#man I really love her but her line to juror 10 being changed pissed me OFF so bad when I first read it.

[henryfondler]

draw 12 angry women juror 4

hope you like these! ❤️

[nevermindthewind]

So where do we begin? 1/?

She slides into the courtroom just as the judge calls everyone to order. 

 She shouldn’t be here, she knows that. But she can't help herself. She has to hear it for herself, not from anyone else. 

 As soon as she sits down in the back row, she seems them, Charles and Sylvia Mahoney. Instinctively she pulls the newborn in her arms closer to her chest. 

 “On the account of arson in the 1st degree, how do you find the defendants?”

 The buzz in the room immediately dies. Laurel’s grip on her sleeping daughter tightens. 

 “We find the defendants guilty.”

 Gasps echo throughout the courtroom. Journalists are texting their bosses as they whisper to each other. Laurel, however, has yet to react. 

 “On the account of murder in the 2nd degree, how do you find the defendants?”

 “We find the defendants…”

 Laurel closes her eyes. Suddenly she’s thinking this was a terrible choice, coming to court. 

 “Guilty.”

 The room explodes before the juror has even finished saying the word guilty. Sylvia bursts into tears as Charles sinks back into his chair. A couple rows behind them Annalise and the others exchange looks of simultaneous disbelief and relief. Laurel sees Michaela pull out her phone, and seconds later feels her pocket buzz. 

 However Laurel doesn't move. She sits in stunned silence, waiting for someone to pop out and change the verdict, to yank this away from her. But as the Mahoney's are taken away in handcuffs and the judge leaves for his chambers, she has to admit it. 

 It’s over. 

 She kisses her daughter’s forehead as tears start to form in her eyes. 

 It’s really, truly over. 

 --

 Over the next month Laurel begins to find a new normal. She doesn't look over her shoulder every time she leaves the house, doesn't jump when someone comes up behind her, doesn't dream about fire. When classes start up and she has to juggle two classes and a newborn, she still sleeps better than she has in months. Not that she gets a lot of it, but when she does it's real, bonafide sleep. Even the baby sleeps better after the conviction. 

 Most of the time.

 Tonight is not one of those nights. 

 It’s already past 11:00 and Laurel’s yet to get her to fall asleep. She's tried feeding her, changing her diaper, rocked her for what feels like hours, everything, but the girl is stubborn and even though Laurel can tell she’s fighting to stay awake, she won't give in. They’ve resorted to walking around the apartment, Laurel bouncing the baby gently in her baby bjorn while holding the case she’s supposed to be studying in her hands. 

 “You ready to learn about Lee v. Philadelphia, Mija?” she asks. The baby lets out a tiny grunt as a response, causing Laurel to giggle. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

 She proceeds to read the case out loud, using the case as a weird, slightly morbid lullaby. It feels ridiculous, reading about immigration law to a two month old, but if it can put a room full of law students to sleep it has to be worth a shot, right? Besides, she needs to have this down by tomorrow or she can kiss her chance at a decent grade goodbye. So reading aloud it is. 

 And after about 20 laps around the apartment and 10 pages, it works. 

 “Thank god,” she sighs as she looks down to see her daughter finally sleeping. She takes one more lap around the apartment for good measure then puts her down in the pack and play she’s set up by her bed. She runs her hand through the girl’s little patch of dark hair, causing a smile to flicker across her face. A little dimple appears, and Laurel is once again taken aback by how much she looks like him. Her skin is a couple shades lighter and she’s got Laurel’s nose, but when she smiles it's like Wes himself is smiling up at her. Her chest feels like it might burst, she loves that little girl so much. 

 Eventually she pulls herself away from the pack and play and goes back to studying. She lets herself get lost in the case, to the point where she almost doesn't hear the knock at the door about an hour later. 

 She checks her phone, wondering if someone (Michaela) had decided to come over to study, but there was nothing there. Writing the sound off, she goes back to work. 

 Another knock, louder this time. More urgent. 

 “Michaela...” she groans, lifting herself off the couch and making her way to the door. Thankfully the baby isn’t phased, but still, it's almost 1:00am. Whatever burning question she had could've waited. She starts talking before she even opens the door. 

 “You know if you wanted to study, a phone call would’ve –“ Suddenly she stops. 

 Because it’s not Michaela at the door. 

 It’s Wes. 

 An angry, red burn covers part of his face and neck and he’s skinnier than he probably should be but it's him. He's alive. And at her apartment. 

 She doesn't know what to do, or say. She doesn't even know if it's really him. If this is really happening. 

 “Hi,” he says, a small smile etched on his face. 

 She hasn't heard that voice in almost a year. She’s spent 10 months trying to remember that voice, trying to get past the fact that she’d never hear that voice again. And yet, here he is. Speaking to her. 

 But she can't seem to figure out how to talk back. She opens her mouth, hoping the words would form, but all she can get out is,

 “What the—“

 “I know,” he interjects. “I’ll explain, I promise. Can I come in?”

 All she can do is nod and open the door, allowing him in. He walks in and looks around, no doubt taking in the stack of baby clothes she’s yet to put away, the box of diapers in the corner, the play mat on the floor. Signs that another person lives here. 

 He turns back to her, looking just as overwhelmed as she feels. She looks back, unable to take her eyes off of him. Like if she looks away he could disappear. 

 Finally she breaks the silence. 

  “What the hell are you doing here? How are you here? You are supposed to be dead.”

 “I know,” he responds. “I’m so sorry.” His eyes are earnest, desperate to have her understand. “They made me cut off all communication.”

 “Who did?” she asks, crossing her arms. “Explain.”

 He brings his hands up to his head. 

 “Nate,” he says simply. “He got me out. I guess he overheard Denver talking to your dad and found out they had planned to burn down the house with me inside, that the Mahoney’s wanted me dead. He tried to get me out before the explosion but he found out too late. By the time he got to the house they'd already attacked me and cut the gas line. But I was alive. That hit man used the same drug Frank used on Catherine, the one that all but stops your heart? I was pronounced dead at the scene but Nate knew I could still be alive, and he moved me out of the morgue and got me flown to another hospital. By the time I came to everyone thought I was dead so Nate entered me into Witness Protection until they captured the Mahoney’s. I had a new name and everything. I just got released from the system yesterday.” He pauses, bringing his gaze up to her. 

 “All they told me was that you'd been in the fire and that you were alive, but they didn't say anything else. I begged Nate to let me contact you, to let you know I was safe, but I couldn't.”

 “You couldn’t.” she repeats, her voice soft yet deadly. 

 “No,” he replies. “I tried everything. I've missed you so much. You have no idea.”

 Laurel’s eyes flash with anger she didn't know she had. 

 “I have no idea? Really.” 

 Wes flinches. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I didn't –“

 “I thought you were dead, Wes. Do you know what that was like? It all but destroyed me. I was hurt and pregnant and scared and you were gone. I went through absolute hell and now I find out it was all for nothing? That you could've been here this entire time??”

 She shakes her head. Suddenly she’s furious. 

 “God, how dare you?! How dare you come back here and expect everything to be ok?”

 “I don't expect that!” he exclaims, slowly backing away. “I know I hurt you by leaving. I know that. And I hate that I did. I never wanted to hurt you. But if I had stayed, if the Mahoney's had known I was alive they would’ve kept coming after us until I really was dead. And who knows what else they would've hurt in the process. I had to do this, ok? It wasn't for nothing.”

 Tears begin to form in her eyes, which pisses her off even more. 

 “What about our daughter, huh? Did you think about her? About how much she needs you?”

 He balls his fists and brings them to his face. 

 “I swear I didn't know about her. If I had I would have been here or tried harder to get in touch or, I don't know, something. If I had any choice I would’ve been here. You know me.”

 She looks up to see him looking straight at her, his eyes full of sincerity. 

 God, it's really him. He's really, truly here. 

 “I’m so sorry, Laurel. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that alone. But I'm here now, ok?”

 The tears begin to spill over, but she’s yet to let down her guard. 

 “You really didn't know?” she asks, a hint of softness returning to her voice. 

 He shakes his head. 

 “I had no idea.”

 She looks away, wiping a tear from her cheek. Wes makes the tiniest gesture, as if he wants to reach out to her, but at the last second pulls away. For a moment they’re at a standstill, both overwhelmed by all the information being thrown at them. 

 This time it's Wes who breaks the silence. 

 “What’s she like?”

 Her face lights up as the tiniest smile appears on her face. 

 “She’s incredible. I can't even describe it. Honestly I don't know if I would've made it through all of this without her.”

 Laurel pauses. 

 “She reminds me so much of you.”

 A look of surprise crosses Wes’ face. 

 “Really?”

 She nods. “She's got your smile. And she loves everyone, even Connor. And bright colors. Her favorite stuffed animal is this neon orange teddy bear I found on clearance at Target.”

 He laughs. “You're kidding.”

 She shakes her head. 

 “She lights up whenever we play with it. It's in there with her now, actually.”

 At the mention of the baby there's a shift, a change in the air, and once again they both are silent, looking at each other. Wes opens his mouth but quickly closes it again. Like he’s too afraid to say whatever he's thinking. 

 Laurel wipes her eyes once again. An hour ago she thought her daughter would grow up without ever knowing her father. Now here he is, standing right in front of her. 

 She takes a deep breath. 

 “You wanna see her?” 

 He raises his eyebrows, giving her a look of simultaneous relief and fear. 

 “You sure?”

 She nods. “With any luck she’ll still be asleep. I only got her to go down a couple hours ago.”

 Right on cue, tiny cries start coming from Laurel’s bedroom. “I spoke too soon,” she says. 

 Immediately she turns and heads towards the cries, expecting Wes to follow suit.

 But he stays rooted to his spot.

 She’s about to open the door when she turns to sees him still standing in the middle of the room with a panicked expression on his face. Her eyes immediately soften. Almost a year has past yet she can still read him like a book. 

 “Want me to bring her to you?”

 He nods.

 She gives him a small smile, then heads into the room. She scoops up the baby and brings her to her chest, rocking her as her cries begin to fade. 

 “You just wanted to be held, huh?” she murmurs into her little tuft of hair. 

 At the sound of Laurel’s voice the baby looks up at her with big, brown eyes, Wes’ eyes, and almost instantly she feels tears start to form again. In the past hour she’s been hit with every single emotion. But right now she can't help but be happy. She never thought this day would come. 

 “Your daddy’s waiting for you, Mija,” she whispers.

[survivor-all-stars-blog]

Kait’s Jury Question

Hello! I am sad to see that, once again, I am on the jury with an all male final tribal council ahead of me. Unfortunately, I can’t win them all and it’s a crying shame that we missed out on the dragging of Miss Lydia here tonight. Like I said, however, you can’t win them all! So we shall make do with what we have.

Before I start, I just want to say that I do not have my mind made up on what I plan to do, so please keep that in mind while answering my questions. Half ass them like you did your opening speeches, and I’ll half ass my vote!

My first questions are for all of you – how are we? Feeling good? (Genuine question, answer this pls.) Secondly, once merge starts there is always a very clear shift in people’s mentalities due to the jury coming into play. It’d be stupid to want to get to the end of the game knowing that you weren’t getting any votes to win, so I’m sure this has been on each of your guys’ minds. So, I would like to know, from your standpoint, what each of you have done to ensure that I will be voting for you to win this game? I don’t want to hear any convincing with this, I just want you to give me examples and explanations. Also, I would like to know what each of you will be taking away from this game whether that be wisdom to play even better the next game that you play or some life lessons you may or may not have picked up along the way? I’m not necessarily looking for some super strategic answer to this, just be real with me.

Okay, I’m going to start with Wes! Hey pal, remember me? The girl you were oh no so afraid of this whole game? Yeah, hi. I have a bone to pick with you in this game dude, but whether it’s worth actually talking about I’m not so sure. When I confronted you after Pat left, sitting there like what on Earth just happened? I was trying to reach out to you out of sincerity, but your stubbornness of Big Bad Malaysia coming to ruin your crops and burn your house down kept you from having an actual conversation with me. I had wanted to work with you literally since we had started talking about video games together. I sit there like yeah that’s a cool guy, he’s good people and that’s the type of person I’d like to work with. However, that exchange left me feeling like, what the hell just happened? You had voted for me and I’m like yeah man it’s okay, I’m pissed at Jenn and Jimmy not you guys, so no worries. I put on my big girl pants and extended that olive branch to you and you threw it right back at me. With that being said, and taking your opening speech into account I’d like to ask you a one thing! Since, we both are very clear on where we stand with each other and really I saw you online on Xbox playing Overwatch more often than I saw you in my PMs so I’d like you to compare each juror and their gameplay to an Overwatch character taking their individual histories into account. Thank you, Wes, and good luck!

Jack – You contradict yourself just about every other sentence in your opening speech, but you’re such a smart boy I’m sure you have realized that already. Selling yourself so short in your opening speech isn’t cute, so I hope that in your answers you prove yourself to be the powerful force that I know you are. In your speech you mention that you have no idea how the jury feels about you being at the end and I’m gonna sit here and call you on that, because I find that to be utter bullshit. You don’t sit there and get to the end and have zero thoughts on how ten (10) people feel about that. So just real quick, explain to me how you think we feel right now. This doesn’t need to be person by person just an overarching thought on where you think we’re at right now.

My main thing for you Jack – is I want you to actually delve into your relationship with MJ. You didn’t touch upon this at all in your speech, so I want it like cleared up how the decision making went between you guys. Were you calling all of the shots or was it more his influence leading the way? Yes, I know that your whole speech was centered around keeping the big threats around for you to hide behind, but that shouldn’t be taking away from you having a say in the votes and order of how things happened. Thank you!

Jimmy – Ohhhhh boy, you know I love you to death. I just want to say right now how proud I am of you and the growth that you have displayed as a player this season. I’m lucky enough to have played with you closely this game and to have gotten to play with you in my first game, so that growth is most definitely there and something that I think is absolutely commendable in a season like this where just about everyone went about business as usual. My main question for you, is if all the power was in your hands, what would your preferred boot order have been post-Pat’s departure?

Once again good luck to you all & gg Jenn/Jimmy/Kait! ;)

I’m feeling alright.  Felt better, but definitely have felt worse.

You won’t be voting for me to win this game, from my standpoint.

I need to not get so caught up in alliance lines and loyalties that it damages my ability to socialize like a normal, adjusted human being.  As a general life lesson, that translates to me needing to stop running away from my problems and give more effort in fixing them.

This was a really fun question, so I kind of tied in every juror’s demise into the descriptions as well, for kicks.

Ruthie is Tracer.  She has a pleasant personality and when she ran into trouble, she was able to come back into the game anew with 2 more lives, much like tracer can turn back time if she takes a bit of damage.  She can be extremely elusive, so a good team will make sure she is taken care of before she can do some real damage.

Steven is Lucio.  He fits in well in just about any group he finds himself in, and nobody is really ever unhappy to have him around.  He will lend his support to those around him, but if you let him get in your way he might push you off a ledge.  If you don’t take out the healers first you’ll have a hard time eliminating his allies.

Carson is Sombra.  Most of us didn’t really know what to make of him or his agenda, but he was always waiting in the shadows for the right time to strike.  Being detached from the crowd is as much of a bane as it is a boon, however, and if you get caught before you’re set up there won’t be much you can do to save yourself.

Jake is Winston. He possesses the will to leap into the fray and has the survivability to endure a ton of opposition. Best to be stopped before he steamrolls the competition.

Pat is Reinhardt. Bold and brave. A shield to his allies. If he goes off on his own he will be singled out and focused by the enemy team.

Steffen is McCree.  He can do a ton of damage, but because McCree has limited mobility, he is generally less reliable when he doesn’t have enough support.  Players will recognize him as a threat and take him out before he can draw during “high noon”.

Jenn is Ana.  While some people might think Ana is just a healer and a support character, she can wreck pretty much anyone else in the game in a 1v1. If you recognize how massive a threat she is, you’ll need to use teamwork to reliably eliminate her.

Kait, you are Soldier 76.  Generally considered one of the most solid picks in the game.  He can pretty much do it all, heal, damage, dodge, and if he makes it far enough he’ll just put on his tactical visor and he won’t even need to aim at people anymore to kill them.  You were an all around triple threat in this season, and every round you were allowed to stay massively improved your chances of muscling it to the end.

Lydia is Mercy.  You really, REALLY want to take her out, but she’s just so damn slippery.  After a while you try taking out her teammates instead, and just when you’re about to do it? She resurrects them from the dead, with an idol play. Eventually, people will be so focused on her that she won’t have the time to charge up that next rez.

MJ is Roadhog.  It’s gonna take a lot to take him down.  He can see his target, throw out that hook and pull them in for the kill.  Just when you think he’s done fighting, he heals himself back up to full health and unloads a chain gun of scap into your face, and you find yourself on the jury.  Roadhog is usually one of the last ones alive and is always ready to fight to the end, but if he ends up alone against numbers, he might just get taken out.

I'm doing bloody top notch mate! I've had a lot of fun doing this Final Tribal and I'm glad that this is finally coming to an end!!

I don't expect to get your vote because we're mates, that's not how you roll. So I knew if I was ever going to get in this situation, I'd have to earn it. It was pretty established on the get go that you and I play extremely different games. I knew my past style of playing was not going to cut it in All Stars, and you have a unique perspective of being able to compare my previous efforts with this one. I came in here and knew what I had to change up certain aspects to have any taste of success and that's what I did. I used my strengths of being a social guy to work my way in with as many people as I could to open as many doors as I could. I realised my strategical prowess would be lacking in a game where everyone would be masters of it, so I booted out my old ways and kicked it up a fair few notches. I saw my advantages - being under-estimated from end to finish, your and Jenn's loyalty - and I took hold of these and applied them in a way that got me to this point. You were part my Dream Team and you can certainly attest that I didn't make your life easy, making sure that I would do things that I believe would work out for me whether it was voting one of your closest mates in Pat or putting my foot down when yourself and Jenn were going to chuck a curveball at the Jessy vote by kicking me out. Why have I earnt your vote? Because you saying your proud of me and the growth I've displayed is exactly how I want people to come in and see how I've approached this game!

This game has certainly been a tough exercise for me. Looking back to the start where I felt a bit like a fish out of water and seeing myself here, giving a hefty crack at coming on top is incredibly self-fulfilling. Never really tasting success in one of my biggest passions in life always seemed like a bit of a shadow of what has been blast of a time playing these games. I've finally got to this point and I'm proud of the way I got here. I'm stoked to have met a whole clan of new mates and I've blown so many of my own expectations way out of the water. Ultimately, coming away from this, I'm gaining a fair whack of self-belief and drive to go out and achieve whatever I put my mind to, because this is a shining example that I can do exactly that. Who would have thought after all this time Back to the Future had it right along!

With all the power, I'm setting myself for my best shot at winning and the path of least resistance there

MJ - I remove a wildcard and gain control

Kait - If I'm going to win Malaysia can't be Final 3 and this the last time we had a numbers minority. Don't think it would have been easy to convince to do what I plan with Jenn

Jack - The jury have confirmed what I had recognised for a while and that this guy would give me a run for my money

Lydia - Although I think I would have edged her out, there's a mob that I have a better shot with

Jenn - with a lot people tipping her to win, she'll fall on her sword for me

Final 3 - Jimmy, Steffen, Wes - based on how these guys played I think I’d be here with my best shot