#one day i will legitimately beat the answer

[anotherlongstoryshort]

Things about the Wisdom Saga that have plagued me all damn day

Legendary

Whether intentional or not, Miguel's Telemachus really sounds like a younger version of Jorge's Odysseus. And that hurts.

"If I fight those monsters, is it you I'll find?" The layers. Could he go out and hunt for his father? Could he find his 'legendary' strength within himself? Or will Odysseus be the 'monster' he finds?

"Somebody help me, come and give me the strength" And his call is answered T_T

20 years.

Antinous fully interrupts this bop. Rude.

Ayron sounds legitimately scary and Telemachus taking a stand is so O.O

Little Wolf

I wanna fight this guy. Love that Athena agrees. (The beat of the song and sharp bursts of vocals really emulate blows.)

The quaver on "I don't know how".

Athena is immediately charmed by Telemachus' enthusiasm. She sounds so fond.

The fact she sees heart in him as an advantage when it was Odysseus choosing heart over mind that drove them apart. Guh.

Did she tell him to bite Antinous? XD

"Oh, maybe I pushed you a bit too hard." The change in her perspective is already so apparent - she wouldn't have admitted a mistake or miscalculation to Odysseus.

We'll Be Fine

"I had a friend before..." A FRIEND? FRIEND?!?!

An admission that she didn't fully appreciate what Odysseus was going through, that she feels guilty for having "missed it all".

It's unclear to begin with if she's come to Telemachus for Odysseus, or to try and replace him. Both are equally heart-breaking.

"I don't know who your friend is, I don't know what he's like" UNKNOWINGLY ECHOING HIS OWN THOUGHTS IN 'LEGENDARY'. NO IT'S FINE I'M FINE.

"The best day of my life because I got in a fight and I didn't die! :D" Telemachus, child, please.

"We'll be fine" using the same run as "this is my goodbye" T_T

Him immediately offering up friendship to Athena, like Odysseus once did, must hit her so hard. "You're a good kid." Yes he is - because he's more like his dad than he knows.

Love in Paradise

"Old friend..." FRRRRRIIIIEEEENNNNNDDDDD!!!!!

10 years.

The memory fragments sounding so fraught and chaotic together, hitting harder because they're hitting Athena all at once. She missed a lot.

"She's my wife." "Anyways..." Calypso, girl, please.

Love that they're singing completely different melodies through the first half of this song for two reasons: because Odysseus is revisiting previous motifs, once more trying to hold onto the man he was, and also because it shows Calypso is not willing to compromise on what she wants.

"Last I checked goddesses can't die." We'll come back to this later.

Then Odysseus realises he is truly trapped and he sings along to Calypso's melody in muted horror.

POLITIES OUT HERE STILL HAUNTING THE NARRATIVE.

Just the words "open arms" are enough to confront Odysseus (again) with all he's lost. All he hears are screams.

And the one he screams out for is Athena.

"He needs my help." NO KIDDING GO GET YOUR BOY.

God Games

"Father, God, King..." There's a lot to unpack in that fun family dynamic.

"To untie apprehensions that were placed on that Greek?" Zeus is like, nobody likes that guy, why do you care?

The gods being called out like X Factor finalists is everything.

So there's a great contrast against the previous song - unlike Calypso, Athena is matching each of her singing partners with their tone and beat as she convinces them. She isn't winning by 'imposing her will', she's meeting them where they are.

Rational arguments work until Aphrodite, where Athena says "please" for the first time. She softens to appeal to Aphrodite, which is why Ares has to step in.

The way she says his name XD

Ares' lines sound like as much of a fighting chant as 'Little Wolf' did, which makes it all the better that the mention of Telemachus is what gets her to 'fight back'.

"His son's my friend!" YES HE IS. And Athena of all people declaring "a broken heart can mend" is fascinating. Can't help but wonder if she's talking about herself coming around to forgiving Odysseus.

"Never once has he cheated on his wife." Handwaving the source material is worth it for this line ALONE.

Zeus is so pressed by everyone openly knowing he cheats on Hera. Stop doing it then my dude.

Ares sounding genuinely concerned for Athena is doing things to me. Goddesses can't die, huh?

Her time motif flitting in and out like a weak heartbeat.

The soft piano of 'Warrior of the Mind', touching on a whisper of 'Legendary', then rising to a triumphant crescendo as Athena regains herself. I will be forever haunted by visions of Odysseus and Telemachus helping her to her feet.

And then, finally, she faces her own father and begs. Because Odysseus and Telemachus deserve a chance to be father and child.

The parallel, by the way, of Athena entering this saga to help an outnumbered Telemachus, and now closing it with him/Odysseus unknowingly helping her win her own battle too. JORGE HOW DARE YOU T_T

[mariacallous]

I LOVED this article. Leslie Gray Streeter expresses it perfectly.

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/opinion/column/kamala-harris-no-press-interviews-OPD4MAXYKRB4XJHB2TFB6ZJX6Q/

Since becoming the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, Vice President Kamala Harris has done myriad public appearances and given speeches but has not, as of this writing, talked to journalists outside a brief session on the tarmac before a flight.

I’m a journalist and have been for more than half my life. And you know what? I don’t blame her one bit.

Because of her refusal to sit for an interview with any print or broadcast media, Harris has been the target of a lot of indignant insistence that she change her mind — that she’s not giving the American public answers they deserve. Critics say she’s subverting an expected system that all other elected officials have gone through. They say she’s hiding behind a wall of hype and “irrational exuberance” that is proof she lacks the toughness to hold the office she seeks.

Be ever so real, y’all. You know that quote, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”? It would be insane to subject yourself to unfettered questions by an industry that doesn’t seem to know how to handle interviews with true journalistic integrity and practices. Why beat your head against a wall you know is made of brick and disinformation?

Harris has seen a media landscape that arguably legitimized soon-to-be-President Donald Trump as a normal candidate when he was sowing seeds of unrest, writing about him agreeing to accept the 2016 election results, “if I win,” and then denying those results in 2020 with not an nth of the absolute pushback and condemnation it deserved. She saw, as we all did, major outlets referring to obvious racist attacks by the current Republican nominee and others as “racially tinged” and to blatant bloody lies as “falsehoods” and “misstatements.”

The vice president recently approached the press gaggle with a deliberately direct “Whatcha got?” That is the same thing my late daddy used to ask me point-blank when I’d been calling and calling and he knew I wanted something. The reporters had been clamoring for this. And their response? A bunch of requests for a response to crazy stuff Trump said about her.

This is the same industry that initially wrote presidential fanfic pondering replacement candidates that weren’t Harris. Then, when President Joe Biden stepped down from the race and named her as his chosen successor, they compiled panels ruminating on Trump’s assertions about her racial identity. Fox News has gone on the attack about her every day, but she’s being called a coward for not agreeing to a debate on that network in front of an arena of opposing fans.

Yeah, no. She is not, as we say in my culture, Boo Boo the Fool, nor is she, as she’s stated, falling for the okey-doke. Would you rush to sit down to withstand more of that foolishness? I would not. Despite the protestations of several writers from traditional media absolutely aghast at her avoidance of them, the truth is that Kamala Harris doesn’t need them.

Just as Trump has flocked to friendly outlets like Fox and a live conversation on X with app owner Elon Musk (or what Harris’ team referred to as “whatever that was”), Harris has done speeches at a rally in North Carolina and last week in Prince George’s County, and she has her savvy and very online comms team to get her message out. It’s smart, because most outlets have proven they don’t know how to approach her.

The vice president has expressed interest in setting something up, but I wouldn’t be shocked if she sidesteps your Dana Bashes and Kristen Welkers and does something inventive. If I were her, I’d talk to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, who has himself been critical of media colleagues, including his own network.

Maybe she should completely pivot and do something fun like “Hot Ones,” where she can answer policy questions while eating spicy wings. Talk to Teen Vogue. Do podcasts. Hang out with “The Real Housewives of Potomac.” I know these sound like lightweight options, but are any of these suggestions less weighty than Harris’ opponent, who bleats lies and racism on his own app, or his approved media partners who go on about Harris’ laugh, dating history and heritage? It’s all a circus. I say make your own big top.

And if madam vice president decides to talk to the traditional media, be it the New York Times or CNN, I think she should only do so with interviewers who have proven themselves to have cultural competency about race, gender, historically Black colleges and universities, the Divine 9 Greek system, step parenting and being a baddie in the 1990s. I’m not saying it has to be a friendly person like Trump seeks, but it does have to be someone who respects Harris enough as a candidate to do research and not spend the whole time asking gotcha questions about her opponent’s lies. Heck, I’ll do it! I know this is a long shot, but at least I know what okey-doke means.

I am excited for Harris’ future media choices because they are sure to be unprecedented, just like her candidacy. And it’s going to be on her terms. Everyone gets to set theirs, after all.

[shadowtriovibes]

Hi! I absolutely love your fics! I have a little request/idea. Sebastian finds out that MC has a little crush on professor sharp and all of a sudden can’t stand his favorite professor. (His small crush on professor garlick is totally different and super justified)

jealousy, you got me somehow

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 1.7K

Summary: Sebastian finds out about your little crush on a certain Potions master and all of a sudden can’t stand the man. (His small crush on Professor Garlick is, of course totally different and super justified.)

“You’re sure you won’t become too affected by Sharp’s dulcet tones and neglect something important?” he asks with a smirk. Annoyed, you huff and abandon your notes at your side. “You’ve been waiting several days to bring this up again,” you grumble. “I should’ve known I wasn’t safe.”

Sebastian first finds out about your little preoccupation when he innocently stumbles upon you studying with a group of your fellow Slytherin girls in a quiet corner of the library. Or at least, it was quiet until Nerida Roberts had started to derail your entirely legitimate conversation about the uses of Dittany for an upcoming Potions exam by bringing up Professor Sharp himself.

“He’s just so handsome,” she sighs dreamily. “How am I supposed to focus on what’s going on in my cauldron when he’s standing right across the room looking all brooding and roguish?”

Violet McDowell giggles and adds, “I could listen to him talk all afternoon and I wouldn’t learn a single thing!”

“I suppose that’s why so many seventh-year girls are still taking Potions even if they don’t need it for their N.E.W.T.s,” you murmur.

“Can you blame us?” Violet sighs. “You must admit, he’s quite nice to look at.”

“Of course I think he’s handsome,” you say with a scoff. “Just because I have a boyfriend doesn’t mean I can’t see the man.”

As if on cue, Sebastian comes around the corner carrying a large stack of books on defensive magic and spots the three of you huddled around your Potions notes.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” he says with an easy smile.

Sebastian sets his books on the edge of the table and leans down next to you to steal a chaste kiss while he can. He’s seen relatively little of you this week while you both prepare for exams in classes the other doesn’t have, so not even your late-night study sessions have overlapped.

“Speak of the devil,” Nerida teases.

“Shh!” you whisper. “Enough now.”

“Not keeping secrets from me, are you?” Sebastian asks teasingly as he snags one of the empty seats.

“Of course not,” you demur. “By the way, have you got my Potions notes from last week? I think I mixed them up with yours from Ancient Runes.”

Sebastian chuckles and asks, “Trying to change the subject? I must have walked into something quite scandalous.”

“It’s nothing bad,” Nerida says teasingly. “We were just chatting about Professor Sharp.”

“Oh?” Sebastian asks, surprised. “What’s he done now?”

“Nothing,” Violet McDowell answers. “We were just saying that he’s easily the most handsome professor at Hogwarts.”

“He’s certainly your girlfriend’s favorite,” Nerida says with a smirk.

Sebastian raises a skeptical eyebrow at you, and sure enough, you’re blushing.

“Really?” he drawls. “You have a thing for Sharp?”

“No!” you whine. “I just – I really like Potions class, that’s all.”

“Of course you do,” Violet taunts. “So you can moon over Sharp during his lectures!”

You shoot Violet a threatening look and not-so-gently kick the toe of your boot against her shin underneath the table. She yelps and curses under her breath before indignantly burying her face behind her Potions textbook, and Nerida wisely avoids eye contact and doesn’t offer anything further.

After a beat, Sebastian clears his throat and says, “Well then, I, er… suppose I’ll leave you girls to it.”

He helps himself to one more kiss goodbye and you can tell by the significant look he gives you before leaving that this is not the last you’ll hear from him about your crush.

Sure enough, a few nights later the two of you manage to claim a loveseat by the fire in your common room where you can curl up against his side and revise your Potions notes one last time before your exam while Sebastian dutifully transcribes runic diagrams onto lengths of parchment.

“Are you feeling prepared for your exam tomorrow?” he asks you casually.

“I think so,” you answer. “It’s not a practical, so I can’t imagine it will be too challenging.”

“You’re sure you won’t become too affected by Sharp’s dulcet tones and neglect something important?” he asks with a smirk.

Annoyed, you huff and abandon your notes at your side.

“You’ve been waiting several days to bring this up again,” you grumble. “I should’ve known I wasn’t safe.”

“What?” he laughs. “I’m just teasing you, love.”

You narrow your eyes at him skeptically. “I’m not sure I believe you.”

“Well, it’s just… I don’t really know what you see in him, that’s all,” he murmurs, lazily turning a page in his Ancient Runes textbook.

You frown. “What do you mean?”

“I just think he’s rather foul,” Sebastian says plainly. “He’s impatient, meticulous, he’s clearly got a dark past and I truly don’t understand why all you girls think he’s obviously the most handsome man at Hogwarts. To me, he’s simply average.”

Merlin’s beard, you think. You knew Sebastian wasn’t a fan of Hogwarts’ Potions master, but you had no idea his dislike ran so deep.

“I think he’s a good professor,” you offer quietly. “He’s always been quite helpful to me, especially when I needed to master healing potions, and he saved my life in the Repository.”

“How generous of him,” Sebastian mumbles.

Angrily, you sit up a little straighter and pluck Sebastian’s quill out of his hand so he’ll look at you.

“And what about you?” you demand indignantly. “While we’re on the subject of good-looking professors, I happen to know that you turn into a stammering, blushing fool whenever Professor Garlick is nearby.”

You know for a fact that Sebastian Sallow is not an idiot, which is why it’s all the more frustrating when he tries to deny something you’ve known about for months.

“I do not!” Sebastian protests. “That’s – that’s ridiculous.”

You scoff and roll your eyes. “You are not a subtle person, Sebastian, nor are you particularly good at being punctual, yet somehow you’re never late to the greenhouses.”

“W-well, I’m rubbish at Herbology so I like to make sure I won’t miss anything important,” he lies.

“Maybe you wouldn’t be quite so rubbish if you actually listened to the professor instead of staring at her chest for the entire lesson,” you grumble.

Sebastian goes bright red. Clearly, he had no idea you could see him doing that.

“Look,” he whines. “It doesn’t mean anything, I just think she’s nice to look at is all.”

“And I’m not allowed to think Professor Sharp is handsome?” you counter.

“It’s different,” he insists. “You actually like him, it’s not just an attraction.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you hiss.

“It means he’s a powerful wizard, a brilliant duellist and he’s a former Auror for Merlin’s sake,” Sebastian angrily confesses. “I couldn’t possibly measure up to that.”

You feel your heart break a little when you realize what this is truly all about – your love’s relentless insecurities, the same ones he’s battled for many years now.

Softly, you ask Sebastian, “Do you actually feel threatened that I might leave you for a professor? We’re seventeen, Seb.”

“It’s preposterous, I know,” he sighs. “But I just… I feel like I could never compete with him.”

“Sebastian,” you croon as you take your hand in his lap. “I want you to listen to me very clearly, alright?”

You wait patiently for him to meet your gaze before you continue.

“As you said, Professor Sharp is impatient,” you agree. “He’s also meticulous, and maybe he does have some darkness in his past. But you also said that he’s a brilliant duelist and a powerful wizard. Do you know who else has all those traits?”

Sebastian swallows nervously and squeezes your hand a little tighter.

“You do, love,” you say softly. “So perhaps the reason I’m fond of him is that he reminds me of you.”

“I’m not an Auror,” he points out a little sullenly. “And I’ve never saved your life.”

“Not yet you aren’t, but we both know that’s why you’re studying for Ancient Runes so much lately,” you say with a fond smirk. “And since I’ve saved your life plenty of times, I’m sure you’ll return the favor someday.”

Wordlessly, Sebastian tugs you against his chest and presses a soft kiss to the top of your head.

“I love you so much,” he murmurs into your hair. “I’m sorry for being such a prat.”

“Apology accepted,” you whisper into his chest. “And I love you too, you fool.”

He holds you close for a while after that, nose buried in your hair while you listen to his slow, even heartbeat through his uniform shirt. When he finally lets you sit up so that he can kiss you properly – not one of those chaste ones from the library – you find yourself halfway in his lap before you even realize you’ve shifted.

For Merlin’s sake, your notes are in a messy pile on the floor now.

You huff and try to climb off of him to gather them up, but Sebastian coaxes you back to him with a single finger on your chin, his eyes firmly fixed on your lips. By the time he’s kissed your frustration away, you can’t even remember what you were supposed to be studying for.

“We should bicker more often,” Sebastian says with a satisfied grin, his lips slightly swollen.

“On that subject, I was just wondering…” you ask him with a teasing smile. “Is there anything Professor Garlick has that I don’t? Should I be worried?”

“Absolutely not,” he murmurs as he flicks open the top button of your shirt. “Truthfully, you both have two very nice things in common.”

“You’re foul,” you tell him simply.

“I meant that you’re both kind-hearted and beautiful,” he says smoothly.

You’re positive that you know exactly what Sebastian meant and appreciate the compliment nonetheless. In fact, he’s being so sweet that you even let him undo a few more buttons while you can take advantage of your seclusion.

The next day during your Potions exam, while your female classmates are undoubtedly slipping in and out of pleasant daydreams about your alluring professor, all you can think about is Sebastian’s lips on your neck and his hand inside your shirt as he’d whispered all sorts of electrifying promises about what he’ll do to you after you turn in your parchment.

It’s a fierce struggle to focus on Dittany of all things with that in the back of your mind, but Professor Sharp is nevertheless pleased when you end up being the first to submit your completed exam and then promptly excuse yourself from the dungeons.

[essentiallyleaf]

day 14. underwater sex. with. kim chaeyeon.

1164 words.

tags.

kinktober ‘23, idol x male reader, girlfriend chaeyeon, life is hard, sometimes i want to escape, underwater sex, a little jealousy, semi-public sex, breeding, do i use periods too much?, i’m writer, so if you find any bad takes in here, i blame the characters (and one of them is you, so who’s really at fault here?), terrible pacing, zero setup, just a bunch of fluff followed by some smut.

notes.

tararì tararà. inspiredly, leaf.

That sea blue van would be your home for the summer. You bought it second-hand after you got out of high school, painted it the least bland color you could find, packed it with your stuff and started driving. “Your stuff” included, in no particular order: a big boombox, an empty backpack, two plastic leis, a portable stove, a skateboard, a panda onesie and a giraffe onesie, a Rubik’s cube, a ukulele, Luffy’s straw hat, a My Melody trousse and an array of colorful carpets and blankets. (Oh, and all those “you”’s stand for youse, of course. Isn’t this language a peculiar one, where it’s all you’s, whether they come in ones or twos?)

You like Europe, Chaeyeon likes the sea. Sounds like a perfect match. She loves standing with her head and upper torso out of the window on the rooftop, and opening her arms wide, the feeling of the wind between her hair, on her face. It’s fast and it’s present, it’s right now. You love to just turn The Japanese House up when she does that, and watch the sun set, or rise, or just stay up at its zenith, or rest from its hard work while the stars embellish the night sky like shiny little white gems on deep blue velvet. You obviously can’t see her face from the driver’s seat, but you can picture it exactly in your mind, and it’s beautiful.

There was no set route, no bulleted list with places to visit, every night you went to bed not knowing where you’d head the next day. Just drove on seaside roads for hours until you found a nice spot, then parked the van, set up on the beach, and spent the day there. Reading coming-of-age books, playing go, debating Miyazaki (Ghibli Miyazaki, not From Miyazaki; you like the magic of Spirited Away, she likes the rawness of Grave of the Fireflies, she says as far as stories go, you can never beat humanity; for the other one, you both agree it’s Bloodborne and it’s not even close).

One day in early July, you were somewhere between Alicante and Cartagena, the midday sun was hot but still bearable (they say the low humidity helps), the beach fairly empty. You went to the kiosk to get Chaeyeon an orangeade, the girl behind you in line said hi with a courteous smile and started talking to you about vegan sunscreen. When you got back and gave her the drink, she said she wasn’t thirsty anymore.

“Did something happen?”

“I don’t know, you tell me,” she answered while pouting.

“What’s this all about? Did I do something wrong?” You asked, confused.

“Nah, you probably did everything right, I mean, that pretty girl looked so over the moon as you were hitting on her.” A veil of jealousy coated her face.

“Hitting on her? Chae, that girl is as pretty as she’s uninteresting, you have no idea”

“Yeah?” She tried to hide her legitimate curiosity.

“I asked her what drew her to Spain and she was like, ‘I heard you can get really good tans’” Chaeyeon snorted. Not exactly your type.

You made aglio e olio pasta on the portable stove for lunch; your mom always used to put a little anchovy paste in it even though you didn’t like it, it was one of the many silly reasons why you thought you hated her in your early teens, now it’s somehow become a fond memory of her. After a couple hours of fairly silent crosswords and solitaires lying down in her blue one-piece swimsuit, you asked her:

“Wanna put our feet in the water?”

“M'kay. Not too long though, I gotta finish this sudoku”

Feet became knees became hips, and in two minutes flat the two of you were twenty-five meters away from shore, the water at the level of your nipples, which is the level of her chin. Not that you expected anything different, she loves the sea like that, she just can’t help it. You hugged and kissed her and one of your fingers found itself under the strap of her swimsuit.

“W-What are you doing?” She giggled, startled and excited.

“Sh-shh, no one can see us”

“You are such a horny dork”

The strap came off, the other followed soon after. As you pushed the top part of her one-piece below her boobs to fondle them, her laughs only made space for soft moans. One of your hands reached lower for her core, first above the blue fabric, then pushing it aside and starting to massage her lower lips. She mewled in your mouth as your thumb circled around her clit.

“Can you do this for me, baby?”

“Mmh-what?”

“Turn around”

You rotated her hips as she was now also facing the shore, only a few people in the water, none at close, or even moderate distance. You helped her bend over slightly, one hand at her shoulder, one around her waist as support. Her hands lowered your swim trunks and stroked your erection a couple times before guiding it to her slit.

“Can I?” you asked.

“Yeah, just fucking, don’t make it obvious”

“You should be the one worrying about that,” you teased as you pushed yourself in.

She whimpered at your penetration, the water simultaneously making the surfaces feel more slippery and the space in between them feel more stuffy. It was quite a different sensation, but certainly no less pleasing. As soon as you bottomed out in her, you pulled your hips back and immediately hit her ass with your pelvis again in a quick motion (she couldn’t contain a high-pitched whine, which fortunately didn’t overpower the sound of the waves building up and crashing onto the sand). Rinse and repeat.

Your palms quickly found themselves on her irresistible tits again as she looked for support with her hands behind your lower back and on your asscheeks. Seeing the two of you in that state surely wouldn’t have been flattering, but fortunately no one did. So you could continue to pound Chaeyeon’s pussy from behind as you groped her beautiful, soft mounds, stimulating her nipples with your fingers. Her moans getting louder and louder told you everything you needed to know.

“Where do you want it?”

“Fuh- Don’t waste it”

At those exact words, you emptied yourself deep in her, the walls around you tightening repeatedly as she hit her own orgasm. You wrapped your arms all around her as you gradually slowed your movements down, making sure her legs wouldn’t give up on her now.

“Can you piggyback me back there?”

“Not even pull your swimsuit back up? Such a slut, for real”

“Oh, I’m the slut? What about the guy who flirts with any vegan tan girl he sees?”

You stayed silent as pushed two fingers in her slit and gathered some of your cum before bringing them to her lips and letting her lick them clean.

“None of them get this”

-

footnotes.

feeling like driving now. peacefully, leaf.

[jrow]

May Prompts (19)

Day 18 here. Start from the beginning here. Day 20 here.

Weather

They are talking about the bloody weather.

Sure, he is legitimately thrilled to be outside for the first time in days (even if he is stuck in a wheelchair) and it is unseasonably warm. But still, the weather hardly warrants 10 minutes of conversation. He knows that he and Molly are both avoiding having what might be a slightly uncomfortable conversation. It is so very British.

He sighs and looks at Molly, who is still talking about how Toby loves lying in the sun. Enough is enough.

“Molly,” he interrupts, “do you know if I gave Sherlock his birthday gift? Do you know if he opened it?” There is no point in beating around the bush.

Her shoulders tighten a bit but she lets out a sigh. It’s like she’s both relieved and anxious that they are having this conversation. “You definitely gave it to him. I guess you don’t remember but you were … determined when you went over there that night.” She smiles sadly. “It was about time, if you ask me.”

He takes a deep breath. “I don’t remember getting to Baker Street but … yeah, determined is the right word. I remember feeling that.” He closes his eyes. “Sherlock hasn’t said anything.”

Molly scooches down the bench so she’s closer to him. “He hasn’t opened it,” she stage whispers. She looks around the hospital garden as if making sure no one’s listening. “I popped by Baker Street yesterday—Mrs. Hudson let me in. I wasn’t snooping, I swear! Sherlock borrowed a few files from me last week and I needed them back. I didn’t have the heart to ask him to get them so I just did it myself.” She leans closer. “And your gift was still unwrapped on the coffee table.”

He rubs his hand over his face. “Okay, that answers one question. But why hasn’t he mentioned it at least? Even in his recounting of what happened that night?”

“John,” she says, reaching out and touching his leg. “He’s terrified. And, quite frankly, he has other things on his mind.”

“He feels guilty. It’s obvious.”

“Yes. Incredibly obvious.” She chuckles. “He feels guilty about your fall. You know how he can be. Somehow his silly little brain has decided it’s his fault. I suppose he thinks he should have caught you.”

She makes a good point, but he can’t help but worry it’s something else. “It could be about the gift, though. What if he deduced what’s in the box and feels guilty that he doesn’t want the same.”

She looks to the sky and sighs. “Boys,” she says quietly as if to herself before turning her gaze back towards him. “That’s stupid, John,” she says bluntly.

John leans back, a bit offended. “Come on, you know Sherlock can deduce anything.”

“Not about you!” she says, raising her hands in the air. “You’re his blindspot.” She puts her hands down and takes a deep breath. “And do you really think he’d spend time deducing a birthday gift while you were lying in a hospital bed? I saw him that morning, John. He was a mess. Kept it together on all things Rosie but all in all a mess. He’s not feeling guilty because he thinks he needs to let you down easy.”

John feels slightly chastised but also better. Molly isn’t lying about this. She believes what she’s saying. That’s the best he can hope for.

“Thanks, Molly,” he says, leaning forward to put a hand on her shoulder. “For everything.”

“I’m happy to help. I keep offering to do more with Rosie, but Sherlock refuses. At some point I do want to actually see her when she’s awake!”

He laughs. That all sounds about right.

She shrugs. “You know, I’m not sure Sherlock will get it anyways. When he opens the gift, I mean. You are trusting that present to explain quite a lot. Most people would just see it for what it is. A bit extravagant maybe, but that’s it.”

“He’ll take one look and put the pieces together.”

“Blind spot, John. And then you’ll be forced to use your words. Heaven forbid.”

“He’ll know, Molly.” He takes a breath. “I was determined. I am trying to get that determination back. And … I’m not good with words.”

“You two are a pair in that regard.” She shakes her head and then stands up. “Come on, let’s get back.”

@keirgreeneyes @raina-at @totallysilvergirl @meetinginsamarra @jolieblack @phoenix27884 @friday411 @calaisreno @quimerasyutopias @lisbeth-kk @safedistancefrombeingsmart @momma2boys @helloliriels @dapetty

Let me know if you want to be added or removed 😊

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

I've said all of this stuff already but I'm pissed rn and it's therapeutic to type it out:

Maul's presence on Mandalore in TCW s7 is NOT a priority. The political situation on Mandalore, while shitty, has been the same for the civilian population since s5, with or without Maul there. Things can wait a bit.

Sure, capturing Maul is possibly time sensitive (since they don't know how long he'll be on-planet), but taking back Mandalore isn't. If Maul leaves before they show up the planet is just as easy to take. Bo-Katan is using his presence as an incentive because she doesn't have the necessary forces to win, whether or not he's there. The situation is only urgent for her because if Maul leaves then the Republic has no reason to help her cause. The situation is not urgent for Mandalore because, again, it's been the same for basically a year - Maul's presence has little impact on the people, his forces are the problem and they have never left.

The Republic didn't "refuse" to help after s5, they just had no more reason to. Almec is still legitimately Prime Minister (accepted by the people) and Mandalore is an independent sovereign system that has spent actual years refusing outside interference. The second Maul bails "helping" goes back to being called "invading".

Capturing Maul is also not even a priority to the Republic (Republic =/= Jedi Order) because Palpatine ordered the Jedi to stop bothering with him in s5. Officially Maul is 'just' a crime lord, and he's not allied with the Separatists or even attacking the Republic. It's well established in TCW that the Jedi don't have the manpower to deal with the underworld anymore. What's the point of dismantling black markets and crime rings if the planet gets bombed into oblivion the next day? Priorities.

The Jedi can't do what they want with Republic resources. As awful as it is, the Clones belong to the Republic. The Jedi can be ordered to pull out of a situation whenever the Senate pleases. (see above)

Capturing Maul (what would be the Jedi's goal going to Mandalore) would really best be accomplished somewhere he doesn't have all his forces backing him up (again, confronting there is for Bo-Katan's benefit because her own goal isn't just to capture Maul but to beat his forces which she wants the Republic to do for her)

The Battle of Coruscant is ABSOLUTELY a pivotal point in the war and the main priority. The second the Separatists show up above the Republic's central seat of power? The political and military capital? The most densely populated planet in the Galaxy? It's time to drop literally everything else. The Senate is there. The Temple is there. A LOT of their troops are stationed there. There are hundreds of thousands of billions of people living there. Even pulling forces out of allied worlds to go help Coruscant wouldn't be a dick move, just a desperate one - nevermind waiting to send troops to a neutral-on-a-good-day-and-more-or-less-enemy-the-rest-of-the-time world.

The Jedi don't even refuse to help.

They don't.

Why am I typing all of this to defend their refusal to help? They don't refuse to help.

Obi-Wan wants to take a hot minute to THINK ABOUT the implications of going guns blazing into neutral sovereign territory to confront a dude who has an extremely personal vendetta against him and is known to set traps of precisely this kind. (And Obi-Wan is right to consider these things because HEY! IT IS A TRAP! MAUL SLAUGHTERS A BUNCH OF CLONES AS A BREADCRUMBS TRAIL TO LEAD SOMEONE HE HOPES TO BE OBI-WAN INTO A TRAP!)

Obi-Wan also answers to the rest of Council, just like every other Council member. Bo-Katan gets pissy that he's not giving an answer right that instant because SHE needs Maul to still be there, but thinking things through is literally Obi-Wan's job description.

And after all this, after the attack on Coruscant and the political considerations, THE JEDI DON'T EVEN REFUSE TO HELP.

The Mandalorian traditionalists' favorite pastime is attempting to kill Jedi. Not too long ago, Bo was right there when Pre was trying to kill Obi-Wan. And then trying to kill Ahsoka. And then allying with the Sith (who notoriously want to kill all the Jedi) on two separate occasions (Dooku and Maul). The Mandos PRIDE THEMSELVES on hating the Jedi. There has never been in canon an instance of a Prequels-era Mando warrior helping a Jedi out for altruistic motives.

Bo-Katan is appealing to the Order's decency (saying that her people suffer etc etc) but she doesn't even have the honesty to couch it as a real, desperate plea for help. Instead she presents the situation as transactional, as though she was bringing anything concrete onto the table. If the Republic comes in, takes Mandalore for her and captures Maul, she has contributed to the effort how, exactly? What has she given the Republic? How many people fight for her is left pretty vague but we really don't see that many of them. Plus it's her planet. Fighting for it isn't her giving the Republic anything, it's still her helping herself. And yet she gets incredibly pissed when Obi-Wan takes time to examine the 'deal.'

In light of the two previous arguments, the Jedi would in fact have been perfectly justified in telling Bo to eat some freaking humble pie.

THE JEDI. DON'T REFUSE. TO HELP.

Sure it's Obi-Wan specifically who okays the operation, before the rest of the Council can make a decision, but do they order the troops to pull out afterwards? Nope. Do they sanction him? Nope.

They do help.

They really shouldn't have let Bo-Katan in charge but hey, they get all massacred after that and the Republic's backing is literally what gives Bo-Katan legitimacy in the eyes of many clans for decades after (see the Protectors' position in Rebels. Her legitimacy stems from SATINE'S and the Republic apparently backing her up as Satine's heir. It's not from kicking Maul out.)

(I love Bo-Katan as a character but as a person she's. huh. a lot. She changed from outright villain to morally gray character because the villains got a lot worse not bc she got better lmo)

So the Jedi absolutely did help afgfdsdfgfdsdfd why are people getting pissy about Obi-Wan - who has a complicated history with Mandalore that involves a loved one getting murdered in front of his eyes by Maul - hesitating to help

They really didn't refuse to help.

They really had every reason to

It would have been perfectly reasonable in fact

Yeah they have a mandate to protect innocent people but there were a lot more innocent people on Coruscant

Innocent people who did want their help instead of yelling GTFO every time they showed up

Because the Mando civilians sure didn't want them there

Oh and also? They didn't refuse to help

[flanpucci]

Hello and welcome to my TED talk today I have decided to write a wall of text about why portraying Dio and Pucci’s relationship as manipulation is actually taking a lot out of Pucci’s agency and character, and diminishing him. Disclaimer that this is not shipping discourse, this is media analysis. I don’t want to talk about whether it is moral or not that they get along, I don’t care, I only want to comment on the media.

So someone sent me a DM telling me that Dio was manipulating an emotionally distraught and vulnerable Pucci into following his plan, and that he exploited him to do all sorts of crimes (framing Jolyne, killing people, stealing discs) by presenting himself as a trustworthy, God-like figure, and called the Heaven plan ‘Heaven’ to get Pucci to follow it by exploiting his religious beliefs.

First of all Dio met Pucci before he was distraught about his sister's situation. After the situation occurred, it is Pucci who seeked him for answers as to why he was alive and not his sibling/s, like he seeked answers from God a few years before by becoming a priest student. Dio left a door open, nothing more. Of course Dio was seeking to be admired, he was also seeking companionship as he has always done ever since he was young, and someone to carry his plan. Pucci was looking for answers, for self-growth, for someone to push him towards the top, towards what he believes is the destiny that was designed for him (the reason he’s alive and not his twin).

Is it forbidden to look for something in someone? Does it make it not genuine? No, we all look for something in a friendship. And this seemed like a fair deal for both. One needs a trusted friend, an ally, but not a blind follower, and as we’ll see later, he needs someone to help him transcend his human? vampire? condition again. The other one needs a reason to live, a quest to fulfill, and hope that he could one day obtain the ‘happiness’ and ‘peace of mind’ that Dio wants so much too. He’s also someone who strives for greatness, who wants to ‘step outside human boundaries’.

Not forgetting that Pucci is someone fueled by a profound curiosity and rationality, it is only natural that he’d side with someone who has the abilities and ambition Dio has. Framing Jolyne, killing people, stealing discs, it is all out of Pucci's agency, long after the death of Dio. He's actually the one who suggested he could store and use Survivor, and he’s the one who asked for it! Dio thought Survivor was useless, that it was only a weakness, and Pucci convinced him with the idea that it could be prove itself useful.

Pucci is shown to have ‘lost’ faith in Christianity very early on, maybe not really having true religious belief at all (as in, the actually believing there’s a God sense.) He got into priesthood for philosophical reasons (seeking answers to an existential question). He seems to be a very pragmatic christian with interests in science that contradicts some of the scripture’s theories.

I don't think calling the plan ‘Heaven’ was a bait based on Pucci's religious beliefs. Over Heaven isn't canon, but it shows Dio having a very Christian mother. He's an intelligent man, born in a very christian time and place, and thought ‘Heaven’ was the name of the kingdom promised to the legitimate ruler of the world, himself. If anything the first time they meet he makes it very clear they're not striving for anything Bible related but for realizing their full potential and finding happiness.

Dio saw very early on that Pucci was not a very faithful catholic, judging by the book he's reading when they meet in the ossuary, and then Pucci commiting crimes even before seeing Dio again (hiring someone to beat up his brother, leaving his brother as dead). He then commits blasphemy by calling him King of Kings and comparing his love to the one he has for God. Pucci does not think of Dio as the christian God, he loves him as he loves God, but he's not blind and misled. He refers to him with proximity terms all throughout the manga (even when he's young), never used honorifics like the henchmen do, calls him 'kimi' (casual/informal ‘you’), 'my close friend'.

Even Dio uses ‘kimi’ instead of the ‘omae’ that shows inferiority that he uses with Vanilla for example. In the way they talk to/about each other, they're protrayed as equals, which once again is very unusual for Dio. All throughout their scenes Dio is shown slightly seductive at first, then not as overtly seducing as he usually is, he’s talking about the plan, and strategy (even though he still maintains physical contact, I mean, it’s still Dio), and then seems to relax progressively by doing activities and chit-chatting, to the point of Dio becoming paranoid that his weakness is known. Yes, Dio was pretty nice and not as big an asshole as usual because he needed someone for the plan, but what did he need? A "friend that he can trust from the bottom of his heart" (信頼できる友), so he tried to make one by not being an asshole, and guess what? He did! And he got scared that he managed to do so, because it's freaking Dio lol. Dio’s life has only been him trying to show dominance, and facing rejection. Heck he was rejected and degraded even when he won that chess game against an adult in the first minutes of the show. But everyone wants friends for a reason! Be it not to be alone, to be loved, to have someone to talk to about certain topics... And we all make efforts and try to be nice to make friends. That's not manipulation that's called not being a dysfunctional piece of shit like Dio usually was shown to be before he met Pucci. Why was he different with Pucci? I'm bringing up the parallel with the Jonathan and Dio scene which really shows that Dio hasn't changed and is acting the way he always has, testing people, he just has never been met with trust and acceptance, only with rejection, unlike what Pucci has done from their first meeting and after :

Scene plays out very similarly at first, except that this time Dio hasn’t done anything wrong, but he was expecting to be betrayed and wasn’t, which led him to get paranoid and set up Pucci so that he’d attack him, which he didn’t. And what did Dio do? Apologize and give him a part of what's literally the most important thing he has, 'his' body.

The fact that Pucci kept his 'sentimentality' towards his friend (I quote), his obsessive affection for Dio, and hope in his plan for such a long time is easily understandable, he had everything to win from Dio's plan (which is very different from nothing to lose, he has quite a lot to lose!). He could be cleansed from his sin, or at least put everyone on his level, be granted the reward of unconditional love, he could grow to a close to godly status or be a messiah carrying god's will (be special, push the boundaries of being human), and maybe, just maybe revive his loved ones too. He could rewrite his destiny at best, and at worst, obtain peace of mind. If anything helping Dio might even have been an excuse for Pucci to lie to himself about his real intentions with this plan (unconsciously : finally accomplishing his destiny of being special over his sibling and basically everyone else, consciously : giving everyone the chance to prepare for tragedy + opening everyone's eyes to the fact that what he did, cause his sister's death, was not really his fault since it was written by fate all along.)

Now if you really have a high esteem of Dio's intelligence you can argue that he did it all on purpose, he gave out his weakness on purpose to mellow Pucci, he called the plan Heaven to cater to Pucci's faith, he talked him into doing crimes, pretended to feel equal/inferior so that Pucci would give him his trust... But 1) Dio's not that good at it, has too big trust issues himself and has other means for submitting people to his will (as seen with Kakyoin, Polnareff...), 2) it's literally written this has to be built on trust which in my opinion completely disqualifies a manipulation aspect to it. Of course there are many other sources that further the idea that they were really friends, I'm thinking about how their relationship is described in interviews or the Jojo Mag, but I wanted this post to focus on canon interpretation.

Thank you for reading my essay, I’m always happy to chat and comment on the dynamics between characters in the material. I am not willing to talk about morality or shipping discourse here so please refrain from sending me such comments.

[caesariawritesstuff]

Hi dearest!!!! Since you’re taking requests on Cat&Mouse verse, could you write relationships headcanons (or full fic if you wish) between Edward & the Detective? Like say they’re moved in together, how would it go? How would be their relationship dynamics? Love you babes keep up the good work!!!! 😘😘😘😘

Moving in Together

Summary: Just some headcanons about what it would be like for Detective and Edward to move in together.

Word Count: 1.1k

A/N: This fic is currently not canon to the official Cat&Mouse!Verse storyline, but I plan on incorporating some of this into the official story eventually! As always, I am so so sorry this took me so long to get to!

You never expected to actually move in with Edward. Never thought it would be a possibility, never ever even thought it would be allowed by City Council, and in fact, you never thought you would ask.

But one night, after a particularly tender round of sex, you’d been lying on top of him, tracing your fingertips across his chest, trailing against the soft curls of chest hair woven into his pale skin – when you heard it. A little whining noise that made you peek your head up – just in time to see a rat scurry across the floor.

You screamed, jumped up, yanking blankets over your naked body as if a rat would somehow gaze at your naked body like it actually gave a crap. The rat raced out of the room, leaving Edward staring at you like you were a terrified little mouse. But, the moment had been a wake up call: you’d looked around his crappy apartment, taking in the smell of must and mildew, the water stains on the ceiling, the fact he had barely any furniture and that you were lying on a mattress and not even a full bed.

The words had slipped out of you then, “Move in with me.”

Edward stared at you like you were the crazy one. “What?” he’d asked, as if he hadn’t heard you correctly.

“Move in with me,” you’d said again, unable to stop yourself. “You can’t keep living here, Edward. This place is…”

“Not to your standard, your highness?” he’d asked with a quirk of his brow.

You laughed and playfully swatted at his chest, but he pulled you back into his arms, pulling you back down onto the bed with him. But as you laid there, listening to his heart beat, one question left his lips, “Would you really let me move in with you?”

“Yes,” you’d whispered without a beat of hesitation. The idea of Edward moving in with you didn’t even hit until later, the slow implications of what you’d asked eventually settling over you like a weighted blanket. And at first, you didn’t even think Edward was seriously considering the offer – until he approached you about the idea the next day.

And so, when it seemed like you both wanted it too, the slow process began: Edward approached City Council with the idea. They were reluctant, at first, and required several lines of tape for him to cross: competency hearings, parole board hearings, an increase in his weekly therapy appointments, a hearing with Dr. Murphy, and even with you to ensure the reasons for this relationship actually were legitimate. You were required to surrender your guns and sign paperwork swearing you wouldn’t keep any weapons in your apartment that he could get ahold of. It took weeks. Months. And when it finally seemed that the answer would be no – a call from a city council member came in.

You and Edward huddled by the phone with bated breath as the woman said, “Mr. Nigma, after much discussion, we’ve decided to grant your request to move in with Ms. —”

You’d practically cried out in joy. For so long, it’d felt like every meeting and hearing was for nothing – but you and Edward thanked the woman, before hanging up and engaging in a bit of celebratory, passionate sex where he fucked you against the wall and whispered your name like a prayer when he came inside of you.

A few weeks later, Edward officially moved out of his apartment and into yours. He didn’t bring much more than his clothes, a few puzzle books, and his laptop. You made as much room for him as you could, rearranging furniture and your closet for his things.

What you did not expect, however, was how quickly the two of you fell into a routine. Of course, it helped that you both worked at the GCPD and could carpool together, but life settled into a strange domestication that you’d never quite experienced before.

Edward always awoke before you and prepared your morning coffee just how you liked. He kept the apartment clean, often cleaning up your messes. You cooked the meals and did the grocery shopping.

Edward generously agreed to split the bills between you and him, which surprised even you, but he paid his share on time and always on the dot every month. He even complained to the apartment manager whenever something went wrong, something you found yourself too shy to do.

The two of you fell into a routine that felt so natural and peaceful. Fights were far and few between and when they happened, it was because Edward often said something out of left field without empathy or care, or if he got a little too jealous over a coworker talking to you for too long.

Once a month, you attended a therapy session with him and Dr. Murphy to ensure your relationship was still healthy for the both of you. It was a time to air out any grievances still affecting your relationship – which often culminated from Edward’s jealousy and, at times, his complete disregard for your feelings when he felt whatever he was doing was the best course of action. Empathy, it still seemed, was a struggle for him to learn.

The sex was great. The two of you had so much sexual chemistry that almost every night ended with you two tangled in each other’s arms, sweating and panting, talking long into the wee hours of the morning, only to do it all over again by the time the sun came shining in through the blinds.

However, despite all the good that came from moving in with Edward, also came the bad. The dark moments when Edward broke down and fell into old patterns, when his anger rippled through him, palpable and unyielding – whether it be because of his jealousy, his irritation at the “stupidity of Gotham’s citizens”, or simply his own frustrations at his own human limitations – you often found yourself having to pull Edward back from the ledge.

It took time, and your own patience, to keep Edward from spiraling into the insanity that often threatened to pull him back into his own dark place. A lot of soothing words and touches, a lot of reminding him that you would not leave him or stop loving him when he got into one of his moods – moods you knew you’d decided to weather the moment you decided to be his girlfriend.

And so it seemed, when he finally made it through the storm and kissed you and reminded you all over again why you’d fallen in love with him, that every day was worth it, just to be at his side. And you never regretted him moving in with you for a second.

[sjsmith56]

A Better Man, Part 4 - Connections

Summary: Steve discovers something alarming that affects all of them at Barnes Contracting. Bucky has a PTSD episode after a small accident.

Length: 4.3 K

Characters: Steve, Natasha, Sam, Bucky, Andrea.

Warnings: cursing, PTSD episode of incident involving violence.

Author notes: Some twists in this chapter which complicates things.

<<Part 3

Part 4

The four of them had a great time at the tapas bar, eating the tasty morsels, then washing them down with a bottle of the best Prosecco. When the music started, Steve held his hand out to Natasha.

"Dance with me?"

With a smile, she took his hand. Twirling her around they moved onto the small dance floor, pressing close together as the Spanish inspired beat took hold of everyone. His hands ran down her back, then settled on her waist, synchronizing the movements of their hips together. It was sexy as hell to watch and even better to experience.

"Who are you?" he murmured into her ear, close enough for her to hear him. "Where the hell have you been all my life?"

She pulled away then turned around and pressed her back against him, guiding his hands around her waist and hips, then raising hers to caress his face and hair. He placed a kiss on her neck, then nudged his face alongside hers, bringing out a soft groan from her that affected him deep inside.

"Come home with me," he said, "right now."

She turned around, lacing her hands behind his neck. He had slowed down their moves, oblivious to the other dancers around them. It was definitely playing with fire to dance like that with her, but he was enthralled with this woman he only met a couple of days ago.

"I hardly know you," she answered.

"You knew me from the moment you saw me," he stated. "We could have something amazing together."

She smiled sadly. "Maybe, but there are complications."

He tilted his head slightly, not expecting that answer. "You married?" She shook her head. "Engaged?"

She shook her head again. Bringing his head down closer to her face she spoke in his ear. From the table, Sam and Natasha's friend Maria had watched the pair dancing, noticing the obvious chemistry between them. They were working on their own chemistry, and he thought they were having a wonderful time. Just as he was going to propose she come home with him Steve appeared at the table, pulled his wallet out and threw down enough cash to cover the bill. He did not look well.

"We have to go," he said bluntly to Sam. The other man looked up at him, puzzled. "Now."

"Why? What's going on?"

He looked past Steve to where Natasha stood, her face filled with resignation. Steve leaned down to Sam, saying something in his ear, that made him stiffen and look at both Natasha and Maria with alarm. Then he stood up and pulled out his wallet, but Steve stopped him.

"I got it."

He turned to Natasha, grimaced at her, then headed to the door, with Sam following. Once they were out in the open, they walked without talking for several minutes, then Steve stopped at a large doorway. He pulled out his cigarettes and lit one, inhaling it deeply.

"They're cops?" repeated Sam. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, she told me. She knows what we are, Sam. I mean she figured it out on her own, but I also told her the other day after she asked me outright if we were a legitimate company. Damn, how could I have been so stupid?"

"But we haven't been raided since she was there," argued Sam. "She could have turned us in. Did you ask her about that?"

"No, as soon as she said they were cops I had to get us out of there." He took an angry drag of the cigarette, blowing the smoke out forcefully. "Bucky is going to kill me."

"She's also Andrea's friend," said Sam. "What if she tells her about him?"

"That will be the least of our problems." Steve stubbed his cigarette out and ran his hands over his face and into his hair. "I'm going to talk to a friend and see if I can find out some dirt on Officer Romanoff. Maybe we can blackmail her into keeping quiet. Bucky's not going to like that but what else can we do?"

"I'll monitor the security system," said Sam. "See if they show up during the night. In the short term, we're going to have to deliver everything in the warehouse and empty it of the evidence. In the long term, maybe we should be hustling up some legitimate renovation work. They can't arrest us for that, right?"

"Right," agreed Steve. "Let's be smart and handle this properly."

They split up, each of them taking a separate taxi to their apartments. Steve went up the elevator in his building, his insides all twisted at the turn things had taken. He really had to stop his dick from making bad decisions. Pulling his key out of his pocket as he left the elevator, he stopped in front of his door, then felt a gun in his back.

"Easy tiger," said Natasha's voice behind him. How did she know where he lived and how did she get here so fast? "I'm not going to shoot. I just want to talk."

He finished turning the key and opened the door, stepping inside. For a moment he considered turning the tables on her and taking her weapon but that was assault on a police officer and could land him in prison. So far, in his life, he had managed to avoid that. Turning on the hallway light he raised his hands and turned around, then scowled when he saw she was holding a reading glasses case.

"Really? You were using that as a gun?" He lowered his hands. "What now? You've come to tell me that I should watch my back because you know about us and if we make one false move, you'll turn us in?"

"You're such a dumbass, you know that, right?" She pushed him forcefully against the wall, using both hands against his chest. "You got all upset when I told you we were cops that you just ran out of there without giving me a chance to say anything more. I said it was complicated, not impossible."

She was so close to him, close enough for him to smell her hair. Close enough for him to see into her green eyes then notice how full her lips were. Close enough for his dick to throb a little at the thought of being this close to her.

"Okay," he answered quietly. "Why are you here?"

"Maybe because I don't run into handsome, honest crooks very often," she answered. "I checked into you guys. Yeah, you're on some task force's radar but you're not a priority and you've managed to cover your tracks well enough that certain people in the District Attorney's office are recommending that Barnes Contracting be left alone so that attention can be focused on the really bad guys. Like Hydra Contracting and their subsidiary Sitwell Renovations." She batted her eyelashes at him, an action that made him laugh a little. Gently slapping his face, she smiled. "You're also helping my friend out and that counts for a lot."

He deliberately placed his hands on her waist, drawing her closer. "We are, aren't we? So, what does that mean? Are you going to turn us in?"

"No, but you should divest yourself of any stolen goods as soon as possible," she answered. "Stick to legitimate contracting work for a while."

"Uh huh, and?"

"Don't get all mad at me again."

"Okay, and?"

"Show me how amazing we can be together."

"You're sure? I am a crook."

"An honest one. There is a difference."

"Not to some people." His eyes bored into hers.

"None of your employees have been convicted of violent crimes," she said. "You, Sam, and Bucky have never been convicted of anything, except Bucky for a misdemeanour, which he was fined for. You've never been involved in anything violent or anything really nasty. It seems to be limited to transporting stolen goods; mainly things that have "fallen" off a truck. For a crook, that's considered honest. I'm actually quite impressed that you have kept your noses pretty clean."

He smiled at her and she watched his lips as he spoke, wondering if this guy was worth risking her career for.

"It's how we were raised. There's enough violence in the world. We don't need to add to it."

"So, can I stay?" She was still in his arms.

"What do you like for breakfast?"

"Whatever you make me."

Their lips met, softly at first, then more passionately. Steve fumbled for the light switch, turning it off and lifting her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist. It looked like he wouldn't need to dig up some dirt on Officer Romanoff, after all. Everything else could wait until the morning.

🎧 🩹 🥞

Bucky was up early, running on the treadmill in his home gym. Normally, he would crank the music up while he ran but with Andrea and Lily asleep in the bedroom next to this room, he wore his headphones instead. He didn't hear her call to him from the doorway, not until she appeared at the side of the treadmill, scaring him enough that he stumbled and fell, the treadmill dumping him at the end in a heap.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she cried out, balancing Lily on her hip, while she kneeled down to help him up.

"I'm good, really. I'm fine." He pulled himself up, rubbing his one knee that hit the floor first, then reached over to hit the stop button on the treadmill. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah." Andrea looked stricken with guilt. "I realized you couldn't hear me so I moved to where you could see me. Still scared you. I'm so sorry." She looked at his knee. "You're bleeding."

He looked at the cut that was now oozing a stream of blood down his leg. Suddenly, he felt faint and wavered, and Andrea put her arm around his waist, supporting him. Guiding him over to the weight bench, she helped him sit.

"Just breathe," she said, "slow and deep. Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Yeah," he wheezed, gesturing out the door. "Pantry. Oh, I don't feel so good."

Quickly, she went to the kitchen and found the first aid kit just inside the walk-in pantry. Coming out, she stopped at the linen closet and grabbed several face cloths, bringing them into the room with her. Placing Lily on the floor, she pressed one of the face cloths onto the cut.

"Hold this in place while I get something to clean this," she said. "Can you do that?"

Bucky nodded, pressing the face cloth onto the cut, feeling like he had to throw up. When she came back, she had a package of baby wipes with her and pulled one out, lifting the face cloth and carefully cleaning the cut, then wiping away the blood that was now halfway down his shin. He looked away while she did it.

"Are you afraid of blood?"

He nodded. "Saw something I wasn't supposed to see when I was a kid and ever since I can't stand the sight of it," he said. "It makes me sick. I'm surprised I'm not puking right now."

"Just keep breathing," said Andrea, as she looked in the kit for some ointment. Not finding it she ran back to her room, coming back with some baby cream. "It's normally for diaper rash but it will help heal the cut."

She covered the wound with the ointment, then found a bandaid and placed it on the cut before looking up at him, smiling, then stopping when she saw Bucky was fixated on his hand, which had blood on it from when he rubbed his knee. He definitely looked queasy. Quickly she pulled another baby wipe out and cleaned his hand, before holding it in her hands.

"Hey, it's good," she said, soothingly. "It's not another cut. You're okay."

Without even thinking Andrea placed a hand on his cheek, getting his attention. Breathing deeply, she got him to mimic her breathing, and he slowly calmed down.

"You must think I'm really weird," he murmured. "A grown man, scared of blood."

"It must have been something really traumatic," she replied, sympathetically. "Did you ever get counselling for it?"

He shook his head, realizing he couldn't tell her the truth, not without telling her everything.

"No, I guess I should." He looked over at his knee. "Someday, I'll tell you about it. Thank you for being kind to me. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here."

"You wouldn't have fallen," she smiled. "It happened because I startled you."

He smiled shyly back at her. "I guess. What did you want to tell me?"

Andrea looked blankly at him then realized she had meant to talk to him before she scared him.

"I was going to ask if I could make you breakfast," she said, still kneeling on the ground in front of him. "Pancakes and bacon?"

It was then he noticed that she was kneeling there, looking up at him with those big brown eyes, and her lips parted just so. Steady. She's just being helpful.

"Yeah, I would like that," he said. "I need to shower first so take your time. Will the bandaid stay on?"

She looked at the wrapper, nodding that it was waterproof. Standing up she offered him a hand, still holding it when he rose, making sure he was steady before she picked up the kit, and everything she had used.

"I'll wash this facecloth today, so the blood doesn't set," she said. "I have a few baby things that I need to wash anyway."

He pulled his hand out of hers and tried to move around her but they both moved the same way, bumping into each other. Finally, Andrea stood back and let Bucky pass. Lily smiled at her and gurgled.

"He is cute, isn't he?" she said to her daughter. "He's so different than what I first thought about him."

She picked up Lily, put the bloody facecloth, baby wipes and ointment on the change table, then put the soiled wipes in the kitchen garbage can. Pulling the highchair over, she put her daughter in it then washed her hands and began making breakfast.

In his bathroom, Bucky looked at himself in the mirror. It had been a while since he last had that reaction to blood. That was when he, Steve and Sam were playing basketball and Sam got accidentally elbowed in the nose. Bucky had barely made it to a nearby garbage can to bring up his lunch. He pulled his T-shirt off and started up the shower before stripping off the rest of his clothes and stepping into the warm stream.

It was the sound of something being hit that woke up six-year-old Bucky. What a strange sound to hear in the middle of the night. Climbing out of bed, he quietly opened his bedroom door. That's when he realized there were more sounds, scary ones. His mother was crying, and someone was telling her to shut up. He didn't recognize the voice, but he didn't like it. As he got closer to the kitchen, where the sounds came from, he could hear that male voice asking where the diamonds were. His father told the man to go fuck himself. Then there was the hitting sound again, a groan, and his mother crying harder. He still didn't really know what happened then, but he must have gone to his parent's bedroom and got his dad's gun from the nightstand. Somehow, the man who was hitting his dad ended up on the floor, not moving. Everyone was yelling and screaming, and he just wanted them to leave his parents alone. There was so much blood. Then his dad was holding the gun, and his mother picked him up, carrying him back into his bedroom, where she hugged and kissed him.

"You don't tell anyone about this Bucky," she whispered. "No one must know. They'll put your dad in jail if they find out. You just try to forget it, okay, baby?"

In the morning there was no sign that anyone had been there. There was no blood and although his father's face was bruised, and he groaned every time he moved, neither he nor his mother said anything about what happened. Bucky did try to forget it, and most days he didn't think of it. Then every so often he would see blood and it would all come rushing back and he'd feel sick to his stomach. Perhaps he should go for counselling. They weren't allowed to tell the police about what he told them during therapy, were they? Plus, he was just a kid, and it was 27 years ago.

With a start Bucky realized he was just standing there. Who knows for how long? Grabbing the shower gel, he poured some on the puff and ran it over his body, avoiding his knee. He didn't even want to look at it. It hadn't been that much blood, and it still made him sick. Turning the shower off after he rinsed, he dried himself and styled his hair, then stepped out into his room and dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. Andrea smiled at him when he entered the kitchen.

"I was tempted to send a search party for you," she joked. "You were in the shower for a long time."

"Sorry, I was working something out in my head," he replied. "Lost track of time." He looked at the spread of food. "You did all this? It looks great."

"Told you I liked cooking."

It was all so normal, sitting there eating breakfast with Andrea and Lily. Bucky could almost picture himself doing it everyday, with maybe a few extra kids added and the hubbub of family conversations starting out the day. He found himself smiling.

"Penny for your thoughts," said Andrea.

"What?" He felt his face become warm. "Sorry, it's just ... I don't want to say. You'll think I'm being a creep."

"It's nice having company, isn't it?" she asked. "It's just been me and Lily since my grandmother died. Breakfast for me has usually been toast or cereal and milk. It felt good making a proper breakfast and sitting here with you. That's what you were smiling about, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," he acknowledged, daring to look at her. "That's not too weird for you, is it?"

"Not at all. You're really an introvert, aren't you?"

"I guess. I do keep to myself a lot. It's hard for me to trust people. I trust you."

"I trust you, too." She put her hand on his and squeezed it.

It was a moment that meant a lot to both of them. When he left for work, Andrea and Lily stood by the elevator door, to say goodbye.

"I'm going over to the house today to take some measurements and open up some of those areas with the leaks," he said. "I'll call you if I get a chance."

"You have a really good day," she said. "Maybe I'll make something special for dinner."

"You don't have to do that." He looked at his hands. "Unless you really want to."

She smiled. "I want to. I'll see you later."

I wish I could kiss her goodbye. Bucky nodded and pressed the button for the elevator. It came all too soon but he entered it then waved goodbye at Lily. He grinned for the entire elevator ride.

Although Bucky had every intention of going to the house, he did want to stop at the office first to pick up some equipment and his tool belt, as well as a notebook for him to jot down the notes for his estimate. He was surprised to see the place was bustling when he arrived. Normally, they tried to keep their activities low key, in order not to attract attention. But when he walked into the reception area, Mrs. Parker was busy on the computer and on the phone at the same time. He tried to ask her what was going on, but she just put her hand on the microphone of the handset.

"Go see Steve," was all she managed to get out before she was speaking to the person on the other end. "Mr. Quinn? Yes, we have to make that delivery today as something has come up and we'll be unable to do it at the original time. I know, sir, but we have no choice in the matter."

She wrote down the new delivery time then headed towards the warehouse area, where Sam presumably was. Bucky went to Steve's office, finding him on the phone. His best friend looked up at him and nodded, then gestured to the chair in front of his desk while he tried to soothe the person on the end by promising that this was a unique situation. When he ended the call with the news that they would be unable to schedule any more deliveries in the near future, Bucky looked at him with alarm. What the hell was going on? Putting the handset down, his friend looked at him, then got up and closed the door.

"What's going on?" asked Bucky. "Why are you delivering everything today?"

"Don't get mad at me," started Steve. "I met a woman. She's actually Andrea's friend, Natasha. She came here the other day to tell you why Andrea got angry at you when you asked her to live at your place. But you were still in your snit phase, so Sam and I talked to her instead."

"I don't have a snit phase," said Bucky, defensively. "But what does meeting a woman have to do with what's going on?"

In one breath Steve spilled it out. "She kind of figured out that we had a side hustle but didn't seem bothered by it, so I arranged a double date for Sam and me, with her and her friend, and it was going really well so I asked her to my place, and she said it was complicated. She's a cop; they both were."

"Jesus, Steve, you had a date with a cop?"

The fair-haired man nodded. "We got out of there as quickly as we could and decided that we should get rid of all the stolen goods we were holding for shipment. No evidence means no charges, right? Sam suggested we take on more legit renovation jobs for a while so that we're doing what we're licensed to do." Bucky looked stricken. "That's not all."

"What? What else happened?"

"Somehow, Natasha knew where I lived, and she was waiting for me. She basically said that we're already being noticed by some task force but we're not a priority, then she suggested we get rid of the stolen goods and go legit for a while to throw them off our scent." He looked away, embarrassed. "It was exactly what we had decided but with her being a cop it was kind of eerie but also kind of confirming that she wasn't going to turn us in. Then we slept together."

Bucky stared at his best friend, not quite believing what he just heard. "You slept with her, after you found out she was a cop?"

Steve shrugged. "I like her, and she likes me. You know we don't often meet nice girls in our profession. We had a connection from the moment she first walked in here. She's smart, beautiful, and it was one of the best nights of my life when she stayed over."

"She stayed over?" Oh my fucking God! Bucky got up, pacing back and forth while he ran his hands through his hair. "You're sure she's not undercover or is setting us up?"

"I'm sure," he smiled, remembering the night and how little they actually slept. They both drank a lot of coffee at breakfast. "She's something else. I told her not to tell Andrea about you. I figure you wouldn't want her to get the wrong idea about you. Natasha said it would be up to you if and when you tell her, but you should know that Andrea really likes you. She's just wary of jumping into anything too soon after Brock and they both know what Brock is."

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Bucky stopped pacing.

"How much have you moved this morning?"

"About half of the inventory. I had to pull the guys off the house move to do it. Sorry, but I figured this was a priority."

There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Parker came in, looking a little frazzled.

"Bucky, it's Scott on line 2," she said. "They got pulled over for a traffic violation. It's Officer Rollins. He wants payment to not arrest them for transporting stolen goods. Cash, $500. He won't release the truck until someone shows up with the money."

"For the love of ...," Bucky huffed, then he looked at Mrs. Parker. "Get the location and I'll take the money over. We have lots of small bills, right?"

She nodded. "I can get it ready for you. We just paid him off last week, Bucky. He might be getting greedy."

"Yeah," he agreed. "The thought occurred to me, as well. We have no choice."

She left to gather the money together and Bucky sat as Steve phoned another client about their shipment. This happening now was really going to throw a wrench into their revenue stream. They didn't exactly advertise for renovation clients. In fact, they didn't advertise at all. Most of their clients tended to be on the shady side of the business. They were going to have to come up with something to generate some legitimate clients on the renovation side. Why did this have to happen now?

Part 5>>

Series Masterlist

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[yes-i-write-fanfiction]

Since you u did a autobots responses to death. Can you do the deceptions responses to death telling them he’s come for their life because they’ve gone and pissed him off or have done something that is insulting to his work? “So why don’t I do us both a favor and take your spark now.”

TFP verse

-Megatron snarls and immediately takes a combat stance. He's not afraid of Death and he's not going to just lie down and accept his fate. "You want my spark? You're going to have to come at me with everything you got because I am not going to go down without a fight."

-Immediately, Starscream transforms and runs away. He does not believe for even one second that he could beat Death, at least not in a fair fight. Until he can figure out a way to get himself into Death's good graces again he's going to keep on running away, never staying in one spot for long in fear of being found.

-Similarly to Megatron, Soundwave prepares to fight. However, he does not think that he's going to win. He's prepared to die but he refuses to just give up. That goes against everything it means to be a decepticon. No, if he's going to die then it will be while fighting, resisting until the very end.

-At first, Knockout tries to talk his way out of the situation. He's totally freaked out but he tries to appear calm, tries to smooth talk Death into forgiving him for whatever he's done wrong. When that does not appear to work then he'll go for plan 2; run away. Deep inside, he knows he can't run forever, but he's too scared to accept death just yet.

-Breakdown asks why Death wants his spark. The answer don't matter though because even if there's a legitimate reason, he will fight for his life. Even in the face of impossible odds, Breakdown stands tall and if he's going to die then by Primus, he's going to go out like a legend.

-Like Breakdown, Shockwave asks Death why they want his spark but whereas Breakdown is genuinely curious, Shockwave is doing it to buy time. In the short time it takes Death to answer, he's already thought of a plan on how to prolong his existence. He will engage in a brief altercation with Death, not with the goal of winning but to find the best way to escape. Once he's managed to run away, he's going to pour all his research into how to defeat Death. Dying is not an option for him.

-For Dreadwing, there's two ways this will go. Either he will fight, even though he knows he's going to lose, simply because of his pride as a warrior, or he's going to accept his fate. If Death has ordained it, has come to the decision, then his fate is already sealed. There is no escaping Death, he knows this. If he accepts it, then Dreadwing will offer up his own weapon do Death, kneel down, close his optics and face his end with dignity.

-Airachnid runs away. She's a cold blooded killer but she knows when she's beat. And Death? She knows she stands no chance there. But she's going to cling to life, dig her claws into it and hold on until the very end. So she'll run. And run. She will never accept her own demise and will do whatever it takes to stay alive for even just a day more.

[toxicanonymity]

raider analysis

Warnings: angst, references to violence, captivity, references to past assault/abuse, warnings from the related posts this is analyzing.

A/N: this is about the hypothetical from today, plus some about the 🐶 (goes into Hunger). Keep in mind I share these because some people enjoy it, not because i want you to read it like AP Lit, lol. 🫣

------

Ok, the kinda tearjerking exchange (not my favorite kind of jerking, but it happened, sorry) starts off

“‘Member what I said after ya ran?” You nod. “that you only want me if I'm good?” A tear runs down your cheek.

I have to admit I'm sad for both of you in this moment. You especially, sweet pea. But also, Joel regrets how he treated you in the aftermath of your escape, and he can't undo it. He's mostly thought about the physical part of it (glimpse of this in the yoga drabble). Now hearing you paraphrase his words, he's faced with the fact that it's even worse than he's been beating himself up over (deservedly, tbf). 

As far as you running away, the main thing that reassured Joel was how you said it wasn't about him, it was the other guys, to which he said you gotta talk to him when something's bothering you. So in his eyes that was his main point. But before he calmed down enough to express that, he was angry and it made a real impression on you. Your main takeaway was that his interest in you (and your safety) was conditional.  You don't think about it a lot these days, and in the big picture it's outweighed by his extreme possessiveness, but it's a thread of insecurity and the first thing that comes to mind when he asks if you remember what he said.

For Joel, there's a whole other conversation happening here (with himself) under the surface.

In this convo when Joel says “that was real bad,” it all was, including what he did in response.  When he asks “we’re past that, right?” he means all of it. He wishes that day would just go away. It's also kind of an empty hope related to what he's done to you. He doesn't think he deserves forgiveness or love, but at this point he also doesn't want you to live in fear of him or only stay for that reason. 

You answer as if he just wants to know you wont run away again, and that's still nice to hear. He latches onto that answer as a momentary "out" from feeling the weight of what he's done, reminding himself what's supposed to really matter to him–that you're "his"--like your answer assumed he was thinking.

—--

Also, a word about the dog. Not everything with the dog is profound. I like doggos and think they should have one. But, the initial interaction/freeing him from the collar is meaningful if you consider who else has been chained in this story (but not lately).  And there's more parallels you can draw if you want to, but I also support just enjoying the little guy.

In the same chapter, it's the first time we see Joel take you out with him as a capable person (armed). Then he even lets you go into the forest alone. The reason he ultimately goes in after you is because he's worried about you. In general, Joel wants to keep you for his own sake but is also scared of what could happen to you on your own (he's almost seen it). You're legitimately worried about the dog’s well-being and think he needs you, but you also just want him around.

Joel despises the addict and the way he treated his own dog. Joel hates himself, too. His thoughts coming out of the forest reveal he’s coming for the junkie as a stand-in and what he really wants is to hurt everyone who ever hurt you. He knows he's one of those people. I'm not saying he wants to hurt himself but some of the aggression he takes out on other men (when a simple bullet would suffice) is from his own self hatred. Normally these men have something in common with him. 

Joel initially rejects the dog, not wanting another someone to take care of distracting him from protecting you. But later the dog demonstrates he's more than meets the eye and has a lot to offer and for good reason Joel seems to come around, even if he won't say it. Despite that progress, in the hypothetical from today we still want more for the dog.  The dog deserves more. We still want more for sweet pea who is emotionally starving and has been subjected to Joel's coldness in her previous attempts to get closer to him. She deserves more. Like maybe a kiss at least (when she's awake). In night air we see why Joel struggles with that, but he keeps making progress. At least he's kissing your other lips.

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Thank you for reading and being invested <3. Joel's a bad guy but tbh I identify with and pour myself into both these characters in different ways.

I'm tired but this isn't exhaustive 😅 your thoughts and interpretation are valid, too.

[shadowfoxsilver]

jackrisstuff/jacrstuff/jacrsstuff/ jacrstuffsposts/jacrstuffsblog psa/beware

Update: As of 7/26/2023 all accounts are now down! Unfortunately this kind of scam still pops up as other users so please take caution if you get asks like this from accounts that are only a few days old and don’t show any images as proof of who they are. Always ask questions.

Update 2: As of 8/13/2023, their back under jacrstuffsblog.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by jackrisstuff that reads as follows: “Hello sorry for tagging. Please help a black mother in need. I'm diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which has spread to my lungs, neck and brain. I'm in a very vulnerable situation with no treatment because l'm unable to afford one. Currently I'm homeless with my 19 months old daughter because we cant. Anything appreciated” and ends with a beating heart emoji. /End ID]

Just a heads up to my followers and anyone else, this account blocked me when I requested them to provide evidence that their a real person needing support. Instead of answering my concern and replying to a link that brought up suspicions, they opted to start spamming asks to my mutuals/followers in efforts to try and get them to share the aid post. This is clear proof they don’t intent to prove their a real person needing aid and are just spamming asks to everyone they can find instead of proving they actually need support.

I do not want people to be scammed because a blogger decided to spam my friends askboxes. If you got this ask, I also suggest you to ask the person for proof their legit or block them before they can spam your followers/people you shared from. It’s sickening they likely stole someone’s real fundraiser pictures to pass off as their own ill daughter.

This is exactly the reason why I try to tell people please don’t spam asks to get support. There are scammers who do the same thing and don’t like it when public concern is brought up. The email they give is linked to a suspended twitter account that was sending the same message but had an entirely different pic.

UPDATE!

New url is jacrstuff. Their trying to avoid my alert now which further proves their not legitimate. No one needing aid would change urls like this.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by jacrstuff that reads as follows: “Hello sorry for tagging. Please help a black mother in need. I'm diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which has spread to my lungs, neck and brain. I'm in a very vulnerable situation with no treatment because l'm unable to afford one. Currently I'm homeless with my 19 months old daughter because we cant. Anything appreciated” and ends with a beating heart emoji. /End ID]

Update 2: Url change again instead of verifying who they are and still trying to get away from this warning. Now under jacrsstuff.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by jacrsstuff that reads as follows: “Please help a black mother in need. I'm diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which has spread to my lungs, neck and brain. I'm in a very vulnerable situation with no treatment because I'm unable to afford one. Currently I'm homeless with my 19 months old daughter because we cant. I'm struggling for medicines, shelter and groceries that really puts a lot of stress on me. Anything help with a bearing heart emoji used and then and is very much appreciated ending with a praying hand emoji. /End ID]

Additionally, if you search their email provided in their post, it shows up with a suspended twitter account using the photograph of a white adult woman with a child while the asker claims to be a black adult woman with a child. The twitter post seems to use the same exact wording as the askers post though I am unable to find the source of the image they used for the twitter post.

Update again

yollandde on twitter is now running the same scam.

[ourfatherwhoartinhell]

Ghostober - Day 11 [Copia]

“Why didn’t he come talk to me himself?” - 1.6k

Tags: Sad Rain, talk of Copia leaving, no cw/tw

⊹ Ghostober Masterlist ⊹

Practice had gone off without a hitch and everyone was looking in top form. Copia had wanted to make sure that during the period of rest, his ghouls were all in top shape for whoever was going to replace him. It wasn’t anything stressful, but they practiced once a week. One week was an actual practice and the next was putting on a full concert. Full uniform and everything.

They had just finished up one of their practice days and Copia was making his rounds to check in on everyone’s well being, making sure they were as ready as they could be whenever the day finally came that he was no longer their Papa.

Sure there were some tears at the beginning. But he knew the more he talked about it and explained to them that he wasn’t disappearing, he was just not going to be touring with them anymore, they would eventually be more okay with the situation.

And for the most part, they were. Phantom and Aurora were the most upset and still cried after every session. Which Copia had expected, since they were the two newest summons and still relied on him for a lot of things.

Mountain had been through this before with Terzo, and nothing was going to beat how traumatizing that was. Copia had worked with him a lot during the first tour while he was still a Cardinal, helping the poor giant through his night terrors and often spending the night squished into the back of his bunk - they were almost too small for a normal human being to start with, but the sheer size of Mountain made it seem like only Copia’s rats would be able to functionally sleep in there. 

At first the Earth ghoul didn’t quite trust Copia, seeing him as an imposter, an intruder. Someone unworthy. But luckily the forced proximity of being in the tour bus and on stage helped them bond, and now they were legitimately good friends. 

That’s not to say that it made this change any easier for Mountain, but he knew that Copia’s new role as Frater Imperator was important. He knew the new head of the Clergy would make time to come check on them, so he wasn’t too concerned or upset. He felt more happy for his Papa than anything else.

Swiss was more on the side of indifference, same with the girls. Swiss, Cumulus and Cirrus all confided in each other, and never really had the same connection to Copia the way the others had. They all more or less went about doing their own thing. Of course they all loved him, there was no doubt about that. He was their Papa after all, and the one who summoned them. It was just different.

Dewdrop was ready to shoot him behind the shed at any given moment. He hated him the day he first took over, and no surprise, nothing had changed since. Copia actually found Dew in his living quarters one day, excitedly packing up his things for him. The little fire ghoul could not give less of a shit, he was so ready for a more competent Papa. Praying that the new one would be much better, not that Dew thought he could possibly be any worse.

That left one little tadpole that had been very quiet today and ran off as Copia was making his rounds checking in on everyone else.

“Where’s Rain?” He had asked, his voice laced with concern as he looked to the pack for some answers.

“He’s probably gone to the lake. He’s been going there after we have practice.” Dew shrugs, indicating that it was common knowledge. He was more focused on changing the strings on his guitar than anything Copia had to say. Which is how Copia knew he was telling the truth.

“Yeah I saw him head out pretty quick today,” Cumulus said as she placed a comforting hand on Copia’s back. “He’s been out of it for weeks, he hardly even eats with us anymore besides snacking on the sardines Dew gets for him. I tried to talk to him and he opened up a little but–”

“Why didn’t he come talk to me himself?”

Copia hadn’t meant it to come out as harsh as it did. He knew the wince that flashed over Cumulus’s face meant it was a little more aggressive than necessary.

“I meant why didn’t he feel like he could come talk to me? After everything we’ve been through these past years?”

Cirrus just shook her head. “I don’t know Papa, but I know where he is. I think you should try going to him. You know how much he hates asking for help.”

Copia took a deep breath and nodded, gesturing for Cirrus to lead him to find their missing water ghoul.

Copia hadn’t even known that this particular lake had existed. It was a solid trek through the back forest to get there, but Cirrus clearly knew where she was going. Leading him straight to Rain, who they found sitting on the little dock Mountain had built for him, his feet swirling in the water.

“I’ll be close by to lead you back.” She said, almost in a whisper.

“No no. Not necessary. I’ll be okay, Sorella. Thank you.” Copia gave her his signature warm smile as she nodded and sent her off with a gentle brush of his thumb against her cheek.

Turning his attention back to Rain, Copia had wondered if the water ghoul had sensed his presence before he even got close to the dock. But the fact that he had sat down beside him and startled Rain so badly he fell into the lake was a clear indication that the answer was an outstanding no.

Instead of swimming back up, Rain sunk to the bottom, much to the horror of Copia who for a moment thought he was drowning before remembering when he used to do this in the pool when he was first summoned.

Leaning over the edge of the dock, Copia knew he didn’t have to yell for his voice to reach him, the ghoul was already listening. 

“Rain? Lus and Cirrus told me you were upset, so I’m here if you want to talk.” He gave the ghoul a moment before continuing, seeing the bubbles of Rain’s underwater sigh as an indication of acceptance. “Is it about the whole new Papa thing? Is that why you’re upset? I know it’s a big change.”

Copia left it there, waiting for Rain to come to him now. It only took a few moments before the ghoul broke through the surface of the water, his skin glistening in the water and spots glowing a vibrant blue under the water.

“Why didn’t you come talk to me?”

Rain just pulled himself back up onto the dock, shaking like a wet dog and coating Copia in slimy lake water but he tried to look unbothered.

‘I didn’t want you to worry’ 

Rain's voice echoed in Copia’s head as he dried himself off, but his mouth never opened. It was weird for Copia when the ghoul had first spoken telepathically, but Rain had explained quickly after that his vocal chords were too dry out of water to speak like everyone else. He could manage one or two words but he much preferred to speak this way.

“I’m more worried now, piccolo girino. I had hoped you felt safe enough by now to come to me with your troubles?”

Rain shivered as he felt his gills retract into his body. They automatically popped out when he was submerged in water, he tried to hide them in shame when he was in the pool but he had ended up inhaling the chlorinated water and was under Aether’s care for a solid two days trying to heal the burns to his lungs.

“I don’t want you to go, Papa.” Rain had admitted, using his few audible words to express his feelings.

Copia had just pulled the ghoul into his side, petting his head between his horns in a fatherly manner.

“I won’t be gone, little one. I will still be here. Think of it like I’m moving offices,” Copia had offered, his voice calming Rain with each word as the ghoul nuzzled further into his embrace. “I will still come to see you and the others. I just won’t be there with you on tour anymore but I bet if you asked Mountain nicely he would let you use his phone to FaceTime me if you need to.”

Rain nodded against Copia’s chest. Hearing his heartbeat was reassuring. Copia was still here, he wasn’t going to be killed. He wasn’t abandoning them.

“Just promise me you will lean on the others? They are worried sick about you.”

Rain had wiped a salty tear from his speckled cheek, pulling back to look at Copia and purr in agreement.

‘Thank you, Papa. I’m sorry.’

“Ah, no need to be sorry. Now let's head back for a nice hot chocolate and you can have a turn trying to beat me at Mario Kart. How does that sound? Just the two of us.” Copia’s hand wiped the rest of Rain’s glowing tears, the ghoul’s eyes sparkling under the light of the fading sun.

‘I’d really like that.’

“Then that’s what we’ll do. But first you have to tell me how to get back, because I didn’t even know we had this lake.” Copia laughed and Rain let out a little chitter before leading his Papa back out of the forest for some much needed one-on-one bonding.

Copia knew his gut had told him to pick up the tiny marshmallows for a reason.

*Piccolo girino = Little tadpole

A/N: I feel so bad for Rain, sorry there's a lot of my own lore in this one. Hope it was an enjoyable read! Not proofread.

[pascaloverx]

Forbidden Romance

Summary: You are in love with Prince Thor. He will soon be King and is hosting a ball between Kingdoms so he can find his future bride. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Asgard is not ready to accept the Chief of the Royal Guard as the new Queen.

Notes:

Warnings: inappropriate language, use of violence and adult content in the future of fanfic. some characters belong to the Marvel universe and others were created by the author.

Author's note: Dear readers, I would like to talk to you. Are you enjoying the fanfiction? Are you rooting for Steve or Thor?I hope you are enjoying the story and I would like to make it clear that the characters in the fanfiction do not align with those seen in the Marvel movies. It is a fanfiction set in an alternate universe, in case anyone gets confused. Thank you to everyone who follows the fic, and I hope you engage with it. See you in the next update.

chapter eleven chapter thirteen

Chapter Twelve

The return to Asgard is smooth. Wanda informed me that if I wanted extra help to determine which child is the legitimate heir and which one isn't. So, along the way back, you find yourself imagining how it will be to tell Thor. Your heart torn between choosing how to tell your husband that, according to Princess Wanda, you'll have two children and one of them isn't his. It seems so absurd. Almost as absurd as being the Queen of an entire realm and still being forced to walk in hiding so as not to alarm your own people. As soon as you enter the Palace of Asgard, your first step is to take a long bath.

"I didn't know you were back already," Thor says, entering your shared room. You look at him as you finish getting ready. You meet his eyes and sigh. The conversation ahead won't be easy.

"It was intentional. I needed to think about how to tell you how things went," you say, approaching your husband. He seems tense, which is unusual.

"Is the Maximoff Kingdom not going to ally with Asgard? Is that the bad news?" Thor asks nervously, and you think it would be better if that were the news.

"No, the Maximoffs will be our allies in this senseless situation. But Wanda revealed something to me yesterday. I won't beat around the bush to tell you. According to her, we will be parents soon. Which would be great news. Unless we were going to war, making my pregnancy a torment for our enemies. Not to mention, according to Wanda, I will have two children but you will only be the father of one of them." You say it all somewhat hurriedly, as if you didn't want to give Thor time to think about what was being said. He looks shocked, as if he doesn't understand what you mean, until he seems to have an epiphany.

"On the day I informed you that my father was ill, you and Steve were together. Even so, it doesn't seem to make sense to me. I'm not even sure if that's possible. Is Maximoff sure of what she told you?" Thor asks in a serious tone, his expression changing significantly from confusion.

"She gave me her word. Another important thing to mention is that Steve was there with me. We were both discreet, but it's possible that he knows about my situation. I'll go ahead and say that he wasn't there because of me. He went to ask for Wanda's hand in marriage. However, she chose to remain loyal to our kingdom," you say in a dry tone, watching your husband's expression turn to anger.

"It seems like your little boyfriend isn't satisfied with just you anymore. Which is not surprising. What do you plan to do about his child?" Thor asks in his rudest tone, scrutinizing you as if expecting a serious answer to his absurd question.

"Let me clarify a few things for you. Firstly, Steve isn't dissatisfied with me; he just thinks it's better to be married during a war than to go into it without a spouse. And his child is my child. So, I expect to give birth to my child, along with his brother, and I hope my husband accepts that. Otherwise, I'll move to plan B. And believe me, my love, you won't want that." Your threatening tone is accompanied by a mischievous laugh, implying, "Try to mess with me and see what happens." But the truth is, protecting your children will become your main objective.

"What would plan B entail, exactly?" Thor asks, getting closer to you as you look at him defiantly. Poor guy, he thought he was marrying a wife who wouldn't challenge him, but he was very wrong.

"A poor Queen, forced to manipulate the death of her husband; so that King Steve can come up with the brilliant idea of making peace with Asgard by offering to take care of the children of the deceased King and the wife he abandoned. Don't even worry, I know who I would frame for your demise. It would be epic. Basically what your father did when he adopted Loki, but much more effective." You no longer care if you will irritate him or not. You hope he gets the message.

"All this for a bastard?" He asks, looking you in the eyes, and you become furious. To think that if this idiot had let you and Steve get married, you would be living a dream right now.

"Bastard or not, he's my son. What really matters here is whether you'll be able to live with the consequences of your actions. It was your decision to marry me even against my will. My advice is for you to swallow your pride and accept these children. My hope is that you become a more supportive husband. But my will is to move on to plan B. Pray that I hold back my will. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go to a room without your presence. Don't you dare follow me." You speak, leaving your shared room before you lose control and confront Thor.

"This will ruin our marriage, and you know it," Thor says, holding your arm to prevent you from leaving the room. You look at him angrily and make him release your arm.

"Dear husband, our marriage is already ruined. However, your actions are going to bring about the ruin of your kingdom and your family. I hope you're aware of that," you say before leaving, leaving behind a speechless and almost reactionless Thor.

[rpfisfine]

im

literally the maddest ive ever been in my entire life i just got bullied on the bus by these 5 loud as fuck cocky teenage cunts who kept opening the window right above my fucking head and spraying passing cars with a water bottle no matter how many times i slammed it shut and told them to stop and then when i finally turned around and said could you please stop i'm literally just trying to get home in peace this one fucking loser asked "ummmm why" so i was like "because it's annoying and everybody would tell you the same thing" and he was like "well if you don't like it you can always leave, there's the door" and i was so genuinely shell-shocked and speechless at the audacity plus i already have a stutter and always get so unbelievably angry during these kinds of interactions that it's literally like life-threatening to me almost so i couldn't even comprehend what he had just said to me but i did manage to humiliate him by being like "how old are you?" (no answer) "how old are you?" (no answer) "fifteen?" and he literally was too visibly embarrassed to say anything and wouldn't give me any other number he just made fun of how "adult" i was but in my stressed out fucking state i kind of forgot to tell him that i literally am an adult bc i didn't want to just compare ages like some kind of cringe idiot so they might live with the assumption that i was either the same age as them or ever so slightly older than them for the rest of their lives bc i do look 16 at most irl which i'm trying to come to terms with currently but anyway i literally just kept my focus on this one asshole right behind me and confronted him in genuinely the most firm but polite manner i could and then immediately as soon as i turn back around the guy sitting next to him goes "uhhhhhh i couldn't understand One single word she said so it's time to continue boys 🤪" and then they started laughing at me + screaming 10 times louder than before + blowing raspberries at me like fucking 3 year olds so i waited for the next stop then got up and sat beside someone else even though i was so happy to get a window seat for the first time in legitimate months and im still so unimaginably fucking angry abt the whole thing i know it doesn't seem like that big of a deal but when ppl make fun of the way i speak or mock me or say they can't understand me it literally makes me want to claw their eyes out and on top of everything else that had happened during the interaction it was just slightly too much for me to handle i didn't want to stoop to their level by cursing them out or being legitimately mean even though they deserved it but i regret not telling them to die as i was walking past them i hope a horrible horrible future awaits their loser hypebeast bully friendgroup i hope they never get girlfriends or accepted into college and i hope someone with less patience than me beats them up for their behavior one day

[mariacallous]

The compliments start flowing as soon as she answers the video call. “Wow, you so pretty, honey,” says the man on the other side of the screen. His video feed shows he’s white, with short hair, likely a few years younger than her, and is sitting in front of his camera wearing a plaid shirt.

“You’re looking different with that beard and stuff gone,” the woman says in an American accent as the conversation gets going. The man doesn’t miss a beat. “I told you I was going to shave my beard so I will look good.”

Except, he isn’t who he claims to be. His videofeed is a lie. And—beard or not—the face the woman can see over the video call is not his: It’s a deepfake.

In reality, the man is a scammer using face-swapping technology to totally change his appearance in real time. In a video of the call—filmed by the scammer’s accomplice likely thousands of miles away from the woman—his real face can be seen on this laptop alongside the fake persona as he speaks to his victim.

This self-shot video is one of scores posted online by scammers known as Yahoo Boys, a loose collective of con artists, often based in Nigeria. The video reveals how they are using deepfakes and face-swapping to ensnare victims in romance scams, building trust with victims using fake identities, before tricking them into parting with thousands of dollars. More than $650 million was lost to romance fraud last year, the FBI says.

The Yahoo Boys have been experimenting with deepfake video clips for around two years and shifted to more real-time deepfake video calls over the last year, says David Maimon, a professor at Georgia State University and the head of fraud insights at identity verification firm SentiLink. Maimon has monitored the Yahoo Boys on Telegram for more than four years and shared dozens of videos with WIRED revealing how the scammers are using deepfakes.

A WIRED review of the videos and three associated Yahoo Boy Telegram channels shows how the con artists’ techniques have evolved as deepfake applications and artificial intelligence have improved. It is one of the first times the specific tactics and outlandish techniques of scammers using deepfake video calls has been documented in this detail.

The videos show Yahoo Boys using the technology on setups involving both laptops and phones. In multiple videos, the scammers often brazenly show their own faces, as well as those of the victims they are scamming. “I don't think they're doing this because they’re stupid,” Maimon says. “I think that they simply don’t care, and they’re not afraid of the repercussions.”

The Yahoo Boys are experienced scammers—and they openly brag about it. Photos and videos of their conning and recruitment can be found all across social media, from Facebook to TikTok. However, the cybercriminals, who have links back to Nigerian prince email scams, are arguably their most open on Telegram.

In groups containing thousands of members, Yahoo Boys organize and advertise their individual skills for a smorgasbord of scams. They’re skilled social manipulators, who can have long-lasting impacts on their victims. Business email compromise, crypto scams, and impersonation scams are all touted in hundreds of posts per day. Members claim to be selling photo and video editing skills and entire albums of explicit photographs that can be used to build a convincing persona. Fake IDs and legitimate-looking social media profiles are for sale. Scam “scripts” are free to download.

“The Yahoo Boys have elements of organized crime and disorganized crime,” says Paul Raffile, an intelligence analyst at the Network Contagion Research Institute, who has investigated Yahoo Boys sextorting teenagers and driving them towards suicide. “They don't have a leader, they don’t have a governance structure.” Rather, Raffile says, they organize in clusters and share advice and tips online. Telegram did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment about Yahoo Boys’ channels, but the three channels no longer appear to be accessible.

The digital con artists started using deepfakes as part of their romance scams around May 2022, says Maimon. “What folks were doing was just posting videos of themselves, changing their appearance, and then sending them to the victim—trying to lure them to talk to them,” he says. Since then, they’ve moved on.

To create their videos, the Yahoo Boys are using a handful of different software and apps. WIRED is not naming the specific software, to limit people’s ability to copy the attacks. However, the tools they are using are often advertised for entertainment purposes, such as allowing people to swap their faces with celebrities or influencers.