#because if you commit a crime you'd be sent to jail

[solis-angelus]

Sorry, this is a dumb question. Hypothetically, if a person checks themselves into a mental hospital/rehab how much money do they need to pay? What if the person has no family or doesn't want bother their family with shit, so is going alone like enough? (Asking for a book thing)

[If u respond, please mention the respective country]

[gumycandyyy]

Heyo I'm here to request that Male Reader x Winter King you wanted-

Anyways, can you write for a male Reader that used to be Simon and Betty's friend before the crown and the Mushroom War, who randomly shows up in the Land of Ooo? As in, Simon thought that they had died a long time ago, alongside Betty, but the Reader had survived through some odd means and got reunited with him?

Lol, if that's too much, then I'm sorry. It could be a fic or Headcanons, whichever you prefer!

⠂"ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴏʟᴅ."⠐

⠂"ᴡᴇ ʙᴏᴛʜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ."⠐

AHJFHJGSKHA HOW DID YOU KNOW I WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT SIMON?? I LOVE THIS WET CAT.

Winter King actually isn't this one, because I wanted to focus on Fionna and Cake ver. Simon

Male reader

Platonic/Romantic (I'm leaving it ambiguous, because I mean, c'mon. It's Simon.)

Type: Headcanons (With a drabble and oneshot mixed in)

Summary: An old friend shows up after a bunch of time-related shenanigans, and is finally ready to settle back down in Ooo. Though this sudden happening is quite a shock to Simon.

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-You used to be an old family friend of Betty's, and met Simon through her.

-Y'all were really close, and they invited you over for dinner every other weekend.

-But one day, you just...

-Vanished.

-Everyone thought you were kidnapped, and Simon and Betty were heartbroken.

-However...

-Through some odd means, you were kept alive for a thousand years.

-It all started one weird day when you bought a little doodad from a garage sale.

-the next thing you knew, you were in a big yellow cube with a pink wall guy.

-Apparently the little thing you bought was an item from another universe, and it was janking up Ooo.

-Aaaaand technically you just committed a serious crime by purchasing the little thing.

-And whether intentional or not, you now had to go on trial for this little accident. You tried to explain what happened, but you were found guilty.

-You were sentenced to a thousand years in some donked up time jail.

-Apparently, you wouldn't age in there, and a thousand years would pass on Ooo before you were set free.

-It was the worst thing that could've ever happened to you.

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-The time jail kept you from losing your sanity, and a thousand years later, you were released.

-You were teleported back to Ooo, which looked quite different than how you remembered it.

-It felt like an eternity since you've seen rolling green hills and a clear blue sky. An eternity since you've breathed familiar air.

-You heard something, about a hundred yards from you.

-You approached the loud noises to see some buff dude with a sick beard and robotic arm beating up some one-eyed monster.

-He punched the creature, and it was sent flying towards you.

-You ducked, and the dude noticed you.

"Ah, sorry man! Didn't see you there!"

-You assured him it was nothing.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

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You shook your head, then blinked confusedly. Well, technically you were. It had just been 1000 years. You tried to get your story straight, then told the guy.

"Woah, so does that mean you're technically a time traveler?"

You shrugged. Time travel hadn't been proven yet, has it? You weren't sure. You asked the guy his name, so you didn't have to refer to him as just 'the guy.'

"Oh, yeah. Name's Finn. Good ol' Finn the H."

"The H.?"

"Y'know, the Human?"

But you were human too. With all due respect, you asked him about his strange surname.

"Oh, uh.. My real last name is Mertens, but I like 'the Human' better. It's only recently other humans have started living in Ooo. So I'm kinda seen as 'that one human' y'know?"

You nodded, trying to make sense of what he said. what had happened that caused humans to leave Ooo? How was that even possible?

The two of you talked for a short while, and you learned a little bit about Ooo. You were used to knowing a lot, but you barely even recognized this place.

"Oh, you're from the 20th century, right?"

You nodded.

"I've got a friend from then, maybe you'd like to meet him? He's one cool dude."

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-You agreed politely, wondering if this 20th century man would help you adjust to life in whatever century this was. What century was this anyway? 30-something?

-Finn ended up taking you to a scrappy little bar filled with people that looked to be made out of candy.

"Anything you'd like to order?"

"Nothing for me, Dirt Beer Guy. Maybe he'd like one, but we're just waiting for-"

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"Simon?"

You stared in disbelief at the face of your old friend, who looked at you with the same expression. He was carrying something under his arm, but he dropped it in shock.

"No way, you know him? That's awesome!"

Simon slowly walked up to you, as if afraid you'd disappear at any second. Tears welled up in the both of your eyes, and you had to suppress breaking down right there. It hadn't occurred to you that this 20th century man could've been Simon, but now that you were seeing him, you realized you subconsciously wished it would be him.

He spoke your name softly, not much more than a whisper, as if anything louder would cause reality to shatter, or one of you to wake up from a dream.

"You... You're really here, aren't you?"

You nodded softly, not daring to say a word. Tears spilled out of your eyes, and Finn looked slightly confused.

"Do you guys, uh.... Wanna step out for a minute?"

You agreed, still quietly, saying it would probably be better to not make a scene. Finn gave you a thumbs up and shooed you out, saying he'd wait for you when you got back inside.

You stepped out of the little bar with Simon, realizing it got dark out while you were inside.

"So..."

"How about we take a walk?"

You nodded, falling into step with Simon as you walked into a nice little forest. The small stream rushing by provided ambient noise.

"How are you here..?"

Simon asked, with an air of disbelief. He blinked, wiping his glasses and rubbing his eyes. As if you'd disappear once he'd open them. You explained what happened, and suddenly gasped.

"If you're here, that means Betty must be here too, right? Where is she?"

Simon sighed, bringing his arms up to hold himself.

"She's..."

"She's not."

You decided not to pry, but you couldn't help but notice the sinking feeling in your gut. She was one of your best friends, and she was gone. But she was Simon's fiancee. It must have hit him harder, whatever happened to her. You'd ask later, when the emotional turmoil between the two of you wasn't so fresh.

You walked in peaceful silence between the two of you, listening to the sounds of the stream, or chirping crickets.

You took that time to study Simon, how his appearance changed, and things that stayed the same.

Same fashion sense,

same goofy circle glasses,

even the same walk you remember.

There was a white streak in his hair now.

Wrinkles on his face.

Something about him just seemed so...

Sad.

"You've gotten old."

Simon smiled, though it seemed bitter.

"We both have."

"I missed you, Simon. Not a day went by that I didn't think of you, Betty, or any of our other friends."

Simon stopped walking, and you copied. He seemed as if he was about to cry again. To be honest, you were too. Talking about all of this while looking him in the face didn't fare well for your emotional state.

He took off his glasses, wiping at his eyes. Simon smiled bitterly through it though. He seemed to be so lonely. You wondered where he lived now.

". . ."

He wiped his eyes again, then looked straight at you with an unwavering gaze.

"You have no idea how much we missed you. Even years after you disappeared, we still looked. Even when the police failed, we still-"

He inhaled sharply, breath shaking. He turned his head away, as if ashamed of his emotions.

You placed your hand on his shoulder, trying to provide comfort. Simon suddenly wrapped his arms around you, pressing his face into your shoulder. You returned the embrace, holding onto him just as tightly.

Simon's breath shook, and you softly rubbed his back. You had no idea what he's gone through, and you were genuinely unsure whether you were helping or not.

"Simon..?"

His grip on you loosened, and he looked up at you.

You said nothing else, but you gently rested your forehead on his. He sniffed, then took a deep breath. Your hands fell to his waist, while his rested on your shoulders. Simon closed his eyes, cherishing this small bit of comfort.

After a few moments, Simon pulled away, bringing his fist up to his mouth and clearing his throat.

"W- well, today was certainly... Eventful."

You laughed softly, agreeing with his remark. The two of you walked back to the little bar, realizing you'd gotten farther from it than you thought you did.

Simon cleared his throat yet again, once you reached the outside of the bar.

"Yeah, Simon?"

He thought for a moment, then spoke.

". . .Thank you."

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Thanks for reading! I absolutely loved writing this, and Simon needs a hug.

Your complimentary artwork ^^

reblog for a beginner writer?

[thatgayoctopus]

guuuUUUYS I wrote a Smol Smol kinda angsty Dr. Two Brains and Wordgirl one shot where she asks him about removing Squeaky's brain and he says no!!! Because I don't think he would say yes even though I want him to!!! It has a good ending because I'm a sucker for soft things™

No warnings!

~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~

"...what?"

Doctor Two brains seemed baffled by the question WordGirl randomly asked. They'd just finished a battle, standing and chatting atop a building while they waited for the police to arrive to take him to jail.

"I... I was just wondering, Y'know, with Dr. Tubing moving away soon that you'd consider getting... It removed."

She gave him an awkward smile, trying to alleviate the sudden uncomfortable weight in the air. He gaped at her for another moment, before sighing and shaking his head.

"No, kid. I'm sorry, but... No."

"wh- why not!? I know that that brain hurts you, and I know Steven hates having to commit crimes-!"

He winced as Squeaky sent a sharp throb of pain through his skull at the mention of Steven, and he held a hand up to silence her. He gently cupped his left hand over the small brain, realizing that this only proves Wordgirl's point further. He couldn't help but get a little frustrated, grumbling quietly.

"Wordgirl, I said no-!"

He snapped, accidentally shouting a little. She closed her mouth, the hurt and surprise visible on her face. Geez, sometimes he forgot that she really was just a kid.

"s- sorry, Wordgirl, I didn't mean to..."

He sighed, running his hands down his face as he struggled to put together the right words before continuing.

"Look Kiddo, I know how much you miss him. But the truth is, even if I get this removed, he won't be back."

He looked down at her, his face softening with sympathy. Her injured gaze followed his movements as he knelt down, attempting to hopefully help her feel a little more heard and safe. His words became a little gentler.

"I really only have hazy recollections of his memories, and I doubt they'd return. And frankly, Wordgirl, I don't want to go through all that again."

He shuddered at the memory of waking up in the lab, in pain and confused, nothing but two panicked voices in his own head to keep him company. The early days were harder to remember, since it was mostly Squeaky and Steven bossing each other around and haphazardly piloting their body through the city.

Wordgirl frowned, fiddling with the top of one of her gloves.

"go through... What again..?"

He looked down, one elbow on his knee as he slumped over slightly. He looked tired.

"Not knowing who I am, Wordgirl. I've only recently been Dr. Two Brains, and I'm still figuring out who that is! I just... I don't think I could handle another big change like that again, Y'know...?"

He tilted his head, searching for her gaze, but she avoided eye contact. It was a lot to take in for a little girl like her. He frowned, feeling a little guilty.

"wordgirl... I hope you know this doesn't mean we're not friends. I know it gets... Weird, sometimes, what with all the impulsive crime sprees and cheese obsessions, but kid... You can always come to me for help, alright...? Well, almost always, there's still rules against some things."

He chuckled, scratching his neck nervously as he remembered the "anti-conspiratory" rules in the Villian rulebook.

"we can't go to a museum together, pretty sure that's one..."

He mumbled, getting lost in thought. She was finally looking up at him, lip trembling as if she were about to cry.

"aw, kid, don't cry...!"

He opened his arms reflexively, offering her a hug. She ran into his arms so fast she knocked the wind out of him, her super strength nearly crushing him. With the way she could lift one of Tobey's giant robots like it was nothing, he knew she couldn't help it. He managed to wheeze out a simple sentence, patting her back awkwardly.

"k- kid, don't kill me--"

"oh! Sorry, heh--!"

She let go of him, stepping back and holding her hands behind her back apologetically.

He pressed a hand against his chest, catching his breath and giving a weak chuckle.

"no, no, it's alright. Asking a superhero for a hug, I should'a known better."

All in all, the interaction probably could've gone way worse. The sweet moment ended when his sensitive rodent ears picked up the sound of a roof access door opening around a small concrete wall, and he looked over. The two police officers rounded the corner and gave wordgirl a polite wave, the red haired woman speaking up.

"Heya Wordgirl! Great job stopping Doc again! We heard about the whole thing. Oh, uh, you too Two Brains I guess."

She offered him an unsure shrug and he rolled his eyes, standing and holding his hands behind his back so they could cuff him.

"Gee, thanks officers..."

He mumbled. Wordgirl, however, couldn't be happier with the praise, grinning and giving a playful curtsy with the corners of her cape.

"oh, it's nothing really, heh! See you later, Dr. Two Brains."

She gave him a final wave paired with a bittersweet smile, and he nodded appreciatively.

"till we meet again, Wordgirl!"

With that, the little hero zoomed off.

[queer-cosette]

Actually I've come to a realisation (most of you will probably have hit this one already, I might just be slow at saying it) as to why Varian was sent to jail for committing treason while Cassandra was allowed to go free without any sort of real consequence despite arguably committing much worse treason and making several more attempts at murdering Rapunzel than Varian ever did.

Varian was sent to prison because... it wasn't Rapunzel's call. It was King Frederic's call. And it's established right off the bat that Frederic is known for coming down very hard against criminals especially when they strike at his family because he's traumatised and paranoid as a result of his infant daughter being literally kidnapped and held captive for eighteen years. I'm not saying it's a fair system... but it's pretty understandable.

Rapunzel on the other hand... holds a lot more empathy to those on the wrong side of the law. Eugene, the love of her life, was the most wanted criminal in the kingdom when they met. The Snuggly Duckling thugs are extremely loyal to her partly because it's her influence with the king that has kept them out of jail for past misdemeanours. Rapunzel couldn't even bring herself to fully hate Mother Gothel, who abducted her, kept her prisoner, and abused her psychologically, because Mother Gothel was the only 'family' she knew for virtually the first eighteen years of her life.

Actually, it's thanks to Mother Gothel that Rapunzel never blames Cassandra for betraying her, even when Cassandra leaves her to die in the mines beneath Gothel's old cottage. Rapunzel recognises that Cassandra isn't just trying to kill her for kicks - she's another victim of Gothel's abuse, and that abuse has led her to blame Rapunzel for 'stealing' Gothel's love because she can't accept the truth that her mother simply never loved her at all. And by the time Cassandra is no longer power-crazed and covered in impenetrable stone armour, Rapunzel is the one making the calls. She's still the acting queen at the end of the series because her parents still haven't fully recovered their memories.

Frederic's approach to preventing crime was to make sure that if you'd committed one crime, you would never have the chance to commit another - because you'd be in a jail cell. Rapunzel's approach to preventing crime was to find the reason you'd been driven to crime and work on fixing that, so you wouldn't need to commit another.

And that's why Cassandra didn't face the same consequences for treason that Varian did.

[a-student-out-of-time]

Thing is, there’s the legal repercussions as well. Like or not, Nikei committed a major crime. Iroha has been working on trying to get him pardoned for it but naturally her own family issues have taken priority for now.

Exactly. After all the shit they put me through, I'm the one who has to pay for it all. These people were fucking monsters; Sato Emina was nothing compared to them.

They deserved to die, but...

But why...why do I still feel like shit for it...? I did the right thing. I know it...

*Erina holds him close*

How old were you when this happened?

I was twelve.

So you were too young to be sent to jail.

You think they're gonna give a shit? I'm in the minority on why this happens, you know. Barely 15% of kids who kill their parents do so because they're being abused.

You think anyone's gonna believe me about that? That I didn't just kill them for money or whatever?

Look at me. I live in a shack on the edge of Tokyo.

As far as I know, the worst case scenario would be that you'd be sent to a juvenile reformatory. But, I don't think that's what's best for you.

Yeah...

I was skeptical about Hinata at first. That...maybe he knew about all this, somehow. But...he has the right idea. He just can't see that.

[masked-disciple]

That's the thing with illness, and grief, and just plain bad luck. You can't always stop everything, and you can't always control how you're going to react to things, and you can't predict how anything is ever going to end.

You said she wanted you to get into university, and look at you, you did. The world was stacked against you in more ways than one - in almost every way, from what I can tell you had Prof. Mikotoba and your sister and that was it - and you managed it. I think she'd be pretty proud of you for that.

I'm sure you were a comfort to her. You probably cried for her, when she didn't know how to. Helping your grief would have helped hers, too. She made it as far as she did, despite her illness, because you were there. You didn't make things harder. You helped her keep going, for as long as she could. You were there, you were partly the proof that he wasn't completely gone and partly the reason she needed to keep fighting, because she had something to fight for.

Being perfect probably wouldn't have helped matters very much. Hiding your grief would have just forced her to do the same, so she wouldn't make you cry by hurting. You expressed your grief, and that would have made it easier to admit to her own, as well. The imperfections are what make it real, always. Things are never all the way right. That also means they're never all the way wrong, either.

She made it as far as she could, and she would have wanted you to keep going, as far as possible. Because she knew you'd be able to make it. We make it through alone when we have to, and if there's another hand reaching out in the dark, we grab onto it and we drag everyone we can out with us into the light.

Isn't that what you did? Even your stupidest, most questionable decisions - the worst thing you did was a bit of bad logic. You made the jump between 'this man prosecuted my father on falsified evidence' and 'so he's a murderer', and didn't stop long enough to ask 'and did he know it was falsified?', which is a pretty easy question to skip, if only because well, van Zieks is good at his job, it's not unreasonable to believe he wouldn't have been fooled.

Ultimately, from where I'm standing, it means the biggest crime you actually committed was... believing in van Zieks. Just like Ryunosuke and Susato did. Sure, you missed that Stronghart was the problem, but everyone else also made that mistake, so it's really a matter of either you get to room in jail with everyone involved and make it a right party in there, or if we're going to clear them of all charges, we should clear you, also.

So I suppose it all leads to the final part of the riddle, where we started.

A riddle of three, to one united goal, a game of names but never home; Broken in pieces an ocean away, beating outside your chest, reclaimed- Something close but ne'er the heart, to be found again one day.

A riddle of three: of course, you, Ryunosuke, and Susato; fighting over van Zieks' fate. A game of who did it, in a place quite far away from home: England.

In pieces an ocean away: you admitted that you care, which is good, because you sent your sister and your best friend back home without you, and part of your heart with them. I can empathize. Part of mine's always going to be in a place that doesn't exist for me anymore. If you admit to it, then you get to bask in the simple contentment of their presence, even when they're not with you, and that makes things easier. The light always does.

But something not your heart, to be found again one day, reclaimed... I am happy, genuinely happy, to concede to you your well-earned victory.

Yes, Kazzy, our Prosecutor Kazzy- the answer of the riddle is your sword and soul, Karuma. You never had to earn it back. It's still yours, you've just lent it to Ryunosuke, your soul for the dreams he left with you. (Rest in peace to the English degree he's never completing...)

That's really all I wanted you to know. That you've earned that transformation, and that you never actually needed it, because you weren't - and aren't - as evil as you think. 'Course, the only person more stubborn than you in this world is me, so it took us this long to get you to hear me out, but we did make it this far.

You should be proud of yourself. This wasn't an easy riddle to make, or for you to solve, and you went and did it anyway. Which means, when it's no longer one-thirty in the morning, I believe I owe you a story about your sister. I'll drop that in your inbox tomorrow at some point. I'm not too worried, you've got a party to attend, anyway.

Full disclosure, though. The question I was initially going to ask if I won was a tossup between either A. why you didn't ask to be reassigned to a different prosecutor after the Reaper trial (which I no longer need to ask, I figured it out, although I'm not sure if you have!) or B. if I can pet your hair and find out if it's as soft as it looks because jeez Kazzy who gave you the right. You don't actually have to answer, though, you won.

(Do not @ me about the pronunciation of your sword's name. I know, the first syllable rhymes with bar and not bare, but c'mon. The only definition of 'car' is those fancy electric carriages Iris keeps sketching up and that wouldn't fit with the themes now would it, Kazzy-kaz? :p Go name the other sword and I might be able to come up with a slightly more fitting riddle. Until then, we're just gonna politely ignore that your dad named you after his sword like the weird nerd he was.)

I accept your terms, Kazzy - you'll never get Prosecutor-Asogi'd out of me, because I'm allergic to using surnames unless it's funny - but I suppose I can say Kazuma if I lose. Which I won't. Your only hint is that I know you better than you think I might. So, assuming tumblr doesn't break the formatting on me, here is your riddle:

A riddle of three, to one united goal, a game of names but never home; Broken in pieces an ocean away, beating outside your chest, reclaimed- Something close but ne'er the heart, to be found again one day.

First, the actions of the heart so sweetly, fearfully denied; It grows roots thick as iris 'round the wall, for friends, rivals, and family beside- That which is found in the quiet moments, weary and wary, breathing still.

Second: a hero, a villain, a leader, a follower, pride and joy; The person you need when all is shadow and all is forsaken- Stalwart, valiant, forgiven, brave- he who no longer walks alone.

Last but not least, a person to whom you cannot speak; The beginning of masks, to sorrow and plague and honest love- Beloved but shrouded in pain, still waiting at the end of the road.

Interesting. I have some ideas, but to my followers - what do you make of this? You may have a different perspective, and with such high stakes I don't want to overlook something.

[i-cant-sing]

Dang, they could've at least put Y/N's mom in a mental hospital. Also will she sign those papers without reading them, she seems stubborn.

They might put her in an institute, depends on your behaviour really. If you're nice and accepting of them as your new parents, they'll put her in rehab. But if you continue to fight tooth and nail and say that you'll get your mother out yourself, even if it means lying on stand and getting your father out as well, then Keigo will pull all strings and make sure that your father goes from life in jail to death row, and your mother never sees the light of day again, forever kept in solitary confinement.

As for reading the contracts, you don't seem to understand Keigo's condition. He said (and wrote) "Y/n is to stay with Keigo and Dabi until her mother comes out." Out of jail? Out of asylum? He didn't specify, and not only that, but he also didn't say that you'd be allowed to leave home after 18, AND as far as your mother's case goes, Keigo will make sure that she never leaves jail/asylum. So... you're like bound to him and Dabi for life.

When your mother's trial comes up, they'll test to see if she's mentally fit to be your mother or not. You went with Keigo to visit her and you know that you've prepared her well for all the questions and curve balls they're gonna throw her way, rehearsed all her answers.

But then the prosecution brought in a psychiatrist- Dr Himiko Toga, who told the jury that not only is your mom unfit to be a mother, but also a danger to your life and those around her. You couldn't believe what you were hearing, and Keigo pretended to be just as devastated as you. Dabi only gave you a look to "calm down", before texting a thanks to Himiko.

By the end of cross examination, your mother had broken down several times, confessed to crimes she didn't commit, and begged the jury to keep her baby safe (aka you) from her.

And just like that, your mother was sent to jail.

You'd be crying your heart out in your room at Dabi's and Keigo's home, who are outside and concerned because you hadn't stopped weeping for hours now. Dabi contemplated giving you some medicine to put you to sleep, and he added it in the hot chocolate he'd made for you. Meanwhile, Keigo sipped his bourbon to ease the pang of guilt in heart. After all, he did manipulate your mother into lying on the stand and accepting jail time. Keigo had told her that you'd be better off with a rich family like his and Dabi's and he assured her that they'd take good care of you. But what really convinced your mother to take the deal was the bribe of lessening her husband's sentence from death row to just life in jail. Keigo even promised that he'd arrange a way for them to meet up if they stayed on good behaviour!

And so your mother was convinced. But unbeknownst to her and you, Keigo had paid some inmates to kill your father. Now all he did was fabricate a couple of letters every few months from your father's behalf addressed to your mother to keep her happy.

Keigo finishes his drink before going to your room, smiling when he saw you falling asleep in Dabi's arms. You reached out for him, and Keigo joined you both on the bed, pressing a kiss to your hair.

And just like that, his guilt was gone.

[morbid-n-macabre]

Tell me, what is your favorite murder? This is one of mine. If you've been following me for a while you may have seen me post about it before, but I don't believe I've really gone in depth.

If you had seen David Brown on the street, it's unlikely that you'd even have noticed him. The middle aged man was short, flabby, his face was terribly scarred from acne, his hair was thin and always greasy, but he did have a couple of things going for him. David was a well off computer entrepreneur who invented a way of recovering lost information, plus he was a master manipulator. David Brown chose very young and pretty women to groom. He was capable of talking them into doing anything he wanted done - including murdering the people they loved the most.

Back in 1985 David was married to a 23 year old woman named Linda Marie Bailey Brown, and together the couple had a baby named Krystal. Linda had come from a very large impoverished family in which money and food were scarce; she felt that David had "saved" her. Soon after the wedding, Linda's baby sister, Patti, moved in with David as well. Patti was not much older than David's own young daughter, Cinnamon, who lived with her father more often than her biological mother, Brenda. 14 year old Cinnamon adored her stepmother and new baby sister, and 17 year old Patti became like a sister to Cinnamon as well. To anyone looking in The Browns seemed to be a big, happy blended family, but as we know things often aren't as they seem.

When Cinnamon and Patti were first informed that David had overheard Linda and her brother plotting to kill him, the girls didn't believe it. They didn't take the claims seriously, but David insisted; he said that Linda wanted him dead so that she could have David's wealth for herself. Over a period of several months David convinced the girls that Linda was going to have him murdered, and the only way to save David's life would be to attack first! David told Cinnamon and Patti that he was too old, too frail, and too sickly to commit murder; plus, if he were to be busted, he'd never survive prison. If the girls really loved him, they'd murder Linda and keep him safe! David and the girls went over various murder scenarios until one was finally decided on. It was decided that Cinnamon should be the one to physically pull the trigger, since she was the youngest and wouldn't receive any serious prison time. David convinced his naive teenaged daughter that she'd be given nothing but a slap on the wrist, and sent home after murdering her stepmother. It was a small price to pay for saving the life of her beloved father.

During the night of March 18th, 1985, David Brown ventured into the bedroom where where both Cinnamon and Patti were sleeping. He declared, “Girls, it has to be done tonight.” Both teenagers knew exactly what David meant. Cinnamon followed the instructions which her father had given; the teenager downed multiple handfuls of pills, stumbled into the master bedroom where her beloved stepmother lay sleeping, and she shot Linda in the chest. Within a matter of seconds, little Krystal began to cry, and Patti ran to grab the baby. Linda was still alive and gurgling, so a sobbing Cinnamon aimed her pistol and shot once again. Once Linda was dead, the teen ran to a doghouse in the backyard where she collapsed; Cinnamon passed out, but not before violently vomiting up much of the medicine she'd ingested.

While his daughter and young sister in law were home doing his dirty work, David was busy securing himself an alibi. He'd driven to a late night convenience store and picked a fight with the store clerk, ensuring that no one could question his whereabouts. After enough time had passed, David returned home and summoned the police. Both he and Patti immediately blamed Cinnamon; they described her as an angry, vindictive, mentally ill teenager who truly hated her stepmother. Investigators searched everywhere for their suspect, but it was daylight when they finally found her laying inside the doghouse. There was a note pinned to the girl which read, “Dear God, please forgive me. I did not mean to hurt her”. Investigators have stated that they had a difficult time likening the girl David had described to the one they found laying on death's doorstep that morning.

As soon as she regained consciousness, a remorseful Cinnamon admitted to killing Linda; then, after speaking with her father, the teenager suddenly changed her tune. She suddenly had amnesia, Cinnamon claimed to remember absolutely nothing. As for David, police suspected him from the very get go; the man's behavior was completely off. After coming home from the convenience store David had not run into the bedroom to check on his wife, which is the first thing you'd do, right? He didn't seem too heartbroken that Linda was dead, or that his own little girl was responsible. But David's alibi was rock solid; unless Cinnamon decided to talk, there was nothing they could do. Cinnamon was found guilty of Linda's murder, and she was remanded to the California Youth Authority.

While Cinnamon lived in misery, taking the blame for everything, her father was living it up! See, David had taken out quite a substantial life insurance policy on his wife; after her murder David purchased a beautiful half million dollar home in Orange County, and guess who was still living with him? Patti, of course! It would be easy to blame Patti for some of this, but considering the fact that David had been grooming her from such a young age (he'd begun physically abusing this girl when she was just 11 years old) Patti was really nothing more than another victim. After Linda was killed, Patti took on the role of her big sister; she helped raise her niece as her own, secretly married David, and together they had a baby girl. Patti was forced to lie to everyone, she had to claim that the father of her baby had left her when she turned up pregnant. Not that this was in any way possible as Patti was not allowed out of David's sight!

Had David continued visiting Cinnamon in jail, if he hadn't tried to cut her out of his life, it's very likely she'd have stayed under his spell forever. After Cinnamon was found guilty of murdering Linda, David discontinued the visits with his daughter, he didn't write or tell her what was going on with him, and when he moved David didn't even bother giving Cinnamon his new address or phone number! Cinnamon had to call an answering service just to get in touch with her daddy! When Police told Cinnamon about the beautiful new home with the pool, the new cars her father was driving, and the fact that Patti's new baby looked an awful lot like David, Cinnamon finally decided to talk. She told them everything, agreed to convince both her father and step sister to visit her in the correction center, and Cinnamon was going to wear a wire. Over the telephone Cinnamon told David that she was ready to tell the truth, which was good enough a reason for he and Patti to visit the prison. David did his best to sweet talk Cinnamon into keeping her mouth shut, he even told the girls that they needed to swap places! Patti should take Cinnamon's place at prison while Cinnamon came home - because that's how it works, right? Though he did not admit to orchestrating the murder, after a few visits police had enough to arrest Patti and David.

Patti had been manipulated by David for so many years that she didn't know how to survive without him, she even attempted to commit suicide in his prison cell. Patti may have remained closed lipped by his side forever, had her own best friend not admitted that she'd been having an affair with David! Matter of fact, David had done his best to talk this friend into killing Patti, he had taken out a life insurance policy on her as well! Upon learning of this betrayal, Patti awoke from her spell. She finally admitted to her crimes, and Patti worked with investigators to bring David to justice.

While in prison awaiting trial, David cozied up to a badass biker and hitman named Richard Steinhart; Richard was hired to be David's bodyguard, and soon the manipulator began talking to his new best friend about the people in his life who needed to die. David offered to pay Richard a rather large sum of money if Patti, the case's lead investigator, and a couple others were murdered. While Richard agreed to do David's bidding, he was secretly wired up and working with police. Thankfully David couldn't manipulate Richard the way he had all of the young girls throughout his life.

In September of 1988 David was finally tried for the murder of Linda Bailey Brown. It wasn't until Cinnamon was on the stand that she realized how close she'd come to death on the night of Linda's murder. In all reality, David had planned to kill two birds with one stone. Matter of fact, the pills had been a second choice for David; this father had done his best to talk his 14 year old into shooting herself in the head after murdering her stepmother! But just a little bit; he had wanted Cinnamon to "knick herself" in the head with the bullet! Cinnamon had refused, thank goodness, and they had compromised on the pills; still, with the amount that she'd ingested, Cinnamon should have died.

With the testimony from Cinnamon and Patricia, David was found guilty of masterminding his wife’s murder. He was convicted of murder, setting up his own daughter to take the fall, and for hiring Richard to commit multiple murders.

Even with all the proof of what he'd done, David steadfastly maintained his innocence until the day he died in March of 2014; he lived to be 61 years of age. As for the young ladies, Patti was paroled in 1995, at the age of 23. She married a corrections officer, fought to gain custody of Heather, and then she gave birth to twin boys. It seems she's doing well. As for Cinnamon, she had received her Associate of Arts degree while incarcerated. In 1991, at the age of 21 Cinnamon was set free; she married, and has had a couple of children. Cinnamon has done her very best to live her life in complete anonymity; aside from the photo I'm sharing you can hardly find any trace of her anywhere, though she did make the news after her husband committed suicide. I have hunted down her fb page and she seems to be doing very well today; as much as I'd love to share her info I do not wish to cause her any extra stress. She seems well, and is surrounded by her own beautiful children, living in California. Then there's Linda and David's daughter, baby Krystal. She is very easy to find as she's made her presence well known on social media; she seems to be a very sweet person who has endured quite a lot in her life. After David went to prison, Krystal was sent to live with David's parents. Her grandparents never wanted her to know that her father had played a part in her mother's murder as they felt their son had been wrongly convicted. Krystal tells of the moment she realized what her father had done, someone gave her a book about the crime. Her grandparents have since passed away, leaving Krystal alone. Today she is a mother herself, and has reached out to both her sister and her aunt; she has met with Patti, and is still holding out hope that she will get to know Cinnamon in the future.

• This is one of those cases that just pulls you in, you come to care for those involved. I know I'm not the only person who feels that way about these people. The book which Ann Rule wrote about this case, "If you really loved me" is beyond excellent. It is the only true crime book I've read multiple times; yes, it is that good. One chilling aspect, it's said that the house in which Linda was killed is now haunted - in the newer versions of the book there's a photo of the ghost believed to be Linda Bailey Brown! There is also a 3 hour movie, "Love, Lies, Murder" which is also extremely well done. I'll link you, or you can search it on YouTube but keep in mind that it is told from Patti's point of view. I can also link Krystal Hinton's YouTube channel, in case anyone is interested.

Love, Lies, Murder:

https://youtu.be/X29Iio0uEnk

Krystal's YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheKrystalPegasus