#denton jail

[i-didnt-do-1t]

Our Man Denton

[make-friends-with-the-rats]

okay but guys why are we completely sleeping on the pure angst potential of the complexities of Katherine and the Pulitzer family???

[bumblee-stumblee]

By Brooke Colombo Staff Writer Oct 21, 2024 Updated 2 hrs ago Comments

Lewisville Police Department

A Lewisville man charged with murder in the shooting of his co-worker on Thursday told detectives he was “obsessed” with her and “practiced” the shooting beforehand, according to his arrest affidavit.

Travis Merrill, 51, was arrested on Thursday in the fatal shooting of Tamhara Collazo, whom he worked with at Allegiance Trucking in Lewisville.

At about 11:34 a.m. Thursday, Lewisville police officers were dispatched to calls about an active shooter at the business in the 1800 block of Lakeway Drive.

Detectives in the nearby Lewisville Police Administrative Office at 1955 Lakeway Drive ran across the shared parking lot to Allegiance Trucking.

A woman at the front of the business told a detective the shooter was still inside.

The detective entered the building and saw Merrill standing with his hands raised. Merrill complied with commands and allegedly responded “yes” when the detective asked if he was the shooter.

The affidavit states he told detectives there were two revolvers in a jacket on the floor next to him. There was a third gun in his vehicle, according to the affidavit.

As the detective went to handcuff Merrill, he observed Collazo lying unmoving beneath a cubicle desk. Another officer and sergeant carried the woman outside to administer emergency first aid.

First responders observed multiple gunshot wounds. Lewisville Fire Department medics arrived and transported Collazo to a local hospital.

Hospital staff pronounced Collazo deceased at 12:15 p.m.

A detective who had not originally been on scene was assigned to the lead investigator role.

Several witnesses provided direct information about having observed Merrill shoot Collazo, according to the affidavit.

Detectives met with Merrill in the Lewisville Jail, where he agreed to speak with them about the shooting.

The affidavit states Merrill told detectives he was “obsessed” with Collazo. Over the course of several months, he allegedly said he was getting increasingly angry that she wasn’t paying attention to him and was taking what he thought were long breaks.

Merrill knew the exact dates of these “long” breaks and the exact lengths of the breaks, according to the affidavit.

Collazo reported the behavior to their administration and told Merrill she didn’t want him watching when she took her breaks, Merrill said.

Merrill told detectives he was made to speak with a counsel over the phone until he was approved to come back to work. When he returned, he told detectives he could tell “everyone must think he’s a psychopath” and Collazo was avoiding him.

Merrill allegedly said he then bought guns and “practiced his movements with them” at home.

Once before, Merrill allegedly drove to work with his guns on his day off but remained in the parking lot. The day before the shooting, he allegedly brought the guns to work but he said that “it didn’t feel like the right time.”

On the day of the shooting, Merrill allegedly said he followed Collazo out to the parking lot during lunch and watched her sit in her car while preparing his guns in his vehicle.

Merrill allegedly said he followed her as she went back inside and “ambushed” her at her cubicle.

The affidavit states that Merrill acted out the shooting during the interview without any prompting from detectives.

Merrill remains in the Denton County Jail as of Monday morning. His bail is set at $10,000,001.

****

When I first heard about this, it didn't mention the sex of his coworker. Only that he had shot his coworker over lengthy breaks. It's only after googling it that you find out it's a femicide, but that it's a bitty detail that connected to why he killed her.

It's only a bit further down that you see the word "obsessed". This murder wasn't about her length of the breaks she took, Tamhara Collazo was killed because she put in a complaint about him and his inappropriate behavior. The length of her breaks don't matter, this murder was in retaliation to her not only confronting him and putting in a complaint against him but also because he felt rejected by her.

This is the only other headline that I saw that didn't mention the break length. She also understood that it wasn't about the breaks at all.

Unfun fact:

The leading cause of death for women in the workplace is Homicide.

[soft-persephone]

No Good For You: (After All This Time)

Avery (Laz Alonso) x Fem!Reader

MDNI // M // WC: 8.4k // warnings: lying, emotional abuse, phycological abuse, GASLIGHTING, mentions of blood, light violence // masterlist

AN:// Daniel Kaluuya is Louis Denton idk why. That’s who it is to me. And this is the closest to DDE I’ll ever be. Enjoy!

“Personal items in here.” You slowly put your stuff in the little plastic box.

“Seat four.” The guard looked at you funny, silently exposing how perplexed he was of your visit. The question and look everyone in your life gave you.

“How do you know this man?”

You stared for a moment. Frozen.

He was so big.

How? When?

Sure he was never short. He wasn’t scrawny either, but this large massive man who looked off into the distance with an anger-fueled disappointment, looking nothing like the boy with the prettiest brown eyes and most charming smile you’d known.

But the way he slumped in the seat and how his eyebrows furrowed across his head, that was a look you were familiar with.

You sat down, looking at his head. His hair was cut so low, but his curls wouldn’t look right on his head. Not now.

Something in your heart pulled, missing his boyish grin and too big for his head ears that matched.

In a way, he grew into the big head of his.

He grabbed the phone with a huff, barely looking at you. “Do I know you?”

You slowly held the plastic phone to your ear.

“Surprise.” You weakly croaked, your voice unexpectedly cracking, making you feel raw and exposed. It was supposed to be nice. Sort of. A little mockery of an almost fond but distant memory. An ode to the relationship you once had. He was behind a big thick glass, but the small rush of fear of messing up something in front of him still pulled at the strings of your entire being, threatening to send you into a frantic spiral.

He slammed his hand on the glass a little too harshly, making a guard shout, but he ignored it. His eyes grew wide, the pupils reflecting the light, starting to sparkle in the pools of dark brown that surrounded them. His eyebrows shot up and his bottom lip stuck out in an almost pout.

He said your name.

It was a plea, a prayer, a greeting, and a promise all wrapped into one.

You methodically placed your thumb in the glass where his palm resided. Fighting the itch under your skin, the crawling of your nerves and the lurch at your stomach, all the things that created a crashing wave of desire to touch him.

His hand pushed against the glass harder as if it would make it disappear, but his eyes were still on you studying your face, unaware of what his hand was doing and urging you to look at him.

But you couldn’t.

Not now.

It was too much.

Plus, you already had your look.

“A lot of people know you're here.” Was all you said. You lifted your finger, slowly tracing the outline of his hand, imagining the warmth of it.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I’m sure word traveled fast.” A confirmation of your warning.

His face started to revert to an expression you couldn’t read. It was a face that filled you with fear. A face that haunts your nightmares.

“I made a phone call for you.” You sucked in a shaky breath before letting it out.

He blinked repeatedly. His eyes flutter over your face.

“You didn’t have— thank you.”

You huffed.

Well, now you were the one who was stunned.

You examined how his face softened. How it pleaded with you, confided in you. His cool demeanor shifted to something of soft reverence, a casual devotion of. . . a fondness for you.

You wouldn’t call it love.

“I go to therapy.” You licked your lips. Starting to tell him what you really wanted to say.

You ignored his face. You never knew what was real with him if he meant it or if he was up to something. Because even in jail, and more vulnerable than he has been in his entire life, you’re sure he’d find a way to use you. To suck you dry for what’s worth of your life and carry around what’s left, owning you and leading you around like he did everything else.

Like you’ve let him do before.

You pushed away the evil little voice in your head that sounded too much like him.

What once was a voice of your youth turned into a voice of a man you didn’t know that well, but the fear was the same. The underlying terror still raced through your veins.

You closed your eyes. Fighting it.

“I started to go for the nightmares.” You said it matter of factly. Your voice soft. You didn’t have to explain when. He knew it was sometime after.

“That’s good.” The warmth of his voice washed over you, deep, rich, and comforting as always.

You absentmindedly licked your lips.

“I thought that was my only problem. That if I got to the bottom of those,” you looked him in the eye, but now it was him who was avoiding eye contact with you. His hand focused in yours. “But I-“ you stuttered. When had you comfortably placed your palm on the glass? When did you start to crave his affection?

“I was wrong.” You focused in his face, willing yourself to hold strong to what was real and not the world he was creating. The world he wanted to suck you back into.

Him.

“It’s you.” You said it softly like you loved him because maybe some part of you did, but that might not have been real, so you have to work hard to ignore those feelings, even if they overwhelmed every other sensation in your body, mind, and soul.

“Your voice stayed in the back of my head. The lying, gaslighting, and manipulating,” you paused, waiting for him to look at you, pleading him. Because you need to see his face when you say this. You need to. It was the whole point. The only reason you found the courage to come. “It almost broke me.”

“You’re not broken.” He turned towards you slowly. His face taught and haughty. He was always taller than you, but now he looked larger than life. Like something you could never beat. “And I didn’t break you.” He leaned in. His eyes were cruel and leering.

“I tried to free you.” He spat, “because you like it. You liked the blood, you liked the violence, you liked the money.”

You liked me.

He didn’t say it.

But you both knew he didn’t have to.

“Because it’s our blood?” You sneared at him. “Don’t start that bullshit with me. Not now. Not after all this time. I can make another phone call just as easy as I made the first one.” You threatened. “You pick.”

He smiled, leaning back in his seat.

“Look at you,” he praised. “Guess something I taught you stuck.”

Your heart skipped a beat, almost rising in your throat. Your stomach fluttered but you just as equally started to feel sick, but neither physical reactions of protest stopped the rising heat in your body as he bit his lip as his warm words washed over you, filling you with a desire, however unwanted it may be.

“You really have changed.” He continued. His eyes scan over you as if he could confirm it, as if he could see every memory, thought, and day you’ve had without him up until now. “But you haven’t changed in the way you think you have.”

“Sounds funny when you're the one stuck in here.”

“But I look so good on you,” he ignored you, his voice dropping into something low, filled with honey, decadent and rich, “everything you are.” He licked his lips, “is because of me. Yeah you go to therapy to deal with all that dark shit, but you don’t see all the good I caused you.”

“You d—“

“Let. Me. Finish.” His eyes seared with a heated anger.

You swallowed but otherwise didn’t say anything. Backing down, but refusing to cower in front of him.

He sat there. Silently watching you, waiting for you to break, but you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t dare give him the satisfaction.

He let out a breath. As if he was happy you didn’t break. His face going back to something sweet and sticky with adoration.

“Look how you carry yourself, huh?” He waited for you to say something, but you only bit your lip. Your face was set in something neutral, but slightly apathetic.

You looked a little hollowed out, your eyes too big, and slightly tired, but the nightmares were the cause of that. They eluded you for so long, but with the news of him in jail caused them to come back.

“You can come here, look at me while I’m on my knees and put your foot on my neck. You can smell anyone’s bullshit from a mile away and you got more money than anyone else, at whatever fuck ass job you ended up in.”

You ignored him, thining your lips.

“You can handle buisness because of me, take care of yourself because of me. . . He put his forhead in the glass with a sigh, “and now, you’re the one taking care of me.”

“I think it’s time for me to go.”

A lie.

You both new that if it was a revisit visit, you’d have been gone ages ago.

But you did your part, and you said your piece.

But it was far from over.

You left before you could regret it.

-

Your crossed your arms with a shiver.

You wore a skirt and a sweater. It was good enough when the sun was up, but you did not expect it to get this cold once the sun started going down, and you did not know you were going to be outside at this hour.

You huffed. The white cloud of your breath made you feel worse. A slow shred of panic started to rise underneath your skin.

The email told you to come at this building at 6:30 and here you were. For some reason the door was locked.

Who does that? Who makes a meeting at a closed building? And when you called the number on the application, nothing.

A guy was walking towards you. A key in hand.

Is this a dorm?

You’ve never been on this side of campus, so you don’t really know. However, you didn’t particularly care at this moment either.

He was so pretty. His short curly hair looked so soft. He was tall, brown skin, there was barely any light around, but somehow his eyes seemed to sparkle. He grinned at you, drawing your attention towards his lips. Thick and so soft. You also wanted to touch them and for them to touch you.

“Hi.” His mouth twisted into a cheerful smirk.

“Hey.” You said small giving a polite smile, before looking back and forth in the direction of the sidewalk. Where was the for you were supposed to meet?

For some reason that made the stranger laugh.

“Are you not here for the job?”

“Wha?” You turned back towards him in suprise. “Sorry,” you cringed at the situation, but also your self, “I just thought you were some guy.”

“Some guy,” he scoffed with a smile, brushing his own shoulder, “well I thought I looked fly this morning. I guess I’ll dress to impress next time.”

“My bad.” You excused, “I’m just cold.”

“Some way to treat the man responsible for getting you the job you so desperately need. A guy willing to help you out of the kindness of his heart.” He ignored you, unlocking the door.

You huffed in relief after following him inside.

The dorm room common area was warm. The tips of your fingers tingle a little too harshly as they warm up.

You paused with a thought.

“What makes you think I’m desperate for this job?”

“Look at you,” he waved his hands downward at you, “look at the weather? You could have emailed and we could have rescheduled.”

“It’s not my fault you scheduled this meeting at a building that locks it doors after five and your,” you looked at your watch, “five minuets late.”

“But you were what, 15 minuets early?” The change in his tone was off putting. Like he was mocking you somehow, but his smile and demeanor held no other evidence.

He took a step towards you, and you took one back to keep the distance, but he only took another step, crowding your space, lowering his face only a few inches above yours.

“You were 15 minutes early, not accounting for the walk here. I was late, and you still stayed. And it’s freezing cold outside.” His voice was low and icy. It sent a chill down your spine. His mouth curling into a barely concealed snarl.

“Can we start the interview?” You tilted your face away from his, silently begging for him to stop. But you couldn’t bring yourself to tell him.

“In Progress.” he turned on his heels.

You followed, pursing your lips.

“That's my roommate over there. Don't mind him.

He led you to his room. Something in the back of your brain was screaming at you. The whole thing starting to feel wrong.

He plopped down at the seat of the shared desk in the room.

You looked over to his roommate in a chair in the corner. He gave you a small nod and a wave, going back to whatever he was doing.

He didn’t seem all that comfortable in the little chair. His bed was flat against the wall and the space it normally lay on, held a white sheet on the wall, with a camera in front of it.

“You bring the stuff?”

You brought your backpack around from your shoulder to your front. Pulling Out your license, social security card and all the usual askings from a job. He scanned each one, sending it form the printer to the computer and stored the files away. You casually looked around as he documented each one.

On the desk were blank plastic cards, some had words, some didn’t. Various sets of different states were on them with different places for a photo, a stack of little blue squares were next to it blank in the center where a ssn would go.

The makeshift photo set up started to make a little more sense.

The hairs on the back of your neck bristled and not from the cold.

You turned toward him with your mouth open, but you stopped. What would say? What could you say?

“Here,” he interrupted you from your spiraling thoughts, handing you back your papers, “don’t touch anything.” He chided after.

He didn’t seem to notice your reaction, or maybe he didn’t care, more concerned with you leaving it all alone.

You put your papers back in your bag, thinning your lips to hide your dismay.

“When do I start? Where will I be working?”

This got you a winning smile. Why? You remained unsure.

“Give me your phone.”

You handed it over with a huff.

“There,” he handed it back to you, “you have my number. When I call, answer, and we’ll get started. After that, we take it from there.”

“This isn’t professional on any level.” It was a statement.

“Look, we all have our side hustles,” he gestured around the room, “but that has nothing to do with this work study program, aight?”

You nodded.

“I guess, I’ll wait for that call then.” You put your bag on your shoulder, ready to walk out the door.”

“Uh-uh,” he stood, putting his hands in your shoulder to stop you, “where are you going?”

“Home.” You squinted in confusion.

“Not like that, you're not.” He walked over to his roommate's closet and pulled out a hoodie and some sweatpants, throwing them at you, “here, put these on.”

You held them with a frown.

“But these aren’t yours.” You complained, “these belong to—“

“Maurice doesn’t mind sharing.”

You looked over to Maurice for reassurance that it was okay. He slowly nodded. His mouth opened to say something but after quickly looking at his roommate, he stopped.

You huffed with disapproval as you pulled the pants on over your skirt. And quickly shimmied into the hoodie.

The instantaneous sensation of warmth dissuaded any thoughts of doubt in your mind.

Maurice wasn’t as tall as his roommate, so they weren’t ridiculously baggy on you. That made you feel a little better. You quickly walked around. Peering into different corners and nooks of the room.

Thinking you were just being nosey, He put his hands on your shoulders, gently but firmly ushering you out the room.

“I was looking for a mirror.” You smacked your teeth and defended yourself.

He took your back pack and slung it on his shoulder. You didn’t necessarily let it go, so it wasn’t an easy process, but he more than forcefully tugged it out your hands, standing up straight. There was no other opportunity for you to snatch it back as he stood over you.

“What are you doing?” You groaned, at your breaking point.

“I’m walking you to your dorm. It’s dark outside and it’s a long walk.”

You blinked.

“Lead the way.” He ordered, and you reluctantly obeyed.

The walk wasn’t so bad.

You could gratefully cross your arms as you walked. Shielding yourself as much as you can from your new. . . Boss, you suppose he is now. A stranger in a new budding professional relationship he was ruining at every turn.

He walked too closely to you, refusing to start a walking pace faster or slower than yours, if you sped up, he sped up, if you slowed down, he slowed down. When you needed to stop and tie your shoe, he patiently waited for you to finish without complaint.

Despite his amicable walking behavior, you wish conversation with him was just as easy.

“I’m Avery,” he introduced, “by the way.” He quickly added after when you only nodded.

“I know what your name is. It was on the application and on the job board with the phone number, it’s in your email, and you told me on the phone call for what’s supposed to be an interview.”

“But you hadn’t said it.” His tone accusatory, making the air feel all that colder.

“Maybe if you set clearer professional boundaries, then you wouldn’t have to be doing this now.” You shrugged.

“I was going to introduce myself.” His voice was clipped and even, but it didn’t hide the scowl that almost appeared on his face “You interrupted me.”

“I really didn’t.” You laughed, more out of a sick amusement for striking a nerve with him. Glad to be getting on his nerves as much as he had been getting on yours.

“I was,” he stepped in front of you, not letting this go, “I said Hi, and I was going to do the whole dance,” he held up a finger, “I’m Avery with the student ran work study program,” he held up another finger, “you were going to introduce yourself, and everything would have went like normal.” Saying his side and apparently satisfied he turned on his heels and started walking.

You rolled your eyes and followed him.

“But it’s your fault it didn’t go that way.” He blamed, apparently not done.

“Oh, so it’s my fault now.”

“Of course it’s your fault,” he said it casually, almost a little too matter of fact for your liking, “instead I saw you were freezing cold and had to get you inside as soon as possible. . . It threw me off”

“Well I’m sorry for ruining a standard interview procedure by patiently freeezinf my ass off and expecting you to show up on time.”

“You should be.”

With more persuasion then what should of been needed, you sent him away. Insisting you didn’t need anyone to walk you to your actual dorm room. That if you somehow died from the front door outside to your own dorm room door, he could watch it on the news with everyone else.

Later on, he called and you answered.

You picked the time and place, this time around.

The common area in the library, at 11:00 you originally instead on an earlier time, but Avery likes to argue over everything. You settled for 11:00 just to get him to shut up.

“Some meeting place this is.” He had a paper cup in his hand, shaking it by your ear to get your attention. A few people turned towards him with frowns and glares, but he didn’t pay them any attention.

“Will you lower your voice,” you smacked his hand that held the cup to your ear away, keeping your voice low, “this is a library.”

You narrowed your eyes at him.

“For somone who complained about meeting earlier, you look wide awake and well rested to me. You don’t look like someone who just woke up and hates mornings.” You said tersely.

“Who said I hated waking up early?” . He took a seat next to you, “I just have things I need to do early in the morning. Things that I don’t cancel for anyone.”

“Fine.” Was all you said in response to that, not really caring.

“So let’s get straight to business,” he pulled up his back pack into his lap, pulling out a neat crisp envelope, “this is yours,” he started to explain.

You opened the envelope, taking a peek at it as he talked to you.

“So, I don’t have anything for you as soon as expected, so it’s gonna be a little while,” he explained further.

It was $500.

You swallowed, deciding to listen to him, unsure of how to react, but the relief that washed over you was there. You could finally get your books without figuring out how to pay for them. All of them. All at one time. . That way what money you did have left could go to whatever else you may need without worry.

“So here’s a, down payment or a type of deposit, to hold you over, until I can get you a real job,” he explained further.

He looked better in the daytime. His hair looking even softer. His face glowy, but you still couldn’t get over his eyes. You were equally enamored with the way his mouth moved as he talked, but what came out of it annoyed you too many times to count, ruining your infatuation with them, but you’d happily settle for looking into his eyes as he talked.

“So is that enough?” His eyes were on you as he talked, but they also darted to some random kid who zoomed by on a skateboard. You weren’t as shocked because you were always here and that guy did that at this exact time of day everyday.

If someone talked too loud or moved too closely, his eyes would absentmindedly follow them.

“Yeah it’s enough to buy my books with, so I’m not too worried about the rest of things later. I can wait. I’m good with any job.”

He stopped talking after you responded. His eyes lock with yours. The casual mirth in them seemed to dim into something serious that didn’t match his smile.

“Will you stop looking at me like that?” He accused.

You scrunch your face in confusion, but otherwise, you didn’t look away.

“Like what? What are you talking about?”

He looked aghast, almost offended. But he didn’t say anything about how he felt, licking his lips before pulling another semi-serious face.

“I’m looking you in the eye because that’s how conversations work? People tend to make eye contact with whoever’s speaking with them.” You waved your hands up as you explained, thoroughly confused by his confrontational energy.

He huffed. Not responding, he pulled another envelope out his bag and handed it to you.

“You need more than just book money.”

He stood up, fully frowning, but refusing to look at you.

“Just wait for me to give you another call. Aight?”

And he left, not waiting for your reply.

You looked into the envelope. $800.

What the fuck were you going to do with $800? Why is he just handing you so much cash?

You put both of them in your bag with a huff.

As irritating as he was, he was considerate. You hoped this wasn’t the money he had been paid to run this program. Something in you just knows how he doesn’t feel too nice about debts and people that owe him anything.

The last thing you ever wanted to do was owe Avery anything.

You got another call about another way too late meeting.

7pm.

You were irritated, but you showed up.

“There she is.”

Avery was wearing a suit, or maybe it was tux, or maybe, a fancier suit.

It was hard to tell.

Whatever it was, he looked nice.

You were back in his and Maurice’s dorm room.

“Here,” he wasted no time. he handed you a stuffed garment bsg, “put one of these on. I got a lot of different sizes, so one should fit.”

“I’m working now?!”

“The early bird gets the worm, right?”

“It’s not early.” You muttered.

You looked around before opening your mouth, but before you could ask he was already pointing, “Bathroom’s inside. That corner over there.”

You gave him a tight lipped nod. More out of being shocked and confused than irritated, usually because of him, an occurrence you were both used to at this point.”

Dim light aside, the bathroom was fine. Not the disaster you feared it would be.

Freakishly annoying behavior aside, Avery was neat.

The dress was black, very simple, but you wore it well. It looked fancier on you.

“This one fits.” You moved to put on the heels he told you to bring.

“Wait wait wait wait,” he stopped you, “that one fits perfect, but you need to size down one. It’ll look even better.”

You stood up straight. “What kind of job is this again?”

“Easy,” he held up his hands, “it’s not my call okay. I just know you need to size down.”

You sighed, going back in the bathroom.

It was too tight.

You didn’t like it. It exposed to much, it threatened to roll up your thighs, but you tested it, taking a few steps back and forth. Your breast felt too smushed together and kind of hurt.

But what really upset you was the exposed panty lines.

You’d have to take them off. . . And you don’t want to, but you had to.

So you stalked, pacing around in the bathroom for no reason.

With one final sigh, you opened the door.

“Can you hand me my bag real quick?”

“Why? Just put the dress in and come out.”

“Hand me my bag! Just throw it over!”

“We’re going to be late if you keep this up! If you have it on, just get out the bathroom and put the damn shoes on!”

“Hand! Me! My! Bag!”

He smacked his lips.

Scowling, he threw your bag towards you.

“You’re an asshole.” You said sweetly before closing the door.

You walked out.

“That was fast.”

“I never said it would take long. I just said hand me my bag,” you rolled your eyes, “ you made a big fucking deal out of it, so,” you ended the sentence open endedly, putting on your shoes with one hand.

He paused for a moment, looking at you.

“You changed your hair.” He stuck his tongue in his cheek, attempting to hide the pout on his face.

You averted your gaze, blinking a few times to hide how fast you looked away from him.

“I wanted to. I like looking nice.” You attempted to sound stern, to say it with some sort of attitude but you lost it half way, more thrown off by his sudden change in mood.

“Let’s go.” He gestured toward the door with his head, grabbing your coat for you to put your arms through.

He led you to a car already waiting for you both outside.

There was a man in the car, making your freeze, but Avery paid you no mind, forcefully pushing you forward into the car.

“Im Louis Denton, nice to meet you.” he politely introduced himself, holding out a hand for you to shake.

You took his hand reluctantly, but not too much so, you didn;t want to be too rude. His demeanor not holding any alterior motives from what you could sunrise off of an initial meeting.

“I’m sure you have more than a few questions, but I’d be more than happy to answer them before you get started on your job tonight.”

They were brothers, not by blood, but that didn’t stop them from being so close.

Louis was very obviously so not like Avery. He was. . .calm, even headed. You assumed he was the type of guy who never raised his voice, not even if he was angry. Something about him and the way he explained everything, persuaded you to stay.

He was darker,than Avery, his undertones cooler. Much Shorter, and less athletically built, but he had a presence about him. He carried himself just as highly, but he was cooler about it. He didn’t run as hot.

You still weren’t happy about it, but you stayed.

“This is your new boyfriend.” he handed you the photo. You thumbed over it, now uneasy about it all over again. It all felt too real too soon.

“Look,” Louis, leveled with you, “ we aren't expecting you to sleep with this guy, but if it gets to that point, I promise you we’ll be there to stop him. We won’t let him do anything to you that you don't want to do. That’s not what we need your help with.”

“But you still need to show him a good time.” Avery interrupted. “He needs to believe that you want this and you’re into him or everything falls a part.”

“She seems like a smart and capable girl. She can figure that part out on her own.”

Avery glared at his bother, but ultimately relented, letting it go.

You took your coat off, the car hot.

“I just have to get him to this hotel?” you flipped through the papers that held the address.

“And this hotel room, the person at the desk already knows what’s up, so you just have to pretend to get the room.”

You nodded biting your lip.

“You’ll be fine.” Avery attempted to comfort you, but something about it seemed off and distant. His tone sounding a little too harshly. “This guy already likes you. You're his type. Your looks do half of the work for you, and you have some things in common with him, so try to hone in on what those are, and everything after that should come naturally to you.”

The car stopped.

Not wanting to drag this out any longer, you made to leave out of the car. Avery grabbed your arm pulling you back.

“Leave your coat.”

“Leave my coat? No!” you jerk your arm back towards yourself. “Why would I leave my coat?! Its fucking freezing outside!”

He looked to the ceiling, rolling his eyes so dramatically, you had the fight to fight the urge to slap him while his guard was down.

“Will you please, do as I say for once without arguing with me?” He pleaded, earnest.

‘I just want to know why it's so important I leave my coat!” you yelled continuing to argue because being vague doesn’t do anything to deter you to do what he says.

“Leave the fucking coat!” He yelled.

“Why!”

“It makes you vulnerable!! He’ll think you’re cuter because of it!”

You blinked. Stunned.

‘You make” you started lowly, his words confusing you to the very core of your being, “no fucking sense.”

He scowled, about to say another thing, probably something just as stupid as before , but you interrupted him.

‘You never make sense, and its so fucking annoying. I’m so tired of all your fucking mood swings, your weird attitude, your lies, “ you went on and on, at some point you don’t even know what’s coming out of your mouth. Just everything he’s put you through and made you feel comes out. The euphoria of it overwhelms you, consumes you. In your sudden fervor of frustration, anguish, and nerves until it’s all out and your were huffing with the exertion of it, “I'm so sick of all of it.”

His nostrils flared, his face pulled taut in anger. He twisted his mouth open, ready to unleash some form of hell onto you, most likey to say something even stupider than he has the entire night so far, but he didn’t get the chance.

“Hey,” Louis said your name in an even tone, causing you both to turn toward him, “leave the coat.”

Your face fell, almost in to a pout,

Frowning, you exited the car into cold.

This guy wasn’t so bad. The stranger you needed to lure in somewhere for some reason.

He had tan brown skin and a kind smile. It didn't go with his striking face and jet black hair. Thick as it fanned across his face onto his shoulders in a wavy raven halo.

He was even nice to be around.

“Your’re even cuter in person!” he popped in front of you with a grin from ear to ear.

“Where’s your coat?” he laughed, the sound of it reverberating around in your brain. The echoes of it resounded like the aftershocks of a bell, ringing in your mind.

“I was too excited to meet you. I accidently left it at home.”

“Well, we need to fix that.” he held out his arm, waiting for you,” you stood, almost forgetting what you were here to do. You wrapped your arm in his, letting him lead you to his car.

“We can get you a coat, and so much more!” He mused, looking down at you,“let’s have some fun.”

It took you a while to figure out that this guy likes to impress girls with money. That maybe his one and only move had been buying things, showing off shiny fancy things and cars, and going places.

You've, declined his offer, for five separate spontaneous vacations in the first hour of meeting him, convinced he’ll change your mind, and at some point you'll either end the night or start an entirely different day in another country.

“You picked out a long baby blue pea coat. The cut of the coat was unique and the color made you happy. The warmth it provided made you even happier. 100% cashmere, Mr rich stranger insisted.

He’s told you his name, but you keep forgetting.

You stopped to look at something in the window for one second. No longer and no less.

The sparkle of some random diamond twinkled in your eye.

“Did you want those? What is it?” it was like he had a sixth sense for when you wanted something.

“Oh, nothing, I–”

“-- ah-ah-ah,” he grabbed your hand, practically dragging you into the jewelry store, “I saw you. There's something in here you want, and we won’t leave until you get it.”

“I. . .didn’t” you insisted, pouting.

“You're adorable.” he smiled, “please, it’s all I want from you. Please.” he begged, smiling.

You tried to hold back a smile but failed.

“I’m not adorable.” was what you said first, “and fine. I’ll find smething, if you wnt me to have it so bad.”

“Of course.” but you both know he was lying.

“I like these.” you pointed at a pair of diamond earrings.”

“Are you sure?” the sales woman asked. You wee thrown off by the question, scrunching your face.

“I think something more dramatic would suit you, one sec” she walked away and came back with a similar pair that was much much bigger.’

You swallowed intimidated by the size.

“Yes!” Your date exclaimed next to you, those would be so perfect. You must get them.

“Let me try them on first.”

And you did, and then you accidentally found a necklace you liked, then he insisted on getting one that he liked on you to go with it. And then he declared you needed a bracelet to match.

As you walked out the store you had several bags, filled with empty boxes, jewelry cleaner and more diamonds on your body than you could dream of.

The idea of wearing all this money in such flashy way made you feel slightly queasy.

“Where should we go next?”

“Well, . .”

You sold them this story of a hotel youve always wanted to go to. Something about the music, the fancy restaurant nearby, the live band being one of your most favorite musical ensembles. Something wistful and dreamlike.

His eyes widened at the middle of your lie, buying it completely.

“Then we shall go there!” he happily declared taking your arm in his towards his car.

It was all so fast.

Drinking, eating, and enjoying the music. He was so easy to be happy with. You wanted to believe the lie for his sake. The thought of deceiving him now felt too harsh. He didn’t deserve it.

You both laughed as you missed the place to scan the keycard. You weren't that drunk, just so. . .something else. You weren’t sure. You both spilled into the door with a fit of giggles. Your bags from all the shopping had already been brought up.

“Grab him.”

“Whu- what's going on?”

Louis stood in front of you.

“Sit.” was all he said.

You sat on the bed a little confused.

You watched as Avery threw the man on the floor. A sick grin on his face.

“Not happy to see me, Raime. Thought we were friends.”

“Please, I'm sorry. Just let her go. She has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh Raime, buddy.” Avery took off his suit jacket, throwing it on the bed. He rolled up his shirt sleeves, “I don’t want nothing to do with her. Its just you and me.”

Quicker than you could process, he had hit raime in the face. The sound was a wet dull thud. You sucked in a breath. You fisted the sheets in your hand to keep them from shaking to badly, everything in you was screaming, but you kept your mouth shut.

‘Hey,” Louis stepped in front of you, obscuring your vision. “Put in your banking information. Dont pay attention to that.”

His steady calm tone was unwavering. What you once felt as a comfort now sent an eerie chill down your spine.

“Uhm, okay.” you took the phone with shaky hands, you silently typed in your numbers, the sound of Avery’s fist hitting Raime resounded on the walls of the room. Raime’s cries of pain grew more dull with each one. His screams morphed into low desperate groans of protest.

“You know what you have to do if you want me to stop.” Avery huffed before spitting on him. He wiped his mouth, smearing the blood on his hands onto his face.

‘Fuck.” he swore to himself. He blinked for a moment, looking at his hands, and then the blood on his shirt.

He swore again.

He looked at you, inhaling sharply with a sniff, his face blank. The glow in his eye transitioned into something cruel, something you couldn’t quite decipher.

“Hurry that shit up. This is an easy one.”

Avery nodded at him, breaking eye contact with you.

“You,” Louis poitned inyour face, “Don’t look at him. Look at me.”

The thud of Avery’s fist started to make Raime sound wet, sometimes accompanied by a crack or even weirder sharper thud.

Your tongue felt too thick in your mouth.

“Breathe.” Louis pulled out a pack of gum, offering you some.

You shook your head, taking in a shaky breath in your mouth before letting it out.

‘That's right,” Louis encouraged you, “just like that, in and out, keep looking at me. Don’t look at them.”

You weren't calm, but you felt like you could finally breathe again. However, your hands wouldn't stop shaking.

“You're a smart girl. You don’t need me to tell you not to look.”

“Please.” Raime’s voice ws barely a whisper. Low and broken as he gargled it out before coughing up a patch of blood.

“You know what you have to do to make it stop.” Avery sniffed harshly.

“Fine, please, anything please.” Raime weekly held up his hands.

Avery fished a phone out of his pocket, throwing it into Raime’s chest.

He stood over him, staring him down as he struggled to grab a hold of it.

The room was full of nothing but Raime's groans and Avery’s huffs from exertion .

You stole a quick glance at Avery as he was silent.

Splatters of blood rested on his brow, the smear of it on his cheek from earlier. His shirt surprisingly, wasn’t that bloody, but nothing could hide the amount of it left on his hands.

“Will you do me another favor?”Louis asked, taking your attention away from him.

You rose your eyebrows at his question.

“Do what you can to calm him down.” He handed you $500.

You took it, unsure and confused.

“You did good.” He patted you in the shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”

And with that he left.

Avery was now slumped in a chair. The phone now back in his hand.

His eyes were shut, but he didn’t seem relieved or glad that it was over, or happy to have gotten whatever it was he wanted in any way.

You stood up, not really sure what your next move was.

Two men pushed by you grabbing Raime nand dragging him out.

You went into the bathroom to grab a washcloth. You dowsed it in hot water. It stung your hands, setting your hand ablaze as the prickly sensation tingled along your skin. You blinked, you could feel it and it hurt, but for some reason, you didn’t move it.

Avery sniffed, making a loud obnoxious and quite disgusting sound you’ve hated hearing You were tired of hearing it, but in this rare moment you thanked him for it. It brought you to your senses.

You turned the water off, wiping away the phantom tears that wouldn’t fall from your eyes. No matter how much you wanted to cry, the tears refused to fall.

By the time you made it out the bathroom, all the evidence of what just happened was gone. The only shadow of that horrific hazy dream you wanted to push far into the depths of your mind, was covering Avery’s hands, it was smeared across his face.

You swallowed as you approached him. Still sitting in the chair. He was glaring into space at nothing and no one in particular, his gaze hard and frightening.

Tentatively, you brought the cloth to his face, careful not to burn him.

He flitched away from your touch, making you jump just as abruptly. His gaze slowly transitioned into something more familiar to you, something more annoying than violent to you.

You breathed through your nose in relief.

A sensation of happiness threatening to run through you. Through the cloud of anguish and confusion you were feeling.

He was still there.

“What are you doing?” He scolded you.

“Just . . . Let me do this.” You pleaded earnestly. Too tired to fight.

You wiped the blood off his face, it was starting to stick, but it eventually came off, taking more than a few tries, but after it was gone, it was like new lines of it appeared, were you making it worse?

The more you wiped, the more blood seemed to appear on his face.

You made a small squeaking sound, but it didn’t seem to set him off. He didn’t say something snarky or irritating. His expression was something soft. His eyes slowly dart around your face like you weren’t breaking down more and more as the seconds went by. Like you weren’t experiencing a raw terror through every sensation of your body.

He brought a hand to your face, slowly caressing your cheek, leaving trails of something cold, dark and sticky on your face, making you freeze.

“Breathe.” Was all he said, but it didn’t sound so calm and soothing like when his brother said it, it sounded sweet and sinister, his voice dripped in honey, disguising its venomous intent.

Your throat felt a little tighter.

“It’s gone,” he moved his head from side to side, proving it to you.

You brought a hand to his head a little too harshly, almost slapping him as you did. He winced with a tisk, but didn’t complain about it.

You moved his face around some more for your own conscience.

Once you were finally satisfied, you found your ability to breath easily again, without anyone’s help.

You let your hand stay there.

Tracing one of his eyebrows with your thumb.

Then you had a thought.

Taking your chance, you put your hand in his hair. Caressing it, massaging it through your fingers, once you were satisfied, you slowly scratched his scalp with your nails, rubbing his head in circular motions.

He closed his eyes with a hum.

Something nagged at you when he did.

“Your eyes sparkle.”

You said it out loud like you weren’t talking to him. Soft and low like you were talking to yourself. You didn’t look at him directly when he sharply opened his eyes once more. They were wide as he blinked in confusion.

“What’s so special about these earrings?” He changed the subject. Thumbing at the diamonds and covering with them with blood.

“They remind me of a pair a woman had on, in this old movie my mother loved to watch when I growing up.” You looked at your hands, fiddling with the washcloth.

He took it from you, silently demanding your attention.

“I only smiled at them because they reminded me of her.”

“Well they look good on you. You should wear more diamonds.”

“Too many people died for a useless pair of earrings.” You bit back. Not sure why the diamonds made you angry.

“And even more people have died for the next pair I’m gonna get you.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Am I laughing?” He glared up at you, wiping the blood off his hands without looking. “Come here, you got somethin’ on your face.”

“I am here.”

“No,” he grabbed your arm, pulling you into his lap, hard, “your not.”

He laughed as you scrambled off of his chest, sitting up as quickly as you can to put distance between you.

Somehow you were still snug against him, straddling his lap, he slid his hands along your body, resting his palms on your ass. He squeezed it though your dress, his nails digging harshly into your skin.

You dug your nails into his shoulders in response with a surprised yelp. He only licked his lips as he watched your face change.

“Stop.” You cried.

He immediately let go, letting his hands rest on your hips to keep you steady. Perhaps from falling over and breaking your neck.

“Have you. . . Done this before?” You suddenly asked.

He moved a stray hair from your eyes, letting his hand linger on your face. He swiped the pad of his finger up and down from on cheek to. You blinked in confusion before you realized he was wiping a tear from your eyes.

“First time.” Was all he said.

“This blood.” He picked up the stray towel. Wiping harshly at your face, a steep contrast from his attitude before, from the sweetness in his tone and the gentleness in his gaze, “is on your hands as much as it is on mine.”

You sucked in a breath. Almost falling with it.

“N-no it’s not,” you stuttered, “y-you did that. Not me.”

“But you led him here,” he leaned in whispering in your ear, letting his lips grace softly at your neck as he continued, “you lied to him.”

“No. . .I—

“What did you think was going to happen after you brought him here, huh?” He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer into him. Your throat feels tight and your chest heaved. He nuzzled his nose along your neck, letting his words fan across your skin, “I don’t go to your school,” he kissed your neck.

You swallowed, gasping as he did. A wave of an undefinable emotion washed over you, or perhaps it only felt so because you didn’t want to acknowledge them for what they were, what they are.

You squeezed at the fabric of his shirt, desperate to cling onto reality.

“I don’t fucking know, Maurice,” his words grew sloppier as he mouthed slowly up your neck, dragging his lips on your delicate skin, “you knew I was lying.”

“No, I didn’t.” That you could say firmly. That you knew.

“Look who’s lying now.” His lips felt too hot on your cheek. Each kiss on your skin felt like it left a mark , burning you. You tried to move off him, having enough, but you couldn’t, his arms too snuggly around you. His hold on you too tight.

“No.” You shook your head.

“You took the money.” He grinned, resting his forehead on yours. His breath smelled like mint and whiskey. “You could have acted on every part of yourself that said this wasn’t right. You could have listened to every thought of doubt that crossed your mind.”

“It’s- it’s not me. It wasn’t me.”

“You’re a part of this.” He said definitely, “this is your mess too.”

It felt like your heart stopped. You put a hand to your chest trying to breath.

“Avery.” You choked, desperate for him to get help.

He inhaled and exhaled loudly, grabbing your hands, squeezing so tightly you winced.

“Just, breathe.” He scolded. “You're fine.” He inhaled, then exhaled.

It wasn’t long until your mind caught the pattern. Your body’s natural inclination to survive overrode the emotions warring inside of you.

On your last exhale, he parted his lips, leaning towards your face to touch yours with is. You tilted your head as much as you could, pulling away.

“Let me kiss you.” he pant.

You shook your head.

“I’m not a bad person.” You trembled.

“Of course your not a bad person.” he tisked. “I’m not a bad person.”

“You are a bad person.”

“If I’m a bad person,”He leaned in to kiss you, “You are too.”

[tieflingkisser]

Handcuffs in Hallways: Hundreds of elementary students arrested at U.S. schools

"Don't make a wrong move," the officer said as he pinned the struggling subject to the ground. "Period."  The officer tightened the handcuffs around the subject's thin wrists.  "Ow, ow, ow, it really hurts," the subject exclaimed.  The officer pressed his weight into the subject's small body while school staff watched it all unfold. The person he was restraining was 7 years old.  "If you, my friend, are not acquainted with the juvenile justice system, you will be very shortly," the officer told the child.  Earlier that day, the child allegedly spit at a teacher. Now, he was in handcuffs and a police officer was saying he could end up in jail.  That child — a second grader with autism at a North Carolina school — was ultimately pinned on the floor for 38 minutes, according to body camera video of the incident. At one point, court records say, the officer put his knee in the child's back. CBS News is not identifying the North Carolina child to protect his privacy.   Similar scenes have played out in viral incidents: police officers arresting young children like him at school, often violently.  In 2018, a 10-year-old with autism was pinned face down and cuffed in Denton, Texas.   Another boy with autism, just 11 years old, was handcuffed and dragged out of school and forced into a sheriff's deputy's car in Colorado in 2021.   And that same year, officers handcuffed and screamed at a 5-year-old who had wandered away from school.   There are many more cases of young children arrested in school — cases that don't make headlines, according to a CBS News analysis of the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.  More than 700 children were arrested in U.S. elementary schools during the 2017-2018 school year alone, according to CBS News' analysis. 

[...]

Unequal treatment 

Children with documented disabilities were four times more likely to be arrested at school, according to CBS News' analysis of the 2017-2018 Education Department data. 

[...]

Black students are even more disproportionately affected. They made up nearly half of all arrests at elementary schools during the 2017-2018 school year, CBS News' analysis showed. But they accounted for just 15% of the student population in those schools.  Those disparities could be explained, at least in part, by the mentalities of the officers who work in schools, according to Professor Aaron Kupchik, who teaches sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware.   In a 2020 study, Kupchik and his colleagues analyzed interviews with 73 School Resource Officers, or SROs. Nearly all the officers interviewed said their primary mission was to keep the school safe. The difference, Kupchik said, was who those officers felt they needed to protect the school from.   SROs who worked with low-income students and students of color "define the threat as students themselves," Kupchik said. "Whereas the SROs who work in wealthier, whiter school areas define the threat as something external that can happen to the children." 

[keep reading]

[maladjust3d]

So, since we’re talking about multiple version of THE DDS….What’s your opinion on the ones who are all sweet and romantic with Krelborn or Denton? Y’think something’s wrong with them?

I think those mes need to raise their standards and get some psychological help.

Krelborn and Denton?! Really?! I could find better lookin’ fellas in the county jail.

Krelborn’s too young for me, anyway.

[pendulumstarway]

Meet Blythe Denton, an Ancient Gear user set in the 5D's universe. He's a shady, sly man who relies on fear tactics and manipulation to survive in the slums.

Backstory stuff under cut!

Content warnings:

Motorcycle accident

Loss of limbs

Eye trauma

Attempted murder?

Not the most detailed or fleshed out, but for what I do have:

Blythe was born in Satellite, and ended up becoming one of its many orphaned children. Less because of his parents died, more because they abandoned him due to financial reasoning. Blythe ends up staying at an orphanage for a good portion of his life. Once he's a teenager, he starts dealing in shady business and makes some money by smuggling in high-demand high-priced items. It's a dog eat dog world out there, he has to do what he has to do.

Eventually Blythe got all buddy-buddy with a guy from Sector Security, ended up getting some really high-priced and rare items smuggled into Satellite. They were decently close friends, 'til his buddy went MIA for a week. Turns out his cop friend ratted him out due to pressure. He backstabbed Blythe and tried to be a coward and run off, not wanting to face the consequences. Absolutely infuriated, Blythe tracked down and chased his ex-friend on his motorcycle, ready to beat him down.

They duel and other sector security gang up on him. Blythe's d-wheel is slammed against a wall and spins out, sending him flying off violently. His arm gets mangled by his own machine and becomes unsalvageable. Blythes helmet is destroyed, and the impact breaks the right side of his face. He's transported to a hospital in Neo Domino, his arm is amputated, and he needs surgery and stitches in various places. Alongisde that, his left leg is rendered permanently injured from said accident, and Blythe lost his right eye.

After he's stable, Blythe's arrested and thrown into jail. He get his first marker, which is the tear-streak line under his right eye. [Not including the broken line marker.] His buddies have to gather up everything to pay his bail, and he's taken back to Satellite.

Wracked with anger and grief, Blythe dedicates himself to seeking revenge. With nothing but his mouth and his other working arm, he manages to build himself a working prosthetic, and then a fully functional cybernetic eye. Since his leg didn't need amputation, and therefore cannot be replaced by a cybernetic device, Blythe designs himself a sword-cane. It's a great way to defend himself, while also accommodating his chronic injury. He ends becoming part of a mafia/hitman situation, since that's the only other way he can think of making proper money- and acting out his revenge. He's got people to pay back and take care of anyways.

Until the reformation of Neo Domino and Satellite, Blythe takes the lives of anyone, really. Money's money, and he's making a decent living off of it. Once full access is open to Neo Domino, he's given his biggest job. Yusei Fudo.

This happens Pre-WRGP, before Bruno's arrival/addition. Assuming it's another team wanting the win, Blythe's initially hesitant, but with the sum offered he'd be able to move from Satellite and maybe even quit this gig altogether.

Unfortunately with the rest of Team 5D's present, Blythe's caught, and gets the snot beat out of him. He's given another chance to finish the job, and fails miserably once more. It's argued he did so on purpose, but nobody can be sure. In a twisted manner, he ends up becoming a contact of the teams. He's got connections in the shadows, and he proves to be useful.

Although, he does camp out to hide from authorities, and steal the teams snacks. Much to their dismay.

[beardedmrbean]

DENTON, Texas - A man has been charged with murder after allegedly selling fentanyl to a 17-year-old who later overdosed and died in Denton.

17-year-old Ryan Erwin overdosed on Sept. 25 and later died at the hospital.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled Erwin's cause of death was a combination of fentanyl and Benadryl.

Investigators found evidence that 18-year-old Zakkary McReynolds was the person who sold Erwin the fentanyl on the morning of his death.

McReynolds was arrested in Denton on Tuesday by Denton PD, the Denton County Sheriff’s Office, and the US Marshals Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force.

He is being held at the City of Denton Jail.

A Texas law went into effect on Sept. 1, 2023, making it possible to charge fentanyl dealers with murder in the case of an overdose.

McReynolds is the third person charged with murder in Denton under the new law.

[omniblades-and-stars]

Blossoms on the Water?

This one's a bit of an odd one for me. So this is me exploring one of my Shepard's characterization and backstory via her journey through the drell afterlife. She is being guided to unburden herself so she can float freely on the waters.

I dunno if I'll ever finish it, it's more for me than anyone else. It's both a way for me to work on character stuff and also confront my personal and deeply held fear of death.

So here's a huge chunk, one of Eden's memories. It's not a happy one.

Mena’s music blares too loud from her car as her tires squeal against the gravel driveway. She recklessly peels down the drive and swings around in the cul-de-sac before she is gone.

The girl, a teenager now, softly closes the door, hopeful her father didn’t hear all the noise. She darts up the stairs to her bedroom where she frantically grabs a sweater to pull over her shirt, which is little better than a bra.

“Eden,” her father says angrily from the threshold of her bedroom. He’s alway angry with her. She never does anything right, gave up on doing anything right a long time ago. She is failing her classes, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. “Where were you tonight? You missed dinner.”

His tone makes her skin bristle. Like the air before a thunderstorm, his anger is palpable. His rage is a physical presence, a bystander to the storm that’s about to start. She knows if she just tells him the truth, he’ll just shake his head and call her a disappointment, maybe ask what’s wrong with her.

She doesn’t know the answer to that.

“Studying for my biology test with Ximena. We got distracted by extranet vids and lost track of the time,” she lies. She doesn’t know why she lies.

Her lie is the match, and his temper is the kindling. “I know goddamn well you weren’t fucking studying, Eden!” He steps inside her room, his arms are crossed, but his fists are balled. “Sheriff Denton called, are you stupid, or do you just not care if you go to jail anymore?”

“I don’t fucking care, dad!” She shouts and lies. She’s terrified that Denton is finally going to come and take her away. Stealing from a convenience store isn’t even the worst crime she’s committed, just the most recent one. It was a stupid thing to do, she knows. It seems like all she does is make bad decisions, like a compulsion she can’t ignore.

“Eden, I didn’t raise you to be a thief and a whore!” He shouts at her.

She hates him.

“You didn’t fucking raise me! Mom died and what, I just have to fend for myself? Putting fucking food down on the table and staring at the TV isn’t raising a kid! You won’t even talk to me unless I do something wrong!” He only ever talks to her to yell.

He’s looking down at his feet, and she realizes that he hasn’t looked her in the eyes in months. “Why won’t you fucking look at me?” She screams her question. She just wants him to love her. She’s so alone. She’s been alone for years.

His next words come so quietly, but they hurt so bad, she wishes he’d just hit her. “You look too much like her.”

The breath is pulled from her lungs, and the tears she’s only barely been holding back fall.

“More and more every year,” he continues. For just a second, Eden tries to reach out. He’s her father, they can repair this, right? She’s so desperate for his love that she is about to offer to dye her hair, or even get fucking surgery to change her face. Just for a chance.

He looks at her and all she sees is hatred. “You look like her, Eden. But you’re nothing like her. She would hate what you’ve become,” he says with such conviction, she knows he means it.

Eden reaches behind her and grabs the first thing on her desk that she can throw. It’s sailing through the air and she can't take it back. She regrets it as soon as it slips free from her fingers. A ceramic deer, purple with green antlers, shatters against the wall. Her mother made it, and she painted it. Her last tether to her mother.

“I wish it was you who died, instead of her,” she sobs. She wants to crawl into her closet and hide. She likes the small dark places, they are safe for her to think in.

She wants her mother.

“Get out,” he says so quietly, she can barely hear it.

“Dad, please, I didn’t mean it,” she tries to beg. She panics. She’s only fifteen, where can she go? She doesn’t have any other family.

He points at the door, “Get the fuck out of my house and don’t come back!”

She’s scared. She starts cramming as much of her clothes that she can into her book bag. She forgets clean socks.

Her father doesn’t try to stop her. Doesn’t say goodbye. Doesn’t say anything at all. Those are the last words they ever say to each other.

She stays the night under the pavilion at the park she used to play at with her mom when she was young. She eats an old leftover protein bar that was left in her bag from days before. It is dry, and it is disgusting.

She doesn’t know what to do with herself. She doesn’t know how to be an adult.

[sparkedblaze]

My favorite 92sies things 2: Electric Boogaloo

Part 1

Same T/W: violence, cursing, etc

Sarah stop hiding behind that curtain it's see through and also ur gay

Jack fighting the socks

"I'm just not used to whether I stay or whether I go matter to nobody." He says, with an army of children marching at his heels because he wanted to start a strike

"Got no legal cause" "Legal cause!" *point*

"The a l i a s o f J a a c k K e l l l y"

Pulitzer totally not blackmailing the mayor into doing what he wants

Flapflapflapflapflap

CCKCK Hurst

Spot being a hype man for no reason

"My pAl David"

"Whatarewespostadotothabumskissem"

"They're gonna be playin' with my hands alright"

"Nobodyain'tgonlistentousunlesswemakem!"

"TELLEM JACK!"

"I say that what you say is what I say"

Blink hanging off the balcony like a heathen

"Hello newsies! What's new!" *assorted simp noises*

HIGH TIMES HARD TIMES IDK HOW PEOPLE DON'T LOVE THIS SONG IT'S A FUCKING BANGER

Every single newsie sticking their chest out when they sing 'and I stick out my chest!'

Blink and Racer dancing with Medda

Jack dancing with Medda

Snitch's continuity errors

"That's Snider, as in 'snide'? Smile sir"

*Pulls Jack in by his jacket* IT'S SNYDER

"HE'S JUST A CHILD CAN'T YOU SEE THAT RACET R A C K"

David picking up the swing and then several newsies coming up to protect him bc they think of him as a friend now

"JACK you alright?!"

ALL OF THEM PROTECTING JACK WITH EVERYTHING THEY HAVE BC THEY KNOW THAT IF HE'S ARRESTED THE STRIKE COULD VERY WELL END BC THEY AREN'T SURE PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE WITHOUT HIM

KID BLINK TACKLING A FUCKING COP

ACAB BABYYY

Davey fighting to try and help Jack

"On the grounds of Brooklyn, your Honor."

Everyone dying laughing at that

Racer's 'old man trying to read a fast food menu look'

"We ain't got five bucks We don't even got five cents"

"How bout I roll ya for it? Double or nothin'?"

Dying laughing again

"HEY COWBOY NICE SHINA" ckckckckcckl

David's look when Denton tells Jack that the papers didn't print the story

David's utter disappointment when he finds out the truth about Jack and his family

"Remember Snyder? Remember me and Teddy Roosevelt and the carriage? Remember Roosevelt and the carriage?!"

"So ordered" "NO"

"Whaddya mean it never happened you were there?!"

Denton looking crushed when David finds out he's being transferred

Les stuffing his face, not giving a single fuck about what Denton is talking about. This kid has 0 chill and I love him

David crumbling the story before Denton's even gone

Les: *sees David throw a paper on the table* Les: Perfect I needed something to wrap my mf sandwich in

No one noticing the very visible David riding on the back of the carriage

"Sometimes I read 'em"

"I tell this city how to vote" *thinks to livesies 'And guess what he got elected.'* U sure bout that buddy?

Poke Pokepokepoke

"I must have you scared pretty bad old man."

The guy who gets thrown from the carriage

The very intimate moment they have when Jack presses David against the wall

"You don't know nothin' about jail"

"Guess what I done to his sauerkraut"

Stop the World! No more papes!

That redhead who I always think of as Albert

"Hey-heyhey Race C'mere Tell me I'm just seein' things Just tell me I'm seein' things-"

Every. Single. Reaction. To. Jack. Scabbing.

Blink's anger. Mush's desperation. Race's indignation.

SPOT'S ANGER. HAVING TO LITERALLY BE PULLED AWAY BECAUSE HE PUT HIMSELF AND HIS BOYS ON THE LINE FOR HIM AND HE FUCKING SCABBED.

"YOU'RE A LIAR." and the entire following statement

David Moscow's curls He's such a cutie

"WE DON'T NEED YOU"

DAVID ALMOST GETTING VIOLENT FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT IT'S ONLY AFTER HE LOOKS AT THE OTHERS. HE'S TRYING TO GET VIOLENT ON THEIR BEHALF. BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DO IT THEMSELVES. IT'S TERRIFYING AND I LOVE IT

"Seize the day huh Jack?!" "He's foolin' em!" the desperation in Les's voice to believe this breaks my heart every time 😭

David: *climbs through window* David: *slams it closed* David: *walks in front of open window*

YOU'RE GAY AND DRAMATIC WE GET IT DAVID

"Are you gonna be requiring anything else this evening? No? Ah... tsk tsk."

"We're gonna go fix your pal Davey Fix him so he can't walk" *Morris disappointed head shakes* "Shut up"

Les swordfighting behind Sarah without a care in the world

Les taking roughly eight years to realize what's happening with Sarah

SARAH PUNCHING MORRIS

David throwing his hat off before trying to beat up the Delanceys

Morris's dumb little laugh😭

"Remember Crutchy?" *bonk*

"I can't be somethin' I ain't" "A scab?" "No, smart"

At least he knows

"I don't write anything I don't mean."

"But our man Denton-" "But I think our man Denton. Has something more important to do. I mean, he's gonna be an ace war correspondent. Right Denton?"

THE SASS

I LOVE DAVID JACOBS

WHOEVER DECIDED TO LEAVE LES ALONE WITH THE CAMERA WITHOUT SUPERVISION

Denton teaching David how to typeset

Once and For All

The entire thing

Can anyone explain to me how the printing press works?

Mush coming to the window twice. My mans is dedicated.

"Awfully nice of Mr. Pulitzer to let us use his press"

Boots throwing the papers from the roof into a square with like four kids

THERE'S MY LIL RAT BOY AGAIN HIIIII

"Hey kid. Can you read?"

The newsies (Skittery, Pie Eater, and someone else) taking their hats off when a lady opens the door

DIS-GRACE-FUL DENTY (read: Roosevelt and Denton have absolutely.... *clears throat* and that's his nickname for him)

"C'mon Jack" "Have hope Jack"

"When the circulation bell starts ringin', will we hear it?" "Nah"

Max Casella

Pap (this time with hat)

"B R O O K L Y N"

We aynt slavs

Not-Albert standing on the statue

Jack carrying Les on his shoulders

Bumlets carrying Boots on theirs

"It's like the end of the world- OhdearIdidn'tsaythat"

"Extrey extrey Joe Read all about it"

"Whatdoesthatmakeyou?"

"The walkin mouth" David: 😒

*Jack opens windows* Pulitzer: lalalalalalalala I can't hear you

DAVID MOSCOW'S EYES

"Well, we only used the best, Joe."

"We beat 'em" "We beat 'em!!"

Gio and Skittery spit-shaking

Skittery: Hiya Weas 😜

The newsies death glaring Denton when he tries to stop them from hiding Jack

"Make friends with the rats Share whatcha got in common" ^^

WHY DOES ROOSEVELT LOOK LIKE AN ANIMATRONIC?!

Race looks like he calls Roosevelt daddy and I can't stop seeing it someone help

Everyone pretending to be okay with Jack leaving, further proving that the newsies are not okay emotionally

The Jacobs crying

Blush leaning against the streetlight together

Them using the same sound byte of the little redhead from the beginning while David is buying his papes

"Attaboy Davey"

Jack's return

"HE'S BACK!"

Jack putting his hat on Les

"How's the headline today?" "Headlines don't sell papes, newsies sell papes"

David's first spit-shake

Our little boy is all grown up

[ukrfeminism]

A man who murdered his girlfriend and three members of her family in south London has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 46 years. 

Joshua Jacques, 29, killed Samantha Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, her grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms Hill's husband, Denton Burke, 68, in Bermondsey in April 2022.

The scene found by police was described as being like "a horror movie". 

There was a cry of "coldblooded murderer" as Jacques was sent down. 

Addressing Jacques in the Old Bailey dock during sentencing, Mr Justice Bryan said the defendant's offending had been contributed to by an increased daily intake of skunk cannabis, and that he was "well aware" of the impact on his mental health.

'Salutary lesson'

The judge told Jacques it was a "horrific catalogue of murders inflicted by you in the most brutal of circumstances on three generations of the same family".

"It is a salutary lesson to all those who peddle the myth that cannabis is not a dangerous drug," Mr Justice Bryan added as Jacques appeared emotionless.

The defendant had murdered his girlfriend and three members of her family at the home in Delaford Road for "no apparent reason", he added.

The judge said the jury had heard Jacques had doubled his consumption of skunk cannabis in the days before the killings. 

'Drug-induced psychosis'

It was likely that Jacques had had a row with his girlfriend Samantha, which had triggered the killings that followed, the judge said.

"You and you alone bear responsibility for any such row, and for what occurred during your drug-induced psychosis," Mr Justice Bryan told him.

He added that Jacques had expressed no remorse prior to the sentencing hearing, during which the defendant had had a statement read out on his behalf in which he apologised and said he was "disgusted" with himself.

The judge paid tribute to the victims' family for their dignified manner during the trial, adding: "No sentence will ever be enough to reflect their loss." 

Following the hearing, Ms Hill's daughter Tracey-Ann Henry told reporters outside the court that Jacques should have been handed a whole life order, meaning he would never be released from prison, but added: "Justice has been served."

Chyloe Daley, Mr Burke's niece, agreed, saying: "We'll accept this for now but there is no bringing them back."

'I've lost four family members who won't come back'

Every morning, Tracey-Ann Henry, the daughter of 64-year-old victim Dolet Hill, awaits a phone call that never comes.

"I spoke to my mum every day," she explains in the run-up to Jacques' sentencing hearing. "Sometimes, four times in the day, even when I'm at work."

Ms Henry said she realised something was wrong when she tried to call her mother as usual and she did not pick up.

Ms Hill had been recovering from cancer and had just completed her final radiotherapy treatment when she was murdered in the home she shared with her husband and fellow victim Denton Burke.

Another of her daughters, Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, also known as Racquel, sometimes stayed at Ms Hill's home to help care for her. She was also killed by Joshua Jacques that day. 

Granddaughter Samantha Drummonds, Jacques' girlfriend who was another of his victims, had been living there too because her own flat was undergoing renovation.

Concerned that she could not get hold of her mother, Ms Henry rushed to the house but found it cordoned-off by police.

"I said, 'I want to talk to my mum'," she recalls. She said the police officer asked what number she lived at, and then went to check with a colleague. "He said, 'oh, you need to sit in the car with me'."

Growing increasingly worried on her way to the police station, Ms Henry said she had used her phone to check the news headlines, remembering saying: "Four people are dead, that's mum, Racquel, Samantha and Denton."

The shock was so great, Ms Henry can barely recall what happened next, although she does remember police wanting to ask her what she knew about a man called Joshua Jacques.

He had been arrested at the scene by armed officers, who found him naked in an upstairs bathroom, screaming "Allah, take me", "kill me now", and "God please forgive me".

Later, at Lewisham Hospital, Jacques said: "I ain't even in the wrong, I did them for sacrifice," and warned: "I will do something stupid again."

Ms Henry said she had only met Jacques once, a few days earlier. "He was like a normal person," she said. "It's not like he was acting strange or anything."

Family members said it was difficult to listen to the evidence in court. "It felt like he had no remorse," Asheka Jones, the niece of Mr Burke, says. 

"Having mental health issues is one thing, but when you are abusing drugs, it's just horrible. I've lost four family members who won't come back."

Ms Henry said she would remember her mum as a "loving, bubbly person. She loved to cook, you won't come to the house and don't get fed" she added.

Although she had been trying to think of the good memories they had shared, she said she found it difficult to look forward to the future.

"If I go on holiday, most of my holidays are with my mum, so, it's really hard for me."

"Things will never be the same, there will always be that empty hole," Ms Jones agrees. "When I think of them, I think of this warmth they had, the humour. I feel like everyone was filled with such joy that can't be replaced."

[newsboys-of-1899]

hiii ! hope you're doing well :)

this question isn't exactly newsies, but i want to know about social classes in the late 1800s for a story but i'm kind of struggling with finding exact definitions. so could you give examples of some of the characters and what social class they would be in?

ik the newsies would be working/lower class and pulitzer and hearst would be upper class, but what about characters like medda, snyder, kloppman and the judge?

Hello! Thank you for the question!

Coming up with exact definitions of social classes is difficult because class is a social construct. If we put every person in the world in a line from richest to poorest, where would we divide it to say someone is upper class or not? Class is far more complex than that and is also determined by education, race, citizenship, languages spoken, and so much more. That said, let’s talk about newsies characters and class. I’m also going to add a couple people to your list that I think are interesting cases.

Medda is a burlesque performer, but she also owns the theatre where she works. This puts her a bit higher than most burlesque performers, but still very much within their world. Burlesque performers were considered akin to sex workers at the time, so she would likely have been looked down on by many, but still have enough personal wealth to get by on her own.

Snyder is a jail warden - a respectable job but not a particularly fancy one. He definitely has status over the working class people who make up most of his prisoners, but he is still very much a working man. In the novelization, he is seen to be totally in awe of being in a room with the mayor and Pulitzer in the scene where he’s asking to arrest Jack, as he is significantly below both of them.

Kloppman works for a non-profit group: the Children’s Aid Society. He and his family live in private quarters within the lodging house, so he doesn’t own property but he also doesn’t have to worry about making rent. He would be an upstanding member of society, but not wealthy.

The judge is a judge. Obviously. He is definitely educated and has a high-status job. He does work for his money, as opposed to Pulitzer and Hearst who hire other people to work for them, but the money he makes for that work would likely be pretty good.

Denton works for a newspaper. He has steady employment that is not manual labour, which puts him a step above most of the newsies’ families, but he is still very much a working man living in small rented quarters.

Katherine is an heiress. She chooses to work, but if she wanted to quit she would very much be able to. She would fit in with high society if she wanted to but people who don’t know who she is would likely assume she’s about on par with Denton.

Finally, Seitz is a business manager. He is above almost every other worker at the World, and WELL above the newsies. He is still a working man, but in a well-paying high-class job. Not a CEO, but upper management in a very powerful company.

Hope that clears some things up. If not please feel free to ask more questions!

[msclaritea]

How the trans activists fooled Ireland - UnHerd

Ireland is the trans activists’s trump card. Whenever debate flares up about self-identification or the Gender Recognition Act or transgender rights, campaigners can say “There has never been any trouble in Ireland.” And governments believe them.

The Irish “success story” has been trotted out and swallowed down whole. Ireland was an early adopter of “self-ID”: since 2015 the state has allowed individuals to change their “gender” — their legal sex, effectively — just because they want to. There are no background checks and no medical reports.

Let’s be clear, that is an affront to safeguarding. But that has not stopped activists claiming Ireland to be an example of “international best practice”, and framing it as a great model for Westminster and Holyrood. But while politicians may still be lapping up whatever activists tell them, recent polling suggests that the Irish public is not convinced.

It does not take a legal expert to see the dangers. If biological males can access women’s single-sex spaces including hospital wards and prisons simply by making a statutory declaration, it was only a matter of time before there was an outrage. In fact, there have been at least two in one prison.

Barbie Kardashian is a troubled teenager who was “born a male but identifies as female”, and has a history of particularly nasty physical and sexual violence towards women. Having previously torn the eyelids from a female care worker, Kardashian was jailed last year in the women’s wing of Limerick prison following threats of violence against two individuals. According to the court report, Kardashian was “very anxious she be detained in a prison facility for females, as she identifies as a female”.

Already there was a “pre-operative, pre-hormone therapy”, male-to-female transgender prisoner who had been convicted of ten counts of sexual assault and one count of cruelty against a child.

Whatever Irish politicians had been thinking when they waved through the 2015 Gender Recognition Act, there had not been any proper public debate to inform the new legislation. But that is not surprising; the law was changed swiftly and quietly, just the way the activists like it.

“Nobody spoke about the GRA,” says the Irish writer Stella O’Malley. It wasn’t even mentioned in the media: “We were all about the gay marriage referendum and the GRA just didn’t come up. I’ve always been interested in trans issues and I would have noticed if it had.”

This strategy is straight from an activists’ handbook, or to be precise the “Denton’s Document”. This guidance – officially titled, Only adults? Good practices in legal gender recognition for youth – was published two years ago. Backed by an unlikely triumvirate of Dentons (the world’s largest law firm by number of lawyers), Thomson Reuters Foundation and IGLYO – the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Youth & Student Organisation – it was an instruction manual for lobbying groups who wanted to extend gender recognition to young people with or without their parents’ permission.

The tactics are detailed in full within the handbook, including the instruction to “avoid excessive press coverage and exposure.” And specific reference was made to Ireland where, “activists have directly lobbied individual politicians and tried to keep press coverage to a minimum.”

O’Malley was right: the events of 2015 had been carefully managed.

“In Ireland, Denmark and Norway, changes to the law on legal gender recognition were put through at the same time as other more popular reforms such as marriage equality legislation. This provided a veil of protection, particularly in Ireland, where marriage equality was strongly supported, but gender identity remained a more difficult issue to win public support for.”

It’s only now, six years on from the Irish Gender Recognition Act, that the public has been consulted. Not by the government, even now, but by The Countess, an Irish campaign to restore the privacy, dignity and safety of women and children in schools, workplaces, sport, changing rooms, toilets, hospitals, prisons and refuges. Opinion polling carried out for them by Red C – found that respondents were not impressed.

Only 17% agreed with the 2015 law that allows someone to change their birth certificate as soon as they self-identify as the opposite sex. Rather more (34%) thought it should be permitted once a trans person has partially or fully transitioned through hormone treatment and/or genital surgery. But 28% felt that individuals should not be allowed to change the sex on their birth certificates at all.

Even younger people (aged 18-34) favoured no changes to birth certificates, as opposed to the laissez-faire approach that was pushed through parliament. Overall, men were more cautious than women — perhaps because they better understand what men can be like.

Birth certificates are the last line of defence for service providers trying to maintain single-sex provision for women. If these can be changed on demand, then the safeguards become worthless. We can probably safely assume that few men would ever seek a Gender Recognition Certificate but mixed in with those suffering from gender dysphoria — a diagnosable medical condition — would be those who women need to worry about most. There’s little point of locking a door if a potential abuser can cut his own key.

As the polls show, while Irish politicians were captured by the transgender activist lobbying, the Irish public understands the dangers. When asked about transgender people who had not been through gender reassignment surgery, more people than not opposed their inclusion in changing rooms, sports, refuges and prisons. Clearly, the naïve government policy that led to the outrage in Limerick women’s prison is not supported by the electorate.

Laoise Uí Aodha de Brún, founder of The Countess said, “This is the first time the public has been given a say on gender self-identification. When the government passed the Gender Recognition Act in 2015 it did so with little thought of the effect it would have on the wider community, let alone consultation with groups that would be most affected, particularly women.”

This does not mean that The Countess and the Irish public are transphobic. Rather they are pro-science, and supportive of the rights of women to defend their own boundaries. As a transgender person myself, I know transphobia when I see it and this is not it. It is not hateful to make factual claims such as “transwomen are not female and therefore not women”, nor is it transphobic to apply safeguarding procedures appropriate to an individual’s biological sex. That is necessary to protect everyone’s welfare. Accusations of transphobia are thrown around far too easily and they deflect attention from genuine hate.

Unfortunately, though, the Irish self-identification “success story” has been misrepresented and disseminated by activists who are desperate to extend it far and wide. On this side of the Irish sea, the Westminster government has, to their credit, thrown out self-identification, despite the howls of protest from some quarters — but gender recognition is a devolved matter. North of the border, Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP government seems determined to make the same mistakes as the Irish one, despite the furore surrounding the debate. Scotland has already cited alignment with “international best practice” as a rationale for introducing self-identification, using Ireland as an example.

All these leaders have been hoodwinked by a narrow group of self-interested activists who have seized the agenda and are loath to let go. I’m a teacher and my pupils are taught to think critically. Some of our politicians need to learn a similar lesson. Instead of following blindly, then need to start asking themselves some hard questions. I suggest they kick off with “Who told us that self-ID was international best practice and why did we believe them?” Because this polling suggests that their electorates would like some answers.

[absolutedoorknob]

My Sister’s Thoughts on Saw III

Ok, we’ve got Saw III: Tokyo Drift up and ready to go!

She is once again very disappointed in Amanda’s life choices.

“Can you please describe it?” On the classroom trap

She was RIGHT PISSED when Kerry died.

“AUUUUUUGHHHHH THIS BULLSHIT AGAIN”

“And she’s still going to die…. Because that’s how saw movies work…. We can’t have nice things..” on Lynn

Jeff is ‘slow-ass Jeff’

“Oh! I know him, that’s John Hoffman”

“Man I don’t think you’re going to get answers out of a person who you threw in jail..” about Eric Matthews beating the ever living heck out of Amanda

Jigsaw got the brutallest verbal lash down that hasn’t been seen since Saw I and ignited rage that hasn’t been seen since I made her watch Ready or Not

“Amanda…. Go to therapy!!”

“Mmmmmmmm…” on John’s motive rant™️ on how Amanda sucked

“I think it’s funny that they’re showing us what happened literal seconds ago in the flashback format”

“Little baby girl is going to end up an orphan tonightttt…Sure hope she has a grandma or grandpa that loves herrrrrrr…” the new hit jingle about Corbett Denton

“Uh, that’s kind of bullshit!” On Jigsaw kidnapping Corbett.

“Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….. that’s just my general reaction to this movie. Oh noooooo, it was baaaaaad… I’m not insulting the movie, it’s just…. No.”

Final rating is “UUUUUUUGHHHHHAAAAGGG” *general noise of bad feelings and disappointment in several people’s life choices* out of ten Angel traps.

[friendly-books]

Dresden files Grave Peril live blog

Grave Peril

Michael! Weird how he’s just now showing up in book 3

Michael is a Harry/Susan shipper

I’m with Michael. Harry should tell Susan that he loves her

Who’s Elaine? 

Not the maternity ward :(

Harry fighting a ghost is cool

Poor Agatha Hagglethorn and her daughter :(

Why does Harry think his soul is bad?

Trip to the Nevernever. Oh am I going to meet Lea?

“You’re right. Sorry. Holy shit,” I breathed “heckhounds” pg. 58 Ha 

“Long estranged godson” pg. 64 Why are they estranged?

Is it bad that I kinda want a fae godmother?

“I can’t believe we’re in jail” pg. 72 Ha 

Oh no Michael got full named. Why doesn’t Charity like Harry? She’s being really mean to Harry. 

“I’d never said them to anyone I didn’t lose” pg. 81 Well now I’m sad :(

Where’s Mister? 

Vampire time 

Not Bianca :( 

“Yeah, their saliva’s some kind of addictive narcotic” pg. 84 First Ew Second I guess that helps them when they’re attacking people. Third that’s terrifying 

Why would Bianca invite Harry? She doesn’t like him. I’m suspicious. If this is “official” business why invite Harry? He’s not a warden of the White Council.

“The safety of all invited guests is assured, by word of the assembled court.” pg. 86 Hmmm are we talking about guest rights here? I need more information about this. What counts as safety? Why just words, why not written? Invited guests so unless you have an invitation you’re in trouble? I guess Harry isn’t gate crashing. Bianca is up to something. This is definitely giving me trap vibes. Bianca is probably the reason the ghosts are acting up. As with the previous two Big Bad guys they were behind the “unrelated” problems being connected i.e.: Victor and the drugs and Denton all the murders. I doubt she’d turn him. Maybe it has something to do with Michael and his sword? 

Yay Mister is safe

Susan, why would you want to go to a party with vampires after what you’ve just seen? Please listen to Harry. He knows what he’s talking about. I know you got a career boost from the werewolves but you aren’t Lois Lane and Harry isn’t Superman he can’t save you from everything so please don’t go to the ball.

Lea stop kissing Harry. It's weird. 

I don’t think I’ve ever been smacked in the face with remembering when a book takes place than this quote “Wait until some poor sap who got AIDS from a blood transfusion breaths his last” pg. 121 I was not expecting that. Very late 90’s or early 2000’s. When do these books take place? 

“An unmarked car sat in my driveway” pg. 126 my sheer level of disappointment when I read on and realized I wasn’t getting Marcone was immeasurable  

“Rudy’s clean cut good looks” pg. 126 Bi Harry 7

No, not the birds :( 

Rudouph is the worst 

Poor Micky :( The barbwire curse is scary

Murph is so cool with The Sight

Bob being scared is worrying 

“What could possibly go wrong?” pg. 172 Harry why would you say that?

“And then droplets of her spittle fell onto my throat, my cheek, and into my mouth” pg. 183 oh no I’ve never been more happy that Harry destroyed a building

Why would Bicana send two of her maybe powerful red court buddies (subordinates?) to find Lydia? Maybe Lydia knows too much? Maybe Lydia is one of Bicana girls? 

“I’d learned to block out pain, when necessary. Studying under Justin, it had been a practical necessity.” pg. 188 Not a big fan of Justin 

Scary dream

Oh no it ate Harry’s magic

Oh no it disguised itself as Harry 

Oh no Murph 

Oh no Charity 

What pact did Harry make with Lea? How is Harry going to get out of this new pact with Lea? 

How am I only 48% of the way through? So much has happened? And we still haven’t gotten to the ball

Oh no the baby is coming 

Oh no Lea has Amoracchius

Harry’s mom got him a fae godmother? Harry’s mom makes some weird allies 

How are they going to fight Nightmare and get Amoracchius  back?

Michael, Harry’s a little busy can you have Susan leave a message

“It’s thine heart” pg. 278 Ha

It’s party time 

“Hell’s bells, I noticed how good he looked” pg. 290 Bi Harry 8

Thomas! Yay! 

Wait wait did Harry just talk about how good his brother looks?!? 

“Not just a vampire,” I said, “a cheesy vampire.” pg. 297 Ha 

Bianca’s dress is a fire hazard 

All this talk of hospitality makes me think that’s how the vampire-white council war started. Someone broke hospitality. Why are you drinking the wine Harry? It could be spiked? You don’t know what’s in it or where it’s been. It could be roofied. “The wine is poisoned” pg. 308 Aaaahhh!!!! This is bad. Oh no it’s the venom 

Harry please listen to Micheal and Thomas and leave the party

“We’re here to get information, not bring the house down on a bunch of nasties” pg. 313 but Harry your really good bringing the house down

Dragons are a thing in this universe? Cool! Michael killed a dragon, cool!

“Harry, you're not the biggest kid on the block. You’ve got to learn to be a little more polite” pg. 318 Ha like that will ever happen 

SUSAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!? You didn’t get an invitation…You forged an invitation.

SUSAN YOU NEED TO LEAVE 

Oh no 

No Susan you can’t protect yourself here

Did Lea just try to bargain for Molly? Oh no Lea made Susan forget Harry

Who’s Mavra? Well you don’t need to call Mavra an it. That was rude.

No Susan, you didn’t know the risks before coming to this party. Susan, Harry and Michael aren’t chauvinist pigs they’re trying to help 

Vampire wizard?!? That is cool but bad for Harry 

Gift giving time

So the vampires want a sort of false flag operation? Maybe not a false flag but pressure Harry to attack.

“Lords of the Outer Night” pg. 354 that’s important not sure what it is but with those capital letters that’s important 

How is it Harry’s fault that you (Bianca) killed Rachel?

“Here lies Harry Dresden, he died doing the right thing” That’s a very accurate epitaph. Bianca knows Harry well enough to know that. That’s some villain vibes to gift someone a tombstone 

They draw weapons and the vampires immediately start attacking it’s like they’re trying to start a war. 

Oh no Justine 

Thomas don’t listen to Bianca. THOMAS why would you do that to Susan?!? Oh no Bicana didn’t keep up her end of the deal who would have thought 

Time to burn some vampires. That’s a lot of fire. Bicana isn’t the fire hazard it’s Harry 

Here comes Harry guilt complex 

Lydia what’s up? Nightmare in disguise? Possessed? I’m with Harry, Thomas needs to back off from Lydia 

I like this mushroom plan 

Does everyone know Harry’s mom but Harry? The demon knew her and now Lea 

“The handsome vampire” pg. 440 Bi Harry 9

I think you should all stick together. Oh no Harry’s surrounded 

Why is Bicana naked?

Why are they taking Harry’s clothes off? 

NO NO NO don’t like the end of chapter thirty-three

NOPE NOPE NOPE don’t like the beginning of thirty-four 

I’m crying :( Poor Harry, I don't like the implications. Can someone anyone please help Harry he needs help

Poor Justine, where are her clothes?

“I heard them taking you. Playing with you, for two hours maybe” pg. 453 I really don’t like those implications. 

Rachel ghost to the rescue…or not 

Kravos go away 

Oh no Susan got half turned. Yay Harry told Susan that he loved her! 

The ghost fight was cool!

Why would the Reds want to start a war with the White Council?

The ghosts fighting is cool!

Awww they named their child after Harry! :)

“What goes around comes around. And sometimes you get what’s coming around. He paused for a moment, frowning faintly, pursuing his lips. “And sometimes you are what’s coming around. You see what I mean” pg. 506 Does that mean that Harry is the consequences for the monster? 

“I don’t want you far away marry me” pg. 510 awww Harry asked Susan to marry her 

“And they were always the same: darkness, trapped, with vampires all around me, laughing their hissing laughter. I’d wake up, screaming and crying.” pg. 511 Poor Harry I’m sobbing 

Well I guess the White Council is at war with the Red Court now. 

Final thoughts 

I wished I had Marcone in this book. I need my Marcone fix. Glad I got to meet Michael. Charity needs to calm down. The Red Court vampires are terrifying. I’m upset that I was right about the party being a trap and Bicana. I’m upset that Susan got turned. More Bi Harry the counter is up to 9. Murph looked so cool with The Sight like a guardian angel! Not a fan of Justin. I want to know more about Lea. I hope I get to see more Thomas. Does he know that Harry’s his brother? Is he just messing with Harry? Why would he do that to Susan? I love Harry’s costume. Bianca had it coming. I kinda love Bianca’s gift to Harry. I don’t know if I’m reading too much into the implications but I don’t like them at all. I’ll probably make a whole separate comment about it because I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about it. Harry has a bit of a guilt complex/chronic hero syndrome. Now about this war. As vampires they’ve probably been around for a while so they know about the White Council. Why would they pick a fight with them? They must think they can win against them so they must have had a plan like this in the making for a while. I assume the White Council will try and make peace, maybe throw Harry under the bus as a way to appease the Reds and get rid of their (Council’s) black sheep. I need to know more. Susan went a bit too far in her investigative reporting and it came back to bite her. She’s only half turned so I assume she has some powers but not all and has some weaknesses but not to the extent of a full Red Vampire. I’m sad Harry and Susan broke up but I know she’ll come back and have Maggie. I thought the fights were good and I liked the world building. I’m looking forward to a more central storyline/plot with the war. It'll be different from the sort of monster of the week that I got from the first two books. Despite my several “oh no’s” I did enjoy this book and I’m looking forward to reading the next one.

[fireworkss-exe]

newsies?

It's New York City in 1899. The newsies are little scoundrels who sell newspapers

Anyway a new kid, Davy joins the newsies because his dad can't work anymore, and Jack (cowboy hero protagonist) and Davy have romantic tension that's never addressed because this is a 90s movie

Joseph Pulitzer, the head of a newspaper company, decides to make the newsies pay more for the newspapers because capitalism

Jack and the other newsies get mad of course, and decide they're going to unionize and go on strike. However, when they contact Spot Conlon, the leader of the Brooklyn newsies, for help, he tells them no because he thinks they're not being serious. However, a reporter, Bryan Denton, decides to help the newsies because he sympathizes with them

Anyway the newsies have a protest, and one of them, Crutchy (best newsie in all of New York) gets injured and imprisoned. Jack tries to rescue him but Crutchy tells him not to

Brooklyn starts helping the other newsies because Spot is impressed

They have a rally at a theater but the police raid it. Pulitzer basically forces Jack to betray the newsies and everyone's pissed off

Then these two guys try to assault Davy's sister Sarah, but Jack rescues her and beats up the two guys. This is what convinces Jack to help the newsies again

There's a big rally outside the newspaper company building and then everything is decent again. Also Crutchy is freed and the guy who ran the jail he was imprisoned in gets arrested

Also Sarah and Jack end up together even though they only had like 3 scenes together. I have nothing against Sarah but honestly I don't like that choice