#hyphenated names are so inconvenient | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

culticunti · 4 years ago

Note

hi can i get the whole alphabet with bakugou? ty xx

hey <3 i hope u enjoy these! (//ω//)

A... Affection - How do they show affection?

Bakugou is usually very prone to mood swings, and the same could be said for his temperament in your relationship. He can be smiling and affectionate one moment, and the moment someone else walks into the room, he'll be stoney faced, as if nothing ever happened.

B... Babe - What kind of nicknames do they give you?

Katsuki may not seem like it, but he’s very comfortable using nicknames for you. His personal favorites are Babe, Sweetheart, and Moron. The two former were reserved for behind closed doors, but the affection on his face as he calls you a moron in public is so plainly obvious it hurts.

C... Coddle - How differently do they treat you in a relationship/out of a relationship?

The difference between how he treats you and how he treats everybody else is almost laughable. To everyone else, he’s this raging figure of fury and harsh words, but to you he’s nothing but rough hands and heartfelt words.

D... Daddy - Do they get along with your parents?

Since he was a little kid, Katsuki's mother had drilled it into his skull how to be respectful of his future partner’s parents. Though his short temper remains, he definitely puts on a facade around your parents. It makes you happy, after all, seeing your family adore him, and he wants nothing more than to make you smile.

E... Earful - How talkative are they about your relationship with other people?

Bakugou is surprisingly vocal about your relationship. Though he doesn’t bring it up unprovoked, if Kirishima or one of his other friends ask, he’ll be more than happy to tell them how great of a partner you are to him.

F... Flaunt - Do they brag about you?

Again, Katsuki won’t go out of his way to show you off to his friends, but he will slip a few words in here and there about how pretty you look in bed and whatnot if Mineta and Kaminari get too out of hand while ‘observing’ you.

G... Gifts - Do they spoil you?

Believe it or not, Bakugou loves to spend money on you. It may not be obvious from an outside standpoint, but he’ll make sure to pay for meals before you can notice, will buy you anything you’ve even so mentioned in passing to him, etc.

H... Heartfelt - How do they compliment you?

Compliments from Katsuki are a rarity, but each and every one feels just as special as the first. His words are soft when he says them, voice low, almost as if he speaks them too loudly they’ll turn on him and turn into insults. The first compliment he couldn't help but let slip out, a small “Wow, Baby, you look… you look amazing.”

I... Intuitive - How easily can they read your emotions and comfort you?

Bakugou doesn’t have much of an issue with recognizing when you’re upset, but the issue arises when he expects you to bring however you’re feeling to him first. He always feels like he has something to prove to you, even if he’s so very cocky in the other aspects of his life, and he doesnt wanna overstep.

J... Jealousy - How easily do they get jealous over you? vice versa?

Katsuki gets jealous very easily, even if he hardly ever acts upon it. Mostly, though, it’s when Kaminari and Mineta are saying filthy things about you he knows could never be true, but he just can't help it when his palms start to spark and the room catches the scent of burnt sugar. You, on the other hand, hardly ever get jealous over Katsuki, if only because of his piss poor attitude around everybody but you. Occasionally, a stray female fan will approach him and you’ll feel your heart pang, but he always brushes them off and spits at their feet before they can speak to him.

K... Kisses - Where is their favorite place to smooch you?

Katsuki’s favorite place to kiss you is the back of your hand and your forehead. Once, at the beginning of your relationship, you said you loved it when he did that, and that it made you feel like the most special person alive, and he hasn’t stopped doing it since.

L... Lonely - How attached to you are they?

Unsurprisingly, he’s fine without you during the day, but he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t hard for him to sleep without you at night. Ever since his kidnapping, Katsuki freaks out when he wakes up to an empty bed. His heart stops in his chest, and his breath dies on his lips as he shuffles around blindly in the dark looking for you. When he finds you, he wraps his (admittedly slightly sweaty) arms around your waist and hold you tight until the sun rises again.

M... Mannerisms - What silly things do they do for your attention?

Funnily enough, if Katsuki feels like he’s not getting enough attention, he’ll pick a fight with a classmate and get heated enough for you to come over and have to calm him down. In private, he’ll tug on a lock of your hair if you’re too preoccupied with your phone or a game that you’re playing to give him any attention.

N... Name Tag - Who’s name would they take after marriage?

Bakugou would insist on hyphenation after marriage. He, by no means at all, wants to erase all the accomplishments you’ve made using your own last name, but he feels more secure knowing that you now bear his last name.

O... Oath - What promises have they made you?

The biggest promise Katsuki has ever made to you was to never shout at you. It’s hard for him to control his volume, as his ears are constantly ringing due to the nature and proximity of his quirk to his eardrums, but he does his best to make sure you never feel as if he’s upset at you. Even if he does get upset, you’re always there to calm him down before he gets too out of hand and hurts himself or others.

P... Provoke - What silly things do you do to get their attention?

When Katsuki isn’t paying you any attention, you occasionally swipe his phone and press random numbers on his password screen, even if you know his password by heart. It only mildly irritates him, as he doesn’t have anything important on his phone, but it’s still a small inconvenience.. However, he can easily overlook that if it means that you want his attention.

Q... Quiet - What are some things that they do that renders you speechless?

After going a while without being around Katsuki, the way he smells always shocks you when you reunite. The air around him, sickly sweet with the smell of his caramel sweat, fills your lungs as you stand there, immobilized by his beauty. His small, tight lipped smile that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle when he holds you in his arms never fails to make your words die on the threshold of your lips.

R... Rapt - What part of you did they notice first?

The first thing Katsuki noticed about you was your grit. Even if you’re not a very confrontational person, he really admires your sense of self-worth when others question it. Your sass, as well, always makes his lips curl, and your eyes- god, your eyes- do so many unimaginable things to him and never fails to make his stomach feel like a swarm of butterflies.

S... Sour - What kind of candy do they like to share with you?

A little known fact about Katsuki is that he absolutely adores sweet things. Honestly, it’s a miracle he hasn’t gotten any cavities from his late night snacking yet. He has a secret stash of all his favorite candies underneath his bed (sealed shut of course, he can’t stand the thought of bugs getting into it.).

T... Truce - What’s one thing the two of you will never agree on?

Bakugou is too hot headed to admit that any other type of manga besides romance is at least halfway decent. As an avid consumer of horror manga, you can’t help but roll your eyes when you notice new volumes of his favorite series stacked on his bookshelf.

U... Unconscious - What’s something they do around you without realizing it?

Whenever Katsuki holds your hand, he’ll rub circles into the back of your hand absentmindedly. You find it quite cute how often he gets lost in thought, and every time he startles when his name is called after being spaced out you can’t help but stifle a giggle.

V... Vulnerable - What’s a topic that you should never bring up with them?

The attack on the training camp is one, if not the single most sore subject to katsuki. His nightmares are vivid, and his knees practically wobble when he remembers how helpless and useless he felt back then, even if he pretends it doesn’t bother him. For the weeks after the attack and after he was home safely, you were practically glued to his side, watching over his every move and making sure he didnt do anything stupid.

W... Weightless - What’s the happiest they’ve ever been around you?

Katsuki can’t pinpoint the first time he realized you were the best thing in his life, but if he had to choose a moment, it would be the first time he kissed you. Or rather, you kissed him.

The sky was alight with stars, and the two of you had spent the day hiking up a small mountain in the countryside. The stars seemed to whisper to him, calling his name and capturing his eyes prisoner to their beauty. Next to him, the only thing you were prisoner to was your own desire to confess your love to him right there and then.

So you did, and with the heavens as your witness, you grabbed him by the collar of his stupidly bright All-Might t-shirt and opened his eyes to a beauty so much greater than the stars- you.

X... Xanax- How do you calm them down?

A hand through Katsuki’s hair, a soft kiss pressed into his neck, and a few comforting words and Katsuki is down for the count.

Y... Yearning - How often do they find themself thinking about you?

Even if you’re the last thing he should be thinking about, Bakugou is always thinking about you to some degree. You practically live in his mind 24/7, but the same could be said about him living in your own head rent free.

Z... Zzz - Do they fall asleep easily?

Katsuki’s favorite and most frequented place to fall asleep is in your lap. With your fingers running through his hair, you talking quietly about your day, and the dull hum of the air conditioner in the background, he feels like he’s on cloud nine.

#bakugou katsuki #my hero academia #bakugou x reader #fluff #200 event #boku no hero academia #x reader

38 notes · View notes

purplesurveys · 4 years ago

Text

1041

survey by chasingghosts

What is the age gap between you and your parents? 27 for both. Technically, 26 years with my mom since she had yet to celebrate her birthday when she had me, but she was going to turn 27 all the same. Guh. I can’t believe I’m just five years away from that and I’m still nowhere near building my own family.

How many bathrooms does your house have? Is this enough? Two. I’d say it’s enough. Two people in the family rarely have to go to the bathroom at the same time so it works out for us.

Have you sent a letter to anyone in the past year? Yeah. I used to give Gabie a handwritten letter every Christmas along with her gifts. I still plan on writing her one, but obviously the content will be vastly different now.

Have you ever video chatted with someone you met online? I did this with Carley a handful of times; we’d video chat when I came home from school which was around the time she would get ready for school. She was such an extrovert who was so lovely and bubbly around me, and I’ve always felt bad that she had to contend with my shy ass with my mic always muted lol.

Are you hungry or thirsty right now? I’m neither but I can go for a light meal right now, which is great because I got myself a chicken barbecue sandwich and a caramel macchiato from Starbucks as a treat for myself tonight :) I went through five video call meetings just for today alone, went through several breakdowns while at work, and am also on my period, so I thought I deserved a break.

When was the last time you ate something, and what did you eat? Literally just had a bite from my sandwich.

Have you ever seen the film Boondock Saints? Nope. Sounds nothing like my type of film.

Do you own a pair of gumboots? Nah. I don’t like walking in floods anyway, so I don’t plan on getting a pair.

What colour is your favourite mug? Copper.

How far away from your town/city is your state's capital city? I already live in my province’s capital.

Have you ever worked somewhere where you had to clean the toilets? I haven’t.

Do you know anyone named Doug? No, not really a common name here.

What cut of jeans is your favourite and why? Do mom jeans count as a cut? I’ve been all over those throughout 2020. They’re stylish and yet so comfy, which are two words that seldom go together.

Do you rate people's attractiveness on a scale of 1-10? Uhhhhhhhh unless a friend asked me to rate someone they know, I don’t really think in these terms.

Name a few of your favourite actors. Kate freaking Winslet. Also Kristen Stewart, Emma Stone, Audrey Hepburn, Brie Larson, Florence Pugh, and Eddie Redmayne. I’d name Timothée Chalamet but I have yet to see a work of his.

Do you collect anything, or have you ever? The first item I ever collected was notebooks. In my past relationship (is it obvious I’m not over it yet and probably never will be? Ha) I initially liked to collect receipts from places we went to and ate at. I’d also like to be able to grow a collection of wrestling memorabilia, particularly action figures and belts. It’s not really a life goal of mine but it’d still be a cool thing to achieve.

So, how has your week been so far? I mean it’s only Monday, so nothing much. I cried and broke down a lot today which wasn’t a good start, but tomorrow’s a holiday so no work; and for Thursday I was invited to the Christmas party of the department I initially interned at and apparently they’ll be sending over a Christmas kit over to my place so I’m looking forward to these! It’s super touching they remembered and still invited me even though I’m not a part of the team anymore, so I wouldn’t have missed the party for the world.

Is there anything that you could cry about right now? Definitely, and being on my period at the moment makes it so much easier to cry. But I already cried too much and too hard earlier today and it felt exhausting, so I’m trying to avoid it tonight.

How old were you when you learned how to tie your shoelaces? I was five. I probably would’ve made myself learn later but one of our ‘exams’ in kindergarten was to show that you know how to tie your shoelaces, so I had to ask my grandma to give me a crash course.

Have you ever slept in a car overnight? Why did you have to? Yeah. I had to pull several all-nighters in college and work at 24/7 coffee shops, but I usually gave up by around 2-3 AM and would sleep in the car by then.

When was the last time you used Facebook? Earlier this evening, but I couldn’t scroll too much because spoilers for Start Up are everyyyyyyfuckingwhere and I’m still several episodes away from the finale, which aired last night.

Do you have a PO Box or does your mail get sent straight to your house? Our mails and parcels get sent straight to our door.

Are you interested in entomology? Do you know what that is? Never been. I think it’s great that insects have a lot of capabilities and contributions that we often take for granted; but I personally find a great deal of them icky as well lol so I wouldn’t say I’m interested in this branch.

Have you ever had to claim insurance? What for? Hmm I don’t think so. Not my own nor my parents’. Do you like to listen to albums start-finish without skipping or shuffling? I’ll do this sometimes with my favorite albums, yes. Fuck knows how many times I listened to After Laughter from start to finish with no skips; it was my favorite for a while.

Do you have any unspoken enemies, or maybe frenemies? I’m not the biggest fan of Patrice, but it’s not something I broadcast to people because why would I? I’m sure she slightly does not like me too, so we’re even.

What was the last thing you broke? That would be my last phone charger cord. I’ve since had it replaced though.

Do you have a favourite state/province/territory in your country? Not necessarily an overall favorite but I do have a favorite place I’ve traveled to, which is Sagada. I need a second vacation to see if it still lives up to my expectations and if it would still be able to give me an experience as cathartic and therapeutic as my first trip there, but for the last five years it has sat on the throne.

How many vowels are in your street name? Is this question too mundane? Three. I mean I’ve never been asked this on a survey before, so I wouldn’t call it that.

What are your three top favourite flavours of ice cream? Cookies and cream, chocolate chip cookie dough, coffee.

How far away is the nearest Target? At least a couple thousand miles away.

Do you prefer Target, Kmart or Walmart? Idk and idc.

Have you ever farted in class or somewhere else you shouldn't have? No. I suppress my farts, even when I’m alone haha it’s just my least favorite bodily function.

What's your middle name? Would you change it? I’m not giving it away. I wouldn’t change it and I’m definitely not giving it up even if I get married. I’m keeping my middle name then just hyphenate my surname so that I get to keep all three names.

When was the last tie you wore heels? What was the occasion? September. Job interview for a position I didn’t really want but still chose to undergo because it was still an interview.

Do you find yourself lost for words often? I guess yeah, depression does tend to do that to me.

Did you share baths with your siblings/cousins when you were a child? Yep, I remember sharing the shower with my sister as late as when I was 10. Then puberty happened to me and I did not want to continue the practice anymore, haha.

Have you ever been a member of an online dating site? How did it go? I joined Tinder while I was in a relationship (she made an account as well at the time so it was fair game) literally just to people-watch. I wasn’t interested in cheating; I was just genuinely curious to see how the app worked. I put on a fake name, age, location and my profile photo was of a cat I saw in school so it was impossible to tell it was me.

Do you know what your neighbours even look like? I would not be able to recognize them if you lined them up with a bunch of other strangers, to tell you the truth. I’d probably be able to recognize the carpenters working on the house currently being constructed in front of ours though; they’re super nice and they’re crazy over Cooper haha.

How many siblings does your best friend have? Angela is an only child.

Do you put ketchup on your fries? No. Ketchup does not go anywhere near my fries.

Have you been lucky enough to make out with anyone in the past week? LOL lucky enough...but no, I haven’t done that in a while.

Have your parents ever worked in the agriculture business etc. on a farm? Neither have.

Do you have an ex that makes you angry with literally everything they do? No.

Are you easily susceptible to brain freeze? No but tooth sensitivity, yes. I have a certain tooth that acts up whenever I eat ice cream, and it can get soooo inconvenient and uncomfortable for a few seconds.

#survey #surveys

5 notes · View notes

crimeronan · 4 years ago

Note

the last time someone needed to write down my name I just handed them my id, because my last name is sixteen letters (it's hyphenated) and has lots of ms and ns and that was not going to go well --auditory processing anon

AKSDLFKAJ OKAY ALSO SLIGHT MOOD although my last name is ten letters so not quite as arduous. it’s very scottish and full of ms and ns and difficult for ppl to pronounce and i’m like please.... please....

i can hand them my ID anyway at the pharmacy when i’m dropping off a controlled substance prescription but w/ the doctor’s offices and hospitals and pharmacy pickup around here there’s usually enough distance in an initial screening that handing a person an ID isn’t feasible

(which is reasonable! given that the receptionists in these places are the Entire Barrier between the rest of the healthcare staff and potentially sick people. like u said it’s a mild inconvenience but i’m fine weathering mild inconveniences for lifesaving purposes)

#replies #giving my name over the phone is also murder #'n as in nancy......... m as in...... fuck what words start with m'#auditory processing disorder #Anonymous

8 notes · View notes

oghoneytryst · 6 years ago

Text

savior;

continuation from the sunflower. series / part 3

where a fan becomes a friend

a/n: thank u for being so patient with this. my inspiration and writing just ... hasn’t been it lately, but I'm really pushing through and i am so happy to have finished this part. honestly, we’ve got a long road ahead of us, but I will try my absolute best to drive this wild ride down.

pls let me know how you feel about this part! pls be nice b/c I'm currently in sad bitch hours :-)

also sorry that tumblr is a weirdo and made the format for text super strange, idk what to do about it but i hope it doesn’t affect anything!

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

~ Nov. 14 ~

Every digit embodies a shapely mark of intimidation; all ten, with their loops and their curves that shower in iridescence through her late morning eyes. Midnight ink saturates the sticky note’s pale yellow, tiny creases in the square body and little curls at the edges. She knows the value of this ordinary paper, and in her hands, it dances in the flame of eternal possibilities.

The pregnant woman sits on an office chair with desperation in her chest. Beneath the buttons and ruffles of her bright marigold blouse, her heart beats against her clammy skin. Heavy thighs stick to the squish of the chair, a mermaid’s tail in a muted pencil skirt. The material expands and shapes over her little bump; her growing joy; her inconvenient little bundle that she adores so much.

As a result of her punishable overthinking, she tears away the inside of her cheek, gnawing teeth at war by mindless command. In a pile of her worries, the minimal harm is at the very bottom. At the top are these ten digits that transfix her curious eyes. It isn’t as if she hasn’t considered dialing the number before. Insignificant pregnancy whines, however, cannot compare with the favor she would be asking of him now.

Without trouble, she recalls the days that had followed Harry’s visit. She recalls her tears on the couch, angry at nothing, angry at everything; the frustrating changes of her body, the awful work days. In all of her recollections, she complains to her roommate, who she admires greatly for putting up with all of her dramatics.

On the 6th, she had obsessively craved some Dippin’ Dots. It had been on the 6th that Aaron found himself arguing with a pregnant woman, a feat he had never wanted. It hadn’t mattered that such a pregnant woman had been his infuriatingly needy roommate, someone he actually does care for. He really had no trouble telling her no after her incredibly annoying behavior that afternoon.

She, of course, is never able to control her pregnant mannerisms. Yet, Aaron has always been suspicious of what she had been like prior to the bun in her oven. He has only ever known her as a woman-carrying-child in need, so perhaps during this process a lot of her personality hyphens instead of alters.

Nonetheless, her demand had been frankly impossible on the 6th. The nearest Dippin’ Dots is more than a half hour drive away from their home, and nighttime had been approaching soon. There hadn’t been a chance that Aaron would bear through Los Angeles traffic for, quote, “fucking balls of ice cream.”

So, with the fire of the sun drizzling to a bedazzling California sky, she had wept over nothing and everything at once. The timeline of her pregnancy had not made her emotions plausible. Instead, it had been the collective world turning against her on a tiring, unwelcomed day.

In the flash of a second, she had heard the ding in her fuzzy brain. The sticky note with the fruitful digits ... maybe he has some connections! Maybe he can bring us some! Do you think? If he’s not busy? What if he has a special freezer meant for his own supply of Dippin’ Dots?

It had been harmless on her part; an oh-so-bright idea crafted from a momentary desire for soft frozen food. She had been so close to make the call, if not for her dearest roommate and his not-so-delicate intervention. Aaron, the man who she believes admires Harry more than she does. With a high percentage of certitude, she knows he’d be first in line to invite the Cheshire man back to their unimpressive home.

In truth, that had been the reason for his disapproval of ringing him up that night. He believed it to be lunacy, sharp scissors at the ready in order to cut the special ties she had somehow knotted up with Harry. The man’s exact words – in that richly Northwestern accent – had been: “if you ever need something, please, don’t hesitate to call this number.” Something, in Aaron’s eyes, had not been anything. While he does not have a single doubt that the rock star would fly to her rescue in any situation, he advised against calling him for certain things.

Not everyone is so fortunate to have Harry in their lives. Aaron, with all of his respect for the man, knew that this had been a game to play carefully. If his pregnant roommate really enjoyed Harry’s company, she would have to play every card right, especially with a man as reserved as he is.

His points had been compelling, but she had not seen it as seriously. Her intuition had not stopped her from rethinking her decision once and twice and thrice. In the end, she had put her trust in Aaron’s madman words and had not called Harry. In the days that had followed, his charismatic voice lured in the back of her head whenever she scanned the sticky note, second-guessing herself about whether her temptation to call him had been worthy enough of his time.

It had been more difficult to resist calling when she had been alone one unfortunate night. The bustle of the neighborhood brought her to a reality that she did not particularly enjoy. Forced by the comfort of her pregnancy pillow, there had been a magnetic pull of the stars that whispered to her eyes through an overbearing distance.

She only wanted a friend that night. Someone to talk with, to hear their voice so that it could bring her back to the bit of sanity she had left. Previous nights, Aaron had been a solace for her, soft-spoken words lulling her to sleep after suffocating in the clouds for too long. Except that night, he ended up at his workplace until the late hour, and she recognized her loneliness as dangerously frightening.

For hours she cried, wanting a hug, wanting something to make her feel real and existent and safe. On that night, in her most calamitous moments, she later came to notice the vivacity of her swollen stomach. It had been – always is – comforting to feel something there, even without having to actually feel movement. It had been therapeutic to whisper her fears and truths. It had been on that night, she would never be alone again.

She hasn’t thought to call the number since. While it has only been a mere 10 days, there feels to be an infinite timeline of moments in-between. She knows it to be more accurate for him and his busy, ever-changing schedule.

They’d had a conversation last time, when he brought her that treasured gift. He sat on the dusty floorboards, her rested on a heavenly cloud with a smile to match. It had been simple, a little awkward at times, though never once had it felt forced. She feared them reverting back to strangers, to sense the shift in energy that would put a strain on her heart.

She scans the note again. xxx-xxx-xxxx. A dime of kisses, where no other option lies.

With her phone face-up on the receptionist’s desk, she rolls her eyes. Messages of apologies and excuses flood in, though her scant aggression dissolves into an antsy frown. She cannot be mad at Cindy/Sydney for cancelling on her, especially when she does not even know her actual name. The frustration of her anger devolves into frustration of herself, for this damn appointment that she had not set up a backup plan for.

“Excuse me?”

Breaking up with an intense, one-sided conversation, she raises her head to a sheepish man in his late 30’s, early 40’s. He stands at a short height on the other side of the receptionist’s desk, square glasses disguising his truest features.

She grins at him, a cheery delight overpowering her honest glum. “Hi, how are you?” her voice chirps, a shift in her behavior that she considers a skill-set. “What can I do for you today?”

“Uh, I’ve already spoken with you. I have an appointment with Sanders at 10 and you told me to fill out a form. I’m still waiting for it.”

The woman’s smile falters at the man’s irresolute explanation. He ends each sentence as though it is a question, not wanting to step on a wrong foot. She takes in his appearance, and there is familiarity in his rusty red, untucked polo.

“Right.” Her eyes close in repent of her common forgetfulness. “That’s right. I’m sorry.” She scurries to get the papers together on a clipboard, pushing the rolling chair in every different direction. “I’ve just been a little slow today.” The man laughs off the mistake, assuring her that there are no worries.

“Really, no trouble at all.”

He thanks her for the form once it is secure in his hands and walks to the waiting area. This accidentally precedes her rushing to hand him the sticky note, to which she quickly realizes her mistake before he has a chance to read the numbers. He sits down in a modern arm chair next to its twin, where a young preteen girl shifts around nervously. Out of plain assumption, she recognizes the pair as a father-daughter duo. The man smiles at the girl, crossing his legs, trying to console her nerves as best as he can with humor.

The pregnant receptionist smiles.

The ventilated air of the office smoothens in her lungs.

For her child, she would do anything – everything. As hesitant thoughts surge through in hungry waves, she dials the number in her phone anyway. In the back of her head, she contemplates whether it is actually his number or if it belongs to an assistant of his. It doesn’t sound completely off from what a celebrity would do. He doesn’t know who she is. It’s better to play it safe than to make a foolish mistake that he later regrets.

The trio of short, snippy buzzes vibrate through the line. It is an electric feeling, comforting almost to hear its warm murmur during her wait.

“—Hello?”

Her languid eyes illuminate in the mirror of neon signs; her body freezes over with a blizzard of nerves. His voice is somehow deeper than she remembers from 10 days ago, an ironic sultriness in his polite tone.

“Hello?” he asks again with a tad more infliction in the single word.

“...H-Hello,” she responds, tongue running dry and the last sensible part of her brain sabotaging her. Why didn’t I prepare for this? It is feasible that deep in her subconscious, she had expected an assistant to answer. She practically wanted an assistant to answer.

He repeats himself, “Hello,” a little more chirp in the melody of a mockingbird.

“Hi. Harry?”

“Who’s calling?”

The question stumbles her for a second. Is it good or bad that he cannot recognize her voice? Admittedly a consequence on her part for taking so long to reach out. She answers anyway, her name spoken with so much dubiety, but really, what is she afraid of?

“You know, the uh, the one from—”

“Oh—”

“From Mel’s and, the one with ... pregnant, y’know—”

“Yeah!” he exclaims, echoing her name through a mildly static output. “Of course. How are you? Doing alright? Baby’s fine?”

She pulls away from the phone to breathe, suddenly elated over his reaction. His charisma is virtually magical. She touches her cheek to the screen again to answer:

“I’m doing great, thank you. Baby’s fine, I hope.”

A delay of worry replaces his lack of an immediate response. “You hope? Why, what’s – is there something wrong?”

“No!” she bursts out, the father and daughter staring back at her in surprise. She nervously chuckles and smiles at them, deflating in her chair as she continues. “No, sorry, that came out wrong. I meant to say ... well, I’m sure the baby’s fine. Nothing feels wrong, but I do have an appointment for an ultrasound today.”

A faint crackle from the line resonates in her ear. She clearly pictures Harry’s sigh of relief.

“Really? That’s great. I hope it all goes well.”

“Thanks! Thank you, I do too—” she snickers, “Obviously, but I have uh ... there’s a bit of a predicament.”

“Predicament? Fancy word.”

“Right, well, it’s not so much of a fancy situation that I’m in. See, I was supposed to be picked up later today by Cindy Sydney so that she could take me from work to the appointment, but she just called and cancelled because she has to pick up her aunt from the airport. She got the dates mixed up somehow, which makes no sense because pregnancy has made me very forgetful, and even I didn’t get the dates wrong. I think that might have to do with the planner, it does keep me organized, but even then—”

“Darling,” Harry stops her, unaware of how she chokes on her own tongue at the endearment. Darling. Darling again! From darling to love, she is in a storm of beating hearts. “You’re gonna ‘ave to slow down. What – you don’t have a way to get to your appointment, is it?”

“Yes. Right. I don’t have enough for an Uber or a Lyft right now without affecting my budget for next month. She offered to pay for it, that or for cancellation fees, but I don’t really trust those kinds of transportations right now, and I already got approval from my manager, so switching the date would just be super inconvenient.”

“Right. I understand.”

“I’m so sorry, it’s just that no one else that I know of is available, and I don’t want to bother you if you’re busy. I wouldn’t be calling if—”

“No, no, that’s alright. I’m glad that you’re calling.”

The pregnant woman simpers, a needle pricking at her heart. “R-Really?”

“Of course. I would be more than glad to help. If you could just send me the location of your workplace and where you’re getting your ultrasound ... what time is your appointment?”

“At 2. I want to get there maybe fifteen minutes earlier. You’ll never know how much the traffic will back up at that time. Is it okay if uh ... are, are you picking me up or...?”

“Yeah, why?”

“N-No, nothing, I just ... didn’t know if you were busy. Didn’t want to assume.”

“Yeah, my schedule’s fine. Not really doing anything that I can’t do later, so everything’s fine.”

“Oh, okay. Good. Great. So, uh, is it okay if you arrive here at, say, one-oh-five-ish?”

“Oddly specific.” Harry chuckles. “But sure. I can make that happen.”

“Great! Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“You’re quite welcome ... thank you for calling.”

While her appreciation for him has always been so strong, this heavy thump in her pink and red organ is nearly unbearable. Ever since he fell intertwining into her life, she tries her hardest to ignore whatever feelings may occur. Now it seems more ideal to control it than to suppress it.

“You’re welcome,” she speaks softly, 16 again with a crush on a boy. “Thank you for picking up.”

Unbeknownst to her, he smiles on the other end. “S’ my pleasure. Now, get back to work, you over-achiever!” His accent purposely thickens on his second sentence, eliciting a natural, honest laugh. “Don’t forget to send me the addresses. I’ll make sure everything works out.”

Their phone call ends with innocent expressions of repetitive gratitude and gentle goodbyes. The pregnant woman does not waste a second to send him the addresses via text message, not allowing herself to fall victim to her lapse of memory. She checks over the numbers, the street names, the zip codes – all more than once, to make sure that all is well and not in metaphorical flames.

new message: Got it. See you later. H

H. She bites on her silky lip, a refreshing taste from her natural balm. She is familiar with the signoff, though she doesn’t know if it is something he does regularly or if it is only a one-time confirmation that this is, in fact, his number. Does he expect her to save his ten digits in her contact’s list, somewhere underneath a family member and above an old friend? She is giddy, undoubtedly so. An unspoken dream of hers as a plain teenager unraveling into reality! It causes the brightest smile this orthodontist office has ever seen.

So much esteem fills her up at eleven in the morning, and to her expectation, the hours go by very slowly. Alternating clients, each with different lives, somehow bound to this one place and time. Sorting forms and making calls and opening emails; a distraction in one way or another, but neither can steal her attention entirely.

Due to a much-needed bathroom break, she almost misses the message. Relieving her bladder had not been the first or even second of the day, but it is important that she stays hydrated, and this is especially true during her pregnancy. She really cannot afford a preventable trip to the emergency room right now.

When she reaches the receptionist’s desk, the message hides behind the black screen of her phone for an entire minute. She is lucky that her outdated iPhone can still be trusted by reminding her of a message succeeding two minutes from when she receives it.

new message: I’m outside. Toyota Camry in black.

Despite her anticipation for his arrival, the message throws her off any and all guards. Primarily it is because he arrives six minutes before their agreed time, whereas her friends are usually a few minutes late. Secondarily...

“Toyota?” she whispers to herself, eyebrows arching together. She isn’t too up to speed with car models, but she is more than certain that Harry has driven some different sort of vehicles in his time. The only moment she can ever recall him in a Toyota had been that commercial he had done years ago.

Regardless, she raises steadily from her chair on wheels, pushing it back as she collects her belongings. It is without trouble that she notices the slight shake of her hand, the sweat collecting on different sections of her skin. She ignores it. “Ang!” she calls, groaning at the absolute mess of her work bag. It is more professional than her casual bucket bag, wide with its faux leather, but it is just as much of an interior travesty.

She picks up her phone to send a one-handed message:

Conch.

Coming*

Be out soon.

“Ang!”

There is a franticness to her as she steps around the receptionist’s desk. She sports an added height in her footwear, something that she tries to savor before her feet start to swell. She thinks it will be unbearable to wear heels then, but she’s not for certain.

“I’m here, I’m here!” Ang announces, stepping into the light of the front area in her navy scrubs. “Sorry, nena, I had an alarm set for one in case you forgot. Guess it didn’t go off.”

The pregnant woman watches her coworker situate herself on the rolling chair. “No, no, you’re fine, it’s not one yet. Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve been able to forget. I’m just so excited, you have no idea.”

“No, I don’t.” Ang smiles. “You’re about to see your child! That’s a huge deal.”

“I know! I know, I can’t wait.”

“I can. Especially until Stefan buys me a ring. Otherwise, I’m going to keep working on my career.”

The woman smiles at her friend, thanking her once more for taking over her station while she is gone. She repeats the same gratitude, expressing how much this truly means to her, because it all comes from her honest heart. She really is in awe of how willing people are to help her when she is in need.

“Also, turn that alarm off before it starts ringing. It makes me anxious every time I hear it.”

“You and I both.” Ang snickers. “You’re off to your appointment then?”

“Yes, my uh, my ride’s here so ... better early than late when it comes to these things, y’know?”

“Mm-hmm. Who’s taking you?”

The pregnant woman hesitates. “A friend. Has the day off from work, thankfully.”

Ang begins to sift through a small pile of paperwork, sparing her coworker a measly glance. She’s not unfamiliar with the receptionist’s work, so she takes this as an opportunity to rest her active legs. She can also recognize the strange tone of the pregnant woman, a shaky smile that carries suspicion.

She doesn’t think too much on it. “Great. Be safe. Let me know how it goes.”

For that, the pregnant woman is grateful. “Thank you.” She smiles, a frail wave in Ang’s direction as she blindly scurries away. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

She almost runs belly first into the glass door, but stutters her movements before any panic arises from Ang. Still, she sighs with relief when she hears the chime above her pregnant coworker’s head. “...Be careful.”

“Got it! Bye!”

The woman’s face twists in agony as she exits the office. A tenacious heat buries her in an embrace. Parallel to the sidewalk she stands upon is a dark vehicle, a protective tint rises from the brim of the tires and extends beyond the sleek windows. She gravitates in its direction at the sound of the passanger door unlocking, considering it symbolic, the single click of the door a new breath of feasibilities.

She stalks a couple feet to her right where the car reeks with caution. It isn’t until the passanger windows rolls down that she can sense her blood settle and burst all at once. “Hi.” Harry leans forward at his side, revealing his face amongst the darkness of his surroundings.

“Hey, hi,” she greets him back through the open window. “Good to see you. Nice car.”

“Thanks.” He smiles, scarce eyes pulling to her every movement. In the most mundane activities – fingertips at the door handle, crouching to the seat, buckling the seatbelt – she highlights his curiosity. “Good to see you as well. Also, s’ actually not my car.”

With her lips as barriers around a reusable straw, she pretends to be surprised. “It’s not?” she smacks her tongue, relishing in the purity of her water.

Harry shifts the gear in drive, setting the GPS up and maneuvering out of the lot with high-alert. “No. I’ve borrowed it.”

“Why—”

“Starting route to—” The animatronic voice interrupts their conversation.

She tries again, “Why would you do that?” with slight disappointment in their reunion. It lacks excitement, but somehow picks up where it’s been left off. No longer a drastic stretch in time are those 10 days.

Harry shrugs casually, turning onto the main road where other vehicles swim along. “Draws less attention.” He pauses, to which she then decides to look over. With the exception of him driving, she gets the impression that he avoids her eyes more so to keep her from catching the sadness in his. There is only a sprinkle, a shimmer that is never truly absent. “Thought you’d might be a little anxious about your appointment,” he continues, “Didn’t want you to have to worry about something else.”

“Oh.” She warms up, her organs all collectively combusting. “Thanks. Thank you for thinking of that.” Her words express gratitude with ease, but the glimmer in her eyes twinge with empathy. She doesn’t ponder over her privacy, or how simple it is for her to go out and do as she pleases. Since his 16th year, he had not been so lucky.

“Of course,” he replies, professionally monotone, as though he can shut off even the faintest flicker of emotion. “S’ my pleasure. How are you feeling? Nervous?”

“Uh, yeah, a little. I’m really jittery and I’ve been drinking water nonstop. On top of that, my bladder is the size of a bean. I’m really good at holding it in though, so I’m not afraid of ruining your seats or anything. Or ... not your seats, but your seats for now. Not like ... not that you were even thinking about that...”

Harry chuckles throughout the entirety of her run-on spoken thoughts. It is never at her – no, never. It is because of her, because despite any situation, she is this fountain of goodness drowning in gold. “Very nervous then?” he teases.

“Yeah ... sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. Nothing to be ashamed about. It’s an important day for you. I’d expect—”

“Turn left on—”

“I’d expect nothing less,” he finishes, lowering the volume of his pesky GPS. “Must be surreal, if anything.” The robotic voice is still present, but becomes more of a background noise that allows them both to speak freely.

“Oh yeah, completely. It’s like ... it’s like I can’t feel them yet, like movement wise, but ... I don’t know. I guess ... obviously I know they’re in there, but even without movement I can feel them. I know they’re present, heartbeat and everything. Does this – is any of this making sense?”

“Yeah,” he quips amusingly, “it is. Even if it didn’t, doesn’t matter. It makes sense to you and that’s more than enough validation.”

“Mmm. Right, but it’s still nice to have someone understand.”

Harry sneaks a glance in his peripheral, inhaling and exhaling as to settle into the moment. “I know—”

“In 500 feet, keep right—”

“What was, uh—” he digs into another topic, the robotic voice somehow a savior that refreshes the conversation. “What you said on the phone about ... Sin City, I think it was?”

“What?”

“You said something about being picked up near Sin City? From your work to your appointment? I thought there might’ve been a store or somethin’ near your job, but I don’t think I saw anything like that.”

“Sin ... oh!” The woman laughs, slapping her knee consciously. “Cindy Sydney. She’s my ... well, yeah, I guess she’s my friend.”

“Cindy Sydney?” he repeats, slowly enunciating every syllable so as to make sure he’s got it right. “Huh. Eh ... that airport story makes more sense. Didn’t know who you were talking about.”

“Yeah, my bad. I know I tend to ramble, probably explains why no one calls me anymore. They can’t even understand what I’m saying.”

“I understood!” he proclaims, expression of his pride lacing around his lazy smile. “Yeah, got it now. Cindy Sydney. That’s really her name? Like ... Phillip Phillips?”

“No.” The woman laughs, almost choking on her water. “N-No, it’s ... I don’t know her name, to be honest. One of them might be it.”

“Wh—how do you not know?”

“Okay, so basically, I met her maybe a month and a half ago? Somewhere around two months, I guess. And it wasn’t like this everyday sort of meeting at, say, a retail store or something. Can you believe that one night I wake up to use the bathroom I half-pay for, and this woman who I’ve never seen before comes out, no pants, maybe underwear, and what I now assume to be Aaron’s shirt?”

“Aaron?” Harry questions nonchalantly, as though the thought of him is of half-importance. “What, like a—”

“Yeah, so, he usually never brings anyone home. If anything, he’ll go over to someone else’s and come back really early in the morning. So, picture me, pregnant, really loopy because I have to pee, half-awake mind you, running into a complete stranger in my own home.”

Harry adds dramatically, “In the middle of the night!”

“Exactly! So, while I’m tiredly freaking out, trying to not literally piss myself, she’s apologizing and introducing herself. I don’t know if I heard Cindy or Sydney, hence why she’s both, but it could be neither. Anyway, we ended up talking in the hallway and I told her about my situation and why I was living with Aaron. She was actually really nice and offered to drive me whenever I needed a ride.”

“Hmm. Interesting how that played out.” He shoots her a look, to which she can only shrug. “Why haven’t you asked Aaron what her name is?”

“I did! I think he’s annoyed that I befriended his one night stand because he told me her name was Sierra. Then again, he probably doesn’t know himself.”

“Jesus. Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“Oh, it’s too late for that. I’ll just be extremely awkward. I really do feel bad about it though. She is a nice person, except for, y’know, cancelling on a pregnant woman. I mean, it’s not a huge deal or anything, but ... c’mon. Would you ever do something like that?”

“Dunno,” he playfully smirks, “Maybe if she forgot my name...”

“I didn’t forget it! I never knew it!”

“I’m joking, I’m joking. But I have noticed that you like to play the, uh, the pregnant card a lot.”

“Oh yeah!” she fixes her position on the seat, pulling the seatbelt to her preferred adjustment. “Not a doubt about it. Coming from a place where no one really took me seriously. I mean, yeah, maybe I was a little dramatic when I was younger, but that shouldn’t invalidate my feelings. Now it’s like ... you have to take me seriously. Not only am I going to raise a child on my own, I’m literally growing said child inside of me. Isn’t that just ... just fucking amazing?”

Harry stops at the red stoplight, which he is glad for, because now he can look over and mesmerize at her. He can see before him a woman who smiles at the window, water bottle between her thighs, hands on her belly. It’s grown a bit, he thinks, and it is truly, wonderfully, unimaginably powerful.

“Yeah,” he silently agrees, “fuckin’ amazing.”

The woman smiles, but her wandering eyes suddenly widen with worry. She holds her hands out, an aura around her belly as she props an inch forward. “Did I...” she thinks aloud, “I didn’t ask you how you were doing today. How are you, Harry?”

She looks at him with features full of soft inquiry. The now green light ever so symbolic, he wonders how magical such a mundane thing must be in the dark of the night. “M’ alright,” he answers, pressing on the gas, somewhat wishing that the drive never ends. “Thank you for asking.”

Her angled feet dangle from her seat on the examination table. Harry sits in front of her on a separate chair, leaning back in a position juiced with supremacy. His index finger taps against his lips in sync with the tick of the black and white wall clock.

“So, you work as an orthodontist?”

She looks to Harry with her body stiff in discomfort. “No,” she answers, noticeably quieter in such a mellow area. “Just at the office. I’m a receptionist. Didn’t go to like ... an orthodontist school or anything. Even if I did, I’d probably still be there. Probably takes a lot of years.”

“Right,” he agrees. “A receptionist, then? Do you like it?”

“Sure. It’s not my dream job, but it pays the bills. Plus, I get along with everyone in the office. They’re like ... my distant second family.”

“Alright...” he gradually begins to smile. “What’s your dream job then?”

The woman shrugs, so quickly that it is considerably sad. “I don’t know. I went to community college undecided.”

“What did you graduate in?”

“Well, I got my A.A., but beyond that I haven’t ... finished. I transferred to the nearest University but after a semester or two I just ... I just didn’t finish.” She looks to her lap where her fingers play with the material of her blouse. Harry discreetly frowns at her dejected expression, an ambience of regret seeping out of her system. “It’s hard enough for people to get a job with a Bachelor’s degree. Competition is high, especially in Los Angeles. I’m lucky as it is with just my A.A.”

“Yeah. I understand. M’ sorry for bringing it up. Didn’t mean to pry.”

Her features immediately shine with worry. “No, it’s completely fine. I’m the same way. Always curious.” She forces a laugh, but the intention is sincere enough. “If anything, thank you for asking, or even ... caring at all. Not a lot of people show an interest in me, especially not after this one.”

She points an accusatory finger to her belly, which he takes as another opportunity to marvel. It is so fascinating to him, as he believes it would be to anybody. This power she holds, the strength she gives off. This strange and endearing woman who he had met by questionable circumstances of fate – she opens his eyes to something he’s not quite sure of yet.

“Anyway, being a receptionist is fine for me,” she continues. “I’m basically Pam Beasley except knocked up and without a Jim Halpert. I mean, she was pregnant twice, but by then she was already married.”

Harry narrows his eyes. “I’m sorry, who?”

“Oh ... um, The Office reference.”

“Ah. Alright. Still haven’t seen it.”

“Finished the series again. At least Pam wasn’t a receptionist forever.” She allows her eyes to wander around the room. “...Thanks for coming in with me,” she offers, meekly smiling amidst a thick, awkward air. “I’m sorry if it’s super weird, they’re probably going to assume you’re the dad, so just so you know—”

“Oh—”

“Just so you can be prepared—”

“Right, no, it’s fine. It’s good. That’s fine.”

“...Really?”

“Of course. I mean ... like, I’m not the father, duh, but it’s harmless. I’m honored to be here with you either way.”

She looks down to her belly, where her freshly painted nails – she’d recoated for the special occasion – search tenderly. “I didn’t ... picture it like this. Not everyone wants to have a baby, or get married, or things like that. But those who do ... you just can’t help but picture it, y’know? You dream about your wedding, what the venue will look like, what you’ll dance to or wear. Or when you have a kid, you imagine that first look. Your first look at your baby to know they’re actually in there, and you can almost see your whole future right before your eyes.”

By now, Harry is in a trance of both comprehension and disbelief. For him, it is difficult to find people in which he can relate his thoughts to; someone he can honestly understand. With the spontaneous flow of his life, he isn’t able to picture the future as he once did at 16. Yet, as her defenseless words spew out, he contemplates the quick flash in his eyes.

She smiles, and though it does not reach her eyes, it is authentic in the purest sense. “I ... wish the circumstances were different. No one ever really wants to picture it like this.”

He doesn’t find offense in her honestly, no matter how poorly she constructs it. If anything, with his entire body and soul, he aches to turn back time. “I understand,” he says, because while she most certainly does not need or depend on the father, she had pictured it differently. He knows that she had pictured herself to be in love instead of broken and built up again. She doesn’t need him, but she wants him, at least a little bit. It is for that that he can never entirely hate him.

“...Except you,” she confesses shyly. “And I’m not just saying that for obvious reasons. If you weren’t here, I’d be alone. I probably wouldn’t even be here. That’s why I’m always thanking you, because it really does mean more than you can imagine. Being alone is fine, I can sort of manage, but ... it’s nicer to have someone with you, y’know?”

“...Yeah.” Harry blushes, failing to cover it up with a cough and a sniffle. “I’m ... I know. I understand.”

The sound of the door unlatching rattles their bodies. “Hi!” the doctor storms in, breaking their moment. The two of them smile, the pregnant woman nods as her name from the lips of the lady in the form of a question. “This must be papa?”

The pregnant woman silently snickers at her oh-so-psychic abilities. She offers Harry a witty raise of the brow, but due to the blindness of her pride, she fails to recognize the cheeky glint in his eyes. As she opens her mouth to deny the doctor’s innocent assumption, Harry chimes in and steals her words. Except, they’re not her words at all.

“Yes,” he announces, his accent supplying to the playful sarcasm of his tone. “Yes, that is me. As Maury would say ... I am the father.”

To say she is shocked ... well, it is not all that off-character. Harry is a humorous man, one that loves to entertain. The statement makes her do a double-take, jaw opening with a single throaty chuckle. He responds with an animated grin and cartoon wink – how can she not play along?

“Right.” She nods. “This is my baby daddy ... Halpert.”

Harry snickers, but covers it with a cough. “Halpert. Yes. Says so on my birth certificate.”

The doctor smiles at them both, amused by their charade. She has probably seen many acts in this office, so she lets their humor be. Besides that, she begins by asking a few simple questions, reconfirming everything before directing the woman to lie on her back.

“Sorry I didn’t dress practically,” she discloses, “I just came from work. Didn’t really have time to change, or even think about bringing clothes to change into.”

“It’s no problem. We’ll just open this up...” The doctor starts with the lowest button on her blouse, continuing to undo the following three. “And lower this down a little,” she continues, carefully dragging the upper part of her pencil skirt down until her belly is nicely exposed.

The pregnant woman tries to ignore the discomfort that she feels. Firstly, lying on her back is a nightmare without her pillow. Secondly, with her blouse pried open, a mere centimeter of her bra peaks out. Harry sitting next to her is the third basis of her discomfort, intense concentration on his part with the upmost awareness. The fourth, the icing on the cake, is like literal icing. While the doctor had told her to prepare for the cool gel, it doesn’t make it any less frosty on her skin.

Despite it all, her minds swivels around a haze. The doctor’s equipment runs along her stomach, eager to discover. Her hands clench without her noticing. She feels as if her lungs run out of oxygen – she forgets to breathe! Nothing is important to her other than what the doctor has to say about what can be seen on that unreadable screen, the one where she strains her neck to catch even a glimpse of meaningless motion.

She looks to the doctor, taking in every feature that may indicate something, anything. She momentarily forgets about Harry, who leans forward in his seat, risking everything by placing a hand over her knuckles. She doesn’t notice. All she can focus on is the doctor’s smile.

“Found them,” she announces, continuing her movement with more confidence than before.

“You...” the pregnant woman’s chest deflates. Her breath hitches, needing more than two words to convince her that everything is okay. “...You found?”

“Yes. There’s the head,” the doctor points to the screen, brown muck never more beautiful. “the body...” The woman listens, matching up the body part with the picture on the screen. A wave of newfound contentment vanishes every worry away – almost, because really, she can’t help herself. “Everything looks great, mama.”

“Mom...” she stumbles out, swallowing thickly as her fingers fall loose. She shakes her head, overcome with every emotion she’s ever known on top of those that are entirely new to her.

Harry smiles at her, noticing the light drips swaying down her cheeks. “That’s your baby,” he says, disregarding the possibility of destroying his cover as Halpert. He himself begins to empathize with this woman, this calm of a storm that he’s only known for a few short weeks. “Congratulations.”

“C—” She can’t seem to tear her eyes away from the screen, the ache in her neck multiplying, but she just doesn’t care. “My baby...” she speaks softly, the room almost entirely silent, but still it feels like there are a million things going on at once. And yes, she is smiling. She is over the moon, over this entire universe and the next. It is dangerous territories to be so elevated, and she knows this to be true when she begins to feel the low.

A bitter California sun never truly settles. When she walks out of the imaging center, heels scraping against the dry and jagged sidewalk, she winces and sighs. Her blouse now intact, her skirt lifted again, but the residue of the gel makes it stick to her skin more than any perspiration. In her hands, she holds onto the envelope with the printed pictures of her son or daughter – she doesn’t know yet. With the baby’s position, it had been a little hard to tell. She’s relieved for it though. There had only been so much that she could absorb in such a short, life-changing moment.

Harry follows after her, already with his shaded sunglasses scooted close to his face. He mimics her position as she leans against the side of the Toyota, staring down at an enclosed envelope. Very steadily, she lifts the flap open and slides the picture out, running a thumb over the body of her child.

“Sorry you couldn’t find out the gender today,” he speaks up, observing the way she cradles the print. It is natural, the way she possesses that tender quality of a mother. “Must have ... must be—”

“It’s fine,” she says, not wanting to hear the end of his sentence. “It’s not like I’ll never know.”

“Right.”

“Good. Still a beautiful moment, eh?”

“Yeah...”

“Thank you for letting me be a part of it.”

She looks up at him, but the connection is blocked by his sunglasses. She smiles either way. “You’re welcome. That sounds weird to be saying.”

He looks down, ankles crossed, hands in his pocket. “I know I can’t, um ... ever know what you’re feeling, but ... how are you feeling?”

“...Good?”

“What I mean is ... I’ve never been to an ultrasound. I’ve been friends with lots of pregnant women, and I know that doesn’t mean I have a clue about ... I just, for the moments like these, I imagine the woman to be happy. Happier than happy, and I just ... I don’t know. How are you feeling?”

A period of elongated seconds pass as the pregnant woman considers his talk. Birds chirp, an ambulance sounds in the near distance, and the faintest wind kisses her face with the leaves of the rustling trees. “I’m ... happy,” she answers truthfully, closing her eyes as the burn in her chest rises up her throat and to her nose.

“And...” Harry presses on, noticing how her answer hangs off the edge of a cliff.

She swallows, face molding like a ceramic statue on which the rain pours. “...And scared.” Her voice quivers. She doesn’t want to open her eyes. She’s far too cowardly to envision the colors.

Harry stands still, watching as she unravels the rawest parts of her. He doesn’t want to ask why – it should be obvious to everyone. She is a single mother-to-be. Her life is moving quicker than she could have ever imagined. Of course, she is scared. It would be strange of her not to be. Therefore, he doesn’t ask, but instead calls to her. In a faint second, she breathes in, coming alive to the world again. Her shaky hands wipe frantically at her blinking eyes, a sorry attempt to erase the remnants of her weakness.

“God...” she scoffs. “I can’t – why am I crying? This is so dumb.”

Harry shakes his head, his entire body now turning to her. “No, it’s not. So, you’re scared. Everyone is. I am. Why wouldn’t you want to be scared?”

“Because I don’t know what I’m doing!” she bellows, entirely turning to him. As her words sink in and flow on, he slides off his glasses, letting them hang from the fine stitch of his t-shirt collar. “Or – or what I’m going to do. I’m ... I was a child yesterday. That’s what it felt like. I was ... searching for independence and purpose and now I’m...” A breath trickles out. “I don’t want to ruin this child, Harry. But I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing.”

“No,” Harry argues. “No, you won’t. I know you won’t. You’re going to do everything you possibly can for your child. That alone makes you an incredible mum.” By now, his hands are on her shoulders, thumbs absentmindedly smoothening her nerves. “And incredible mums don’t know the answer to everything, that’s what makes them so incredible. They don’t know anything!”

She sniffles at the sidewalk. “Yours does,” she mumbles, indicating how well-rounded she sees this kind man. The manner in which he had been raised ... he is a foundation for reckless excellence.

“To be fair, I’m her second child,” he reasons, even tittering a little. “When she had my sister, she didn’t know what she was doing ... but she learned. Even after all these years, she’s still learning. You can’t expect yourself to be perfect ... at least, perfect without any flaws. You’re scared, that’s ... it’s important. You can’t skip that stage, alright?”

She reluctantly nods, but she has to admit to herself that his charisma is magical. To be a mother at her age – perhaps it is not uncommon. Yet, it is a vague new-coming of an experience. This growth that she possesses, her body ever-changing in the autumn to spring, the little person that will resemble parts of her and no one else. If that is not a future more uncertain...

“You’re going to be excellent. An excellent mum. And you’re not alone. You have Aaron. Maybe Cindy Sydney Sierra, if her aunt’s not visiting ... and you always have a friend in me.”

...but how sad it would be to plan every waking moment and every dying night. How safe it would feel to stumble upon no surprise. In the end, a future without uncertainty is no future at all. She doesn’t know what she will do when her baby fusses and whines and drives their mother to insanity. Previously oblivious of the happiness it will bring, the overwhelming flutter in her chest is a euphoric feeling like no other. To love another person unconditionally, entirely – to be loved in return – that is the greatest and only certainty she will never need.

#honeytryst

539 notes · View notes

qwanderer · 5 years ago

Text

the culmination of a pattern

so first spider-gwen happened

referring to her with her name replacing the gender marker in the super name to differentiate her from other spider-people

I generally tag meta on my blog by first name and/or most-used nickname, like #tony meta and #rhodey meta

but there is more than one marvel peter and quill was in the MCU first so when I went to tag Peter Parker meta I used #spiderpeter meta to differentiate him from both other spiderpeople and other peterpeople

(I elected to leave out the hyphen, it seemed inconvenient)

since my #bruce meta tag is solidly established as a Bruce Banner meta tag, the first time I reblogged Bruce Wayne meta I tagged it #batbruce meta

it just occurred to me that when I come across some Terry McGinnis meta I want to reblog, according to my established patterns there is only one logical way to tag it:

#batterry meta

#blogging #marvel #dc #also I threw some homestar runner in here bc I felt like it didn't date me enough #nineties and early aughts cartoons ftw

7 notes · View notes

multimusemarvel-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Bruce Week, Day 1: Cooking

Thor’s calloused hands slid their way onto and over Bruce’s bare back. “Mm... good morning, love,” the god rumbled. A shiver ran through Bruce’s body as his boyfriend’s breath ghosted over his neck. He turned, made raptor hands, and let out a happy little hum.

Today was one of those days, one of the days where words felt as inaccessible as a foreign language to a tourist. He knew that they had meaning, yes, and he certainly knew he was capable of speaking... but some sort of disconnect made it impossible to speak. He wasn’t upset about his lack of words, though at the worst of times it could be inconvenient; but right now, he was more keyed into his own sensory experience and much less inclined to the ambiguity of words.

For example, how could he describe the sunlight reaching through the window to warm his shirtless torso? How could he put words to the beauty of the day? More pressingly, how could he truly articulate how Thor made him feel?

No, Thor was the sun right now—easy to see, easy to feel, but its splendor was difficult to capture in words.

And that was okay.

Thor and Bruce were both autistic, but in very different ways. Thor was a sensory-seeker where Bruce was much more avoidant, prone to withdraw into the first available chest (which was usually Thor’s, though sometimes it was Tony’s or Steve’s or once, even Loki. Loki was a shockingly good hugger).

Bruce loved the intricacy of his brain; he loved how certain things could elicit a smile and a flap of his hands. He loved how it made intimacy with Thor so much... more. Finally, he loved how much of a comfort Thor’s cape was, rubbed against cheek, or the warm weight of his hand pressing into the muscles of his back, grounding him in place to this world, this moment, this time.

Right now, the world had been simplified—there was only Thor, and Bruce, and breakfast to be made.

[Will be cross-posting this to ao3 under the name The_Secret_Life_Of_Tea as well as my personal tumblr, @dashing-hyphen! I am so honored and excited to participate in Bruce Week! Also... I’m gonna @autistic-thor cuz I think they would appreciate it!]

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16091018

#autistic bruce banner #autistic thor #bruceweek #my fic #autistic headcanons #autistic bruce

37 notes · View notes

jewfrogs · 3 years ago

Text

did find this article and im fascinated esp by this excerpt:

By the time he turned one, we had encountered issues with almost every major institution we interacted with. Just as we’d been warned, the hyphen was a real pain. […] We made calls, corrected and spent far too much time explaining not only that our kids really did have two last names, but why we’d chosen to name them something so inconvenient for everyone else.

because thats what my parents did (they both have their own unhyphenated family names; i have both of them hyphenated) and idt ive ever experienced any logistical or interpersonal problems as a result? ive never really thought of my last name(s) as inconvenient like. it is what it is. its my name its just me name me only one. in middle school my best friend was another hyphenie and we would say that we should have kids and arrange their last names alphabetically. (unrelated: i was in love with him.) i guess one time in school i took the asvab (against my will) and when i was putting in my name they didnt have a hyphen bubble and that was annoying? but other than that i would say its been mostly smooth sailing. what are you on about ms pelly

tried to search up the prevalence of hyphenated last names (because i feel like theres so many of us where i grew up but so few here at school) but the results were all about name changes after marriage and it stunned me for a moment because i forgot thats how most hyphens happen. i forgot that was something people did

#i need to ask my parents because im curious now #i wonder if its changed over time too? because this womans kids are significantly younger than me & my sister so maybe its not as common now #ribbits

29 notes · View notes

stoportotouch · 7 years ago

Text

i’ve had a weird day and i haven’t felt like writing Actual Fanfiction (sorry), but i have felt like thinking about Fictional Gays, so here are those thoughts! (once again, mostly for @widevibratobitch bc i know you like my Opinions(tm), but also just... thoughts.)

regarding how they generally look

rodrigo is about five inches taller

he’s 5′10″ or so, and carlo is 5′5″

so he can put his chin on top of carlo’s head, if he so desires

rodrigo did have brown hair but he started getting grey around his temples when he was Like Twenty

now he has Stripes

(it makes him look distinguished)

carlo is quite dark blond

and his hair is Floffy

if rodrigo lets his hair grow out it goes into curls but he usually keeps it fairly short

carlo just......has a bit of a cowlick that will NOT lie flat no matter WHAT he does to it

(cue rodrigo hugging carlo and getting a mouthful of hair for his trouble)

rodrigo is Stronk and quite lean, carlo has a little bit of squish

like not a lot of squish; he’s not out of shape

the only measure by which he could be described as Chumby is in comparison to rodrigo tbh

rodrigo just never stops DOING stuff

(rodrigo occasionally tries to get carlo to go to the gym with him.)

(carlo’s response is basically “i love you but No Never”)

(so rodrigo goes with éboli instead, and they get RIDICULOUSLY competitive over it; it’s legitimately kinda scary)

and now: wedding planning

rodrigo worked as a legal secretary for a while after he got his degree so he’s good at paperwork

so he THINKS he’ll also be good at planning his own wedding

(although they still initially say “we should probably plan half of this each, in the interests of fairness”)

turns out that rodrigo is HOPELESS at wedding planning

in the end carlo does like 75% of the planning because he’s way better at it than rodrigo

(they’re both glad to be done with wedding planning by the time they get married)

carlo is INCREDIBLY physically affectionate

i mean, he’s like that with just about everybody

he’s just a very huggable man

but he’s just ridiculously cuddly with rodrigo

usually like: “i am going to lie on top of you and impede your work”

but also just. he always likes to be in some way physically touching rodrigo

like holding his hand or leaning against his shoulder

when they first started dating rodrigo had NO idea what to do with this guy who was just all over him

partly because he had only recently come out and that’s an adventure in itself

like he came out pretty much as soon as he went to uni

(carlo can’t entirely remember not being openly bi)

but also because he isn’t usually physically affectionate

(or rather wasn’t usually)

he still doesn’t like to touch other people tbh

carlo though? carlo will just throw himself on top of rodrigo

and rodrigo won’t be at all thrown by it

he’ll just sit or lie with carlo pretty much completely on top of him like “well, this is how i live now”

rodrigo’s very verbally affectionate but he’s less physical

(or rather: he was less physical when they got together) (carlo’s personality has worn off on him a bit)

they still show affection in different ways but they make it work for them

rodrigo will say something nice to or about carlo. carlo will then respond by sitting on him.

carlo and rodrigo work together, or at least they work in the same office

rodrigo is one of those research scientists whose job description should just be “professional nuisance”

all he does is cause trouble for politicians

most of the scientists are quite Uh Abrasive unfortunately

carlo is the press contact, so that any curious journalists don’t accidentally get an earful of Terrifying Scientific Terms And Figures

after the wedding they end up hyphenating their surnames

(éboli: so that way it’s inconvenient for BOTH of you, rather than just one)

(and speaking as somebody who has changed his name: yea it’s a pain in the fucking ass.)

they decide (carlo decides because rodrigo wasn’t overly fussed) that it sounds a LITTLE better as habsburg-posa so.....that’s what they end up with

(sidenote: i sometimes forget that carlo was a habsburg so i had to physically remind myself)

on the habsburg line (and on the subject of the Real Actual Carlo)

carlo did originally have a bit of an underbite

he had surgery to correct it when he was in school

he also had braces for like nearly a decade

(he still had ‘em when he met rodrigo. he got rid of ‘em between he and rodrigo graduating and them getting together.)

either way he still has a TINY bit of a lisp

(but it’s less of a “th” sound and more of a “sh” sound)

most people assume, when they first meet carlo and rodrigo, that carlo is the more chilled out/friendly of the two

actually...no

rodrigo is actually a lot more people-oriented and friendly

he just only has one tone of voice and facial expression

and those both make him seem REALLY fucking angry

carlo on the other hand is a bit baby-faced and sounds youthful and sweet

but he can sometimes have a bit of a mean streak

admittedly rodrigo doesn’t have the physical capacity for meanness so carlo is by definition the meaner one

(he’s not actually very mean he’s a really nice dude Usually)

also NOTHING about carlo is chilled out

that said, rodrigo is pretty easily agitated as well

he just hides it better than carlo because, as i said, One Single Facial Expression

#ollie considers #text #don carlo #opera tag #rodrigo x carlo

6 notes · View notes

illionoisprelawland-blog · 4 years ago

Text

Modern Voter Suppression In The United States

By Hannah Holmes, University Of Chicago Class of 2023

July 17, 2020

When most people think of voter suppression, their minds jump to the Jim Crow laws of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Voter suppression at the time consisted of poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses, all intended to limit the influence of African-American voters. These tactics are not limited to the past, however, according to the article “Rule by Violence, Rule by Law: Lynching, Jim Crow, and the Continuing Evolution of Voter Suppression in the U.S.”: “...attempts to restrict voting by blacks and other groups have increased in recent years. Like the post-Reconstruction South, partisan calculations about how voting by different groups affects election victories drive attempts at suppression” [i]. Given the illegality of classic Jim Crow suppression techniques, modern voter suppression is different than it was; it does not directly constrain certain groups of voters and is somewhat harder to detect. Researchers Quan Li, Michael Pomantell, and Scot Schraufnagel (from Northern Illinois University) devised a system to quantify voter suppression, called the Cost of Voting Index (COVI). Each state’s score is calculated according to seven issue areas: registration deadline, voter registration restrictions (such as the exclusion of felons or the absence of online registration), registration drive requirements (such as state certification), preregistration laws (such as allowance of only those over 17 to preregister), voting inconvenience (such as the absence of early voting or reduced polling locations), voter ID laws (such as a strict requirement for a photo ID), and poll hours.

The higher a state’s score, the more difficult it is for voters in that state to vote. For example, states that have a registration deadline long before the election, exclude felons, require certification for registration drives, only allow 17-year-olds to pregister, have few polling locations, require photo IDs, and have short poll hours have higher scores than states with fewer (or looser) restrictions and regulations. Based on this system, the five hardest states to vote in as of 2016 were Mississippi, Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana, and Texas, while the five easiest states to vote in were Oregon, Colorado, California, North Dakota, and Iowa [ii]. Mississippi has long been scrutinized for its unusual voting process in state elections, which is similar to the electoral college. In order for a candidate to win, they must win a majority of the popular vote and a majority of Mississippi’s 122 state House districts. According to Section 141 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, if no candidate receives a majority of both the popular vote and the electoral vote, “...then the House of Representatives shall proceed to choose a governor from the two persons who shall have received the highest number of popular votes” [iii]. If a candidate wins only the popular vote and not a majority of the state’s House districts (or vice versa), then the election is decided by the state’s House of Representatives. Gerrymandering in Mississippi makes it disproportionately difficult for a Democrat candidate to win district support, increasing the likelihood that an election will be decided by the House of Representatives. This tends to unfairly negate the power of African-American voters, of whom 76% are Democrats or lean Democratic, compared to only 22% of white voters [iv]. Proposed House Concurrent Resolution 47 would eliminate this loophole by declaring that “if no person receives a majority of the votes, then a runoff election shall be held as provided by general law...” [v]. Thirty-six states (including Mississippi) require or request some form of identification in order to vote, generally under the pretense of curbing voter fraud [vi].

The Brennan Center reports that 25% of black U.S. citizens over the age of 18 have no government-issued photo ID, compared to 8% of white citizens over the age of 18 [vii]. NPR reports that states that specifically require driver’s licenses are the most suppressive. The elderly, young people, and the poor are not likely to have a license and it can be difficult to obtain a qualified non-driver’s license ID. A birth certificate is also sometimes required to obtain an ID, but an ID is sometimes required to obtain a birth certificate, creating a catch-22 situation [viii]. Proponents of ID laws argue that the potential suppression is worthwhile because it is scarified for voter security and the prevention of fraud, but there is little evidence to suggest that voter fraud is really a substantial problem in need of attention. A study of voter fraud in the 2016 General Election found no evidence corroborating claims of wide fraud: “Our empirical results share a common theme: they are inconsistent with fraud allegations made by Trump. The results are, however, consistent with various state-level investigations conducted in the initial months of 2017, all of which have failed to find any evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 General Election” [ix]. Research conducted by News21 also failed to find evidence of widespread fraud: “...News21 reporters sent thousands of requests to elections officers in all 50 states, asking for every case of fraudulent activity...Analysis of the resulting comprehensive News21 election fraud database turned up 10 cases of voter impersonation.

With 146 million registered voters in the United States during that time, those 10 cases represent one out of about every 15 million prospective voters” [x]. Although not included in the top five most difficult states to vote in reported by the previously mentioned study, Georgia’s voter suppression has been somewhat more publicly-known and discussed than suppression in other states; namely, the election of Brian Kemp as governor and the loss of Stacey Abrams. Georgia’s HB 268, passed in 2017, established what is known as “exact match” law. Under the law, voter applications “shall be rejected if the Georgia driver’s license number, identification card number of an identification card..., or last four digits of the social security number provided by the applicant is not verified and the applicant fails to provide sufficient evidence to the board of registrars or to verify the applicant’s identity within 26 months following the date of the application” [xi]. In a motion filed by the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda et al. against Governor Brian Kemp, who was Georgia Secretary of State at the time of the law’s passing, the legality and necessity of the law was questioned.

According to the lawsuit, even small discrepancies can disqualify a voter: “...the transposition of a single letter or number, deletion or addition of a hyphen or apostrophe, the accidental entry of an extra character or space, and the use of a familiar name like ‘Tom’ instead of ‘Thomas’ will cause a no match result” [xii]. Furthermore, no review is made of information entered into the state’s registration system, so a voter may be put under review even if they provided accurate information. The “exact match” law also seems to have disproportionately affected black voters. According to the lawsuit, “approximately 51,111 voter registration applications were in ‘pending’ status for reasons related to the ‘exact match’ protocol...Approximately 80.15% of those pending applications were submitted by African American, Latino, and Asian-American applicants.” The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 52% of Georgia is white (non-Hispanic or Latino) [xiii]. In 2018, U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross ruled that “exact match” laws “burden the constitutional right of individuals flagged and placed into pending status due to citizenship more than is necessary” [xiv]. HB 268 was largely eliminated by HB 316, passed in 2019 [xv].

________________________________________________________________

[i] Epperly, B., Witko, C., Strickler, R., & White, P. (2019, March 25). Rule by Violence, Rule by Law: Lynching, Jim Crow, and the Continuing Evolution of Voter Suppression in the U.S. Retrieved July 12, 2020, from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/rule-by-violence-rule-by-law-lynching-jim-crow-and-the-continuing-evolution-of-voter-suppression-in-the-us/CBC6AD86B557A093D7E832F8D821978B/core-reader

[ii] Li, Q., Pomantell, M. J., & Schraufnagel, S. (2018, September 18). Cost of Voting in the American States. Retrieved July 9, 2020, from https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/elj.2017.0478

[iii] Miss. Const. Art. 5, Sec. 141 [iv] Party Affiliation Among Adults in Mississippi by Race/Ethnicity. (2018, September 19). Retrieved July 13, 2020, from https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/compare/party-affiliation/by/racial-and-ethnic-composition/among/state/mississippi/

[v] Mississippi Legislature House Concurrent Resolution 47. (2020). Retrieved July 9, 2020, from http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2020/pdf/history/HC/HC0047.xml

[vi] Underhill, W. (2020, July 9). Voter Identification Requirements: Voter ID Laws. Retrieved July 13, 2020, from https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx

[vii] Citizens Without Proof: A Survey of Americans' Possession of Documentary Proof of Citizenship and Photo Identification(Rep.). (2006). New York City, New York: Brennan Center for Justice.

[viii] Dade, C. (2012, January 28). Why New Photo ID Laws Mean Some Won't Vote. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from https://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/146006217/why-new-photo-id-laws-mean-some-wont-vote

[ix] Cottrell, D., Herron, M. C., & Westwood, S. J. (2017). An Exploration of Donald Trump's Allegations of Massive Voter Fraud in the 2016 General Election (Rep.). Elsevier.

[x] Khan, N., & Carson, C. (2012, August 12). Comprehensive Database of U.S. Voter Fraud Uncovers No Evidence That Photo ID Is Needed. Retrieved July 13, 2020, from https://votingrights.news21.com/article/election-fraud/

[xi] Georgia General Assemby HB 268. (2017). Retrieved July 13, 2020, from http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20172018/HB/268

[xii] Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda et al. v. Brian Kemp (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division October 11, 2018) (Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Dist. file).

[xiii] U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Georgia. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/GA

[xiv] Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda et al. v. Brian Kemp (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division November 2, 2018) (Courthouse News, Dist. file). [

xv] Georgia General Assembly HB 316. (2019). Retrieved July 13, 2020, from http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20192020/HB/316

1 note · View note

backtothestart02 · 8 years ago

Text

Full and Aching | A Westallen Fanfic | 1/1

A/N: Less than half an hour left, but I made it happen! I hope you all enjoy. There will likely at least be some changes after my beta has had a look for when I post to AO3/FFnet, but for the most part, I like how it turned out. :)

*For Iris West Week - DAY TWO - Iris & Barry. This is the 1x23 scene on the rooftop told entirely in Iris’s POV. It’s not 1st person, but you don’t get to know anyone else’s thoughts (er, Barry’s), so I think it still qualifies as her POV. ;)

Confused, angry, frustrated, at a loss, longing, consumed with guilt… She’d felt all of those things the last time she was on this rooftop. Most of them had been directed at Barry for his deception and because of her desperation in not knowing where Eddie was; and if he was okay. And because of her emotions that were going haywire. Her feelings for more than one man that made things unbelievably complicated.

Yet now, here Barry stood, looking exactly as she had, staring out at the city for answers it couldn’t give either of them. The city compelled one to look out at its lights and the humming evening traffic below. Up above it, everything was so peaceful. Though her mind hadn’t been, and now neither was his.

Seeing him as silently distressed as she had been, any anger she’d felt mere weeks ago dissolved.

“Thought I might find you here.”

Startled, Barry turned to look at her, almost exactly the way she had turned to him.

“This is…your spot,” he’d said when she’d looked at him the same way he was looking at her now.

She smiled at the similarity.

“I needed to get out of the lab,” he said, coming down off his perch so he was at her level. “I thought this would be a good place to think.”

“Oh, it is, trust me,” she assured him, pleased by the light-hearted tone he’d picked up. She sobered up for a moment. “I have done a lot of thinking up here.”

It was only a moment though.

“When I wasn’t having clandestine meetings with the mysterious Streak,” she remarked, for the first time teasing him for his secret identity.

Barry smiled at the crack, and a laugh slipped through. Hers. The tension had been so high between them lately. She’d forgotten what his smile looked like and that something he did could make her laugh.

“Yeah…not mad we lost that name,” he remarked unapologetically.

“Hey, I thought that had pazzaz!”

He laughed with her and shook his head. “No.”

“Oh,” she said quietly, not offended in the slightest, eager to make him light up again.

But silence lingered instead, drawing them further into the night, searching the city lights for answers that weren’t there.

She turned her head to look at him, analyzing the downcast look on his face as if it held all the answers. Or the one answer that she was scared to death to hear pass through his lips.

“So, are you gonna do it?”

A heavy sigh accompanied his heavy heart. The light between them was squashed, as if it had never been there to begin with.

“It’s just so…huge,” he said, wearily.

Iris nodded, looked away a little, tears already starting to form.

“It’s the biggest decision of my life. And…if I’m wrong, I can’t undo it.”

“Why would you want to?” She cut in, forcing herself to face him. This was an answer she wanted too, but not even to herself would she admit why.

“I mean, you’d get to see your mom again,” she continued, because she needed to, “your dad, have a great career…”

Eddie’s words from earlier flashed through her mind. Just a second. And then they were gone.

We don’t get married. You and Barry do.

“Even get married.”

Barry’s double-take was obvious, but she never looked away.

“Iris West-Allen, huh?” She didn’t acknowledge his little smile, just kept going. “I never really thought of myself as a hyphenator. Must be a 2024 thing.”

She laughed again, but this time he didn’t join her. A touchy subject, as she should have guessed.

“We don’t know that that’s gonna happen…” He tried to brush it off. Embarrassed, probably, he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

For some reason, she couldn’t let it go.

“Do you think because you didn’t… With us… That’s why things are different there?”

Barry shook his head slightly, as if her vague questions were clearer than they’d ever been.

“Growing up together and…knowing so much about each other…it made it hard for me to admit how I felt about you.”

She nodded, looked away, wished for what felt like the hundredth time that he would’ve found the courage to tell her sooner.

“And I waited too long, and you fell in love with Eddie.”

He shared her gaze for a moment longer before looking away. Not long enough for her to contradict him, even though that’d been her first instinct. Not that she would’ve known exactly what to say even if he had given her a clear opening.

Her tongue was thick in her mouth, heavy, and her mind was fuzzy. It wasn’t the first time she’d been in this state around him during the past year, but it was the first time she didn’t feel this overwhelming need to defend her behavior or deny any inconvenient feelings.

This time she only felt guilty, and she also heard – Eddie and I broke up – in the back of her mind, which made her feel even worse for both the men in her life. Or maybe there was just one now, which somehow didn’t make talking about it any easier.

“But living with you and Joe,” Barry continued, pulling her out of her weighed-down thoughts. “I’ve had a great life, Iris.”

She smiled tremulously and her eyes filled to the brink, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the tears spilled over.

She loved him.

She loved him with everything that was in her.

How was it possible to love someone this much?

“Come here, Barry,” she whispered, clinging to him in the hug she needed, afraid she’d lose him forever if she even thought of letting go.

Her face hidden from him, she let the tears flow.

“What do you think I should do?”

By some miracle, she managed to restrain the gasp hovering between her lips.

The question was too big.

“I need someone to tell me,” he added, pleading for her to be the one.

But it was too big. Too big. It hurt. It was too much. How could she answer such a big, heavy, life-changing question? One that would erase their entire relationship as they knew it, and she wouldn’t even remember? He wouldn’t either? Her whole life with Barry Allen by her side would probably be gone. Everything she cherished, everything she loved that had the markings of her Bear on it…would be completely altered forever.

After a few achingly long heartbeats, she realized one thing.

It hadn’t changed yet.

And right now, her best friend needed her.

She pulled away, took some comfort in how he couldn’t meet her eyes at first either, and put her whole heart into what she had to say and what he needed to hear.

“I think, that for once in your life, Barry Allen, you should stop thinking about other people.” She kept going, lest she lose her nerve. “Look, I think you should do what’s in your heart. Do what you need to do for yourself.”

He held her gaze for longer than any other point in their conversation thus far and understanding hit her as hard as his first romantic love confession had. That night had changed everything, just as this would.

She knew he’d made his decision, and that she had been the one to get him there.

#iriswestweek #westallen #westallenedit #backtothestart02 fanfiction #iris west #barry allen #1.23 #fanfiction #barry x iris #season 1

56 notes · View notes

elizabethvaughns · 3 years ago

Note

to answer your question, i don't think she'd change her name fully after her marriage to josh. i mean, she's got a doctorate and a professorship and all so it'd be very inconvenient.

(and also in "the story of jane" it's stated that oren didn't want a partner but a wife. if that's the case and if that's her experience, i think liz'd be pretty turned off by the whole name changing experience because that's what she'd associate the process with)

in my eyes, she either keep her maiden name or hyphenate.

🌻!!

I've been thinking about whether or not Vaughn is Elizabeth's maiden name or married name. I have some thoughts but they suddenly don't want to be organized so I've got them into a draft until I can make it more coherent.

Send me 🌻 and I'll tell you whatever I want.

#if/then #elizabeth vaughn #willowstea #if/then analysis #to me all of dc if/ then is canon except when it isn't #rb

10 notes · View notes

pamphletstoinspire · 6 years ago

Photo

Book Of Genesis - From The Latin Vulgate (1859 - Haydock Translation of The Roman Catholic Bible) - Chapter 16

INTRODUCTION.

The Hebrews now entitle all the Five Books of Moses, from the initial words, which originally were written like one continued word or verse; but the Sept. have preferred to give the titles the most memorable occurrences of each work. On this occasion, the Creation of all things out of nothing, strikes us with peculiar force. We find a refutation of all the heathenish mythology, and of the world’s eternity, which Aristotle endeavoured to establish. We behold the short reign of innocence, and the origin of sin and misery, the dispersion of nations, and the providence of God watching over his chosen people, till the death of Joseph, about the year 2369 (Usher) 2399 (Sal. and Tirin) B.C. 1631. We shall witness the same care in the other Books of Scripture, and adore his wisdom and goodness in preserving to himself faithful witnesses, and a true Holy Catholic Church, in all ages, even when the greatest corruption seemed to overspread the land. H.

—————————-

This Book is so called from its treating of the Generation, that is, of the Creation and the beginning of the world. The Hebrews call it Bereshith, from the word with which it begins. It contains not only the History of the Creation of the World, but also an account of its progress during the space of 2369 years, that is, until the death of Joseph.

The additional Notes in this Edition of the New Testament will be marked with the letter A. Such as are taken from various Interpreters and Commentators, will be marked as in the Old Testament. B. Bristow, C. Calmet, Ch. Challoner, D. Du Hamel, E. Estius, J. Jansenius, M. Menochius, Po. Polus, P. Pastorini, T. Tirinus, V. Bible de Vence, W. Worthington, Wi. Witham. — The names of other authors, who may be occasionally consulted, will be given at full length.

Verses are in English and Latin. HAYDOCK CATHOLIC BIBLE COMMENTARY

This Catholic commentary on the Old Testament, following the Douay-Rheims Bible text, was originally compiled by Catholic priest and biblical scholar Rev. George Leo Haydock (1774-1849). This transcription is based on Haydock’s notes as they appear in the 1859 edition of Haydock’s Catholic Family Bible and Commentary printed by Edward Dunigan and Brother, New York, New York.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

Changes made to the original text for this transcription include the following:

Greek letters. The original text sometimes includes Greek expressions spelled out in Greek letters. In this transcription, those expressions have been transliterated from Greek letters to English letters, put in italics, and underlined. The following substitution scheme has been used: A for Alpha; B for Beta; G for Gamma; D for Delta; E for Epsilon; Z for Zeta; E for Eta; Th for Theta; I for Iota; K for Kappa; L for Lamda; M for Mu; N for Nu; X for Xi; O for Omicron; P for Pi; R for Rho; S for Sigma; T for Tau; U for Upsilon; Ph for Phi; Ch for Chi; Ps for Psi; O for Omega. For example, where the name, Jesus, is spelled out in the original text in Greek letters, Iota-eta-sigma-omicron-upsilon-sigma, it is transliterated in this transcription as, Iesous. Greek diacritical marks have not been represented in this transcription.

Footnotes. The original text indicates footnotes with special characters, including the astrisk (*) and printers’ marks, such as the dagger mark, the double dagger mark, the section mark, the parallels mark, and the paragraph mark. In this transcription all these special characters have been replaced by numbers in square brackets, such as [1], [2], [3], etc.

Accent marks. The original text contains some English letters represented with accent marks. In this transcription, those letters have been rendered in this transcription without their accent marks.

Other special characters.

Solid horizontal lines of various lengths that appear in the original text have been represented as a series of consecutive hyphens of approximately the same length, such as .

Ligatures, single characters containing two letters united, in the original text in some Latin expressions have been represented in this transcription as separate letters. The ligature formed by uniting A and E is represented as Ae, that of a and e as ae, that of O and E as Oe, and that of o and e as oe.

Monetary sums in the original text represented with a preceding British pound sterling symbol (a stylized L, transected by a short horizontal line) are represented in this transcription with a following pound symbol, l.

The half symbol (½) and three-quarters symbol (¾) in the original text have been represented in this transcription with their decimal equivalent, (.5) and (.75) respectively.

Unreadable text. Places where the transcriber’s copy of the original text is unreadable have been indicated in this transcription by an empty set of square brackets, [].

Chapter 16

Abram marrieth Agar, who bringeth forth Ismael.

[1] Now Sarai the wife of Abram, had brought forth no children; but having a handmaid, an Egyptian, named Agar, Igitur Sarai, uxor Abram, non genuerat liberos : sed habens ancillam aegyptiam nomine Agar,

[2] She said to her husband: Behold, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: go in unto my handmaid, it may be I may have children of her at least. And when he agreed to her request, dixit marito suo : Ecce, conclusit me Dominus, ne parerem. Ingredere ad ancillam meam, si forte saltem ex illa suscipiam filios. Cumque ille acquiesceret deprecanti,

[3] She took Agar the Egyptian her handmaid, ten years after they first dwelt in the land of Chanaan, and gave her to her husband to wife. tulit Agar aegyptiam ancillam suam post annos decem quam habitare coeperant in terra Chanaan : et dedit eam viro suo uxorem.

[4] And he went in to her. But she, perceiving that she was with child, despised her mistress. Qui ingressus est ad eam. At illa concepisse se videns, despexit dominam suam.

[5] And Sarai said to Abram: Thou dost unjustly with me: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom, and she perceiving herself to be with child, despiseth me. The Lord judge between me and thee. Dixitque Sarai ad Abram : Inique agis contra me : ego dedi ancillam meam in sinum tuum, quae videns quod conceperit, despectui me habet : judicet Dominus inter me et te.

[6] And Abram made answer, and said to her: Behold thy handmaid is in thy own hand, use her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai afflicted her, she ran away. Cui respondens Abram : Ecce, ait, ancilla tua in manu tua est, utere ea ut libet. Affligente igitur eam Sarai, fugam iniit.

[7] And the angel of the Lord having found her, by a fountain of water in the wilderness, which is in the way to Sur in the desert, Cumque invenisset eam angelus Domini juxta fontem aquae in solitudine, qui est in via Sur in deserto,

[8] He said to her: Agar, handmaid of Sarai, whence comest thou? and whither goest thou? And she answered: I flee from the face of Sarai, my mistress. dixit ad illam : Agar ancilla Sarai, unde venis? et quo vadis? Quae respondit : A facie Sarai dominae meae ego fugio.

[9] And the angel of the Lord said to her: Return to thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hand. Dixitque ei angelus Domini : Revertere ad dominam tuam, et humiliare sub manu illius.

[10] And again he said: I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, and it shall not be numbered for multitude. Et rursum : Multiplicans, inquit, multiplicabo semen tuum, et non numerabitur prae multitudine.

[11] And again: Behold, said he, thou art with child, and thou shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Ismael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. Ac deinceps : Ecce, ait, concepisti, et paries filium : vocabisque nomen ejus Ismael, eo quod audierit Dominus afflictionem tuam.

[12] He shall be a wild man: his hand will be against all men, and all men's hands against him: and he shall pitch his tents over against all his brethren. Hic erit ferus homo : manus ejus contra omnes, et manus omnium contra eum : et e regione universorum fratrum suorum figet tabernacula.

[13] And she called the name of the Lord that spoke unto her: Thou the God who hast seen me. For she said: Verily here have I seen the hinder parts of him that seeth me. Vocavit autem nomen Domini qui loquebatur ad eam : Tu Deus qui vidisti me. Dixit enim : Profecto hic vidi posteriora videntis me.

[14] Therefore she called that well, The well of him that liveth and seeth me. The same is between Cades and Barad. Propterea appellavit puteum illum Puteum viventis et videntis me. Ipse est inter Cades et Barad.

[15] And Agar brought forth a son to Abram: who called his name Ismael. Peperitque Agar Abrae filium : qui vocavit nomen ejus Ismael.

[16] Abram was four score and six years old when Agar brought him forth Ismael. Octoginta et sex annorum erat Abram quando peperit ei Agar Ismaelem.

Commentary:

Ver. 2. May have. Heb. "may be built up," a metaphorical expression: so God is said to have built up houses for the Egyptian midwives. Ex. i. 21. M.

Ver. 3. Ten years after she was 65; which shews that she might reasonably conclude she would now have no children herself; and as she knew God had promised Abram a son, she thought he might follow the custom of those times, and have him by a second wife. Abram shewed no eagerness on this matter, but only yielded to his wife's petition, deprecanti, being well aware of the inconveniences of polygamy, which Sarai had soon reason to observe. This is the first time we read of polygamy since the deluge; but it is not mentioned as any thing singular or unlawful. This was a matter in which God could dispense; but it was never left to the disposal of any man. Hence, when Luther and his associates ventured to dispense with the Landgrave of Hesse, to keep two wives at once, he required him to keep it a secret, being ashamed of his own conduct. He still maintained it was a thing indifferent, even in the law of grace, though Christ has so expressly condemned it. See præp 62, 65. The practice, so common of late in this country, of marrying again after a bill of divorce has been passed, is no less contrary to the Catholic doctrine, which allows only a separation of the parties from bed and board, in cases of adultery; but never of a second marriage, while both the parties are living. 1 Cor. vii. S. Aug. de adult. conj. i. de C. D. xvi. 25, 38. and other fathers. H. --- It was never lawful for one woman to have two husbands. W. --- To wife. Plurality of wives, though contrary to the primitive institution of marriage, Gen. ii. 24. was by divine dispensation allowed to the patriarchs; which allowance seems to have continued during the time of the law of Moses. But Christ our Lord reduced marriage to its primitive institution. S. Matt. xix.

Ver. 5. Despiseth. Few bear prosperity in a proper manner! --- And thee. Sarai things it is the duty of her husband to restrain the insolence of Agar. She commits her cause to God, and does not seek revenge. M.

Ver. 6. Afflicted her, as she now resented even a moderate correction. H.

Ver. 7. In the desert; omitted in Heb. being a repetition of in the wilderness. C.

Ver. 9. Humble thyself. The angel, in God's name, does not blame Sarai; but gives Agar to understand that the fault was wholly on her side. H.

Ver. 11. Ismael, means "God hath heard" the groans and distress of Agar. C.

Ver. 12. Wild. Heb. like a wild ass, not to be tamed or subdued. The Saracens or Arabs, have almost all along maintained their independence. --- Over against, ready to fight, without any dread of any one. C.

Ver. 13. Thou the God. She had imagined before that she was talking to some man; but perceiving, at parting, that it was some superior being, she invoked him thus. ---The hinder parts, as Moses did afterwards. Ex. xxxiii. to let us know, that we cannot fully comprehend the nature of an angel, much less of God. Hebrew may be: "what! have I seen (do I live) after He has seen me." The Hebrews generally supposed, that death would presently overtake the person who had seen the Lord or his angel. Jud. vi. 22. Ex. xxxii. 20. C.

Ver. 15. Agar being returned home, and having obtained pardon. --- Ismael, as the angel had foretold; an honour shewn to very few; such as Isaac, Solomon, Jesus, &c. H.

#book of genesis

0 notes