#I mean I guess it’s debatable but still they’re not together when they said that to each other

[kiirotoao]

When Will “not possible” Byers and Mike “you didn’t have to” Wheeler get together, they’re going to be flirty as hell. And I can’t wait.

[foreverfangirlsblog]

Redemption (Husk x Reader)

Summary:

The reader and Husk try to get redeemed but one of them is left behind. Will they be able to meet again? Or is their relationship over?

Notes:

Word count: 3012

You and Husk were in his room, laying comfortably in each others embrace. It’s moments like these that you loved. Just you and him with no worries about soul binding deals, war with angels, or even getting redeemed. Just you laying with your big kitty, purring as you cuddled.

Admittedly you have been thinking about getting redeemed a lot recently. You and Angel have been working really hard towards redemption but have yet to get anywhere with it at the same time. You quietly sighed and Husk noticed right away. He nuzzled his face into the space between your collar bone and neck. ��What’s wrong love?”

You hesitated a bit before speaking “I’m just wondering if we’ll ever get redeemed. If we’ll ever get out of this literal hell hole”

Husk tensed up a bit from your words. He knew that your goal here was to actually get redeemed, unlike him. Yet you still phrased it as “we” as in you and him, together. You always were a positive thinker, contradicting his glass half empty attitude. You had so much faith in him getting redeemed, he just couldn’t see it. “If anyone can get redeemed and welcomed into heaven it’s you doll”

You smiled at his words. “I guess this place isn’t total hell, not since I have you” you kissed his cheeks one at a time, then his forehead, then his cute little heart nose. He laughed at you sweetly before bringing your face to his for a short but passionate kiss.

“It’s just a matter of time”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Everyone gather around!! I have great news!”

You and Husk were at the bar, chatting together. Upon hearing Charlie announce for everyone to gather you both walked over to the lobby, sitting side by side on the couch.

Once everyone was in the lobby waiting anxiously for Charlie’s announcement she began to speak. “Alright so I’ve been allowed a meeting with heaven. Seems like they’re finally going to consider redemption as an option!”

At first there was silence, no one sure what to say. Last time Charlie had a similar announcement it resulted in a war with the angels and Sir Pentious dying…..

Husk was the first one to speak what was on everyone’s mind “You mean just like last time? When it resulted in us getting in deeper shit with heaven?” Of course he was skeptical, you all were. But how could you not hold onto hope.

“This time is different” Charlie said confidently, she didn’t explain how or why but told us to trust her, and you did. She told everyone to stay in the hotel, suggested having a game night or movie night while she’s gone. Then, her and Vaggie left to their meeting in heaven.

“Well might as well get comfortable” you said has you leaned into Husk then snuggled deeper into him. Angel and Cherri debated on which movie to watch. We ended up putting it to a vote and chose the less violent option that Angel surprisingly chose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You were leaning back, practically on top of Husk’s chest as he played with your hair instead of watching the movie.

You all finished the first movie by now and went onto your second choice, a basic romance. Everyone acted like they didn’t like your movie at first but you could tell they were enjoying it, at least no one fell asleep yet.

Suddenly a bright light shone down from somewhere in the sky. ‘But how is that possible? We’re inside?’ You thought to yourself. Then you realized that the light wasn’t just shining down on the room, it was shining down on you.

Your whole body felt warm, and almost tingly. Your back particularly started to almost vibrate. That’s when you also realized that you were floating, no, levitating upwards.

“Husk?!” You called out in a panic. Your body was levitated above his now, far enough that you could only hold onto his hand as he reached for you.

“Y/N?! What the the hell??”

“More like what the heaven” Angel suggested.

Husk glared at him quickly before realizing, he was right. This had to be Heaven. You were getting redeemed.

“It’s okay Y/N. You did it, you’re a winner.” He squeezed your hand to comfort you best he can “you’re going to a better place now” he smiled sadly at you before slowly letting go of your left hand.

“Husk no. We’re supposed to go together, I want you to come with me!” There were tears forming in your eyes as your body floated further and further away, the only thing keeping you down was your right hand holding onto his like your afterlife depended on it.

His heart broke seeing you this sad, and even though he wasn’t sure he promised you “I’ll see you soon, don’t you worry”. With that Husk softly kissed the back of your right hand before letting go.

You were now on your way up to heaven. Your eyes glowed an unnatural golden color. Your entire color pallet now shifted from dark hues to light. And now, you had magnificent wings sprouted from your back, even larger than Husk’s.

Then you were gone, the light was gone. All that was left was Husk by himself staring at the spot where he once held you, and his friends gathered around him.

“Well shit” Angel said awkwardly trying to fill the silence.

Before Husk could even think about saying anything another portal opened. His ears perked up, he got excited hoping it would be you. He should’ve known it was too soon. It was just Charlie and Vaggie.

“YAYY!!!” Charlie said excitedly as she stepped through the porta, back into the hotel lobby. “The angel council decided to redeem one of you as a tester! Isn’t that….great” she was excited to reveal the good news but faltered off at the end when she noticed the grim faces on everyone. “What’s wrong?”

“They took Y/N” Cherri told Charlie.

She gasped before turning to Vaggie, exchanging a knowing glance. “Oh Husk I’m so sorry”

Husk couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t do anything. He just sat there silently. Hoping it was all some bad dream, like all the other times. But it wasn’t.

“Hey I have an idea!” Charlie exclaimed trying to lighten the mood. “Why don’t we go visit her!”

Husk perked up again. “You really think we could see her??” He didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“I don’t see why not! They want Y/N to be an example! What better way than to show you all what it’s like after you’re redeemed??”

Husk nodded at this, happy for the chance to see you again, but still didn’t want to get his hopes up. “That sounds good Charlie”

~~~~~~~~~~~~ A month went by before they were able to schedule a meeting to visit Y/N. Charlie had brought the idea up to Emily and she was also for it! Excited even. Although she said only after you became officially settled. So Husk waited. A whole month. Damn was it the longest month in his entire existence.

To say he missed you would be an understatement, it didn’t describe the severity of the situation well enough. He missed your presence. At the bar while he worked, at Charlie’s exercises, and especially at night in his bed. It felt empty and cold without you, even if he had thick fur. He missed your soft touches, your genuine smile, your sweet voice, your intoxicating kisses.

He had actually been on really good behavior recently. Everyone noticed it. He stopped drinking heavily, he participated in more activities Charlie planned, he was really trying to keep his promise to you. He never thought it was possible before but now you were proof, and like hell he’d let his stubbornness prevent him from seeing you again. So he caved, he’ll become the nicest sinner in all of hell if it meant he’d get to hold you in his arms again.

Today was finally the day. The day everyone got to visit you in heaven. He was restless all night and barely slept. He was first in the lobby ready to go, even before Charlie. His fur was more tamed than usual, his teeth brushed, and even managed to put on his best outfit. He was going to see you today, and it meant everything to him.

*Yawnnn* “You’re here early Husk” Vaggie said as he came down to the lobby.

“Isn’t it obvious! He’s looking forward to see Y/N!!” Charlie squealed in response for Husk “looking nice buddy!” She nudged him with her elbow suggestively. Husk couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed, was it that obvious he was looking forward to this all month?

“Listen Husk-“ Vaggie started. Before she could continue Angel, Cherri and Niffty met them downstairs.

“Alright bitches let’s go visit heaven!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Husk and the others were all put into a conference room somewhere in heaven. They didn’t really get the grand tour like Charlie did the first time she was there. Not that Husk minded, he just wanted to see you.

It was obvious Husk was on edge waiting for you, his fur was standing up and his ears were pinned straight against his head. He twitched at every little sound he heard till finally, he saw you enter the room with Emily and Saint Peter.

‘Finally’ he thought to himself, before quickly running to hug you tightly. “Y/N!” He hugged you closer than ever before with his entire being, his tail wrapped around your torso, his wings shielding you from everyone else. All his worries melted away once he had you in his arms and could smell the familiar scent that was you.

“Husk there’s something you need to know” Vaggie said quietly to Husk.

He was going to ignore her but she snapped him out of his trance, he finally realized….you were still within his embrace but you weren’t hugging him back. He knew something was wrong. He untangled himself from around you and looked at closely. “Y/N what wrong?” He asked worriedly examining your face. You looked okay…

“I’m so sorry…” You turned to Saint Peter and Emily confused, “How does he know my name?”

Husks heart shattered. “Y/N, stop-stop messing around it me. It’s Husk.”

You just looked at him with pity and confusion. He hated that look, he never thought he could hate a look on your face but there he was hating that look, wishing it would go away, “I’m sorry I don’t know you have we met before?”

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded, well everyone except for the angels, current and fallen.

“Y/N you’re the love of my life. I’m-I think I’m-I thought I was yours. It’s me” Husk’s words were messy and shaken now as he stepped away from you slightly.

“I’m really sorry I think you’re confusing me with someone else. You do seem very lovely though” you smiled sadly at him stepping back, furthering the distance between the two of you.

He didn’t think his heart could break anymore, but just then it did. His heart broke into a million pieces.

He quickly turned away from you to hide his tears. Angel came up and tried to comfort him but Husk just pushed him away.

“What the hell is going on here” Angel demanded.

“Emily why doesn’t Y/N remember Husk?” Charlie added in concern.

Emily sighed and stepped to them while Saint Peter guided you elsewhere. “I thought you knew….once you become an angel you forget sinners”

“What?!” Everyone asked irritated

“What do you mean forget sinners???” Angel yelled “You mean to tell me my sisters up here and she just doesn’t remember her family?! Y/N doesn’t remember the love of her life??? What kind of bullshit logic is that?!” Angel’s comment threw everyone a little off guard, not everyone knew he had a sister, nor did he talk about her being in heaven.

Emily gave a look of sympathy “It makes it easier for the soul to transition, Y/N was in so much pain being ripped away from the people she came to love. Forgetting was the only way…..otherwise….she may have just gone back down”

“That’s bullshit” Husk growled “you can’t just take away someone’s life”

“Technically it’s not her life, it’s her afterlife” Saint Peter said.

Husks growling grew louder and rage fired his eyes. He was ready to claw those wings right off of that stupid angel. He saw the was he interacted with you, who the fuck did he think he was.

Before Husk could pounce multiple people were now holding him back.

“I’m sorry everyone I truly am”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the Hotel the spirit was worse than ever, amongst everyone.

“I’m really sorry guys” Charlie apologized. In return everyone mumbled an “it’s okay you didn’t know”

“But I knew” Vaggie said, “I’m so sorry I wanted to tell you all, warn you. But I thought that maybe it would be different this time”

No one knew what to say but Husk didn’t care anymore. He got up and left to seclude himself in his room. What did anything matter now? If Y/N didn’t remember him all the work he’d done this past month to be with her was pointless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks had passed since the meeting and Husk had lost all progress he made. Charlie was growing especially concerned for him “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Husk this drunk before” Charlie said nervously, looking over to the bar where Husk sat drinking himself away despite it being 9am.

“Well what do you expect. The only person who made him happy down in this literal hell hole forgot he existed” Angel said matter of factly.

“I know I just wish he would still work on himself, just because she doesn’t remember him now doesn’t mean there’s not hope”

Angel hummed at this and decided to risk approaching the drunken feline. “Hey you’re cut off” Angel said taking the bottle away from Husk

“The fuck you say spider freak?” Husk snapped

“I said you’re. Cut. Off.” Husk started growling at Angel and was ready to try and snatch the bottle back but Angel was one step ahead of him and stepped back, causing Husk to trip over himself drunkenly. “Dammit Husk you’re really going to sit around here moping when Y/N is up there waiting for you??”

“She’s not waiting for me” Husk hissed “she doesn’t even remember me anymore”

“Who the fuck cares?!” Husk became confused “You promised Y/N before she went up there that you’d try your best to get up there with her. You made that promise before, who cares if she forgot. You’re really gonna make yourself a liar to the one person you care about?? You’re just going to GIVE UP on the one person who made you a tolerable asshole instead of an intolerable jackass?” Husk blinked at him, processing the information he was just given. Angel wasn’t entirely wrong. How could he break this promise to Y/N. Does it really matter if she forgot him? Maybe if he can follow her he could win her back? Was that too cheesy to hope for? Isn’t that how love is supposed to work?

“I hate you when you’re right” Husk pouted crossing his arms “You’re wrong about one thing though, she’s not the only one I care about” Husk gave Angel a soft smile.

“That’s more like it, come on let’s get you to bed. You got a lot of work to do bud”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since that wake up call from Angel Husk really did try to change his ways. Maybe it didn’t matter if you forgot him, he remembered you and always would, that’s enough for him. He’d hold onto the memories you created together and cherish them. And maybe, just maybe you could still make more.

When Husk was eventually redeemed it was unexpected. He hadn’t done any heroic act, or done anything particularly kind at all, it was just a normal day. The sensation was dramatic and unfamiliar, identical to the light show he saw you go through. Although this time he saw his friends proudly wish him good luck as he rose to the heaven, to you.

Overall he noticed his appearance was generally the same just lighter. The reds were dulled down to dark pinkish colors instead. His clothes were also white instead of black, his wings now white and pink.

As soon as he regained composure and steadied himself he frantically looked around the empty room “Y/N??” He called out desperately.

“I’m sorry it’s just me” Emily said emerging from the shadows.

Husk tensed slightly but still had hope “Where Y/N? Can I see her please?” He asked nervously.

“Husk…I don’t know what will happen when you see her, I can’t guarantee that she will remember you again or even want to talk to you considering what happened last time”

“I need to know” Husk said firmly despite Emily’s warning.

“Alright I’ll send for-“ before Emily could finish her sentence the doors slammed open, startling her and Husk.

Y/N stood in the doorway looking out of breath and a bit panicked, but still beautiful. “Husk?!” She yelled into the room scanning it to find him. As soon as her eyes landed on him tears welded up in her eyes “HUSK YOURE FINALLY HERE!”

Emily was shocked and so was Husk as you ran and engulfed him into a big warm hug. Despite his initial shock he melted immediately in your arms. “I miss you so much” his voice said, barely above a whisper into your chest.

“I can’t believe I didn’t remember you” you squeezed him before pulling away slightly “I’m-I’m so-“

“Shhhh it’s okay” Husk comforted, bringing you back into the hug. “I’m here and we’re finally together, that’s all that matters”

You smiled. “Now we’re both winners”

“That we are love”

[shina913]

The Thrill | KNJ

The Thrill (An Intersect drabble)

✫✫✫Intersect Masterlist✫✫✫

Pairing: KNJ x Fem!Reader

Rating: M 🔞; NSFW

Genre: Established relationship; fluff; smut

Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff; grand romantic gestures; cussing; clit play; breast play; dirty talk; unprotected penetrative sex in a committed and monogamous relationship; soft aftercare

Word count: 2,993 words

Summary: “Nooo...stop it.”

A/N: I guess this is the result of the amalgamation of all the boyfriend/thirsty content that Namjoon has been dropping lately. I really have no excuse when it comes to him. I say this as my BFE!Yoongi WIP pouts in the corner, mid-smut scene--you’re next, I promise!!! 🤪  Thank you, Sim @itdoesntmatterwhy​​ for reading this through and giving me some good notes!

A/N2: The Thrill is one of my favorite Miguel songs. It’s so much better live than the original recording.“We can be the riot in the air tonight/Start the kind of trouble you can taste.”  I debated cutting it off right before the smut but then...Joon’s Smoke Sprite verse happened so...you can blame that for the second half of this!

A/N3: You don’t need to read the series to get into this. I included some callbacks but they’re not necessarily crucial to be able to understand this drabble.

“Baby! Have you seen my–”

You giggle to yourself as this neverending saga of Namjoon asking, ‘have you seen this thing that I always use and yet I always forget where I keep it,’ continues.

“Check the first drawer on your left-hand side of the hallway cabinet,” you yell from the bathroom. You hear him let out an audible sigh of relief as he retrieves the item that he needs for your trip.

“Got it, thank you! Never leave me, please,” he calls out when he re-enters your bedroom.

You laugh while reaching for your face wash to begin your bedtime routine. You also had a flight to catch tomorrow.

From your bathroom, you hear Namjoon scuttling around–distant sounds of drawers opening, closet doors sliding on their track, then followed by the rustling sound of things being stuffed into his suitcase.

You press your face oil gently into your skin, the last step in your skincare regimen. Afterward, you double-check your cosmetics case on the counter to make sure that you had all of your travel essentials.

From your peripheral vision, you catch his reflection in the mirror. When you lift your head, you find him leaning against the doorframe, eyeing you intently.

He wore a dorky but affectionate smile on his face while his arms were crossed over his chest.

“Lose something again?” You ask in a teasing tone.

He shook his head slowly. “I found everything I needed.”

“Well, as we always say, if we forget something, we can always buy it out there.”

He nods vaguely, not really caring about anything else. He still stood there, sporting the same grin on his face.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” he shrugs.

“And yet you’re just going to stand there gawking?”

“Nah, I’m just…thinking.”

Your eyebrows lift in curiosity. You lean your hip against the bathroom counter, somewhat mirroring his posture.

“About what?”

“How lucky I am to be with you.”

Your breath hitches and your cheeks flush. “That’s it?”

“And I’m also thinking how glad I am that Celina forced us to work on that contract bid together,” he chuckled.

You laughed in turn and thought back on how your relationship began. His unexpected nostalgia piqued your curiosity. 

He gently pushes off the doorframe and saunters toward you. He stopped short, lifted his hand to your cheek, and brushed it with his thumb. “You’re so beautiful, my love,” he whispered.

The sentiment made warmth bloom within your chest. Then, looking at your reflection in the mirror, you let out a soft chuckle. 

“What’s so funny about what I said?” He asks.

“I mean, look at me! I look all funny,” you replied. You still had your spa headband on and looked like a glazed donut since your face oil hadn’t quite set into your skin yet.

“You know I don’t care about that,” he waved you off. “And for the record, I am looking at you. I think you’re beautiful whether you’re all done up, dressed in your sexy power suit; or bare-faced in your flannel pajamas.” He planted a soft kiss on the tip of your nose.

“Okay, what’s gotten into you?”

He shrugs, still grinning. “I’m just really looking forward to our vacation.”

But the way he smiled roused more suspicion in you. “Uh-huh, sure.” 

You’d booked this trip a while ago and you had to make sure that you and Namjoon had synchronized your calendars months in advance to have a quiet, uninterrupted week where you both could unwind and reconnect.

Namjoon also insisted on booking a couple of island excursions for you, which was a shock because he didn’t usually like having scheduled activities while on vacation. We go on vacation to get away from schedules, he often said.

He remained tight-lipped about what he has planned. The only hint he’s given you was that it would be totally unexpected and to pack comfortably. It was no help to you at all.

You finally take off your headband and stow it under your skincare drawer. “I’m pretty excited, too. I can’t wait to find out what you have planned for us.” 

He bit at his bottom lip to stifle a laugh. “Good. I’m glad you’re looking forward to it!” His arms snake around your waist, pulling you close to him. “Actually, while I stood back there watching you, I thought I’d give you a sneak peek of what I had planned before we leave. It’s nothing huge.” Then he squints one eye and gestures with his thumb and forefinger. “Just this small, tiny thing,” he grins mischievously.

While your mind races about this ‘surprise’, he breaks away from you and sinks his hand into his pocket. As you watch him get down on one knee, you swallow the grapefruit-sized lump in your throat. It takes you a few seconds to realize that he was holding up an open box in his hand. In it was the tell-tale ring that had been burning a hole into your brain since discovering its existence.

Your hands fly up to cover your mouth in shock at the sight of it. It was anything but small or tiny– judging by the solitaire’s cut.

“YN, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

You were completely dumbfounded. You’d thought about this moment; pictured it over and over in your head. What the scenario would be, what he would say to you, and how you would feel. You’d even planned potential outfits!

And now, it was actually happening. You’re standing in your bathroom, barefoot, dressed in a worn-out sleep shirt and your underwear.

You were so utterly overcome with emotion, the first words that come out of your mouth are, “Nooo…stop it…” You whined softly through your trembling fingers as the tears start pushing their way past your eyes. 

It was not exactly the reaction nor the response that he envisioned. Confused, he asks, “I’m sorry, what? D-did you just say…‘no’?”

He also looked like he was on the verge of tears, but for a completely different reason.

When your brain cells manage to click again, you laugh through your sniffling. You hastily kneel right in front of him. “Oh, no…baby…” His face crumples at the sound of ‘no.’ Realizing your mistake again, you continue to rectify the situation. “I didn’t mean it like that,” you explain.

Finally, you grab his face in your hands, bring it closer to yours, then plant a lingering kiss on him. You look him right in his eyes, and squeal, “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you!” 

He cracks a hesitant smile and in the softest voice possible, he asks, “Really?”

“Yes, Namjoon! I love you!” You kiss him again and apologize. “I was just so…overwhelmed by the moment and ...how,” You took a second to glance down at your pants-less state, “…Uhhh… comfortable, I look.” You babbled and laughed through teary eyes.

“I really didn’t mean to say ‘no’ and scare you. I panicked and it just sort of slipped out,” You were still shaking, feeling as if your heart would burst from so much joy and love for him.

He breaks into a throaty laugh, his chest and shoulders vibrating, much to your relief.

“I seriously didn’t expect this, though,” you remarked in earnest.

“Are you kidding?” He deadpans, thinking back to when you saw the ring’s order confirmation email on his phone. “You mean to tell me that you weren’t expecting this? At all?” his tone is light and teasing.

Since finding out about the ring, you’d been secretly trying to search where he’s hidden it. Your little brother, Jungkook, had been discouraging you from doing so because it would ruin the magic of the moment. 

“I mean, I had hoped that it would happen during our trip,” you admit shyly.

“Hah! I gotcha there, didn’t I?” He says smugly. In reality, Namjoon had asked Jungkook to keep the ring hidden at his place after the day you found out to throw you off the scent. It worked out perfectly.

You rolled your eyes, but not in annoyance. He was being playful and you had to hand it to him; he pulled off this surprise successfully. 

While still on the floor, he carefully pulls the piece of jewelry out of the box. He takes your left hand and slides the ring up your finger. It was a perfect fit! He brought your hand up to his lips to kiss it, making you feel butterflies in response.

The fluttering compels you to kiss him again, celebrating this moment. Unable to stop smiling, your cheeks feel delightfully sore through the rest of the night.

******

When you crawl into bed together later that night, he makes a confession. “You know, I wasn’t actually planning on proposing tonight,” he laughed. “I had a whole thing planned when we got to the hotel. Jungkookie helped me coordinate. Dinner by the beach, flowers, and a ukulele player. He even called one of his buddies to do this wild drone shot…”

You listen as he continues to talk about his original proposal plan. You laugh and shake your head at the extra effort that Jungkook convinced his Namjoonie-hyung to make so you can be completely blown away.

You smile in appreciation as your brother has always been supportive of your relationship from day one. It was only right that you’d still make an effort to act surprised when the dinner happened–if only to hear Jungkook’s elation at the news.

“What’s changed your mind? You don’t usually blow your load early,” you teased. He glared while you cackled then he pinches the ticklish spot on your hip bone, making you yelp and recoil your body.

He’s laughing as you try to defend yourself from another ticklish assault from him.

“I don’t know…” He shrugged. “It’s just that, I saw you standing in the bathroom. While watching you, all of these memories came flooding back. Specifically, the moment I first saw you.”

“On that web conference?” You laughed at his recollection.

He nods wistfully. “I was in denial at first but I unconsciously knew that you had me right then. So I thought–fuck it! I didn’t care about where we were or what we were doing. I just knew that I wanted to be with you…forever.”

You beamed through your happy tears and pepper him with kisses.

*******

You wake the next morning like you’ve woken just about every morning since you’ve been with Namjoon–with him pressed into your back, his lips kissing down your spine slowly and lazily. It’s blissful, mind-numbing. And, as always, your melt under the warmth of his mouth rousing you from your dreams. 

The friction of your skin rubbing together takes you from warm to blazing in a snap. The feel of his morning arousal brushing your thighs awakens your senses.

You reach back, pushing your fingers through his morning mess of a hair, sighing your contentment.

“Morning,” he murmurs, peppering soft kisses on your shoulder while rolling his hips into your ass at the same time. His hands creep up from behind you to palm your breasts from underneath your shirt. You gasp softly when he gently pinches a hardened nipple.

“You ready for me, baby?”

Your body responds to his call instinctively. Your need for him is incessant. “Always.”

You reach back between you two and pull on your underwear’s waistband halfway down. Namjoon tugs on it the rest of the way through, lifting your knees up to completely rid yourself of them.

You wriggle toward him to find that he’d already stripped off his shorts. He palms your center, sucking and kissing your neck while his fingertips tease your clit.

You part your legs for him, not just wanting to give him better access but your ache for him has grown into a steady hunger.

You grind your hips into his touch, making him laugh huskily into your ear. “A little impatient, are we?”

“You started this and now you want to pump the brakes?” You sassed.

“There’s my firecracker,” he smirks before his teeth graze the shell of your ear. “Go ahead then. Put me in.”

As much as you loved when Namjoon took command during sex, it thrilled you even more when he relinquished control to you.

You reach between you two and wrap your fingers around his cock. He groans when your hand slides down his length slowly…teasing him until he groans impatiently, making him nip at your flesh. “Okay, you’ve made your point!” His annoyed protest makes you giggle mischievously.

You line him up to your center, brushing the tip against your wet folds, making him curse under his breath.

In one slow, calculated movement, he’s inside you. You grip his hair, crying out in unison once you take him to the hilt.

In an instant, you’re both floating on cloud nine, mere moments after waking. And you know that’s Namjoon’s intention each time— to start your day being reminded of how much he wanted and desired you…how much he loved you.

One look, one word from this man and he has you all worked up in a frenzy. You listen to him whisper sweet nothings in your ear, how good you make him feel, how he wishes he could spend hours and days just like this. You take comfort in the deep baritone of his just-woke-up voice. It was right on par with his bedtime voice, when he says that he wants to fuck you senseless, leaving you completely sated before you drift off for the night—thighs still trembling.

You lean into his touch, tilting your neck backward to offer your mouth to him. He takes it, tongue dipping right in, cupping your jaw whilst he savored you. 

Your bodies move in perfect synchronicity like they were made specifically with each other in mind…because they were. You’d never question the sense in that especially when you’re so close and intimate like this. 

“You still with me?” he whispers.

“Yes,” you manage to respond.

He pulls out of you and you let out a whine of protest. “On your stomach,” he says gruffly. 

Lost in a fucked-out daze, you obey.

He slides over you while you were stretched out on your stomach. His hand pushed between your hip and the mattress, reaching between your legs to cup you in his hand. You were so wet and slick for him. You let out a muffled moan when palmed your clit.

“I want you this way,” He says, brushing his lips across your cheek.

He reaches for his pillow with this free hand and then shoves it underneath you while lifting your hips to the angle that he wanted, preferably one that would let him sink in deeper.

“Joon…” The manner in which you said his name was a plea. He’d left you empty for too long and you were anxious for him to fill you again.

He acknowledges the need in your voice. “I know, baby.” He shifts, urging your legs apart. Then, he gently presses on the small of your back, urging you to bend lower, angling your ass up higher for him.

With his hands on your hips, he slid back into you. You fisted at the sheets on either side of you, relishing the stretch to your center.

“Fuck, yesss,” you dragged out.

He picked up the rhythm, feeling the air seize from your lungs whenever his hips slam against your ass. You pressed your face hard into your pillow, gasping and moaning incoherently while he continues to pound into you mercilessly.

His teeth gritted, barely restraining the growls that surged from his throat. His chest heaved against your back, his ragged breaths ruffling the hairs on the back of your neck.

His hips churned, fucking into you; pushing in further. He could feel your walls around his length. They clench in ripples that make his cock twitch in excitement.

The pressure building up within him was persistent but he was capable of keeping it under control. He wanted to give you all the pleasure he could offer. Your moans of satisfaction are more than enough to set off his own release.

You whimper, helplessly writhing under him while he punishes you with each stroke. Reaching between your legs, you rubbed circles on your pulsing clit, making your cunt tremble then tighten around his cock in a vice-like grip.

Finally, you tip over the edge. Cumming with a loud, lingering moan.

Aroused by your orgasm, he shut his eyes and dropped his forehead to your cheek. He inhaled your scent and let go, coming just as hard, his ass flexing as he filled you.

A few beats later, Namjoon gingerly turns you over on your back, pulling the pillow from underneath you and tossing it to the side. Exhausted, he collapses on you but is careful not to squish you. Although, if you were going to be honest, you loved the feeling of his full weight on top of you.

He was crowding you now, where he will remain for the next few minutes while he snoozes on you, nuzzling and kissing your misted neck. You hold onto him and savor the moment you cherish each morning before you have to get up and head to the airport for your trip.

He rubbed his damp hair against your cheek. “Love you.”

Your head turned, your lips seeking his. Breathing into the kiss, you reply, “Love you, too.”

You sigh into his shoulder as you settle, pressing him tightly against your chest, getting him as close as you possibly can. In your own silent way, you’re telling him that you’re also happy to remain where you are.

Smiling softly, he lifts your left hand up to his lips to kiss the ring he had given you last night. Your heart squeezes, relishing in the promise of forever with him.

You’ll always think back fondly on that magical evening when you said, “No…stop it.”

Intersect Series Masterlist | Main Fic Masterlist

You’ve reached the end! Thank you so much for reading!

If you loved it, please comment, reblog, or send me feedback! 📩. I love hearing from readers! If you didn’t like it so much, I would still like to hear about it. Help me become a better writer! 💜

Tagging: @itdoesntmatterwhy @internetjunkdrawer @purplewhalewrites @yu-justme @joonschocochip  @majamarantha @yoongukie-ff @shesoldbutcute​

[phoenix-is-the-hottest-thing]

Some people need to understand queer coding opens character identities and relationships up to a solid queer interpretation, but that doesn’t equal “this character 100% fits my headcanon and if you disagree you’re a [REDACTED]”

From a literary analysis perspective, as long as your interpretation is reasonably evidence-based it’s valid. As this is fandom, I’d add “sincere” to that since unlike an academic setting we get bad faith actors but that’s it.

So, to have a valid “interpretation” you have to do the work in good faith, and you have to be able point at the text to support your interpretation. If you can’t, or don’t want to, that’s a headcanon, and it’s totally fine.

“But this character is a lesbian she likes a girl!” There’s more to queerness than straight and gay. You could reasonably interpret a girl who likes another girl as plenty of different things:

Lesbian

Bi

Ace/aro and something else

Straight and closeted trans

Straight and lover is closeted trans

And so on.

So when you have an interpretation, someone might tell you, “I think this other thing.” The polite way to handle this if you don’t like it is to say “that’s so cool we can see different things in the ambiguity of art”. Maybe blocking each other if you dislike their interpretation that much.

That’s of course unless you both want a debate to further refine your understanding of the text or just like to argue or whatever. Which is fine! As long as it’s not overly bitter or whatever, it’s fun to discuss.

“So how do I know which interpretation is more canon than another?”

See, that’s the thing, you can’t. Canon is kind of shaky in the first place. The canon is just what’s written that’s recognized as true/correct text, not the way to understand it (and not what the author says is true, some people take Word of God as canon because it allows the following of one concrete interpretation instead of acknowledging multiple, but strictly speaking it is not). You can only interpret the canon.

For example, 4-komas bonuses of serialized manga are usually non-canon because they are jokes and not meant to be taken seriously as a part of the story’s text. That’s what canon actually is for, originally it’s to talk about which books are genuinely part of the Bible and which are to be deemed offshoots that shouldn’t be taken as a Catholic Church-endorsed religious text.

I guess that’s what gets people confused? That there’s no actual truth to imagined worlds, only what happens in the eyes of the beholder when they interact with art?

Because that’s what it means, canon often has nothing to do with who’s “actually a lesbian” short of them saying it directly. An onscreen wedding is said to “make a couple canon” precisely because there’s only so many ways you can interpret a wedding, but all that means is that the text says they’re together at a point in time. One way I can think of having a canon sexuality would be a canonical character sheet, or an omniscient narrator saying so, but everything less is basically an interpretation.

Note that interpretation obviousness can go from “that’s a stretch but I like it”, to “you only need eyes to see it”, they’re both still interpreting. Even a character talking sexuality technically only makes canon that they’re willing to say so, but that’s when critical thinking comes in.

If you hear a character say “I’m a married lesbian” and think “they’re just confused” with no evidence, you look like an idiot. You absolutely can argue which interpretation is more valid or likely by pointing out inconsistencies, stretched evidence, or that one interpretation has a higher volume of evidence/etc. This is how you avoid relativism and “nothing the text says matters” trolls.

Occam’s Razor is another way you might be tempted to try and determine whose thesis is stronger. This technique works through figuring out which interpretation requires the least amount of assumptions (saying something arbitrary is true as a basis) but it doesn’t make anything canon, or more interesting, it’s not a concrete sign of superiority. Just means it has stronger fondations.

However… your interpretation being stronger, more popular, better worded etc. or you thinking someone else’s is immoral, stupid, etc. doesn’t give you license to be a bully, to call people names, to dox them, dig up dirt to make them look worse, and so on and so forth. Thinking you’re right and they’re wrong does not make you above basic respect, politeness, or consequences. You’re not better than everyone else.

As a child, I used to think I was always right because I was logical, and I clearly made logical sense so there was no way for there to be a logical reasoning that arrived at a different conclusion. (Newsflash: Child me was very wrong! Sometimes multiple things can be equally valid! And even if they were not equal, that didn’t give me license to deride people publicly!)

Queer coding is by its nature interpretative. Coding is the author leaving hints about their characters by using a “code”. Some hints, almost everyone in your section of fandom might have the exact same interpretation about. Some hints might be dead obvious. Some hints might leave you overjoyed. Some hints you might ignore because they make you uncomfortable.

Some people will disagree with you about how they interpret the coding, or might even just state that they believe people have a right to interpret the canon however they want, even in ways you don’t like. That is normal. That is not a threat to your interpretation.

Don’t be a petty cunt about it.

Essentially,

[showtoonzfan]

So we know Stella probably won’t have anything to her in the new episode other than “evil bitch”, but honestly….I’ve been thinking about what this one YouTuber had said about her, and it was that Stella and Stolas have no relationship….and…..guess what? They’re exactly right, they really don’t. Their relationship is so shallow, we have no idea how Stolas feels about Stella outside of the bullshit we’re told of him apparently trying to make it work, and she just…doesn’t like him and is trying to kill him. That’s it, there’s no in between or depth to their relationship. There’s nothing regarding how they take care of Octavia, there’s nothing on how they felt about the arranged marriage, we never even get to SEE them interact outside of Stella just popping up occasionally here and there for the writers to show how much of a bitch she is and move on. She calls him boring and complains, that’s it. We don’t know how they work together or what that dynamic is, there’s no exploration on how they handle royal business together, there’s just no insight, ESPECIALLY from Stella’s perspective because god forbid we have an episode that doesn’t revolve around Stolas, Blitz or Moxxie.

It doesn’t help that their dynamic is also all over the place. They go from being in a bad spot and the family being miserable because of the cheating, to flat out domestic abuse, to despising each other and pettily snapping back at the other, arguing constantly. Like yeah it’s clear they don’t LIKE each other, but these two are supposed to be married and in the royal family, and yet they have no chemistry or clear dynamic at all because the show doesn’t know how to develop and explore relationships/character dynamics outside of quick witty banter. How do they treat each other on a normal day? How do they interact? How did they work together when Stella was still at the house and Octavia was around? We clearly see they would go to Loo Loo land, they would sit as a family at the dinner table in Harvest Moon, we clearly hear that by Octavia’s point of view, she has SOME kind of relationship with her mother, and we see portraits of them together.

There’s obviously a family dynamic going on and yet the writing is so one sided. It neglects Stella and Octavia’s elements completely, and only focuses on how Stolas treats his daughter, nothing else. It’s amazing how Viv claims she’s trying to go for a complex two sided relationship where fans can debate who’s in the right or not, and yet the actual show is shallow and flat AF. You want to learn about Stella and Octavia’s dynamic? Too bad! You want to learn about Stella and how her childhood and being married was? Too bad! You want to learn how Stolas and Stella worked together as a married duo and how they raised Octavia? Too bad! You want to see if there were any good areas to their relationship? Too bad! Just know that Stolas is an uwu soft boi who loves his daughter, and Stella is the evil nasty bitch who wants to torture her husband! That’s all you need to know! And I’d say “let the show play out”, but again….judging by the leaks the show has no interest in fleshing Stella or her story out more, and I find it so funny that fans are able to somehow come up with essay videos or “deep dives” into Stolas and Stella’s relationship when there’s just nothing there. It’s flat, and what you see on the surface is what it is. Stella is just evil and Stolas is just good. Their relationship has no nuance or depth at all, and Stella doesn’t need to be a good person or sympathetic to accomplish that. Just fucking show us their relationship and what they went through outside of just Stella being mean and Stolas being miserable or rolling his eyes, but we all know I’m asking the show WAY too much because that would actually require non bias writing and dedication to a character that isn’t Stolas himself.

[adhdbisexualramblings]

Regressor FLOWEY headcanons!

-Involuntary and trauma regressor. Enough said.

-He cries a lot. He was an extremely sensitive child, and the extra things he’s gone through (and did himself) don’t make that better.

-It’s not so much regression as it is…acting his age? Flowey doesn’t really ‘act’ like a child at all. When he lets himself do so, he can be more tolerable and sweet. I guess he’s be closer to an age dreamer, then.

-But give him a pacifier and he will slip into a much younger headspace. We’re talking toddler to infant.

-Regression means he doesn’t have to think about RESETs or timelines or anything past the present moment, but he’s also a really big crybaby.

-His regression fluctuates a lot. He could switch from infant to little kid at the flip of a coin. It’s hard to track what headspace he’s fully immersed in.

-The only ‘gear’ he has is a pacifier Papyrus gave him one timeline (which he has subsequently stolen every other timeline). He cherishes it and panics when he loses it. It’s pastel orange with a red race car on the front.

-The only people he’s felt comfortable with were Papyrus, Sans (Papyrus left them alone together one time and they have actually formed positive bonds some timelines) and, later, Frisk (though that’s only on extremely rare occasions when neither of the skeletons are available).

-When he was alone, to shut down his regression - which was often confused with memories and sentimentality - Flowey would just…kill things until it went away.

-Either that, or shoot bullets at whatever he could find that wasn’t a monster.

-He hates when Toriel or Asgore try to do anything with him while he’s regressed. It’s partially because it brings back dangerous memories and partially because neither of them are what he needs or wants most days.

-He can be very quiet and shy one second or fussy and demanding the next. It really depends on who’s taking care of him.

-Can and has sobbed about multiple of his old genocide runs out of the blue.

-Regression is almost like traveling to the past for him, which has a 50/50 chance of ending horribly. He doesn’t understand where his older sibling is or why he’s not being called by his name some days, which freaks him out.

-He’ll respond to ‘Asriel’ absentmindedly.

-Regression is strange to him. It’s like reaching for a memory you know used to be there. He can act as lovey-dovey and sweet as when he was Asriel, but whether that’s genuine is debatable. After he gets back into a more sensible headspace, Flowey wonders about his lack of a SOUL every time. It feels genuine, sure, but why? Memories, going back to a time where he was happy, shouldn’t be enough to alter his physical state. He’s SOULless, and therefore can no longer do things like that properly.

-He has auditory processing disorder and prefers hiding under thick clothing like sweaters if he’s being carried around. It muffles noise.

-Papyrus is his main caregiver. Or Sans, if they’re on good enough terms.

-Flowey despises the very feeling of regression. Every. Time. It just makes him angry when he notices it. Asriel is dead, should be dead. So why is he still just some kid? Why does he still crave what he decided was meaningless RESETs ago?

-When Toriel was sleeping in the RUINS, he would pop out of the floorboards occasionally to watch her or, if he felt particularly uneasy, rest with her in bed.

-Asriel was an extreme people pleaser. He was taught to be kind, which led too often to him being a doormat. Regressed Flowey is similar, and won’t like outwardly saying what he needs.

-Sans once found out Flowey was Asriel one timeline and called him ‘little prince’ when the flower regressed at his house. Flowey has attempted to erase all remnants of that RESET to no avail.

-Sans will also call him little prince/prince by instinct, which Flowey feels mixed about.

-He loves coloring and plush toys. However, the sharp thorns on his vines makes crayons and stuffed animals difficult to grab without hurting them, so he…doesn’t get many opportunities.

-There are times where he regresses for a full day and does nothing but sleep. He’ll fall asleep in the patch of golden flowers and panic when he wakes back up.

-Papyrus understands that his friend doesn’t like being public with his thing-Sans-also-does (Sans is a flip but shh that’s another post), so he tries very hard to take care of Flowey privately when he can. When they were in Snowdin, Flowey would stay in Papyrus’ room.

-Only Papyrus, Frisk (and by extension Chara), and oddly enough Toriel consistently know he regresses. Others have forgotten across SAVEs.

[milaswriting]

Conversations with an Empath [a short story]

⇢ An insight into A and B’s friendship, and B pushes A to have a chat about their feelings… and guess who’s at the centre of A’s feelings? Hint, it’s you.

Happy birthday to my darling demigod/dess!

Ignore that this has been posted so late, uni has burned me out and fried my brain but I’m so happy I managed to get this drabble done during all the uni chaos.

Feel free to send any asks about A, and I hope you enjoy this drabble. I think it’s cute that the most emotionally unavailable ro has a good friendship (& conversation) with (one of) the most emotionally available ros.

Hope you enjoy.

Half of four is two. And two can be whittled down into one. The latter is what A likes best: being by themselves, in a sense of comfort and calm… but, then again, two isn’t terrible.

The concept of you and A wouldn’t be so terrible, but those are thoughts they have to keep to themselves. The same thoughts they keep at bay when they’re around anyone. Including B who’s one of their closest friends.

“I invited you because I didn’t think you’d actually come to my place,” is what B said when A walked through the door to their apartment.

“I can turn around and leave,” A replied with honesty but B gently clutched their wrist and pulled them in further before they even had the chance.

Their friendship is an odd one, to say the least. You couldn’t pair two supernaturals that are more opposite than one another. They’re day and night, chalk and cheese, a demigod/dess and a werewolf. But they still work magnificently. It’s a friendship of bright eyes, lopsided smiles, the knowing glances only the two of them can understand; and although A doesn’t say it often; you and their friends is something they’re grateful for.

There’s a mug of coffee on the table for A, and B takes a seat opposite them. There’s a thought floating around in the werewolf’s mind, and they can’t decide whether to tread carefully and say what’s on their mind.

After a sip of coffee, A makes the decision for them. “Spit it out, B. You look ready to explode.”

B’s eyebrows furrow. “Rude.”

“But true?”

“Yeah,” B mumbles after a pause. “True.”

A rests back in their seat. “Go on then.”

Tread carefully… “You seem different.”

A blinks a few times before they tilt their head at B’s words. “Like… emotionally different? A good different?”

B’s an empath, if there’s any change they can sense in anyone it’s all down to feelings, and emotions. “Exactly that!” B laces their fingers together.

“Is it overwhelming for you?” A asks concerned.

“No, it’s fine!” B exclaims, the hint of a smile on their lips and they feel themselves getting somewhere. “I just wanted to see if you’re up for talking about it.”

A humorous scoff escapes A before a smirk is visible. “It’s what we’re doing now, isn’t it? You should consider yourself lucky. This is the most anyone’s gotten out of me for a while.”

A doesn’t say that stuff lightly. B knows that; so much so that they really do feel honoured to be in A’s (very) inner circle.

“I don’t know,” A mumbles. “Everything seems calm and chilled out. You know, the LIS is okay, no one’s actively trying to harm or kill us, so…”

B’s top lip quirks upwards. “Way to make this morbid.”

“You wanted honest,” A snorts.

“I sort of hoped you’d talk about the person who’s made you feel happier,” B replies.

If there’s anything that could cause a wave of worry and silence to engulf A, it’s a statement like that. A statement about you has them doing that. They debate whether to say anything, or whether to let B push and dig. And if that happens, then A would probably pour their their now-cold coffee down the sink and avoid the conversation altogether.

But A decides against that.

“I—“ A interrupts themselves before sucking in a breath. “Sure, I guess.” Those rush of words don’t make sense. “I mean, they’re around us most of the time now,” they say about you. “If you get used to someone, shouldn’t they have some kind of effect on your emotions?”

B nods. “Yeah,” they whisper, cautious they’ll interrupt the only heart to heart they’ll probably have with A this year. “How do they make you feel?”

Irritation. Annoyance. Confusion. Fear. Longing… potentially more than that??

A clenches their jaw. “A lot,” they eventually blurt out. “Too fucking much if you’re able to sense it all.”

B chuckles, and though there’s another statement and set of questions on their lips, the pure look of uncertainty on A’s face tells them to hold back.

“I’ll make you more coffee.”

A’s lips purse together. “I don’t just live on coffee, you know.”

But B’s already laughing their way into the kitchen, which gives A a chance to stay with their thoughts, emotions and everything in between that.

You are the person in between that.

Yet A’s already shaking their head to rid themselves of the thoughts of you.

Maybe talking this out with B was a good thing…

Or maybe not considering they’re even more confused than they were before.

All these feelings are a wild ride…

[atsadi-shenanigans]

Feeding Alligators 36 - Glee

On the properties of blood rejuvenation and the history of the world (i guess).

On AO3.

“A devil? Astarion’s voice is sharp and just this side of a whine. “Now we’ve got a devil after us?”

Voices from below. Gale and Shadowheart and Lae’zel. Y’all should probably regroup. You try to focus as you climb back down (easier, as you’re laying on your belly, but also harder, as you’re already shaking and shivering).

The rest of the crew look between worried and grim. Lae’zel has relaxed back into her “breathe on me and die” stance. Only you seem to still be having a physical reaction. Possible because you’re the only one suddenly dumped ass over tea kettle into an unasked for crisis of (un)faith.

The others debate about it. Or discuss it, since nobody seems to be outright in favor. Wyll is dead set against the entire concept. But it’s Astarion that draws your eye. He wants to use the parasites, you’d gathered from snippets over the last day and a half. He’d said so to the others after the whole dream intruder episode. Man seems pretty down for snatching any form of power (or supplies) he can get his hands on.

But when you look at him, he wears a dark look.

“He’s playing with us,” Astarion says when you ask. “He reminds me of…well. Creatures like them don’t play games unless they know they can win.”

That fuckface hunting him.

“I don’t want any kinda deal with a devil,” you say. “We got stories about that where I come from, and they all end bad.”

Which piques Gale’s interest. You really should take an evening and let the man go whole hog on your stories. He’s been so helpful and curious. Might be a good idea to get a wizard on your side anyway. Short of finding some butthole ship flight recorder, he might be your best shot and getting home again.

All your troubles are starting to run together. Problems gained, nothing solved. You’re not even sure you’re remembering everything outside of “Wyll’s demon” and “Halsin with goblins.” Seems like there’s more you should be remembering.

This line of thinking usually means y’all should set up camp. You ain’t gonna get any less crotchety. Maybe if you offer Gale a Q and A session you can get another vote in “we should stop for tonight.”

***

Gale is only too happy to swing the vote. To be fair, Wyll don’t even protest. Whole devil thing really rattled everybody. Y’all find a stream, start setting up tents, and Astarion is the first one to march over with an arm of clothing.

You still ain’t done nothing with that scrap of linen he gave. You don’t know how to sew, and you don’t have the supplies. You been pondering scavenging another belt and just rigging you up a goddamn loincloth. You suspect it’d look weird and bulky underneath your trousers, though. But maybe you should, just to get used to it. You been here a week or so; it’s maybe another week until the cramps kick in and you start bleeding. You read enough history to know a loincloth is your best bet for dealing with that (you’re gonna have to keep an eye out for more rags or shirts that ain’t all mildewy).

Thoughts of drawers aside, Gale is ecstatic to sit you down and pick your brain. He hands you a scroll and a quill and an inkpot (“For your own keeping. One never knows when one might need to take notes”). He talks to you until most of the others have retired for the night. Talks to you as Astarion finishes his first watch (he sends you both a weird look), and only seems to notice when Shadowheart emerges from her tent to take second shift.

“Oh, goodness, I’ve completely lost track of time!” he says, scribbling furiously.

He’d started with what you remember of Mesopotamia—quickly sidetracked into prehistory and the entire theory of evolution, and then veered into parallel world speculations you didn’t quite follow. He taps his lips with the tip of his quill. They’re not, you notice, full feathers like in the movies. He actually cuts them much shorter, leaves only a tuft of feather on the far end. You wonder about that, until you realize the trim brings the thing down to about pen length. Huh.

“But if that theory is correct, your people would have had to be on Ay-arth for a significant amount of time. Far beyond even the creation of Toril.”

“Toril?”

He looks up. Blinks. And that’s how you learn Faerun is the name of the continent. The planet is Toril. Neat.

You leave him still muttering. He kind of waves, murmurs a “Thank you, Eleanor. Rest well.” And then he shuffles towards his tent, still reading his notes, quill still tapping his lips and you don’t have the heart to tell him he’s got ink on his fingers.

Shadowheart nods as you approach. “Late night?”

You groan. “I barely even got started. He wants to know everything I do and I been learning for years.”

She hums. Glances to the wizard settling in at a reading desk he probably pulled out of his magic bag. You don’t think he’s going to sleep at all, tonight.

“So you’re a scholar, then?” she says.

“More of a hobby,” you say. “My people got access to a lot of information real casually. I don’t got the brain juice to explain right now, sorry. Though, could I ask you a question?”

Her face is cool in the orange glow of firelight. “That depends on the question.”

You know very little of her, aside from hating Lae’zel, and she’s got jesus hands. Also that she’s got mean girl tendencies.

“That potion and your magic, the healing? Does it speed up, um, blood production? Not the fluids but, like, the bits it carries?”

She holds up a hand. “I’m aware of how blood works and its components; I’ve seen enough of it. And yes, a healing potion or my spells encourage the body to heal any recent injuries; so more than just replacing the water in the blood. Why?”

There’s…a suspicious fucking edge to the last word, there. Ain’t no time to be subtle.

“Feeding the vampire,” you say and fuck it, being honest with doctors makes their job easier, right?

Her suspicion turns scathing. It takes all you got not to squirm.

“Really?” she says.

“It helps him fight,” you say.

“So would a feather bed, yet we’ve all been managing fine without.”

But she didn’t feel the monstrous hunger ripping through her innards. Not more than the barest flash Astarion had let slip during his impromptu group chat.

You been hungry before. It was one of Mother’s favorite lessons, hungering for the grace of the lord. His salvation made physical through the hands of the shepherd he sent to guide the unworthy. Deliverance could only follow punishment, though. As your unclean thoughts or actions separated you from the light and bounty of the lord, so did your physical body have to experience that loss. Plus it left no marks for any outsiders to see and be concerned over.

(raspberry and artificial lemon and the stink of dirt)

(No, there’s no root cellar here.)

It’s an awful feeling. And if your body is fine (and soul firmly tied down) you don’t want to let that carry on. Not if you can do something.

Nobody came to help you. Not for a long, long time. Not until Sasha.

You can do your best to be a Sasha, too.

“Is it gonna hurt me in the long run?” you say.

Shadowheart’s voice is as flat as her expression. “No more than letting a vampire at your throat usually is. Are you sure he didn’t dominate you?”

That word again. It’s enough to break through the nasty turn your thoughts were taking. You wonder if that’s a sex thing in Faerunese, as well in English.

“I am of sound mind, making choices of my own volition,” you say. “I used to do this back home pretty regular. Not with vampires, though; we don’t got them. Donating blood helps people with medical emergencies. And my dad’s side…helping your people is a cultural thing. You go to any of my relatives and you barely get a ‘hi’ outta you before somebody’s asking if you’re hungry and they got food in the kitchen, help yourself. It’s real…people-oriented. Helping each other. Or it is when people are trying to do right, anyway.”

Gale still mutters over his desk. There’s ink stains in his beard, now. You wince, but you’ve committed, and you ain’t gonna out yourself at this point. Let him think nobody noticed and salvage his pride.

“That sounds like a people that can be taken advantage of,” Shadowheart says.

That hits. It’s a subject you get stuck on, too. Maybe if the first people the Spanish and then the English had found had been less generous and more murder-happy, y’all wouldn’t have been decimated by disease and then force-marched off all y’all’s land.

Or maybe your ancestors still would have lost, eventually, and without that caring, y’all would have torn yourselves apart during the chaos that followed. Maybe y’all wouldn’t still be here.

“I helped you on that ship,” you say.

Her frown is a sharp, vicious thing. A razor embedded in a ball of ice. “I believe I’ve already repaid that debt a few times over.”

You hold up your hands. “More than that. I’m not trying to hold that over your head. You’uns are the only reason I’m still alive, so thank you. I’m just saying, people survive better when they work together. I ain’t gonna ask any of you to let him chomp down, I just wanna know if it’s safe for me to volunteer. If it ain’t, I won’t.”

She stares silently for a long moment. So long, you’re sure she’s gonna walk off without giving you an answer.

Only she sighs. Puts her hands on her hips and glares at Astarion’s red tent. “You should be able to manage every three or four days, given you have a potion or someone to cast a lesser restoration spell.”

You look at her. She looks at you.

She throws her hands up. “Alright, fine. Find me in the morning after I’ve had my breakfast. But if he drains you dry, you’d best let everyone else know not to come to me to revivify you.”

The too-tight muscles at the base of your skull relax a tick. There’s one thing off the problems list. Or, well, piled onto your plate. Still, you’re gonna count that as a win because fuck it.

“Thank you,” you say.

“Don’t thank me for this. Ugh. And keep you…feedings to yourselves. I doubt anyone else in camp wants to see that.”

You give her a two-fingered salute and let her begin her patrol.

Finally, you can sleep. Deal with all this tomorrow (when maybe y’all find a demon woman to kill). You’re trudging by the time you make it to your tent—next to Astarion’s; somehow, that’s become the official set up. You hadn’t really noticed before, but they did it even when you died passed out, didn’t they?

“Well?” His voice is smooth and low in the dark. You valiantly try to catch yourself when the startle tangles your feet and you end up plowing into your own tent. The poles creak as the whole things sags under you.

His laughter is high and light. Exactly what you think some fancy boy at a rich bitch party would sound like if the staff dropped a tray of teeny, tiny little pickled fish eggs or roasted peacock asshole or whatever those dipshits eat.

“Fuck you, too,” you say on instinct.

On bad instinct.

“Feeling rather forward this evening are we, darling?” Astarion says. The dick. He’s not actually inside his tent; has plonked himself down all criss-cross applesauce right outside the flap. He sits completely unmoving, the only giveaway the shift in eerie eyeshine as he tilts his head back to regard you.

“Ain’t you just a creeper,” you say.

“A what?” He sounds more amused than insulted.

“Creeper. Some guy lurking all creepy in the fucking dark.”

He ponders that a moment. Then lets out his high, little “ah-ha!” giggle. The firelight catches that predator’s eyeshine again. “Vampire, darling. It rather comes with the territory.”

“I guess.” He’s got a point, goddamnit. “You eavesdropping again?”

“Of course. Especially once I caught that juicy little conversation with our dear cleric.”

You’re so tired. You sway on your feet. Sitting down sounds great, and it’s the polite thing to do, but you know the second your butt touches the dirt, you ain’t getting back up.

“Tomorrow night,” you say. “I’m way too beat right now. But you can feed tomorrow.”

“Oh ~darling~” the man fucking purrs. “I was so hoping you’d say that. I’ll come to you then, when you’re snugly wrapped in your bedroll, and we can have a little privacy. And this time, I’ll make sure I’m quiet. We don’t want to disturb your rest. Later on, when we are at rest, I will eat you right up. Just enough to give me strength and just enough to leave you wishing for more.”

Um.

“Um,” you say. Scratch the back of your head. “I think I’d prefer you don’t come in while I’m asleep?”

So of course he plays right onto that, because he’s a horrible person. The firelight catches his face as it pulls down into a leer. “Prefer to feel my lips on your skin again?”

He can see in the dark better than you, you gathered. Hopefully not enough to catch the wash of heat over your cheeks.

His tongue on your neck. It’s the most intimate you ever been with somebody.

“A strange man slipping in and biting my while I’m asleep, hmm. You do know that’s exactly what I meant when I called you a creeper, right?”

“We’re hardly strangers at this point.”

“I’ve known you a week.”

He seems on the verge of firing something back. Reconsiders. His smile, when it comes, is a touch too composed. “As you like. You’ll wait for me, then? After the others have gone to rest?”

Making it sound like a damn hookup.

You’re honestly too tired to keep up with this pointy-eared dork. “Sure, sure. I’ll wait up for you. Do me a favor, though, and if I do fall asleep, wake me up?”

The reflected glow of his eyes dips as he places a hand over his chest and gives you a seated bow. Maybe it’s your own tired, or maybe (just a little), the teasing is (kinda) fun. But you dip into a fancy bow back. You been itching to do that.

Which lights up his whole face in delight.

“Night,” you say before he can kick off another round of being weird, and you duck into your still-sagging tent.

Previous - Index - Next Chapter

[ihatepannacotta]

I was just thinking about Russel x Winry the other day!! Kind of along the lines in a modern au of them agreeing to fake date in the hopes of getting Ed jealous (winry tried and failed multiple times to flirt, and ed does have his jealous tendencies, so the logic is that by seeming like she’s interested in a guy she knows ed Does Not Get Along With that the sort of protective jealousy would kick in, russel is totally willing especially if it means being able to hold something over ed). but then it doesn’t work. ed is a bit judgy in the sense of “really winry??? You’re into THAT guy??” but is otherwise in the “it’s her life, she can do what she wants” mindset. And then russel and winry realize that Oh, Oh no, I actually like you, what now??

Ed and ling (who are dating, up for interpretation on if Ed is gay, bi, pan, or demi) are just watching the relationship from the sidelines sipping at smoothies or something just watching russel and winry be absolute disasters trying to figure out how to date each other, not knowing that it’s fake dating that somehow ended up turning real dating.

Also, I think Al and fletcher would be cute!! Fletcher potentially thinking it’s some Romeo and Juliet level thing because their older brothers Don’t Get Along. Like, how does he tell his older brother he has a crush on his rival’s little brother?? (I am looser with my al ships than my ed ships, so like, up for debate on if it goes well for them or not? I ship al with winry, paninya, mei, and fletcher, so whatever works for whatever thought process I’m having at the current moment I guess)

But I only have vague ideas of characters from 03 and haven’t had the chance to analyze them yet past what wikis say they’re like and because it’s 03 the tringham brothers are like… NOWHERE in fma fanfic I’ve come across. I do know they’re like… a parallel of sorts to the Elric brothers with a few key differences.

AAAAAAAAAAAA YESYESYESYESYES!!

I'm so happy!! We need more Winry x Russell propaganda, they would be so cute together 😭

And YES, I can see Russell being the stupid one who said "I have an idea" thinking it would be amazing and the best idea ever. "We should have a date" he said, very proudly of himself. Winry just watches him in silence for a long time, completely confused because she doesn't understand how that correlates with Ed in the slightest. When 5 minutes have passed in silence, Russell laughs awkwardly and explains the plan, and since they both began to share a neuron since they became friends, Winry tells him "YES! YOU'RE A GENIUS!"

But maybe while all the fake dating is being planned, Ling and Ed are not together yet (I mean, of course they have a crush on the other, but neither of them has taken the first step, they are just being awkward and dumb with the other) that's why Russell and Winry think one of them have a chance. And when they are ready to start the plan, Ling asks Ed for a date, but Winry is oblivious about that.

They start to be together all the time, and when the gang (Lan Fan, Paninya, Al, Ed, Ling and Mei) want to organize something, Winry says that she already had plans with a "friend". Ed looks clearly upset because this is the fifth time she did that, and angrily asks who this guy is who can't leave her alone for a second.

"You know him, remember Russell Tringham?"

"...You're fucking with me"

A week passed and Ed is still really really angry about that "relationship" and Ling is trying to calm him down, saying Winry is his friend and he should be happy she found someone, Ling reminds him that Winry was a little upset before she started dating this guy. So Ed reluctantly agrees he is right.

One day, Ling sees them and comes up with a plan to make Ed calmer and show him that Winry will be fine. He takes his boyfriend by the arm and drags him to where the other two are.

"We should all go out together. You know, a double date!"

Ed, Russell and Winry are shocked but for different reasons.

Ed, with a frown, thinks Ling is an idiot for coming up with that idea (although there's a bit of red in his face because Ling looks so pretty smiling ajhfkwbrksjfjs).

And on the other hand, Russell and Winry are panicking because the two of them were together?! since when?! How did this happen?!

The chaos begins. Ling and Ed were so confused during the date because Winry and Russell don't feel like a real couple?? They seem so awkward with the other and every time Ed or Ling asks them something about their relationship they look at each other with panic.

Dude, I really love that idea javdjwbdnsbjfhs

OKAY I WILL STOP NOW 😭

Talking about Al, I ship him with Mei jdjsjjfka but I think he and Fletcher would be amazing bff's! And Ed doesn't have a real problem with the younger one, but his big brother????? Omg someone kill him please.

I really enjoy your ask! Thank you so much, and sorry for being late with the answer!

[maxbegone]

happy sunday! i hope it's a lovely fall day wherever you are, and i hope that the week ahead is good to you. here's not-seven sentences:

Los Bastardos have a mission.

Raf is already on the porch waiting when Alex steps out into the freezing morning air, bundled up tightly as he gets out a somewhat-groggy greeting. A thermos is shoved into his hands as Oscar walks around the side of the house with three rifles on his back and three axes in his hands, sharp and at the ready.

“Y’all ready?” He asks, beaming in the blue-grey light.

They hop into Raf’s truck and make the drive a mile south of the property line and into the forest.

“Mom’s on watch this morning,” Alex says as he turns the volume up on his walkie. It chirps, and he clicks it twice in a test. “She said to give her a holler when we’re heading back

“What happens if I crush one of you fuckers?” Raf asks into his thermos as Alex and Oscar both laugh.

“She’ll string you up if it’s Alex,” Oscar says as he drives. “Me? She might fuckin’ kiss ya.”

“Fuck, there it is.”

“Y’all have gotten better,” Alex tells him. “You’re better than before this mess. I swear I never hear you fighting.”

“Silent fights are still fights,” Oscar explains. “But yeah, we have gotten better. I guess livin’ with your ex, her new husband and your kids fares well when it comes to surviving the apocalypse. And Leo’s less of a candy ass than I realized.”

“Safe to say that’s fair given the fact that we wouldn’t be here without him.”

“Yeah.” His dad trails off for a moment. “Your mom’s always gonna be the love of my life, mijo. Because of her, I’ve got you and June.”

“If we’re doing heartfelt this morning, I’m doing a tuck and roll out of this car with the intention of screwing up my other leg,” Raf mildly threatens.

Oscar mumbles something under his breath and hits a few buttons on the stereo until a dreaded cassette rolls and La Bamba starts to play. Alex bangs his fist on the roof of the truck twice and whoops as they continue south.

They park in a clearing and sit on the flatbed passing bags of tamales and tetelas back and forth until the sun fully rises. Alex downs the rest of his dirt tea and listens happily to his dad and Raf talk shit about when they worked together years back. In another time, the three of them would’ve taken the states by storm in politics and law. 

Eventually, they head several paces up as they begin their search. It’s not meticulous by any means — they’re really just trying to find a tree that’s full and can fit through the doorway and comfortably in the living room without pulling a Clark Griswold.

“How’s this one?” Alex calls over his shoulder as he measures up a nine foot tall balsam fir. It’s full and looks sturdy enough not to tip over in the tree stand.

Raf sidles up to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder as Oscar circles it. “Think it’s good, kid.”

“Not a single gap,” Oscar announces as he comes back around. “No dead spots. I think we have ourselves a winner, boys. Get your axes and your asses ready.”

It takes two hours of rigorous chopping for the tree to finally come down, all three cheering as it crashes to the forest floor with a heavy thud. Alex cuts it even on the trunk with a handsaw and soon enough, they’re tying it to the flatbed.

“This,” Raf announces from where he’s reaching halfway through the passenger window, “calls for a celebration.” He procures a scratched-up flask, unscrews it, and takes a long pull, letting out a tight breath. “Hoo, that’s good.”

Oscar takes a drink, then Alex, and the familiar taste of shiner warms him from the inside out.

“Can’t believe I didn’t have to beg someone this time,” Alex says.

“Yeah, that’s ‘cause last time you two actually behaved yourselves,” Oscar replies, gesturing between the two of them. “Now, if either of y’all start getting into a debate, I’m taking our shit and leaving you here to walk back through the snow.”

Alex takes another sip. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll behave, Dad.”

Oscar snorts. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

[dear-wormwoods]

omgggg yes i wanna ask u every one haha

6 13(Kyle n stan) 12 17 :0000

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

I don’t thiiiink so? The pairings I hate are pretty set in stone. The closest I can think of is that I never really cared for Bunny that much but then some cute art made me go ‘well sure why not’ and now I love that Butters was basically Kenny’s sugar daddy in Post Covid as he was getting off the ground. But I never hated the pairing so I don’t think that counts.

12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Actually yes! I… I like Season 20. I know it’s not the best season but I genuinely do enjoy the Skankhunt arc and how the Broflovskis were the main characters for once. I like that it expanded on Gerald and confirmed that he plays favorites and actually resents that Kyle takes after his mother. And I loved Kyle and Ike versus Sheila! I also really like the Cartman/Heidi plot, with the seeds of manipulation and abuse being sewn in that season and then expanded upon in 21. I just think their whole relationship was well done and confirmed a lot of things about how Cartman would act as a boyfriend - love bombing, isolating, jealousy, paranoia, etc. I also love how when Kyle brought everyone together to troll, Stan was like “for what” and Kyle was like “NO TIME JUST DO IT” and Stan just goes “okay!” and runs off because he will literally do anything for Kyle. So yeah, unpopular opinion but I enjoy Season 20 even with all its plot holes and flaws.

13. Unpopular opinion about Kyle and Stan?

Kyle: I think this is less an unpopular opinion about HIM and more an unpopular opinion about how fandom treats him, but I really dislike the constant debate about masc/femme… it’s been going on since at least the 2000’s when I started watching the show and it just goes through the same cycle over and over with people doubling down on their preferences and going to extremes that result in the character being sometimes unrecognizable on both ends of the spectrum. Personally I’ve never been a fan of super masc interpretations or, like, Jersey Kyle being a thing, but I don’t think Kyle is particularly femme either. I think the show does a good job of portraying a well rounded character who has both ‘masc’ and ‘femme’ traits, though I think Matt & Trey lean more heavily on character tropes that are often filled by girls (such as being the nag, the wet blanket, the nurturing family oriented one, the one needing saving, even the fiery redhead trope) for whatever reason. The best versions of Kyle I’ve seen or read have always been somewhere in the middle because then he comes off as more multifaceted. It’s the age old Fingerbang argument of tough vs sweet… he’s both! He’s always been both and I try to achieve that balance in my own interpretation.

Stan: Also an unpopular opinion about fandom rather than the character… Stan is both a sports guy and an animal guy. He’s also a board game guy and a music guy. He’s a multifaceted dude with a wide range of interests! Being into football doesn’t mean he can’t be into the other things, and people saying he’s into football doesn’t mean they’re ignoring the other stuff. Humans are typically into multiple things, and Stan is no exception. He can be a dork and a jock at the same time. He can be big and buff and also empathetic with a soft spot for animals. He can be a quarterback and still like metal music. He can be masc and sensitive at the same time. So I guess this complaint is similar to what I said about Kyle in that I think shoving Stan into one box, regardless of what that box is, is doing a disservice to his character.

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

Pretty typical answer, but instead of shifting the show’s focus onto Randy and Tegridy Farms I would have gone back to the roots and focused on the boys. Everything about the show is better when it’s about the kids being kids. Randy is best when he’s utilized in moderation.

[baconcolacan]

Recent Asks comp

Hiii it’s meeee. Bit of an update but: sorry for the sudden radio silence ^^; the side effects of my new medication recently just manifested, and I’m handling that, plus my studio giving me a LOAD of work for this month. 

Down below are the recent asks, sorry I know this isn’t how I usually do this, but Im extremely groggy right now and can’t get to them one by one so here they all are, sorry if I sound loopy hahaha:

TT_TT Considering the political climate in the Stay AU world thats the worst possible thing to happen to him.

HADJKSHFDK His vibes are rancid and always will be, even to himself, that man needs to get dunked into a tub of disinfectant.

Well, outwardly, he won’t show much emotion. Inwardly though, he’d be a little bit stressed out. Of course he would immediately bring Tom to the nearest medic bay and have him fixed up. Nothing will be able to tear him away from his side during this time though, until he’s sure Tom will be stable enough without him keeping guard.

I actually don’t know what that is anon! From a quick search though, it’s a game? I’ll take a peep at it when my brain isn’t all mushy lol.

Hokay! Regimen ask here we go: 1. You’re probably right with  this one, most people would speculate what Tom meant to the Red Leader, and like you said, they’d probably debate about it. Though the ‘lost love’ angle might be the most popular one.

2. HFDSDHFJ Tom as Tamara for a week?? Well, it doesn’t really change much, Tord will still be attracted to him (her?) But Tom would be pretty much in panic mode during the course of the change. Tord would most likely just keep him close for the duration of it, much to his chagrin. 

3. He tried, though Tom would just spit it back at him. 

4. Tom would probably actively antagonize Patryck, since they’ve already spent some time together. Paul would stay out of this, though he will tease Patryck about it once they’re out of the medic bay.

5. They’re in their 30s ^^

6. Demotion and Re-education. Patryck should have known better. Needless to say, his days in the army would probably be hellish now.

Thanks for stopping by chum! Hope I answered them well enough.

I don’t think he’d react much?? Lmao. 

Let me guess...you saw the 40 year old Tord as Red Leader drawing? HHHHHHH

Tyler has got to have a complicated relationship with S!Tord yeah, though I’m hoping he’s still okay with Tom even if he sides with his husband a lot nkdsjfn.

IOFDSJDSLFJDSKF I CANT BELIEVE ME UPDATING MEANS SOMETHING WENT WRONG JGSKDGKFDGFDJG IM SO SORRY ABOUT THAT ANON.

You dream about me? dskskf THATS AWFUL. I hope you recover u.u

[cishetamine]

recently a friend asked me to come over to drop off my annotated copy of a book, and then we planned to kinda just hang out and check out the local bookstore and maybe get dinner or something.

this is a friend i like spending time with, and while we’ve only really hung out once before in person, our time together made a very positive impression on me!

anyway so after a couple times of planning to get together and then failing to do so, i finally make it over to their apartment and drop off the book. so far so good!

and we’re talking and it’s all very fun like before. we have a lot in common, & specifically they like to play Philosophy Debate with me, which is a game that i don’t usually play that much bc most people—including many ppl i consider otherwise very good friends!—tend to find it annoying.

so then we head over to the bookstore. and at first it’s all great—we start browsing, not really looking for anything in particular. But gradually i start feeling like i’m carrying more and more of the conversation, until eventually i start to get the sense that they don’t want to talk to me anymore.

we each find a book—fittingly, mine is a stray from the philosophy section, even though i basically only ever read fiction books these days.

(it’s weird, most of the short-form stuff i read is nonfiction—essays, articles, etc—but most of the long stuff i read is fiction. like i’m honestly not sure if i’ve read a nonfiction book all the way through since college?! which hasn’t been all that long, but still!)

anyway so my friend also gets a book, i forget what, i think it was mao? or they were just looking for mao. Anyway we check out and leave and then as we’re walking back to their apartment they tell me that while they were in the bookstore they got an email.

me : !??

anyway basically this email means that they need to be alone for a while. and so we can’t get dinner or anything that day, and i have no idea when (if ever) i’ll even see them again.

i kinda tried to politely ask them what the email was about, but they said they’d rather not say, so i used their bathroom, got on the bus, and left.

and i felt really bad for them, bc what the fuck kind of email could that even be?!! did their parent or sibling die?? did they not get into the grad program they really wanted? i wanted to give them a hug; i don’t remember if i actually did or not.

i hope they’re okay.

but now i’m left wondering: If i just wanted to get someone to give me their book and then leave, wouldn’t that be kinda the perfect setup?

Pretend everything is normal and then as soon as you’ve gotten what you wanted out of the situation, come up with an excuse to leave?

i don’t want to assume the worst, and i’m honestly not even sure if they’re capable of that level of guile.

But i know i am! like that’s a seinfeld/curb episode plot right there if i’ve ever heard of one. and it’s something i could do, though i don’t imagine i’d relish it—albeit mostly bc i’d be scared of getting caught rather than bc i think it’s inherently wrong.

anyway..if you’ve read this far:

What, if anything, should i do?

like i guess i should assume they’re telling the truth and that there really was an email and i should feel sad about their secret dead sister or whatever.

but if there wasn’t an email at all…well then damn, that would suck too but in a much dumber and pettier way!

[patheticlittlemen]

ALL ABOUT ME

[Kurt Kunkle x Female Reader]

Chapter 6- And the Memories Bring Back You

Words: 1398

Warnings: None

You glance up, tears staining your face. Kurt stands stiffly in the doorway with wide eyes. He looks back at the front door and then at you, walking over to you after a minute.

“Are you…okay?” He says, sounding worried.

“I got cheated on, Kurt. In less than 24 hours I found out the man I had been with for 3 years cheated, I broke up with him, and had to move out. Let me be sad.” You say, sniffling.

“I-I didn’t say you couldn’t be sad…” he sits down next to you. “Uh…do you want a hug?”

You tiredly nod and he awkwardly holds his arms out which you fall into, laying your forehead on his chest. Kurt rubs your back as you quietly cry.

After a minute you sit up, rubbing your nose. Kurt’s eyebrows are raised, him still looking worried for you. You don’t say anything but instead look down at your hands, chewing on your bottom lip.

“Well, I think he sucks.” Kurt says. You look at him and take a deep breath, smiling a bit as you exhale.

“Yeah. He does.” 

“You said you were with him for 3 years?”

“Mhm. I met him when I moved here and didn’t know anybody. Nobody was ever romantically interested in me before so I was easy to take advantage of.” You admit.

“Wow…I’m sorry.” He says. You rub your eyes and try to pull yourself together when Kurt speaks again.

“Hey, I, uh…my mom found this while cleaning out the storage room and I just thought you might like it.” Kurt reaches beside him and holds out a stuffed black bear that you didn’t see before. “A housewarming gift, I guess. It’s fine if you d-“

You snatch the bear from him before he can say anything else and hold it to your chest, feeling tears well up in your eyes. It smells like Kurt and despite looking a little old and loved, it’s really soft.

“Thank you, Kurt. I love it.” You smile at him and he smiles back. Looking down at the bear, you start debating what to name it before you realize something.

“You know…Rick never really got me any gifts. Gift-giving is kind of my love language, so I would ask him to get me anything, to even pick up a rock off the road and say it reminded me of him. I gave him so many things and he only gave me something when he wanted something in return.” You say quietly, looking up at Kurt. “Oh, sorry. I’m rambling.”

“I like gift giving too,” Kurt says. You sit in silence for a bit, looking down at the bear.

“Do you think you could help me unpack a bit?” You ask, not wanting Kurt to leave. He happily nods and stands up, reaching a hand down to help pull you up. When you stand up, you give Kurt a hug, saying a quiet “thank you”.

Despite not having much to unpack, it takes a little while to empty the boxes. You’re tired from crying and fighting the sadness as well as feeling unrested from last night’s sleep, so you’re a bit slow with getting everything in the right place. Kurt helps by pulling things out of the boxes and sorting them into piles that you put away. You’re finishing getting your clothes on hangers and into the closet when Kurt speaks.

“Oh. Hey, Y/N…um, I think you should do this one yourself.” Kurt says, looking like he saw something he shouldn’t have. You furrow your brows and walk over, looking into the box and finding your underwear and bras. You can’t help but laugh at Kurt’s reaction, making him look more embarrassed. 

“I mean I don’t care if you sort them, but if you’re not comfortable, I can do it.”

“I…I guess I can do it.” Kurt looks back into the box. “Just put them in piles?”

“Yep. I’ll get started on the books here.” You say, walking away. After a minute of you setting your books on the bookshelf, Kurt speaks.

“I’m done. I think that was all in the boxes.” Kurt looks into the boxes, nodding as he makes sure they’re all empty. You walk over to where the last of the items were sorted, picking up a pile of underwear.

“Oh, I sorted them into piles based on how nice I think they looked. Expensive! I mean how expensive I think they looked.” Kurt’s face flushes and you laugh again. 

“Thank you, Kurt. It looks like you did a good job guessing.” You get everything put away as Kurt folds up the boxes and sits on the edge of the bed, watching you double-check everything around the room. You turn to where Kurt is staring up at you with big eyes and are overwhelmed with strong feelings. You can’t quite put a name to those feelings and aren’t even sure if you want to.

Walking over to the bed, you flop face down. Kurt jumps a bit at the sudden movement but sits still. You almost start falling asleep when you hear the front door open. Slowly raising your head up, you see Kurt staring at the hallway with furrowed brows. Listening intently, you hear someone call out from the living room.

“Y/N?” You quickly sit up and pull yourself off of the bed, stepping out of the room.

“Nellie!” It had been a while since you had hung out, so you were excited to see her. She walks to where you’re standing, running to hug you when she sees you. You hug her back excitedly, grateful to see her again. She pulls back with a huge grin on her face, no doubt one reflected on yours. 

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry about what happened with Rick.” 

“It’s honestly fine. I’m glad to get away.” You say.

“Hey, now you can finally find someone who actually cares about you. Maybe you can-” Her voice stops abruptly as you hear Kurt step out behind you. Nellie’s eyebrows raise and she gives you a look.

“Oh, already?” She whispers.

“Nellie, this is my friend, Kurt.” You speak loudly, emphasizing the word friend. “He came to help me move my stuff in.”

“Oh, hi, Kurt. It’s nice to meet you.” She reaches out to shake his hand, which he hesitantly takes.

“Hey, I think I better go. You gonna be alright?” Kurt says, speaking a bit quietly. You nod and he smiles. He steps past you and gives Nellie a smile, not saying anything as he walks out.

Nellie raises her eyebrow and smirks, which makes you roll your eyes.

“We didn’t have sex, Nel. For fuck’s sake, I met him like three days ago.” You insist.

“Hmm. Well, when you do, make sure I’m out of the house.” She says, stepping past you and walking into the room. You try to protest her statement but she holds her hand up, making you sigh.

“I see you’ve made yourself comfortable,” Nellie says.

“Yeah. I’m tired as hell, though. It’s been a long day.”

“Oh, I’m sure. How about I make you some dinner and then you get some sleep?”

“That sounds perfect. Thank you so much for letting me move in, you’re really a lifesaver.” 

“It’s no problem. I always hated Rick if I’m honest.” She admits.

“You weren’t very good at hiding it.” You smile and Nellie laughs. She gives you one more hug before walking into the kitchen. You sit on your bed and scroll through Instagram for a minute, seeing that Kurt had posted this morning. It was a video of him in his car, speaking enthusiastically to the camera. You unmute the video and turn your volume up.

“Hey, Kurties! Just wanted you to know I have a new video coming up soon, and it’s featuring a new guest. So, stay tuned for that!” He smiles and stops the video.

“Food is ready!” Nellie calls from the kitchen after a little bit. You sleepily walk to the kitchen and see that Nellie heated up some pizza rolls, which you devour. She then hands you a glass of water which you gratefully drink and hand back to her.

“Get some sleep,” Nellie says, gently smiling. You smile back and nod, walking to your new room and lying down, quickly falling asleep.

[moviesessionwithmyhubby]

Logical Capricorn and Emotional Pisces

#notamovieexplanation Men are mostly logical, but women are primarily emotional, my husband once said to me. I didn't trust him at first. I thought, "Anyone can be both logical and emotional." It depends on each individual. But with time, I've started to change my viewpoint.

Whenever me and my husband engage in an intense dialogue or deliberate on a challenging topic, it usually ends up with an upset feeling. Sometimes, my husband becomes offended, not due to a misalignment of our thoughts, but rather because he cannot understand the reason behind my raised emotional state, my tendency to view the matter as a problem or issue, and the way I performed myself in an approach that caused him to perceive his thoughts as inappropriate. Because for him, it is merely a discussion, a dialogue regarding a topic where he is open to diverse perspectives, rather than to define who’s right and who’s wrong.

My husband is a logical Capricorn According to his line of reasoning, we are now discussing the topic together. The conversation needs to circle back to this topic. We may argue, we can each present our own position, and we can get to the conclusion of this talk with no consensus on anything, but we shouldn't bring any feelings into this argument. Why, for example, do you inject emotions into such a dry political debate? It is completely without value. I am an emotional Pisces But I find that I can't help but feel emotional when there is a strong debate or discussion about a difficult topic. Our chat first begins in a pretty regular way with us debating the issue or exchanging perspectives. But as the discussion continues and the gap between our points of view widens, I find myself wondering, "Why can't he understand my point of view?" I become a bit frustrated as I attempt to defend my viewpoint and persuade him of it, or better yet, convince him to agree with it. And by being determined, heated, or attempting to convince him that my viewpoint is correct, I somehow manage to convince him that his notion is flawed and that his way of thinking about it is inappropriate, despite the fact that I don't intend to. After some of our conversations, I realize that I am unable to entirely separate it, unlike him. My husband can separate things well. For example, when my husband and I are simply discussing a subject, it's absolutely acceptable if we come to different conclusions, no harsh feeling by pointing finger to each other to prove they’re wrong. But it's not simply a conversation without any feeling for me, I tend to defense myself and my idea, even though I don’t need to do it. As a result, we both get unhappy when I bring up emotions in the conversation, because it becomes harsh feelings. I ended up hurting him when I gave him the impression that I was going after him to disprove his theory. Logical Capricorn and Emotional Pisces. This is us.

I recall that we once got into a little bit of a fight about something (I'm not sure what it was since we're Dory). But I can still recall the major trigger for that argument—my husband's question, "Did I say anything wrong?” He asked me in the middle of the debate, "What's your problem?"

You know how I interpreted that phrase at the time: "Did I say anything wrong? What's your problem?" I interpreted that to mean something along the lines of,  "I didn't say anything wrong. Why are you crying? What's your problem?". As you could guess, I became furious. After that, I felt as if I had nothing else to say since the discourse had come to an end. Since I had to admit it rationally, he said nothing wrong. But emotionally for me, he also didn't speak correctly either. I felt at that point in our conversation that he was unable to understand me or what I was trying to say, because he felt I was always becoming intense or inventing something. And even though he was attempting to soothe me, I refused to listen to anything he had to say because of that.

But later, when we had finally calmed down. We discussed what happened between us throughout our conversation. I later discovered that when my husband asked me if he said anything inappropriate or what the issue was, he was only trying to make sure that he hadn't offended me in any way. But he didn't anticipate that I would interpret it in a different way. This is when I realized that our mindsets or our hardcores are different. Logical Capricorn and Emotional Pisces. Then what do we do about this difference? We first acknowledged our differences. Second, we are attempting to find a middle ground by: + attempting to keep the conversation on-topic rather than attempting to decide who has the right or incorrect opinion (fun fact: normally I realized my husband is right but I don’t want to admit it lol) + attempting to keep our voices down and avoid interfering with one another while they are expressing their ideas + allowing one another room to calm down (This was my husband's suggestion. Me, I typically want to discuss the issue)

And ultimately telling kind words with one another. Because what matters after all is our love toward each other, not any hard subject or who’s right and who’s wrong. Love is simple. You don't need a logical mind to understand it, you don't need an emotional feeling to feel it either.

[dankusner]

jason kohler — is exhibiting ALL the telltale signs of a liar.

from shrugging his shoulders

to touching his lips...

to smiling when he says, "HONESTLY kind of sad."

raising his eyebrows for approval...

lack of details when questioned....

all are deceptive traits.

"you never know"

"they JUST made fun of him"

makes sense since the guy is so young he think he could pull off racing to a newscamera.

everyone who said columbine was because of trench-coat mafia and eric & dylan were losers...

all of that was false, misleading and deliberately perverted our grief. what way can you explain um I mean he would sit alone at lunch I mean he was just the outcast and you know how kids are nowadays so they're going to see someone like that and they gonna target him because they think it's funny or whatever so it's the best way I can describe it and it's honestly kind of sad like I don't want to say this is what provoked it but you never know said he yeah um I want to say he was a loner more because he was just he was quiet but like he was just bullied like he was bullied so much so much this is high school yeah what did they do you remember at all what they said to him or called him no um he just made fun of I guess for the way he dressed his appearance how do he dress uh like they were just saying jeans he'd wear hunting outfits sometimes uh I he would always wear a mask even after covid he he wore a mask like a CO mask like even after Co was over and all that yeah like a    Former student Max R. Smith remembered Crooks as an intelligent classmate with conservative political leanings. 

Smith recalled participating in a mock debate in a course they took together, where their teacher posed questions on government policy and had students stand on opposite sides of the classroom to signal their support or opposition.

“The majority of the class were on the liberal side, but Tom, no matter what, always stood his ground on the conservative side,” Smith said. 

“That’s still the picture I have of him. Just standing alone on one side while the rest of the class was on the other. ... It makes me wonder why he would carry out an assassination attempt on the conservative candidate.”

https://amyletter.substack.com/p/teenage-suicide-dont-do-it-heathers

https://youtu.be/sO3WEfBIPvM?si=wCtEN5jGPTC8ZSpV HEATHER DUKE In the distance, a T.V. CAMERA CREW is interviewing STUDENTS. HEATHER DUKE dashes toward them. HEATHER MCNAMARA freezes. HEATHER MCNAMARA Oh God, Veronica. My hair! My clothes! HEATHER MCNAMARA moans, vibrates, then suddenly races toward the cameras. VERONICA looks down at the soaked, stopped Swatch on her arm. She takes it off and drops it in a nearby trashcan I choose to remember the good times, like when we got our ears pierced at the mall.

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT 

Shooter on roof with cops inside

Security decisions around sniper’s roost raise further questions

Police who were assigned by the Secret Service to help spot threats in the crowd at Donald Trump’s rally Saturday were inside the building where a gunman positioned himself on the roof to shoot at the former president, according to a Secret Service official briefed on the incident.

From inside the Agr International building, they saw a man acting furtively, walking back and forth around the building with some gear, and radioed a Secret Service command post to alert them, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

The revelations add to the growing list of questions about the Secret Service’s plan for securing areas outside the perimeter and about the failure of law enforcement to act quickly enough on multiple early warnings of suspicious activity. 

The Washington Post reported in a video analysis Monday that bystanders at the Trump rally in Butler, Pa., warned local police that they had seen a man clambering onto the roof of the building. 

A video posted to social media shows one man shouting, “Officer! Officer!” as others point toward the building. “He’s on the roof!” a woman says.

Emerging tensions

The account from a Secret Service official also underscores emerging tensions between that agency and local authorities over who is to blame for the fact that the gunman was able to access a clear view of the event. 

The Secret Service was responsible for the overall security plan, but the agency has said it relied on local law enforcement in areas outside the security perimeter. 

The Agr building was not inside the perimeter, which required members of the public to pass through a metal detector before entering.

The Secret Service official said the sniper team inside the building was from Beaver County, which neighbors Butler County, where Saturday’s rally took place. 

Local authorities said it was common for SWAT teams in nearby counties to supplement security for large events throughout western Pennsylvania.

The Beaver County district attorney’s office confirmed that a SWAT team from the county was at Saturday’s rally but declined to release additional information, pointing to ongoing investigations by state and federal authorities. 

In a written statement Tuesday, the county district attorney’s office said, “We are proud of the heroic actions taken by our officers.”

Richard Goldinger, the Butler County district attorney, said in an interview that the SWAT teams from his jurisdiction were all inside the secure perimeter. 

“Secret Service was in charge, and so it was their responsibility to make sure that the venue and the surrounding area was secure,” he told The Post.

 “That’s common sense I think. That’s their job.”

He added, “For them to blame local law enforcement is them passing the blame when they hold the blame, in my opinion.”

The local newspaper, Beaver Countian, reported on Monday that counter-snipers were inside the building beyond the security perimeter for the event. 

The outlet reported that a Beaver County police officer warned a command center that he had seen a man with a range finder — a device the helps estimate distances — before gunfire erupted.

A police sniper reportedly took a picture of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks before bullets began to fly, but never took a shot at him.

Counter-sniper

The Secret Service counter-sniper who killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, had him in his sights and was trying to assess whether he had a weapon and was a threat, the official said. 

Secret Service radio traffic had relayed that local police either spotted or were trying to find a suspicious man around that building. 

The counter-sniper was a veteran marksman who is considered a legend in the Secret Service because of his high ratings for accuracy at long distances.

The counter-sniper who killed Crooks fired as soon as he saw Crooks lift a weapon, the official said. 

That counter-sniper killed Crooks in one shot but seconds after he had fired at Trump, the official said.

The Secret Service’s advance security plan for addressing one of the main risks at the event — someone shooting from higher ground from outside the perimeter of the rally — was to have two teams of Secret Service counter-snipers stationed in front of the crowd, on the roofs of two barns behind Trump’s stage. 

The local counter-snipers inside the Agr building were to provide “overcover” and surveil the crowd from the back and outside the perimeter.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said in a television interview Tuesday morning that part of the reason the agency did not require a police officer to stand atop the roof of the Agr building was its slope. 

“That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point, and so there’s a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn’t want to put somebody up on a sloped roof,” she said. “So, you know, the decision was made to secure the building from inside.”

Sloped roofs

The roofs of the barns where sniper teams were located are more steeply sloped than the roof of the Agr building, a Post analysis of visuals from the event found.

The risk of an open line of sight for a shooter has been a security concern that the Secret Service has sought to address in planning for public appearances of presidents ever since John F. Kennedy was assassinated by a rifleman positioned in the sixth-floor corner window of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas in 1963. 

Secret Service agents current and former have expressed shock that a gunman was able to get this close to the former president, an incident that is considered the most serious Secret Service security failure since the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

The Post ’s video analysis shows a police officer in a black uniform looking up toward the top of the building. 

Crooks began firing two minutes and two seconds after the starting point of the newly published video, which begins with a man’s voice saying that people were pointing toward the roof. 

The shots began 86 seconds after the first audible attempts to alert police, according to the analysis, which synchronized several clips based on the sound of Trump’s voice over the public address system.

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT 

Shooter was ‘an outcast’

Classmates, FBI weigh in on motive for Saturday’s attack

BETHEL PARK, Pa. — After three days, an enigmatic portrait has emerged of the 20-year-old man who came close to killing former President Donald Trump with a high-velocity bullet: 

He was an intelligent loner with few friends, an apparently thin social media footprint and no hints of strong political beliefs that would suggest a motive for an attempted assassination.

Even after the FBI cracked into Thomas Matthew Crooks’ cellphone, scoured his computer, home and car, and interviewed more than 100 people, the mystery of why he opened fire on Trump’s rally Saturday, a bullet grazing Trump’s ear, remained as elusive as the moment it happened.

“He sat by himself, didn’t talk to anyone, didn’t even try to make conversation,” said 17-year-old Liam Campbell, echoing the comments of classmates who remembered the shooter in this quiet community outside of Pittsburgh. 

“He was an odd kid,” but nothing about him seemed dangerous, he said. “Just a normal person who seemed like he didn’t like talking to people.”

No apparent motive

So far, there has been no public disclosure the shooter left any writings, suicide note, social media screed or any other indicator explaining his reasons for targeting Trump.

Crooks was registered as a Republican in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day Democratic President Joe Biden was sworn into office.

The absence of a satisfactory explanation has led Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to recount the lengthy federal investigation into the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, the deadliest such attack in the nation’s history. 

That probe closed after 17 months without finding any motive for what drove the 64-year-old gunman to fire more than 1,000 rounds into a crowd of concertgoers other than to “attain a certain degree of infamy.”

Crooks, with a slight build, wire-rimmed glasses and thin hair parted in the middle, went by “Tom.” 

He was described by classmates at Bethel Park High School as smart but standoffish, often seen wearing headphones and preferring to sit alone at lunch looking at his phone. 

Some said he was often mocked by other students for the clothes he wore, which included hunting outfits, and for continuing to wear a mask after the COVID pandemic was over.

“He was bullied almost every day,” classmate Jason Kohler said. “He was just an outcast.”

Historic precedent

After graduating from high school in 2022, Crooks went on to the Community College of Allegheny County, earning an associate’s degree with honors in engineering science in May. 

He also worked at a nursing home as a dietary aide.

A 1997 Secret Service study into those who had attempted assassinations since 1949 found there was no single indicator that a person might seek to take the life of a public figure. 

However, two-thirds of all attackers were described as “social isolates.”

Like Crooks, few had any history of violent crime or criminal records. 

Most attackers also had histories of handling weapons but no formal weapons or military training, according to the study.

As a freshman, Crooks had tried out for his high school rifle team but was rejected for poor marksmanship, the Associated Press has reported. 

Through his family, he was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, a shooting range about 11 miles east of Bethel Park.

“We know very little about him,” club president Bill Sellitto said. “That was a terrible, terrible thing that happened Saturday — that’s not what we’re about by any means.”

Access to range, gun

The club has an outdoor range for high-powered rifles with targets set at distances of up to 187 yards.

Crooks was well within that range when he opened fire on Trump on Saturday from about 147 yards from where Trump was speaking, unleashing two quick volleys of rounds at the former president with an AR-15 style rifle.

His father, Matthew Crooks, bought the gun in West Mifflin, Pa., in 2013 from Gander Mountain, an outdoors chain.

Access to the Crooks home remained blocked by yellow police tape, with officers keeping watch and preventing reporters from approaching.

The day before the shooting, Thomas Crooks went to the sportsman’s club and practiced on the rifle range, according to a federal intelligence briefing obtained by the AP. 

On the day of the attack, he purchased 50 rounds of 5.56 mm ammo for his rifle from a local gun shop and drove alone to Butler, Pa., the site of the Trump rally.

He parked at a gas station lot about a third of a mile from the event. 

He wore camoflauge shorts, a black belt and a gray T-shirt with the logo of a popular YouTube channel dedicated to firearms.

Witnesses and law enforcement officials say Crooks walked around for at least a half-hour before climbing onto the roof of a building adjacent to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump was speaking. 

As spectators screamed for police to respond, Crooks opened fire, letting loose two quick bursts. 

A Secret Service counter sniper fired back within about 15 seconds, killing Crooks with a shot to the head.

https://www.clairtonsc.org/new-shooters

Trump shooter had limited prep time

Crooks left little trace of deadly plot or ideology

Thomas Matthew Crooks wasn’t an ex-CIA agent with a homemade gun that could slip through metal detectors.

He didn’t carry an Uzi and wear a black tuxedo.

He was not a professional killer in the image of a Jason Bourne or John Wick.

Crooks was an isolated Gen-Zer with an associate degree who worked a low-wage job and lived with his parents. 

Yet in an increasingly online world, where digital surveillance is easier than ever, the 20-year-old stayed unusually hidden while devising a plan to murder a former U.S. president – nearly successfully – in just 10 days of planning.

Butler, Pennsylvania, population 13,000, would not have been the most likely campaign stop for Donald Trump. 

In fact, he had visited just once before his now-infamous July 13 rally, on Halloween night in the days leading up to the November 2020 election.

It wasn’t until July 3 that The Butler Eagle and other outlets reported that Trump would become the first-ever president, current or former, to return to the city for a second rally.

Until that point, there would have been no way to predict that this rally would be held at the Butler Farm Show grounds – putting the Republican nominee for president 54 miles from the Crooks family home. 

Or that Secret Service agents and local police would leave the rooftop of an industrial building 150 yards from Trump’s podium unmanned.

Hours before the shooting, Crooks stopped at a Home Depot in his hometown of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and purchased a ladder, CNN and NBC reported.

Somewhere outside the rally venue, he parked a car with an explosive device in the trunk. 

Although police were reportedly stationed inside the building, Crooks appears to have climbed on top with an AR-15-style gun, undetected, until some in the crowd spied him and began pointing and shouting.

'The security failures by law enforcement that day helped him look a lot more sophisticated than he would normally,' said Seamus Hughes, a researcher at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Still, Hughes said, it seems clear that Crooks demonstrated 'a level of sophistication,' plotting the attack on short notice, without amassing an internet footprint delineating any ideology – or even hitting law enforcement’s radar.

Crooks grew up in a three-bedroom brick house in Bethel Park. 

It’s a red-leaning suburb of 13,000 residents near Pittsburgh where the median household income is $100,000 and grass yards blend together without fences.

His parents were licensed counselors, dad a Libertarian, mom a Democrat. 

He had a sister, also a Libertarian, two grades older.

His own political leanings remain unclear. 

He donated $15 to ActBlue, a political action committee supporting Democrats, in January 2021, the day of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. 

Eight days after his 18th birthday that September, Crooks registered to vote in Allegheny County as a Republican.

He liked to shoot guns. 

He and his father were members of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club.

Some former classmates described Crooks as a loner – a smart kid who kept to himself and had few friends.

He went by 'Tom,' said Sean Eckert, who went to school with him in Bethel Park from fifth through 12th grade. 

He rarely spoke up in class. 

He often wore hunting clothes. 

Eckert said he didn’t remember Crooks playing any sports, belonging to any clubs or student groups or going to school events.

Jason Kohler, who attended Bethel Park High School with Crooks, said he sat alone at lunch and was 'bullied every day.' 

Kids picked on him for wearing camouflage and for his quiet demeanor, Kohler said. 

Others, though, insisted he was not bullied at all.

Colan Saffer, who had known Crooks since elementary school, said they both tried out for the Bethel Park High School rifle team their freshman year. 

Kohler said Crooks was asked to leave because he was 'a bad shot.'

A year before he earned his diploma in spring 2022, Crooks dual-enrolled at Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, studying engineering science. 

He also worked as a dietary aide at a nearby nursing home, a food preparation job that pays $16 an hour, according to a job listing.

He completed his associate’s degree in May, school officials said, graduating with high honors and no discipline record. He planned to enroll at Robert Morris University in the fall.

This summer, Crooks was still too young to buy a beer, but he could legally buy an AR-15-style rifle. He didn’t need to, though; according to FBI officials, he used his dad’s. Law enforcement officials remain flummoxed so far about Crooks’ motive, multiple news outlets reported. 

Although they gained access to his phone, CNN reported that they still haven’t found evidence of a political or ideological impetus and that his search history did not show he had researched homemade explosives.

In some ways, Crooks resembles a typical mass shooter, said Hughes: 

Namely, he was young, male and apparently a loner. 

In other ways, Crooks seems to buck trends. 

Those who threaten public officials are typically twice Crooks’ age. 

Whereas more than two-thirds have documented criminal histories, Crooks had none.

The National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center, where Hughes works, studies such threats. 

Among people arrested on federal charges for threatening public officials, those with an ideological bent veered toward right-wing, racially motivated – and often misogynistic or religious – violent extremism.

But of the 503 arrested individuals, more than half did not display any ideological bent, Hughes said, which can be frustrating for the public and law enforcement to accept. 

In that way, he said, Crooks more closely resembles the man who shot more than 400 people at a Las Vegas concert, killing 60, whose motive police still don’t understand.

'He may fall in this category of what we call ‘The Joker Effect,’' Hughes said. 

'Some people want to become infamous, or they just want to watch the world burn.'

Secret Service under scrutiny after shooting

Homeland Security investigating rally security failures

The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general’s office said Wednesday that it will investigate the Secret Service effort to provide security at Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania where the former president was shot and a rallygoer killed .

A notice posted on the office’s 'ongoing projects' website said the goal is to 'evaluate the United States Secret Service’s (Secret Service) process for securing former President Trump’s July 13, 2024 campaign event.' 

The Secret Service falls under Homeland Security.

Also Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a bipartisan task force within the House to investigate the assassination attempt, saying 'we need answers for these shocking security failures.'

President Joe Biden previously ordered an 'independent review' of the security measures at the event. 

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle called the shooting 'unacceptable' but said she will not resign. 

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has subpoenaed Cheatle to appear at a hearing on Monday.

Trump was speaking Saturday before throngs of supporters at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Pennsylvania when a gunman opened fire from the roof of a nearby building. 

Trump, his face bloodied from a bullet that apparently injured his ear, was hustled off the stage by Secret Service personnel. 

Trump supporter Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed and two other rallygoers were critically wounded before a sniper fatally shot the gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks.

The Secret Service has drawn criticism for failing to keep the shooter from gaining access to the roof - 150 yards from the rally - with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. 

Local police officers had been stationed inside the building but none on the roof.

A tree close to the roof may have blocked the view of one of the sniper teams in charge of protecting Trump, CBS News reported, adding that another sniper team oriented in a different direction reacted to the shooting and killed the gunman.

The two people who were injured in the shooting, James Copenhaver and David Dutch, have been upgraded from critical to serious condition, Allegheny General Hospital said Wednesday.

The family of Copenhaver issued a statement Tuesday thanking first responders and those who have provided him with medical treatment since the shooting.

The statement said Copenhaver, a 74-year-old Pennsylvania resident, sustained 'life-altering injuries' in the attack and is in critical but stable condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. The family also asked for privacy as Copenhaver recovers.

Friends and family of Comperatore will gather Thursday in Freeport, a small town on the Allegheny River, to pay their respects.

Funeral services will be held on Friday at his longtime Butler County church. 

Comperatore has been proclaimed a hero after Gov. Josh Shapiro said the former volunteer firefighter dived onto his family to protect them when the shooting started.

James Sweetland, a doctor from Dubois, Pennsylvania, who was at the rally, rushed to help Comperatore. 

But he had suffered a shot to the head above his ear and never regained consciousness.

Biden did not mention guns or gun violence during his first three public remarks on Saturday’s shooting including during a primetime Oval Office address Sunday night. 

But in a speech Tuesday in Las Vegas at the NAACP National Convention, Biden finally did − declaring it’s time to ban assault weapons like the one used to shoot Trump.

Biden has responded to multiple gun massacres in recent years by reviving calls for stronger gun laws, including reinstating the nation’s ban on assault weapons, which expired in 2004, and requiring background checks on all gun purchases. 

But the proposals have repeatedly failed amid Republican opposition in Congress.

'An AR-15 was used in the shooting of Donald Trump, just as it was assault weapons that killed so many others including children. 

It’s time to outlaw them,' Biden said, drawing applause from supporters.

The gunman’s father, Matthew Crooks, called police after the shooting, worried that his son and a gun were missing, three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News. 

Meanwhile, Fox News is reporting that the family called authorities before the shooting took place.

Iran rejected 'malicious' reports of an alleged plot to assassinate Trump, saying the Islamic nation seeks a 'legal path to bring him to justice' for ordering the assassination of an Iranian general in 2020.

The White House confirmed to USA TODAY a report that Trump’s security was increased in recent weeks after intelligence showed Iran had been plotting to kill him.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, in a statement issued Tuesday, said Iran has sought revenge since Trump ordered the killing of Qassem Soleimani, who Trump later described as 'the number-one terrorist anywhere in the world.'

Are We Already Moving On from the Assassination Attempt on Trump? Less than a week after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, on July 13th, in Butler, Pennsylvania, it appears that most of the public and much of the media have already started to move on. This should not be surprising, given all that we hear these days about our short attention spans and the speed of history. But I admit that I have found it somewhat disturbing—not because I believe a great national trauma has taken place and that the country has decided to bury it deep under the ground, but because this swift diminishment of interest seems to reflect the manner in which we prioritize and value different types of violence. When I began writing this column, this past Tuesday, around 5:30 P.M. on the West Coast, there were no stories about the shooting in the top slots on the Web sites of the New York Times, the Washington Post, or the Wall Street Journal, all of which were focussed, appropriately, on the Republican National Convention. Evidently, the gunman, a twenty-year-old from suburban Pittsburgh named Thomas Matthew Crooks, did not leave behind a manifesto or some lengthy and lurid trail of online crumbs, and so, it seemed, there was no real story to tell. We still know little about him, save for a few details that already feel rote: he was a registered Republican who had donated to a liberal voter-turnout group; he worked in a nursing home; he showed passing interest in both computers and guns; and the few people who crossed his path never saw anything like this coming. On Wednesday, the F.B.I. reported that its agents had conducted numerous interviews, looked through documents, and could find no motive. Rather than regard the assassination attempt as an incident of political violence, many have begun placing it within a more common, even sadly pedestrian classification: the random shooter. A loner with an AR-15 commits an act of violence, and we typically have nothing to say except that this seems to happen all the time in America.

Is there more to say? Perhaps not much, or at least not much that would be especially newsworthy. Some of Trump’s supporters at the G.O.P. Convention are wearing faux bandages on their ear, in tribute to their hero; many commentators have demanded answers from the Secret Service, and have argued that Crooks’s near-success reflects major failures of the agency. But the lack of any serious and meaningful interpretations of why the shooting happened—outside of a few limp attempts to peg the shooting on one party or the other—suggests that we are not waiting for more details about the event, and that a flood of meaning will not likely come later. It seems that the public memory of violence in the United States has come to depend on our ability to ascribe a motive to the perpetrators that tells us something about our politics. Unexplainable tragedies vanish from the spotlight much more quickly than we expect, regardless of the scope of human suffering and death they inflict.

I was thinking about this kind of forgetting on a recent trip to Las Vegas, as I looked at the golden windows of the Mandalay Bay. In 2017, a gunman named Stephen Paddock busted out those windows and shot more than a thousand rounds into the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest festival of country music, killing sixty people and injuring hundreds more. Ten months later, Clark County’s sheriff said, “What we have not been able to definitively answer is why Stephen Paddock committed this act.” The windows of the Mandalay Bay have since been replaced, of course. The resort, which stands at the far edge of the Strip and thus is not squeezed between other audacious buildings, looks almost lonely, as if it is waiting for another hulking title to sidle up along its empty northern edge. The memory of the Route 91 Harvest massacre is, for most people, almost purely statistical: it is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. If or when that record is broken, Route 91 Harvest will become harder to distinguish from all the other mass shootings. I spend what can be called an unusual amount of time in Las Vegas, which means that I find myself looking up at those golden windows a couple times a year. Each time, I find myself searching for some profound, perhaps even Sebaldian thought, about ghosts, forgetting, and the glaziers of history. But I can never tease it out, at least not fully.

Why do these apparently senseless acts fade from our minds? The obvious answer is in that very senselessness. Because these events do not seem to reflect something explicit and obvious about our politics or our culture—and because it is difficult to blame anyone other than the gun manufacturers and the gun retailers and the shooters themselves, who are often dead—the acts don’t lend themselves to the narratives of the news or of history. But, in truth, many of the acts that have become sizable parts of this country’s collective memory, events that were more easily adapted into a familiar political narrative, were interpreted using messy bits of online commentary, deranged manifestos, a few evocative details dug up by the press or found by the police. If Crooks had joined a worrisome WhatsApp group or posted a few things on Discord, he might have become yet another example of online radicalization; there would be politicians to blame, and histories to be recounted about other violent splinter groups. But I believe this is generally a stupid way to think about these events. The difference between a supposedly meaningless mass shooting and a properly memorialized tragedy that prompts reflections on the state of politics in this country should not come down to whether a deranged young man clicked a particular box or typed a short message on some terrible Web site.

There is, of course, a conspiracy-minded segment of the American public that does not accept the standard interpretations of these events. They gather online and pore over aerial photos, scrub through every published news story, and actually read the dutiful government reports that come out long after the rest of the country has moved on. These people are suspicious of the sameness of these shooters, the way they seem almost engineered to ward off commentary or inquiry; these people fill in the gaps with fantasies of motive and causation. The attempted assassination of Trump has been ceded to conspiracy theorists with remarkable speed. The conspiracists, more than the media or historians—and perhaps even more than Trump, who, beyond some predictable self-aggrandizement, has not noticeably changed his rhetoric since the shooting—will keep the story alive. There were long stretches when Alex Jones almost single-handedly kept the Sandy Hook shooting in the news, because he repeatedly and falsely claimed that the killing of twenty children and six adults at an elementary school was a hoax, and was eventually sued by parents of those children who had been harassed by his followers. The Route 91 Harvest massacre has similarly, if more quietly, become a central fixation of the conspiracy community. This online imprint, shoved away in corners of the Internet—bulletin-board forums, subreddits, group chats—is like a ghost in the public memory. Here, the images, the texts, and the audio of these massacres—even those that do not have the political valence of the march on Charlottesville in 2017 or the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th—are continuously refreshed.

I imagine that is where the attempted assassination of Trump will ultimately reside: as a story in conspiracy land, shoved somewhere near the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, forty years before—an event which has remained much clearer in our minds, it must be said, because the shooter had seemingly done it to impress Jodie Foster, putting the act into the realm of pop culture. For the rest of us, the already infamous photo of a bloodied Trump raising his fist in the air might be all that remains, an icon of the defiance that his movement has embodied. 

But, with each act of mass violence, the population of conspiracy land grows. Almost instantly, there were thousands of people online speculating about what the Secret Service might have been doing in the moments leading up to the shooting, how a twenty-year-old in 2024 had no social media presence at all, and whether the entire thing was staged for Trump’s benefit. The speculators are not all disaffected men or people who live entirely online; many are ordinary people who are trying to recount a story that everyone else seems to have agreed is inexplicable. Some of them will find other conspiracy theories and other people asking similar questions. Before too long, their world views may have profoundly changed. A culture of conspiracy is one of the inevitable costs for a country with so much violence, and so much forgetting, and so much insistence, however implicit, that a tragedy is only worth dwelling on if we can fit it into one of the political stories we already like to tell. 

https://x.com/BackThebluecool/status/1814489451051049093

UPDATE Requests rejected Lack of motive in attack upsets public However, analysts say it fits pattern of event defying categorization

In the week since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, details have emerged about sniper positions and Secret Service agents, witnesses and warnings.

But the answer to the biggest question remains elusive: Why?

So far, investigators say, they have found little evidence of an ideology driving the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old nursing home aide who was killed at the scene. The information gleaned from his phone, family and friends doesn’t offer a motive, national security analysts say, and the absence of a quick explanation has left room for the rapid-fire spread of partisan and conspiratorial theories shaping how millions of Americans view the attack.

Barring a breakthrough in the investigation, Crooks appears poised to join a string of high-profile attackers with no discernible ideological driver, or with influences from a mixed bag of beliefs. That outcome is frustrating for a nation struggling to make sense of the event, analysts say, but it fits into a pattern of bloody episodes that defy categorization along a traditional left-right spectrum.

“It’s hard, because when you go after a political target, you do assume political motive,” said Daniel Byman, a terrorism researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a national security think tank.

Investigators haven’t produced evidence showing an ideological motive that meets official definitions of terrorism, Byman and other analysts say. 

Authorities typically explore other theories, too, including mental illness or a quest for notoriety. 

The lack of conclusive findings has been difficult to accept for many Trump supporters. Attacks without clear motivation aren’t unusual and have increased, researchers say, in part as a reflection of the ideologies that swirl together on social media and gaming platforms, creating a toxic soup of grievances with no cohesive political agenda.

In 2022, an attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was carried out by a hammer-wielding man who had been involved in nudist activism and Green Party support before more recent racist rhetoric and expressions of hatred toward Democrats, according to analysts who have studied his writings. 

As with Trump’s would-be assassin, extremists and partisans quickly stepped in to exploit the vacuum where a clear-cut motive would be.

The deadliest recent example was the 2017 mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas that killed 60 people and injured hundreds. To this day, it’s unclear precisely why 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on concertgoers. 

The FBI has released a trove of documents that showed he had a serious gambling habit but never declared a motivation for the rampage. Paddock killed himself before authorities reached him.

While many have assumed the motives behind the July 13 shooting were rooted in the heated rhetoric of a presidential campaign, a 1997 Secret Service study of American assassins and would-be assassins of public figures found that “attackers and near-lethal approachers of public officials rarely had ‘political’ motives.” Karl Schmae, a retired FBI supervisory agent, said the most relevant comparison to Crooks may be John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

“John Hinckley was a troubled guy and he just wanted notoriety,” Schmae said. “There was nothing in particular about Reagan other than killing him would make Hinckley famous.”

Top officials at the U.S. Secret Service repeatedly denied requests for additional resources and personnel sought by Donald Trump’s security detail in the two years leading up to his attempted assassination at a rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday, according to four people familiar with the requests.

The Secret Service, after initially denying turning down requests for additional security, is now acknowledging some may have been rejected as the organization was forced to make difficult decisions amid competing demands, a growing list of protectees and limited funding.  WASHINGTON 

Secret Service chief facing calls to resign

Champion for diversity hiring, she refused to bolster security for Trump events

WASHINGTON — When Kimberly Cheatle led the Secret Service’s operations to safeguard the American president and other dignitaries, she said she would talk to agents in training about the “awesome responsibility” of their job.

“This agency and the Secret Service has a zero fail mission,” Cheatle, who is now director of the agency, said in 2021 during a Secret Service podcast called “Standing Post.” 

“They have to come in every day prepared and ready with their game face on.”

Now, the Secret Service and its director are under intense scrutiny following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania that wounded his ear.

Adding to that scrutiny is the agency’s acknowledgment late Saturday that it had refused to grant some of the Trump campaign’s requests for added security at his events, after initially denying that it had done so.

Cheatle, who will testify before lawmakers Monday after congressional committees and the Biden administration launched a series of investigations, told ABC News that the shooting was “unacceptable.” 

When asked who bears the most responsibility, she said ultimately it is the Secret Service that protects the former president.

“The buck stops with me,” Cheatle said. “I am the director of the Secret Service.” She said she has no plans to resign, and so far she has the administration’s backing.

Democratic President Joe Biden appointed Cheatle in August 2022 to take over an agency with a history of scandals, and she worked to bolster diverse hiring, especially of women in the male-dominated service. 

The second woman to lead the Secret Service, Cheatle worked her way up for 27 years before leaving in 2021 for a job as a security executive at PepsiCo. Biden brought her back.

Details are still unfolding about signs of trouble the day of the assassination attempt, including the steps taken by the Secret Service and local authorities to secure a building that the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, climbed within an estimated 147 yards of where Trump was speaking. 

An ex-fire chief at the rally, Corey Comperatore, was killed and two others were wounded.

The Biden administration has directed an independent review of security at the rally. 

The Homeland Security Department’s inspector general has opened three investigations and congressional committees have launched others as calls mount for Cheatle to resign. 

Two Republican senators demanding answers followed her as she walked through the Republican National Convention this past week.

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee subpoenaed Cheatle to appear Monday, and she is expected to be there. 

Kristie Canegallo, Homeland Security’s acting deputy secretary, said the department has the “utmost confidence” in Cheatle.

The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said “the American people have lots of questions and they deserve answers. And this hearing tomorrow will serve as the beginning of that process to get answers for the American people as to what went wrong with an agency that has a no-fail mission.” 

He told “Fox News Sunday” that Cheatle should expect about a six-hour hearing with “hundreds of questions that she’s going to have to answer and the American people will be watching.”

The Homeland Security Department did not make Cheatle available for an interview, but Canegallo defended her work.

Women in security roles

AFTERMATH: 

After the assassination attempt, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and the female Secret Service agents who protected Donald Trump have faced scathing criticism and questions about whether Cheatle lowered hiring standards. Supporters are adamant that has not happened.

‘DISRESPECTFUL’: 

“It is disrespectful to the women of the Secret Service of the Department of Homeland Security and to women law enforcement officers around the nation to imply that their gender disqualifies them from service to the nation and their communities,” said Kristie Canegallo, Homeland Security’s acting deputy secretary.

RECRUITING: 

Like many law enforcement agencies, the Secret Service has been wrestling with how to attract and retain agents and officers. Women account for about 24% of the agency’s staff, according to its website. In a May 2023 interview with CBS News, Cheatle said she was conscious of the “need to attract diverse candidates and ensure that we are developing and giving opportunities to everybody in our workforce, and particularly women.”   Pa. sheriff: 

Officer encountered shooter on roof before Trump assassination attempt

“The officer had both hands on the roof to get up on the roof [but] never made it because the shooter had turned towards the officer, and rightfully and smartly, the officer let go,” Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said

Police1BUTLER, Pa. — Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe has confirmed that an armed municipal officer encountered shooter Thomas Crooks before he fired shots at former President Donald Trump’s rally on July 13, KDKA reported. 

Slupe stated that the officer was alerted to a suspicious person and was hoisted by another officer to the roof where Crooks was positioned. Election 2024 Trump

The gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired multiple shots at the stage from an “elevated position outside of the rally venue”

The officer let go and dropped off the roof when Crooks pointed his rifle at him, according to the report. 

Crooks then began firing into the crowd, grazing Trump, killing one bystander and injuring two others.

“All I know is the officer had both hands on the roof to get up on the roof, never made it because the shooter had turned towards the officer, and rightfully and smartly, the officer let go,” Sheriff Slupe told KDKA. 

Crooks was ultimately killed by sniper fire. 

Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company chief Corey Comperatore “died a hero” when he “dove on his family to protect them,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said“I would have done the same thing, absolutely,” Slupe said. 

“I mean, people think the officers are supermen like you hold on the roof with one hand while you are hanging on for dear life and pull a gun out. It doesn’t work that way.” 

Slupe acknowledged there may have been a security failure but stressed the importance of waiting for the investigation’s results.

“There is not just one entity responsible; the Secret Service plays a key role in protecting, in this case, former President Trump, but they don’t act alone,” he said. 

The Secret Service receives support from local police departments, which form a secondary ring of security around high-profile figures.

Election 2024 TrumpEffective presidential protection relies on more than just federal efforts. 

Learn how local officers can contribute, stay informed and maintain crucial roles 

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger noted that multiple local agencies assisted with SWAT teams and snipers, according to the report.

“We provided some snipers for them. Some quick response teams. We didn’t have any responsibility with securing the perimeter or anything outside of that venue,” Goldinger said. 

He explained that the hierarchy of command for security was led by the Secret Service, followed by state police, and then local municipal departments.Slupe expressed concern over how Crooks accessed the rooftop and remained undetected.

Election 2024 Trump

The Trump rally shooting demonstrated commendable actions like quick thinking by citizens, as well as shortcomings such as poor site selection and training gaps

Election 2024 Trump

Effective presidential protection relies on more than just federal efforts. 

Learn how local officers can contribute, stay informed and maintain crucial roles

Election 2024 Trump

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT 

Secret Service chief: ‘We failed’

Bipartisan calls for her resignation come after congressional hearing

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee called for U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign Monday, saying she had lost the nation’s confidence after failing to answer detailed questions about the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

Republican Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and ranking Democrat Jamie Raskin of Maryland were among the Congress members who urged Cheatle to step aside after she testified for 4 1/2 hours at the first congressional hearing since the attack on Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Raskin said both parties were united in their “bafflement” over the stunning operational failures that led to the shooting. 

He lamented the “extraordinary communications gap” between Cheatle and Congress during the hearing.

“I will be joining the chairman in calling for the resignation of the director just because I think that this relationship is irretrievable at this point,” Raskin said at the hearing’s end. “I think that the director has lost the confidence of Congress at a very urgent and tender moment in the history of the country and we need to very quickly move beyond this.”

Cheatle has faced growing calls to step down as director after the security failures at the Trump rally, the first attack against a U.S. leader on the protective agency’s watch in more than 40 years. 

She has said she will not resign.

Cheatle remained stoic as several lawmakers with the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability berated her and called for her resignation.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of Cailfornia urged Cheatle to resign because the assassination attempt has shaken public faith in the Secret Service and her ability to lead the agency. 

He said the issue transcends politics.

“I think you need to reflect,” Khanna told Cheatle. “You cannot go leading a Secret Service agency when there is an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate.”

Cheatle told lawmakers she accepted responsibility for the failure to stop the attack and acknowledged that it was the most significant stain on the agency’s record in decades.

Cheatle also told the panel she does not personally review the security plans for thousands of events attended by the 36 people under the agency’s protection. 

Those reviews are conducted by a team of Secret Service officials, she said.

Questions

The lawmakers questioned why Trump was allowed to take the podium about 15 minutes after officers at the fairgrounds sighted a suspicious individual, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks. 

Cheatle sought to make a distinction between suspicious behavior and a direct threat, saying the Secret Service would have “paused the rally had they known there was an actual threat.”

Cheatle said the agency is reviewing when agents were notified about Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman, and what they did about it.

Crooks gained access to an unsecured roof less than 150 yards from the stage of Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania, where he opened fire with an AR-style rifle, injuring Trump, killing one man in the crowd and seriously wounding two others. 

He was killed at the scene by a Secret Service countersniper.

Cheatle said the Secret Service is conducting an internal “mission assurance investigation” and that the report is due within 60 days. 

She told the committee members she shared many of their questions and would report back with the answers once the investigation is complete.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York told Cheatle that 60 days is “not acceptable.”

“It has been 10 days since an assassination attempt on a former president of the United States regardless of party,” Ocasio-Cortez told Cheatle. “There need to be answers.”

Probes into attack

The internal report is in addition to the FBI’s criminal investigation and other probes into the attack.

Cheatle shared some preliminary findings, acknowledging that the gunman used a drone in the area before the shooting.

“That information has been passed on to us from the FBI,” she said in testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. 

Cheatle also confirmed that a detonator device was found with Crooks’s body.

Cheatle told lawmakers that the FBI found explosives in Crooks’s possession and is investigating who may have shown him how to make them. 

She confirmed that he appeared to have acted alone.

Cheatle frustrated several committee members by declining to answer detailed questions. 

She would not say how many agents were assigned to Trump that day but said the number was “sufficient.”

Cheatle did not say whether the Secret Service deployed a drone to surveil the area and declined to answer questions about how Crooks was able to get his rifle onto the roof and when the area would have been “swept,” or inspected, before the rally.

“So can you answer this question, which I think is on the mind of most Americans thinking about this?” Raskin said. “How can a 20-year-old with his father’s AR-15 assault weapon climb onto a roof with a direct 150-yard line of sight to the speaker’s podium without the Secret Service or local police stopping him?”

She did not have the answer. 

“I will say we are nine days out from this event, and I would like to know those answers as well, which is why we are going through these investigations to be able to determine that fully,” she said.

Dodging questions

Lawmakers’ frustrations grew as Cheatle continued to dodge questions about what constituted a threat.

She said she did not want to speak prematurely about an ongoing investigation. 

But lawmakers said she could at least tell them what she knew.

The tone of the hearing grew more heated as lawmakers accused Cheatle of stonewalling. 

One exasperated Republican lawmaker, Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas, derisively told Cheatle to “go back to guarding Doritos.” Cheatle worked as a top security official at Pepsi Co. North America, which manufactures the snack food, before her appointment as Secret Service director in September 2022.

Under repeated questioning by Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., Cheatle confirmed that the FBI informed her that the Beaver County emergency services unit noticed Crooks on the roof and photographed him before Trump took the stage.

Cheatle did not say when the FBI relayed that information to the Secret Service or when the agency deemed Crooks a threat.

Cheatle confirmed at the hearing that Crooks arrived at the rally with a range finder, a tool used to gauge outdoor distances for use in photography, surveying or shooting.

But she said that a “range finder is not a prohibited item” and that carrying one did not necessarily make him a threat.

LaTurner asked Cheatle when agents might have identified Crooks as a threat.

“If that same individual with the range finder is found on a rooftop, is that still just suspicious, or is that considered threatening?” LaTurner shot back.

“That could be termed still as suspicious,” she said.

Calls for resignation

The initial part of Monday’s hearing was notable for members’ sober, serious tone, with a methodical approach to questioning Cheatle by Republican and Democratic members.

Some Republican members started shaking their heads and audibly saying “no” when Cheatle declined to say whether Secret Service agents were positioned on the roof used by the attacker.

Republicans berated Cheatle and some called for her resignation because of the lack of answers and concern that the security flaws exposed at the Pennsylvania rally are ongoing.

Cheatle signaled that she intends to stay.

“I think I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time,” Cheatle said in response to questioning from Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina that cast doubt on her leadership qualifications.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina asked Cheatle if she would like to use the lawmaker’s five minutes of time to “draft her resignation letter.” Cheatle quietly responded, “No, thank you.” Republican says he re-created shooting

Frisco lawmaker tells panel it’s ‘a miracle’ Trump lived

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon was in prone position on a sloped roof, holding his AR-15 rifle. The time was 6:30 p.m. Distance to target, 130 yards.

The Frisco Republican sought to recreate the conditions that faced a would-be assassin who opened fire on former President Donald Trump during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pa.

Fallon recounted the simulation Monday at a House Oversight Committee hearing, during which lawmakers delivered a brutal, bipartisan tongue-lashing to U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle over the agency’s failures in Butler and what they characterized as a lack of information since.

Fallon said he wasn’t sure which of two kinds of scopes the shooter had used, so he took eight shots with each type during his exercise. 

Behind him, an aide displayed two human-shaped targets riddled with bullet holes.

“You know what the result was? Fifteen out of 16 kill shots,” Fallon said as his voice rose and he banged his fist on the table. “And the one I missed would have hit the president’s ear. That’s a 94% success rate. And that shooter was a better shot than me. It is a miracle President Trump wasn’t killed.”

Fallon said he’s never received long-gun training and had shot his AR-15 only once before, six years earlier.

Cheatle testified her agency failed in its mission, promising to discover what went wrong and “move heaven and earth” to ensure it never happens again.

Frustrated Republicans and Democrats grew more pointed in their questions as she repeatedly refused to provide specific answers about what happened and why.

Cheatle often referred lawmakers to the FBI, which is conducting a criminal investigation.

The Oversight Committee often features bitterly partisan fighting, but there was plenty of shared frustration on both sides of the aisle over Cheatle’s lack of answers. 

Members from both parties, including its Republican chairman and top Democrat, called for her resignation during the hearing.

U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Waco, cited her nearly 30 years of experience with the U.S. Secret Service and said Cheatle should be able to provide some analysis of where protection broke down.

“How long do we have to wait before you can give us credible answers?” Sessions asked.

Cheatle said the agency’s goal is to complete an internal investigation within 60 days and cited various other investigations in progress.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, used her time to make points about addressing potential bias among law enforcement officers, the role of gun regulations in preventing shootings and the need for politicians to tone down their rhetoric.

She added that Cheatle’s lack of answers could feed conspiracy theories about the shooting.

“I don’t doubt the Secret Service is on the side of the American people,” Crockett said. 

“But right now, so long as these conspiracy theories continue to fester, it is going to make your job that much harder.”

Fallon was deeply biting in his assessment, questioning how anyone could have confidence in the agency’s ability to stop trained foreign professionals if its personnel could be outsmarted by a 20-year-old loner.

He brought up claims security personnel weren’t on the roof used by the shooter because of safety concerns about its slope. He said those are “pathetic excuses” and “cow dung.”

He mockingly referred to Cheatle’s previous job as senior director in global security at Pepsico, which manufactures snack foods.

“Your horrifying ineptitude and your lack of skilled leadership is a disgrace,” Fallon said. “Your obfuscating today is shameful. And you should be fired immediately and go back to guarding Doritos.”

And right after they passed that law, we ended up with Uvalde.