#I doubt any of the birthdates make sense BUT OH WELL

[isobel-thorm]

So the influx of FC: New Dawn    Seed/Deputy kids made me realized aside from Cal I’ve never really done a breakdown for the next gen of the Raylan(-Boshaw) clan, so: 

Apocalypse Callan “Cal”  Raylan 

Born: November 11th, 2019

- Spitting image of John, but with 70% of Nic’s personality. Kind-hearted, always wants to help people even if he gets nothing in return. Halent for archery and getting into trouble. Doesn’t take well to finding out the truth about his father’ real identity and  being a Seed by extension. When Joseph tells him he’s meant to lead New Eden, he’s not about that life. Especially when he finds out it involves fist fighting a bear. 

Willa and Ariadne Raylan

Born:  January 27th, 2028 Named after Earl William Whitehorse and the “girl who led Theseus out of a world of darkness” Willa and Ariadne, respectively, were two of the first sets of kids born into the New World. Adored by every co-parent in Prosperity, the girls lived for adventure, even if their kingdom was just the grounds of the Ranch. At age eight they were threatened by Mickey and Lou so they lost some of that sense of adventure and John and Nic didn’t take kindly to letting them out of their sight for a while. But what started as reasonably overbearing parenting ended with Willa getting interested in medicine and Ariadne getting interested in farming, and they grew up to me major players in keeping the people Prosperity healthy.  Lennox “Nix” Raylan-Boshaw 

Born: June 10th, 2026 Almost named after Clutch Nixon, but Sharky agreed to compromise when Nic refused and they eventually found middle ground with “Lennox.” Early on in life, John was extremely hopeful that Lennox was biologically his, but when Lennox, at early as age three, developed an interest in fire and explosions, there was no doubt that there was Boshaw/Drubman blood in his veins. He grew up dynamite fishing with Sharky, Hurk and Blade - until Nic found them and marched them all right back to Prosperity. Inherits the explosives lab once he’s old enough, and Sharky’s never been more proud.

Charlotte “Charlie” Raylan-Boshaw 

Born: July 3rd, 2029 To Nic and John’s relief, while Charlie’s got most of Sharky’s physical features, she inherited next to none of his interests. She’s perfectly content growing up following Nic around and helping her around the house, and then hanging out with “Uncle” Nick and “cousin” Carmina in the garage. She ends up being a grease monkey, and John is low key absolutely furious that Nick Rye is his daughter’s hero- and eventual boss. Nick figures it’s the best revenge he can get for all the bullshit John put them through in the early days.

[jeannereames]

In what day was Alexander born? I'm currently reading a book (Alexander the Great by Roger Caratini) which says he was born the 21 of July, but I recall you said this was incorrect. Is this right?

Alexander the Great’s most likely birthday is JULY 19.

So if you want to throw him a party, that’s the date to do it. 😊

Nonetheless, there are questions. Why? Three problems:

1) Use of lunar months. He was born on the 6th of Loos (Macedonian calendar). But to know when the 6th fell in 356 BCE, we must know when the new moon occurred for that month. Lunar calendars don’t match up with solar calendars.

2) Do we trust the source’s reporting? Would they have reason to lie?

3) Greeks didn’t celebrate annual birthdays (unlike Romans). So when one was born could be forgotten—including the month, never mind the day.

For number 1 … the reason you’re MOST likely to see Alexander’s birthday given as July 20th is because *most* years, the new moon falls on the 14th, so six days later is the 20th. BUT, in 336 BCE, the new moon fell on the 13th, ergo, the 6th of Loos was the 19th.

How do we know? Ernst Badian trekked over to the astronomy department at Harvard and asked them to calculate it. 😉 And no, I can’t (now) find the article where it’s embedded in a footnote, but the detail was so interesting, I remember it. (Keep in mind Badian never wrote a monograph, but produced well over 200 articles….) So I’m afraid you’ll have to take my word for it. That said, if anybody does find that footnote, please email or message me with the citation!

Number 2 is more of a problem. Do we trust Plutarch, who gives us the 6th of Loos as his birthday? There’s a big potential reason not to. Supposedly, Alexander was born on the same day the Great Temple of Artemis in Ephesos burned. Why? Artemis was off overseeing the birth of Alexander, not paying attention to her temple. (Incidentally, the guy who set it on fire, Herostratos, did so in order to be remembered by history, according to his trial.)

Hmm. Makes a nice omen, no? This is why the date itself is suspect and if you want to ignore it and just conclude he was born around midsummer of 356, that’s perfectly valid.

On the side of why it might be his real birthday…. Given that Greeks did not normally celebrate birthdays, if Alexander’s happened to coincide with a notable event, it would make it easier to remember later, once he turned out to be important.

For instance, my mother died Aug. 30th, 1997. In the US, we don’t celebrate death anniversaries the same as birthdays or weddings. But I remember month and year fairly easily for two reasons. I was 6 months pregnant with my son (born Dec. 19th 1997), and she died the same day as Princess Diana. I watched all the news coming in that night, as I sat awake at her bedside. Diana died in the early hours of the 30th. My mother died at 2:30 that same afternoon. Later, my father would say, “Two princesses died that day.”

So someone may have realized, when word came (weeks or months later) that the temple had burned, that it coincided with the day Alexander had been born. Perhaps some functionary quipped that Alexander would have to be important because Artemis attended his birth! Like my father’s comment about two princesses dying on one day.

If Alexander had caught malaria as an infant and died, nobody would recall the “omen.” But he didn’t. He went on to become Alexandros Aniketos (the Unconquerable). So people did remember. That’s why we have a birthday for him--unlike other very famous figures such as Perikles or Sokrates, or Philip himself. We can’t name their birth months, and in the case of Perikles and Sokrates, even their birth year. That’s how little the Greeks cared about such things.

So I am, ironically, more inclined to believe the 6th of Loos birthday rather than less, because of the Artemis temple connection.

And if it is correct, then he was born July 19th.

Finally: You will see some other significantly different dates offered for various reasons, most often by those who doubt the 6th of Loos date (for reasons suggested). I haven’t found their arguments convincing, personally. I think it’s the 6th or we just don’t know.

That said, I do want to shoot down one argument that periodically arises. Some want to put his birthday later in July or even August, in order to make it line up with the Zodiac sign of Leo, arguing he had to have been a Leo (sun sign).

If one doesn’t follow astrology, that’s ridiculous. Even if one does follow astrology, it’s still ridiculous, displaying a shallow understanding of horoscopes and the role of the sun sign. If one knows both astrology and Alexander’s life, that he was a Cancer makes oh, so much more sense. In any case, one can’t base a projected birthdate on what one thinks his sun sign “ought” to have been. Really, people. Stop.

Some folks have asked if we have a birthday for him in the Babylonian chronicles. We don’t. We have his death day from that, but not his birthday.

[etherrealoblivion]

A Broken System

MASTERLIST

Summary: At her birthday celebration, Y/N is out on the town enjoying herself when she runs into a cute FBI agent who she’d love to take home and do terrible things to. Normally, someone meeting an FBI agent at a bar wouldn’t be that big of a deal. There’s just one, miniscule, microscopic, meager, problem... Y/N is only twenty.

tags: Large Age Difference, power imbalance, choking, Dom/sub, safe sex, vaginal penetration, dirty talk, cliffhanger.

A/N: this just made so much more sense in third person. i tried replacing it with second person, but trust me it did not work. hope you enjoy! gif by @toyboxboy​

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Rating: Explicit

Words: 5,930

~

Spencer Reid never really thought he was attractive.

Probably had something to do with his perpetually messy hair, gangly stature, and his tendency to ramble on and on and on and. . .

Yeah. Like that.

Another factor definitely was the fact that he was in his 30’s and had never really had a stable relationship. Sure, he’d had relationships with a few women. Well, two women. The first being a girl he’d met in college with whom he had a brief fling. Spencer didn’t really count it as a stable relationship due to the fact they barely even kissed. And the other woman, the only woman he’d ever really loved, died tragically several years ago. 

Maeve.

Maeve was the real reason Spencer didn’t like going to bars with Morgan or being set up on dates by Penelope. She was the reason that Spencer wasn’t interested in anyone anymore. Who could possibly compare to Maeve?

Damn it. That was the other reason he wasn’t looking to date. He knew how the mind worked and there was no doubt that if any new person came into his life, she’d be unconsciously compared to Maeve. He couldn’t put anyone through that. 

So, Spencer Reid stayed single. Which, for him, was relatively easy. Whenever someone started to get a little too close with him, he’d blabber and spout facts until they ran off. Morgan would ask what happened and Reid would just put on a slight frown, mumbling how she had to go. 

The charade got more effortless the more they went out. Morgan, almost always going home on the arm of some woman and Spencer content to get a cab back to his own place, have a quick efficient orgasm, and fall asleep.

He had a system. And no one was going to break it.

~

Y/N hated the summertime. 

Well, she didn’t usually. Anywhere else on the planet it would be mildly enjoyable. The beach, ice cream, staying up all night. All that fun crap. In Washington D.C, however, summer was hell.

But! When one was accepted into Georgetown and their parents offered to pay FULL tuition plus housing, how can one say no?

Seriously, she wanted to know.

After two whole years in this armpit of a town, Y/N had finally gotten used to the sweltering heat that plagued the city during the summer. Whatever. She just stayed in the comfortable A.C. all day anyway.

But, the summer before her third year was almost over, and the only thing she could think about now was graduating with a major in Journalism. She didn’t really like most of the courses, but it’s what she needed to do to become a full-time editor.

Living in a rent-free apartment was heaven. No roommates meant no worrying about, well, anything. The only problem was, her parents could hold it over her head every time they called. Which is why she never answered their calls.

Today, however, answering was unavoidable.

Because not only was it the day before her first class, today was her twentieth birthday.

Y/N was in the middle of getting dressed to go out with her friends when her phone vibrated from the kitchen table.

“Hello?”

She tried so hard to suppress the cringe at her mom’s voice.

“Sweetie! How are you? Are you eating?”

“Yes, mom.”

Oh boy. Strong start, mom. 

“You look skinny in the pictures on Facebook!”

Yeah, she was definitely going to be late.

Surprisingly, it only took five minutes to push her mom off the phone, insisting that her friends were on their way and she had to keep getting ready. 

A sharp rap on the door saved her.

“Come on!! It’s almost ten!” Y/N’s friend, Mina, said, annoyed. “All the old people leave the bars at ten and if we don’t get there soon, the bouncers won’t let us in!”

Y/N didn’t really understand the logic there. Hot girls always got into bars. Especially late at night. How were there not more crimes committed in clubs? Maybe she’d find out in her first class tomorrow.

“Hey!” Mina snapped her out of it, “Come on! Let’s go.”

They arrived outside a dinky little club a few minutes later. It had taken Y/N a while to get accustomed to how close everything was together in this town. Before college, she had been a small-town girl. Promise ring and everything. That, uh. That didn’t last long.

Before they got in line, Mina took a long satin sash out of her purse and secured it across Y/N’s torso.

“What the hell’s this?”

The sash was white with large pink flowy letters that poignantly spelled out: Birthday Bitch.

“It’s a sash.”

Three of Mina’s friends strode up, quickly exchanging hugs and wishing Y/N a happy birthday.

“I see that it’s a sash, but why am I wearing it?”

Mina confidently strode up to the bouncer, Y/N at her side, fake ID at the ready. Technically, it was the right birthdate, the year was just a little off.

“Go through. Happy Birthday,” the guy said, barely sparing the ID a glance, more focused on the huge sash. It made sense. She didn’t look her age. No one would think she was only in college by taking a glance at her.

“Oh, thank you.”

“Look,” Mina pulled her aside just before they entered, “this makes every single guy in there want to buy you a drink. So, go enjoy a free Shirley Temple, on me.”

Y/N scoffed and entered the club, immediately overwhelmed by the booming of the music.

Jesus Christ. How did people not die from this? It felt like her heart was beating out of her chest.

Sure, she’d been in a bar before. But not a real, proper club. She was pretty sure she saw some people wearing neon. Oh my god, there was a DJ.

Suppressing a laugh, she headed to the bar. At least there was a bar. There were so many people gathered around though that she couldn’t get much access to the one bartender on staff.

Luckily, he spotted her sash that seemed to shine under the blacklights.

“Hey, make some room for the birthday girl!” 

And the crowd parted like the red sea, every man’s head turned towards her, and she cautiously approached the bartender who gave her a quick wink.

“Scotch. Neat.”

A dark man with a silver nose ring slid onto the stool next to her.

“It’s on me,” he addressed the bartender, staring at her the whole time. “So. Birthday girl. How old are you turning?”

She smiled softly. The sash was working great, but now she had to come up with a way to answer his question without explicitly lying. 

“Who wants to know?”

Maybe flirting would be distracting enough.

He smiled, glancing down for a moment, then holding out his hand. Ha. Men.

“I’m Jon.”

Ugh. She hated handshakes. But for this man, she might be able to make an exception.

“Y/N.”

Five minutes later, she wished with all her heart she could take the handshake back. Y/N should have known better than to talk to a guy at a club. They were all sleazebags. But! She did manage to get a couple of drinks out of it.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said after his fifth time mentioning Outback Steakhouse.

But before she could leave the bar discreetly, a hand wrapped around her arm, yanking her back.

“Hey, what’s the matter? I thought we were talking?”

Y/N may have been a small-town girl, but that didn’t stop her from grabbing his shoulders and driving her knee up into his crotch, stomping off toward the exit.

Only when she got outside did she realize how fast her heart was beating. She leaned over, hands on her knees to catch her breath.

A soft hand on her shoulder made her snap around, grab the hand and twist it around the stranger’s back, shoving him up against the alley wall.

“I’m sorry!” the man squawked shrilly. “I’m sorry!” It wasn’t Jon.

“What were you doing?” she demanded, not releasing him yet.

“I saw you lean over. I just wanted to see if you were ok!”

She finally drank in the man’s appearance. He was wearing a soft purple sweater vest over a grey button-down, slacks, and worn black converse on his feet.

Confident that he wasn’t a threat, she released him and took a step back.

The man rubbed his elbow softly, glancing at her chest. Before she could tell him off for staring at her rack, he pointed to the sash.

“Is it your birthday?”

She looked down. Oh, he’d been looking at the sash of course. Then why did she feel … disappointed?

“Oh, yeah. Some guy bought me a drink and got a little, er, touchy.”

Suddenly, the man’s face went dark.

“Who is he? Where is he?”

He started to walk back into the club but she stopped him, reaching out and gently grabbing his arm.

“Hey! It’s fine. I kicked him in the crotch.”

The man’s eyes switched from anger to surprise in a flash. He flustered for a moment, before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking back into the alley.

Y/N now took a closer look at his face. He had deep, wise brown eyes, a small five-o-clock shadow gracing his jaw, and very full lips, the latter of which he was biting profusely. Aw. He was nervous. But why?

Maybe because he was in an alley with a random girl who had just been groped at a club and he didn’t know what to do.

She chuckled, attempting to diffuse the tension.

“Um. I didn’t get your name?”

He smiled brightly, thankful for the change in topic.

“Oh! Of course, sorry. I’m Spencer!”

And Y/N braced herself for the telltale outstretching of the hand.

But none came. He simply stood there, one hand in his pocket and the other waving at her, a dopey smile on his face.

Her face lit up. 

“You didn’t try to shake my hand,” she muttered, awed.

The man, Spencer, got an embarrassed look on his face, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sorry, I, uh. I’m a bit of a germaphobe. But, really, everyone should be! The amount of germs passed in a handshake is staggering. They really should be abolished altogether.”

“Right! People should just bow their heads or, or, wave!” she said excitedly, gesturing to his hand. “I mean a handshake is like a hug with a part of you that comes in contact with everything! Might as well go up to someone and start making out with them.”

As she spoke, his face lit up in wonder.

“Right? It’s crazy! But the thing is, some people actually do that! I was in that club for fifteen minutes and I swear I saw three couples leave together that definitely didn’t go in together.”

“I know!” she said, starting to pace in the cramped alley. “I mean, who goes home with someone that you just met! They could be a serial killer for all you know!”

She looked at Spencer and was delighted to see a joyful expression on his face. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t introduced herself.

“I’m Y/N. Sorry for blabbering,” she waved, chuckling slightly.

Spencer smiled even wider.

“Don’t be sorry! Usually, I’m the one who has to apologize.”

“Apologize for what?”

“Blabbering,” he said sheepishly, hands back in his pockets. When he was talking, they had been moving about wildly. It was kind of endearing.

“I don’t know,” Y/N said, considering. “Blabbering is underrated. One could argue it’s the best way to learn useless information.”

“Well, I’d agree but no information is really useless.”

Y/N held up a finger.

“‘Information is useless if it is not applied to something important or if you will forget it before you have a chance to apply it.’”

Spencer’s mouth fell open.

“Timothy Harris?”

She nodded. “The 4-Hour Workweek. Outdated, but still applies.”

When she noticed his expression, it nearly knocked her breath away. He was looking at her like no one ever had before. Like he’d just realized the most important thing in the universe.

Before her cowardice could catch up, she took a step forward, closing the distance between them. His face went blank, shocked by the sudden approach. He nearly gasped when she spoke.

“It’s totally ridiculous to go home with someone you just met, right?”

Spencer’s eyes widened.

“Totally.”

“Why were you out tonight in the first place? You don’t exactly seem like the club-going type.”

He smiled softly.

“I, uh, just got a promotion last week. My friend Morgan wanted to take me out to celebrate. It was either this or karaoke.”

She chuckled softly, their faces so close he must have felt her breath.

“I don’t know, I’d have liked to see your rendition of Bad Romance. Has anyone ever told you you’ve got a whole Lady Gaga vibe?”

“You should see my Beyonce.” And he did a little mime of the Single Ladies dance, sending Y/N into a fit of giggles. Without thinking — probably due to the trace amounts of alcohol in her system, not enough to be drunk, but enough to be tipsy — she reached up her arms around his shoulders, clasping them together behind his neck like a teen slow-dancing at prom.

Spencer seemed startled by the sudden physical contact. He froze, hands unmoving at his sides.

Y/N pulled her arms back, stepping away from him, discouraged and embarrassed.

“Sorry,” she said, collecting herself and walking back towards the club door. “It was nice meeting you.”

“Wait!” he called before she could reenter the club. A tiny part of her let out a breath in relief. She turned around to see him with a hand outstretched toward her, frozen with the uncertainty of what to do next.

He recovered quickly, a blush visible on his cheeks in the lamplight of the alley.

“If you’re leaving, would you, um. Could I walk you home?”

She had no idea what possessed her in that moment but just as he spoke, she walked up to Spencer, threaded her fingers through his hair, and pulled him down into a passionate kiss.

To her surprise, he responded immediately, running his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him, eagerly returning the kiss.

His lips were so warm. He tasted very faintly of alcohol and maybe a breath mint? Y/N let herself fall into the sensation.

Suddenly, her back was pressed up against the wall of the alley, Spencer’s hands lighting a trail of fire down her body. He hesitated, pulling back briefly to make sure she was ok.

A glint in her eye, she yanked him back down, tongues clashing together in a blaze of glory. He hiked her leg up around his hips, pressing them closer together. Y/N could feel the hardness in his pants pressing into her stomach, sending a wave of heat down to her core.

She pulled back. If they went any further, she didn’t know if she’d be able to leave the alley.

Y/N tried to hide the smile on her face but it was no use. She beamed at Spencer, linking her arm through his elbow.

“Lead the way. Wait, that doesn’t make sense, you’re taking me home. I’ll lead the way!”

And so they walked, arm in arm down the busy D.C. streets, silently enjoying each other’s company.

They arrived outside her apartment fifteen minutes later, Y/N clumsily unlocking the door, nervous from the thought of what was about to happen. They hadn’t explicitly said anything in particular. Was he going to come in? Would she invite him?

Spencer, it seemed, was also daunted, standing awkwardly on the threshold of her place, hands buried in his pockets.

An idea sprung into Y/N’s brain.

She approached him, wrapping her hands around his neck again only this time, his hands rested lightly on her waist.

“Still think going home with a stranger is a bad idea?”

Spencer chuckled softly, stroking the exposed skin of her waist from where her top had ridden up.

“I’m still debating it.”

“Oh?”

He slid his hand around the sash, fingers hovering above her chest.

“I never asked, how old did you turn?”

She smiled. For some reason, she felt she could trust this man. The worst that could happen was he calls the cops on her for having a fake ID. She could deal with that. Destroy the evidence, bat her eyes. Easy. Besides, he looked barely of age himself. She quickly wondered what he did for a living? He did say he got a promotion.

It would be easiest to just tell him the truth.

“I don’t know if I should tell you this…”

He chuckled lowly in her ear, moving his lips gently across her neck.

“I can handle it.”

She gasped at the sensation, legs clamping together.

“Officially, it’s my twenty-third. At least, that’s what it says on my ID. One of them.”

Spencer froze, waiting for her to go on.

Y/N quickly backtracked.

“It’s okay! I’m twenty! Not a minor, no worries.”

But Spencer pulled away, an extremely worried look on his face despite her assurance.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re underage.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah? Come on, by one year. What, you never had a fake ID?”

“No!” he said shrilly, running a hand through his hair.

“Spencer, it’s ok! It’s not like I’m gonna get caught. I look much older and when are there cops at a place like that?”

He reached into his pocket and fished out a folded wallet. Snapping it open, Y/N’s jaw dropped at the FBI badge with his picture in the corner.

She floundered for a moment, unable to truly comprehend what was happening.

“You’re . . .”

“Yep,” he said shortly, pocketing the badge.

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much my reaction too,” he said, sighing. “I should arrest you.”

Y/N took a step back, incredulous.

“Arrest me?”

“You have a fake ID. You’re clearly drunk.”

She scoffed, crossing her arms.

“Great idea, Spencer. Book me. Take me down to the FBI and tell them exactly what happened to lead to you finding out I’m only twenty. I’m sure they’ll need very specific details.”

A look of realization flitted across Spencer’s face and he buried his head in his hands, groaning.

“How old are you anyway?!” she demanded, upset at him for being upset.

“Thirty-four!” he shouted, throwing his arms up in the air.

Oh shit.

This was bad.

He was fourteen years older than her, in the FBI, and probably was seconds away from arresting her.

“There’s no way you’re thirty-four. I mean, look at you!”

He rolled his eyes, snorting, and beginning to pace the small hallway.

“This is exactly what I get. I meet a girl I really like for the first time in years and she’s decades younger than me. And a criminal!”

“Hey!” she said, shoving his shoulder. “Not decades. I’m not a criminal. And how the hell do you think I feel?  I’m out trying to have fun on my birthday, some guy gropes me leading me to run into the perfect man, take him back to my apartment thinking I’m gonna get lucky only to find out he’s a cop who’s gonna arrest me. Best birthday ever.”

Spencer eyed her carefully.

“Get lucky?”

Y/N’s eyes went wide. Shit. She hadn’t meant to reveal that part. Even though it was pretty obvious, something about it not being said added to the excitement.

“Did you really . . . I mean were you…. Um.” Spencer seemed to lose all authoritative tone suddenly, stammering nervously. It was such a 180, it shocked Y/N. 

“Was I going to let you fuck me?”

He cringed at the bluntness but nodded sheepishly.

“Yeah, Spencer. I was.” She scoffed. “Honestly, I still would. But I understand if I’m more than you can handle,” she said coyly, trying to keep a straight face. “Just please don’t arrest me, Sir.”

His expression darkened at her words. Something deep and lustful behind it. Feeling bold, she went with it.

“Or is it Agent?” she cocked her head, holding a finger to her lips in thought. “How do I address you properly, sir?”

A small groan left Spencer’s mouth and he stepped forward, brushing a hand over her hair.

“We shouldn’t do this, Y/N…”

Slowly, she backed up into her apartment, pulling him with her.

“We shouldn’t.” She gently led him to her bedroom, sitting down on the edge of the bed, him towering over her. “To be fair, you’re the one with handcuffs.”

He groaned again, wiping a hand down his face.

“This is a bad idea.”

But he crouched down in front of her, pressing his forehead to her exposed knee, breathing deeply.

“Spencer,” it was barely a whisper but he met her eyes instantly. She smiled gently, reaching out to him and coaxing him up from the floor so he was hovering above her, mouths inches apart. “Listen, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” she assured him. “But I want this.”

She leaned back, pulling him with her so he was lying atop her, an obvious bulge pressing against her through their clothing.

“I want this, Spencer.”

Y/N hoped that he knew he could leave if he wanted. She didn’t want to pressure him into anything. Despite the age difference, she seemed to be the one more in control.

Spencer lowered his head, sighing.

“Fuck,” he moaned, lightly thrusting against her, a moan escaping her mouth at the contact.

That seemed to be the last straw.

He sat up, ripping his sweater vest off along with his button-down, quickly moving back over her, lips latching to her neck and chest.

Oh thank god. She wasn’t sure if she’d have been able to stand it if he’d left. But from the way he was touching her, hands moving up and down her sides, gently pulling her skirt down, looking up at her every now and then to make sure it was alright, he wasn’t going anywhere.

She just spurred him on, stripping off her top and bra, now only wearing her panties.

Spencer groaned at the sight, a hand reaching up, hovering over her breast. She arched her back up into his hand, letting out a gasp as he started to fondle her. 

God, his hands were huge. And nimble. Oh, so nimble.

She reached for his belt, quickly unbuckling it and tossing it across the room, pushing his pants down faster than possible.

He groaned again, a magical sound, reaching a hand down to stroke her through her panties, coaxing a gasp from her beautiful lips.

In a flash, Spencer had pulled down her panties and buried his head between her legs.

Y/N gasped, hand flying to the back of his head, edging him on.

He slipped two fingers into her, his tongue flicking against her clit wildly, making her writhe and moan on the bed, gasping his name.

“Spencer, Spencer.” It took all the resolve she had to pull his head away from her. “I need you to fuck me.”

Spencer looked at her, trying to read her expression.

“Y/N . . . are you sure?”

Rather than answer, she yanked him up, crashing their mouths together, one hand quickly pushing down his boxers, his erection springing free.

Good god.

Wow.

How the hell was she supposed to fit that inside her?

She looked up at him, impressed, only to see a slight blush on his cheeks.

“Well,” she said, kicking off the panties pooled around her ankles, laid bare underneath the stranger on top of her. “This night gets better by the second.”

His size was a little daunting, but the thought of him slowly filling her up, probably not being able to fit all the way in, only added to her desire.

He dipped his head down, stealing a quick yet passionate kiss.

“Do you have . . ?”

“Yeah, in the drawer.”

He reached over, grabbed a condom, and rolled it on. It looked extremely tight on him. Y/N unconsciously licked her lips. Spencer chuckled.

“Maybe next time. I need to be inside you.”

And with that, he flung her legs around his hips, positioning his cock at her entrance, slowly running it up and down, moistening the condom with her juices.

God. The feeling of him being so close and yet so far was almost enough to push her over the edge right there. He had been a god with his tongue and she was desperate for more friction.

Reaching down, she lightly circled her clit, moaning at the instant pleasure.

Before she could enjoy it much, hands gripped her wrists, pinning them above her on the bed, Spencer staring at her with a dark look.

“If you wanna touch yourself, you have to ask permission. Understood?”

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.

Words escaped her so she settled for a small nod.

“Use your words.”

His tone was so commanding the word left her mouth the moment he finished speaking.

“Yes.”

He lightly placed his hand around her neck, not applying any pressure, just hovering.

“Yes, what?”

Fuck. She wondered if it was possible to come just from being talked to.

“Yes, sir.”

And with that, he slid inside her, slowly filling her up with his length, moaning roughly at the sensation.

Y/N’s eyes snapped open, watching as Spencer’s face tightened, jawline even sharper, and a dark look in his eye. He carefully applied a bit more pressure to her throat, quickly releasing his hand afterward.

They were both still as she adjusted to the size of him inside her.

“Is this ok?” his voice sounded so different than it had a moment ago. He had shifted back to the geeky guy she’d met in the alley.

She nodded gently at him, running a hand over his cheek in a way that was surely far too personal for a one night stand. 

“My safeword is apple.”

He froze for a moment, shocked. Apparently she was kinkier than he’d expected. 

Tired of not being fucked by this man, she dug her heels into his back, directing him to move.

He did without hesitation, groaning at the sensation of slowly pulling out and thrusting back in. 

The feeling overwhelmed both of them, a litany of curses and moans falling from their mouths. Spencer’s hand moved back to her throat, squeezing much harder now that he knew what to listen for if she wanted to stop.

The sound of her moaning was enough to make him come right there and then. That, with the feeling of her around him and the fact that his hand was around her throat, totally in control.

“Fuck, you’re so fucking tight.”

Oh my god, where was this coming from? Her nails scraped down his back, leaving a trail of marks.

“You like feeling me fuck you?” he wrapped a hand around her leg, pulling it higher to try to hit the magical spot inside of her. “You like when I wrap my hand around your pretty little neck? Showing you how in control I am of you.”

She nodded ecstatically, legs tightening around him. She was definitely close to coming.

“What were you thinking? Going to a bar when you’re underage. Then leading a stranger to your home, intending to let him fuck you silly. Finding out I’m ages older than you and still practically begging me to bend you over and pound you till you can’t see straight. Is the age difference what gets you off, Y/N?”

At the sound of her name, she let out a raucous moan, no doubt waking up the other tenants of the building.

Spencer smiled, drilling harder and tightening his grip on her throat.

“Oh, you like it when I say your name? You like when I shove my big cock in you and moan your name in your ear?”

She practically screamed as his hand started to circle her clit, the stimulation practically knocking the air out of her.

He was hitting her g-spot with every thrust, pushing her closer and closer to the edge. She was so close. She just needed….

“You gonna come for me, Y/N?” he punctuated it with a particularly hard thrust, feeling her begin to clench around him, orgasm washing over her.

Her walls tightening around his cock was enough to send him barreling over the edge, grunting as he thrust in her four more times before feeling his balls tighten up and spill his seed deep inside her.

“Fuck,” he grunted, using his forearms to stay above her, both of them completely out of breath.

Slowly, he pulled out with a sigh, discarding the condom in the trash by her bed.

Y/N was seeing stars. This man had just given her her first penetrative orgasm. And, possibly the best sex she’d ever had.

‘Fuck’, was right.

Spencer flopped down next to her, still naked, trying to catch his breath.

Y/N turned to him, placing a hand on his chest.

It was strange. Even though they’d just had some of the best sex Y/N had ever had, she didn’t even know this man. And yet, somehow, she felt like she did. Did that happen a lot once you had sex with someone?

Her eyes refocused from where they’d been staring off into space to see a concerned Spencer looking at her.

“What?” she asked.

He studied her for another moment before speaking.

“You were biting your lip.”

A blush crept up her cheek.

“Yeah sorry. Helps me think.”

He let out a sharp breath, a sort of soft laugh.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he said as he retrieved his underwear, slipping them back on and starting to button up his shirt.

Oh. Was he going to leave? Of course he was! That’s all this was, anyway. A one night stand. You had sex. That was the point.

Then why did it feel like hell?

“You okay?”

Her thoughts had drifted into space again. Spencer had laid back down, now on his side facing her, holding her hand, looking at her intensely. His gaze was practically burning.

“Yeah.”

“I, uh, I don’t normally do . . . that.”

She chuckled. It was rather obvious he wasn’t the hookup type. Despite the dirty things that had come from his mouth.

“Me either.”

He softly stroked her cheek. 

“Are you going to stay?” she blurted.

His face fell.

“Oh, no I wasn’t going to impose if you-”

“NO! I mean,” she took a breath. “I want you to . . . I mean, if you want . . . I'd . . . I’d like you to stay. If you want?”

God. She sounded like a teenager asking their crush to prom. This was no stuttering sophomore she could kick in the crotch if he said no. He was a man. Although, he did tend to stutter. Maybe it wasn’t all that different.

He lit up, a wide smile brightening his features and he began to stroke her hand.

“I’d like that too.”

Wondering if it was possible for cheeks to sprain from smiling, she pulled up the covers, cuddling up against him, falling asleep almost immediately.

~

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Ugh. The stupid alarm. She had been right in the middle of a wonderful dream involving Spencer’s hands and her bruised throat.

What time was it anyway?

The red clock radio proudly displayed: 7:00.

Right, it was the first day of classes. Maybe she’d just ditch and stay in with Spencer. He had been so warm she was sure he had a sun where a heart should be. College didn’t matter anyway, right? Ugh.

A shiver ran through her. She reached out for Spencer, only to find the cold other half of the bed.

Sitting up in bed, she stared at the empty spot.

Had he really walked out on her in the middle of the night? No…. No? Fuck. How could she be so stupid. Of course he didn’t want to-

Oh, he’d left a note.

In a fast yet tidy scrawl, Spencer had left the following message on a little notecard.

Good morning! I am truly sorry to walk out like this, but I have a class at 7:30 and I have to stop by my place and get ready. I’ll be back at the bar tonight, 10:30. I’d love to see you there.

-Spencer. X

Her heart melted into an ocean at the sentiment behind each individual letter. The man she’d just had a dirty one night stand with wanted to see her again.

Wait, he’d said a class? He hadn’t told her he was a student! To be fair, neither had she. That’s another thing they had in common apparently. It made sense why he didn’t tell her. A lot of people were ashamed of going back to college later in life. She thought that was ridiculous. Good for him.

Maybe she could look him up in the student registry. Actually, he may not even go to Georgetown. There were plenty of colleges nearby. She couldn’t have looked him up anyway. She didn’t even know his last name.

It was probably a good thing he left, because she, too, had a class at 7:30.

It only took her twenty minutes to shower, get dressed, and walk the very short distance to campus.

She arrived in the lecture hall with exactly one minute to spare, finding a seat next to a brightly dressed redhead holding a fuzzy pen.

“Hi! I’m Allie.”

“Y/N,” she said, suppressing the cringe as Allie reached out to shake her hand.

“Nice to meet you! What’s your major?”

Oh god. The inevitable college question.

“Journalism. You?”

“English,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Super boring I know, but it lets me take fun classes like this one. Why are you taking this class?”

“Oh, um. It looked fun, I guess. My dad was a lawyer and he kind of piqued my interest in the criminal justice system.”

Allie sighed.

“Thank god. You know half the girls are here just because the Professor is a hottie,” she said with air quotes, rolling her eyes again.

“Really?” Y/N asked, glancing around at the seats noticing the vast majority of the population were women. “Wait, I thought Ms. Merklins was the teacher? Did something change?”

“You didn’t get the email? It just went out the other day, Ms. Merklins had to retire. Something about a club foot. Anyway, the new teacher is supposedly super overqualified. Plus, he’s cute.”

“Huh.”

“Yep. I talked to this one girl in the hall, she actually said she’d sleep with him! Can you imagine?”

Y/N laughed.

“Nooooo. I cannot and I don’t want to. I’m just here to learn, I promise.”

“Same here. Although, if I start getting C’s, all bets are off.”

Y/N laughed and politely chatted with Allie while they waited.

The Professor’s office door swung open and Y/N reached into her bag to get her laptop.

“Hello, class.”

“Hello,” the class echoed.

“Welcome to Criminology. I am Professor Reid and I-.”

Y/N looked up over her screen as he stopped talking, making sudden eye-contact with the Professor.

She froze in her seat, blood running cold.

No way. No fucking way.

Spencer?

~

TAGLIST

~

@whollytaciturn​ @101donuts​ @thegingerfairchild @safertokiss @happyiidiot @cielo1984 @thupidalethea @darkacademiacherry @matthewreid @aloha-ashley-taylor @justchiara-02 @spnobsessedmemes @sweet-darlin @matthewreid

[tierneysinclair]

“Nobody’s ever been arrested for a murder; they have only ever been arrested for not planning it properly.” ― Terry Hayes, I Am Pilgrim

Basic Information

Full name: Tierney Sinclair Pronunciation: Tier-Knee Sin-Claire Nickname(s): Not if you like to live. Tierney doesn’t do nicknames. Tierney is the only name he’ll answer to. Birthdate:  September 8, 1979 Age: 40 Zodiac: Virgo Gender: Cis-Male Pronouns: he/him Romantic Orientation: Straight Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Nationality: American Ethnicity: White Current Location: Miami, Florida Living Conditions: Tierney lives in a small apartment above his new garage. It’s nothing fancy and that’s the way he likes it. Well worn couches, outdated kitchen appliances, wear worn towels. He doesn’t live in the slums but owning only new things has never been a part of Tierney’s lifestyle.

Background

Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada Hometown: N/A Social Class: Presents as lower-middle class but has enough money in the bank to be upper class if he really wanted to be. But he never will. Educational Achievements: None. Tierney never went to school. By the time he was released for the testing facility it was too late and too hard to get someone like him caught up. Sporadically home schooled by staff and other people Tierney isn’t the sort of person you want on your trivia team. He struggles with complex math, history, and all other assorted ‘average school knowledge’. Father: Unknown Mother: Unknown Sibling(s): Unknown Birth Order: N/A Pets: None Previous Relationships: Nothing lasts longer than a night. Do one night stands count? Arrests: A lot. By the time Tierney aged out of the foster program he’d been arrested more times than he had fingers and toes. Nothing major, minor mischief and petty theft. It wasn’t until he was picked up by the Syndicate that he started doing bigger crimes. And by then he had the support network to not get arrested. Prison Time: Surprisingly, not a lot. Accumulated, no more than a few months. It pays to have friends in low places.

Occupation & Income

Current Occupation: Hitman for the Blackburn Syndicate & Freelance Motorcycle Restorer Dream Occupation: None. Tierney has a limited view of both his life and the world. The idea of having a ‘dream’ anything is a foreign concept to him. Past Job(s): He was boy once at a greasy diner once. When they found out he’d lied about who he was a week later he was fired. Chicago wasn’t kind to kids with rap sheets and level five rankings. Falling in with the Syndicate has been the only ‘real’ job he’s ever had. Spending Habits: Tierney is a very frugal person. He buys almost everything second hand or used and very rarely spends it on anything new. The only expensive things he owns are his bikes and a flat screen TV. Tierney’s not ashamed to admit most of his money gets spent on bike parts anyways. Debt: Never. Credit cards mean government ability to track him. And being in debt t other people is a one way trip to being killed over it at a later date. Tierney repays any debts he can’t avoid as quickly as possible, but he tends to avoid accruing debts as much as possible. Most Valuable Possession: Some people might say it would be his bikes, and from a purely financial stand point it most definitely is, but according to Tierney it’s the Blackburn Syndicate, hands down.

Skills & Abilities

Physical Strength: Above Average | Average | Below Average

Tierney works out twice a day, every day, no exceptions. He needs to be in top physical condition for every job and now it’s just become a part of his daily habits. He’s supremely strong in his own right but mix his powers in with it and a supremely dedicated force of will he could probably lift a car above his head.

Speed: Above Average | Average | Below Average

Tierney isn’t the fastest hitman on the market but he’s perfectly capable of darting in and out of a situation with speed. It’s part of the job to act quickly and what he lacks in sheer speed he knows he more than makes up for elsewhere.

Intelligence: Above Average | Average | Below Average

Tierney never went to school. What schooling he did get the few years he had between testing and aging out was sporadic at best. He’s not ashamed of his faults but he doesn’t go around talking about them much either. Besides, being able to recite the presidents holds no bearing on his life choices so...what’s it matter? Tierney knows how to do his job exceptionally well. What Tierney doesn’t know ranges from complex math to the English Oxford Comma.

Accuracy: Above Average | Average | Below Average

Tierney’s powers require a certain degree of needed accuracy coupled with the fact he’s exceptionally talented with a range of deadly weapons. He prides himself in hitting exactly what he’s aiming at every time. Sure, he misses, but that usually because his target makes an unexpected move before he can account for it.

Agility: Above Average | Average | Below Average

He’s getting older, he won’t lie about that, and that’s starting to show. Tierney is less likely to look like a stunt double these days. No somersaults or daring roof top leaps happen these days. Besides, it’s more dramatic to sweep in like an avenging angel and sweep out just as quickly. Agility is good for running away. But you only run away when you get caught. And Tierney never gets caught.

Stamina: Above Average | Average | Below Average

Tierney’s powers are tied directly to his stamina. It’s taken him years and years of practice to build up the stamina he has now. He can use his powers for hours before he starts to feel winded and hours more before he gets tired. (Unless he goes for the super taxing activities like lifting buildings or psionic explosions.) It’s perhaps his greatest strength, his ability to keep going when others weaker than him might stop.

Teamwork: Ciara Sawyer is his go-to partner. Hell, most would call her his only partner. He doesn’t like working with other people and tries very hard not to do it. He will when he must but he’ll be begrudging about it the whole time. Talents/Hobbies: Motorcycles, Lockpicking, Murder Shortcomings: His sense of justice, the inability to kill someone who isn’t involved with what he’s doing. It’s a bonus he can erase minds when he wants to. Anyone who knows Tierney from work and outside of work knows he has a severe weak spot for his gang. Touch a hair on their heads and he tends to lose focus. Languages Spoken: English Drive?: Yes. A MV Agusta Brutale. Jump-Start a Car?: Yes Change a Flat Tire?: All the time. Ride a Bicycle?: No way. In hell. Swim?: Not because he likes to. Play an Instrument?: Nope Play Chess?: Yes Braid Hair?: No Tie a Tie?: Yes. Of course! Pick a Lock?: Oh hell yeah. With his mind. Cook?: Yes, but not well.

Physical Appearance & Characteristics

Faceclaim: Joel Kinnaman Eye Color: Brownish/Greenish Hair Color: Ashy Blonde Hair Type/Style/Length: Average/Well Kept/Short Glasses/Contacts?: None Dominant Hand: Right Height: 6′ 2″ Weight: 187lbs Build: Athletic Exercise Habits: Two session, morning and evening. Every day, two hours. With intermittent practice in between with others. Skin tone: Fair Tattoos: Left shoulder reaching to just below his elbow, spiders out to cover some of his chest and back. Got it to cover up an old gunshot scar. A faded string of numbers on his right arm (080879-58-05). Piercings: None Marks/Scars: Tierney is covered in scars. From battle wounds to childhood scrapes, to remnants of his life as a test mutant. Most can be found on his chest and back but part of why he wears pants and sleeves is to hide the others. Don’t want his identifying marks to get out and doesn’t like explaining to others what happened to him in order to get that many scars. Clothing Style: Dark colors, long pants, long sleeves, deep pockets. Usually a coat when the weather allows. The more places to hide the things he needs to work the better. But he cleans up well, he has plenty of suits in his closet too. Usually second hand stuff, the only time he buys something fancy is when he’s on a job. Jewelry: A set of dog tags labeling him a level five mutant. Nothing more. Allergies: None Diet: Average. More fast food than probably healthy. Physical Ailments: Stiff knees. Jumped off a few too many building in his younger years. Spent too many hours kneeling behind walls after that. They don’t bother him much but anyone with eyes can see they’re stiff. His left shoulder is also stiff, he favors it. Perhaps on of his worst gun shot injuries to date. It haunts him. And aches when the weather changes.

Psychology

MBTI Type: ISTJ-A (The Logistician)

ISTJs are often called inspectors. They have a keen sense of right and wrong, especially in their area of interest and/or responsibility. They are noted for devotion to duty. Punctuality is a watchword of the ISTJ. As do other Introverted Thinkers, ISTJs often give the initial impression of being aloof and perhaps somewhat cold. Effusive expression of emotional warmth is not something that ISTJs do without considerable energy loss. ISTJs are most at home with "just the facts, Ma'am." They seem to perform at highest efficiency when employing a step-by-step approach.

Enneagram Type: Type 6 (The Skeptic)

The committed, security-oriented type. Sixes are reliable, hard-working, responsible, and trustworthy. Excellent "troubleshooters," they foresee problems and foster cooperation, but can also become defensive, evasive, and anxious—running on stress while complaining about it. They can be cautious and indecisive, but also reactive, defiant and rebellious. They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion. At their Best: internally stable and self-reliant, courageously championing themselves and others.

Moral Alignment: Lawful Neutral

A lawful neutral character acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs her. Order and organization are paramount to her. She may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or she may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government.

Temperament: Choleric

Cholerics are extroverted, quick-thinking, active, practical, strong-willed, and easily annoyed. They are self-confident, self-sufficient, and very independent minded. They are brief, direct, to the point, and firm when communicating with others.

Element: Earth & Fire Emotional Stability: Stable Introvert or Extrovert?: Introvert Obsession(s): Motorcycles. Tierney doesn’t know a lot outside of how to kill someone and get away with it. But he knows practically everything there is to know about motorcycles. How they work, how the break, how to fix them. Everything. Some would call him obsessed but Tierney calls it laser focused. Compulsion(s): Protecting his family. It’s what’s on his mind in every situation. All of his actions are dictated by this fact. Even for decisions that aren’t going to impact the Syndicate are measured against this need. It’s never occurred to him that it might, in fact, be a problem. It’s just natural. Phobia(s): Mutant testing facilities. It’s irrational, especially now, to be afraid of getting taken back to the white walled hellscape he grew up in. But he is. He scrubs his name clean where ever he goes and actively avoids anyone in a lab coat who starts asking questions. He even takes down fliers asking for mutants to ‘willingly’ submit to testing. He doesn’t talk about those years for damn good reasons. Addiction(s): None Drug Use: None Alcohol Use: Often Prone to Violence?: Always Prone to Crying?: No Believe in Love at First Sight?: No

Mannerisms

Accent: Depends. A bit of a hodgepodge of Boston and Midwestern. Tends to adapt to the common accent after a while when staying in a place for a prolonged period of time. Speech Quirks: None Hobbies: Motorcycle Repair, Motorcycle Rebuilding Habits: Spinning things in the air when he’s concentrating. Leg bouncing. Ordering more food than he can eat so he has left overs in the fridge. Nervous Ticks: Rubbing his nose and spinning objects in the air at high rates of speed. Drives/Motivations: Protecting his family. Fears: Losing his family, someone dying on him, being taken back in for testing. Sense of Humour?: Dry. Like the desert. Do They Curse Often?: Like. All the time.

Favorites

Animal: Bear Beverage: Heineken Beer and/or Black Coffee Book: None. Tierney hates reading. Color: Deep Green Food: Ciara’s Flower: None Gem: Emeralds Mode of Transportation: Motorcycles Scent: Fresh brewed coffee, rain on the horizon, motorcycle oil, pizza grease on your fingers Sport: Football and Hockey Weather: Rain Vacation Destination: None

Attitudes

Greatest Dream: End mutant testing. Tierney sees nothing productive in the act and goes out of his way to end it whenever and wherever he can. Mutants are people. Not lab rats to be poked at or taken away from their families. Greatest Fear: Losing one of his family and being taken back for mutant testing. Most at Ease When: Elbow deep in one of his bikes with of his closest friends lounging on the couch across the way. Least as Ease When: He doesn’t know what’s going on around him. When his plans has fallen through and he’s no longer in control of what’s happening around him. Worst Possible Thing That Could Happen: Alma being murdered. Biggest Achievement: Taking out the president of the company that held him as a test subject when he was a child. Biggest Regret: He has exactly Eleven. Eleven deaths that weren’t supposed to happen but did.

[slyreaderslibrary]

Ch. 4 Cold Cases and Hot Leads

AO3: Here

Fanfiction.net: Here

Summary: Keeping a secret identity secret is normally hard enough but when you’re as beautiful as Minako Aino you’re bound to have all kinds of creeps and weirdo stalking your every move. Now there’s a cop hot on her trail and she’ll have to be quick on her feet if she’s to keep her identity on the DL. Just what is a gorgeous super-heroine to do? 

 Name: Koizumi, Keisuke

Birthdate: 19XX-09-23

Age: 27

Current Employer: TCPD

Educa—

Minako skimmed the profile page, growing bored when she didn't see anything of use. A quick search of the Tokyo City Police Department's open cases didn't show any results either. The only thing that stood out was a long standing open case to determine the source of the youma infestation. It seems someone in the department was convinced these were gross animal mutations due to some kind of unknown radiation but the case had been opened and had remained unsolved since her initial Sailor V days.

Man, did she wish Ami were here. Ami was so much better at these kind of things. Sadly, Ami was in Germany for a semester filling her brilliant brain with all kinds of facts and numbers. Minako also doubted her friend would be happy to have her study time interrupted for anything less than Senshi business. A lone cop—or even several—was hardly anything to bother her about, not when Minako had proven she could handle them at thirteen.

"That's it!"

Minako snapped her fingers and then pressed several buttons on the keypay. The screen shifted, going black as a dial tone rang out over the speakers and then flared to life as a beautiful, dark haired woman sitting behind a desk covered in papers appeared on the monitors with a smile wide on her face.

"Minako-chan!"

Minako grinned and flashed her trademark V.

"Guilty as charged!"

"It's been too long!" The woman leaned back in her seat and propped her Louis Vuittons on her desk corner. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh you know," Minako shrugged, "Catching bad guys, breaking hearts, the usual."

"You know, you could still come work for me and actually get paid for what you do."

"Natsuna-onee-san," Minako gasped, pressing her hand to her heart, "Can you imagine if it was discovered that Japan's number one star was working a second job? They'd question if my life was really as fabulous as it is, you know!"

Natsuna flashed a predatory smirk, dropping her feet to the floor and leaning forward. "Can you imagine what they would say if they knew Japan's sweetheart was the fabled Sailor V? You'd be the symbol of Japan! More famous than the Emperor!"

Minako scoffed and gave her friend a pointed look. "Sailor V hasn't been seen in years. There are new heroines now."

"Yes, and speculation on the web is that the two may be related." Minako raised a brow and Natsuna nodded in response. "Yes, some of the less frequented forums tend to focus on Sailor Venus in particular in that regard."

"And the precincts?"

"Precincts?" Natsuna frowned, "Why would the precincts be gossiping about your identities?"

"Why would a detective be casing out my school?"

"What?!" Natsuna jumped to her feet and ran off screen.

"Wakagi! My office! NOW!"

Natsuna reappeared.

"Minako-chan, I'll find out what I can and call you back." She pursed her lips, debating, then added, "I'm afraid it might take awhile. Since taking office, I'm not as in the loop with my subordinates as I was in my previous position, but I promise I will get them to back off. You have my word."

"Thanks onee-san. I owe you one."

The screen went black and Minako settled in to wait.

oOo

She was still there.

Two hours had come and gone and his suspect was still off playing arcade games. At least he hoped so. She had managed to sneak past him back at the school, he wouldn't put it past her to take an alternate way out of the arcade.

Keisuke drummed his fingers as he debated what to do. He could leave his post and get close enough for a visual, potentially risking detection, or he could stay where he was and wait, potentially allowing her trail to grow colder because she had slipped past him once again. He checked the time on his phone and frowned.

A chime reached his ears, one he recognized as the Crown's, and he snapped his gaze up in time to see Aino waving goodbye to the shopkeeper.

"Remember what I said about London!" Aino called over her shoulder. She dropped her hand as the door swung shut and glanced around the street for a moment.

Was she looking for him? It wasn't unheard of for a suspect to spot a tail and grow paranoid as time went by. However unlike previous suspects, Aino seemed unperturbed and in no hurry, standing there, idle, as she tapped her lips thoughtfully. He watched her glance down and say something to the cat curled around her feet. Odd, it appeared tame, if its behavior was any indicator, but he hadn't noticed the feline previously. Had it been with her earlier? And if the cat travelled with Aino often enough to walk unleashed, why hadn't he seen it before?

Aino finally settled on a destination and turned north and Keisuke rushed to follow, slipping past the railing bars and dropping to the pavement below. He did his best to follow unobserved but it was a task easier said than done. His suspect was distracted easily by displays in storefronts or carts selling wares along the street, and more than once he needed to duck or dive to prevent being spotted. After one such incident he had lost her altogether and it was only a lucky guess—as well as her golden hair sparkling amongst a sea of blacks and browns—that had put him on the chase once more. He was grateful she took the time to dye it but then remembered his own silver locks and decided he shouldn't assume.

Besides being easily distracted, she was also constantly talking. He wasn't sure if she had a bluetooth or if she was just talking at her cat, although she looked its way often enough that Keisuke had begun to accurately predict when to slip out of sight. The way the cat moved though...Keisuke could have sworn it was responding, and the longer he spent staring at it, the more he felt like he'd seen it before although he hadn't the slightest idea where.

Cats aside, he was more than a little relieved when residential buildings began to appear and Aino's pace began to slow. Maybe she lived with a friend and that was why he couldn't find her place of residence? Keisuke crossed the street, hoping to keep his distance and watched as his target sprinted up a steep set of steps leading to a local shrine without pausing her stride. He raised a brow, a little impressed despite himself, and then took out his notebook and noted the Shrine's name and location. Hikawa...why did that sound familiar?

Keisuke took out his phone and did a quick search, both eyebrows shooting up when he saw the results. He let out a low whistle and marked several articles and then opened his contacts. He found the name he was looking for and pressed the dial button.

"Hey, it's Koizumi." Keisuke paused and listened, "Yes, that one." He rolled his eyes as the other person said something else and glanced at the shrine steps. No blonde in sight. "I was wondering if we could meet," he glanced down at his watch. "Perhaps in an hour?" He turned away from the steps and started walking towards a nearby cafe.

"I want you to tell me what you know about the Hikawa Shrine."

oOo

"Reeeeeeeei!"

Minako snickered to herself as she watched her friend stiffen before turning around to greet her.

"Go home."

"Rei!" Minako gasped, skidding to a halt. "Is that anyway to treat a friend who came all this way to see you?"

The priestess ignored her and resumed sweeping while Minako huffed as dramatically as she could behind her. The thanks she got!

"Well fine," she crossed her arms and turned to leave, "I was going to ask if you needed help around here for the next few days but I can see where I'm not wanted."

"Jet setting around the world not enough to keep you busy these days?"

"Hardly," Artemis scoffed, appearing along the top of the stone wall. He jumped down from his perch to join them. "She's just trying to get in the law enforcement's good graces."

Rei nodded to Artemis in greeting and then turned her beautiful no-nonsense gaze to stare down Minako.

"Okay, I miiiiight have hoped hanging around here for a few days would get him off my case." Minako plucked Rei's broom from her hands and turned up the kitten eyes. "Please Rei? Aren't you always saying you could use the help?"

Rei rolled her eyes and snatched her broom back. "You cause more destruction than you help half the time." She crossed her arms and raised an expectant brow. "Why's he following you anyway?"

Minako shrugged, glancing around the courtyard to insure no one else was listening. She would have bet money that someone had been following her earlier but it seemed that was no longer the case.

"My source says some precinct got a bee up their bonnets and have reopened old youma case files in hopes of catching the perp of the more recent youma influx."

"What does that have to do with you?"

"I'm not quite sure." Minako rubbed her temples. Talking about cops always gave her such a headache! "While it makes sense that we'd cross their eye if youma are involved, I've never had police chase after my civilian identity before."

Rei looked at her sharply.

"You don't think they've learned who you are do you?"

Minako pursed her lips and then waved the idea away. "Nah. Natsuna would have said something. The closest anyone's gotten is guessing V and Venus are the same person and that doesn't take Ami's brains to figure out."

"A mystery in itself considering all that blonde hair you have," Rei smirked. She shook her head and handed Minako the broom. "Fine,you can help but no handling the temple artifacts. Last time you nearly broke a three hundred year old vase."

"Aye aye, capitaine!" Minako snapped to attention and gave a sharp salute but Rei was too busy walking away to appreciate it.

"Hey!" She dropped formation and hurried to catch up to her. "Hey wait!"

"Reeeeeeeei!"

[heydisneyhiremeplease]

I Dedicate This Imagine to You

Word count: 1,544

Warnings: A fictional woman on a news program is called an “anorexic blond” by Natasha, whom we all know to be pretty blunt with her word choices.

Timeline: Everyone is living in the Avenger Facility, so before the Civil War breaks out.

Imagine key:

“y/f/s” = your favorite social media

“y/s/n” = your superhero name

You looked at your phone, sort of unable to believe what was happening. Right there, on y/f/s, was the engagement announcement of a member of your favorite band. Your brain hurt. It was impossible to process. You had been a huge fan for years, having grown up with their voices in your ears. You knew their birthdates, the names of their siblings and parents, and you had dedicated so much time to watching their every move as they took the world by storm.

And now one of them was actually getting married.

You sighed, causing some of your teammates to look up at you. “You okay, Y/N?” asked Steve. He was always the first to check on you. You answered in the affirmative. They would all think you were strange if you explained what was really going on. Why would you ever care about some band? You were an Avenger! But you were also a girl whose heart was a little broken at the moment.

Life as an Avenger was hard. After hours of training and long, risky missions, you liked to come back to the Facility and just lounge in your room, listening to their music or laughing at old memes. You went there now, and began scrolling through your phone’s camera roll. You had many pictures of them stored there, and when you were sad you looked at them to make yourself feel better. Sometimes, as you looked at their beautiful, smiling faces, you wondered if they knew that you loved them. You realized all of their fangirls pondered that same question. But you were somewhat of a celebrity now, just like them. You had been featured on international news. Clips of you using your powers populated YouTube. You had a handful of fan accounts on various social media platforms, and all of your own accounts were verified. You had even inspired a meme! As you continued to accrue fame, you had been more and more tempted to make it known you loved them.

Mostly, you were tempted to get Tony to make some calls and arrange a private meeting after one of their concerts. If anyone could secure such a moment in paradise, it would be him. And you knew he would do it, too. You had saved his life once or twice while on a mission, and even favors of that magnitude were not so hard for him to grant. But you had always been against using your position as an Avenger to get selfish things. The members of your favorite band had lives of their own. You couldn’t ask Tony to summon them like animals just so you could giggle for a half hour and brag to anyone who would listen about your group selfie with them.

Still...once one band member got married, wasn’t it just a short time until the band broke up altogether? Soon the others would be married, or make other major life choices, and they would finally have something more important than the band to commit their time to. And your safe place would evaporate.

The band probably knew you existed now, where they hadn’t before you’d become one of earth’s mightiest heroes. But they didn’t know how you adored them. They didn’t know how you had cried listening to their music, how you knew all the words and recited them to yourself in a whisper voice on nights when you couldn’t sleep. How you knew their faces and could identify which of them was singing on a track without even thinking. They didn’t know the effect they had on you, on your heart.

You were being very mopey now, laying on your bed with your earbuds in, playing one of their most melancholy songs a little too loudly to be considered healthy. It was hard for you to care. You thought of all the dreams you’d ever had, whether about them or just life in general. You thought about where you used to picture your life going—not where it had ended up, certainly. You could recall all the silly daydreams you’d had about meeting them, about what they would say. If, perhaps, they would sing one of their songs just for you, as if you were the one it had been written for. You sighed.

Just then, a text came through on your phone from Nat. Can I come in? it read. You jumped off your bed and stepped over to the door to open it for her. “Sorry, I knocked, but you never answered.” she shrugged.

“Yeah, I had these in.” you explained, pulling your earbuds out of your ears to show her. She nodded. She looked around your room, studying the few posters you had of the band. She glanced at the small collection of their CDs on your desk, which you had bought before setting up your Spotify account.

“So I was watching one of those stupid entertainment news shows a minute ago,” she started, “and I saw a segment on these people.” She gestured in three or four different directions, anywhere band merch existed. You raised your eyebrows and offered her a look that silently said And? She smiled. “The anorexic blond reading off the article said that one of them got engaged. I wondered if that was bothering you.” Nat said.

You had to be careful here. You couldn’t let her know it was the official death of so many of your wild fantasies dating years back, where you and said band member got married and rode off into the sunset. “Umm...I don’t know if I have any right to be bothered by it. We’re talking about a real person, getting married to another real person. They aren’t characters in a movie I can criticize. I have no say.” you stated diplomatically. Nat nodded, agreeing that your conclusion was logical. But then she waited, because she knew you had more to say. You took a deep breath, trying to organize your feelings before turning them into words.

“I guess that...well, I don’t know. If they start getting married, the band might break up. And if the band breaks up, then it’s over. I’ve been a fan for years now. If they’re making grown-up choices like getting married, then they’re like real adults. And it’s like my perfect little safe place, where adult problems couldn’t find me, is gone. It’s just hard to think about.” you related.

Nat nodded again. You wondered if she’d ever had a celebrity crush, or fallen in love with a band’s music. You wondered if she had a favorite book. Her background was so different from yours. She didn’t spend her tween years staying up late watching compilations of interview clips or taking quizzes about which famous actor she should date. Did she think you were crazy?

“I understand. I mean, not really, because I had to deal with adult problems from day one. In the place I was raised...where I was trained, that was all life was for me. But I’m glad it wasn’t that way for you. And let me tell you something. You find solutions to grown-up problems all the time. You step in and save at least one of us on every mission. You always have our backs, and that’s what’s important. You’re already doing so well. Don’t let this get you down. You don’t need some band to protect you. You can protect yourself. And you’ve got a whole team of people who will stand in the way of anyone or anything that wants to hurt you.” She paused to lay a hand on your shoulder.

Nat continued, “If you feel like you need their music to get you through tough times, go ahead. Maybe they will break up, but you still have what they used to be. Our lives get difficult. If this is what makes you feel better, I don’t think it’s hurting anyone. You might try listening at a lower volume, though. You know how Cap and Bruce feel about you blasting music through those things.” You both shared a smile once she finished speaking. Then she stood up and began to walk back out your bedroom door. But before she disappeared from sight, she looked over her shoulder and added a final sentence: “Oh, and just so you know, after they announced the engagement they reported that another member of that band tweeted something about you.”

Nat walked away like what she had just said wasn’t the most important news you’d received all year—maybe even in the last five years. You grabbed your phone and checked every member’s Twitter until you found a comment about you at the top of one of their pages. Not just any member of the bad. Your favorite one.

You read it over and over in your mind before it made any real sense: “Well I don’t know about the rest of you but I’ll always feel safe with y/s/n protecting us. And that uniform is sick.” Your heart almost burst in your chest.

The squeal you let out could easily be heard from the living room. Nat and Steve shared a look. You were fine now. They doubted you’d go back to moping about anything for a least a month.

Note: This is definitely a thinly veiled rant about my feelings regarding Michael Clifford’s engagement. 5 Seconds of Summer is my favorite band, and I wanted to talk about them indirectly so as not to betray the integrity of my Marvel-themed blog (the title of this imagine is taken from their song Heartbreak Girl). However, I tried to make it vague so that pretty much any band can be filled in as you read it. I take constructive criticism, and requests! 😁

Masterlist!

[duggardata]

Keeping Up w/ Michelle:  The Duggar Daughters

Part 2 of 3.  Will any of the second–generation Duggars end up with 19 Kids + Counting, or maybe even achieve the elusive twentieth? Let’s do the math. 

In Part 1, I posted about Michelle Duggar’s impressive fertility, and calculated a few benchmarks:

Michelle was fertile (and quiverfull) for 7,552 Days. In this time, she gave birth to eighteen children. (She had Josh before becoming quiverfull, so I chose to omit that data.)

Michelle’s median child spacing is 460 Days, or about 13 Months...

... and it varies by a median absolute deviation (MAD) of 96 Days, or just over 3 Months. This means Michelle was pretty freaking consistent—she popped out a baby every 364 to 556 Days, pretty much like clockwork.

Now, in Part 2, we’ll see how the married Duggar Daughters—Jill, Jessa, Jinger, and Joy—stack up against their mother. Do any of them have a fighting chance to outdo Michelle?

God, I hope not... But let’s take a look at the data.

Note—

For purposes of this post, I’ll assume that each Duggars Daughter will prove to be as fertile as Michelle—i.e., that she will be capable of having a child up until the age Michelle was at Josie’s birth (43.2416 Years old).

Obviously, this might not be the case. But, keep in mind:  Genetics do play into fertility and, given that we have to use some age as the fertility cut–off if we are going to estimate family size, it makes the most sense to use Michelle’s age for her daughters.

Okay, now that that’s settled... Let’s look at data from each Duggar Daughters, in order of marriage...

Jill Michelle (Duggar) Dillard     

D.O.B.   5–17–91     |     Wedding   6–21–14     |     Quiver So Far   2

Fertility.   Jill married Derick Dillard on June 21, 2014, at the age of 23.28 Years. She will be 43.24 Years old—i.e., Michelle’s age at Josie’s birth—on August 12, 2034. Thus, Jill began married life with 7,358 Fertile Days, of which 5,983 Days (81.3%) remain. This means Jill started with 3% (194 Days) less fertility than her mother.

Necessary Pace.   On Day 1 of her marriage, Jill could’ve ended as up a mother to nineteen by having one child every 387 Days. If she had, Jill would have had at least three little Dillards so far—and as y’all know, she hasn’t. To get nineteen at this point, Jill will have to maintain an even faster pace of one child every 352 Days. It’s theoretically possible, but not really feasible, as it requires conception within 10 Weeks of each birth. (And even less if she goes past her due date!)

Pace So Far.   So far, the Dillards have two sons, Israel David and Samuel Scott. Izzy was born on April 6, 2015, 289 Days after the Dillards married. Sam arrived 824 Days later, on July 7, 2017. Based on this, Jill has a median spacing of 557 Days, but a massive MAD of 397 Days—indicating a lack of consistency. From this data, all we can say is that Jill’s babies are just as likely to be Irish twins as to be 952 Days apart. If the Dillards continued to procreate at their median rate, they will ultimately have 12.74 Children—Israel and Sam, plus 10.74 more. 

Will She Keep Up?   No, the pace is just too fast. Plus, with the two C–sections and the scary births, I want to believe she isn’t really deluded enough to try.

Jessa Lauren (Duggar) Seewald   

D.O.B.   11–4–92     |     Wedding   11–1–14    |     Quiver So Far   2

Fertility.   Jessa + Ben married on November 1, 2014, three days before Jessa’s 22nd birthday. Jessa began her marriage with 7,762 Days of Fertility—i.e., 210 Days (2.9%) more than Michelle. Jessa’s theoretical last day of fertility is 1–31–2036 and, as of March 27, 2018, she has 6,520 Fertile Days remaining.

Necessary Pace.   Based on all of that, the Seewalds could have ended up with a quiver of nineteen if Jessa had a child every 409 days, starting right after her “I do.” They haven’t quite kept this pace, however; if they had, Seewald #3 would be more than an online rumor. To reach nineteen at this point, Jessa will have to up the pace a bit, to one child every 384 Days.

Pace So Far.   Like the Dillards, the Seewalds have two sons—Spurgeon Elliot, and Henry Wilberforce. Spurgeon was born on November 5, 2015, 369 Days—or 1 Year, 4 Days—after Jessa + Ben tied the knot. Henry arrived just 459 Days (15 Months) later, on February 6, 2017. Overall, the Seewalds’ median spacing is 414 Days. Also, they’re pretty consistent, with a MAD of only 67 Days—less than Michelle’s! From this data, we can guess that the Seewalds will produce a child every 347–481 Days. If the Seewalds maintain this pace, they are likely to end up with 15.5–17.7 Children.   

Will She Keep Up?   Possibly. If Jessa wants to, I think she could. She will need one every 384 Days to reach nineteen and, right now, her probable range is one every 347–481 Days. That’s right in the ballpark.

Jinger Nicole (Duggar) Vuolo

D.O.B.   12–21–93     |     Wedding   11–5–16    |     Quiver So Far   1 in Utero

Fertility.   The Vuolos said “I do” on November 5, 2016, making Jinger a bride at 22.87 Years of age. If Jinger is as fertile as Michelle, the last day she will be able to bear a child will be March 18, 2037. On her wedding day, that gave her 7,439 Days of Fertility, 113 Days (or 1.5%) less than Michelle. Today, 6,932 (93%) of those days remain.

Necessary Pace.   Given her fertility at marriage, Jinger would have need to have one child every 392 Days (13 Months) to reach nineteen. At that pace, Jinger + Jeremy would be recently–pregnant with Vuolo #2, having welcomed #1 on 12–2–17. Obviously, that didn’t happen; Jinger didn’t even announce Vuolo #1 was on the way until Day 424 of her and Jeremy’s marriage. To reach nineteen, the Vuolos would have to pick up the pace and have one child every 365 Days.

Pace So Far.  As I alluded to earlier, Jinger is currently pregnant with Baby Vuolo #1. If her Instagram updates are reliable, she is due sometime between July 16–July 20, as I argued here and here. For now, let’s just assume she’s due July 18. On average, Duggar daughter deliver 4 Days late, so we can guess that Vuolo 1 will arrive on July 22, 2018. That’s 624 Days after the Vuolos wedding. If Jinger + Jereremy keep up this relatively slow pace, they’ll have 11.9 Children in all.

Will She Keep Up?   No. While I’m not convinced that Jinger was on the Pill or using NFP prior to Vuolo #1, I don’t think she actually wants eleventy children—and I doubt Jeremy does, either. I see them stopping at like 5–6, just enough to be a ‘big family,’ but no more than that.

Joy–Anna (Duggar) Forsyth

D.O.B.   10–28–97     |     Wedding   5–26–17    |     Quiver So Far   1

Finally, of all the Duggar Daughters, Joy is the most newlywed.

Fertility.  Joy + Austin Forsyth exchanged vows on May 26, 2017, when Joy was still a teenager. She was 19.58 Years old, to be exact. Due to her early marriage, Joy’s fertility is by far the best of the Duggar Daughters. She started her married life with 8,644 Fertile Days—over a thousand days more than Michelle. Scarier still, 8,339 (96.5%) of those still remain for Joy + Austin. So, even now, after the birth of their first, the Forsyths still have 787 Days more than Michelle had, even at the very beginning. That’s a head–start of over 2 Years. Yikes!

Necessary Pace.   With Joy’s long fertility, the Forsyths only needed to have one child every 455 Days to end up with nineteen—or, one per 432 Days, if they’re going for that elusive twentieth child. Well, for these two, that seems easy...

Pace So Far.   So far, Joy–Anna’s procreative capacity is... Impressive. Gideon’s due date (and birthdate) suggests Joy got pregnant within days of her wedding. When Gideon arrived on February 23, 2018, the Forsyths had been married just 273 Days. (And no... This doesn’t mean Joy got pregnant or had sex before the  “I do”s. See below, and stop saying this! It’s mean and untrue.)

Anyway, if the Forsyths maintain this insane, break–neck pace, they’ll probably end up with, like... 31.55 Children. That said, I really, really, really, really doubt they’ll come anywhere close to a 273 Day spacing again. (Conception isn’t near as easy, or quick, with toddlers running underfoot. Plus, breastfeeding provides some birth control.) Still, even if we assume they slow down by 50%—and note, Jessa only slowed by 23% with Henry, so 50% could honestly be overshooting it—they would still end up with 21.33 Children.

Oh. My. God.

Will She Keep Up?   Yes, absolutely 100% yes. Well... I guess there’s a little bit of doubt because of the C–section. But if she has a VBAC with #2 and remains as QF as she is right now, I’d putting money on her getting not just 19, but 20.

So, Joy’s in the race. (Maybe Jessa, too.) Next up, in Part 3, we’ll see how The In–Laws compare. 

[neranishin]

Xekken and Ranthyr for the meme

Full Name: Xekken. Asura don’t have last names. “Lightbringer Xekken” if you need a titleGender and Sexuality: Panromantic Ace, malePronouns: He/himEthnicity/Species: Asura, grew up in Rata Sum and surrounding hinterlabsBirthplace and Birthdate: Probably born in Rata Sum and I just realized almost 30 minutes after posting that I forgot to answer for Birthdate. Um. I haven’t decided yet, but I made him in-game on October 10, 2017 (for whatever that’s worth)Guilty Pleasures: I couldn’t think of anything beyond his hangups about  romance, which are less “guilty pleasure” related and more “psychological issues that he’s working on” related. Then I remembered that I’ve encountered this question before! So here’s what I put last time:

“Xekken makes sparkly jewelry and pens and bedazzles his weapons and feels no shame. Also, gliding away from responsibilities. They can’t find them if he’s in the sky.”  Phobias: He’s mildly claustrophobic after Heart of Thorns. It’s usually nothing he can’t power through, unless he’s on an airship.What They Would Be Famous For:  I was wondering the other day how Xekken manages to afford making fancy, gem-encrusted jewelry and trinkets for himself and his friends. The only answer I got was “Oh, I sell a piece every now and then,” which implies that there is at least one circle of sufficiently rich patrons that he’s famous enough with that selling a piece “every now and then” nets an absurd enough  profit for him to cheerfully continue to give away pounds of precious stones and metal.  

(Not sure if the fame there is based solely on aesthetic and technique, or if there’s an element of “jewelry by A Hero/the designer who makes Commander Xolinn’s jewelry” involved, though. Can probably also factor in that Xekken probably only opens commissions to strangers like twice a year for the absurd price, too. Xekken? Willing to exploit The Rich’s fetish for exclusivity while also decreasing how often he has to interact with them? It’s more likely than you may think!)

What They Would Get Arrested For: Vandalism (either the fun type with Zara or the “Yeah I broke into this highly unethical lab and smashed everything” type, probably also with Zara)OC You Ship Them With: StrixOC Most Likely To Murder Them: No one…? Ahraminta’s the most likely to follow through on orders to kill him if it ever became necessary, since she’s 1. not a personal friend and 2. actually cares about following orders.Without orders… I suppose Ky’rii’s sister might be ruthless and suspicious enough to consider it, but I doubt she actually feels threatened by him. Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Research Campy pulp fiction that he and Zara get to laugh about togetherLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Any of the ones that try to say “Because Psychology!” except that’s not at all how psychology works, you fools. So like. Shitty “mental illness leads to villainy” tropes. Shitty “mental illness healed entirely through the power of superficial and unconvincing love” tropes. That kind of thing. Talents and/or Powers: Can see magic, because Aurene layered dragon-championness on top of his spellbreaker training and it had interesting resultsWhy Someone Might Love Them: Well, before The Trauma sets in, he’s pretty quick to become Ride or Die with people. (Even after The Trauma sets in, he’s quick to do that. He just tries to resist it more.) He’s got a good sense of humor, and for all that be can be sarcastic and blunt, he’s never cruel about it.Why Someone Might Hate Them: Will be very loud and dramatic in flagrant disregard for the situation, i.e. in classroom or library settings, and is more likely to persuade via being obnoxious than via being likableHow They Change: He’s become a lot more withdrawn and slightly less reckless as the trauma has set in, and has mostly shed the Loud Obnoxious Bookah act in favor of being obviously competent. He’s also gone from “squashes crushes because acting on them would be troublesome” to “squashes crushes because acting on them would be TERRIFYING” and out to “is tentatively exploring being romantic because he failed to squash a crush in time and has to live with it now.”Why You Love Them: MY BOY.  He gets to be loud and yell sarcastically and break stuff when I would never let myself do those things. Also he’s developed  a lot of very good personal connections and it makes me happy. Also I made him way too pretty.

Gonna do Ranthyr’s profile in a separate post so this doesn’t get any more absurdly long

[vio1315]

Kreig Cecilia and Kusuma

Full Name: Kreig of [snowland country name]Gender and Sexuality: Male, straight (potentially asexual but idk if I’ll ever make that canon)Ethnicity/Species: Human with about 10% harpy blood

Birthplace and Birthdate: In the country I’ve been calling snowland on here. The dating of this place means it’d be like 82X of the fourth era or some crap, so I'mma say he’s like in his 40s or soHaven’t figured out the calendar system beond the years yet though, so I super dunno month/day (not even an equivalent) Fall or winter bday feels okay… maybe even spring….

Guilty Pleasures: Judging people with friends. Like can you envision a bunch of dads with beers talking crap about foreign policy makers or something? Yeah that’s kinda his thing. He sees nothing wrong with it though

Phobias: Oh dude. He’s so tough… hm, I bet he’s like one of those people who couldn’t handle being made useless in some way. If he knew he was losing brain functionality and was gonna end up in a vegetative state, I think he’d ask his son or someone similar to kill him. Probably his wife actually. He trusts her to do it, and do it when the time is right for it

What They Would Be Famous For: He’s a king, so like…. okay but more specifically he’ll be remembered as a very strong leader. Like in 500 years he’ll still be taught about. He has navigated wars and foreign relations with unparalleled skill, and he’ll certainly get credit in finally securing the alliance with [mainland]

What They Would Get Arrested For: Lol, in modern times? Maybe like some visits from CPS, but nothing would come of that. Maybe assault, if I HAD to pick. But I’ll be honest, dude’s goal in life is to be as legalistic as possible, so it’s tough

OC You Ship Them With: I honestly don’t. He’s married to Heiwa, and they kind of hate each other a little, but also respect each other and similar, and I very much enjoy the weirdness that is their relationship. Ship though? No.

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Hmmm… I mean I can think of some villain OCs, but honestly that’s it. As much as Skye and Marth dislike him, they would never hurt him. Not intentionally. I think when they were first married, it could have been Heiwa, but no longer.

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Documentaries, biographies, non fiction type stuff. He’s more likely to go for stuff he can learn practical things from though. Strategies and stuff. He’s a workaholic.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Romance probably annoys him on some level. But anything where the leader character sacrifices themselves for an underling would enrage him. “It’s bad leadership”

Talents and/or Powers: Dude is great with strategy and combat. He’s smart/cunning despite his drawbacks.

Why Someone Might Love Them: He does what’s necessary and doesn’t let Anything distract him from serving his people. He doesn’t shy away from self sacrifice for what he believes is the greater good, and he falls under the ‘a jerk, but he’s right’ very often

Why Someone Might Hate Them: He’s a jerk. His methods often don’t achieve the ends he believes they will, especially in his personal relationships. He’s far too harsh and legalistic, even going beyond what’s necessary

How They Change: Kreig is not a man who changes Much. His biggest change is in the slow shift of how he views his son. As someone who’s worth existing. The fact that this strongly correlates to him physically getting stronger is something of a shame, because really, that’s the smallest portion of what contributes. Though in his own way, he always did care for his son, it just has never and will never be more important than their country.

Why You Love Them: What can I say? He’s got the internal strength of a bear. Dude could saw off his own legs for the sake of his country. There’s something to respect there, especially given he’s not even crazy or anything like most such characters.

Full Name: Cecilia… Ward? (Still deciding last name honestly)Gender and Sexuality: Female, straightEthnicity/Species: Based off an Amazon woman. Dark skinned.Birthplace and Birthdate: In the desert east of mainland, their great enemies. Birthdate is not hugely important. Not even a spoiler to say she’s dead honestly. When she died? Maybe around 27??

Guilty Pleasures: Mm, showing people up probably. Proving someone wrong, that kind of thing. It’s not about being right so much as pulling the rug from under people. This isn’t majorly apparent in her personality, she’s just got a slight chip on her shoulder

Phobias: Word of her wherabouts being sent back home

What They Would Be Famous For: Sadly enough? The fact that she married and had a child with someone of a certain race who is very hated among her people

What They Would Get Arrested For: That marriage if she ever went back to her country, honestly. But by todays standards? Well, could see her getting into a fight and accidentally going a tad too far, even if it was initially self defense. Whoops. But honestly she’s actually very well restrained, but that’s a lot to do with that she moved to a country where people are Extremely racist against her, and she kind of has no choice but to deal

OC You Ship Them With: Leo

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Hmm, of the good guys… uhh? Honestly if she was alive she’d be pretty well liked among those who didn’t care about her race. Which by the time of the story is a lot more people than when she was aroundBut one of the bad guys actually is her murderer so l o lYou know, once upon a time the most likely would have been Dalton (Marth’s dad) honestly?? He’s actuually the least racist dude in general, but man that war was sommething

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Maan, she’d probably enjoy stupid spectacle movies just fine, but in books go for pretty phlisophical stuff. Like if something was 100% allegory and got mildly, but underhandedly preachy? She’d love that actually.But mostly she would enjoy realistic fiction I think, especially involving humble characters or similar.Without realizing it she’d def have her favs be farmer characters who loved their animals type of vibe. You know the vibe.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Hmm… Love triangles, and probably when the strawman comes and pesters the Innocents and so they just gotta beat up the strawman. No other choice

Talents and/or Powers: Has extra strength due to her race. Has some pretty alright skills with a sword, and basic magic knowledge.

Why Someone Might Love Them: Girl takes about as little crap as you can in her situation. She’s fairly prideful but really sticks to what she believes in, even when it hurts her pride. Even when it leads to her living in a foreign country where she’s hated

Why Someone Might Hate Them: Prideful. At the start, her pride and chip on her shoulder nature can especially override her kind nature.

How They Change: Becomes a lot more empathetic and undertsanding. Doesn’t get very caught up in her own life and is able to see people a bit more accurately. Overcomes some of her own racism. Becomes a lot stronger in a more real way which is less defensive.

Why You Love Them: She’s a very prequel kind of character, but I appreciate that she’s a fairly simple and straightforward person. Like she’s not dumb, she just sees no use in complicating things. Though she sees things a bit skewed and biased at times, she learns and grows and will admit to when she’s wrong. But she’ll stand by when she’s right even when she’s the literal only one who is

Full Name: Kusuma RitterGender and Sexuality: Female, straightEthnicity/Species: Also that amazon based race, dark skinned (you know how to pick em)Birthplace and Birthdate: In mainland. Due to the nature of post story, it encompasses a lot of ages. But basically she’s introduced when she’s 12

Guilty Pleasures: Roughhousing, showing how fantastically awesome she is to everyone, or even just one person

Phobias: People breaking into the house

What They Would Be Famous For: Coolest kid on your block. When she’s older? Maybe coolest guard in the district

What They Would Get Arrested For: Assault lol. Resisting arrest would be tacked on

OC You Ship Them With: None, also due to the nature of post story. Honestly if I did ship her, it’d probs end up being with Soren, but they’re like adoptive siblings, so I try to just let them be siblings (it’s better that way)

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Soren lol, at least when they first meet. Racism isn’t fixed yet me boyos.

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Action. No doubt. Bring on the one liners.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Hmm… honestly romance sub plots in general. She hates when cool action stuff has to come to a halt to develop (or more likely fail to develop, but still force awkward scenes) a relationship.She doesn’t hate romance per se, just in these moments especially

Talents and/or Powers: Bonus strength, decent with sword (as much as a 12 year old can be)

Why Someone Might Love Them: Honestly she’s just a cool 12 year old. Half of what sh says and does wouldn’t be out of place with sunglasses. But she’s also a protective older sister. Catch her using her free time to help with baby care

Why Someone Might Hate Them: She’s a bit obnoxious at times. A bit self important and cocky. It can be a bit clear to older peeps that she’s hiding some insecurities. She can hold a grudge and be Too blunt at times, lashing out in frustration when she has to deal with Soren at first (racism right back ya heck)

How They Change: Forgets any of those racist ideas she had, because Soren’s a weirdo, but he’s not evil. Becomes a bit more secure, so her defensive bluntness goes down, though her sarcasm goes way up. Her empathy and general love of people increases, though she also just develops better EQ in general. She can sense when people are eying her funny or talking behind her back, though she never lets it get to her. Honestly she just becomes the picture of confidence. Kinda Flynn Rider acting?? But legit.Why You Love Them: She’s pretty mature for her age despite it all. She steps up when things need doing without hesitation, but all while maintaining her attitude. Despite what happened to her, she never seems super traumatized or any such thing. It’s a bit hidden, but a lot just comes from how she deals with things too. She tends to work through her problems in an actually healthy way without tons of guiddance, though she ends up really thriving with it. But honestly she’s just sassy without being too blind to where peoples lines are, so stops herself short of being annoying with it. A good girl

[imaginativemarvel]

Not A Joke - Soulmate AU! Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Soulmate tattoo - Your soulmates birthdays appears on your body. Imagine being a young adult in the year 2017 and having ‘March 10th, 1917’ written on your arm (REQUEST BY ANON)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warning: None, really ! Enjoy,,,,

Word count: 2K

[[ Check Out My Masterlist ]]

A/N: Requests are open and I absolutely am open to anything! I love speaking to you guys and receiving any type of feed back so please don’t hesitate to send an ask or message (:

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

March 10th, 1917 She didn’t get it; nobody did. How could she, a woman that lived in the year 2017, have a soulmate that is 100 years old? She always thought it was a painful joke. Everyone around her had years written on their wrist, arms, legs, you name it. But from the year 1917? No. She was the only one. The one who had a joke for a soulmate.

Yeah, sure, maybe there was one old man still kickin’ it out there, but there was no chance in hell she’d marry him. There was no chance she’d put herself in that type of predicament, therefore, her tattoo was a joke.

It pissed her off, beyond what anyone could imagine. Everyday, she was reminded by the date, the date tattooed in the crease of her arm. It pissed her off because she wasn’t the type that normally attracted anyone. She wasn’t the one for love, or so that’s what she thought. Nobody was really interested in her, and the only chance of someone liking her was for a laugh.

She was deep in her thoughts when someone brought her back to reality.

“Hey, (Y/N)! Don’t want to be caught dozing off on the job, do you?” Her friend, Austin, threw a hacky sack at her arm.

Laughing, she picked it up and swung it back at him. “You need these for the customers! Don’t go throwing them at your friends!”

He swiftly grabbed the toy before setting it on the small counter. There were a handful of booths in the amusement park, and they just had to make him watch over the ones with miniature bing bags.

While Austin was taking over the booth called ‘Tin Can Toss’, she was in charge of the ‘I Can Guess Your Weight/Age!’ game. She hated it, really, but she had to make money some how, and for her it was guessing something she didn’t nearly care about.

It’s not that it was boring, but it was stupid. They had her take special classes, 45 minutes a day wasted on learning what was the best way to guess someone’s age or weight. Sure, she’d rather be working at a Starbucks or any old candy store, but for now she was stuck on a guessing game.

“Keep an eye out, I think that group over there is planning on playing your game” Austin spoke up, pointing in the direction behind her.

She looked over her shoulder and groaned. Three guys and girl were leaning up against a fence that surrounded the carousel nearby, their eyes stuck on the booth you sat in. A darker male was laughing loudly, nudging another man with long brown hair your way.

“Nah, they’re just laughing at how stupid the game is.”

“I don’t know, (Y/N). I think they’re coming!” He nodded his head in their direction, clearly pointing out that the group was making their way toward you.

She practically whined at her friend before turning towards the customers with a fake smile.

“Hello! Plan on playing?” She kept that fake smile plastered on her face, observing each and every one of them.

“Yeah, actually, my friend here wants you to guess his age.” The darker man from before clamped his hands on the back of the brunettes shoulders, pushing him even closer to her.

“Oh, yeah? Alright, let’s give it a go! It’ll just be 5 dollars.” She watched as the third man dug his wallet out of his pocket. After a few moments, he handed her the bill and she stuck it in the apron around her waist.

“Okay, so let’s see.” She walked toward the shy man, looking him up and down, studying his facial features and body shape. “You don’t mind if I just… awkward check you out, right? I promise, it’s part of the job.”

He smiled, chuckling silently. His eyes observed the woman before him, watching her study his body as if it were an art piece in a gallery.

“Well, before I guess, remember that if I’m 2 years off, it counts. Alright?” She crossed her arms, thinking one last time before receiving a nod from the male.

“Okay, give it your best.” His friends behind him laughed, covering their mouths. She knew something wasn’t right, but she didn’t know what. The whole group was acting weird. Why were they acting weird?

“28.” She shrugged her shoulders, wrinkling her eyes in uncertainty. She watched them as they held their laughter in, trying not to seem like they were laughing at her guess.

“Way off?” She dropped her arms, sighing. “I’m new to this job. I lost, go ahead and grab a prize.” She placed a hand on her hip, the other rubbing her face as she closed her eyes.

“Don’t even want to know my actual age?” He hesitantly stood there, looking back at his friend, then returning his gaze back at her.

“To see how much I failed? Nah, I’ll pass.” She smiled while doubting herself, watching the man rub his stubble.

“You technically are around that age physically, Bucky. Cut her some slack, she was right.” The blond friend set his hand on Buckys shoulder.

She furrowed her eyebrows, giving a confused smile. “Whatever that’s suppose to mean.”

He looked back at his friends, receiving an ‘approval’ nod. Not only did she notice, but she was even more confused as she was before.

“Well, I don’t know how to say this but,” He trailed off, looking behind him at his blond friend again. She could tell he was looking for reassurance, but not what for. “I’m 100 years old. My body looks around 28 years old, but technically I’m 100.”

She put on a humorous smile, looking over at Austin who was eavesdropping from the booth. He hid his laugh, shrugging at her.

“100? Glad I know someone around the same age, I’m 97.” She held her hand out at Bucky, smiling mischievously while he gave her a serious look.

“Don’t believe me?” She dropped he hand, rolling her eyes at how serious he was taking the act.

“Why would I? There is no way in hell you’re 100 years old. You don’t even look old enough to have your own children.” She leaned against the back of the booth, crossing her arms and laughing dryly.

“He’s not lying.” The friend from earlier walked forward, setting his hand on Buckys shoulder. “Ever heard of Captain America?”

She continued to stare strangely at the men, wondering why they’re even telling her this. Even if they were telling the truth, why go as far as this to prove it to her?

“Steve Rogers, the face of America! A man who was frozen in ice, brought back, and now works for the Avengers or something. Are you telling me you’re Captain America?” She sarcastically explained, rubbing her eyes, and growing tired of the conversation. None of it made sense to her, and she didn’t care anyways.

“Well, I am. This here is my friend Bucky.” The blond claimed, staring at her as if not an ounce of what he said was a lie.

She leaned her head back, looking at the sky. Great, (Y/N). Here you are, sitting at a worthless booth being told this man is 100 years old and is best friends with Captain America.

“Okay, but why are you telling me this?” She straightened her back, grabbing the nearby water bottle and taking a long drink.

“We walked past this booth earlier, and uh,” He trailed off, looking towards the darker man that had kept quiet this whole time. “My friend, Sam, noticed your arm.”

“My arm?” She looked down at her arm, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

“Well, it says the 10th of March, 1917.” His finger pointed toward the part of your arm which had the birthdate of your soulmate.

“You’re not implying that-“

“Is your birthday (DD/MM/1989)? That’s all I want to know.” Bucky cut her off, staring at her arm and then into her eyes. “I just want to make for sure.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She furrowed her eyebrows, staring at the floor. There was no way he was he soulmate, this made no sense.

She took a deep breath, accepting the situation and began to believe it. Why would they lie about this? It had to be true, right?

“All this time I thought I was going to be this old mans soulmate. There’s no way! This has to be a joke!” She ran her hands through her hair, looking over at her friend for support. He shrugged his shoulders before giving her a smile that basically said ‘it’s all on you’.

She inhaled deeply, staring at the blue-eyed man in front of her. “If you are my soulmate, then this whole time I actually had one, and it wasn’t some old man on life support. Holy shit! I can’t believe this! I never thought this day would come! I think I’m actually-“

“Calm down, Doll.” His voice spoke deeply to her, calming her down instantly. “Breathe. Just breathe.”

She slowly nodded, taking in a deep breath and calming her heart beat.

Someone scoffed loudly behind him, speaking up in a humorous voice. “Don’t tell her to calm down, you were practically the same way before we calmed you down and brought you over here.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, looking behind him and slapping the mans arm, receiving a troublesome grin. “Sam. You’ve stayed quiet, and then you decided to speak at the worse time?”

Bucky turned back to her, looking at her arm once again before pulling his left sleeve up. “I always thought that God put a date from many generations after me on my arm as a joke. As if I couldn’t love anyone from my own generation. I surrounded myself with different woman, hoping to just prove to myself that I could love someone. Then I lost my arm, and for the longest I couldn’t remember the date that was printed there.”

“Your arm-“ She instantly grabbed his left arm, holding it in her hands and admiring the metal blades. She would have felt sorry, but she somewhat found it amazing. “You can use this as your arm? How is that possible?”

She traced her fingers against the patterns on his arm, holding them strongly in her grip as if it was as fragile as a glass plate.

“Maybe you can explain it to her over dinner tonight.” The woman finally spoke up, giving you both a smirk.

Bucky looked over his shoulder, laughing at what she had said “Did you just hit on her for me?”

“Someone had to do it.”

“Agreed” Steve spoke up, earning a nod from Sam.

“Keep in mind that you were the back alley kid once.” Bucky shook his head before pulling his sleeve back down and shoving his hands into his pockets.

Steve walked up, giving him a pat on the back. “Hey, I’ll leave you two alone for now. Call me when you’re ready.

They shared a smile before exchanging a few words, and parting ways. The three traveled to a food stand across the walkway, slowly watching them both out of the corner of their eyes.

He began to speak, trying to start a small conversation and learn the basics but he kept noticing the obvious glances from across the park.

“Obvious, aren’t they?” He looked across the area, watching them as they quickly look the other way as if they weren’t staring moments before.

“Very.”

He smiled awkwardly before hesitantly holding out his human arm towards her. She gave him a confusing, but humorous look before slowly accepting it and shaking.

“Sorry, I just never got to introduce myself properly. Bucky Barnes, well, James Barnes. I’d like to go by Bucky though.”

“I kinda like James, I don’t know.” She teased, giving him a quick wink and setting her hands on her hips. “Nice to meet you, bucky.”

“C’mon now, Darlin’. I need a name in return.” He sheepishly smiled at her, receiving a blush and an awkward smile.

“(Y/N). (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Tags: @ginger-wayward-assbutt @gallifreyansass @walkingtravesty97 @crazy4thewinbros @iamwarrenspeace @itbeganlongago @nadtandy @feelmyroarrrr @xabeautifultragedyx @ssweet-empowerment

[theshatteredrose]

The More You Know - EO2 Fanfiction

Summary: Wishing to help Simmons, Lynus looks through his hospital file…and learns a few things about his past. And a possible connection…

AN: Something a bit different from the onslaught of fluff of the previous days. Angsty, but at least we learn a little bit more about Simmons past! Hope you enjoy reading!

After Lynus had sent Simmons on his way after healing his arm and fixing up that adorable plushie he carried, he found himself wandering into the hospital archives. He gave the woman in charge of the filing a quick nod before he made his way over to the recent entries. He had never personality seen Simmons' file, although he had added quite a bit to it through his own dealing with the blue-haired man. He never saw the need to sit down and look through someone's personal file. They were private, after all.

But after what he had just discovered, he was interested to know if anyone else had sensed that dark, dangerous spot in Simmons' aura before he did. If not, then maybe he could try to find the possible reason for it being there. That anomaly wasn't new. It wasn't recent by a year or so. Many years it had been there. Had no one else noticed it before?

It wasn't hard for him to find Simmons' file, it was quite extensive after all. He hefted the overflowing file into his arms and carried it over to a table in the middle of the room. He placed it down carefully so not to lose anything and pulled out a chair. He immediately headed to the back of the file, to where he entered the hospital for the very first time.

Lynus couldn't help but allow a small smile to appear on his lips when the very first thing was Simmons' birth certificate. However, when glanced up at the birthdate he felt a frown tug on his lips. It didn't add up. Simmons was said to be 25-years-old, but according to this date he was only 20-years of age. Though, he acted a lot younger than that, too.

His eyes wandered over to the names of the parents and found Sandra's name, and underneath hers was...

Lynus felt his eyes widen and his hold on the certificate falter. A lump formed in his throat as he felt himself tremble. "S-Shiki...?" he murmured.

He dropped the birth certificate onto the desk as he clutched at his heart that was beating erratically in his chest. T-that name...he couldn't be the same Shiki he once knew, r-right?

Memories he wanted to forget flooded back in a painful rush. He was back under the oppressive control of Taksony. Where he dutifully healed whoever he was told to. He remembered a dark hunter with dark red eyes. He was older than the other hostages. Older and more defiant than Taksony's usual targets.

He...he tried to shield them the best he could. He received so many beating in their place. He...was also so injured. Lynus always patched him up the best he could. He was...always grateful for his healing. Steadying him when his hands were shaking from fear. He never complained. He...didn't belong there. He wasn't like the others.

But he...had a purpose nonetheless. To train Rahas. To make him become a dutiful and loyal dark hunter. To brainwash him into becoming a mindless soldier. Instead he taught Rahas defiance and loyalty to only those that deserved it. T-that's why he had to be...

Lynus covered his mouth with his hands as tears began to pool in his eyes. He remembered that day when Shiki was taken away, forced into the Etrian Labyrinth. And he never returned. He didn't remember the man's appearance, but he remembered his eyes. They were...sad with regret but still defiant. He knew...he knew...

"Lynus?"

The sudden voice of someone else nearly caused Lynus to fall from his chair in surprise and in fright. He snapped his head up toward the door of the room to find Dr Stiles standing there, a deep frown of concern on his lips.

Skittishly, Lynus dropped his head forward and hastily brushed away the tears from his cheeks as he tried to reason with himself. It was just a name to him at the moment. He was sure that there had to be more than one 'Shiki' in this world. I-it was just a coincidence.

“What’s wrong?” Dr Stiles asked as he briskly crossed the room to stand next to him.

“Sorry,” Lynus immediately replied as he continued to rub at his cheeks. “Just…I saw a name that immediately made me remember someone. S-someone who died a long time ago.”

Dr Stiles placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently to comfort him before he glanced down at the file sprawled on upon the table. “Is this Simmons’ file?” he asked, confusion evident in his voice.

“Yes, I was just c-curious about something,” Lynus replied as he dropped his hand from his face and sat up straight in an attempt to gather himself. “Sorry.”

Dr Stiles, however, brushed aside his apology as he removed his hand from his shoulder to instead pull out a chair and sat down upon it. “What name was it?”

“…Shiki.”

“Ah, Simmons’ father,” Dr Stiles murmured as a wince appeared on his face. “Did you know him?”

…Maybe.

“I knew of a Shiki,” Lynus replied instead as he gave him a shaky smile. “I’m not sure if they’re the same of course. It’s just…memories are fickle things, aren’t they?”

Dr Stiles sighed as he rubbed his forehead. “I knew Simmons’ parents,” he unexpectedly said. “They were both good people. A little eccentric, but what explorer aren’t these days?”

Lynus immediately picked up upon the past tense he used. “What happened to them?” he asked gently.

Again, Dr Stiles sighed and leaned back in his seat. He tilted his head back slightly to look up at the ceiling, a deep frown on his lips. “A few years ago Shiki went missing. He just…vanished from the face of the earth almost. Though the man was flighty, as most dark hunters are, he would never enter the labyrinth without at least telling someone.”

A knot of emotion suddenly lodged in Lynus’ chest upon learning of this Shiki’s class. But he managed to swallow back the feeling and keep his attention focused upon the doctor next to him.

“And his mother, Sandra, she…” a strange expression of pain and frustration suddenly appeared on Dr Stiles face. “She…died a year after Shiki went missing.”

There was a sense of reluctance in Dr Stiles’ voice, so Lynus was hesitant to ask what had happened to her. But he needed to know. For Simmons’ sake. “How?” he asked softly.

“…She was murmured.”

Lynus’ hand immediately flew up to his mouth to smother a gasp. “M-murdered? But she was a landsknecht, r-right? Who-?”

“We still don’t know,” Dr Stiles interrupted, his tone bitter. He glared at the space in front of him for a moment before he sighed, his shoulders drooping. He then turned to face Lynus, an eyebrow arched in curiosity. “What brings you to Simmons’ file?”

“Oh, I…saw something in his aura,” Lynus admitted. “It’s been there for years it seems.”

“What did you see?”

Lynus pressed his lips together tightly for a moment as he thought back to his encounter with Simmons only an hour or so ago. “A dark spot in his mind. It’s…nothing like I’ve encountered before to be honest. It’s so…deep within his psyche. I was just hoping to find a defining point in his life that could have created such a dark anomaly.”

Unexpectedly, Dr Stiles shifted through the file notes and pulled out a few pieces of paper that were pinned together. “This is probably what you’re looking for.”

Lynus glanced at the notes before he grimaced. “This…? This is the same night Sandra was murdered, wasn’t it? Did he witness it?”

“She fought gallantly for the life of her son,” Dr Stiles answered. “Even so, her injuries…were brutal, to say the least. Perhaps worse than any I’ve seen from the labyrinth. And Simmons didn’t get away unscathed. Both in mind and body. He was in a coma for three days after the event and when he awoken, he didn’t remember a thing. Only his name. And he insisted that he was older than he really was. He…doesn’t know what really happened to his parents. As far as he is aware, they’re missing.”

Lynus carefully placed the notes back into the file and idly tidied it up as his mind sorted through all the new information he had just learnt. He had…no idea that Simmons had such a rough past. Well, surely that’s because Simmons didn’t know either. He didn’t remember. Because of that dark spot…

That dark spot…didn’t seem natural now that he thought more about it. It could have been created as a desperate attempt to keep Simmons’ sanity, to keep him safe from remembering what happened that terrible night. But what if it was hiding something else? Something more…harmful than the truth?

And Shiki. Was he really the same man he remembered from his past? The dark hunter that was a hostage alongside him and Rahas for a few years?

Wait…did Rahas know this? Did he know of Simmons’ father? The name Shiki? That would…explain quite a bit, actually. He had wanted to tell him something about Simmons but always backed off at the last second. He…

“So this dark spot,” Dr Stiles questioned, his voice pulling Lynus from his thoughts. “What did you learn? Can you remove it?”

Lynus found himself chewing on his bottom lip. “I…can’t,” he whispered with a small shake of his head.

“Can’t or won’t?” Dr Stiles unexpectedly returned.

“I won’t,” Lynus answered firmer this time as he turned to face the other man fully. “It’s buried so deep, hiding something equally painful and dangerous. I can’t risk it. It…if I do release that dark spot, the outcome would likely result in Simmons going mad from the memories or…”

Dr Stiles’ eyes widened for a moment before a grim expression appeared on his face and he seemed to clench his jaw tightly. “Is that so?” he murmured.

Lynus sat silently for a long moment, watching as the other man stared at the table with narrow eyes, no doubt contemplating what Lynus had just informed him in return. “What happened to Simmons after he awoke from his coma?”

“Gerald took him in,” Dr Stiles explained as he leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. “He was, after all, a member of Guild Nova back in the day. He was best friends with Shiki, and was the best man at his wedding, so felt it was the right thing to do. Gerald…hasn’t been the same since they both left him, and Simmons was really all he had left.”

“I…had no idea,” Lynus whispered softly, his heart breaking at the pain Gerald must have endured.

Guild Cosmos was a guild that the locals would roll their eyes and shake their heads at whenever someone mentioned their name. They were the guild that people would snicker at while simultaneously surprised that they were still in one piece after a potential near-death encounter in the labyrinth.

To think that they carried such dark secrets…

“Do many people know about Simmons, and ultimately Gerald?” Lynus found himself asking.

Dr Stiles shook his head. “No. Besides myself and Gerald, only Cass and Hamza.”

Hamza?

“There’s a photo of Simmons’ parents at the bar,” Dr Stiles suddenly explained to him. “Guild Nova was one of Cass’s favourites back in the day. If you want to know more about them, ask both Cass and Gerald. Although, I’m not sure how much they’re willing to talk about. It’s quite painful for them, since they knew Shiki and Sandra so well. Perhaps you should talk to Hamza first? He wasn’t exactly close to either of them, but he knew them nonetheless.”

Lynus nodded his head slowly in understanding and acceptance. “I’ll try not to be too nosy,” he promised as he took to his feet and held the file against his chest. “Thank you for telling me, though.”

Before he started asking anymore questions, he needed to look at that photo. And if the man was indeed the Shiki he knew, he needed to talk to Rahas.

[thcpariiah]

[ text log ] ;; akilah + stuart

                             INPUT_SUMMARY…?__//   Akilah texts Stuart after she knows that he’s safely back Underground to check on his well being. 

Akilah: Stu?

Stuart: Yeah?

Akilah: You’re back, right? You’re safe? I know you escaped, but I just wanted to make sure

Stuart: As safe as I can be, yeah.

Akilah: …How are you doing?

Stuart: Tired. Sore. I’ll be fine.

Akilah: Are all of your friends oKay?

Stuart: Allison is hurt. She was shot. She’s … okay. Or, she will be. She’s healing. But, she’s human.

Akilah: I’m glad you’re all still alive. Which one is allison again?

Stuart: Brunette. Huntress. She was presumed dead for four years.

Akilah: Presumed dead?

Stuart: I don’t know the whole story. Stiles does. She faked her death to fall in with the hunters so she could collect information from the hunters. She fed me information anonymously for years.

Akilah: Ahhhhh. Who shot her? Do you know? And how did she get shot?

Stuart: Just one of the guards. I .. honestly don’t remember a lot of it clearly. I was drugged when she got to me. But I do remember that she came alone. Probably despite the others trying to make a group plan.

Akilah: Alone? Why would she do that? That was dangerous.

Stuart: .. I’m aware that it was dangerous. And I know she was too. I – Do you remember when we were younger and you told me that one day I would met someone special? Do you remember how I made fun of you for it and told you how cheesy you sounded? You have my permission for one – just one – “I told you so.”

Akilah: : ) I won’t rub it in

Akilah: I’m really happy for you, Stu.

Akilah: Now don’t mess it up.

Stuart: I don’t really plan on it. You know as well as I do that I’m not really used to something like this.

Akilah: I know. I’m just teasing. Was she as stubborn as I was about befriending you?

Stuart: It was different. I don’t know how to explain it, but .. - It was different than us.

Akilah: I’m really glad you have someone down there with you

Stuart: … I am too. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have made it out.

Akilah: …You sure you’re gonna be okay?

Stuart: I’ll be okay, yeah. The only thing that’s going to scar is the back of my neck. Allison got to me right on time.

Akilah: [delayed] What did they do to the back of your neck?

Stuart: [ delayed ] Before they knew it was me and not Stiles, they branded the back of my neck with his initials, and our birthdate.

Akilah: Stu…I’m sorry

Stuart: Don’t. It’s not your fault. Don’t apologize.

Akilah: I know, I just…I work for the government. I work for the people who do this shit to people. It might not be my fault, but it doesn’t feel like I’m doing enough to stop it.

Stuart: If you tried to do anything to stop it, you would be putting yourself in danger.

Akilah: The thing is, I don’t really care about that.

Stuart: But I do. You’re in the safest possible place you can be right now. You’re an asset to them, and they’re going to protect that. What will you do if they do start coming after you, Akilah? I can’t have you hurt.

Akilah: Then how do you think I feel, knowing how badly they hurt you when they had you?

Stuart: .. – it wasn’t that bad.

Akilah: Don’t you dare lie to me. They hurt you so badly that you were unconscious, and I know you’re probably still littered in bruises.

Stuart: … what do you mean?

Akilah: [delayed] Did you really think I wouldn’t come check on you when I found out where they were holding you?

Stuart: … you came to see me? Don’t you know how much of a risk that was?

Akilah: Yes, Stuart, I’m not an idiot. I was fully aware of the risk.

Stuart: [ delayed ] It wasn’t as bad as I’m sure it looked. They still wanted me in one piece.

Akilah: What, exactly, is your definition of bad?

Stuart: I wasn’t dead. Nothing was broken, for the most part. Bruises and minor burns will fade in time.

Akilah: At least you weren’t dead, so everything is just fine? Do you know how ridiculous you sound?

Stuart: Even so, what can be done about it now? I did what I meant to do. I kept Stiles save, and freed his father. I didn’t intend on getting rescued, if you want the honest truth. I went into it to save my brother ; to save what family I have left.

Akilah: I mean, nothing, but…you don’t have to downplay it. You looked like shit. I was worried at first that you WERE dead.

Akilah: How did Stiles feel about your little stunt, anyway/

Stuart: They weren’t about to let me die. Being Stiles, or not, I still have magic. And they wanted something out of me because of it. What they wanted, I’m not actually completely certain on.

Stuart: … he feels guilty. Because he feels like it was his fault.

Akilah: You have magic too?

Stuart: Yes, I’m like Stiles. Except I’m a witch, not a druid. My powers are not connected with a pack like his are. Which actually means he has the potential to be stronger than I ever could be, depending on the strength of his pack.

Akilah: But that’s…basically impossible. Supernatural twins rarely, if ever, share the same powers.

Stuart: I’m very well aware of this. At least, I became aware of this after I learned I had a twin brother. I’ve tried to not think too hard about the implications. But the more I learn about my birth, the more it makes sense to me.

Akilah: …What do you mean?

Stuart: You have access to almost anyone’s records, right? Tell me what you can find on ‘Dymek Stuart Stilinski.’

Akilah: [delayed] I’ve looked you up before…I don’t know how I missed the part where you died at birth.

Stuart: More than a week after birth, but – according to records, I wasn’t doing too well after birth to that point anyway.

Akilah: …Do you know how you were brought back?

Stuart: A witch coven. They stole my body from the morgue and used my spark to bring me back – in hopes of using me in their coven.

Akilah: Wait, you’re…you’re not in their coven, right?

Stuart: I’m not, no. My parents - the ones who raised me - were both solo witches. While covens are not inherently bad, this one was corrupt. My parents took me from them to prevent them from getting more powerful. And since I was legally dead in Beacon Hills, they raised me. The fire? That was the coven trying to come back for me.

Akilah: Oh my god

Akilah: Stu, I’m so sorry.

Akilah: I didn’t know.

Stuart: I know you didn’t. I tried to keep you out of all of this stuff as long as I could. Letting you think I was dead was one of the most painful things I’ve ever done, next to losing them. But, I had to. I hoped it would keep you safe. You were far too smart, had far too much going for your future, to get mixed up in the affairs of the supernatural.

Akilah: Okay, well…now you know that was a stupid decision. I don’t care if you’re supernatural. I don’t care if I work for the government. You’re just as smart as me, and I’m not going to let you get hurt again if I can help it.

Stuart: … the thing is, you probably can’t help it. We’re on complete different sides of the same war, Akilah. There might come a point where you have to pick between my life, and your job. And I don’t want you to have to make that decision.

Akilah: It wouldn’t be a hard decision for me to make.

Stuart: It should be. Because your job is also your safety net.

Akilah: Stuart, my job is just a job. If it came down to you or my job, I’d pick you every time.

Stuart: It’s not just a job. It’s a part of a bigger problem. It’s a part of the people who hurt me – and not just me, any of my people that they catch.

Akilah: I understand that, now…

Stuart: Do you just understand because it’s me that made you realize that? Because it’s so much more than me.

Akilah: No. I just never really got to hear the other side of it until now.

Akilah: Stuart, I took this job before the laws were enacted. I didn’t even know the supernatural existed when I took this job.

Akilah: When I learned all that stuff really existed, I thought it was fascinating. But the government doesn’t think that: they paint all of you as dangerous monsters with no self control.

Akilah: I REALLY thought what I was doing was for the best of the country, but I get now that things aren’t so black and white.

Stuart: None of us are that black and white, Akilah. Not just magic users. Werewolves. Vampires. Banshee. Anyone that your government claims is dangerous.

Stuart: Each one of us still has a human soul.

Stuart: If we were that dangerous, it would have been us that exposed us – not the laws. We’ve been living, as a whole, for centuries without the rest of the world knowing about us.

Akilah: I know. I mean, I’m sure there are bad werewolves and vampires and magic users just like there are regular bad people in the world. But I fully believe that most of you are just trying to live your lives like everyone else.

Stuart: Exactly my point. Exactly the whole point of the rebellion. None of us are meant to live our lives in chains.

Akilah: Stu, what do you want me to say? I’ve already said I agree with you.

Stuart: .. I know. I guess… I’m just not used to someone on your side changing your mind.

Akilah: I wouldn’t get too used to it. Most of the people I work with are very set in their ways.

Stuart: I know. I’ve met your brother.

Akilah: My brother and I…we’ve always been really different.

Akilah: I’ve been working for the government for four years, and he didn’t even realize I had moved here until recently.

Stuart: I’m aware. And grateful

Stuart: [ delayed ] Your brother is the one who took me in.

Akilah: If he ever found out I’ve been helping you…I don’t doubt that he would throw me under the bus in the name of the law.

Akilah: [delayed] …Did he think you were Stiles?

Stuart: No. He knew I wasn’t.

Akilah: Does he know who you really are??

Stuart: He doesn’t know who I am to the Underground, but he knows my name.

Stuart: Not that my name is important anymore. I’m on the list.

Akilah: Shit

Akilah: Does he know that you know me?

Stuart: I honestly don’t know.

Akilah: If he doesn’t know already, he’s going to find out.

Stuart: Even if he does, how is he to know I know you now?

Stuart: .. and besides, he still took me. And let them believe I was Stiles.

Akilah: I mean, I guess he wouldn’t be able to find out that we still know each other now. But if he finds out we were friends in high school, he might press.

Akilah: Why would he let them believe you were Stiles? Why not just keep you and Noah to lure Stiles out?

Stuart: … I really don’t know.

Akilah: I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to figure my brother out.

Stuart: I’m sorry.

Akilah: It’s not your fault.

Stuart: Still.

Stuart: And … thank you. For coming to see me. Even if I wasn’t awake. I just –

Stuart: I don’t like the idea of you seeing me like that - but it means you care.

Akilah: You don’t have to thank me. And I’m always going to care about you Stuart.

Stuart: .. I’m realizing that.

Stuart: But I haven’t had many people in my life that care. So, thank you.

Akilah: I’m really glad you’re okay.

Akilah: I already mourned for you once. I really don’t want to have to do it again.

Stuart: That depends on your definition of okay.

Stuart: But I’m getting there.

Akilah: Sorry, poor choice of wording. I’m really glad you’re alive.

Stuart: Just … please stay safe, Akilah. And let me know the moment you don’t think you are.

Akilah: I will. You stay safe too.

Stuart: I will try.