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sagemonsters · 1 year ago

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Though Hell Should Bar the Way

Summary: Bess is a night owl and a college student—a combination that turns out to be dangerous when she realizes she can’t make it back to her residence during an ice storm at 3am. After being saved by a strange, mute motorcyclist who is reluctant to remove his helmet, Bess is eager to uncover his secrets.

Status: SFW

Relationship: cis female human (she/her) x cis male dullahan (he/him)

Word Count: 2,200

Notes: this is a modern AU fanfic of Alfred Noyes' poem "The Highwayman"

Chapter 1 of 1

Bess all but screamed when someone tapped her shoulder in the small study cubicle on the fourth floor of the Holger Library. One of the assistant librarians, Alex, grabbed her half-empty Starbucks cup before Bess could knock it over as she recoiled, and her Beyoncé-induced study euphoria ended as that motion yanked her wired earbuds out of her ears.

“—Closing in five minutes, Miss Noyes,” Alex said.

“Right, yeah… What time is it?” Bess asked.

Alex set her Starbucks cup back down on the desk. “Five minutes to three o’clock in the morning,” he answered, and then looked down at his wristwatch. “Four, actually.”

Bess blinked, then dived for her phone in her backpack; the time was correct. “Damn,” she muttered. She had an English final—a timed essay—in six hours; she needed to get whatever sleep she could before it started.

“Be careful out there—the snow feels like falling glass, and everything’s iced over,” Alex warned. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I hope you don’t have far to walk to get back to your dorm.”

“My apartment is on Kerr Green,” Bess said.

Alex looked at her in horror for a moment, then gave her a wince of sympathy; Kerr Green was halfway across the city, since Losthaven University had a decentralized campus whose student residences gave grief to the aforementioned students and city planners alike.

“Get an Uber or Lyft or whatever,” Alex said. “You cannot walk there in weather like this.”

Bess shook her head as she shrugged on and buttoned her navy blue peacoat. “I’m broke at the moment. I’ll be fine, though. Thank you.”

Alex gave her a final, worried look, then left the cubicle and resumed his patrol for other students who had missed the closing announcement. Bess shouldered her backpack and took the stairs to the library’s front door, and then paused.

The pavement outside the library was slick and shining with ice, just as Alex had promised, and she could see more ice coating the streetlamps and the lone USPS box. The plows had already come by, so the roads looked reasonably clear—but snow piled high in dirty, irregular drifts to either side of the street, and more was falling by the minute.

For a few moments, Bess allowed herself to despair. She could call her mother in Florida and ask for twenty-five dollars to get an Uber back to her apartment—but that would be the second time this week she asked for money, and it was three o’clock in the morning, so her pride forbid such a thing. Bess huffed to herself, then pulled on her hat and gloves and stepped outside.

The wind hit her like a broadsword, slicing through her layers and carving straight to her core. This was, without a doubt, a proper New England winter storm, and Bess fancied that she could feel ice crystals making shallow cuts into the inside of her lungs as she inhaled; the air was so cold that breathing hurt. She wobbled in place as the wind threatened to bowl her over on the slick pavement.

Bess managed to get five blocks in the direction of Kerr Green before she realized she should have swallowed her pride and called her mother. She had fallen twice during those five blocks, and her fingers were aching with cold inside her gloves even after she had shoved them into her coat pockets.

She eased herself into an alleyway for some reprieve from the wind and unzipped her backpack with clumsy, gloved fingers. After some digging, she managed to pull out her phone, and then removed one glove with her teeth to unlock the device with her fingerprint. The cold ache intensified in that hand, so much so that it shook with pain. She could barely feel the phone anymore, but managed to open the CALL app—

The phone slipped out of her fingers and fell to the asphalt at her feet. The screen went dark, and when Bess picked it up she saw a spiderweb of cracks across the screen.

Crying is useless. Crying is useless. Crying is useless… Bess told herself, but the tears were welling up anyway and stinging at the corners of her eyes. She fumbled her glove back on and turned to trudge back out into the wind. Maybe there was still someone at the library, and she could beg them to let her use the phone at the front desk…

A headlight sliced through the snowy nighttime murk in front of the alleyway, followed closely by the deafening snarl of a motorcycle engine. An all-black bike with a helmeted rider swathed head to toe in black leather gear pulled to a stop in front of the alley, its engine settling into a low, coughing growl. The rider’s helmet, with its shadowed visor pulled down, turned toward Bess. He let go of the handlebar and held out his hand to her.

Bess stared.

The rider curled and uncurled his gloved fingers in a beckoning gesture. After a moment’s hesitation, Bess stumbled toward him. The sidewalk was slippery beneath her boots. She tottered as another gust of wind hit her, instinctively reaching out for support, and the rider grabbed her wrist and helped her upright—helped her the final few steps toward him, too.

“Can you take me to Kerr Green on West River Street?” Bess asked, shouting to be heard over the wind and the engine. The rider was still holding her wrist.

The rider nodded, and Bess was cold and desperate enough to climb on behind him and wrap her arms around his midsection. The motorcycle’s engine howled to life like a thing possessed, and she and the rider tore down the street.

The wind whipped icy snow into her eyes, so Bess hid her face against the rider’s leather-clad shoulder. At this speed, it was even colder than before, and she was so very tired. She’d have to get her phone replaced tomorrow, and she had her English final too…

When Bess lifted her head after a particularly hard turn, she saw tongues of green ghostfire licking at the motorcycle’s wheels, and more streaming out from the engine like banners. One flame seemed to be in contact with her leg, but it didn’t appear to be spreading to the cloth of her pants and Bess felt no heat. She blinked hard, but the flames didn’t go away.

This is real, she realized, and a moment later: this isn’t a normal motorcyclist.

“Stop! Stop!” Bess shrieked, and shook the rider’s shoulder. A moment later he swerved into a narrow side street, slowed to a stop, and put his feet down to balance the bike. The green ghostfire dimmed and then faded to nothingness. He looked over his shoulder at her.

“Who are you?” Bess demanded. “What are you?”

The rider said nothing.

“What do you want?”

The rider twisted around as much as he could so that he could face her properly. Bess looked into the visor, but couldn’t see even the faintest shadow of a face beneath it. The rider reached up a hand and brought two fingers to her cold lips in the barest ghost of a touch, then pulled away.

“What does that mean?” Bess asked. And then, more softly, “Are you mute?”

The rider nodded.

“Okay,” Bess whispered after a moment. “Okay, let’s… let’s keep going, then.”

The rider gripped the hand that she still had wrapped around him, threading their fingers together and giving a light squeeze, then pulled away and started the motorcycle again. Bess tucked her head back down against his shoulder and did her best to endure the cold and wind and ice, but the flaring ghostfire provided no warmth; by the time they arrived at Kerr Green and the student residences that lined the park, she had largely stopped shivering.

The cold had numbed her mind as well as her extremities, and it was hard to move. The rider had to help her to her door, and he followed her inside when Bess struggled with her gloves in the entryway. He heated water in a bowl in the microwave of the kitchenette, then helped her remove her gloves and submerge her frostbitten hands in the warm water.

“Thanks,” Bess said, and started shivering again as her body thawed. The rider, still in all his leather gear, pulled off her ice-rimed hat and coat and boots, then draped the blanket on the back of the couch over the space heater to warm it up before wrapping it around her shoulders where she sat at the kitchen table.

“You can take off your helmet if you want,” Bess said when feeling started to return to her fingers and toes.

The rider hesitated, and then the helmet shook from side to side.

Bess attempted a reassuring smile. “I promise I won’t tell anyone what you look like.”

Another shake of the helmet.

When Bess’ fingers no longer hurt, she pulled them out of the bowl, flexed them experimentally, and then started fidgeting with a tassel on the corner of the blanket.

“Thank you for all your help,” she said. “It really… I mean, I think I might have died without you.”

The rider nodded, then moved toward the door.

“Wait!” Bess said. “Please… please don’t leave just yet.”

The rider paused and looked back at her. Bess stood up, still with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and went to him. She reached out and touched his arm; there really wasn’t a single inch of exposed skin showing among the black leather, not a single smidgen of humanity or clue towards his identity.

“What’s your name?” Bess asked.

The rider shook his head, then reached up and brushed his gloved fingers over her lips again.

Bess felt her cheeks heating in a blush. “Kiss me,” she whispered. “Kiss me before you go.” She knew it was a ridiculously romantic thing to say, something out of the trashy romance novels she kept hidden under her bed, but what else was there to say in a situation like this? What else was there to do?

The rider reached into a pocket of his jacket and brought out a small, dogeared notebook and a stub of pencil. He wrote for a few moments, then showed the page to her:

I CAN’T KISS.

“Why not?” Bess asked.

The rider started to move past her, toward the door, and Bess darted in front of him and put her back to the door to bar his path. “I’m not moving until you tell me what’s going on,” she said.

There was a pause. The warm yellow lights in the apartment flickered, dimmed, and then died entirely, and that sickly green ghostfire curled out of the lamps and from the burners of the stove. A chill crept in, not as terrible as the storm raging outside but still cold enough that Bess wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.

The rider took off his helmet, revealing empty air; he had no head.

Bess’ eyes went wide.

The headless rider wrote again in his notebook and showed it to her: SCARED?

“No,” Bess said, even though that wasn’t quite the truth. She stepped forward and put her hands on the chest of the rider’s jacket. “Show me the rest of you.”

The rider pulled off his gloves. He had normal-looking hands, although they were room temperature at Bess’ touch and had no warmth of life within them. The high-collared jacket came off next, revealing a plain black shirt that had a human-seeming chest underneath it. When Bess laid a hand over where his heart should be, however, there was no beat beneath her fingers, and his tattooed skin was cool.

“Why did you help me?” Bess asked.

WHY NOT?

Bess frowned. “That isn’t a good answer.”

YOU SHOULD STOP ASKING QUESTIONS, THEN.

Bess folded her arms over her chest. “Absolutely not. You��” She felt her cheeks heat in another blush and forced herself to be brave: “If you can’t kiss me before you leave, then I’m sure there are other things we can do.”

SUCH AS? the headless rider wrote.

Bess’ blush intensified. She reached for the top button of her blouse, but then hesitated. “I don’t know how to start without at least a kiss,” she confessed.

CAN I SHOW YOU?

Bess nodded. “Please,” she whispered, and the long ribbons of emerald ghostfire burned high and bright throughout the apartment as the headless rider set aside his notebook and reached for her.

•

The storm had died by the time dawn arrived, and newborn sunlight glittered atop the ice that sheathed the city in crystalline glory. Bess awoke alone, and found that her final had been postponed via an email from her English professor. She smiled and plaited a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Enjoy my writing? Please consider buying me a coffee so I can have a warm drink while I write.

You can also read this story in the August 2023 edition of the much-loved M❤️NSTER magazine.

#monster romance #monster lover #terato #sage's portfolio #monster x human #monster boyfriend #dullahan #romance writing #romance fiction #the highwayman #fanfiction

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scotianostra · 8 months ago

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April 15th 1924 saw the birth of Rikki Fulton.

Robert Kerr “Rikki” Fulton was a Scottish comedian and actor best remembered for writing and performing in the long-running BBC Scotland sketch show, Scotch and Wry.

The youngest of three brothers, Robert was born into a non-theatrical family at 46 Appin Road, Dennistoun, Glasgow. Fulton completed his education in 1939 and decided to enter the world of acting after a backstage visit at the Glasgow Pavilion Theatre.In 1941, aged 17, Fulton joined the Royal Navy. The following year he was posted to HMS Ibis, but that November the ship was sunk in the Bay of Algiers. Fulton spent five hours in the water before being rescueHe later joined the Coastal Forces for D-Day, travelling back and forth between Gosport and Arromanches with vital supplies. In 1945, four years after signing up, Fulton was invalided out of the Navy due to blackout, leaving with the rank of sub-lieutenant

In the early 1950s, Fulton moved to London and became the compère of The Show Band Show, working alongside the likes of singer Frank Sinatra.

After a short period, Fulton returned to Scotland to perform for Howard & Wyndham Ltd inn pantomime from 1956 at the Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow with Jimmy Logan and Kenneth McKellar followed by the “Five Past Eight” summer revues with Stanley Baxter and Fay Lenore. In 1985, under the pseudonym “Rabaith��, Fulton, along with Denise Coffey, adapted the French playwright Molière’s, Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme as A Wee Touch o’ Class.

Alongside his Scotch and Wry co-stars Gregor Fisher and Tony Roper, Fulton made two appearances in Rab C. Nesbitt; once in 1988 and 10 years later in 1998. Although he would reprise his famous Rev I.M Jolly character one last time for a short skit on New Year’s Eve 1999 as part of the “Millennium” celebrations. Rikki’s early shows include,The Rikki Fulton Show The Five past eight, The Adventures of Francie and Josie but he also acted in various shows like Charles Esquire , Square Mile of Murder, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Bergerac, Local Hero, Gorky Park, Comfort and Joy, The Holy City, The Girl in the Picture, Supergran and the aforementioned Rab C. Nesbitt. Notable Characters Scotch and Wry Supercop a frequently dimwitted traffic cop who rides a motorbike, his trademark is how he removes his goggles (pings off and flies off camera), is often getting into more trouble than those he stops.

Rev. I.M Jolly a very downtrodden and pessimistic minister of the Church of Scotland, presents a fictional show “Last Call” where he has a heart to heart with the audience where he tells them what he has been up to that week. his tone is always low-key and down beat.

Dickie Dandruff owner of “The Fourways Café” also goes by the moniker “The Gallowgate Gourmet” and presents a cooking segment called “Dirty Dick’s Delicat'messen” where he prepares food in comedic style from his filthy café kitchen in the Gallowgate area of Glasgow.

Fulton’s death sparked numerous dedications in his memory. The then-BBC Scotland Controller, John McCormick, said “he [Fulton] was a legend for people across the whole country.”

Fulton’s funeral took place six days after his death. In tribute to his Scotch and Wry character Supercop (a police traffic officer), police motorcyclists escorted the funeral cortège as it made its way to Clydebank Crematorium. The Reverend Alastair Symington, who was a close friend of Fulton, led the service, which featured tributes from Fulton’s widow Kate Matheson and Tony Roper.

Symington had previously collaborated with Fulton on the book, For God’s Sake, Ask!. Both Rikki and his Kate were strong supporters of the Scottish SPCA, which received a financial donation following Fulton’s funeral. A Scottish SPCA inspector represented the animal welfare organisation at the service.

#scotland #scottish #history #comedian #entertainer #actor

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if-you-fan-a-fire · 2 years ago

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Internment

"On January 11, 1940, the DOCR [Defence of Canada Regulations] were amended so as to permit preventive detention, internment before the fact of having committed a crime, ie. article 21. This meant that even though charges for precise offences might not hold up in court, communists could still be interned using vague terms. As well, should the police fail in making a DOCR charge stick, then the freed prisoner could quickly be interned. This situation applied to Ottawans Louis Binder and Arthur Saunders, and to westerners Charles Weir, John McNeil, Pat Lenihan, Alex Miller, and Ben Swankey.

In June, 1940, via DOCR regulation 39C, the Communist Party and related associations were made illegal. These associations included the Young Communist League, the League for Peace and Democracy, which had succeeded the League to Fight War and Fascism, and the Canadian Labour Defence League, as well as several pro-communist, ethnic associations: The Ukrainian Labour-Farmer Temple Association, the Canadian Ukrainian Youth Federation, the Finnish Organization of Canada, the Russian Workers and Farmers Club, the Croatian Cultural Organization, the Hungarian Workers Club, and the Polish People’s Association. Membership in these organizations became illegal; it came to be the grounds most often used for internment.

The first internments took place on June 26, 1940, when Jacob Penner and John Navis, from Winnipeg, and Ottawans Louis Binder and Arthur Saunders were interned. Arrests for internment could follow at any time, but there were more active periods. On June 28 and 29, 1940, nine Montrealers as well as Nicholas Pyndus, from Trois-Rivières, and Robert Kerr and Fergus McKean, each from Vancouver, were interned. On July 8, 1940, seventeen Ukrainian Winnipegers were interned. On August 9, 1940, seven men including five Montrealers were interned. On September 8 and 9, 1940, five more were arrested for internment; on October 10, 1940, four more were interned. The last internment in Hull began on February 10, 1942 when Harvey Murphy was transferred from a Toronto prison.

The cases of Jacob Penner and Pat Sullivan provided important legal precedents about the question of habeas corpus. Were the governments and the police obliged to provide motives for the decision to intern someone, other than article 21 of the DOCR, whereby people presented a danger to the security of the state or the prosecution to the war, or article 39C, whereby people were members of an illegal organization? Jacob Penner was a highly-respected communist and municipal councillor in Winnipeg. After being interned in Kananaskis, Penner’s family hired a lawyer who successfully applied for habeas corpus , however, federal authorities simply held him during the summer of 1940 in an immigration centre in Winnipeg. In August, 1940, a federal appeals judge ruled that habeas corpus did not apply to DOCR article 21. Penner was returned to Kananaskis, providing an important precedent relative to internees from Western Canada.

In central Canada, Pat Sullivan, President of the Canadian Seamen’s Union, was arrested on June 18, 1940. The only explanation for Sullivan’s arrest offered to lawyer J. L. Cohen was Sullivan’s membership in the Communist Party, which the defendant denied. Cohen then launched unsuccessful habeas corpus proceedings in which an Ontario judge ruled that habeas corpus was not relevant since the detainer was not the minister of Justice, and the latter was not required to accept recommendations of a consulting committee considering the detention. Cohen was going to subject this tortured logic of the Ontario Appeals Court judge to the Supreme Court, but decided to desist when the federal government promised to improve the workings of the consulting committees, and to reveal more about the motives for Sullivan’s internment. Nevertheless, after considerable stalling by the minister of Justice, it became clear that the real reasons for Sullivan’s internment were strikes by the Canadian Seamen’s Union in 1938 and 1939, and especially in April, 1940, when Sullivan’s union closed shipping on the Great Lakes from the Lakehead to Montreal. Conciliation following this last strike was proceeding when Sullivan was arrested. Not only did Sullivan’s case show that habeas corpus was of no effect with respect to the internees, it also showed that for some internees, at least for Sullivan, the real motive of internment was union activity.

One suspects the considerable influence of C. D. Howe and his business colleagues working in Ottawa. This was also the case for several of Sullivan’s colleagues within the Canadian Seamen’s Union. A month after Sullivan was arrested, Jack Chapman, union secretary, was arrested while a few days later, Dave Sinclair, editor of the union’s newspaper Searchlight, was arrested for having written about the Sullivan case. Sinclair’s case also demonstrated farcically the incompetence of the RCMP. Sinclair was the nom de plume of David Siglar, a fact he did not hide. During his appeal before the consulting committee, the RCMP presented as evidence activities of someone unknown to Siglar named ‘Segal’, a common name among Jews. Siglar had no idea about whom or what the RCMP was talking not knowing the ‘Segal’ in question, but he did plead guilty to having known several people named ‘Segal’.

The case of Charles Murray, organizer for a fishermen’s union in Lockeport, Nova Scotia, a union affiliated with the Canadian Seamen’s Union, provided another example of how union activities might lead to internment. On June 15, 1940, Nova Scotia’s labour minister, L. D. Currie, sent a letter to Murray stating that:

…You are a communist and as such, deserve to be treated in the same manner as I would be treated if I endeavoured to carry on in Russia as you are doing in Nova Scotia. I warn you now to desist from your efforts to create industrial trouble, and I warn you too that your conduct will from now on be carefully watched and examined, and if I find out that you do not quit this sort of business, then it will be most certainly the worst for you. I am giving you this final word of warning. My advice to you is to get out of Lockeport and stay out…

A few days later, Murray was interned in Petawawa.

Other union leaders received similar fates to those of the leaders of the Canadian Seamen’s Union. Fred Collins had led a successful strike against furniture manufacturers in Stratford, Ontario. James Murphy was the leader of the Technical Employees Association of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and was arrested in the middle of negotiations. Orton Wade was negotiating with meat packing companies in Winnipeg when he was arrested. Bruce Magnuson was a union leader from Port Arthur, where he was local president of the Union of Lumber and Sawmill Workers. Unfortunately, his federal MP was none other than C. D. Howe. In August, 1940, Howe responded to one of Magnuson’s colleagues complaining about the internment of Magnuson.

For very obvious reasons, the normal course of the law must be supplemented by special powers. Otherwise, the effort of the government to suppress fifth-column activities would be of no avail. The now tragic account of fifth-column activities in Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France is ample proof of the inadequacy of the ordinary peacetime machinery of the law in controlling subversive elements… Persons who are considered to be friendly towards Canada’s enemies, or who in any way interfere with Canada’s war effort, are recommended for internment on the strength of evidence assembled by the Force (RCMP).

The motive given for Magnuson’s internment was his membership in the Party, but after the Party began supporting the war effort, Howe wrote to Magnuson in October, 1941:

… do you think that the ends of justice would be served by your release merely because circumstances have caused a change of front by the Communist Party? You were interned because you were out of sympathy with Canada’s war effort, and because you were an active member of an organization which sought to impede that effort.

The case of Clarence Jackson also demonstrated the long arm of Howe. On June 11, 1941, Howe wrote to Justice minister Lapointe, demanding that Jackson be arrested.

Please permit me to call your attention to the activities of one C. S. Jackson, who is undoubtedly one of the most active trouble makers and labour racketeers in Canada today. Jackson has been expelled from the Canadian Congress of Labour as a Communist. He has been responsible for strikes at the R.C.A. Victor plant, the Canadian General Electric plant, and he is now boring in to the Canadian Westinghouse plant at Hamilton. The Westinghouse plant is the most important war manufacturer in Canada, having contracts for anti-aircraft guns, naval equipment, and a wide variety of electrical work important to our production. A strike at Westinghouse would directly stop many branches of our munitions programme. I cannot think why Canada spends large sums for protection against sabotage and permits Jackson to carry on his subversive activities. No group of saboteurs could possibly effect the damage that this man is causing. I feel sure that this is a matter for prompt police action. I suggest that responsible labour leaders can supply any information that you may require on which to base police action.

There is evidence, furthermore, according to the biographer of Jackson, that the Canadian Congress of Labour was complicit in the internment of Jackson. Jackson was arrested on June 23, 1941, but was released from Hull six months later owing to pressure by the American section of his union.

Others were interned for strange reasons. Rodolphe Majeau, a member of the Canadian Seamen’s Union, was interned for having aided Communist candidate Évariste Dubé during the federal election of 1940, when the Party was still legal, an example of a retroactive charge. Scott McLean, a Cape Breton millwright was interned because of dynamite he had in his possession when arrested, dynamite he was using to explode rocks and a manure pile on his farm. John Prossack, from Winnipeg, an elderly Ukrainian charged with membership in the Party, was not in the least involved in politics. Prossack believed that he was interned owing to a bad relationship with his former son-in-law, a paid police informer. Muni Taub, a Montreal tailor left the Party at the end of 1939, one of the many Europeans disgusted at the Hitler-Stalin pact. Nevertheless, motives given for Taub’s internment included his writing for a leftist, Jewish newspaper; his membership in the banned Canadian Labour Defence League, and most of all, Taub’s challenge of the constitutionality of Duplessis’ Padlock Law during the 1930s."

- Michael Martin, The Red Patch: Political Imprisonment in Hull, Quebec during World War 2. Self-published, 2007. p. 124-131

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thatndginger · 7 months ago

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For the art-themed OC ask game,

Pastels

Guernica

Creative!

aaa thank you so much for the ask my dear!

Pastels: Give me three colors that best represent your OC. Now give me three colors that your OC likes best. Is there an overlap?

I'm going to give this one to my boy Kerr McKay.

Three colors that represent him: warm, dark brown deep red gold

Three colors Kerr likes best: sky blue bright red navy blue

Weirdly, I always see Kerr in warm tones, and he's usually seen wearing some variation of brown or red (*cough*blood*cough*). He prefers cool colors and especially blues. But he does appreciate a nice red as well when the occasion calls for it.

Guernica: look through a few of your imagery/descriptions in this work. Are they generally straightforward, or are they more "abstract"?

I'd say that descriptions and imagery in Shapeshifter are pretty straightforward. Some of the characters are more likely than others to wax poetic about how they see certain things, but for the most part it's all pretty straightforward. Maybe in the next draft I'll get a little more... creative with them.

Creative!: free space! share something you've been dying to share about your writing! Could be an OC that never gets the limelight, a moment you were proud of, or anything else you'd like to share

Oooh a free space, huh? Hmm, what do I wanna do here? How about this particular moment from a Shapeshifter-adjacent project I've been entertaining myself with?

"At some point, the world narrows to simple things: grey asphalt, white and yellow paint, the gravely hum of a motorcycle engine, the sharp whistle of wind outside a helmet, the sound of breathing.

The road doesn’t end.

Temperance doesn’t stop."

#ask games #it's been so long since I answered an ask #i kinda feel like a feral animal interacting with humans #so apologies if any of this got rambly or abruptly ended :/

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brookstonalmanac · 1 month ago

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Events 11.11 (1920-1980)

1919 – Latvian forces defeat the West Russian Volunteer Army at Riga in the Latvian War of Independence. 1921 – The Tomb of the Unknowns is dedicated by US President Warren G. Harding at Arlington National Cemetery. 1923 – Adolf Hitler is arrested in Munich for high treason for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch. 1926 – The United States Numbered Highway System is established. 1930 – Patent number US1781541 is awarded to Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd for their invention, the Einstein refrigerator. 1934 – The Shrine of Remembrance is opened in Melbourne, Australia. 1940 – World War II: In the Battle of Taranto, the Royal Navy launches the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history. 1940 – World War II: The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis captures top secret British mail from the Automedon, and sends it to Japan. 1942 – World War II: France's zone libre is occupied by German forces in Case Anton. 1942 – The Turkish parliament passes the Varlık Vergisi, a capital tax mostly levied on non-Muslim citizens with the unofficial aim to inflict financial ruin on them and end their prominence in the country's economy. 1960 – A military coup against President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam is crushed. 1961 – Thirteen Italian Air Force servicemen, deployed to the Congo as a part of the UN peacekeeping force, are massacred by a mob in Kindu. 1962 – Kuwait's National Assembly ratifies the Constitution of Kuwait. 1965 – Southern Rhodesia's Prime Minister Ian Smith unilaterally declares the colony independent as the unrecognised state of Rhodesia. 1965 – United Air Lines Flight 227 crashes at Salt Lake City International Airport, killing 43. 1966 – NASA launches Gemini 12. 1967 – Vietnam War: In a propaganda ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, three American prisoners of war are released by the Viet Cong and turned over to "new left" antiwar activist Tom Hayden. 1968 – Vietnam War: Operation Commando Hunt initiated. The goal is to interdict men and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh trail, through Laos into South Vietnam. 1972 – Vietnam War: Vietnamization: The United States Army turns over the massive Long Binh military base to South Vietnam. 1975 – Australian constitutional crisis of 1975: Australian Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismisses the government of Gough Whitlam, appoints Malcolm Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister and announces a general election to be held in early December. 1975 – Independence of Angola. 1977 – A munitions explosion at a train station in Iri, South Korea kills at least 56 people.

#Events

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mysterymirrors · 8 months ago

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: FOR @ktothehill - Victoria's Secret Colorful/Navy Sailboat Bikini - S.

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kichisaburo3 · 5 months ago

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Miranda Kerr Model Pose Cutie in Navy Color Bikini on Bearch Reblogged

TAG of Miranda Kerr in my Tumblr https://kichisaburo3.tumblr.com/tagged/Miranda Kerr

29 JULY 2024 Monday

#Miranda Kerr #model victoria secret #victoria secret model #reblogged #Top Model #model

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nfliplnews · 2 years ago

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[ad_1] NEW DELHI: After powering the Women's Premier League to an electrifying start with a scintillating 65-run knock against Gujarat Giants in the opener at Navi Mumbai on Saturday, Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur said leadership brings the best out of her.Kaur's onslaught and her 89-run stand for the fourth wicket with Amelia Kerr powered Mumbai Indians to 207/5, and their bowlers outclassed Gujarat Giants by dismissing them for just 64 to record a 143-run win.The @ImHarmanpreet-led @mipaltan are off the mark in the #TATAWPL in style! #MI win the opening game against #GG… https://t.co/eCtwHjUymW— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) 1677951962000The right-handed batter told the media after the game that captaincy brings out the best from her.She said, "I have been captaining teams from about the time I started playing cricket, it does not bring any extra pressure on me but makes me feel more involved. I get into a zone which helps me bring out good performances.""I am someone who thinks a lot; my mind is continuously (in the process of) thinking, giving thoughts and ideas to me. I think when I am more calm and in the moment it gives me a lot of clarity (as to) what I have to do.For her incredible captain's knock of 65(30), skipper @ImHarmanpreet bagged the Player of the Match award 👏👏 #GGvMI… https://t.co/Gd8ybJpjef— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) 1677952903000"It is not easy for me to be in that zone is not easy for me but I have to just keep talking to myself, I do not need to think too much, just stay in the present and keep backing myself," Kaur explained.Kaur said that adapting quickly to the pitch was key to her team's win."You never enter a game thinking it will be a one-sided contest," she said."You always come in with the mindset that you cannot take the opposition lightly. What our bowling department did today was something worth appreciating. I think we got a good start and when that happens you can continue with it."Almost all deliveries were spot on - when we were batting we were able to figure out which areas to bowl. Our bowlers adapted quickly and (that's why) it looked like a one-sided game," Kaur added.On her way to the half-century, Kaur struck 14 boundaries."When I am in that zone I am more clear which are the areas I have to pick. Things get easier for me in this zone and today I think it was one of those days when I was more relaxed because the team is so brilliant, everyone is so positive. We are all backing each other," added Kaur, revealing that she only got one day to train for the WPL.We were outplayed: RanaGujarat Giants vice-captain Sneh Rana admitted that her side was outplayed in all departments but there was no reason to feel let down after they made plenty of mistakes in the field and with the ball which allowed Mumbai Indians to run away with the contest.Rana said, "The atmosphere was a lot different and it was a big match for a lot of people. We have a lot of players from the domestic circuit."Yes, fielding played a major role in today's match and I think it is a learning (experience) for all of us. There are some who soak in the atmosphere quickly, but some others take their time."The Safari Powerful Striker of the Match award for the match between @GujaratGiants and @mipaltan goes to Hayley M… https://t.co/5XoIGoTpY2— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) 1677956767000"We will speak about the mistakes that we made after this game. But we have given a clear message to all the players that they need to keep their heads high all the time. The tournament has just begun now, we need to cheer up. We will come back stronger," she added.Rana said Gujarat Giants never lost the intent despite being outmatched."We got left behind in all the departments. All the girls cooperated with each other nicely, we lost a lot of wickets at the start but our intent was always there to change the target," she said.Rana heaped praise on Kaur's innings in the first half of the match.Electrifying, memorable and iconic 👏👏We have got the action-packed opening game of the #TATAWPL summed up for you… https://t.co/yorQWH90wO— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) 1677989002000"She played incredibly well, I think for the past few series she has been in great form. This is a great thing for Indian cricket. The way she showcased her class today, the way she played a captain's innings, it was brilliant," Rana expressed.There was, however, no update on Beth Mooney's injury which prevented her from coming out to bat again."It is yet to be updated by the physio," Rana said.(With PTI inputs)!(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) window.TimesApps = window.TimesApps )( window, document, 'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js', );if(typeof window !== 'undefined') [ad_2] Source link

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deathbyhysteria · 5 years ago

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꧁tobin꧂

mauve’s birthday was coming up and, well, i felt guilty. i knew she’d been struggling for a while now which, though i didn’t understand, i could empathise with.

so, with that in mind, i wanted to make her birthday extra special this year. i was going to plan her a surprise birthday party and invite every one of her family and friends (and trust me, there are a lot of them).

i’m absolutely not a cook, but i thought i’d put in maximum effort and attempt making her birthday cake myself. it turned out... well, it was no gordon ramsey creation, but it would do.

i researched all the best birthday gift ideas, and i found something that i knew would be perfect for her. heck, maybe it would even be able to solve all our marriage troubles.

but after that, it pretty much all went downhill.

so when i planned for mauve to have one huge picnic in the park with her friends and family, i kinda forgot that it was the middle of winter and wilow creek is rather prone to overnight boughts of snow. i felt somewhat concerned for some of the female guests...

also, stupid me, i forgot to bring the birthday cake which really was the bare minimum that i needed to do. plus i had to do all the cooking since the caterer was aparently “too good” for an outdoor grill and refused to cook without a proper stove.

“mauve, honey, just think of it as a special burger.”

“a what?”

“you know... a special birthday veggie burger. happy birthday...?”

phoenix, as ever, was not helping the situation.

“yeah, can i get two pretzels? this lame excuse for a birthday party can’t even scrounge up a cake.”

i thought that maybe mauve would manage to have a good time, surrounded by everyone most important to her. but the whole time, she just looked... disappointed? troubled? i couldn’t quite place it, but the only thing that was really left to do was to get her home and away from this disaster scene.

i had failed... unless my surprise birthday present managed to pull it out of the bag.

#ts4 #nsb #nsb5 #not so berry #gen 5 #gen 5: plum #tobin le #mauve meyes mills #india jang #aadhya basu #phoenix meyes le #nola leung #navy kerr #matty hutson #heather meyes xul #deathbyhysteria

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divineandmajesticinone · 3 years ago

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VACATION FROM MARRIAGE (1945) | dir. Alexander Korda

Deborah Kerr and Robert Donat play a dull married couple, separated by their enlistment into the Navy during World War II, and who reunite after three years to find that they have become very different people.

“This new emphasis on living life to the full put increasing pressure on existing relationships. And during the [Second World] War marriages broke down in record numbers. The divorce rate multiplied by ten, even though the laws surrounding divorce remained extremely restrictive. Even when both parties wanted the divorce, it wasn’t that easy to get one. The law did allow divorce on the grounds of insanity or desertion, but that was very rarely granted. The quickest way to get a divorce was to go for adultery.” [A Very British Romance with Lucy Worsley, BBC, 2015]

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mirandakerrstyles · 7 years ago

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Super Model:Pink by Miranda Kerr (13/02/2018) by lulys2nano featuring chain handbags

Gucci stripe cardigan / Miu Miu striped off the shoulder top / Jil Sander Navy mid calf skirt / Gianvito Rossi black bootie / Giancarlo Petriglia chain handbag, $1,205

#polyvore #fashion #style #Gucci #Miu Miu #Jil Sander Navy #Gianvito Rossi #Giancarlo Petriglia #Kerr®#clothing #contestentry #NYFWHotPink

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scotianostra · 11 months ago

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January 27th 2004 saw Scotland lose one of our best loved stars in Rikki Fulton.

Robert Kerr "Rikki Fulton was a Scottish comedian and actor best remembered for writing and performing in the long-running BBC Scotland sketch show, Scotch and Wry.

The youngest of three brothers, Robert Kerr Fulton was born into a non-theatrical family at 46 Appin Road, Dennistoun, Glasgow. Fulton completed his education in 1939 and decided to enter the world of acting after a backstage visit at the Glasgow Pavilion Theatre.

In 1941, aged 17, Fulton joined the Royal Navy. The following year he was posted to HMS Ibis, but that November the ship was sunk in the Bay of Algiers. Fulton spent five hours in the water before being rescueHe later joined the Coastal Forces for D-Day, travelling back and forth between Gosport and Arromanches with vital supplies. In 1945, four years after signing up, Fulton was invalided out of the Navy due to blackout, leaving with the rank of sub-lieutenant

In the early 1950s, Fulton moved to London and became the compère of The Show Band Show, working alongside the likes of singer Frank Sinatra.

After a short period, Fulton returned to Scotland to perform for Howard & Wyndham Ltd in

n pantomime from 1956 at the Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow with Jimmy Logan and Kenneth McKellar followed by the "Five Past Eight" summer revues with Stanley Baxter and Fay Lenore. In 1985, under the pseudonym "Rabaith", Fulton, along with Denise Coffey, adapted the French playwright Molière's, Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme as A Wee Touch o' Class.

Alongside his Scotch and Wry co-stars Gregor Fisher and Tony Roper, Fulton made two appearances in Rab C. Nesbitt; once in 1988 and 10 years later in 1998. Although he would reprise his famous Rev I.M Jolly character one last time for a short skit on New Year's Eve 1999 as part of the "Millennium" celebrations. Rikki's early shows include,The Rikki Fulton Show The Five past eight, The Adventures of Francie and Josie but he also acted in various shows like Charles Esquire , Square Mile of Murder, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Bergerac, Local Hero, Gorky Park, Comfort and Joy, The Holy City, The Girl in the Picture, Supergran and the aforementioned Rab C. Nesbitt. Notable Characters Scotch and Wry Supercop a frequently dimwitted traffic cop who rides a motorbike, his trademark is how he removes his goggles (pings off and flies off camera), is often getting into more trouble than those he stops.

Rev. I.M Jolly a very downtrodden and pessimistic minister of the Church of Scotland, presents a fictional show "Last Call" where he has a heart to heart with the audience where he tells them what he has been up to that week. his tone is always low-key and down beat.

Dickie Dandruff owner of "The Fourways Café" also goes by the moniker "The Gallowgate Gourmet" and presents a cooking segment called "Dirty Dick's Delicat'messen" where he prepares food in comedic style from his filthy café kitchen in the Gallowgate area of Glasgow.

Fulton's death sparked numerous dedications in his memory. The then-BBC Scotland Controller, John McCormick, said "he [Fulton] was a legend for people across the whole country."

Fulton's funeral took place six days after his death. In tribute to his Scotch and Wry character Supercop (a police traffic officer), police motorcyclists escorted the funeral cortège as it made its way to Clydebank Crematorium. The Reverend Alastair Symington, who was a close friend of Fulton, led the service, which featured tributes from Fulton's widow Kate Matheson and Tony Roper. Symington had previously collaborated with Fulton on the book, For God's Sake, Ask!. Both Rikki and his Kate were strong supporters of the Scottish SPCA, which received a financial donation following Fulton's funeral. A Scottish SPCA inspector represented the animal welfare organisation at the service.

#scotland #scottish #history #Glasgow #comedian #actor #legend #scotch & wry

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ladyblue-laragazzadelmare · 2 years ago

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How big is a sperm whale?

There are many ways to find out their size.

For example, diving with them and using a really long meter (not recommended, it can be really hard!).

In a more scientific way, you can actually measure stranded animals. This is a highly precise method. Unfortunately, stranding events can happen. On the 20th of September, 14 individuals stranded on King Island, near Australia. Necroscopies and many analyses will be conducted.

With living animals, other cool stuff can be done. Have you ever thought that you can measure them from photographs? Well, you can do it! It's called photogrammetry and it's a matter of comparison between the animal and a predefined measure, usually the distance between two lasers.

And there's a truly amazing methodology that you probably don't know: measuring them from their clicks! Indeed sperm whale's produce a large variety of sounds, including clicks. These are really short sounds, broadband (in frequency) and highly intese (currently, the most intense! They can almost kill a human, but no such events have been reported). They can produce these sounds thanks to a complex, unique to this species, nasal apparatus (consisting also of the spermaceti organ). You can see a representation in the second picture (Caruso et al., 2015). Amazing right? Dotted lines represent the way this sounds travel through the organ. All this complex mechanism leads to the emission of the sound infront of their head, consisting of different pulses due to the sound reflection in the air sacs. Actually, the time distance (delay) between two subsequent pulses can be related to the size of the spermaceti organ, so of the head and finally of the lenght of the animal. Isn't it so cool? So, just recording their sounds, when they echolocate (when they are searching for food) or when they socialize, can give us the opportunity to measure them.

This incredible discovery come from 1972 with Norris and Harvey. In all these years it developed incredibly, with new discoveries, new approaches (like automated ones, so helpful!) and many publications.

This was the core part of what I did for my Master thesis, with data collected in São Miguel Island, Azores. And also thanks to this work, now I am an intern at the Marine Bioacoustics Lab in Aarhus University, under the supervision of one of the greatest names in Bioacoustics and sperm whales' research.

Life can be really unexpected, right?

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀:

Caruso F, Sciacca V, Bellia G, De Domenico E, Larosa G, Papale E, et al. (2015) Size Distribution of Sperm

Whales Acoustically Identified during Long Term Deep-Sea Monitoring in the Ionian Sea. PLoS ONE 10(12): e0144503. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144503

Madsen, P. T., Payne, R., Kristiansen, N. U., Wahlberg, M., Kerr, I., & Møhl, B. (2002a). Sperm whale sound

production studied with ultrasound time/depth-recording tags. Journal of Experimental Biology, 205(13), 1899-

1906. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.205.13.1899

Marcolin, C. (2022). Sviluppo di un protocollo acustico a bordo di navi da whale watching per stimare la taglia di Capodogli a largo di São Miguel, Azzorre. Unige. https://unire.unige.it/handle/123456789/4252

Møhl, B. (2001). Sound transmission in the nose of the sperm whale Physeter catodon. A post mortem

study. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 187(5), 335-340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003590100205

Møhl, B., Wahlberg, M., Madsen, P. T., Miller, L. A., & Surlykke, A. (2000). Sperm whale clicks: Directionality and source level revisited. The journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 107(1), 638-648.

Norris, K. S. & Harvey, G. W. A theory for the function of the spermaceti organ of the sperm whale. NASA SP 262,

397–416 (1972). https://ntrs.nasa.gov/.../casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19720017437.pdf

Whitehead, H. (2003). SPERM WHALES. Social Evolution in the Ocean. University of Chicago press. ISBN:

9780226895185

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 / 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶:

Madsen, P. T., Wahlberg, M. & Møhl, B. (2002b) Male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) acoustics in a

high-latitude habitat: implications for echolocation and communication. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 53, 31–41.

Rhinelander, M. Q., & Dawson, S. M. (2004). Measuring sperm whales from their clicks: Stability of interpulse

intervals and validation that they indicate whale length. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 115(4),

1826-1831. http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.1689346

Teloni, V., Zimmer, W. M., Wahlberg, M. and MADSEN, P. T. (2007). 127 Consistent acoustic size estimation

of sperm whales using clicks recorded from unknown aspects. J. Cetacean Res. Manage, 9(2), 127-136.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download...

Watwood, S. L., Patrick J. O. Miller, Johnson, M., Madsen, P. T., & Tyack, P. L. (2006). Deep-Diving Foraging Behaviour

of Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Journal of Animal Ecology, 75(3), 814–825.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3838392

Wahlberg, M. (2002). The acoustic behaviour of diving sperm whales observed with a hydrophone array. Journal

of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 281(1-2), 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-0981(02)00411-2

Ph: Cristina Marcolin.

Nasal apparathus representation (second image) adapted from Caruso F, Sciacca V, Bellia G, De Domenico E, Larosa G, Papale E, et al. (2015) Size Distribution of Sperm

Whales Acoustically Identified during Long Term Deep-Sea Monitoring in the Ionian Sea. PLoS ONE 10(12).

#spermwhale #cetaceans #marineanimals #marinemammals #ocean #marinebiology #oceanphotography #savethewhales #whales #animalphotography #conservation #research #bioacoustics

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serenescribbles · 3 years ago

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Rooftop Breakups

For Jasonette July Free Day

Inspired by "If I Can't Have You" by Shawn Mendes

I swear this isn't as sad as the title makes it out to be. There's a happy ending! So, no need to bring the tissue box out!

This is sort of an unconventional songfic I guess, because the song doesn't really start until the end of the fic.

Word Translations(according to Google Translate):

Mi amor: My love

Université: College/University

Connard: Asshole

Salaud: Bastard

CW: Swearing, Mentions of Sex(Non-Explicit), Panic Attacks

The panic attack starts with the sentence:

"If she hadn’t done anything wrong, then why was Jason avoiding her?"

And it ends with:

"The noise momentarily pulled Marinette out of the deep, dark abyss that she had somehow fallen into as she felt around for her phone."

The first and last words will also be in bold so it stands out.

AO3 | Masterlist

一

Marinette sighed, when she opened the door to her shared apartment only to find it completely empty.

She just got home from her studio, where she did business as MDC and designed clothes.

Stepping inside the apartment, Marinette closed the door behind her with a faint kerr-tch. Slipping her shoes off and hanging her jacket on the coat rack, Marinette trudged to the kitchen for a cup of delicious tea.

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Clutching her warm cup of tea protectively, Marinette cautiously made her way to the navy blue armchair positioned right in front of the fireplace in the living room.

Nuzzling into the soft fur of the armchair, Marinette brought her mug to her lips.

A rich aroma wafted up to her nose as she took a sip. Slurp! The tea was scorching, but it provided a sort of comfort to the young woman especially after the day she’d had.

Marinette huffed in annoyance, ‘Today was absolutely terrible!’

To start, she had been woken up abruptly by her alarm after going to bed late the previous night. Then, when she turned on her side in a desperate attempt to ignore the ringing blaring from her phone, Marinette discovered that Jason wasn’t in bed.

Believing he had already gotten up and was in the kitchen making breakfast, Marinette dragged herself out of bed to get ready for the day.

However, she was sorely disappointed when she walked down the stairs and instead of being greeted by Jason in his Ladybug apron that she’d made for him, there was a plate of food on the kitchen counter along with a note.

Downing the cup of coffee Jason had brewed for her, Marinette glanced over his note.

It read:

“Good morning, mi amor! I’m sorry but something came up with Kori and Roy so I needed to rush over to them. I hope you don’t mind! Have a good day! <3 -The Most Handsomest Man in the World”

Marinette had recalled snorting at the last bit but still feeling a little disappointed.

Normally, she didn’t mind when Jason suddenly had to leave because of Kori and Roy. She’d done it herself a couple of times whenever one of her Court suddenly messaged her.

It was just, today was their three year anniversary, and she wasn’t expecting Jason to go off at the single sign of trouble.

Aside from her disappointing morning, Marinette had also had trouble at work.

When she first arrived at her studio, her secretary, Mia, greeted her nervously, exclaiming there was a customer who demanded to speak with her. After finally managing to calm Mia down, Marinette got on the phone.

A litany of complaints from whoever was on the other side of the call followed not even a second after Marinette had first said, “Hello?”

The woman on the other end went on a long tirade that nearly made Marinette’s ears fall off!

When she finally finished and was waiting for Marinette to speak, she almost called the woman “Mrs. Karen” before realizing who she was talking to. The woman was Mrs. Williams, and she had commissioned Marinette a few days ago for a large order.

As much as Marinette would’ve liked to yell back at the Karen, she realized doing so would cost her a lot of money. So, biting back her anger and frustration, Marinette answered Mrs. Williams in her customer-service voice that she reserved for especially troubling customers.

Apparently, Mrs. Williams hadn’t liked the sketches for the clothes Marinette had sent her yesterday. And now, Mrs. Williams was demanding that it all be changed even though she still wanted it ready by next week.

Redesigning all of the clothes would take at least a month, given that her staff had already started working on making the clothes and because of how large Mrs. Williams’ order was.

Marinette had tried to make Mrs. Williams see reason but she was not to be deterred.

After a few hours of negotiating, Marinette and Mrs. Williams were able to come to an agreement. Half of Mrs. Williams’ original commission would remain unchanged while the rest would all be redesigned.

Mrs. Williams had taken up so much of her time that Marinette was unable to eat lunch at all that day. She only sustained herself by eating small snacks that she kept stored in one of her desk drawers for emergencies.

Bringing herself back to the present, Marinette groaned out loud.

Although Marinette had been able to talk Mrs. Williams down from changing all of the designs, redesigning just half of them would still be a pain.

Such a large change would require all hands on deck, so Marinette begrudgingly set her tea down onto a nearby table to get up from her seat to grab her laptop that was still in her bag where she’d left it at the front door.

Settling back down, Marinette logged into her laptop and fired off an email to all of her employees about the change in Mrs. Williams’ order.

Slamming her laptop shut, Marinette leaned back in her armchair. There was no doubt about it, she would most definitely be pestered about the change by her staff when she came in for work the next day.

Wishing to seek solace in somebody, Marinette picked her phone up from its position right next to her mug on the table.

Shooting a text off to Jason, Marinette sat up straight in anticipation when Jason’s status said he was typing a message.

After waiting for what felt like 5 minutes, Jason finally sent a text, stating that he was busy with something after her request of calling him.

Although there was nobody to see it, Marinette visibly drooped at Jason’s obvious dismissal. Deep inside, Marinette felt extremely hurt.

Has she done something wrong? Is that why Jason was so distant today? Was it also why he didn’t acknowledge their anniversary today?

Replaying all of their interactions from the past few weeks, Marinette’s mind drew up blanks. But what she did find was that he was distant with her in the past few weeks, too.

If she hadn’t done anything wrong, then why was Jason avoiding her? Had he found someone else? Was heー was he planning on breaking up with her today?

No!

Jason wouldn’t do that! There were no problems with their relationship! The thing he was working on with Kori and Roy was just really time consuming!

“Still,” a traitorous part of her brain hissed. “Just because he’s busy doesn’t warrant him being so cold to you.”

Curling up into a ball on the armchair and covering her ears with her hands, Marinette frantically shook her head in denial.

Even as her brain flooded her with images of Jason hooking up with some other woman, Jason complaining about her, telling another woman that he planned to break up with her, and telling someone else other than her that he loved them.

No! No! NO!

She needed to stop thinking thoughts like these lest she start spiraling.

For a moment, a tiny part of her was panic laden with the thought that she might attract an akuma.

Immediately, both hands shot up to her ears, to feel for earrings that weren’t there.

Oh no! Ohnoohnoohno! Where was Tikki? How did she lose her? Did Hawkmoth already have her earrings? If he had her earrings, did he also have Chat’s ring?

She had one job, and it was to keep her earrings safe. But she’d failed, she’d failed everyone. And now, the fate of the world was now in Hawkmoth’s hands.

Marinette’s chest tightened, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She let out a low, whining sound from her position on the armchair when her phone lit up and started ringing.

The noise momentarily pulled Marinette out of the deep, dark abyss that she had somehow fallen into as she felt around for her phone.

In her panic induced haze, her phone had fallen from her lap and onto the ground. Thankfully, it wasn’t cracked.

Glancing at the Caller ID, Marinette quickly accepted the call seeing as it was from Adrien.

Before Adrien could say anything, Marinette had to ask him.

“Adrien, Hawkmoth isn’t back, right?”

“Maribug, what do you meー”

“And you still have Plagg and Tikki?”

“Along with the rest of the miraculous in the Miracle Box. They’re all safely hidden in a place only I know about. Now, enough about them, how are you? I can feel your panic and terror even from all the way here in London.” Adrien, soothed.

He wasn’t lying. Adrien could feel her emotions, but only the negative ones. And her vice versa. It was a side effect from wearing the miraculous for so long and being in perfect balance with each other.

This sixth sense that they both shared had helped Marinette multiple times when it was first revealed that Adrien’s father, no, this man didn’t qualify as Adrien’s anything, when Gabriel was revealed to be Hawkmoth, Adrien had trouble coping for the first few months and had needed Marinette to calm him down.

“M’Lady? Are you still there?”

Adrien’s caring tone tore Marinette away from her musings and she replied back, “Yeah, sorry, I was just… thinking.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me about your thoughts? It’ll make you feel better.”

Adrien’s comforting manner was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Taking in a deep, shuddering, mouthful of air, Marinette told him all about her terrible day. But she was careful to leave out the details about Jason, after all, her thoughts were only suppositions.

Throughout her talk, Marinette slowly relaxed her position until she was sitting normally in the armchair again. But when she told Adrien about her panic attack, and when Adrien’s tone turned worried, she started curling up into a ball again.

“Oh Mari, you know he isn’t back, and he will never return.”

“I know, I just, it’s just hard, you know? After enduring four years of him, it’s hard to let go of old habits.”

“Yeah,” Adrien wholeheartedly agreed. “I know.”

The pair talked for a few more minutes before Adrien interrupted Marinette’s rambling with a yawn. She immediately bit her lower lip and began to apologize for keeping him up so late.

Marinette told Adrien they should end their conversation here for now so he could get some sleep.

“It’s fine,” Adrien reassured.

But Marinette insisted. She felt so guilty for disturbing Adrien when he needed to be sleeping, especially since he had his own business to run in the morning.

Looking at the time, Marinette was genuinely surprised. Was it really 5:30 right now? She remembered getting home at around 3, so she had been talking to Adrien for roughly 2 hours and a half!

Although talking with Adrien had uplifted her, this thought brought her down once more. In the entire two hours and a half that she’d been chatting with Adrien, Jason still hadn’t come home.

Shaking her head, Marinette banished all thoughts of Jason from her mind. Just then, Marinette was interrupted by her growling stomach.

Embarrassed, for the first time today, Marinette was actually glad that Jason wasn’t home, so he wouldn’t bear witness to her grumbling stomach.

Finally getting up from her position in the armchair, Marinette’s feet went, thud-thud-thud, as they padded against the wooden floor while Marinette made her way to the refrigerator in the kitchen.

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Placing her dirty plate into the dishwasher, Marinette sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Too lazy to cook anything, Marinette simply ordered take out.

While she was eating, alone at the kitchen counter, Marinette fired off another text to Jason. Only this time, he didn’t respond. He didn’t even receive the message!

By now, Marinette was tired of hoping that Jason would come home and sweep her off her feet with some amazing anniversary gift. She wasn’t even sure he would come home at all!

After she finished putting away everything, Marinette lethargically made her way to the living room.

This time, instead of sitting in the dark blue armchair positioned in the corner, she plopped down onto the emerald green couch smack dab in the middle of the room.

Leaning against the side of the couch, Marinette grabbed a stray pillow and hugged it tightly to her chest.

Marinette didn’t even realize she’d started crying until she felt a drip of something on her arm.

Looking down, there were more splatters of tears on her arms that dripped down when she moved them.

This was not how she imagined her three year anniversary with Jason to go.

She’d expected that in the morning, she would wake up to Jason making crȇpes and then they would sit together at the kitchen countertop, eating until Marinette had to go for work. Then, the two of them would go their separate ways until she arrived home.

Since Marinette always made it home before Jason, that would give her ample time to prepare her gift. And when Jason came home, they would go out to some restaurant for dinner, then take a walk around Gotham, before going back to their apartment.

While in their apartment, Jason would go off for his nightly shower, and Marinette would change into her gift.

Coming out of the shower, he would be greeted by her in some Red Hood lingerie that she’d made herself.

Recently, Marinette was debating whether or not she should add lingerie and the like to the type of clothes MDC provided and she thought, who better than to test it out with Jason?

Then, the two of them would make love to each other throughout the night, finally falling asleep in each other’s arms.

No longer able to withhold her sobs, Marinette let out loud, sorrowful wails, as she thought about what could’ve been.

Just then, her phone pinged! She’d gotten a notification that someone had sent her a text. Opening her phone, Marinette saw it was from Jason.

He’d sent her one single vague text:

“Come up to the rooftop of our apartment”

Hands trembling, Marinette sat her phone down by her side as she looked up to the sky, as if that would give her an answer.

What did Jason mean by his text?

This whole day, they’d barely talked and when they did, she was the one who initiated it.

Oh my kwami, was he going to break up with her on the rooftop? The place where they’d first met?

Marinette vividly remembered their first encounter as it was the night that changed her life forever.

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Marinette had just moved to Gotham after completing Université in France.

When asked why by her friends, if you could still call them that after Lila sunk her claws into them, and her parents, Marinette didn’t know how to respond.

It was just something deep in her bones that thrummed and gave her body a rush of excitement whenever she thought of going to Gotham.

Adrien understood her, as co-Guardian of the Miracle Box, he received the same internal instincts and those were what drove him to go to London with his aunt and cousin Félix after Gabriel was revealed to be Hawkmoth.

Although he understood her reasons, he couldn’t help but be worried about her safety. Gotham was nicknamed the City of Crime, after all.

Yet, despite his concerns, and the concerns of others, Marinette still went to Gotham.

Internally, she herself was worried for her safety although she spent years as Ladybug and knew how to fight in her civilian form.

However, she’d seen first hand just how bad things could get if you ever ignored your Guardian instincts.

Take Master Fu for example.

When he’d accidentally destroyed the temple in Tibet, he had a gut feeling right before he donned the peacock miraculous that if he continued, something bad would happen.

Alas, he ignored his instincts and that left him as the only surviving member of the Order of the Guardians, before he inducted Marinette and she inducted Adrien, of course.

Arriving in Gotham, Marinette bought an apartment building so there would be no one else to disturb her. It’s not like she couldn’t afford it, what with her savings from being MDC along with Adrien and Jagged and Clara all insisting they help her pay for wherever she chose to live.

After the first few weeks of settling in and situating her apartment just the way she liked it, Marinette felt like a full-fledged Gothamite.

One night, Marinette couldn’t quite get the design of a commission she’d gotten right, so she’d decided to take inspiration from the Gotham night sky.

Climbing up the stairs that led to the open rooftop, Marinette opened the door and was met with a cool breeze.

Sitting down near the edge of the rooftop, Marinette let her legs dangle for a bit while enjoying the view.

Gotham really was different at night. Say what you will about the city, but you couldn’t deny the special type of beauty it had.

During the day, the city bustled with cars honking and flashing lights. There was lots of foot traffic on the streets and every day, hundreds of people with different cultures and backgrounds interacted with each other.

Gotham city at night however, was a whole different story. During the day, Gotham is what all Gothamites call home. But at night, this is Batman’s city. There’s some sort of dark energy pulsing through the ground, through every single building and home, and even the tiniest of cracks and crevices.

This is when the criminals pounce, after waiting patiently all day, they scurry through the streets like rats, under the cover of darkness, carrying out their master plans, taking care to avoid the Bat.

Some are lucky, they escape the night unscathed, but others who are less fortunate, end up in a prison cell for the night, some for multiple nights.

Tonight, the BatSignal is projected far up into the sky, from the rooftop of the building of the Gotham City Police Department.

Far off in the distance, Marinette can barely make out the tiny figures of Batman and Robin, grappling away, towards the signal. Marinette pities them for a moment, for on this night, the duo will have far more to worry about than just petty criminals.

Finished with her observation of Gotham city, inspiration strikes Marinette. She knows what to design now!

Marinette immerses herself in her designs as she sketches idea after idea of clothes that embody the Gotham night sky.

However, Marinette is brought out of her designing haze when she hears a soft thud on the same rooftop she is vacating.

Stiffening for a moment, Marinette forcibly relaxes her posture, so the other person on this rooftop does not know she is aware of them.

As they slowly and cautiously approach her, Marinette waits for them to come closer. Wait for it… and… NOW! Marinette grabs the arms of the mysterious person and pins them behind their back.

When she’s successfully immobilized them, Marinette finally gets a good look at the mysterious person.

But when she sees who it is, Marinette springs back in surprise. “Mon dieu! I just attacked the Red Hood!”

It’s not hard to tell who it is. For one, the red helmet makes it very obvious who it is.

The Red Hood groans a little as he pushes himself off of the rooftop ground and straightens up. “Fucking shit! What’d you do that for, lady?”

Marinette flushed, and she stammered, “W-well, it’s not my fault someone decided to try and sneak up on me! What was I supposed to do? Let you get the drop on me? I should think not!” Marinette finished hotly.

“Look, miss, I’m sorry for sneaking up on you. I honestly thought you were going to jump. But where’d you learn a move like that?!?”

“After living in Paris, I picked up a thing or two.”

The Red Hood asked, “What the hell happened in Paris?” Then he shook his head. “No, nevermind that. What’s a young woman like you moving from the City of Love to the City of Crime?”

“Why should I tell you? It’s not like I know who you are. Why would I tell a complete stranger my private information?”

“Touché. I suppose you’ve got me there. But, if you weren’t going to jump, then what are you doing up here?”

“Well, I’m a fashion designer, and I recently got a commission. But I couldn’t get any inspiration so I thought getting some fresh air would help my thoughts flow.”

“What happened to not telling complete strangers private information about yourself?”

“Oh! Be quiet, you!”

“Can I see your designs?”

“Sure!”

But just as Marinette motioned to show the Red Hood her designs, he held up a finger signaling for her to wait a moment.

“Red Hood, do you copy?”

“I hear ya, Oracle. Whaddya want? And why’d you hack into my helmet?”

“Well, you suddenly turned your comms off and I needed to talk to you. Now I see why you turned them off.”

Marinette blushed a little and she had a little feeling that under his helmet, the Red Hood was blushing too.

“You better not tell the others about this. And again, what do you want?”

“Of course not! Batman and Robin need your help. For some unknown reason, Ivy and Harley are causing trouble in Robinson Park.”

“Can’t N or RR help instead?”

“They’re already there.”

Then his earpiece goes dead again while the Red Hood mutters some curses that Marinette didn’t dare repeat.

Turning back to her, Marinette tried to make it seem like she hadn’t just heard the conversation.

The Red Hood said, “Sorry ‘bout that, there’s something I need to do. How about I look at your designs another day? Rain check?”

“It’s totally fine,” Marinette readily assured him. “The life of an antihero, am I right?”

“Yeah. Would the day after tomorrow night be suitable for you?”

“It would.”

“Great! It’s a date! I guess I’ll see you then!” And then the Red Hood proceeded to grapple away to Robinson Park, leaving Marinette behind, totally flustered at his parting words.

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Marinette’s phone pinged a second time.

Again, it was a message from Jason:

“Are you coming?”

She replied:

“Yes”

Although Marinette said she was coming, a part of her was dreading what she would see when she made it to the rooftop.

Would she be met with a stone cold Jason, asking her to break up with him?

Marinette’s heart couldn’t bear it, not wanting her memory of the rooftop to be tainted by the feeling she’d have if Jason actually did ask to break up.

Despite Marinette’s reluctance to, still, she made her way upstairs, and then to the stairs that led up to the rooftop.

She took care to savor every step, wanting to buy as much time as she could before being forced to face the truth.

Opening the door, Marinette stepped out onto the rooftop, looking everywhere for Jason, but it was pitch black.

Suddenly, music starts playing from an unknown source and Marinette is finally able to see the rooftop.

“I can't write one song that's not about you. Can't drink without thinkin' about you. Is it too late to tell you that everything means nothing if I can't have you?”

Looking across the rooftop, scattered on the ground are the petals of red roses and hundreds of wax scented candles. Not only that, strung up on the poles on the rooftop are fairy lights that flicker in tune with the music.

It was breathtaking, the light from the candles cast a shadow which made everything look ethereal.

“I'm in Toronto and I got this view, but I might as well be in a hotel room, yeah. It doesn't matter 'cause I'm so consumed, spending all my nights reading texts from you.”

Marinette definitely wasn’t expecting this when she came up to the rooftop.

For kwami's sake, she’d been fully prepared for a break up!

Now, Marinette wasn’t quite sure what Jason was trying to achieve here.

“Oh, I'm good at keeping my distance. I know that you're the feeling I'm missing. You know that I hate to admit it, but everything means nothing if I can't have you!”

Still utterly confused, Marinette falters for a moment, at first she thought it was just the plain old song playing, but is that Jason's voice?!? She never knew Jason had such talent in singing!

His voice was baritone and very rich. Every word he sang flowed with the others in perfect harmony. It was silky and he could reach both the high notes and the low notes.

Jason’s voice truly was a delightful sound.

“I'm trying to move on, forget you, but I hold on. Everything means nothing, everything means nothing, babe. I'm trying to move on, forget you, but I hold on. Everything means nothing if I can't have you, no.”

At this point, Marinette just stood on the rooftop dumbfounded. Her mind was completely blank.

Was this Jason’s anniversary gift to her?

But she didn’t dare to hope, after all of her worries of him cheating on her.

“I can't write one song that's not about you. Can't drink without thinkin' about you. Is it too late to tell you that everything means nothing if I can't have you?”

Just then, Marinette felt a ghost of a hand on her right shoulder. Turning right, there was no one there!

And then she felt a tap on her left shoulder. Again, there was no one.

But then, there was a light sensation of a hand trailing down her back. This time, Marinette didn’t hesitate and she whirled around, only to miss whoever it was.

But they left her with a parting whisper in her ear, “Missed me…”

“I can't write one song that's not about you. Can't drink without thinking about you. Is it too late to tell you that everything means nothing if I can't have you?”

With that, the music stopped, and the fairy lights turned normal again. The song and Jason’s voice were both beautiful.

Marinette felt a presence in her ear, and it whispered, “Look at the sky.”

Marinette shuddered, the voice had left behind a tingling sensation in her ear and she could still feel a ghost of warm breath. Nevertheless, Marinette tilted her head to look at the night sky.

As soon as she did, fireworks went off. The first few were absolutely astonishing, Marinette would have to design some clothes after them later. But the next was truly surprising.

The red and blue fireworks seemed to spell out something, and squinting her eyes, Marinette read, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you marry me?”

The moment those words came out of her mouth, Marinette gasped.

Was this Jason’s plan all along? He was going to propose to her on their three year anniversary?

This must have been why he was so “busy” as of late! He was coordinating with others on how to propose to her! Though it was most likely Kori and Roy.

He was probably also taking the time to learn the lyrics to the song and how to sing! And that’s why he got up so early today, because he was setting up everything for this moment!

A clearing of the throat brought Marinette out of her pondering. Turning back, Marinette was greeted with the sight of Jason kneeling in front of her, a tiny box in his hand.

“Ahem, Marinette, I know I’m not the best person. I’ve made many mistakes and I will continue to do so. I’m not exactly the easiest to get along with either. But despite all my faults, you’ve stayed with me through thick and thin, even when I act pig-headed and we argue.

I honestly don’t know why you choose to stay with me. You are an angel, and you always bring a smile to my face. Me. You’re too good for the world, you’re too good for me.

Two years ago, we met for the first time at this exact same spot. That night changed my life. Before I met you, I was miserable. I wasn’t living, I was just surviving every passing day. My life had no other purpose than being the Red Hood.

But being with you changed that, it changed me. You taught me how to appreciate even the littlest things in life, and you introduced me to things I would’ve never known about before. Not to mention how grateful I am that you helped me reconnect with my family.

Youー” Jason’s breath hitches and he swallows.

“You’ve done so much for me, while I feel like I’ve done absolutely nothing for you.

And while I can’t promise you that we’ll never fight or that I won’t make mistakes, I can promise you that no matter what, I will always be there to support you and pick you back up again when you go down. That is, if you’ll have me.”

Shocked speechless, there was nothing else Marinette could do other than to throw herself around Jason. Whispering, “Yes, yes, oh God yes!”

As Jason wrapped his hands around her waist, Marinette was glad that Jason wasn’t breaking up with her. She’d been so scared, believing that this would be the end of their relationship. Marinette was so glad that it turned out Jason was actually proposing to heー

WAIT.

Suddenly pulling back from Jason, he looked at her with a questioning look on his face.

Staring into his stupid, too beautiful blue-green eyes, Marinette trembled with rage.

Marinette's eyes were watering with tears while internally, she was fuming. Her fingers were itching to do something, to hit something.

Before Jason could say anything, a loud, resounding SMACK! could be heard echoing throughout the area.

“Yeow! What the bloody hell was that for, Marinette?” Jason asked, as he cradled his right cheek tenderly with both his hands.

Marinette stuttered. “Youー you absolute connard! You made me think you were cheating on me!

Do you know how hurt I felt when I woke up in the morning and you weren’t there?!?

Then, throughout the day, I thought you’d forgotten our anniversary! I ended up eating dinner all by myself!

Salaud!

And you want to know what I thought when you asked me to come up to the rooftop? I thought you were going to break up with me!”

Marinette burst into tears. “I-I thought you were g-going to leave me! And that you would eventually go around calling another woman mi amor and telling her you love her!”

Marinette pounded her fists mercilessly against Jason’s chest. He slowly lowered his hands from his cheek and pulled Marinette into a tight embrace.

“Shh, shh. You know I would never do that to you, right?” Jason said in a soothing tone. “I didn’t realize I made you feel that way. See, this is another example of a mistake I made!”

Marinette couldn’t stop the little hysterical snort that escaped from her mouth.

Jason clasped both of her cheeks with his hands and pulled her face towards him, forcing her to look him straight in the eye.

Firmly, Jason told her, “I will never, ever leave you. Nor will I cheat on you with some other woman. I already told you, you are the only one for me, and that will never change.”

Then, Jason pulled her in for a kiss. Moaning against his lips, while Jason’s tongue teased hers, Marinette knew that his words were without a doubt, true.

一

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