#but in the end I decided Marc deserves nice things sometimes

[normaltothemax]

“ Look at you now. ” [Greyson @ Marc?]

Marc ducks his head, rubs at the back of his neck. Tries to ignore the heat crawling up under his hand, brought on by the tone of Greyson’s voice, sounding just shy of pride.

Yeah, he supposes it’s a big difference from his days as a marine. He’s not a scared, angry kid anymore. Doesn’t flinch or lash out any time someone touches him or even lifts a hand in his direction. There’s no longer a chip on his shoulder and a weight on his back.

He’s not running anymore.

He’s more grounded. Has a home and a wife—technically; he’s still not sure he has a right to call her that again, just yet (they’re working on it)—that loves him, despite all the shit he’s put her through. Has two (that he knows of) alters that love him too, though in very different ways than Layla does, that he’s no longer fighting against and blocking out. That he’s come to accept and love in return. He’s less of a mess, less depressed, though he still has his days, and is actually sort of getting his life together.

(He’s also a vigilante, going out at night to protect those that travel in the moonlight. Saving people, hurting others, sometimes killing, if they’re terrible enough. Those instances are becoming rarer, and Jake mostly takes over when they need to, but each murder still takes a piece of him with it. He still dreams of their faces, still remembers each and every one of them.)

That part, he decides to keep to himself.

Look at him now, indeed.

“Yeah, I uh…guess I grew up.” Despite being in the best place (psychologically) he’s been in years, he’s still not overly comfortable with the attention he’s receiving. He’s quick to try and shift it over to Greyson. “You, though. I heard you made captain. It’s a bit late, but uh, congratulations?”

@dramatisperscnae (x)

[oddballwriter]

Triplets?!

Summary: A dumb thought I had and decided to write. 

Warnings: There isn't anything that I can think of other than just a misunderstanding that leads to something funny 

Author’s Snip: This was just a silly little post that I had come to mind when I heard the one MBMbam clip where its a person talking about how they call their male friends their "boys" and a drive thru worker thinks that the person is a parent, also a little bit of Reba McEntire's I'm a Survivor "A single mom who works two jobs who loves her kids and never stops" meme. This whole thing is kind of just a writing shit post.

Notes: This isn't proof read 

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

It was an inside joke. With yourself.

As a joke you would call your Marc, Steven, and Jake your triplets even though they were your boyfriends. It was kind of like when a mom says "I have two children, three if you want to include my husband.". It wasn't meant to be mean. It was just a light hearted joke since they can sometimes be everywhere and your sense of domestically can be hectic.

Speaking of domestic things, you were currently grocery shopping but line was painfully long and slow for whatever reason. It wasn't all bad though. There was this nice lady named Cathy behind you, and you two had started having a full conversation after she made small talk about how long the line was. She was an older woman, maybe in her mid to late forties. You had offered to switch spots in line since she had more in her cart than you but she said she didn't mind and that you should be quicker either way. You could tell she was a mom just by the looks of her and how she was acting. She wasn't exactly mothering you but she was talking like how most moms talk to younger people compared to her.

Your conversations topic had just changed to something else when your phone rang. It was Steven.

"Oh, one of my triplets." you mumble under your voice before answering. The call wasn't much. He just called to ask if everything's alright since you've been out for longer than you said you would and some other things before you ended the call with an "I love you, bye.".

"Wow. Three of them? Huh?" Cathy smiled. You looked at her confused for a moment before realizing that she might have heard your mumble.

"That must be chaos." she said. "I have issues wrangling my kids and they're all different ages!" she adds with a laugh. You just nod along, but she still goes on with the new subject.

"How old are they?" Cathy asked, to which you respond with "Thirteen." since that seemed like a reasonable age for a 'kid' to have a phone. "Oh my gosh! Three of them and they're teenagers?" she pitied. "At such a young age like you too. Sweetheart, you deserve a metal." Cathy praised. "It's not that bad." you say as you try and go along with this accidental act you placed on yourself, "Only one of them is a troublemaker. The other two... well they stay inside at least." you joke, mostly for yourself.

Cathy had actually become very chatty and mostly took up the subject. She talked about how her eldest, Kimberly, was sixteen and that she was starting to talk to boys and stay out. Her second eldest, Noah, was starting to have an attitude with her. The middle, Jackie, was having issues in getting along in the classroom and during recess. And her toddler, Marie, was leaning manners and "That's going as good as you think it is." as Cathy put it.

You wanted to stop her so that you could leave but she was just so nice, and sounded like she needed to vent out some stress, so you let her go on while the casher checked out both you and her carts. Cathy did give you the note that her husband was also involved in the kids too but since she's a stay at home she was the frontline.

You felt a bit sad when you had to leave and head home. You didn't know if you'd meet Cathy ever again but you already missed her and said your goodbyes to her, with her of course saying "And best of luck with your triplets.".

When you got home Steven was there to help take in the bags but at a certain point when you locked eyes and laughed he asked what was up.

"There's a forty-something year old woman named Cathy somewhere in town and she thinks I'm a parent with teenage triplets." you confess.

[unmaskedagain]

Rather be Me (than with You)

Hey everyone. This is a kind of angsty ONE-SHOT; not the usual humor and fun I usual go for. I decided to do something a bit different. I experimented with the idea of a story where Lila doesn’t get exposed. Marinette just moves on. Decides she deserves better.  This ISN’T a QUEEN MARI but Marinette does realize she’s a queen. 

This is Anti-Class but not Lila bashing. I didn’t not to got the normal LILA BASHING everyone usually does. Don’t get me wrong, Lila Bashing is my favorite tag in this fandom. But I wanted to do something different. Tell me what you think and if you like it.

It had been a long time since Marinette had cared about their snickering; cared that sometimes she ate alone. Marinette hadn’t given a rat’s ass about what anyone in her damn class thought. She had been done for a long time.

A year had passed since Lila created the hurricane that pretty much turned Marinette’s life upside. A year since Alya had been her best friend, since Adrien was her crush. Since Ladybug’s partner was Chat Noir, a year since she was anyone’s everyday Ladybug.

These days the other students in class ignored her, and she was fine with it. The minute Marinette stepped back and decide to say, “Fuck Them.” Lila had left her alone. The Italian girl still side-eyed her every now and then but was content to let Marinette be. One thing Lila did right was that she saw Marinette exactly as she should be seen; an unbeatable threat, and one hell of pain in the neck if she tried hard enough. For a while, Lila was sure the Marinette would expose her, that every lie she spun would come undone.

But then one day, just a few months after Lila had returned, Marinette came to school with a big grin on her face. Lila said one tall tales, and the other girl didn’t even blink. Lila still remembered that their eyes met and saw: nothing. No longer did righteous fury reside there. No hurt expression. Or tears. Just apathy, sheer indifference to everyone in class.

Lila didn’t smile that day. In fact, she found it hard to really smile for the rest of the week. Because though technically she had won, it didn’t feel like a victory. It was like the game the two girls played had resulted in a stalemate and Marinette decided the battle was over. Marinette lost all her friends. Lila had no choice but to keep up the lies, particularly, after her mother announced they wouldn’t be moving like they usually would after a few months. It took a lot of work. Lila could admit that if she had know Paris was permanent, she’d have been a little more honest.

So, in the end, neither girl won but neither girl lost.

Nevertheless, Lila was smart. She knew when to back off. And so she did. She learned quickly that if she kept Marinette’s name out of her mouth, she was golden. Lila also learned that Marinette wasn’t made at Lila. It was everyone else the Asian girl had a problem with.

Everyone else in class who quickly realized just what life was like without their everyday ladybug.

Gone was the random sweets from her parents’ bakery. Gone was the well planned birthday parties and class trips. Gone was the comforting shoulder. Gone was the friend who they could call no matter time of day or night if they needed someone to talk to. Gone was their biggest supporter. Gone was the always friendly face that promised to brighten the darkest day.

           The kids learned quickly, that if they were in trouble, they were on their own. Apart from Akuma attacks, that Ladybug still showed up for. Though Ladybug had taken to ignoring the students, particularly Alya. Even going as far as to say to the teen reporter, in front of other journalists, that she doesn’t talk to tabloids; too many rumors and lies.

           This had slowly but surly caused the downfall of the Ladyblog. Alya could no longer get the best scoop; no that went to Aurore who created an entire website with tips and advice and videos about and straight from Ladybug. The website fully endorsed by the hero. Alya had quickly decided that she just needed to talk to Ladybug to clear up whatever was caught the strife. It was then that Alya remembered that Marinette had gotten her that first interview, the interview that had launched the Ladyblog’s success. Marinette who she was no longer friends with.

           Marinette who had it clear that she didn’t care. She didn’t are that Alya’s beloved blog had spiraled into nothing. That Nino’s music career seemed to be at an all-time standstill. That Marc and Nathaniel’s comic and partnership had gone down in flames. (Mostly because Nathaniel had taken too much of Lila’s advice and changed too much of the comic to be recognizable.) Or that Ivan and Mylene had broken up. Juleka had gone back to never showing up in pictures. Rose was in tears that Prince Ali no longer wished to speak to her. Kitty Section had broken up. Chloe was a bigger bully than ever, though she too was smart enough to stay clear of Marinette. The list went on and on, getting worse and worse.

           Even the teachers realized just how much of a control presence that Marinette had. And just how lost their classrooms were without her.

           But still, Marinette didn’t care.

Marinette had been screwed over. Once. Twice. A dozen times. Her best friend, her sworn bestie, hadn’t been the loyal friend she promised she was; acted nice when was so not nice. Chat Noir, Adrien, had left her to fight alone so many times that Master Fu took back his Miraculous. Screwed over by her best friend. Twice. And then by all the other kids.

Still, no one could understand how the sweetest girl could go full Ice Queen.

They had been smart enough to get Luka and Kagami to ask Marinette at the school’s end of the year party. Adrien got Kagami to ask as Marinette had taken to ignoring him for a long time by then Juleka got Luka to promise to find out. Kagami and Luka had become her closest friends. And the fact that her classmates would use them to get information on her, just reminded Marinette just how done she was.

She was so done.

So after the two had asked. Instead of answering, Marinette texted Colton, her friend, and DJ of the party. Marinette needed to make something clear.

When the song, ended Marinette got on stage.

“Hey,” She said into the mic. Her hair was only a bit longer but the blue had been dyed out of it. Her skinny jeans were black and ripped and she had on a red halter top was lacy and elegant. “Someone of you might not know me. But I’ve done enough for this school and a lot the students, to know majority of you do.” Her tone was dry and her stare blank. “Over last year, I took a step back you could say from, well, bullshit.” There were laughs. Most of the students who knew of Marinette and had been affected by her kindness had reached out almost immediately when they realized something was wrong, something had changed.

           Marinette looked at the students, “I got screwed over by too many times to count.” She sighed. “Turns out, a lot there’s a lot of assholes in my class.” She said bluntly. “So how do I deal with it all. In fact, how do you deal with all the drama and bullies and liars and two-faced bitches in your life? I got some advice for you. Pay close attention because it worked great for me.” The music started and Marinette started to sing.

“Here's my secret strategy

It always works because

The world doesn't end

It just feels like it does”

           Marinette wasn’t the best singer but she was decent. The song wasn’t about high notes or theatrics. It was sung with grace and humor. A strong daria morgendorffer vibe.

So raise your right finger      Marinette raised her right hand flicked off the entire school and looked right at her classmates. There faces turned red and their eyes were wide.

And solemnly swear

"Whatever they say about me

I don't care!"

           The first few months had been hard. And full of mean looks were way and nasty remarks. Until they realized they needed her. They needed her charm. Her can-do attitude. Her to come back as class president. Her ideas. The free handmade clothes she designed.

I won't twist in knots to join your game

           Rose, surprising, had been the first to try to tempt her back. The other having enlisted the second sweetest girl in class to talk to Marinette. Rose had told Marinette that if she just admitted she was wrong Lila and apologize, they’d take her back. Marinette had told her to fuck off.

I will say, "you make me mad."

And if you treat me bad

I'll say "you're bad"

And if I eat alone from this moment on

That's just what I'll do

'Cause I'd rather be me, I'd rather be me

I'd rather be me than be with you

           Marinette had eaten alone for weeks until she made she found real friends in other classes, both upper and lower grades. That was when Marinette found out that she was well-liked by the majority of the school. And the majority of the school didn’t buy Lila’s lies.

We're supposed to all be ladies

And be nurturing and care

Is that really fair?

Boys get to fight, we have to share

           Marinette found new friends, made new plans, her schedule filled up again, and she was happy. That was when the rumors started. Alya and Alix, leading the charge, had taken upon themselves to tell Marinette new friends what a bully she was and the rest of the school as well. They got upset when no one believed them.

           They got even more upset when they realized Marinette didn’t care. At all. However, when Alix had taken it too far, he had decided to get physical and trip Marinette in the lunchroom….

Here's the way that turns out

We always understand

How to slap someone down

With our underhand

           Marinette got up, pulled her arm back, and knocked Alix’s lights out. “Don’t try that shit again,” Marinette had warned her ex-friends. “I have no problem kicking each and everyone one of your asses.”

She got a week’s detention but she smiled all the way through.

So here's my right finger Marinette flicked off the school again; waved it around so everyone could see it.

To how girls should behave

'Cause sometimes what's meant to break you

Makes you brave

So I will not act all innocent

I won't fake apologize

           From then on, it was everyone understood that a new Marinette walked the halls. One that didn’t care about being nice. How ladies should behave. She refused to apologize after a fight. And she never backed down from an agreement.

           Turns out losing all her friends didn’t break her. It made her braver. In a way Ladybug never managed to before then.

Let's just fight and then make up

Not tell these lies

Let's call our damage even

Clean the slate till it's like new

           Marinette never gave in; even when the ice out happened. All the kids in her class ignored her, they didn’t say a single word to her. Refused to pair with her. Didn’t even acknowledge her existence.

It's a new life for me

Where I'd rather be me

I'd rather be me

Than be with you

The once bluenette just laughed at their childish antics. She didn’t bat an eye as they wanted her too. She didn’t understand why they couldn’t fight like normal people. Or the very at least call the war done, the damage even on both sides, and then move on with clean slates.

I'll say, "NO!"

NO!

I'll say, "knock it off,

with your notes and your rules and your games."

           Marinette had just gone: NO. No. She wasn’t going to play their little games. Do anything to make it even remotely look like she card. It was over. She was done. It was all just a waiting game.

           Waiting for them to grow up and realize, it was game over. There was no magical way their friendship would ever be restored. They should move, let go. Find something better. Accept the loss and learned to live with it.

           Like she’d done with Lila. Marinette hadn’t been happy with the results of their chess game but she could live with it. Move on. Got a new life.

And those sycophants who follow you, Marinette turned her attention to the pretty Italian girl. If Lila ever came after her again… Or when her kingdom of lies fell, and there was no doubt it would. Marinette would be there to watch it burn.

I'll remember all their names, She sang to Lila who nodded having understood. Even she knew her time was running out. Though Lila wouldn’t just hand over her power willingly. No, Lila knew it would have to dragged away from her bloody hands before she let it go. Lila would fight. It was just the way she was.

           The one thing Marinette liked about the girl.

           Alya was getting desperately. Eventually, she’ll realize the answer to all her problems lay in the comments on her blog. All questioning why she was promoting such an obvious liar. And when she did… There would be hell to pay.

And when they drag you down

Like they inevitably do

I will not laugh along with them and

approve their palace coup, 'cause that's not me. She promised her once the greatest enemy. (Hawkmoth’s was Ladybug’s.) That caused Lila to smile.

           Because when the faux-faced kids turned their ire onto Lila. When they dragged her through the same torment they put Marinette though. At least the wannabe Volpina wouldn’t have to worry about the once Every Day ladybug.

           In fact, if Lila played her cards right, and she nearly always did. She’d find an alley to teach her. Teach her not to care. Teach her to be stronger. Teach her out to say “Fuck you” to the world.

           Because Marinette no longer cared enough to have any reason not to. Granted she could just say, “I. Don’t. Want. To.” Like she did frequently these days.

Janis. Janis. Janis. Janis

I don't need their good opinions

I have plenty of opinions

Everybody has opinions but it doesn't make them true

           Marinette didn’t care what her old friends thought. Or that they didn’t like her. Who cared? So what if they thought she was a bully? Or a jealous liar. Or a bad friend. Or the new Ice queen.

           She shrugged. She had a lot to say about them to.  And sure she bitched with Luka, Aurore, and Kagami but it wasn’t serious. It was just to vent. Because who cared?

What's true is being me

And I'd rather be me

I'd rather be me than be with you.

So raise them high 'cause playing nice and shy is insulting my IQ

           Marinette had no problem being a bitch if they pushed. She was no longer shy and sweet and far too nice for her own good. Because she had learned her lesson.

           And, Marinette thought, she learned it was so well that life rewarded. She was making clothes for Clara and Jagged. Worked with Chloe’s mom. She had an internship with Teen Vogue, in New York, that summer. Won several design contests. Got to see one of her designs on the red carpet worn by an up and coming actress that Jagged recommended her to.

           The actress said the brand was MDC, created by a kickass teenager name Marinette. That dress got the actress on the best-dressed list, and Marinette twenty more commissions by other almost, or kind of famous celebrities.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah

I'd Rather Be Me

I'd Rather Be Me

So maybe I should thank you. Marinette adlibbed the line but sang it directly to Lila who smirked as she knew exactly what the other girl was referring to.

           While Marinette would never say it, Lila knew, she had done the girl a favor. Showed her who her real friends were. Or weren’t. And without them, without the niceness and overly caring nature she once had, Marinette had thrived; gone further than Lila ever imagined.

           Lila had only wanted them because she liked the attention. However, she knew they weren’t real friends. No matter what Alya said, they weren’t besties. Lila didn’t trust the glasses-wearing girl as far she could throw her.

Because now I know…

I'd Rather Be Me than be with you!

           Most of her classmates looked sad. A few looked angry. Lila just looked up at her used to be nemesis with admiration and a small smile.

           A brief look of wonder and hope flashed over her face and for a moment she of just saying “To hell with it.” Screaming her sins and go binge watch Grey’s anatomy. Take up dance class when summer was over and the new school year began. She always loved dancing.

           It was the only thing Lila knew was honestly good at; great at even.

           But that moment passed. Lila liked her power. Besides, there was a good chance she could make everyone think Alya was crazy or lying to convince to save her blog; that Lila wasn’t the liar.

           Lila smirked. She had all summer to slowly leave breadcrumbs that Alya was reading too much into the situation, was too desperate, didn’t know what she was talking about. By the time the summer ended, Lila could have all other students convinced the once future great journalist had just lost her edge. So much so that it was reason Ladybug dissed the Ladyblog.

           Alya wouldn’t be a challenge like Marinette had been. Not even close. Marinette had been the Sherlock to Lila’s Moriarty. (If Marinette had kept the game going, Lila would’ve too. Until it was a full-scale war. No prisoners. Just blood; both metaphorical blood and the real red stuff.)

Alya would be too easy. But it would still be fun. Even if Alya managed to pull a fast one, there was no way their little friendships would survive what they did to Marinette. Not all the blame could be put on Lila, no matter how much they tried.

And when Marinette didn’t come back after the truth was revealed and they begged and apologized for never believing her; for not trusting her. Blame would shift. Especially if Lila changed classes like she knew Marinette had to be at least considering.

I'd Rather Be Me

           Because, Marinette would never be their friend again. They were just pawns in the game of life. And Marinette realized that while pawns could become queens. They never went back to being pawns again.

I'd Rather Be Me

I'd Rather Be Me than be with you!

Marinette was doing just fine. She wasn’t their friend. She didn’t like them.

And most importantly, Marinette didn’t care.

[akimmito]

Heroes are made by the path they choose

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Master List

Chapter 15

After the Akuma battle, Max calls everyone who participated in the battle to talk about what happened. Felix and Marinette agreed to meet later when they settled at the hotel, only Kagami excused herself because she had business to attend to.

An hour passes before everyone is gathered in the boardroom, where all meetings are held. Max stays on the computer, Luka has served snacks for the Kwami and tea for the others, everyone needs to relax to give their opinion, that will help them a bit to wait for Hugo to announce that the food is ready and they can eat, the good thing is that they finished the attack in good time.

Damian feels uncomfortable, perhaps a little irritable at feeling that he has failed at something. It was not his performance in battle, he did what was expected of him exceptionally, even Paris has had good opinions about him, even though he's a child. It bothers him not to identify what caused that feeling.

Everyone notices how introspective the child looks, but says nothing. It's best to let him meditate on what torments him, in the end, only Marinette is able to reach him effectively without receiving an angry look or offensive comment. The child can touch the angelic with his mother close (but sometimes even the worst of his character comes out).

"We're ready." Felix enters the boardroom wearing only the most basic suit, the sleeves of his white shirt roll up to his elbow, and instead of his black shoes, he wears gray, fluffy slippers. Only Felix would present himself like this with the dignity of a king.

By that time, Chloe has also arrived, taking advantage of the lunch hour to meet them, even Nathaniel has taken a break and has arrived, his expression is that of someone who has not slept in three days and is not very wrong, really not he's slept in three days (at that point, Marc is tempted to knock him out with a spatula to get him to sleep).

"We can start." Marinette sits next to Damian after giving him a kiss on the head, he just erases his annoyed expression as a sign of appreciation, calming himself by having her close. "What have they discovered?"

Marc sighs and waits for Max to put on screen the videos of the surroundings of the previous Akuma, it remains to be seen if this last Akuma Purple Dolphin had a similar origin, but with two that are the same, he's sure that this is also the case. When the images appear on the screen behind the engineer, everyone pays special attention to what is displayed.

"Those are images from before Abraham Bélanger was Akumatized, the butterfly suddenly appeared in front of a single camera, so we can assume that our villain moves close to the victims." Marc explains what he had already spoken to Max and Luka, but now they will add the additional information and debate theories. "We didn't discover anyone suspicious, so we also decided to check each owner's vehicles and background. Only one caught our attention."

"A vehicle by the name of Leonard Daract, which is a false name. Although there are several with that name, none of them reside in France and they are not the owners of a car of the registered model. "Max shows the records it found on the screen, since the only real connection is an affiliation with a ghost organization that, due to its investigation, it's a cover for money laundering, but they cannot identify the beneficiary of said scheme. Nicely covered with lots of fake names and dead ends. "Also the name of Jean Laperriére, owner of a vehicle captured away from the origin of the first Akuma, is among the members of B.K. Company. "

"So our villain is good at hiding." Felix analyzes the screen, thinking about which way to go from there. They must be smart and stop walking behind the villain to start taking steps forward.

"That also makes it easy for him to activate organized crime in the city, he already has a way to finance criminal groups without being tracked." Nathaniel comments and then just mutters a few random ideas, plus a couple of curses for the extra work.

"And if he has one, he must have more." Alix gives her little opinion, leaning back in her chair. "That brings me to what I discovered with Detective Fontaine, take. “She pulls out a USB stick and hands it to Max.

In a short time the case files are projected on the screen, the pieces of the bomb found, the witness reports and the names of the victims. Everyone observes a particular name: Nora Bélanger, twenty-two, died on the way to the hospital, the daughter of Abraham Bélanger, the Akumatized victim that day.

"What was the name of today's victim?" Damian asks, feeling that everything has been in motion since long before.

"Let's see. "Max starts reviewing the files on the second computer he has, it's easier that way and he doesn't overload the laptops with so much open file. A couple of minutes later, he has it. "Victoria Jouvet, last night reported a robbery at her house, but it was dismissed and this morning she received a message about it, minutes later, well, we already know what happened..."

"Since when did the police dismiss cases? Alix, did you know about that?"Marinette frowns, she doesn't like how Paris's safety is being affected. Since Mayor Bourgeois was no longer elected and a new mayor took over the city, many corruption cases were disappearing and a dismissal of cases, especially with the return of the butterfly, is not the best practice to keep healthy emotions.

"No, I had no idea." She almost growled about it, maybe she should talk more closely with Detective Fontaine about what's going on inside the police. Too good that she discovered that MT has that kind of jurisdiction, Chloe excelled in supporting the cause, she deserves a reward.

Max continues to collect information and decides to place an alert for registered crimes in the databases, to classify them and be able to monitor the victims. Perhaps there is a way to handle the most violent crimes that Paris has not seen in several years. Yes, there are still murders, robberies and rapes, but it is not something that happens every day and now with emotions as a vulnerable point, they need a way to redirect the negative effect in some way.

"Then the police are falling into old ways, we must clean it up. Kudbel, do you trust that detective?" She nods, resigned to having Felix continue calling her by her last name, sometimes someone's name escapes him, but he corrects him immediately, although she knows that he's fond of everyone, even if he denies it. "So I need you to start a joint investigation, we will make a file of every police in Paris to find out who are the corrupt, we will clean the place to avoid Akuma for police negligence. Any inappropriate behavior will be suspicious, we will remove all the dirty laundry, we have long ignored the police issue. If we only keep two assets in the entire city, it doesn't matter, there is a selection of recruits in the academy that can begin to be sent to the field from the moment we take out the vermin."

"Agree. It's fortunate that Detective Fontaine enjoys being hated by everyone."

"Our guy, tell him we send greetings." Marc says to lighten the mood a bit, although everyone is in work mode now.

"We must create a support project for families, if these police officers have children they must be protected and not left adrift by the mistakes of their parents. "Marinette takes out her phone to write down a reminder to consult Hugo about the possibilities of creating a project about it.

Nathaniel nods in support, also pulling out his phone to check his bank accounts and see if he can support, he doesn't have the exaggerated amounts of money Marinette has accumulated over the past few years at absurd speed, but he's in the same situation that she just He accumulates because neither he nor Marc spend too much, the most expensive thing they have is the apartment and they don't even have a car. They don’t spend beyond what is necessary.

Alix doesn't comment, she, if it were not for living with Chloe, would have a slightly less stable life. Having her own art school doesn't give her millions, but it's something that she really enjoys, just like being an Art History consultant at the Louvre, she doesn't complain, but sometimes she0s surprised at the gap that exists between her and  others. Felix with his millionaire family, Chloe with his exorbitant salary (and the Hotel, which remained in her hands when André was imprisoned for fraud, Chloe didn't touch her heart when she reformed it completely and changed its name, leaving not even the shadow than it was), Nathaniel and Marc have a very stable base of money for their comic book editorial and recently accepted two new writers and three cartoonists for the publication of new works, expanding the franchise, Max has an annual profit that rivals With Luka and his record label, Kagami and the Tsurugi company double Chloe's annual salary (and that's a lot of money)... And Marinette, she has managed to accumulate so much money in just five years that she's close to surpassing Felix's fortune, if her earnings continue to grow at the rate  it's going (and having two Wayne as her clients, she is sure it will happen) she really will go on those lists of the world's richest people. Yes, she is the one who earns the least because even Kim has more stable earnings. And almost all of them have made their salary base in the last four years, working even before starting university.

The MT is full of crazies with money, definitely, but aren't all vigilantes like that? She can bet her kidneys that Batman and Green Arrow are also crazy with money.

"Then with the police business going on. I think it is time to research every company in Paris, find any links with shell companies and list them. That includes ours. ”No one complains, knowing they are not going to be sidelined just because they could end up showing that in court and it is better to avoid suspicion. "All employees must also be investigated. It would be good to speak to Borealis to find out if his informants have any suspicious information. "

"I'll tell him to give us all the information he gets at the meeting." Now it's Chloe's turn to get her phone out and start sending messages.

"Going back to the bomb, do you have suspects?" Marc asks, redirecting the conversation.

"Only one. His name is Felipe Lombard, he was released from prison two years ago. He was arrested for exploiting an apartment building killing seventeen people in Marseille, he was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison and... I really think it should have been longer, but he came out because he made a deal with the prosecution to help dismantle a group of smuggling of weapons that the police had been following for years, but had no conclusive evidence. It seems they found the connection with him and it was one of two, or cooperating or adding another twenty years to the sentence. ”Alix explains with little interest. "He was found dead this morning, according to the detective's call... So we don't know if someone paid him or if he relapsed. "

"Ridiculous, completely ridiculous."

"I think we need to expand our allies..." Luka murmurs, weighing their options, they may have the equipment, but they need more people to give them information and, although Aurore's informants are useful, they are not enough to have more precise control than it happens on the streets. And its allies outside the country seldom have information that relates to Paris in any way.

"Yeah, but we will discuss that when it is the first meeting of the Order." Says Marinette. "By the way, our trip will be short, the jewel is in Istanbul, so after the small obligations that Felix committed to, we'll return. "

"Right, we'd better be going." Felix nods at her words.

Everything is saved and sent to the central database, all are removed and most go to the dining room where Hugo has just arrived thanks to Kaalki. Only Damian doesn't follow the others and instead hugs his mother.

"Sorry. "

"Oh? Why?" She immediately returns the hug and strokes his head lovingly.

"I'm just sorry... maybe I did something wrong."

"You don't have to apologize if you make a mistake, I don't expect you to be perfect or someone you're not for wanting to please me." She smiles and cradles her son's face, she can see the conflict in his green eyes. "I love you as you're."

"Me too, mother." He hides his face in her chest and clings to her as much as he can, feeling really loved and at home. And he decides it's best to ignore the information about soul mates, Constantine's sour gaze upon mentioning it is proof that it's not pleasant for his mother either.

-------

R. Grayson: I have a question regarding the design you submitted

Marie Lenoir: Yes?

R. Grayson: Why is the lining of my suit violet?

Marie Lenoir: Combines with the tie and with your eyes, your shade of blue is very vivid and beautiful

R. Grayson: Thanks, although my eyes are nothing compared to yours

Marie Lenoir: Thank you, I'm flattered.

--------

Lila Agreste is not a bad person, at least, she's not anymore. Being forced to marry Adrien taught her a few things, as well as being a reality hit on the course she was taking in her life. By the time the marriage contract was released, she no longer wanted to have anything to do with the Agreste and marrying the blonde was out of her plans, but she did.

How it happened?

Well, Adrien invested a great deal of money in cleaning up the family name and pleasing her in any way she wanted, that was what persuaded her. But as the years went by, she felt less comfortable with the situation, but she came to sympathize with Adrien's stance and stayed for it, despite the fact that she fell in love with another man. If only the heroes were less useless and found a way to wake Emilie from the coma, she would be free to return to Italy and plan her life with her lover.

She doesn't love Adrien, but she's fond of him. Seven years married in a friendly relationship generates that, he never questioned her and respected her space, in addition to taking her on many trips and including her in various jobs. Yes, she knows that she takes advantage sometimes, but she also feels quite bitter. She doesn't even find herself to lie about anything, she just wants to get out of that horrible life and for that she must play her cards well or the last years would have been a waste of time.

With the only person who keeps in touch during school days is Alya (who doesn't know anything about the contract), the others made their lives far away or their relationships with them fractured, but she knows what has become of all of them because her beloved husband he mentions from time to time, in addition to maintaining a close friendship with several of them. He has even gone to some dinners with him, although she was always uncomfortable.

The only one relevant to her record is Marinette, she was surprised by the turn she gave to her life after that discussion with her parents. She stopped being the annoying girl from school and became a force to be reckoned, the Lady Black brand emerged strongly and remains lifted with the same toughness as the beginning, even expanding to other areas besides fashion.

She's jealous, yes she's, but she learned to recognize that all of that was her effort. She didn't marry anyone to help her, she doesn't even have a partner nor does she need her to have a child. She still doesn't know the famous boy, but Damian Lenoir is not a name that is foreign to her, Alya complained about how that boy seemed about to stab her boyfriend with a table knife... Lila still doesn't understand that possessed her to date that nefarious guy, neither all the money in the world is worth to support such a disgusting man.

"Lila, here!" She smiles as best she can and approaches the table. Alya invited her and, being the girlfriend of the mayor's son, it's a very luxurious place. She has gone there, of course, Adrien sometimes invites her to places like this to give the appearance of a happy couple.

"Hi. "She still doesn't like how effusive the reporter is.

"How was your trip to Kazan? Russia must be beautiful. "She begins, it's been a month since they last saw each other and then just a few calls, Adrien always takes a long time in the cities. Not that she cares, but that gives her time to have a good time at her destinations.

"Wonderful. Adrien paid a tour guide to take us to know the secrets of the city, of course, two weeks is a long time, but we found ways to have a good time while balancing work. "A little lie, she spent most of the time alone, but she's not telling anyone that. Perhaps the only ones who know are Adrien's friends and, again, she returns to that overly successful group. It would have seemed unreal if she hadn't seen their growth firsthand.

"That's great, Lila! I would like to travel more, but Michel is always busy, at least we have the opportunity to have dinner every night. ”She nods as if she was really interested in knowing something about her boyfriend, Nino was a thousand times better and also more pleasant. She still remembers with disgust when Michel tried to seduce her, if he did the same with Marinette, it doesn't surprise her that his son was ready to riddle him with silverware.

"It must be difficult being a surgeon's girlfriend, they can call him randomly at some point."

"Yes, but it's worth it."

Lila wonders if Alya knows or plays stupid, her boyfriend is no better than excrement, however handsome or wealthy he's. Although the reporter has a hard time accepting when she's wrong and after three years of relationship, it would be disappointing, yes, maybe that's it.

-------

­­Alya Cessaire @Alya.Blogs.Out

Reunion! @ LilaA.Rossi

[Attached photo]

Tim Drake @TimDrakeW_

My brother just can't contain himself from flirting, his survival instincts are on the underground

Jason @IAm_YisusXD

@TimDrakeW_ Now what did he do?

Tim Drake @TimDrakeW_

@IAm_YisusXD the normal... only now he forgot that her son has dogs capable of devouring him.

[inkribbon796]

Like a House of Cards Ch. 10: To Go Forward, Sometimes you Have to go Backwards

Summary: Mistakes happen when you mess around with magical objects.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Brody walked down to the parking lot after the Sides and the Androids had gone up to talk about the plan and safety measures.

Glitch Logan was running diagnostics on the completed machine so Brody was left in silence for a bit.

So it left the hitman with his thoughts. Which wasn’t always a good thing. He took out his wallet to look at a picture. It was the only professional picture he had of the twins.

His Dark — Brody’s Dark — was sitting in a chair with their little twin sons seated in his lap. The hitman was standing behind them. Dark was the only one of the four without a huge smile, his smile a bit more subdued.

The sight brought a sad sight deep from Brody’s face. Another family was being ripped out from under him. Just when things were starting to get good again.

At the sound of footsteps, Brody quickly pocketed his wallet and turned to see, to his relief, his head saw Glitch Logan watching him. His nanite body visible.

Glitch Logan looked at Brody, “You didn’t tell him.”

“A’course[1] not,” Brody scoffed, and put his wallet away. “Bubblegum fooker is takin’ Dark from me, I’m not gonna help him take my twins too.”[2]

Glitch Logan was quiet, which just let Brody go off on a tirade, “I shouldn’t have ta sacrifice one set ‘a my kids fer the other. I wanted T.B, Lils, and Paddy ta be alive an’ safe but I shouldn’t have ta let the Twins not exist ta cause it. An’ I shouldn’t have ta let my kids die ta get the Twins.”[3]

“Your logic is not flawed,” Glitch Logan agreed. “Unfortunately that does not seem to be the situation we have found ourselves in.”

“Fook!”[4] Brody shouted.

“There a problem?” Nestor came down with the rest of the group they needed. Silver, Jackie, Dark, and Wilford had accompanied the time travelers and their past doubles.

“No,” Brody scoffed, glaring at Wilford. “Obviously not.”

Janus was walking down with Roman. The creative Side not wanting to be far from Logan.

“Head back upstairs,” Glitch Logan told them. “This will be a quick procedure.”

“As if we trust you,” Roman rolled his eyes.

“I don’t care if you trust me, I care if you’re safe,” Glitch Logan spat.

“We’ll stay until the transfer starts,” Janus told him. “To make sure you don’t do anything to him.”

The young glitch demon smiled, “I don’t need any of that anymore.”

“Did you do anything to him?” Roman demanded.

“I have only been here for a minute or two, I am fine,” Logan reassured.

Everyone was having their little eleventh hour conversations. Jackie walked up to Diamonds who was signing with J.J.

“Got a question, before I head up,” Jackie asked Diamonds, gesturing to his own throat. “If yeh[5] don’t mind me askin’[6].”

“Not at all,” Diamonds smiled, his voice crackled a bit. “Logan, Google, and Mortician made this for me. It’s a voice box that transmits signals from my brain to the box. It does have to be replaced every few months because my magic destroys it, but it was quite a nice gift.”

“Yeah,” Jackie smiled.

As Jackie was talking to J.J, Brody walked over to Chase.

“I hope yeh[5] don’t remember anythin’[7] I know,” Brody told Chase. “If my world an’ my family is gonna crash down around me, then I don’t wanna remember it.”[8]

Chase was just staring at him, “Me too.”

Brody turned to glare at Wil, “Take care ‘a him, or else I will find some way ta make yeh pay fer it.”[9]

“I will,” Wilford promised but it was clear Brody didn’t believe it.

Then he turned to look at Dark, his expression softer, “Yeh deserve the world, yeh really do an’ when yeh see the Actor, punch him fer me. ‘Cause I won’t be there ta do it.”[9]

“I don’t need to be convinced to hit him more than once,” Dark hissed.

Suddenly the core of the machine began to glow sharply and everyone had a moment’s notice before pain ripped through the people in the middle of the room and a crack shot down the room. Dark, Wil, the Sides, Diamonds, and J.J to one side, and everyone else to the other. A white light engulfed the room.

When the light cleared Silver was standing in a grassy field with Jackie, Ethan, Brody, Chase, and just the Host. The second Host and Nestor were missing.

“I feel weird,” Ethan was patting his chest. “I feel really pissed and angry and I don’t know why.”

“What Ethan is from the transfer, if he is lucky then it will soon fade.” The Host began to run out of the field, “The Host, Brody, and the heroes need to find a time rift out of this point in time quickly.”

“Why, where are we?” Mark asked, picking up Ethan and following him as the rest of the group followed the Host as well.

Coming to a halt, the Host turned to look at them. “Dark is not with the group so the heroes should rid themselves out of their outfits, they will stand out.”

“What is goin’[10] on?” Chase demanded.

“The Host and his allies are in the year 1963, and today is the day that the Entity and the Madman meet again. They will become allies and take over the city within a matter of weeks. By the end of the month the city will become a completely different creature and will be irreversibly driven down the path that will cause the creations of the heroes that fight against both of them.”

“What?” Brody shouted. “How’d we all get thrown back? Where are the others?”

“They have the Anomaly, so we need to find our current Anomaly and use that to get to where Dark and the others are,” the Host explained as everyone started switching into their civilian clothes. “The other heroes and villains were pushed into a different reality and the two groups must regroup.”

With their outfits a touch more casual, the group tried to look like they weren’t time travelers or aliens.

Ethan had to stop a couple times to catch his breath and not have a panic attack. Because he felt like someone had emotionally set him on fire and he wanted to stay next to Mark or Séan the whole time and only started to feel like he was going back to normal by the time the Host took them through a building where Mark heard a rather familiar voice. It was Dark’s and Wil’s voices. Mark could smell the odor of blood and rot in the air. As if Dark had been killing with his aura.

As the crew snuck through the building, Mark froze to listen in. They were so close. Dark wasn’t as powerful, he wasn’t prepared. He could—

“Wil, she’s sleeping,” Dark grumbled, his voice sounding almost as if it hadn’t been used in some time.

“Oh good, good,” Wil decided. Some of his words were hard to understand but suddenly Wil yelled, “I’ve got a great idea, we’re gonna make a TV show.”

Dark was quiet for a long time and Mark wished he could see his face. But he lingered long enough to hear the future mob boss sigh in frustrated indulgence, “Okay.”

A light clapping reached Mark’s ears, “Excellent, Dames, we can talk details at this lovely little diner it’s got—”

At this point, their voices began to get farther away, and the Host cleared his throat so Mark raced away from the door and into an alley.

“Silver and Jackie will accompany the Host into the next building to get the Anomaly, all others should remain up here.”

“Okay, okay, let’s go,” Séan agreed and the Host used his aura to help them break into the apartment building. But since it was set into the hill there were three flights of stairs connecting them to the ground floor and the Host was practically flying down the stairs, his aura helping him navigate the steps and get down safely. Then he took them down the hall to a room where there was a huge magical sigil on the ground and a magic standing in a red tux with black eyes, and a wailing infant cradled in his hands.

It was the Actor, on the eve of another great story.

“There you are,” Marc smiled as the little squirming and crying bundle. “You’ll make a wonderful addition to our story, won’t you?”

Then the door was ripped open and the Host was there. Marc and the baby both startled. “The hell?”

Now that Marc was distracted the Anomaly he’d been working with had nowhere else to put its magic so it ripped open another rift in time. Another point decades in the future but not quite the time that the Host and the others had come from.

Séan had been racing down the hallway and then tripped on a carpet. So he slammed right into the Actor who dropped the baby right into the time rift that immediately closed shut.

“No!” The Actor shouted. “That was my fucking son!”

“Yikes! Host can we get the kid back?” Séan demanded. “Where’d he go?”

The Host’s aura forced a portal around the Actor and he was gone, the box that housed the Anomaly glitched and the Seer grabbed the box and began to sprint out of the room.

He opened the box and quickly pulled out a bracelet, holding the box with his aura as he ran, “the Host and the heroes must go now. Before the Actor returns. They do not have long but they cannot face him now. They do not have the power nor space to be able to do so.”

“Who was that?” Mark asked, following the Host as Séan ran alongside Mark and they headed back up the stairs.

“The archnemesis to the Entity,” the Host told him. “The child he had would have been used as leverage against the Entity. But now he is in somewhat safer hands and will eventually live under the Entity and the Madman’s care. You have actually just saved him from a loveless environment.”

“Was that one ‘a yer brothers?”[11] Séan asked. “Yeh have what? Five ‘a ‘em?”[12]

The Host leaned over the banister to look down at them,  “The Host also has a sister.”

“Yeah, but yeh an’ that guy hinted that was a boy,”[13] Jackie stalled.

“Yes, and it is true that the infant was one of the Entity and the Madman’s sons, but the Host likes to include his sister when he can.” The Host gave them a huge smile before starting to dart back up the stairs.

Séan and Mark smiled at each other before following the Host back out of the apartment and into daylight where Chase and Brody were still waiting with Ethan.

“You guys got it?” Ethan asked.

“Time Anomaly scored,” Séan snapped his fingers over in the Host’s direction. “Let’s go home.”

The Host motioned for everyone to pull in together. “The heroes still have to locate the second group. They were pushed into a separate dimension and cannot be left there.”

“We get it, we’re pressed for time,” Mark agreed. “How do we do this?”

“The Host will start up the transfer,” the Host offered as everyone gathered in close. “Six will start the transfer but only five will move through.”

“Do I have time ta[14] say a couple words?” Brody asked.

“Yes, but Brody does not have long,” the Host warned.

“Fine,” Brody agreed before walking over to Chase.

“Look out fer[15] him okay,” Brody asked Chase. “Yeh don’t have ta like him, but just make sure Wil doesn’t take advantage ‘a him. He means e’erythin’ ta me.”[16]

“I can’t promise I’ll be good at it, but I’ll try,” Chase promised.

“Thanks,” Brody smiled sadly, taking out his wallet to look at the picture one last time. The world seemed to fold in on itself around them as a blinding white light came from the Host and engulfed the group. “That’s all I need.”

With a roaring in everyone’s ears the past and future of two different timelines compressed a little tighter before the hole in space and time flexed again and the Host sent them to find the others that had been separated from them.

After the flash of blinding light faded, they were standing in the same back alley. The streets were right but the feel in the air was wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations

1. Of course

2. Bubblegum fucker is taking Dark from me, I’m not going to help him take my twins too.

3. I shouldn’t have to sacrifice one set of my kids for the other. I wanted T.B, Lils, and Paddy to be alive and safe but I shouldn’t have to let the Twins not exist to cause it. And I shouldn’t have to let my kids die to get the Twins.

4. Fuck!

5. you

6. asking

7. anything

8. If my world and my family is going to crash down around me, then I don’t want to remember it

9. You deserve the world, you really do and when you see the Actor, punch him for me. Because I won’t be there to do it.

10. going to

11. Was that one of your brothers?

12. You have what? Five of them?

13. Yeah, but you and that guy hinted that was a boy

14. to

15. for

16. You don’t have to like him, but just make sure Wil doesn’t take advantage of him. He means everything to me.

[thelegendofclarke]

Hi! I love your blog and I’m fascinated about your personality, you seem such a wonderful person! Could you share with us, dear followers, about life lessons you learned in your life? I trust that you have some few good advice. P.S. Your tags are the best, they are gold!

Hey anon!

well first of all i want to apologize to you because it has been approximately TWELVE HUNDRED YEARS since you sent me this ask and i have truly been The Worst™ about answering my asks. and THANK YOU SO MUCH for your kind words, you are so sweet ❤ ❤ ❤

i really wanted to answer this with some variation on “my advice is to never ask me for advice” lol because i have no idea what i’m doing. like seriously, 95% of the time this is a fly by the seat of my pants, fake it til ya make it operation. BUT i made you wait SO LONG and i didn’t want to leave you hanging, so i made you a list of some Random Life Lessons i’ve accumulated during my sad, sorry existence on this earth.

HERE WE GO…

Never assume you are the smartest person in the room.

You are never too old to use Johnson & Johnson baby products, go to Chuck-E-Cheese, enjoy a nice ice cream cake, or eat Lunchables.

You are not bound or beholden to anyone else’s perception of you… Fuck them, they don’t know your life.

Dear dudes: if when you say “boys don’t like when girls…” Our response is ALWAYS going to be “girls don’t gaf.”

Don’t waste any of your time fucking with people who are committed to misunderstanding you.

You see a relationship needs to be mutually beneficial. If you’re both not getting something you want it’s a bad relationship.

The high road is like, the worst road ever and annoying af while you’re one it… but at the end of the day, taking it will probably make you feel better about yourself.

Pickle juice is an EXCELLENT chaser.

Let your instincts and the hair on the back of your neck dictate what you do, NOT politeness.

If someone is constantly accusing you of cheating on them it’s because they are cheating on you constantly.

JELL-O No-Bake Boxed Cheesecake is actually pretty damn good.

Never let anyone make you feel like you owe them anything more than yourself.

Blavy is terrible and does not look good on ANYONE. I don’t care that Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs said it’s ok now… It’s not.

Don’t care about what people say behind your back. Theres a reason why they’re behind you.

Find good friends that you trust that you can be an asshole with in private so you don’t act like an even bigger asshole in public.

Don’t ever let anyone make you feel shitty or belittle you for caring about things; and the same goes for getting excited about things.

Related to the above, don’t ever belittle or go out of your way to make people feel shitty about the things they can and get excited about. It’s truly one of the meanest things you can do.

Whenever you get to a new campus, whether it be uni or grad school or study abroad, ALWAYS walk to where all your classes will be BEFORE the term starts. Seriously, the walking estimated time on the maps thingies are full of shit.

Don’t ever say “i’m sorry you feel that way” to people. Honestly, you sound like a douche. And you’re not sorry.

If you ever get to a point in a relationship where you are seriously considering cheating on your significant other, just break up with them. It’s time.

Learn at least one self defense move… It doesn’t matter if it’s a kick or a punch or whatever. just make sure you know one and make sure you know it really well.

There is a difference between “being a risk taker” and “being a dumbass.” You’ll know it when you see it.

The same goes for things like “being realistic” vs. “being a fucking bummer”… Just kep an eye out ya know?

If you have had a disagreement with someone but you guys talk it out and decide you are going to move on from it, move on from it. If you are still angry, you need to let the other person know that.

Never, NEVER, let your first date with someone be to a wedding.

Same goes for funerals, bar/bat mitzvah’s, quinces, or any other large family gathering. at least go out for coffee first or something.

It doesn’t matter how far away from his mamma he moves, a mamma’s boy will always be a mamma’s boy.

“Brutal honesty” is called that because it usually involves brutalizing someone. so ask yourself, is your brutality really needed or appreciated?

Standing up for yourself shouldn’t involve walking all over someone else or making them feel shitty. Those 2 things should not be mutually exclusive.

Never let a teacher or authority figure make you feel stupid for not being good enough at certain school subjects.

Trust your instincts about the following: boys, friends, people trying to sell you shit, people trying to get you to sign shit.

If for any reason you are in a situation where police are involved, do NOT speak to them without a lawyer, parent, or some kind of other advocate present

It’s ok to wait to get your license until you feel ready to drive

Don’t worry about your weight. It fluctuates as you grow because your insides are growing too. It is natural.

if you notice something about someone’s appearance and they can’t fix it right away, don’t tell them. For example, if you are at a bar with friends, Good: “hey you have lipstick on your teeth.” Bad: “hey that shirt is really unflattering.”

Don’t every tell anyone someone “loves them in their own way.” it’s shitty. don’t say it… there is no wrong way to love someone, but there are things that are not love.

You don’t have to be anyone’s sidekick friend… You are no one’s sidekick.

“Be stubborn about your goals but flexible about your methods.”

Get rid of stuff you don’t use. Unused and unappreciated things make us feel bad.

Listen to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” slowed down to 33 rpm, at least once in your life.

If a dude ever tells you in all seriousness that he loves fight club and/or Tyler Durden, run. Run fast, and run far.

If you ever find yourself wondering if you sound or are being condescending, you are.

Know how to cook at least one thing well enough that you can do it from memory. even if its just pasta or chicken or something… there will come a time in your life where you are going to have to unexpectedly feed yourself. don’t be caught unprepared.

Try to avoid doing the following: making promises when you are really excited. responding when you are angry. making decisions when you are sad.

You have to be willing to cut off people who make you unhappy. it’s going to really suck and you are going to feel really guilty. and chances are they are going to get pissed and it will be very unpleasant. but you have to cut off toxic relationships. The only thing toxic that you should still be in contact with is that song Britney Spears made, because that song is lit af.

And going along with that, life is too short to pretend like you don’t love britney spears or taylor swift or whatever pop music makes you happy. seriously, if people are going to give you shit about that, they can kiss your ass.

When you make a to do list add a few things that you have already done or that you can get done in the next hour or so, because it feels really good to cross things off.

Going back to an old relationship is like rewatching a movie and expecting a different ending to happen… spoiler alert: ain’t nothing gonna change

Never mistake kindness for weakness or silence for stupidity.

“One of the biggest lies we’re told is that ‘everything happens for a reason.’ Allow yourself to remember that accidents happen, and not all of them have to shape your life. Try to let go of toxic people and situations that are harming you. Not all lessons are worth learning the hard way. Take care of yourself.”

If someone is complaining to you about something and you are going to give them advice, ask first. say “do you want advice or do you just need to vent?” because unwanted advice when someone is already annoyed is never going to help the situation.

Telling someone to “calm down” has never worked. ever. in all of history… I’ve checked. Repeatedly.

“You all have a little bit of ‘I want to save the world’ in you, that’s why you’re here, in college. I want you to know that it’s okay if you only save one person, and it’s okay if that person is you.”

When you can’t be honest with people, you can’t ever relax with them.

Don’t listen to the people who tell you ‘if you give up, you never wanted it in the first place.’ Sometimes, it’s okay to give up on things.

All relationships have to have mutual effort… If they wanna talk to you, they will. If they wanna be with you, they will. If they wanna make things work, they will. Don’t let things be one sided. It’s not healthy, and it’s not fair to you.

You deserve friends who treat you with love and respect. You deserve friends that listen to you. You deserve friends that try to understand your feelings and respect them. You deserve positive and healthy friendships. Don’t settle for less.

Don’t take yourself too seriously… Sometimes ridiculous, dumb shit is gonna happen to you and you should recognize it for what it is: a really good story you can tell at parties.

It’s really, really important to realize that missing someone or something and wanting it back are two very, very different things.

Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s a bad thing to feel things deeply. A full heart is a strong heart and being soft doesn’t make you weak. Being soft and loving makes you radiant. you deserve all of the love in the world and so many good things.

Everyone (including your family, your coworkers, and your best friend) will talk about you behind your back, and you’ll talk about them too. It doesn’t mean you don’t love each other.

There are some people who will nitpick and dwell over your tiniest faults just to make them feel superior. Leave them be to find satisfaction. Only the insecure think that another’s flaws and shortcomings can become their own merits.

You’re not fake simply because you act differently depending on the person you’re with. Different personalities bring out different aspects of your personality. You’re complex and multidimensional and you contain fucking multitudes man; it’s beautiful.

Whenever you go somewhere new, try to go to at least one restaurant recommended by a local. Seriously, 9 times out of 10 it will be the best meal you have on the whole trip.

Please, for the love of god, just walk your drunk friends to the door. Sooo much can happened between your car and the door.

Learn the difference between something that makes you feel bad, and something that’s wrong. A thing can feel bad and be right, and it can feel good and be wrong… In the end, being able to look at yourself in the mirror will end up being the most important thing.

If you need to stop for any reason in a public place, move off to the side first.

Unless it’s been agreed about before hand, don’t keep score about paying for things. If you offer to pay for something, don’t do it with the expectation that you must be reciprocated later.

Honestly, don’t keep score with anything tbh. Half the time people don’t know they are playing in the first place.

If you wear a kick ass outfit but don’t see anyone the day you wear it, it’s ok to wear it again the next day.

Be aware of the toxic and intoxicating effect of bad moods.

Unless you are the DD or don’t drink, avoid being the least sober person in the room. just, trust me.

Never settle for less than you deserve, if you’re unhappy move on you will find happiness eventually and when you do it will be such a wonderful feeling.

Some people are just naturally good at things, it happens. Don’t measure yourself against those people. That is just asking for a migraine and an inferiority complex.

Try not to use the excuse “because that’s how other people do it”… Sometimes you need to do better than the people that came before you.

It is perfectly reasonable to judge someone based on their politics. Peoples’ politics reflect their opinions on damn near everything.

If you are going to have a casual sexual relationship with someone (aka have a fuck buddy) be real clear about those Terms and Conditions a head of time.

If you can only be clever or funny at the expense of others or their feelings, you aren’t actually clever or funny. You’re just a bully.

People who say “learn to take a joke” or “learn to laugh at yourself” can never take a joke or laugh at themselves. I know this to be true to a fault. 

Don’t use words when you don’t know what they mean… I know this sounds stupid, but seriously. You would be shocked. Just don’t do it.

Sex should never be painful (unless there is explicit consent) or make you uncomfortable… There is a HUGE difference between trying something that is outside your sexual comfort zone and doing sexual things that make you feel bad or uncomfortable. And anyone pushing you do to the latter is not someone you need to be in a relationship with, sexually or otherwise.

For the love of god and all that is holy and unholy… BE AWARE OF YOUR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.

Never give anyone else control over your mental health or mental state.

Try to stay away from people who hit/throw things when they are angry or get really angry when they are drunk.

Don’t approach relationships with people with the goal of like, changing or saving or educating them. That’s not your job.

If someone goes after your looks or your intelligence, it means they have nothing else to say.

If you are going to make people feel shitty for being a virgin OR for having sex, you are an asshole. Bottom line. No exceptions.

If you are gonna fuck around with Ouija boards and shit like that, be ready for what you are getting yourself into.

Pick one day a week where you clean or tidy your personal space. You will feel so much better about life.

Sometimes you are going to have to do things you don’t want to do or go places you don’t want to go because someone you love wants to. If your bff wants to go to a concert for a band you don’t like/have never heard of for their birthday or see a movie you don’t really want to see, just do it. Small things like that can make people so happy. You are doing it because you care, you aren’t forfeiting anything.

Don’t let people take advantage of your or walk all over you or take things out on you… a) they may not even realize they ARE doing it and will KEEP doing, or b) they will know they CAN and they will KEEP doing it.

Not every Hill has to be The Hill You Will Die On… Like, you can just camp out there for a little while. it’s fine.

Try to buy a few extra birthday/special occasion cards and like $5-$10 gifts cards to Starbucks or Target or something like that to have one hand. Because i am telling you rn, there will come a time where you will completely forget someone important’s birthday.

There are going to be people who hate you based solely on what someone else told them about you. Yes it’s shitty. But 9 times out of 10 no, neither of them are worth your effort.

There are also going to be people who hate you for no particular reason and get pissed off about everything you do. don’t try to appease them because it will just make you hate yourself… At some point EVERYONE is someone’s “Bitch Eating Crackers.” You should just keep eating your crackers.

Likewise, if you find yourself getting pissed off or annoyed at everything someone does, don’t interact with them. You are just going to prolong your own pain, suffering, and pissiness.

A lot of the time, headaches can be cured by one of the following: sleep, food, water, tylenol, or loosening your ponytail… Make sure to try al those before you start freaking out about having a brain tumor.

The whole “nothing good happens after 2 am” thing is a myth… If you are out and having fun, stay out. Have fun!

Spite can actually be a really good motivator. seriously, it can make you so productive… just don’t let it make you insufferable.

Ignore 1-star and 5-star reviews of books, hotels and products. The 3-star reviews will answer all your actual questions.

Learn keyboard shortcuts. If you don’t know what CTRL + Z does, your life is definitely harder than it has to be.

If it ever comes down to other people liking you and you liking yourself, always pick yourself. ALWAYS… Being able to look at yourself in the mirror at the end of the day it highly underrated.

Verbal, emotional, mental and financial abuse are STILL ABUSE… And you don’t have to put up with that shit.

If you are ever about to bitch someone out, take a breath and count to 100 before doing it. It will give you time to either calm down and walk away OR think of really good insults.

Even the nicest people have their limits. Don’t try to reach that point because the nicest people are also the scariest assholes when they’ve had enough… “Demons run when a good man goes to war.”

Things that you should try to never start a sentence with: “no offense,” “not to be rude,” “well actually.”

Splurge on cute underwear, good booze, and fancy food every once in a while. it’s totally worth it.

Every occasion can be a dress up, champagne, and fancy china occasion if you believe in yourself.

People who are nice to you but mean to waiters, retail workers, animals, or their mothers are not actually nice people.

It is just as important to be aware of and acknowledge what you don’t know as it is to be aware of and acknowledge what you do know.

If you unironically use the term “friendzone” you deserve to get punched in the face and/or kicked on the ass… Idgasf what the context or situation is, you absolutely deserve it!

Every good relationship should be mutually beneficial and must have mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual effort… If it doesn’t have one of these, it’s not a good relationship.

There’s gonna come a point in time in your life when you are going to start to feel icky if you go too long with out eating a fruit and/or vegetable… It’s gonna be around the same general time when you should start taking a daily multivitamin.

Your sexuality is what you say it is. Period. And it’s ok if you don’t know exactly what that is right now or if it changes at any time in the future. Fuck anyone who tells you otherwise, they can get bent.

You are not required to disclose any kind of personal information about yourself and no one is entitled to that information in order for you and your opinion to be respected… However, if you are going to argue a point or hold yourself out as a representative of a certain minority/class/demographic, there is probably going to come a point in time where you need to back up your arguments with the necessary information. Just be prepared to put your money where your mouth is.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I’m pretty sure you’re still being a dick… Don’t take advantage of peoples’ faith or trust in you. It’s a dick move, just don’t do it.

The same goes for not cheating on your significant others or betraying your friends… Seriously it is SO EASY to not treat people like shit. It takes slim to no effort.

Be aware that when you make blanket statements about groups of people, there are really no such things as exclusionary or exception clauses… Like, you can’t tell someone in that group “but i’m not talking about YOU” because you are. You are talking about them. That’s just, quite literally, how making generalizations works.

STAY IN YOUR LANE! When you have to get over be polite and USE YOUR GODDAMN BLINKER... This applies to sooo many things in life besides just driving.

[whitetigerdemoness]

The epilogue! Just wrapping some loose ends up.

A fox will tell you a thousand lies without once saying anything that isn't true.

Master Post of All Chapters

“Today the most sensational trial of the decade concluded with a guilty plea from Gabriel Agreste, better known to most as Hawkmoth. Mr. Agreste has been sentenced to serve only ten years of prison time, a most controversial decision. One month ago his final akuma rampage killed no less than forty one people, this reporter included. By only one deciding vote the jury has decided ‘not guilty’ to the accusations as thanks to Ladybug no permanent damage was found to be done. Additional charges included-”

Nathaniel tapped the x in the corner of the video to close it and shut his eyes with a sigh. Nadia looked tense in the report, clearly not agreeing with the verdict, and he sympathized with her. That same sympathy was why the jury had voted the way they did. Mr. Agreste may have pleaded guilty, but he still had very good lawyers. They spun a thrilling tale of desperation and love, a man grieving his fallen wife (who had secretly been a superhero) and doing anything he could to revive her. The fact that Paon was now a public hero (the peacock miraculous being repaired) only helped matters for him. With Hawkmoth gone Paon was more of an everyday hero, using her sentimonsters to help with things such as construction and rescuing kittens from trees, but the city adored her. Knowing Mrs. Agreste personally Nathaniel knew she did it out of guilt for what Gabriel had done to the city to revive her. 

Speaking of heroes he knew personally, Marinette had been lightly hinting that he and Marc should come out with her, Adrien, and Luka on a double date. Nathaniel supposed being the embodiment of a luck based superhero was good for something. Nathaniel was felt he was lucky just to have one boyfriend. A boyfriend he was currently hiding on the school roof to avoid. Not that there was a problem with Marc! No the problem was entirely with Nathaniel, or rather his memories. In his final moments, Reverser had attempted to use his powers to allow Nathaniel to keep his memories of his time as an akuma. Due to the miraculous cure it had half worked. One moment he could be looking into Marc’s dazzling green eyes in the art room, and the next he would be looking into a different, otherworldly pair of green. His treacherous mind giving him flashes of warm lips and an even warmer body against his own. He was sixteen, male, and not at all equipped to deal with sudden feelings bowling him over out of nowhere.

So he did what any boy his age would do in that situation and ran away to hide on the roof in hopes that the cold air would help those ‘feelings’ go away. Why did his akuma self have to be so-so...bold! Penknight might have been able to just kiss his boyfriend whenever and wherever he wanted, but Nathaniel sometimes worried his heart was going to explode just holding hands. Sure, he was a little more confident in private, but a sudden urge to heavily makeout in the middle of a public space? Not possible. 

“Nath?” Marc popped his head around the corner. The sound Nathaniel made was not manly. The bastard had the nerve to laugh at him. Face burning, Nathaniel scooted back to where he had been sitting before Marc decided to jump-scare him halfway across the roof. Said boy sat down next to him, their shoulders touching.

“It happened again, didn’t it?” Marc asked, resting his head on his knees. “Judging from the look on your face before you ran I’d say it was a pleasant memory.” He teased.

“It um,” Nathaniel coughed to try and prevent his throat from closing up, “It was.” They both blushed and looked away from each other.

“...You know,” Marc began “One of these days you’re going to have to actually give me more details about what you keep seeing other than ‘hrk’ ‘gack’ ‘hnnng!’ and changing the subject. I mean, with how red your face goes I can guess, but it would be nice to have it confirmed if I still have my virginity or not.” ‘Hrk’, ‘gack’, and ‘hnnng!’, plus more were included in the intelligent reply Nathaniel tried to stammer out. His only consolation was Marc looked just as embarrassed. 

“We-” The redhead started, then took a deep breath for strength. “We didn’t go...that far. Hawkmoth was...watching.” Nathaniel left out the part where the villain had been gone for several hours, leaving the two to their own devices. He was in the area of 90% sure they hadn’t gone farther than making out, and fervently hoped he was right. If just remembering kissing sent him into fits, he would probably die if he suddenly recalled...other things. Time to change the subject.

“So um, you usually don’t come after me when I get overwhelmed from remembering stuff. What are you up here hiding from?” Marc had offered, when the flashbacks first started, but Nathaniel needed the time alone to sort out what he was feeling, after.

“Berger and his cronies are here.” Ugh, that man. 

“They really don’t seem to care about those restraining orders, do they?” Nathaniel sighed. “Who are they after today, Adrien, Lila, or us?” While Adrien still roamed the city as Chatnoir, only a select few knew who was behind the mask. The Wah Wah were more interested in him as the son of Hawkmoth and Paon. The interviews and public admissions to her identity the first time she had become Volpina had really come back around to bite Lila in the ass. She had been publicly declared innocent of any all and crimes committed while Volpina, as cured akumas were acknowledged to have no memory or control of their akuma actions, but the zealous Office of Akuma Affairs hounded her without mercy. Nathaniel had zero sympathy for her, as she had outed him and Marc as Penknight and Prism the first chance she got to try and take some pressure off her own skin. It didn’t work, and now all three of them had to deal with idiots stalking them.

“Anyone they can sink their claws in I guess. Principal Damocles was arguing with them by the entrance when Rose let me know they were here. I figured freezing my ass off up here with you was the better alternative than trying to sneak past them.” Marc grumbled, pulling his knees in tighter. Early March in Paris was not the best weather to be sitting around outside without a coat in. Nathaniel hesitantly put an arm around him. Marc snuggled into his side with a sigh. 

“Sorry, the roof seemed like a good idea at the time.” Nathaniel apologized. Marc didn’t reply, only scooting closer. “We could probably sneak into the library from here if you would like to go back inside?” 

“Oh my god yes. If I stay out here any longer I’m going to be a popsicle.” Marc wasted no time jumping to his feet and pulling Nathaniel along with him. Letting himself be pulled along, Nathaniel smiled, grateful that this entire ordeal had ended on a happy note.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thank you so much for letting me wait for Marinette! She’s been so helpful tutoring me.” Lila waved to Mr and Mrs Dupain-cheng, her smile fading as she climbed into Marinette’s room and out of sight. She didn’t know how it had happened, but after being cured she had lost her place as the class favorite to Marinette. She had tried every trick she could think of, saying that Nadia and Jagged had been forced by Penknight to claim not to know her. That Hawkmoth had manipulated her for his own ends. That she was just a poor victim in that awful fiasco, but nothing had worked. The class had neatly split down the middle between her supporters and Marinette’s. Heck, Nathaniel had been outright hostile to her.

She had used his animosity as an excuse to switch classes and while her new class was happy to give her the admiration she deserved, she could not, would not, accept that Marinette had beaten her. Glancing about the girl’s room she looked for anything she could use to incriminate her. To blackmail her. Hell, even to just plain HURT her. She picked up a ladybug bug shaped box on Marinette’s desk and looked for a way to open it. Figures the girl would be a Ladybug fan. Running her hands over the spots, she felt one give slightly. When she pressed again a compartment opened, revealing a silver and purple butterfly pin. 

The compartment came all the way out and could be folded over into a small box. Much more convenient than taking the entire thing. Lila pocketed the first box and reached out to touch another spot, only to hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Hastily, she set the box back on the desk just in time for Marinette to appear.

“What are you doing here?” Marinette growled. 

“Marinette! I came to apologize.” Lila turned up the charm. “This past month, in my new class, well some distance from the situation really made me realize how horribly I treated you and-” Marinette cut her off.

“I don’t believe any of that for a second.” She fumed. “What are you really doing here?”

“Marinette” Lila sighed. “Can’t we ever put all this passed us and be friends?” She smiled.

“Not until you prove you’ve actually changed. Sneaking into my room while I’m not here is a terrible start.”

“If we can’t have an honest conversation, I should just go…” Lila trailed off, schooling her expression into a remorseful one.

“Please do.” Marinette was not moved. She did hold the door open for Lila and walk her all the way out, no doubt to keep an eye on her. Lila didn’t mind. She might not have gotten anything world ending from this trip, but maybe she could at least pawn the pin in her pocket for some cash. The thing looked as though it was made of real silver, sure to be worth a good amount.

Oh yes, she had a good feeling about how this was going to end.

--------------------------______________----------------_____________-------

Well there you have it, that's it for Holloa. Will there be a sequel? Perhaps. It is canon that there is a Hawkmoth several years in the future. Not sure how I would go with making that Hawkmoth Lila without her knowing who Ladybug was, or at least where to get the rest of the miraculous since she picked up the Butterfly from Marinette. Oh wait I do have an idea....hm. Maybe. I'll think about it ok. Lila makes the most sense out of everyone to be Hawkmoth 2.0

[thedistantstorm]

The Fledgling Diaries: A collection of stories about Marc, Devrim, and Suraya.

Marc and Devrim go away for the Dawning. Suraya bonds with her Nana.

Previous parts here: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.

Marc is halfway through placing the call to Dev's favorite restaurant when he realizes that there's going to be a problem.

Suraya. What are they going to do with Suraya?

He and Devrim almost always go away for the weekend. It's their tradition. They can't take a child on their romantic getaway. The whole idea is to get away from -

The sound of the refrigerator opening and closes scares him half to death. He jumps. A mop of frizzy dark hair pulls back, closing the door quietly. There's a juice box in her hand.

“Sorry,” She says, quietly. Her dark eyes look him over and rest on the floor. It’s an improvement, even if she doesn’t maintain eye contact. She wiggles her sock-clad toes against the tiled floor. “I was thirsty. Didn't mean to scare ya.”

Marc exhales all his frantic startled energy in one go. “You're fine, sweetheart,” He says, and immediately feels guilty when she gives him the tiniest peek of a smile and heads back to the short table in Devrim's office that's become her homework station.

He looks down at his handheld. Sighs. Dials a different number.

-/

“You know I'll be happy to take her so you two can get some time alone. For Light's sake, you boys deserve it.”

“She probably won't be, though. She doesn't do well-”

“Marcus. Relax.”

“But-”

“If she has a bad weekend, she has a bad weekend. You can't shelter her forever.”

“... I know.”

“Make your plans. I can handle a child. I did raise your husband, if you recall.”

“I just worry.”

The voice on the other end of the line softens. “I’m aware. Worry-warts, the both of you. Prepare, and she'll be just fine. I'll keep her busy.”

-/

She reacts like they expected when she's told of their arrangements. Withdrew immediately, never argued, and saw herself to her bedroom without supper, much like when Devrim informed her he'd be going away with the Militia. Devrim and Marc took turns checking on her - aware that despite her lack of response she laid awake - through the night. However, unlike before, they did not pull her from her bed and she did not make a sound.

The following morning, she dragged herself to the table for breakfast, all red-rimmed eyes and a sullen curl to her lip that had Devrim squeezing Marc’s thigh under the table. They had agreed that while she deserved some coddling, some things she needed space to figure out and overcome. This debacle was one of them, painful as it may be for them all.

She looks down into her eggs and sighs, forcing herself to eat slowly, despite her rumbling belly. She's always hungry, lately. Devrim waits until Marc’s back is turned to slip her some bacon off his plate. She looks at it, them him, and away. He pretends to be disinterested while she eats it, though it feels like a crime to ignore her bleary eyes and wobbling lip at the speck of special attention thrown her way.

She falls asleep on the couch half an hour later.

Marc scoffs when Devrim cradles her against his chest when she twitches and moans, but there’s nothing behind it; no way either of them would have ignored her. She’s just a babe. Realistic expectations include setbacks. He too relents, scooting close to them on the couch, the three of them cuddled together through mid afternoon.

It’s after a light dinner, when Suraya is more awake than she’s been all day that the she asks, “You’ll come back, right?” She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, rocking side to side nervously.

“Yes. We’ll be gone for two nights, my dear,” Devrim says. His eyes are gentle and kind and true. “Then straight back to you.”

“I'll miss you,” She blurts, then flushes hotly and scampers away.

Both fathers look at each other for confirmation before following after her. She cannot always run. They have to be better about being firm with her.

Their girl is sitting on the windowsill in her bedroom, looking out at the darkening sky. As always, she is silent, pensive. On her lap, clenched between an iron grip is Bird, the plush falcon. When they cross the threshold to her room she looks at them, then away.

Marc is the one who calls her over to them. Devrim backs him up. She listens.

It boils down to the same thing it always does.

“The people I love leave me. And they don't come back.”

“We will,” Both men promise her. “Trust us.”

“I want to,” She whispers back, kicking her feet as they dangle off the bed, one parent on either side of her. She squeezes their hands - she's got her fingers laced with one of each of theirs - and sniffles just once. “But I'm scared.”

“It's okay to be scared,” Marc tells her. “We'll show you there's nothing to be afraid of.”

She looks at him then, dark, patient eyes and a mouth curved in an understanding smile. Devrim shifts beside her, and she doesn't need to see him to know he's nodding his agreement. They draw her in for a hug that's more like being sandwiched between them.

After a few moments of that, she finds the courage to ask, “Who's gonna stay with me?”

Devrim smiles, and Marc practically beams at her. She likes that they know when she's trying. It's nice.

“We talked to your Nana,” Marc says. “Thought it would be best if you stayed with family.”

“She told us,” Devrim strokes the top of her head in a soothing gesture, “That she'd be happy to come here, or you could go to her. Whatever makes you more comfortable.”

Suraya bites her lip. “Can I think about it?”

-/

In the end, Suraya is dropped off at the Kay family's estate, a bag in tow, and Bird tucked securely under one arm. Devrim's mother holds him very carefully - as if he's a real bird - while she says her goodbyes.

The child holds it together until her fathers are out of sight, and then the tears overwhelm her. Nana simply tuts and plucks the girl up into her arms, shushing and rocking her until she cries it all out. She'd always hoped for a girl, and by sheer luck, this one was still teeny enough to hold in her arms.

-/

Devrim has his mother's eyes, Suraya thinks. That same freshwater blue that's bright and aware. Where their first few meetings were overwhelming, Nana reads her far better now. She is content to let Suraya help make dinner and cookies, and is not upset if she flinches or twitches away at a surprise bout of affection.

And her Nana is very affectionate. According to her, all nanas are supposed to be.

It's like Devrim, but times a million, she decides. The cuddles are pretty good, though. Nana reads to her with a pretty lilt to her voice, the two of them snuggled up on what is a very big bed in Suraya's appointed bedroom. When that doesn't make her sleepy, she talks quietly about Devrim when he was younger, the crackly aged quality to her voice making it easy for the girl to hear her grandmother's pride.

She refers to him as 'my darling boy’ or 'my dear Devrim.’ Suraya dozes off thinking about how Devrim refers to her the exact same way. It makes her feel warm inside.

Surprisingly enough, she sleeps through the night.

-/

On their Saturday together, Nana takes her to the market district and has her help select items for cooking dinner. The market itself is booming and loud, overly busy with shoppers looking for gifts for their chosen bonds.

Suraya grips her hand tightly, and is mindful to stay focused in the marketplace. Beside her, the matriarch is posed and cool, her bartering skills a cut above the rest. She is cold as ice and walks away from several vendors who dare to charge her too much.

“They try to take advantage of a kindly old woman, Suraya,” Nana imparts. “They take advantage of any weakness they see. Do not ever let them see you sweat in a negotiation. Always remember that you can be kind and firm, all at once.”

The girl watches carefully as a particularly smooth vendor attempts to swindle them, only to find himself losing out on profits. Cut throat, her Nana is. She sees through the man's misleading advertisements, knows the species of tomato he's selling is not the hybrid he claims it to be. Afterward, Nana winks as she hands her an orange that the vendor throws in for being kind enough not to turn him in for his transgression

“Your father or grandfather would have reported that man,” Nana says, when they take a seat on a bench. She smooths a fly-away strand of hair from Suraya's face.

“So why didn't you?” Suraya asks.

Nana laughs. “Darling, we're all trying to survive. If I shut him down, what about his family? His children? His wife was pregnant not long ago.”

“But-”

“What he did was not fair, my dear. He should be an honest man, but the Factions make it hard for independent vendors to compete. Never be afraid to fight for what is fair and right, Suraya. However, you musn't be blind to the reasons why your others do not. Good or bad.”

The girl nods, wringing her hands. “Good people do bad things, sometimes,” She says.

“Yes,” Nana agrees. “Sometimes, bad things must be done for the greater good.” She looks at her granddaughter carefully. Her azure gaze is kind and serious. “You understand, don't you?”

“I do,” Suraya agrees quietly. “Used'ta take food when I was hungry,” She admits, “Mama didn't remember to feed me much and I had no money.”

The Matriarch nods, casting her cold gaze away. Marc and Devrim called her late one evening, to discuss their child's… interesting past. The remnants of her concern must show on her face when she looks back, because Suraya pats the wrinkled hand gripping their shopping basket.

“Daddy was mad when I told him, too,” She says, her voice matter-of-fact though child-like in tone. “He thought I couldn't hear him, but he was really loud.”

“You understand,” She says carefully, “That your Daddy was not mad at you, yes?”

“He's mad at Mama,” Nana nods encouragingly, holding her dark gaze as she continues. “Like I used to be. ‘M not, anymore.”

“I'm not mad at her, either. I wish she had given you more,” She tells Suraya, “And that you didn't have hurt because of her.” The girl nods, seemingly wise beyond her years. “But, because of her, you are here now, where you need to be, a part of a family that loves you very much. For that, my dear, I am very, very glad.”

Suraya dips her head with a blush, but chirps bashfully, “Me too.”

-/

Devrim stops in his tracks, halfway up the steps leading to his childhood home. They are back early, intending to purposely assuage their child's fears through demonstration. Beside him, his husband licks his lips. Both inhale the strong, nostalgic smell of Devrim’s mother’s famed sauce, of garlic and fresh basil and stewing tomatoes.

“She hasn't made sauce in years,” Marc marvels. “Probably not since right after we married. She'd said she’s too old.” He pauses. “You think Suraya conned her into it?”

“Our daughter? Doubtful. I'm sure she planned it all along. Mother’s protested for years that we’ve had no child for her to dote upon.”

“Yes, but you've seen our child pout. It's just like you.”

Devrim casts a scathing glance his husband's way. “I most certainly do not pout, Marcus.”

Marc rolls his eyes, “Strange, she said something similar last time I found her pouting. As for you,” He laughs, “You most certainly do.” He nudges Dev with an elbow before reaching for the door. “And don’t Marcus me, you’re doing it right now.”

Suraya has a splotch of sauce on her forehead, and is giggling as her Nana hums some long-lost song from Devrim’s childhood that plays from a radio nearby. She’s too focused on her task - they’re making bread to go with their supper - to turn to them when they come in the door. Devrim’s mother winks at Marc as the two watch him evaluate Suraya’s progress with kneading the stubborn loaf.

“Told you she’d be fine,” The Kay matriarch says. “I kept her busy. She should sleep well for you tonight.”

“And you?”

Her eyes crinkle around the edges as Suraya shows off what she’s learned to her other parent. “A little exhaustion is a small price to pay for such a wonderful gift.”

Marc puts an arm around her. “Thank you,” He says. “And you were right.”

She laughs. “Of course I am.” Across the room, Devrim dots Suraya’s nose in excess flour from the board she’s using to knead the dough. She squeals, and leaves a small handprint on the side of his face. The two sigh, though they can’t help but chuckle at the duo’s antics. She whispers to her son-in-law, “It’s been a long time since my house has felt so full.”

[chmerkovskiyvalentin]

Nancy McKeon is sorry about the sudden whirring sound. She has a protein shake to make, perhaps more cheerfully than one has ever blended a smoothie before, seeing as she's in the heart of rehearsing for her Dancing With the Stars debut.

Best known for her role as Jo Polniaczek on the hit '80s sitcom The Facts of Life, McKeon is so nice it's a good thing her return to TV is on DWTS and not Big Brother. The 52-year-old actress is self-deprecating about her dancing skills, utters "Good gravy!" when surprised, enjoys getting schooled on both footwork and social media from her pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, and, I'm convinced, secretly bakes chocolate chip cookies for her fellow competitors. If this sounds a lot like your mom, that's probably because McKeon took nearly 15 years off to focus on raising her daughters, 14-year-old Aurora and 11-year-old Harlow, whom she shares with husband Marc Andrus.

The break was well deserved. McKeon started working when she was two, first as a child model and commercial actor before scoring roles on TV, and was acting up until the seventh month of her first pregnancy. "I just love what I do, but I have been given this amazing gift of my husband and my children, and I didn't want to not be there for this small amount of time you get with them," she tells ET. "I can't even believe when I say 15 years. It just feels like a nanosecond. I really wanted to give them all my attention that they deserve."

Though she had a handful of smaller, carefully chosen roles, DWTS will be McKeon's first big return to the spotlight since her Lifetime detective drama, The Division, wrapped in 2004, and she knows you're probably surprised to see her name on the list of season 27 competitors. "This isn't something that I would normally do. It really is outside my comfort zone," she admits.

If it weren't for an important family meeting, she may not have even strapped on dance shoes. "The way to affect change in your life is to move beyond your comfort zone, so I had this conversation with [my daughters] and they said, 'Mom, this is going to be great. You can do it.' Having them as my support team and cheerleaders is extraordinary," she says. "As a mom, I can tell them to be brave and I can say, 'This is how you should be,' but sometimes there's no more powerful demonstration than actually doing it. So I just decided, you know what, I'm going to scare the living life out of myself and say yes and just show up every day and see what happens. Everything changes and moves you, so I'm also excited about all the changes and the different things that I'm learning in this venture as well."

She may have found the perfect partner-in-crime in Chmerkovskiy. Not only is there a clear chemistry and sense of humor between the two already, but McKeon is pretty sure they've settled on the team name of "McVal." "I got top billing so I gave him an extra letter," she jokes.

McKeon has zero dance experience and, despite doing hot yoga regularly and living on a ranch where she averages four to seven miles of walking a day, she says none of her previous roles have helped prep her for DWTS. "I don't think anything can prepare your feet for being crammed into a high heel and then dance across a stage," she says. On top of that, social media wasn't a part of the TV landscape the last time she was here.

Luckily, Chmerkovskiy is an excellent teacher. So far, the pair has put in about two weeks of rehearsals. McKeon feels they're doing well as they run their steps and get their stamina up for the big, first number, and her partner is giving her some very important advice during what she calls "a master class every day." "'Don't have the terror look.' That's a big one," McKeon says. "He said, 'Look at me, but not with those eyes that are scared. Smile! Enjoy!' I love him for doing that because when I work, it's focus and concentration. The last [acting projects] had been drama and prepping for that, and this really needs to just be fun."

McKeon says her and Chmerkovskiy's goal for week one is "just sheer fun and love." This is partially to provide some escapism for fans during these tumultuous times but also because, on a personal level, if she's going to leave her family, it needed to be for a good reason.

"[My daughters] are everything to me, and without them and my amazing husband, then nothing really does have much meaning. I've worked a lot and this is really the first time I've gone away and am spending a lot of time doing something," she reveals. "It's uncomfortable because I miss them, but somewhere [down the line], I think this might be very helpful in our conversations as our lives go on, and I'm interested to see where all that lands too."

"It's funny, you maybe wouldn't put a dancing show or something like that in this sort of category, but it really is a lot more than just dancing," she adds. "You develop this wonderful friendship and partnership with, in my particular case, Val. He's awesome and everybody loves him. I think I feel even more pressure now because he's the show's national treasure, but so far I'm thrilled that people seem to be OK with him being partnered with me!"

Holding family as the most important pillar has been essential in helping the dancing partners connect. Though she hasn't met Chmerkovskiy's brother, Maksim, as he's not competing this season, McKeon has met his fiancee, fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson, whom she describes as "dear," "beautiful" and "sweet." McKeon has even dished out some excellent advice for Chmerkovskiy and Johnson's pending nuptials.

"I told him to enjoy the day. I've been married for 15 years, and I can still look back and remember every single moment of [my wedding] day. It was just about 20 people and it was our day, and it was one of the best days of my life," she recalls. "So, my advice to him was, 'It's just got to be about the two of you. After all, the rest of your life is about the two of you.' That's what I did -- there was no stress, no pressure, and it was really amazing. Other than that, I think everyone figures it out for themselves!"

Johnson has popped by rehearsals, bringing smoothies or simply saying hello and providing encouragement, which has helped McKeon have a bit of that familial grounding while away from home. "The family you get welcomed into on this show is extraordinary. Everybody -- from the guys who help you park in the morning and our security to the producing teams -- they literally are all happy to be there and they're rooting for everybody," she explains. "I have never felt like an outsider from day one. What a great thing! I love the atmosphere they've created. Yeah, it's a competition, but everyone's cheering everybody else on too."

McKeon will have some very important faces in the crowd when season 27 kicks off on Sept. 24. Her daughters and husband will be there (she joked that they better be, just in case there's no week two for her!), as well as actress Lisa Vidal, her best friend since they were partnered up on The Division, which also starred then-unknowns Jon Hamm and Taraji P. Henson, along with Parenthood's Bonnie Bedelia.

"I told her, 'Mama, you're going to have to help me with some kind of cha-cha or salsa,'" McKeon says of Vidal. "Lisa is like a sister, but that whole cast -- it really was one of the best times of my life. I loved everybody on that show. We were all supportive of each other and to watch Jon blossom and Taraji just shatter it is so beautiful… It's so exciting to watch such good people get to do what they love to do and just crush it. They're amazing people. It's a joy for me to be an uber fan because [after the show ended], I got to be with the most important people, which is my kiddos and my hubby."

McKeon is the first to admit she's been blessed to work with some incredible people throughout her career. She famously acted alongside Michael J. Fox in the '80s, as well as Mariska Hargitay and Jean Smart in the short-lived sitcoms Can't Hurry Love and Style & Substance, respectively, plus she did take some time out from being a stay-at-home mom to play Demi Lovato's mother on the Disney Channel show, Sonny With a Chance, from 2009-2010.

Though the two haven't spoken in some time, McKeon only had kind words for Lovato, who suffered a relapse and apparent overdose earlier this summer

"I wouldn't presume. I can only send all my love. She seems to be incredibly smart… It was a difficult time during that show and things kind of went on, but I can tell you in my experience, she was genuinely lovely to me and to my girls, who were much younger at the time and very excited to meet her," McKeon says of her onscreen daughter. "I have every confidence that she's going to come back stronger and in a way that is the best for her. She deserves that."

McKeon was side-by-side another big actor during their early days, one whom she gets asked about a lot: George Clooney, whose first real TV experience was as a handyman on The Facts of Life. Though his time with them was short, McKeon says she would see him working on another show on the lot and they remained friends. "He's everything you want him to be," she happily reveals. "He's fun, an incredible talent, and he's loyal as the day is long. He deserves all good things and it looks like that's exactly what he's gotten."

The most important connection she has from those sitcom days, however, was with Charlotte Rae, who portrayed the beloved, wise-cracking redheaded housemother of the fictional Eastland School. She died in early August at age 92 after a series of illnesses, and McKeon chokes up when thinking about her beloved friend.

"That's a hard one for me. It's soon," she says slowly. "Charlotte's one of the most remarkable people I've ever met in my life and we were actually very good friends. If I was in L.A., we were always together and if I wasn't, I came in, even if it was just to see her. She's been at my ranch and hung out with the girls and myself, and I will always be the luckiest person and a much better person for having had her in my life."

The women of The Facts of Life still keep in touch. In fact, McKeon has been texting with Kim Fields, as the actress known as Tootsie danced with pro Sasha Farber in season 22 of DWTS. Though McKeon hasn't watched every season of the dance competition show, she did watch Fields and Farber compete "with joy and amazement."

"She just knocked it out of the park. She's just so amazing. We've been texting and I said, 'Really? Did you have to set the bar this high? Girlfriend, I don't know if I can live up [to that].' She's just a doll and supportive," McKeon says, adding that she's gone back to watch some of Chmerkovskiy's dances with previous partners but had to stop "because he's so good" and didn’t want to get stuck in a brain warp comparing herself to others.

In fact, Fields' best advice had nothing to do with the dancing itself. "'Have fun. Enjoy this week, this day, this rehearsal. Try not to look ahead.' For me, I think that's awesome advice because it's really just got to be about the journey," McKeon says. "There's some amazing people dancing, so it's really not about an end result for me. What I'm looking for is the best I can do on every single day."

"It doesn't matter how sore [I am] -- get up, go back, fight the good fight the next day," she continues. "Have some smile, as my partner would say, and just enjoy that day, because none of us can possibly predict how long any of us have."

Season 27 of Dancing With the Stars kicks off Monday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. 

[roominthecastle]

Mike Schur on Ted Danson, the ethics of surprise twists, objectives vs superobjectives, and the narrative pitfalls of the reset button

(2017 Gold Derby interview)

How did Ted Danson come to join the project?

Mike Schur: He's my hero, acting-wise and comedy-wise. Cheers is my favorite show and Sam Malone is my favorite character in the history of TV. So I decided to pitch him the character, to write the character for him. I was driving to meet him at his manager's office and I had one thought going through my head constantly, which was "You've gotta be cool. Don't look like an idiot." I'm not a person who gets really revved up by a celebrity. There's a movie star or a TV star at my workplace every week, so I've kinda got inoculated to it a little bit. There are still some people who would make me jittery but not many. Ted was the biggest one. Honestly. Cheers was so formative for me, so important to me, that I got actively nervous. I kept thinking "You gotta be cool. You gotta be cool. You gotta be cool." I got to his office and I met him and he said, "I'm very excited to meet you." And I said, "I BET I AM MORE EXCITED!!" and immediately I was like "you are already blowing it." And he said, "Oh. Why is that?" And I said, "Because I consider you to be the greatest actor in the history of the medium of television." And it was so embarrassing, so not-cool, after telling myself to be cool a hundred times. I honestly thought I had blown it. I remember thinking that if I were this man, I would either think I was a disgusting suckup, or I would think this guy is trying so hard to make me believe something that isn't true, which is that he loves me this much, that either way I am out. Fortunately, Ted is a more centered person than I am. He let it go and I pitched him the show, we had a really great conversation and he signed on. That was the bumpiest moment for us. The first moment when I was an idiot. After that, completely smooth sailing.

He couldn't be a nicer person. He's very thoughtful and very kind and very chill. The reason I fell in love with him as an actor is his timing. I remember loving his comedic timing before I knew what the concept of comedic timing was. There's something about the rhythm of his delivery and the way he would pause. He commands a space better than anyone I've ever seen. We are writing these lines for him and I look at a script and because his style is so distinct and his timing is so good, you can imagine exactly how it's gonna sound, and then he executes it and it's exactly the way you imagined it. He's worked so hard at being good, it's inspiring. He's in his 60's and he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone ever, and yet he works so hard, he wants to get it right so badly and he's so humble in his approach. By human standards, it's great, we should all try to do our job well. But by Hollywood standards, it's shocking and truly inspiring how hard he works at his craft to try and get better every day at his age with his resume.

It's hard to think of a person who has done a better job in more different genres. You put him in a multi-cam sitcom, he creates an all-time hall of fame iconic character. You put him in a very dark, twisted drama in Damages, and he's still probably the best villain that show had. You put him in a single-cam sitcom, and he just blows the door off of it. Especially one where the character had to undergo a massive transformation over the course of the season. He was playing six different things at any one time and once we got to the end with the big twist, they all had to retroactively fit together, they had to be consistent. And Curb is largely improvised, for God's sake. It's like he's checking off genre by genre, being great in every one of them.

Did Ted know that twist was coming?

MS: Yes, from the beginning, from the meeting where I cracked into pieces. Ted and Kristen knew. I felt that actors of their stature deserved to know the full range of what they were signing on for. The entire show was going to be on the backs of Kristen and Ted in different ways. It was almost an ethical question for me because I was approaching these two actors who can basically do whatever they want in TV or movies or anything. In order to get them to sign on, I felt it would be almost unethical - knowing where I was going and what I wanted to do with the season and the show in general - I felt it would be borderline unethical to get them to sign on without them knowing the whole thing. And it was more unethical with Ted because SPOILER ALERT the secret is that this is not actually heaven, it is hell, and this entire thing is a torture chamber. Michael - Ted's character - has appeared to be the architect of a little slice of heaven, but everybody else except for the main 4 characters is an actor and they are torturing these four people. This neighborhood he put together was designed for the four of them to torture each other. They are supposed to be driving each other crazy for all eternity.

It wouldn't have been super unethical if I hadn't told Kristen because she was playing the same character all the way through the 13 episodes. But for Ted, I felt that if I don't tell him this, what I'm doing is getting Ted Danson to sign on to a show where he thinks he is playing essentially an angel, and then I'm going to reveal at the end that he is a demon. And that felt uncool. If he, for whatever reason, didn't want to do that, he should be able to say, "I don't like where this is going." If I hadn't come up with that twist when I pitched the show to him, I don't think it would have been unethical. But since I knew from before I ever talked to him or Kristen, I felt I owed it to them to tell them the whole story. Fortunately, they both liked it, they were both into it, and Ted was far more interested in playing a secret demon who appeared to be an angel than he was in just playing an angel, which I understand. It's a better gig. It's more fun to play the guy who turns out to be a crazed person than just a nice, pleasant, boring, happy nice guy.

It was also probably good to fill him in because it could have influenced the way he played scenes earlier in the season.

MS: True. Ted and Kristen knew and the other four actors in the main cast did not. [Their characters] were being fooled and I was like "let [the actors] be fooled, too, for as long as it's appropriate”. But because they didn't know, Ted, Kristen, and I had to come up with ways on the set to talk about what was going on. We used these acting terms called "objective" and "superobjective". Objective is what you are trying to accomplish in the scene and superobjective is the emotional, kind of resonant thing like a giant umbrella you are going for. So I'd say, "Ted, your objective in this scene is to make Chidi feel better, but your superobjective is to get him to throw his life's work into the garbage.” That's the "true task" that you're quietly, secretly aiming for. “What am I appearing to try to do?” versus “What am I actually trying to do?” He and Kristen handled it amazingly well. I really think that if you go back and watch everything that's in the show, you will see these tiny glimpses from time to time of Ted taking a certain amount of delight in what appeared at the time to be something good that was happening for one of the characters, but in reality it was a thing that was going to make that character's life even worse. It's a testament to how well they can juggle these objectives and superobjectives.

Ted really locked onto this one idea that he was a sort of a middle manager. That was a thing that appealed to him very early, that he is not God, or, in this case, the Devil, but he's in the middle, sort of a bureaucrat. He really liked that because it allowed him to play a middle manager trying to climb the corporate ladder, but also he doesn't have a lot of power and there's people above him that he has to answer to. Sometimes he screwed up and was incompetent, sometimes it looked like he was screwing up and incompetent but it was all part of the plan. He really liked that idea of inserting himself - in terms of this hierarchy - right in the middle. He's not the weakest guy but he's not the strongest, either. He really enjoys playing the nuanced middle, which is a very smart instinct.

Season 2

MS: The advantage of the way that we produced the first season and of knowing what the ending was before we even started writing episode two was that it gave us a lot of time to think about how we’re gonna dig ourselves out of the hole we were about to put ourselves in. Because when you upend the show to that extent and you literally press the reset button, it's a very risky thing creatively because number one: you hope the audience doesn't think "am I just gonna watch the same season again? How's that interesting? Everything goes back to square one." And the other dangerous thing is, you start to run the risk of the audience feeling like nothing matters. If Michael can just reset them whenever he wants to, then who cares? Who cares what they go through? Who cares whether they learn or grow or change or become better? So the main thing we tried to do was come up with a couple different structural pieces that couldn't happen, so it wouldn't be just the same season from beginning to end.

There is some external pressure that meant that Michael couldn't just reset them for the next five seasons. That pressure comes from this boss played by Marc Evan Jackson who basically says, "You can try again but if it goes sideways, you're done." There is a threat, a sort of sword of Damocles hanging over his head. And Eleanor managed in a very quick thinking kind of scrappy Eleanorish kinda way to sneak herself a note by shoving it in Janet's mouth. It says "Find Chidi." So when she wakes up, instead of having to put the whole thing together from scratch over the course of an entire year, she has directed herself to a person who can accelerate the process. These and a couple of other things we buried in there are our way of saying to the audience "it's not the same season, things are going to change and move on."

[valentindaily]

Nancy McKeon is sorry about the sudden whirring sound. She has a protein shake to make, perhaps more cheerfully than one has ever blended a smoothie before, seeing as she's in the heart of rehearsing for her Dancing With the Stars debut.

Best known for her role as Jo Polniaczek on the hit '80s sitcom The Facts of Life, McKeon is so nice it's a good thing her return to TV is on DWTS and not Big Brother. The 52-year-old actress is self-deprecating about her dancing skills, utters "Good gravy!" when surprised, enjoys getting schooled on both footwork and social media from her pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, and, I'm convinced, secretly bakes chocolate chip cookies for her fellow competitors. If this sounds a lot like your mom, that's probably because McKeon took nearly 15 years off to focus on raising her daughters, 14-year-old Aurora and 11-year-old Harlow, whom she shares with husband Marc Andrus.

The break was well deserved. McKeon started working when she was two, first as a child model and commercial actor before scoring roles on TV, and was acting up until the seventh month of her first pregnancy. "I just love what I do, but I have been given this amazing gift of my husband and my children, and I didn't want to not be there for this small amount of time you get with them," she tells ET. "I can't even believe when I say 15 years. It just feels like a nanosecond. I really wanted to give them all my attention that they deserve."

Though she had a handful of smaller, carefully chosen roles, DWTS will be McKeon's first big return to the spotlight since her Lifetime detective drama, The Division, wrapped in 2004, and she knows you're probably surprised to see her name on the list of season 27 competitors. "This isn't something that I would normally do. It really is outside my comfort zone," she admits.

If it weren't for an important family meeting, she may not have even strapped on dance shoes. "The way to affect change in your life is to move beyond your comfort zone, so I had this conversation with [my daughters] and they said, 'Mom, this is going to be great. You can do it.' Having them as my support team and cheerleaders is extraordinary," she says. "As a mom, I can tell them to be brave and I can say, 'This is how you should be,' but sometimes there's no more powerful demonstration than actually doing it. So I just decided, you know what, I'm going to scare the living life out of myself and say yes and just show up every day and see what happens. Everything changes and moves you, so I'm also excited about all the changes and the different things that I'm learning in this venture as well.'

She may have found the perfect partner-in-crime in Chmerkovskiy. Not only is there a clear chemistry and sense of humor between the two already, but McKeon is pretty sure they've settled on the team name of "McVal." "I got top billing so I gave him an extra letter," she jokes.

McKeon has zero dance experience and, despite doing hot yoga regularly and living on a ranch where she averages four to seven miles of walking a day, she says none of her previous roles have helped prep her for DWTS. "I don't think anything can prepare your feet for being crammed into a high heel and then dance across a stage," she says. On top of that, social media wasn't a part of the TV landscape the last time she was here.

Luckily, Chmerkovskiy is an excellent teacher. So far, the pair has put in about two weeks of rehearsals. McKeon feels they're doing well as they run their steps and get their stamina up for the big, first number, and her partner is giving her some very important advice during what she calls "a master class every day." "'Don't have the terror look.' That's a big one," McKeon says. "He said, 'Look at me, but not with those eyes that are scared. Smile! Enjoy!' I love him for doing that because when I work, it's focus and concentration. The last [acting projects] had been drama and prepping for that, and this really needs to just be fun."

McKeon says her and Chmerkovskiy's goal for week one is "just sheer fun and love." This is partially to provide some escapism for fans during these tumultuous times but also because, on a personal level, if she's going to leave her family, it needed to be for a good reason.

"[My daughters] are everything to me, and without them and my amazing husband, then nothing really does have much meaning. I've worked a lot and this is really the first time I've gone away and am spending a lot of time doing something," she reveals. "It's uncomfortable because I miss them, but somewhere [down the line], I think this might be very helpful in our conversations as our lives go on, and I'm interested to see where all that lands too."

"It's funny, you maybe wouldn't put a dancing show or something like that in this sort of category, but it really is a lot more than just dancing," she adds. "You develop this wonderful friendship and partnership with, in my particular case, Val. He's awesome and everybody loves him. I think I feel even more pressure now because he's the show's national treasure, but so far I'm thrilled that people seem to be OK with him being partnered with me!"

Holding family as the most important pillar has been essential in helping the dancing partners connect. Though she hasn't met Chmerkovskiy's brother, Maksim, as he's not competing this season, McKeon has met his fiancee, fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson, whom she describes as "dear," "beautiful" and "sweet." McKeon has even dished out some excellent advice for Chmerkovskiy and Johnson's pending nuptials.

"I told him to enjoy the day. I've been married for 15 years, and I can still look back and remember every single moment of [my wedding] day. It was just about 20 people and it was our day, and it was one of the best days of my life," she recalls. "So, my advice to him was, 'It's just got to be about the two of you. After all, the rest of your life is about the two of you.' That's what I did -- there was no stress, no pressure, and it was really amazing. Other than that, I think everyone figures it out for themselves!"

Johnson has popped by rehearsals, bringing smoothies or simply saying hello and providing encouragement, which has helped McKeon have a bit of that familial grounding while away from home. "The family you get welcomed into on this show is extraordinary. Everybody -- from the guys who help you park in the morning and our security to the producing teams -- they literally are all happy to be there and they're rooting for everybody," she explains. "I have never felt like an outsider from day one. What a great thing! I love the atmosphere they've created. Yeah, it's a competition, but everyone's cheering everybody else on too."

McKeon will have some very important faces in the crowd when season 27 kicks off on Sept. 24. Her daughters and husband will be there (she joked that they better be, just in case there's no week two for her!), as well as actress Lisa Vidal, her best friend since they were partnered up on The Division, which also starred then-unknowns Jon Hamm and Taraji P. Henson, along with Parenthood's Bonnie Bedelia.

"I told her, 'Mama, you're going to have to help me with some kind of cha-cha or salsa,'" McKeon says of Vidal. "Lisa is like a sister, but that whole cast -- it really was one of the best times of my life. I loved everybody on that show. We were all supportive of each other and to watch Jon blossom and Taraji just shatter it is so beautiful… It's so exciting to watch such good people get to do what they love to do and just crush it. They're amazing people. It's a joy for me to be an uber fan because [after the show ended], I got to be with the most important people, which is my kiddos and my hubby."

McKeon is the first to admit she's been blessed to work with some incredible people throughout her career. She famously acted alongside Michael J. Fox in the '80s, as well as Mariska Hargitay and Jean Smart in the short-lived sitcoms Can't Hurry Love and Style & Substance, respectively, plus she did take some time out from being a stay-at-home mom to play Demi Lovato's mother on the Disney Channel show, Sonny With a Chance, from 2009-2010.

Though the two haven't spoken in some time, McKeon only had kind words for Lovato, who suffered a relapse and apparent overdose earlier this summer.

"I wouldn't presume. I can only send all my love. She seems to be incredibly smart… It was a difficult time during that show and things kind of went on, but I can tell you in my experience, she was genuinely lovely to me and to my girls, who were much younger at the time and very excited to meet her," McKeon says of her onscreen daughter. "I have every confidence that she's going to come back stronger and in a way that is the best for her. She deserves that."

McKeon was side-by-side another big actor during their early days, one whom she gets asked about a lot: George Clooney, whose first real TV experience was as a handyman on The Facts of Life. Though his time with them was short, McKeon says she would see him working on another show on the lot and they remained friends. 'He's everything you want him to be," she happily reveals. "He's fun, an incredible talent, and he's loyal as the day is long. He deserves all good things and it looks like that's exactly what he's gotten."

The most important connection she has from those sitcom days, however, was with Charlotte Rae, who portrayed the beloved, wise-cracking redheaded housemother of the fictional Eastland School. She died in early August at age 92 after a series of illnesses, and McKeon chokes up when thinking about her beloved friend.

"That's a hard one for me. It's soon," she says slowly. "Charlotte's one of the most remarkable people I've ever met in my life and we were actually very good friends. If I was in L.A., we were always together and if I wasn't, I came in, even if it was just to see her. She's been at my ranch and hung out with the girls and myself, and I will always be the luckiest person and a much better person for having had her in my life."

The women of The Facts of Life still keep in touch. In fact, McKeon has been texting with Kim Fields, as the actress known as Tootsie danced with pro Sasha Farber in season 22 of DWTS. Though McKeon hasn't watched every season of the dance competition show, she did watch Fields and Farber compete "with joy and amazement."

"She just knocked it out of the park. She's just so amazing. We've been texting and I said, 'Really? Did you have to set the bar this high? Girlfriend, I don't know if I can live up [to that].' She's just a doll and supportive," McKeon says, adding that she's gone back to watch some of Chmerkovskiy's dances with previous partners but had to stop "because he's so good" and didn’t want to get stuck in a brain warp comparing herself to others.

In fact, Fields' best advice had nothing to do with the dancing itself. "'Have fun. Enjoy this week, this day, this rehearsal. Try not to look ahead.' For me, I think that's awesome advice because it's really just got to be about the journey," McKeon says. "There's some amazing people dancing, so it's really not about an end result for me. What I'm looking for is the best I can do on every single day."

"It doesn't matter how sore [I am] -- get up, go back, fight the good fight the next day," she continues. "Have some smile, as my partner would say, and just enjoy that day, because none of us can possibly predict how long any of us have."

Season 27 of Dancing With the Stars kicks off Monday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

SOURCE: www.etonline.com

[magnaflourious-nerdity]

B99 and The Good Place

YES. THANK YOU!!!! I LOVE THE GOOD PLACE AND BROOKLYN 99 SO MUCH. AND NOBODY EVER WANTS TO TALK TO/WITH ME ABOUT TGP. I made my friend watch it with me just so I could talk about it with someone lol. Also because it's just a genuinely good show. (Next up I'm gonna make her finish iZombie with me too, haha.)SO! For B99Favorite Main Character:Its gotta be either Rosa or Jake. You know I'm in love with both Andy Samburg and Stephanie Beatriz. (especially Stephanie Beatriz, *dreamy sigh*)Fun fact! My favorite side character is Kevin. Whether it's in B99, The Good Place, or on the Thrilling Adventure Hour, I love the deadpan humor of Marc Evan Jackson. He is, after all, a naughty bitch ;p. Favorite Female Character:Oh, for sure this goes to Rosa Diaz. I love her so much and Stephanie Beatriz plays her to absolute perfection. it's so cool to be able to see such a badass lady cop on TV, who both plays to and subverts the typical Strong Silent Badass™ trope. Rosa is from a cooler world than any of us.OTP:I know it's a boring answer, but it's gotta be Jake and Amy. From the jump their relationship was built on mutual (if, admittedly at first, somewhat begrudging) respect and trust. They were friends, which is so rewarding to see. There have been couples like that on TV before, but usually it's all a lot of 'will they, wont they- which can be fun too if done right, like seasons 1 and 2 did -but it's refreshing to see it played in such a different way. Jake just straight up told her and didn't expect anything to come from it. He didn't pressure her to like him back and he didn't even hate on Teddy (until he got all weird and creepy in later seasons, and even then he was polite) while he was dating her. He respects her and treats her well and I will forever remember the scene where he tells everyone why/how he decided to propose to her, it was perfect and truely sweet. Jake and Amy make each other better. He helped her to loosen up a little and compromise without getting rid of her take- charge, eager-to-please attitude or her independance, and in turn she made him into a (slightly) more mature person. Amy helped turn Jake into a (somewhat) functional adult, but she didn't force him to lose his fun, childish side either. They genuinely care for each other in a way that you dont often get to see on TV between Het Couples. Like the episode where Amy takes the Sargent's exam and Jake says he always knew Amy would be his boss one day? HE RESPECTS HER SO MUCH. Almost any other sitcom would have Jake's arc for that episode be about him feeling insecure at the thought of his future wife being his boss, but B99 didn't and I love them for it. Their love is so sweet and believable. I even teared up a little during the wedding scene because I'm an absolute sap like that. I also really, really like the chemistry between Rosa and her potential new girlfriend Alicia (as played by the also amazingly beautiful and talented Gina Rodriguez.) They had immediate chemistry- which I'm huge on -and Alicia seems like a genuinely cool and sweet woman. Anyone who can make Rosa lose her composure in front of people she cares about has gotta be something special. I'm hoping in the next season NBC will let them bring Gina Rodriguez back and she and Rosa will become TV's gayest and most dynamic power couple. That would be pretty sweet. Sorry that this has turned into Rosa and Jake fest. But if it helps, Holt and Kevin are definitely couple goals too and I'm glad Kevin'sgetting so much more screen time. I agree with Jake: I also want them to be my two gay dads. Not that I dont love my dad, I'm just welcoming in the extra role models, lol. Lord k ow I probably need it.NoTP:I love that the show steered away from it, because I wasn't really much a fan of the Boyle/Diaz Dynamic of season 1. But, I do honestly love them as bros together. It's another trope the show subverts since Charles is the one who's super in touch with his emotions and helps out Rosa in her relationships when she has trouble expressing hers. I just... I really love relation/friendships built on trust and respect. It's my jam.Favorite Other Pairings:I know she's not your fave but I do like Gina and Rosa together, they have a fun, snarky vibe together and Gina does genuinely care for Rosa and respect her opinions, way more than she does with most other people. Except maybe Holt. Also Amy and Rosa. I love episodes where the two of them team up together. Basically, what I'm saying here is that I just want Rosa to date ALL the girls on the show, haha.Least Favorite Character:I hate to say it, but I want a huge fan of Pimento? Like, he was dangerous and rude and I know he went through a lot of trauma undercover, but dude needed some help, and I mean just that, really. He needs to be in therapy for his PTSD because it's affecting his relationships and his whole life.I'm not too big a fan of Hitchcock either, just because like... Okay, so, Scully is dumb and occasionally rude, but at least he tries to be nice most of the time and even tries to contribute; Hitchcock is... kind of a jerk most of the time? I know that's the point, but still... like, fix yourself my dude.Also, I do really love to hate The Vulture. He's insufferable, but his dynamic with the team and their hate for him is so much fun to watch. Of course when I say least favorite, I still like these characters, it's just that if I had to pick, it would be these three.Favorite Season/Episode:I actually really like this past season a lot. Like, so much happened! ROSA CAME OUT! JAKE AND AMY GOT MARRIED! HOLT AND KEVIN GOT QUALITY SCREEN TIME AS A COUPLE! It was pretty amazing.I love the episode where Rosa came out to her parents. It was so sweet ♡ and I think it's really important that it ended in such a medium place. Like, that happens to people sometimes other TV shows, sometimes parents dont either accept you wholeheartedly or kick you out and denounce you. Sometimes, you just get stuck in a crappy in between place (note: not deflection btw, my parents are cool with my identity, but I has happened to people I know and it sucks watching them try and get through it without sacrificing the relationship between them and their parent[s]). And we never get to see that because TV likes to focus on the extremes. And Rosa found out that you can find your own family if you need too. Which, as you know, I am always up for in my media. Found family tropes for everyone!Who Would I Date:I mean... look how many times the words Jake and Rosa have come up in this post. In your heart of hearts you know the answer to this question.Rosa (whom I have to separate from her actress because I love them both, and for different reasons) would be a little hard to date for me, just because she's so closed off and sometimes ya girl needs some validation of affection. But she's so...so cool. She does the right thing, even if she'd rather hit the problem in the face with an axe, and I know she's a police officer but it still counts, damnit. She has all these layers to her, like the dancing and the gymnastics and stuff. She doesn't reject traditional femininity, it just doesn't appeal to her. Also I bet she'd make anyone feel hella safe. She's... honestly the best word I can come up with right now is dreamy. Rosa Diaz is a Dreamboat with a capital D, and I'm sorry, but if you dont think so you're wrong.Jake is kind of the polar opposite. The only thing I would see becoming a hypothetical issue in the hypothetical relationship is that I can also be immature and messy and garbage at being an adult. We'd be too similar and it wouldn't help anyone, unlike with Jake and Amy. But he's so sweet and caring and funny. He's a genuinely great guy who respects everyone who deserves it, and sometimes even people who don't. Plus he's definitely a good cuddler and I like being the big spoon, so that would work out well for us.----------------------As for The Good Place:(WARNING! Spoilers for The Good Place are below, so if you're asking me but haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend skipping this until you do watch it, because I don't want to spoil anything for you. It's that good.Favorite Main Character:How, actually, do you choose on this? How?!? I love them all so much, truly. Chidi is a nervous smol (though also very tol) beanpole. Eleanor is always a Mood™ and she shows so much growth over the course of just 2 seasons (same with Michael, but that'smore over the course of 1 season. I'llgive him a pass though because it was entertaining as hell when he finally realized the concept of mortality). Jason became so much more lovable and sweet in season 2. Janet is my favorite omniscient NonBinary robot ever. And Tahani is, to quote Eleanor directly, "A sexy, tan rapunzel. The dream." Plus, she really knows how to go all out with something, which is fun. I loved how into her role as Rhonda Mumps she got. Plus, watching her tell off her parents was so good.I think I'm gonna have to go with Either Chidi Eleanor or Janet. That's as much as I can narrow it down though, because I am weak.Favorite Female Character: Well, since Janet is not a girl, but instead- as mentioned above -an omniscient NonBinary robot person, I'll go with Eleanor. I think I just really relate to her character. Which means I should probably shape up my life, lol. But it's so nice to see a smart, funny, unladylike and kinda sleazy character, who ultimately has that heart of gold and a desire for self-improvement played like this by a woman as a main character. She's like the likeable, morally gray sidekick in so many romcoms, but she gets to be the focus for once. I dig it. Also, I tend to flock towards bi-coded characters. Have you seen Eleanor's collection of flannels (Janet could literally get her anything to wear, but mah girl craves that bi aesthetic)? Any of her interactions with Tahani? That girl is bi af, if not pan. OTP:Oh, for sure it's Teleanor (Elhani?). Like, the chemistry between Jameela Jamil and Kristen Bell is so thick. They're so good together! And I swear if I dont get a flashback to attempt #218 at some point I will cry. 2nd OTP is Chidi/Eleanor because a) they're super cute together, B) they make each other better, and C) LOOK MA, ITS AN INTERRACIAL COUPLE AS THE MAIN FOCUS OF A SITCOM WHERE THE POC IS A DUDE! I've heard tell of it in legends but never seen it before in real life! I joke, but seriously, it is neat to see.Runner up: J² (aka Janet & Jason). What can I say? I'm a sucker for cute, oddball couples who shouldn't work but ultimately do.NoTP:I wasn't very keen on Tahani/Jason. Like, it was a fun distraction, and it did lead to the scene where Tahani tells her parents she ate a cheeto, and it also gave us some much needed Janet screen time/character arc stuff, but they just didn't work for me as a couple. I think, though, that that was kind of the point? Like, they needed to make that mutual mistake together so they could get to where they needed to be. Jason grew up a bit and learned to problem solve and Tahani gained confidence and the personal growth she needed to tell off her douchey parents.Favorite Other Pairings: Is it weird to say Shawn/Michael? I feel like it is, but I would still read it. Also maybe Janet/Eleanor. That could be fun.Least Favorite Character:This is slightly less tough than the questions above, but if it came down to it and I had to pick, I'd probably say it's pretty much just amounts to a few of the characters that the show designed for me to hate.Figuratively, everyone in Tahani's family is a garbage human being. And not in like, the fun, likeable way that say Eleanor or Jason were 'garbage people,' but in the awful, 'I would gladly punch you in the face' kind of way instead. Same goes for Eleanor's parents and her roommates (Though the one who remained her friend after she switched up everything in the season finale was okish in S2, what little I saw of her). It's super weird, but I actually do like the demons for the most part. Shawn is amazing to watch, which I, in large part, chalk up to Marc Evan Jackson's performance. And I even liked Vicky and Trevor, in that same, The Vulture from B99 sort of way. So literal demons are more likeable than the characters mentioned above, which should tell you something.Favorite Season/Episode:Season 1 was amazing and that first Cliffhanger twist was wild and awesome and I didn't figure it out until about 30 seconds before Eleanor did because it was so good, but it wasn't just a twist for the sake of it either, like, the season was built around it and makes sense with it, which is really cool to see in a sitcom. HOWEVER, all things being equal and with that said, Season 2 was EVEN BETTER SOMEHOW?!?! they ditched the formula and changed it all up! It's a sitcom! They never do that! And they only spent like what, 1 to 2ish episodes replaying the new attempts? And they focused on some of the Bad Place characters too while they were doing it, so it didn't get boring. That could have so easily happened too, if it hadn't been handled as well as it was by the writers. But it was handled well and they kept changing things up and giving us more info on the characters lives and their deaths and all that good juicy character development stuff I love so much and it was so, so worth watching.Episode wise, season two had my favorite episodes too, starting with the big neighborhood-ending party and all the way up to the finale (the episodes before then were also great, obviously, but that run towards the end had me captivated so thoroughly I almost called in sick to work to finish them, haha.)The stuff where they infiltrate The Bad Place was golden. If I had, had, had to pick a single episode... yeah, nope, I'm still not able to because it comes up a tie between the one where they leave the neighborhood behind or the finale. There was so much good character stuff, and lots of little found family type moments and Mindy even got a little bit of a reward at the end! (Side note: something deep inside of me loves Mindy St. Claire so much and wishes I could have more of her confidence and fuck it attitude). The demons were hilarious and Judge Gen was a delight to watch! This show is just so good, it makes me want to cry a little. Just a bit. I'm so excited for season 3!! Less than a month left yeah! ♡Who Would I Date:It would probably come down to either Janet, or Eleanor. Tahani has potential, but she's too...aristocratic to actually date for me, I think. Chidi would be an amazing partner, but I feel like we're both such anxious people that it would quickly become an unmanageable tornado of stress and bad decision making, lol.Janet would be cool because she's weird and fun and chipper and so sweet, plus she has all the knowledge in the universe which is neat. I do love a smart cookie. And with Janet since I'm more demi/ace-ish and since she doesn't have sex parts, that would take a weight off my mind I think. So check off 'would date a self-aware, omniscient robot' on my list of weird character traits.Eleanor would also be a good candidate too because she's relatively down to earth and laid back, as well as being fun and relatable and just... kind of a cool chick. Plus, I know deep down she actually does care about things and is a decent human being, which is sort of a must in a partner, lol. The only drawback is that we might make each other worse because we'd probably let each other get away with a lot, so it might be somewhat counterproductive to the point of the show, haha. ----------------------Thank you so much for asking these! And for letting me rant and rave over my two favorite sitcoms in what has, apparently, turned out to be a fucking essay on 'Things I love about Brooklyn 99 and The Good Place'. Sorry I got so verbose about it. I'm also sorry that I, as a person, always fail so completely at making choices and narrowing things down, lol. But this was fun! Hopefully you've seen TGP, I'd absolutely hate, hate, hate to spoil such an excellent and surprising show for someone. Assuming you have, I'm gonna run over and ask you about this one too. In fact consider this an open invitation: if you need someone to talk to about B99 or TGP, consider me your gal!

[homeofthelonelywriter]

Drabbles: Eric # 75

(A/N) Here comes the next one. I hope you like it!

Drabbles:

# 75 “Take my hand.” – “Why?” – “I’m trying to ask you to marry me! So, take my damned hand!”

Pairing: Eric x Reader

Warning: kissing, fluff, violence, catcalling, swearing

Masterlist

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When I woke up, the bed next to me was empty and cold. Eric was probably out on his morning run, but what do I know? I just enjoyed the time for myself and took a long shower, without any…uhm…interruptions. You understand, right? After I was done with the most relaxing shower I had since I started dating the ruthless Dauntless leader, I dried my hair and body and put on some clothes. A black tank top and skinny jeans. They went wonderful with my black boots. After I pulled my long brown hair into a ponytail I left the apartment I shared with Eric and walked to the mess hall, to get my well-deserved breakfast. I mean, I didn’t do anything to deserve it, but I deserve it. On the way, I passed a few members. Most of the time we greeted each other, one even stopped to discuss something with me. Well, most of them were women. Men usually reacted differently, either catcalling me or flirting with me directly. At those times, I always remember why I always walk around with Eric. With him by my side, no one bothers me, especially the men. But, sometimes I have to walk alone, and then…well stuff happens…like broken fingers or bloody noses. “Looking good today Y/N! How about you and me, my apartment?” Marc, that fucking asshole. He is too afraid to say something when Eric, but as soon as I’m alone, he can’t keep his dick in his pants. “Listen asshole, say one more thing and I’ll break your fucking arm without any regrets.” I stopped and glared at the pathetic excuse for a Dauntless member. But he just smirked. “Oh. You know exactly how to turn me on babe.” That was enough. I stalked up to him and grabbed him by the neck. “Listen here-“ Before I could finish my threat, Marc tried to get out of grip. Fed up, I grabbed his arm ad with one quick movement broke it. “You fucking bitch!” He held his arm and ran away, towards the infirmary. Just what he deserved. I continued my way and finally reached the mess hall. Apparently I was lucky today, because barely anyone was there. I got my breakfast and sat down at one of the leaders table. Just than I realized that really barely anyone was there. Not a single leader, only two regular members and a few initiates. That…was unusual. I mean, yes, I was late because I slept in, but at least some patrols should be here, catching food before they go to bed after the night shift. Something was up and I didn’t like to be the only one not invited to the party. I was relieved when my phone ringed, showing me that the others were still alive at least. “What’s up, Max?” “Hey Y/N. Do you have time right now? Someone needs to go to Amity, something’s up. One patrol is already there, but they need a leader.” Max sounded stressed. “Yeah, I’m on my way.” I abandoned my breakfast and ran to the garage. There was only one truck left, so I took that one. On my way to Amity, I tried to reach my boyfriend to inform him where I was. But, no such luck. Well, if he’s going to be pissed later, it’s not my fault. It took me about half an hour to reach the fields and two more minutes, until I parked my truck in front of the main building. “Hey Jo, what’s up?” I greeted the leader of the faction with a hug. I wasn’t as peaceful as the Amity, but I didn’t have anything against them. Speaking of, where were all the Amity’s? No one was here! “It’s good to see you. There’s been some noise in the barn, but none of us is in there. Could you check it out, please?” “Sure, where is the patrol that’s supposed to be here?” We walked towards the barn. “They’re in the woods. At first, we thought that whoever is here, is there and they’re searching there. But the new noises in the barn got us confused. We just want to be sure there is nothing there.” I nodded and told her to go back to the house and call reinforcement if needed. I drew my gun and slowly walked closer to the big doors. Upon opening it, I saw nothing. All the windows were closed, and the sun stood on the other side, making it hard to see. But then, the door on the other side was opened too and light streamed into the barn. I couldn’t believe the sight in front of me. There they were! Eric, Max, Four, all the other leaders and Dauntless members. Upstairs, the missing Amity’s stood, smiling at me. “Eric? Max? What are you all doing here?” I frowned as I walked closer to my boyfriend. Eric didn’t answer, neither did anyone else. Instead, he kneeled down, right in front of me, stretching out his hands. After sensing my hesitation, he frowned at me. “Take my hands.” Now it was my turn to frown. “Why?” He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m trying to ask you to marry me! So, take my damned hands!” My eyes widened and without further thinking I took his hands. “Great. Y/N, before I met you, I never really believed in love. I was convinced that my cold personality was the best choice, and foremost the only choice for me. Thanks to you, I saw that there was more to me. Not that I would ever admit that in front of almost the hole faction. See what you’re making me do. Anyway. Back to the topic. I love you. You made me a better man and never lost faith and trust in me, no matter what an asshole I was. During initiation, I was read to kill you, but every time I was about to do it, you just smiled at me, completely unimpressed and not scared to take me on. I think that was, what made me fall in love with you. You were never scared of me. Whenever I yelled at you or anything like that, you just smiled. And that smile, it completely disarmed me. I thought about it all the time, it kept me going. So please, Y/N. Do me the honour of marrying me. Make me the happiest man alive.” My eyes were tearing up during his speech and by the end of it, they were freely running down my face. “So?” I nodded. I nodded and didn’t stop. Eric smiled at me, stood up and hugged me. “I love you so fucking much, Y/N. So much.” “I love you too, you big fluffy teddy bear!” He laughed and hugged me tighter. From above, rose petals rained down on us. Laughing, I looked up the Amity’s and send them a quiet ‘thank you’. Then I turned back to my fiancée and kissed him, pouring all my love and adoration into it. God, as much as he’s denying it, he is the romantic type. Proposing in front of not only one, but two factions and We spent the rest of the day in Amity, celebrating with a lot of alcohol and food. Max and the others brought there own food, not wanting to eat Amity’s with the peace serum in it. “You know, that was actually a nice day.” I sat on Eric’s lap, by the fireplace, a drink in hand. “Yeah, I mean, now we have to plan a wedding!” He was already slightly drunk, finding everything rather funny. “Yeah, that and I broke Marc’s arm.” At this, he immediately sobered up. Next to us, Max spit out his drink, while Four just laughed. “Did he do something? I’m so going to kill that guy!” In the meantime, Max also began laughing. “Relax. He just catcalled me. Again. And he got what he deserved.” I smirked at my fiancée. “God, I love you.” He pressed his lips against mine, moving them slowly. When he pulled away, he smiled at me. “Did that ass cry?” “You bet!” Together we laughed, until Max decided it was time for Dauntless to go home. Walking hand in hand with Eric, I decided that my future could definitely start now.

[ladychandraofthemoone]

Marinette&Mewtwo AU

Had another pokemon au on me. Maybe alternate universe?? 

Long story short: Marinette traveling alone to become a pokemon coordinator, sometimes bumping into people she trusts like Aurore, Ondine, or Marc or Luka and traveling with them since she moved into a different class or different school since her former class environment wasn’t healthy for her at all. Why? most of it stems from the fact that Marinette is autistic (there has been headcanons about it and I approve it) and most of the bullying came from the facts that people thought she was faking it even though they had been with her for a long time so they had to know. (No one really believed Chloe but Lila... yeah, it got worse.)

She ends up meeting an escaped but very injured Mewtwo and heals his wounds. He decides to just stay with her, feeling that she’s a nice person (she is, you can’t make me) so just her and Mewtwo traveling together.

They talk about their former pasts and just try and protect each other. Marinette showing Mewtwo the fun ways of living like sweet treats and her parents just adopting Mewtwo like their own child whenever they visit. Also, protective Mewtwo when he Finds out that Marinette got picked on a lot... Oh he’s downright pissed. Mewtwo is probably more than willing to try and harm a child.A child who make his child’s life miserable. 

Possible scenario:

Marinette: Mewtwo, I’m.. ready...flattered that you’re willing to do this for me but.. what did we say about this again?

Mewtwo: (Looking down, telepathically speaking) Not to try and threaten a child by psychic tossing them far away from here...

Marinette: Yeah. it’s not the right thing to do. Even if they do deserve it.

Mewtwo: ....Does giving them headaches still count?

Marinette: (raises her hand to speak but pauses before looking a bit thoughtful) I’m... not really sure exactly...

I think this might be set when Lila comes to the class so along with Chloe, just makes her life terrible until she leaves for her journey. They would get along cause Mewtwo wouldn’t judge Marinette when she does anything “werid” like  stimming when she’s emotional like when she’s happy or to help her calm down and Marinette would give him the chance cause he doesn’t seem threatening to her. They just understand each other and what it’s like to be...an outcast.

Just.. I don’t know how to write this down but it’s mostly just them traveling together and supporting each other and just you know... have fun. Also dealing with Team Kosmos who still exists and bad people who try to harm them. Fun.

That’s all I got, maybe I’ll write more.

[hexiewrites]

you love the sea: part two, lachesis [connection]

setting: non-magical, mythical AU pairing: marcus flint/oliver wood word count: 2743 A/N: part two of @flintwoodandco‘s giveaway winning fic! the brilliant selkie’s idea belongs to them <3 like I said, this fic is four parts long, and I’ll be posting the rest of them for the next two days (part 3 on monday, and the final part on tuesday ). (and, of course, another shoutout to my beta @nymphadoraholtzmann!!)

(part one)(you can also read it on ao3!)

I’m not excited, but should I be? is this the fate that half of the world has planned for me? I know I love you and you love the sea but what holy water contains a little drop, little drop for me?

- unbelievers, vampire weekend

Marcus had never quite realized, before, that he could actually be lonely. He had spent his entire life surrounded by friends - other gang members kids, for the most part - and when he had decided to move away, one of the things he had been looking forward too was getting to skip all of their parties and not have to listen to their rambling and complaining and drama. But instead, he found himself… wondering. Wondering if Adrian had ever told Terry how he felt. Wondering if Draco had finally proposed to the fluffy haired girl.

When his phone rang, he took one look at the caller ID and hit answer before he had even decided he wanted to speak to her.

“Parkinson,” he breathed out, trying not to sound as desperate for human contact as he felt.

“Marcus!!” Came the half-shrill excited voice from the other end of the line. “Oh my GOD Marcus you have been gone literally forever, and then you don’t even return my texts? I thought we were friends you know.”

“Pansy,” he managed to laugh in response, “we’ve never been friends.”

“Oh, don’t be an idiot, Marc. You’ve known me since I was in nappies.”

Marcus couldn’t stop the grin that broke out on his face and he headed out of the cottage to sit on his front lawn, just in case he lost cell reception. “Sure, Pans. What do I owe the honor, then, for the phone call?”

He could nearly hear the girl on the other end of the line rolling her eyes, and he couldn’t stop the joy that bubbled up in his chest, just a little, at the reminder that he actually did have people who cared about him. That he wasn’t the only person in the world - him and the mysterious quite possibly not real naked man from his beach.

“Well, you just kind of dropped off the face of the planet. We thought you were dead.”

Marcus shrugged and shifted on the grass, plucking a strand out of the earth and then remembering that Pansy couldn’t see him and he needed to respond verbally. “Sorry. I’ve been… relaxing, I guess.”

“When are you going to be home?” She pressed, and Marcus shrugged again, then winced when he realized she was still waiting for an answer.

“Dunno, Pans. I like it out here. Open space, cold water, no annoying reporters from the Daily Prophet banging on my door and demanding a story about my dad’s death.”

Pansy sighed into the phone, and while it sounded frustrated, Marcus was pretty sure the younger girl was trying to express sympathy. “Oh. Are you okay, Marcus? Really okay?”

Marcus paused for a moment, scanning his eyes over the empty land, the rocky crags, the sea that stretched out endlessly before him. He couldn’t help but look down towards the water, and when his eyes landed on the rock on the beach and the naked man stretched out on top of it, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yeah, Pans. Really, really okay.”

The phone went silent for a moment, and Marcus knew Pansy was trying to decode his answer, figure out if he was serious. She’d always been like that - calculating and careful. She had always looked out for them all, even though he was a few years older than she was, and it warmed his heart to know it was genuine.

“I gotta go, Pansy,” Marcus blurted out, already on his feet and heading down towards the water. Something was pulling him towards the man on the rock again, and he waited for Pansy to say her goodbyes and then he hung up the phone, and sped up towards the water.

“Oliver! Please don’t run away again!” Marcus called, in as gentle of a voice as he could (not that gentle, but it had never been one of his strengths) as he hit the sand and made it halfway towards the rock. “I don’t know where you’re going but…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the man on the rock - Oliver, his brain supplied helpfully - had sat up and turned towards him. And even though one of his hands was on the pile of clothes beside him, the man's full attention seemed focused on Marcus. His full attention, and a winning grin full of bright straight teeth.

Marcus swallowed, and slowed, and then stopped a few feet away. Usually, Marcus was good at self control, at thinking things through before saying them and only saying things that were important.

Usually, he wasn’t four feet away from a gorgeous naked man who was smiling at him like he hung the moon.

“Will you get dinner with me?” He blurted out, and then swallowed hard when he realized what he’d done. He still wasn’t sure this man wasn’t just a hallucination, or at least a lunatic, but he had been so lonely, and speaking to Pansy had reminded him that it was actually nice - sometimes - to be around people. And now it was too late to take it back, because Oliver was nodding.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Seven,” Oliver confirmed, and then he - once more - turned to jump into the water.

Seven came both far too quickly and slower than Marcus could handle. By six-forty-five, he was pacing the small cottage, glancing in every mirror, trying to decide if his hair looked alright (it always looked the same - curly and short) and wondering if this was a good idea. When six-fifty-eight rolled around and Oliver still wasn’t there, he convinced himself that he had definitely just hallucinated the man and was nearly ready to dig out the phone book and try and find a local physician.

At seven, almost exactly on the dot, there was a knock on his door. Marcus was so tightly wound up with tension and anxiety and stress that he nearly shouted, but he managed to contain it and instead took a breath and pulled open the door.

Oliver was standing there, very much not naked (probably for the best, Marcus reasoned), and holding a single red rose, which he offered out with a grin that Marcus couldn’t quite place. Marcus reached out and caught the flower, his fingers brushing over Oliver’s as he did so, and he couldn’t stop the shiver that tingled down his spine at the contact.

Maybe he really had been alone for too long.

“Hi,” he greeted, managing up his own careful smile to the man in front of him. “Just lemme, uh, put this in some water.”

“No problem,” Oliver called after him as Marcus headed for the kitchen. “I, uh, brought dinner with me, though.”

Marcus paused in the hallway and turned back towards Oliver, who’s grin had grown as he pulled his other hand from behind his back and lifted up a large take away bag.

“Oh,” Marcus mumbled, and then nodded once. “Right, follow me then, kitchen’s through here.”

It didn’t take the two of them long to get the food (delicious smelling Indian) unpacked and spread out on Marcus’s small table, and then they were sitting across from each other, each with a plate of food. The air had settled around them and Marcus was shocked at how comfortable it felt, how much sitting across from this strange man seemed to feel like… coming home.

Most of the evening passed in a blur of heated discussion and a bottle or two of wine. Oliver, it turned out, also loved to sail, and they had spent nearly an hour discussing everything from their preferred size of boat (Oliver was a fan of tiny dingy’s, whereas Marcus was much happier in slightly larger crafts) to whether or not you needed a lifejacket to sail (Marcus was of the mind that if you didn’t know how to swim, you didn’t deserve to be on the water at all). Oliver was brilliant, sharp and quick and combative, and more than once he riled Marcus up to the point of nearly anger before cracking a joke that sent them both into laughter. Marcus was usually so guarded, but there was something about Oliver that left him feeling… safe.

“So,” Marcus sighed out, stretching a little out onto the living room couch where they had moved after cleaning up from their (delicious) meal. “Did you grow up around here?”

Oliver paused at this and something that looked suspiciously like mischief twinkled in his eyes. “Yeah, I grew up around the Islands,” he shrugged noncommittally, but grinned at Marcus as he spoke. “Just a good ol’ Scottish lad.”

Marcus laughed and tilted his head back against the couch behind him, head heavy from the wine and good food. “Scotland’s beautiful,” he admitted, turning his head to skim his eyes over Oliver’s face in the dim light of his living room. “Do you like living here?”

Oliver mirrored his body language, leaning his head back against the couch and then turning to look at Marcus. “Yeah, I do. Y’know, the whole country…” Oliver trailed off, clearly thinking through his words. “’S magical.”

“Magical?” Marcus nearly scoffed, trying to bite back his grin and failing. “What, like, the weird sisters and the Loch Ness monster?”

The twinkle in Oliver’s eye seemed to spread, but he managed to shrug as well. “Nessie’s no monster. Just a kelpie.”

One of Marcus’s brows raised and he wondered briefly if his impression of this man as basically sane had been wrong after all. “A kelpie?”

“Yeah. They’re, ah… shapeshifters, I s’pose you’d call them. Water spirits. Part human, part horse. Typically benevolent - they’re said to keep small children away from the water so they don’t drown. Different, of course, than the tangie.”

“Tangie?” Marcus pressed, clearly trying to keep the amusement out of his voice and at least pretend to be serious, if only because Oliver was approaching it all so simply.

Oliver nodded. “Mmm. Also horse-human water spirits, though they’ve got a nasty habit of abducting young lasses and devouring them.”

Marcus shifted a little closer to Oliver on the couch, strangely entranced by all the mythology talk - even though it was clearly just stories, passed around to keep children away from the water. “Right. Didn’t realize there were so many horse shapeshifters. I thought it was, ah, seals, no? What’re those ones? Sellies?”

Oliver’s face twitched into a frown so quick that Marcus still wasn’t sure if he’d seen it by the time the man was smiling again. “Selkies.” He corrected. “You’re right there though, though they’re a little different of a breed of shapeshifter, y’see,” Oliver trailed off, and let his eyes close.

“Different?” Marcus pushed, forcing himself not to reach out and brush a strand of blonde hair away from Oliver’s now peaceful face.

“Mmm,” Oliver hummed, nodding a little. “They can shed their skins, see, and become humans. But… only for a short time. And, while they’re human, they’ll always be drawn to the sea…”

“Do they abduct women too?” Marcus asked, shifting a little so he could better watch the way Oliver’s chest rose and fell as he breathed.

Oliver’s eyes snapped open and he turned to nearly glare at the man beside him. “Of course not. They… look for people who aren’t satisfied, yeah? You can -” he paused, and made a face, and then managed another smile for Marcus. “Legend goes that you can summon them, with tears. Lonely fishermen would cry into the ocean and find themselves with beautiful wives. They’d even fall in love…”

“But I thought…” Marcus paused and lifted a hand to scratch at his hairline, clearly in concentration. “How could they get married, if selkies can’t stay human for very long?”

“Ahh,” Oliver’s grin grew, and he sat up a little, turning his whole body towards Marcus. “That’s simple. True love.”

Marcus laughed now, and also sat up a little. “Right. True love.”

“Yes,” Oliver said, a little firmer this time. “It was said that sometimes, people would fall in love, and steal a selkie’s coat. That way, the selkies couldn’t go back to the sea.”

“What if,” Marcus asked, words tumbling from his mouth faster than he could think them, “the selkie falls in love too?”

Something shifted in Oliver’s expression, and while he was still grinning, he had also turned to look out the window, glancing out towards the water. “Good question. We,” he paused, shook his head, and turned back to Marcus. “The Scots, I mean, well. It’s hard to say. The way the stories go, the selkie will always be drawn to the sea, but they can choose to stay with their love forever, as long as they can withstand the call of the water. If they do go back to the sea… well.” Oliver paused, and his grin faltered a little. “Then they’re stuck as selkies for another seven years before they can return to the land.”

Marcus shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“They’ll have chosen their fate - seen true love and denied it. Fate’s string only stretches so far, and the call of the sea is too loud.”

“So, a selkie can shed their coat and shift whenever they want?” Marcus pressed, and Oliver nodded. “Unless they fall in love. And then they have to figure it out and basically be miserable whatever they choose?”

Oliver paused, clearly thought this over, and then nodded. “Sounds about right, yeah.”

Marcus snorted. “Sounds like my sexuality,” he mumbled, and Oliver glanced at him - incredulous for a moment, before he burst out laughing.

“Let’s go for a walk down by the water. Clear our heads,” Oliver suggested, and Marcus nodded and stood to follow him down.

They fell silent as they reached the edge of the water, and Marcus couldn’t help but awkwardly stick his hands into his pockets. Oliver stood on the edge of the water, staring out as if he could see something far away. There was something about the sight - the way Oliver’s entire posture had seemed to shift, and the strange pensive look that had slotted onto his face - that twisted Marcus’s stomach into a tight knot that he couldn’t break out of.

Then, Oliver turned and stepped towards him, and paused a foot away. Marcus flicked his eyes over Oliver’s face, and then cleared his throat.

“I had a good time,” Marcus admitted, and Oliver’s face broke out into a grin.

“I did as well.”

Marcus nodded, and pulled a hand from his pocket. He hesitated for a moment, and then lifted his fingers to brush across Oliver’s cheek. The skin was as smooth as it looked, cool despite the small flush that had broken out at Marcus’s touch. He knew, then, that he was standing in front of something major, something important. That what he chose to do now would change the course of his life. Marcus wasn’t a soft person, and didn’t usually dedicate this much time to thinking about his feelings. And yet, he knew - if he let himself, he could fall in love with this man.

The look in Oliver’s eyes seemed to say the same thing.

So Marcus did the only thing that felt reasonable, and he leaned forward and caught Oliver’s lips with his own. Oliver reached out and slid a hand around the back of Marcus’s head, and the world seemed to spin and slow around them. Marcus wasn’t sure how long they stood there, pressed together, but when they broke apart his breathing was heavy and his heart was beating and he had to swallow down the urge to drag Oliver back to the cottage and never let him leave again.

“I want to see you again,” Oliver whispered, their mouths still only inches apart. Marcus nodded quickly, and stepped back, reluctantly letting go of the other man.

“Definitely,” Marcus agreed verbally, and then stepped back again. He wanted to stay, to drag this night out, but he knew it was better to be careful and take his time. The last thing he wanted was to scare Oliver away - again. And so, he took one last look at the blonde, tried to burn the image of a flushed and grinning Oliver into his brain, and then turned completely and headed back up for the cottage.

When he reached the top of the hill and heard an all too familiar splash in the water, he did the best he could to push it out of his mind completely.

(tagging: @pctter, @mxrcusflint, @provocative-envy, @dramione84, @inimitablebiscuit, and @ff-sunset-oasis! let me know if you wanna be tagged in part 3, pals!)

[jobmbaileytait-blog]

Marc Vallee - Guest Lecture

Billy from second year photography at LSBU was interviewing Marc Vallet for today’s guest lecture. The reason Billy wanted to talk to him was because he had done quite a lot of work close to what Billy has done before.

Marc Vallet is a documentary photographer for over 20 years. He is particularly interested in public and private space and the conflict between public and private space. Looking at post war period where we’ve got the NHS, housing, council housing, jobs everywhere, a real upswing, it is since then that there has been an overarching desire to take all that away. It is now about privatising space, privatising healthcare, privatising where you can live. Vallet comes from a photojournalism documentary background and he used to work for The Guardian and The Financial Times. He went on to explain how his work is about saying something and that he would argue very strongly that is work is honest, truthful but that he is not approaching it in the kind of classic BBC impartiality.

Marc Vallet then went on to speak about practical terms. Since 2012 until present he has been doing self-published zines where his first one was called ‘Writers’. The zine which he is going to speak about is the 8th zine published since 2012. This particular zine he started and he was not entirely sure what he was doing with it. I was happy to hear this because I always think that if a photographer in the industry finds it hard to know what the project is, then it is ok for someone like myself who is an up and coming photographer to not know what the work may be either. This gave me a bit of confidence. The zine was launched in Berlin, London and New York and it is a small edition of 200. However, it was also featured in The Guardian and so 100’s of thousands of people get to see those pictures. Vallet was explaining how there are so many ways to get your work out there and this was just a couple of them. Knowing of ways to get your work seen is always good to hear from photographers who have already done this as I think it can really help your work progress.

Marc Vallet began to talk about the very beginning of his career. He was born and raised in London. However, the first work he ever produced was in America where he was living and working in South New Jersey in 1995 where he photographed friends, skaters, surfers and hanging out on the beach. Vallet was shooting on film and processed the films in a converted chicken coup. I liked hearing this because it just goes to show where you start and how you work your way up in photography just like you would in any other job. He then lived in New York for a while before heading back to London where he continued to photograph skaters until he started working for magazines doing very urban, city stuff. In the mid 80’s he was involved in politics as a teenager and this came together with his photography. Vallet was part of the labour party before going to art school which changed everything for him and this is when he really got in to photography. Vallet explains how he loves all sorts of photography and all sorts of photographers and he is never really thinking about the technique or how someone did something when looking at a photograph he is more interested in the idea and story behind it. I found this inspirational because where I am not the most confident photographer I feel I am able to photograph projects with a good story behind them.

Billy speaks about how a lot of Vallet’s work is shot in black and white and asked if there was a reason behind this. Marc Vallet switched too digital in 2006 which was later than a lot of people. Going back to why he shoots in black and white he goes on to say how he doesn’t actually have an answer for this but that he used to shoot in colour ‘back in the day’ where he had a studio in Limehouse, East London. Vallet explains how he doesn’t want black and white to look ‘old’ but would rather they look more contemporary and hopes this is seen in his work. To hear Vallet say this was good because when you look at black and white photographs most people do think of ‘old’ rather than anything else and so for him to point this out in his own work and in general it meant he knew exactly what he wanted within his photography and knew exactly what he was talking about which is always a positive thing to hear.

Marc Vallee calls his books zines because of his punk background but says how they could also be photobooks. Earlier in the year Marc had done a talk at Tate Britain and one of the questions he got asked was ‘what is the difference between a zine and a photobook?’ to which he replied there isn’t really a difference and it is what the photographer decides it is. Vallet has collected many zines and photobooks over the years which have errors but this is all down to the photographer and he likes this because it is how the photographer has decided to publish their work. Since I am in to photobooks I enjoyed hearing this because it seems that it doesn’t matter as much if your photobook/zine isn’t perfect but many photographers do like their work to be perfect. Vallee is lucky to work with a designer and a really good printer company in a sense that he is doing commercial work for the printer company. He wants to make sure his customers have something nice and perfect if they are going to buy his work not something that feels incomplete. I could completely agree with this as when you buy anything you always want something perfect and in good quality, you aren’t going to spend money on something which isn’t. Marc continues to talk about his zines and is asked how he makes them. He comes out with the fact that he doesn’t know how to use InDesign which is what we have been taught to use to make our books. What Marc does is shoot the work, do the post production and when it comes to editing he prints everything out and lets others also look at the work, he believes this is a good thing to do as well as having some time away from your work because you end up producing a stronger piece of work. Talking about his own work and giving an example of this he found that the cover was easy to shoot but the other photographs were more complicated and so thought it wasn’t deserved.

Marc does not think he is the kind of documentary photographer where there is a huge distance between him and his subject compared to many photographers who go to find the interesting subject as if they are the observer from the outside of their project. This is something which Marc does not see himself as but the subjects he is interested in are usually linked to him in some way. Marc goes on to talk about how it was between the crossover of the skateboarding, the graffiti, old school hip hop which gave him an in to that world.

One of his zines concentrates on graffiti, looking at the London Waterloo tunnel as an area where it is legal to create graffiti work, building trust with these artists was hard but he looked at two men who went to both legal and illegal places to do graffiti, this was his project and it was a big task to get them to trust him so that he wouldn't do them over. What I found interesting about this work was the whole riskiness behind it rather than the actual subject of the work as graffiti is not something which interests me. Brett Rogers from the Photographer’s Gallery describes Marc’s work as “old and very London” something I didn’t understand and something Marc didn't really understand himself either apart from that she thinks he's “very London”. 

Marc began to photograph some protest work. This all started off because he was having an interview where they said how he is political yet his work isn't? Marc feels his work is political but what the magazine meant was it isn't overtly political. This gave Marc the idea of looking at this as work and so he looked at post 9/11 and the beginning of Afghan and Iraq issues. He went to a protest where he took his camera but he wasn't actually working he was walking the protest, yet he realised he had to get his game on if he wanted to take photos. Looking back at this project he thinks its rubbish however later on he continued it and he feels it is now better. He then also did work about the police, he had two issues at one point and so he sued them but won both times - this helped him gain graffiti writers trust. Marc spent 8 years photographing protests.

Billy asked what advice Marc could give. Explaining how the photography world is not the easiest to live in as there are so many different types of photography. Sometimes you can get wrapped up in a brand and people get hooked on themselves rather than what the work is about. Networking is great but also worrying in Marc’s eyes - ignore the rubbish and just concentrate on yourself and your own work. If you keep up consistency then hopefully the world will catch up with you and you will find your audience. I felt these were very useful and wise words and that this is what people like us should be concentrating on. I enjoyed Marc’s talk and liked hearing about and seeing his work on his zines/photobooks.