#I am so furious about it. nobody asked her to do any of that!

[howtobeamagicalgirl]

The assistant manager was bitchy about my classroom being messy and unorganized while I was out sick, and apparently, while I was gone, she set out a bucket of toys that were set aside for outdoor play (visibly covered in dirt), put out a teaching tool as a toy (pieces now scattered around the room), and put paper and borders up on my bulletin boards (with staples, which aren't allowed in my classroom. We have to use tape. And now there are staples all over my classroom carpets).

#ranntics #I am so furious about it. nobody asked her to do any of that! #the toys on the top of the cubbies aren't ''clutter'' they're in a bucket and located by the door #so I can grab them on my way out #the teddy bear is not for them to run around with it is a social emotional tool. it says that on the bear. #and she didn't even clean up after the kids left toys were scattered everywhere and the floor hadn't been mopped #did she think I was going to come in and do it? who did she think was responsible for cleaning in that situation? #I'm so pissed off

[harunayuuka2060]

Twst Unveil Event Part 1

Yuurin: Hello, Philomela. Why have you called—

Philomela: WHY HAVE I CALLED?!!

Yuurin: ...

Philomela: YOU KNOW WHY!

Yuurin: Calm down yourself. And no, I have no idea why.

Philomela: *breathes in*

Philomela: Yuurin, the wrestling competition is approaching.

Yuurin: Is it?

Philomela: Yes. AND I CAN'T FIND ANYONE TO FIGHT YOU!

Philomela: A BUNCH OF COWARDS!

Philomela: Calling themselves descendants of Hercules! Ha!

Yuurin: ...

Yuurin: So why have you called?

Philomela: Well, do you think you can invite some of your schoolmates over?

Philomela: You know, to have a friendly match with you.

Yuurin: I will try—

Philomela: Great! I will write to your headmage! *hangs up*

Yuurin: ...

Deuce: A wrestling competition?

Yuurin: Yes. It's an annual event in the Kingdom of Heroes.

Ace: Wow. So, what's the problem?

Yuurin: Nobody wants to participate.

Ace and Deuce: Huh?

Ace: Aren't people there incredibly strong?

Yuurin: *nods*

Deuce: Then why don't they want to join?

Yuurin: ...

Yuurin: I've defeated most of them.

Ace and Deuce: !!!

Ace: Y-You don't say...

Yuurin: That's why my trainer, Philomela, was furious.

Yuurin: That wrestling competition is her only entertainment in life.

Ace and Deuce: Hmm...

Ace: And I'm guessing you need students to bring into this competition?

Yuurin: Yes.

Ace: Oh geez. I would like to help you, but I'm busy.

Yuurin: Oh, it's fine. I'm not thinking of inviting you.

Ace: ...

Deuce: Pft— So, anyone in mind?

Yuurin: Yes. I'm thinking of approaching them after recess.

Floyd: Damselfish~! What brings you here~?

Yuurin: Good afternoon, Floyd-senpai. Can I invite you to a wrestling competition—

Floyd: Yes~.

Yuurin: ...

Floyd: Do I get to fight you~?

Yuurin: Yes.

Floyd: Okay~. Is there anything else?

Yuurin: You're free to bring Jade-senpai or Azul-senpai with you.

Epel: I want to go!

Vil: It's a wrestling competition, Epel. You'll be crushed before you even started.

Yuurin: ...

Yuurin: You can tag along if you want.

Yuurin: But I prefer if Rook-senpai will participate.

Rook: It's a pleasure to be invited by you, Monsieur Tranquille!

Vil: Yes. Rook will be ideal for this type of event. He will not disappoint you.

Epel: Can I go though?!

Vil: You don't have any business there.

Epel: Come on! It's the Kingdom of Heroes!

Vil: ...

Vil: Fine. Yuurin, as long as you promise me to look after Epel.

Yuurin: *nods*

Epel: Yes!

Rook: *chuckles*

Sebek: I AM NOT PARTICIPATING!

Silver: *who has already accepted the offer* Why not?

Sebek: Hmph! My job is to serve My liege. And I have no time for this senseless competition you have.

Silver and Yuurin: ...

Yuurin: I see.

Yuurin: It seems I shouldn't have relied on Malleus-senpai's word.

Yuurin: Only Silver fits the description of strong and worthy opponent.

Silver: Malleus is invited to watch and he recommended both of us.

Yuurin: It's fine, Sebek. I will inform Malleus that you decline.

Sebek: W-Wait! You didn't tell me Waka-sama was invited!

Yuurin: Ideally, dorm leaders are needed to supervise the participating students.

Sebek: Well... I'll be happy to join this event of yours, human!

Yuurin: ...

Sebek: What?

Yuurin: Maybe Lilia-senpai is a better option.

Sebek: Y-You're not wrong, however! I can't possibly disappoint My liege!

Silver: Yes, yes. We understand that.

Leona: Won't your parents watch?

Yuurin: No. They will only ask Philomela for results.

Leona: Tch. I see.

Yuurin: ...

Yuurin: How about you, Leona-senpai?

Leona: ...

Leona: I don't want to see you hurt.

Ruggie: Shishishi! That's right. Leona saw a footage of you fighting and he got mad seeing you injured.

Yuurin: Oh. I was only a beginner that time.

Leona: Is that meant to reassure me?

Yuurin: *nods*

Leona: ...

Leona: No, Yuurin. It doesn't.

Ruggie: *laughs*

#twisted wonderland #twst yuurin #twst ace #twst deuce #twst leona #twst epel #twst rook #twst vil #twst floyd #twst sebek #twst silver #twst ruggie #twst oc philomela #twst unveil event

[merrinla]

Lift the Shadow Curse. Cut content. Part I

It was supposed to be one post, but because of the audio limit, I had to split it into two. So this part will be mostly about the portal ritual and the next one will be about other details.

Some of the lines below are in the game, the rest are from the early access patch 8.

During the cycle of development, Halsin has gone through many changes. He was originally just another side npc in the camp, but the community adored him so much that he was promoted to a full companion. Previously his story was more related to the main plot and the Thorm family, but later it was retconned. In the full release Halsin's personal quest is to find and rescue his childhood friend, a fey boy, from the Shadowfell. This special child is the only one who can cure the land from the shadow curse. And according to some files, this quest was previously also different from what we see in the game.

Bones of Contention

Before starting the portal ritual, the player had to find three bones of contention. To do this, it was necessary to defeat three bosses - the Hospital boss, the Tollhouse boss and the Distillery boss.

As we know from the game, these are Malus Thorm, Gerringothe Thorm and Thisobald Thorm.

Ketheric's daughter, Isobel also took part in this quest. The player could give her the bones to research. Who else could help us with the secrets of the Thorm family better than one of them.

After that, you had to bring the bones to Halsin and he crushed them as it was necessary for the ritual.

In the release version this part was replaced with a quest Wake up Art Cullagh.

Thorm blood

There is a flag in the game with an interesting name that isn't used anywhere - "SCL_ShadowCurse_Knows_NeedsBloodOfThorm". Unfortunately, there is no detailed description. So I can only guess.

Most of the flags "SCL_ShadowCurse_..." are related to Halsin's quest. I doubt this one is an exception. If the Thorm bones were part of the portal ritual, then maybe the blood was too. And it's not necessary to kill someone for that. Well, depends on how much blood you need. If we needed a volunteer, then only Isobel comes to mind. According to another flag, the player could ask her about the blood. But again, there's no details.

Maybe the Thorm blood was needed to open the portal (reminds me of DMC3) or lift the curse. Maybe it was Ketheric's blood that was needed because he started it all. And he definitely wouldn't have shared it voluntarily, so it would have ended up in a boss fight. The same as it is in the game. Or something else.

The ritual

Unlike the release version, the player didn't defend the portal, but Halsin while he conducted the ritual. This prayer is longer and has different words. During the combat, his voice was louder and more intense.

The player could interfere with the portal

In the game Halsin repeatedly warns that only he should enter the portal and nobody else.

Now it's important that only I pass through the portal once it opens. The magic is fragile - any mistake, and our one chance will be lost forever.

If there's any interference with the portal, then our one chance is lost forever. And so am I.

Let's begin. Remember what I told you - we won't have a second chance here.

Let's begin. Whatever happens, do not attempt enter the portal, and do not let anything interfere with it.

Even if you want to enter the portal, it won’t work. The scene ends only after Halsin has used the portal himself.

But earlier the player could attempt to enter the portal before Halsin. And it would have collapsed it. Not to mention that this would make Halsin furious and after that he would leave the camp.

Halsin was returning from the Shadowfell through the Shar Temple

The description of one flag says that Halsin explains how to find him after he is entered the Shadowfell. Which means he was returning in a different way than in the game.

And according to some lines it was the Shar Temple.

Once I've entered, go to the Shar Temple and look for a sign of my spirit. I can't say for certain how it'll manifest. But you'll know it when you see it.

Hah. Once I've entered, you must seek the place where Shar is loved the most. Look for a temple dedicated to her. There will be little separating the realms of light and dark in such a place. Once you find it, look for a sign of my spirit. I can't say for certain how it will manifest, but you'll know it when you see it.

I don't know exactly how the player was supposed to find Halsin (Halsin didn't know that either). But it seems he must have seen you or something that he could see with your help. In the game, right before the ritual begins, Halsin says "You are the beacon that will guide me home." I guess we really are.

I see you! Hold on! The path home is becoming clear!

Nearly there! Just hold on a little longer!

And when did he finally succeed, there was no limit to his happiness.

It worked. Oakfather's mossy beard, it worked!

Better than alive, triumphant!

Oh, my friend. I think my embrace would break you in two, such is my gratitude. But as you can see, my hands are full... [with Thaniel]

After which, it seems he went with Thaniel not to the camp but to the Last Light Inn. Maybe because Isobel's magic protected this place from shadows.

But now, I can tend to him, and the recovery can begin. Find us at Last Light, and thank you. The sun will soon rise over these lands.

Promise

Another part of the portal ritual was the dagger Promise that Halsin gave to the player. And we could even ask him about this weapon.

I've heard the theory that the dagger could be a beacon for Halsin. But, alas, I couldn't find any more information other than a brief description.

A leafy pattern is carved into the dagger's blade. It glows faintly in the dark.

I wonder if this weapon has its own story as the glaive Sorrow.

The dagger is still in the game, but you can only add it to your inventory via the console.

-----

Well, this is too much for one side quest (3 bosses + Shar Temple), so I understand why they changed it. I don't think Halsin was a companion in this version yet. Otherwise, he would have joined the party only at the end of Act 2.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 spoilers #bg3 spoilers #halsin #bg3 datamine #bg3 voicelines

[naavispider]

Spider + recom squad headcanons because @hyperfixatedfandomer got me inspired ✨

(pic source)

Spider constantly cussing out Quaritch and the other recoms and nobody batting an eyelid

Quaritch secretly loving it because even though those are some spicy insults, Spider is obviously comfortable enough in his presence to say them

(Quaritch doesn’t know this is why he enjoys it, to him he’s just confused when a warm glow starts to spread from his chest)

Spider having the time of his imprisonment life because nobody seems to care that he hates them, he can just freely live his truth without being punished

He used to feel like he was walking on eggshells around the Omatikaya (esp Neytiri) because everything he said he could be judged for, but here no one gives a shit, it seems

Weirdly, he also knows that he’s probably a great deal safer with the recom squad than with any old Omatikaya, because these guys will actually try to protect him if any of the wildlife turns foul

Z-dog praising Spider for his creative insults, stating that they’re some of the most inventive ones she’s heard in her two lifetimes. Spider glowing warm because it’s the only praise he’s received from an adult in years

Quaritch watching the other recoms take the piss out of spider for his foul attitude towards them, but his juxtapositional softness and gentleness when it comes to the animals they encounter

Quaritch not joining in because he’s just watching Spider react, always trying to gauge his response

“What the hell is a Tarzan and why do you keep calling me tiger?!”

Quaritch has enough and gets a picture of a tiger up to show him. Spider is unimpressed at first until he realises that tigers look pretty ferocious, and he likes their stripes. From then on, the nickname doesn’t bother him.

The recoms all promise to never enlighten Spider about Tarzan, making him believe it’s a kind of species of Earth animal that died out thousands of years ago. Quaritch doesn’t join in but has to hide his smirk whenever Spider starts frustratedly asking how big tarzans were and if they had stripes or sharp teeth or were predators

Spider being woken up early in the mornings for trekking through the jungle with a furious, albeit sleepy, “fuck off.”

The recoms joking about spider being a baby, or weak, or fragile, but they recognise deep down that the kid is built. Quaritch knows this too and knows they’re only doing it to wind spider up, so he doesn’t stop them

When spider is especially annoyed/homesick/sick of being a prisoner, the recoms are better at noticing it than Quaritch, who at the beginning of their relationship was abrasive and unable to empathise with him

A hand on Quaritch’s shoulder from Wainfleet or Ja or Lopez is all it takes for the recoms to stop Quaritch from going off at the boy after he ransacked the supplies

Spider trying out the recom food from the suction packets and their faces bursting into laughter when spider pulls a disgusted face and starts gagging (a la trying alcohol for the first time)

Spider teaching Quaritch Na’vi at Quaritch’s request, but exchanging phrases like ‘good morning’ to ‘I am a worm’s anus’

Mansk has been checking the translation on his tablet software, and starting grinning when he catches on to what Spider is doing. He gets Z-dog and the others round and they watch with barely concealed laughter as Spider tricks the Colonel (Quaritch never finds out)

#miles spider socorro #miles quaritch #recom squad #team deja blue #avatar recoms #james cameron avatar #avatar the way of water #spider socorro #recom quaritch #my stuff #avatar 2 #atwow #colonel quaritch

[thepresentmic]

Regarding drummer!Bakugo... I want to my hat into the ring and add that what if Reader was the one who wrote the songs and after the whole break up with Bakugo, she comes out with her band and plays her new song 'Distracted' (by Honey Revenge). I heard this and I was like THIS FITS THE FUCKING VIBE!!

Distracted

(part 1 - still into you)

inspo for this part below

band!au

ʙᴀᴋᴜɢᴏᴜ ᴋᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

follows directly on from pt. 1 but works as standalone

summary: your new band is making quite the name for yourselves after your introductory show. rumours circle but as the main songwriter, you've always been good with words

contents: part of series (?), light angst, post-break up, band!au, bakugo is bad at feelings, flashes between performing and old memories, no beta

· · ─────── ·☆· ─────── · ·

Excited muttering broke through crowd. nobody had heard anything from you for the last 6 months.

"Didn't she used to be part of dynamite's band?" someone muttered from the crowd. "i heard he dumped." "damn, they were such a good couple." another added. "do you think she's back for good?"

"Hi everyone, we're ____-" your voice cut through the muttering, ringing out over the mic. you commanded attention in that same way you always had for them. "This is our first single, it's called distracted."

The first few beats of the backing track began to play out over the speakers as shoto counted you in with light strums on his guitar.

"Hyper aware of any change in your voice. Yeah I can tell when I've stared to annoy." You sing out as you circle Sho, his tongue sticking out to make you roll your eyes, quelling a little of your nerves.

You walk led around the stage towards Shinso as he kicked in the drum beat. "Being alone is what I try to avoid. I put in effort but it just gets destroyed."

You circled back to the front, moving your body in time with the beat. It was an upbeat song despite the circumstances of why you wrote it. But that was how you dealt with these things.

"You seem so distracted with yourself, with yourself. Say I overreacted but it's hard for me to tell. You're my only distraction in this hell, but it's oh well."

───────

"Babe, I'm sorry." Katsuki wrapped his arms around your waist as you began to clear off the dinner table, blowing out the candles.

"Kats, it's fine." You shrugged off his arms, scraping the last of your date night dinner into the trash. He looked hurt, following you to try and take the plates and help.

"It was Eijiro, he and I were just working on this new bridge and I lost tr-"

"Honestly, don't even worry about it." You said, resigning yourself to the fact that you

You loved the band too, of course you did. The boys had become like family you, and you loved Katsuki more than anything. But it just- it sucked that you were a second thought.

Ever since the band took off, things were hectic for all of you. But you still tried to make the time for him. For both of you.

"I'll make it up to you." He promised softly, cupping your face in his palms.

Looking up into his earnest eyes, you believed him. He really did look apologetic. You leaned your cheek into the warmth of his callous palmed. "You better."

He smiled, kissing you gently.

"When have I ever broke a promise?"

───────

"I've gotten used to being the second choice." You sang out, making your way to the front of the stage between Sho and Tetsu.

"Can you hear me or am I background noise?" You grinned and leaned down to Denki as if asking him, smiling a little sadly as he yelled back that he heard you.

"I guess I'm only good for filling the void."

───────

"Stop trying to blow this up into something it's not." Katsuki yelled right back at you as you stood in the dressing room backstage, furious.

"You didn't even listen to me before you booked this fucking tour. I thought we were going to try and take some time, find time for us again?" You argued, waving around you.

"Look at everything we've been able to do because of the band. Why can't this be enough, just for now? Why can't I be enough?"

"Because this band is my fucking dream." He threw his hands up, exasperated. "I've been working towards this- we - have been working towards this all this time."

"I want that too. But I also don't want to lose us along the way."

───────

You put the mic back into its stand as the song fell back into its final chorus. It was beautiful put together, the boys had done a great job.

While you took a few seconds to bring you back to the present, Shinso took his drum solo, overlayed wtih Sho on the electric guitar.

You scanned the crowd, eyes finding all those all too familiar vermillion ones again.

"Don't mean to be a bother. I'll get out of the way." You held his stare, ignoring the pain in your chest, or the muttering of the people in the crowd.

"You were my one distraction, but I still wish you well."

#mha #bnha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #katsuki bakugo #bakugo katsuki #bakugo x reader #boku no here academia #mha fic #thepresentmic writes #band!au #bakugo #bakugo x yn #shoto todoroki x reader #dynamight #bakugou katsuki #bakugou #katsuki bakugo x reader

[iamdeceived]

Hi, this is just a cute story!

Warnings: have you drunk water today? What are you waiting for? Want a kidney stone?

(English is not my first language, so please forgive me for any mistakes!)

🦋 Female reader 🦋

*♡*

You were the only woman on Yondu's ship. That meant a lot.

You had your own room, and your own space to do your thing on the ship. Despite appearing tough and frowning, Yondu has always been very understanding with you. With the differences between the sexes of the two of you. He treated you how you would want to be treated and that was that.

Sometimes, you felt the eyes of Yondu's subordinates on your body. At first it bothered you. Now you don't care anymore.It was you who went after Yondu, and asked to be part of his crew. At first the captain thought it absurd. Until you show your skills. Ever since then, you've been hanging out with this bunch of misfits. They have become your family.You didn't even have family on Earth anyway. Nobody cares about you there. Now, with the Ravagers you not only feel like you matter, you really matter.

*⁠♡*

Yondu was furious. Your subordinates are a bunch of imbeciles. They made him lose an absurd amount of money, for some silly thing. "Why didn't I take Y/n? She would have done a much better job than all of them put together!"You just wanted to rest in your room. But you saw when Kraglin came to you, to get away from the captain.

"He's furious! I think he wants to rip my head off!" He spoke, you listened to him as you read your book.

"After all, why then did you lose the customer?" You said, without taking your eyes off the book. "It's just… well… look Y/n… Don't laugh!" You have closed your book. I Am very curious now. "I won't, I promise!" He sighed "Look, we weren't there at the appointed time, because the boys and I saw a library… We know how much you like books, so we were going to bring you some books as a gift…. And then we lost the time." You felt a flush creep up your cheeks. "Oh Kraglin, you guys are adorable! Thank you so much for thinking of me!" You hugged the man awkwardly in front of you, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Does Yondu know that's why you wasted your time with the buyer?" Just mentioning the captain's name made him turn away from you. Yondu loves you, and he is very jealous . "That would only make him angrier!" You smiled.

You love these boys!

You had a "secret" affair with Yondu a few days ago. But everyone there, including the guardians themselves, knew you were going to be together at some point.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him myself!" Kraglin nodded yes. Before leaving his room, he took a package out of his pocket. It was small. It fits in the palm of your hand. "I only managed to bring this." His eyes sparkled. You opened the small package and saw the leather book. It was the story of an alien town. You enveloped Kraglin in a hug.

"I loved it! Seriously, thank you so much! You're a great Kraglin!"

You popped one more kiss on his forehead before he staggered out of your room.

*♡*

You devoured the book Kraglin gave you at an astonishing rate. It was on the last pages, when the door opened and Yondu entered. He is frowning. Maybe stressed.

He settled down beside her on the bed, and wrapped his strong arms around her waist. He relaxed his head into his chest. And threw a leg over yours.

You immediately took your hand to your head, to caress. "Tired, dear?" He muttered a yes. "Kraglin told you why they wasted time with the buyer?" Yondu snuggled even closer to you. "It did. That idiot!" You laughed.

He looked really tired when he asked "Honey… Can you read to me?" Without answering him, you started reading aloud. As a mother would for her child. You felt Yondu relax on top of you. He was sleeping.

You put the book on top of the dresser, and got ready with it on the bed. And then you let tiredness overcome you.

The angry buyer and the lost money were completely forgotten.

#yondu x reader #gotg #yondu udonta #yondu udonta x reader

[armed-and-alxne]

Eleanor's fingers brushed along her creation's cheek as he laid against her, a gentle smile gracing her lips. She had turned him a day prior and so, she knew the next few days wouldn't be fun. There had been a few that she had left to fend for themselves, especially in her earlier years but he was different. She had brought him back to her home to turn, keeping him here so she could keep an eye on him. After all, he was going to need her help when it came to his first feed. (@mxrvelouscreations

@mxrvelouscreations

Luther knew it was a possibility that Andrei, even from where he was sitting in jail currently, might hire someone to take him out, but he didn't think it would happen quite this quickly. He'd only been gone a few months, trying to start his life over while loosely following the trial of his former boss. It hadn't gone well for Andrei, and he'd gotten some twenty years in jail for masterminding Evan's murder and racketeering. At Andrei's age, that was practically a life sentence. He'd likely die in prison.

While Luther was glad that Evan was getting some justice, he couldn't say he was really happy about how everything had turned out. Nobody really won in any of this. Lives were lost of destroyed, a family shattered, kids' innocences lost... it just wasn't a joyful occasion at all. Luther knew Andrei would be furious and looking for revenge, and that kept him observant and vigilant. But not enough, apparently.

By the time he saw the guy and heard his message about Andrei sending his regards, Luther was already shot. He'd drawn his own gun, but the shot missed, and down he went. The rest was a blur as he began to bleed out quickly, but he did remember... a face. A woman's face, looming over him just before he lost consciousness.

When he woke, he didn't know where he was. Slowly, his mind processed that he'd been shot, but it took yet another minute for him to actually react to that fact. His mind felt foggy, and his whole body hurt, but soon he was frantically inspecting the area where there should have been a bullet wound... only to find nothing. It just didn't make sense. How am I alive right now? he wondered, before realizing that he wasn't alone.

Startling, Luther recoiled a bit from the woman who was holding him, confusion and surprise written in his expression. It was the same woman he'd seen as he was losing consciousness, but he still had no clue who she might be. His gaze moved from her face to look around and then back at her. "Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, feeling like he was trembling a little. Why do I feel so damn weak if the wound is gone?

#mxrvelouscreations #luther rp #{ dark rebirth } ᵛᵃᵐᵖⁱʳᵉ ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ

[another-clive-blog]

Don't want to burn you out with requests but what's the most tragic scenario we can make about Clive suffering

-φ

φ I want you to know that I would die for you. You are so sweet for caring about my health but I can promise you these asks are fuel to get through the rest of the day <3 If I get a burn-out, school is to blame. That being said, this is the occasion for me to go wild so I want to say a big thank you hehe !!

Alright so I had to get creative about this one because like- Clive already goes through it in canon, and also I exploded him yesterday, I'm killing him today, might torture him tomorrow, so really what more can I do right ? And then I realized. Tragic. Suffering.

What is more tragic than perpetuating the cycle of violence ? What hurts more than losing yourself in it ? What scenario could be worse than becoming who you were trying to destroy ?

(Re)introducing Bad Times AU, also known as the Ouch WIP. This is the Claire and Dimitri swap AU where everyone is extra miserable and unhappy. It may not be the angstiest AU of the game but I feel like its events fit well this request.

This takes place after the last WIP where Claire realizes Clive has doomed her. She has successfully caught up with him before he starts his machine, therefore giving way for one final confrontation between Claire and Clive !

Claire caught up with him right in front of the Thames Arms. It was funny, she supposed, because they had celebrated every major success in this very place : Dimitri had insisted on it, a way to build some team cohesion.

Team cohesion- yeah, right.

"Stop right there," she commanded, and he had the audacity to obey.

How could he ? After everything they'd been through, every effort she'd made- how could he do that ? How could he just condemn her and then move on to kill more innocents as if it was nothing ?

Did he even realize what he was doing ? What he had done ?

Clive turned around to face her. He was oddly calm, his expression neutral as he eyed her up and down. "I wasn't expecting you here," he simply said.

Claire had expected him to at least fake remorse, give a half-hearted apology that he would have never meant, but he couldn't even bother to do that. "What do you think you're doing ?"

They both knew the answer : starting up a giant war machine. Destroying all of London. Making sure no one would ever forget his crimes, because nobody would care to remember Bill's after this day.

Clive said nothing.

He turned to get away, and Claire moved without thinking : grabbing his arm, she jerked him closer. "Why won't you answer ? Is it because you know the truth ? That you're just like us- just like Bill."

He yanked his arm free, a look of sheer rage on his face. "I am not !!"

That was more like it. He wasn't that dignified, unreachable person- he didn't deserve to be unbothered by any of this, she decided.

She had come to stop him, but at that moment Claire realized that she didn't care about reasoning him. Why should she ? That man was the reason she was dying. She didn't have to save him if he had killed her. She wasn't a martyr, a good little lamb who saw the good in everyone. She wasn't an all forgiving God.

She was a human, and she had enough.

"Yes you are. You put yourself with the little people, thinking you're a hero who stands up against the bullies, but you don't care about the little people. You never did !"

"Shut up !" He yelled. He looked hurt and furious, as if he still had any right to feel either of it. "You don't understand !!"

"Oh, but I do. We've all harmed people because we were selfish. Bill wanted his money, Dimitri wanted fame, I- well I guess I wanted to live, but you know that."

"I don't-"

"But you ?" She cut him off, and she could see how unbearable this was for him to hear. Too bad- she didn't think she could stop herself if she wanted too, and she didn't. "You harm people for the sake of harming them. You're no better than us. You're worse, actually." Claire felt high and free, and was it what it felt like to finally fight back ? Or was it the feeling of her body giving out, of her mind losing touch with reality ?

Was she hallucinating, or was her whole body suddenly glowing ?

Clive wasn't answering anymore, his hands hiding his face and grasping at strands of his hair : he was shaking, a mess in his body and mind. Was he hurt ? Crying ? Claire couldn't bring herself to care. She was going to die because of him, he could at least endure a blow to his ego. And if that made her petty, mean or selfish ? She didn't care. She was dying. She was dead. And it was his fault this time.

Her vision was starting to get blurry, but she kept going anyway. "The truth is, it was never about scientists. It wasn't even about politicians. It's about people like you, who intentionally harm others to get what you want." She wasn't even sure he could still hear her. Was she talking to him or was she just getting it all out ? Why wasn't he reacting anymore ? "You are the problem, Clive, as much as we are : we, however, are not trying to pin the blame on someone else."

It felt good- it shouldn't feel good. Hershel would be disappointed. Well, she wouldn't get to see him again because of Clive, so did it really matter what Hershel would think ? She was dying either way.

She heard a muffled sound come from behind Clive's hands. Oh, so he was crying. This was quite pathetic and infuriating after everything he'd done- or well, planned to do. He hadn't started his machine yet, had he ? He could still... turn back, she realized. Then the only one he'd had killed would be her, although she was already dead.

She absolutely refused to comfort him, but his crying was making her more and more uncomfortable.

Except he wasn't crying.

His head jerked back as his whole body shook with uncontrollable laughter. He was laughing like a mad man, breathless and unstoppable. The sorrow, shame, horror Claire had seen him display- it was all gone, as if it had never even reached him.

Claire... didn't know how to react. She wasn't expecting that- she wasn't expecting much of anything, really. She had been- she had been thoughtlessly lashing out, she realized. Just like him.

"Well, maybe you're right," he was laughing like they were on in some kind of joke, a silly little secret they'd have shared during a sleepover or something, as if they weren't talking about destroying London. She clenched her fists, chills running down her spine. He had lost it- he had truly and finally lost it.

His laughter finally died down, but the smile remained : crazy eyes stared at her, piercing through her very soul. "But if you are, I need to do this more than I thought."

Claire took a step forward, tone firm and cold. God, she felt so cold all of a sudden. "Didn't you hear ? It won't solve anything. You're not helping anyone, not even yourself !! Hershel is going to stop you, and then there will be no second chance for you." Was- why was everything blending together around her ? Why couldn't she see the trees and boats and river anymore ? Why couldn't she hear the birds singing ?

Why couldn't she feel anything ?

Clive watched this, the result of his own actions. The death of his hero's lover. The professor wouldn't get there in time to save her.

Layton wouldn't get there in time to save him.

"I think people like us never get any real second chances."

-_-_-_-

I love Claire. I am so angry that she solved everyone's problems and never got to do or say anything about her own. She deserved that lashing out so I'm giving it to her.

On the other hand, I have always been fascinated by Clive listening very quietly and nicely to Layton's biography of him, and going all villainous laughter only AFTER Hershel is done. I think he snapped when he realized that there was no going back, that the trap was closing on him.

#Claire speaking only the truth and I love her for that #Clive is just messed up in this AU sorry #But yeah the tragedy is becoming worse than the man who destroyed your life #And being unable to stop yourself once you've realized it #Clive 'Deep down I feel like you're right but I can't reverse this change I've been through' Dove #clive dove #Claire Foley #professor layton and the unwound future #professor layton and the lost future #unwound future spoilers #lost future spoilers #My writing #Ask #Bad Times AU

[frecklystars]

I hate that I can’t go on any transformers blogs without my abuser being publicly posted, buying commissions every five seconds. Seeing constant reminders of her and all the times she used me. She knows she’s a trigger for me and she promised me she would keep her commissions on her own blog, so I could block her and not have to see anything. She kept telling me she cared about me and wanted me to heal. Every time I see an artist posting another commission so I can’t properly blacklist it, I can see it clear as day, it’s like a slap to the face. Just a reminder of how much she lied to me. And then I’m having panic attacks all over again because I’m seeing my comfort characters that she ruined being so fond with her, like she gets to keep the very thing she destroyed for me and she doesn’t give a shit

I am literally burning with rage and shaking so I am venting under the cut, sorry it’s very messy and angry. Nobody has to read it I’m just so furious I have to let it out

why do you have to buy commissions every 5 fucking minutes. Why is that the only thing you spend your money on. “Keri I want to make you feel comfortable I feel so bad for lying to you and literally giving you c-ptsd! I’m going to ask artists to make my commissions private and then I’ll just post them myself so you won’t have to worry about seeing them all the goddamn time! OH WAIT NEVERMIND I’m going to lie to you AGAIN and then I’m going to replace my self insert with yours in that $120 Starscream commission and THEN I’m going to guilt you for not talking to me every 2 seconds AND THEN I’m gonna tell you that you should just choose to stop being triggered <3”

You would tell me how you refuse to get better. I have never met someone so dedicated to their own suffering. “I don’t tell my therapist anything! I just let my family pay for my appointments!” “my parents cook me full meals and I throw them away” “I have meds but I don’t feel like taking them lol” your family takes you outside for fun events every week. Your mom begs you to take care of yourself because she loves you and you don’t give a shit. You will never struggle financially in your life. You get large monthly income and then you tell people “commission me for my writing 🥺🥺 pay me because I’m struggling!!!!” as if you could ever struggle even if you didn’t have money, because I’d you want something, people will just give it to you! Food, water, toys, money, you ask for it and you get it! Because you act like you’ll die if you don’t! and people donate to you and you don’t even need the money, you want people to feel sorry for you. You have all these resources to get better but you don’t fucking use them. I wish I had even half of your tools to heal and you have everything you could ever want or need physically and emotionally and you just don’t fucking care. Because if you stop being miserable, people stop giving you attention, right? That’s how this works for you?

You tell people on your blog how you’re going to the hospital and then you call me while you’re supposedly at the hospital but I hear your chocolate lab barking in the background so I know you’re at home and lying about it. You delete your blogs every few months and cut people off to make those people worry about you and then you make a new blog with a new url and even brand new name or you change your name by one single letter and you make those ppl you cut off believe you killed yourself and your remaining friends are like “ohhh I was sooo worried about you” but you didn’t tell them you were in contact with me the entire time you were gone, you didn’t tell them that you were tormenting me every fucking second. People kept asking you “where is Keri? Is she okay?” You said yes she’s fine she’s taking a mental health break. That wasn’t fucking true. You knew you were hurting me because you’d apologize for hurting me every five seconds but you would not make any changes in your behavior. You told people you were there for me. You lied to everyone. Three of your friends cut me off when you and I were very close, and I wasn’t even aware I was being abused yet. What did you tell them about me? When I wasn’t online to defend myself, what on earth could you have said to make these people block me? I barely knew them so it’s not a huge deal, but it’s still scary how you did that. Why did you feel the need to do that? You told me often how you can be possessive and manipulative. I suppose I was your next target. Why did you try to isolate me even more than I already was? Why did you rely on me to give you attention whenever you wanted when you have all these other idiots catering to you just like I foolishly did? You treated me like you could just push a button and I’d be there to serve you. You KNEW I was suicidal because of what you were doing to me and you did not care. You would instead tell me how you would be suicidal unless if I talked to you. Just me, apparently. Or did you do this to other people too? How many others are you using right now?

How many of your friends are unaware of when you sent me unspeakable things to make me believe my f/os would rape me. How many. None? Because you’re such an angel who has -mental illness~ so you can be excused for everything? You could easily commission artists to draw Starscream raping me and killing me, and then ppl could tell me I’m overreacting because it’s JUST your disorder making you do that. It excuses everything doesn’t it? You have proved this is true. I genuinely believe my f/os will harm me and it’s just. your. disorder. not your fault. you are excused for everything. No matter how fucking vile. I have nightmares of the very things you have made me believe about myself, that my comfort characters would find me unworthy of respect just like you did. That they would love you so much that they would do unspeakable things to me by your command.

I spent all of my energy on you. Every second I was awake had to be catered to you or else you’d “do something drastic”. I had penalties at work for using my phone all the time because you would insist I needed to answer you or else. I held my phone in my hand every minute. Shaking. I could never put it down because if I didn’t answer your texts within two minutes, you’d freak out. You called my fucking store and then you lied to people about it. You sought out my friends that I was isolated from and told them to give you my family’s personal information, as if I would even give that info out to anyone online. As if I’d trust ppl with that. You made me believe I am unworthy of respect because you never once respected my boundaries. Every single chance I gave you, you chewed it up on front of me seconds later. Every single boundary I begged you to not cross, you spit on it. And then you’d pull the “oh it’s my mentow iwwness Kewi 🥺🥺🥺🥺 I’m s-s-stwuggling!!! Woe is me!!! It’s not my fault!!!!!!!!” Oh no, It’s never your fault. You could stab someone to death and you’d talk yourself into believing you’re not a murderer. You put several knives into my back and you continue to do so every time I see a commission of you. Some character loving you fondly, some character you know you ruined for me, and then you ask the post to be public so then you know I’m going to see it and you know it will trigger me. And I’m just another person on your list of ppl you cut off. You hurt someone and then you forget about them so you don’t have to remember that you’re a bad person. That you do bad things intentionally. Like a goddamn sociopath.

I’d tell you I was self harming and needed to get off the phone and be alone for the night, you immediately change the topic and say “wait I’m gonna kill myself!!!” because the world will end if you don’t get attention. Especially from me, the literal dying girl who is completely isolated, with nobody at all who loves her. Except you, you kept claiming you loved me and that I was your dear friend. You would make all of my anger go away because you’d say “I’m only doing this because I care about you, Keri 🥺🥺🥺 I can’t help my mental illness makes me act this way… it’s only because I love you so much” and suddenly I’d feel guilty for ever being mad in the first place. Because it’s all. About. You.

And all of the focus is suddenly on you. Forget the fact that I’m in emotional distress. Forget my blood staining the bathroom tile. Forget the kitchen knife in my shaking hands. Forget the water puddles near the front door from my third suicide attempt. Forget that I’m not eating anymore, forget that I’m flinching at my comfort characters you’re always commissioning that I’m starting to associate with you. Forget how you claiming you’re going to end your life would make me feel; me, someone who you kept saying was your best and most special friend. I cried for you. You kept telling me you were about to die and I had to repeatedly beg at least once a week for you not to do it. I had to beg you to tell a family member because what am I supposed to do, I live states away from you?? Why should I have had to carry all of your burdens?? Why did you supposedly rely on me?? Half of those times you probably weren’t even suicidal, you just didn’t want me to get off the phone. How many people fell for that trick? “Wait don’t get off the phone or else I’ll die 🥺 oh I deserve to die keri I’m such a horrible person. I’m fact I should just cut you off right now.” And then you’ll make me beg you to stay. And the one single time I told you to go ahead and cut me off because I couldn’t stand you anymore, you tell me nevermind you won’t cut me off after all. And then you begged ME to stay.

I cried and told you how much you were hurting me. You did not give a single shit. And you still don’t. Every time an artist publicly posts your commission you bought from them, it’s a slap in the face for me. Forget that I can’t scroll on anyones blogs without tensing up because you’re a trigger. Forget that you gave me complex post traumatic stress disorder, using my own comfort characters against me. Forget how I feel. It’s all about you. It’s all about how miserable you are. And every time you ask an artist to make your commission public, it’s just another reminder for me of how you used me. I lost 10 months of my life to you and I’m still losing them because I have to live with these constant triggers for who knows how long. You stole myself from me. You ruined my one and only comfort, you took transformers from me, and yet you get to keep it, you get to self ship with the characters that you’ve made into my triggers. You get to keep it as a tool for yourself, along with the other coping resources you will never ever use. You get to be fine. Because it’s all about you.

One day this will kill you. One day it will all catch up to you and everyone will see your true colors. I hope it’s sooner rather than later. And I hope you burn for what you did.

I have never hated someone so much in my life. You could have the most gruesome death and it’s the least of what you deserve. But when you die you’ll still use even that to your advantage for attention because god forbid someone doesn’t pity you for five fucking minutes. It takes a lot for me to hate someone, I gave you my 5000 chances. You’ve used them all. You deserve to rot. Fuck you for taking almost a whole year of my life. Fuck you for making me live with ptsd now. Fuck you for taking away my special interest and fuck you for ruining the only good thing I had to keep me going. Fuck you for trying to snuff the light inside of me because you resent your own darkness. At least I’ll eventually heal even if it might take me years — you have to live with yourself and you will never get better because you refuse to. You have to live with the fact that you are a bad person who can’t keep friends.

You can pay people to draw yourself kissing these characters all you want, when you and I both know that the majority of characters you ship with are characters who have faced abuse and manipulation. Predaking especially. And they would hate everything you stand for. They would never love someone who abuses and manipulates and uses people the way that you do. So fool yourself all you want. I know your true colors and you have to live with the fact that someone who has the capability to love so fully and with all of my heart, sincerely hates you with my whole being, and truly wishes you were dead. That’s a miraculous achievement. Congratulations.

[sequinsmile-x]

Stained Glass Windows - Chapter Fifteen

Life was complicated, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Hi friends!

I cannot believe we are 15 chapters into this!!

Please do let me know if you are still enjoying/reading this fic <3 I'm loving writing this version of them, and hope you are all enjoying the journey!

-x-

Words: 2.4k

A full list of warnings for the fic can be found on the Series Master List and will be updated as we go along. Please note that more warnings have been added.

Read on Ao3, or below the cut

November 2008 

He’s woken up by a kick to his shin. 

It startles him, shocking him awake as opens his eyes to an unfamiliar room. He looks at the alarm clock on the nightstand, the numbers bright against his tired eyes. 

3:32 am 

He’s kicked again and he turns to look at his girlfriend. She’s twisted in the cheap hotel bedsheets, her face screwed up as she fights off something in her sleep. She whimpers and his chest gets tight, the sound familiar to him, something that haunted his own nightmares. 

It had been months since Colorado. Months since he’d had to listen to her being beaten and do nothing about it. They’d barely been together for a few weeks at the time, their relationship still something just between them. The second they were alone after she got out of the compound he’d held her tightly, accidentally pressing on injuries he’d later map out. Permanent memories he knew he’d never be able to shake. Each mark on her skin something he blamed on nobody but himself. 

Her physical injuries had faded months ago. The bruises gone. Her ribs and broken skin healed. The memories were another thing altogether. 

She still had nightmares often. They were usually brought on by being somewhere new, a frequent side effect of their work, and it wasn’t unusual for her to wake him up on their first night away on a case. 

He sits up to wait it out, knowing from experience that touching her would make it worse. His attempts to comfort her would become part of the nightmare, his gentle touch twisted by her subconscious. Her mind turning it into Cyrus’s violence. 

It only takes a couple of minutes, but it feels like an age before she sits up sharply, heaving in a breath that sounds like it barely fills her lungs. 

“Em, sweetheart,” he says quietly, not wanting to startle her. She turns to look at him, her eyes wide, searching for him desperately. 

“Aaron?” 

“It’s me,” he assures her, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder, grateful when she doesn’t flinch, “I’m right here,” he gently squeezes her skin, “I’ve got you.” 

She nods absentmindedly before fiercely wiping at her cheeks, disposing of tears that she was furious at herself for. She leans into him, pressing her face into his neck, and he holds her tightly. He kisses the top of her head, holding her impossibly closer as he feels her hot tears against his skin. Her fear burning his skin as his guilt rises back up. Bitter sorrow on his tongue that he hadn’t been able to save her from this. 

“Cyrus?” He asks, and she nods against him. She shifts closer so she’s in his lap, needing to be as close to him as possible. 

“I’m sorry for waking you up,” she says before she pulls back just enough to look at him, her eyes shining, “I didn’t mean to.” 

“Sweetheart you have nothing to apologise for,” he says, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “Want to try to go back to sleep?” 

She shakes her head, “Not yet,” she replies, holding him a little tighter, she looks over to the television on the wall, “Maybe we can watch some TV?” 

Aaron nods, reaching for the remote and switching it on, “I think it’s a bit late to watch that crap you usually like.” 

“Firstly, the Real Housewives isn’t crap,” she replies, squeezing him a little tighter, “Secondly, it’s on Oxygen from midnight to 5 am.”

He chuckles and switches to the channel she’s not so subtly asked for, placing the remote back down as the show he wouldn’t even know existed without her. 

She falls asleep in his lap, something he cannot understand given the yelling on the show on the tv, and he stays up until the sun rises, holding her against him. 

___

“Can we keep him, Emmy?” 

Emily crouches down next to Jack, and she scratches the kitten in his arms behind the ears. She smiles as the kitten purrs, settling deeper into the little boy’s arms, the black fur standing out against Jack’s red coat. 

They’d been in the park all afternoon. Aaron was meant to join them but had been called to work by Strauss, even though it was a Saturday, for what was supposedly an urgent review. It felt strange to think she would have once felt awkward spending time with Jack alone, that she felt unsure of her place in his life. 

Now it felt natural. As if loving him and Aaron had always been a part of her. 

They were about to leave the park, Jack’s energy fading fast, when she first saw what she initially thought was a toy dropped by another child by a bench. As she got closer she realised it was moving. Jack had run towards it, overtaking her and picking it up before she could even figure out that it was a kitten and that she hadn’t just let him pick up a rat. 

“He might already have a family, honey,” she says, leaning down to crouch next to him. She fights her smile as Jack pouts. She stands up and leans down to pick up Jack, the kitten between them both, “Why don’t we take him to the vet, see if he belongs to anyone and go from there?” 

“How would the vet know?” Jack asks as she walks back towards the car. He was constantly curious these days, wanting answers to questions all the time. 

“They put tiny little chips in pets so if they get lost they can be found,” she explains, looking down at the kitten to check he was ok, smiling when she sees he is fast asleep, and she briefly thinks about how much trouble she’ll be in with her fiancee if he comes home to find out they now had a cat. 

“Chips like potato chips?” 

She laughs and shakes her head, expertly digging her car key out of her pocket and unlocking the car with Jack still in her arms, “No, sweet boy. Like a little computer chip,” she places him in his car seat and fastens him in. She scratches the top of the kitten's head, feeling her heart swell in her chest as he purrs, and then she looks back at Jack, “Be gentle with him, ok?” 

Jack nods and, very carefully, holds the kitten in his lap as she closes his door and gets in the car herself. She looks at him in the rearview mirror and has to bite her lip to stop her cheeks from aching from her smile at the sight of the two of them, already the best of friends. 

She was in so much trouble with Aaron if the kitten didn’t have a chip. 

___

She calls Aaron from the vet. 

Jack was distracted by the kitten and the veterinary nurse as she walks away enough for the little boy not to hear her. Aaron is confused at first, worried something is wrong, until she explains what happened. That they found a cat, and he would have to go to the shelter if they didn’t take him in. 

She can practically hear the wheels in his head turning, and she can picture the expression on his face, how he’d be pinching the bridge of his nose. She sells it as something Jack wanted, but Aaron knows as well as she does that she’s already fallen in love with the tiny kitten. Aaron agrees, won over by the tale of woe she had spun, and he says he’ll come home via the pet store with some supplies. 

As soon as they get back to the apartment Jack settles the kitten onto the couch, showing the same gentle care he had displayed since he first held him. She feels slightly ridiculous when it makes her think of what he’d be like with a younger sibling, something that had almost constantly been on her mind since they’d agreed she’d stop taking her birth control a few weeks ago. 

“How about ‘Daddy?’” 

Emily clears her throat to stop herself from laughing, smiling fondly at Jack as the kitten sleeps on the couch next to them. Ever since she’d told him that they could keep the kitten, Jack had been reeling off ideas for names, each more ridiculous than the last. 

“We can’t call him Daddy, Jack.” 

“Why not?” 

She reaches over and scratches at the cat's fur, “Because that’s Daddy’s name.” 

“Daddy’s name is Aaron,” Jack replies, frowning at her. 

“You’re right,” she says, running her hand through his hair, “But I still think we should go with something else.” 

Jack sighs and furrows his brow further as he thinks about it again. The look on his face reminds her of Aaron when he’s working, a tiny crease in between his eyebrows. She wonders if it’s something any children they have will do too, if she’ll get to see all these traits she loved of his on a child they shared together. 

“Dinosaur?” 

She laughs, “Better than Daddy,” she says, tugging Jack into her side, “But why don’t we go for something a little different? Like…Sergio?” 

Jack’s eyes go wide, excitement shining in them as he looks back between her and the cat, “Sergio!” 

“It suits him, huh?” She asks, kissing the top of the little boy's head. 

“You’re good at naming things, Emmy.” 

She chuckles, and any response is cut off by the door opening, and she looks up to see Aaron walking in, his arms full of bags from the pet store. She unsuccessfully hides a laugh as one of the bags falls to the floor, shocking Sergio awake. The cat runs across the apartment quickly, the flash of black fur the first Aaron has ever seen of their new pet. Aaron raises an eyebrow at her, and she smiles. 

She was definitely in trouble. ___

“I can’t believe I went to work for an afternoon and I came back to us having a pet.” 

Emily smiles, burying her face against his chest before she tilts her head up to look at him. He holds her closer to him, keeping her warm and safe in their bed. She curls further into his side and he runs his hand up and down her back. Sergio was asleep on Aaron’s chest, curled up in a ball, very content with his new home. 

“Come on,” she says, reaching up to scratch at Sergio’s head, “Look at that face. What was I supposed to do?” 

Aaron hums and kisses the top of her head, “You definitely owe me.” 

“And I will pay you back in sexual favours soon honey,” she says with a yawn as she settles back down against him, “But another night, I’m exhausted after chasing your son around all day.” 

He chuckles and continues to rub circles on her back, a surefire way of making her fall asleep quickly. 

“Just imagine how much more exhausting it will be when there are two of them.”

She hides a smile in his t-shirt. Hope coloured everything in their lives at the moment, and she found herself more excited for the future than she had been in a long time. 

“Worth it,” she mumbles, her body getting slightly heavier against him. 

“How did you come up with the name Sergio anyway?” He asks, looking at the kitten still sleeping on his chest. “Did Jack suggest it?” 

“Nope, it was all me,” she says, “If it was up to Jack he’d be called Daddy.” 

Aaron laughs, “What?” 

She hums, getting sleepier by the second, “He wanted to call him Daddy,” she mutters, “But I suggested Sergio. I think it’s a good name.” 

He doesn’t miss the edge to her voice, how, despite her obvious tiredness, she seems defensive. As if she worries his query is nothing short of making fun of her, when it couldn’t be further from the truth. It was yet another way they were similar, a memory of him suggesting it as a name for Jack hitting him in an instant. A moment that felt like it was from a different life.

In some ways, he supposes, it was. 

“It’s a great name, sweetheart,” he assures her, before he kisses the top of her head again, “Now go to sleep.” 

___

She never understood why some cases hurt more than others. Why some of the things she saw immediately crawled under her skin and took root, seeds of horror burrowing in deep. She finds herself unable to tear her eyes away from the cards and flowers on the front porch of the Downey’s home. Condolences mixed in amongst small tokens of affection and teddy bears.

“Prentiss?” 

She turns and sees Aaron looking at her, his eyebrows creased together, concern splashed across his face. 

“Sorry,” she says, stepping towards him and making her way towards the backyard by his side.

“It’s ok,” he replies, his hands twitching to reach out for her, “Cases with kids are hard.” 

“Yeah,” she replies, briefly looking over to where the family had been buried, before she follows him to where the rest of the team were standing. 

“What have we got?” Aaron asks, turning his attention to Derek. 

“The mom and the boys were shot, they were carried out and she was dragged. The little girl, Lucy, she was drowned.” 

“Changing the MO is strange,” Aaron says, turning to look at the gravesite briefly, “Was there anything missing?”

“The mother’s wedding ring,” Emily says, “Just like with the Willliams family.” 

Aaron’s phone rings and he checks the screen, seeing Penelope’s name flashing on it, and he answers.

“Garcia-”

“Virginia Supermax prison has been in touch to inform us that an inmate has informed them that he has details about these cases,” she says, speaking before he can even greet her properly, her words tumbling out of her like she couldn’t control them, “Apparently he has a fan website and someone posted about the murders in the forum and he’s seen it. He wants to…offer his insight.”

“That means we have a leak,” Derek sighs, shaking his head. Aaron looks up at JJ, his face stern.

“JJ-”

“Already on it,” she says, walking towards the local cops, her shoulders tense. 

“Who is the prisoner, Garcia?” Emily asks, drawing everyone’s attention back to the call. There’s a beat of silence, Penelope’s hesitance clear even over the phone. 

“Garcia-”

“It’s Karl Arnold.” 

-x-

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#hotchniss #hotchniss fanfiction #hotchniss fanfic #aaron x emily #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #hotch x prentiss #aaron hotchner fanfiction #emily prentiss fanfiction

[obstinaterixatrix]

Okay I gotta complain about for sure being taken for granted by the intern actually. Usually between things I have a 5-10 minute cooldown time between one thing and the next thing, but there’s sometimes I have to take the intern into account and it goes from working 3 hours with a few checkpoints to catch my breath to working nonstop with no chance to catch my breath because I’m attending to the intern. like it doesn’t happen too too much, twice a month really, and also I am really not happy with any time I tell her something she needs to be mindful of and all I get are excuses. When I say ‘you were five minutes late two weeks in a row, this will be a problem’ telling me you were caught up doesn’t fix the situation, I need 1) acknowledgement that you recognize it’s an issue, 2) ways you will make sure it isn’t an issue in the future, and maybe 3) asking my input if you don’t know how to fix it or if you can’t fix it. There’s been extenuating factors but she hasn’t given me any heads up and was like 19 minutes late for a meeting. I’m actually incensed. Like it’s understandable in context and justifiable, but if it’s a pattern then maybe your life is too chaotic for this right now, especially if you can’t give a heads up and I have to RESCHEDULE AND SET ASIDE AN ENTIRE HOUR IN THE EVENING WHICH I HAD SET ASIDE FOR MY OWN WORK. Yeah I’m actually furious. Reminder to self, next meeting let her know that she needs to recognize her own capacity and let us know if she’s going to be able to commit to work. Also btw I’m not looking for any advice or ideas so nobody give me any input, I’m just venting. Clutching myself by the shoulders. I Get It. You Are Frustrated, And You Have A Plan To Deal With It. You’re Doing Your Best And I Support You. Also Remember That Being Taken For Granted Is Generally To Be Expected For Some Interns That’s Just How Some Of The Develop. (or don’t.) Don’t Go Overboard But Lay Out Your Boundaries And Expectations.

#my ramblings

[utterdrip]

hello im back (that anon who cant play bg3 herself but needs to Explode dekarios-style over her tav and astarion)

i wrote a full ask for axelias backstory to provide context but then i realized how long the ask would get . so here i am with half of what i need to rant over AJSJSJA

ANYWAYS axelia (my rogue tiefling who was a street urchin) and astarion are absolutely enemies to lovers in the same way shadowheart and lae'zel would be enemies to lovers !! they initially hate each other w a Passion but thats before they realize how eerily similar they are w their experiences and outlooks, and how the other can only really begin to understand why they behave the way they do

initially axelia hates astarion bc she has Issues with political figures (the start of her Trauma is bc of one bribed politician that fucked her already poor family over .) and while she wouldnt admit it easily she had a bias AJSJAJAJJ the only thing she really cared about when she got out of the nautiloid was to get back to her younger sister (hope). astarion would pick up on the friction pretty quickly and sass her right back the most to the point where its honestly a routine for them to fight and the only thing missing is either of them copying shadowheart and laezel w the blade at the throat

however. axelia got to know more about astarion beyond his facade . what really was the first thing that made her empathize w This One Of All People is how they both really dont trust/like ppl who display themselves as a lawful hero AJSJAJJAJ she grew up as a street urchin who was forced into that position bc of a guy who pretended to be good, and nobody would help her, a starving dirty tiefling child whos providing for both her and her sister, without smth in return ? so yeah no she Fucking Gets It .

time passes on and she develops an old married couple dynamic w astarion AJJSJSJA like still bickering but more lighthearted as they learn to empathize more w each other. fast forward to him trying to seduce her for the first time and it was a "might as well happen" thing for her KWNRKSJAJA she felt comfy enough that she didnt see any reason to refuse, and she didnt want to admit it at the time but she was def growing more unironically fond of him and his company

the more she hears about astarions story the more she gets furious for him and determined to show him that there are people who will fight for him . its the protective kind of love that axelia doesnt even realize is whats happening. she just knows that above all else, cazador needs to Die and she'd be willing to risk her own safety just to help astarion see it through

by this time theyre in a relationship w no labels AJJSAAA basically act 2 relationship. theyre both not exactly sure what they are to each other but they both know they can rely on the other to actually Give A Shit about them. while they both still love to argue and Disrespect each other its the fun kind where they definitely know its just banter at this point that they can easily use to team up on the others <33

act 3 comes and while axelia also gets the fear behind astarion wanting to ascend so badly she also knows that thats not a decision hed be too proud of if he could see the consequences now AJSJAJAJ so ofc spawn route <33

this is already a super long ask and i apologize for that but thats roughly how i see them progressing if i could acrually play the game </3 i have more Thoughts but ill shut up for now AJSJSJAJA but thank you for reading all that if ever <33

-✨️ (new anon !)

SPARKLY NONNIE U HAVE MADE MT ENTIRE DAT KNOW THIS

axelia sounds like a fucking Deligjt and i empathize SO HARD. with distrusting political figures. astarion says magistrate and i tense up like a scared cat

it mustve been like whiplash for axelia tho!! him first acting all posh and haughty and “im a magistrate i put away trouble makers i do it sooooo often its boooooring to talk about” and then. hes like okay so if u had to die. how would u want to die. are u cool if i just like drain the baddies we kill. can i please please pleeeease open this door to creatures fucking i wanna see what they look like and make fun of them. like this little fop being the most bastard gremlin of a man is everything to me

honestly playful bickering is So Important to me like if u cant chat the shit with your partner, if you cant make fun of yourself with and for them its just boring imo.

i wonder—how does she begin to start opening up to him as well? like is there a specific catalyst do u think? like i feel like her having a protective anger over astarion would make him be like ????we are barely more than strangers why do—oooooooooohhhhh you have siblings. dont you (disdainfully)

idk im just throwing shit at the wall bht im adoring this i reallt hope ur able to make it a reality sooner!!!!!!

#frankie answers #long post #✨

[meltamorphosis]

leaving this ask here so you can maybe deposit your ShizuHaru thoughts in it (I'm very interested)

thank you for awakening this so-called "ancient evil"! you didn't ask for any specific thoughts, so is it alright if i just ramble about ai no material and how it's specifically a shizuharu song? well, i'm going to do it either way, so it's not like asking will change anything

for reference, this is ai no material! it's the song for the haruka-focused event 'breaktime for the hardworking you', and the lyrics are intimately tied to the event story and shizuharu itself. it is very clearly written from shizuku's perspective and yes, i am forever furious that minori got the another vocal for this song when it is literally shizuku's song.

most of the song follows shizuku's feelings throughout the entire event, but this part at the beginning in specific is a direct reference to chapter 4, which is a flashback to shizuku and haruka's first meeting. it starts with shizuku, after being made the center of cheerful * days, trapped by expectations and a role that she's forced to play.

but then suddenly, haruka finds her, and rather than seeing shizuku as just a pretty face or only seeing her for the script she's been made to read out...

...she directly acknowledges the hard work shizuku has put in when nobody else did, acknowledges the pressure she's under, and reaches out to her. honestly, i recommend reading the entire chapter (the entire event honestly, it's the shizuharu event) because their first meeting is everything.

the rest of the lyrics, rather than being about any specific chapter like the beginning, are all connected to the core of the event and shizuku's feelings towards haruka. shizuku, who has admired haruka and known her as a perfect idol ever since their first meeting, is worried that haruka is keeping up that perfection to her own detriment. the entire event is about shizuku wanting haruka to take a break and relax, to depend on her and rely on her, even if she's someone who's clumsy and unreliable. she wants to ease haruka's burden and support her! she wants to become someone who's more dependable! she wants haruka to relax and rely on others! these are shizuku's feelings, these are all shizuku's words!!

you just can't apply this song to anyone else in mmj. it's not airi, it's not minori, and even though it's a haruka event, it is not haruka's song. it's shizuku. it's all shizuku's feelings, it's all from shizuku's perspective, and it's all specifically directed towards haruka. haruka saw shizuku's struggles and reached out to her all that time ago, and shizuku wants to return the favor.

i cannot stress enough to any project sekai fan that follows me: READ BREAKTIME. it's a fantastic event and is also incredibly integral to my existence. it's sweet and silly and heartwarming and also shizuku and haruka are in love. thank you [takes a bow]

#melty answers #sekaiposting

[scribbling-punk]

Required Love - Chapter 35

Lena is furious. No, she’s pissed, irate, completely and utterly fuming to have been made to stay behind. She’d hid it well when she was giving Kara a pep talk, more than aware that Kara had needed to believe she was fine before stepping onto that ship, but now that’s she gone—

“Do you really have to stomp around so much?” Alex shoots her a withering glare, massaging her temples with her fingers as Lena loudly slams her pen back down on the desk.

“Or, at least stop trying to break my things?” she grumbles, reaching across to snatch her pen back and inspecting it for damage. “You know staying here was for the best, Lena. There’s no way Kara could focus if she was worrying about you.” Alex sighs when Lena merely throws her a filthy look, “we’re all the same side here. You want to give her the best possible chance of bringing Andrea back, don’t you?”

Her words sting and Lena bristles, offended that Alex would even think of uttering those words.

“Of course I do,” Lena hisses, hating the way her eyes sting with angry tears. Just once, she would like to not start crying whenever she’s pissed off. “I am not the one who hates Andrea. I am not the one who treated her like some sort of suspect because Kara dared to fall in love with her.”

Her hands ball into fists, Lena despising the way her foot urges to stop against the floor.

“I didn’t—I don’t hate her,” Alex shakes her head. She leans back in her chair with a sigh, warily watching a suddenly pacing Lena. “You have to understand that I’m protective of Kara. She came to this planet with nothing and it was drilled into me to keep her safe, to tuck her under my wing and make sure nobody hurts her in any way.”

“Andrea loves her!” Lena stops mid stride and spins on her heel, “she wants to keep her safe just as much as I do. As much as you do.”

“But I didn’t know that,” Alex pointedly states, her hands stubbornly folding across her chest. “I know it now. I see it now, but I didn’t know it then.” She sighs heavily and chews on her lower lip, watching as Lena attempts to obliterate her with just the power of a pointed glare. “She was just another new person who came into my little sister’s life and won her over so quickly that it scared the hell out of me.”

“Now?” Lena asks, “now you see it? Now that she’s not here? Now that she’s missing because you didn’t protect us like you said you would?” Lena falters, her voice painfully cracking, “now that I didn’t protect her?”

She turns away from Alex if only to hide the scalding stream of tears that burn her cheeks, her hands trembling as she furiously swipes the wet tracks away.

Read chapter 35 of Required Love early on Patreon.

Earlier chapters already on AO3.

Original gifset by the always lovely @evilsnowswan

#required love #superrojascorp #kara x lena x andrea #required service #polyamory #early access

[moontheoretist]

Final Rant About She-Hulk

[Disclaimer: This is very reactionary, written while watching]

- *opens and closes her mouth* *gesticulates* *lost all ability to speak* ............................................................ I have no words. Wait no.

- Ok so... Jennifer got a little bit angry, destroyed a TV and a wall. She scared people, but ultimately she didn't attack anyone and surrendered the moment the law enforcers arrived... AND SHE IS PUT IN THE SAME FUCKING PRISON AS THE FUCKING EMIL BLONSKY WHO WENT ON A FUCKING RAMPAGE THROUGH HARLEM AND PROBABLY KILLED A LOT OF INNOCENT PEOPLE PLUS SOME POLICE OFFICERS AND MILITARY MEN!? WHAT IS THIS? Like seriously, what is this, because she seems to be unproportionately punished for a minor and justified anger episode. Yeah, she is a Hulk, but she surrendered, which Hulk and Abomination WOULD NOT DO. Abomination would just fight, while Hulk would run away, because he is that type of person. WHY SHE ENDED IN PRISON? WHERE IS HER SCENE WITH SOME LAWYER SWOOPING IN AND KEEPING HER FROM GETTING INTO PRISON IN THE FIRST PLACE? WHY IS THE LAWYER APPEARING ONLY AFTER SHE WAS ARRESTED? WHY?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?

- I agree with Mallory that what people saw was a monster when Jennifer got angry, but do people really have such a goldfish kind of memory? Don't they see that Jennifer surrendered immediately and didn't even injure anybody? Speaking of which, Jennifer is also right. Anybody in her situation would react the same, AND I disagree with Mallory here. Jennifer is a Hulk, yes, but looking at how she behaved, she was not out of control. If she was out of control completely she would have fought the people who came to apprehend her, she would not fucking surrender herself willingly to them. If she was the monster people see her as, she would go on a rampage through half of the city. But well, I guess she is a woman, so nobody would treat her as if she was a man. If she was a man, her anger would be seen as part of who she is, instead of something that makes her into a crazy monster. Hell, people loved the Hulk for that exact reason. That he went on out of control on rampages. Geez! Give me a fucking break.

- Did Jen got similar terms to Emil Fucking Blonsky? I am so mad.

- Also, really? Are we going to ignore the band of incels targeting super women now? (Yep, they went and ignored ALL OF THEM).

- AND SHE LOST HER FUCKING JOB! SHE LOST HER PRIVACY, DIGNITY, HUMANITY AND JOB. HOW MANY THINGS WILL BE TAKEN FROM HER? ... SHE LOST HER APARTMENT TOO!?

- Interesting thing though is that she lost her right to turn into She-Hulk, which you could count as losing powers, even if she didn't lose them at all, so technically Jen got what she wanted, but also she didn't get what she wanted. She didn't get normal life again when She-Hulk is finally gone. She got broken pieces of the life that she may never recover enough to live normally. She wanted to be a successful lawyer, and what happened is that she no longer is that. She cannot even go outside without reporters asking about what happened. I bet there will also be people that will treat her like a monster now, even when she cannot turn into She-Hulk anymore. HELL, she is even more vulnerable as a woman now, because she is in the position when any attack at her person can end fatally in more ways than one. She could be fridged literally here. Which is SCARY.

- The only nice thing so far: Jennifer loves Legally Blonde. Me too, Jen. Me too. Also did you know that Elle is coded as autistic? What an icon. I love her. Jennifer and I share love for Elle.

- Me right about now: *inserts Tony Stark to hack all of those incels and destroy them, because they dared to attack one of his favourite Hulks* They would be so destroyed that they would not want to see the light of day anymore. (Yes, I know it would be not feminist to make a man deal with Jen's problem, but let the girl dream that Tony would be so furious we would be ready to fuck all of those incels lives to Kingdom Come). His reputation would NEVER recover.

- *takes her chair and throws it at Dennis Bukowski* SHUT YOUR TRAP! YOU DATED SHIT! How can this guy even say such things. Like ugh, what is his problem!? Ah, wait. DELUSION. If I take him and drown him in the nearby lake, that will still be not enough to erase the taint from the world from anything he ever said or do. That man is literally the worst. Fuck him. Or more like NOT fuck him, because he doesn't deserve it and his genome may be too much for humanity. We will seriously all go into extinction if guys like him continue to procreate. I am starting to fantasize about castrating this guy.

- No! We don't want you to get screwed over, Jen! But thank you for finally saying out loud that we were saying for weeks. WHY this story is treating you like this? WHYYY!? You don’t deserve this!

- I can accept that it is a mental health break. You definitely deserve one after this bullshit! I feel like we all need it.

- How did we know she will use Pug as her incel stand in for the secret incel party? xD Elven old lady foreshadowed that lol.

- OMG that gross rich guy, seriously?!

- WAIT, DID JUST THOSE INCEL DUDEBROS SAID THAT THEY WOULD SMASH PUG? Should I be angry, or should I laugh that some of those incels are closeted bigoted homosexual men?

- Lol, it makes sense. Rich guy who lives for collecting superhero stuff. He has enough money to create several shell companies that run the website. OMG, seriously, if Tony was alive, this guy would be so dead. It would be a billionaire against billionaire fight. But Tony is not here, and we all want Jen to destroy this guy, because only then will Jen get justice. Nobody should do it for her, she should do it for herself, so it would have meaning! Smash them, Jen! Smash!

- WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! "He is in the lodge, some private event"... THAT ROOM LOOKS FAMILIAR, WHAT THE FUCK!? EMIL, WHAT THE FUCK!? YOU WERE BETTER! I BELIEVED IN YOU. HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!? But welp, what did I expect from this guy, seriously? ... Ok, never mind. Apparently he didn't check for who he was fucking speaking, and now he is protecting Jen? Like, seriously, Emil. CHECK YOUR FUCKING CONTRACTORS, DUDE! I mean, they are a secret organization, but they said their fucking name JUST THERE. Ok, well... yeah, Emil has no access to internet. I forgot. My bad. He had no ability to do the research. But he did have ability to get money and get hired, like, what the fuck Emil? Seriously, what the fuck. So do you have internet access, or you are just I dunno neutral in everything?! EXPALIN YOURSELF TO ME, EMIL!

- Lol, she just left her TV show and went into another xD Just to roast the team working on her show's storyline. ROAST THEM, JEN! ROAST THEM HARD! SERIOUSLY, YOU CANNOT IMAGINE HOW MUCH I WANT TO HAVE AN ABILITY TO JUST DROP INTO MCU CREATION ROOMS TO JUST POINT ALL THE STUPID IN THEIR STORIES EVER! I have so much to tell them.

- Also, Jennifer is completely right. Last time we saw Bruce, he was in space. It would be AWFULLY convenient if he dropped on Earth into the Emil's cabin, no less to fight. It is impossible. Same for Titania. It almost looked like Bruce and Titania had Jen bugged to hell and back, so they could stalk her location even in places that have no internet, lol. So yeah, Jen is completely justified to call it all bullshit and go speak to the manager. Kick his ass, Jen.

- "There are certain things that are supposed to happen in a superhero story". Yes, there are, but you do not have to be so BORING ABOUT IT. SCHEMES EXIST TO PLAY WITH THEM, TO EXPAND ON THEM, NOT TO CONTINUOUSLY REPEAT THE SAME THING WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING INTERESTING! Schemes are not inherently limited in the ideas you can use! Just try to pick good ideas, instead of rehashed old superhero ideas. Treat it like ART! Who cares about what Kevin wants? Kevin barely understands the universe he helped to create! That man and Russos are a menace.

- Yes, let's talk to Kevin. Feige. We are coming at you.

- Did she just break that guy's arm?

- KEVIN... K.E.V.I.N XDDDDD Should have seen that coming.

- "You are very expensive". Jen... Jen... why do you care? Fuck it.

- Ok... so... she changed the ending... so they would not show it in the end? What was the point, then? I want a rewind and I want to see the whole thing unfold again. And also where did Matt drop out off? In the middle of the lawn? SPACESHIP? Like, seriously, Jen. Where is the fixing here? I am like, so not seeing any fixing. I see skipping and indulging. I need logical for the story explanation. Not THIS.

- Didn't Jen violate her plea deal when she changed into She-Hulk? She came back from breaking the fourth wall as She-Hulk, so... I suspect someone should arrest her too? Like, hello? What happened?

- Scaar... what. where. when. what. what the fuck? SO HULK WAS 2 YEARS IN SPACE AND HE FUCKED? WHO?! WHOSE KID IS THAT!? WHAT YEAR IS IT ANYWAY!? *counts from Age of Ultron that was in 2015 to Endgame that was in 2023* SHOULDN'T HE BE LIKE 8!? Or more?! HOW MUCH TIME HAD PASSED SINCE ENDGAME?! WHAT IS HAPPENING!? This literally makes no fucking sense. (Will they try to bullshit that time works different on Sakaar so it makes sense?)

- Ah, so she was cleared upon arresting Intelligentia. Still doesn't explain lack of arrest for her taking off her ancle device.

- Tell me that I am not alone in thinking that the ending was stupid. I liked some elements of it, but the execution of it? Horrible. Ugh, where is the fixing Jen promised? I don't see it. Josh was not held accountable for the "rape by fraud" that he did (I am not American, but I learned since last week that the state of California considers consent given to someone who engaged in sex under false pretenses to be rape). The only one punished was the HulkKing. What happened to all those other incels? Because they deserve some ass whoppin’ in court of law as well. We got the whole plot of the blood sample erased completely, so now this is a big hanging plothole. Matt is cute in the ending scene, but seriously, he appeared out of nowhere with no explanation. How is this better than Bruce dropping from the sky in the middle of the battle? It is literally the same. And Scaar? WHEN exactly Bruce had Scaar?! Or he is like adopted? Some Sakarran kid got blasted with gamma and Bruce went all Tony on him, because kid needs family? I dunno. Nobody explained. I hate those introductions that tease and make no sense at all. And Emil still didn't hold himself accountable, because he skedaddled to Kamar-Taj to avoid the law at first opportunity. Where is accountability here?

- What is this mess? I literally have no more fucks to give. MCU is a mess. *hugs Ms Marvel, the only very good show MCU ever birthed*

- Y’know what? I cannot shake the feeling that if the show ended last week on a cliffhanger it would be infinitely better. It would use cliffhanger as licencia poetica and exploit the fact that stories that didn’t close all its points are valid too, and then it would have whole season 2 to actually crack on Intelligentia, to show Jennifer’s case in court, make Matt come back to help Jen and showing Jen nagivating the world in which she is now seen as a monster etc. Infinitely better.

#she-hulk #mcu critical #she-hulk critical #jennifer walters #bruce banner #emil blonsky #josh the traitor #lol #todd phelps #scaar #titania #she-hulk episode 9 #she-hulk episode 9 spoilers #she-hulk spoilers