#special needs trust attorneys

[lawassociate45]

Comprehensive Guide to Special Needs Trusts: Securing a Brighter Future for Your Loved One

Why You Need a Special Needs Trust Attorney

Planning for a loved one with special needs requires precision, compassion, and legal expertise. A special needs trust attorney plays an essential role in ensuring the financial future of your loved one is secure. Their primary function is to draft and manage a trust that protects the beneficiary’s eligibility for government benefits like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Without the guidance of a special needs trust attorney, you risk creating a plan that could unintentionally disqualify your loved one from essential public benefits.

A special needs trust attorney understands the complexities of state and federal regulations related to trust creation. They help families navigate the intricate legal language and ensure that funds are appropriately allocated for the beneficiary's benefit. From selecting a trustee to managing disbursements, these legal professionals provide invaluable advice every step of the way. Working with an experienced attorney also reduces the chances of future disputes or misunderstandings regarding the administration of the trust.

How a Special Needs Trust Lawyer Can Support Your Family

The role of a special needs trust lawyer extends beyond drafting documents. They become an integral part of your family's planning process, ensuring the long-term well-being of your loved one. A lawyer specializing in this field understands the emotional and financial challenges families face and offers solutions that provide peace of mind.

A special needs trust lawyer works closely with families to design a trust that aligns with their specific goals. They help ensure that the trust is structured properly to protect government benefits while also allowing access to supplemental funds for expenses like education, medical needs, and recreational activities. Without a properly structured trust, a loved one could be at risk of losing eligibility for critical public benefits.

Additionally, these lawyers stay up-to-date on changes to laws governing special needs trusts. They provide ongoing support, making adjustments to the trust as needed to keep it compliant with legal requirements. This proactive approach ensures that your loved one remains protected, even as laws and personal circumstances evolve.

The Importance of Working With a Special Need Trust Attorney

When it comes to securing the future of a loved one with special needs, partnering with a special need trust attorney is a vital decision. Their legal expertise ensures that your loved one will have access to financial support without jeopardizing access to public benefits. Unlike a standard will or general trust, a special needs trust requires meticulous planning and legal knowledge.

A special need trust attorney provides clarity on which assets should be included in the trust, how funds can be distributed, and how to avoid disqualification from crucial government assistance programs. They also offer guidance on selecting a trustee—an individual or organization responsible for managing the trust’s funds. Ensuring that the right trustee is chosen can make a significant difference in how efficiently the trust operates.

Perhaps most importantly, a special need trust attorney ensures compliance with federal and state regulations. By staying current with legal changes, they prevent complications that could arise from mismanagement of the trust. Their ongoing support is invaluable, particularly when amendments are needed as circumstances change.

What Sets Special Needs Trust Attorneys Apart From Other Legal Professionals

While many legal professionals can offer general estate planning, special needs trust attorneys specialize in a niche area that requires advanced knowledge of disability law, Medicaid, and SSI regulations. Families often make the mistake of assuming that a traditional estate planning attorney can handle special needs trusts. However, the specific nature of these trusts requires an attorney with specialized experience.

Special needs trust attorneys have the expertise to customize a plan that fits each family's unique needs. They go beyond the basics of estate planning and incorporate strategies that safeguard a loved one's access to essential benefits. Their role is to help you anticipate future needs, address potential risks, and create a comprehensive plan that protects your loved one well into the future.

These attorneys are also adept at communicating complex legal concepts in a way that families can understand. They walk families through each step of the process, making the journey as smooth as possible. Whether you need help with trust creation, management, or dispute resolution, a special needs trust attorney is a vital partner in your planning process.

How a Special Needs Planning Attorney Can Help You Plan for the Future

Future planning is crucial for parents and guardians of loved ones with special needs. A special needs planning attorney provides a comprehensive approach to addressing the financial, legal, and personal needs of your loved one. Their guidance helps families establish a stable financial future while maintaining access to essential benefits.

One of the primary services offered by a special needs planning attorney is the creation of a comprehensive letter of intent. This document outlines critical details about your loved one’s medical care, daily routines, education, and preferences. While it is not a legal document, it serves as a vital resource for future caregivers and trustees.

Additionally, a special needs planning attorney assists with the creation of guardianship documents. This legal process ensures that your loved one has the necessary support if they are unable to make decisions on their own. Whether you require limited or full guardianship, the attorney guides you through the process and ensures the proper legal procedures are followed.

By working with a special needs planning attorney, you gain peace of mind knowing that your loved one's future is secure. From trust creation to guardianship and everything in between, they provide personalized support that addresses every aspect of future planning.

[theestateplanningelderlawfirm]

Top Family Trust Attorney at The Estate Planning & Elder Law Firm

Are you trying to find a trustworthy family trust attorney? Our specialty at The Estate Planning & Elder Law Firm is developing customized family trust solutions that safeguard your assets and guarantee your loved ones are taken care of in accordance with your preferences. To arrange a consultation with our leading family trust lawyer, contact us right now. Call us at 310-230-5686. 

[andrewjones01]

Special Needs Trust Attorney: Tailored Legal Services 

This is a legal services firm that you can hire from Odensky Law for the provision of legal services by a special needs trust attorney. We assist you in developing trusts that are specific to your family's needs to ensure your beloved’s assets are protected as you wish.

[posternockd]

We can help you create an advanced healthcare directive and guide you through the process of developing a complete plan to protect you now and your family in the future. For more information contact our Estate Planning Attorneys in New Jersey and call us today at 856-214-8797.

[saintgeorgelaw]

If you think a special needs trust would help you in your situation. Please call us at 435-375-3960 for free consultation.

[shadowboxmind]

Maybe a hot take, but I don't think the Traveler was being inconsistent or out of character in the last archon quest at all. People are getting upset at their reaction to Lyney and Lynette's behavior from the perspective of players, with meta knowledge of the story that the Traveler, the character, doesn't have.

The players know, for example, that because they're playable characters, Lyney and Lynette are ultimately friendly and on "our" side, and we can also trust that what they told us about their backstory is true. The Traveler does not have that knowledge.

TO BE CLEAR this post is talking about my thoughts on the TRAVELER'S thought process. If we want to talk about how I personally would have reacted to the situation, I'm an overly trusting bleeding-heart who would absolutely get scammed and probably murdered by Fatui in this universe.

(Also characters, even main characters who you normally like, can do things you disagree with and that doesn't mean they're badly written. I mean, sometimes they are, but I don't think that's true in this particular case)

But think about it! Looking at the entire situation from an in-universe, in-character POV, it's a really bad look for Lyney and Lynette overall, because here are the facts as the Traveler is aware of them:

Lyney and Lynette are not only members of the Fatui, the primary antagonistic force in this story, but are specifically members of the House of the Hearth, which is known to specialize in espionage, subterfuge, and sabotage.

Both of them also work in a field that would further require them to be masters of misdirection, audience manipulation, and drama.

They "coincidentally" ran into the Traveler right as they arrived in Fontaine and immediately began to do them favors and be very friendly, including saving them from Furina, bringing them to meet their family, and gifting them VIP tickets to Lyney's show.

During the trial, the twins withheld key information, and not just about their identities (and listen, I get it, I fully empathize with why they did it, I get the reasoning, but it's still a bad look when it gets figured out) but also about what they were doing in the tunnel.

They admitted that the entire magic show was a ruse to do, guess what? espionage! To break into the room with the Oratrice's core and find out how it works. To, through subterfuge, obtain Fontaine's secrets about the nation's most important mechanism and central source of power.

The Traveler has known these people for like, a day total.

So what conclusions might the Traveler draw from these facts? When the evidence shows that Lyney and Lynette have a record of misdirection and obfuscation for their own ends? When the Traveler has no way of knowing if even their initial meeting was orchestrated for an ulterior purpose? How are they supposed to know if the tragic backstory is even true, or if that's just Lyney trying to win back some favor and sympathy? In my opinion, at that moment, they don't. Hence the coldness.

My interpretation of events is that the Traveler does like the twins, and wanted to keep liking them, but was struggling to reconcile their initial impression of two friendly magicians with the realization that these two friendly magicians were dishonest with them for most of the time they'd known each other, so they needed to have some space to figure that out.

And for those saying the Traveler is inconsistent, here's the thing: they still helped Lyney. They still acted as his attorney, investigated thoroughly, won the case, and cleared his name. They've done similar for other Fatui members in their acquaintance—they helped Childe with Teucer, they helped Scaramouche/Wanderer with getting his memories back, they helped that other member of the House of the Hearth fake her death and escape the organization—whether or not they fully trusted them, and generally they didn't.

As for the Traveler's supposed hypocrisy, my view of their relationship with Childe is that it's only improved because, despite Childe trying to nuke Liyue in the past, the Traveler knows that

a. They can handle him if it comes down to a fight again; b. He likes them, regardless of if the feeling is mutual or not, and is indeed aggressively friendly to the point where it's easier to just be civil; c. Childe is generally upfront and honest about his actions and will strike from the front, not stab them in the back; and d. He's worked together with them before when they had a common goal (for example, the labyrinth they went through with Xinyan).

They know how his mind works and what motivates him. Childe is a known quantity, the twins are not, and it took in-story time and shared experiences for the Traveler to get to even this point of neutrality; they were openly suspicious of him during his story quest.

As for holding his Vision for him, the Traveler didn't exactly volunteer for the job, Childe literally threw it at them with no warning and peaced out. What do you expect them to do, drop it in the sea? That would be inconsistent with their characterization.

Wanderer's whole situation is even weirder, since the Traveler was able to experience his actual memories and emotions and therefore has good reason to trust that he's had a genuine change of heart. Not to mention that they're not friends, I'd argue they're in that same nebulous "neutral" zone, and that only because Nahida usually functions as a buffer (and also because, again, the Traveler knows that they can handle Wanderer in a fight, and Wanderer also tends to be blunt and honest).

Also, in Lyney's story quest it seems like everyone got over their problems pretty fast and they're all chummy now, so you can all rest easy that the twins' feelings weren't too hurt about it.

Anyways if you disagree go ham, refute my points, whatever, just keep things civil.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Copyright, Trademark, What They Do (and Don't Do)

Anonymous asked: I'm writing a comic script but I'm a slow writer/artist, so it won't be ready to post for quite a few years. Is there any way I can submit a list of character and place names and have them copyrighted/trademarked so no one else can use them besides me? I'm not talking generic names like "Thomas Bird" or "Blue Mountains." I mean very specific, unique names that I've personally created. There are a lot of names/places in my story that I’m extremely happy with, and I’m really worried someone else is will write a story before me with these names and then I won’t be able to use them, even though I’m the one that came up with them first.

[Ask edited for length]

Quick disclaimer: I'm not a copyright attorney, trademarking attorney, or any other kind of legal professional or representative. This advice comes from knowledge and experience gained in my many years as a writer and author.

Copyright, in the simplest of terms, means no one but you can copy, distribute, or profit from your work without your permission. It protects your work from plagiarism--someone else using your ideas in the exact same way you did and passing it off as their own-- but it does not protect the use of individual names, titles, fictional places, or ideas, none of which can be copyrighted.

Trademark, in the simplest of terms, protects symbols, words, or phrases that identify and distinguish your brand or business and the products or services associated with them. In order to trademark a symbol, word, or phrase, you would need to prove that consumers do (or would) strongly associate the symbol, word, character, or phrase with your brand/product/services, and that there would be confusion among consumers if this symbol, word, character, or phrase appeared in association with some other brand/product/service. So, we are talking symbols like the Nike logo, words like Kleenex, character names like Bugs Bunny or Spider-Man, and phrases like "Finger Lickin' Good," not your unusually named characters or fictional places.

The best way you can protect your unique character names and places prior to publishing is to make sure you don't share them widely, and share them only with people you trust.

Just because you have an idea now doesn't mean you're the one that came up with an idea first. For example, if someone publishes a comic next year with a same character name, they may have come up with that character name twenty years ago for all you know.

Either way, it's very unlikely someone would beat you to publication and have more than one unique character name or place in common with your comic, and even if they do have one character that has the same unique name, that doesn't mean you can't use it. Again, character names can't be copyrighted. As long as your character doesn't appear to be the same character with minor changes, you're fine. I really, really wouldn't worry about it, though.

One final note of advice... one of the hardest things about being a writer, which you must adjust to if you want to succeed, is understanding that your ideas aren't as special and unique as you think they are. I don't mean that to be mean, but it's a hard truth. You will see "your ideas" everywhere you look, because people will come up with the same ideas you do, and sometimes that means coming up with a similar unique name or location. But what matters is how you use those ideas, and how that differs from how they used them. That's what makes your stories unique. Not your ideas, names, places, etc. themselves, but how you use them. ♥

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[rekino2114]

Lawyer girls defending you

A/n:I've been in an ace attorney mood these past few days so I decided to write this in between requests

Mia fey

When she found out you were being accused of murder, on the outside, mia seemed calm, collected, and determined to clear your name.

And while she was determined, on the inside she was completely freaking out. Her lover a murderer? They would never do something like that and she intended to prove it.

She tried to calm you down as best as she could before the trial, holding your hands and telling you that she would defend you until the end and that she believed in you with all of her heart.

During the trial, she probably put on the best defense she ever did. It wasn't only a matter of believing in her client anymore, it was about believing in her partner. No matter how dire things got, she never once wavered and always kept a smile on her face. after all the only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over.

She hugged you incredibly tightly when you were declared innocent, she was so happy to see you smile again. She took a week off to spend with you, she needed to relax and spend time with her love after that intense trial.

"I'm so happy, my dear, calm down, everything's fine now. Oh please, I didn't do anything. You were innocent and I simply proved it to everyone"

Athena cykes

The moment athena learned of your incarceration, she immediately went to the detention center to ask you questions. You didn't even have to ask her to take your case she was already going to from the start.

She could hear the voice of your heart. It was full of anguish and sadness, and it was screaming that you didn't do it, she had a flashback to being on the stand for Simon's trial, she couldn't make the same mistake again she was going to prove you innocent no matter what.

Phoenix and Apollo both helped raise her confidence before the trial, and she did the same with you, but she stood alone at the defense bench, she had to do this alone to prove herself.

Of course, she asked blackquill to handle the prosecution. There is no one she trusts more to help her reach the truth from the opposite side, she also asks him to at least tone down the sword slashes for you.

She was a even more of a whirlwind of emotions than usual during the trial, yelling at anyone who calls you a murderer. After the long and hard battle was over, she hugged you with all of her overflowing emotions shown.

"Y-y/n, did you see that? I did it. I showed everyone how wrong they were and how innocent you are, we need to celebrate!"

Susato mikotoba

A/n:she was a lawyer once, so I count her. Also, I just wanted to write something for her.

Her first thought was to ask ryunosuke to defend you, but he was busy with another case, so she panicked. She had no one to defend you, but if you were found guilty, you would get the death penalty, she couldn't let it happen, so she had the idea to dress up as ryutaro again.

She told you her real identity, of course, and you were incredibly worried for her, If she was found out she could have been arrested too, but she reassured you that she had already done this before and that she would do anything to free you.

Sholmes helped her investigate (in his own special way), and Iris made a special blend of tea to help you two relax before the trial, while ryu couldn't be there he reassured you of susato's competence in court earlier.

Her father also helped her, standing at her side during the trial like the first time she had done this, helping her in any way he could. But of course, susato was the one who put in all the effort. She defended the best she could, taking strategies from ryunosuke, and all of it resulted in a non guilty verdict.

She waited until you got home to take off her disguise and celebrate with you, she couldn't be happier she had helped you not only prove your innocence but also avoid the death penalty.

"That was intense, don't you think y/n? And it was only my second trial ever. O-oh? I did amazing? Please, you're just flattering me I just copied what naruhodo-san does"

[peonierose]

Luna Valeria Auclair (OC)

A/N: I wanted to re-introduce my OC Luna. I’ve been thinking long and hard and just wanted to share some more things about my OC. I decided I will not be using a fc for the foreseeable future 🥰

I also included more info on Luna’s family and her triplet cousins as well 🥰🩷

You can also find all my stories on my Masterlist

Full name: Luna Valeria Auclair

Nicknames: Lunes & Lu by Bryce Lahela (OH), Moonbeam (by her grandpa and her dad), Loonsey & Loon-Moon (by her mom & grandma), Sugarplum (by her best friend Maxine), Looney (By her cousins)

Love Interest: Bryce Lahela (Open Heart)

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Birthday: June, 27th

Zodiac Sign: Cancer ♋️

Nationality: American

Born: Honolulu, Hawaii 🌺

Face Claim: none for now

Hair: dark blonde, long and wavy

Height: 5‘0 feet tall

Eyes: Blue-green with a slight aquamarine tint

Education: Luna got her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Hawaii. She specialized in ceramics, drawing painting + sculpture.

She teaches art at the University of Hawaii.

(Though Luna would love to have her own art gallery in Honolulu, Hawaii).

Family: Luna is an only child (for now, though that might change soon).

Luna’s parents:

Grace Amanda Auclair, Luna’s mom is an English teacher at McKinley High (Luna’s old Highschool).

Brian James Auclair, Lunas mom and dad are both from the Chicago area. Brian worked in finance at his father’s company. He comes from a wealthy family- his parents are from new money. They were very strict, and technically he didn't need to work at his fathers company, but he didn't want to be like all the other rich people who lived of off their trust fund. He wanted to earn his money.

The day he met Grace, they were both on their lunch break. Grace spilled her coffee on Brian's shirt and felt so embarrassed. She wanted to pay for dry cleaning, but Brian wouldn't hear it. Later on they kept talking for what seemed like hours. They promised to see each other again on the next day. They met every day for coffee until Brian had the courage to ask her out. They dated for a while before they became official.

Sadly Brian's parents didn't approve of his love with Grace, and they made him choose. Grace wanted to break things off. She didn't want to be the cause of a rift between his parents. But Brian chose Grace and that's the last day he spoke to his parents. They disowned him afterwards.

With some savings they both decided they wanted to make a fresh start. Grace quit her job as an English teacher and Brian quit his job in finance. They packed their belongings and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. Where Brian opened up his flower shop called »Orchid's Paradise«. He always had a knack for flowers.

They got married and he took his wife’s name (Auclair). He hasn’t spoken to his parents ever since. Though he has a beautiful family now and he couldn’t care less.

Luna‘s aunt, uncle and her triplet cousins:

Joanne Dahlia Auclair (her aunt; maternal side)

Joseph Alexander Auclair (her uncle; maternal side)

Skyler Tristan Auclair (Luna‘s cousin; maternal side)

Soraya Emilia Auclair (Luna‘s cousin; maternal side)

Evangeline Rose Auclair (Luna‘s cousin; maternal side)

Luna‘s cousins have their own wedding planning business called »Sunset Moments«

Luna‘s grandparents:

Angelina Lilly Auclair (Luna’s grandma; maternal side - they share the same birthday - June 27th).

Grayson Oleander Auclair (Luna‘s grandpa; maternal side - a former defense attorney, now retired).

Auclair Family Tree

Auclair Triplets (Luna‘s cousins)

Likes:

- mangos

- cherries

- herb sauce for her fries

- guava

- Haupia (Hawaiian dessert)

- mangas (Bryce loves comics) she would love to do a collab of a manga that features Hawaii

- Luna loves to take old furniture and make it into something new / or restore it to its former glory

- peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with banana slices (Just like Elvis Presley)

Dislikes:

- toxic people

- negative energy

- dishonesty

- liars

- the word »glib« whatever that means

Personality: bubbly and sunshiny. Very open, honest, loyal, generous, a true sweetheart. Though hurt the people she loves? And you should better run.

Friends: She has her best friend Maxine Moore, who’s a tattoo artist based in Honolulu, Hawaii 🩷

Adam Sinclair who she went to school with. They went on one date but found out they’re better off as friends.

Amber Merchant - a popular photographer who took this photo of Luna 🥰

Luna‘s favorite Hawaiian proverbs:

Kahuna Nui Hale Kealohalani Makua – “Love all you see, including yourself.”

Aloha Aku No, Aloha Mai No – (I give my love to you, you give your love to me.)

Ua ola no i ka pane a ke aloha – (There is life in a kindly reply.)

‘A’OHE PU’U KI’EKI’E KE HO’A’O ‘IA E PI’I – (No cliff is so tall it cannot be climbed.)

12 things about Luna:

🌺 plays the ukulele

🌺 her hair was as pale as moonlight and that’s how she got the name Luna

🌺 She got her nickname ”Looney“ from watching Looney Tunes as a kid

🌺 dances Hula

🌺 peonies & lilacs are among her favorite flowers

🌺 she was once stung by a jellyfish and got a tiny star shaped scar from it

🌺 allergic to ginger

🌺 thinks grasshoppers are creepy (though spiders are cute)

🌺 played soccer in grade school and in high school she switched to volleyball and tennis

🌺 was on the cheer squad together with her cousin Soraya (who was the cheer captain)

🌺 Had a belly button piercing but it got infected so she had to remove it.

🌺 Luna struggles with anxiety and can't handle large crowds. She's had help from her family, but also from her therapist. She goes there from time to time. Not as often as she did before she met Bryce. Art is like therapy for her. That's why she likes to paint or create to help her relax. Because some days are harder than others. She quit her job in Boston, because she was bullied by her boss. She didn't feel good to work in a toxic work environment like that. Bryce wasn't really happy in Boston either. They both missed home, so they moved back to Honolulu, Hawaii and Keiki went with them. (I explored that in my story By a Landslide)

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Speaking of turtles, here's a bit of bright news! Here's what the resolution specifically directs the Department of Wildlife Resources to do:

"Establish replacement costs for native reptiles and amphibians of Virginia, beginning with native turtle species;

Establish four (4) full-time Regional Special Agent positions in the DWR’s Special Operations Unit. A responsibility of these positions will be working collaboratively with the covert special agents to target the illegal trade of reptiles and amphibians;

Explore participation in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Task Force Officer Program;

Obtain specialized technology and equipment to aid in investigations;

Explore other authorities established within the Code of Virginia to better leverage penalties for those convicted of illegal trafficking;

Develop and provide training on the illegal trade of reptiles and amphibians to: a. Commonwealth’s Attorneys and the judiciary; b. Other state and local law enforcement entities, including animal control officers; and c. DWR uniformed Conservation Police Officers and recruits;

Develop and deliver a communications campaign to increase public awareness about the impacts of the illegal trade of reptiles and amphibians as a public trust resource;

Explore new sources of funding to support the training and communications efforts;

Explore establishing a permanent facility or a partnership with another organization for the holding of reptiles and amphibians prior to adjudication of legal cases and subsequent repatriation; and

Develop a repatriation plan for the return of reptiles and amphibians illegally removed from the wild, beginning with turtles."

This isn't one of those huge, flashy bits of news that end up on international headlines. But it's important nonetheless, especially when we need to remember that there ARE people working to make the world better at a variety of levels and in many ways. One US state passing a resolution about turtles makes a difference for those turtles, which will hopefully take a bite out of illegal wildlife trade AND demonstrate to other authorities how to use their power to address this and other environmental issues in a practical way that sets forth very specific, realistic goals that do have a positive impact.

[lawassociate45]

Comprehensive Guide to Choosing a Special Needs Trust Attorney

Navigating the complexities of special needs planning requires the expertise of a knowledgeable professional. A special needs trust attorney plays a crucial role in ensuring that individuals with disabilities receive the financial support they need without jeopardizing their eligibility for government benefits. Understanding the importance of a special needs trust lawyer and the services they provide can greatly impact the effectiveness of your estate planning.

Why You Need a Special Needs Trust Lawyer

A special needs trust lawyer is essential for creating a trust that meets the specific needs of individuals with disabilities. Unlike general estate planning, special needs trusts require a nuanced understanding of both legal and governmental regulations. A special needs trust lawyer ensures that the trust is structured to provide for the beneficiary's needs while preserving their eligibility for benefits like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

When selecting a special needs trust lawyer, it is important to consider their experience and specialization in this area. Their expertise ensures that all legal requirements are met, and the trust is set up correctly to offer long-term support.

The Role of a Special Needs Trust Attorney

A special need trust attorney provides invaluable assistance in drafting and managing a special needs trust. Their role includes advising on the best type of trust for your specific situation, whether it’s a third-party trust or a self-settled trust. They also handle the legal complexities involved in ensuring that the trust complies with state and federal laws.

In addition, a special needs trust attorney assists in the ongoing administration of the trust. This includes making sure that the trust's funds are used appropriately and that the beneficiary’s needs are continually met. They also offer guidance on how to integrate the trust with other estate planning tools and financial resources.

Finding the Right Special Needs Trust Attorneys

Selecting the right special needs trust attorneys is critical for effective special needs planning. When choosing from various special needs trust attorneys, look for professionals with a proven track record in managing special needs trusts and providing comprehensive legal support. Their experience with similar cases ensures that they can navigate any challenges that may arise and provide the best possible outcome for your trust.

Researching and interviewing multiple special needs trust attorneys can help in finding someone who aligns with your needs and preferences. It’s important to discuss their approach, fees, and the level of personalized service they offer to ensure a good fit.

The Importance of a Special Needs Planning Attorney

A special needs planning attorney is instrumental in the overall strategy of supporting a loved one with disabilities. Beyond just setting up the trust, a special needs planning attorney helps in integrating the trust into a broader plan that includes financial, medical, and long-term care considerations. Their role involves creating a comprehensive plan that addresses all aspects of the beneficiary’s future well-being.

By working with a special needs planning attorney, families can develop a cohesive strategy that not only sets up the necessary trusts but also includes other crucial elements of special needs care. This comprehensive approach ensures that all aspects of the beneficiary’s life are considered and planned for effectively.

Securing the Right Legal Support

Choosing the right legal professional for special needs planning is paramount. Whether you need a special needs trust attorney, a special needs trust lawyer, or a special needs planning attorney, their expertise will be crucial in ensuring that the trust meets all legal requirements and effectively supports the beneficiary. By understanding the roles and finding a qualified professional, you can secure the best possible outcome for managing special needs trusts and providing for your loved ones’ future needs.

[theestateplanningelderlawfirm]

Best Asset Protection Lawyer – Plan for a Secure Future

At The Estate Planning & Elder Law Firm, work with the best asset protection lawyer  to safeguard your financial stability. Our committed staff is here to assist you in navigating the complexity of asset protection, which is essential for safeguarding your wealth and making plans for a secure future.Call 310-230-5686 to reach us.

[lemon-wedges]

Do you have any fic recs for any fandoms you’re currently obsessed with?

Hmmmm well the three main fandoms I kinda rotate thru currently are The Great Ace Attorney(brry), Metal Gear(otasune), and Dungeon Meshi (labru)

I put it under cut cause I kept getting side tracking talking lol

I can start with labru but I actually haven't read that many fanfic? Mostly cause when I first looked up the tags I was suprised there wasn't much fic at all. But also not suprised cause the anime hadn't even revealed kabrus 1 secret (and the anime wouldn't even touch his 2nd secret this last season 🥲) so I thought I'd just wait till fics start accumulating before diving back in (if anything I need recs lol)

Accurate Models of course. Its the first fic recc's to me and it even inspired some fanart lol modern au. Kabru becomes obessed with the youtuber that does monster dildo reviews

Let's see for otasune....well I'll warn u. Mgs is probably the least friendly diving in blind given that that the lore is just Insane. But also like some in game info reveals are just so so special....it flavors the lore....

Half Way Hungry which I thought was real cute. Post series. Laios finds out Kabru has feelings for him and starts?? Writing in a journal studying him like one of his monsters?????

Aaandddd

Currently waiting for Games People Play and Empyrean, From the Summit to update (cursed laios who needs to get married or else he DIES and painter who takes interest in kabru...)

Anyways.

Hello World series. A Lot of pre-slash build up. They grow together, they trust each other, they love each other and oouuuggggg

to me otasune really is about 2 dudes surrounded by insane people and situations find each other and??? Proceeding to have a normal, stable loving relationship....and I cry cause canonly they just stay together forever buhuhuh....sorry I got caught in my feelings where was I

And then Baroryuu. Which....probably has the least amount of fics between all these ships but the one I want to just dump onto u lol

Anything by bosstoaster honestly. In Other Words for something silly. Moving Forward Using All My Breath for developing relationships in snapshots. And fuck it Feel This Static for abo porn ahaha AND THEIR BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AU

(What can I say. Toaster never misses)

(Also I think any other recs after this might be just porny feeling one shots.....)

Theophany . THEEE FIC FOR BAROK BEING WEIRDLY RELIGIOUS ABOUT RYUu and ryuu being like.....cool 👍

Shizi also one of my favs. IT'S so sweet and moody and bite sized, established brry pretending they're newly weds hehehehe

Judicial Assistant Barok Van Zieks. Barok visiting ryuu in japan decides to help ryuu with his confidence by becoming his assistant

Chaper and Verse is one currently ongoing. It's baroryuu book club!!! (With ryuu torturing Barok with his book choices )

The Fanged and the faithful. WEREWOLF AU WEREWOLF AU WEREWOLF AU.

With Claret Conviction which is also ongoing (and im definatly biased because it's the exact phantom au spin on them I've been wanting)

Grinding my teeth cause I want to add more but also maybe this is getting too long so I'll just....leave it there OTL

Anyways I hope u find something nice to read in any of this :D

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Against All Obstacles

A JSE Fanfic

SepticHeroes AU: Part 28

First Part | Previous Part | Read on AO3 at CrystalNinjaPhoenix

Hey, a fic on the shorter side for this story, that hasn't happened in a while XD Shorter for me, I mean, it's still 5600 words. Jackie turns in the video tape copy to the police, hoping it will help get Jameson out of prison. But this move causes Anti-Virus to retaliate, and Jackie has to get advice from the others. Meanwhile, JJ is still in prison, unfortunately fdhsjakh Anyway, enjoy reading! :D

===============

“So... you’re saying that this video tape has this special evidence on it?”

“Yes.” Jackie nodded. He looked back and forth between the two detectives. He was familiar with Ace and his usual gruff demeanor, but this other one—Michaelson, apparently—was new to him. He was younger than Ace, with slicked-back blonde hair and sharp facial features. “Don’t tell me the police station doesn’t have a VHS player.”

“No, I’m sure we can find one,” Detective Michaelson said. “But you’re sure this will change the Puppeteer case that much?”

Jackie nodded again. “As I just told you,”—He tried not to sound too annoyed—“I believe that the Puppeteer was being blackmailed into committing his crimes.”

“And you believe that because of this?” Michaelson asked.

“Yes.”

“Where’d you find this, kid?” Ace asked, turning the tape over in his hands.

“In the Puppeteer’s apartment,” Jackie said. “I asked to be able to search it. I’m sure that the League let you all know I was doing that. It was hidden in a locked room. And I found a way to copy the original video tape to a second one. This is that copy.”

“Hmm.” Michaelson hummed. “Alright. Thank you, Windstorm. If this evidence is really case-breaking like you say, we’ll get right on that.”

“What? Why not look at it now?” Jackie pushed. “You are the two detectives in charge of the case, right?”

“Well, we need to examine it, to be sure that it’s not somehow trapped,” Michaelson explained.

Jackie folded his arms. “I’ve had this in my possession since I copied it. How could it possibly be trapped? What, are you afraid that a girl’s gonna crawl out of the screen?”

“Calm down, Windstorm.” Ace raised a hand placatingly. “It’s not that we don’t trust you. This tape would be examined no matter how we found it. We can’t skip due process because you’re a Hero.”

Michaelson tilted his head. “Well... if you want, you can put in special override orders through the League.”

Jackie blinked. He remembered learning that Heroes could do something like that. It was part of the test on the Super Laws he had to take to get into the League in the first place. But he’d never used it. He’d never had an opportunity to until now. “Um...” And yet... did he even want to use those ‘special override orders’? Something about that... It felt wrong. The same way that villains not getting trials felt wrong. But he didn’t want JJ to be stuck in prison for too long! And who knew how much time the regular process would take?

He stood there for probably too long, staring at the two detectives. Then he slowly shook his head. “That’s... alright,” he said slowly. “I’d... rather... everything happen as it usually does.” And yet, saying that left a sinking feeling in his stomach. “How long will it take?”

“We can look at this today or tomorrow,” Ace said. “If this evidence is all you’re saying it is, we’ll be able to get started on the trial right away.” Michaelson looked a bit more doubtful, but Jackie appreciated Ace’s direct assertion. “We’ll have to find a public defender for the Puppeteer—I’m sure there are some villain specialty attorneys who can help. Then of course we’ll have to find a prosecutor willing to take on so much work—after all, it’s a lot of crimes. You’ll probably be called to testify. Are you okay with that?”

Jackie nodded. “Of course. I-I’ll get to the bottom of all this.” He pauses. “And... if the court rules that the Puppeteer was indeed being blackmailed, what will happen from there? We’ll have to find the mastermind, won’t we?”

“If that’s what the court rules, then yes,” Michaelson said slowly.

“And the Puppeteer will probably be transferred from Byrthon Vault to somewhere with less security,” Ace added.

“Still high security, mind you,” Michaelson quickly said. “A super with a power that dangerous will probably have a hard time getting free.”

Jackie was glad that his mask partially hid his face. Because otherwise his worry would show in his eyes. “Of course,” he said calmly. “Can I stick around to see you play the tape?”

Ace chuckled a little. “I just said we might get to it tomorrow. Are you sure you want to stick around for a full day?”

“Ah... no, you’re right. I have work to do.” Still, Jackie was reluctant to leave. He had to be sure that this would work. That the police would see Jameson’s message and start the process of finally having a trial. But... there wasn’t much he could do while just waiting around, was there? “I’ll be back tomorrow. At this same time.”

“We’ll look forward to it, kid.” Ace smiled. “Don’t worry.”

And though Jackie smiled back as he turned to leave, he couldn’t help the pit of anxiety that opened up in his stomach.

===============

Chase could tell that something was off when Jackie came home. So he immediately started bugging him. “Hey bro, you wanna try out a Smash round? I bet I could win with no items!” Jackie gratefully took the offer. The rest of the day, evening, and night passed with the two of them playing all sorts of video games. But then as night drew close and Chase moved to his room in preparation of eventually going to bed, Jackie was left on his own. And that anxiety wormed back in, chewing away at his insides. He watched YouTube videos until four in the morning, at which point his exhaustion finally caught up and he passed out.

Bring bring! Bring bring! Bring bring!

And then he woke up to the sound of the Red Line ringing. Jackie raised his head, momentarily confused. He reached out and fumbled for the Red Line, grabbing it and checking the screen. Lorelai’s ID number was on the screen. He took the call. “H’llo?”

“Jackie!” Lorelai shouted. “Are you okay?!”

“Huh? Y-yeah, I’m fine.” Jackie sat up, confused. “I just woke up. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“You just woke up? It’s noon!”

“I went to sleep late last night!” Jackie said defensively. “Now, why wouldn’t I be okay? What happened?!”

“It should be on the news if you want to check,” Lorelai said, “but—th-there was a massive data leak in the League.”

Jackie took a moment to process that. “...huh? A... data leak?”

“Yes! No Heroes, I think—but a lot of League workers had their identities leaked onto multiple websites.”

Jackie was immediately awake again. “What the fuck?!”

“Yeah! What the fuck?!” Lorelai shouted.

Jackie immediately rushed over to his laptop, booting it up. “What are the websites you’re talking about?!” Lorelai listed them out, and Jackie plugged each url into his browser as she said them. He also opened up a couple of his bookmarked local news sites. He scrolled wildly, reading headlines and snippets of articles. ‘Massive Leak Reveals Secret Identities’—‘Unprecedented League Hack’—“League representatives are already reassuring the public”—“affected employees are being pulled into protection”—“What the fuck?”

This had never happened before.

Never happened before.

Sure, villains had uncovered and revealed Hero’s identities before, even whole groups of Heroes. And all League employees had to hide their employment, because villains have, in the past, tried to get into the organization through all sorts of workers. But the sheer size of this leak—hundreds of people had been revealed as League employees. It wasn’t just their names that were revealed, but photos—the sort used for company IDs—and even addresses. Jackie’s only consolation was that the leak had concentrated on different counties, so the people he worked with wouldn’t be directly affected. Even so, just seeing this...

“This is a disaster,” he whispered.

And then his phone started to ring.

Not the Red Line—which he was still talking to Lorelai on. His phone.

Jackie slowly turned his swivel chair around and stared at where it was sitting on his dresser. He stood up, each step feeling heavy, and walked over. There was an Unknown number calling. He could guess who it was. “Uh... hey, this is all a lot for me,” he said to Lorelai. “I’m gonna... go. Do you mind?”

“Oh. No, of course not,” Lorelai said. “Call me later if you need to talk, okay?”

“I will. Goodbye.” And Jackie hung up. He picked up his phone instead. There was still a sticky note over its camera. He hesitated, half-wondering if he could just ignore the call. But he knew better. He picked it up and pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hello, Windstorm,” said a robotic voice.

“You.” Jackie knew it would be him. Anti-Virus. “What did you do?”

Anti-Virus laughed in that menacing way. “I told you, didn’t I? I said ‘I will show you what I’m capable of.’ And I just have.”

“So you did do this,” Jackie muttered. He knew it, but it was another thing entirely to have it confirmed. “How the fuck did you get into the League databases?! Those are the most well-protected servers in the world!”

“I am very good at what I do, Jackie.” The voice sounded smug despite its electronic tones.

“But—how?!” Jackie insisted. “You—your powers are based on spying!”

“I never said that,” Anti-Virus said calmly. “It is you who assumed that. I am perfectly capable of controlling technology in all sorts of ways. Including, as they say, hacking.”

“Even the League?” Jackie said quietly.

“Even the League. Which is why I must warn you, Windstorm. If you continue looking into me, if you continue trying to get Jameson Jackson out of prison, I will be forced to do something much worse. It would be easy enough to tell the world who you are. Or perhaps I could tell every single villain out there the identity of every single Hero.”

“Why the fuck are you doing this?!” Jackie suddenly shouted.

Anti-Virus laughed. “I don’t need to tell you anything, Jackie. But if I were to sum it up in a single word?” He paused. “Control, perhaps.” And then the line dropped.

Jackie stared at the phone. Chills passed down his spine. For a moment, he just stood there, eyes blankly looking at the screen.

Then— “Um... Jackie?” Chase’s voice came from across the hallway. The doorknob to Jackie’s door turned, and Frosty poked his nose inside, opening it up so that Chase could look at him from his room across the hall. “Everything okay?” Chase asked, looking worried.

Jackie looked over at Chase and shook his head. “No, I-I don’t think it is. We—we have to get everyone together. And I mean everyone. Fuck! How the hell are we gonna contact Marvin?! I have to go to his fucking work—” He groaned. “Okay, that’s fine, I can do that. I’ll go do that now. Can you contact Schneep?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, sure.” Chase nodded. “Now?”

“Now! No, wait. We need to figure out a spot to meet first, and Marvin’s gonna be hardest for that.” Jackie paused, biting his lip. “I’ll go see Marvin first, then call you about where we’re meeting up so you can call Schneep and get down there.”

“Why don’t I just come with you to meet Marvin and we can both call Schneep from there?” Chase asked.

“Whatever! We gotta go fast!”

“I can go fast!” Chase said, pushing his chair back. “Frosty!” He whistled, and Frosty walked over, helping him stand up. “Where’s Marvin’s work? Did you tell me?”

“No, I haven’t told you. Come on, I can explain on the way.”

===============

“You don’t look too good today.”

JJ sighed, looking up at the sky through the mesh net blocking in the courtyard. He shook his head slowly. He didn’t have a headache when he woke up. But he still felt weak, his thoughts cloudy. Like the start of a cold. Thanks for letting me know, he signed slowly. I had no idea.

Soren chuckled a little. “Sorry. It’s just... sad. It’s always sad to see.” His faint smile faded and he turned to look out at the rest of the courtyard.”

Dread pooled in JJ’s stomach. You always seem fine, he said.

“Trust me, I used to be much more handsome.” Soren tried for another smile.

JJ rolled his eyes. You know what I mean. I haven’t seen you be much affected by the neutrinalin. You seem alright.

“Well... it comes in waves for people.” Soren shrugged. “And you get used to it.”

Jameson looked down at his lap. I don’t... WANT to get used to it...

Soren looked at him sadly. “No one does,” he said quietly. “I’m... sorry.”

It’s not your fault.

“I don’t mean sorry in the way of an apology. I mean sorry in the way of sympathy. Or, empathy in this case. After all, I know what you’re going through.” Soren nodded vaguely at the courtyard. “We all do.”

Jameson stared out at the courtyard silently for a moment. Some people were going through motions on the exercise equipment. Most were sitting on the benches like he and Soren were. He saw a couple lying on the concrete ground. He pointed those out in particular. Do you think they’re okay?

“Probably having a bad day,” Soren muttered. “Hm. Morgan Jansen, Jayce Waverly, Jason Storm, and Athena Raine. Otherwise known as Calamity Blade, DragonWing, Soundwave, and the Blight. They tend to hang out together, so it’s probably no mistake that they’re all lying down. Maybe they were exercising and are now exhausted. Have you heard of any of them?”

No, Jameson said. Do you know everyone stuck in here?

“A lot of them. There’s not much to do in here besides get to know each other.” Soren shrugged. “If you ever want me to introduce you to someone, I can do that.”

That might be a good idea. He couldn’t just cling to Soren the whole time. But... not yet. Not today. He shook his head.

Soren looked at him thoughtfully. “Alright. Some other time, then. Personally, I think you’d get along with Morgan.”

I’d get along with someone called Calamity Blade? JJ asked, raising an eyebrow.

“The name is the most intimidating part of him right now, I assure you.” Soren laughed a bit. “Besides... I’d think some people would react the same to ‘the Puppeteer.’”

I didn’t choose the name, JJ said, sulking a bit. 

“If you did choose your name, what would it have been?” Soren asked.

Oh. He didn’t think of that. JJ blinked, but his slow mind was coming up blank. He just shook his head. Something with more thought to it, at least. The puppet themes are obvious. But there could be something better than just ‘the Puppeteer.’ I’m sure there are at least five other villains in the world who call themselves something like that.

Soren laughed. “That’s probably true. Honestly, part of the reason I went with something like Pathos is because it’s very unlikely anyone else would choose that.”

It’s very fitting for you, JJ says.

“Thank you.”

A few moments passed in silence.

“You should probably try to do some exercise,” Soren suggested. “It’s good to stay in shape. You won’t always have the energy for it.”

JJ frowned. I don’t know if I feel well enough for that. He paused. But I suppose I could try. He knew his energy would just drain over time the longer he spent in here, the longer he was under the effects of neutrinalin. I’m not experienced with... gym... sort of... things.

Soren laughed. “Not familiar with exercise equipment?”

Not at all. Dahlia worked out a little, but she didn’t go to the gym. She mostly did it in her room or out in the park. JJ sighed, pushing that memory back for now. Do you want to try as well?

Soren blinked, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Um... well...”

JJ sighed. You don’t have to, of course.

“No, if it will help you, I will,” Soren said.

Are you sure? JJ asked.

“Might as well. It’s been a while since I did some exercise myself.” Soren pushed himself up. “Let’s go.”

They walked over to the equipment in the center of the courtyard. Jameson looked it over, confused as to what some of this could even be for. He recognized the sports stuff, like basketball hoops and such, but most of that was taken by others. So... they were left with the more traditional exercise equipment. JJ stared at it, then slowly sat down on a chair-looking thing. He thought that he had to pull down on the handlebars hanging overhead. Slowly, he reached up and grabbed it, trying to pull. But the bars didn’t even move.

“I think you can adjust it,” Soren said, looking over the chair. “There has to be a dial or switch or something here. Ah.” He found something and turned it. “Try now.”

Jameson reached up again and pulled. It was difficult, but at least the bars moved a bit.

“Don’t know why this isn’t on the lowest setting by default,” Soren muttered, turning the adjustment dial again. “They have to know the state of their fucking prisoners. Try again.”

Jameson did. Slowly, he pulled the handlebars down. Then he let go. Maybe something else. He was already breathing heavily, almost gasping. God—he wasn’t that weak, was he? He was able to hold his own in a fight with Windstorm—Jackie. That neutrinalin was really doing a number on him already.

“Maybe the bikes, then.” Soren pointed at a pair of stationary bikes. “We can... try that together, then.”

JJ felt his heart flutter a bit, and he immediately pushed it away. It was too soon, and also, not a good person to do that with. He nodded and quickly stood up, walking over. After a moment, he sat down on the bike on the right.

Soren sat next to him on the left bike. “Alright... make sure... it’s adjusted,” he said, looking it over.

It’s by the pedals, JJ said, pointing it out to him.

“Ah. Right.” Soren put the bike on the lowest setting. “Well... let’s start.”

JJ nodded and looked away. He could ride a bike. It had been a while since he did it, but he remembered learning. And he didn’t have to worry about balancing it, or moving at all. He just had to move the pedals. It was... easier than that chair with its weird handlebars. Still difficult, but not nearly on the same level. Maybe something was wrong with the equipment. Maybe it wasn’t him. He closed his eyes for a moment, assessing his own body. That fatigue was still there, but he could push through it. He could.

A couple minutes passed before he became aware of the wheezing breaths next to him.

Jameson opened his eyes again and looked over at Soren. Though his bike was on a lower setting than JJ’s, he was gasping and sweating, already very pale. Suddenly panicking, Jameson reaches over and grabs Soren’s arm, grabbing his attention. Soren looks over at him with slightly dazed eyes. Soren, stop! JJ signed.

Soren blinked slowly, then stopped as soon as he finished processing JJ’s signs. He leaned heavily forward onto the bars of the bike, panting.

Are you okay?? JJ asked, worried.

There was a long pause. “...Pathetic, isn’t it?” Soren muttered.

JJ shook his head. It’s not your fault. It’s the neutrinalin, isn’t it? He paused. I told you... you didn’t have to exercise with me.

“I wanted to try,” Soren said. “See if anything had changed.” He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them up and sat up straight. He grinned. “Well... I guess I’ll wait for you and offer encouragement on the side.”

Are you sure you’re okay? JJ asked, surprised by this sudden change of attitude.

“Of course.” Soren stood up. Jameson couldn’t help but notice the way his arms shook as he pushed against the bike handles to help himself get up.

I think you should go back to your... room, Jameson said slowly, deliberately avoiding the word ‘cell.’ It still felt too harsh. I’ll be fine on my own.

“I don’t want to abandon you,” Soren said.

I’ll be fine on my own, JJ repeated insistently. Go... lie down.

Soren stared at him. Then he nodded slowly. “Alright. If you insist. I’ll head there now.” He hesitated. “You... good luck.”

JJ smiled at him. Thank you.

As Soren walked away, Jameson watched him thoughtfully. He’d thought that Soren had been handling the neutrinalin side effects well... but maybe he wasn’t. Maybe... he was just good at hiding things.

===============

Getting the whole group together was messy. Jackie and Chase had to take the train to the Channel 5 building to meet up with Marvin, then they had to discuss a meeting place, then they had to call Schneep to tell him about the meeting place, then they had to wait for Marvin’s shift to end before they all could take the train—by the time they were all together, almost two hours had passed.

The meeting place was a park. Neun Park, to be specific. It was a nice enough place, with a weird abstract concrete sculpture in the center and tall pine trees around the edges. Jackie paced across a short stretch of grass between a bench and a drinking fountain. Chase, Marvin, and Schneep stood nearby. Even though the bench was empty, no one made a move to sit. “You are sure?” Schneep asked, face drawn and worried.

“There’s no mistaking his fucking voice,” Jackie said. “Anti-Virus did this.”

“Maybe he was lying?” Chase suggested.

Marvin raised an eyebrow. “It’d be a huge coincidence that a massive leak happened the day after he threatened to show Jackie what he could do.”

“No, I don’t think he’s lying.” Jackie shook his head. “I’m sure that he did that. He really hacked the fucking League of Heroes. And they didn’t even catch him!”

“Has the League said anything to you about this leak?” Schneep asked.

“They sent out a generic message about keeping everyone safe,” Jackie said. That text had come through on the Red Line right before he and Chase left to find Marvin. “And that they were working to find the culprit. I don’t think they have any leads.” He paused. “I should tell them about what Anti-Virus said, right?”

“Uh... yeah?” Chase said. “They can’t catch him if they don’t know he didn’t do it.”

Marvin narrowed his eyes. “You’re worried that you’ll make things worse.”

Jackie raised his shoulders defensively. “What do you mean?”

“He told you to stop looking into him,” Marvin stated. “And if you tell the League he was behind the hack, that would count as ‘looking into him.’ You’re scared he might retaliate.”

“Not scared,” Jackie grumbled. “But... you’re otherwise right. I-if it was just me, if it was just my identity on the line, I might... I’d be willing to risk it. But if he can get into the League’s databases, that means countless Heroes are at risk of being exposed.” He looked directly at Marvin. “Say what you will about Heroes and the League, but there’s no doubt that there are a ton of villains out there who’d take advantage of an identity leak like that. Hell, there’s probably a lot of villains trying to take advantage of the leak that just happened! I... I can’t be... responsible for that.”

Chase stared at Jackie with a sad look in his eyes. “You’re not responsible for this leak, you know.”

Jackie looked over at him. He wanted to deny it, but found the denial got caught in his throat. “I... I could have...”

Schneep walked up to Jackie, putting his hands on his shoulders. “Do not blame yourself for what this monster has done,” he said fiercely. “If he could do this the whole time, there is nothing saying that he wouldn’t have done it anyway, regardless of if you turned the evidence over.”

“No, it... it’s not just that,” Jackie said quietly. “I... taunted him. I said that he couldn’t do anything, that he was limited to spying on people. That’s when he said he would show me what he could do. It... it wasn’t just about the evidence. It was that I goaded him into it.”

“No, Schneep is right,” Chase said. “If Anti-Virus can do this, he could do it whenever.”

Jackie laughed drily. “That isn’t actually encouraging. It just means that he’ll probably do it again even if I stop getting in his way.”

“So? That means you’re gonna give up, then?” Marvin laughed. “You didn’t strike me as the type, Windstorm.”

Jackie bristled. “That’s not—”

“Yeah, it is what you’re doing,” Marvin insisted. “You’re getting scared and giving up.”

“Shut the fuck up, you don’t know me!” Jackie snapped.

“But we do, Jackie,” Chase said. “And... yeah, it’s not like you to give up like that. You’re a hero, bro. And heroes do the right thing despite all obstacles.”

Jackie looked around at his friends. Well, his friends and Marvin. Though, at this point, did Marvin cross the line from acquaintance to friend? He wasn’t sure. The point being, they were all looking at him with similar expressions. Expressions that he couldn’t name. He sighed, and raised his hands to sign. Don’t speak out loud. Do you all have your phones?

Marvin and Schneep caught on immediately, nodding. Chase looked confused, then realized as well and also nodded. 

Put them all down on the bench, Jackie said. We’ll have to get out of earshot of the microphones. He took his phone out and set it down first. Marvin followed him, then Schneep, then Chase. They all walked to the side, away from the bench and towards the drinking fountain. Frosty, accompanying Chase as always, seemed to look at the humans with confusion. “Okay, I think this is far enough,” Jackie said quietly.

“Isn’t this a bit paranoid?” Chase asked.

“No, I don’t think so.” Jackie shook his head. “Yesterday, he was able to look through my phone camera. I was wearing my supersuit, and he pointed it out. So... there’s no reason why he shouldn’t also be able to hear through the speakers.”

Chase went a bit pale. “Well. That’s... freaky.”

“So, why do you want to be out of earshot, then?” Schneep said. “You want to say something that you do not want Anti-Virus to hear, yes?” His expression hardened a little. “You are going to take that bastard down, yes? You better be planning to say that.”

Jackie grinned. “Of course I am.” His smile fell. “But I’ll have to be careful. We’ll have to be careful. So fucking careful... I’m not going to risk other people’s identities. Anti-Virus can’t know that I’m looking into him.”

“That we’re looking into him,” Chase said. “I mean... I can’t do much to help with that, but I don’t want to be left behind!”

Jackie laughed. “Thanks, Chase.” He looked at Schneep and Marvin. “And I bet that you two want to do the same.”

“Of fucking course.” Schneep nodded firmly. “After what he has done to my cousins? He will not get away.”

“And that fucker made Jameson control me,” Marvin said. “He’s gonna pay.”

“Good. Cause... we’re gonna need some of your paranoia, Spitfire,” Jackie said.

“It’s not paranoia if I’m right,” Marvin insisted.

“That’s fair.” Jackie’s eyes darted around, looking at the others. “But my point is that we’re not going to say shit about the investigation while we’re anywhere near technology. Only in person.”

Schneep nodded. “What about when we need to meet up? We cannot do this runaround every time, it takes so long.”

“Uh... what if we always meet up here to do that?” Chase suggested. “So that if someone mentions Neun Park, we know that it has to do with Anti-Virus.”

“That’s a good idea, Chase,” Jackie nodded. “This is a great meeting place. It’s sort of midway between our apartment and Marvin’s work. It kind of sucks that Schneep lives farther away, though.”

“Ah, I can handle the travel,” Schneep said. “If I could not, I would not live out there.”

“We can always change the meeting place if we want to,” Marvin pointed out. “So. What’re we going to do about Anti-Virus, then?”

Jackie shook his head. “I’m not fully sure. I trust Ace—he’s, uh, a detective I know—I trust him enough to take care of the evidence I handed over. But... there’s more to do. I-I know there is. We have to figure out who Anti-Virus is.” He rubbed his eyes. While his vision is briefly covered, Marvin and Schneep exchange glances. “And we have to find Timekeeper.”

“Well, that first one will probably help with the second,” Chase said.

“You’re right.” Jackie lowered his hands and looked at Chase. “But it’s also possible that if we search for Timekeeper, it will give us a lead to Anti-Virus. We need to attack this from two angles.”

“I can help with finding Dahlia,” Schneep said. “JJ had told me she was at St. Ellen’s Hospital, and that she was injured in a super fight. I can perhaps pull some strings as a SDER doctor to find out what happened to her. If she was ever there in the first place.”

Jackie frowned. “You sure, doc? We don’t want to leave a paper trail—or, uh, electronic paper trail. You’ll have to go in person.”

Schneep blinked. “That will make it more difficult... Many hospital communications require emails or phone calls or filling out forms on websites...” He trailed off. “Ah, but you, as a Hero, can bypass all that.”

“I can?” Jackie blinked.

“Yes. If Dahlia really was being taken care of by St. Ellen’s SDER department, you, as a Hero, can know details,” Schneep explained. “It is the same with the SDER at Greenway. After all, there is always a possibility that super-related injuries will play a part in the super fights you normally take part in.”

“...that feels... sketchy,” Jackie said slowly. “Like, I know that makes sense on the surface, but... I don’t want to go in and demand her medical details.”

“Well, it seems you will have to, if you want to find her,” Schneep said. “The doctors will ask for proof that her details are related to something you are working on. Simply tell them that you are looking into Timekeeper. After all, Dahlia was injured in the same fight that the hero was last seen in. It will make sense.”

Jackie nodded slowly. “...Right. I... I can do that tomorrow.”

Next to him, Chase frowned, looking vaguely uneasy. “That was... the last fight Timekeeper was in? Really?”

Marvin nodded. “Yeah. I thought we established that at Jameson’s apartment when we found the tape.”

“Yeah... o-of course.” Chase shook his head. “Don’t mind me. I just... you know how my memory is, hah.”

Jackie and Schneep looked at Chase, concerned. But, ultimately, neither of them said anything, even though Jackie made a mental note to ask him about it later.

“We should probably put on a show for the phone microphones, just in case Anti-Virus really is listening,” Marvin said.

“Right.” Jackie nodded. “Everyone, act upset that I’m not going to investigate more when we walk over.” He turned around back towards the phone. The others followed.

“Are you sure?” Marvin said as he picked up his phone. “This really isn’t like you.”

“I’m not going to be responsible for it,” Jackie said, putting his effort into sounding convincing. “I-it’s too much of a risk.” And honestly... he was still nervous about that risk. He wasn’t going to let Anti-Virus get away with this, but... he was very aware of the possible consequences.

“I cannot believe you,” Schneep muttered, sounding so realistically angry that Jackie shrunk away for a moment. “That is my cousin, your friend, in prison.”

“I know,” Jackie said quietly. “Um... look, I-I already turned the evidence in, they’ve probably seen it by now. There’s no stopping that. But... I’m not going to help with the investigation.”

Schneep grumbled—and again, it sounded so real that Jackie wondered if Schneep was genuinely upset with him. But then Schneep’s expression softened and he smiled at Jackie, reassuring him. Jackie nodded back.

“Well... you two better hurry to catch the train, then,” Marvin said, looking at Chase and Jackie.

“Oh fuck, right.” Chase checked the time on his phone. “It’s coming in ten minutes, Jackie, we gotta go.”

“Shit! Yeah, yeah.” Jackie nodded. “Talk to you guys later.”

As he and Chase headed off, Schneep also started after them—but then Marvin grabbed his arm. “Hey. I want to talk.”

Schneep looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. “About the same thing you came to my office about?”

Marvin nodded.

“I am working on it,” Schneep said. “No specifics in a public place like this. If we want to talk about it, come to my apartment, yes? Your workplace may not be as safe as I thought. I will text you the address.”

“Is there anything you can say now?” Marvin asked in a low voice. “Even just the vaguest terms.”

“I have been looking around the area,” Schneep said. “Getting my bearings, yes?” He was up late last night scouting out the North SepTech location.

Marvin nodded. “Alright. Text me your address. Let me know if there’s anything you... want to talk about.”

“I will,” Schneep promised. “Now... goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

The two of them part ways.

[posternockd]

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