies" helps them both navigate my feed more efficiently: WingHater96 can block the entire "butterfly" tag, while ButterSuperFly78 can search for it.

However, let's say I tagged that post in the form of a warning like "tw: butterflies" and hid it below a Read More just in case someone following me didn't like butterflies. WingHater96 would still have that post blocked, because it contains the word "butterfly" in the tag. It would also still appear in ButterSuperFly78's search results for the same reason -- the presence of the warning doesn't affect search results at all. But when ButterSuperFly78 sees the warning tag, they might now be confused about whether the post is full of pretty butterfly photography (which they would like to see), or if maybe the reason I put a warning on it is because it's about butterflies being harmed, because why else would you warn someone about butterflies when they're the best things ever? But wait, does OP know that they're the best things ever? Is the warning there because OP secretly hates butterflies?? Do they need to unfollow OP now because they're a butterfly-hater??? and ButterSuperFly78 would not know whether to view the post or scroll past until they psychoanalyze me to determine my personal feelings on butterflies.

Adding the warning provided zero additional benefit for the person who already had the tagged thing blocked, but it caused additional problems for the person actively seeking out that thing.

Obviously this is a bit exaggerated (...though, speaking from experience, only a bit), but it's a lot more efficient to just list the things that are in a post in the tags without framing them as warnings. That way, people with different likes and dislikes can curate their own experience more easily, and know to take trigger and content warnings more seriously when they DO appear.

-

TL;DR Trigger warnings exist to help people avoid PTSD or adverse psychological/physiological reactions. Casually throwing the word "trigger" in front of things that are not triggers makes people stop taking the need for warnings seriously, and can confuse people trying to curate their Tumblr experience. Reserve TW and CW for actual triggers/sensitive content and use standard tags for other things.

[missnight0wl]

Burke: Understand 'R'. You'd see what we're trying to do, and you'd come home to us.

I'm not gonna lie: the use of italicization at 'come home to us' is an interesting choice. I would even say italics aren't very frequently used in the game? The writers mostly use boldface for everything. Not even paragraphs and passages from letters, books, articles are in italic!

What does that mean? What home? Is it Hogwarts? MC's own childhood home? ROWAN???

Hm, you might be right about the italics… Bold font is being used all the time, but the italics? I can’t really think of any example, to be honest. But yeah, I believe that this line is gonna be important either way. I wouldn’t be surprised if it will finally lead to the reveal (confirmation) that MC is connected to the Cursed Vaults through their blood. However… I really don’t think Burke meant R when he chose the word “home”.

I will elaborate on that whole idea in a separate post, but you actually made me think about something a little different, so I’ll try to explain briefly what I’m thinking.

Basically, I’m thinking that there are two groups. One got corrupted and wants to get the treasure (and that’s R), the other one still wants to protect the Vaults (and that’s where Burke belongs). Again, I’ll explain it in detail when I organise my thoughts and have more time, but for now, just keep in mind that there are people who want to protect the Vaults and through the extension also MC. Because if MC is needed to truly get the treasure, they need to be protected, right? From anyone who would want to abuse them? And this is where you gave me the idea that didn’t cross my mind before, Anon: what if Rowan also has a connection to the Vaults as MC’s protector?

Alright, so the theories that Rowan has connections to R and they’re secretly evil were almost always present in the fandom. More creative of them were saying that Rowan’s family was connected to R, and so Rowan was forced to spy on MC. But what if it was totally opposite? What if centuries ago, Rowan’s family was chosen to protect MC’s family? Rowan might not even know about it, but what if destiny joined our paths either way? I know there’s not much to support this idea, but… Look at Rowan wood’s description in wandlore:

Rowan wood has always been much-favoured for wands, because it is reputed to be more protective than any other, and in my experience renders all manner of defensive charms especially strong and difficult to break. It is commonly stated that no dark witch or wizard ever owned a rowan wand, and I cannot recall a single instance where one of my own rowan wands has gone on to do evil in the world. Rowan is most happily placed with the clear-headed and the pure-hearted, but this reputation for virtue ought not to fool anyone – these wands are the equal of any, often the better, and frequently out-perform others in duels.

Wouldn’t it make sense if Rowan’s ancestors were chosen because of that quality of being pure-hearted? Because they wouldn’t be corrupted by any evil that could try to use the power hidden in the Cursed Vaults – therefore, they’d be fully devoted to one person who can actually access that power?

So, perhaps… in a way… Rowan is home.

[riversidewings]

I see. I have my own neurodivergence and sensory processing issues, so I am not going to stop formatting (and by this I mean boldfacing, italicizing, underlining) my text when necessary, because of my needs in the writing. But I appreciate you making me aware of a different perspective, and that you take the time to do what you do. Thank you for your explanation.

Need something translated from Japanese to English or Armenian to English? I'm trying to bridge a shortfall in income and am available immediately. Message me and we can talk details.

[neostalgia]

reposted from my instagram. here is a google doc for mutual aid and info, and i highly implore that people donate to the red canary song to directly support asian & migrant sex workers. 

transcribed text under the cut:

[ID: a series of three photos with a pink gradient and black boldfaced and italicized text. at the bottom of each slide is the original poster’s instagram handle, @/y.ngqi on instagram. the text is as follows:

slide 1: cw: SA, mass shootings, violence, death. know that the recent massacre in atl is not solely a culmination of the increase in sino/xenophobic ‘rona-rhetoric encouraged and perpetuated by 45, but from the oft-celebrated, longstanding legacy and romanticization of industrialized sexploitation of asian bodies. this enduring violence is inseparable from the historic militarized (euro)american aggression against SEasian countries. the conversation surrounding xenophobic attitudes toward working-class individuals needs to progress beyond the shallow aesthetic consequences of mere fetishization, which fails to consider the full extent of violence enacted upon sex workers and trafficking victims. 

slide 2: let this be a firm reminder that any and all calls for continued policing in attempts to better “protect” AAPI circles puts sex workers, migrants, and undocumented individuals at great risk. it indelibly aligns us with white supremacy: attempting to curry favor from the very agencies that have a direct hand in our oppression only furthers the cycle of lateral violence against the very ones we wish to protect, especially other marginalized communities and/or communities of color. the model minority narrative has done nothing but pit us at each other's’ throats. no upwardly-mobile aspirations can shield us from the fact that AAPI individuals remain forever foreign in the eyes of white supremacists.

slide 3: many asian countries have a long and complicated history with colonization, rape, and sexual slavery. these events are canonized and celebrated in american literature and media––look no further than your beloved musicals, films, books. “why does Saigon never sleep at night,” indeed

our tendency of laying low and staying silent in the face of (political) adversity has been a so-called survivalist tradition of many (post-’65) immigrants. this tactic offers an unsustainable fantasy and illusion of safety that we can no longer righteously maintain. 

it is no coincidence that the shooter targeted places of respite, and i can only hope that the victims who were murdered rest easy. //end ID]

[blogbuddy2]

Blog 9: Tales Along the Senescent Trail Revisions

                         Reflections on Essay Writing Revisions

In the beginning, I thought to try to tell the story of my experiences with the Veterans Administration Health Care System as a straightforward, chronologically ordered piece of creative nonfiction. However, I realized it might be easier to tell the current story chronologically and peppered with anecdotal flashbacks to enhance a mixture of candid current events mixed with humorous/serious incidents.

I thought to alternate between the current situation and past events to illustrate my frustration and appreciation of this so-called veteran-friendly, giant governmental organization. However, the story turned out interesting, and after comments from peers concerning structure scene-linking problems, the revision of the story seems to be going quite well.

I have decided to drop the numerous graphic images, quotations, and cartoons, in favor of a more streamlined look with only one or two of the most critical images used to illustrate my points in the story. I will also make sure that my work follows the MLA format.

Of the few images I will use, gleaned from the internet, I will make sure I get all copyright permissions I need, if any, and give credit where credit is due to organizations and/or individuals involved.

I also plan to use the Word spell check and thesaurus where I see it needed. Another method I will use to ensure readability is to run my essay through Grammarly to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Sometimes Grammarly even recommends changes in sentence structure, and I will be looking at that also.

One thing pointed out by our class instructor involved the use of “yelling” boldface fonts. I will be eliminating those in favor of regular 12-point italicized font to emphasize a statement rather than boldfacing it.

One of my peer reviewers suggested that sometimes it is unclear what I am referring to in the story, so I may need to revise those parts the peer reviewer pointed out that possibly need revision. This peer reviewer also suggested that I might want to reconsider using Part numbers to introduce new scenes as it was clear that the scene had changed. They also suggested that I consider removing the indentations for each paragraph, but after reading the instructor’s comments, I believe I’ll leave the indents in place since this is an essay. They also suggested that sometimes the scene changes occur too abruptly, so I will be looking at that as well as time changes. A valid suggestion was made to more directly address the problems with the VA Health Care system rather than relying so much on humor. Another peer reviewer suggested that the beginning could be revised somewhat to reflect what the story is really about. They also suggested that the transitions between paragraphs could be better, and also, the flashbacks created too much “jumping around.” They also suggested it might be well to be more explanatory, as many of the readers might not be very familiar with the VA Health Care System. The reviewer also suggested that some of the images used were confusing, that they didn’t quite understand why they were put in the text at that specific point.

I very much appreciated the feedback from my peers, and I will be incorporating some of their suggestions into the final draft of the essay.

[mylifeasaserver]

I discovered today that Captain Hindsight quit here because she got offered a GM position at a competitor.

How did i discover this? She started hitting up servers over Facebook to go to work for her.

I did not get a job offer.

Best of luck to her, but moreso to that restaurant.

They'll need it.

Another day in the car. My joy is overwhelming. Also I just love how I can't boldface or italicize on the mobile site or the shitty broken app. -J

[keichanz]

You Rescued Me: Chapter 2

For some reason, tumblr is bunching italicized words together after I paste it onto here from Word, so if you happen to spot one, lemme know. I tried to catch and fix them all, but I can’t be sure.

A note about Inuyasha: When I first started this story, I had a very clear image of how I wanted this AU’s version of Inuyasha to be; I wanted him to be rough and gruff, but someone who exudes a quiet strength that Kagome is easily able to recognize. He’s someone who’s used to hard work, getting his hands dirty, and yeah he’s seen some shit, but you’ll learn about that later.  I wanted an element of mystery, but someone still approachable. I wanted to go for a “I’m lonely, but I don’t want to be” sort of vibe and I hope I managed to pull that off. See where I’m going with this? Lol.

Yes, he does smoke in this story. I apologize if you don’t like that, but it’s part of the image I wanted to portray, and you’ll learn why he does in a later chapter.  I suppose in short I wanted a rough ‘n’ tumble type, but gentle when it truly matters. On the outside, he looks mean, and scary and unapproachable. On the inside though, he’s a big softie who likes to protect those weaker than him, loves his niece, is a closet comedian, and has a secret love affair with bacon. So don’t worry; I still kept some aspects of the dogboy we all know and love. I wouldn’t change him completely, of course! :)

I really hope how I portray him doesn’t dissuade some people form reading, because even though I did say I hate this fic (okay so that was a boldfaced lie lmao) I am really, really proud of how this story turned out, and I’ve been working on this for literal months now.

If it turns out that my Inuyasha is not your cup of tea, that’s fine. But I do hope you’ll give him a chance. :)

The interior design/decor of Inuyasha’s house was loosely inspired by the Bartlett ranch house in the show Heartland. (I love that show and I’m addicted to it ;adjfa;dfahdfal)

Read on AO3 || Fanfiction.net

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11 || Chapter 12 || Chapter 13 || Chapter 14 || Chapter 15 || Epilogue 

The ten-minute ride to his house was quiet and uneventful but he didn’t care, and he suspected his guest didn’t either. She had her head leaned against the door and her eyes closed as the wind caressed her face and played with the stands of ebony hair that hung down and for the first time Inuyasha wondered how old she was. Now that he was closer, he could deduce she couldn’t be much older than him, perhaps a few years younger, even. The stress of the night, however, made her look much older and abruptly he found himself wanting to deck the motherfucker who had put those bruises on her. How dare he hurt such a beautiful, fragile creature? Women were supposed to be treasured, cherished, and protected, not used for fucking punching bags. Without them, literally nobody would be alive on this godforsaken planet and he had the fucking balls to—

Abruptly Inuyasha realized he was growling and instantly he cut the sound off with guilty wince, flicking his eyes over to the woman beside him. She was staring at him in alarm, her eyes wide and he couldn’t help but notice how she’d shrunk against the door in an effort to put some distance between them.

Aw, shit. He’d gone and done the one thing he vowed that he wouldn’t do and now he felt like absolute shit. “Sorry,” he muttered and focused ahead once again, his hands tight on the wheel. “It wasn’t…” He cleared his throat. “That wasn’t because of you. I was just—” He stopped himself before he could finish and clamped his jaw shut, not sure it would be a good idea to admit what he’d been thinking and bring up horrible memories for her.

But then, taking him by surprise, she gradually relaxed again and gave him an expectant look, head tilted curiously to the side, so he obliged her. Slanting her a cautious look, he flicked his finished cigarette out the window and rumbled, “I was just thinking how about much I’d like to deck the asshole that did that to you.”

Surprise flared in her eyes as her hand came up to flutter over the bruise on her jaw and over her neck. Then her eyes dimmed, she turned away and Inuyasha mentally cursed.

Clenching his jaw in anger aimed at himself, Inuyasha flicked his blinker on and hung a right onto a considerably smoother road. A minute later he slowed down and turned left into his dirt driveway that led up a slight incline to his two-story ranch house. He’d bought it solely because he had no neighbors for miles and it was isolated and set back from the road, even though there was minimal traffic this far out in the country.

As he pulled up to the wraparound front porch, Jaxson lifted his head and started wagging his tail from his location sprawled on the porch before the steps. He heard a soft gasp as he put the truck in park and cut the engine and a glance told him his impromptu houseguest had spotted the large dog and the look of delight that lit her face had him briefly spellbound.

Then Jax released a happy bark and whatever trance Inuyasha had been in was broken. Glad that his dog wouldn’t pose as a problem for the skittish woman, Inuyasha opened his door and hopped out, not really surprised when she lingered in the cab and simply stared out the window as he made his way over to greet the wolf-like canine.

Despite his size, Jaxson still acted like a puppy whenever he came home and he was all excited energy, tail whipping back and forth ferociously, standing up on his hind legs as he knelt down and then barraging his face with a thousand licks of hi, dad. Inuyasha took it all without complaint, rubbing his sides vigorously and scratching the pointed ears similar to his own. He slid his gaze to the side, looked into the cab of his truck and as if that was what she was waiting for, his guest finally exited and made her way slowly over to them.

Excited at the opportunity to make a new friend, Jaxson predictably left his side and trotted on over to her, all happy panting, wagging tail and lolling tongue as he nudged her hand with his big nose for pets. She made a soft sound in the back of her throat and knelt down to give the big dog some lovins.

Watching from the porch, Inuyasha saw her smile for the first time and his heart skipped a beat in his chest. Her caramel eyes, before looking so dim and lifeless, were bright with amusement and affection as Jax licked her face and the sound of her soft laughter was the sweetest melody.

Realizing he was staring, Inuyasha shook himself out of it and brushed past the pair to retrieve her bag from the floor of the cab. He frowned at how light it was but didn’t comment as he shut the door and went to crouch beside them, extending his hand to scratch behind the dog’s ears. Jax gave his hand a lick then continued snuffling and nosing his new friend, eager for more attention. “This is Jaxson,” he murmured and said dog’s ears perked up at the sound of his name. “He’s a big fluffy idiot, has a habit of stealing my bacon when I’m not looking, and likes to pester Rain until she gets sick of it and chases him around.” He gave his dog a pointed stare.

Jax barked at him and wagged his tail.

While Inuyasha just looked deadpan, his female guest giggled again and softly asked, “Rain?”

A little startled to hear her voice for the first time, Inuyasha blinked and stared at her but recovered quickly. He shook his head and rumbled, “Tomorrow.” He didn’t think she was up for a tour at the moment, not when she looked dead on her feet and like she could sleep for the next week. He stood up, slung the strap of her bag over his shoulder and offered her a hand without thinking. Before he could retract it, though, she surprised him for what seemed like the nth time that night and grabbed it without hesitation and instinctively he hauled her up with no effort at all.

Jax darted ahead of them and zoomed up the stairs to wait at the door and she spoke up again. “What breed is he?”

Inuyasha decided that he liked her voice and doubly liked the fact that she was feeling comfortable enough to talk to him. “Native American Indian,” he replied and opened the front door, stepping into the open mudroom that led directly into his kitchen as Jaxson zoomed off to god knows where. The soft glow coming from the stove light he’d left on provided just enough illumination for her to see by as he ushered her in then closed the door behind her. Then he paused, shot her a speculative look, and with deliberate movements Inuyasha slid the deadbolt home and twisted the lock on the knob.

The look she gave him spoke volumes of her gratitude and he nodded in reply. Jax took that moment to come skidding back into the kitchen with one of his well-loved toys in his mouth and promptly sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor, placing his toy right between his paws before tilting his head and looking the very picture of A Good Boy.

“He’s beautiful,” she whispered. With the dim lighting from the stove, she could make out the gray and white shades with some scattered brown of his long fur and it was truly striking just how much the canine resembled that of his wilder ancestor.

Inuyasha snorted. “Yeah, you wouldn’t be saying that after seeing how much he goddamn sheds,” he muttered more to himself than her but judging by the badly stifled snicker, she’d heard anyway.

His dog started using the “look at me, I’m cute” card and used to his dog’s shenanigans, he ignored him and focused his attention back on his lovely houseguest. While clearly still recovering from this nightmare of a night, she was a bit more relaxed now as she glanced curiously around his home, however that could be because of the bone-deep weariness he sensed in her, all of the stress starting to really take its toll and he didn’t even need his nose to tell him she was completely exhausted.

Still, before he took her upstairs, he needed to make sure she was taken care of in all aspects. “Hungry? Anything to drink?”

She shook her head, hesitated, then shook it again and avoided his eyes.

Inuyasha studied her silently for a moment then nodded. “Alright.” Despite her answer, though, he still ventured over to the fridge, grabbed a bottled water and took a few sips for himself before gesturing for her to follow and crossed the hardwood floor into the living room. Tomorrow he’d show her around, that is if she wanted, but for now he figured it’d be best if he showed her where she’d be sleeping. The shuffle of soft moccasins told him she was right behind so he hung a left and headed for the stairs, nearly getting knocked over by Jaxson as he bounded ahead of them and raced down the hall.

He gave her the guest bedroom that was right next to his. “Make yourself at home,” he said as he went forward and flicked on the lamp on the nightstand. Jax zipped in and jumped onto the bed. “I wasn’t talking to you, Fluff,” he deadpanned as the canine circled a few times in his nightly routine for sleep and was rewarded by a quite laugh and his dog’s soft whuff.

Shaking his head, he deposited her bag on the bed and discreetly set the bottle of water on the nightstand. “Bathroom’s right across the hall. Feel free to take a shower, or whatever. If you get hungry, help yourself to anything in the kitchen, I don’t care.”

Inuyasha watched as she sank down onto the bed and a second later Jaxson’s head plopped down onto her thigh. Her smile was small and tired but genuine as she stroked the dog’s head fondly and Inuyasha wondered when the hell his dog had become such a ladies man. Er, dog. The only other person he could think of that he’d taken to so quickly was his mother. Not that he was complaining, of course; if Jax’s company eased even a fraction of her distress, he supposed he could deal with his loyal companion of eight years forgetting that he existed.

He inwardly snorted then said, “Jax,” and knelt down as without hesitation the large dog hopped down and loped over to him. Scratching behind his pointed ears and around his neck, Inuyasha told his dog, “Keep an eye on her for me, alright? I’m counting on you to protect her.”

Jaxson blinked at him and then leaned forward to lick his chin.

A ghost of a smile twitched at the corners of his lips. “Good boy,” Inuyasha murmured and with a final scratch to his dog’s chin, he stood up. Jaxson returned to the bed and made himself comfortable, stretching out with a gusty sigh and going still.

Inuyasha turned amber eyes her way and locked with caramel depths. He opened his mouth, closed it, and sighed. “Goodnight,” he murmured and turned to leave.

“W-wait? …Please.”

Inuyasha stopped and turned back around, his face blank, but not unfriendly as he gazed expectantly at her with his hands in his pockets.

She was staring at him and biting down on her lip, looking a little uncertain and once more surprising himself, Inuyasha waited patiently for whatever she had to say. But it wasn’t long at all until she seemed to steel herself and hesitantly ask, “…What’s your name?”

Inuyasha considered her quietly with no change in his expression before answering simply, “Inuyasha.”

She fell quiet and although Inuyasha was curious, he didn’t ask for her name in return. He figured she’d tell him in her own time, when she was ready to stop being anonymous.

“Inuyasha,” she murmured so quietly he almost didn’t hear her and his ears trained forward under his hat to catch her soft voice. When she locked eyes with him again, they were wide, misty and the breath caught in his throat at the utter trust he found swimming in those cinnamon depths. “Thank you.” The smile she offered him wavered as she tried to keep her emotions in check and just like that Inuyasha’s emotionless façade cracked.

His face softened and honeyed eyes grew warm as he gazed at her then with a sigh, Inuyasha took off his hat and ran a hand through his short choppy hair, amazed at this little slip of a woman’s strength. “If you need anything,” he began, voice a little gruff but no less sincere, “I’m right next door.”

Inuyasha didn’t say anything more than that but he didn’t need to; his lovely guest nodded, closed her eyes as her shoulders started to shake and he took that as his cue to leave. The door closed with a soft click and Inuyasha forced himself to walk away as the sound of muffled sobs reached his ears and went straight to his aching heart.

Kagome woke up to a dry mouth, a pounding head, and the sound of somebody snoring softly beside her.

It was the last one that caused Kagome to jolt upright with a choked cry and scramble off the bed as fast as she could, nearly tumbling to the floor in her haste to get away. She spun around and threw her hands up without thinking, prepared to defend herself—

Only to be met with the lazy stare of a large and familiar furry dog that was lying comfortably on her bed. He blinked at her before stretching his jaw in a wide, tongue-curling yawn and that was when Kagome remembered where she was and what had happened last night.

The relief was so great she sank to the floor, her legs unable to support her and she closed her eyes as a soft whimper escaped her mouth. She pressed a hand to lips and took a shuddering breath, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart, and then nearly screamed again when something cold nudged her cheek. Her eyes flew open to find her bedmate sitting in front of her and giving her the equivalent of a doggy smile, tongue lolling and tail wagging back and forth.

Kagome issued a watery laugh and wrapped her arms around the gray and white dog, burying her face in his soft fur. “Thank you, Jax,” she whispered, recalling how he’d patiently let her cry into his neck last night and basically use him as her own personal snuggle buddy. She received a fond lick on her cheek in response and she gave another husky chuckle before leaning back and kissing his snout. “Good boy.”

Evidently recognizing those two words, Jax tossed his head and danced around, wagging his tail and giving a few soft barks before suddenly freezing and staring at her raptly, as if waiting for more praise.

Kagome laughed genuinely that time and framed his doggy face in her hands. “Such a good boy!”

A loud, pleased bark echoed off the walls and Kagome watched in amusement as Jaxson spun around in circles before abruptly taking off faster than a bullet, zooming out of her room through the cracked door and disappearing down the stairs.

Shaking her head, but not without a smile, Kagome wiped at her damp eyes then heaved herself back onto the bed. Unfortunately the movement reminded her of the pounding headache currently ricocheting in her skull and she winced, bringing a hand up to rub her forehead. Wrinkling her nose at the cotton-like texture in her mouth, Kagome cracked her eyes open and peered around the room. “Ugh, what I wouldn’t give for some—”

Kagome froze as her gaze landed on the nightstand beside the bed and stupidly her eyes began to water. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she reached out and grabbed the little white container that sat innocently beside a bottle of water and a trembling smile slowly curved her lips. Blinking rapidly as her vision grew blurry, Kagome gave a shaky sigh and thought about how strange it was that a complete stranger had given her more kindness in compassion within the first hour of knowing him than her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend had in all of the four years she’d been with him.

Thinking of that wretched man who had caused her to end up in this predicament and most likely being the source of her current headache brought another deluge of tears and she huffed in annoyance, quickly dashing her hand across her eyes. Dammit, she’d cried enough over that worthless piece of trash! He didn’t deserve her tears, he didn’t deserve anything from her anymore and Kagome resolved to put him out of her mind, at least for now.

Sniffling, Kagome shook out two capsules of the Ibuprofen Inuyasha had, at some time this morning, put there for her to find and washed them down with a swig of the bottled water he’d also left for her. She smiled, wondering if he really was that perceptive or if he was just plain sneaky.

Deciding it didn’t matter either way because she was grateful all the same, Kagome ended up drinking half the bottle, not even realizing she was so thirsty, before setting it down with a sigh of satisfaction. She glanced out the window, wishing she still had her phone so she could check the time, but she hadn’t wanted to bring it with her when she left since it was under his name and she didn’t want anything that belonged to him. By the amount of sunlight she could see, Kagome judged it to still be early morning, perhaps 8 am at the latest.

Scowling once she realized her thoughts had turned back to him again, Kagome shook her head and stood up, thinking a shower sounded positively divine right about now. She retrieved her toiletry bag from her duffel and peeked out into the hallway, not at all surprised to find her host’s bedroom door wide open and empty. For some reason she’d suspected him to be an early riser, and it looked like she was right.

Crossing the hallway and entering the bathroom, she set her bag on the sink and turned on the water in the shower, getting it nice and hot before shucking her clothes. But then she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and she gasped, her eyes going wide as she leaned forward and lifted a shaking hand to her face.

God, she hadn’t realized… Seeing her reflection for the first time since Naraku had struck her, Kagome was taken aback at how terrible the bruise looked. It had turned an angry dark bluish-purple overnight that spread from the left side of her jaw to under her chin; no wonder she had a headache and it hurt to talk! Her astonished eyes flickered down to her neck and she winced at the circle of discolored flesh, shuddering as she recalled the feeling of his hand squeezing the breath right out of her lungs. Well, that explained the sore throat.

Kagome braced her hands on the sink and took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes, forcefully pushing those thoughts from her head. She had to stop thinking about it, about him. He was poisonous, toxic to her health, mentally and physically, and she’d be damned before she ever let him get to her again. She couldn’t believe it had taken Naraku actually hitting her for her to wise up and leave, but now that she had, she didn’t regret it. Their relationship had been going steadily downhill for the last two years and now things have come to a head, and she couldn’t be more satisfied with her decision to leave.

It took a moment, but she was able to regain her bearings and she stepped under the hot spray of the shower, washing away the proverbial dirt, her ex’s violent touch, and everything bad that had happened last night. As the water sluiced down the drain, she pretended that all of the negative memories attached to last night went with it, leaving her with a sense of cleanliness that was wholly refreshing.

Twenty minutes later and donned in comfortable shorts and a forest green t-shirt, Kagome was feeling much more like herself as she wandered down the stairs in moccasin-clad feet. Since she hadn’t been able to last night partly because she’d been tired but mostly because it had been too dark, she paused to admire the décor of the living area. The walls reminded her of a log cabin and the floor was polished hardwood, covered with a large oriental area rug in shades of dark reds and gold. An old fashioned fireplace took up the far wall, the brick mantel giving the room a rustic, charming look that made Kagome want to curl up on the comfy looking couch and snooze the day away. His entertainment center was top notch – of course – and the large bay windows provided a gorgeous view of open field and blue sky.

Inuyasha definitely has good taste, Kagome thought as she ventured into the kitchen and she had to smile upon spotting what was on the small two-seater table. Her heart gave a curious little flutter as she picked up a piece of toast and munched into it, eyeing the rest of the meal of eggs, bacon and sausage. While everything looked delicious, Kagome didn’t think her stomach would be up for it and she nearly whimpered as her eyes landed on the fresh pot of coffee sitting on the counter.

“Screw it,” she muttered a second later, snatched the empty mug on the table and marched over to pour herself a nice hot cup o’ joe. “Mmm,” Kagome sighed as she lifted it to her lips and took that first blessed sip; it was the perfect temperature.

From somewhere outside she heard Jaxson bark followed by a man’s deep timbre and without even thinking about it Kagome found herself crossing the kitchen, entering the little mudroom then with her coffee in hand, she exited the house into the pleasantly warm July morning. She spotted him instantly over by the fence that started at the barn and extended outward, using the hose to wash out some buckets and he was talking in low tones to Jax, who was trying to eat the water from the hose, and to the absolutely gorgeous creature that kept lipping at his hair and hat.

Kagome’s eyes lit up with delight and smiling, she descended the few steps and meandered her way over to him, clutching her coffee with both hands. He looked damn fine in a pair of torn jeans and a white t-shirt that showed off the spectacular muscles in his arms, and she couldn’t help but notice he hadn’t bothered to shave this morning, his jaw still darkened attractively with stubble and she very suddenly wanted to run her fingers over the roughness. He was wearing the worn hat again from last night and she suspected he used it to keep the sun out of his eyes more than a fashion statement.

And the dust out of those adorable ears of his, she thought and had to bite her lip to stifle the giggle that welled up.

Inuyasha heard her before he saw her and after giving the black feed bucket one last rinse, he set it down and then slipped the open ended hose, still dispensing cold water, into the large water trough on the other side of the fence. Rain snorted and tried to grab his hat again but he thwarted her with an irritated grumble and gently shoved her long nose away.

“She’s beautiful,” Kagome remarked as she came to a stop beside him and reached out to stroke her palm down Rain’s soft muzzle to the even softer nose. The Paint horse nickered and happily accepted the attention for a few seconds before stretching her neck out and snuffling at the new person in curiosity. Kagome’s smile widened and she stroked that strong neck, marveling at the softness.

“She’s a pain in the ass,” Inuyasha returned but the way he slipped his hand under the brown and white mane to give a few fond scratches belied the careless words.

She laughed and his heart felt lighter. “What’s her name?”

“Rain,” he replied and leaned back against the fence, crossing his arms and keeping an eye on the water trough; he didn’t want it to overflow. “She belongs to my niece.” Giving her a quick once over, the damp hair pulled into a thick braid hanging over her shoulder and the subtle scent of cherry blossoms suggested she’d taken a shower and Inuyasha had to consciously resist the urge to inhale her scent deeply, glad that he detected no fear or exhaustion.

He didn’t elaborate any further but when she failed to hide the flash of disappointment that crossed her face before she looked away, Inuyasha grimaced and mentally cursed himself. He’d never been much of a conversationalist, never really seeing the need to waste energy on needless chatter. Besides, he wasn’t really good with the whole talking thing and living alone with nothing but animals for company hadn’t given him much practice in that aspect.

But staring at her now, he couldn’t ignore the guilt that swept through him and abruptly he felt like an ass for denying her the simple pleasure of idle chatter. It wasn’t like talking really required that much effort, and he didn’t want to make her feel like she was a burden after the nightmare she’d been through, or like she was an annoyance. On the contrary, Inuyasha liked having her around, which was strange because he also liked his solitude, but he didn’t dwell on it too long. If she was looking for a distraction to keep her from thinking about previous events, he’d do his best to oblige and in the meantime try not to be…well, himself and offend her somehow.

Mind made up, Inuyasha cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him, and explained, “Rin’s eleven years old, started asking for a pony at about five years, then for her birthday last year her dad finally caved, but with a few stipulations.” He rolled his eyes. “Since she obviously couldn’t keep a damn horse where they live in town, my bastard of a brother pretty must just showed up here with the animal one day, told me it was staying here, no asking involved, then fucking left with no other explanation.” He scowled but Kagome knew it wasn’t directed at her. “He’s such an asshole sometimes I can’t even believe we’re related. If it weren’t for Rin I wouldn’t want anything to do with him.” He snorted, and then growled when Rain shoved her nose next to his face and started nibbling his hair. He swatted her away and the horse snorted in annoyance, stomping her hoof.

“Yeah, yeah, back atcha, ya pissy mare.”

Kagome bit her lip to stifle her giggles. “So…Rin and Rain, huh?”

Inuyasha sighed and rolled his eyes again. “She likes to go around and say ‘I need some R and R time.’”

“That’s adorable,” Kagome remarked and hid her smile behind her coffee mug as she took another sip.

“It’s annoying.”

“I take it she’s watched Spirit a couple of times.”

He snorted at the under-exaggeration.

While Kagome tired not to choke on her coffee as she snickered, Inuyasha shook his head and fought a smile of his own. It was nice to see her looking happy; it was a completely welcome change from last night’s frightened disposition. “Anyway, it was a damn good thing who ever owned this place last apparently had a barn animal because it already had a stall. I just had to spruce it up a bit.” He paused. “After making Sess pay for the supplies.”

“So, you take care of her?”

“No.”

She gazed at him expectantly, clearly waiting for more on the subject, and he inwardly kicked himself for already forgetting his silent vow. Hadn’t he just decided to not be an ass and not be his usual antisocial self for five goddamn minutes? “Rin comes by every morning before school to feed and turn her out, then after school she’ll show up to clean the barn a bit – her payment for boarding her here – feed her again around 5 pm, and if she has the time, take her for a ride. A lot of the time the brat skips mucking her stall, so I’m stuck doing it, but it gives me something to do, so.” He shrugged.

Kagome nodded and watched the brown and white creature as she lowered her head and investigated the water hose filling up the trough. “It’s very nice of you to keep her here for Rin.”

Inuyasha shrugged again. “S’not a big deal. Not like there’s no room for her, and Sess pays for all her expenses. Besides,” he said as Rain nudged his head with her nose and he let out soft sigh as patted her shoulder. “She’s sorta grown on me, and I’m pretty sure Miss Attitude here is attached to me, too.” And as if to prove that point, Rain made a few soft grunting noises and laid her head on his shoulder with a big gusty sigh.

Kagome could completely relate to that. Even after knowing him for only a handful of hours, she was growing attached to him too, and it was a little alarming at how much that didn’t bother her. It should have had warning bells going off in her head, she should be running for the hills at the mere implication that there could be something deeper going on here, but the thing of it was, Kagome didn’t feel threatened at all. Despite being a man of few words, Inuyasha was…easy to talk to. And maybe it was because he didn’t talk much that she was so comfortable around him, but whatever the reason, Kagome felt safe, fully able to relax for the first time in a very long time and she was reluctant to give that up.

The Paint mare suddenly lifted her head and snorted in agitation, shaking her mane once and flicking her tail. Inuyasha frowned but the playful growl he heard next answered his silent question and he rolled his eyes. Jax had crawled through the fence and was currently doing his most favorite pastime of provoking the poor horse, running around her legs and nosing under her belly.

Kagome giggled behind her coffee mug. “I see what you meant now when you said he likes to pester her.”

Inuyasha stared at his dog like he was a lost cause. “He probably ain’t ever gonna stop, either, because Rain never hurts him. The most she’ll ever do is shove him down with a rough head-butt and chase him around, but Jax loves it because he thinks she’s playing with him. And in a way, she sorta is. Despite what it looks like, they’re best buds.”

Rain snorted again and pranced around before backing up and nudging Jax’s side with her big nose. The dog released a few excited, playful growls and zipped underneath her again and then the chase was on, Rain swinging her big body around and taking off after him.

Kagome watched them go with a fond smile and would have been content to stand there all morning in companionable silence with him, but then Inuyasha cleared his throat and she glanced over at him curiously. She wasn’t prepared to be met with intense amber eyes gazing at her and her heart skipped a beat in her chest as a soft flush stole across her cheeks.

He studied her quietly for a moment, the brim of his cap shadowing his eyes but she could still feel the way they bore into her own. “How you feeling?” he finally asked, his voice a low rumble that caused a not-so-unpleasant shiver to crawl along her spine.

Regathering her scattered wits, Kagome sucked in a breath and gave him a smile. “I’m…much better today, thank you.”

He visibly relaxed and gave a short nod, relieved. Then quiet reigned once again and so he didn’t feel so awkward just standing there silently, Inuyasha strode the few paces over to the side of the barn and twisted the knob to cut off the water.  He started rolling the hose back up, thinking he still needed to get some hay down from the loft—

“Kagome.”

Inuyasha snapped his head up and stared at her in open surprise.

She blushed and ducked her head. “My name is Kagome. I’m…sorry I never told you last night. I guess I just…” She trailed off and fiddled with the lukewarm mug of coffee in her hands, staring down into the dark liquid.

“Don’t.”

Kagome blinked and lifted her gaze back to his. “Huh?”

He wasn’t looking at her as he coiled the hose with practiced ease, hooking the length under his elbow and winding it around. “Don’t be sorry for not telling me. After the hell you went through, you deserved a little anonymity.” He slid the neat coil of hose off his arm and draped it over the metal hook.

Kagome’s eyes widened slightly and then a smile slowly curved her mouth. “I…suppose you’re right. I never really thought of it that way.”

“Hard to think about much of anything after—” Abruptly he cut himself off and shot her a slightly panicked look.

Her smile turned sad and she shook her head. “Yeah. I suppose I had more than enough reason to be distracted.”

Relieved he apparently hadn’t fucked up by saying the wrong thing, Inuyasha nodded. Now that the subject was breeched, however, he was reminded of the phone call he’d made earlier. “I called the nearest tow company this morning,” he started. “Gave them the location of your car, and they told me they’d have a truck out there within the next hour or so. That was”—he checked the time on his phone—“just about an hour ago, actually, so I should be getting a call back soon.”

Kagome wondered why the good news didn’t lift her spirits. “I see,” she said and stared down into her now cold coffee. “I guess…I’ll be out of your hair soon, then.” A pang went through her chest and though she tried to tell herself she didn’t understand it, Kagome knew why she was suddenly feeling so…empty.

For some reason those words elicited an achy hollow feeling in the middle of his chest and Inuyasha absently rubbed the spot, suspecting why he suddenly felt thus, but refusing to admit it, even to himself.

Falling quiet, Kagome watched him walk back over and stack up the buckets he washed out earlier. Her smile faded and a tight knot of anxiety formed in her chest. Inuyasha had been nothing but considerate toward her, unbelievably patient, had even opened up his home to her, and here she was not even having the decency to be honest with him. She’d wanted to repay him for all of his kindness somehow, and she supposed she could start with telling him everything that had happened. He deserved nothing less after what he’d done for her.

“Inuyasha,” she started but when she looked up she couldn’t find him anywhere. She frowned and opened her mouth to call for him again, but a nearby “In here” had her walking forward and ducking into the barn through the open side door. Kagome paused because she still couldn’t see him, but then suddenly a bale of hay dropped heavily a few feet in front of her and she jumped in surprise with a quiet gasp. Her half-demon host followed shortly thereafter and landed with a grunt beside the bale. It took Kagome a moment to realize he’d jumped from the loft and not from the rafters.

“That’s handy,” she commented in amusement and thought she saw Inuyasha’s lip kick upward briefly.

“Keh.” He slipped his fingers beneath the twine and heaved it up with little effort before carrying it over to Rain’s stall.

Kagome stared. Weren’t hay bales supposed to be super heavy? He was carrying it like it weighed nothing! “Color me impressed,” she muttered to herself and this time she missed the slight upturn of Inuyasha’s mouth.

“Did you need something, Kagome?” he asked abruptly and then immediately hoped that hadn’t come across as impatient or annoyed. His ears flattened beneath his hat and he cursed himself. Damn, but his people skills sucked. With a little more force than was necessary he yanked a muck rake from the wall and wheeled over a muck bucket.

It must have sounded normal to her, however, because she didn’t look offended, but she did suddenly look…ashamed? Inuyasha frowned and stopped before he entered Rain’s stall. Leaning the rake against the door, he turned to face her fully and leaned back against stall door, hands in his pockets. He wanted to tell her she didn’t need to be ashamed of anything, but waited to see what she would say first.

Seeing that she had his undivided attention, Kagome sucked in a breath and looked him right in his startling amber eyes. “I…owe you an explanation,” she began but Inuyasha was already shaking his head before she could finish.

“You don’t owe me anything, Kagome,” Inuyasha tried to tell her but she wasn’t having it.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I do. You’ve already done so much for me in just the short amount of time I’ve known you, Inuyasha, and the only way I can think to repay you is with complete honesty. I need to tell you…what happened. And I’m not doing this because I feel obligated, or pressured, or anything like that. I want you to know because you deserve the truth after sticking your neck out for me.”

Inuyasha wanted to point out that those two punks hadn’t even been the slightest bit of threat to him but he stayed quiet and waited, allowing her to explain. And despite himself, he was curious, even though he had a feeling he’d end up getting pissed from hearing about how some asshole had purposely hit an innocent woman.

“Before I get to all of that, though, I want to apologize for my behavior last night,” she began and stared down into the dark contents of her coffee mug as she gathered her thoughts. “I wasn’t…myself, and it was like I was…I don’t know, looking at myself from someone else’s point of view, or something. I was there, but not. And I—”

“No.”

Kagome started at his vehement interjection and her mouth parted slightly.

Golden eyes, swimming with something Kagome couldn’t quite identify, burned into her own brown depths so intently she felt her heart stutter in her chest. “Don’t you ever apologize, to me, or anybody else for acting the way you did. What happened wasn’t your fault and I’m pretty damn sure anyone would have acted strangely or different after getting fucking punched in the face from somebody you thought you could trust. So there ain’t nothing to apologize for, you understand me?” He crossed his arms and stared her down, daring her to object and Kagome felt a curious fluttering in her stomach at his passionate reasoning.

And then stupidly she felt like crying because it felt so good to have someone stand up for her and defend her honor. Or something like that. Whatever, Kagome was just so grateful to have met this man, suddenly feeling foolish to have ever doubted or mistrusted him.

Despite her best efforts, her eyes welled up with tears and through blurry vision she watched Inuyasha’s face twist into an expression of panic, his eyes going wide and his entire body tensing. “Aw, shit, no don’t—I didn’t mean—”

“He’s never hit me before,” Kagome admitted, her voice soft and Inuyasha snapped his jaw shut. “For the entire four years we were together, Naraku hadn’t even hinted that he wanted to hurt me, or hit me. He wasn’t even verbally abusive, he wasn’t…he didn’t drink, or have anger issues or anything like that. But…” She hesitated, then sighed and laid it all down. “For the past two years, our relationship had been…well, it wasn’t like it used to be. More fights over stupid things, we hardly showed affection for one another anymore, barely even talked…it was just going downhill.

“I’ve never once felt threatened, though,” she continued. “Or scared, or doubtful. Nothing extreme ever happened to make me want to leave, so this…” She vaguely gestured to her face and Inuyasha forced himself to take in the mottled flesh, feeling familiar anger boil in his gut. “This came out of nowhere. We were getting ready for bed, and he…well, he wanted sex, and I didn’t. So I said no, he got pissed and—” She shrugged. “Maybe it was drugs but I can’t be sure. I mean he had been acting a little strangely the night before, sort of zoning out at odd times, snapping at me for absolutely no reason, and spending an abnormally long time in the bathroom but it was nothing too extreme to make me immediately start thinking, ‘oh my god it���s drugs,’ but I didn’t stick around to ask because I didn’t care. I just knew I needed to leave.

“But anyway,” she continued and lifted a hand to swipe at her eyes, sniffling once. “Right after it happened, Naraku started apologizing, telling me he didn’t know what came over him, it’ll never happen again, you know, all that bullshit. But it was all just noise to me. I walked away and started packing a bag because I’d always told myself that if something like that ever happened to me, I would leave. I didn’t want to be one of those girls who stayed with their abusive boyfriends because if he did it once, he’ll do it again. So I packed, and he kept talking to me, trying to get me to stop, but I ignored him. He didn’t like that so he threw my bag across the room, grabbed me by the throat and shoved me against the wall.” She frowned as her hand came up to flutter her fingertips across the bruised flesh of her neck. “That was when I got scared because he was…he was squeezing and I couldn’t breathe and I remember…God, I remember—”

She cut herself off with a choked sound and Inuyasha had to physically stop himself from wrapping her up in his arms and begging her to stop because this was obviously too hard for her. But he dug his claws to his palms and clenched his jaw so hard it ached. After a moment she composed herself and continued, her voice thick with emotion, “I remember his face…it was terrifying. He—he terrified me. He was a completely different person then, someone I didn’t recognize and I just kept thinking I had to get out of there. Then, like a spell had been lifted or something, his face suddenly cleared and he let go. He looked…horrified at himself but I didn’t stick around to see what would happen next. I grabbed what I’d managed to pack, put on the closest pair of shoes, grabbed my keys, and ran.”

Kagome took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I didn’t have any place in mind to go. I just…drove. My family lives hours away out of town, my best friend’s shacked up with some guy she met and not answering her phone…I had nowhere to go. And then my car broke down on that back road, those two guys showed up, and if you hadn’t stopped and scared them off—”

“But I did,” Inuyasha cut her off that time and she gasped, her eyes shooting open and locking with his. “And I’d do it again.” Keeping his gaze on hers, he lifted a hand and tenderly wiped away a wayward tear from her cheek with a sweep of his clawed thumb, the urge to touch her too great to ignore.

Kagome released a strangled sound that was half sob, half gasp and grabbed his hand with one of hers, holding on tightly as more tears leaked out of her eyes and streaked down her cheeks.

Inuyasha let her hold his hand for however long she wanted, wishing he could do more, because the sight of her like this was killing him. The temptation to beat the fucker who hurt her into a bloody pulp came back with a vengeance and the growl that erupted from his throat promised all kinds of pain if this no good piece of shit named Naraku ever showed his face to him. He didn’t listen to the little voice in his head telling him that he never would because she was leaving, and instead focused on the young woman before him, his growl turning into a soothing rumble in his chest while his other hand rose to very carefully brush his fingers across the bruise on her jaw.

Caramel-colored eyes fluttered open at the whisper-soft touch and she read the question in those twin pools of sunset yellow. Getting a hold of herself, but not releasing his hand, Kagome mustered up a smile for him and let out a shaky sigh, nodding once.

Though small, he could tell her smile was genuine and he nodded back, his expression softening and without thinking he stroked her cheek. A soft flush colored the skin and his mouth kicked up into a half-grin, both relieved that she hadn’t shied away from his touch, knowing that the last man to touch her hadn’t been so gentle, and extremely gratified that he could make her blush.

Kagome sighed, leaned into his touch, and Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, anything, but before he could utter a single word the shrill sound of his cell phone ringing pierced the silence between them and the moment was gone.

Inuyasha’s hand dropped and Kagome hastily scrubbed at her cheeks and eyes to rid of the damning evidence as, not without a grumble of annoyance, he fished the mobile out of his pocket and checked the screen.

Sniffling one last time, Kagome lifted her gaze just as Inuyasha accepted the call and held the device up to his face. “Yeah?”

He listened for a minute, and then his eyebrows popped up into the fringe of his bangs before they dipped into a puzzled frown. “What?” He sounded bemused and Kagome’s own brows furrowed slightly. Who was he talking to? “Yeah, I’m positive.” Pause. “Are you sure? Nothing’s there?” Whoever was on the other line must have answered in the affirmative because Inuyasha’s expression darkened and a growl erupted from his throat. “Shit. Yeah, alright. No, I believe you.” There was another pause, and then his eyes cut to hers. “Don’t worry about it. Thanks, Hachi.” He hung up, stared at his phone with that frown still in place, and then pocketed it again with a sigh.

Beyond curious now about that peculiar exchange, Kagome ventured, “Inuyasha? What was that all about? Is everything okay?”

Inuyasha stared hard at her for a moment and then revealed, “That was Hachi. He owns Tanuki’s Towing.”

A wave of foreboding washed over Kagome and she stiffened. “Did-did he…”

“Your car is gone, Kagome.”

<< Prev || Next >>

[tonkiintelli]

Find italic text in nisus writer pro

#FIND ITALIC TEXT IN NISUS WRITER PRO HOW TO#

#FIND ITALIC TEXT IN NISUS WRITER PRO PRO#

Once you are done typing your sources => highlight all your sources => click on the Left Indent icon and drag it to the 1/2 inch mark. You are done setting the Hanging Indent for your Works Cited page.

Don’t worry about indentation on the subsequent line/lines yet.

Click on the Align Left icon so that the text is aligned left.

Press the Enter key once to begin a new line.

Type Works Cited (do not underline, boldface, italicize, or enclose the title in quotation marks).

Click on the Align Center icon so that the text is centered.

Your header with your last name and automatic page numbering should appear at the top left of your paper.

Immediately after typing the final line of your paper, click on Insert => Page Break (to begin a new page).

Alphabetize entries in your list of works cited by the author’s last name, using the letter-by-letter system.

If an entry runs more than one line, indent the subsequent line or lines 1/2 inch from the left margin.

#FIND ITALIC TEXT IN NISUS WRITER PRO PRO#

No indent on the first line of each entry. Incidentally, if you own a Mac, Nisus Writer Pro is a very nice 39 US (ed) word.

If you select a region of text that has more than one font size and/or other attribute associated with a portion.

A heading “Works Cited” centered one inch below the top edge of a new page. Check marks () identify selected menu items.

The Works Cited page has the following characteristics: Your completed setting should look like this:įollow this how-to when you are ready to work on your Works Cited page. Use the Tab key on every next new paragraphs. Learn how you can write text in bold, italic, underline, strikethrough in Notes app on iPhone 12 / iPhone 12 Pro.Gears I use:Velbon Sherpa 200 R/F Tripod Wit.

#FIND ITALIC TEXT IN NISUS WRITER PRO HOW TO#

Click on the Tab key to indent 1/2 inch to begin your first paragraph. My thesis on /Designing italics/ is now freely available, with suggestions of how to find the good stuff in the.Click on the Align Left icon (to bring your blinking cursor to the left).Do not type a period at the end of the title => press Enter. Do not use italics, boldfaced type, underlining, or all caps to format your title. Click on the Align Center icon on the formatting toolbar (to center your blinking cursor) => Type the title of your paper, capitalizing the first letter and all major words and proper nouns.Type your paper’s due date => press Enter.Type your professor’s name => press Enter.How to Setup Line Spacing to Double Spaced in Nisus Writer:Ĭlick on Format => Paragraph Spacing => click on Double Space Lines Click on Insert => Automatic Number => Page Number (to insert automatic page numbering).Type your Lastname and a blank space after the last name.Change the font from Times to Times New Roman.How To Create a Header in Nisus Writer Pro: How to Set the Margins in Nisus Writer Pro:Ĭlick on Windows => Palettes => click on Margins => Change the values for Inner, Outer, Top & Bottom to 1 in.

[gadgetkeren]

Download Future Technology In Web Development Images

Download Future Technology In Web Development Images

The following sample shows the html formatting and codes you use to create headings and titles, lists, lines, and images as well as boldface and italicized type, not to mention how to in. Tractor owners love their machinery. When you’re creating web pages, you use html — a lot! There are plenty of sites on the web that are beneficial to tractor owners, and if you know where to lo. Winfx, the…

[roof132]

Confused About Employing the Expression "Real estate agent"?

The proper use of the time period Realtor seems to be a confusing subject for several genuine estate specialists, as properly as the public. Is a genuine estate agent a Real estate agent or is a Real estate agent a real estate agent. The conditions seem to be utilised interchangeably by every person. Nevertheless, these phrases are not interchangeable and do not have the exact same that means. Merely place, the phrase Real estate agent is to be used solely to indicate that the particular person utilizing the phrase is a membe, in great standing of the Nationwide Association OF REALTORS® and who strictly adheres to its Standards and Code of Ethics. The expression actual estate agent or broker refers to the profession itself. When is it suitable to use REALTOR®, REALTORS® or Realtor-ASSOCIATE® on your website, company cards or other marketing resources? To point out that the true estate professional is a Member or Member-affiliate of the Countrywide Affiliation of Realtors(R) in excellent standing To convey to the public that the real estate expert is a Member in very good standing of the National Association OF REALTORS® To convey to the general public that as a Member, he/she adheres to the maximum skilled specifications and a rigid Code of Ethics Why the fuss? If you do not advertise and protect the suitable use of REALTOR®, REALTORS® or Realtor-ASSOCIATE®, then you will grow to be another box of Kleenex. Kleenex is a brand, not a product and nevertheless the basic public refers to nearly all facial tissue products as Kleenex. The Countrywide Association of Realtors, wants you to stand out above the rest not as a basic solution but as a happy member of an elite group. The National Affiliation of Realtors(R) was started in 1908. In 1913, a strict code of ethics was adopted by the Association with the Golden Rule as its central main. The expression Real estate agent(R) was coined in 1916 with the sole function of figuring out members of the actual estate occupation, who had been associates of the Association of Real Estate Boards and subscribed to its Code of Ethics that function has not modified. Appropriate Usage For Your Advertising and marketing Supplies and Internet site: Does the term "REALTOR®" express membership in the National Affiliation OF REALTORS® If the term member can be substituted Real Estate Agents in Columbia SC  for the word "REALTOR®", you have employed the term properly. If the meaning is transformed in any way, which does not entirely express membership, then the phrase has not been employed properly. Never ever use the phrases as portion of a phrase such as "Any-town's #one Real estate agent" or "the very best Realtor in Any-town" Suitable Form: Capitalize every letter of the time period utilized: REALTOR®, Realtor-ASSOCIATE®, and REALTORS® Every time feasible, you need to use boldface print, or use italicized lettering. The "®" registration mark can be omitted, but only when the use of the registration mark is not possible. Use separating punctuation whenever attainable Every time possible use separating punctuation: Jane Doe, REALTOR® or Jane Doe and Team, REALTOR® Suitable World wide web Use of REALTOR®, Realtor-ASSOCIATE®, and REALTORS®: By no means use any of the terms as component of a area title or URLs which level to website web pages. When a time period is utilized in an email tackle capitalization and separating punctuation is not essential. Do not hyper website link the Block "R" symbol, until you are linking to Real estate agent.com or to a Real estate agent.com internet-page. This report written to aid to clarify the appropriate usage of the phrases, REALTOR®, Realtor-ASSOCIATE®, and REALTORS®, if you nevertheless have queries or want far more comprehensive data visit the Realtor.com web site, then click Membership Marks Manual link. If you need to have more assistance phone the affiliation, they have a excellent employees and will gladly manual you in the appropriate utilization of the National Affiliation emblem as effectively as how and when to use the terms: REALTOR®, Real estate agent-ASSOCIATE®, and REALTORS® in your marketing resources and on the Internet. Pamela Cendejas is a Accredited Genuine Estate Assistance Specialist and owner of Second Self Virtual Assistance, operating with true estate agents who are challenged with discovering adequate time to keep their online existence, advertising and marketing their business and other administrative demands while also promoting true estate. What helps make Pamela's provider special and creates a effective result for her clientele is her many years of encounter and understanding, supporting her generate personalized programs and providers that bridge the gap between the income part of the real estate enterprise and the administrative and help wants of the genuine estate agent. Business Name: Reid Residential LLC Address: 322 South dr. Lexington SC 29072 Phone Number: 8032661125

[inktog]

My copyediting bible (The Copyeditor's Handbook by Amy Einsohn, third edition) gives two sets of rules regarding bold and italics.

--

Some book publishers still follow what have come to be called traditional conventions:

Periods, commas, colons, and semicolons are set in the same typeface as the preceding word.

Question marks and exclamation points are set in the same typeface as the preceding word when they are part of the italicized or boldface term; otherwise they are set in roman.

Both members of paired punctuation marks (e.g., parentheses, brackets, quotation marks) are set in the same typeface. These paired marks are italic (or bold) only if the material within them begins and ends with italicized (or bold) words.

Alternatively, newer house styles call for roman punctuation after italicized or bold words except for a question mark or exclamation point that that belongs to an italicized title: Is Who Did it? or Viva! better than Doom? (Squint hard and you'll see that this terminal question mark is roman.)

augh god i was annoying about minor typographical errors before but ficbinding has just made me 100x worse. THE LAST WORD OF THE SENTENCE IS ITALICIZED SO WHY HAVE YOU NOT ITALICIZED THE EXCLAMATION POINT. genuinely would like to just read a book sometimes without also going “yet another em dash broken onto the next line? theyll let ANYONE print these things i guess” i know it’s irritating i am irritating MYSELF

reading wikipedia earlier today like “hrm so you have accidentally used a breve instead of a caron to indicate the (chinese) third tone in some places, but correctly used the caron elsewhere? you have chosen death?”

[racismessay445]

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[teaandpinkfrosting]

Hi hello, I just wanted to add to this because this isn't necessarily correct editorially. (I don't have experience with typography so I can't speak to that, but I imagine rules might be different when the focus is more on aesthetics.)

According to the Chicago Manual of Style section 6.2, punctuation should only be italicized if it belongs to the italicized text rather than the rest of the sentence. Here are some examples they give of correct italicization:

How can they be sure that the temperature was in fact rising?

The question mark belongs to the whole sentence and should not be italicized.

The Beatles' Help! was released long before the heyday of the music video.

The exclamation point is part of the title of the song and should be italicized.

Boldface is covered in the next section (6.3) and should generally follow the same rules, but there's more room for aesthetic preference.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Dear Writers, A Tip!

I’m not writing this to bash anyone, but to give advice on something that I notice constantly in fanfictions. It bothers me A LOT as a reader and someone who has some graphic design and typography knowledge. This is a “typo” mistake that has nothing to do with how well you write, it doesn’t matter if the language you write in is your mother tongue, and how big of a grammar nerd you are, and so I believe it’s easy to fix. I just haven’t yet seen anyone make a post about it.

The mistake is present in the use of italics, also bold, and both. It’s the most bothersome with italics.

If you put an emphasis in italics only on a certain word or few words in a sentence you must also put any punctuation mark touching those words into italics as well.

Example:

Correct: “John, give me your hand!”

Incorrect: “John, give me your hand!”

Example in bold to better see the difference:

Correct: “John, give me your hand!”

Incorrect: “John, give me your hand!”

Why is this a problem, you ask? Because in certain fonts the difference between italic and regular is big enough that if you mix the two together the different symbols may overlap or sometimes make a too-big gap between them. While by selecting all the symbols around the “italic” word that don’t have a space between them, you avoid this problem completely.

Something to bear in mind for later stories. :)

[ageloire]

Resume Format Tips You Need to Know in 2018 [Sample Formats Included]

Think of a really good print advertisement you've seen lately. What did you like about it? Chances are that while the content of that ad was important, the design played a big role in drawing you in.

It's important to think of your resume like an advertisement to job recruiters. Writing a standout resume goes beyond the content you put in there -- the format plays an important role, too. To recruiters, it speaks volumes about how you collect your thoughts and organize your ideas. So you'll want to make sure it's easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to digest. That means choosing the right sizing for your headers, picking the right fonts, bolding and italicizing where appropriate, and so on.

Get 10 free marketing resume templates right now.

To learn how to format a resume properly, check out the infographic below from Resume Templates 101. Then, under this infographic, see an example list of things a great resume format includes to truly stand out from the other candidates.

The Best Resume Format

There's no such thing as a perfect resume. But depending on your industry, you can pick the right assortment of attributes above and create something the hiring manager won't soon forget.

Here's an example of a resume for an entry-level graphic designer -- a role that some say faces the highest standards for resume format, given the expected skills of the applicant.

Font Type: Century Gothic

This font is a more wide-set sans-serif typeface. Modern design is all about clean typography, making tail-less fonts ideal. The wide-set appearance helps entry-level applicants make good use of empty space when they don't have much experience to report on.

Font Size: 12pt

Anything bigger than 12pt body text in Century Gothic can risk looking a bit unprofessional. This size works well for those who have limited content, and continues to work well as his or her career grows.

Font Style: Bold Name and Job Title

Between underlines, boldface, and italics, boldface is this applicant's best bet for the font type they're using. Italicized Century Gothic isn't distinguished enough from standard Century Gothic to use both in the same document, and underlines can dilute the clean appearance you get with this font type.

Bolding the first and last name at the top -- and every job title, skill, and field of study beneath it -- establishes a clean but obvious hierarchy from the top of the resume to the bottom.

Header Style: Standard, 15pt

Headers over Education, Experience, Skills, and similar resume sections should be visibly bigger than the body text, but not overpowering. A standard (unstylized) header in 15pt font governs each section of the resume nicely and doesn't clash with the boldfaced skills and job titles beneath it.

Name Style: Standard, 17pt

The first and last name should be at least another 2 points larger than each header. No matter what your industry or experience level, it's important that your name is the biggest text on your resume. Hiring managers look at a lot of these things every day, and you need them to remember your name -- if nothing else.

Why standard and not bold? I happen to think Century Gothic looks best as is, especially as the font size increases.

Resume Layout

As for the resume's layout, consider this order: Name, Contact Info, Education, Skills, Experience, and Awards. New professionals need to front-load their education because it's the most relevant item on their resume, while their "Skills" section showcases the editing software and equipment that is critical to their qualifications for any job opening.

Even if you're not an entry-level designer, the above infographic -- and following example -- is a model for how you can highlight the parts of your background that are most important to your employer. Now, get to writing!

  from Marketing https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-format-resume