#kieras journal

[mintmentos]

Kiera’s journal

04/07/22

I’ve been seeing @blysse-and-blunder’s ‘in lieu of a commonplace book’ posts loads recently and it’s such a good way to keep track of what you’re doing and enjoying that I’ve decided to do one myself! I can’t settle on a name but this will do for now :)

Reading

When we moved out a few years ago, my dad let me pilfer all his and mum’s books and I took way too many, so this year is about finally whittling down my physical tbr. I’m currently reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I’m enjoying it though it’s nothing like I expected. I thought it was going to be a fast-paced thriller and it’s kind of the complete opposite of that? But I’m still having a good time and I have the second one lined up for when I finish it.

Watching

Like literally everyone else on the planet, I watched Stranger Things Vol 2 on Friday, and it was really good, but didn’t live up to expectations. I was still on the edge of my seat and spent a good hour completely tense, but I think there were some Choices(TM) made that I would definitely have done differently.

If you follow me you would know I’ve fallen head first into Star Wars this year, and I’m nearly done with the films! Watched The Last Jedi yesterday and I really liked it, though it wasn’t one of my favourites. I’m on a strict spoiler ban from my cousin who’s conducting the Star Wars education, but I can’t wait to do a deep dive once I’ve watched everything (and uncover the reason for the sequel hate). I’m also watching Clone Wars, 2 seasons in so still along way to go, but I’m having fun with it. Don’t know what I’ll do when I run out of content!

Listening

Again, like the rest of the world, I currently have Running up that Hill on repeat 24/7. No, I’m serious - one day I worked from home and had it on repeat for like 7 hours. It was intense.

Aside from Kate Bush, I’ve been listening to a load of new podcasts! The first episode of @badlandscola was intriguing and I can’t wait to learn more about the cult and meet the radio dj; @radio-outcast isn’t new, but new to me, and I’m really enjoying the combination of cowboys and the wild west with fantasy and time travelling gods; caught back up with The Sheridan Tapes and I must say the outro this episode was super cool; and lastly, listened to the Leverage episode of Something Queer is Happening Here by @knovesstorytelling which might be the push I needed to finally watch it!

Playing

It only took me a year but I finally finished dgs & dgs2! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, best Ace Attorney games. Now that that’s out of the way, I’m back on Breath of the Wild and boy have I completely forgotten all the controls. It’s going to take a while and a lot of deaths on the map before I remember everything.

Making

I’m in the process of crocheting a cardigan and I’m over halfway there! Nearly finished my second hexagon, then just got to do the extensions and sew it all together! Then to start it all over again for my sister ...

Working on

I’m doing my Cert CII and after completing my LM1 in February and having a month off, I wasn’t motivated and never bothered with it. This week I’ve finally got myself back in gear and have finished chapter 3 of my LM2, a truly riveting section on reinsurance, and am hoping to get through chapters 4 & 5 by the end of the month, with the aim to sit my exam by September. Wish me luck!

#this was really fun i liked doing this little round up of what i'm up to #idk if anyone will read this and idc tbh i'm doing it for myself and hvaing fun #kieras journal #thursday what a concept #i deffo need to come up with a better name #give me some time i'll come up with a banger

[katurdayss]

Hi friends, if you're looking for a TV show to watch Alaska Daily is on Hulu and a really great show about journalism/ local newsrooms. It's not Shadow & Bone or Euphoria or a Star Wars spin off or a LOTR spin off but don't let that fool you.

This show is a great show where a romantic relationship is the tertiary story line instead of some stupid love triangle. It's main story line is about the violence against indigenous women, which is barely talked about in main stream circles.

Think if Shemar Moore's S.W.A.T and the movie Boston Strangler with Kiera Knightly had a baby in Alaska. Now add in Hilary Swank.

Please go watch this show so we can get a second season! I promise it's worth it!

#hulu #abc #alaska daily #abc's alaska daily #hilary swank #journalism #journalist #new tv show #shemar moore #kiera knightley

[harmonyverendez]

I cannot describe how Harmony will feel when she encounters everything in the fall SGE. I can't imagine her pain and everything she went through. I know she will be very broken and traumatized.

#rise of the school for good and evil #femaleowned #fall of the school for good and evil #The school for good and evil #Rhian sge #TROSFGE #Rhian Mistral #rafal sge #Sge rafal #Rafal Mistral #My theory #my analysis #My journal #My post #A theory...Maybe? #Harmony Stormborn #Kiera Mistral #Kiera Fahey

[strawberryblondebutch]

This is my grand introduction

ABOUT ME

I go by Kiera, although I'll also respond to Ghost or River, as those have been my internet or IRL nicknames for well over a decade at this point. I use she/her pronouns and I'm a 23-year-old white cisgender lesbian based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (aka the greatest city in the world, and I will hear no arguments to the contrary. My chronically offline fiancée is referred to here as "Mrs. Kiera" to protect her privacy.

I currently work in the tabletop role-playing game content and design space, but this is a stopgap before I go to law school to become a professional sports agent. Other industries in which I've worked or interned include music journalism, technical theatre, public school teaching, behavioral ecology, and literary criticism. My favorite thing is to hop from one dying field to another.

I'm pretty openly bipolar. Despite being on a good treatment plan, I still suffer from routine changes to my mood that impact my daily life. I'm happy to answer questions about my experience with BP2 or other health concerns if asked politely.

MY CONTENT

At this point, I'm not really in a fandom space. This is just the site where I scream into the void (and occasionally the void answers back). If you do associate me with a fandom, it's probably either Stranger Things or Scream. Like most people, I suffer from a few minor curses: I'm always in the worst line at the grocery store, technology likes to break around me, and I ship only the rarest of femslash pairs. This is my burden, and like Sisyphus, you must imagine me happy.

Other content that catches my fancy include comic books, emo music, sports, and Philly culture. My favorite bands are The Wonder Years, Say Anything, and Fireworks. My favorite athletes are Emily Clark, Taylor Heise, Brandon Marsh, Travis Konecny, and Tyrese Maxey.

Because of my job, I am also relegated to forever DM, but I have a few characters I routinely play. Rhaelara Rynwalsdottir is my pathetic wet cat paladin werewolf. Katya Volkova is like Evelyn Carnahan mixed with Daphne Kluger. I'm also working on some fiction works and love to talk about my lesbian werewolf OCs.

CAN I TALK TO YOU ABOUT...?

Yes, always. Ask me anything. If I'm having a bad brain day, I may not respond immediately, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear about things like:

The Ronance hockey AU

Zatanna Zatara, pathetic bisexual meow meow

Why are all ginger lesbians such girlflops?

Emo, punk, and hardcore culture

The eternal pain of being a Philly sports fan

The latest stupid way I've gotten myself hurt

WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND YOU?

Legend has it that if you go to a basement hardcore show in South Philadelphia on the night of the full moon, you'll see a red-blonde werewolf absolutely tearing that shit up in the pit. Other than that, I'm also on AO3 as ClawedLoupGiroux.

BYF/DNI

TERFs and Nazi punks fuck off.

If you don't believe that addicts should be treated with compassion and care, I wish you a very die.

Trans men are men, and lesbians are not attracted to men. Do not ship trans men with lesbians or I will give you rabies.

I have the scary disorders your parents warned you about and sometimes they make me scary.

Despite it all, I remain a practicing Catholic. You keep your beliefs and I keep mine, eh?

Minors can follow, just don't be weird about it.

[odinsblog]

When the Supreme Court’s decision undoing Roe v. Wade came down in June, anti-abortion groups were jubilant – but far from satisfied. Many in the movement have a new target: hormonal birth control. It seems contradictory; doesn’t preventing unwanted pregnancies also prevent abortions? But anti-abortion groups don’t see it that way. They falsely claim that hormonal contraceptives like IUDs and the pill can actually cause abortions.

One prominent group making this claim is Students for Life of America, whose president has said she wants contraceptives like IUDs and birth control pills to be illegal. The fast-growing group has built a social media campaign spreading the false idea that hormonal birth control is an abortifacient.

Reveal’s Amy Mostafa teams up with UC Berkeley journalism and law students to dig into the world of young anti-abortion influencers and how medical misinformation gains traction on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, with far-reaching consequences.

Tens of millions of Americans use hormonal contraceptives to prevent pregnancy and regulate their health. And many have well-founded complaints about side effects, from nausea to depression – not to mention well-justified anger about how the medical establishment often pooh-poohs those concerns. Anti-abortion and religious activists have jumped into the fray, urging people to reject hormonal birth control as “toxic” and promoting non-hormonal “fertility awareness” methods – a movement they’re trying to rebrand as “green sex.” Mother Jones Senior Editor Kiera Butler explains how secular wellness influencers such as Jolene Brighten, who sells a $300 birth control “hormone reset,” are having their messages adopted by anti-abortion influencers, many of them with deep ties to Catholic institutions.

The end of Roe triggered a Missouri law that immediately banned almost all abortions. Many were shocked when a major health care provider in the state announced it would also no longer offer emergency contraception pills – Plan B – because of a false belief that it could cause an abortion. While the health system soon reversed its policy, it wasn’t the first time Missouri policymakers have been roiled by the myth that emergency contraception can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting and cause an abortion. Reveal senior reporter and producer Katharine Mieszkowski tracks how lawmakers in the state have been confronting this misinformation campaign and looks to the future of how conservatives are aiming to use birth control as their new wedge issue.

—The Long Campaign to Turn Birth Control Into the New Abortion

#politics #republicans #religious reich #birth control #contraception #abortion #scotus #evangelical christians #christian nationalism #republican culture wars #roe v wade #war on women #students for life #pro choice #medical #medical disinformation #medical misinformation #plan b #gwb #george bush #hormonal birth control #jolene brighten

[sonicblueartist]

Operation Crimson

Part 1, Part 2

Masterlist

❝𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞; 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.❞

A/N

Sorry guys this chapter might be long and boring but I swear these chapters are necessary to introduce the series and the events. (And I had to split this chapter because it become so long) I will try to add reader be more involved in other episodes and I promise there will be more action scenes. GET READY FOR THE CONCERT SCENE BECAUSE IT WILL BE A LEGEND!!! FINALLY, OUR HEROES WILL GET A GLANCE AT OUR VILLAIN.

HAVE FUN!

Sitting within a worn down booth, Kiera Lee took a dramatic drag of her half dulled cigarette watching as the reflection of passing cars flash along the twenty four hour coffee shops windows, along with the small rustling of poodles outside. Given the odd hour of that very evening, one would say her current position could be considered rather oddly suspicious, but given that she hadn't been alone, her situation was that much more conflicting to the naked eye. That is if anyone were watching to begin with. Seated before her, was a torn looking man named Mert, someone who had been seated before her for quite some time, and was still rather transfixed with the matter at hand, lost within his own head as he continued to be stuck in thought.

"This is no small matter..." Mert muttered. Kiera Lee sat up on her seat and replied in a strangely energetic way according to the time they were currently in.

"Come on, this will be a real success! Think about it. In the evenings with the most television viewing, investigative journalism, unsolved or questionable crimes..."

Mert's attention was more on wanting to sleep in his warm bed than on the subject. Kiera continued excitedly:

"The studio guests will be the witnesses, the people involved, and the parties' lawyers. And Vec..."

"Vec?"

"Excuse me, that's what I call him, actually the person I'm talking about is Vector, a former senior official of the police. An almost legendary character in his times, he has solved extremely complex cases. He is like Sherlock Holmes. Such a character that television will never miss it, they will praise him from the first night! He will examine the evidence, reveal issues that remain obscure and need to be addressed in more depth... I seem to see him questioning the people involved already..."

"Questioning? In the studio?"

"That's right, those who watch the show at home should feel like they're participating in a real investigation on air. The audience will rise above the clouds and our man will have enough success to put even the most veteran TV presenters in trouble."

"And naturally you'll be the host..."

Mert didn't want to talk business at that hour.

"Isn't that obvious? Listen to me, a program that will not even cost a lot, a few cents to be handed only to the studio guests, and a good reward to those who will make statements that have not appeared in the press before..."

"It doesn't matter if it's a good idea or a bad one." Mert said with a sneering smile.

"Certainly!" Kiera replied, emphasizing each word to indicate her anger towards how careless he is, continuing:

"Your interests are different anyway... But going back to the cost issue, they can easily be enticed by first-class travel or vacation.."

Mert finally tilted his head and straightened his posture to discuss the matter more properly.

"Hm, it's not a very original idea, there have been similar programs like this before."

"You've used the right word: Similar! Who have been presenting those programs have always been huge women who are afraid of harming those who conduct research and state officials, who do not touch the water and soap... We will be more aggressive, we will not hesitate to step on anyone's tail and... And the audience will be on our side. After all, the similar programs you mentioned eventually reached very good viewership numbers."

"Well, you know I'm not the one to decide on new releases."

"But since the program will run parallel to the news bulletins you are managing, your opinion on the subject will definitely be taken into account. Talk to Katy..."

Mert put on a tired smile.

"That's the price of tonight, isn't it? Defend your project to the general manager."

"Telling him about my project. Support me."

"I'll see him tomorrow morning..."

Mert looked at his watch with a yawn and added. "Correction, this morning... God! It's almost morning and I haven't slept at all."

Kiera got up from her seat and threw her bag over her shoulder.

Mert shook his head and spoke with a laugh: "You're officially trying to raise your status. You're repulsive..."

There was not the slightest hint of reproach in his voice.

"Aren't we all a little bit like that in this profession in our own way?"

"Okay. I'll talk to Katy about your project and try to convince her."

Kiera headed for the door, "See you soon then."

Mert mumbled something under his breath as he also got up, approaching the cashier to pay for their drinks, "Can't believe you leave the bill on me..." By the time he said that, Kiera was already on her way out, stucking her head out the door, addressing him.

"You talk to Katy. And do me a favor and learn to be a gentleman."

A moment later, she was behind the wheel of her car.

🍀

Kiera liked to drive in the evening, it made her feel powerful, she felt like the ruler of the city. She had been driving on many times, not knowing where she was going, letting her feelings drag her along.

Her phone unexpectedly started ringing.

The caller was Neri on the night watch from the editorial division of the channel.

"Kiera? I thought the secretary was going to show up..."

"Is something important?"

"No, I don't think so, but it will never be known... Maybe something interesting could come out of it. There is a murder. A man was killed in his own home."

"Is that all you know?"

"I was thinking of sending someone to the scene to get information, then I thought tomorrow morning you'd look into it and decide if it should be a special story or just a simple piece of news."

Kiera was not sleepy, nor did she want to go home.

"I'll go, give me the address," she said.

She arrived at the scene in no time. It was a building similar to many other structures found in areas close to the city center. The swirling blue lamps of police cars parked outside the entrance door cast large, strange shadows on the building's surface. A small group of people stood in front of the door to the large building where entry was barred by two policemen, and Kiera saw a print colleague among them.

She parked her car in front of the curb, but did not get out, sitting at the wheel waiting for someone to come, hoping she could get some useful information, after all, she had plenty of time before her for the day's news.

After a few minutes, her patience was rewarded more than expected. A police officer emerged from the building and hurried towards the duty vehicle. Their eyes met for a moment. The man leaned over the car window and spoke briefly to his colleague in the driver's seat. Then he checked around to make sure no one was following him and, making a quick nod to Kiera Lee, hurriedly headed down the side street.

Kiera waited for the man to turn the corner and disappear before starting the engine. Then she drove slowly in the opposite direction and turned from a secluded place into the street where the policeman had just disappeared. When she caught up with the man, she pulled up to the pavement and the officer quickly got into the car. Without any introduction, he began to speak:

"A victim, James Logan, aged twenty-seven, lived alone in an apartment on the fifth floor of the building. He was killed with a blade, like some sort of knife, with an unbelievable number of blows... A brutal murder indeed."

"Interesting, do we have a new monster in town?"

"Maybe. Let's get away from here. I don't want them to see us together."

"James Logan..." Kiera Lee started the car and made a quick U-turn. "The name is not familiar."

"He's not from the celebrity world, if that's what you want to know. He's officially registered as a civil servant," he said, adding with a grin. "It's only natural that he didn't become famous unless he's in a secret relationship with a politician or a famous artist."

"Was he a handsome guy?"

"I guess?"

"Can you go upstairs and have me take a look?"

"Don't even think about it, Espio dropped by the scene right away to keep things under control, I don't think he's going to like your visit."

"Espio? Is that such an important event?"

The man shrugged indifferently.

Kiera continued to speak:

"Even so, it doesn't sound like front-page news to me: A man murdered in his own home in this godforsaken city isn't of much public interest..."

"It's your opinion, but one thing I'm sure will change your mind by tomorrow night."

"Is it about the murderer? Do you know who they are? Did you catch them?"

An evil smile spread across the man's face.

"First we need to clear something up, my dear sweet journalist..."

"I know what you're going to say, but I can assure you..."

The man didn't let her finish.

"Last month I provided you with a lot of good information, you paid me a dime for a carload of nice words in return. Well, I don't care about those nice words, I'm more interested in money. If the information is important and I'm risking my head to pass it on to you, it should be paid properly."

"I know what's going on, and believe me, I was very angry because of this, I even punched my desk. Problem solved, no such thing anymore. If the information you give is valuable, I guarantee you will get a lot in return."

The man seemed to think for a moment.

"I want to believe you, but this time it better not be a problem, otherwise you'll have to get the news from someone else from now on."

"Calm down, okay, I said you'll get your money. Now talk."

"What I'm talking about is..."

🍀

Professor Hamilton stroked his white beard and settled more comfortably into the Forensic Institute's executive chair. For more than fifteen years he had been in this position, and he had passed through countless cadavers on the autopsy table: famous, never known, people who had enjoyed their lives to the fullest, or who had always had to suffer. And death did not excite him any longer, except in curious cases, and something different was happening less and less every day. The James Logan case was no different, for Hamilton it was very commonplace and would be forgotten in a few days. However, while talking to Commissar Espio, he concentrated on the subject for a moment with all his attention.

"Is it finished?" Espio asked.

"Death was definitely between twenty-one forty-five and twenty-two-fifteen last night. Cause of death: Lesions caused by multiple blows to the chest and abdomen with a sharp, steel blade. These are punctures and cuts, eighteen in total. the first six blows, all of which hit the chest. During the twelve blows that followed, the victim was already dead. The lesions in the internal organs are as follows, in order of importance: rupture of the pericardial sac and left ventricle..."

"Forget these details, Professor,"

Espio interrupted, sighing. "I'll read them in the report anyway."

"As you wish. The weapon that caused all the lesions was no doubt, let's see what finding it was... Yes, the D finding, the envelope opener found dipped in the victim's body after the murder. God, when you call it an envelope opener like that, you laugh because it's as thin as a real knife and a sharp, deadly weapon itself. The interesting thing, which didn't really surprise me when I saw where they stuck the blade in, was that the envelope opener was inserted into his body just a short while after he died."

"Can you be a little more specific?"

"The post-mortem biological findings do not give chronometric accuracy, so what I can say is that it was ten or thirty minutes after death." After a short pause, Hamilton continued his speech. "There's one more thing: the victim suffered another blow while alive, apart from cuts, a large, bruised tear in the right occipital region of the scalp caused by a blunt object... A thick, glassy object with a string of fragments left on the tissues from the impact of the crush."

"It was a bottle of cognac... Could a more than normal hit cause the victim to lose consciousness?"

"This is possible."

Espio was silent for a while.

"Professor, have you got any idea what the mechanics of the crime might be?"

"I think a conclusion can be made when considering the angles of the wounds on the chest and abdomen."

"Go on, Professor."

"The victim's back was turned to the murderer, maybe he was running away from them. He fell unconscious with the blow to the head with the cognac bottle. So the murderer jumped on him and stabbed him repeatedly with the envelope opener. At first he aimed at his chest with great force, but later..."

Espio interrupted the man:

"Wait, how can you be so sure that the victim is unconscious on the ground?"

"Because he didn't defend himself, his hands didn't have any scars to show otherwise, and besides, no skin, hair, fiber, or anything else from the killer was found on his fingernails... Nothing. As a result, he did not resist, he was either unconscious or half-conscious when he received the fatal blows."

"Or maybe he was paralyzed with fear..."

"Hmm, I don't think so, a person who receives fatal blows will not be paralyzed by fear. Usually, with an almost automatic reflex, the hands are in front of the face trying to shield them. But tell me, please, is it that important to know if the victim is conscious?"

"I don't know, probably not. Please continue, Professor..."

"Well, the victim is on the ground, the killer stabs him in the chest six times with successive blows. From the seventh blow, now there is a dead body in front of them, they stab him eleven more times, targeting his stomach. They drag the body a few meters to the middle of the room, the traces of blood on the floor are clearly visible. And now for the final act..."

"Envelope opener..."

"That's right, it's an act of utter humiliation and contempt. With great care, or even sensitivity, if the word isn't quite appropriate, maybe to make sure it's found, or just for sadistic pleasure, he inserts an envelope opener into the man's body and pushes it all the way down, and leaves it there as we found it."

For a few seconds no one spoke.

Espio was the first to speak, his voice strained:

"Did you find any traces of being beaten before?"

"No."

"Did he drink alcohol?"

"We took measurements, it was within normal limits, he didn't drink."

"Any drug or substance?"

"I can say no, I didn't find any traces. But we'll have to wait for the test results to say for sure."

"Did he have any disease?"

"A young and healthy man, in excellent physical condition."

"Has he eaten dinner?"

"He had a very light meal at about eight o'clock: salad and corn... Maybe he was on a diet."

Hamilton glanced at his watch and his daily chores in his diary.

"If nothing else, Mr. Espio..."

"No, I think that's enough for now."

"I will send you the full lab report as soon as possible."

"If something new catches your eye..."

"I'll let you know right away, Mr. Espio, keep up the good work."

Professor Hamilton finished speaking and immediately began to forget James Logan.

After Espio closed the call, he gets out of his office and comes face to face with Tails.

He wasn't surprised to see him as he was the one to invite him here but his face...

A genuine worry leaked in his words, "Jeez Tails, you look like a car struck you."

Tails scoffed, "Thanks. I didn't sleep three nights straight. Or four days. Seeing it is already..." he glanced at his watch, "...9:25 Am..." He added quickly, "Don't take it personally." He rubbed his eyes, "Anyway, let's get this over with, so I can rest a little."

Espio nodded understanding, "Follow me. Want some coffee?"

Tails sighed, "Do I look like I have a choice?"

As they walked in an empty office to talk, Tails was given his coffee by an intern.

"Thank you." He sipped the bitter coffee, grimacing his face with the harsh taste, leaving to get seated in the semi dark room.

She smiled at him.

Espio called out to her, "Thank you for helping us Light, you can leave."

She hesitated and nodded. Leaving them in the room by themselves.

Espio walked around the room, his fingers on the large white table. He rubs his dust covered fingers on his already stained jacket. After this his first priority is to clean this room. He started with clearing his throat, "You only want information about the victim?"

Tails glanced at Espio's face. His eye landed on his scar over his left cheek only for a second. He looked down on his dark reflection over the coffee, the lights were off and there was very little sunlight coming in through the curtains. This gave Tails the impression that it was still night, "Along with that, as always, general details pertinent to the procedure."

"The victim is a twenty-seven-year-old man. His name is James Logan. He lives alone. He was killed in his own home at about twenty-two last night. The body was found about two hours after the murder, and we were on the scene within minutes."

"What about the murder weapon?"

"An envelope opener, one of the household items. After he was knocked unconscious, he was stabbed multiple times in the stomach and chest with it."

Tails hummed, "He is unconscious? How?"

"With a blow to the head, the killer hit his head with a cognac bottle."

Tails sighed nodding, "What do we know about the victim?"

"A lot of things. The deceased was single, had a couple of girlfriends in recent years, and he was one of the best employees of a large company. His friends and co-workers said he was a serious and level-headed man. They stated that he lived a quiet and non-exaggerated life.

Tails glanced at him, "So what was it about last night?"

"Someone broke into his house, no sign of theft, probably opened the door to the killer himself."

"Let's stop here," Tails said, taking a sip from his cup and continuing. "I don't want to know anything else about the dynamics for now. Any other details on the victim?"

Victim: That was the term he had to force himself to use, not James Logan, not man or anything else... He should have called him a victim to avoid personalizing him and isolate himself from the situation.

"Let's see... his medical file says he's very healthy... He has casual interests and a few activities he continues: He attends a gym and signed up for a Latin American dance class a few weeks ago. He has no financial problems; when his family died, their apartment and a big amount of money saved is up to him. That's all for now..."

🍀

"Kiera! I'm so glad you can make it!" Amy cheerifully opens the door for her.

"Of course how could I miss an invite from a famous singer like you?" She walks in closing the door behind her.

Amy nearly jumped on her heels, "Come follow me. I have some good news for you." She didn't need to lead her in her big house, Kiera was already familiar from a few visits before, for some important information, but this time her visit was for a different reason and Amy being the polite person she is, doing it herself instead of her servants. The one thing Kiera didn't understand, just lay down girl, jeez, you have goddamn servants, let them do their jobs!

Her eyes caught the sight of her bodyguard. Weirdly enough there are a lot of security cameras inside and outside of her house but there is only one guard protecting the whole house -and Amy- and that is a robot.

"It better be. I ditched my work to come see you, girl." Shard and Kiera's eyes met. They both had a weird bond. Shard is oddly cheerful and mysterious for a bodyguard and Kiera has a fierce and untrustworthy attitude towards him. But he still seems to believe in her. Shard welcomed her with a nod.

They seated themself in her living room as Amy started to talk, "You know I'm going on a whole world tour soon, right?"

Kiera nods, "Of course. Everyone is talking about that."

Amy slightly blushes, "Well, Since I won't be singing here for a long time after I leave, I decided to give a concert here for the last time this week." Shard approaches with some teas in hand. They both picked it up. Amy thanked him and continued, "And I wanted to give you the first tickets. You can invite as many friends as you can, it's all free for you and your friends. You can take advantage of everything that will happen at the concert as you wish."

Kiera sips her tea with a side smile, "And? For what cost? What's your benefit?"

Amy gently smiles and shrugs, "I only want you to announce it in the news too, that's all. I want everyone to know so they can all enjoy it. I'm sure this will bring you a lot of viewers."

Kiera leans on her seat thinking, "hmm....Okay, alright, fine. It would be a nice distraction from all these... uh... When exactly is it going to happen you said?"

Amy perks up, "This Sunday, Shard will meet you there. I'll send the address and everything, don't worry. And sorry that it's so early. I didn't have any choice." Shard smirked cooly, waving towards her.

Kiera smiles, good, it's only two days later, "Don't sweat it. It's a deal."

Amy grins, "It will be great!" She mutters to herself, "Now all that remains is to convince Sonic and Espio. I hope Tails can manage."

Amy shakes her head and turns to her, "So...? If you don't mind me asking, how many friends do you think of bringing?"

Kiera smirks, "I have a few people in mind. And I think we better start preparing for this special day with them~"

🍀

Something wasn't normal, Tails was struggling to understand.

First of all, Espio wanted to meet him not in his own room, but in one of the meeting rooms: an oval table, six or seven chairs, a television. They were alone, however, and it was clear that no one else was expected. Then what was that sly expression that never faded as the forensic pathologist explained Hamilton's report?

In the end, Tails decided that Espio knew something he didn't realize and didn't want to tell him about this detail before he got his opinion, but why was he meeting him in the boardroom?

Leaning back on the chair, trying to relax, Espio said: "Yeah, what do you think?"

Tails did not answer immediately. He had a pretty clear idea of what was going on in James Logan's apartment, and what the forensic pathologist had to say backed it up. But he wanted to find the best way to present his thesis. Espio had no intention of pushing research to one side. He also knew that Espio wouldn't listen to him blindly, but Tails wanted to show that his thesis was the most plausible of normal behavior patterns and the only conclusion from crime scene investigation.

"You know something, don't you?" He asked.

"Hah hah, Tails." Espio laughed, raising his hands to his sides. "The rules are very clear. All you need to know right now is the crime scene, the forensic pathology report and information about the victim before you make your own thesis on the case. Then we can talk about the rest later."

"Fine, fine."

Tails took a deep breath before choosing his words carefully and speaking slowly. He ignored the anguish that was surfacing inside him as events flashed before his eyes.

"The victim was found in the middle of the hall: on his back, his shirt and shorts torn, his hands clasped on his stomach; The crime tool was left stuck to his body. The house is quite orderly, with no sign of a fight that may have lasted more than a few seconds."

Tails paused and brought his hands to his eyes. He could not see anything around him; he was in the apartment opposite the corpse of the man who was staring at him blankly. Espio's voice came from far away:

"Continue."

"How can we form an idea? According to the autopsy results, fatal blows were in the chest. I agree with Hamilton's dynamics; the victim was first knocked unconscious and then finished on the ground. The number of blows is much more than the purpose of killing, which indicates that the killer was ecstatic. Just minutes after his death, the victim was carried to the middle of the hall. Inserting the envelope opener into the body was the final act." He stared at his hands, hardly glaring, his voice light as if he was reading it all from a book.

"How can you be so sure that there was a certain amount of time between the fatal blow and that hideous final move?"

Tails didn't answer right away, his voice cold and soulless as he spoke:

"As a result of the autopsy, the envelope opener was pushed inwards after being inserted very carefully into the victim. In order to behave in this way, the murderer must have come out of his state of insanity at the time of the murder. And to get out of that mood, I assure you, a few seconds is not enough."

Again there was silence.

Tails spoke again:

"In fact, we can talk about two stages: We can define the first as aggressive or it would be more correct to say compulsive, which is the stage where the murder takes place; In the second stage, which is called characteristic, the killer plays the last scene we find. The first phase probably lasts no more than a minute, the killer compulsively,. i.e. in a state of frenzy: they attack the victim and can't stop hitting him even after the victim is dead, blood splatters all over the place and probably continues until they can. In the second stage, this frenzy passes, the killer is very calm. They use all the time they need to prepare the body when it will be found... They drag him to the middle of the hall, the stage, puts his hands on his chest and inserts the envelope opener into his body."

"You mean to tell me we're dealing with typical sexual sadism, the first act of a serial killer?"

"No, I didn't say that. It's true that it looks that way at first glance, but from my point of view there are a lot of inconsistencies."

After Tails said that, he paused to put his thoughts in order.

Espio waits calmly for him to speak, giving him time to put his thoughts in order.

"Let's start with the following, but let's not forget that we can't talk about the existence of a serial killer with a single crime committed: Our victim is not a suitable candidate for a typical sadistic murder. In such murders, people who lead irregular and disapproving lives, are in mixed environments, and go to socially not very elite places, where often chance encounters take place, are the targets. So to sum it up in one sentence, they're the opposite type of Logan's lifestyle."

Tails paused, calling the victim by his name, that should never happen again, never.

"I agree, but that doesn't mean anything... Anything can always happen, no matter how impossible it may seem."

"Yes, of course, that's just statistics and doesn't prove anything, but what I want to underline is how unlikely this man is to have been the victim of a sadistic murder."

"But we still don't know much about him, maybe he was living a double life."

Tails spoke in an icy voice:

"I know him much better than you think. I've seen his house."

Espio wanted to answer, but when he saw Tails' gaze, he gave up. "Well, okay, not a standard victim for serial killers... What else?"

"There are two other inconsistencies that confuse me: one in the compulsive stage and the other in the characteristic stage. Let's start with the last one, can you tell me how the killer positioned the victim's body?"

"Come on, Tails, let's not deal with riddles, here we have the photo."

"Look carefully at the hands. They are joined on the chest, just as they are done before a body is buried. 'Rest in peace...' That's what the hands tied on the chest mean... It's not uncommon. Serial killers who get hit have a strong sense of inadequacy towards the opposite sex, are often at a very low social level, and that can be added to by exclusion; if they have a job, they are not in a high-responsibility status or are not rewarded for their hard work..."

"Are we always going to move forward with statistics and theory?"

"Statistics, of course... Theory emerges from data from analysis and emerges secondarily. Let me finish my reasoning: This kind of psychological typology in crime is actually revenge for the murderer, giving them satisfaction and power that they could never find. During the murder, there is a complex set of behaviors: compulsive behavior is only part of the work, there is also a preparatory stage in which the plans and fantasies about the victim are fictionalized, and the characteristic stage, which emerges as a ritual immediately after the murder, where the murderer sends a message to the people who will find the victim. It almost always underlines the contempt of the victim's body and demonstrates their ability to manage: the clothes are torn, the face destroyed... In some rare cases, after it's all over, the murderer fixes and dresses the corpse to excuse their actions and show a kind of remorse, and sometimes clean the blood and cover it up to hide."

After a pause, Tails continued, "Now let's go back to our situation and see how the murderer treated the victim. Let me ask you this: The joined hands on the chest don't fit the whole picture for the characteristic phase, do they?"

"Yes, the envelope opener too..."

"Not only that, they carried the body to the center of the hall, the stage, to shout their presence. Then the eyes, look into the victim's eyes..."

"Explain."

"That has nothing to do with the 'rest in peace' message, as are the clothes that were left torn on the corpse. In short, it all seems like contempt and revenge. Then why are the hands crossed like that on the chest? No, no, There's something I don't understand."

"They may have done it as a final act, an unexpected and sudden scrap of pity before they left."

"No, I don't think so, no... But there is another discrepancy at the characteristic stage. I'm sure that caught your attention as well. It's about the crime weapon..."

"Envelope opener."

"It was one of the household items, so our hypothetical serial killer didn't bring their crime tool with them, the crime tool on which they would perform their gruesome ritual." Tails continued after a pause. "So they didn't come prepared to kill."

There was silence again.

"It may be thought that for some unforeseen reason they were enraged and thrown into a sudden fit of rage and acted without a pre-planned plan, but then we can't really talk about a serial killer."

"In short, you don't think we're dealing with the first work of a serial killer."

"No, I don't believe it. The behavior of the victim and the murderer is not appropriate for this type of crime."

"So where do you attribute this event?"

"We started from the end: Because of the envelope opener, how the corpse was left... But we forget one thing: we deal with the last scene and the dynamics of the crime right after the murder without thinking about what happened. Try to evaluate it that way."

"The murderer got in without any coercion, the most probable thing is that Logan opened the door for her himself. The murder took place far from the entrance, the victim was knocked unconscious by a bottle of cognac..."

"Okay, that's my thesis, but I'm highlighting, it's just a thesis: The victim knows the murderer well enough to take them home late at night, the two of them talk a little, they probably argue and fight... Then everything turns out differently than expected and the killer goes to the man with the first thing she can get her hands on, with a bottle. At that moment, the man is frightened and trying to escape from this madness. What the murderer fell into is truly insane. She sees the envelope opener and takes it, at that moment all she want is to kill, to destroy that life, that's all she wants at that moment.. And so, blow after blow comes one after another..."

Tails' features tensed, and a few quiet moments passed before he spoke again.

"Now it's all over, and only now, realizing what she did, the murderer begins to think. Maybe she cursed herself for the two lives they had destroyed in an outburst of anger in the first moments, the life of James Logan and her own destroyed... She thought she would be caught: she knew the victim, she had a reason that would soon emerge, she had no alternative but to spend her future in prison. Unless she is able to divert the investigation... Unless she can convince that it's actually something else, that she doesn't know the victim's killer. Then what could be more appropriate than making it look like a serial killer? That's how she prepared the scene we see, just like she followed the steps of the murderer in a crime novel or movie. But at that moment she had a very strong sense of remorse, and she unwittingly showed it by clasping the victim's hands on his chest."

"Then you think this is how the crime was committed..."

Tails suddenly interrupted him:

"Tell me, Espio, in which of the crimes where the victim and the murderer know each other, do we foresee a frenzy that will end with such violence and that the murderer suddenly feels remorse towards the victim?"

"Love Murders..."

"Good, my inference is that the overall picture overlaps with a natural love murder. So the murderer should be sought among current or ex-lovers and possible new suitors."

Espio nodded silently with his eyes down on his desk, and when he looked up, Tails saw that sly light in his eyes again.

"Did you see the news this morning?"

"No, I didn't have time."

He pushed the daily newspaper on the table toward Tails.

"Check the city news."

; NIGHT ELECTRICITY FAILURE ;

About two-thirds of the city was without electricity for more than two hours, due to a malfunction in the complex system of the main electricity transformer at around twenty-two tonight. The eastern and southern districts remained in darkness. All of a sudden, the televisions were turned off, the elevators were locked, the refrigerators and freezers stopped, just as the traffic lights and warning signs on the roads went out. The inconvenience of the people of the city-

Tails looked at Espio with questioning eyes without reading the rest of the story. "Is there a power outage in the neighborhood where the victim's home is located?" He asked. Espio nodded and added:

"For those two hours, a woman was trapped in the elevator. To be more specific, the person staying in the elevator is Logan's current girlfriend."

Tails huffed. Like a novel, he thought. He was about to ask a question before he paused as Espio's phone started to ring, he grumbled and closed the call.

"As for the reason why I made you explain first is that I wanted to know what thoughts you had without being influenced. Here's the short story: We got the report of Logan's murder around midnight. The caller was Chloe Marshall, the victim's girlfriend. She went there to visit the victim but was stuck in the elevator because of the power outage. Two hours later, when the electricity came back, she finally went to her boyfriend's house, but got no answer from inside. After a few seconds, she realized that the door was open and went inside and encountered Logan's lifeless body. She went down the elevator again and started waiting for us at the entrance of the apartment."

"Hmm..."

"There are some parts of this story that are not clear. No one in the apartment noticed that someone was left in the elevator and did not hear the calls for help that Chloe stated. We did a rehearsal inside the elevator cabin with all the doors of the houses closed; we also noticed that the television, radio and stereos would not work due to the power outage. Considering that, you can definitely hear someone staying in the elevator from the nearby apartments." Espio paused for a few seconds, as if to underline what he was trying to imply. "Coming to Logan. He opened the apartment door because his lover had rang the bell downstairs. So he knew that she was going up the elevator, and at that moment the electricity went out. There can only be one explanation for him not rushing to his lover's aid..."

"He was killed at that very moment."

"And that matches the exact time of murder given by the pathologist, but..."

"But then it will be assumed that the crime, or at least the next scene, was made during the blackout, in the dark."

"Well done, that's right! Newspapers might call it murder by candlelight." Espio brought the newspaper, which still had the city news on, closer to him and continued his speech, pointing to the news:

"According to the autopsy results, Logan's death may have occurred a few minutes before the power outage."

After a moment of musing, Tails asked, "Any traces of blood found in the elevator cabin?"

"Of course, as much as Chloe's clothes. She said she got it on while trying to sober him up."

Tails seemed to have given up on asking further questions, getting up and heading for the only large window in the room. There were few parked cars in the courtyard, it was a cloudless day, and the sun, already raised, radiated warmth through the glass but not enough to heat it. Continuing to look outside, he spoke:

"I see, I think you have very few questions about what happened in that apartment."

Espio took a deep breath and began to describe his plot:

"Chloe went to see her lover, they started fighting almost immediately, maybe the man was intent on leaving her, maybe there was another girl involved in... The woman was lost, the man realized the danger and tried to escape this moment of madness, but Chloe followed him and hit him on the head with a bottle, a second later she was on top of him. The envelope opener was somewhere near her, she picked it up and... It all happened in a few seconds. Like you said, it probably took a few minutes before Chloe realized what she had done. The realization that she had destroyed her and Logan's life came crashing down on her, all in a flash of rage. No, that wasn't true, she couldn't let that happen. How could she get out of this? She knew that she would be the first to be suspected, she had to mislead the investigation, and she needed to buy time to devise an escape plan in case things got worse. No one knew she was going to Logan that night, and she hadn't met anyone in the apartment on her way up... And now comes the riskiest part: She had to leave the apartment without being seen by anyone, with Logan's blood still warm on her clothes. The best course of action in these situations is to wait until late at night, but what if someone comes to visit the man or a friend calls and gets alarmed when he can't find anyone at home? Besides, she wanted to leave as soon as possible so as not to see the man's body. Fear was her only companion at that moment. She decided to take the risk, after all, there wouldn't be many people on the street at that hour. Deciding that it was more risky to go down the stairs, she took the elevator and while she was in the cabin, there was a power cut... This must be what they call destiny! Now she was in the dark and in all her agony shut in the elevator cabin, the electricity wouldn't come back on for several minutes after a slow succession, and with every passing minute, the odds were that someone would come and find her there raising, maybe it would be the police, and she still had the victim's blood on her. The whole time seemed like an eternity to her, sometimes she was afraid of going crazy, sometimes she thought that someone finding her was her salvation and that she desired it. Two whole hours passed before the electricity came back on, and the cabin suddenly lit up. It took Chloe a few seconds to get used to the light, and when she looked at her watch and saw that two hours had passed she couldn't believe it, she felt as if she had come from another distant and dreary dimension. She tried to keep her mind open, she had to think, and quickly... What was she going to do now? Should she have followed the initial plan and gone down? But what if there is someone at the entrance to the apartment? The power outage that lasted for such a long time was not an ordinary event, there could be enthusiasts coming down from the neighbors to prevent malicious people and protect their shops... It was also natural that after staying in the elevator for a long time, it left traces that would reveal herself. She needed to be there and find something to justify the blood on her. Maybe being locked in the elevator would help her with that. She made up her mind: she pressed the button that would take her to Logan's floor. Maybe she hesitated a bit before leaving the cabin, maybe the floor was swarming with police... But no one was there! There was only silence and the hum of the neon lights. She entered the apartment, Logan's body as cold as the floor, everything was the way as she had left it. After making a few movements as if trying to sober him up, she called the police and asked for help, speaking in an uneasy tone. There was nothing she could do but go downstairs and wait for the cops. Now she had a justification for everything: being there two hours after the crime was committed, traces of blood on her clothes and in the elevator..."

After Espio had completed the plot, he silently waited for Tails to turn to him and give him a reply. Tails' lips curved upwards as he stared at his reflection. He turned to him, letting Espio see his straight face.

"Yeah, what do you think now?"

"Reasonable," said Tails, and continued. "I'd say it's very possible indeed."

"It fits perfectly with your implications."

"Oh yes, my deductions... You've already done yours, what did you need my opinion on for? You were sure not to narrow the scope of the investigation."

Espio opened his arms wide.

"We still don't have conclusive evidence, and it won't be easy to find them with this story that Chloe has created. In short, it's a familiar story, we know what it is, but we only have clues to reach it. If she doesn't confess, it will be an accidental case, in which trial the opinion of a qualified person like yours will be important."

"Do you think she'll confess?"

"It's going to be difficult and I can't keep her in custody for long, it won't be long before lawyers join the dance and that's when we have to forget the confession. We pushed her all night last night, and this morning I attempted to question her myself."

Espio pulled a remote control from one of the drawers and pointed it at the TV.

"This is the recording we made, let me introduce you to Miss Chloe Marshall."

The video started to flow. Footage taken from below with a hidden camera showed a woman sitting at a desk, the image quality was pretty good. The woman was about twenty-five and wore a police overalls; her clothes must have been sent to forensics, thought Tails. Behind the traces of fatigue, it was obvious that she was a well-groomed woman who cared about her appearance.

Tails unconsciously leaned forward slightly with a serious look. Espio had seen him in this position many times, as if every muscle in his body was trying to keep his front head afloat.

Chloe sat silently with her dim eyes staring into space.

"She's still alone in these moments, and now I'm going in," Espio stated.

A shadow passed in front of the camera for a moment, then Tails heard Espio's gentle voice questioning her.

Tails sighed, already guessing what happened, "She didn't confess."

Espio raised a brow, "Do you want to talk to her too?"

Tails shook his head confidently, "As an expert, I said this murder was caused by love... So who did we find at the murder scene? The victim's lover, who is waiting for us with her clothes stained with blood, tells us the story that most haunts us in such cases, namely the lie that she arrived at the scene after the murder was committed. Also, no one knows that she will meet the victim, she takes a taxi to the scene and gets off in a very far place. Something opposite to what everyone would do. She doesn't drive there like a normal person does and park under his house. She didn't want anyone to see her, that's obvious."

"Okay, okay, that's enough." Espio interrupted Tails, it was no use discussing anymore.

Tails shrugged, "You're investigating, I'm a criminal behavior adviser, and my job is done."

"Good for you" Espio sighed heavily and put on a forced smile. "You know very well how much I value your opinion." Having said this, he stood up and turned around to his desk, "If we both don't have any doubts. Then I am dropping this case."

🍀

"Welcome to Kat's cafe. How can I help you?" You sighed as the next customer started to stare at the board in deep thoughts.

Your permanent smile falters a little bit. You are already bored out of your mind. Thank god that your working hours will end in a few hours, before someone else takes your place.

Your perk up as the customer finally decided on what he wants.

"I think I want--" his words abruptly stopped by a shout.

That belongs to none other than Kiera, of course. Is she serious?! What is she doing here?! Randomly barging into the place in the middle of the day?! Why can't she be like a sane normal person for once?

She sprint toward your way, slamming her hands on the counter, "Y/n!! When does your shift end?"

"uh... In about three more hours?-"

"Great! Let's go!"

She grabs your arm and immediately leaves the building, tugging you along as you shout and protest, while all the customers are left staring behind them.

You frantically squirm around her hold, asking what the hell she's doing.

As you finally free your arm from her iron grip, you start questioning her for real, "What are you on about? What's going on???"

As you see Kiera grin ear to ear you start to feel regret asking that.

She explains casually, "We are going on a hunt for pretty outfits~"

"Huh? For what?" You were really confused.

"I bought some concert tickets for you my friend~ I'm bringing you along. So, hurry up! If we need to look our best we need to start picking clothes now!" And she continues dragging you.

"Wait, wait, wait!" You shouted for her but she doesn't seem to hear it.

She continues to drag you towards her car, "Get in I'm stealing you."

You huffed, "No, you can't. And you can't just come and drag me out of my work! What if they fire me?!"

She rolled her eyes, "Forget about that job already. It's useless. You already have a proper job, and should I add? One that pays really well. Why work in this junk place?"

"Because, that job feels like a vacation for my sanity! It makes me feel like I'm a normal person like everyone else for once! Look, I'm not complaining. I love my job! I'm happy being a psychiatrist but it's sometimes getting to a degree that mentally tires me from dealing with people that have big issues. I need my own vacation. Which I can't have because they need me all the time. So, this is the best option I have!"

Kiera surrendered, "Alright alright! I hate it when you dump it all on me. Don't worry about them firing you. We can always find someplace else. Now, let's finish this." She cracks her knuckles and gets inside her car.

You groaned, "Can't believe I'm following you again..." you sighed and got yourself comfortable in the next seat. Crossing your arms, "Hopefully this can be the end of your reckless attitudes."

Kiera pushes her sunglasses over her eyes and smirks starting the engine of her sports car, "Can't promise~" She stepped on the gas full speed.

You yelped holding to your safety belt for dear life.

🍀

Tails gently grabbed EsPio's arm before he couLd leave the room, "I want to talk to you about something elsE."

Espio pAused and glanced at him, "I'm liStening."

"You seeE... I've proven my sturdiness and ability by helping you to solve these kinds of cases for a while now."

"Your point?"

Tails paused but took a sharp breath, "I don't just want to stay as a consultant on criminal behavior, I want to help you more deeply and closely."

Espio looked confused, "But I thought you didn't wanted to dive too deep into these anymore–"

Sonic barged in the room.

"Oi! Es! Dude! Howzit goin'?"

Espio stared at him.

Tails pinched the bridge of his nose, "-Along with him too... sorry"

Espio glanced at Tails as he rubbed his face, exhausted.

Without letting anyone speak Sonic let himself comfortable in a chair.

Espio wasn't amused at all, "I'm not leaving this case to you... ever. Period."

"Aww, come on, Es! We're friends!"

"That doesn't mean I'm going to let you have it just like that!"

"Hey, remember the times we fought alongside Eggman? I'm the hero of Mobius! I saved everyone countless times! I can do this myself also!... and with Tails' help. We can be an unstoppable team solving mysteries and finding murderers!!! Just imagine! We can even predict when it can happen and with my speed and Tails' brain we can stop anyone getting murdered further!"

"Stop dreaming. That does not prove anything. You can't just promise something about that! Yes, you are good in combat and such but Eggman era... was in the past. And in this job... we do not allow any reckless actions."

"That's nonsense! Now you're judging me for the mistakes I've done when I was a kid! I'm not 15 anymore. Besides I always ended up fixing everything didn't I? I am your best option. I am fast. I can help. And I will not sit and wait for more murders to happen." Sonic protest.

Espio grumbled towards Tails, "I should have understood from the beginning of this topic that he had a hand in this. You're more than content to handle such things from afar."

Tails only shrugged in answer. As Sonic nudges his side to remind him to help him out. Tails quickly straightened his position with an uncomfortable face.

Tails quickly apologized, "Ah, sorry..." He cleared his throat, trying to get himself together for the talk.

"I think you should let us talk to Vector about this, Espio. He would agree with us."

"Really? That's all you're going to say, Tails? I thought you're gonna back me up with a smarter idea!"

Espio interrupted, "It doesn't matter if Vector agrees. I'm talking about rules that are universally involved."

Tails muttered, "I tHought Vector had unquestionable rules?"

Tails nErvously sipped his cold coffee under Sonic's intense glare.

Espio sighed heaviLy, "If you guys' argument is finished I need many important things to attend to."

Sonic called after him, "Wait!!! EsPio listen! Please. Look, the death toll is increasing day by day. I'm aware of that too, and I swear I'm not meant to be a slacker or a joke. All I want to do is save lives, help. Like we used to... I can't just sit at home and listen to the rising death toll I've hear every minute on news. I can't do it anymore. I can't just sit at home when I can help, okay? Give me a chance. Please. At least think about it... You're my only option."

Espio halted. He took a deep breath and turned to Sonic about to give a comment until someone burst into the room panting. Their focus turned to her.

Espio grumbled to himself, "Does anyone know how to knock these days?"

Light mutters out a 'sorry' nervously, "I just received a call from someone, talking about finding another victim!"

Tails muttered, "That puts the lid on it..."

─────

A total of 8721 words

┌───── •✧✧• ─────┐

-FUN FACT-

Tails doesn't like coffee

└───── •✧✧• ─────┘

#sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #tails the fox #sonic characters #allenwrites #sonic and tails #knuckles the echidna

[asgoodeasgold]

Matthew Goode as Peter Beaumont, Foreign Affairs Editor at The Observer in Official Secrets. I highly recommend it, particularly if you are into films about investigative journalism and politics. Brilliant cast including Kiera Knightley, Matt Smith & Ralph Fiennes.

📷 Official Secrets (2019) my edit

#matthew goode #official secrets #kiera knightly #matt smith

[panfluidme]

Memories Etched in Stone

Master Post, Chapter One

CHAPTER TWO: THE QUESTIONING

The police arrived and had Varian sit down. They were big and much taller than Varian, but most people usually were, so Varian didn't have any problems with it. The woman smiled warmly at Varian, offering a doughnut for him to eat. He took it and broke it in half, offering one of the halves to Ruddiger. 

"What's your name?" she asked softly.

He hesitated then sat upright. "V," he decided to go with the nickname Kiera had given him just in case. He didn't know where or when he was, so he decided to keep himself as safe as he could while still having a name he recognized and responded to.

"Is that short for something?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell us what it is short for?"

"No."

The other officer, the man, glared at him. "Where is the statue?"

"I didn't take it, honest. Why would—"

"How do we know you're not lying to us to get out of things? You were the last person see with it."

Varian looked at him, visibly confused. "Uh, no. I was seen where the statue was, I wasn't seen with it. And as I was saying, why would I come back to the scene of the crime if I already have the statue? That seems very pointless. A sure way to get caught. What would be the point?"

"He has a point, Officer Ferguson." She looked at her partner. "There would be no point in returning to the scene of the crime and then so admittedly denying it."

Officer Ferguson looked at her then rolled his eyes. "Fine, then where is the statue, V?"

Varian looked between the two. "How much do you two believe in magic?"

"Magic?" Ferguson laughed. "What does magic have to do with this?"

Officer Wilson looked at Varian, thinking carefully. She took in the features on his face, on Ruddiger, and his clothing. It took a minute or two, but she was the next to speak up. "You're the statue, aren't you?"

He looked at her then nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I am. I don't fully know why or how, but Ruddiger and I were cursed to become stone. I don't know how we became flesh again, but we did just recently."

"Enough with this bullshit, tell us the truth."

"I just did."

Wilson sighed softly. "Ignore him. I'll find you a safe place for you to stay. Feel free to wander around, please don't take anything. Some of the things here are touchable, much like Rapunzel's last journal that she wrote before she passed away in her and Eugene's section. We'll be keeping an eye on you just in case, but enjoy yourself."

Varian smiled at her. "Thank you, miss. I'll just look around." He got up and left, going back to the Corona section. Varian went to the small section that was dedicated to Rapunzel and Eugene. He ignored the group and grabbed Rapunzel's last journal that was free to the public to look through and sat down on the floor, out of the way of people.

Carefully, Varian opened the book. He saw Rapunzel's handwriting, loopy and perfect cursive. The first page was a painting of River getting crowned, Rapunzel wrote about how she and Eugene knew that Varian was the only person from their past that wouldn't be there. 

River looked at his aging parents, both with grey hairs. Rapunzel was looking at him with pure adoration. Eugene's shoulders were a little slumped as they were with every big event in his children's lives. It wasn't that he wasn't proud, but he still wished that his non-blood brother was in their lives.

His hand was grabbed by his eldest child. Eugene looked at him and smiled softly. "Hey, son."

"You okay, dad?"

"I'm okay, I'm so proud of you. I know everyone is proud of you. You will be an amazing king, I know you will." Eugene kissed his forehead. "I know Varian would be proud too."

Varian looked at the paper and smiled sadly. It was nice to know that he hadn't been forgotten, even though he couldn't be in anyone's life anymore. 

"What are you reading?" an unfamiliar voice asked. 

He looked over at the person, who wore a pink vest with stripes and an off-white dress shirt with shorts. A backpack rested on his back and a smile danced his lips. Varian held up the journal. "Queen Rapunzel's last journal before she died."

The teen nodded and sat next to him. "I've read that, the ending is really sad."

"Might I ask how she died?"

"She got sick, it's theorized that it was cancer. King Eugene died of old age four years later."

Varian's eyes widened a little then he looked at the journal. He felt awful that he wasn't there to support her or Eugene. "Oh, I see. What's your name?"

"I'm Milo, what's your name?"

"Varian."

#milo murphy's law #milo murphy #zack underwood #melissa chase #crossover #varian #ruddiger #tangled the series #disney #memories etched in stone

[llycaons]

#the one on the lower right is a troll who takes commissions to make stupid posts like this <- COMMISSIONS???? wait thats hilarious i need to get on that grift i think its like clickbait journalism but you only have to make tweets... (also tho. an insane thing to commission hellO????)

hi kiera! in fact that info was provided to me through tags that I can no longer find and have no way of verifying. so while there is no actual evidence of this I can find, I'd like to imagine a world where a creative go-getter can build a small business out of starting shit online. live in this world with me if you so desire. hashtag feminism

#asks

[renee-writer]

Take the Wheel Chapter Six

AO3

She sits in her and her daughter ‘s new room and removes the things from the luggage, placing it where it goes. Her clothes are laid in the drawers. Her nappies and the thick panties, training ones, lay beside them. She intends to start toilet training soon.

Her clothes are similarly put away. The toiletries are placed in the connecting loo. Her shampoo and conditioner, bath soap, her daughter’s gentle bath supplies. The bath toys, in their basket, she sits beside the tub.

Then it is the more personal things. The folder with all their important papers in it. It holds their birth certificates, health papers, an old newspaper clipping that talks of her parents automobile accident. She places it in the top drawer of her new dresser.

She places the framed pictures on the top. A picture of her and Kiera right after her birth. Uncle Lamb had taken it. More pictures as she grew. Pictures of her and Lamb. She has pictures of Kiera’s birth father but they aren’t framed and displayed. No. They are in a separate folder, kept with the health information she has on her. She keeps them for her daughter. This folder she also adds to her top drawer.

She places the small toy box by the cot. Her blankets, she folds up and lays on one of the chairs. Then she looks around. Now it feels like home. Kiera wakes up then.

“Mama?” she rubs her eyes.

“Mama is here Kiera.” She lifts her up and holds her sleep warmed body close. The child relaxes against her. “Lets get your nappy changed.” She lays her on the changing table and does.

“Home mama?”

“Yes baby. We are home.” She lifts her up. “See? There are Kiera’s toys.”

She sits her down and she hurries over to them. Claire sits at the table and takes out her journal. She starts the entry for today.

#my writing #outlander fanfic #take the wheel #chapter six #jamie and claire #cannon divergence #outlander fandom #modern au

[mintmentos]

Mae’s little ear twitch 🥺

#I’m having an excellent time I love mae and her pals #I love jumping on telephone wires and pretending to be a tightrope walker on the fence #I love the doodles in her journal and playing guitar and the messages from her friends and the shark on her laptop #everything about this is such a vibe #night in the woods #kiera talks games

[returntosaturn271995]

Thursday, December 28th: Winter Cleaning

Whew. Day 2 and I decided before unpacking into my home, I first had to clear old crap out of it. I am the opposite of a hoarder, I like removing old shit and some "still good" shit whenever I can.

Liberating as hell.

Reading:

"You are more than you think you are" by Kimberly Snyder

I'm expanding my meditation knowledge into breathwork and vitality. Some of it feels woo-woo, and some of it feels inauthentic (the author has a skincare line and I did a mirror meditation where I was supposed to ignore all supposed flaws of the body). But there are good practical meditative tricks in there too. I plan to make my own version of a shrine by buying a portrait of Dolly Parton for shits and giggles.

Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby

Her humor style is amazing. I consider it a primer on my stand-up and one of the easier books I'm trying to tackle in January.

Writing:

Here I am. Some days a journal entry is as far as I go. Still kind of amazing how regularly I write though, eh?

Cooking:

Crispy prosciutto and lemon-pesto pasta with broccoli and parmesan

The new knives rock! I forgot how pleasing cooking with good knives is!

Also went to the grocery instead of ordering food. That's basically one of Hercules's trials for me.

Political Awareness:

I learned (via podcast) about Franca Viola, the first Italian woman in 1960s Italy to refuse to marry her rapist, and the ending of "rehabilitation marriages". Additionally, Vincent Chin, whose murder led to the first Asian-American court case about a hate crime in the 1980s. Chilling how recent so much social progress actually is, but there are more inspiring people than evil people in the world.

Loving Relationships:

Today I'm grateful for Mom, Hannah, Makenna, Nate, and Kiera. <3.

Getting outside:

Walked to get groceries and back. Bumped into my street's newest poodle puppy and an Old English bulldog.

Dressing with Style:

Removed one-fourth of my clothing in a massive closet sweep and donated/sold it at Buffalo Exchange. Only keeping/purchasing beautiful fitting, classic pieces moving forward.

Current outfit: White Paris sweats, fitted black tank top, ponytail, black headband

Cleaning:

What the fuck didn't I clean?

Removed old stackable drawers

Organized and threw out undesirable everything: from socks to underwear to shoes to dresses to jeans to sweats

4 loads of laundry, washed, dried, and hung up or folded

Vacuumed room and charged vacuum

Washed and put away dishes from dinner

Took out trash and recycling

Full set of fresh bedding

Wiped down kitchen counters, stove, and inside of dresser drawer

Cleaned out fridge and stocked it with groceries

Organized shelf above bed and lit a TJ's apple candle

Annnnnd I still have more tomorrow, but feeling waaay lighter in here.

Yoga:

17 minutes of flexibility stretches where I did notice a marked difference in my legs and hips

Meditation:

A Daily Jay on the six specific kinds of self-care:

Emotional- Therapy, Journaling, Creating Art, Music

Practical- Closet organization, looking up new gyms

Physical- Hydrating constantly with tea, healthy eating, enough sleep, walking in the sunshine, yoga, sunscreen, hygiene

Mental- Reading, studying, crossword puzzles

Social- Setting up dates, called mom, seeing friends this month

Spiritual - Time at the beach, meditation

Something I love about meditation is that it stretches time. If you worry about the future, know that you have an endless present around you if you choose to vertically drop into the moment.

Mindfulness baby!

Content I can't stop thinking about:

Saltburn, Our Flag Means Death

And now it's 10 O'Clock. Productive, healthy, and peaceful.

I'm in the zone.

[mirandamckenni1]

How I overcame my abandonment issues after 30 years of anxious attachment. Abandonment issues, anxious attachment, shadow work, TA and more from therapy...let's go there. Check out my sponsor https://ift.tt/UKCt3k4 for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp, you'll get matched with a therapist who will listen and will help you! "They'll leave me. It's a matter of when, not if." - If you've ever found yourself thinking this in a romantic relationship, this video is for you. The 'show up for yourself' journals are currently sold out BUT Carla is restocking! https://ift.tt/flsUk6O (Follow her to stay updated! https://ift.tt/ZGmKg9i) WHAT I'M WEARING: -My jumper is the I'M THINKING ABOUT BOOKS sweatshirt by my darling Ariel Bissett: https://ift.tt/GFwklKv -My heart earrings with little green stones were a gift by another gorgeous friend of mine, Kiera - her brand 'Little Doe' is one of my fave small businesses! Follow her on https://ift.tt/2cOPqAW 💚 -My teal dungarees are organic corduroy from LUCY AND YAK! https://ift.tt/xE1k7wL -My makeup base, I get asked about a lot! I wear the second skin dewy finish foundation in blanc 0.5 when I can get it, or parcelain 0.1! VIDEO TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - 04:19 intro to ~my issues~ 04:19 - 06:04 therapy with BetterHelp (ad) 06:04 - -06:50 the 'show up for yourself' journal 06:50 - 17:36 deep dive into ~my issues~ 17:36 - 18:43 from anxiously attached to secure attachment 18:43 - 21:38 distress exposure & more tips... 21:38 - 27:31 SHADOW WORK. 27:31 - 32:57 TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS. 32:57 - 35:55 outro / new *weird video ending* If you're in the weird video ending club let me know in the comments hahahahahahahaha I have no idea when this started, all I know is I've been doing it for a VERY long time now and I'm so curious as to when the first weird ending occurred...will need to cycle back through my vids and compile them lol via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MrFTQwRJV0

#IFTTT #YouTube #Youtube

[thenoticeblog]

Support The Notice Blog this Giving Tuesday!

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Make a tax-deductible contribution to The Notice Blog today here: https://donorbox.org/thenoticeblog

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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PATRONS:

Patreons:

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#charity #fundraising #giving tuesday #the notice foundation #The Notice Blog #donor box #donors

[wildxnside]

BACKGROUND

tw: alcoholism, underage drinking, drunk driving, car crash.

growing up in the foster system, kiera knows nothing of her real family except what's inside of a worn journal her mom left for her. from it, she's gleaned two things; her mother was an idiot and a drunk, and her father was an asshole.

kiera never got to stay anywhere long, proving too hot-headed and stubborn for most foster families to handle. she either talked back or didn't talk at all, broke things when she didn't get her way, and refused to abide by any rules set in place. to say she was difficult would have been an understatement.

being bounced around all around the state, kiera knew nothing of consistency. she made friends rarely, and when she did it was futile - there was only so much time before she'd be sent away again.

kiera spent years on her own, slowly building up walls to keep other people out. she had acquaintances in every town - people she'd go to parties and occasionally get drunk with. she was set to turn out just like her mother, and she had long reconciled with the fact that nobody was coming along to save her.

by the time the wilder's came along she was already sixteen, which meant sixteen long years building up her walls and becoming not just hot-headed and stubborn, but cold and cynical too. when they found her it was obvious they had everything; a family, a white picket fence in a beachside town, a dog. kiera had nothing to give them, and yet they kept trying, chipping away at the walls she had so carefully built until she finally let them in.

of course they noticed all of the negative traits that had made every other family turn kiera away, they would have been blind not to, but they also noticed so many positive traits. she was tenacious, and brave, and ambitious; it was everyone else who had been blind. they permanently adopted her at seventeen, their only regret being that they hadn't found her sooner.

this wasn't a fairytale, and despite how it might seem kiera's life didn't suddenly get better as if by magic. she was still the same girl she had always been, only now with people to answer to. despite the wilder's best efforts to keep her from drinking and staying out at all hours of the night, it was ingrained in kiera to misbehave.

weeks before her eighteenth birthday disaster struck; kiera got in the car with one of her friends who was far too intoxicated to be driving and they hit another vehicle, fleeing instead of sticking around.

ever since she's tried to convince herself it wasn't her fault. the people in the other car ended up okay in the end, and she wasn't even the one driving, but no matter what she tells herself the guilt still eats away at her.

she continued to live her life as normally as she could. she graduated high school (luckily) and is now enrolled in aurora bay college, hoping to become a social worker and help people like herself one day. her life would be perfect if she could just forget that one stupid mistake.

CONNECTIONS

These are all just brief ideas, but if any of them interest you or if you have ideas of your own please feel free to reach out!

exes - would be either male or within the past two years, her sexuality is a recent thing

hook ups

a bad influence - kiera may be the bad influence, or your character, or maybe they both are and just bring out the worst in each other.

someone she met in the foster system - this one is a little more specific, but since she's mostly been in families within southern california it's totally plausible that this person was someone she was with for a little while, or someone that was placed into a family at the same time.

frenemies - they really don't like each other, but they tend to run in the same social circles or have a friend in common that seems to keep them around one another.

good influence - the complete opposite of the bad influence. someone who inspires and brings out the best in kiera.

these ones i'll probably be requesting later on the main, but i thought i'd put them here anyway.

the person(s) who were in the other vehicle during the crash

foster sibling(s)

@aurorabayaesthetic

#aurorabay.intro

[rosienotugly]

𝘼 𝙎𝙔𝙈𝙋𝙃𝙊𝙉𝙔 𝙊𝙁 𝘼𝘾𝙏 𝙄𝙄

𝐼𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑠, 𝑤𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑑. 𝐿𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑛, 𝑤𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝘩𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑. 𝐼𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑧𝑒. 𝑊𝘩𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝘩𝑒𝑟 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦.

FULLNAME : Kiera Alecesta Montgomery

NICKNAME : Kiera

DATE OF BIRTH : September 3rd, 1999

PLACE OF BIRTH : Los Angeles, California, United States

NATIONALITY : American/Indonesian

ZODIAC : Leo

MBTI : ESFJ

BLOOD TYPE : O

HEIGHT : 168 cm

WEIGHT : 46 kg

OCCUPATION : Model and Singer

𝖤𝖣𝖴𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭 :

• Le Lycee Francais de Los Angelesx

• British School Jakarta

• Art, Film, and Visual Studies (AFVS) Harvard University

She swayed through chaos feet stunningly adorned. Amidst the noise, and crepuscular verse. Steps imprinted on earth's canvas, time's passage marked, a subtle dance. A tale, swift and sweet, within a journal's vast retreat. Book opened, page speaking, tales unfolding. Words dance, taking flight, settling gracefully upon the page. Sentences soar, a wondrous sight, arranged in poetic embrace a life of Kiera Alecesta Montgomery, who was invited to this realm in early nineteen ninety nine, at the nineteenth day of August.

She was born in Los Angeles California. Her father Jeffrey Jacob Montgomery is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. And her mother Tatjana Anandita Dahlan is an Indonesian Co-CEO at film production company Montgomery Productions. A blend of two worlds American and Indonesian, Kiera possesses a remarkable fluency in both the English and Indonesian languages, an ode to her childhood in a bilingual environment. Within the confines of her familial abode, she engages in conversations with her mother in the native tongue of Indonesia, while effortlessly transitioning to English when conversing with her father and close friends. This linguistic dexterity is a proof to her adaptability and the diverse linguistic influences that have shaped her communicative prowess. A dwelling fair, where Kiera resides two brothers dwell with names that do confide, Kennedy Alejandro Montgomery and Kelvin Alemario Montgomery.

In youth of merely twelve, she ventured forth to Jakarta, Indonesia, her mother's country. Where six years of life did she dwell in foreign embrace, her heart did expand. In the realm of knowledge, where wisdom's light doth shine there lies a place. British Jakarta School, where youthful minds are nurtured with utmost care. In days of yore, when youth did bloom and grow she walked the halls, her spirit all ag in her heart's longing. She ventured back to her homeland's embrace. To study the arts, in their myriad forms at Harvard University. Art, Film, and Visual Studies, her chosen domain. A tapestry of creativity, where dreams attain.In the realm of her lineage, fair Kiera doth reside. Akin to her father's spirit, she doth confide. A middle child who has youthful, cheerful, and adventurous vibes. Her essence doth gleam, a soul unshackled, a spirit that doth dream. In the grand tapestry of life, as Kiera gracefully unfurled her petals into the realm of adulthood, she discovered her own celestial path, guided by the boundless embrace of her cherished family. Her noble quest she endeavors to forge her own path through the tapestry of existence adorning herself as both model and singer, weaving a captivating tableau of herself.