#felony gala

[jessywing]

The genderbent assassins are hanging out 🍷

I am still new to Clip Studio Paint EX, but I think with this I am starting to get it.

#the divine cosmos #the divine cosmos illustration #felony gala #genderbend #digital art #artists on tumblr #artwork #digital artist #digital artwork #my art #digital drawing #digital sketch #art #digital doodle #drawing #digital illustration #doodle #digital painting #illustration #clip studio paint #original character #original art #original story #original content #oc artwork #oc tag #oc character #oc art #my ocs #art tag

[suzukiblu]

Day six of fic NaNoWriMo, obligatory sugar daddy Tim/sugar baby Kon.

"You're bluffing," the thief says flatly.

"And you're fucking stupid if you think this is the play that's getting you out of here," Kon snorts, tapping a foot against the floor. "C'mon, man, give it up. I've got plans tonight." 

"Use the artifact!" the alleged "Mark" yells at the thief holding it. 

"Right!" said thief says, then . . . pauses, and looks embarrassed. "How do I . . . do that?" 

Kon looks incredibly unimpressed. Tim empathizes. Deeply. 

"You guys need a minute there?" Kon asks, raising an eyebrow. 

"Shut up!" Mark snaps at him. "Just use it, Lisa!" 

"I thought you said no names–" 

"Use it!" 

"Uh, right!" 

The thief chucks the little clay goat at Kon. Tim is genuinely embarrassed for this entire crew. 

Kon catches the goat one-handed, which is kind of a stupid idea, but letting it smash on the floor admittedly wouldn't look great. People over property, obviously, but Kon also historically has issues with property damage and letting the bad guys smash up ancient artifacts is not the best plan in general anyway. Especially given how often said ancient artifacts have ghosts or curses or apocalypses locked inside them. 

"Lisa!" the thieves all yell in horror.

"Was this the whole plan?" Kon asks, making a show of inspecting the goat. "Like, was this it? I can come back later, if you're still cooking on that."

Tim muffles a laugh with a snort. Kon definitely caught it, though, judging by his smug smirk. 

"Shut up, wannabe!" the thief still holding a gun to Tim's head snarls, which reminds Tim he should be pretending to care about the gun currently being held to his head. Honestly, he would in Gotham, but the only way this moron is shooting anybody is by accident. 

. . . admittedly, that is a concern, given the trigger discipline issue. Hm.

"Killing me would probably count as felony murder, just so you know," Tim mentions, glancing around the thieves. "Which you could all be charged with, not just whoever actually shot me. Plus I'm pretty sure stealing objects of cultural heritage from a museum is a federal crime."

He's completely sure of all that, actually, for obvious reasons, but he has to at least pretend to be a civilian here. Like, some effort needs to go into that illusion, if for no other reason than to avoid a Bat-lecture from Bruce or, worse, a Bat-"I'm not mad, just disappointed" from Dick. 

Or, worst, Alfred might make disapproving shortbread instead of approving jammy dodgers for post-patrol tonight. That'd be really unfortunate. Tim could really use an approving jammy dodger tonight. He's already going to have to write up a very annoying incident report of this situation as it is, and also deal with the mortification of getting his neck saved by a Super. There is no dignity in that. At all. 

He is definitely never telling the team his secret identity. At least not until he's absolutely positive Kon hasn't inherited any of Superman's eidetic memory, anyway. He's ninety-nine percent sure he hasn't, but that last percent is a definite concern right now. 

"No one asked your opinion, brat!" Mark snaps, though a few of the other thieves now look extremely uneasy. Tim makes another mental note about their crew's obvious lack of prep time and general planning and continues to be embarrassed for them. Museum robberies in Gotham are themed events with careful research and preparation involved, and frankly usually involve more thoughtful effort than whatever gala they may or may not be crashing did. Smash and grab is for convenience stores and small-timers. And these guys are definitely small-timers, but this is equally definitely not a convenience store.

Metropolis is so weird. Why anyone even bothers doing petty crime in it at all is beyond Tim. Maybe they're just banking on Superman being more concerned with natural disasters and alien invasions and rescuing cats from trees, which is a valid strategy. Same theory as splitting up and making a cohesive group into multiple targets.

"He has the idol!" Lisa hisses, glaring at Kon like she's not the one who threw it at him to begin with. Tim gets a gun barrel jammed into his temple again. He has no idea why Trigger Discipline: What Not To Do thinks that's, like . . . a productive thing to do. At this rate he's going to get a bruise or something.

Well, he's not actually doing it hard enough to hurt, admittedly, though Tim does keep expecting it to. The guy looks like he's putting his back into it, but the impacts continue not to actually hurt, so Tim supposes he's just trying to put on a show here. 

Well, at least he's putting in some effort, Tim supposes. That's something. 

"I really do have plans tonight, you know," Kon reminds them, raising an eyebrow at the thieves again. 

"I would appreciate you delaying those, actually," Tim mentions. "If you don't mind, I mean." 

"Oh, yeah, don't sweat it, dude," Kon says, waving him off. "These people are annoying but I'm not gonna ditch out on you here, that's not your fault." 

"Don't ignore us!" one of the unnamed thieves yells. "And give the idol back!" 

"I have no idea why you would expect me to do that," Kon says. 

"I'll shoot!" the thief holding Tim threatens, jamming the gun barrel into his head again. 

"I mean, I'm pretty sure that dude was right about the felony murder thing, so maybe don't?" Kon says, inspecting the little clay goat again. "Hm. This thing is actually kinda cute." 

"It is, isn't it," Tim agrees. "I thought it looked like a kid's toy."

"Oh yeah, I can see that," Kon says, squinting assessingly at it. "Like those chunky toddler ones?" 

"Yeah, like those," Tim confirms with a nod. "Fisher-Price, Duplo, that kind of thing." 

"I'll take your word on that one, man, my 'toddler' stage only lasted about half a day and I was sedated for it," Kon replies in amusement. Tim seethes internally and thinks very uncharitable thoughts about Cadmus. 

"I said I'll shoot!" the thief holding him says furiously, tightening his arm across Tim's neck. It's still not actually enough to hurt, but again, Tim appreciates seeing a little more effort. "Give us the idol, you stupid brat!" 

"I'm trying to help you out here," Kon says, looking exasperated. "You're just making shit worse for yourself the longer you keep this up. Put down the gun and let the guy go, you'll get a way lighter sentence." 

"Fuck you!" the thief shouts. "The power of the idol will protect us!" 

"The idol that I am currently holding, you mean?" Kon says, hefting it meaningfully. "The one that is in specifically my possession and not yours?" 

Tim does understand that talking people down is the preferred approach and Kon can't actually super-speed this problem away, but Kon could at least pretend to be taking this seriously. From his perspective, there's a civilian hostage with a gun to their head and an angry criminal with their finger on the trigger, but he's acting like there isn't any danger in the situation at all.

Tim gets the posturing thing and the general "cooler than thou" attitude Kon likes to present, but it's definitely not making any of the thieves calm down. Like, not at all is it making any of the thieves calm down. 

This incident report is going to be very annoying to write. 

"It's not yours!" Lisa shrieks at him. 

"You literally threw it at me," Kon says. "I only have it because you threw it at me. Also pretty sure it's not yours either, given all the screaming alarms and broken glass and the smashed-in wall I am currently standing in the wreckage of."

Tim starts wondering if maybe he should revisit his "tripping" plan. He doesn't really want to pull any Robin-esque moves in front of Kon, but also dying would really fuck up all that hard work he's put into being Bruce's emotional support sidekick. Also two dead Robins in a row could not possibly end well. Especially in such a stupid way. Especially in Metropolis. 

"You don't even know what you're holding, you idiot!" Lisa fumes.

"A toddler toy, I thought we established," Kon says. "'Doopler' or something?"

"Duplo," Tim corrects, internally calculating tripping angles. 

"That one, yeah," Kon amends. "Doppo." 

Tim, resignedly, thinks his determined commitment to pointlessly fucking up is adorable. Also still hates Cadmus and has the irrational urge to buy him a teddy bear or something, although Kon would definitely just think he was fucking with him if he did.

Maybe he could just smuggle one into his room and disavow all knowledge of its existence. That's an option. 

"Give us the idol now!" the thief holding Tim snarls, his face twisting in rage. 

"Yeah, no," Kon says. 

"You little–!" the thief starts to yell, and then his trigger finger slips. Tim knows this because the gun goes off right next to his ear. 

And right against his temple. 

Half the room screams and the thief yells and drops the gun, recoiling in horror. It goes off again as it hits the floor and a bullet shatters a historically-significant vase the way one should have shattered Tim's personally-significant skull. 

What the fuck?

"Shit, sorry, that was probably kinda loud," Kon says apologetically, wincing a little but otherwise looking completely unphased by all of that. Tim blinks, very slowly, and attempts to restore his resting heart rate. It's not a particularly successful attempt.

"Yeah, kinda," he says.

"Sorry, sound waves are harder to block," Kon apologizes, pointing at his own ear with his free hand, and Tim remembers the other's total lack of concern for any threat to civilian life this whole time and realizes that was because, from Kon's perspective, there wasn't any actual threat.

Huh. 

Well, that explains why neither the gun barrel nor the being choked thing actually hurt at any point, doesn't it.

"Oh," Tim says, looking down at the floor that they are, in fact, all still standing on. "Tactile telekinesis?"

"You've heard of it?" Kon says, looking pleased. 

"Once or twice," Tim says, managing not to say it too dryly. Kon looks even more pleased. "I didn't know you could use it like that, though." 

"Practice makes perfect," Kon replies smugly.

#timkon #tim drake #kon el #conner kent #dc robin #superboy #young justice #young just us #rinfic #long post #wip: obligatory sugar baby kon

[coochiequeens]

Sam Britton stole luggage from a WOC. If a white woman did she would be crucified by leftists, and she should be held accountable. But it was stolen by a white guy with pronouns so leftists are 🤷‍♂️

A fashion designer is going viral after alleging that beleaguered former Department of Energy official and “gender fluid” activist Sam Brinton stole her suitcase and was photographed wearing the custom clothing she had inside the luggage.

Asya Idarous Khamsin, a Tanzanian fashionista from Texas, took to Twitter on February 20 to explain that her suitcase had been stolen from Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. almost 5 years ago. Khamsin says the stolen baggage contained a number of custom-made outfits she had designed herself, and, after hearing about Brinton’s chronic luggage theft, had looked him up out of curiosity. 

Shockingly, Khamsin uncovered a number of photos of Brinton wearing clothing she identified as being her creations.

While the thread has just gone viral on Twitter this week, Khamsin first tried to bring attention to Brinton’s alleged thievery in December of 2022 when she made an Instagram video showing Brinton wearing her pieces.

In her Twitter thread, posted two days ago, she shared additional images of Brinton with side-by-sides of the clothing she had taken at other points in time.

One photo Khamsin provided showed a model walking a runway in a stunning yellow and gold dress, one which bears a design that looks impossibly similar when compared to outfits Brinton has been seen wearing in 2018 and 2019. 

The gold crescent pattern on the fabric appears on many of Khamsin’s designs from her 2018 fashion show, Lady In Red.

Brinton had been photographed wearing at least two of the pieces suspected to have come from Khamsin’s luggage at the 2018 Trevor Project gala in New York City.

Shocked and appalled, social media users began digging through photos of Brinton to try to find outfits that could also be items from Khamsin’s missing luggage.

One user found a photo of Brinton wearing a top which was similar in design to the dresses, and asked Khamsin if she recognized it. The fashion designer claimed the top as yet another piece of clothing that had been in her stolen luggage.

Khamsin explained that she first looked into Brinton as a suspect after his arrest for stealing luggage was reported by Fox News. Brinton has recently been charged with stealing a woman’s luggage at a Minneapolis airport in September 2022. The contents of the luggage was valued at $2,325.

Shortly after his arrest, Brinton was charged again for stealing another woman’s suitcase in an earlier incident at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport. According to police, the suitcase contained more than $3,500 worth of jewelry, clothing, and makeup. Security footage appears to show Brinton walking through Harry Reid International Airport with the luggage in July 2022.

According to the arrest warrant, Brinton had already received his own bags from the carousel before grabbing the stranger’s luggage and making off with it.

Brinton appeared in court regarding the incident in Minneapolis on February 15. He was released without bail. He had appeared in court regarding the Las Vegas incident in December of 2022. In Nevada, bail for Brinton was set at $15,000 on a felony grand larceny charge. The Nevada judge in that case told the former nuclear waste official to “stay out of trouble.”

If found guilty of his charges, Brinton could face up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. 

Prior to his arrest, Brinton worked as deputy assistant secretary of the Department of Energy’s Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition. However, he has since been released from his position after the Biden administration came under scrutiny following his arrest.

Brinton’s employment in such a high ranking government role had raised eyebrows even prior to his alleged thievery coming to light due to his profile as a “genderfluid” LGBTQ activist and “kink lifestyle.” 

When Brinton was first appointed to the Biden Administration, an article by Metro Weekly featuring Brinton called “Puppy Love” began to circulate publicly.

In the article, Brinton explains his relationship with another man who pretends to be a dog called “Nubi”. “I can hear when Pup needs something faster, because of the difference in the grunts or the moans,” Brinton said. “I actually have trouble when we transition from pup play to having sex. Like, ‘No, I can’t have you whimper like that when we’re having sex,’ because I don’t want to mix that world. It’s interesting, because he doesn’t have to come out of pup mode to have me f*ck him.” Brinton told Metro Weekly.

As well as pup play, Brinton has also given talks at universities on BDSM. In one seminar titled ““Ropes, Whips, & Kinks, Oh My!!” The Polytechnic“, Brinton discussed various sexual fetishes, including adult babies, diaper play, humiliation, degradation, and more.

By Shay Woulahan Shay is a writer and social media content creator for Reduxx. She is a proud lesbian activist and feminist who lives in Northern Ireland with her partner and their four-legged, fluffy friends.

#Sam brinton #department of energy #stealing luggage #Stealing from women of Color #Asya Idarous Khamsin #Asya Idarous Khamsin Makes beautiful clothes #Men stealing from women

[meiliarotten]

Team Fortress 2 Kinktober Time Two: Electric Boogaloo

Day 6: After Party (Hate Sex)

🔞MINORS DNI🔞

Pairings: Medic x Fem!Reader

Summary: After Mann Co. is disbanded, you seek work among wealthy gala attendees, only to run into an all too familiar face.

Tags: Takes place after the mercs are fired/before Pauling finds them (comic timeline), riding, tension, teasing, rivals

Word Count: 4.3k

The Masterlist

The party was more immaculate than anything you had ever attended before, taking place in a massive venue adorned with expensive decor and buffet tables long enough to feed a small country. It reminded you of a ballroom straight out of a fairytale. Waiters wandered about in pristine uniforms, passing out hors d'oeuvres as if the buffet wasn’t enough. As for the guests, well, each one was more glamorous than the next, making it seem as if they were all trying to outperform each other, even as they made polite conversation among themselves.

In other words, you literally could not fathom anywhere you would fit in less.

You wore the nicest thing you owned, but even that seemed like rags next to the least opulent guests, at least in your opinion. You prayed that it wasn’t too obvious that you had forged your invitation to get into this place. The truth was, you were desperately in need of money ever since Mann Co. disbanded, and unfortunately murder was not considered a special skill on most job applications. In fact most employers seemed to consider it a felony. Who would’ve thought?

However, if there was one thing you learned in your years as a mercenary, it was this- the richest of society were often the most likely to want someone dead, and they most certainly had wealth to spare to hire someone to do their dirty work for them. Hence why you found yourself here, wearing a black knee length dress that you were almost certain you had only ever worn to funerals before, trying to figure out which of these pompous fools would be most likely to be in need of your particular brand of expertise.

As you scanned the crowd, searching for the most likely employers, your eyes were repeatedly drawn to the same person. You couldn’t say why- they didn’t exactly stand out, with their simple black suit and slacks- but something about them seemed familiar, his build, or perhaps the way he carried himself. It’s only when he turns around and you lock eyes that you finally put a name to the person. You’ve seen that face enough times to know it anywhere, especially since the sight usually preceded a scalpel being slashed across your throat.

The flicker of recognition in Medic’s eyes indicated that he had noticed you as well. Your initial panic began to fade slightly when you realized that causing a scene would likely get the two of you thrown out. God knows Medic most likely didn’t manage to get a valid invite to this party either. You would both need to act somewhat civil with each other, at least for now, lest you draw too much attention to yourselves. The wisest decision would be to stay as far away from each other as possible… which was why you were immensely frustrated when Medic proceeded to walk right up to you within moments of spotting you.

“What the hell are you doing here?” you whispered harshly once he was within earshot.

Medic actually looked taken aback by your hostility. “I assume I’m here for the same reason as you, fraulein. Hunting for higher pay, are we?”

More like hunting for any pay at all, but you weren’t about to admit that.

“You know, I could put in a good word for you,” Medic said. “I know how good you are at your job, given that I’ve been on the receiving end of your blades and bullets multiple times.” He laughed whimsically, as if he was recalling pleasant memories rather than recounting all the times you had brutally murdered on a daily basis. Respawn certainly was a blessing, one that you all took for granted.

“I don’t need your help, Medic,” you hissed. “Did you come over here just to taunt me?”

Medic sighed, as if he was talking to a petulant child. “Actually, I was hoping we could put the past behind us, but I’m guessing from your hostile attitude that this would be out of the question,” he said, now not even looking at you as he glanced over the sea of people. Well, if he wasn’t even going to look you in the eye then you weren’t going to humor him with a response. You walked off, deciding that trying to find some work would be a more effective use of your time than trading insults with Medic all night.

You planned to make the most of however many hours you spent here, and that meant getting comfortable with as many of these stuck up partygoers as you could, praying that at least one of them was homicidal enough to hire you. Medic went on his way as well, presumably doing the same. You tried your best not to let your eyes wander to him, but it was surprisingly difficult. Now that you actually recognized him he stuck out from the crowd. Shaking your head, you made your way to the opposite end of the ballroom, as far from him as you could get. You had employers to charm, and you weren’t about to let his presence alone get in the way of that.

—

You weren’t sure how you managed to find the small parlor that you eventually wandered into, but you were grateful for it. How long had you been at this damn party? Three hours? Four? You couldn’t even remember at this point. You collapsed onto a small couch with a sigh, placing your face in your hands. Whether or not you were even allowed in this room wasn’t important to you.

You had talked to guest after guest, but trying to gauge someone’s interest in putting a hit out on someone was surprisingly hard. As it turned out, most people don’t tend to flaunt their murderous intent. It wasn’t long before faces began to blur, conversations became repetitive, and you began to feel that if you couldn’t find a place to get away you would go mad. You just needed time away from the din of the crowd. The silence was a welcome respite.

“Not having much luck, fraulein?”

“God fucking damn it,” you muttered, not even bothering to lift your head to look at him. Of course Medic would just happen to wander into the same room as you.

He chuckled. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Don’t you have some big shot employers to talk to?” you asked. “Or are you just here to boast?”

“Nein, there is nothing to boast about,” Medic admitted with surprising honesty. “Despite my attempts to convince them, these people are surprisingly uninterested in doctor assisted homicide.”

“So, we’re both shit out of luck then,” you said, sounding woefully unamused. Honestly, you just wanted to be left alone. The events of tonight were inevitably going to lead to you walking back to the crappy motel you were staying in with some stolen food from the buffet stuffed in your pockets. Of course, then you realized that your dress didn’t have pockets, and you sure as hell didn’t have a fancy purse you could use.

Medic laughed, seeming completely oblivious of your rapidly souring mood. “I suppose that is one way of putting it. I am happy to have found you, though.” You finally looked up at him, eyebrows raised in confusion. Medic sighed, leaning against the far wall. “Talking business is so tedious. I prefer company that is more on my level, so to speak.”

“And I’m on your level? ” you scoffed. “That isn’t exactly the compliment you think it is, doc.”

“There’s no need to be so confrontational, my dear. We aren’t on opposite teams anymore,” Medic said, putting his hands up as if to show that he meant no harm.

“We fought against each other for years. All that doesn’t exactly go away just because we got fired.”

“Hm, I suppose you're right. Besides, I do quite enjoy our little rivalry, whether it’s on or off the battlefield.” Medic smirked at you, and you despised the way that look made your knees go weak. You weren’t even sure when you had stood up from the couch.

Your fists were clenched at your sides as you glared at him. He was so calm despite having found no success with employment. He seemed so perfectly confident while you were silently fretting over how you were going to cover your next rent. And even with all those reasons to hate his guts, a part of you couldn’t help but notice how damn attractive he looked in a suit- no, more like how damn attractive he looked in general. It was that last part that pissed you off the most of all.

“It was hardly a rivalry,” you said, rolling your eyes. “You aren’t exactly much of a battle medic.”

“Oh no, not at all,” he admitted with a laugh. “But I can't help but recall you having quite a few run-ins with the blade of my Ubersaw.”

“And I can't help but recall more than a few instances where you were staring down the barrel of my gun,” you said, quick with a retort. “Funny how you never seemed to learn that your place is hiding behind your teammates, not charging headlong at me.”

You seemed to have struck a nerve. Medic’s smirk faltered slightly. “You would be wise to watch your mouth, dear.” He was close now. Incredibly close. When had he gotten so near? How had you not noticed? But you’d be damned if you backed down now. In fact, you took a step further towards him, the two of you now thoroughly in each other’s personal space.

“Oh? And what will you do to me? You don’t exactly have any weapons with you,” you said. “Besides, I’m just stating facts. You’re at your best when you’re behind your team's Heavy, practically using him as a human shield.

“I certainly hope you are not calling me a coward, fraulein.” Medic responded so calmly. It was uncharacteristic of him, which put you on edge, but your blood was already boiling too hot for you to keep your mouth shut.

“Maybe I am, unless you’re willing to prove me wrong.”

You didn’t expect him to do anything. You expected this to end just like every other confrontation you’ve ever had with him- although maybe with slightly less blood than usual. Honestly you thought he would simply saunter off, leaving you fuming in that parlor all by yourself.

But then he did prove you wrong. And he did so by pressing his lips to yours. Just like that, something snapped. Something that simmered beneath every insult you flung at each other came boiling to the surface, and you kissed him back. Medic pulled you flush against him, his arms wrapped around your waist. The action made you gasp, giving him access to your mouth. He gave a gentle, questioning flick of his tongue that you quickly reciprocated. Your hands ran down his sides then up again. You could feel the rise and fall of his chest every time you parted for breath.

Medic grew more forceful, almost sloppy, but it felt so good, fueled by years of pent up tension finally getting a taste of release. After a bombardment of lip bruising kisses and wandering hands you finally parted, panting heavily. Medic leaned in until you felt his breath tickle your ear.

“I could be inside you right now.” His voice was so low, a far cry from the shouts of victory or pain you heard from him on the battlefield. It was smooth and quiet enough to ensure no one would overhear, even though you were the only two in the room. “You want that, don’t you?”

You were undeniably flustered. Never would you have thought you would be so flushed over hearing your enemy say such filthy things. “I don’t think the other guests would appreciate that,” you finally managed to respond, miraculously without letting your voice shake even once.

“Then perhaps we should take our leave, fraulein.” That little pet name he had for you was usually an endless source of annoyance, but this was exceptionally different. For once it wasn’t spoken with hatred or spite. No, it was spoken with unfettered lust, and you found that you quite liked hearing it like that.

—

You didn’t expect gentleness from Medic. In fact, you didn’t even want gentleness, and you made that clear the moment the two of you stumbled past the door to his hotel room, a surprisingly nice hotel room at that. You couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy, especially since all you had to go back to was a dubious motel that smelled of cigarette smoke and dust. How the hell did he afford this while being unemployed? You decided it didn’t matter. There was no time to dwell on that.

You grabbed Medic roughly by the lapels of his suit jacket, pulling him into a kiss that was more teeth than tongue or lips. It was aggressive, almost animalistic in its intensity. You felt him groan into the kiss, shucking off his suit jacket the moment you released your grip on it. The moment it was off you got to work on the buttons of his undershirt. You had half a mind to simply tear it off of him, scattering the buttons to the far corners of the room. You just barely managed to restrain yourself from doing so.

When the shirt was finally unbuttoned you paused to run your hands up his torso, sliding over his chest and up to his shoulders. He was very muscular, something that you had never really noticed beneath his work uniform. It made sense. He had to carry around the Medigun, and it wasn’t exactly lightweight. You were briefly aware that all the supplies and weaponry Medic had to lug around with him on the battlefield probably weighed more than you did. That thought was confirmed a moment later, almost as if he had read your mind, when he leaned down and lifted you with ease, his arms hooking around your thighs for support. You wrapped your legs around him for some stability, but even so, you nearly lost your balance when his palm came down hard on your ass, a harsh smack being followed by your yelp of both pain and surprise.

“What the hell was that for?” you asked, not bothering to hide your annoyance. Your face was bright red at this point, which probably made your glare seem more cute than menacing.

“Is your threshold for pain really so low, liebchen?” Medic asked, grinning as he reached up to grab a fistful of your hair. You knew what was coming before he even began to pull. He was truly showing off his strength now, holding you with just one arm and the support of your legs around his waist. “Given all that we’ve been through, I would have thought such a little sting wouldn’t be a bother.”

His grip on your hair released after only a few moments and he made his way to the bed, still holding you. You knew Medic could have easily chosen to throw you roughly onto the mattress if he wanted to, but instead you found yourself being gently lowered onto the bed. A shiver ran down your spine as your bare back made contact with the cool sheets, and you realized that at some point he had undone the zipper at the back of your dress. This allowed him to remove it with ease once you were comfortable. You felt relieved to finally be out of the dress, no longer needing to wear what amounted to a cheap disguise meant to blend in with a bunch of rich assholes.

You reached back to unclip your bra, throwing it to the side with little ceremony. Medic busied himself with your underwear, taking the exact opposite approach. He removed them ever so slowly, inching over your thighs as if the garment was made of tissue paper and he was trying not to tear it. It was beginning to annoy you.

“Hey!” you said, getting Medic’s attention. You sat up, grabbing his hair and pulling him forward. The soft groan you got in response was very rewarding, but you couldn’t get distracted by that right now. You kicked off your underwear yourself and glared at the doctor. “You’re taking forever. Are we fucking or not?”

You tugged on his hair, hard, and he winced before quickly composing himself. “So bold, meine liebe. I like this side of you,” he said. You only let go of him when he began to unfasten his belt, and you tried your best not to stare or look impressed when you noticed the sizable tent in his slacks. You shifted back so that you were sitting in the center of the bed. It gave you a rather nice view of Medic when he finally removed the last of his clothes, but you barely got a chance to admire the sight before he was on top of you.

He paused there, seated between your legs, simply looking at you with an expression full of lust. You could feel how hard he was against your thigh, and a pang of need almost made you beg, but you caught yourself before you did. If he wanted you to beg, he’d have to work much harder for it. “What are you waiting for?” you asked, trying to sound as annoyed as possible, but the slight shake in your voice was evident.

“I’m just admiring the sight of you…” Medic began, leaning down to kiss your neck. “ Beneath me, right where you belong.” Those kisses turned into bites, making you gasp and arch against him. You heard his breath shudder as your body pressed against his.

That was when he finally thrusted into you . You were embarrassed by the moan that managed to tear its way from your throat, being caught off guard by the sudden motion and the jolt of pleasure that shot through your body like a live wire. It felt so amazing to finally be filled, to satisfy that empty ache between your legs that had been becoming more intense ever since you left the party. Still, you weren’t about to give Medic too big of an ego boost, at least, not until he truly earned it.

“Harder!” you gasped, dragging your nails over his back, leaving stinging, raised red lines in your wake. “Come on, don’t you dare be gentle with me now.”

Medic chuckled wickedly, barely reacting to your scratching. “Oh, I don’t plan on being gentle with you, liebe.” Suddenly, your arms were pinned to the bed, his hands wrapped firmly around your wrists. His grip was rough and likely to leave bruises, and he soon set a merciless pace.

You struggled to contain your sounds as he slammed into you, trying to roll your hips to meet his strokes, but it was as if he was purposefully trying to make that difficult for you. His rhythm changed every time you began to get used to it. You growled in annoyance, but that only got a sly grin from Medic, proving that he was indeed doing this on purpose. Still, you tried to grind against him, at least until he released your wrists only to hold your hips still, preventing you from bucking or squirming. Your clit ached, desperate for either his touch or your own, a sensation that would have you seeing stars within moments.

“Fuck, I’m close!” you moaned, writhing futilely in his grasp, hands gripping the bed sheets to keep from just giving in and touching yourself. You wanted to get him to do it, you wanted that small victory.

“Beg for it,” Medic whispered, pressing his lips to your ear. There it was. You knew it was coming, but if he thought it would be that easy, he was a fool.

“Fuck you,” you said, glaring defiantly at him while he simply chuckled, seeming to find your defiance more as a form of amusement than a true challenge to overcome.

“Oh, you are, liebchen. However, that’s not the answer I’m looking for.” Medic stopped moving completely and you wanted to whine, but resisted the urge. You never let him dominate you without a fight on the battlefield, and the bedroom was no exception. It seemed that whether the driving emotions were that of hate or lust, it was always going to be war between you.

With a scoff, you decided to finally take advantage of the fact that he was no longer pinning your arms. You latched onto his hair again, pulling hard, which caught him off guard. He was thrown off balance just long enough for you to switch your positions, now finding yourself seated atop him while he looked up at you. He seemed bewildered, as if he was trying to figure out what just happened, and you found it adorable.

“See what happens when you get overconfident?” you said before beginning to mercilessly ride him, not wasting any time. Medic gasped, giving you a look of what could almost be considered respect before sitting back and enjoying the ride. It was actually quite attractive to see you bouncing on his cock.

You weren’t as close as you were before. The pause in the action had caused you to lose sight of your climax, but now that you were in control, it was quickly beginning to build again. However, by far the most appealing thing about being on top was the view you had of Medic’s reactions. You saw how his gaze lingered on the steady bounce of your chest as you rode him, the way he bit his lip to stifle moans whenever you did something especially good with your hips. But the best part was how you could feel his body beneath you, the way he shuddered and tensed up in response to whatever you did to him.

Your hands were planted on his lower stomach to steady yourself, and you could feel the way the muscles began to tighten. It was a sure sign that he was getting close as well. Medic wasn’t quite as intimidating like this, and it only served to make you bolder.

“I wonder what your team would think if they could see you right now, letting me use you like this,” you taunted, grinding against him to emphasize your point.

“I could say the same about you, fraulein. How would your team react if they knew I was about to make you come on my cock?” Medic’s hands latched onto your hips with enough force to throw you off your rhythm. You gasped as he lifted you slightly upwards before slamming you back down. You almost screamed as he managed to brush against an especially sensitive spot. “Ja, that’s what I want to hear. Scream for me!”

With him essentially moving you up and down on his cock, you knew you didn’t stand a chance. You surrendered, allowing him to maneuver you. If anything, it was a welcome break for your thighs. Even so, you weren’t about to become completely passive. You continued to rake your nails down the front of his body, over those tense muscles that were beginning to tremble beneath your touch. You knew he was close to coming undone, and the thought filled you with a sense of pride, because you were doing this to him. Even though he was gripping your hips with enough force to bruise, it would still be you that would eventually make him come.

“You’re close aren’t you?” you asked between moans. Medic shuddered, stammering, as if he hadn’t expected the question, and the reaction made you laugh. “Oh, you definitely are. You’re so tense.” You ran your hands over his chest and down to his stomach before leaning in to whisper into his ear, delivering the finishing blow. “I want you to come for me. I want you to come inside me.”

“Gott, liebchen!” Medic moaned, bucking up into you even as he slammed your hips against his, filling the room with the lewd sounds of skin on skin. You leaned back, one of your hands sliding down your body until you could rub circles around your clit. You threw your head back, crying out as your orgasm washed over you. Medic followed almost immediately after, the feeling of you tightening around him finally driving him over the edge, letting out a low moan as he spilled into you with a few final, frantic thrusts.

When the initial euphoria subsided, you practically collapsed on top of him, completely unwilling to move. Your head came to rest on his chest and you could hear his pulse racing, along with the heavy rise and fall of his chest. Medic threw an arm over you, gently rubbing up and down your back. It wasn’t a gesture you expected, but it certainly wasn’t unwelcome either.

“God, I fucking hate you.” You said it out of pure habit at this point, but there was no real bite behind the words, not even a hint of malice. Medic actually seemed to take it as a compliment, reciprocating with a smirk.

“Likewise, liebchen.”

The irony of the situation was not lost on either of you, so casually declaring your hatred for one another while simultaneously cuddling up after a rough fucking. You weren’t sure which of you began laughing first, but soon you were both nearly in tears, the reality of how strange this scene was finally beginning to dawn upon you. But honestly, with all the other weird shit you had to deal with during your career as a mercenary, this might as well happen. Speaking of work…

“I hope you know that this doesn’t change anything,” you said, turning to look at Medic with a challenging smirk. “I’ll still fuck you up if we ever meet in battle again.”

You felt the vibrations of Medic’s laughter in his chest. “Of course.” He flashed a wide smile. It had just a touch of insanity to it. It was a look you had seen several times before, usually right before he plunged his weapon of choice between your ribs. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, fraulein.”

#tf2 x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #merc x reader #minors dni #smut #tf2 smut #team fortress 2 #cross posted on ao3 #tf2 #tf2 fanfiction #medic x you #medic x reader #tf2 medic #medic tf2 #medic team fortress 2 #medic team fortress #team fortress medic #kinktober

[dc-sideblog]

Underutilized way of connecting the Amity Parkers to the Batfam is Cass and Sam dating. And yeah they met at a gala. Sam's parents are torn between pearl-clutching homophobia and being thrilled that their daughter is moving up the social ladder by dating a Wayne. Bruce genuinely can't believe that Cass of All his children is dating a civilian and gets super suspicious (rightfully). The girls are having fun being goth and committing felonies together. Feedback loop of taking things too far and escalating. It went from Sam making a principled speech while Cass is threatening and ominous behind her to vandalism of hostile architecture to orchestrating an entire prison break freeing every nonviolent offender. The GCPD has a written policy to separate them whenever possible. Cass is banned from Amity Park.

#dc x dp

[thenationaltreasuregazette]

ND for NT? Neurodivergence in National Treasure

(Ben Gates Edition)

Previously, we discussed what the casting of Nicolas Cage brought to the role of Ben Gates, namely

age

a different relationship with attractiveness, and

Weirdness™

But for a lot of fans, Cage’s performance brings something else to the character as well: autism.

I have to admit, though I am no stranger to bestowing neurodivergent headcanons on my favorite media, National Treasure never caught my eye as a potential subject.

However, y’all have spoken.

So let’s explore this!

Because it seems relevant before we dig in, I am an official member of the Squirrel Gang (ADHD) but I’m probably not autistic. I did have a “what’s the difference/do I have both?” phase, so I’m a bit familiar with the criteria, how masking affects diagnosis etc. I’ll do my best to be faithful to your experience.

Okay.

While official diagnosis is definitely not everything when it comes to neurodivergence, we’ll start with the DSM-5 criteria for autism so we have a common framework to reference from.

I thought these two sites had particularly good breakdowns, one in table form and one in infographic and prose form.

Basically, there are two main diagnostic ‘buckets.’ Group A is about “Persistent differences in communication” and consists of three subcategories. All three must be present for diagnosis. Group B is about repetitive behaviors and interests, and two of the four subcategories are required for diagnosis.

Parts C-E are more of a check after A and B are met, so we’ll deal with those last.

I’ll also be adopting the convention of changing the DSM’s language of “deficits” to “differences” throughout, because fuck that.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN GATES

A1. “Differences in social-emotional reciprocity.”

In adults this can look like “difficulty initiating or sustaining back and forth conversation; tendency to monologue without attending to listener cues; unusual response to greetings or other social conventions.”

Ben certainly does have a few unusual responses to conversation. When he meets Abigail for the first time, he’s on a very serious mission (his last chance to save the Declaration of Independence without committing a felony) but the first words out of his mouth are about her accent. Then at the end of that conversation, once he realizes she’s not going to engage with him on the topic anymore, he jumps up to end the conversation quickly and awkwardly, only reengaging with her when he brings up the GW buttons again. Ben offers no small talk that is not related to American History.

During the gala, he doesn’t seem to realize that Abigail and Stan are weirded out by his toast to high treason and enthusiasm for entrail-based punishments.

After he and Riley rescue Abigail from the catering truck, he asks her “Are you hungry?” This reads to me as an attempt to startle her out of her shock long enough to get an answer to his actual question (“Are you alright?”), but still.

And Ben Gates doesn’t not have a tendency to monologue. This is especially apparent in Book of Secrets, where he consistently talks over Abigail and Riley without listening to them. Though, as always, I do not think BoS was well-written or particularly in-character, so I treat it as canon only when it suits me.

A2. “Differences in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction”

This section is about difficulty understanding non-verbal social cues, tendency to minimally communicate through facial expression and gesture, dislike of eye contact, and difficulty moderating tone/volume of voice.

Once of the main points of evidence of this is that fact that Ben seemingly did not have any idea that Ian was a criminal, that Shaw brought a gun on the Charlotte expedition, or that they were going to turn on him at any moment.

Ben Gates is a smart man, but he’s blind to this either because he’s so desperate to find the Charlotte that he’s ignoring any troubling signs, either consciously or subconsciously, and/or he genuinely cannot read them. He might be completely unaware of the power dynamics between Ian, Shaw, and the rest of the crew, with are portrayed via tone and body language throughout the film.

Ian and Ben also agree that Ben cannot bluff. While he does manage to fool Ian at the end of the film, both other times when Ian brings up bluffing—on the Charlotte and in front of Trinity Church—Ben looks like a deer caught in the headlights.

When he gets the instructions to jump off the Intrepid, Ben doesn’t have to fool anyone, because the agents are too far away to see what he’s doing and he straight-up tells Sadusky what he’s going to do.

Headcanon alert: We know Ben has played poker with Ian. While you could certainly believe that Ian and the gang were play low-stakes cards sometimes to entertain themselves, I absolutely prefer to believe that Ben was running out of resources for the search and found his way into a back room poker game in a desperate bid to buy himself a little more time. At first, Ian saw a mark he could swindle out of his last few hundred dollars, but as Ben kept going on about this treasure and a girl named Charlotte, he got a much more lucrative idea.

In the tone of voice category, we have the exquisitely delivered “Rheallhy?” Ben also has a tendency to mumble to himself, as when Sadusky is playing with the glasses and he says,

BEN There’s more to it.

It’s hard for me to tell how Ben does as far as eye contact goes, but what’s very clear is that the time he does purposefully make extended eye contact it’s awkward as shit.

A3. "Differences in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships"

This is the part where I just copy + paste the Nic Cage and the Art of Weirdness article to answer this prompt.

As a recap, we looked at the version of Ben presented in the 2003 script (just before Cage signed onto the movie) and the final character, and noted how Ben became less social and more isolated in the final film. References to previous girlfriends and an ongoing friendship with Riley are gone, as is the landlady whom he’s friendly with, etc. The film version of Ben Gates is someone who doesn’t seem to be particularly close to anyone, other than the people he needs for the treasure hunt (Ian and Riley).

So there’s some plausible evidence in all three subcategories of Group A. Let’s move on to Group B! (Remember, we only need 2/4 here.)

B1. “Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech”

Ben does not strike me as a particularly stimmy person. Unless he’s doing actions directly related to the treasure hunt, he’s often framed as the still, stable center while Riley bounces around him.

(In these scenes, this blocking represents Ben’s resolve and the peace he’s made with his decision to steal the Declaration, versus Riley’s reticence and need to find another way out.)

He does do this thing, where he circles a finger over his temple,

which I adore because he’s being so intense and patiently righteous about it, but without other similar examples, I wouldn’t call this more than neurotypical levels of stimming.

B2. “Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior”

We meet Ben Gates during the two wildest weeks of his life, and he doesn’t seem to be clinging to a set routine. We get so few glimpses of his regular daily life that it’s hard to support.

B3. “Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus”

Do I even have to answer this one?

Boy hears story.

Boy spends next 30 years obsessively pursuing story.

Boy steals Declaration of Independence to prove story is true.

My guess is that it’s Ben’s lifelong fixation on the treasure and American history what gets people looking at whether he’s ND in the first place. Lmk if it was something else for you though!

B4. “Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment”

I don’t know that I would have considered this outside of the scope of this topic, but yeah, I could see a case for Ben being hyposensitive. He stabs his thumb on the Charlotte like it’s a pretty easy and normal thing to do. It’s Riley who really flinches, not Ben.

When he jumps off of the Intrepid, he doesn’t seem sore or cold afterward. Yes, the henchmen bring him dry clothes, but he doesn’t seem physically phased by such a dramatic stunt.

So we can meet the two out of four requirement here as well.

Groups C-E

These groups can be asked as three questions:

C. Were the symptoms present in early development?

We only see young Ben for a few minutes, but when we do he is already interested enough in the treasure to sneak into the attic to learn about it, and we know he gets obsessed with the legend that night and never lets it go.

Without additional information, we can say yes.

D. Do the symptoms cause clinically significant impairment?

While none of what we’re discussing here seems to impair Ben’s treasure hunting ability, I do think it’s be easy to make a case that this globetrotting treasure hunter gig is one of the only ones he’s well suited for. If Ben were forced to work an office job, for instance, I do not see him succeeding in that environment. I don’t know that he’d get the hierarchy, why he can’t just do what he wants, when he wants, that not everyone is driven by a greater purpose larger than themselves, etc.

So sure, check that off.

E. Are these disturbances not better explained by intellectual disability?

No. This seems self explanatory.

Congratulations! Benjamin Franklin Gates is fully diagnosable with autism if you so wish!

But what if you don’t wish?

Caveats and such

Well, first of all, you’re allowed to see fictional characters however you want to. The Ben Gates you have in your head is ever so slightly different from the one I have in mine, and the one another reader has in theirs. If it’s important to you that he’s autistic, or allistic, or whatever, then he is.

And there’s a big asterisk I have to put on this assessment. Well, actually 2.

One, I am not a trained professional, and fictional character Ben Gates was not here to answer these questions himself.

Two, there’s a caveat to all of this analysis, a loophole, and I already brought it up:

We only see Ben Gates during the two weirdest weeks of his life.

So yes, could he struggle with eye contact and reading social cues and that’s why he’s so unhinged during the toast? Absolutely.

But he’s also like, a would-be history professor about to commit a major crime with one week of preparation. He’s not the slick professional we’re used to seeing in heist movies like Ocean’s Eleven, nor is he a highly trained Bond-style hero who’s ready for anything. He’s a regular (ish) person about to do something he can never take back. How is he supposed to be “normal” in that situation? What does that even look like?

The only food we see him eat is a microwaved Stouffer’s lasagna. Is that because he relies on the predictable taste and texture of processed foods, or because he’s been planning a heist all week and doesn’t have time for anything else? You decide!

Is he hyposensitive to pain, or is he just an action-adventure protagonist who’s expected to action-adventure without getting a scratch until the plot demands otherwise? He could be both!

Conclusion

Personally, while I like this reading of the character, I’m not sure I consider it ‘basically canon’ the way I do some other ND headcanons, in large part because we spend so little down time with Ben. I have no idea what his regular life is like.

I was looking through my favorite/personal ND headcanons, and most of them are from TV shows rather than movies. I think that’s precisely because long-term behavior patterns are so much more apparent in people you spend weeks or years with.

However, as a matter of fic and headcanon, I love this! Because there you can spend as much time with Ben as you want to. It opens up so many opportunities to add my very favorite thing in fictional narratives: texture.

Did Ben truly have no idea what Ian was capable of?

Does all this adventuring make his samefoods hard to come by?

Does he hate the feeling of wet clothing, because hoo boy, he is having a Bad Time™ in Book of Secrets.

Is a tiny part of what keeps him pursuing the treasure the knowledge that he can’t function very well in any world except the one he’s created for himself?

So many possibilities!

What did I miss?

What are some of your favorite autistic Ben moments and headcanons?

Next time, Abigail!

#the national treasure gazette #national treasure meta #ben gates

[the-lancasters]

Everton House, Windenburg

Previous| Beginning  | Next

Transcript under the cut

Marcus - In the spirit of our new pact to get along I’m going to ask - What’s got you so worked up? You looked like you’re about ten seconds away from committing a felony

Sarah - Actually, I’m pretty sure I could get it classed as a misdemeanour, if I did it right

Marcus - Well now i’m very curious

Sarah - Well you will have to live with the disappointment - its nothing

Marcus - It did not look like nothing.

Sarah - Before we completely derail this whole being nice thing, let me take off my coat and move on to something more important -  next week's gala

#lancasterroyalstory #lancasterchaptertwopointfive #kinggeorge #the sims 4 story #the sims 4 screenshots #the sims 4 storytelling #the sims 4 royalty #the sims 4 royal simblr #the sims 4 royal #the sims 4 royal family #the sims 4 legacy #ts4 royal #ts4 characters #ts4 story #ts4 legacy #ts4 screenshots #ts4 storytelling #ts4 royals #ts4 royalty #ts4 royal family #sims 4 royalty #sims 4 legacy #sims 4 story #sims 4 royal

[chronically-unlucky]

I briefly had a cat from a lawyers office called Misdemeanor. My other cat Gala decided to introduce her to a felony. Assault

#misdemeanor was rehomed for her own safety

[mini-moriarty]

chapter 3 :)))

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40110768/chapters/100456770 chapter 2

While the jet temporarily provided by Wayne was not as stifling as what commercial airplanes appear to be, it was quite drab to meander on a plane for up to seven hours. Of course, it did give him time to think things through with Butler – it would be foolish to even step foot in Gotham without his bodyguard. With Wayne's focus on safety (and also the safety of minors), rejecting Butler would be pathetic and contrary to his ideal. Though, only after using one of Foaly's inventions to check for any listening devices did they begin speaking, the notification of safety reaching both of their ears.

"Artemis, surely he is only inviting you to figure out about your extra-legal affairs," Butler began, while placing a blank piece of paper to act as a bookmark into his copy of Jane Eyre while briskly placing it down on the table. "I don't trust this," He raised his brows, shooting a cautious look towards Artemis.

"As am I, the main reason I am attending is to figure more about his extra-legal affairs," Artemis rebutted, confident as always. His legs were crossed and his fingers were intertwined behind his head as he leaned back undisturbed, as he ran a hand through his carefully styled hair - not a way that would muss his locks - and smiled with a malicious tinge, "Even if the Gotham police are in his payroll, the Gardai are on mine."

Butler exhaled loudly.

"Make sure to inform me of any dangerous plans," He affirmed in a defeated tone, picking up his book and opening it.

With Butler occupied, Artemis began collecting his thoughts. In his youth, he had a mild obsession with Batman's identity, which was quickly resolved by Bruce Wayne (a very prevalent member of Gotham's high society) and Batman's jaws matching perfectly. Batman must have either had a wealthy benefactor or been wealthy himself, and finding information on wealthy people is generally much easier than on poorer individuals so Artemis was able to pin him down so quickly due to his fame. Furthermore, Waynetech is famous globally so Wayne was a good starting Gothamite for his research. Though, the jaws didn't solely prove it, but the majority of his children matching up with current or former Robins was a giveaway, the domino masks were not the greatest move.

Frankly, his criminality is a bit of an open secret anyways, so Batman's fleeting interest isn't exactly bothersome. His family history isn't a mystery to most people, unlike his current dealings. Strangely enough, the human police are more likely to arrest his father over him, the courts would claim that his father orchestrated it all and Artemis' criminality was caused by being manipulated. Clearly not an ideal solution, but oddly possible even though he was the one committing felonies on the daily (or perhaps weekly, he's calmed down in his old age of the early teens). Though, that all goes on the assumption that they ever find reputable evidence and manage to not have it disappear, the keyword being if. It's unlikely that Wayne would even attempt to arrest him, he keeps to Gotham's crimes and seems to have a soft spot for children - judging by his whole litter of them.

Being arrested may be better than having to go to a gala though, thankfully he didn't have to attend many as a child, but those were painful enough for him to never want to return. The adults would all speak to him like he was a dog, and the children would speak to him like he was somehow their friend - which he was very starkly not. They were both utterly pitiful performances, but the look on the adults faces when he outsmarted them was always a lovely payment for their treatment, but he'd rather not speak to people like that in the first place.

Artemis drummed his fingernails on the table, and opened up his laptop so he could be productive and learn something during this painfully long period of time - inaction was useless. He might as well research the police of Gotham, clear corruption may be an interesting read. The history of Arkham Asylum could also be pleasant to know, and of course, general history of Gotham is a must so he is never out of the loop. Lastly, he has to figure out which of the attending Wayne children he should center himself around to avoid the crowd.

His picks are Richard, Timothy, and Cassandra as they are the only ones attending.

Richard would attempt to conversate with him the most, but he also may reveal information inadvertently - he is much smarter than he tries to appear though so that is unlikely. From what he can tell, Richard and Wayne's youngest son appear to have a close bond, and their similar demeanors may cause a negative output for Artemis as Richard may attempt to be too friendly.

Timothy comes off as somewhat socially awkward, and that might be painful to deal with. Due to that, he may avoid the crowd though which is beneficial and good to gather information but again, it will not be vital information as all the children know better than that.

Cassandra may be a good pick as she is unlikely to ramble on, but rambling may be preferable over observant and well thought out statements. Though, she is quite mature and not be as predictable as many others, someone of her intellect and fighting ability is somewhat of a wildcard. While she would be interesting to have a conversation with, it would be risky.

One doesn't pop out as ideal, but Richard may lead to the least awkward situation, even if he may be overly friendly to him. He also seems likely to have a casual conversation with Wayne, which could be informative.

'The things I do for knowledge,' Artemis sighed internally, exiting out of his files on the family members.

#af x dc #dc x af #artemis fowl #batman #batfam #ao3 #fanfic

[arpov-blog-blog]

Trump Says 'The Black People' Like Him Because of His 91 Felony Charges

Trump racism was on full display during a speech at the Black Conservative Federation Gala.

Brett Meiselas Meidas Touch Network

Speaking at the Black Conservative Federation Gala on Friday night, Donald Trump insisted that “a lot of people” have said that “the Black people” like him because of his 91 felony charges. Trump compared being held responsible for his alleged criminal acts to the Black experience, claiming that Black voters view Trump as being a victim of “discrimination.”

Trump’s racist commentary didn’t end there. At one point, Trump insisted that he knows Black people well because they built his buildings. “A Black worker is a great worker,” he said.

Trump and his father were the subject of 1973 federal lawsuit for their refusal to rent apartments to African-Americans.

In one strange, rambling moment, Donald Trump said the lights were so bright that he couldn’t see any people “except the Black ones.”

“That's how far I've come. That's a long way isn't it?” he said.

In another moment, Donald Trump brought up the late Hollywood film star, Cary Grant, mentioning that he was “very handsome.” He then looked at the crowd and changed course. “I’m gonna put it more in this…” he said, as he switched his story to revolve around Sidney Poitier, telling the crowd Poitier didn’t look very good in a bathing suit when he was old.

Trump then compared himself to former President Barack Obama, asking the crowd, “Would you rather have the Black president or the white president? I think they want the white guy," while claiming to have negotiated a better deal than Obama in a deal with Boeing.

[fishtablegames]

Tricks to Win In Fish Table Games Online

Fish tables are one of the more recent attempts to incorporate skill-based playing onto on line casino floors. Technically, they fall consistent with a sub-genre of arcade titles known as redemption video games. Meaning, they praise a player proportionally to the rating that they acquire via their gameplay. In the past, you can locate such machines at gala's. There, they would additionally include a success aspect. Namco’s Flamin’ Finger is possibly one of the greater popular products inside this style.

How to Play and Win

As stated, to play a fish sport, you'll ought to clutch a seat at a foosball-like table. It will characteristic a monitor where 3-d fish of different sizes will swim in and out of view. These video games are your classic arcade-style shooters. You load credits right into a device, and it components you with ammo for exceptional weapons. Naturally, photographs from the greater powerful ones are pricier, however you are much more likely to get successful using them. Each fish has a wager multiplier attached, meaning you get one of a kind sized prizes for every successful shot. The larger the fish which you hit, the bigger the reward you purchased. In a experience, you're competing in opposition to the alternative players whilst playing those video games because you all draw wins from the same fish tank/prize pool. That means that someone else can snag all the big fish and go away you chasing after only small rewards. So you have to method your gameplay accurately and discern out steps that work for you depending in your bankroll. Developers often spice the gameplay via adding fictional creatures into the combination, along with sea dragons and large crabs. Hitting any of those should bring about decently-sized payouts.

You will no longer find fish table video games at most brand US casinos. They get advertised as skill-primarily based, and not all states have laws that make such gambling felony on on line casino flooring. For example, poker is a skill sport, and its law wildly differs from games of hazard, which includes slots and blackjack. They also have an excessive amount of of an arcade-experience for premium gaming establishments. The Sands in Las Vegas is a unprecedented exception, as it capabilities a six-person, 60-inch-screen table titled Amazon Fishing. You are a ways much more likely to come upon fish tables at sweepstakes parlors or local arcades. Though, in many states, there are ongoing debates regarding their legality. That is why it's miles your exceptional guess to check out fish tables at net casinos. OUSC has a listing of websites where you can play fish desk games on-line. These are more or much less identical to a physical device, besides that you will ought to play them using your keyboard and mouse or a gamepad.

[jessywing]

Morally poor

My friend wanted me to draw in her sketchbook

So I illustrated multiple of my AU morally bad/grey characters. 🍷

#traditional drawing #traditional doodle #traditional art #the divine cosmos illustration #the divine cosmos #character art #artwork #artists on tumblr #felony gala #tale of death #abnormality #original character #original content #original art #oc artwork #oc #alternate universe #au #illustration #drawdrawdraw #my art #art #artist #non fandom

[themaskedswordsmen-blog]

  {✮} One might think that having a few hours of sleep after his all-nighter would help boost Dark’s mood and soothe his nerves, but as he paces across the front of the dining hall with his hands clasped behind his back, it’s obvious that he’s anything but. 

  ❝Seriously,❞ he huffs, unclasping his hands so he can wave a hand in the air. ❝How is Matter not back yet? He said he would only be gone for an hour or two, and that was earlier this morning! Meta’s been stalling for like, six hours now!❞

  {➾} Javelin, who happens to be the only Meta-Knight brave enough to be less than thirty feet away while Dark is in this state, drums their fingers on the table they lean against absentmindedly. They seem much less worried about this than Dark is. ❝Are you sure we can’t start without him? This is too big of a celebration to hold up just for one person.❞

  {✮} ❝Yes, I’m sure,❞ he snaps, stopping in his tracks to shoot Javelin a frustrated glare. Dark grabs a cup of punch off the table next to him and takes a long gulp, hoping the cool liquid would ease his anxieties. 

  After he lowers his cup, Dark surveys the dining hall for at least the seventh time in the past half-hour. Everything is basically ready; the cake he slaved over takes up the center of the captain’s table, surrounded by a wide array of cupcakes for those who can’t get a slice of cake in time. Bowls of punch, appetizers, and various other desserts cover two more tables, while the remaining ones are lined with elegant china and flower arrangements. At the very end of the room, temporary tables have been set up to hold the various gifts that the other crew members have gotten for Galacta. 

  The only thing this room needs is first for Matter to show up, and then for Galacta and Meta to show up after. Luckily for Dark, his first wish comes true--heralded in by a dark shadow seeping under the dining hall’s closed doors and taking shape in a humanoid form. 

  Dark all but sprints forward to meet him, nearly skidding to a halt just two feet away from him. His exasperation is clear in his voice. ❝Matter! Where the hell have you been, we’ve all been waiting on you to get back!❞

  {✫} ❝Apologies,❞ he rumbles, seeming not to grasp that his absence had been the source of Dark’s worry. ❝It took me a while, but I found a suitable offering.❞

  He holds out a closed fist for Dark to examine. Upon opening it, he reveals a brilliantly sparkling necklace with almost too many diamonds to count. A gold diamond almost too large to be real hangs in the center of it.

  {✮} Dark, like everyone else in the room, stares in dumbfounded silence at the necklace for nearly a full thirty-seconds, before his face shifts to a look of horror. ❝Matter, where on Popstar did you get this?❞

  {✫} ❝I went to Ripple Star to get this. Don’t worry, no one saw me.❞ Matter clearly has no idea that his presence on Ripple Star is not what should be fixated on right now.

  {➾} ❝By my makers, I recognize that thing,❞ Javelin interrupts, looking about as shocked as someone without an actual face can look, ❝It’s supposed to be in a glass case in a Ripple Star museum, guarded by at least thirty people and surrounded by hidden laser alarms. Matter, did you...?❞

  {✮} As the color drains from his face upon realizing that Matter has committed a grave felony, it’s all Dark can do to set his glass back on the table without dropping it out of shock. After miraculously getting it on a solid surface despite his trembling hands, Dark sucks in a deep breath. 

  ❝I...let me just get this straight,❞ he wheezes, bracing himself against the table for support. ❝You went to Ripple Star despite knowing they hate your race, snuck into a prolific museum, and stole a priceless diamond necklace without getting caught?❞

  {✫} ❝When you put it that way, it does not sound as good.❞ Matter offers the necklace to Dark. ❝Do you have a bag we can put it in?❞

  {✮} A bag. Matter stole a necklace possibly worth more than the Halberd itself, and he’s asking for a gift bag to put it in. Dark’s gaze falls to the floor, suddenly muddled by dizziness. He slumps into one of the benches, finding that his legs have lost their function. 

  ❝We are so fucked...❞

  {➾} While Dark is busy possibly losing consciousness, Javelin steps forward and gingerly takes the gleaming necklace from Matter. The lack of expression on his face would strike them as comical if not for the fact that he’s committed a serious crime. 

  ❝Matter, I mean this from the bottom of my processor, you are out of your mind.❞  

 {✫} ❝You are welcome for the necklace.❞  

#{{Mini Event--Galacta's Birthday Gala;;}} #{{Glimpses into The Halberd--Drabbles;;}} #{{Dark Meta Knight;;}} {{IC}} #{{GUEST MUSE--Javelin Knight;;}} #{{Dark Matter Swordsman;;}} {{IC}} #in which matter commits a felony for the sake of a birthday

[sturchling]

Liars in Crime

So, this is based of a prompt from @chocolate1721

One day, Marinette is on a video call with Damian when she leaves to help with the bakery. He soon gets another call from Marinette, but instead he sees two girls destroying Marinette’s work. What will happen next?

Hope you guys like it!

Marinette didn’t know it yet, but this would be the day that the Lila problem was solved. And it would be all thanks to her friend Damian. Marinette and Damian were on FaceTime that afternoon. Marinette and Damian had been pen pals for a while by this time. They were originally paired up for a class project, but they had actually become very close friends. They eventually switched to email, which then became texting, and now they FaceTime almost every day. Sometimes, they don’t even talk while on FaceTime and instead work on individual projects and just enjoy the other’s company. This particular day, Damian was working on some homework, while Marinette worked on some new commissions. Jagged and Penny had asked for Marinette to make their outfits for the Wayne Gala that was in a few weeks. Damian and his family had also commissioned some new suits from the young designer, which she had completed and sent to them the day before. Marinette had just finished Jagged’s suit and just had to finish Penny’s dress.

 --------------------------

While the two worked, they chatted about their days. Well, Marinette was venting more than chatting. She had been dealing with the Lila Variety Show all day, and it had been a particularly rough day. Apparently, Lila had told Alya that Marinette had spent the night sending her nasty messages. This caused the whole class to glare at Marinette all day and call her a bunch of horrible names. A few had even tripped Marinette as she left the class that afternoon. The only ones who hadn’t been attacking her were Alix and Nathaniel. Adrien hadn’t attacked her, but he certainly didn’t have her back like he claimed to when this whole Lila mess started. Most days now, Damien heard all about Lila’s daily lying. He had grown to hate this girl without ever meeting her. The entire Wayne family hated this girl after hearing what she had been doing to Mari. They all wished there was something they could do, but Marinette refused their offer of legal assistance and it is not like Batman could deal with such a small problem that wasn’t even happening in Gotham. There was one good thing that came of all this, Batman had finally heard about what had been happening in Paris. He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t heard of Hawkmoth before this, but now he was working with the local heroes remotely, so as not to risk being akumatized himself. Somehow, during all this time, neither Marinette or Bruce had figured out the other’s identity.

  --------------------------

After they had been on FaceTime for about an hour, Marinette was called downstairs by Sabine. They needed help with a particularly busy rush. So, Marinette ended the call, saying that she would call back later. Little did the pair of friends knew, but trouble was brewing across the street, at the school. Alya and Lila were talking in the classroom. Lila was upset because Marinette had continued to send her mean texts, and had even started sending threatening texts. Alya was furious. How dare Marinette threaten her best friend!? Alya knew the young designer had changed a lot, but she never thought Marinette would sink so low. Alya wanted to teach Marinette a lesson. But Lila was too sweet. “No, Alya. I don’t want to hurt Marinette. Its fine, they are just words.” Alya didn’t understand how Lila could be so forgiving. “It is not fine Lila. She had been threatening you and needs to be stopped. What if we don’t hurt her, but just mess with her current designs a bit. She has been more obsessive about them than usual lately, so messing with them should teach her a lesson.” Lila hid her face so Alya wouldn’t see her smirking. “If you think that would work Alya. But won’t Marinette be upset?” Alya loved how thoughtful her friend was. “It may upset her, but she deserves it. She has been upsetting you.” With that, the two girls walked over to the bakery. They snuck in through the door to the apartment, right behind the Dupain-Cheng family who were all in the bakery. The girls entered Marinette’s room and began destroying everything they could find. But Lila made a major mistake. When she grabbed a sketchbook from Marinette’s desk, she knocked the mouse and accidently clicked on the call button on FaceTime. That one mistake put Lila’s downfall in motion.

  --------------------------

Damian continued with his homework, not expecting to hear back from Marinette for some time. But about 15 minutes later, Damian got a notification that Marinette was trying to call him. He just assumed that she had finished in the bakery quicker than expected. He accepted the call, but instead of his friend, he saw two girls destroying everything in the room. He quickly started screen recording, so he had evidence of what the two girls were doing. He didn’t know how these two were so dull, that they hadn’t noticed him on the screen. Damian recognized these two girls from Marinette’s descriptions of her class. This must be Alya and Lila, the liar making his friend miserable. Damian texted Marinette about the two girls in her room and how they were destroying her designs. The two had already ripped up the pages from Marinette’s sketchbook, and were now Lila trying to destroy the dress Marinette was working on for Penny while Alya cut up the suit meant for Jagged. Damian was furious and decided to try and get the girl’s attention before they did too much damage to the clothes. Damian cleared his throat and watched as the two girls froze.

  --------------------------

Alya and Lila had been cutting up the two outfits on the mannequins when they heard someone clear their throat. Both girls froze, wondering who could be in there. They had seen Marinette and her parents in the bakery. There shouldn’t be anyone else. They wildly looked all over the room trying to see the source of the noise. They almost thought they had imagined the noise when they heard “I’m on the computer you incompetent cretins!” Damian couldn’t believe how pathetically dull these two were. Alya and Lila whipped around to stare at the screen, and they saw a boy about their age with black hair and green eyes just glaring at them. Lila was terrified. If he said anything, everything Lila had built would be destroyed. They could go to jail, and Lila couldn’t become famous from jail. So, Lila put on her best pouty face while also trying to look flirty, and she sauntered up to the computer. “Oh, hello there. We are friends of Marinette’s from class. She told us we could borrow her notes from class, but she forgot to give them to us. She told us to come up and-” Before the liar could finish her newest tall tale, the door to the room burst open. Standing at the trap door was Marinette and Sabine, and they were furious! Marinette stared at Alya, who was holding a pair of scissors in one hand and the suit for Jagged in the other. “WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” Marinette rushed to Alya and grabbed the suit from Alya. Thankfully, she hadn’t managed to do much damage to the suit yet, but Penny’s dress was a different story. The dress was nothing more than scraps now. Marinette saw red and began yelling at Alya, who started yelling right back.

  --------------------------

In all the chaos, Lila tried to slip out the door, but the way was blocked by Sabine. “Oh no you don’t young lady. You two are staying right here until the police arrive.” Lila was terrified, she wanted to get out, but Sabine was standing on the only door out of the room. Alya at this point, was concerned. Her parents would kill her if the police were called. Alya tried reasoning with Sabine, “Wait Mrs. Cheng! We only did this because Marinette has been bullying and threatening Lila-” Sabine only got more angry replying, “Be quiet young lady! Even if that were true, that is no reason to break in and destroy my daughter’s property. You two have committed some serious crimes today! Did you two know breaking and entering is a felony? You are in major trouble!” Alya and Lila kept trying to appeal to Sabine, but nothing worked to convince her not to call the police.

  --------------------------

While, Sabine called the police to report the break in, Damian watched in silence. He was furious. How dare these two break in and mess with Marinette’s hard work. After a few minutes of Sabine and Marinette yelling, the rest of Damian’s family filtered into the room having heard the commotion. At first, they thought something was wrong with Damian, but then they saw what was happening on the screen. A short explanation from Damian, and the rest of the Wayne family was just as furious as Damian. Bruce was almost shaking with rage. Jason was muttering about going to Paris and teaching these two a lesson. Even Alfred wasn’t calm anymore, he was glaring at the screen and roughly twisting the feather duster in his hands. The Wayne family watched as Marinette and her mom kept the two vandals in the room until the authorities arrived. The police arrived shortly after and took the two girls to the patrol car, so they could be taken to the station. The officers then returned to the bedroom and began gathering evidence. They took pictures of the damage and then took a statement from Damian. After Damian gave his statement, he sent the police the video he had recorded of the two girls destroying the clothes and designs.

  --------------------------

While the police gathered evidence, Alya and Lila waited in the car. Lila was furious. How did things go so wrong? She was supposed to be laughing with Alya about the revenge against Marinette. She wasn’t supposed to be in handcuffs in the back of a police car. Alya turned to her and said, “Don’t worry Lila, once we explain everything, they will let us go.” Lila could not believe how dumb this girl was. Even if she had been telling the truth, that wouldn’t get them out of a felony charge. “Alya, even if the police believe us about Marinette, we would still be in a lot of trouble. Our best bet is to lie. Stick to the story I was telling Damian, we just went up to get notes. The stuff was already destroyed when we got there.” Alya wasn’t sure about that. Lying didn’t sit well with her. “But what about Mrs. Cheng? We already told her the real reason.” Lila was quick to respond, “Well, it will be our word against hers. We will just hope the police believe us.” Alya was still worried, but agreed to Lila’s plan. They worked out the exact details for their story, and by the time the police came back, they felt confident they would get away with it.

  --------------------------

When they arrived to the station, the two girls were placed in separate interview rooms, to wait until their parents arrived. Once their families arrived, the police informed them of the serious charges placed against them, and that the Dupain-Cheng family was pressing charges. The two families were horrified! Their daughters had committed two crimes in one day, including a felony. They were looking at some serious trouble, they could even end up in a juvenile detention center. That was even more likely, since they had also committed destruction of property while they were there and had damaged Marinette’s custom designs, which were worth a fair bit of money. Mrs. Rossi knew that her daughter could be looking at up to 3 years in a detention center. She was shocked her daughter would do something like this. The officers asked for permission to speak with their daughters and the families agreed, so long as they could watch from the other side of the glass. The police agreed to the request, and the interview began.

  --------------------------

Both girls stuck to the story they agreed on. Now matter how many times the police asked, the girls continued to say they had been invited in and were only there to get notes, and they had no idea how the clothes had been damaged.  The officers interviewing the girls were shocked at the ease with which the girls lied. The officers realized they needed to stop, and try something else. They left the room and the families started asking if they were cleared. “They said they were only there for the notes.” “They wouldn’t have done this.” “They wouldn’t lie to the police.” The police realized they needed to show the parents the video, so they pulled out a tablet and played the video for the family. As the video went on, the families grew paler as they watched Alya and Lila destroy the sketchbook and outfits. At the moment, Lila and Alya were back in the little holding cell, sitting on the bench. They were just chatting and laughing. The two families couldn’t believe how relaxed the two were. They weren’t guilty at all! Nora became enraged. How could these two be so calm?! Didn’t they realize how much trouble they were in?! Nora grabbed the tablet and stormed over to the two girls. Nora pressed play and watched as Alya and Lila grew pale as the video went on.

  --------------------------

Lila didn’t think there was any video of what they had done. How was she to know they had been recorded? Then, she realized by the camera angle, this was recorded from the computer. That brat on FaceTime must have recorded everything. The video clearly showed her and Alya ripping up the sketchbook pages and cutting up the two outfits. Lila and Alya began to realize they were in major trouble. Their story they told the police was obviously false and there was video to prove they were guilty. Alya started freaking out and yelling, “Wait! The only reason we did that was because of Marinette. She has been bullying and threatening Lila for days now! We just wanted to teach her a little lesson, its not like we hurt anyone!” Alya’s family stared at her in disbelief. How could she believe that Marinette would do that? Lila knew that it was a long shot, but it was her only chance. So, she turned on the water works and spun her story about how Marinette was threatening her by text for days. One of the officers walked up and said, “OK, then we need to see your phone.” Lila stilled at that and replied, “What?! Why?” The officer looked at her dubiously, like he already knew she was lying, “Because, if what your saying is true, then it may help your case. But you need proof. Luckily, texts stay on the phone and we can track the number.” Lila hadn’t thought about that. The class never asked for proof, so she hadn’t bothered to fake any. Alya turned to her and said, “Go on girl, show them the texts.” Lila didn’t know what to do. She handed her phone to the officer, hopping he would go to the other room to look at it, but he stayed right there and looked through all her messages. Eventually, after a tense minute, he looked up and said, “There are no texts threatening texts here at all. Alya turned and stared at Lila. That couldn’t be right, that would mean that Lila had lied to her. Lila wouldn’t do that. They were friends, right?

  --------------------------

Eventually, the truth came out. Everyone found out that Lila had been lying the whole time and had tricked the whole class. Just because she had been tricked, did not get Alya completely out of trouble. It did help her case however. The judge let Alya off with 100 hours community service and telling her she had to pay restitution to Marinette for the damaged clothes and book. Alya wasn’t necessarily happy, but she was grateful not to be going to juvie. Lila was not so lucky. After it was revealed that she was the mastermind behind everything, and how she had harassed Marinette, she was sentenced to 12 months in a juvenile detention center 10 miles outside of Paris, to hopefully avoid her being akumatized. Lila would also be on probation when she was released. After everything that had happened, Marinette decided to switch schools to a nearby art school. She did end up repairing the outfits for Jagged and Penny in time for the gala. She was very thankful that Damian had been there that day, and had recorded everything. He had solved the liar problem for her, from all the way in Gotham. Time went by, and Marinette got over the events that had happened in Mrs. Bustier’s class. Marinette was excited for what the future would bring, now that the liar was gone from her life.

#ml fic #ml fanfic #ml salt #ml salt fic #ml class salt #alya salt #alya cesaire #lila rossi #Lila exposed #lila salt #lila exposed fic #lila gets exposed #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #miraculous salt fanfic #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous salt #miraculous salt fic #maribat #damian x marinette #maridami #marinette x damian #writing prompt

[an-absolute-travesty]

Rainy Days

A/N: You know, I didn’t think I was gonna write a fic today, but the litle gay gremlin that lives in my brain woke up and chose this I guess!

Warnings: Incredibly mild swearing/descriptions of... “violence” but very cartoon-y sort of violence I don’t know if it really counts, slight caps but its just one word

Pairings: Kam

About: Tam’s Winnowing Gala except he doesn’t wanna be there

Other notes: no beta we die like Kenric, Keefe and Tam are friendly in this one because I felt like it, no they aren’t completely in character but is anything I ever write?

Word count: 966

Tag list (tell me if you want to be added or removed): @cadence-talle @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @catboyruy @percabetn @sewersewersewercouch @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @enbies-and-felonies @blxckh0les42 @rainbowtay-11 @callas-starkflower-stew @impostertamsong @appalyneinstitute1 @stars-and-splendor @anna-without-an-e @mistythegenderqueermess @we-have-no-bananas-today @we-wont-dissapear @jadenightthewriter @ketterdamkid

Tam sat on the back porch, staring as the rain pounded down hard from the sky. He heard the door open behind him and turned around to see Keefe standing in the frame. 

“So, are you out here because you enjoy getting soaked to the bone or are you mad at someone?”

Tam looked away.

“Bit of both, I guess.”

Tam felt a shift of weight on the porch swing and knew Keefe has sat beside him. 

“Well, in that case you better go ahead and tell your bestest friend in the whole wide world why you’re hiding during your own Winnowing Gala.” 

“First of all, you aren’t my best friend. Second of all I’m not hiding I’m just...taking a breather.” 

The party was being held at some venue, Tam didn’t really know where, Tiergan had booked it for him. The porch was the only place to hide and unfortunately Keefe had found it. 

Keefe clucked his tongue disbelievingly. 

“C’mon man, it’s your party. Get out there and find some girls! If you’re scared to dance I could demonstrate.”

Here he bumped Tam’s shoulder with his own jokingly. Tam just rolled his eyes. 

“Tam, the minute you walk in there everyone’s gonna be swooning over you,” He started doing a crude impression of a girly voice,” ‘Oh Tam! All I want to do is brush out those dreamy bangs of yours and look into those dreamy stormy eyes and dreamy dreamy dreamy! Just marry me now!’ “

Tam rolled his eyes again. 

“They all think I’m a freak in there, I’m the weird shadow twin guy with scary powers who sits in the corner and sulks any time he’s with his team.”

“Oh, you’re fine, Sophie’s powers are scarier than yours and she’s found plenty of love interests.”

Tam didn’t say anything and neither did Keefe for a blissful minute. But all good things come to an end.

“It’d be easier to mingle in there if you knew how to dance. I saw you stepping on the toes of the one girl you interacted with, it wasn’t pretty.” 

“It’d also be easier to not have a Winnowing Gala at all but here we are.”

Keefe again didn’t say anything for a peaceful minute.

“Tam...why did you have a Winnowing Gala if it seems like you don’t want to be here?”

“Everyone else was having one… I… I don’t know, I guess I thought it’d help me fit in, or something.” 

“Eh, fitting in is overrated. I think it’s pretty impossible for anyone in our group to fit in anyway. Kicking the Neverseen’s collective ass kind of makes you stand out.” 

Tam did a sort of half-laugh.

“Yeah…”

Tam contemplated for a minute.

“Hey, wanna run back to Tiergan’s and hide there?”

“Please,” Keefe responded immediately.

~*~

After a long -- exhausting -- walk up the stairs, they had reached the main room of Solreef. It was still raining, whatever venue they were at must’ve been closer than he thought. He didn’t like that.

The house was empty as Tiergan, Prentice, and his siblings were all at the party. They’d realized he was missing soon enough, but it probably gave him about an hour before they’d try to find him. A nice break. A well needed one too, considering he was one step away from anxiety attack at the party.

Keefe immediately began raiding the pantry, as he did any time he came to Tam’s house, but halted when he noticed the somber expression on Tam’s face.

“Okay, what’s wrong Bangs Boy? Your energy is…” he made a vague circular gesture with his arm towards Tam, “off.” 

Tam sighed as he sat on the couch.

“Why do I have to get matched? Like yeah I know I don’t have to but… I feel like I do, for some reason. I’m already biased against, having a good marriage won’t help, it’ll just drag whoever down to my level.”

Keefe sat down next to him.

“Look… not to get all serious or whatever, and if you tell a single other soul I said this I’ll kill you, but whoever you marry will be damn lucky to have you. And if they think their being dragged down? I do not care if it’s your wife, I’ll punt her into the sun.” 

This made Tam laugh fully for the first time that day. 

“You mean it?” Tam asked light heartedly, turning towards Keefe.

“Every word,” Keefe replied, looking down at his lap.

There was a beat of silence.

“Hey Keefe?”

“Hm?” He asked, turning back towards Tam.

“I’ll punt your wife into the sun too, if you want.” 

Keefe laughed. 

“Thank you for the thought, but I don’t really want a wife.”

“Me neither.”

Another silent beat.

Tam didn’t even realize it was happening, but his leg was bouncing, hand sat atop it. He felt Keefe’s hand reach over, as if to remind him to stop fidgeting like Linh always did, instead he grabbed the hand on top of the leg and intertwined their fingers. Tam risked a quick glance up, worried that eye-contact would make Keefe let go. Keefe had his head turned away, but Tam could see the splotchy blush across it.

Tam gripped onto Keefe’s hand slightly harder, before turning completely to Keefe and getting his attention by talking.

“Hey, maybe I could take you up on that dancing offer one day.”

“Well, I’m free today, what about you?” He said with a smirk.

“I suppose I could clear my schedule.” 

“Great. Just don’t step on my toes, please.”

“Maybe now I’ll just do it on purpose,” Tam replied as he stood up from the couch.

“You wouldn’t dare, I have so much dirt on you,” Keefe said, following.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“But my stormy eyes are dreamy, right?”

“Shut UP!”

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc fic #keefe sencen #tam song

[storiesofsvu]

Random but how are some of these people affording Rita? Like that terrorist(?) girl? I doubt she did THAT for free

Lololololol. Not random at all…here is my assessment of her client list/who we see her defending over the years.

Adam Cain:(25 acts) popular, rich, famous TV host, probably retained her when he became a public figure. Is obviously a fucking rapist, but she takes on high brow clients and he was one of them, he just turned out to be a fucking creep.

Manor Hill Academy:(lessons learned) how fucking powerful and well known of an attorney do you have to be to have a FUCKING PRIVATE CHARTER SCHOOL on your client list??!!! Jesus fucking Christ. They can obviously afford her. Also we’re going to ignore the fact that the words “hunky dory” came out of her mouth this episode. Who wrote that line?? I just wanna talk…..

Avery Jordan: (legitimate rape). This one was pro-bono. And it was totally when her and Barba were still sleeping together. Don’t come for me. I did a re-watch of just Rita episodes the other week, and I dove straight into the Barhoun analysis, and my thoughts are: they were banging during s14 your honour. There’s just an OVER the top way they address each other, and too many little smirks for me to ignore it. Barba’s the one who says “she’s gonna need a good lawyer….i know just who to call.” So it was either a favour to him, or Rita being all “that’s fucking terrible yeah let me destroy this pos in court pls.”

Nick Amaro:(amaro’s180) this HAD to be pro bono. Again, helping out a “friend” of Rafael’s. It’s also publicity wise, a good case for her to take. It’s definitely going to get her name in the papers and her face on the tv. Not because Nick is some famous dude, but because it’s the case of him accidentally shooting an unarmed black kid, who in the process, is made disabled. She’s also the right lawyer to take it to trial, if she was going to need to. She’d be able to fight it.

Josh Galloway: (comic perversion): tbh….this guy is the WORST of her clients. You can even tell he pisses Rita off in the scene at the end when she’s telling him to shut up. Not to mention he literally hits on the judge in the middle of the trial. Also, rich and famous dude. Probably been on her client list once he had a name for himself.

Olivia Benson: (post-morgen blues): this one was 1000% another pro-bono. And you cannot tell me that they’re not friends. They frequently call each other by their first names, and Rita calls her “Liv” not just Olivia. They’ve probably gone out for drinks together, been at PLENTY of gala’s/events over the years together. Hell, Olivia probably knew her back when Rita was still working for the prosecution. And yet again, this is a good case for publicity.

Shakir: (American disgrace): super rich, famous basketball player. He can afford her easily. Also he ended up being not guilty, so, he’s not that bad. (Also come s16, there’s definitely a lot more snippy moments between her& Barba, whatever they had going on is clearly done by now)

AJ Martin:(spousal privilege): again, super rich famous ex…football(?) player. Defs can afford her. Hell, he can afford her AND her junior partner. This is also the ep that we actually see just how high up she is at the firm she works at, and that maybe it is *her* firm. Bryan(? I think that was his name?) her jr associate says “on it boss” yes M’am, we love a good woman in power. Also this case was always a little gray for me. Tbh. YES, he obviously fucking knocked Paula out, and it’s unclear on whether it’s happened before/again, but Paula didn’t want to press charges. Hell, Barba was offering misdemeanour charges and was okay with making a deal until whatever the fuck was going on between Rita & him came to play and he said “fuck that we’re going felony charges” and they ended up in court and AJ ended up in prison. I dunno, seems….murky…very murky… obviously DV is a huge issue, but…its murky…

Carl Rudnick: (devil’s dissections/criminal pathology): its stated right up front that the guy has family money, and that he can afford her and a good defence. She seems to not have much of a relationship with him personally, but brings up his family, chances are she’s reps a few of them, or his parents or something. Obviously, very guilty murder/rapist and honestly…psycho. ALSO lets not talk about the fact that they made a deal based on a technicality of Rudnick talking to himself on tape during the interview. $1000 says that watching that video was Buchanan’s job, cause Rita never would have dropped the ball on that so badly.

Abby Stewart: (a misunderstand): technically not her client. A friend from high school who she kept in touch with over the years. Tbh, she probably is the Stewart’s lawyer because she does say that she’s known Abby since she was in diapers, meaning her & Laura stayed friends over the years and were close enough that Rita is literally in the courtroom every second of that trial and at their house when Barba’s trying to settle for a plea. Also, their house is huge, Laura went to Dowland w/ Rita, and Abby goes to Dowland, so they got the moonneeeyyy.

Ana Kapic: (terrorized): this one CONSTANTLY pisses me off. Even in the park, yes, she has a gun STRAPPED to her, not in her hands, and she IMMEDIATELY says “please dont shoot, help me” because she’s coerced into it, and was a victim of assault/abuse and rape, including the morning of the attack. Why TF was she held responsible when they never ONCE tested her hands for gunshot residue?? Her partner was the one who shot off his gun (and in turn was gunned down himself). I do not know how Rita got her hands on this case, but it was definitely a pro-bono. Ana defs couldn’t afford her, but Rita would definitely dive in there to help someone who was a victim, and again, another case that’s DEFINITELY getting a LOT of fucking press, Rita’s name would be everywhere, and every time her name is out there in the papers taking on giant hard cases like this? She’s gonna get phone calls and get more clients and more money, so….. ALSO, it’s still engraved in my fucking brain that Rita was meant for the Nikki Staines character arc, and this episode ties into that, her acting choices/choice to take the case because Ana is a victim because she’s finally coping with her own assault, and doesn’t want another victim to go down.

Declan Trask: (spellbound): i seem to remember something about him having “daddy’s money” or some shit? Either way he was well known, spoiled little brat of a kid, so he’s probably been on her client list since he came into the public eye, or she was his parent’s attorney, and kinda passed along to him as the time went on. This is another one that she EASILY can win, because she has a goddamn recording of the Vic consenting to sex, even though she’s hypnotized. It’s fucking hard to prove that in a courtroom.

Chip Gallagher: (long arm of the witness): fuck this guy. Fuck him so hard. If he drowned, a pair of sharks played volleyball with his fucking corpse, then ate him, puked him back up only to be eaten again by a killer whale….I WOULD STILL NOT BE SATISFIED…..i have a lot of feels…BUT, this dude…something doesn’t sit right with Rita taking his case. He’s on the city’s salary, and he went to Fordham, not an Ivy, he clearly was upper class, so he comes from some money, but I still think there’s something else going on on why she would represent him. Like she basically trash talks him in the opening scene yet still takes him on????? Something fishy going on there M’am….

ANYWAYS.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk. Hope you enjoyed it.

TL; DR: rita comes from money, and has a lot of it and manages it well, she takes on a fair amount of pro-bono’s, especially when it’s helping out a friend of a friend of a friend or someone who is stuck in a situation that they shouldn’t have gotten into and she knows that she can do some good and help them get out of it.

#rita calhoun