#Did u read the beginning of entry 9 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cherrybracelets · 4 years ago

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Freefall

aaron hotchner x fem!reader

word count: 15.3k | warnings: smut!!!! alcohol mention, murder mention, rape mention, lots of typical cm violence!

inspired by: its called freefall by rainbow kitten surprise (i highly recommend listening to this song before or during reading!)

Anyway, you say you’re too busy saving everybody else to save yourself / And you don’t want no help, oh well / That’s the story to tell

ok i have put my blood sweat and tears in this lamfkndksjfj this has been my wip for almost 3 weeks this is my entry for @veraiconcos fic challenge!! her prompt fit so perfectly with this fic so i am so excited to share it with you guys. this is by far my most challenging piece and the one i worked the longest on. i really hope you all love it, feedback is much appreciate. i am tagging some moots to signal boost this, i hope u dont mind

Aaron-

This woman killed my dad. They said you’d be able to help. Please find her.

Aaron ran his fingertips over the letter one more time, feeling the depth of the pen, the engravement of each letter into the crisp stationary. He reread the words for a thousandth time, wondering if this time he could discover who actually sent the letter. But unfortunately, just like the past times, there was nothing to indicate who the sender was. The only other thing in the picture was a photograph of a young woman, the person Aaron believed was the murderer. Her face was mostly covered, and he was almost certain the short black bob that sat on her head was a wig. There was nothing about the photo that would help identify her, but on the back of the photo was a date- May 7th 2020, and a city, Sante Fe, NM.

He continued to stare at it, hoping some new information would pop out at him this time. But there was nothing, and he knew if he wanted to find whoever was responsible for this crime, he would need to involve the team. Whoever sent this clearly only wanted Aaron involved, even addressing him personally as Aaron and not Agent Hotchner.. Who could this person be? And who sent him Aaron’s way?

“You’re here early,” JJ hesitated, walking through the doors of the BAU to begin her day.

“Yeah… I’ve got kind of a… thing?” Aaron stammered over his words, trying to decide how he should go about this.

“What’s going on, Hotch?”

“Come take a look at this. It was on my desk yesterday.” Hotch waved JJ over to him, holding the letter tightly in hands. He handed it to her hesitantly, still not feeling comfortable sharing with the rest of the team. It could be a prank, a practical joke, somebody just trying to waste his time. But how did it find it’s way onto his desk? Who would be messing with him like this?

“Was there an envelope?” JJ asked, staring at the words on the paper.

“Yes, addressed to me, but no return address. It seems like it was hand delivered.”

“The handwriting looks like a teenagers, how would he have made it all the way from New Mexico?”

“Maybe somebody else delivered it?”

Aaron and JJ’s attention was quickly taken away when Spencer and Derek walked through the doors, their loud voices cracking through the quiet air of the BAU. They were arguing about something pointless, as they usually did. Aaron felt his head throbbing as the day started to begin, unsure of how much longer he’d be able to make it without some strong coffee.

“JJ, keep this between us for now. I’ll bring it to Garcia, see if she can find anything worth investigating. I don’t want to bring it to the team unless I’m sure we have a case.”

“Understood.” JJ smiled kindly at him, a look he was all too familiar with. Ever since Haley died, it felt like everyone was constantly walking on eggshells around him. Everyone felt bad, and they did whatever he asked without complaint. From a boss standpoint, it was nice, not having to argue your decisions to your team. But, they were more than his team. They were his friends, and he felt he lost them the same day he lost Haley.

Aaron greeted Spencer and Derek quickly, not wanting to get pulled into whatever discussion they were having. He was holding onto the letter tightly, afraid of losing it. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he just had a feeling about it. Like he had stumbled onto something huge, and whatever Garcia could find out would lead them to something unbelievable.

“Hey, Garcia. Any chance I could have you work on something… private, for now?” Aaron stood in the doorway of her office, all of the bright screens making him wince. His headache was only getting worse as the day went on.

“Of course, sir. Is everything okay?” She looked worried, for sure hoping that whatever secret task she was performing for him had nothing to do with Haley. Although he knew she would never say anything, he could tell she was worried about him.

“I need you to check deaths in Santa Fe, NM from May 5th - May 9th. Specifically look for men with teenage sons.”

“Just homicides?”

“No, any deaths. And see if you find anything suspicious.”

“Alright…” Penelope said, furrowing her brows in confusion. “It might take a bit. Santa Fe’s a big city.”

“Just get back to me when you can, Garcia.” Aaron smiled slightly at the technical analyst, before leaving quietly. His head was begging him for caffeine, or Advil, or a drink, even though it was barely 9 in the morning.

He walked quietly back to his office, not talking to any of his team, closing the door behind him as he got inside. There was a sick feeling in his stomach, most likely caused by the cigarette he snuck this morning on an empty stomach. He paced uncomfortably, dry swallowing an Advil he found in the back of his desk drawer. He knew it would take Garcia a while

to get his information, but he was feeling exceptionally frustrated and impatient. He started to walk towards the door, feeling the need to to pester his analyst to work quicker, but as he opened it, JJ stood pleasantly in the door.

“We got a case, boss,” she smiled, waving an envelope in the air.

“Alright, let’s get to the conference room.” Aaron closed the door to office, following his Agent into the annex. He felt sick as he took his seat, not ready for whatever horror was about to be presented. Some days he felt like giving up, like throwing in the towel. He has given this job everything he had, and what did he get in return?

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Aaron and the team left an hour later for their newest destination, solving the case within 3 days. They were headed back to DC on the jet when he got a call from Garcia. It was rare she would call him personally if they were not working a case, so he knew it must’ve been about the letter. He waited a moment before answering, anxious about what her news could be. What if she found nothing, and this was the end of the line?

“Hello, sir. I wanted to call as soon as I could.” She sounded nervous, a tone of confusion in her voice.

“What’s going on, Garcia?”

“Well, it’s about the letter. I found something… interesting.”

“Do you think we could have a case?”

“It’s a high possibility, sir.”

“Alright. Can you patch into the computer and share with the team. I’d like to bring them in on this as well.”

“Sounds good, see you in a moment.”

Aaron hung the phone up, walking back to the main part of the jet and back to the rest of the team. They were spread out, all enjoying the calming feeling of a solved case. Spencer and JJ were sleeping, Emily and Derek both with headphones in and Rossi reading a book. He hated to bother them, hated to disturb their peace they all deserved. But that was the job- there was no peace. They all had to endure constant chaos so that innocent people didn’t have to.

Aaron turned on the lights of the jet, alarming his team and causing several groans of frustration.

“What’s going on, Hotch?” Emily asked in desperation, her eyes squinting as they adjusted to the light.

“I’m sorry to bother everyone, but I think we might have a new case.” Aaron looked around the room, slowly watching the faces of his friends change from their relaxed state to the intensity of a profiler.

“Is this about… the thing from a few days ago?” JJ asked quietly, not wanting to bring it up if it wasn’t the case.

“The letter, yes.”

“Hello, my sleepy friends. I am sorry to bother you, but I have stumbled across something interesting that I believe requires your attention. Uh, Hotch… would you like to…” she trailed off, looking around for her superior to explain how they ended up here.

“I received a letter a few days ago… someone asking us to look into the death of their father. It was anonymous, there was a picture along with it but it still wasn’t enough to do much on my own. So, I handed over what I had to Garcia and…” Aaron trailed off, realizing now he hadn’t even asked Penelope what she got before bringing the rest of the team in.

“I guess that’s where I come in. So, as per our humble leader, I searched for deaths of men on the given dates with teenage sons, and as I expected, that list was quite large.”

“Why teenage sons?” Derek asked, still trying to fill in the gaps of information.

“The letter was clearly written by a young boy, no older than 16 was my guess,” JJ added, explaining her conclusion to the team.

“Garcia, were you able to narrow down the list?” Aaron asked, desperately wanting to know what she found.

“Well, I got rid of anyone whose death was expected. People who were sick or in the hospital, with underlying medical conditions, et cetera et cetera. Once we narrowed it down to deaths that were true accidents, I had a list of three.”

“How do we know this isn’t just a prank?” Rossi asked. It was a fair question, a question he frequently asked himself as well.

“Ah, well, if it was a prank I wouldn’t have found out what I did…”

“That looks like the face of someone who’s about to tell me I’m not going home tonight,” Derek laughed, turning to Emily, who rolled her eyes.

“Unfortunately it does seem like there’s a case here. One of the men that I flagged as ‘Could Be A Murder Victim’ has a… bad past.” One thing that Aaron always admired about Penelope is how she always managed to speak with such lightness, no matter how heavy the content of her words. “42-year old Derek Hood was killed on May 7th, ruled as an accidental drug overdose. There was some chatter that it may have been suicide, but there was no note and the family insisted he wouldn’t have killed himself.”

“So what makes you think it was murder?” Spencer asked.

“Alright, get this. Our man Jason was on trial two years ago for the rape of three different 16 year old girls. It was declared a mistrial, unfortunately, after all three of the girls refused to testify at his trial.”

“Is it possible he threatened them? This could be a revenge killing, if that was the case,” Emily added.

“Ah, I thought that too, my friend. But all three of the girls are now in college and far, far away from Sante Fe. So, that was kind of a dead end.”

“What about the parents?” Aaron questioned.

“We think alike, sir. All three of their families still reside in Santa Fe, and three weeks before Jason’s death, all three couples withdrew $15,000 cash from their banks. One family stated it was for a pool, the other for a car, and the last family stated it was for bathroom renovations.”

“Were any of those projects completed, Garcia?”

“To the best of my knowledge, no.”

“So this is what I think it is, then,” Rossi asked, looking up towards Aaron for confirmation.

“It’s most likely a hitman, yes.” Aaron looked around at his team, a feeling of worry drowning him. Hitmen were exceptionally dangerous, and so were the routes to get to them. It was an extremely well protected underground business, and the chances of catching one successfully, with no one hurt, were very slim.

“Wait, but our unsub is a woman. The photo very clearly showed a female, and even in the letter, the boy addresses her as ‘This woman.’”

“Could we see the picture, Garcia?” Aaron asked, staring at the monitor as he awaited the photo.

“Maybe they’re dressing as a woman to distract any possible witnesses?” Rossi added. The photo then popped up on the monitor, the same hidden person that was ingrained in Aaron’s brain. He couldn’t forget her, her shielded face, cheap wig, perfect body…

“That is definitely a woman, guys. You can’t fake that body…” Derek laughed, causing a wave of eye rolls and a slight shove of disgust from Emily.

“A female hitman… that is exceptionally rare.”

“Maybe she’s killing for justice? I mean, Jason was a piece of shit. And he somehow got away with his crimes, maybe this is punishment,” Derek added, always the first to try to come up with some sort of explanation.

“Why would she charge the parents almost fifty grand, though? That clearly makes it about money,” Emily rebutted.

“Garcia, is there any way we can find out who they gave that money too?” Aaron asked, hoping for a quick and easy answer, but he knew nothing was easy at this job.

“Since they took it out in cash, there’s no way to trace it, sir.”

“We’ll need to talk to the parents.”

“They won’t say anything, you know how that goes,” JJ said.

“We’ll target one of them, whichever is the most unstable. Promise them immunity. That usually works in situations like this.” Aaron looked at the team, noticing how tired they were. He knew how bad they needed to go home, sleep in their own beds, wash their hair with something other than hotel shampoo. But this was big, he could feel it. And they probably did, as well. It was their life, they were all aware of how crazy this career path could be. But, just because he knew that, it didn't make it any easier on Aaron when he had to push them to their limit. “We need to turn the plane around to Santa Fe. If this person is local, it’s best that we’re on the scene.”

“Can we at least stop home so I can get some new clothes?” JJ groaned, looking at the team in desperation for support.

“Fine. Can we be back in the air in two hours?”

“We can make that work,” Spencer agreed.

“Alright. Thanks, guys.”

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Santa Fe was hot. The kind of hot that made it impossible to breathe, and your clothes felt like they had melted into your skin. Aaron could feel his skin on fire, burning hotter and hotter as he stood under the desert sun. Emily stood next to him, glistening in a thin layer of sweat. The two of them stared closely at a house across the street, taking in every detail.

“You ready?” Emily asked, her voice cracking through the quiet air like a whip.

“Uh… yeah,” Aaron stuttered, his brain feeling off. He had a feeling whoever this person was, she wasn’t in Sante Fe. This was a big operation that they had stumbled upon, and he had a bad feeling about the way it would end up.

Aaron followed Emily to the door, feeling exceptionally guilty as they entered the front yard of a family whose lives had been destroyed- and all they were there to do was destroy them further. He knew they only did what they did to avenge their daughter- and he understood. Sometimes he wondered if he should’ve done the same thing with Foyet.

“Are you alright, Hotch? I don’t mean to overstep, but you don’t seem like yourself,” Emily questioned, stopping in her tracks before they made their presence known to the family.

“Just have a bad feeling about this one, I guess,” he responded, rubbing his head with his thumb and forefinger. “Let’s get this over with…”

“Aye aye, sir.”

The two of them walked to the front door of the small house, knocking slightly quietly on the white painted wood of the door. An older man opened the door, immediately tensing up as he saw the two of them. They looked like Agents- or at the very least, local detectives, and the man was pretty quick to understand why they were there.

“Are you Bradley Mathis?” Emily asked, standing a few inches in front of Aaron, clearly trying to take the lead on this. It was probably for the best, since his head was not on right today. In all honesty, his head hadn’t been on right since Foyet.

“Who are you?” Bradley asked defensively, crossing his arms across his chest and backing away from the door.

“Mr. Mathis, I want to assure you that if you cooperate with us, there will be no trouble. We understand you did everything to protect your daughter, and we aren’t looking for trouble. We just want to find the person who did this for you.” As Aaron spoke, he realized how scary this must be for him. His daughter was brutally attacked, they found the man that hurt her, and then he threatened her into silence so he could walk free. If it had happened to Aaron’s kid, he would’ve killed the son of a bitch with his own bare hands.

“You promise me nothing will happen to me?” He asked defensively, his eyes darting nervously across the room.

“I never met her, okay. I swear,” he responded in relief, as if he’d been waiting for the moment he could finally tell somebody. It was exhausting caring around those kinds of secrets. “I got her info from a friend. You go to the website, submit your claim, and she’ll send an assistant out to decide if she’ll take you on as a client. If she decides to help you, you’ll give half the money up front, and half upon proof of… death,” he whispered, closing his eyes as he spoke the words.

“That’s pretty standard practice for what she is…” Emily added.

“How did you find her website?” Aaron asked, wanting to leave this man in peace as quickly as possible.

“There’s some… tricks to finding her. Give me one second,” he said, turning around quickly and darting to another room. Emily reached for her gun defensively, but Aaron put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

“He won’t run.”

“How do you know? He has every reason to dart.”

“I just know. He’ll be back. Trust me.” Aaron looked to his Agent, kindly suggesting but also ordering her to relax. She nodded, crossing her arms as the pair waited for Bradley. As Aaron suspected, he came back a few minutes later with a beat up piece of paper.

“Someone I know from the support group gave me this. It’s how to contact her.” He handed them a brochure that was in pretty bad shape, but still legible enough to understand where to go. From the outside, it looked like a brochure for a dental surgery. But there were certain words highlighted, most likely by whoever gave Bradley this in the first place. It mapped out clear instructions on how to contact this mystery vigilante.

“That’s all I know. I swear.”

“I believe you,” Aaron responded, noticining the calmness flooding over Bradley’s face as Aaron spoke. “You can never tell anybody this, do you understand?”

Bradley nodded, his mouth glued shut as the reality of the situation finally weighed on him. He noticed the guns holstered to Emily and Aaron’s hips, and quickly shut the door, no goodbye’s needed.

“If she’s sending people to meet potential clients before she meets them, she isn’t local,” Emily put together, shaking her head in shock as the pair walked back to their car.

“No, she’s not. Which means we need to get back on the plane ASAP. Send this over to Garcia, I’ll call the team and tell them to meet us back at the jet.”

“Sounds good.”

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“Hello, angels. Are you ready for all the answers to your prayers?” Garcia’s voice popped through the stiff air of the jet, breaking through the harsh waters like a ray of sunshine.

“Were you able to find her, Garcia?”

“Of course, sir. Our girl is fancy. You need five grand upfront just to meet with her. Her website looks like it was designed for a five star hotel. She is legit.”

“Can we actually find her, Penelope?” Aaron had raised his voice slightly, frustration starting to set in. He just wanted this to be over, he wanted to bring her in and end this.

“Yes, yes. Sorry. Our girl goes by the name Ananke.”

“That’s not very intimidating,” Derek laughed, shaking his head as he sat back in his chair.

“Well, kind of. Ananke is a greek goddess, specifically known as one of the most powerful deity’s to control fate and circumstance. It’s pretty fitting, giving what she does.”

“The only way to meet her is to submit an appointment request, which is easier said than done. She has a legit system, requires a birth certificate, social security number, and a license or passport.”

“And five G’s,” JJ added.

“Can we create fake documents and submit them? Maybe have someone undercover go meet her.”

“I’ll do it. This has been my case from the beginning, I’d like to end it as well,” Aaron said, assuring his team he would finish this.

“I can get everything made up and submitted before you land.”

“Is there any way to figure out where she’s located?”

“Unfortunately not at the moment. I am still digging though, it’s possible I missed something.”

“Thanks, Garcia. We’ll see you soon.”

The team made some more small talk after that, realizing there wasn’t much they could do unless they had a location. Aaron’s head was beginning to throb again, absolute exhaustion overcoming him as he sat down and let himself relax for the first time in days. He missed Jack, he missed the comfort of his own bed, the smell of his cheap laundry detergent. He realized he was digging his nails into his palms, his flesh barely intact as he released his tension.

The rest of his team had broken up into their own conversations, ignoring the crumbling mess that was Aaron Hotchner. He walked to the bathroom quietly, snooping through the cabinets and finding a small bottle of vodka. He downed it quickly, letting the liquor burn the back of his throat and take his mind off of everything else. Even if it was for a moment, the distraction was welcomed, and almost necessary for him to keep going.

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It was two full days- almost forty eight hours exactly- when they finally heard back from Ananke. She had agreed to meet with ‘Zachary Wilson’ who was looking for revenge against the drunk driver that killed his wife. And to the whole team’s surprise, it appeared that she was located in DC. Ananke herself said she would meet him, stating that she was ‘in the area’.

The address she gave them appeared to be a popular nightclub in college town, one that Aaron had unfortunately been dragged to on multiple occasions. The team agreed that Aaron should meet her alone, the team standing outside to come in if necessary. She wanted to meet him on a Friday night, which meant the place would be flooded with innocent civilians. It was safest if they stayed out of it, at first.

By the time Friday rolled around, Aaron had barely eaten in days. He was staying alive on coffee, tylenol, and mini bottles of vodka he could keep in his pockets. Oh, and the occasional cigarette was a necessity as well. He had waited anxiously for what felt like weeks to meet her. This case had been weighing on him since the moment he received that letter, and he wanted it to be over. He wanted the anxiety and the chaos to be over. But, once they solved this one, there would just be another after, and the cycle of chaos and anxiety begins all over again.

“I hope you know you can't dress like that,” JJ said, teasing Aaron with a light shove as she walked past him.

“Why?”

“It’s… a business suit, Hotch. And you're going to a nightclub. It screams Fed.”

Aaron looked down at himself, realizing JJ was right. His vibes screamed ‘Cop’, and that was exactly what he did not want.

“Don’t worry, sir. I have something you can borrow from my go bag,” Derek suggested.

“Hotch in Derek’s clothes? That’s something I’ll pay good money to see,” Emily laughed, JJ giggling alongside her as Derek rolled his eyes and threw clothes at the two of them.

“You think these will work?” Derek asked the girls, not bothering with Aaron’s opinion.

“Oh, it’s perfect. Hotch will love these,” they laughed, neatly folding the clothes and handing them to Aaron. He walked away in silence, heading towards his office so he could change. The clothes weren’t a perfect fit, but they were better than his suit. The shirt was way too tight, with a v-neck that was way too deep. His arms felt like they would rip right through the cheap cotton, and his ass felt like it was going to bust straight out of the denim.

He began to walk out of the office quietly, hoping that the rest of the team wouldn’t be waiting for his fashion show. But as he figured, they were standing by patiently for him to show off in Derek’s way too tight clothes. As soon as he opened the door, a riot of laughs and cat calls surrounded him. He felt himself blushing, which was something he hadn’t done in a long time.

“Damn, Hotch. Where have you been hiding those arms?” Derek laughed, his voice echoing through Aarons head.

“I think we need to start casual Friday,” Spencer added, staring in awe at his boss.

“Alright, enough guys. This is a serious case, and I need everyone to be on their best behavior.”

“I’m not sure I can act right with you walking around like that,” Rossi joked, causing the rest of the team to burst out with laughter. Aaron just rolled his eyes, secretly appreciating the light that they all brought to his life.

“Alright, you guys ready to go?”

“All set. Let’s go catch a killer, sir.”

The ride to the club was a bit of a hike, a little over thirty minutes by the time they parked. They were split in two cars, seperated to cover both entrances. The plan was for him to go in and assess the situation, hoping he can get her out without harming any bystanders. If he needed backup, he had an alarm he could trigger that would alert the rest of the team to come in. It was a simple plan, one they had executed a thousand times in the past. But despite that, he felt extremely anxious.

“Are you ready, Aaron?” Rossi asked, raising his eyebrows in concern.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with. Stay alert, guys.” Aaron walked out of the car and to the entrance of the club, staring directly at the large bouncer standing in front of the door. He was given very specific instructions on what to see when he approached the man, ones that would deliver him directly to Ananke and avoid having to deal with the actual club.

“You on the list?” The bouncer asked as Aaron approached, not even bothering to look up from his clipboard.

“I’m here to see… A,” he whispered, looking around frantically to see if anyone else heard.

“You got your ID and confirmation number?” He asked, setting his clipboard down and staring intensely at Aaron.

“Uh, yeah. It’s 73491. And here’s my drivers license,” he responded, handing him the forged Virginia license of one Zachary Wilson.

“Zachary Wilson…” the man whispered, making Aaron sick to his stomach as he awaited the man to deny him and send him away, ruining his chances of finding her forever. “You’re gonna go in this door, right here,” he said, pointing towards a hidden and seemingly locked door to his right. “Take the stairs all the way up, knock on the door twice. She’ll be right with you.”

“Thank you,” he responded, relieved as he began to walk past the guard and towards his end goal.

“Oh, and Zachary,” the man added, causing Aaron to turn around in confusion.

“Remember: lei è dalla nostra parte,” he said, a smile creeping on his face as he spoke. Aaron recognized the language as Italian, but he couldn’t translate what he was saying. The bouncer turned around before Aaron had the chance to ask what he meant, but he figured it would just be better to move on and go directly to her.

He slowly opened the door, unsure of what he would find on the other side. To his surprise, it was only an exceptionally narrow staircase in a small hallway, leading directly to another gray door. The sound of fluorescent lights buzzed in the air, making Aaron dizzy as he walked up the steep steps. He remembered what the man said- knock twice. He also remembered the phrase in Italian, lei è dalla nostra parte. And when he finally got to the door, he began to unravel the words in his head. He knocked twice, replaying the words over and over. And when he finally heard the door click open, he understood what the man had meant. She is on our side.

“Zachary?” A man asked, opening the door slightly, only enough to peak out at him.

“Yes. I’m here to see-”

“Ananke. Of course,” he interrupted, swinging the door open and revealing an exceptionally beautiful and ornate room. Aaron walked in slowly, in a daze, his eyes not sure where to look as every piece of the room exceptionally thought out. There was a beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the light reflecting rainbows from the crystals.

“She will be with you shortly. Feel free to have a seat somewhere. Can I get you anything to drink?”

Aaron felt like he was at a hotel, the service impeccable as he sat down on the incredibly comfortable and probably very expensive couch. Most hit men he had met with did not present themselves like this. Whoever she was, she had a lot of money. In that moment, he wondered how many lives she had taken- how many people finally got what they deserved. And for a brief and frightening moment, he wondered if she was doing things right?

His thoughts were interrupted when she walked out. Not only did he lose his train of thought, but his breath was literally ripped from his chest. She was no longer covering her face, or wearing a wig. She had finally revealed herself to him, and he was in awe. She was absolutely stunning- beautiful to a level that made his head spin and his heart cramp up. He stood up instinctively, feeling the need to stand and greet her face to face. As she walked closer, he felt his throat getting tighter and tighter.

“Hello,” she spoke, her words floating through the air like a flower in the spring wind. “I’m Ananke.”

“Mhmm, he,” he stuttered, sticking his hand out to shake hers. “I’m…” he choked, unable to get his words out.

“Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, right?” She smiled, and Aaron instinctively reached for his gun.

“Put your weapon away, Aaron. I’m no threat to you,” she instructed, and he complied. For some reason, he believed her. She had no intention of hurting him or anyone else in this building. He didn’t need his weapon.

“How do you know who I am?”

“The FBI has a list of Social Security numbers they regularly use for fake documents. It’s… a hard list to get your hands on. I’m lucky I have friends in high places.”

“So you knew who I was from the minute I submitted my application?” He was shocked, a sick feeling washing over him. Who was she? How was she consistently one step ahead of them?

“I’m sorry to break your sense of superiority, agent. It hurts when someone is smarter than you, doesn't it?” She tilted her head at him, a devilish grin pasted across her face. He wanted to hate her, he wanted to be angry, but all he could focus on was the fire burning inside of him and the hunger building itself, the craving overcoming her. Her skirt revealed a little too much of her thigh and her shirt was a little too low cut and the thought of her flesh on his rippled its way through his body.

“Well, we found you and I’m going to arrest you, so it doesn’t seem like you came out on top here,” he responded, avoiding eye contact as he tried to get his impure thoughts out of his head.

“Agent Hotchner, something you will quickly learn is that I only come on top.” She winked at him, pursuing her lips slightly and smiling. She held her wrists out to him, walking towards him until she was only inches away. “Are you going to arrest me, Agent?”

Aaron reached for the cuffs in his back pocket, pulling them out slowly and staring directly at her. She didn't take his eyes off of him, standing tall as he began to cuff her. Her hands were soft, almost comical as they brushed against his rough and untouched skin. He didn’t speak, and neither did she. He just closed the cuffs on her, her large eyes staring up at him like a doe. He felt dizzy again, the intoxicating smell of her perfume, the subtle hints of berries and vanilla surrounding him in a whirlwind.

He slowly grabbed his phone from his pocket, trying to dial Rossi’s number, feeling drunk as he pressed the button. What was wrong with him? And what was wrong with her? Why would she willingly let herself get arrested so easily? That was the problem. This was exceptionally easy. Nothing was ever this easy.

“Hey, Rossi. I got her. We’re coming down now.”

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Aaron wasn’t surprised that she remained silent the entire car ride back to Quantico. What he was surprised by is that she didn’t appear nervous or angry. She sat calmly, staring out the window, her body relaxed and her lips forming the slightest smile. It made him angry- he didn’t understand her nonchalance.

They tried to talk to her, ask her for her real name, about her crimes- but she would just look at them, tilting her head and smiling before bringing her gaze back outside. When they finally arrived back at the Bureau, she turned towards Aaron and Rossi, slowly speaking her first words in over thirty minutes.

“Am I allowed a phone call?” She asked, staring directly at Aaron, as if it was only the two of them in the car. For a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the entire world.

“Who exactly would you like to call?” Rossi smirked, rolling his eyes, trying to get Aaron to look at him. But he couldn’t take his eyes away from her. He was drawn to her like a sailor at sea, listening to the sweet song of the siren. He understood, now, why the sailors always swam to their death. It was because it was so damn beautiful.

“I’d like to speak with the Director,” she insisted, her eyes finally releasing Aaron from his hypnosis as she looked in disgust at Rossi. He could sense the shift in her tone as she looked at the agent- she had built up a terrifying exterior that she had on display for most people. But when she looked at Aaron, the wall somehow didn’t exist. Why would she show her true self to a stranger? What was it about him that she was drawn too? Could she sense his pain? Did she know that he understood why she did what she did? That he, too, had felt the rush of ending evil with his own two hands?

“The Director? Of the FBI?” Rossi asked, shocked at her absurd request. “What exactly would you like to speak to him about?”

“I just think he’d be interested to know I’m here,” she spoke, calmly, sitting back in the seat of the car and looking out the window again.

“This girl is nuts…” Rossi whispered to Aaron before getting out of the car and grabbing ��Ananke’ from the back seat. Aaron followed closely behind, his eyes locked on Rossi’s tight grip around her flesh. He could see the marks his agent was leaving behind, his fingertips dug into her arm. It made him sick. The thought of anyone harming her made him sick. But she was the bad guy- he was supposed to hate her, to send her away and avenge all of the lives she took. Why did he want to save her so bad? Grab her from Rossi, hop in the car and take her away from all of this. It didn’t make sense, the way he felt. And Aaron hated it- he hated feeling out of control of his own thoughts- his own desires.

As they brought her into the BAU, the rest of the team following behind, he immediately noticed something was off when he walked through the doors. The rest of the team must have noticed as well, because they all kind of stopped in their tracks as they walked in.

Derek noticed her first, pacing back and forth in Aaron’s office.

“Strauss,” he groaned, rolling his eyes at the sight of her.

“What is she doing here?” JJ asked, crossing her arms and tensing up.

“I’m not sure. I’ll go find out. Rossi, can you bring her into the interrogation room? Spencer, try and get something out of her,” Aaron instructed his team, watching them seperate and do their assigned tasks as he walked up to his office. When he got closer, he noticed the Director was also there as well. He got a sick feeling in his stomach, remembering his immediate thoughts when he first arrested Ananke. It’s never this easy.

He opened his office door with shaking hands, immediately slapped in the face with tension clinging to the air. The Director stood up as he entered, and Strauss stopped pacing.

“Aaron,” she whispered, her eyes darting nervously around the room.

“Erin,” he smirked, not sure why his brain was choosing this moment to crack jokes.

“It’s good to see you, Agent Hotchner. It’s been a while,” the Director said.

“Chris. It’s good to see you as well. Can I ask what you’re doing in my office?”

The two of them looked nervously at each other, as if deciding who had to tell him the unspoken secret. The first thought in his brain was that Foyet was back. He killed him, though. He remembered the life draining out of him. He couldn’t be back. He felt his body get hot, his breathing picking up as he remembered Foyet’s face…

“Aaron… unfortunately, we’re going to need you to let (Y/N) go.”

“Who?” He asked bluntly, confused at the name he was sure he had never heard before. Although his brain was still spinning, he was feeling calmer knowing whatever this was, it wasn’t about Foyet.

“Ananke. You need to release her,” Strauss clarified, her voice equally annoyed and apologetic.

“I’m sorry… I’m confused.” Aaron was realizing now how much easier it was to hate Ananke - or (Y/N) - when she wasn't right in front of him. He couldn’t see her, she couldn’t lure him in. Her spell had broken. “I know for a fact she killed at least one person. I’m not releasing her.”

“Aaron, this goes beyond you. She is no longer a person of interest.” Chris had raised his voice, clearly frustrated at whatever was happening.

“You can’t just take away my unsub and not tell me why. Do you think my team will be okay with that? Do you think I’ll be okay with that?” Aaron was angry, the thought of them taking her away with no reason making him crazy.

“Agent Hotchner, there are some secrets within the Bureau that even you don’t know about.”

“I don’t accept that.”

Chris and Strauss looked defeated, both accepting that they won’t win this battle. Chris shook his head slightly and closed his eyes, contemplating his words.

“What is going on, Strauss?” Aaron begged, the room beginning to spin again, his body craving the sweet release of nicotine and the bitter taste of vodka.

“Your unsubs real name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N). She is a government protected assassin.”

“What?” Aaron’s head was spinning, the room around him dancing in circles as the words floated through his mind. That couldn’t be real. There was no way the place he worked, that he believed upheld justice, would do something so… unjust. So immoral. They had to be lying. “It’s not possible. We met the man that paid her to kill someone. She was paid by a civilian to kill a civilian.”

“She sometimes takes on… side projects,” Chris muttered, clearly knowing his words would upset Aaron.

“And you allow that?” He yelled, his body fuming with anger as he paced around his office. It didn't make sense. Everything he had ever believed in was crumbling right before his eyes- all because of her.

“With the things she has done for us, Aaron, there is a little bit of lenience. Besides, Jason was a bad person, anyways.”

“That doesn’t make it okay. We have a justice system in place for a reason.” He felt sick, the realization that a system he protected for so long was seeping with corruption.

“Did Foyet get his chance for trial? Or did the justice system not count for him?” Strauss looked at him sternly, frustration written on her face. Aaron realized she was right. He took justice into his own hands with Foyet, and he didn’t regret it. How was she doing anything different? For a moment, nothing made sense to Aaron. His entire belief system had shattered right in front of him. He was speechless, his brain splashing around trying to find the right words to express his disbelief. But he was coming up empty, drawing blanks. There was truly nothing he could say that could capture how he felt. He just thought of her, the sweet smell of berries that lingered in her hair, the softness of her skin, the enticing aura that surrounded her when she looked at him.

“What am I supposed to tell my team?” He thought out loud.

“We’ll handle it. Let’s go out and talk to them now,” Chris instructed, walking out of the office and down towards the annex. Rossi noticed the three of them and quickly walked up to Chris, greeting him.

“Could you gather your team for me?” The director asked, Aaron still unsure of how he would explain this to them. Rossi grabbed everyone pretty quickly, dragging Spencer from the interrogation room, which Aaron could only imagine was going very poorly.

“Hello everyone, I’m sorry to bother you all, but the unsub you brought in today is a person of interest in several international crimes. She’s been on our watch list for a while, now, and we’re going to have to hand her over to interpol.” The Directors words were quick and precise, leaving no room for anyone to second guess him. Even Aaron was convinced they weren’t going to release her the minute they were alone.

“What has she done?” JJ questioned, intrigued at the mystery international criminal they brought in.

“It’s classified, Agent. And if you don’t mind, we’d like to get out of here rather quickly. If someone could grab her, please,” he ordered, causing Spencer to quickly walk to the room she was in and bring her back out to them.

She was smirking widely as she walked out, clearly knowing her freedom was inevitable. He had so many questions for her, so much he needed to know, but he had to keep his mouth shut. She was slipping right through his fingers, and he had only just begun to know her.

“I’m so sorry, Aaron. I know how much you enjoyed seeing me in handcuffs,” she whispered to him as she passed by, winking seductively before being taken away by the Director and Strauss.

Aaron felt miserable as she walked away, the three of them heading into the elevator and away from him forever. She now felt only like a ghost, a distant memory fading away as more time went by without her. The team moved on from the loss in a matter of minutes, but Aaron stood there, frozen in place, waiting desperately for her to come back.

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Five days. He was able to wait five days before he went to see her. He tried so desperately to forget about her- it seemed everyone else had. But she seeped into his dreams, tossing and turning as he tried to sleep, her voice, her face, her body, calling to him. He needed to see her again, just to ask her why. He wouldn’t sleep ever again if he didn’t.

So, five days after she walked away, he waited until Jack was asleep, explained to Jessica that he had some paperwork to take care of, and headed to see her. His brain continuously tried to tell him it was a bad idea. He should turn around, go home, and forget her. But he knew it was easier said than done. This was the only way.

When he got to the club, he noticed the same bouncer from before was sitting outside the door. Aaron felt a bit relieved, hoping the man would recognize him and he could lie his way up to (Y/N)’ door.

“Hey, man,” he said casually, trying to sound as calm and not suspicious as possible.

“Can I help you?” The man grunted, clearly not amused by Aaron’s attempt to be friendly.

“I’m here to see A. We met a few days ago, I need to drop my money off,” he whispered, praying to whatever God was listening that this guy would believe his story.

“A isn’t supposed to be meeting anyone tonight,” he groaned, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Aaron could tell it was a long shot, but he had to do whatever he could to see her.

“Call her. She’ll tell you,” he stuttered, looking anxiously at the large man standing between him and (Y/N). It was possible he could take him down if he had to, Aaron thought. It would be a hell of a fight, but he’d brought down bigger men. He shifted instinctively, trying to casually feel his hip and make sure he was still armed.

The man pulled out a small phone that appeared to be very old- most likely a burner they used to communicate. He dialed a number quickly and stared at Aaron, as if hoping his boss would give him the go ahead to kick Aaron’s ass.

“Hey, it’s me. Some guy is here to see you. Said you talked earlier today. Can you check the cams,” he asked, trying to speak quietly, but Aaron was still able to hear every word. He waited patiently for her response, trying to keep his face calm.

“Alright, thanks A.” He hung the call up and placed the phone in his pocket, taking as long as possible to give Aaron his answer. It felt like hours, excruciating pain as he waited for his fate.

“You’re clear to go.”

Aaron was almost positive she would send him away. If she had cameras, she knew it was him. Why would she allow him to come up? Did she want to see him, too?

He knew if he stood there any longer contemplating the situation, he would look suspicious. So despite all of his common sense warning him that something was wrong, he walked through the secret door and up the narrow staircase, knocking twice at her door and awaiting to enter her world.

He was greeted by the same man from earlier, who was smiling brightly as he opened the door and let him in. He offered him another drink, which Aaron politely declined, finding a seat on one of the couches and unable to sit still as he waited for her.

She left him waiting for quite a while. Although it felt like hours of agony for Aaron, his watch assured him he had only been waiting around twenty minutes by the time she finally greeted him. She was wearing a short red dress, golden heels wrapped around her feet as she floated towards him, smiling devilishly as she poured herself a drink.

“It’s nice to see you again, Agent,” she teased, taking a sip of her liquor of choice and taking a seat across from him.

“I needed to talk to you.”

“About what?” She tilted her head, soft lips creating a pout of confusion as she stared at him.

“You knew I was going to arrest you the minute you got my application to meet… if you knew you couldn’t get in trouble, why would you let all of that happen? You could’ve called the Director the minute you knew who I was. Why didn’t you?” Aaron needed to know why she went through the trouble of setting up a meeting with him, allowing herself to be arrested and brought to the Bureau. It didn’t make sense, allowing herself to take such a big risk.

“It seemed… fun. Sometimes my life can be quite boring.” She smiled at him, her flirtatious grin that she seemed to save just for Aaron.

“Wasting my time, my team's time… that's fun to you?” Aaron was getting angry again, his body fuming as he looked at her.

“Well, maybe a part of me wanted to meet you. I mean, we’re not so different, Aaron.”

“Hah,” he laughed, rolling his eyes at her. “You think you and I have anything in common?”

“Oh, are you not the same SSA Aaron Hotchner who killed George Foyet with his own hands?”

“How the hell do you know that?” Aaron had stood up at this point, his anger and frustration causing his body to become restless.

“It’s on your record, Agent. It’s not too hard to find…” She took another sip of her drink, finishing the last of the cups content and standing up to face him. For a moment, they were inches apart, the air between them stock full of tension, anger and attraction swimming around the two. But as he prayed he could control his compulsion to touch her, she walked away, over to another corner of the room, grabbing a cigarette and lighting it.

The smell of smoke intoxicated him, making his knees shake as he craved the burn of nicotine in his throat. She floated back towards him, taking her place back on the couch and burning quickly through her cigarette.

“You seem so angry, Aaron.”

“Because you’re killing people, and somehow the people I look up to to maintain law and order don’t care.”

“Have you ever thought that you’re more angry at yourself than at me? I mean, a part of you gets it, right? You understand what I do, why I do it… and that makes you sick, doesn’t it?”

“I would never justify what you do.”

“Mm,” she hummed, standing up and walking towards him again. She placed a soft hand on his face, Aaron realizing her touch was the first he’d felt since Haley died. The feel of his flesh being caressed by someone, being held by someone- it made him melt.

“Maybe it’s not that, though. Maybe you really do hate me, hate what I do. But a part of you can’t stop thinking about touching me, feeling me… fucking me.” She moved her hand down his body, trailing her fingers down his chest and stopping at the base of his groin. He felt chills down his body, blood rushing to his cock at the slightest touch.

“That’s not- it’s not that,” he stuttered, trying to back away, knowing how dangerous it would be for him to get roped into something like this.

“Right, of course,” she whispered, taking her hand away from him and turning around, walking away. He watched her body as she floated across the room, his eyes glued to her ass that was begging to be touched by him.

“(Y/N)...” Aaron whispered, calling for her, unable to stand the feeling of her being away from him. She turned towards him, walking back slowly, taking her time and letting him simmer in anticipation as she made her way back to the center of the room. When she made her way back to him, he grabbed her chin with his hand, tilting her face up towards him, her lips inches from his.

“I would never want somebody like you. You are a bad person, no matter what you try to say to me.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Agent,” she smirked, her lips almost brushing against his as she formed them into a smile.

At that moment, it felt like any self control Aaron had flew directly out the window. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her body into his and kissing her. It was a kiss that was draped in desperation, anger, lust. His tongue made no attempt to be gentle, selfishly exploring her small mouth and he picked her up and sat her on a table. He tore his shirt off, his desire to be touched, to touch her, overcoming any restraint he had before.

He picked her up, her small frame easy for his trained body to carry swifty to the couch. He threw her down on her back, her body writhing under his, moaning his name so loud that he was sure the club goers downstairs could hear. He wrapped his hands around her neck, gripping gently, listening to her gasp for air as he slid up her dress to reveal nothing underneath.

“You’re just begging for me, aren’t you,” he teased, pulling his hard cock out from his boxers and teasing her entrance with his tip. She nodded slowly at him, unable to speak as he still had his hand gripped around her throat. He was aching to hear her voice again, so he released his hand, getting turned on at the mark he left on her.

He slipped into her slowly, no time to waste on foreplay. He knew he needed her now, that their time was limited and it was only a matter of time before his common sense kicked in and he got out of there. But for the moment, he was sloppily pounding into her, not caring who saw or heard, desperately needing to be as close to her as possible.

He came quickly, the euphoria of feeling another woman for the first time in months too much for him to control. She came too, though. He could tell she wasn’t faking- he could feel it. After they finished, he quickly put his clothes back on, (Y/N) continuing to lay breathlessly on the couch. He watched her for a moment, waiting for her to say something- ask him to stay, kiss him goodbye. But she just pulled herself up and walked towards the other side of the room, grabbing and lighting another cigarette.

“You should go.” (Y/N) instructed, not even bothering to look up at the man who just came inside her moments ago.

“You shouldn’t smoke those, you know. They’ll kill you.” Aaron’s mouth was dry, watching the trail of smoke that followed her as she floated around the room, refusing to give him even a second of her time.

“What do I have to live for?” She asked, finally dragging her tired eyes to his and smiling, one of the first real, and saddest, smiles he had seen from her.

Aaron tried to think of something else to say, racking his brain for the correct words to say. But he continuously came up empty, and he realized he was starting to look more and more suspicious the longer he stood there. He decided to walk away, ignore the part of him that refused to tear away from her.

He walked soberly down the stairs, out onto the street and to his car. As he sat in his drivers seat and started the engine, feeling his face get hot, the rare feeling of wet eyes as he began to cry. And then he started to laugh. An uncontrollable cackle that spilled out of him like a waterfall. It was comical, to look back over the past few months and relive all of the bullshit he had been through. He didn’t even recognize the person in the mirror anymore. And maybe that was a good thing, because the person he used to be was the same person that let Haley die.

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Aaron tried to pretend he didn’t spend every day over the next week thinking about her. The way her soft skin felt when he touched her, the way her lips tasted like bubblegum and her hair smelled like cherries. When he imagined her in his head, everything felt so distant, like he was barely holding on to a dream of her. He could feel her memory slipping away every second, and he couldn’t let that happen.

He had to see her again, and soon. He wondered if she was thinking about him as well, if she remembered the mint chapstick he was wearing, or the Dolce cologne he was wearing. It made him sick, thinking that she forgot him. (Y/N) had slowly become everything to him, what if he was just a passing thought for her?

The team had landed back in DC an hour ago, solving a case in Miami that was one of the easier ones they had had this year. Aaron was grateful for the slight break, his brain not completely in the right headspace.

He rushed to finish up the closing paperwork, scribbling his words sloppily and without much care for grammar. He knew as soon as Strauss read his, she would call him and question his mental state. But he didn’t care. He just needed to get the hell out of here tonight, and if that meant sitting through another of Strauss’s evaluations, it was worth it.

As he was signing the last of the documents, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He grabbed it with caution, not sure who would be calling him this late at night. The call was coming from an unknown number, and Aaron immediately worried something had happened to Jack. He was away at his grandparents this week, planning on staying a few more days. He answered the phone nervously, preparing for whatever horror was to come.

“Hello, Agent,” a female voice said, a voice he instantly recognized as (Y/N)’s. Her voice flowed smoothly like silk even over the phone. It was truly hard to believe how she had managed to perfect every aspect of herself.

“Why- how are you calling me?” He looked around cautiously, making sure no one could secretly hear any part of the phone call.

“I’m flying to Paris this weekend, a little well deserved vacation. I was calling to see if you’d like to join me.”

“I… Paris? I can’t just fly to Paris.” Aaron chuckled into the phone, the idea of someone just getting up and deciding to fly halfway across the world with no plan truly comical to him.

“Oh, I didn’t realize I’d called the Fun Police. I thought this was Aaron Hotchner,” she teased. He could feel her smiling through the phone, a warmth that somehow seemed to wrap him even though he could only see her in his thoughts.

“I can have fun…” he argued, biting his lip awkwardly, not wanting to seem inferior to her.

“When was the last time you did something for yourself, Agent? Have you ever just… been spontaneous?”

“(Y/N), you don’t understand-”

“Call me A on the phone. It’s safer,” she instructed, her voice losing its soft luster as her professional side kicked in.

“A… my job, my life… it doesn't leave room for spontaneity.”

“No, Agent. That’s your choice. I’ll be at the jet runway at Dulles in two hours. Think about it. I’ll wait for you.” She hung the phone up, not giving him room to protest. He set the phone down on his desk, instantly missing her even more than he did before. Jack was going to be with his grandparents for three more days, and he did have some saved up vacation time. But what would he tell the team? What would he tell Strauss?

His phone vibrated again, this time only a single buzz to indicate a text message. He flipped his phone over and saw a new message from an Unknown number.

Life doesn’t have to be so complicated, Agent. It is much too short to spend this much time suffering. Learn to enjoy your days.

He reread the message a thousand times, knowing the words would still reign true no matter how much he tried to convince himself she was in the wrong. He had spent his whole life serving others, and he was okay with it, until now. Maybe if he had lived without complication, and enjoyed his days, his life would be completely different…

He ran home and quickly packed a bag, letting Strauss and Rossi know he needed some ‘alone time’ for a few days. They didn’t question it- one nice thing about having a recent trauma, he thought. He took an Uber to the airport, praying that (Y/N) kept her promise and waited for him.

When he finally arrived on the runway, he noticed her immediately. It was as if even being near her set an alarm off inside of him, like every part of his brain was awake, feeling her energy from a hundred feet away.

He thanked the Uber driver and ran to her, bag in hand. As he got to her, he noticed her face. She wasn’t surprised or shocked in the slightest- she knew he’d come. She somehow knew every move he would make. Was he that predictable… or was it something special between them?

“I have to be home in three days,” he said, breathlessly, overjoyed at the sight of his girl.

“We can do a lot in three days,” she responded, smiling wickedly. She walked towards him, wrapping her arms around his torso and embracing him. It was such a nice feeling to be held, comforted. He felt like he could stay there in her arms for years. But she broke the hug pretty quickly, motioning for one of her men to take care of the bags and began walking towards the jet.

As he followed her up the stairs and into their own private world, he started to remember everything he was leaving behind. The realization of just how impulsive this was dawned on him as he looked back at the city behind him. He felt dizzy, leaning on the railing for support as he shakily walked up.

“You alright?” (Y/N) asked, placing a hand on his arm to steady him.

“This is crazy, (Y/N). I just can’t believe I’m doing this.”

They continued to walk into the jet, her hand intertwined in his as they sat down and the door closed behind them. A man came out from behind the curtain, who Aaron immediately recognized as the same man who greeted him both times he met her.

“Aaron, this is my… well, assistant, I guess. Jay, this is my new friend, Aaron.” She waved to Jay slightly, instructing him to come closer.

“It’s good to meet you sir. Can I get the two of you anything to drink?” Jay was a short boy, couldn't have been more than 25. He clearly worshipped the ground she walked on, which seemed to be par for the course with men she knew.

“Oh, hmm,” she thought, closing her eyes for a moment as she racked her brain for a decision. “Whiskey sour. What would you like?” She turned towards Aaron, the subtle tilt of her head reminding him of how pretty her neck looked with his hands around it.

“I’ll do a Scotch, neat,” he ordered, something so enticing about ordering a drink on a private jet to Paris.

“I’ll grab those for you now. Matt is ready to take off, A, are you all set?” Jay turned back towards his boss, his eyes widening like a puppy as he waited for her words.

“I’m ready to go Jay, thank you,” she smiled, looking at him quickly before bringing her attention back to Aaron. Jay took her disinterest as a sign to leave and make their drinks, so he shuffled away quickly after she looked away.

He came back with their drinks a moment later, leaving quickly after and closing himself in the cockpit. The jet began to take off shortly after, and Aaron took a long sip of his drink, hoping the alcohol would calm any nerves he had left. He started at (Y/N) dreamily, as she shuffled through her phone and a pile on various paperwork on her lap.

“Sorry, Agent, just finishing up some work,” she whispered, her eyes still staring down.

“Mmm, it’s okay,” he responded, just happy to be in the same place as her again. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she smiled, setting her work aside and bringing her attention to Aaron.

“Why did you kick me out the other night? After…” His voice trailed off, shifting awkwardly in his seat.

“I figured it be best for you. I didn’t want to wrap you up with my life… with me. But in all honesty, I can’t stop thinking about you. I called you tonight, and told myself if you didn’t show, I’d move on. But… you’re here.”

“I’m here,” he whispered back, his eyes tracing down her body, craving her once again.

“I feel like we have something special, Agent,” she whispered seductively, climbing out of her seat and walking towards him.

“I missed you… I couldn’t stop thinking about you…” he moaned as she bent towards him, her lips kissing down his neck and playing with the collar of his shirt. She unbuttoned the top buttons, kissing his chest and moving her hand to his inner thigh. She trailed her fingers up his thigh, teasing his cock with the slightest touch. His hips bucked uncontrollably, blood flowing down to him as his desire took over his body.

She got down on her knees, toying with his belt buckle. She was clearly trying to make him wait, the suffering and craving all a part of her game. But he was impatient, so he ripped his belt off himself, undoing his pants and pulling his erect penis out.

(Y/N) licked her lips in anticipation, wanting to pleasure him as much as he wanted to be pleasured. She played with his tip slowly, toying her tongue around him as he moved underneath her. He wrapped his fingers in her hair, slowly pushing her mouth down around him. He wanted her to take all of him, to feel the back of her throat as he shoved his length in her mouth. She moaned quietly as she took him, bobbing her head up and down quickly and sloppily.

Aaron couldn’t remember the last time he got a blow job- let alone the last time someone enjoyed giving him one. (Y/N) was toying with him, clearly enjoying the pleasure she was able to give him just with her tongue. She looked up at him as he was about to cum, winking as she dragged her tongue up his shaft. The eye contact sent him over the edge, causing him to release himself in her mouth. She swallowed his cum happily, kissing him on the cheek and sitting back down on her chair.

He wanted to go to her, give her what she needed now. But he was exhausted, the exhilaration of her taking away all of his energy. He took another hefty sip of his drink, leaning back in his chair and wiping the sweat off his forehead. He buckled his pants back up and readjusted himself in the seat.

“Don’t hate me, handsome, but I do have to get some work done. Feel free to sleep on the couch, or watch a movie. I’ll let you know when we get there.” She blew him a kiss, teasing him with a wink before losing herself in her work. He wondered what part of her job she could possibly be doing from the seat of a plane. There was truly so much he didn’t know about her, which made it so much more exciting.

He finished his drink, watching her work in awe as the plane soared over the Atlantic. He felt himself drifting off and didn’t try to stop it, wanting to be fully rested so he could make the most of his time with her.

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Paris was unarguably Aaron’s favorite place on Earth. Whenever he told people that, they always kind of chuckled. It was kind of a feminine city, at least that’s what everyone told him. But god, he loved it here. The food, the architecture, the people… but most importantly, it was her.

She had made every second of his life magical. When they landed, she brought him to a small bakery near the Louvre, where they sipped wine and ate the sweetest fruit he’d ever tasted. It was only 10 AM when they got there, but nobody seemed to pay them any attention as they drunkenly strolled down the Parisian streets, giggling and kissing and living.

When they finally sobered up, they made their way to a gorgeous hotel, where (Y/N) got the nicest suite available. They ordered a few bottles of champagne, popping them open as soon as they got inside and helping themselves to many glasses. They drank out on the balcony, overlooking the whole city as they downed more alcohol.

The suite came equipped with a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, which (Y/N) was begging him to take advantage of. She stripped down in front of him, lighting candles and drawing a tub of steaming water. She took a bottle of champagne into the bathroom and soaked herself in the tub, lavender scented bubbles surrounding her. Aaron couldn’t resist the temptation of her body, so he quickly followed after her, stripping down and slipping in the bubbles with her.

She sat on his lap, he kissed down the back of her neck and nibbled on her flesh. She moved her butt into him, the softness of her flesh pushing into his cock.

“I told you, sometimes it’s fun to be adventurous.”

“I never doubted that. I just think this is all… crazy…”

“Are you not enjoying yourself?” She giggled, pushing bubbles towards him and splashing around the water.

“Oh do not play games with me,” he laughed, splashing water towards her. She squealed when the water hit her face, scrunching her nose as she wiped the bubbles from her cheeks.

“Let’s go,” she smirked, standing up and carefully stepping out of the bath. Her skin was glistening from the water, bubbles dripping down her flesh. He stared in awe at her, obsessed with every curve, every inch of her more perfect than the last. She walked slowly out of the bathroom, her butt wiggling with every step. She was clearly calling for him, begging for him to follow her wherever she went. And he would. He did.

He ran after her carefully, finding her naked body wrapped in the fluffy comforter of the bed. She smiled when she saw him, sitting up and wrapping her hands around his neck. She brought his face towards her, kissing him slowly, allowing their lips to enjoy every second they had with each other.

Aaron’s hands were gripped on her hips, his naked body grinding into hers. He hadn’t known this feeling for a long time- the feeling of complete and total calm. For the first time in an absurd amount of time, he wasn’t worried. He wasn’t thinking of every terrible thing that was happening around him. He was only thinking about her- the way her lips felt on his, the way her body moved… his whole life had so suddenly become wrapped up in her.

But, the trouble was, nothing good in his life stayed. And it was only a matter of time before the universe took her away, too.

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The rest of their time in Paris went by in a daze. Most of their time they were either drinking or fucking, taking breaks to walk aimlessly around the Louvre and stroll down the Seine. He was heartbroken when he had to go back, but he did miss his son, and was sure the team was falling apart without him. When they landed back in DC, (Y/N) had a car ready to take Aaron home.

He had a good hour before Jack would be back, so he used his time to take a long shower and brew a strong pot of coffee. It was almost 7 at night, but his body was still messed up from the change in time zones, and he knew he wouldn’t get much sleep that night. He was already missing her, checking his phone every five minutes to see if she would whisk him away on another adventure.

But, as he quickly learned, she was the type of person to disappear for a while. Aaron didn’t hear from her for seven full days after Paris. Seven full agonizing days of wondering where she was, who she was with, and most importantly- what she was doing.

Being away from her made it easier for him to realize the reality of their situation. She was a killer; and yeah, maybe she only killed ‘bad’ people, but did that really make it any better? At least, that was the question he was asking himself. Surprisingly, as more time went on, the harder time he had convincing himself she was a villain. Maybe it was because he was falling in love with her, maybe it was because he understood the anger of watching guilty people walk away from things completely unscathed.

They didn’t speak about work once during their time together, although it was clear Aaron had a lot of questions. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend what she could be doing for Strauss and the Director. Who was she killing that they couldn’t get to the normal way? He wanted to know her life, understand the secrets she spent her existence protecting- but it wasn't for him. And maybe that was for the best. The mystery of it all made it… hotter.

So when he finally heard from her, seven full days later, he felt like a kid on Christmas. He recognized the ‘unknown’ number as it popped up on the screen, stepping into his office so he could speak with her privately.

“Hi, Agent,” (Y/N) spoke, her voice singing to him. He loved the way she called him Agent. He loved everything about her.

“I’ve missed you. Where have you been?”

“Oh, working. You know.” He could tell she didn’t want to speak any more about work, so he changed the subject.

“Are you back in DC?”

“For a bit.”

“Can I see you? Let’s get dinner somewhere. Anywhere.”

“I… we probably shouldn’t be out together like that… if we saw anyone we knew… your team…” She spoke her words carefully, not sure how to tell him that their relationship wasn’t exactly approved of. Aaron had never really thought about it, but the reality made him sick. Would he never be able to love her publicly? Hold her hand at the park, take her to eat at his favorite restaurant, introduce her to his friends?

But the adrenaline, the euphoria of being with her- it was worth any negatives. He would eat in the dark with her, hide her in his house, runaway with her…

“Come over to my place, then. We’ll order pizza, watch a movie.”

“Hah,” she giggled, her laugh airy and full of light just as he remembered. Hearing it made him smile. “I can’t remember the last time I ordered pizza and watched movies with a boy…”

“Well, given the circumstances, I have to get creative A.”

“What about Jack?”

“Oh,” Aaron responded, forgetting for a moment that she had yet to meet his son. He didn’t think twice about it, wanting his son to know the woman that was bringing him so much joy. But was it safe? And did she want to know him?

“I don’t want to put you in an awkward situation.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“What is happening between us? Are we just messing around… Is there feelings?” He hated to ask her such a loaded question over the phone, but he needed to know the answer- he had to know if she was just as head over heels as she was.

“Agent, no man I’ve ever ‘messed around’ with has this number.”

Aaron chuckled, the nervousness in his chest subsiding.

“Come over tonight, please,” he begged, craving the way her lips felt on his.

“Okay, I’ll see you tonight, Agent.”

“I’ll see you tonight, A.”

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Aaron didn’t expect just how wonderful (Y/N) would be with Jack. He had never really seen a maternal side to her before, but she was incredible. Jack took a liking to her as well, even falling asleep between the both of them as they watched Finding Nemo. After they were sure he was asleep, Aaron carried his son to his room and put him to bed, (Y/N) following close behind, in awe of the way Aaron cared for his son.

“You want a glass of wine?” Aaron whispered to her, the two of them hand in hand as they walked back to the living room.

“Please!”

He poured the two of them overly generous glasses of Riesling, snuggling up on the couch next to her and kissing her on the forehead. They tried to find a movie for a bit, scrolling through endless channels before giving up.

“Can you stay the night?”

“I wish, but I have to catch an early flight tomorrow,” she frowned, her pout showcasing her perfect lips that he couldn’t get out of his head.

“Where are you going?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. Her face turned pale and emotionless as she thought of a response, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

“You know I can’t tell you that,” she responded.

“I’m sorry.” He felt uncomfortable, not sure exactly what to say to her. They had never had an awkward silence before, and it made him sick as he waited in the quiet for her to respond.

“I probably should get going,” she finally said, setting her almost empty glass of wine down on the coffee table.

“Oh, c’mon, we just got some time alone…” he pleaded, but he could tell by the look on her face he had already lost her.

“I’m sorry, love. I just have a lot to prepare for this case.”

“I understand. Will I see you soon?”

“I’ll do my best, Agent.”

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California was a popular hot spot for serial killers. It seemed like Aaron and the team were there every other week. This time, San Francisco was the lucky city. He had already been there for two days, stuck on an incredibly weird case, when he got the call.

“Good morning, Agent,” (Y/N) spoke.

“A… it’s good to hear from you.” He was relieved at the sound of her voice, the dark energy of this specific case seeping into him, choking any optimism out of him.

“How are things?”

“I’m working on a tough case, to be honest. It’s taking a lot out of me.”

“Would it be better if I was there?”

“How is that possible?”

“I was… in the area. Set some time aside to stop by.”

“I’m going to be really busy…” he frowned, realizing now how difficult it would be to actually see her.

“Oh, Agent, I sure hope you can make time to see me,” she teased, giggling through the phone, her laugh wrapping him in warmth and shielding him from the darkness of reality for a moment.

“Well, I have to sleep at some point,” he responded, laughing himself.

“Call me when you get back to your hotel. I’ll be waiting.”

Aaron hung the phone up quickly, peeking around the corner of the SFPD office they were currently set up in. Luckily, everyone was too busy to listen in on his personal conversations. He wondered what his team would think if they knew what was going on behind closed doors. Would they still stand around and trust the system they were working so hard to uphold? Because Aaron could barely stomach it.

“Hey, we’ve got a problem,” Derek said, coming around the corner lookingfor his superior.

“What’s going on?”

“C’mon into the conference room. Garcia will explain everything.”

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He didn’t make it back to his hotel for another 12 hours. It was nearing 11 PM by the time he finally closed the door and could be done for the day. Although with his job, he was never really off the clock.

He called (Y/N), pushing aside any exhaustion he had for a moment with her. She was there within twenty minutes, sneaking through the door, giggling and kissing quietly, trying to be secretive. It was risky, extremely risky for them to be together with his team just on the other side of a thin hotel wall. But he couldn’t help himself. A part of him wanted to get caught, be exposed, so they could stop sneaking around. He wanted to love her in front of everyone.

He forgot about the case briefly as he lost himself in her flesh, kissing her soft skin and making love to her - twice. When the exhaustion finally overcame him, he crawled into her arms and let the horrors of his job overcome him.

“It’s a bad one, this case,” he divulged, knowing he shouldn’t be telling her the details, but needed a release. He needed to scream, and she was the only one around to hear.

“What’s going on?”

“Some CEO’s kid has been going all around the country killing teenage girls. Eevrytime the police get close to him, he just runs. Five different cities, and he’s escaped them all. Thirty six bodies that we can find. Probably more. And he’s going to get away, here, too. Garcia found out he sold his house a few days ago and bought one in Miami.”

“Well if you know it’s him, why aren’t you arresting him?” (Y/N) had a confused look on her face, her eyes wide and her lips forming a slight pout as she waited for him to respond.

“We don’t have enough physical evidence. He fits the profile perfectly, and we are able to trace bodies to him in every city he’s lived in. But that’s not good enough for the courts. He’s just going to keep getting away…” Aaron felt his heart pounding, the face of Foyet flashing over and over in his head.

“Sometimes… the system doesn’t help everybody.” She wasn’t looking at him, her eyes darting nervously around the room.

“That’s why people like you exist, right? To serve justice to those who escape it.”

“That’s one way of looking at it.”

Aaron looked at her, her cheeks flushed and her breathing sporadic. They were thinking the same thing, it was only a guessing game on who would break the silence first. He didn’t think it would be here, she was too nervous.

“(Y/N)...” he whispered, placing a hand on hers.

“What are you asking me to do, Agent?” She finally looked up at him, her face flat and emotionless, a side of her she had never shown him before. It was her work face, her business face.

“I want you to do your job, A.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“It’s the only way to stop him.”

“Okay. I’ll take care of it.” She got up out of the bed and started putting her clothes back on, slowly redressing herself as she prepared to go back to work. She grabbed one of the three phones she carried, hastily dialing a number and putting the old cell to her ear.

“Hey, it’s me. I need the car here ASAP, and the bag... Yeah, it’s a change of plans. … I’ll tell you in the car.” She hung the call up and put the phone back in her bag, refusing the look at Aaron the entire time she was preparing herself.

“You’re doing this now?” He laughed, getting up and trying to stop her from leaving. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him, her body struggling to get away. She felt tense, tired. Her body was no longer surrounded by it’s usual warm glow. She was cold, and dark. She wasn’t her.

“Agent, if this is what you want, I need to handle it my way. Please let me go.”

“Will you… can I see you after?”

“I need to leave the city immediately after it’s done. And it’s best we don't talk for a bit. I can call you when I think things are safe.”

“How long is a bit? I mean, I don’t want to give you up.”

“You can’t have both, Aaron. Either I’m (Y/N) or I’m Ananke. Do you want more girls to die? Or do you want a girlfriend?” She was yelling, her voice a loud and intense version of itself that he was unfamiliar with. It made him dizzy. He sat down clumsily on the bed and put his face in his hands.

“Kill him,” he mumbled. She was quiet for a few seconds, and so was he. And awkward silence. Something they had never had. He felt like she was staring at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at her.

“I’ll call you when I can, Agent. It’s been wonderful working with you.”

Aaron swore as she walked out the door he could hear her cry. Maybe he was making it up to make himself feel better. There was no way she could walk away that easily and not … hurt. He hurt, so terribly bad. How long was a bit? A few weeks, months? Would he ever see her again?

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Aaron awoke to a loud banging on his door and his phone buzzing like crazy. The ringer was on, but not loud enough to awaken him from his alcohol assisted slumber. He shouldn’t be drinking on the job, he knew that rule better than anyone. But he had to shut his mind up.

He opened the door to a rattled Derek Morgan, his forehead sweating and hands shaking.

“You are not going to believe this,” Derek said, chuckling slightly.

“What’s going on, Morgan?” Aaron knew what he was going to say, but he had to pretend to be surprised. Would Derek know? He was by far the best profiler on the team. How long could Aaron keep up a lie before Derek figured something out?

“Our unsub died last night. Car accident. He hit a railing and his car just… exploded.” Derek held his tablet out to Hotch, showing him various photos from the scene. His car was completely crushed and torched. You could see his body, but there was absolutely no way to tell what was happening at the time of the accident. The damage of the car was far too elaborate to find any remnants of explosives- if that’s what she used. But whatever she did, it was brilliant. There was no way anyone would think twice about this. She was brilliant.

He could feel himself smiling, being impressed with her work- but he remembered Derek was still standing there, unknowing of the secrets Aaron held.

“Well, I guess we can finally get the hell out of San Francisco,” Aaron laughed.

“You think this is the end? He just dies in a freak accident and it's over? Are we that lucky, Hotch?” Derek’s eyebrows were furrowed in the classic way his face always looked when he was suspicious.

“He’s not around to hurt anyone else, and that’s the end of it. Our jobs are done here. I want wheels up in an hour.”

Derek just nodded in agreement with his supervisor, realizing it wasn’t worth the argument. Aaron was right, the bad guy was gone and that was good enough for him.

Aaron closed the door to his hotel, grabbing his phone and dialing her number. He had assumed she’d already disconnected the line, severing their connection for the time. But it rang, and somebody answered.

“A…?” he whispered, waiting for her voice.

“You shouldn’t be calling this number,” a man responded, a voice he recognized as Jays.

“I know, I know, but please. Please just tell her something for me.” Jay was silent for a moment, deciding what to do.

“... What?” He asked, quietly.

“Please just tell her I said thank you. For everything.”

And then the phone disconnected. The call was over. She was gone. For who knows how long?

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One week later, SSA Aaron Hotchner was sitting in his office when Erin Strauss walked through his door. She didn’t knock, which made him jump. She walked right in and sat down on his couch, taking a deep breath. A disappointed sigh.

“Hello, Erin.”

“Agent Hotcher.” She looked at him angrily, her lips pursed and eyes tight as she thought of her words.

“What can I do for you?”

“In all honesty, Aaron… did you think we wouldn’t find out? You are a federal agent. Your passport is flagged any time you enter a foreign country. You were in Paris at the same time as her. And then San Francisco? She was there on assignment and your uncatchable unsub just happens to turn up dead?”

“Am I fired?” He asked, his only thought on what they were doing to her.

“Aaron… what are you doing? You are losing yourself! If this is about Haley…”

“Just tell me something. What are you going to do to her?” He bit his lip nervously, Erin avoiding his eye contact.

“Right now she’s being relocated, on a six month assignment. We’ll see what happens after that.”

“Where?”

“You know I can’t tell you that!”

Aaron sat for a moment, completely unsure of what to say next. Maybe Erin was right, he had lost himself. He would’ve never imagined himself in this situation.

“What do I do now?”

“You move on. And you do your job, the right way. I’ll cut you some slack this time, Aaron. But if this happens again… there will be consequences. Do you understand?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Erin walked out of his office quietly, closing the door as she left. He waited a moment, a long moment, before pulling out his phone. He had to at least try to talk to her. Even if the number didn’t work. He had to try.

But it rang. And this time he knew it was her who answered.

“Agent.” She answered sharply.

“Where are you?”

“I’m still in DC, as of now.”

“If I asked you to stay, would you?”

“You know it doesn’t work like that. Either I go, or they send me to prison. I’m sorry, Aaron. But this… was destined to fail from the beginning.”

“No, (Y/N). I don’t accept that. I love you.”

“You can’t. I’m sorry, Agent. This is goodbye.”

#vicficwriterchallenge #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #criminal minds #aaron hotchner fanfiction

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thisiswhatshefelt · 4 years ago

Text

For Olivia | Chapter Two

Summary: Line cook Johnny “Coco” Cruz has made many bad decisions in his life, but his biggest regret is not being a part of his children’s lives. He reconciles with his teenage daughter, Letty, so he’s hopeful when he shows up on his four-year-old daughter’s doorstep. Shanice Hunter, a newly-appointed guardian, is determined to protect Olivia from anything— even if that means her own father.

Pairing: Chef!Coco x Black!OC Previous Chapter: One Warnings: This chapter kind’ve deals with a deadbeat parent, but we’re still in fluffy territory for now. Word Count: 2.7k

Chapter Two

~Six months ago~ Mel calls from outside the apartment the night. She’s at the door wearing the same smudged eyeliner she left with two days before, but she’s replaced her party dress with cheap, baggy clothing that are three times too big for thin frame. Her once flat ironed hair is reverting at the edges of her hairline. Shanice quietly eases outside so they can sit together on the steps.

“Do you remember when I first had her, and I begged you to take her? You promised me that I would learn. That I would get it right.” Mel rings the sweatshirt between her hands as if squeezing water from the fabric. Her hands become dryer between her fingers and at the knuckles the more she works her hands. “I’ve never gotten it right, ��Nice. Not one time, so I’m asking you again–Please. Just until I get it together. I have to figure something out.”

Shanice sees how exhausted Mel appears in this moment. The weight of something more than two sleepless nights darken under her eyes. She’s never looked this tired. “What happened over there?”

She smiles even though there are tears falling from her eyes. “What happens in Vegas…” Shanice just stays silent, looking at her friend. Seeing the fracture splinter out even more. When she reaches out to pull Mel’s hand away from the bedraggled clothing, Mel’s lip begins to tremble. “He took everything, ‘Nice. Maxed out all my credit cards before I even realized he wasn’t coming back to the hotel room. A-All my jewelry, I don’t…”

“Oh, Mel,” Shanice says, and it’s all she can say as she moves herself closer to embrace the scared woman. “You can stay here with me until-”

“No, I can’t,” Mel objects, shaking her head and pulling away like she’s been burned. Shanice is about to insist, but Mel’s hand between them quells anymore protests. “I can’t. I have to do this on my own. Will you take her? It would just be until she starts Kindergarten–”

“Of course, Mel. I love her.”

The wrinkled paper, which she realizes is torn from a roll of receipt paper, now sits taut between her pinched fingers. It had his name and number scrawled on one side in handwriting that didn’t look that much different from the scribbling Olivia brings home from preschool.

Shanice doesn’t sleep well after Johnny appears on the doorstep. She doesn’t even leave Olivia’s bed when the bedtime stories end. For hours, she lays beside the girl, recalling past conversations she’d had with her best friend.

It feels strange to still call her ‘best friend’ now, though. Life divides Shanice and Melanie’s paths after college, but they regain closeness once Mel suddenly becomes pregnant and names Shanice the godmother. Shanice plays guardian even before Olivia is born, making sure Mel takes her prenatal vitamins and makes sure she keeps up with her doctor visits.

Now Shanice lays beside the girl so that their noses are almost touching, but her legs are too long for the mattress, so she has to tuck her knees up to fit. Loose strands of Olivia’s tight chestnut curls fall onto her eyelashes and Shanice tucks the strand back into one of her plaits.

Most people assume they’re related in some way because of how superficially similar they appear in passing. Shanice’s deep skin is just a few shades darker than Olivia’s tawny complexion. Their dark hair zig zags in soft, defiant halos when let out of the confines of twists or braids, but Mel is right there at the middle of Olivia’s face.

The bridge of her nose slightly widens before sloping into a rounded tip and it’s all Mel. Shanice leans in close to take in all of her scent before kissing her between the eyes and watching her breathe until sleep finally claims them both.

In the morning, Shanice is uncharacteristically sluggish, but that changes with her first cup of coffee. The morning ritual is completed with most of her mind on autopilot as Olivia talks at a million miles an hour through outfit changes and getting her hair styled into two French braids.

Shanice doesn’t realize she hasn’t been listening to most of the little girl’s one-sided conversation until the waffles pop up in the toaster. She juggles the hot waffles out of the machine and onto a plate before adding syrup and sliding it across the counter.

“Can we go?” Olivia taps her fingers on the counter, strumming her stubby fingers against the countertop.

“Wait, go where?” Shanice’s eyebrows knit together. She tries to recall the last few moments, but her mind is still on last night. The man at the door, and the panic she feels even as her face remains even. Coffee is a bad idea, but she’s now on her second cup.

“Can we go to the big park today. Please?”

“Funny,” Shanice says sarcastically. “I told you we could go this weekend, Mushroom, and it’s still–” Shanice makes a show of looking at her smart watch before her eyes land back on Olivia. “–yep, just what I thought. It’s still Thursday morning.”

Olivia clasps her hands together and squints her eyes as she squeaks out, “Pleeeeease-”

“Hey, hey, hey…ma’am.” Shanice isn’t very loud, but her words cut through just sharp enough to make a point. Olivia knows Shanice doesn’t tolerate whining and begging, so the little girl does the next best thing. Her shoulders slumped exaggeratedly, and like a sucker, Shanice falls for it as she quietly sighs. “If I get a good report from Ms. Wendy today, we can go to the playground at your school.”

“Kay!” Olivia’s eyes widen excitedly. “Can you tell mommy to come too?”

She can’t say that she’s been trying to call Mel all night, but the phone rings until the automated voicemail picks up. She wants her to pick up and ask how Johnny has her home address. It was better that the phone did go to voicemail because the conversation probably wouldn’t have been pleasant.

“I’m sure she’s gonna try her best to make it,” Shanice tells her just as her own waffles finish in the toaster. As she sips her coffee, she watches in slight disgust as Olivia smashes her bananas into each crevice of her waffles. “What’re you doing?”

“Makin’a waffles smooth.” Olivia fills some of the squares with the mashed bananas and takes a bite. “Want some?”

“Noooo thank you,” Shanice says, fervently shaking her head with a laugh. “I like my waffles with all the holes.”

After dropping Olivia off at preschool, Shanice makes her way to Damon Pope High School where she spends the first two periods with 9-12 graders, teaching them about the Harlem Renaissance before analyzing some poems by Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes. Teaching is exciting because she is always amazed at how astute these teenagers were with their analyzations. And their poetry is often some of the most beautiful she’s ever read. She’s excited to see the entries for the poetry contest this year.

At a free period, she shuts herself up in her classroom and tries Mel’s cell again. It goes straight to voicemail, and Shanice’s anger transforms into concern. She leaves another message, hoping for the best but thinking of the worst.

Shanice makes her way to Olivia’s preschool twenty minutes after the last bell rings and is there just as the first parents are leaving with their children. She’s soon inside and makes small talk with some of the parents and grandparents.

Olivia spots her and yells across the room of children and adults. “Aunty ‘Nice!” Olivia rushes over and grabs her hand before pulling her back over to the teacher, Ms. Wendy. “Tell her I was good, Ms. Wendy! Tell her!”

“Olivia…” Shanice tries to reprimand, but she finds herself biting her bottom lip to keep from smiling.

Ms. Wendy doesn’t hold in her laugh, and her wavy blonde hair dances with every shake of her shoulders. “Well, Olivia is always good, but she was extra special today.”

Olivia is beaming, but Shanice tries not to roll her eyes as she sees the little girl grinning. They say their goodbyes and walk outside to the playground where Olivia runs immediately to the slides. Shanice picks up Olivia’s backpack from the grass where it sits abandoned in the excitement and stands off to the side to make another phone call. The phone doesn’t answer but she gets a text message a few minutes later.

Hey girl. Got your messages! Been really busy lately but I’ll be over ltr tonight. Tell Liv I got her a present!! Xo

Shanice decides not to tell Olivia about the text message because she’s heard this before. She spends time with Olivia who looks up every time someone walks near the playground, hoping one of them will be Mel, but she doesn’t actually ask about her mother. There’s a destructive amount of hope in her eyes that dies with every passing moment.

There’s that hope Mel will show even at eight that night when Olivia is fast asleep. Shanice still has hope, but she knows it won’t happen.

I have something important to talk about, Mel. It’s about Olivia’s bio dad.

At ten, Shanice’s phone buzzes in the middle of grading assignments.

Sorry! Forgot 2 tell u I gave Johnny yur address! I didn’t know what to tell him. figured you would know what 2 do??

Is Liv upset I didn’t show?? Tell her I’ll be there in a couple days xo

Shanice is so angry that she only replies with

She’s fine.

before tossing her phone on the other side of the couch.

It’s more than sending a complete stranger to her home. It’s more than ignored calls.

Figured you would know what to do.

But Shanice doesn’t know what to do. She really wants to keep Mel included in their life. Keep her included in the decisions she has to make for Olivia, but Shanice is slowly accepting that she’s alone in this now. She can’t keep playing the role of a glorified babysitter.

The piece of paper is still on the night table when she goes back to retrieve it. Her emotions are driving her as she paces back to the couch to retrieve her discarded phone, so she doesn’t realize how late it is until she hears the groggy voice pick up.

“Yeah, hello?” he answers.

“I-I’m sorry,” Shanice says now caught off guard. It’s nearly midnight. “Is this Johnny?”

“Yeah, who’s this?”

“It’s Shanice,” she tells him. “Can we meet?”

Shanice pulls her car into the Tres Reyes lot during her a free period the next morning. It’s a quaint white building with a terracotta roof that looks almost like someone’s home, if not for the large sign on the face of the building in bold letters.

Once inside the diner, she can feel the warmth from the kitchen blanket every bit of her skin, but it isn’t as oppressive as the heat from the California desert. The white from the outside also paints the wall inside, but there are bright Spanish tiles on the floor which makes Shanice feel like she’s stepping on artwork. She also now feels wildly overdressed in her pencil skirt, blouse and heels.

A few older Latino people are scattered throughout the diner while some college kids occupy most of the other tables.

“Cuántos personas?” a teenage girl asks, coming from behind a desk near the door. Shanice fights the teacher in her that wants to ask, Shouldn’t you be in class?

“Uh, dos personas, por favor,” Shanice replies, quickly recalling something from her Freshman year at college.

The girl asks in Spanish, gauging whether or not she speaks the same language and by her accent, the girl nods. With a quick, disapproving twitch of her eyebrows that only a teenager can manage, she says, “Right this way.”

“Are you waiting for Coco?” the girl asks, nonchalantly placing two menus on the table.

“I…I mean, I’m waiting for Johnny?”

She nods again then turns slightly in the direction of the service window that separates the kitchen from the dining. “Coco!”

A few of the guests jump at the girl’s voice. Johnny walks from the kitchen, chastising her with his eyes. She shrugs back with an impressive lack of enthusiasm. “My bad, alright?” she apologizes, returning to her hostess spot behind the counter.

It makes sense now why Johnny wants to meet here. Shanice had assumed he’d be a guest, not an employee. He sits at the table across from her with a shy smile. He’s wearing a short-sleeved white t-shirt, so she can clearly see that his tattoos wrap the full lengths of his arms.

Unsure of how else to begin, Shanice opens with, “They call you Coco?”

“Only people that really call me Johnny is my mom when I piss her off,” he says, smiling slightly. “Thanks for meeting me, I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Shanice mutters.

“You want something to eat?”

“Thanks, but I have to get back to work in a little bit.” She sighs then decides to do away with pointless small talk. “She’s four years old now. Where’ve you been?”

Straight to the point. The question visibly unsettles him, but she’s past caring.

Johnny–or Coco sits up a little straighter in the seat. “I’m gonna keep it real with you. I been in and outta prison most of my life–nothing violent, but I got locked up a couple months before she was born and was in for the first two years of her life.”

Shanice suspects as much, so she isn’t shocked when he admits this. She’s more concerned with what lands him there. “Define…‘nothing violent?’”

He clears nothing from his throat, “Possession.” The words roll out of his mouth like a secret, but it falls between them like an anchor at the bottom of a chasm.

She nods once. Coco’s anxious, almost like the kids she has to chastise for not doing their homework. The fact that he’s been to prison doesn’t exactly make her flinch. She has a few relatives that had been incarcerated at one point in time and others that are still in jail. Had it not been for pure luck, she could have ended up the same way at a young age. Especially during her college days with Mel.

Shanice can’t help but be hard. It must feel like an interrogation the way she fires questions and sits emotionless on the other side of the table. “That’s still two years unaccounted for.”

“Honestly,” he said with a wince, “I thought she’d be better off without me there. Being a good father isn’t something I know how to be.”

“What makes you so sure you can be a good father now?”

“Nothing,” he says plainly. “But I remember how I felt growing up without my dad. I didn’t feel wanted. I don’t want her to feel something like that. Especially not ‘cause of me.”

“There’s an audience,” she notes with her gaze set upon the service window.

He turns to the men. One is older with white hair and shadows of old acne scars on his somber face. One of the younger men sports an undercut while the other has his hair shortly cropped. By the downturned eyes the three share, it’s obvious that the three are father and sons.

The older man adjusts his glasses and disappears into the kitchen when he realizes he’s been caught leering. The other two put their heads down and start scrubbing away at the tiles in the window with small towels.

Shanice focuses again at her table mate and stares at him for just a moment much too long for it to be deemed comfortable. She notices his fingers are tapping against the table, and she suddenly recalls a moment from that morning when Olivia does the same.

It’s a different beat, but it has the same heart.

“Okay,” she tells him, looking up, and she watches Coco break out into a boyish smile. “Let me get something straight, though. There’s no ‘try’ in this. She’s had people in her life disappoint her, and at her age, she hasn’t really learned to stop being hopeful.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, revealing a familiar dimple.

“We’re going to the park downtown this Sunday. You can meet us there if you don’t have to work.”

“Yeah,” he said, still smiling. “Of course, I’ll be there.”

Shanice is driving back to school a few minutes later, chewing on the realization that it will most likely be another sleepless night.

_______

Next Chapter: Three

#mayans mc #mayans mc fanfiction #mayans fanfic #mayans fanfiction #coco cruz #johnny cruz #coco x oc #thisiswhatshewrote #poc!fanfiction #poc!fanfic #woc writer #poc writer #black oc #mayans mc x oc

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anothertimdrakestan · 4 years ago

Text

Elle

AnotherTimDrakeStan’s Tumblr

Shipping 101

9/26/2020

why @comicsandhoney is damian wayne’s soulmate.

(for context Ris asked me for a ship and i lost it lmao)

HI I GOT ALL YOUR MESSAGES HEHEHE I LOVE YOU! (go follow our ship blog @dc-ships-nstuff and req something if you want your own ship from one of us/our homies!)

so this was supposed to be a ship, a lil tiny lil headcanon but then, it turned into an essay. now, i apologize profusely but here is my dissertation on why you are in fact, Damian Wayne’s soulmate. I’ll be taking professor questions after my essay.

(this is a joke i promise i know how to write essays this is purely comedic dont @ me about literally anything hahaha)

We open, with the birth of the universe. It’s cold, it’s dark, but there is a deity who makes soulmates, call it/them what you will. But there are soulmates. And to properly explain why you and Damian are soulmates we must first explore what it means to be soulmates.

For the purposes of this essay, our definition of a soulmate is the person that fits to you like a puzzle piece. Broken in the correct places so that when the two of you are together you’ve got one side covered, making the world just a little easier. A soulmate is a person who is not like you in every way, nor the complete opposite. They are the person who brings a smile to your face at just the thought of their dorky lil laugh.

So how does this match up to you and our resident grumpy bird boy Damian? It’s simple really, I will map out every reason you fit like the puzzle piece we have just established through the entirety of this dissertation.

For those that are more drawn to proof statistically I invite you to this extremely non exaggerated and very well researched data set I have found after pouring over thousands of entries:

Now that I have asserted my belief with factual data I can begin the examples.

We can start with your general personality, introverted-extrovert. I believe this is a good balance to that of Damian as I would define him as closer to introverted but the two of you would help to slowly bring each other out of your shells, comfortable with the other at your side. He would love your snark and quick beat personality, he’d truly never bored of you and he’d love every second of it.

Activity wise you both are very similar but have your own things that would be so cute to teach the other! For a more visual representation:

For example, on a quiet day in the two of your would be found relaxing in the mansion using various art supplies while listening to good music, just enjoying being in each other’s presence. You said you aren’t the biggest on physical affection 24/7 which would (again) be perfect for Damian as he would truly just enjoy being in a space with you, getting to talk about the artwork, or the meaning of life itself and anything in between. He would want you to show him how to make little poems then slowly over time of the two of you dating he’d always try to give you a little poem for a holiday or anniversary that would make your heart melt.

On more adventurous days the two of you would free entire zoos of animals being abused then shelter them all in a little sanctuary Damian begged Bruce to build as you get to watch Damian be at his happiest, saving animals with his favorite gal at his side : ) He would also force you to learn cheese viking as it was his favorite as a child and has a special place in his heart.

I just KNOW your combined sass/snark would end the world like it would go up in flames and you’d be like “haha burn bitch” and Damian would finally actually give you a fist bump while you cackle. When someone’s being a bitch and you’re both out in public there’s this look the two of your give each other that makes you choke down laughter and Damian suppress the snarky grin that always tries to bubble up when he’s out with you : )

He would ABSOLUTELY wear the bracelets you make even if his brothers tease him at the beginning. They help him focus and remind him there’s always a person he’s grappling home to at night ; ). You’d definitely have to make a lot as they probably get cut off pretty frequently but it’s definitely fun to get to see how all the different colors mix and look when he’s wearing them.

On the deeper side, he would want nothing more than for you to continue learning to love yourself. He sees you as perfection and just wishes you could see yourself as amazing as he does. You guys could have really deep talks about the pressure of expectations both external and internal and I think there could be a lot of mutually beneficial healing for the two of you. It is known that the relationships where you grow and better yourselves together always do better and your relationship with Damian would be no different!

Damian would love talking to you during boring patrols and him being in your life would be the end of a functional sleep schedule but it’s worth it when you get to sit out on skyscrapers draped in his cloak resting your head on his shoulder just in the comfortable silence.

The silence definitely hits different (if that makes sense) some couples have to always be yapping on about something or all up in each other’s arms but the magic of you and Damian is that you have the emotional closeness and comfort just in the silence of each other’s company. Damian loves it, like, it’s his favorite thing getting to just be next to you and pay attention to the way your breath hitches when you come up with a new idea or you let out a big sigh after finishing an assignment- it’s the little things that makes his legs go a little shaky and his heart a little pound-y when you smile at him between math problems or strokes of a paint brush.

And I think that’s one of the biggest foundational piece of your relationship, seeing the little things that no one else does. Being the youngest of the Robins Damian can feel like he’s behind or doesn’t measure up and you’re always there to hype him up and remind him that he’s amazing- he really needs it and (I can talk from experience) you’re great at it. Truly, everyone needs a Ris in their life and Dami would be beyond lucky to have you, and he wouldn’t let you forget it either. Bringing you little gifts or chocolates just because he saw them and thought of you and the little crinkly-nose smile you give him when he brings you a tiny little chocolate kiss after patrol.

I rly popped off on this lmao I could say a LOT more but yeah lets go over my main points:

1. you’re personalities match and you’d make being out in public bearable

2. you both have similar activities and interests with room to teach other more about the things that make you happy

3. there’s a lot of emotional growth and loving passion to grow with the two of you throughout the relationship

4. you guys are one of the few perfect couples with appreciative silence and i’ll forever be jealous of it

So yeah you’re soulmates that’s all. That’s the essay. I can’t believe I donated like an hour of my time to this but I did and I’ll go down with my ship.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Love u the most Ris and if anyone else read this far holy heck I really love you lmao!!!

#god what do i even tag #im gonna tag x reader im so sorry #damian wayne #damian wayne x reader #batboys #batfam #dc ships #damian wayne fluff #dc

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charliefromtheuniverse · 5 years ago

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The Story of “SAVE ME”

Save Me is a 15-episode webtoon that BigHit released in April 2019. The webtoon was announced on a Twitter account called Smeraldo Books and is currently available for free on the Naver webtoon app and website.

The HYYH story of the Bangtan Universe features seven main characters, one that takes the name of each BTS member. Even though we’ve got all seven as main characters, the HYYH storyline does focus a bit more on Seokjin’s character as the protagonist. This webtoon follows him and his actions, and he’s the only character we have real insight into here.

Save Me is set in Year 22, after the backstory established in the HYYH Notes leading up to April 11th of that year. There are more HYYH Notes that take place after Save Me, so it falls somewhere in the middle, during some of the rising action. This follows the trend of BTS’s content often being released in media res, or in the middle, rather than from the beginning.

That being said, reading Save Me on its own prior to dealing with the mammoth that is the HYYH Notes can be beneficial, as it does contain story that introduces some really important events that become a central focus of the overall narrative.

Save Me tells the original story of the HYYH timeline that takes place in Year 22 before Seokjin enters the time loop. We know the HYYH storyline actually starts in Year 9, (see Note from HYYH Book 1 dated in October Year 9). This Note is from when Seokjin is a child—the Year corresponds to Seokjin’s age. The later Notes follow the seven characters sporadically throughout the following years, ending (for now) in Year 22. If we assume that the real-world age differences between the Bangtan members were carried over to their characters, then we can figure out the age of any character for any give Note.

Leading up to Year 22, we have HYYH Note entries from all the characters that establish their individual backstories as well as the group meeting each other and then falling apart. There are definitely important events mentioned in these Notes, so I explain some of the relevant backstory where needed in the summary below.

Though there is backstory before Save Me, this webtoon provides the original course of events; as in, this is what happened to this group of friends after they went their separate ways, before Seokjin interferes. The Save Me logo contains a zero, and the HYYH Notes book contains a one, which indicates that Save Me happens before some of the content of the HYYH Notes. There are some crossovers with what happens in Save Me and what happens in the Notes, since Seokjin re-lives certain days many times.

Below is a summary of each episode, and there’s a brief discussion at the end.

Summary of the Episodes

In the prologue, Taehyung is backing away from a broken bottle with blood on his hands. Namjoon sits in jail with a lollipop which he drops to the floor, and Jungkook is walking along the edge of a rooftop. We see Hoseok fall down the stairs while in a hospital gown and Yoongi in a room that's on fire. Jimin sits alone in a hospital room, hooked up to an IV. Seokjin stands in front of a window with white shades, which he opens and sees himself reflected in the window. These are all images we’ve seen in the “I Need U” music video and Seokjin’s short film titled “Awake.”

Episode 1

Seokjin sits on an airplane from L.A. to Incheon. He later wakes up in the room with the window. He says it's been two years, and though he hasn't been away for all that long, he doesn't feel at home. He leaves the house. In the next scene, he's driving in his truck, and we know it's April 11th from the radio report. He drives past the school, which he hasn't been back to since high school, and he sees Jungkook standing in the crowd of students that are about to cross the street.

There's a flashback to when they were all in school together. A teacher fusses at them for being lazy and gives them all detention. We see the storage classroom, which became their hideout. There's a scene of them enjoying their time together in that classroom. In the HYYH Notes text, we learn how important this room became to them.

In the present, cars are honking at Seokjin to go, and he drives away. At a gas station while he's getting his gas pumped, Seokjin sees Namjoon working on a different car. He looks at him in his mirror but doesn't talk to him.

Next, Seokjin is in his room, reading a red book. The main reason I mention this here is because in the HYYH Notes from later in Year 22, Seokjin picks up a red diary that a girl drops. I don’t think this has any correlation, since this happens in April of the same year.

Later, he seems to have a dream where he's floating in water and all of the other guys are ahead of him with their eyes closed. Seokjin reaches out his hand to them, but then he wakes up. It's May 22nd now, and he wonders how they are and whether he should have walked up to them previously.

Seokjin leaves and goes to the gas station where Namjoon works and asks for him. The other worker tells him Namjoon isn't there and is currently locked up. A news report is seen on the TV in the background that reads "A high school student arrested for killing his father." From the HYYH Notes, we know this is referring to Taehyung rather than Namjoon.

Seokjin goes to visit Namjoon. He offers to help if there’s something he can do, but Namjoon tells him there’s nothing to do. He says the person he beat up berated him for being poor. We get a flashback to Namjoon working at the gas station, where a rude customer yells at him for bumping into the mirror of his expensive car. The money the customer had tried to give him for the gas ends up on the ground, and the customer demands it back. He insults Namjoon and Namjoon responds by slamming the man onto his car. They go to the police station to file a report and the officer comments that the man isn't even really that injured and they should just settle. The rude guy laughs and asks if Namjoon can afford a settlement. Namjoon refuses to settle, so he ends up in jail. Seokjin recalls that it happened on April 11th, the day he saw him at the gas station and didn't speak to him. Namjoon tells him it was bound to happen since he's broke, so Seokjin should just leave him there.

Seokjin asks about the others, but Namjoon says he doesn’t keep in touch. Then, Namjoon drops the real bombshell: Jungkook is dead, and so is Yoongi. Hoseok is in the hospital after a bad accident. He says he doesn't know what happened to Taehyung or Jimin. Seokjin is visibly shaken, but he's asked to leave as visiting time is over.

Walking outside, Seokjin wonders if Namjoon would have not ended up in jail if he had just spoken to him at the gas station that night. He sees a crowd of reporters shouting at someone, asking if they really murdered their father. Seokjin realizes it's Taehyung, walking in a line of criminals with rope tied around his wrists and body. He calls out to him. Taehyung turns around to look at him. Of course, there’s nothing he can do.

In the next scene, Seokjin is alone at the beach as he recalls them all being together and happy at the beach. He says they used to be happy just being together, but now everyone is miserable. He wonders if any of them were happy since they split up. As he sits on the beach clearly upset, a white cat appears and seems to speak. "If you could turn back time, do you believe you can straighten out the errors and mistakes and save everyone?" it says. This text appears graphically different than other speech bubbles—it’s stylized and blue. Seokjin looks at the cat and wonders if he's seeing things, but he says that he'd do anything to fix all the mistakes and make everyone happy.

There's a graphic effect like a mirror shattering, and Seokjin wakes up in his room. He thinks he had a dream, but the date on his phone shows April 11th. As we’ll see going forward, this effect is employed each time Seokjin fails and gets sent back in time.

Episode 2

The first scene opens at the gas station where Seokjin sees Namjoon but doesn't approach him. As he drives off, Seokjin says he should have said hi to Namjoon. Suddenly, there's a loud thud and Seokjin's truck screeches to a stop. A body has fallen on top of the hood, and he recognizes that it's Jungkook. He's clearly dead, and Seokjin starts to panic inside his car. Someone asks him to step out of the car to see if he's okay, and everything starts to go blurry. The shattering effect appears again, and Seokjin wakes up in his room, thinking he had a dream, but he doesn't remember the details.

Seokjin looks at the photo of himself and his friends, dated June 12th from when they were together in high school at the beach (cross-reference: HYYH Note Book 1, Jungkook entry dated June 12 Year 19). He says he misses them and wonders how they are, and he notes that something feels strange.

Seokjin leaves and drives near the school, hearing the same traffic report as we saw in Episode 1. It's April 11th again. Seokjin sees Jungkook walking with other students, and his heart starts racing like it did when Jungkook's body landed on his car in his "dream." He wonders why that's happening, and the cars behind him begin to honk at him to move, so he drives off.

At the gas station, Seokjin leaves without speaking to Namjoon again. As he drives away, he notices he feels like he's forgetting something important. He stops near a convenience store where a cop car passes by and he starts walking down the sidewalk. Suddenly, Jungkook falls to the pavement behind him, and Seokjin turns around to see him dead again. Everything shatters.

Another speech bubble that resembles the one that appeared next to the cat appears now in a different color. It reads: "Am I too late? You could've been the one I was looking for. If you've already sealed the pact, open up your eyes and see straight." Seokjin gets up and shouts "Who are you?" at the voice. The unique speech bubbles appear again and read: "This is the world you have to live in and the fate you must go through. You won't make it out here alone in this entangled destiny. Here's how to remember the loop. Once you open your eyes..." Everything shatters again and Seokjin seems to recall memories of everything up to this point: Namjoon in jail, Taehyung being arrested, and Jungkook dying. He also recalls the first time a voice spoke to him (which appeared in blue text instead of yellow). Seokjin stands in his room, trying to process what's happening. He doesn't have a clue, but notes that the voice was different from last time. Then he realizes that the days seem to be repeating themselves.

Episode 3

The scene opens where Episode 2 left off, and Seokjin realizes he's gone back in time. He gets in his truck and notes that it's April 11th again. There are some scenes showing Taehyung drawing graffiti, Hoseok working in a fast food restaurant, Yoongi playing the piano, Jimin sitting alone in a hospital room, and Jungkook sitting at his desk in school. Seokjin wonders if he can make everything right.

At the gas station, Seokjin greets Namjoon this time (cross-reference: scene from the end of the “Blood, Sweat, and Tears” Japanese music video.) Seokjin tells Namjoon he just got back to Korea, and then Namjoon has to go help another customer. Seokjin watches the rude customer yell at Namjoon and throw money at him. Seokjin steps in and picks up the money, handing it back to the jerk and telling him to leave. He prevents Namjoon from punching the guy and the guy finally leaves (cross-reference: HYYH Notes from ANSWER, Seokjin entry dated 11 April Year 22). Namjoon awkwardly thanks Seokjin and asks him why he's there. Seokjin thinks back to Jungkook jumping off the roof and knows he has to find him before the end of the day. Seokjin asks Namjoon if he keeps in touch with Jungkook, but Namjoon says no. Seokjin rushes, saying he doesn't have time and must find him now. Namjoon asks if he's in trouble, but Seokjin says there's no time to explain now. Namjoon tries again, but Seokjin tells him that one day they'll all be together again and that they should go to the beach when that happens. Seokjin hurries off and Namjoon stands there confused.

Seokjin goes to Jungkook's house to ask where he is. The voice over the doorbell says that he should still be at school and won't be home until after 10pm. He goes to the school and asks the teacher, but he isn't there. Seokjin doesn't know where to go, but he remembers the building, so he tries to go there.

Namjoon is walking around when he spots Jungkook by chance. He calls out to him, but he can't cross the street until the light changes. When he crosses, Jungkook is nowhere to be seen.

Seokjin is in the vicinity of the building he thinks Jungkook is at. He recognizes the convenience store and the police car. He sees a crane and thinks he has the right building, so he rushes up to the roof, but Jungkook isn't there. He wonders if he can really trust his memories.

Episode 4

Jungkook walks alone and brushes past some punks on the street. They call out to him, and he just keeps walking. They go after him and beat him up (cross-reference: seen in “I Need U” and HYYH Note from HER, Jungkook entry dated 11 April Year 22).

Seokjin recalls his memory and realizes it isn't the right building. On another building, Jungkook climbs up on the ledge (cross-reference: “Euphoria” music video, HYYH Notes from ANSWER and HER, Jungkook entries dated 11 April Year 22). Someone calls out to him before he can jump.

Namjoon is yelling at him from the street below, telling him not to move. Jungkook stumbles and starts to fall, but Seokjin catches him. Seokjin tells him he's been looking for him all day and asks him what he was doing out here alone. That triggers a memory for Jungkook where his mother fusses at him, asking him where he had been all day and telling him not to worry his father (cross-reference: seen in HYYH Note from HER, Jungkook entry dated 11 April Year 22, where we learn a bit of Jungkook’s family background).

Seokjin asks again why Jungkook was up there, and Jungkook tells him no reason. Namjoon comes running up to the roof to where they stand. At that moment, Jungkook’s cell phone rings and we can see that it's Yoongi. The scene cuts to Yoongi's phone, which shows several unanswered calls to Jungkook. He's flicking a lighter on and off as he sits in a motel room (cross-reference: “I Need U” music video). In his mind, he sees a burning piano and himself as a young boy.

Episode 5

We pick back up with Seokjin asking Jungkook why he was on the roof. Jungkook brushes it off. Namjoon asks what happened to his face, and he lies and says he bumped into a wall. Namjoon knows it's a lie, but Seokjin gives him a look that say not to push it. Seokjin asks Jungkook if his parents wouldn't be worried that he's out late, but he doesn't respond. His phone rings, and it's Yoongi.

In the next scene, Jungkook, Seokjin, and Namjoon rush into the emergency room, so it seems that someone call Jungkook's number from Yoongi's phone since it was the last number dialed. They watch as doctors work on Yoongi, who has burn marks and an oxygen mask. Yoongi starts to code and the doctors try to shock him back to life, but he flatlines. As they watch him die, everything shatters again and Seokjin wakes up in his room with tears in his eyes. He leaves his home again.

We're back at the scene where Jungkook is about to get beaten up by the punks on the street, but before he can, Seokjin grabs him by the hood and pulls him into an alley. Seokjin tells Jungkook and Namjoon to stay there, and they're both confused as to what's happening, and Jungkook is confused as to where Seokjin came from. Seokjin runs off and Jungkook asks Namjoon why he's there, and Namjoon says he was dragged there too. Namjoon asks if Jungkook keeps in contact with Yoongi. Suddenly, Namjoon gets a call from someone, saying something about police.

Seokjin ends up at a motel, asking if Yoongi is there. The woman working the front won't give out guest information, but when Seokjin tells her he might set fire to the building, she suddenly pays attention.

Namjoon and Jungkook go to the police station, where Namjoon grumbles that Seokjin left them and they don't know where he is. Namjoon turns to Taehyung, who they had gone to the police station to pick up, and asks him if he has kept in touch with Yoongi since Seokjin was looking for him. Taehyung says he's seen Yoongi in his dreams. A group of policemen rush by, saying a suspected arsonist is at large.

Episode 6

Seokjin and the woman from the motel are watching security footage, trying to find Yoongi. Seokjin thinks they found him on the tape, but the guy turns around and it's not him. He looks out the window across the street and sees fire coming from a different motel. Everything shatters again.

Seokjin re-lives April 11th again, this time stopping the first time he sees Jungkook at the crosswalk at the school. He immediately asks if he keeps in contact with Yoongi. Jungkook is surprised but Seokjin is in a hurry so he presses him. Jungkook recalls the last time he heard from Yoongi, where Yoongi seems to be lying down depressed. In that memory, he tells Jungkook to get lost. Jungkook doesn't tell Seokjin any of this. Jungkook admits that he's seen Yoongi.

Seokjin puts Jungkook in the car with himself and Namjoon, and Taehyung is also there. They drive to the part of town where Jungkook saw him last, and Taehyung interjects that this isn't where he saw Yoongi. Namjoon points out that Taehyung only saw him in a dream. As Seokjin wonders why Yoongi's location keeps changing each time when Namjoon and Jungkook's location doesn't, a truck skids on the road in front of them and Seokjin can't stop in time. He hits it head on, and it appears that the others are either severely injured or dead. Seokjin seems to be barely conscious as he thinks that it's his fault. He says that the future keeps changing because he keeps making changes in the past. Everything shatters again.

Seokjin is in his room again, this time drawing a map and trying to strategize how to save everyone. He plans it out exactly, thinking that if he does it just right, he can save everyone.

In the next scene, Seokjin has saved Jungkook and had him call Yoongi. Yoongi is at a restaurant drinking. He answers, and Seokjin asks him where he is. Yoongi hangs up and ignores other calls. Yoongi seems to recall his father yelling at him about music and the piano, saying that he's like his mom and that if he wants to kill himself the same way she did, then go ahead. Yoongi ends up back at the motel with his lighter. He lights a piece of composition paper on fire and drops it onto some spilled alcohol, causing a fire to start.

Episode 7

There's a flashback to Yoongi playing the piano in high school in the storage classroom. Jungkook comes in and puts a couple of desks together so he can lie down and listen (cross-reference: HYYH Note from HER, Jungkook entry dated 25 June Year 20). A teacher comes in and finds them, and he slaps Jungkook, knocking him down. Yoongi steps in between the teacher and Jungkook. After this, there's a notice of expulsion for Yoongi posted. It's marked June 25th.

Seokjin sees smoke coming out of a motel that he's driving by, so he stops there and runs to Yoongi's room. He pounds on the door and when no one answers, he gets the fire axe and busts the door open. He carries Yoongi out who seems to faintly recognize that it's Seokjin.

At the hospital, Seokjin waits for Yoongi to wake up, hoping that everything is fixed now. When he wakes up, Yoongi blames Seokjin for not letting him die. He asks him why he saved him. Seokjin realizes that he thought he had saved him, but it wasn't enough.

A month later on May 11th, Taehyung is drawing graffiti when the police spot him and he begins to run. He ends up at Namjoon's container house and goes inside. Namjoon asks him what he did this time, and they hear the police looking for him outside. Taehyung asks if he can stay the night.

Episode 8

Taehyung has a dream that he's submerged in water, much like Seokjin had in the beginning. He sees Jimin and tries to reach for him, but Jimin is being pulled down by an unknown hand. Taehyung wakes up in Namjoon's container and asks him where he thinks Jimin is.

In the next scene, Jimin is sitting alone in the hospital. A little kid asks him why he's there and then suddenly collapses. Jimin calls for help, but Hoseok, who was in the next bed, says that it's okay. He says the boy fell asleep like he does because he’s narcoleptic. Hoseok is in the hospital because he fell outside by himself and smacked his head, from the supposed narcolepsy he’s had since he was young (cross-reference: HYYH Note from Persona, Hoseok entry dated 10 May Year 22).

Hoseok recalls that they saw each other last two years ago, when Jimin had a seizure at the bus stop. Jimin says he doesn't know how long he's been here because his clock stopped ticking (cross-references with “Run” music video and HYYH Notes from ANSWER and the HYYH Book, Hoseok entry dated 12 May Year 22 and Jimin entry dated 11 May Year 22).

In the next scene, Jimin overflows a sink with water and puts his head in. It's not clear what he's doing. He seems to recall the Flower Arboretum sign, blood spatter on the floor, and himself as a child running away. He gets scared and struggles, and we see the scene of him submerged in water being pulled down by an unknown person. Jimin snaps out of it and takes his head out of the sink.

Taehyung and Namjoon walk down the train tracks and Taehyung tells him that he's been having a weird dream. He says he sees Yoongi trapped inside a fire and Jimin drowning in water. Namjoon tells him it's nonsense and asks if he wants to go see Hoseok. He perks up at that and runs ahead. As he does do, Namjoon sees bruises on the back of Taehyung's neck.

Namjoon and Taehyung go to Two Star Burger where Hoseok works, but they tell them he's in the hospital. They go to the hospital to look for him.

While walking down the hall, Hoseok overhears some of the medical staff talking about Jimin, overhearing that Jimin's parents forced him to be hospitalized.

The medical staff walk down the stairs, and further down, we see Seokjin waiting.

Episode 9

Seokjin thinks back to when Yoongi asked him why didn’t he just let him die. He apologized to him and asked him if he could turn back time, would he go back to when they met and change anything. Yoongi just tells him to leave. Seokjin leaves while contemplating if he can really save Yoongi, since he saved him against his will. He thinks that there may be no point, but even so, he can’t give up.

Seokjin goes to find Yoongi in the hospital, but they tell him Yoongi was discharged last month.

In the next scene, Yoongi is with Namjoon, Taehyung, and Jungkook at the hospital. Hoseok is in Jimin’s room and receives a phone call. He asks Jimin if he wants to see the others, but Jimin refuses. Hoseok goes to see the others alone, and Taehyung asks if he keeps in touch with Jimin because he’s been thinking about him. Hoseok doesn’t answer.

Namjoon runs into Seokjin in the hallway and asks if he’s there to see Hoseok—Seokjin hadn’t known Hoseok was there.

The next day, Hoseok thinks he sees a woman who looks like his mom. He starts to slip down the stairs. The scene cuts to Seokjin running into Jimin at the hospital. Medical staff rush through the area with an injured patient, and Seokjin sees Hoseok lying on the gurney with a very injured ankle. Everything begins to shatter again.

Episode 10

Seokjin wakes up again on April 11th. He is still determined to fix everything. He tapes the photo they took at the beach on June 12 to his rearview mirror and puts sticky notes of the guys and their locations on the dash of his truck. He checks off Namjoon and Jungkook, leading us to believe he saved them again.

On May 10th, he goes to the bridge Hoseok is going to fall on. He catches him, puts him in the truck, and drives off. Hoseok wakes up, surprised to see him. He takes his medication and there’s not much else he can do. Seokjin asks if he knows what’s causing the narcolepsy, and Hoseok doesn’t answer. Hoseok has to go to work, but before he gets out of the truck, he notices the sticky notes on Seokjin’s dash. He asks what it is, but Seokjin won’t tell him. At work, Hoseok wonders what’s going on.

Later, Hoseok meets up with Namjoon and tells him how Seokjin showed up at the right time. It happened to Namjoon too, and he feels like something is off. Hoseok gets on a scooter and Namjoon warns him that they’re dangerous (cross-reference: HYYH Note from Book 1, Namjoon entry dated 17 December Year 21, where Namjoon previously slid on a scooter and another young boy in the village died from a scooter accident).

As if it were foreshadowing, Hoseok nearly gets into a wreck on the scooter when he cuts across traffic to try and catch up to Seokjin’s truck. He had sent him a text, but Seokjin hadn’t responded yet. This leads into the beginning of Episode 11.

Episode 11

Hoseok barely avoids being hit by a car. As Seokjin drives down the road, he sees Yoongi walking. Yoongi goes to a motel with his lighter, and we see him light some music on fire.

Hoseok eats at a convenience store, wondering why Seokjin hasn’t answered him. He sees Seokjin drive by, so he rushes out of the store to follow him. He sees Seokjin carrying Yoongi out of a burning motel. They rush Yoongi to the hospital and as the doctors tend to him, Hoseok recalls the sticky notes. Hoseok asks Seokjin if he knew it was going to happen. He continues to question him, but Seokjin tells him he can’t explain right now. Hoseok goes to the lobby to wait.

Hoseok thinks he sees Jimin in the hospital, but it turns out not to be him. He nearly slips on the stairs, and Jimin shows up behind him to stop him from falling. They sit down to talk and Hoseok realizes that Jimin has been there ever since he had a seizure at the bus stop. Hoseok recalls being abandoned by his mom as a child and says he knows what it feels like to feel stuck in time. Hoseok asks Jimin if he wants to get out of the hospital, and Jimin struggles to answer.

Episode 12

Namjoon gets a call at night from Hoseok, who yells into the phone that something is definitely going on. Taehyung is there with Namjoon.

Seokjin sits at Yoongi’s bedside and says he doesn’t remember how many times he’s been through this. But, he still says he won’t stop trying. Seokjin runs up the stairs to find Jimin but is met with Namjoon, Hoseok, and Taehyung all coming down the stairs with Jimin. They’re there to break Jimin out, but Seokjin worries that this time loop will fail and he doesn’t know what would happen if they break Jimin out. He’s worried about a bigger accident. Seokjin blocks their path. Taehyung argues with him, and Seokjin thinks about how he hasn’t seen Jimin’s final moments and doesn’t even know why he’s in the hospital. Hoseok tells Seokjin how Jimin is there because his parents locked him up for two years. Seokjin relents and tells Jimin it’s his decision.

Jimin flashes back to his mother leaving him in the hospital because she can’t handle him. Jimin seems to envision a black substance around his feet, which he attempts to scratch off in a tub full of water, appearing to even damage his skin with the force of his scratches. Next, Jimin is submerged in water again, and he recalls the Flower Arboretum and the blood spatter. He sees the black substance dripping off his body and then flashes back to the present, where he sees it around his feet again. He tells them he wants to get out.

They make a run for it, but they run into Jimin’s mother. She makes him go back to his room and asks if those were the kids from high school. They fight about Jimin’s hospital stay and Jimin yells that locking him up isn’t right and that she’s just embarrassed of him. His mother slaps him and blames him for his seizures. She complains that he puts her and his father through hell. Jimin cries, alone in his room, noting that in the two years he’s been there, today was the first day he had visitors.

On May 12th, Seokjin sits at the hospital when he hears medical staff yelling for Jimin. He’s locked himself in the bathroom, and they pry open the door. Seokjin bursts in to find Jimin in a tub full of water, likely attempting to drown. He goes to pull him out.

Episode 13

Seokjin shakes Jimin who is still alive and wonders how much pain he has to go through and if he can save them. Jimin asks Seokjin to get him out, and Seokjin runs with him and puts him in the truck. While they drive, Jimin sees the Flower Arboretum sign and freaks out, jumping out of the car and running into a construction zone. Seokjin wakes up again on April 11th. The white cat is in Seokjin’s room.

Seokjin doubts that he’s able to save everyone, even though he thought he could. He sits in his room all day, upset at his inability to save the others. Since he does nothing, April 11th starts over again.

This time, Taehyung shows up at Seokjin’s door. Seokjin is confused, and Taehyung says he saw Seokjin in his dream but he’s surprised to actually find him at home. That gives Seokjin the strength to carry on. Seokjin acknowledges that if he does nothing, the cycle won’t end.

After a cut, Seokjin shows up at Namjoon’s container with Jimin, and the other guys are all there too. Namjoon offers to let Jimin stay there until he’s ready to go back home. It seems that Seokjin succeeded, and he says they should go to the beach.

Episode 14

All of the guys play around with sparklers, happy while spending time together. On May 20th, Taehyung comes out of the police department and walks home, not wanting to go in. Taehyung walks in to his dad in a rage, yelling at him and slapping his sister. He flashes back to the past where he was a child and his sister (or possibly mother) tells him to hide in his room when his father is beating her. Not able to watch or take the abuse any longer, Taehyung takes an alcohol bottle and runs at his father. In the next scene, Taehyung cries as he looks at the blood on his hands and clothes (cross-reference: “Prologue” video).

Elsewhere, Namjoon and Seokjin talk about Jimin looking happier now. Seokjin asks about Taehyung, and Namjoon says he missed his call and tried to call back, Taehyung didn’t answer. Namjoon recalls the bruises on Taehyung and how he tends to hide his personal life. The episode ends with Hoseok pulling up to where Namjoon and Seokjin are, saying that something happened with Taehyung.

Episode 15

The final episode opens with Seokjin rushing to the police station where there’s a crowd of media around Taehyung, just like in the beginning. They’re asking him why he murdered his father and why he didn’t speak up about the abuse sooner. Seokjin pushes through the crowd and calls out to Taehyung, and everything shatters again.

Seokjin wakes up in his room again, realizing that he got careless and wasn’t able to save Taehyung. He’s determined not to fail this time.

Fast forward to May 20th, and Taehyung is coming out of the police station. He meets Seokjin outside. In the truck, Seokjin asks what’s happening at home and Taehyung won’t answer. Seokjin doesn’t force him to talk and instead tells him to talk when he’s ready. Taehyung says there’s something he wants to talk about and tells Seokjin he’s been having a strange dream where Yoongi is trapped in a fire, Jungkook falls from a building, Hoseok has an accident, and Namjoon is in prison. He says he has the dream every night and Seokjin wonders how he knows these things. Taehyung says he’s in the dream, but he can’t remember what happens to himself. Seokjin’s alarmed.

Seokjin drops Taehyung off at his house, and they can hear his dad yelling from outside. Taehyung runs off and Seokjin follows. Taehyung hits his father with the alcohol bottle and is about to stab him with the broken bottle when Seokjin bursts in. He grabs Taehyung and tries to stop him, but Taehyung pushes him off. Seokjin tries again, and Taehyung accidentally stabs Seokjin with the bottle instead. Taehyung begins to cry, and as he’s dying Seokjin wonders if he’s succeeded this time or if he’ll really die. Everything shatters again.

Seokjin wakes up, and it’s April 11th. He recalls the words spoken to him: “You won’t make it out here alone… in this entangled destiny.” He realizes he can’t do it on his own, no matter how many times he tries. The webtoon ends with him looking at the photo they took on June 12th at the beach and the words “Once again, just like before, together with you all.”

Discussion

Even though Save Me was released after some of the HYYH Notes, since it has that zero in the logo, it best fits as the first string of events that take place in Year 22. Basically every note we have prior to April 11th in Year 22 is static—that story doesn’t change. In the webtoon and the notes, we get multiple repeat days as Seokjin tries to save them all.

Time loops in narratives often operate on the idea that the character or characters involved will gain some sort of knowledge that will eventually allow them to get out of the loop. We definitely see that with Seokjin here, and Taehyung does have dreams that are actually true memories from previous iterations of the timeline. He has even more of those dreams in the HYYH Notes, and some of the notes lead me to believe that Taehyung eventually starts to figure it out. It’s possible that this story won’t be fully resolved until they all work together to fix it.

The Butterfly Effect also seems to be at play here because sometimes when Seokjin alters the past, it changes the future events, sometimes leading to character deaths. For example, when he gets several of them in the car to save them, but he ends up wrecking and killing them anyway. He quickly learns he can’t know what will happen from his change in actions—he could end up saving everyone or end up starting over on April 11th again.

We also know that Seokjin can’t die. He dies at the end when Taehyung stabs him, but that just takes him back to April 11th, so he has to survive too. Back before we had so much information on this story, some theorized that Seokjin might need to die in order to save the others, but we know that won’t work either. His death won’t bring about a resolution.

We still don’t know much about the white cat or how the time loop really works. Time travel is logically impossible, but it’s often used in science fiction or fantasy to create interesting “what if” situations—since it’s widely used in various ways, it’s possible that the BigHit creative team has made up their own rules surrounding this time loop and the white cat for example. We can’t really know until we get the full story. Some previously thought the white cat was a kitsune/gumiho, but it’s been confirmed to be a cat, based on the release of the HYYH Art Toys on Bighit’s merch app Weply.

I do not think we're dealing with parallel universes or anything related to the many worlds theory. I've not seen anything to indicate that this is anything other than a time loop used as a narrative device.

I think it’s also interesting that we see a little bit of something called the Novikov self-consistency principle. This principle basically states that the past cannot be altered, so even if someone goes back in time, they can’t change the outcome of events. Sometimes this principal is applied in fiction—stories that use this principle often have characters who try to go back in time to change something but either fail or end up causing the event to happen that they’re trying to prevent. An example of this is the fatal car crash that occurs when Seokjin tries to gather up some of his friends—he tries to prevent their deaths only to cause them. Even though we may see this principle sometimes, I don’t think it’s end-game. I do believe we’ll eventually get a resolution that doesn’t involve the characters ending up dead or miserable.

September 3, 2019

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daybreak-delusion · 4 years ago

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Chapter 9

Introduction: Whitney Goodwinson was planning on inheriting one of her deceased grandmother's properties, but not a little house off the coast of North Carolina. As she struggles to meet new people, fix up her new property, deal with troublemaker JJ Maybank, and perfect her grandmother's infamous lemonade, she might just find that the Outer Banks has more to offer than it seems.

Series Masterlist

Previous chapter

I want to say that on Sunday I was totally independent and was totally not missing the presence of a certain golden boy at all, but I’d be lying to myself. It wasn't a complete waste of the day though. I did manage to drive the Bee (my new nickname for the Volkswagen) to the hardware store that I saw yesterday and picked up some essentials for fixing up the house. Blue tape, a bunch of paintbrushes and rollers, a couple of gallons of primer and white paint, drop cloths, this anti-rust spray for the garage, about a million trash bags, and some other items that I had to pre-order. The store had limited options for paint so I had to order some from a manual and it would be coming later this week. I figured I would stick to the yellow/lemon theme that she had going on and picked a shade of light yellow. Since the paint should be arriving in a week I had time to get everything situated. Somehow I managed to shove everything into the Bee and make it home. I mean back to the Lemon House. Back at the house, I placed all of my new equipment on the back porch and then headed to the garage. My task for today was going to be cleaning out the garage. I parked the Bee closer to the house so I could have more space and started to realize the trouble I was in. There was just so much junk and the last thing I wanted to do was find the pests that had made a mess of the place. I decided to change into a more suitable outfit for the deep cleaning I was about to do. After switching my sandals for some sneakers and putting on some leggings I made my way back to the garage with a trash can, recycling bin, and a box of trash bags. It was gonna be a long day.

The boxes were filled with all kinds of things. There were old suitcases filled with clothes, rusty pans with ancient stains on them, old fashioned jewelry, and a bunch of old photographs that were in good shape. I was really conflicted about what to get rid of and what to keep. I decided to ditch the pans and pots seeing that they were out of shape. I kept the clothes in case there was a thrift store I could donate them too. Most of the stuff could also be given to thrift stores or antique shops, but there was one box underneath this ancient-looking blanket that seemed different from the others. First of all, it was an actual wooden box, not like the cardboard boxes that had held all of the other items. Unfortunately, there was a lock on the box and it wouldn't open. I didn’t want to break it in case I broke something in the box. Then I remembered the bulletin board where I found the car keys. Walking over to it there were a bunch of different labels for different keys, but one of them didn’t have a label. I figured it was my best bet. Thankfully it was a pretty good bet. When I opened it, a disgusting spider the size of one of Grandmother's lemons crawled out and I bolted out of the garage screaming, knocking over a few boxes in the process. It took me a couple of minutes to calm down and I reluctantly walked back into the garage with a baseball bat I found in my hands. I was shaking as I started to open the box again until I was sure the spider had disappeared. In the box were a bunch of misshapen things covered in old linen cloth and unfortunately spiderwebs. Not wanting to be in the pest infested room anymore I decided to take a break and bring the chest on to the porch. It was a lot lighter than I expected and stained my gray shirt with dust. I placed it on the porch and went inside to grab a damp cloth to clean off the dust. Sitting on the porch I cleaned the box and opened it again. The first misshapen item was a gold locket in good condition, I was excited to see what was in the compartment only to find it empty. The next item was a silver ring with a crop of wheat engraved on it. It was a bit bulky for my taste and definitely had belonged to a man at one point. I slipped it onto my thumb and thought it looked nice with the rest of the rings that I had on. Then at the bottom of the box was an old cracked leather journal with yellow pages. On the bottom right-hand corner the name Elenora Stanton was engraved in gold letters. I instantly knew this stuff belonged in a museum or something the date on the first page was from April 1843.

“Holy shit,” I whispered to myself stroking my hand across the faded ink. The writing was in a small cursive that I could barely make out. It would be easier to read with a magnifying glass. I carefully wrapped the leather-bound book in the white cloth and placed it back into the box. Walking inside I cleared a space for it on the table and set the box down. Thankfully from my knife search when I was making lemonade I got an idea of where everything was in the kitchen and I remembered seeing a magnifying glass in a drawer with a bunch of other random items. I brought it over to the table and opened the old book again. Thank god Mother made me practice writing in cursive or this would have been a nightmare.

23 April 1843

Dear friend as of today, I am eighteen years of age and now get to embark on the responsibilities of an adult. I had received many good wishes of health and good tidings for my birthday and my dearest younger sister Juliana gifted me my most favored gift, this diary. I was also gifted a new church dress from Mother and Father and Aunt Alice promised to take me into town to buy a new corset. She said that all adult women should own a suitable corset and if I am to live with her and Uncle Harry this summer it would be an absolute necessity for me to own one. Mother wishes I would stay home and help care for my younger siblings, but I find it absurd that she puts the task of looking after them on me. If Mother feels too overwhelmed with her offspring then she should simply just hire a nanny. I pray that whoever she hires will be able to keep her sanity after a week of working with my siblings or perhaps Juliana will have to bear my burdens. No matter I mustn’t worry about my family anymore. I am an adult as of today and now am able to focus on the wishes of my own heart. In all truthfulness, my wishes are few in number, but this summer I hope to make more. Aunt Alice says that Outer Banks is a marvelous island and I count the days until we depart. Nonetheless, I still have time to prepare for my departure, till next time dear friend!

30 April 1843

Dear friend this week has been excruciating. Father is beginning to go back on his promise to let me live with Aunt Alice this upcoming summer. He is skeptical of the owner of the island being a colored man and all, but Aunt Alice says that to be truly Christian we must see and treat all people as the children of God and that my father is little-minded. I would never speak to Father with such forwardness so to help my case I have been taking on extra tasks and duties around our home. Juliana has been accompanying me in my tasks as she will be taking over my responsibilities as I predicted. She is quite a quick learner and I’m sure she will be able to manage all of my duties when I leave for the summer. Today we-

The rest of this entry was just explaining all of the chores that Elenora and Juliana had to do on a daily basis. I was incredibly fascinated with the diary and was confused as to why it was in Grandmother's garage? I am interrupted from my thoughts by a buzz coming from my phone on the table. I placed a stray piece of paper where I left off and reached for my phone. Checking my phone I noticed a text from an unknown number.

U/N: Hey Whitney it’s Sarah! My friends and I are going to the beach tomorrow afternoon! I remember you said your board was coming in tomorrow, but if you don’t have it yet John B has an extra one you could borrow! BTW this is nonnegotiable you are coming! We’ll be by at 1. See ya then!

Oh thank god, I was so scared it was going to be Rose Cameron inviting me over for brunch or something.

Also, my mom wants to know if you can do brunch sometime.

Great. Oh well, I guess there could be worse things than free food.

Me: Tell your mother that brunch this Saturday will be fine and I would love to go to the beach with you guys! About the board, I’ll be sure to let you know if I need it or not.

Sarah: Sounds like a plan and be by your dock at 1

Me: Got it see you then!

I was excited to finally have plans that didn't involve me having to wear a dress. I just hope that my board would get in before the afternoon, I’d hate to have to be a bother. I eyed the journal and decided to continue reading. What else did I have to do?

The next few entries were about Elenora’s daily life. Taking care of her siblings, washing the laundry, having tea with her mother’s sewing group, and walking through town with her friends. It was starting to become boring until an entry from June 3rd.

3 June 1843

Dear friend today is the day! I am finally leaving this simple town and am leaving with Aunt Alice and Uncle Harry to The Outer Banks of North Carolina. My soul has reached happiness beyond my comprehension. All of those days of labor around the house finally served a purpose in my measly life. Now I will be embarking to a new place where hopefully anything can happen. Nonetheless, I will not be staying there without a purpose, I am to work in Uncle Harry’s tailor shop mending minor rips and sewing on buttons and such. Mother and father are still reluctant for me to leave our household, but Aunt Alice is most persuasive especially when her favorite niece is involved. We will leave today at noon and then will stay in a tavern closer to the ferry we will take tomorrow. I am just jittery with excitement, this will be a new area for me to explore and I cannot wait to see where it takes me!�� Till next time dear friend!

It was so strange that this lady, Elenora, was so excited to come to Outer Banks, and just two days ago this was the last place I wanted to be. Maybe I was being a bit ungrateful, maybe this place had more to offer than it seemed. I was absolutely fascinated with the diary, but for real why did Grandmother have it? Maybe she bought it in an auction or it was a gift or something. Looking at my phone for the time I realize it’s a quarter past 1 and I still need to clean out the rest of the garage. Sighing, I closed the diary with a makeshift bookmark and left the house. Bagging up the clothes took the longest, but with the music playing, I didn’t really mind it that much. I had also gotten used to the heat, kind of, so it wasn't completely unbearable. After cleaning everything out and dusting some of the hard to reach corners I decided to power wash the garage. It was disgusting, but it had to be done. The garage was still wet so I decided to bring the remaining boxes to the porch. I was definitely done cleaning for the night and needed some relaxation time. So I cooked up some pasta and steamed vegetables and sat down for dinner. As I was eating my lonely feelings were coming back to me. I was craving company and turned to the diary for something to do.

10 June 1843

Dear friend, I have been staying with Aunt Alice and Uncle Harry for a week now and it has been a thrilling experience. On the ferry ride to the island Uncle Harry let us sit on the top deck and it was exhilarating leaning over the edge to see the water. The shop that Uncle Harry owns is the only tailor shop on the island so they are always busy. We stay in the apartment space above the shop and one of the windows in the parlor gives the most breathtaking view of the ocean. It is so vast and wide that I feel as if I am a small button on a white collared shirt. The apartment is quaint, but I have my very own quarters! There is so much space that I felt quite foolish when I only had my small bag to fill up the drawers. However, Aunt Alice says that if customers are satisfied with their work they sometimes pay extra and that I can keep the excess money for myself! Me owning my own money! It will truly be thrilling I know it. I pray that my skills will be adequate for the shop and that I will exceed my skills. There is still more work to be done, so until next time dear friend!

19 June 1843

Dear friend, I thought that my experiences here on this island could not have been better, but I was proven wrong! This week has been most eventful. It all began on Monday the 13th in the tailor shop. Denmark Tanny, the owner of practically the whole island, came into the shop. He was accompanied by his eldest son Robert Tanny and as they were discussing business with Uncle they mentioned the expertise work on the stitching of a new suit and it was my own work! Thankfully Uncle gave me the credit and I had the pleasure to make their acquaintances. They were truly delightful people and invited us to tea that coming Wednesday at their residence at Tannyhill. Their home was the most gorgeous sight I have ever seen in my existence. It was a mansion. I felt so quaint in my three-year-old Easter dress compared to the lavish home. The Tanny family was most welcoming and tea went by too fast. The conversation was most interesting, although I did not speak much. They talked of the economy and politics and I was too mature on the subject. However what was most interesting was during the conversation I prayed my mind was not presuming it, but Robert kept looking in my direction. Looking back on the occasion I should not be assuming such things, but one cannot help themselves when the presence of an attractive male is in the room. When he smiles I feel nothing, but sunshine and complete bliss. The feeling magnifies when he smiles in my direction. I was anticipating our next meeting, however, Mr. Tanny did not come into Uncle’s shop for the rest of the week. Not all hope was lost however because today after our church services Robert Tanny asked to accompany me on my walk home. I almost fainted with excitement, however, I kept up my studious facade and accepted. On the pathway home, we talked of nature and the ocean. To my disappointment we arrived at the shop rather quickly however, Robert promised to take me to the beach to search for shells so that I may decorate my quarters. I am counting the second until this Thursday comes along. Until next time dear friend!

I wanted to keep reading, but I noticed it was past midnight and I still had a lot to do tomorrow. JJ would be by and I had a list of things for him to get done. I also needed to get enough rest if I was going to go surfing and I didn’t want to be the one lagging behind. Elenora’s diary was just gonna have to wait. As I fell asleep I tried to imagine myself in Elenoras place, wonderstruck about Outer Banks, and starting a relationship with a true gentleman. Oh, how things have changed. Still, the name Tanny sounded really familiar to me, especially their house, Tannyhill. This all did take place on Outer Banks, so maybe some of the places Elenora was talking about still exist. I would have to save it for another day because for now, I needed as much beauty sleep as I could get.

a/n: Hey guys sorry I haven’t updated in a while I am on vacation and have been going through a bit of writers block. But I am revived and am so excited to finish this story. Also like PLOT TWIST can’t wait for you guys to read what’s next! I’m still on vacation so I’ll try to update when I can.

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shinjukuspiritcommittee · 5 years ago

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Spirit Committee Mod’s Christmas Gift to you

So back earlier this year when I first started this blog, one of the first ever requests I received was a question asking me “What were my 20 favorite Housamo characters?” At first I really didn’t have an answer since I was trying to reintroduce myself to the cast, but now that I’ve ingrained myself into the community a decent bit I can give you guys what I look for in a Housamo character as my thanks to all of you for just enjoying my content really. I look for what appeals to me visually (I’m the kinda writer that likes em big and beefy) but also well written. While not every character may or may not be the best written character since there’s so much reading I have to go back and do, but I am comfortable 20 characters I find to be downright great.

My Top 10~20 Housamo Characters

Honorable Mentions: Characters who do definitely qualify in the Top 20, but are just simply hard to place exactly in a definitive slot (lists like these are pretty hard to write for in hindsight…)

~Aegir: This is a character that’s very hard to place for a few different reasons. On one hand he’s easily one of the more aesthetically pleasing characters to me and I don’t just mean his body. There’s just always something about outfits in Housamo that just look amazing and I think Aegir’s is one of the better ones because they both show off his best assets and are pretty snazzy. His color scheme in most of his outfits tend to say hes an ocean man and I like you can just tell by looking at him given the whites and blues along with the gold he adorns himself with. Sort of what you’d expect from a treasure hunter such as himself. And yes he is a total heart throb alongside that I do have a bit of Gacha bias here and for the next one since I have all variants of them and some really good artwork. On the other hand, what do I know about him? Well, he’s a pretty boisterous fellow who loves to show off and is a big man. What else? Um…. Unfortunately Aegir’s events aren’t fully translated and his voice lines and bio do leave a bit to be desired for me at least. When it comes to writing him I have no issues, but when it comes to trying to visualize him as a character among the vast cast it just becomes hard to give him a good place beyond “He has a nice chest and bulge” most of the time. It’s not anything personal and my opinion of him may change after this Christmas event is over and translated by the Housamo Blogspot and GomTang is one of my favorite artists working with LifeWonders so he may get bumped up or off. As an additional upside I do like how his gameplay in both of his variants reflect his character, it’s a nice touch game designers often do.

~Takemaru: Yes, both 2019 Christmas boys. And yes, it’s because of their tiddies. I’m mostly kidding… But in all seriousness Takemaru is one of the better offensive supports in the game who’s one of the easier units to pull in the gacha, especially right now considering he has an alt on the banner so in theory he should be showing up more frequently as a 3star. But that’s just a theory. The thing with Takemaru I like beyond his design is the fact with how genuine sweet he is as a character. He’s rough in how he speaks but his personality is very sincere (for the most part from what I can gather) However he falls into the same trap as Aegir since I haven’t read the events he’s a part of just yet. Plus he is a crafter boy and you never say no to a Crafter.

~Kengo: One of two Summoners on this list. I have a bit more preference for Kengo over the other summoner that did make the list, but to be as fair as I can in my judgment I have to leave Kengo in the 11-20 pile. Visually he has all the check boxes that just draw me to a character initially and his personality is simple, but I like that he’s simple. Characters don’t always need to be complex and multi faceted to be engaging, plus I just kinda want someone who would encourage me to be more active and I feel a few characters alongside Kengo would do that, he’s a Chad and a bro. So why is he not in the inner circle for this list? It’s cuz the story treats him the worst. What do I mean? deep breath If you’ve read Chapter 3 of the main story then you should know the absolute mess it is. It tries to shove in as many characters as possible during this part of the story which, okay understandable since this is a gacha game but they forgot to give Kengo, you know one of the cover boys, a proper role in the story and it really feels LifeWonders thought that they could bank on Kengo’s Himbo status and just showing us the others. But I need sustenance. I need to read! He did because he has moments that could have been much more if they just shifted the focus back on Kengo for more than a few moments at a time and he sort of highlights a lot of my issues with the way the stories are told in this game but those are for another time.

~Arc: In my perspective, the antithesis to Kengo. Not to say I find Arc visually unappealing, but they aren’t for me the way other characters are though. As a character though Arc’s story is honestly one of the best stories has to offer and they actually have (pardon my pun) an arc. I won’t spoil too much of their story because it’s all pretty late into the game but you really do sympathize with Arc and begin to understand the larger narrative the game has. Plus a nice detail is that Arc’s voice lines change depending on the point of the story you’re in I guess? Or maybe it was a release thing I’m not too sure how you trigger one over the other but they get 2 sets of lines. And they actually integrate Arc into the story and revolving cast pretty well instead of casting them to the wayside for 80% of their story. I can’t go much deeper than that unfortunately. All I can say is read Chapter 7 and 8 but do know that they are some of the more darker and serious chapters in the game so far.

~Durga: The only Yoyogi girl who strives to be number one. Unfortunately she joined the wrong list and wound up in the runner up tier. But for starters Durga has one of my favorite voice actresses who plays a number of my favorite characters in anime and games so I’m glad LifeWonders are capable of getting such talented voice work. As a character I know what this character is mostly about and the event I haven’t really read yet is her initial one so when that gets an official TL I’ll read it to grow more understanding. But from what I have now I can safely put her as one of my favorites because her drive to be number one is inspiring to try your best and everyone should follow her example to some degree. I say that because she really does feel naturally flawed given her alleged age. I won’t spoil much of Dreamland but I will say how Durga’s struggle is further amplified is totally understandable given her position in the group of athletes and her desire to always win and why she always pushes herself to be her best at any cost and it’s definitely something I can see someone doing (without as catastrophic a breakdown when it backfires and just learning what works best for her). As for why she’s not in the other category given my praise of her character is because I don’t have the full story much like with a few prior entries on the list. But when that event does get a TL at some point I do want to read it and finally have the full picture for her so I can rank her properly.

~Kyuma: I shall dub him my Kouhai because he is a first year. A lot of people don’t like Kowmei’s art, myself included, but overall his characters don’t really put me off that much since there’s only one in particular. Kyuma’s good though. He is a good, hardworking kouhai I’d enjoy being around given he seems the most levelheaded of his friends despite his age. Or maybe its because of his age? There’s no grand singular reason he’s on this part of the list. He just needs to be in more events and get an actual alt. That’s all.

~Zao: I wish he was introduced in a better event because he is one of the better characters released in year one. But good lord does his event drag you through the dirt with terrible battles and awful pacing. It’s unfortunate his whole story is dragged down because the game was still in an early spot when this event originally came out. Outdated gameplay aside I think Zao does best in setting the precedent for shop units when it comes to writing and design. I like his arc going from a stubborn mountain man to a more open and accepting person. However he has a similar issue with Kengo where he has to share his spotlight with characters of varying degrees but unlike Kengo the other characters who appear in this event are meant to compliment Zao rather than detract from him.

~Amatsumara: He’s the dad of the Crafters and is who makes the Crafters really feel like a family. Every member feels like they have a role in the Guild and you can really see how much Amatsumara values them. He just seems like the doting father type who gives you noogies and I can respect that. Seeing him interact with characters in Chapter 9 was also one of the more enjoyable aspects of that chapter. I won’t spoil it but it was pretty good.

For the final 2 they’re just characters who’s designs I like a lot and just need to do more research since this game has a lot of characters to try and find information on

~Dagon

~Tomte

And yes, its cuz they’re cute and new. I am shallow… ;u;

Now for the Top 10 favorites, but even then placement can change depending on what LifeWonders plans to do with them down the line.

10. Gunzo: Kicking off this list is the rugby player himself. To start he’s a very dorky athlete. He isn’t the greatest at handling social situations and kind of a goofball when it comes down to it. But those are not bad things, in fact they’re what landed him on the list. His quirkiness is just plain adorable and I do enjoy the antics he and his classmates get into. Not only that but he’s a pretty laid back guy once you get to know him a bit better. It’s his lack of awareness that is his best strength, but worst weakness at times.

9. Kurogane: deep breath ANIKI~!!! Jokes aside Kurogane is the character that when I first saw, I was very disappointed he wasn’t playable. (Then GoGo happened and made me one happy person) and he’s voiced by the same guy who did Broly back in the day so that’s pretty awesome. Kurogane actually likes it a lot when you call him “Big Bro” and I would totally call him that once I found out he did because he’s so wholesome and goodwilled. Plus he does deserve some recognition as someone older since he is the youngest in his Guild. Not only that I can sort of relate to Kurogane’s desire at being an engineer since when I was still attending classes in college that was what I was studying as my major. I can’t quite match the same level of enthusiasm as Kurogane, I do see where his character does come from when tackling certain things, which is how he easily became one of my favorites.

8. Claude: You want a sugar daddy? Claude is probably your guy. So the leader of the Berserkers Guild is a great guy, most of the time. He has his moments where he can get carried away with his own desires rather than doing the correct thing, but honestly there’s something satisfying about a man just taking what he wants. That and well, getting a bit of a wake up call that you can’t just do all of that because you’re bored. His character quest is what really sold me on Claude as a character and something about it felt very real. A lot of it was very vague terminology and confirms Claude’s status as a bottom. Claude is also very intelligent and he’s always trying to make the best move that will benefit the most amount of people, whether or not its for his own interests usually. Also this wouldn’t be your mod if I didn’t mention how good he looks, especially his outfits. Bombom just really knows how to design clothes.

7. Moritaka: Arguably the face of the franchise right after Salomon. Moritaka, to my knowledge, is one of the most popular Housamo characters and to be frank I can see why he would hold that title. He’s just a lovable character with cute art. I really think I show my love for him in my Headcanons so I’ll keep it brief by saying he’s a really enjoyable character.

6. Maria: Our local Lesbian sister will help you find true love, I promise. Maria is another really popular and well-liked character and again I can totally see why. She’s cute as a button and really compassionate towards everyone she meets. And from what I’ve seen from her, Maria is very honest with herself going forward from a certain point which is so satisfying to see. I won’t spoil her entire arc even though her chapters have been out for a while just so you can experience it for yourself. She’s too precious for me to spoil. But her character growth aside, she’s a very compassionate and kind character even to those who aren’t the most kind in return and she even goes out of her way to try and relate to those characters despite the fact they might not make sense.

5. Hephaestus: Here we have my son, please buy him Legos instead of Mega Bloks or he’ll cry. I was a little hesitant with Hephaestus at first to be blunt. He seemed to be quite crude in certain places and really uncaring and a little cliché with his attitude. Plus he’s quite nasty to Talos, often times getting mad at Talos for simply doing what he was made to do. But Chapter 9 really put it into perspective. For spoilers I can’t say what made me turn around from wanting to look away from wanting to just hold him and protect him. All I can say is that he has been put through the wringer and just deserves to be happy.

4. Ashigara: Best bear, Volos stans don’t come for me. I explained it before but Ashigara is a character that tends to radiate “me” energy and I can totally see us being friends in real life. He’s the kind of guy who’d send you memes when your sad but he’d eat all your food, which is why you were sad in the first place. All about give and take.

3. Oniwaka: A bully BF uwu god have mercy but yes. Oniwaka was actually my first ever Housamo summon when I first began to play and on my most recent account (I’ve been on and off with the series until I started this blog and became more of a permanent player) he was my first 5star unit so it weirdly came full circle with him. His alternate skins are an absolute delight to behold and he is no slouch in the writing department after the slog that was Chapter 3. If anything he just got better with each appearance. He was rough around the edges, but seeing his softer sides just warms your heart.

2. Wakan Tanka: Touching down at silver place is my “Housamo Husbando”. Weird I know but let me explain. Wakan Tanka is a character I very much love and cherish, he is a really cute boy who just wants to do good by everyone he meets. He hates treating people especially different which is societal goals. However, he has a tendency to come off as a bit too perfect. While I really like him, he’s also feels more like an ideal than someone who can actually develop and grow. Wakan has basically achieved ascention. As for the top place on this list though…

1. Taurus Mask/Daisuke Ikusaba: Much like how Oniwaka was my first pull, Daisuke was my first Housamo crush. First and foremost his design is what I consider to be very tasteful. It’s both an incredibly attractive outfit, it’s also very appropriate and it isn’t too distracting. Second I love how LifeWonders leans into a character completely and just goes all out with a number of references to their lore or culture. Since Daisuke is a luchador inspired character its really cool to see his Summon Day be May 5th. Thirdly and finally, his writing as a character completely wins me over. He is a shy senior by day, but wrestling prodigy by night. Not only is that badass, but you have the perfect set up and the writer in me squeaks like a little fan girl that I am. Wrestling was never really my thing growing up so while I don’t have any fondness for it in particular, if I had seen Taurus Mask in action you would see me in the crowd shouting for him. Daisuke is just that amazing and why he’s my Number 1 favorite Housamo character.

#qna #housamo #tokyo afterschool summoners #list #merry christmas

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daemongal · 5 years ago

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A B C, easy as one two V! (Part 9)

Hey again! We’re almost done with these now and today we’ll cover U and V (only two but I wanted to get some content out for ya’ll). NSFW ahead!

You can find previous entries to this series from my [masterlist]!

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U = Unfair 

V’s fingers retreated from your heat once more as you groaned in disappointment once more, your body aching to be touched but not getting enough stimulation to take you over the edge like you so desperately needed.

“Come ooooooon V!” You whined, throwing your head back against the pillows and rattling your arm restraints against the headboard. “How wasn’t that good enough? It was pretty much word for word.”

In hindsight, you very much regretted your decision of asking V to be your private tutor. You thought given his extensive knowledge and interest in poetry that he’d help you study and memorise the poems needed for your test in a few days. When he said he would tutor you on a reward-based system before crashing his lips into yours, you could do nothing but accept his offer. Once your wrists were restrained however, that was a different story.

“’Pretty much word for word’ will not get you the grade you so rightly deserve my sweet. Until you have recited it precisely as written, there’ll be no reward for you; it is as we agreed.” You sighed, face contorting into a pout.

“Well, if you didn’t have your tongue half way down my throat when you asked maybe I would have tweaked the terms of our agreement slightly.” V chuckled in response, fingers grazing your core once more as your whole body shuddered.

“Now, once again from the top.” You cleared your throat, breath hitching as his fingers started to slowly press against your entrance.

“Ah, sunflower weary of time, who countest the steps of the sun; seeking after that sweet golden cli-ahh-me,”

Your voice stuttered as a single finger pushed into you slowly, your body shivering in anticipation.

“where the t-traveller’s journey is done; w-where the youth pined away with desire-ahh.”

His finger curled, pressing against your walls exactly where you needed it. Your back arched and your voice broke at his finger kneading intently against your insides.

“You’re doing exquisitely so far, love. Now, please continue.” You fought to keep your eyes open and your thoughts coherent as your legs spasmed reflexively against the sheets. You gulped and took a deep breath.

“a-and the pale virgin shrouded in s-snow, arise from th-their graves and ahh!”

A second finger joined the first, the pace quickening as you gripped the headboard to ground yourself. Sweat began to trickle from your brow as your eyes fluttered shut, only to reopen in shock a moment later as teeth grazed your ear.

V had moved himself up over you in the moment when your concentration lapsed, his head how resting in the crook of your shoulder, breath against your neck.

“Almost there love; you’re so close.” His deep voice in your ear sent your world spiralling as his expert fingers toyed with your insides perfectly. You were close in more ways than one but you knew you needed to finish the recital; you couldn’t take any more denial.

“a-arise from their g-graves and aspire, where my S-sunflower wishes to go-oooooh!”

His thumb pressed against your clit, circling it in time with the thrusts of his hand. Your back arched as a question remained on the tip of your tongue.

“Th-there, I did it r-right. C-can I...please?” Your voice was raspy as you gasped for breaths, his pace slowing momentarily, holding you on the brink torturously.

“Hmmm...” V hummed against your ear, before running his tongue up the outer shell. “it sounded divine, love. I couldn’t have recited it better myself.” His quickened his pace again, pushing you back towards your high, his curled fingers pumping in and out of you, his thumb brushing against you’re engorged clit before eventually, he threw you over the edge.

“Ahhhhh, V!” You moaned his name as you reached your peak, the pleasure washing over you as you pushed your head back against the pillow. Your thighs squeezed his hand as his fingers guided you gradually through the waves before your body collapsed, legs dropping to the side.

V reached up and unclasped your wrists, holding them lightly and pressing his lips gently against the red marks left behind, before lowering them to the bed at your side.

“Let me... let me tell you one thing.” You started breathlessly. “I-I won’t be forgetting that poem anytime soon.” You giggled, your body feeling giddy from the afterglow. “You’re an excellent tutor V.” He leaned on one elbow on his side, fingers tracing light patterns against your skin, eyes glancing over your body adoringly.

“Oh the work was all yours my love. You have too much self-doubt.” You looked over to meet his gaze, a puzzled look on your face. He chuckled once more at your expression. “You already knew the poem, love. I merely helped you master it.”

“W-wait... what?!” You stared at him as a lopsided smirk spread up his cheek.

“You already knew the words love. You only believed that you didn’t. By the fifth time, you knew that you had recited it correctly, I only wished to instil that confidence in you.” Your mouth dropped open as the realisation hit you.

“You mean every time you told me it was wrong you were... lying?”

“Teasing is the word, love. If you wish for me to be honest...” Without warning V flipped you onto your stomach, pinning your hands once more above your head as he kneeled over your legs. He leaned his face down to yours, pressing his hips and hardened arousal against your rear, lips touching against your ear once more.

“... I was enjoying your impassioned recital so much, I wished for it to never end.”

V = Volume 

“Ahh, V. Mmmff.” V’s hand covered your mouth, muffling the sounds that you couldn’t hold back.

Nero grumbled in his sleep from the futon at the other side of the room as V stopped moving his hips momentarily. The 3 of you had decided it would be best to rest at an abandoned hotel not far from where your most recent job was and wait until morning to rendezvous with Nico.

You and V had been seeing each other secretly for a while now, but thought it would be best to keep it to yourselves for the time being until the current shitstorm has passed.

“Hush love. We don’t want to be getting caught now do we?” His words were whispered against your ear as he held your body still against his. You took a few deep breaths as you shook your head sheepishly.

“It’s your fault.” You muttered quietly into his hand. He began to move his hips again suddenly, his pace slow to avoid causing too much movement, but the angle hitting into you perfectly. You could feel every inch of him as he slid in and out of you with smooth, deep thrusts.

He was spooning you from behind, both of you on your sides as his hips hit against your ass with each thrust. His lips were against your ear, breathing heavily and whispering sweet nothings to you in between breaths.

“Oh you always take me so well, my sweet. It’s a shame you cannot let out your voice, it is not my desire to muffle your wonderful song.” You let out a gasp as he pushed his cock into you more harshly, the movement of his hips becoming stronger as your body moved slightly with each thrust.

His fingers slipped in between your lips as they opened causing a spark of arousal to shoot through you. V couldn’t hold back a groan a he held you tight, moving your body into his own to meet each thrust as you closed your lips around the digits in an attempt to hold the moans building in your throat as you approached your peak.

He pulled out of you suddenly, removing his hand from your mouth and using it to pull on your hip.

“Turn over please love.” You were happy to oblige, flipping onto your other side. He lifted one of your legs, placing himself in between them as you wrapped your arms around his torso and your legs around his hips. Quickly, he seated himself back in you, shuffling to move closer before beginning his movements again.

From the new position, you were able to pull yourself to meet each of his thrusts, allowing for more movement as you quickly closed in on your peak again. With how much the sheets were shuffling over your bodies, if Nero woke up there’d be no mistaking what you were both getting up to, which just made it all the more thrilling to you.

“V... I-I'm close.” Your breathing was ragged as you pressed your forehead against his.

“A-as am I love. P-please, your lips; or I fear I will w-wake him.” You grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into a heated kiss, mouths open and tongues pressed together. You moaned against his lips as his thrusts became quicker and more erratic, driving you closer and closer to the edge.

With a few more deep thrusts, V moaned into your mouth and tensed as he spilled his seed inside of you, the action being the last thing to push you over the edge as you clung to him, his arms around your shoulders tightening as you rode out your highs together, muffled moans being caught in each other's mouths.

You slowly pulled your lips away, grabbing a few heavy breaths, pressing your forehead to V’s as he did the same. Your bodies both stiffened as you heard shuffling from the futon, freezing in place as you waited for any sign he was awake.

“Mmm not deadweight Dante, fuck you...” He muttered under his breath followed by light snores as you both sighed in relief before chuckling, running your hands through V’s hair, upset at the thought of having to de-tangle your bodies.

He pulled out of you, leaving an empty sensation behind before pulling you closer and cradling you in his arms, lulling you to sleep with soft motions of his fingers against your skin and his quiet rhythmic breaths.

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Poem was “Ah, Sunflower” by William Blake :) Next part should be the last.

Just FYI, I may be skipping the letter X because I am stumped for what to do with the prompt X-ray and I don;t know what else starts with X that I could write around.... =/

Thanks for reading!!

#ABC V #v x reader #dmc #devil may cry #dmc 5 #lemon #spicy #if you have any ideas on the X front feel free to enlighten me xD #hope you enjoyed #almost through these evetually #huzzah :3

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trucrimejunkies · 5 years ago

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• THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF JONBENET RAMSEY •

Let’s start with one that people actually know a lot about and heard about a lot. JonBenet Patricia Ramsey was a 6 year old beauty queen from Boulder, Colorado who was murdered in her family home on December 25th, 1996.

She lived with her mother (Patsy), her father (John) and her 9 year old brother, Burke. John was the successful president and CEO of Advanced Product Group which he formed in 1989. His net worth in 1966 was $6.4 million. Patsy was a former pageant queen herself who was a stay at home mom in 1996 according to sources online.

On the morning on December 26th, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her daughter missing. The mother woke u around 5:30 am to make a pot of coffee when she found a 2 1/2 page ransom note near the staircase of the home. Both John and Patsy claim the last time they saw their daughter was when she went to bed that night in their suburban home.

The handwritten note claims that their daughter JonBenet has been kidnapped and will only be returned safely if John Ramsey hands over $118,000 (Weirdly specific, right?). The police immediately start the search for the 6 year old and classify it as a kidnapping and began a search of their 15 room mansion. Then John would take a friend and begin a search himself within the home.

Later that afternoon, JonBenet’s lifeless body was found wrapped in a blanket by her father. Se was in a spare room of the basement in their home. The family had previously used this room to hide Christmas presents. "I was just hoping she would wake up and began to realize that she wasn't going to, and I started to scream," John told Dr. Phil in and 2016 interview.

JonBenet was found strangled, beaten and with duct tape covering her mouth. Her hands were also tied with together with a cord. It was later discovered that JonBenet’s skull had been fractured. The police also believe there were signs of sexual assault to the 6 year old beauty queen. The crime scene was ruined when John actually picked up his daughter from the floor and brought her upstairs, out of the basement.

There were many mistakes made by police in this case, such as not closing off the crime scene to law enforcement only. People were in and out of the Ramsey home all day, the day of her disappearance, leaving unidentified fingerprints all over the house. Not only that, but the Boulder police never got full statements from Patsy nor John Ramsey. Evidence was never preserved correctly which led to many dead ends in this case.

With no sign of forced entry or an intruder, the police quickly turned their attention to John and Patsy Ramsey. First off, the ransom note seemed suspicious - the writer asked for exactly $118,000- the exact amount of John Ramsey’s bonus that year from his employer. Not only that, the paper that the ransom note was written on was paper that was found inside the Ramsey household. And though it was never proven, the police believed that the handwriting matched Patsy’s. On December 30th, police took hair and blood samples from the three Ramsey family members in the home that night.

Though the public was not on their side because they did not want to cooperate immediately with police, as of 1998, the Ramsey family members (including brother, Burke) were not suspects in JonBenet’s case, leaving her murder unsolved for (then) 2 years.

While many people have come and gone have suspects as well as many men coming forward claiming to have done the crime, after 22, JonBenet’s murder remains unsolved.

UNDER THE READ MORE ARE THEORIES ABOUT JONBENET’S MURDER

So there are multiple theories when it comes to who killed JonBenet. Obviously none of them have been proven and they are all just THEORIES. We’ll start with people that are outside of her family, then move on to her family.

Suspect #1: Santa Claus

Santa Claus. As weird as that sounds, a santa impersonator was actually a suspect in the murder. The Ramsey family had a Christmas Party at their house, two days before JonBenet was killed. Bill McReynolds took special interest in JonBenet, reportedly telling her “You will receive a very special gift after Christmas.” With how vague the message was, many came to believe that he was part of the girl’s demise.

McReynolds claimed innocence and then died in 2002

Suspect #2: John Mark Karr.

John Mark Karr claimed to be an acquaintance to the Ramsey family (but really was not). On August 15th, 2006, John, a 41-year-old school teacher in Bangkok, Thailand was arrested after he confessed tot he murder of JonBenet. Karr claimed to had drugged, sexually assaulted and accidentally killed Ramsey on the night of Christmas.

However, the police never found any evidence connecting Karr to the murder of JonBenet. Nor did Karr’s DNA match any DNA that was found at the crime scene.

Moving onto the Ramsey family where most people believe all the suspicion and guilt lies .

Suspect #3: John Bennet Ramsey, JonBenet’s father.

When the police arrived at the crime scene, they immediately noticed that there were not footprints in the snow and no sign at all for a break in or possible intruder. Police searched the house with no luck but Linda Arndt, the first police officer on the scene sent out John and his neighbor to look for anything suspicious.

Suspiciously enough, John nearly beelined it to the basement where he found his deceased daughter. He had been told specifically to leave everything the way he found it, yet he still picked up his daughter, ruining the crime scene. He had also carried her upstairs and took the tape off her mouth .

This was how the suspicion with the Ramsey family began. Arndt made it no secret that she believed John had something to do with JonBenet’s murder, even going on ABC News in 1999.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y52_gRlI4Ho

However, no evidence was ever found to prove that John was involved in hi daughter’s murder and in 2008 he was exonerated in 2008.

Suspect #4: Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet’s mother.

Though she took all her secrets to her grave when she died on cancer in 2006, it is widely believed that Patsy had something to do with JonBenet’s murder. Many believe that Patsy did it herself in a fit of rage

At 6 years old, JonBenet has been prone to bedwetting (which is very common in kids that have been sexually abused - which it is wildly believed that JonBenet was). Some believe that after yet another bedwetting accident, Patsy flew into a fit of rage, slamming the little girl’s head against a blunt surface - like a bathtub.

Furthermore, JonBenet was found with rope around her neck tightened by a homemade garrote which was determined to be made out of a paintbrush found in Patsy’s paint kit - which was not far from the scene. Many people have speculated that Patsy wrote the two and a half page ransom note, mostly because the handwriting was similar and Patsy would be one of the only people to know exactly how much John’s Christmas bonus was ($118,000)

Though the handwriting analysis came back inconclusive, it was found that the paper the ransom note was written on was from Patsy’s stationary. However in 2008, two years after her death, Patsy was exonerated of her daughter’s murder.

Suspect #5: Burke Ramsey

The fifth and final suspect that we’ll be covering here is JonBenet’s 9 year old brother, Burke.

Patsy and John did their best to shield Burke from the media after his sister’s murder. And for good reason.

CBS and the Investigators put together a theory that got people thinking that Burke accidentally - or not so accidentally - murdered his younger sister, JonBenet. “Famed forensic investigator Werner Spitz’s review of JonBenét’s autopsy included a "perfectly rectangular defect,” (CBS), which he believed to be from a flashlight - which there was one in the crime scene photos on the counter in the kitchen. Spitz claims that the flashlight fit the fracture in JonBenet’s skull “perfectly.”

It is believed that JonBenet ate a slice of pineapple that was meant for Burke and his mother to have- a nightly tradition for the two. During the autopsy, undigested pineapple was found in the child’s stomach. Burke was believed to have gotten so angry that he grabbed the nearby flashlight and struck his sister with it. There were also marks on JonBenet’s back that were consistent with matching toy trains that Burke owned.

However, along with his parents, Burke was exonerated of his sister’s murder in 2008.

People believed that the John and Patsy could have kept the murder their son committed to themselves because they had already lost one child and did not want to lose another.

With that, JonBenet's case remains unsolved.

#i know this is super long im sorry #jonbenet ramsey #true crime #tcc #unsolved #child killer #colorado #jonbenet #ramsey #mine.

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serenasoto-blog · 5 years ago

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9 Best Places to Add Keywords Inside Content for On-Page SEO

Catchphrases. Web optimization is about catchphrases.

Right stated, huh.

Catchphrases resemble the seeds that connote the entire tree in itself.

Accordingly, they convey tremendous significance with regards to SEO.

Truly, SEO is nothing without watchwords.

Its everything about the best catchphrase rehearses, utilizes and the executives that prompts all around streamlined on page SEO.

Previously, I will proceed onward directly to the subject, it will be a great idea to convey a harsh foundation on catchphrase inquire about.

Substance cover up

1. Watchword investigate

2. #9 Best Places to Add Keywords in Content

3. 1. Website design enhancement Title – The #1 Best spot to include watchwords

4. 2. Meta depiction

5. 3. Title of page content

6. 4. Beginning passage of substance

7. 5. Headings and subheadings in content

8. 6. Fundamental substance

9. 7. Picture alt labels

10. 8. Stay writings

11. 9. Labels and breadcrumbs

12. Outline

Catchphrase inquire about

The world is loaded with words, characters and sounds. So do you put all of them any place you need, anyway you need?

No!!!

Truly, much the same as you can't talk b***s***t to anybody, you can't compose anything you desire, trusting getting included on the first page of Google.

In this way, you have to do an appropriate research before you even beginning composition.

I have quickly canvassed watchword explore procedure in my instructional exercise here.

To close to put it plainly, you can utilize Google straightforward hunt, just as different instruments for catchphrase explore.

Google catchphrase organizer, keywordtool.io, SEMRush,.. There are many out there.

OK… So now you're prepared with your rundown of catchphrases. Next what?

You will obviously begin composing on the theme. This is what you have to mind while adding watchwords to the substance piece.

#9 Best Places to Add Keywords in Content

Website design enhancement Title

Website design enhancement Meta portrayal

Blog entry title

Beginning passage of post

Headings/Subheadings

Fundamental substance

Picture alt labels

Stay writings

Labels and breadcrumbs

Lets comprehend individually.

1. Website design enhancement Title – The #1 Best spot to include catchphrases

website design enhancement title

Website design enhancement title is the MOST (I state multiple times) significant thing you can't pass up a great opportunity.

Fundamentally, it is this title appears on Google indexed lists in blue shaded connections.

So you can think about how idiotic will it be to skip including SEO title.

Let me clear one thing here.

In reality, regardless of whether you don't include SEO title and depictions (coming up straightaway), your substance despite everything can possibly be positioned!

Goodness God, at that point what was that previously? You may be thinking.

Truth is, its not tied in with planning for the most pessimistic scenarios all things considered!

Furthermore, on the off chance that you don't include these labels, Google will haphazardly pick the initial not many lines as the portrayal for your page, and the blog title as SEO title.

Also, wonder in the event that you that isn't as significant as what you could really had in charge of!

Right?!

Thus, don't face such challenges, simply compose a basic better than average SEO title.

It has be to totally pertinent to the substance and exact, long-tail!

In case you're utilizing WordPress, you can a few modules for this.

Yoast SEO, RankMath SEO are truly outstanding out there for holding nothing back web optimization benefits.

I have added connections to the modules toward the finish of instructional exercise.

Give them a shot!

2. Meta portrayal

That is second most significant spot.

Meta portrayals are essentially said metadata of the run of the mill site page.

You can check for metadata of destinations in their source code, which can be seen utilizing "View page source" (or Ctrl + U) in Google Chrome.

These are some place covered up inside <meta> labels in the source code.

As examined in the past subject, the equivalent modules, Yoast SEO, RankMath SEO can likewise be utilized to include meta portrayals in the substance.

Along these lines, when you include both the SEO title and depictions, you essentially state the Google, "Hello bae, please me. Take me with you."

Tips to remember while including meta information:

Try not to keep it excessively short or excessively long. The modules in WordPress help you with as far as possible.

In the event that conceivable include the center watchwords, in the beginning just as in the center of the meta portrayal.

Try not to include immaterial stuff here. This should be extremely important just as appealing at that point. Think, individuals perusing your portrayal ought to get spurred tom read your substance further by tapping the connection to your subject.

3. Title of page content

post title search engine optimization

This is only the genuine title of the substance that you see when you land on the page.

For instance, here in this example, "10 best places to include catchphrases inside substance" is the subject of this post.

This is additionally eqaully significant in light of the fact that it can possibly get the peruser's consideration.

Envision, if a peruser likes the title of your post, he will peruse on further. Or then again he may simply tap the back catch and skip perusing by any stretch of the imagination!

You won't care for that occur!

In this way, take a stab at including a sharp however alluring title to your blog entry.

As a tip, its better to keep the title long-tail here as well.

4. Beginning section of substance

WordPress modules like Yoast SEO request you to specify catchphrases in the beginning section of the substance.

Its not critical to state honestly. Be that as it may, including it, won't hurt you truly.

Consider it like the third limit for your peruser, the first being SEO title-depiction, and second, post title.

Who needs to lose individuals in the wake of snaring them in not once, however twice?!

Feel free to compose the primary passages for your posts.

5. Headings and subheadings in content

Headings resemble the little loosen up focuses in your article!

Truly, envision that it is so exhausting to peruse entire large lumps of content with no breakpoints in the center.

Senseless right?

Indeed, even I despise that. C'on, we are bloggers, advertisers, scholars. Not promoters or Ph.D. holders.

Try not to outrage please. I regard you as well.

So as you probably are aware, its imperative to include watchwords in headings and resulting subheadings in article.

This gives an away from to web search tools of something identified with the watchwords and valuable coming up in the accompanying segment.

Snappy tip: Never include superfluous sub-headers and headers in your substance. Break the substance into pieces as required and reasonable to facilitate its meaningfulness.

6. Fundamental substance

Furthermore, here's coming the body of your substance.

I will pressure more here.

There have been numerous contentions, a large number of them uncertain and even profoundly questioned with respect to what ought to be the specific include of watchwords in content.

Suppositions with respect to this shift from individual to individual, SEOs to SEOs, journalists to authors.

The best practice is to include the catchphrases just where required and coordinate the significance of the present setting.

In straightforward terms, I mean, simply be it common.

It ought NOT be constrained notice. Keep in mind, Google has treated such substance gravely previously.

You additionally may fall prey to Google's punishment, emerging by the spam factor.

7. Picture alt labels

picture alt labels for website optimization

Pictures resemble the magnificence of your article.

They add beat to the understanding experience.

As the time is advancing to an ever increasing extent, visuals have become a significant piece of our lives, Internet is no special case to it.

Thus, adding pictures to content is sound. Truly.

However, does the Google search bots truly comprehend your picture proerly like we people.

You may contend that, AI and Machine learning is changing the way Google bots decipher substance and visuals. I concur, master!

Yet at the same time its a best practice to add alt labels to the pictures in content.

Who knows, Google bots may be as yet searching for it?!

You can include these basically by altering the HTML code of your page.

In HTML, the <img> label serves picture on the site page. "alt" is one of the key traits of <img> tag, which you can alter utilizing any code supervisor of your decision.

Good karma!

Tip: The alt labels ought to carefully be basic, short and direct. Try not to be senseless to compose long queues and passages here.

Get familiar with picture website optimization in our article.

8. Grapple writings

Ever observed those blue hued hyperlinks on sites?

Did you consider it a spot to grandstand your watchwords?

Truly. The content on which a hyperlink is assembled, is called a "stay content".

All things considered, it fills in as an extraordinary open door for good SEO.

The truth of the matter is very generally welcomed that watchword focused on grapple writings fill in as solid advantage to both on page and off page SEO.

Ensure while composing stay writings, it needs to representation the connected substance extremely right. A ton of fledglings miss this out.

9. Labels and breadcrumbs

catchphrases in labels breadcrumbs

Truly, this isn't SO significant one. So I'm hardly any requiring some investment here.

Labels and breadcrumbs are essentially billboards on your site. Inquire as to why?

At the point when you read a concise substance, regardless of whether short or little, labels help to associate the substance with explicit subjects. This is especially valuable while having more substance than typical.

In spite of the fact that labels have been a pattern via web-based networking media, their utilization on online sites and entryways is as yet common.

Breadcrumbs are the office to sort out your substance into a chain of command.

This is something that you frequently find at the highest point of the substance on certain website pages.

Assembling everything, labels and breadcrumbs do support your site or blog look progressively sorted out in a way. Be that as it may, the decision is to actualize them is yours.

You can utilize your catchphrases in these and help Google and other web crawlers see better.

Synopsis

So people, since you have the information, its opportunity to execute it straight.

Beneath you can discover connections to different modules or applications for different stages, which will assist you with doing SEO.

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maagicmiss · 6 years ago

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Endgame spoilers !! Beware the spoil !!

This movie was amazing. With a lot of humor, which never fall flat. I was dumbfounded from the beginning to the end tbh Nobody asked for it but there is my hot take of Avengers 4 :

I felt really bad for Thor because ya know, depression™️ but damn the surprise/shock made me laugh. Noobmaster is an absolute evil that we need to end. They kinda did him dirty, I really wasn’t wanting for that but eh 🤷🏻‍♀️ Broken man 😔 Everytime I think about how much he lost I die inside a little more. Rocket was the real best dude here. Cheers to him. I was so fck happy for him when he got his hammer back !!! Like !!! "I’m still worthy" !!!!! You go you funky thunderous man !!! He deserves to be happy at all cost. Protect this man. During the last battle I was shook, with both his hammer and axe, fighting the purple asshole, so cool. Amazing, truly. Also, when he gave Valkyrie the commandment ?? My queen. She’s now my queen. By the way, we all know who’s in command of the Guardians now 🔥🔥😂

I can’t exprim how much I was sad for Natasha. When I saw them climbing this damned mountain I understood it was over for her 😭😭 I will love her until my dying breaths. She did deserve better but she died protecting her family, and the earth. She was the one who fought until the end, who did everything she could, and managed to avenge the earth. Thanks to her Thanos was defeated. Let’s honor her 😭👊🏻🔥

Clint. Like, dude. Pain. Angst. A bit of stupidity but that’s Clint so yeah. The assasinsbowl was ofc won by Natasha, and he lived. I would’ve been pissed if he died because he killed all this (bad indeed) people out of pettiness and sadness and anger for his family but he would’ve let himself die ? I understand. But like, dude. No. You’re a father. A husband. Natasha was ofc going to sacrifices herself instead of you.

HULK !!! My man. He’s happy and that’s all that matter 😭❤️ We stan a confident and humourus man y’all (Im still waiting for a height joke when Scott got aaaaaall huge in the end rip) Also, him being ashamed of his past self ??? Amazing. I couldn’t even in my wildest dreams lol I was dead when he met the old sorceress and got kicked out of his body lmaoo

STEVE. Or best known as America’s ass. Bae. I love that man. Everybody does. He did it. He did all his possible and it payed off. Also what a quick learner. When the hammer got lift, I was "W H O ???" Tbh I was thinking Loki, like "yo surprise bitches" but it was way better xD I think I screamed lmaooo But man, so fucking cool and impressive. That scene where he stand alone in front of Thanos and of his whole army ? With his broken shield ? I C O N I C. I am already seeing all the edit, gif, tribute, fanart and fanfic about it. I can’t wait y’all. Although, I was a bit disappointed about his closure ? Like yeaaah it was neat but... idk....... a bit dissatisfied and disappointed. The Steve/Steve was funny but also sad, idk. Although, Steve in the elevator saying Heil Hydra was beautiful.

Tony. I need to say it. Steve did him dirty. Like. Poor man. He didn’t deserve that, at all. I would’ve preferred Steve snapping down Thanos than him. He’s a father !! A husband too !!! Steve promised to him he wasn’t going to die. LIES, ALL LIES. I’m salty. But no hate for the blond man please. In the end, it was Tony choice. In the end with "The proof that Tony Stark has a heart" was heartbreaking. I wasn’t ready AT ALL. I’m not his biggest fan but oh damn, Sadness got me down. His daughter ? Pain. The little kid from Iron man 3 ?? Pain. Happy being sad ? Pain. Pepper ? Pain. I’m dead. He deserved better 😔 When he met his dad, I was dying. Dying of sadness but also of joy. Glad he could talk to him, and even hug him !!!!

Carol !!! THE bitch. I love her. She could walk on me and I would apologize. We didn’t saw her that much but ya know, it’s cool. I gave her entry a 9/10 because there wasn’t thunder lol (unlike Thor in Infinity War, who rightfully had a mighty 10/10). She was a queen. That haircut ? Beautiful.

Nebula. She’s my bae. Protect her. She’s doesn’t seem to need it but she does. Baby. She baby. But she’s a dangerous baby so be careful lmao Her killing in cold blood her past her (??? Was that suicide ?? Or murder ?? Or murder suicide idk ???) to protect her past sister was tragically sad and heartbreaking and beautiful. I’m saying a lot beautiful but hey I’m doing my best with my limited vocabulary. Nebula and her, and the guardian deserves happiness. Lowkey shooketh that nobody saw it was the past Nebula and not the right one but I’m going to excuse them by saying it the excitement of having all Infinity stones and of sadness for Natasha. Other way I’m about to throw hands 🤬😤

Iconic moment :

Carol saving Tony’s ass. We all knew that was how it gonna to happen but I was so relieved. 9/10.

Thor killing in cold blood Thanos in front of everyone, dead inside was wow, brutal. Not happiness out of it, no recomfort. Merciless, brutal, cold. He was here for the head and he got it. 7/10

Not an iconic moment but shush. The five years later ? I was astonished. It must have been 5 painful years. The world was in shred, dusts and broken people everywhere. Pain. Everything is blue, melancholic, broke. If I was one of the missing people coming back I would tell to every fucking one that joke "Hey, I’m gone like 5 seconds and everybody go apeshit ? What would you all do without me ?" Yeah im that bitch lmao 10/10 because you feel that emptiness and sadness.

Tony joining the idiots and Tired Steve™️ with an actual good plan in his fancy car with a lot of skids and other fancy stuff ? 10/10 good one, boi

That scene from Avengers 1 ? Then them on the side ? 6/10

Steve in that elevator ? You already know. 9/10

Steve commenting on his own ass ?? 1000/10 Trust me, it’s fair. Were waiting for that since Avengers 1.

I love Steve

Loki ?? Man, that dude is a joke but I love him. The face he made when he saw the case slide.... beautiful. The face he made when he jumped in the time hole ??? Iconic. 10/10. I want to know how everything is gonna to play with his series. I wanted more of him tbh I even was waiting for him in the last battle. By the way, is he still dead ? If he never went to Odin.... idk. Lowkey confused here.....

And last but not least :

The final battle.

Damn.

The fight between Iron Man, Thor, Captain and Thanos was intense. I was on the edge of my seat lmao It reminds me of their fight in Avengers 1, in the forest, for Loki. They were fighting against each other, now they’re fighting together 🔥👊🏻❤️ 9/10

Steve picking up the hammer ? 10/10 No comment, it’s fair. (The "I knew it" of Thor was priceless)

Steve getting a rematch on Thanos with both his shield and Hammer ? I C O N I C. 9/10 because it didn’t last long in my opinion.

Steve in front of the whole army ? Alone ? The face dirty of dirt and blood, the shield cut in half ? After he slowly stood up, even tho he was tired and probably had broken ribs ? How dare you not applause. That old man was ready to fight them all, and to fucking die. Stupid but amazing. 1001/10. Slightly better than him commenting on his own ass lmao (tag me if u ever do a fanart of this scene please)

Sam calling Steve ? Not iconic but still. I was dying and it cured me. My skin is clear, my debt are payed off, my grades are perfect and I’m now immortal.

The Powerful Women squad ? Damn. I love it. Sign me up for 10 movies about their shenanigans around the universe. 10/10

All the dead one coming back to life ? All the dead coming through the portals ? And looking badass af ?? Doctor Strange ? Wong ? Wanda ? Sam ? Bucky ? Spider man ? The Guardians looking sharp ? Black Panther with his sister and Okoye ? The Wankanda Army ? The spatial ships ? EVERYONE ????? Bitch Please, it was perfect. 10/10.

Tony snapping ? "I’m Iron Man." I was euphoric. 10/10. Then I was really sad. So 10/pain

"Proof that Tony Stark has an heart" ? A painful 7/10.

As you can read, I loved that movie. Like, very much, but, I’m a bit dissatisfied about the music. The Russos were idk, timid ? Shy about it. Most of them were old one, the themes of the characters and the principal theme (the one from avengers 1). Nothing too extraordinary, nor extravagant. Can do better.

Also, idk why but I found that Hulk was a bit weird ? Idk he seemed emotionless ? Maybe it’s only me but I didn’t like that much the CGI of Hulk this time.

Wanda. She barely spoke. Rip

Tony’s death. He shouldn’t have died.

Steve’s old days/death/idk. I’m not buying it. I don’t like it either. Glad Sam is Captain America now tho. Sad for Bucky. The dude is gonna end up alone in 2022 (or idk what years) with only Sam and Steve’s grandchildren or idk Rip dude

There is soooo much to say about this movie. Like, I write something down and something else is immediately coming up x) Maybe I’ll edit stuff later.

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audiogrizzly · 5 years ago

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My Top 20 Games of the 2010s

I will still be doing my usual top 5 this year, but seeing as it’s the last year of a whole decade, I am going to start off with a list of games that encompasses the whole of the last 10 years.

A couple of things to point out before we get cracking:

This is a personal list, so there’s gonna be some games that you the reader may not agree with. I’m actually in a privileged position to play whatever I want, but I don’t necessarily agree with everything professional game writers say. There will be a list of “honourable mentions” at the end, this may include a few of the games you might have been expecting

I do cheat a little, some entries are dedicated to a franchise of games. At the end of the day, if you are into Destiny, chances are that Destiny 1 and 2 sort of merged into each other, Destiny 1 changed as much over its 3 year lifespan as the final product changed into Destiny 2

There are no games from 2019 in here, apart from part of one of them, see my previous point. Maybe one day I will look at Apex legends and say “yes, that was the best game of the 2010s”, but it’s too early to say now.

I know there are a lack of Nintendo games. There is one Nintendo exclusive and another that I played on a Nintendo platform (in the top 20, there may be more in the honourable mentions), but all in all I won’t be mentioning what system I played these games on unless I have to. If you must know, the majority were played on either PlayStation 4 and PC. A couple of Vita, PS3, Switch and Wii U.

I will be adding information on where each game scored in my previous yearly top 5s though and I did do those on separate platforms up until 2013. So in a way, that’s confirming what systems I played these all on.

If you have followed my yearly top 5s, you’ll see some inconsistency, as in the fact that I have got my number 1 game from 2015 further down the list than my number 2 of that year. Also that I have my 1st and 3rd best game from 2018 on the list but my number 2 game is merely on the honourable mentions. This is because your thoughts towards a game can change. I still love all the games I have ever placed on a top 5, but some games age better than others.

And I’m not going to write descriptions, I always write something in my yearly lists. As I said before, I’m not a games writer, it’s going to take way too long and I don’t think anyone's going to read what I write anyway, just look at the list.

At the start of this decade, I had no idea if I would still be playing games by the end of it or where I would be. I’m actually still sort of in the same place I was in 2010, but it’s been a fun ride, in a sort of “slipping into middle age” sort of way. But I think I was born to be old to be honest. Now I find myself at the start of the 2020s, I’m wondering how my hearing/eyesight/reactions will be at the end of the next decade.

Now that I have depressed the hell out of you, let’s begin!

20. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (2nd on both my PS3 and Vita lists in 2012)

19. Vanquish (4th on my PS3 list from 2010)

18. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (1st on my 2015 list)

17. Steamworld Dig 2 (3rd on my 2017 list)

16. Marvel’s Spider-Man (4th on my 2018 list)

15. Gravity Rush 1 & 2 (GR1 1st on my Vita 2012 list, GR2 on my honourable mentions from 2017)

14. Dangonronpa Series (D1 5th on my 2014 list, DV3 honourable mention for 2017, D2 not listed)

13. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt (2nd on my 2015 list)

12. God of War (1st on my 2018 list)

11. The Last of Us (2nd on my 2013 list, though I really started to enjoy it more when the Remastered version came out on PS4, 1st on my 2014 list)

10. NieR: Automata (2nd on my 2017 list)

9. Horizon Zero Dawn (1st on my 2017 list)

8. Persona 4 Golden (Not listed, this is the only game I didn’t play in the year of its release on here)

7. Diablo 3 (3rd on my PS3 list in 2013, Honourable mention for PS4 in 2014)

6. DOOM (2nd on my 2016 list)

5. Portal 2 (2nd on my PS3 list for 2012)

4. CoD Series (yes, all of them, here’s a list within a list:)

10. Ghosts (2nd on my PS4 list in 2013)

9. Advanced Warfare (3rd on my 2014 list)

8. Infinite Warfare (Honourable mention in 2016)

7. Black Ops 3 (Not listed, but didn’t do honourable mentions in 2015)

6. Modern Warfare (not listed yet, but like I said, it’s too early for me to feel confident in a 2019 game, though MW is a cracker)

5. Black Ops 4 (5th on my 2018 list)

4. WWII (Not listed, not even on honourables, weirdly)

3. Black Ops 2 (2nd on my 360 list from 2012, making this my only Xbox game on my list)

2. Black Ops (Not listed, didn’t do honourables in 2010)

1. Modern Warfare 3 (1st on my PS3 list from 2011)

3. Mario Kart 8 (Not listed, the only top 5 I can find from 2014 is a PS4 list, I got this rather late in the year though)

2. Overwatch (1st on my 2016 list)

1. Destiny 1&2 (D1 2nd on my 2014 list, D2 5th on my 2017 list)

Destiny there being a good example of a game that gets better over time, I think the whole “live game” scene found its stride in the 10s and it’s made sure that this game that was never number 1 in its year of release could go on to be the game I have perhaps put the most hours into. You also have multiplayer games taking up my entire top 4 too (I mostly play CoD for multiplayer), though all in all, the majority of this list are single player titles.

And all CoDs in the list? It’s basically just CoD itself that’s at number 4. If I was forced to adhere to a list where there was only single games listed, there would be no way I would have Ghosts or Advanced Warfare on there at the end of it all. I would just keep MW3 on there perhaps, but then I would feel iffy about some of the games at the bottom of the list. Do I really like PS All-Stars and Vanquish more than Black Ops 1 & 2?

So what of the decade’s honourable mentions? Will it feature GTA or Red Dead. The answer to the latter is “yes” and the former, here:

GTA 5

Batman Arkham city

Uncharted 3

Red Dead Redemption

Super Street Fighter 4

Hyper Light Drifter

Dishonored 2

Titanfall 2

Battleborn

Watch Dogs 2

Ratchet and Clank

Red Dead Redemption 2

Tearaway (Vita and Unfolded)

Sonic Mania

Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild (yes, in my honourables!)

Hotline Miami

Bioshock Infinite

Tomb Raider (2016)

Borderlands 2

Life is Strange

Uncharted 4 (and Lost Legacy)

Persona 5

Assassins Creed Origins and Odyssey (Origins I played the year after it came out, it would have been considered a game of the year if I’d had played it in 2017)

Far Cry 3 (Plus its legacy, even FC5)

Bulletstorm

And I’m just going to add Control to that list too as it’s the only game from 2019 that I have enjoyed that I see as being something that will stand up in a couple of years, maybe the Outer Worlds (I haven't played Wilds) too, but I will need to give that another play.

So there you have it, 10 years in gaming from me. Will I still be playing games after another? Time, and my body, will tell. Look out for my top 5 of 2019, I still have to give Judgment and Death Stranding a good go before I can make up my mind, maybe I will play Outer Wilds too.

#call of duty #overwatch #bulletstorm #uncharted 4 #tearaway #destiny 2 #gravity rush #tomb raider #playstation 4 #xbox 360 #PC #Switch #Nintendo #nintendo switch #Life is Strange

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sapphcon-ic · 5 years ago

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11/11 tag

thank you @emdop for tagging me! these are literally so fun to do ugh (and its literally the only time im not a pansy when it comes to posting about my writing on here) anyway:

1. Do you have any pets? if not, do your OCs?

Yes! I have three dogs and a cat. They’re babies, all of them.

2. What was the last song/album/artist you played so much you got sick of it?

Real Friends or The Front Bottoms. Like OK, I love pop punk as much as the next low key emo, but there comes a point where I get tired of listening to songs about guys in their late twenties whining about their ex-girlfriends who cheated on them the summer after high school. Like no shade, I still love them, but I have to be in a specific mood to listen to their stuff again.

3. Do you write poetry?

I used to do, and I want to get back into it again. I literally have no idea how to get back into it though.

4. Last book you DNF’d

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. Loved the world, hated the MC. Besides that there is nothing really wrong with the story. It’s a good entry level fantasy story. Just was not for me.

5. Last book you couldn’t get out of your head.

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Both incredibly powerful stories that will stick with me forever. I don’t think the last page of Impossible Beauties will ever leave me. Please read both of these books if you have not, beware of triggers though.

6. Do you have a pre-writing routine? like lighting a candle or a yoga stretch.

Brewing coffee.

7. What’s your favorite time period to write in?

The past. Literally any time period. I’m in love with fantasy based off historical time periods. Right now, specifically Ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome. All super interesting.

8. Writing tension filled scenes is difficult. What’s a scene from your WIP that had you anxious or cringing while you were writing it?

The prologue honestly. Like, the beginning still feels rocky asf and I’m not really sure it flows well, and I feel like the dialogue is off. Its a super high-tensioned scene with necessary plot relevance, so I can’t cut it out.

9. What’s your favorite to read/write: Dialogue or description?

DESCRIPTION. I don’t know how in the world, what sacrifices y’all had to make to whatever deity, or rituals you’re doing for all this good ass description but please dm me so I can find out.

10. You have to have dinner with the characters in your WIP. On a scale from 1 to 10, how much of a disaster is it?

Like ALL of them? Omigod, it’s Desperate Housewives level of brawling. Ecaeris (she’s an Aries) and Alessa (she’s a bonafide Leo) are ready to fight (), Vesuvia is being petty (she’s an air sign, OK?). No one has chill. Someone just threw a plate. The only calm one is Esi, Ecaeris’ older sister, but she isn’t doing shit to stop anyone. Its chaos.

11. If characters from your WIP met characters from another WIP, would they get along? Or start a war against each other?

Let’s see. I have an OC named Aden from a fanfic I wrote a couple years ago (which I will not touch on, we don’t talk about her). If Ecaeris and Aden got together, and talked about their issues, I have a strong feeling that they would be besties. Like ride or die, ‘let’s go get our revenge and then get some therapy’ besties.

***

ugh this was cool as hell. I’ll tag @ibuzoo @whimsicalpersephone @dove-actually

Now for my questions:

1. Who’s your favorite character to write?

2. What writing playlists do you have for your WIPs?

3. How many WIPs do you currently have at the moment?

4. When and how did you get started in writing? Do you eventually want to be published?

5. What genres do you want to write for, or dabble in later on?

6. How did you get the idea for your main WIP?

7. Who is the hardest character to write?

8. What’s your favorite trope or cliché?

9. What book/movie/TV show inspires you the most?

10. What character, besides your own, has impacted you the most as a person?

11. Who’s your least favorite published author?

Thank you again @emdop!!!!

***

Anyway, wow, that’s more information about my WIP with literally no snippets or character intros, or an intro in general???? Like I really have to get on this. I literally have a whole ass separate writerblr for all this but I’m just the biggest pansy lmao.

But this isn’t about that, I’ll do it eventually. Meanwhile, if you are interested, you can follow me @vesaeris-writes for the eventual moment I do post an intro. It’s under construction atm.

#writers on tumblr #amwriting #writing #my ocs #asoc #personal #tag you're it

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scarfanon · 6 years ago

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Etiquette for calling a customer service line

Let’s face it, there are a lot of products out there that don’t always work the way they’re supposed to. So what do you do when this happens? If you have two neurons to rub together to form a synapse, you read the labels and/or the use and care manual until you find a customer service number. Now, it has become increasingly clear to me that many, many, MANY people out there don’t understand that there are rules and protocols that customer service reps are required to follow, so here’s a few handy tips to keep in mind:

1. Make sure you are actually standing beside the product that you need help with when you call. We only know what you tell us, so we need you to be our eyes, ears, and most importantly, our hands when addressing the issue with the product in question. If you’re running an errand and think for one second that we can do anything at all to help you when the product is at home, you’re going to have a really unpleasant time. Don’t call us while you’re driving, unless it’s to ask how late we’re open, and please for the love of all that is decent, DON’T TRY TO RETURN THE PRODUCT WITHOUT CALLING US FIRST OR YOU WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY. Also, make sure you actually have time to stay on the phone and address the issue.

2. Do not just start rambling at the person you are speaking to. There is always an order of operations that must be followed if they are to help you and more often than not, the person who picks up the phone is either not trained or not authorized to directly address the problem that you’re having, unless they tell you otherwise. In most cases, the first person you speak to is only supposed to do two things: register a file in their computer system for the product in question (or otherwise access an existing file) and then transfer you to someone who can actually help you with the problem that you are having. In addition, extraneous information can slow down the process, waste time for both parties, and cause additional problems, so listen carefully to the person that you speak to and they will tell you what information they need. Once the unit is registered, the agent may then place you on hold and transfer you to the department that is trained to address the specific product you have and the specific problem that you are having with said product. This is why you need to make sure you have time to actually stay on the phone, because they can only help you if you’re going to be available long enough for them to get the information they need. If you require a representative who speaks a language other than English (usually Spanish, but the center where I work does also employ at least one French-speaking agent), please request to speak with a representative who speaks that language, as the agent may be able to immediately transfer you to someone who can communicate with you more easily.

3. Answer all of the questions that you are asked, and only those that you are asked, in the order that you are asked them. yes, I briefly addressed this above, but it still bears repeating. The data entry systems have variations from one company to the next, but more often than not, when the agent answers the phone, the only thing they have on the screen before them is a single textbox that will only accept one specific piece of information. In addition, the systems are usually designed to access data from the top down, meaning that you MUST provide the information specifically requested before it will allow the agent to access anything else. If they don’t ask you for a piece of information (such as the date of manufacture or who installed the unit), it’s more likely that the information is unnecessary than it is that they forgot to ask for it. And if they ask you what room an appliance is installed in, it’s usually because certain models are only designed to be installed in certain locations, so please be specific. And for pete’s sake, A HALLWAY IS NOT A ROOM; IF YOU MEAN CLOSET, JUST SAY CLOSET.

4. Read all information directly from the label on the product itself. In many cases, the only place you will be able to find the information is on the product itself, and the agent with whom you are speaking will be able to direct you to its location. This is why you must remain near the product for the duration of the call. DO NOT WRITE IT DOWN OR READ FROM THE COPY THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN. 100% of the time, one or more digits are omitted or miswritten and you will be asked to go back and check again, and the system will not accept the information unless every single digit is entered correctly. This is not something that you can ballpark. Every single specific individual digit of each number requested must be included, correct, and presented in full and in the right order. This isn’t just limited to Serial and Model numbers. Learn to distinguish between Q, O, 0, 8, B, U, 4, and A, the difference between G, 6, and 9, the difference between 5 and S, the difference between 1, 7, T, 2, and Z, and the difference between a dash/hyphen (-), an underscore (_), and a space ( ). Yes, I have seen every single one of these digits mistaken for every single one of the others and getting even one digit wrong can mean the difference between getting the help that you need and wasting time. And when providing these numbers PLEASE ONLY SAY ONE DIGIT AT A TIME. You may see it as 217, but when we hear it, it comes across as 2 7 teen, and then we have to go back and correct it, which gets especially annoying when the text box that we’re entering it into has a character limit and has to be manually highlighted in order to correct the error, which causes us to fall further behind. And don’t say “oh” when you mean “zero”, it doesn’t save any time. Also bear in mind, if you have more than one unit, each unit must be registered under its own file so that they may be addressed individually; remember that the information for the product is saved under the serial number, NOT the owner’s name. Also, if you need glasses to read small print, WEAR THEM. I cannot begin to describe how many times I’ve asked a customer for their serial number and then had to wait several minutes for them to put their glasses on so that they can read it. And when we ask you for your serial number, please don’t ask “are you ready?” We were ready the moment we asked for it.

5. Yes, you do need to provide your personal information. but usually only the first time you call. It’s the only way they can link the product in question to the customer that owns it, and in most cases, the warranty will only pertain to the original registered owner of the unit. In some instances, the database will be designed to allow for multiple contacts to be attached to the same file, but there will always be one primary homeowner that takes priority over the others, and so all information must be correct, especially with regards to sending parts or repair personnel under the warranty coverage. In addition, when accessing an existing file, asking what name the file is registered under is the easiest way for the agent in question to determine that they have entered the serial number correctly, which means that telling them to write “john doe” will just make it impossible for them to find your information should you need to call back. In addition, you must also provide the information requested of you in full. This means that when you are asked for the owner’s name, you must provide both the FIRST AND LAST name. When you are asked for a preferred phone number, YOU MUST PROVIDE THE AREA CODE FIRST, and when you are asked for the address, YOU MUST INCLUDE THE HOUSE NUMBER, STREET NAME, APARTMENT/TRAILER/LOT/SUITE NUMBER (if applicable), CITY, STATE, AND ZIP CODE (or province and postal code if you are calling from Canada), as the system will usually have a feature that it uses to validate the address for the purpose of sending parts or technicians to the correct location under the warranty, and if it does not recognize the address or the address is incomplete, it will not accept it. In addition, for larger appliances, the warranty will only apply if they remain installed in their original installation location, so we need to know where that location is in order to cover the appliance. And if they ask if your phone number is a home, work, or mobile, it’s usually because they’re selecting from a drop-down menu and can only select one option, so if you say “all of the above,” they will want to reach through the phone and swat you, and just because they ask this question doesn’t mean they are looking for a specific number (hence the use of the term “preferred phone number”). “But I don’t want my information where some stranger can access it!” I hear you cry. Tell me, How are you calling us right now? and how did you obtain the means to do so in the first place? How did you pay for it? Chances are, the answers to all of these questions required you to offer your personal information to some party or other in the past, so I’m sorry to break it to you, but if you’ve ever used a cell phone, or the internet, or a credit card, or have a driver’s license, or any form of legal ID whatsoever, your information is already irretrievably out there and you have nothing to lose by providing it to the people who actually need it in order to help you. You’ll be happy to know that in most cases where appliances are concerned, providing your email is optional, but if you don’t wish to provide your email or otherwise don’t have one, don’t be an ass about it, just say “no email”. And if you do provide your email, here’s a couple of pet peeves I would like to address. I have been on this earth for about as long as email has existed, and never in my entire life have I encountered an email program where the email address was case sensitive, nor have I encountered an email address that has spaces. YOU DO NOT NEED TO TELL ME THAT IT IS ALL LOWER CASE AND YOU CERTAINLY DO NOT NEED TO TELL ME THAT THERE ARE NO SPACES OR THAT IT IS ALL ONE WORD, because it is my job to copy every single digit that you provide exactly as you provide it and I will read it back to you digit by digit to make sure I have it written correctly.

6. You must stay on the phone until we have finished all of our procedures. Once the first agent has registered your unit, or confirmed that they’ve opened the correct file, they will likely transfer you to another department that has the training and authorization to directly address the problem that you are having. DO NOT GET UPSET THAT YOU ARE BEING PUT ON HOLD. This is a necessary evil, as the agent is required to wrap up the conversation in a hurry and move onto the next customer, and you need to speak to someone who can actually use the information that has been gathered to help you. once put on hold, they will tell the system to transfer you to a particular line within the call center, at which point you will be added to the end of a queue. If the agent says something to the degree of “Please stand by”, that is an indication that they need a minute or so to finish entering the information that you have provided, that they are waiting for the next page to load on their screen, or that they are about to send you to someone who can help, and are requesting that you patiently wait for them to request the next piece of information. NOT AN INVITATION TO START TALKING OR YELLING AT THEM. There will be times when the automated hold system will tell you that there are a number of callers ahead of you, or that you will have to wait a certain amount of time before an agent will be available to answer. Whatever you do, DO NOT HANG UP THE PHONE AND CALL BACK HOPING TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE SOONER. All that will accomplish is getting ahold of another registration agent, who will ask you for your serial number again, and will then transfer you back to the same queue, where you will now have to wait even longer because you gave up your place in line.

7. When providing information, SPEAK SLOWLY AND ENUNCIATE YOUR WORDS. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. If English is not your first language, then it’s understandable (also you speak my language MUCH better than I speak yours), but if you’re a native English speaker, you have no excuse. Half the mistakes that are made are due to poor or miscommunication. When I ask you a question, I expect to hear words, NOT A STRING OF GROANING NOISES. If I can’t understand what you’re saying, I’m going to write the information wrong and then we’re going to have to waste even more time correcting the errors. In addition, make sure you speak at an audible volume. You don’t have to shout, but if you’re mumbling or speaking in a low tone, we will not be able to hear what you are saying. And PLEASE keep your fingers away from the buttons and/or screen while you are on the phone; it’s going to make it that much more difficult if I keep hearing buttons being pressed every two seconds. And for Pete’s sake, CHANGE THE BATTERIES IN YOUR SMOKE DETECTOR. I swear, every third call I hear that infernal beeping in the background.

8. Yes, you must troubleshoot the product. Regardless of your preconceived notions of how a particular product works, or what the problem is, or what you want done to resolve the issue, we still need to know the exact nature of the situation before we can take any actions to resolve it; the most fundamental of which is to walk the customer through a step-by-step diagnostic and troubleshooting procedure over the phone. The purpose of troubleshooting the unit is to determine the nature, source, and severity of the problem through process of elimination by observing the symptoms that it exhibits under different circumstances. You may think you know what’s wrong and what needs to be done, but there will ALWAYS be something that you missed or otherwise didn’t think to look for. Plus, as mentioned above, we cannot see what is happening on the other side of the phone, so we need you to be our eyes, ears, and hands and follow our instructions, many of which are time sensitive once we begin. Always listen to the precise wording of each instruction you are given and each question that we ask, as if a step is performed incorrectly, it can give inaccurate information or force us to start over. It may seem intimidating if you’ve never done it yourself before, but it’s necessary for you to help us help you resolve your problem. And no, we will not ask you to do anything that will endanger your health or safety; for any problem where that would be an issue, you will likely be instructed to hire a professional to do the work for you (assuming that one isn’t already being requested under your labor coverage, if applicable). In most cases, the steps are simple enough, and the agent’s instructions easy enough to follow, that even a child could accomplish them. “But I just have a simple question!” I hear you cry. No, no you don’t. It’s never simple and it’s never just one question.

9. Sometimes you just have to wait. It is inevitable that a problem will sometimes require that a part be replaced or that a licensed professional be sent to diagnose, repair, or replace the appliance in question. But understand that we will never be able to get them to you the same day that you call. In the case of the parts, the reason for this should be obvious, but in the case of the technicians, there is some explanation required. You see, while there may be some companies out there that have their own field technicians on their payroll that can be sent out at a moments notice, said companies are increasingly few and far between, and most of the time they prefer to cut corners in the interest of spending less money, and the easiest way to do that is to outsource to independent businesses. Typically the situation is as follows: The parent company manufactures the product, which is then sold to an independent vendor, who then sells the product to the customer at locations of the vendor’s choosing, with little to no input from the manufacturer. The manufacturer themselves will then sign on various independent contractors and business owners to take warranty jobs in the contractors’ own service radius if a customer should need a technician to help them with their unit under their labor coverage. Because the units are sold to the customer by the vendor, whose distribution is not controlled by the manufacturer, there is usually little to no correlation between where the products are sold and whether there are technicians under contract with the manufacturer within the same area, so even though a product is sold in a particular location, the manufacturer may not be able to send a technician, simply due to not having anybody under contract that services that zip code, or otherwise not being able to reach or send the ones that do, due to various circumstances (eg outside their normal service radius, too many customers on their plate at the time, or just plain not answering their phone). In most cases when something like that happens, the company will offer the customer the means to hire their own technician and then submit for reimbursement for the service fee. From what I’ve gathered, most companies that have a need for field technicians function this way, for better or for worse, simply because it’s cheaper and easier for the company to contract independent businesses than it is to employ personnel for a division that only sees occasional use. Why am I telling you this? Because I’m tired of customers acting like it’s our fault that the technician never showed up, or that there wasn’t one available for us to send in the first place. Our influence only extends so far, and while they may be under contract with us, we don’t own them, and so have zero influence on when or where they are available. Yes you should call us back if there is a problem with the technician, but also understand that simply sending a technician in the first place means that there are now three separate parties involved in the situation, two of whom are separate businesses. And this should be a no-brainer, but when the technician does show up, please please PLEASE have the technician call the manufacturer while they are in front of the machine so that we can walk them through our troubleshooting steps and ask them what they find. Telling us “they already left and they said xyz” is not at all helpful to us, because how do we know you didn’t cancel the technician and just make that up on the fly to get a quick fix? How do we know the technician actually said that? How did they come to that conclusion in the first place? What did they do? What did they see? This of course is to prevent people from just calling and asking for free parts or replacing the device for something as simple as not understanding how it functions. Our job is not to give you what you want. Our job is to solve the problem with the unit.

10. All of our calls are recorded. This is something that a lot of customers seem to not realize, even though the recorded message that they hear while on hold explicitly tells them as much (it also explicitly tells them to have their serial number ready, WHICH THEY NEVER DO). So if you say something off-color that makes the agent uncomfortable, or if you threaten the customer, their employer, or the parent company in any way, THAT SHIT GETS RECORDED AND CAN BE PRESENTED IN A COURT OF LAW. It also means that you can’t say one thing and then deny it later in the call, because guess what? We have a recording of you saying the thing that you said, which means you can’t take it back or say that you were lying earlier and that your new story is the truth, because how can we trust that you’re telling the truth now if you didn’t tell us the truth to begin with? This is a major pet peeve of mine. I’ll get a customer who says their unit is having a problem whose nature or circumstances are not covered by the warranty, and then when I tell them as much, they’ll suddenly change their story, thinking they can talk us into giving them what they want. Sorry, but that ain’t happening. We already have you on record as saying A, so if you think you can talk us into believing B, you’re wasting your breath. This is also why it’s important that you give us the CORRECT information the first time we ask for it, because if you feed us false information and then call back later and say that it’s actually something different, we will call you out on that shit.

11. Nobody manually answers phones anymore. Every time someone complains to me about how long it took me to pick up the phone, I want to reach through the line and slap them. All call centers have an automated system that directs the call to the first available agent’s computer. That computer will then answer the call automatically and let the agent know through their headset that the call is coming in and which queue it is coming from, usually about two seconds before the line connects. The agents have zero influence over how quickly your call is answered, because that part of the process is entirely automated. If it does take a long time for your call to reach an agent, it’s usually due to one of two things: they are either experiencing a higher call volume than normal, which means there are more customers ahead of you in the queue, or they are understaffed, meaning that there are fewer people available to take the calls in the first place. Either way, as soon as one call ends, another usually connects, and rarely does it take longer than a few seconds for an agent to receive their next call.

Here’s a short glossary of terms to keep in mind when calling:

Unit: the individual product that you are addressing

Model: the type of product under which the unit is categorized

Part: a specific component of the unit which may be replaceable.

Serial Number: a sequence of digits (often both numbers and letters) that identify the specific individual unit that you are working with. Every unit of every product ever manufactured has a unique serial number that is not shared with any other unit of that product, and so this is the number that the call center agent uses to identify which file to open, and the first thing they ask for when creating a new file. ALL OTHER INFORMATION IS SAVED UNDER THE SERIAL NUMBER. Just because you have provided all of your information during a previous call does not mean they will instantaneously have your information in front of them the next time you call; the registration personnel alone receive a bare minimum of about 84 calls per day, rarely from the same person twice, and do not know you from a hole in the wall, so you must provide the serial number again in order for them to access the file for your unit. And please please PLEASE make sure the serial number you provide pertains to the unit that you actually need help with, because as mentioned above, each individual unit must be registered under its own separate file, and the serial number for a replacement unit will not allow us to access the information for the previous unit, regardless of whether they have the same owner’s info attached to them.

Model Number: a sequence of digits (again usually consisting of both numbers and letters) that identify the type of product that you are working with. Unlike the serial number, which is unique to the individual, the model number is shared among all units in a specific production line. More often than not, the model number will tell the agent various other pieces of information about the unit as well, so that they do not need to ask you for as many details about the product (such as the warranty, size, capacity, etc), which means fewer questions for them to ask. The model number will usually only be requested the first time you are calling about a particular unit, and only after the serial number has been provided. Usually the model number pops up on their screen automatically with the touch of a button, but the agent will ask you to read the number anyway in order to confirm that it matches the one that is attached to the serial number that you have provided. If it doesn’t match, you will be asked to provide the Serial number again, ad nauseum, until it does match. WE CANNOT USE THE MODEL NUMBER TO PULL UP YOUR FILE BECAUSE MORE THAN ONE UNIT HAS THAT MODEL NUMBER.

Part Number: a sequence of digits (again, usually consisting of both letters and numbers that identify to a specific part of the product that you are working with. Similar to a model number, a part number is shared among all individual units of that specific part, but does not say much about the unit as a whole, as multiple models may utilize the same parts. Many appliances are designed to be repaired on the spot, hence the need for part numbers, but if you think we’ll be able to tell which unit you have just from the part number, you are sorely mistaken. More often than not, agents higher up the chain will be able to access a list of all part numbers pertaining to your unit once they have access to your file, so this number is almost never necessary to provide. NO, WE CANNOT JUST SEND YOU A PART BECAUSE YOU HAVE A PART NUMBER WITH YOU. First off, it may not even be the correct part for that unit, and second we still need to know what the actual problem is before we can determine if you even need that part in the first place.

SKU Number: a sequence of digits (usually just numbers, but may occasionally include letters) that the vendor (read: the store where you bought the damn thing) uses to identify the individual product in their database. This number is completely useless to the call center agent and will never be requested over the phone.

Troubleshooting/warranty department: usually used interchangeably, as the person troubleshooting the unit over the phone is required to recognize what is covered under the warranty and what is not. Either way, they are the ones you want to speak to after the unit has been registered, and if they aren’t, they can usually direct you to the ones that are.

Parts department: this department process part orders, both in and out of warranty, but will only speak to a customer directly if the customer wishes to purchase a part out of warranty. If the customer wishes for the part to be sent under their warranty coverage, they need to speak to the person troubleshooting the unit.

Contractors department: This is the department you want to speak to if there is a problem involving a field technician, whether it’s having trouble finding one in the first place, or having problems with one that has been dispatched to the location of the appliance.

Billing department: this is the department responsible for processing your reimbursements. if a reimbursement is necessary, the customer will usually be given specific instructions on what information to send and where to send it. most such info is sent electronically these days, so you will likely not be able to send it via physical mail. Also bear in mind, WE ARE NOT STUPID. If you think you can send us a hastily written MS Office document or handwritten “invoice” and that we’ll give you free money, you will instead receive a templated email and/or letter explaining that your document is invalid and cannot be used. I worked in my company’s voucher department for a time and nothing would bring me more joy than going into miniscule detail in my reply to a fraudulent customer’s email about why their documentation was invalid.

Claims department: This department handles any cases where the customer is seeking reparation for damages caused by the product in question, but you usually won’t get to speak to them until after the unit has been registered and diagnosed. In addition, any cases where a claim has to be filed will require that the appliance remain in its installation location pending further investigation.

Supervisor/Manager: Most of the lower departments are required to strictly adhere to the rules that they have been instructed to follow, else they get in trouble and are required to correct their indiscretion, usually by calling the customer back and explaining that whatever we promised is not actually going to happen and that we need to go through all the steps properly before we can provide anything (this is referred to as a rework). Only the supervisor or manager has the leverage to bend the rules and give you something that we otherwise would not, though they are also required to work within certain limitations. Bear in mind however that they can only help you if you’ve already tried to cooperate with the lower departments and if you think you can just bypass the process by immediately asking to speak to a supervisor and demanding things from them, you will learn very quickly that they have the authority tell you where you can stick it.

I think that about sums it up. Just try to be polite and cooperative to the person you’re talking to and they’ll do their best to help you out.

14 notes · View notes