#c: maya fell

[ynscrazylife]

Feel free to ignore but if you feel like would you consider writing being in a relationship with Maya and Carina. Reader is a detective / cop , just the whole dynamic would be interesting I think.

Dating Maya Bishop & Carina DeLuca Would Include . . .

(I made Reader an FBI Agent partly b/c I love Criminal Minds, hope that’s alright)

You guys are such a power couple. Carina as an OB/GYN Attending, Maya has a Lieutenant of Station 19 (she should be Captain tho), and you as an FBI Agent

Unfortunately with your important jobs, it’s hard to see a lot of each other

It’s definitely made your relationship a little more difficult, but you all love each other so much, and you put in the work

Carina and Maya are always worried about you when you’re on your FBI missions and often won’t be able to rest unless they get a text from you

When you come home from your missions, Maya and Carina are always there for you no matter what

They’ll always insist on Carina checking you out for any injuries, no matter how small

They also let you vent and talk about the case, often encouraging you to let it out

And even if you don’t get any injuries, Maya and Carina insist on you taking at least a day to rest

I think Maya would definitely cuddle with you like a koala would, arms and legs wrapped around you

Meanwhile Carina would have you laying against her chest, her arms wrapped around you and your legs tangled together

When it’s the three of you, you take turns being in the middle

After missions, you are. After hard shifts at the station, it’s Maya. And after had shifts at the hospital, it’s Carina

Maya and Carina will listen to you ramble about psychology and such for hours. They adore how into it you get

You also can’t help but profile them — oops

And they think you are so hot when you’re training/fighting

Maya will hold you while Carina tends to any injuries, cooing about how great you’re doing

You often take baths when coming home from missions and Maya and Carina insist on at least one of them checking in on you after you fell asleep in there multiple times (but they also think it’s very cute)

Maya and Carina are always texting your coworkers to see if you’ve been overworking yourselves

You all have little ways of getting each other to relax

More often than not, you’re hunched over case files. Carina will start massaging your neck, shoulders, or back while Maya will cup your cheek or your head and close your laptop

They’re most effective when they tag team, though

Maya and Carina are really in sync, so they’re often tag teaming you anyway

They absolutely adore how you turn to putty and melt. It’s the cutest thing ever!

If you ever have nightmares about cases, Maya and Carina will both hold you and assure you that you’re safe and that they’ll protect you no matter what (you and Carina do the same when Maya has nightmares)

You and Maya also try to learn Italian together and Carina adores it (she also teases you)

If anything more serious ever happens to you, Maya and Carina are always the first ones there

With how busy your schedules are, you make a promise to each other to always take time off to spend and devote to each other

You and Andrew would also be good friends because he’d think it’s so cool that you’re an FBI agent

You three also love to watch each other work because all of you are so amazing in what you do

Whenever Maya gets jealous that Carina’s around women all day, you’re there to distract her with hugs and kisses

There are definitely some conflicts and arguments, but your love for each other conquers all

[escape-the-real]

The Lost Crown: A Tale of Rebellious Royalty. (Fantasy Au x reader)

Drabble, Characters are 18+

Synopsis: Y/n has been held prisoner by their ruthless uncle. Will they be able to escape tonight?

Word count: 2,128

Includes/mentioned: Toga, Shigaraki, Dabi, Magne, Spinner, Hana, Bakugo.

Key: (T:) - Translation, (e/c) - eye colour, (s/c) - skin colour, (h/c) - have colour.

Warning: Angst and mentions of death.

⚔︎- Chapter One: The Prisoner's Escape-⚔︎

Y/n stood at the tower window, typical, I know. Far down below, the courtyard bustled with busy working people. Unlit lanterns clang gently against the thick stone wall in the swaying motion from the gentle breeze. That same breeze wafted the smell of a whole hog turning slowly on a spit above the fire. An ensemble of performers from the town spun brightly coloured ribbons over their heads. And Y/n knew that inside the castle, players, jugglers, singers, acrobats, and whores waited to do their duties.

The Yami no dōmei (T: Dark Alliance) Stewardess, Himiko Toga, bounced across the courtyard. She threatened a couple of worker boys who were doing more looking than working.

"Hurry up, you useless bloodbags. His Royal Highness will arrive shortly and see you doing absolutely nothing! What do you think he'll do then, huh?" she let out an insane laugh, watching them scramble at the mention of his mere title.

Y/n didn't so much as laugh. Too often they have seen Prince Shigaraki punish those who had mistakenly displeased him. They shake their head at the remembrance of the screams of the punished. Quickly, Y/n thought of safer memories of their mother telling them tales of the great dragons who protect the innocent. Fascinating creatures they were to Y/n, ever since they were a child.

"Today is the day and this time," Y/n thought fiercely, "this time Shigaraki will let me come down from this tower. He must!"

The Maya blue-coloured sky dimmed into a lavender. A shade of pink outlined the black, twisted trees of the forest. Y/n watched the colors of the sky dance together. Looking below once more, the lanterns were now lit. Almost as if they were scaring away the darkness from the courtyard. All was ready. A distant trumpet sounded. A line of ghost-like lights could be seen floating along the forest road.

"He's here! He's here!" shouted Toga.

At the sound of her voice, the drawbridge went down with a low creaking and moaning. The line of lights came closer and revealed torch-lit horseback riders. Some carried torches, while others carried flowing banners. There was a great clatter of hooves and blaring of trumpets as the riders crossed the drawbridge.

Only one man drew his head up slowly towards the tower as the riders thundered into the courtyard. Y/n stepped back so fast that they almost tripped over the rug. As the curtain fell back into place, a shiver racked down their spine before saying to themselves, "I see he has not forgotten me."

The prince came to visit Y/n only once in a blue moon, so every one to two years. And even that was too many times for their liking. During Prince Shigaraki's last visit, Y/n had been denied permission to walk in the corridor outside their room. Remembering this made Y/n hold their chin up high and stubbornly. This visit, Y/n meant to challenge him. They prayed that their courage wouldn't leave them.

Y/n knew The Prince usually stayed for several weeks, entertaining his many guests with brawls, drinking, many acts, and feasting. Then he would return to his court of villains, and what little peace was back to the small palace. Y/n gritted their teeth as they knew that during those several weeks, maybe even tonight, he would seek them out.

Waiting, Y/n paced the floor of their bedroom tower. The fine fabric of silk wisped around their body at each turn. Nervously, they played with the lace that trimmed the silk garment. The hours passed. Laughter and music floated up from the courtyard, but Y/n would not go back to the window. They made themselves sit on an uncomfortable padded stool.

They were still there when the door opened. Magne, who was Y/n warden and maid, ducked inside the room. The man behind her was not as tall but lean with narrow shoulders. But it was his face that drew the focus. It was pale, scratch-littered, with sunken eyes that looked like two blood droplets, and a dark expression.

"Well? Stand up and greet your Prince!" Shigaraki snapped.

Y/n stood up and forced themself to hold their head high in defiance. They met his icy look without flinching, which most cannot do. But Y/n could tell that he was not pleased with what he saw.

"They grow more like their mother every day… How could Hana marry an American is beyond my understanding. Look at their h/c and s/c!"

He made a sound of disgust and moved away from them.

"If they didn't bear the birthmark that Hana did, no one would recognize them as one of us!" he said.

Magne let out a laugh, but she stopped when The Prince spun to glare at her. Y/n remained where they were, they didn't dare speak. They couldn't.

"Still, they have the upbringing and bearing befitting one of royal blood. If they went down amongst the commoners, they just might…" His voice trailed off while he scratched at his neck. "But we'll see that doesn't happen, won't we Magne?"

Yes, My Lord," Magne said.

Y/n looked at her maid with eyes that seemed to blaze e/c. Prince Shigaraki inhaled deeply. He turned away.

"Does they not speak? Toga cut out their tongue?" He asked Magne.

"Yes, they speak," she said sourly. "And it's sharp like a dagger too."

"ah, I see. So, they are stubborn then? Willful?"

"Yes again My Lord. For all the time we've had her, you'd think they were the royal highness." Magne said with a sneer.

Prince Shigaraki frowned. He looked back at Y/n. "They grow like a weed. Soon they will propose a threat to my throne. Something will need to be done… It will be decided before my visit here is done."

Magne threw a barbed glance at Y/n. They felt their dislike for their maid once more and knew that she wouldn't miss the long climb up the tower steps if they were gone.

After one last pensive look at Y/n, Prince Shigaraki stalked out as Magne followed suit by shutting the door. Y/n rushed across their room to the closed door and pressed their cheek against the wood. Their heart sank as they heard the loud click as the door was locked from the outside.

"Someday… sometimes," Y/n promised themselves fiercely, "they'll forget."

Then the hot anger Y/n felt left them, and they slid to the floor. What had Shigaraki meant? Y/n wondered. What would he do to them before he left? Y/n shuddered. All their efforts to escape had ended in embarrassingly quick captures by Shigarki's goons. Now, despite the risks, Y/n knew that they must try again.

Deep in thought, Y/n didn't hear the lock click again. The moving door caught them by surprise. Y/n rolled over quickly to keep from getting hit as it swung open. Magne came back in, muttering to herself. Y/n remained where they were, hidden by the opened door. Sudden hope made their heart skip a beat, and they held their breath.

"Oh dear heart, probably on the bed pouting again," Magne complained.

She saw the food tray across the room and went to go grab it.

"No more climbing those stairs, I'm done my leg day for the night. I will be downstairs enjoying my evening of ale!" She called into the bedroom.

When she didn't get an answer, she grunted. A few more steps lead Magne to the arch that led to Y/n's sleeping quarters. Muttering to herself once more, she peered inside.

For a quick moment, Y/n's body felt glued to the floor. Then suddenly they were up and out the wooden door. One good pull swung that heavy door shut. Y/n used both hands to turn the enchanted quirk-cancelling key. They stopped to listen. They could tell that Magne was pounding on the door. They also knew that no one could hear her. Even in the downtime of the palace, it was hard to hear beyond the thick wood. Tonight would be extremely impossible.

Y/n descended the winding staircase cautiously, even though they felt like rushing down with joy. From previous efforts to escape, they knew that the stairs branched out like roots of a tree in many directions. Y/n took one of the left corridors that led to the art gallery that overlooked the great hall. The noise below was deafening to their ears due to hearing little each day.

Y/n hid behind the folds of the monstrous tapestry. The guests and singer were downstairs but Y/n knew that the singers would soon return to the art gallery for their moments break. Quickly, their e/c eyes scanned the crowd.

Y/n saw no one they could trust. Their father was assassinated by Shigaraki's right-hand man and bounty hunter, Dabi before they were born. And their mother died soon after Y/n's birth. "Uncle" or Prince Shigaraki had kept them locked away and hidden in the palace as they grew older. The servants had been chosen for their loyalty to him. Any guest who happened to catch a quick glimpse of Y/n's face at the window thought that it was a gosht haunting the tower.

Toga had taken great delight in passing along that story. Y/n's mouth curled into a smirk of satisfaction as they thought of the punishment that his servants would get in the morning due to their escape. Their gaze left the guests and went to the servants.

"…Servants…" Y/n muttered to themselves. They watched the servants buzz around, tending to guests. Y/n brows creased in thought.

"They are wearing clothes used only for their work in the palace. Nothing can be taken home… They have to change somewhere, downstairs?" Y/n thought.

Ripping down a tapestry and flipping it around, Y/n made a makeshift cloak. It covered their face and only trailed slightly on the floor. They hurried down the steps and into the throng of people in the great hall, hoping that they would be mistaken for a commoner who provided the acrobatic acts. No one stopped them. Y/n walked quickly out of the great hall and down a lower corridor with the same success. Everyone was too busy working, drinking, and or playing to pay attention to them wandering around. Near the courtyard, they found what they were looking for. On one wall were multiple clothes of different sizes on pegs. Y/n searched around until they found a worn frock and rough shoes, they appeared to belong to someone on the kitchen staff.

Quickly stripping off the cloth they had on now, they pulled on the escape disguise. Y/n crept back down the hallway and stopped long enough to put their silk garments in a deep vase where they would not be found. Then, pulling the cloak back around their face, they slid out the door into the courtyard.

Y/n moved around the fringes of the bustling crowd, keeping to the shadows. Only once did they turn aside to avoid running into Toga and found themself looking directly into the eyes fire breather hired as an act. His ruby-red eyes stood out from the painted mask, they seemed to stare right into Y/n's heart. Y/n stared back, unable to move. Then the crowd shifted, pushing them along. Y/n wriggled and thrust their way back into the shadows. When they looked back, the fire-breather was gone as if he disappeared into thin air.

"Hurry," Y/n told themself over their pounding heart. Desperately they searched for a way out without being detected. That's when they saw a wagon off by itself, being loaded with empty ale barrels. Y/n waited until the men finished loading the wagon and prayed that it would pass the drawbridge unchallenged. The men waved the driver a merry farewell, that's when Y/n scrambled into the back and squeezed themself between the barrels.

Y/n pulled the tapestry completely over their face and became a shadow themself. Y/n lay perfectly still, hardly breathing for fear of getting caught. The wagon rattled and jostled across the courtyard slowly. When the challenge came, Y/n clamped their teeth together to keep them from chattering out loud. Then the granting voice of the gatekeeper, Spinner, came ringing out. Along with a few cheerful insults to the driver. The driver yelled back, roaring with laughter, and the wagon creaked onward through the gate.

The wheels rumbled over the boards and onto the dirt road, leading to the dark forest. As the twisted trees appeared, Y/n jumped into action and slipped out the back of the wagon, dropping to the ground. Triumph tingled through Y/n, pushing away all fear that once resided. Y/n started walking through the tree line and that walking turned into a run.

"I'm free. I-I'm finally free!" Y/n called to the night.

Thanks for reading, hope it was enjoyable!! Make sure to stick around for ⚔︎- Chapter Two: The Dark Forest-⚔︎

[your-favourite-space-girl]

♡Heart Shaped Sun Glasses♡ ♡pt 1♡

♡Book fair♡

Key words: Y/N-you're name L/N-Last name H/C-Hair color H/L-Hair length B/N-Book name

Paring: Damian Wayne x !fem!reader

Summary: Ever since Damian transferred too Gotham Academy there was this girl who always had the same classes as Damian named Y/N L/N

Song Inspired by:

♡Heart Shaped Sun Glasses♡

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Ever since Damian transferred too Gotham Academy there was this girl who always had the same classes as Damian named Y/N L/N, Y/N would always wear these Heart sun glasses on her head, Y/N was always sweet, caring and kind, mostly everyone in their class is friends with her, Damian had confusing feelings for Y/N, he would always get annoyed when she sat next to him but in the same time, he didn't mind it

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

It was Saturday, 7:05 A.M, Heavy rain was pouring as Damian, Bruce and Tim ate their breakfast, Damian didn't really like Saturday's because Jason and Dick visits on Saturday, and there isn't any school on Saturday, so Damian wasn't able to see Y/N, Damian ate his cereal while watching the heavy rain pour

"Damian, are you even listening too me?" Bruce asked as Damian snapped back to reality

"I am sorry Father, please repeat" Damian said softly while staring at his cereal as Bruce sighed

"You're school said there will be a book fair next Saturday, they were asking if you would like to join" Bruce said while drinking his coffee as Tim fell asleep on the table

"Hmm, depends on who will join the book fair" Says Damian while taking a bite of his cereal

Bruce sighed "Brooklyn Bay, Maya May, David Yearwood, Lucy Willow,Marcus Baker, Dorcas Meadows-"

Damian huffed while listening to all the names

"-Y/N L/N" Bruce said as Damian stared at Bruce as his cheeks start to heat up as his eyes slightly widen

"That's all the people, so, would you like to join Damian?" Bruce asked while reading his news paper

"Y-yes, Father, I'd like to join, thank you" Damian said softly while staring at his cereal. After Damian finished his cereal he went up to his room as he closed the door and face-timed Jon Kent

"Oh, Hey Damian!" Jon greeted through the phone

"Hello, Jon do you have any experience with girls?" Damian asked

"well, no sorry..... But maybe Jason or Dick could help you with that" Jon stated as Damian softly nodded

"Okay, thank you, see you soon Jon" Damian said softly while hanging up and went downstairs to find Jason and Dick

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Time Skip: Damian found both Jason and Dick in the living room of the Wayne Manor

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

As Damian walked into the living room Dick and Jason stared at him

"oh, hey Dames!" Dick said happily "Do you need something?" Jason asked "I need some advice, Jon said i should ask you guys" Damian said coldly while taking a seat on the couch

"Advice for what?" Dick asked as Damian's face start to heat up from embarrassment not wanting to admit

".... G-Girl Advice" Damian mumbled as Dick's eyes widen and Jason smirked "Uhm, sure, what about?" Dick asked "there's this girl, i like but i don't know how to tell her.... And every time she sits next to me i push her away, but she stills hangs out with me.... And I'm planning to ask her out next Saturday, at the book fair" Damian said softly

"Book fair?, that's a pretty boring place to ask a girl out" Jason said as Damian glared at him

"Y/N likes books, that's why I'm going to the book fair next Saturday, Father said she'll be there" Damian said coldly "speaking of Bruce, does Bruce know you have a crush?" Dick asked "W-well, no... Not yet" Damian mumbled "wait, how old are you again?" Jason asked as Damian sighed "I'm fifteen, Y/N is also fifteen, but I'm five months older then her" Damian said while Dick softly nodded "Okay" "That's a bit specific" said Jason

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Time Skip (because i have no real advice on how to ask someone out) : at the book fair

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

As Damian searched for Y/N in the book fair, but failed until... He saw a girl with H/L, H/C wearing heart sun glasses as Damian's face start to lit up and Damian starts to walk up to Y/N

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

"H-hey, Y/N" Damian said softly while walking up to Y/N as Y/N softly smiled at him "oh, Hey Damian" Y/N said while getting a book and reading it "w-what are you reading?" Damian asked while staring at the book "I'm reading B/N, it's really good" Y/N said softly "oh, cool..... Can i ask you a question?" Damian asked "uhm, sure, what is it about?" Y/N asked curiously as Damian's face start to heat up "uhm....are you free next Friday?" Damian asked softly while trying to hide the blush on his face "yeah, i think so, why?" Y/N asked confused "well, there's this new cafe that just opened..... I was wondering if you'd like to go to the cafe, with me" Damian mumbled as Y/N slightly blushed "L-like a date?" Y/N asked while blushing "Y-yeah, like a date" Damian mumbled while blushing as Y/N smiled "sure, I'd love to go with you" Y/N said softly while putting the book on a shelf "R-Really?" Damian said softly slightly shocked "sure!.... I'll see you Next Friday?" Y/N softly said "uhm, yeah sure see you next Friday" Damian mumbled as Y/N left......

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Hiiiii, there will be a part two, where Y/N and Damian goes to the cafe but I'm currently working on other of my drafts so it might take long

[whisperthatruns]

Wound Is the Origin of Wonder

Fiction is the house of many windows, James said, and I sat at each one peering at a world that trembled---or was that me instead, quivering in the face of all I made by looking, unable to amend the plot or bend the hand. Like all falls, we came at ours by pleasure, all languages seconded, learned by constraint--- no way to say look and away and mean un-lone me. Like gods, we made our kingdom hungry. Our appetites' agreement we called love, though it was nearer the mirror than mercy. Sweet solstice, soul cousin, Vita Nuova's Beatrice---do you hear our onceness beating at the door? How the past outlasts on either end, though we'd like to burn out in oracular blindness. What doom to be beheld: you sing when you should tremble. Will you leave me my wondering; will it be as when snow falls heavy on trees, and thou art felled?

Maya C. Popa, Wound Is the Origin of Wonder (W. W. Norton & Company, 2023)

[animebw]

The Anime Binge-Watcher's Queer Anime Ship Tournament: Round 1 Results!

The first round has come to an end, and what a round it was! Huge blowouts, shocking reversals, hard choices, and many worthy opponents struck down by even worthier ones before they even got a chance to shine. This is already proving exactly as chaotic as I'd hoped, and I couldn't be more proud of y'all for it. So before we head on to round 2, here's a breakdown of how all the match-ups went and the most dramatic moments!

Most Voted Poll: Far and away the poll with the most votes was Bumbleby vs ToukoYuu, with a staggering 797 votes! No surprises there; both these ships are true all-timers with incredibly passionate fanbases who battled back and forth until the Bloomers pulled into a lead the RWBYheads just couldn't make up. But it was a well-fought battle! Second place goes to ChisaTaki vs MadoHomu with an equally impressive 698 votes, and NanoFate vs KobaTohru pulled an impressive third place with 497 votes.

Least Voted Poll: In a shock I didn't see coming, KukuFuuka vs KumiRei came in last with a measly 164 votes. I guess it's no surprise more people haven't heard of the criminally underrated Aquatope, but Kumirei??? One of the beloved gay ships in all of 2010s anime and so few people turned out for it? The mind just boggles, I tell ya. Second place goes to CocoPapi vs The Doukyuusei Boys with just 183, with AoiHina vs YukiTouya coming just behind with a 188 vote third place.

Biggest Blowout: Meanwhile, in the complete opposite of a shock, UtenAnthy absolutely demolished Ymir x Historia with a staggering 90.2% to 9.8% victory. Listen, I love my Attack on Titan girls, but they never stood a chance against one of the founding titans of queer anime love stories. Ditto poor ShamiMomo who went up against the newly crowned patron saint of anime lesbians SuleMio and got stomped 87.1% to 12.9% in second place. Compared to them, YukiTouya's third place finish against AoiHina with 74.5% to 25.5% doesn't seem like much, does it?

Closest Nail-Biter: In another big shock for me, the blowout victory I expected for NanoFate turned into the narrowest of losses against Kobayashi x Tohru, 50.5% to 49.5%- only a single percentage apart! Clearly, I underestimated how powerful the dragon lesbians have become in the years since their arrival. Kase x Yamada also just barely eked out a win against ReoMabu with a 51.2% to 48.8% second place finish. Third place went to Aoi Hana vs RekiLanga with a narrow 54.8% to 45.2% victory for RekiLanga.

As for me personally? Believe it or not, it was almost a perfect split! 9 of my picks made it through while the other 7 fell short. I'm shocked how close that ended up! Hopefully I'll have better luck in round 2, yeah? So gird your loins, everyone, cause the next round of voting will start very shortly!

COMPLETE STATS

1-A: Wei Wuxian x Lan Wangji (44.9%) vs Adachi x Shimamura (55.1%), 243 votes

1-B: Chisato x Takina (27.8%) vs Madoka x Homura (72.2%), 698 votes

1-C: Kase x Yamada (51.2%) vs Reo x Mabu (48.8%), 426 votes

1-D: Eiji x Ash (58.7%) vs Malori x Velverosa (41.3%), 283 votes

1-E: Suletta x Miorine (87.1%) vs Shamiko x Momo (12.9%) 325 votes

1-F: Anis x Euphie (29.7%) vs Claudine x Maya (70.3%) 316 votes

1-G: Aoi x Hinata (25.5%) vs Yukito x Touya (74.5%) 188 votes

1-H: Nanoha x Fate (49.5%) vs Tohru x Kobayashi (50.5%) 497 votes

1-I: Nozomi x Mizore (37.6%) vs Shinji x Kaworu (62.4%) 242 votes

1-J: Kukuru x Fuuka (29.9%) vs Kumiko x Reina (70.1%) 164 votes

1-K: Hibiki x Miku (72.2%) vs Mafuyu x Ritsuka (27.8%) 288 votes

1-L: Sasaki x Miyano (32.3%) vs Victor x Yuri (67.7%) 436 votes

1-M: Yang x Blake (61.7%) vs Yuu x Touko (38.3%) 797 votes

1-N: Cocona x Papika (65.6%) vs Hikaru x Rihito (34.4) 183 votes

1-O: Fumi x Akira (45.2%) vs Reki x Langa (54.8%) 241 votes

1-P: Utena x Anthy (90.2%) vs Ymir x Historia (9.8%) 378 votes

[ao3-rex1223]

Chapter 23: Your First Defendant

Twelfth Floor Intern Masterlist

Pairing: Miles Edgeworth x fem!reader

Summary: You dive in to your first day following around the Ace Attorney himself, Phoenix Wright. You're enthusiastic and champing at the bit to try your hand at criminal defense! Unfortunately, you discover that your connection to the chief prosecutor is no secret anymore and for better or worse, you're getting recognized! Your investigation begins with some colorful characters surrounding this dog show murder and in addition to all that, you bump into an old friend of Phoenix and Miles!

Tags: Power Imbalance, Mentor/Intern, Miles wants you so bad but he's ethical AF now, No use of y/n, depictions of violence, Discussion of Rape, description of murder victims, adult murder victims, child murder victims, Eventual Smut, Happy Ending, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Vaginal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Creampies, Loss of Virginity, Miles is the king of prosecutors but also the king of consent, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Blow Jobs, Nightmare about sexual assault, cross posted on AO3

Phoenix Wright's office is a simple, small building across from a hotel; a stark contrast to the towering prosecutor's office. In a way, it makes Phoenix more impressive. He's been incredibly successful with very limited resources.

"Hey!" Phoenix greets happily. "Glad you found the place, okay! Go ahead and set your things down wherever."

"Thanks! Miles told me how to get here."

"Hiya!" Maya greets with a big grin and grabs your hands gently. "It'll be so nice to have another girl on the defense team! No offense, Nick!" Phoenix sighs.

You lay your bag down behind the front desk and glance at the two bookshelves nearby. It looks like a secretary should be sitting there, but the only ones here are Phoenix and Maya. They really do do everything themselves. Aside from the small desk in the corner, there's a simple, black couch on the opposite wall and a coat rack next to it.

"Don't get too attached, Maya. Remember, she's only here for one case," Phoenix explains.

"Yeah, one case for now." Maya winks. "Maybe she'll have so much fun, she'll want to stay forever!"

Phoenix drops his shoulders and sighs. "She still has to finish school. Plus, there's no way Miles will let that happen, anyway, Maya."

"Oh right, she and Mr. Edgeworth are-"

"Maya! I told you we can't bring that up!" Phoenix interrupts.

Maya blushes with embarrassment. "Right, sorry, Nick, I forgot." She smiles sheepishly.

Phoenix turns back to you. "I hope you got a good night's sleep and you're ready to hit the ground running! We've got a lot to do today!" He announces.

You are ready, but you couldn't sleep to save your life. It took you over two hours to even fall part way asleep and every time you turned over, you reached for Miles only to crush your hand against the wall. You nearly called him three times but held out hope that he was faring better than you at sleeping alone. By the time you really got comfortable and fell asleep, your alarm went off. "I'm ready to go, Mr. Wright!" You reassure him. The excitement of getting to shadow the attorney you've looked up to for years energizes you and makes you feel bright eyed and bushy tailed.

"You can call me Phoenix. You say 'Mr. Wright' and you sound like The Judge." He chuckles.

You let out a laugh. "Okay, sure, Phoenix." It feels weird and, somehow, disrespectful.

"We better get going or we'll miss the bus," Phoenix announces. "I want to get to the detention center right away." He picks up his briefcase as he starts heading to the door. You and Maya follow quickly behind.

The bus is crowded, but you're all able to squeeze on board.

Maya nudges up next to you. "I'm dying to ask, what's it like interning with Mr. Edgeworth?"

The motion of the bus shuffles you against her and the rest of the crowd on the bus. "There's never a dull moment," you reply.

"Do you like it?" Maya asks.

You raise an eyebrow at her.

She giggles, "prosecution, I mean."

You chuckle. "Oh, yes, I do. I love it, actually."

Maya makes a sour face.

"C'mon, Maya, prosecutors aren't all bad," Phoenix comments.

"Yeah, I promise, I just want to help people," you add. "And find the truth."

"Well, I guess you and Mr. Edgeworth aren't so bad," Maya admits with a smile. "Even though he's really grumpy most of the time."

"He's really only like that during court," you explain. The bus slows to a stop, nudging the sea of passengers forward. It's been a while since you've used public transportation, but the muscle memory of staying balanced on a moving bus, train, or other large people mover comes back to you in an instant.

Maya narrows her eyes and smiles accusingly at you. "Well, of course you would know that."

"Maya! C'mon, you know Miles asked us not to bring that up!" Phoenix reprimands in a rough whisper. You chuckle as he tries to reign in his curious assistant.

"I know, Nick, but I've never seen Mr. Edgeworth with anyone! I can't help it!" Maya blushes along with sporting a sheepish grin.

"Well, can you at least not bring it up in public?" Phoenix asks, exasperated. The bus jerks into motion again.

"Okay!" Maya agrees. So, you'll probably endure a barrage of questions from Maya later. Oh well. As long as she waits until you're out of the public eye and ear.

You arrive at the detention center shortly after visiting hours begin and sign in along with Phoenix and Maya. A detention officer leads you back to the visiting room. The large, rectangular room is divided in half by a wall of sheetrock and plexiglass, wide enough to allow conversation between inmates and visitors.

The defendant, your first ever client, sits in a chair on the other side of the glass. He appears rather subdued. He's a lanky man of medium height. His curly, light brown hair dangles a few inches around his face and ears. It sways as he turns to watch the three of you enter. He adjusts his glasses when he gets a better view of you specifically. He raises a brow as if trying to place you, sporting a guarded but not angry expression.

Phoenix sits directly in front of the client. "Dr. Wyatt Thompson?"

Wyatt still flickers his eyes to you occasionally while looking at Phoenix. "Yes," he reluctantly confirms.

"My name is Phoenix Wright," he states with a smile. He introduces Maya and then you.

"I knew it!" Wyatt shouts and stands up from his chair, pointing at you. "I'm not saying anything in front of her!"

Phoenix recoils in surprise. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

Wyatt stares daggers at you. "I've read about her in the papers! She's the Edgeworth girl; a prosecutor! I'm not talking until she leaves!"

'The Edgeworth girl'...that's a new one, you think to yourself. Miles did warn you that defendants often have a skewed, negative view of prosecutors. Still, you felt bad the client is going to give Phoenix trouble because of your budding reputation as a ruthless prosecutor and protege of Miles Edgeworth. Then again, if he's truly innocent, why should he be afraid of you?

"No, i-it's okay," Phoenix attempts to reassure the client. "She's with me today! She's interning and she's here to learn. That's all!"

"I'm not even actually a prosecutor. I'm still a law student at the moment," you add, trying to speak as calmly and kindly as possible.

Wyatt huffs and continues to watch you with a softer, yet still distrusting face. You keep your expression neutral, unsure of whether you trust him or not. There's a somewhat long, uncomfortable silence before Wyatt finally says to Phoenix, "fine, but if she feeds any secrets to the other side, I'm reporting her to the state bar!"

"I promise, I want to help," you chime in. "I'm on your side."

Wyatt cocks his head to the side. "Hmpf, we'll see about that."

"Why don't you start by telling us what happened?" Phoenix says. He places his hands calmly on the desk in front of him, one on top of the other.

"I was hired as a veterinarian for the Southwestern Kennel Club Dog Show. I'd known Bill for a long time. We were always civil, but we weren't great friends. It all started yesterday morning when we were arguing about an illegal entrant into the competition. I examined the dog around noon and went back to inform Bill that the dog had a surgery to shorten one of the muscles in its tail which is against the competition rules. When I found him, he was dead. I checked for a pulse; I didn't feel anything. Plus, he was cold." Wyatt looked disturbed, not necessarily sad, though.

"Which competitor was cheating?" You ask, forgetting Wyatt doesn't want to talk to you, but identifying the cheater is the obvious choice for a first suspect.

The distrusting veterinarian scrunches his face into a scowl and glares at you.

"Please, Dr. Thompson," Phoenix begins, "these are important things for us to know."

Wyatt sighs and returns his focus to the spiky haired attorney. "Her name is Georgianna Zucker. She's a veteran dog show competitor. Her dog is Sydney, an Akita. I tried to tell Bill she was cheating, but he wouldn't listen to me and told me I was lying and to just drop it."

"Did he have any enemies that you know of?" You jump in and ask.

Wyatt stares at you with less vitriol than before but nowhere near kindness. He turns back to Phoenix. "I'm still not talking to the prosecutor."

Your shoulders sag and you sigh quietly. Maybe I should just go wait in the corner.

"C'mon, Dr. Thomas," Maya begins pleading, "she's a good friend of ours! She's really great." You appreciate her trying to build you up.

Wyatt snorts.

"It is important to know, though. Did he have enemies?" Phoenix repeats your question.

Wyatt scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Bill wasn't what you'd call a stand up guy. He's taken bribes in the past; he takes advantage of women involved in the competition because he's a judge. Oh, it's worth noting he's married with two kids, who he never sees because he works all the time."

"How do you know him?" Phoenix asks.

"We both used to show dogs. We were friends sometimes." He scowls as if calling the victim a friend was even a stretch. "We competed against each other for years, but we were usually cordial."

"Were the competitions the reason why you didn't always get along?" Phoenix asks.

Wyatt shifts in his seat and looks away, scowling. "Bill liked to cheat, too. There was an Alaskan Malamute he used to show. When she got older, he started dying her fur to keep her looking up to breed standards. I was sick of losing to him when I knew he was cheating so I finally told the judges. They disqualified him. I was also losing interest in the whole world of dog shows at the time and I'd saved enough money to go to vet school, so I quit. I have no idea how he weaseled his way into being a judge, but I don't think he ever competed again."

"How did you come to be a vet for the competition?" Phoenix asks. You wish you could jump in and ask questions yourself, but you know Wyatt won't talk to you.

"Actually, it was Bill that asked. He called me to see if I could fill in for their usual one who was on maternity leave. I assume it was because he didn't know of any others, but he never really explained why. We didn't exactly part ways amicably."

Phoenix sighs, clearly not looking forward to his next question. "I have to ask, Dr. Thompson, did you kill him?"

Wyatt frowns, eyebrows curling into a sad expression. "No, I swear. I wasn't crazy about Bill or what he's doing, but I didn't want him dead. I really don't care about what he did back then anymore. I've moved on from that. I was just there to look after the dogs and make some easy money." Wyatt's answer seems genuine, but part of you still questions it. Perhaps it's all the time you've spent on the other side, with prosecution, but you can't bring yourself to completely trust him yet. What you can do is promise yourself you will provide him with a fair trial. Miles was right, even if he's guilty, he still deserves at least that much.

Phoenix, in a genuine, kind, and caring voice replies, "I believe you, Dr. Thompson and I'm going to help you."

Wyatt looks exhausted, like he could cry. "Thank you, Mr. Wright. I swear, I would never hurt anyone!"

"Where were you during the time of the murder?"

"That's just it. I don't even know when he died, so it's hard to say. I can say I was in the makeshift clinic examining the dogs most of the day, but I'm guessing no one saw me there. I went up about two PM to the judges' office to let Bill know what I found on my exam and that's when I found him. The police couldn't find any other suspects so they arrested me! But I swear, I didn't do it!"

"I know. I'm going to get you out of this," Phoenix promises. You're unsure of what to make of your temporary mentor's complete trust of the client, however, you'll see what the investigation turns up. You can feel the premature judgment creeping up in your mind, but you can almost hear Miles telling you to ignore it and rely on logic and critical thinking. God, you miss that man. You wonder if he's thinking of you.

Phoenix wraps up his conversation and leads you and Maya out of the interview room. Phoenix looks at you with a frown. "Hey, I'm really sorry about what happened in there. I had no idea he'd recognize you. I really want your experience on this case to be a good one."

You let a smile form on your lips. "It's okay, Phoenix. It's not exactly the first time my connection to Miles has had consequences. I'm very grateful even to just be able to observe you directly."

Phoenix smiles and straightens himself up, putting on his 'teacher' cap as best he can. He clears his throat. "Okay, what do you think we should do next?"

Maya grins and hops in place. "Oh! I know! I know! We should look at the crime scene!"

Phoenix slumps with a sigh. "Maya! I'm trying to be a good teacher here! She's," he gestures to you, "supposed to answer the questions!" He looks at you. "Sorry, Maya is new to teaching, too."

You giggle. "It's okay. I was going to say the same thing as Maya anyway."

Phoenix smiles again. "Correct! Let's go check it out!" He turns on his heels and heads for the exit. You snort into a quiet chuckle at the stark contrast between Phoenix and Miles. Yet, somehow you can still picture them as friends. Their personalities would compliment each other well. Phoenix is so light-hearted and bubbly. Miles is far more hard-edged and doesn't show much emotion, except around you, of course. There is also something to be said about Phoenix since Miles trusts him with you.

The three of you arrive at the convention center where the dog show is taking place and there's no lack of activity. Police and contestants alike are buzzing about trying to get their jobs done. You recognize most of the officers and, of course, Detective Gumshoe. He beams at you and trots over. "Hey there, little lady!" He greets enthusiastically. His smile slowly fades and he glances around as if searching. "W-where's Mr. Edgeworth? I thought you two were joined at the hip!"

Oh God. Even Detective Gumshoe has noticed. "I have no idea," you answer. "I'm shadowing Phoenix for a case to get an experience with criminal defense!"

"Oh." Gumshoe laughs awkwardly. "Uh, got it."

"So, what happened here?" You ask.

"Bill Goddard. Fifty-eight years old. Found dead here yesterday by Wyatt Thompson. Witnesses said they heard the two arguing and Dr. Thompson didn't have anyone to corroborate his alibi so without any other suspects, we arrested him."

"Did anyone see the victim being attacked?" You ask.

Gumshoe quirks his brow with a frown. "Well, here's the thing, there weren't any injuries or wounds on the victim. He was just dead."

You and Phoenix look at each other with raised eyebrows. "Could it have been natural causes?" Phoenix asks.

"Maybe. Won't know until the autopsy, but as far as anyone here knows, he was perfectly healthy." Gumshoe scratches his head, looking puzzled.

"Could have been poison then," you declare, resting your chin on your knuckles.

Phoenix nods. "Who else was here yesterday?"

Gumshoe taps his chin. "Well, let's see…there was the veterinarian, the other two judges, and the contestants. There's ancillary staff, too, but they were all interviewed yesterday."

"Did they have anything helpful to say?" Phoenix asks.

"Not really. None of them heard anything except for the argument between Dr. Thompson and the victim."

"Is Georgianna Zucker here?" You ask.

"Uh, I think so." Gumshoe scratches his head again. "She's probably in the contestant lounge with the others"

"I'd like to have a chat with her," you reply.

Phoenix nods. "Yeah, same here. Let's go find her…uh, where's Maya?" He looks around for his assistant. You join him in the search and find her several feet away, kneeling on the ground, petting one of the show dogs, its tail wagging with elation. Her bright smile lights up the room as she scratches the friendly animal's ears. "Maya, c'mon," Phoenix calls, letting out an exasperated sigh. "We're trying to be professional for our intern here!"

"C'mon Nick, they're so cute!" Maya argues back, still petting the dog.

Phoenix rubs his brow and groans. "Let's go, Maya, we have to find one of the contestants."

"Coming!" Maya kisses the dog's head and trots back over to you and Phoenix.

"I assume Miles has had you interview witnesses," Phoenix says as you make your way toward the contestant lounge.

"Mhmm. I've done quite a bit of it, actually."

"Great! Would you like to interview Georgianna?"

"Sure!" You answer enthusiastically. You're champing at the bit to showcase your skills for your hero!

You arrive in the contestant lounge to find about a dozen handlers and canines. Maya lights up again. You approach the first person you see, "excuse me, can you tell me where I can find Georgianna Zucker?"

"She's over there; light pink suit," the man says and points in the appropriate direction.

Mrs. Zucker is a middle aged woman of rather short stature. Her medium length hair is decorated with just as much gray as its original light brown color. Her suit is impeccably well kept and she daintily holds the leash attached to a beautiful Akita, who sits obediently next to its master.

"Georgianna Zucker?" You ask, calmly approaching the woman.

"Who's asking?" She replies, holding a neutral expression. Her eyes, however, betray her and convey distrust and annoyance.

You introduce yourself and Phoenix.

"Oh, I've read about you in the papers!" She declares with a smile.

Not again. Your shoulders sink, preparing for her to tell you off.

"Good for you, honey," she comments in a soft voice and gives you a wink. "You got yourself a catch!"

Ah, I see you read the tabloids. "Eh, thanks. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about Bill Goddard?"

Her smile fades, but you aren't sure if it's forced. This woman very likely has a great deal of experience hiding her true feelings. "Terrible what happened to him." She holds her hand over her chest and shakes her head.

"How long have you known him?" You ask.

"Hm, must be about fifteen years now. He used to show dogs, but now he's a judge."

"How did he get along with the other judges?"

"Fine, as far as I know. If you ask me, that veterinarian did it," Georgianna sneers.

"Can you tell me more about that?" You ask kindly, hoping you can build a decent rapport with her.

"First of all, they were arguing earlier and it sounded pretty heated. Second, he was going to accuse me of cheating!" She closes her eyes and huffs, offended at the thought. "It's been so much undue stress on Sydney and me!" She pets her dog. The animal looks completely unfazed.

"Do you know why they were arguing?"

"They were fighting about my prized baby, Sydney," she explains, gesturing to the dog beside her. "Bill, thankfully, was defending me! Telling that useless doctor he was full of beans thinking I would stoop so low as to cheat. My dogs are always the best. I don't enter anything less than the breed standards. I've won fifteen best in show competitions!"

"That's very impressive," you compliment with forced enthusiasm.

"It certainly is," Georgianna agrees with pride. "To be accused of cheating is an insult! My husband will hear of it if there's another word of this nonsense."

"Who is your husband?" You ask.

"Devin Zucker, founder and CEO of Zucker Realty."

It's not a company you've heard of before, but you feel confident in assuming Mr. Zucker and consequently Mrs. Zucker are rather wealthy.

"What got you into showing dogs?" You ask.

"I married my husband very young; I was only nineteen. I tried being a homemaker for a while, but that got boring, so I decided to try and show the purebred Vizsla my husband got me for my twenty-first birthday. Roxy was a hit and I just fell in love with it! I've made so many friends and even was invited to join the prestigious Book Club!"

You tilt your head to the side. What so great about that? "A…book club?"

"No, dear, not a book club. The Book Club. It's a group of," she smirks, "high society ladies of the area. It's named after the founder, Jordan Book. She started it back in fifty-seven. Her husband was Jackson Book, the oil baron."

"Oh, I see." You force a smile. A trophy wife club.

"You know, you'd be an excellent candidate now that you're married to Mr. Edgeworth. The other ladies would just burst with joy to have his bride join our group."

Your eyes widen with fear and Phoenix visibly flinches beside you. "Oh…um…well, he's…see, we're not married. He's my mentor and I'm an intern," you explain, stumbling over your words. You can't let that rumor start circulating! At least not for another few weeks.

"That's not what the papers are saying, dear." She pulls out her cell phone and shows you a tabloid website with the picture of you next to Miles at the courthouse with the headline 'Mrs. Edgeworth?' The subheading reads 'The prestigious attorney and his lovely young intern have not been seen together, outside the courthouse, in some time. Sources say they've already secretly married and are staying hidden, enjoying their wedded bliss'.

You stumble through more words, "I…i-it's not true, Mrs. Zucker." You pull your left hand up to show her your clearly empty ring finger.

"Ah." She replaces her phone in her purse. "That explains why you introduced yourself with your maiden name, then. I was surprised when I didn't hear you say 'Edgeworth'. No matter; look me up once you've married. The wife of Miles Edgeworth deserves a place at our table. Better be quick, though; he's definitely LA's most eligible bachelor and you are quite the beauty, but your looks won't last forever."

Great. I've been invited to the Trophy Wife club. You don't want more rumors to spread, but you want to keep this connection you have to her as a witness and potential suspect. You try to redirect her to the victim and avoid directly addressing her assumptions. "Mrs. Zucker, about Mr. Goddard. Do you know of any enemies he had?"

"I don't think so. Everyone loves Bill!" She says with a smile.

"He's married, right?" You ask.

"Yes." She sighs. "Diana. The poor thing must be just devastated."

"How is his relationship with her?"

"Hm. He doesn't really talk about her much. They have two children so it must be okay, at least."

"Did he ever talk about his kids?"

She searches her memory. "Hm…no, not really."

"Does he live around here?"

"In Beverly Hills somewhere."

"Ritzy place for a dog show judge," you comment.

"Oh, his wife is an heiress. Her father was in construction, I think; he did a lot of commercial projects around here. She is a member of the Book Club but hasn't attended the gatherings in a while."

"Has she explained why?"

"She just says she's busy," Georgianna answers with a shrug.

"Do you know if Mr. Goddard had any health issues?"

"Hm…I think his wife mentioned something in the past…I don't remember exactly what it was though. I think it was something with his heart, but she said it was well under control. You should ask Eddie, the other show judge. He was good friends with Bill. He'd probably know."

"Do you know where we can find him?"

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere. Maybe that detective knows. I hope this all gets sorted out soon. I'd hate for Sydney to miss out on a best in show win because that stupid doctor had to go and ruin everything."

You're all heart, ma'am. "Thank you very much for your time, Mrs. Zucker."

"Any time, dear. Us high society ladies have to help each other out," she adds with a wink. We'll see how much she likes me when she's on the witness stand.

You let out an awkward chuckle and leave with Phoenix and Maya to search for the other show judge.

"Something seems off about that lady," Maya comments.

"Yeah, no kidding," Phoenix agrees. "She was rather defensive when she talked about the cheating accusations."

"And she spends too much time reading tabloids," you add, bitterly.

Phoenix and Maya both chuckle. "I guess the media really likes the idea of you and Miles together, huh?" Your temporary mentor asks.

"It sells papers; that's for sure," you reply. "Phoenix, doesn't she seem at least somewhat suspicious to you? She definitely has a motive. Dr. Thompson has confirmed she was cheating and told Bill Goddard about it. She could have killed him to keep him silent. Bill would have been the one to disqualify her."

"It's possible, yes, but I think the prosecution will probably argue that it would be very risky to kill one of the judges. She said herself she was unhappy with the delay in the competition."

"And expressed almost no concern for the dead man," you reply.

"True, but she didn't seem to care much for anyone other than her dogs. She does have a motive and we will have to explore it, but she might just be a very superficial person."

"As evidenced by her attachment to this club she's in…yeah, I suppose you're right," you add in agreement. You sigh. "Well, let's see if we can get anything more out of this friend of the victim."

"Gumshoe should hopefully know where to find him," Phoenix says.

The scruffy detective directs you to an office where you find the other judge. You can see through the window on the door that he's on the phone. He paces nervously while he talks.

Phoenix looks proudly at you before you move to knock on the door. "Boy, Miles was right, you really are a fast learner! You did an excellent job with that interview. Wanna take this one, too?"

"Absolutely!" You reply happily. You turn and knock on the door to the office.

The man on the other side looks at you rather curiously with a slight frown but gestures for you to enter. He quickly ends the phone call with "I'll call you back."

"Mr. Kirsh?" You ask as you walk in. You introduce yourself and Phoenix.

"Yes, uh, you can call me Eddie," he says. He appears in his late thirties and is quite well built. He runs his hand anxiously through his hair and shuffles around behind his desk. There are papers and folders scattered everywhere throughout the office which holds two other desks, likely one for each judge. "I'm sorry about the mess. I'm sure you understand the upheaval that's been caused here."

"Yes," you begin sympathetically. "I can imagine this is rather difficult. I'm very sorry for your loss, Eddie. I'm told Mr. Goddard was a friend of yours."

Eddie forces himself to stop his nervous pacing and exhales a sharp sigh. "Thank you. Yes, Bill was a friend. Are you going to put that veterinarian away for what he did?"

"We're actually from his defense team," Maya chimes in.

"Would it be alright if we ask you some questions about Bill? We're just trying to get to know him," you add.

"Uh…sure…I suppose I can spare a few minutes. I'm trying to coordinate what to do now that the competition is without one of its judges. There's a lot of pressure from investors and advertisers to continue the show."

"I'll try to be quick. How long have you known Mr. Goddard?"

"Five years or so." Eddie sits himself down in the office chair, trying to calm his nerves. "I met him when I became a judge."

"Did you get along well?"

"Oh yes, always," he answers confidently.

"I understand he's married. Can you tell me about his relationship with his wife?"

"Yes…Diana. Poor thing." He shakes his head with a frown. "Well, as you can imagine, Bill worked a great deal and spent a lot of time away from home, but as far as I know, they were rock solid."

"How about his kids?"

"Oh," he frowns, "well, I'm not sure if it was really that good. He was away a lot and I think his children really missed him growing up. I suppose they're okay now, but he was absent a lot of the time."

"Did Mr. Goddard have any medical conditions that you're aware of?"

"Oh…yes he did," Eddie begins and taps his chin, trying to remember. "I believe it was something with his heart, but he took medication for it and as far as he told me, he wasn't having any problems. My God, do you think poor Bill suffered a heart attack?"

"We won't know until the autopsy."

"That would be such a tragedy."

"Apparently, Mr. Goddard and Dr. Thompson had an argument yesterday. Did you hear it?"

"No, but I heard about it from one of the competitors, Mrs. Zucker. She said the doctor was accusing her of cheating and Bill was defending her." A shocked expression sweeps across Eddie's face. "Wait. Is it true? Was Mrs. Zucker really cheating? Could she have done this?!"

"We need all the facts before we make an accusation like that, Eddie," you say to him as much as yourself.

Your reassurance doesn't ease his tension. "To think there could be a murderer among the contestants…" he leans his elbows on his desk and rubs his temples. "There will be a lot of angry, powerful people if this contest is canceled."

Not a lot of love for this guy. "Eddie, do you know of anyone who might want to do this to Mr. Goddard?"

"I can't think of anyone. He was a well liked judge. Look, if there are no more important questions, I need to return to cleaning up this mess."

"Uh, sure," you reply, "we'll be in touch."

Eddie quickly ushers you out of the office, closes the door, and returns to his phone calls.

"This is getting weirder," Maya comments. She frowns and rests her chin on her knuckles.

"Not really unusual for us, though," Phoenix replies.

Maya chuckles and clasps her hands together. "Yeah, you're right, Nick. We do get some really strange cases."

Phoenix turns to you. "Great job on the interview. There was something else strange I picked up from Eddie. Did you catch it?"

You frown, unsure of what he might be thinking. "He was very anxious. He did explain he's under a lot of pressure though. Still, something did seem…off."

"He consistently referred to the victim in past tense. Usually loved ones don't do that right away. It might not mean anything, but it's worth noting."

Phoenix was right. Eddie did do that. "Yeah, I didn't realize until you pointed it out. My dad has told me stories about that, too."

"Like I said, not necessarily cause for alarm, but something to keep in the back of your mind."

"Got it," you affirm your understanding with a confident smile.

"Miles really has taught you well. You're practically doing my job for me," Phoenix says.

"You're doing great!" Maya adds.

You grin happily and blush. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you guys!"

"Yo, Nick!" You hear a voice yell from across the main hall.

Phoenix turns to the voice. "Huh?" You see a tall, boyish looking man with light brown hair, a bit spiky like Phoenix's. He starts towards the three of you with a wide grin on his face. "Uh oh," Phoenix utters, quietly. He glances at you then back to the man who looks like he'd be more at home on the beach, save for the jumpsuit he's wearing. The man looks over at you, stops dead in his tracks, and stares slack jawed through longing, half lidded eyes. He looks you up and down, then he practically bolts toward you. You take a step back, thinking he's going to tackle you to the ground when Phoenix steps between you. The man crashes into him, knocking Phoenix back slightly, but not hard enough to topple him over.

"Hey what gives, Nick? Trying to keep all the pretty girls to yourself?" The man asks, frustrated and trying to look around Phoenix, still blocking you.

"Larry," Phoenix begins, bobbing and weaving to keep you separated from the strange man, "if there's one girl on the entire planet that you absolutely need to leave alone, this is her!"

"Why is that, Nick?" Larry asks, continuing to try and dart around Phoenix to reach you.

Who is this guy, you think to yourself, watching in awe at the scene unfolding before you.

Phoenix stutters, knowing he needs to keep your secret, but apparently wanting to spare this funny man the unfathomable wrath of Miles if he lays his hands on you. "Erm…well…see…she's…"

"My father is a very famous detective and he's very protective of me!" You chime in, hoping it will be enough to stop this Larry person from his flirty pursuit.

"Oh…" Larry pauses his movements. "Your dad's a cop?"

"Yeah," you confirm. "He gets angry really easily!"

Larry stares at you, his mind warring with itself over what to do next. "Ugh. I guess I don't need a cop chasing me down." He appears to be more calm.

Phoenix finally relaxes, steps aside, and introduces you. "This is Larry Butz. He's another old friend of mine…and Miles'."

Miles is friends with this guy? My Miles? "Really?" You ask incredulously.

"Yup! Nick, Edgey, and I go way back!"

You bite your lip to keep yourself from busting out in laughter. There is no way! If he really is a friend of Miles, though, he's a friend of yours, too. Although, you suspect Miles would not be very friendly right now if he were here. You muster up your most polite tone, "it's nice to meet you, Larry."

Larry almost melts. He sighs longingly, "nice to meet you, too." He reaches out his hand for yours. You almost take it, but Phoenix slaps Larry's hand away.

"Nice try, buddy," Phoenix quips sarcastically. "I promise I'm trying to help you," he adds very quietly under his breath and you're fairly certain Larry didn't even hear it.

Goodness, did I look this lovestruck when I started interning with Miles?

Larry smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, couldn't help myself. She's too cute, Nick. I think I'm in love!"

Your eyes widen. Wait till Miles hears about this!

"Larry, you really gotta stop. Trust me!" Phoenix warns.

"What? Her dad's not here is he?" Larry asks.

"Larry!" Maya shouts. "She's a law student and she's trying to learn so leave her alone, okay!"

"Okay! Okay," Larry agrees. "Geeze, didn't know you were a teacher, Nick."

"He's just doing it as a favor to-" Maya attempts to elaborate further but is cut off by Phoenix.

"The law school!" He shouts, drowning out Maya's voice. "They've been asking for years and she's at the top of her class, so I figured I'd give it a try!"

"And I've been dying to see what criminal defense is like!" You add in.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Phoenix asks Larry.

"I'm helping out with the dog show!"

"Doing what?" Phoenix asks, his narrowed eyes watching Larry suspiciously.

Larry rubs the back of his head. "Well, cleaning up after the dogs." That explains the jumpsuit.

"That doesn't surprise me," Phoenix replies. "Do you know anything about the murder?"

"You mean the show judge that croaked yesterday? I'm pretty sure he just keeled over."

"What makes you say that?" Phoenix asks.

"He was found in his office, wasn't he? I guess he didn't have any injuries or anything. Who could have done it? If ya ask me, I'd say he just had a heart attack."

Phoenix sighs. "Thank you for your 'expert opinion', Dr. Larry," he mutters with heavy sarcasm.

"Any time, Nick!"

"Well, we should get going, Larry," Phoenix begins, "I've got a lot of teaching to do and witnesses to interview!" He steps between you and Larry again to gently guide you away from him.

"Hey Nick!" Larry calls. The three of you turn back to face him.

"What is it, Larry?" Phoenix asks.

"You should take her to meet Edgey! I bet he'd love to meet a law student!"

Phoenix could not be more frustrated with his childhood friend. "Uh, yeah, sure. I'll do that."

You cover your mouth to hold in your laughter as you follow Phoenix though the rest of your first day of criminal defense.

[libraryleopard]

November reads

Swimming Through Mountains by Calla James

Body Grammar by Jules Ohman

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott

The Night Eaters vol. 1: She Eats the Night by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Bad Girls by Camila Sosa Villada

Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers by Jake Skeets

House of Slaughter vol. 1: The Butcher’s Mark by James Tynion IV et al 

House of Slaughter vol. 2: Scarlet by James Tynion et al

Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater*

They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody

The Sea Knows My Name by Laura Brooke Robson

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear by Mosab Abu Toha

Lucha of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

The Zones of Paradise by Lynn Powell

My Flawless Life by Yvonne Woon

The Twenty-Ninth Year by Hala Alyan

Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly

The Tiny Journalist by Naomi Shihab Nye

The Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi

Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas

Above Ground by Clint Smith

Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds

Prophet by Sin Blaché and Helen MacDonald

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Ten Myths About Israel by Ilan Pappé

As If a Song Could Save You by Betsy Sholl

Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America by Julia Lee

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

You Can Be the Last Leaf by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat

The Call-Out by Cat Fitzpatrick

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Currently reading

Blood to Poison by Mary Watson

The Mossheart's Promise by Rebecca Mix

Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis

The Body's Question by Tracy K. Smith

Rosewater by Liv Little

Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan

How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Skill, and Practice edited by Jericho Brown

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

[kiestrokes]

a Bias Check

aespa Bias: Winter | Wreckers: Karina

ASTRO (ult) Bias: Moonbin (ult) 🌕 | Wreckers: MJ & Rocky

ATEEZ (active ult) Bias: MATZ | Wreckers: Yunho, Yeosang, OT8

BTOB Bias: Eunkwang | Wreckers: Peniel

BTS Bias: Sope | Wreckers: Jimin, OT7

ENHYPEN Bias: Sunoo | Wreckers: Jungwon, all of them?

Epik High Bias: Tukutz | Wreckers: Tablo

EXO Bias: Lay + Kyungsoo (active ult) | Wreckers: Baekhyun, Kai, Jongdae, all of them sometimes.

GOT7 Bias: Jackson | Wreckers: BamBam, Mark, OT7...don’t ask me about Jaebeom PLEASE

Kiss of Life Bias: Natty | Wreckers: Belle & Julie

LE SSERAFIM Bias: Kazuha | Wreckers: Chaewon, Yunjin

MAMAMOO Bias: Solar | Wreckers: Hwasa

MONSTA X Bias: Kihyun | Wreckers: Honey 🐝, Changkyun, OT7

NCT: 127, Dream, U, WayV Ult Bias: YuMark | Wreckers: everyone but Johnny, but sometimes Johnny 127 Bias: YuMark Dream Bias: Renjun U Bias: Doyoung WayV Bias: Yangyang

Red Velvet Bias: Wendy | Wreckers: Selugi

SEVENTEEN Bias: BooSoonHao | Wreckers: Shua, Scoups, Dino, DK, truly OT13

SHINee Bias: Key | Wreckers: heavily Jinki wrecked

Stray Kids Bias: Seungmin | Wreckers: Lino, OT8

SuperM Bias: Mark | Wreckers: this is literally a super group of my fave SM artists, OT6

TXT Bias: Taehyun | Wreckers: Yeonjun, Soobin

The Rose Bias: Hajoon | Wreckers: Sammy 🖤 I first heard Lazy back in 2020 and fell in love with Woosung's voice.

XG Bias: Cocona | Wreckers: Maya, Chisa & Juria

🎧 for the unbiased groups and soloists, it will just be easier to drop my playlists:

K-ulture (k-pop with some c-pop & j-pop)

Tren-dy (R&B, tren-chill)

K-afe (coffee shop vibes)

[itsananteater]

2025 Book Bingo

I have decided to use @batmanisagatewaydrug's 2025 book bingo challenge to try to read a bunch of books I've been interested in, started reading and didn't finish, or have had on my 'read someday" list for, in some cases, literal years. The rest of the spaces I plan to fill with books from my local library as I find them, but I'm posting the part I have filled out already to motivate myself to finish things!

Literary Fiction: Mostly Dead Things by Kristin Arnett- Started this last year and didn't end up finishing it, I've been meaning to try it again after reading Arnett's second novel. If it's anything like With Teeth, I cannot wait to read about another lesbian's disastrous and impressively written personal life.

Short Story Collection: Orange World by Karen Russell- I read two of Russell's other short story collections years ago and want to check out her new one

Published in the Aughts and A Sequel: The Spirits of the Ancient Sands series by Anna Kashina- I found The Princess of Dhagabad (2000) as a teenager and eagerly awaited the release of the sequel advertised at the back of the book. This did not happen. I looked up the author some years later and found out that The Goddess of Dance had come out in 2012. I immediately planned to get a copy and reread the first book. John Mulaney voice: and then I didn't

Childhood Favorite: Jack on the Tracks by Jack Gantos- Huge favorite as a kid, I had the idea to see what my take on everything that happens in these books as an adult would be and now I'm doing it

20th Century Speculative Fiction: Sleep Donation by Karen Russell, subject to change- I saw this in my library's catalog while looking up the the short story collection and the "20th century" part of the bingo sheet simply fell straight out of my brain. Oops. I'll leave it on since I do want to get around to it but will see what else is on the shelf when I go get it

Fantasy: Witchmark by C. L. Polk- Another started but didn't finish

Published Before 1950: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery-Look; Look. I've thought "I should check this out" about these books for much longer that I've known about the upcoming anime adaptation of them but if that's the kick in the pants that gets me to read them I'll take it

Independent Publisher: H.I.V.E. Book 9: Bloodline by Mark Walden- Another sequel to a series I started as a teenager and have not gotten around to. Bloodline was published in 2022 by Noodle Fuel, a company co founded by Walden himself alongside his wife, seven years after the previous book and fifteen after the first in the H.I.V.E. series

Set in a Country You Have Never Visited: Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson- Set in England. Currently reading, on the list so I finish before my loan expires

Science Fiction: Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

Memoir: The Midwife by Jennifer Worth-I walked past this at the library and thought about getting it so many times last year but never did

Nonfiction: Learn Something New: Dressing Up: Cultural Identity in Renaissance Europe by Ulinka Rublack- Someone recommended this in the comments on a Morgan Donner video I was watching on Youtube literally as I was putting together this list

Social Justice & Activism: Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers’ Rights by Molly Smith, Juno Mac- A recommendation from Mr. Batman herself

Read and Make a Recipe: Stained Glass Snowflake Cookies, Box of Challenge Unsalted Butter- I just think it's neat when food packages have recipes on them

Horror: Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Historical Fiction: The Widow Queen by Elżbieta Cherezińska, Maya Zakrzewska-Pim (Translator)- I got a free ebook copy of this from a Tor.com mailing list. Do not ask how long it has been since they stopped giving out free ebooks by mailing list

[writetoreachacross]

based off of a dream, has been called "space thingy" in my head for so long that's what it'll forever be

The fact that Oscar didn’t tell them where they were going meant it had to be either ridiculously stupid or unbelievably amazing. Maybe both at once, knowing Oscar. Their band of deviants had been running around together for over a decade, and Oscar never failed to provide entertainment when it was his turn to lead them. Today, he’d once again snuck the group into the science museum and taken them down various deserted pathways and dark corridors.

“In here,” Oscar said, grinning not a little maniacally and shoving a crate out of his path. The teen dropped to his knees and didn’t hesitate to crawl through the rusted grate he’d revealed. The gang of adventurers followed him easily, having had enough experience with similar scenarios to know the drill. Ryan ruffled his blond hair to rid it of a cobweb and, being the last person through, dragged the crate back where it was, throwing the cramped room into darkness. Pressed shoulder to shoulder, they stood and waiting for Oscar to reveal whatever it was he was going to reveal. As their eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, Jenn glared at Patrick, who apparently hadn’t noticed he was standing on her foot.

A hollow echo filled the room, and the group looked over to find Oscar, his smug smirk lit faintly by the glowing object beside him. The thing looked like an antique, old and finely crafted. It was about the size of two end tables pushed together, and had swirling designs painted across it. Soft blues and greens emanated from it. The areas that weren’t touched by the lights were the long opening at the bottom, which was similar to a ball dispenser of an arcade game, and the nine, randomly sized holes that dotted its face.

“What’s that?” Maya asked quietly, her words ringing through the silence.

Oscar grinned, bouncing on his toes. “I don’t know!” he answered, much more boisterously.

“Okay,” Ryan said, and opened his mouth to continue, even as Jenn shoved Patrick, finally dislodging his foot. “What-” The dark haired boy fell against Ryan, and the blond cut himself off, stumbling and barely keeping himself from slamming into Maya on his other side.

“Something cool!” Oscar enthused, seemingly not noticing the near domino incident, but his amused look said something different. “It teaches you about space, and it’s fun!” He aimed the last bit mostly towards Patrick, who was not the biggest fan of most teaching methods. “I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll just say that it’s like a cross between an omni theatre and a holodeck.”

“What about space?” Jenn asked curiously.

“The planets!” exclaimed Oscar. “Stars, galaxies, black holes, maybe even the big bang! All kinds of shit.”

“Let’s go, then!” Patrick prodded impatiently. Oscar grinned and did a little twirl to get himself to the other end of the box. He grabbed Patrick’s wrist and tugged him over.

“Hand here,” Oscar ordered, pointing to a particularly bright green corner. Squinting, Patrick was pretty sure he could make out a handprint and obediently fit his hand over it. A loud clang sounded and a fairly large ball dropped down into the holding area of the contraption. It glowed dimly gold and had flickering yellowish rings around it. The rings didn’t seem to be connected to the ball, and when Patrick picked it up and rolled it around in his hands, parts of the rings disappeared and reappeared as he covered and uncovered what they all guessed were ‘holodeck’ emitters.

“Is that Saturn?” Maya asked, intrigued.

“Yeah, I think so,” Patrick answered with wide eyes.

“Now you find which hole it fits into, and you push it through,” Oscar instructed, tapping the box. Patrick crouched and tried to fit the ball through a hold that turned out to be just a bit too small. He shifted and tried another, and this time the ball fit perfectly. The expected sound of the ball hitting the inside didn’t come, but after a few seconds, the contraption started clanking loudly. Patrick stood up and took a few steps back, watching it intently.

Horizontally through the middle of the box, a faint line became noticeable and then more pronounced, the newly formed top and bottom halves pulling apart. The movement revealed a foreboding abyss. Peering into the darkness, the group saw nothing more than seemingly endless black. Everyone glanced at the grinning Oscar in question.

“It’s a slide,” Oscar answered without being asked. “It’s fun, seriously.” Patrick looked at the tunnel dubiously, but then shrugged and walked up to it.

“Anything else I should know before I-?” Patrick gestured to the opening to get his meaning across. Oscar grabbed his chin in an exaggerated thinking pose for a few seconds before shaking his head. His grin told Patrick something else entirely, but the brunette just rolled his eyes. He gripped the top of the box and sat in the entrance like it was any other slide. Glancing back at the others, he found them watching, torn between concern and curiosity. Patrick faced front again and released his hold on the edge, scooting forward to gain a bit of momentum. He heard the panels click shut behind him, and then he was speeding down the slide much faster than he was sure was safe.

The slide was smooth all the way down, with no rivets like normal slides had. Patrick didn’t know if friction was working how it was supposed to because of his ever-increasing speed and the lack of static that playground slides were always full of. There weren’t and quick turns or bumps. It felt like it was delivering him somewhere, like he was a package marked ‘urgent.’

The solid bottom abruptly ended and the brunette yelped, flailing his arms around, but there was nothing to grab hold of. Only a few moments of freefall went by, long enough for him to get the shock of his life but not long enough for him to start to panic, and then some kind of resistance began to slow him down. It happened gradually, but soon he was floating in place. There still wasn’t any light, and he couldn’t even see his hand when he waved it in front of his face.

He’d never seen anything like this- it was so… void. None of his senses had anything to latch onto, and that probably would’ve gotten to him pretty quickly, but then a chuckle came out of nowhere. Patrick dropped his hand to his side and glanced around. That laugh had sounded as if it’d come from everywhere at once. Another chuckle, and this time it was much more distinct, as if it’d come from only a few feet in front of him, and he squinted into the darkness in an attempt to spot whoever it was.

“Forgive me,” the laugh’s owner said, their tone still tinged with amusement. “I am ELI- Educating, Lively Intelligence. I will be your guide while you’re here.”

“Awesome,” Patrick replied, nodding as if this entire situation was something that happened everyday. “Is there any way I could… see you?”

“I suppose,” the voice answered thoughtfully. “Do you have a particular image in mind?” Patrick’s mouth opened and closed a few times, not knowing what to say.

“Someone easy on the eyes,” he settled on after a long few seconds. There was a short pause, and then a surprisingly realistic hologram faded smoothly into existence a yard or so away. Patrick stared at the man for a moment and then whistled lowly. “You’re good.” ELI blinked bright amber eyes and smiled.

“Thank you,” he answered. Patrick was unused to feeling short around others, so the height of the newly visible program gave him pause, as did the wide shoulders. The guy could be a linebacker. Maybe that was where ELI got the look. Just because Patrick didn’t recognize him didn’t mean anything- he knew next to nothing about sports. The hologram’s skin was so dark it seemed to blend in with the background of the place, and Patrick struggled to keep track of his outline. “Shall we begin?”

“Yeah, of course,” Patrick replied quickly with a smile. ELI didn’t move, but a vaguely orange object approached then rapidly. The closer it got, the bigger it became. Once it got close enough for him to see the rings, Patrick knew what it was. The planet rushed towards them and, in another second, they were both standing on the far edge of the outer ring. Not really standing, though, because Patrick still felt like he was floating. Looking up, he thought he might’ve see where the plant ended and the darkness around it began, but there was no way to be sure- it was way too big.

“Saturn’s rings are mostly made up of ice chunks,” ELI informed in a surprisingly casual voice. Teachers were usually at least somewhat formal when they spoke, but ELI was talking like he’d just observed the fact himself. “There are also pieces of rock, but ice is much more common.” Patrick paid closer attention the the lumps floating past him, crouching and tilting his head at a hunk of ice that matched said noggin in size. A few other pieces around him looked to be bigger than his entire person, which had him wondering… “The largest of the ice pieces is around the size of a mini-van,” ELI answered without having to be asked. Patrick stared at him.

“How-” Patrick barely got the first word out before ELI answered that, too.

“I’m programmed to sense any question you may have and answer them promptly and efficiently,” ELI informed. “Some of your species are shy and do not ask question when they have them. I was designed to work around such traits.” Patrick frowned, but he supposed ELI had a point. “The smallest, however, is around the size of your thumbnail.” Patrick blinked, glad he’d had practice following swift changes in conversation, or ELI would’ve left him in the dust.

“Though the rings are quite wide,” ELI continued as Patrick registered a barely-there sensation of sinking. When he glanced down, he found that he was moving deeper into the dense middle of the ring. “-almost one million kilometres in diameter,” The thought of, I wonder how many Earths that’d fit, flitted through his mind and was gone again so quickly he only absently registered it, “they’re only about one kilometer thick.” ELI met his eye. “78.48 Earths could fit, lined up from pole to pole, across this ring.” Patrick nodded, barely remembering wondering about that first place.

A piece of ice about the size of a basketball passed through Patrick’s middle, and he finally realized that it wasn’t just the ground he couldn’t feel- it was everything. Curiously, he reached out to a golf ball sized chunk. He expected his hand to pass right through, but it didn’t. The brunette grabbed the chunk, but his fingers didn’t even have the chance to curl around it before he released it with a pained cry.

“If you concentrate, you can touch the things around you,” ELI confirmed, moving closer. Patrick loosened his grip on his wrist as the pain faded suddenly. There wasn’t even a mark on his palm. “However, whatever you touch will feel just as it does in reality.” ELI’s hand hovered over Patrick’s, and after a moment of concentrating on the teen’s part, ELI’s hand brushed his own. It felt real. “Space is cold,” ELI said as he examined Patrick’s hand like he’d never seen one in person before. “Cold can burn. But injuries here are not permanent, and you will always heal quickly.”

“Good to know,” Patrick said quietly. ELI moved away abruptly, and the scenery shifted. The planet rushed towards them once again, and Patrick was surrounded by what seemed like thin air, though if he looked down he could see a blurry, lightly colored spot.

“The surface of Saturn is a mixture of different gases, none of which are visible to the human eye,” ELI explained. With an overly dramatic wave of his hand, they were enveloped by immense streaks of color. Patrick’s eyes couldn’t track them with how fast they were whizzing by. “Winds can reach around 1100 miles per hour,” ELI said, possibly in answer to Patrick’s passing thought, possibly just another fact on his list of things to impart.

Despite that incredible speed, the clouds of gas were so long that he could at least see their colors before they were gone. Yellow, blue, pink, and red flew past. Though the blue was almost overwhelming, flashes of each caught the brunette’s eye as they rushed by. The gases suddenly slowed to a crawl, though without an extravagant hand motion from ELI this time.

“The different gases are visible to your eye with the added coloring. Hydrogen, which makes up most of the planet, is blue. Helium is yellow, methane is red, and ammonia is pink,” the hologram continued, and then glanced down as if just noticing the expanse of the planet beneath him.

“Below us there is a molecular Hydrogen layer, as well as a liquid metallic Hydrogen layer, and a solid core.” Patrick looked down, then, and though he didn’t know what exactly all that meant, he saw the colors, the glowing layers under him, the stars now dotting the darkness beyond the planet he was learning about now. It was cool, just as Oscar’d said, but humbling, too.

There was a long pause before ELI continued, and when he did, it was in a softer tone. No doubt he’d caught Patrick’s train of thought.“While the atmosphere is quite cold,  at about -190 degrees Fahrenheit, the surface can reach up to 21,140.” The teen wondered at that, tried to imagine that kind of heat, and failed. The closest he’d ever felt was 102 on a hot summer day, or 350 leaking out of a stove.

“Saturn radiates more heat into space than it receives from the sun,” ELI said, sounding almost distracted as he looked out at the cosmos. Somehow, Patrick doubted that he was, but the brunette certainly would’ve understood such a thing if he were. The teen followed the program’s gaze and saw red waves of heat rolling away from the planet, far above the two of them, and he realized then that he wasn’t standing on the planet, but in it. “It’s also less dense than water.”

Considering this, Patrick wondered what would happen if he… The brunette saw a concerned look on ELI’s face, the hologram opening his mouth, no doubt to advise against Patrick’s little experiment, just as he focused a little too hard on the gases around him and fell. It wasn’t like before, where he slowed almost immediately. No, now, he was plummeting, and all he could see were the gases as he passed through them and he couldn’t stop thinking about them, so he couldn’t stop falling and hell yeah he was panicking– But then, ELI appeared directly in front of him. The teen caught the hologram’s eyes, held them, and thought very hard about how bright they are. Not a second later, he came to a jarring stop.

“You weigh seven more pounds on Saturn than you do on Earth,” ELI said slowly as Patrick calmed his racing heart. So maybe he didn’t exactly enjoy falling to what felt like his death even if he knew that it wasn’t. Sue him. “A day here is about eleven hours, and the planet’s shape is oblate because of its quick rotation.” The hologram’s smooth, deep voice and simply stated facts had Patrick’s shaky hands stilling, and he took a few deep breaths before he opened eyes he didn’t remember closing.

Glancing over at ELI found him staring off into the stars as peacefully as any number of people Patrick knew would relax against a grassy hill and watch the clouds float by. His eyes traced the hologram’s profile for perhaps a bit longer than necessary, and then he turned to stargaze as well.

After a long, lazy time had passed, ELI turned to look at him. Patrick blinked over at him, lids a little heavy and overall a bit lethargic. It was rare that he had time to just be at ease, what with school, work, friends, family… The closest he got was sleep, but that didn’t really measure up. There was just something about laying back and watching the stars without any chance of being interrupted. Well, other than ELI, of course, but the hologram seemed to enjoy it as well.

They both stood, though Patrick only vaguely remembered them sitting in the first place, and ELI took a step back. As he did, Saturn faded away. Patrick felt like he was being pushed upwards (way better than falling, let him tell you), and with neither him nor ELI appearing to move against the endless expanse of stars around them, it was an odd sensation. Looking up as if he might see where they were headed, Patrick saw nothing but stars against a black backdrop. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed ELI glance up as well, and then there was a glowing ring of light directly above his head. Not a halo, but almost as if one had been turned on its side. The brunette raised a brow, and the hologram’s smile seemed to turn the slightest bit sad as he answered Patrick’s unspoken query.

“The exit,” ELI explained.

“Already?” Patrick asked, a little blue, now, himself.

“Each time you come, the number of sites you learn from increases,” ELI assured, and Patrick nodded, content with knowing he could return

“I’ll see you next time, then,” Patrick said, grinning. He twisted his head to look back up at the not-halo, but saw that it was no longer above him. Looking down, he found it at about hip level. Patrick grabbed the edge of what he supposed was another slide and prepared to haul himself into it, but stopped at the last moment, turning to look back at ELI. “But hey, if you don’t mind me asking, how does all this-” He cut himself off as he saw no sign of the hologram. “-work?” Rolling his eyes and huffing amusedly, Patrick pulled himself through the portal.

Immediately finding himself standing on slightly unstable legs, directly behind the object Oscar originally showed the group, Patrick spun on his heel to find his friends all staring at him with wide eyes. All except Oscar, of course, who was smirking insufferably. Shaking his head, Patrick caught himself on the wall as he almost tipped over.

“Well?” Jenn prodded when he didn’t say anything fast enough.

“Made a new friend who taught me about Saturn,” Patrick answered, smirking at his friends’ reactions to his vague answer. He walked over, less wobbly now, to Oscar and clapped him on the shoulder. Patrick gave him a secretive smile, to the annoyance of everyone else. “You were right. That was pretty cool.”

“I’m next!” Maya called loudly, deciding to see it for herself instead of listening to more non-answers. A surprisingly quiet argument between the teens who hadn’t had a turn started up. Patrick grinned a little, wondering silently how long it would be until he got another chance to visit ELI again. Maya suddenly lunged toward the box and fit her hand onto the print before anyone could do anything to stop her, and Ryan shoved his hand into the slot to try and get the ball before her. Oscar, grinning, started scolding them about their lack of patience, telling them to wait their turns, and Patrick snorted.  Not too long, then.

[whatthesigma69]

Your Fault. My Fault.

Warnings

Angst (with a happy ending)

Self h#rm

Su!c!d3

Attempted Su!c!d3

(Maya was never a 'popular' girlz she was more like the girl who nobody likes for no reason. Maya is a brown girl with black and wavy hair and green eyes, Mike is a popular white jock with brown hair and brown eyes.)

Maya walks around the school, some people laughed and glared at her, she never knew why, she never did anything wrong. People hated her for no reason. Maya walked into class and sat down and the teacher began to talk, she blurred out most of the words until she hear, "You will be working in partners for this! I will assign them! One you hear who your partner is you must go to them! Alright! Emilie and Autumn! Mia and Shelia! Makenzie and Kaley! Maya and Michael!" Her heart slightly dropped, she glanced at him to see his friends making fun of him. Maya looked away as the teacher finished calling out the students, "And Jack and Lia! Alright! Please go to your partners!" Maya stood still, she kept her head low until she heard footsteps by her, she glanced to see Michael, she gave him a warm smile but he glared at her with disgust and moved a little farther from her, she glanced away from him and put her arms on the desk, placing her head on top of her arms.

-TimeSkip-

Maya had found out Mike's phone number by his friend Ej, who gave it to her out of pure pity, she sent Mike a text.

Maya:Hello!

Mike: Who's this?

Maya:Maya! We're partners

Mike:ough great. Delete my number.

Maya:But I need it so we can work together

Mike:No you don't. Just do my work and get it over with

Maya:Fine.

Throughout the days, Maya stayed up days and nights finishing the project herself, she handed it in to the teacher, but on Mike's paper, she accidentally wrote her own name so he got no credits for the project. He was pissed.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? YOU CANT DO ONE HIG RIGHT!" Mike yelled at Maya in front of almost everyone, "I forgot!" "yeah! Bullshit!" Mike punched her, sending her flying to the ground, "useless whore!" Him and his friends walked away, laughing. Maya quickly got up and ran to the bathroom.

Maya kicked the trashcan across the room and slightly slammed her head on the wall in defeat, "Fuck!" She yelled out.

-TimeSkip-

Throughout the days, Mike had only continued to torment Maya, with death threats, beatings and sh jokes, it was becoming to much for Maya.

Over the days, Maya had began makin bracelets so she doesn't freak out it was like her therapy and ofcourse, Mike took advantage of it.

"Why are you wearing those many bracelets? You cut yourself?" He laughed, Maya glanced at him, she couldn't believe how insensitive he was being, "Com on! Wrist check!" He laughed in her face, ripping the bracelets off to reveal multiple scars, cuts and bruises, they all fell silent, Maya felt tears rushing to her eyes, it had just been revealed to everyone that she had harmed herself. She grabbed her bracelets and fled the scene.

It had taken a while for Maya to go back to school but when she went, she immediately regretted it.

"Wrist check!"

"Emo!"

"Attention seeker!"

"K!ll Yourself!"

"Jump!"

"You don't belong here!"

"Weirdo!"

"F#ggot!"

"Fatherless!"

"Motherless!"

Almost every name under the damn sun.

Maya had been enduring the torture until one day someone took it too far.

Maya was walking the hallways until she bumped into someone, they got pissed, "Useless weirdo! God! This is why your brother k!lled himself! Because of you!" The room fell silent, Maya stood in shock, tears fell, some people laughed, some people felt bad, Maya began to cry, she sprinted away.

Once Mike had figured out what had happened, he suddenly cared. He began to look for Maya, searching everywhere, even going to her house but nobody has seen her. Until.

Mike was walking around town, looking for Maya, she had been missing for around a week and a half, Mike walked to a bridge, hoping to find Maya.

After looking around for a while, he found Maya. But not in the way he wanted. "MAYA!" He screamed out, sprinting towards her limp body. Mike screamed for help, "HELP! SOMEONE! CALL 911!" He continued to screech until a person that was passing by, stopped and called the cops.

The wails of police sirens, firefighters, and the Ambulance was most of what was going through Mike's head, "Please, Please please." He silently begged while sitting beside Maya's body. In the ambulance, "it's all my fault" he cried to himself, begging and praying.

Beep Beep Beep

The sound of Maya"'s beeping heart had awoken some hope in Mike's mins. Every day, he brings Maya stuff, flowers, stuffed animals, bracelets, jewelry. Everything.

'Alone, what did I expect?' was the first thing that went through Maya's mind when she woke up, until she saw Mike passed out on the chair with a bunch of stuff next to her, "M-mike?" She weakly called out, he woke up and hope immediately lit up his face.

Mike rushed towards Maya, "Oh my gosh. Maya, your alive! Thank god! I'm so fucking sorry! I don't know what was going through my mind! Please don't give up! You have so much to live for!" Mike kept talking until Maya shushed him, "It's okay.. I forive you" she said, still weak, Mike shook his head, "No- No- I don't deserve your forgiveness" Maya leaned up to hug Ike, she was in pain but she didn't care, Mike hugged Maya as he layed her back down, "Please, Rest. You need it." "Wait- where are you going!?" Maya said, worryingly, "No where. I'm staying right here." Mike smiled.

"Is this what it feels like to be growing apart? When did I become the one who's always chasing you heart?" Mike murmured to himself, staring at Maya's asleep body, a million thoughts racing through his mind.

While Maya was asleep, Mike didn't bother doing anything besides making sure she's alright. His hair grew out and his eyes grew tired but he didn't care.

The endless amount of calls he was getting from his friends annoyed him, the amount of texts and calls.

Jake:dude wya?

Liam:You still w that girl?

Ex:Come back! I miss you! That stupid girl doesn't need you!

He got endless, but ignored them and turned on DND.

It had been weeks then Maya finally woke up again.

Around a month later, Maya was let go and Mike basically became her guard, anyone who had a problem with her, had a problem with him.

Mike had even more of a temper to others, he had seem to lose his hatred to Maya (Obviously) he hated the thought of being without her, especially since her failed attempt. Someone could pull the wrong string and that failed attempt could become a success, Mike obviously didn't want that.

To no surprise, Maya and Mike ended up together, working on projects Together, Mike almost never left Maya's side

Finally, after forever. Mike had managed to get new, better friends who actually liked Maya.

"So, dude. Y'all getting married in the future?" Johnnie asked, half jokingly, half serious, Maya laughed a bit, Emma smirked at Mike(Not in that way), "Yeah. Come on! I need to see Maya In a dress!"Emma laughed, and wrapped her arm around Maya, Mike scoffed and pulled Maya closer to him, "Maya. You've got him wrapped around your finger." Lily joked, Jake laughed slightly, "I know right. I mean- I'm surprised they don't have a family of seven!" Jake exclaimed, making everyone laugh and Mike blush of embarrassment, Maya giggled slightly.

Once everyone left, Mike and Maya layed together on the ground, watching the stars. They both glanced at each other, "I love you, Maya" "I love you too, Mike"

[heaven-s-black-box]

Cafe- cafe Recht Chpt.4

Return to File

Recovery date: August 24th, 2020

Description: Miles owns a cafe with Franziska, and Phoenix and Maya are famous actors. Their daughters go to school together, so what happens when they want a sleepover?

Notes: A entry series involving a descendant of a traveler, following the death of her mother it was determined Sky would be better off staying with Miles Edgeworth. This is an OC insert, the fantastical technobabble is just for looks

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Word count: 769

Back to directory

“Hey Polly, can we go play upstairs in Sky’s room?” Pearl asked once the girls had finished their cakes. Katherine had since bid everyone goodbye, and left.

“Well that’s up to Mr. Edgeworth, and we have to go soon so I can start dinner and you two can do your homework.”

“If your brother has no problem, go ahead,” Miles said, when the girls turned to him.

“Yay!” They cheered, and ran upstairs.

“Thank you,” Apollo said.

The cafe fell into a comfortable silence, as the high schoolers took out their homework and began to work. Ema would occasionally whine about stupid requirments, and college applications. Every now and then, Apollo would look over at Clay’s laptop to see him completely off topic, usually reading something Nasa related. The only other noise was when Sebastian talked to himself or asked about a word to verify it’s meaning.

“Apollo,” Miles asked, “your father’s name is Phoenix Wright?” Apollo nodded. “As in, the actor Phoenix Wright?”

“Yes sir.” Miles nodded, and turned back to his phone.

“Sky is a big fan of his movies, I’m sure their meeting will be interesting.” The last part sounded more like he was talking to himself.

“Wouldn’t she know? I mean, she knows their last name is Wright,” Sebastian asked.

“Nah, Sky probably just thinks it’s a coincidence. She can be a bit oblivious at times,” Kay said. “Hey what did you get for question seven for math?”

“Uh, A.”

“Really, I got C.”

“How on earth did you get C?”

“I don’t know, it’s what I got.”

“In what universe does C look like the right answer?!”

As they continued bickering, Franziska went out back to collect a new shipment of supplies. Meanwhile, Miles wiped down the bar and other tables before moving to help Franziska with the shipment.

---

“Ooo, that’s a pretty box!” Pearl gasped, as she examined a small wooden box on Sky’s dresser.

“Yup! It’s a music box, want me to start it?” The girls nodded, so Sky fished out a small key from one of her drawers and wound it. 

The box opened, and a ballerina rose and began to spin slowly. 

“Wow,” Trucy whispered, “What song is this?”

“A river flows in you, my mama used to play it for me.”

“Can you play piano?” Trucy asked.

“No.” She shrugged, and set the box down as it continued to play. “Anyways, wanna play a board game? I have uno.”

“Uno!”

---

Miles and Franziska were in the back, sorting through a new delivery, when the doorbell rang. 

“Hello, and welcome to cafe Recht,” she said, as she dusted herself off, “What can I-”

Now, if you asked anyone who knew her, most people would say Franziska von Karma has no weaknesses. None. At all. She makes amazing coffee, she can bake, she can cook, and she’s a very intimidating person. If you asked Miles Edgeworth if Franziska von Karma had any weaknesses, he would say two things. The dark, and pretty girls.

“Hi!” The girl’s voice was bright and chipper. “Can I get a flames of justice,” she giggled as she said the name. “That’s a bit of a strange name, wouldn’t you say?” Franziska turned pink.

“Yes, well. That’s what happens when you ask a couple of children to name drinks…” she mumbled, and the woman laughed. “Anything else.”

“Nope, but can I get three sugars and two creams in the drink.”

“Ah, yes.”

Meanwhile at the table, Kay leaned over to Ema.

“Did- did she just break Miss. Von Karma?” Kay whispered.

“I think she did.” This made Apollo look up, and he smiled.

“Hey aunt Maya!”

“Oh, hey Polly. Where’s Pearls?” Maya looked around to see if she’d missed her cousin.

“She’s upstairs playing with her friends.”

“Oh, are you her mother?” Franziska asked, handing Maya her drink. 

Maya looked shocked, “Oh god no. I’m her cousin, I just take care of her. My name is Maya Fey, and you are?”

“Franziska von Karma, I co-own this establishment with Miles Edgeworth.”

“Oh, neat! I’m an actress. Actually, I’m working on a movie on the street here for the next week. Maybe we’ll see more of each other, I should bring Nick here.”

“Nick?”

“Maya!” Pearl yelled, as she ran down stairs. 

“Aunt Maya! Is daddy with you?”

“Nope, sorry Truce.” Maya ruffled her hair, “I just came in for a coffee, I should head back though. Be good for Apollo you two. Thanks for the coffee Franny!” Franziska turned pink again at the nickname. The cafe was silent until footsteps came down the stairs.

“Who was here?”

[mi4014samringwood]

moddling a 3D space

in order to get to grips with this new software Maya i am going to model a room. i wanted this room to fit the “world of delights” theme so i chose the boiler room from Miyazaki, Hayao. Spirited Away. Studio Ghibli, (2001) as the bath house in that film is a monument to relaxation for the enjoyment of the spirits.

these were some images i found that i could use as reference for the room.

the first thing i did was use the polygon cube tool and stretched them into the right shapes. at this stage i was only using the object select mode but i used the faces selector to make sure the the two raised section of the floor were level.

after a long session of work i had got this. i had used the raise face tool to bring out more details in the wall by adding shelves then using ctrl C and ctrl V to make them cover the walls like in the reference images. by far the most difficult part of this was implementing the organic shapes of the  boiler, for this id have to research how to make smooth shapes. the video i watched said that when in the object mode and selecting an object you could press 2 to make it smoother. this idea worked initially but fell apart due to the pointiness of the polygons i spent hours on the program trying to make it work but it didn't. in the end I when back online and found by pressing 3 you could make it smooth. this mistake set me back but every time I've had to learn I new program i have made mistakes like these so i wasn't too undeterred. now that I'm familiar with the basics i want to learn how to use UVs and add textures to the room.

[faller-of-kharbranth]

Th-thanks Maya!!

Yeah, I’m glad my phone Fell with me, too.

And my Dad’s jacket. It’s nice to have some c-connection to home that you can just… bring with you.

Hey. So, one of the things I liked doing when I was back home was reading fanfiction and I ended up having to do a ton of research about some things just so I would know what I was looking at? Well, some of the research involved calendars from different cultures and I happen to keep some of them since they were on my phone and computer when I fell and they came with me. I was wondering if you might be interested in one of them in particular? The Jewish calendar, I mean. So you can do the holidays on more exact dates, if you wanted to?

I mean, you might already have it, but I thought I’d offer since it’s something I have access to.

@suddenlyauntiemaya

I think I’d like that calendar, y-yeah!

Keeping it f-feels… right to me, to be honest.

It’s… a r-recognition of change and… cultural distance, I guess.

A reminder… that I’m from e-elsewhere.

[hope-mikaelson]

Hope and Maya - Legacies 2x03

[ofindcmitability]

🕸️

🕸️ - your muse and mine go to a pumpkin patch

            he didn’t know the girl all too well, but the admissions let you in for cheaper if you came in a pair. landon and hope were off doing couple things, lizzie was with her mother and wyatt wasn’t someone he was going to ask (he didn’t want him to feel guilty when the inevitable NO came along due to how busy he was) and then he met the stranger. 

            briefly, he’d seen her talking to a girl that looked a bit like hope. was she hope? before he knew it she was gone and the other girl was alone. so, he approached with the offer of going in as a pair for cheapness’ sake.

          she gave a smile and agreed to such an offer. introduced herself as maya, he introduced himself as william, and then they were off. the pumpkin patch was more hyped up than it should have been, they kept playing the monster mash and the whole thing was a bit annoying.

         but he did find a pumpkin to carve as did she. and they... they hung out for a bit. it was kind of nice. he wasn’t sure if it made them friends, but they weren’t strangers anymore at least. | @fellsmaya