#that’s AJ’s story time for today

[bro-ken-spoon]

On the subject of Overdrive/Libby (I believe the Overdrive app is no longer available and it’s just Libby now, but same difference really)

A patron once came up to me at the library and leaned in over the desk, then looked around like he was afraid he was going to get caught. And I said, regular volume, “How can I help you?”

He whispered, “I heard a life hack on the internet.” And I’m like. Oh god. What is this going to be. And he continued, “Apparently you can check out audiobooks for free through your local library? Without having to download audible?”

And I was like “YES!” Mostly because I was excited that the life hack was real and not like. One of those five minute craft videos.

But yeah, basically get a library card, download Libby, and check out audiobooks! If you don’t find the one you want, or if it’s on hold for a really long time and you don’t think you’ll get to reading it for a while, contact the library, and chances are they’ll be able to purchase a new copy! People using these services are the way we get to keep them, so place audiobooks on hold and check them out even if you’re not sure you’ll get around to listening while you have it!

This has been a rant by your friendly neighborhood librarian!

How to Ditch Amazon

Support your local libraries and the small businesses that are actually making the products you want.  Fuck Jeff Bezos and the systemic, universal worker abuse, gaslighting, and brutality they live off of.

[graciousdragon]

y'all i'm so cooked i just got an idea for a NATEMARE FNAF AU in 2024 bro does anyone even fucking remember who that is????? middle school me is quaking rn

[takenbypeter]

Anything To Make You Smile

Bucky Barnes x reader

Words: 903

Authors note: so many people requested a part two to this Anything to make him smile, and I think I might have to make a part 3, also idk if there is a sword for this there is

Here Bucky and Sam were, back at the S.W.O.R.D. headquarters. And despite Bucky telling them he was done with this sort of thing he still found himself constantly being pulled back again. Thankfully they were just finishing up a mission report this time.

He didn’t enjoy coming to headquarters, too many people, too many looks despite them already knowing who he was.

But it wasn’t all bad.

“And that’s when AJ and Cass got caught, right in the middle of everything,” Sam said laughing at his own story about his nephews while eating one of the free breakfast bars from the break room.

Bucky’s head was faced in Sam’s direction but his eyes were focused past Sam, and on you. You were outside the door just across the hallway perched at the water cooler.

Now Bucky and you have reached some sort of understanding over the past few months, you would greet each other with smiles, genuine ones now, and sure you’d make small talk here and there nothing big, but today?Today you seemed out of it.

I mean this wasn’t the first time he’s seen you today, he walked by you when he first got there and he expected some sort of greeting but you kept your eyes down, mind seemingly elsewhere.

Even here at the cooler you looked distracted. Now, typically your face rested with the corners of your mouth tilted a little bit upwards, today your lips ran a flat line. Bucky would tell himself he didn’t care, but he couldn’t stop his mind from wondering if everything was okay.

Sam easily caught on as he looked behind him then back at the vibranium armed man. “Alright, go on.”

That seemed to grab back Bucky’s attention, “what?”

“Go on. Go talk to Y/n, you clearly want to. I’m out here telling a hilarious story and you just want to ignore me.”

Bucky shook his head, “no it’s not like that, just…” Buck’s eyes fall to you again before back to Sam, “something’s off.”

“Then go find out,” Sam simply suggested. Bucky wanted to argue and mind his own business but his body was already reacting as he pushed himself off from the counter that he was leaning on and began walking your direction.

Wanting the conversation to happen as naturally as possible he grabbed a cup and poured himself a drink from the water cooler that you were standing beside as you drank from your own cup.

He took a sip from the paper cup before lowering it from his mouth, “hey,” he said.

You responded by giving him a tired smile, “hey.”

Buck looked away, pressing his lips together. Usually you did most of the talking. He wasn’t exactly sure where to go from here. After taking another sip from his drink he figured he’d cut right to the chase, “are you…okay?”

You turned to him with your eyelids resting halfway. “You seem a little off, that’s all.”

“I’m fine, just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Bucky knew how that felt, but he didn’t want to make this about him. “What happened?”

“Oh you know. The usual, just up all night crying, but don’t worry about it, it’s not a big deal,” you promised, trying to remind yourself not to give too much information to the attractive man which was difficult because he did make you a little nervous.

“I’m sorry,” is all he said.

“No don’t be, it’s just one of those things you know?”

He pressed his lips together and raised his brows, lines taking shape above them. “I do know how that is.” You tilted your head and he pointed to himself adding, “nightmares.”

“Oh, gotcha…well it’s just one of those things that we gotta keep moving forward right?”

He nodded again and you offered him a real genuine smile, it wasn’t as big as your usual but he could tell you meant it. With that little chat you threw away your cup, thanked him, and went back on your way.

Buck didn’t know what to do but he wanted to help you in some way, just wasn’t sure how.

Practically twenty minutes later he found you again as he was leaving the building.

“Hey I hoped I’d run into you.”

“Oh yeah? Well here I am,” you said with an exhausted expression still on your face.

“Yeah, I just wanted to say bye and I’ll see you next time.”

That was strange to you, he’s never looked for you before, not like this. “See you next time,” you repeated, finding this interaction odd. He walked past you but before he got too far he turned around again, “oh and uh, check your right cardigan pocket.” And off he went not even a stalling to see your reaction.

Automatically you reach in curiously. You felt a piece of paper in there and pulling it out, you realized it was folded in four quadrants. Unfolding it you opened it up and on it was an endearing picture of a tiny kitten, hanging onto a tree branch, with the words, ‘hang in there,’ plastered in the photo.

This was so hilariously silly to you, especially with the fact that it came from Bucky, the man who half the building was afraid of. Despite your day being crap, you couldn’t stop the laugh that started to escape from your mouth.

[vctrvn-ls]

Treat Me Better part III

———————————————————————

part 1

part 2

———————————————————————

“Girl, you’ll be fine. It’s Kenny’s Birthday, all attention is on him. Sharky won’t even notice you.” Nella bumped into your hips with hers.

“I just- ugh.”

“What?”

“I don’t want it to be like that. This whole thing,” you waved your hands around “Is so stupid.”

“What thing?” Nella raised an eyebrow.

“The feelings and the vibes I’ve been getting over the past week after that awkward call that you gave me the confidence to make.”

“You’ll talk it out. Not today though. Don’t make a scene, I’m begging you.”

“I would nev-”

“Sshhhh, we’re here.”

You cautiously stepped into the brightly lit party venue, following Nella. 

You didn’t even have enough time to close the door when the familiar sight of Sharky triggered a rush of conflicting emotions within you instantly. 

“God,” you whispered to yourself.

You took a sharp breathe.

You hadn’t properly spoken since your heated argument a couple of weeks ago, and the tension between you was still palpable even from across the room.

As you tentatively made your way through the crowd, you caught a closer sight of Sharky. He was talking animatedly with Kenny, AJ and Chunkz. His gaze met yours, briefly, his expression unreadable. 

You could feel a knot forming in your stomach as you and Nella approached them, knowing that this encounter could potentially turn sour.

“Kenny!” Nella spread her arms out to greet the birthday boy.

“Hey girls,” Kenny giggled.

“This is from both of us,” Nella handed Kenny a big paper white bag “Open it later.” 

You smiled awkwardly and nodded.

Kenny hugged you “Thank you guys.”

Nella quickly joined the conversation with the boys while you stood there, pretending to listen.

"Hey," you said to Sharky in a moment when everyone else was focused on Chunkz’ story, trying to sound casual, but your voice betrayed a hint of nervousness.

He turned towards you, his eyes dark and guarded. "What do you want?" he snapped.

You felt a surge of frustration rising within you.

"I just wanted to say hello. Can't we at least be civil to each other for the sake of our friends?" You replied, trying to keep your tone level.

Sharky scoffed, his tone dripping with bitterness. 

"Civil? Is that all you think this is about? You have no idea how much you hurt me, and now you just waltz in here like nothing happened."

The words stung, and you could feel your own anger simmering beneath the surface. 

Thank god the music was loud enough to cover your conversation while the others continued discussing whatever they were discussing.

"I hurt you? What about the way you called me sick in the head multiple times!?" You shot back, voice rising with each word.

The argument escalated quickly, your voices raising above the background noise of the party. 

Finally your friends noticed. Kenny and Chunkz gave you wary looks, sensing the clear tension between you, while Nella had a ‘seriously?’ expression on her face.

“Hey guys, why don’t you show me where the drinks and food are.” Nella swiftly grabbed AJ and Kenny by the elbows and Chunkz followed.

 As accusations flew back and forth, it became apparent that this encounter was spiraling into yet another explosive confrontation that now others around were starting to notice.

Sharky felt the unwanted gazes.

“Fuck,” he hastily grabbed your arm, practically dragging you into an empty hookah room.

He aggressively sat down and pulled you with him.

“Listen here, stop being so fucking selfish and let me and the others enjoy the party.”

“Selfish!?” You exclaimed.

“Oh my god,” he laughed sarcastically “Stop being so fucking dramatic and speak properly.”

You felt your face warm up in embarrassment.

“All I did was say hi,” you mumbled “you’re the one who started.”

“Yeah just fucking don’t talk to me. I really want to forget you. I really do.”

“You don’t mean that…”

“No? Why? Cause I’ve always been so nice to you? Let me guess, next words are ‘this ain’t the real you Sharky’” he mimicked your voice in an annoying high pitched tone.

Your eyebrows knitted “Sharky-”

“Don’t do that.” He pointed, referring to your innocent gaze “Don’t bother me. Don’t even come near me. Ever.” He got up and left, slamming the door.

A second later you began to quietly cry in the dark room.

There was only one thing left to do tonight…

Get absolutely wasted.

———————————————————————

[lyranix1201]

I give you a video game, depending on your favourite Nevermore(webcomic) characters:

(and im not explaining why i chose the game with that character......... unlessssssss you ask me nicely 😊. If you don't know or recognise a game, i will gladly give you a quick summary of it and the reasoning behind, why i choose that game specifically for that character. I will answer all of that, if you just ask, so don't be shy🥰)

Lenore: house, the child, life is strange ( the entire series), Alice madness return (and the other alice games from that same franchise), the last of us (the inteir series), Mad father, Little misfortune, Genshin impact, slay the princess, omori, Fran bow and IB.

Annabelle Lee: the child, Doki doki literature club, Mad father, Yandere simulator (I dislike yandeve, actualy I hate him), life is strange (not the entire series, mostly 1° game and the "before the storm"), slay the prince's and IB.

Theo: IB, Omori, life is strange (2° and 3° game), Genshin impact and Undertale.

Duke: Sally face, Cuphead, Detroit become human, Undertale,Minecraft story mode, IB

Eulalie: Ms. Hoppe playhouse, The witches house, Little nightmare, Fran bow, poppy play time.

Berenice: Amanda the adventures, The waking death ( the entire series) (the one with Lee, AJ and Cementine), Bendy and the ink machine.

Pluto: Tailtell, Deltarune, Minecraft story mode, FNAF( the entire series)

Monty: Kindergarten ( 1°, 2° game and the 3°one that comes out soon, but i don't remember when it does.), Among to sleep, choo choo Charles, cult of the lams, Mother, sally face.

Morella: Little misfortune, Cooking companions, cooking mama, Undertale, Miitopia, tomodachi life and Animal crossing.

Ada: the sims, Yandere simulator, Doki doki literature club,

Will: Duck season, that's not my neighbour, Hello neighbour.

Prospero: Stanley parable, Paper please, 60 seconds, Phoenix Wright ace attorney (entire series)

Merry, Mourn, dolly and puppet: Kindergarten and Baldi's basic education (I don't make the rules 🤡. also i love the teacher in nevermore, they are such unique characters.)

(Also did you guys know, that there is going to be a new game of life is strange that follows an older version of max, and not only that it will Release on October 29 of this year. I found out today and I'm so happy. 😊 ).

[gamerchrissgf]

𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐩𝐞𝐚┇𝐂.𝐒

𝘱𝘵1. 𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴.

⌈after a lifetime of being ignored, and the death of her father, taking out her rage against the world the only way she knows how - murder.⌉

⌈pairing⌉ Chris Sturniolo x Sweetpea!reader.

⌈warnings!⌉ mentions of death, killing, drinking, smoking, smut (in later parts)

a/n: in my sweetpea era. I recommend watching it first before reading this lol. I dont wanna spoil anything. Its the same story line but like my own twist to it, and some similarities too. its been pretty good so far. so this is soley inspired off the show with also my own twist.

(Divider by @bernardsbendystraws)

‘People id love too kill…’ you thought. Sitting on the back of the bus between two men, man spreading ‘Men that lack human decency. Lindsey from the corner store who was never really happy to help’ flashing back to the memory.

“Just these please” you announced, barely noticed by her as she smacks her gum with headphones in “Right and I told her she couldn’t get mad at me just because her man wanted me.” She tells her friend over the phone.

‘My shitty boss. For failing to acknowledge my work, justin from work. For his lack of spacial awareness. Actually everyone from work ’ another flashback hits you. “Night!” You say enthusiastically just to be ignored by your boss and fellow employees.

‘My mom for leaving us and never telling us where she went’ flashbacks of you and your sister standing with your father begging your mother not to leave. Pulling yourself out of your daze you look down at your phone at your long list of messages to your sister typing an ‘I miss you’ message and hitting send.

‘My sister for leaving me on read.. on the phone and in life.’ You continue thinking. The man beside you spreads his legs wider knocking you out of your trance. “Im sorry but do you mind closing your legs a little? Im already squished” you ask the man. He just scoffs.

‘My dad. For dying.’ Its not like it was his fault for dying. But he left me completely stranded. On my own. Sure I just turned 21 but im all alone now. My sister leaving me to live with her fiancé in California.

‘My old high school bully. Who made me invisible in school and in life. Christopher Sturniolo. Fucking Christopher Sturniolo. Who made my life a living hell.’ Flashbacks of you walking down the hall. You getting shoved into a locker just for the fucking asshole to laugh with his friends “guys I think I just bumped into a ghost” another time being you being at your locker, he walks over with his friends leaning against the locker by yours “guys did you hear that y/n died? Not like anyone would miss the girl anyways” he announces “I’m not dead I’m literally right here” you say in a hushed manner just for him and his friends to shove past you laughing.

Who subjected me to an endless cycle of psychological abuse. Destroying my self-worth and general context of the world. “Oh my god, do you guys smell that?! It smells like rotting flesh!” He says “shes so fucking weird.” One of his friends chime in. Christopher Sturniolo, for making me pull so much of my hair out, that I had to wear a wig. Christopher Sturniolo, for turning me into a ghost.

Making me forever invisible, and afraid.

*itty bitty time skip*

“We gather here today in honor of the late David Sharp. Who was not only a son to the lovely Barbara sharp. But a father to his two beloved daughters Jasmine and y/n Sharp……” the pastor says as he brutally mispronounces your name. “Thats not my name…” you whisper “hush.” Your sister says nudging you with her knee. “A man of many talents, a man of many friends, a man of many loving employees” you turn looking towards Aj giving him a small wave, just for a little head nod in response.

You’ve known Aj for roughly 2 years. Him working as an assistant to your father. You guys have also hooked up quite a few times. The last time being 2 weeks before your fathers passing. You’ve texted Aj in your down time. Mainly when you’ve felt lonely. Just to receive shit ass responses.

Y/n:

Hey… do you maybe wanna come over tonight?

Watch a movie or something?

Aj:

Cant. W the boys.

Y/n:

Oh okay!

Maybe some other time!

Aj:

👍🏼

Before you know it the funeral is over and your standing out front with your sister. Thanking people for coming. You hear a group of guys laughing. ‘Who the fuck laughs at a funeral?’ Looking towards the laughter you see him. “What is he doing here?!” You ask your sister. “Him and his brothers came back to pay respects to dad. Since Jim was a close friend of dad’s…” she says

“Matt, Nick, Chris thank you guys for coming!” She says giving the three boys a hug. You stood there with your head low. “Of course sorry for your loss. I cant Imagine how hard it must be for you guys right now…… hey y/n” Nick says while returning the hug to your sister and patting your arm gently. “How have you been kiddo?” Matt asks. You feel his eyes on you. Looking up you see chris staring at you. “Well my dad died so…” you say “y/n dont be weird” your sister says while nudging your arm. You start messing with the stands of your hair on the back of your neck

It is weird though. You haven’t seen the triplets since you all graduated high school. You getting a normal job at you local newspaper office and them moving to L.A. to be youtubers. I mean of course you guys always had dinners at each other’s house due to your parents being high school friends and your sister being best friends with Matt.

Probably because they’ve also dated in high school for about 10 months. Breaking it off because they both decided being friends would be much easier “You’re not still doing that are you?” Chris asks. Snapping you out of your thoughts you quickly move your hand letting out a small gasp. You look at him before excusing your self and walking away.

“Hey… Ive tried looking for you… when did you start smoking?” She asks with a disgust look on her face. “Since dad died. Only thing helping me stay focused. It was good catching up” you say. “Yea I havent seen the boys in ages. Ive missed them… So ive been thinking we need to sell the house y/n” Jas says breaking the silence “and dads business probably” she adds. “What? B-but I live in the house Jas.” You stammer out. “There are other houses.” She says bluntly

“Well Tom and I wanna buy a place for the kids and us so…” she says “why dont you move back? We could be like a little family!” You try to lift the mood. “Are you serious?” She asks rolling her eyes. “Its settled. Chris is helping. He has a friend in real estate so its final” she says looking down at her phone “Jas no. You cant. Not him.” You say as she cuts you off getting into the back of her uber “lets talk about this later okay? Ill call you… hey the boys are going to luckys tonight for a reunion drink. You should go.” She says trying to make you feel better

“Are you serious?” You ask “what?” She asks “he pretended like he was better than me. Did you not hear what he said to me. He hates me.” You ramble on. “Who chris? Maybe he doesnt. This could be good for you, ya know? A new start?” She says “well dads dead so” you state clearly annoyed and mad at everything thats happened in the past 10 minutes “yea I know. He was my dad too. You need to get over this whole Chris thing. Go to Luckys you might actually enjoy yourself.” She says rolling up the window as the car pulls off.

*another itty bitty time skip brought to you by yours truly*

‘There is no fucking way I actually showed up to this.’ You thought standing outside of the pub. Already a few glasses of wine in. You dont want to be labeled as a lightweight but you just turned 21 so ofc you’d get drunk easily not participating in underage drinking and high school parties.

Walking into the pub, you see many people. Some old cliques from school. Then you see him. Having that liquid courage and already leaving heated voicemails on your sister’s phone you stomp your way over to him.

“Christopher! CHRIS!” You yell grabbing onto his arm. “I need you to fuck off and stay out of my life” you say grabbing onto his forearm pulling him towards you “Oh hey y/n… are you good? Do you need some water?” He says with a smug grin on his face. “No I dont need fucking water I need you to fuck off!” You say “I have no idea what your talking about kid.” He says stepping towards you. Leaving little to no space between the both of you.

“You know exactly what im talking about! You ruined my life in high school you made my life a living fucking hell. My dads dead. Your selling my house! And now your ruining my life again!” You yell. Drawing attention from Matt and Nick as they walk over “Hey y/n… you dont look too good right now. Are you drunk do you need a ride home?” Matt asks “No what I need is for Chris to fuck off and stop ruining my life!” You yell tears welling up in your eyes. “Listen kid. I didnt give a shit about you in high school and I dont give a shit about you now. So all your shitty life problems thats on you. Get the fuck off me.” He says shoving you back.

“Hey are you-” you cut Nick off snatching your arm away from him stumbling out of the pub. Walking across the road a man bumps shoulders with you causing you to stumble some more. You walk down a flight of stairs that lead to a creek under an overpass. Sitting there lost in thought you dig through your purse finding your dads old pocket knife. “Lifes shit without you.” You mumble.

You get lost in thought when a man comes up behind you, taking a piss on the wall and hitting you with his piss “hey! What the fuck?! Did you not see me sitting here?!” You yell at the man “Oh shit sorry sweetpea didnt see you sitting there.” He says chuckling as he turns around to walk off.

Clearly still pissed off with your interaction with Chris and at the man that just pissed on you. You walk up behind him kicking him in the back of the leg “Do you see me now?!” You yell at the man “what the fuck, oh your in some shit now” he says walking towards you. Walking back your back hits the railing and hes getting to close to you.

With the knife in hand you jab it towards his stomach “Ah fuck! You fucking cut me! My favorite shirt! You ruined it! Your so done!” As he steps towards you, your mind goes blank as you jab him in the neck. The man falls to the ground and you straddle him as you stab him repeatedly “do you see me now?! Huh?! Now do you see me! Do you see me now!” Watching the life fade from his eyes you snap back into reality.

“Ohh fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” You say with panic in your eyes. Dropping the knife looking down at your body. Your covered in the mans blood you can taste it on your lips. In a rush you push the mans body into the creek picking up the knife. You look down at your outfit again zipping up your rain coat and pulling up the hood making a beeline straight to your home.

Walking into your home and hurriedly locking the door you run straight to your bathroom looking at yourself in the mirror. Closing your eyes you get a flashback from your last conversation with your father.

“What happened here?” He says pointing at your hand “oh nothing, justin just bumped into me” you say “you need to stop letting people piss all over you kid. You need to be more ‘RAHR!’ You know?” He says. Shaking your head you open your eyes looking into the mirror.

“RAAAAAAAAHRRRRR” you scream.

a/n: pt 1 wooo. It feels long and ive skipped a lot of parts from the show but I swear this is just the beginning. Pt2 idk when we’ll see how this does. My hands just hurt from all the typing lol.

[violet-bruises]

Baby Lay Your Head Down

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x OFC (SSA Sophie Carter)

Warnings: Established past relationship (kind of), mild suggestive language, mentions of grief, mentions of death and almost death, mentions of suppressing emotions, excessive longing, angst

Author's note: I've had ideas for Hotch swirling in my head for months years, and this is the first time I've managed to get anything down on paper. In my head, my OFC is a little more fleshed out, as is her relationship to Hotch, and their story is much larger. This is just a small blurb taken from a point in their story that was swirling in my mind recently. I hope it makes sense lol. ALSO! This is my very first time posting to tumblr, or publicly at all for that matter.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AARON HOTCHNER AS A CHARACTER! ALL CREDIT TO THE CREATOR! (did i say it right?)

Word count: 2,474

Summary: Aaron is usually the first one in the office. Usually.

Once upon a time, Aaron loved mornings. In law school, he’d wake up while it was still dark, squeeze in an early run around campus, shower, and enjoy his coffee all before the sun ever began to show its soft colors. When he and Haley were newlyweds, he’d surprise her with breakfast in bed—which quickly grew cold as they entangled themselves in their straight from the registry sheets. And once Jack was born, Aaron would wake up just to hold him, rock him in the cushioned chair in his nursery before work. But soon, slowly and then all at once, his life grew darker. A thick shadow cast over his days, no matter how high the sun sat in the sky. He and Haley drifted apart. He’d wake many mornings to an empty apartment—no longer a home, much less a house. He spent his mornings in the confines of the BAU. And then Haley died, and Jack almost did; Aaron started sneaking into Jack’s room to watch him sleep just to reassure himself that his son was still here, alive and breathing.

But eventually, mornings became bearable, until they were even enjoyable again. The thick smog over his days lifted. He stopped going into the office early and started having small moments with Jack. Aaron got to enjoy his coffee again, squeeze in the occasional early run, and, for the first time ever, eat breakfast in bed, made for him. For the first time, Aaron’s small apartment felt like home; the soft colors of the sun were no match the vibrant warmth Sophie carted into his life. But clearly Aaron was cursed long ago to fulfill the same prophecy over and over again, because, just as he was finally happy again, truly and utterly, deeply and joyously, he managed to fuck that up, too.

So, once again, Aaron arrives early at the office now every morning. Some occasional mornings, he’s not the first one to wake the floor. On those mornings, he’s grateful—a pot of bitter hot coffee almost certain to be residing in the carafe, singing his name. Most mornings, however, Aaron arrives to a dark and empty bullpen, and he’ll trudge to the small kitchenette in the break room before doing anything else to start the coffee. While the coffee brews, Aaron will make his way to his office, setting down his briefcase and unloading the files on his desk. He’ll file away papers he’s finished with, creating a pile for JJ and Garcia to review. By this time, his coffee has dripped enough that he can pour himself a decent cup. Black. No cream or sugar when in the office, not that any amount could truly save the monstrosity. He’ll place the files on Garcia’s desk, then backtrack to JJ’s. Once he returns, he’ll sit at his desk, pouring over case files, old and new, as the sun rises outside and the city wakes and people begin to pour into the office, a trickle, then a flood.

The same routine for the past three months. Every morning. Everyday.

Except for today.

Today, when Aaron manages to pull himself to the seventh floor and into the BAU, he stops short. The usually quiet and dim office space is punctuated by a soft glow, right at its heart. As he approaches from the entrance, he expects someone to be occupying the lit desk, but its chair is empty. Scattered across the tabletop are case files. A file on the missing twin girls in Arizona from last week (paperwork the responsible unit chief in him is praying is finally done) is open on top, but more lie underneath. He can’t quite read the labels in the shadows that escape the desk lamp’s light. Aaron reaches his hand out to thumb through the papers.

“Oh!”

Aaron swivels to find Supervisory Special Agent Sophie Carter, sock-footed and grasping a massive cup of coffee, standing before him, clearly having just emerged from the break room. Aaron briefly, traitorously, wonders what the ratio of actual coffee to sugar to cream she’s decided on today.

“Good morning,” Aaron greets her, gruffly. He hasn’t spoken since waking up, really only just above a whisper when dropping Jack off at Jessica’s. His voice is rough with unuse. Clearing his throat, he tries again. “What are you doing here?”

“Good morning,” Sophie responds. She diverts eye contact and brushes just past Aaron to reach her desk chair. Aaron watches her. “And I work here.”

Aaron’s lips purse displeasingly. After a moment, Sophie glances up at him then sighs. “I, um, couldn’t really sleep. Figured I’d turn that into being a model employee and finally finish all of my paperwork.”

Aaron documents the subtle red tinge bloomed across her cheeks. Still avoiding his questioning and concerned gaze, she raises her coffee mug to her soft lips. I’m Down To Just 1 Cup A Day in big block letters written on the side. The mug is as big as his head.

“I wish you’d chosen that philosophy about ten years ago. Would’ve saved me a few headaches.”

Sophie finally meets his eyes again. Warm and dark, nearly midnight when cast away from the light on her desk. Aaron is reminded of the night skies that cover all of the small towns he’s seen; far enough from the city, awash with billions of tiny dots of light—stars that create impossibly beautiful and intricate patterns in the sky—the vastness could swallow him whole, and he’d welcome it with open arms.

“Ha ha,” she intones, but her eyes never lose their warmth. Aaron chuckles but doesn’t respond. Instead, he watches. Watches her shuffle through papers, write things down on a sticky note, tuck papers away in folders, pull more papers out. Finally, with tight shoulders, she turns to look up at him. “Can I help you?”

Aaron scans her face. “What are you doing here so early?”

She frowns. “I told you. I couldn’t sleep.”

Then, Sophie sighs, slumping back in her chair. Aaron knows she’s tired. But it’s not the discoloration under her eyes, or the heaviness of her lids that gives her away. It’s how quickly she caves to telling the truth. Too tired to be stubborn, Aaron muses. The fight and irritation drain from her in an instant. “I don’t know, Hotch. Genuinely, I really haven’t been sleeping well, promise. But. . . yeah, it’s been more than just a few sleepless nights.” She flops over, forehead resting on her folded arms. “I haven’t had insomnia like this since college.” Her words come out muffled and pitiful, wrought with exhaustion.

“How long has it been this bad?”

“Um, I guess. . . since the serial in Montana.”

“That was three months ago.”

She doesn’t answer; her head stays buried. Aaron frowns, though he pretty much has been since he realized it was her desk light on in the dark office. Since his discovery, the sun has risen a tiny bit beyond the brick of the building, the sky a cornflower blue. Aaron reckons it’s about 5:30—about an hour and a half before anyone starts arriving—two and a half before the bullpen is officially alive for the day (and three before Morgan manages his way in). Aaron’s noticed Sophie’s tiredness. Of course he has. He catches her blank stares and heavy lids easily. He would’ve said something by now, but her exhaustion had, remarkably, not yet affected her job. The minute duty calls, she springs into action, like she’s been a tightly coiled spring finally allowed to burst. But, it’s more than just that that holds Aaron back. Because that wasn’t part of their arrangement, was it? Because asking her if she’s been sleeping, or feeling well, or eating okay, or taking care of herself, or seeing anyone— those questions were off limits. Wasn’t that what they’d decided? The rules they’d laid down?

Aaron never really was good at following the rules.

“C’mon.”

Sophie lifted her head, eyes wide and round. “What?”

“C’mon,” Aaron repeated, holding his hand out for her to take. She looked between him and his outstretched palm, gaze wildly skeptical.

“Aaron. . . we talked—”

“You talked, I listened, and this—this isn’t about that. This is about ensuring all of my subordinates are in appropriate shape to adequately perform their duties.”

“Last time I checked, I perform my duties far better than adequately.”

“Sophie,” he pleads. It’s a mistake and he knows it, but she broke the rule first. She called him Aaron. Not Hotch, or Agent Hotchner. His resolve was weak enough as it was; her so easily tossing around his first name like that, when he hadn’t heard it from her in months, when he had grown so used to hearing it when she lay next to him, or, when she whispered it, breathlessly, under him. “Please just. . . humor me.”

Her icy look melted, trickling down her body as exhaustion quickly crept up on her. She didn’t take his hand, but she did stand, shuffling papers in folders and stacking them neatly on top of each other. Aaron waited patiently for her to finish tidying and wondered if he’d ever unlearn her. If he ever wanted to. Arranging papers and cleaning off the desk cleaner than he’d seen it since before it was hers—she was stalling to fully accept his offer, and he knows it’s a punishment, her not giving in. For whom, he’s not quite sure.

Finally, after ages, she turns to him. Her eyebrows raise.

Aaron simply turns on his heel, slightly tipping his head for her to follow. He leads them up the short staircase and as they cross the threshold into his office. Aaron places his briefcase down on his own desk before turning to the couch pressed against the opposite wall.

“Hotch—” So she did realize her mistake, “—really, I’m fine. This isn’t the first sleepless night and early morning I’ve had. I can manage on my own.”

Aaron doesn’t respond right away, busying himself with gathering blankets and pillows.

“Hotch.”

“I am very aware that you are perfectly capable of managing on your own. But, Soph,” Aaron can see the miniscule pinch in her brows. Small, but powerful in the painful way it tugs at him. He sighs. “Friends, right? Don’t friends. . . take care of each other?”

Aaron knows, knows all too well, that an argument boils on the tip of her tongue. But he also knows the heavy dangle of her limbs and the soft glaze of her eyes means she’s close to nearly collapsing. It’s not fair, what he’s doing. He knows that and yet. . .

He watches her study the makeshift bed he’s made for her. And then, “I suppose. . . Penelope would do the same for me, too.”

Aaron suppresses a smile. “She would.”

“She’d do more, actually. Penelope would have freshly baked cookies waiting for me, too.”

“That she would.”

“Penelope is a better friend than you are.”

Aaron hears the jest in her voice, but he doesn’t smile. “That she is,” he says, softly.

Finally, Sophie drags her feet to the couch. Without meeting his gaze, she climbs under the covers and settles in. She inhales deeply as her eyes flutter shut.

It should be studied, Aaron thinks, the mercurial rush of affection that overcomes him. He wishes he could control it. Tamper it down and bury it under the crushing weight of all the other emotions he has buried and ignored. He’s usually quite good at it, actually, with years of careful experience under his belt. Though maybe that’s the problem; he’s attempting to add to something already overflowing, and the erosion of it all has chipped his self-control down to nearly nothing.

Aaron’s surety is bone deep: he’s destined to love her until the day he dies. Even if she doesn’t want him to, even if she doesn’t love him. He’d use his dying breath to confess his overwhelming and all-consuming truth. His throat grows tight.

He’s about to turn on his heel, afraid of what he’ll do if he lingers any longer, when Sophie softly calls out to him.

“Thank you,” she tells him, her eyes opening to finally meet his again. Like an electric shock, the urge to touch her races through him. To caress her warm cheek in his palm, to cradle her face and pull it closer to his own, to press his lips to hers. Aaron feels his fingers twitch under his thinning restraint.

He allows his lips to curve in a faint smile. “Of course,” he whispers.

Aaron finally retreats. With his back to her, he swears he can feel Sophie watching him, but when he turns back as he reaches his desk, Sophie has flipped onto her side, her back facing him. It’s for the best, Aaron reminds himself. If he’d caught her eye again, the ghost of his resolve would haunt his office forever.

As the hours ticked on, the BAU bullpen slowly comes back to life. Just as eight o’clock slips by and the trickling morning light catches the ends of Sophie’s hair ablaze, a knock sounds on his door. Before Aaron gets a chance to stand and answer, the door opens and Garcia swiftly steps in.

“Good morning, sir! I sent over the background profiles you requested from the Jefferson City case—”

“Thank you, Garcia. I—”

“Also, I got that police chief in Wichita to finally send over the files on that cold case Rossi needed—”

“Garcia—”

“You wouldn’t believe the sweet talking I had to do, I mean, Morgan level—”

“Garcia!” Aaron couldn’t resist glancing at Sophie, still fast asleep.

Unfortunately, Garcia caught his slip, and she followed his gaze.

“Oh!”

Garcia looked between Aaron and Sophie, once. Then twice.

“Oh, sir,” she started, much softer than when she’d entered. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize!” Garcia began to back out of his office. “See! I saw her desk light on but I hadn’t seen her since I got in. I thought maybe she just forgot to turn it off, ya know, but then she didn’t respond to my text! Which I get now why, you know, given that she’s, you know—”

“Garcia.” She stopped at the entry way. “Let’s just— please don’t—”

She nodded rapidly and mimicked zipping her lips shut, locking them, and throwing away the key. “Of course, sir.”

Just before she closed the door, Garcia poked her head back in.

“Oh! Also, I brought leftover cookies I baked for the counseling center. They’re in the kitchen!” And the door clicked shut behind her.

“See,” Sophie mumbled, voice muffled by the pillows. “Told you.”

Aaron laughs. Maybe these new early mornings weren’t so bad after all.

[drakestwin]

Maybe some niko fluff yk ☹️ like him being clingy yk yk (if you can bae if not its okay but thank you i love you)

“Don’t leave me”

Summary: Niko doesn’t want you to leave him on his special day!!!!

Warnings: none just fluff 😘

a/n: I LITERALLY LOVE WHOEVER SENT THIS SO MUCH 😭 YOU GUYS ARE SOOOO SWEET ITS AMAZING!! BUT ANYWAYS HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIKOOOO THIS STORY IS ALSO GONNA BE BASED ON HIS BIRTHDAY! Also keep in mind that this is my first story so please don’t judge if its not good 😭

You had just woken up in yours and Niko’s shared bed. “Today is his birthday” you whispered, making sure he didn’t hear you. You scrolled on your phone making sure you got everything situated for his birthday party. You texted the beta squad and some more of his friends reminding them and making sure they were available for his party.

After you were done with that you shut your phone off and got up to go use the bathroom and get ready for his special day.

You were sitting in the bathroom texting everyone back since you just got done doing your hair. Shuffling across yours and nikos shared room was heard. You looked up from your phone and saw niko walking over to you. “happy birthday, my birthday boy.” you told him while wrapping your arms around his neck to hug and kiss him.

“thank you” he whispered and went to wrap his arms around your waist.

——————

A couple hours later you and niko were out currently eating lunch at some random restaurant talking about what he wanted for his birthday.

“i’ll be right back i have to use the toilet.” you told him while getting up. instead of letting you go niko held onto your hand trying to pull you into him.

“no don’t go” he said instantly pulling you to sit with him. “i’ll go with you if i have to” he stated causing you to chuckle. “please let me go i really have to use it.” you begged to him, yet he still refused to let go. "either you stay or you let me go with you" (🤔) niko whispers to you trapping you beneath his arms making it difficult for you to move.

"can you just wait outside the door or something?" You looked at him still trying to get out his grip. "I wont be able to see you then" he pouts slightly. you cringe at that, finally you get out of his grip and run to the bathroom with him trailing behind you.

"finally" you whispered grabbing your phone to call kenny, discussing the party that he was hosting at his house. After you guys completed calling you open the door to the bathroom and instantly get a bunch of weight thrown on you. Realizing its niko you hug him back eventually letting go.

"youre finally done" he exaggerates and slowly rolls his eyes. "excuse you" you reply back with attitude. "anyways we have to go somewhere but i'm not telling you so lets go." you tell him and then grab his hand dragging him into the car. When you guys get situated you start the car and drive off to kennys.

——————

About 30 minutes later you guys arrived to kennys house and was greeted by everyone. you were holding nikos hand and lead him to a random room that had some seats. Everyone sat down and just started talking with eachother.

as everyone was talking niko turned to you and wrapped an arm around your waist bringing you a little bit closer even tho you guys were literally squished together at this point.

——————

Time skip cause im lazy

Its been about an hour and it was now time to serve the cake. You had tried to get up to turn off all the lights to sing happy birthday but niko had pulled you back into his arm. "Don't leave me again" You chuckled, kissed his cheek and let everyone else do the work while you hugged him and stuck to his side for the rest of the night.

this literally sucks so bad but dont blame me its my first story ever 😭😒 I also sort of rushed it cause it been days since his birthday and I had to get this out asap! Anyways theres gonna be three more fics coming out when I literally feel like doing them. (spoiler alert, all of them are about aj sooooo yeah)

[thlayli-ra]

Hey hey, le me again, I figured I’d do a fluff ficlet request as well since you said the more the merrier!

I really liked “Getting them something from the store when they only mentioned it in passing”, I adore cute little gestures like that and I think it would be really good with AJPunk, either way would work, I don’t have a preference for who’s going to the store, I know I’ll love it either way. I hope you’re not getting too swamped right now, this offer is just too good to pass up.

Are you kidding me???? First you give me Dick Rick/Mox whump and now MY OTP???? Three words... Hell Fucking YEAH!!!!!!!

Treat - 'Getting them something only mentioned in passing'

Characters - AJ Lee, CM Punk, Larry

Rating - Teen and up

Warnings - None apply

AJ knew that Punk's road to recovery would be tough but today was a particularly bad day. Not nearly as bad as his broken foot a couple years back, at least, that had been two and a half months of living hell! Probably because he had to remain in bed and couldn't do even the most basic of things like taking Larry out for a walk to get some fresh air. Punk was the same as AJ; a human hummingbird. He had to keep busy, keep moving or else he'd die.

'You mean sharks,' he'd said to her when she'd made the mistake of telling him the analogy once. 'Sharks have to keep moving or else they'll die.'

'Mmmm, nah, I think it's hummingbirds.'

'I'm telling you Ape, it's sharks. Hummingbirds perch all the damn time. Anyway,' he muttered under his breath, 'sharks are way cooler.'

She'd admitted defeat on that occasion, one of the incredibly rare times she did so. Mainly because she had an inkling she was wrong but that was beside the point. Punk was out injured, depressed and needed a win.

Today was another such day. She eyed his right arm strapped firmly in the hinged brace, almost identical to the one he'd worn on his other arm the year before. That injury had almost been something of a relief, a valid excuse to keep him away from a toxic environment that had been growing more poisonous by the week until Punk could no longer tell which of the greetings shot his way were friendly or chimpanzee smiles, hissing at him through clenched teeth. It had all blown up catastrophically and Punk was in no rush to return, nor did he have to thanks to his torn tricep.

(And the suspension too, of course.)

But now, with this injury, his third is almost as many years, it was a different story. He had just returned to WWE, the stars had finally aligned and the brightest among them that he had chased his entire career (re; his entire adult life) was finally within his grasp. He was going to headline Wrestlemania, finally take his place among the spotlight of the immortals.

However, the ground crumpled out from beneath him and instead of walking out of the Royal Rumble victorious, he hobbled out clutching his arm. An accident, more to do with the way he took the fall rather than the way Drew McIntyre executed the move, but Punk was still bitter about it. He had every right to be.

Particularly today, the day of Elimination Chamber. He was being uncharacteristically quiet and AJ found him on the couch flicking through all his colleagues posts on his phone. 'I should be there, Ape,' he sighed dejectedly. 'I was gonna win the thing and go on to challenge Seth for his title at Wrestlemania. Instead I'm sitting on my ass, squeezing a fucking foam ball every few minutes.'

'I know, baby,' AJ tried to offer what comfort she could, brushing his hair off his brow and planting a kiss on his temple. 'I'm sorry. Is there anything I can get you?'

'Nah, I'm good.'

'Not even a coffee.'

'No, thanks.'

Holy shit! Things were really bad if he was refusing a coffee. He was low, as low as she'd seen him in a long time and she needed to do something to help. Something big!

It was then that she remembered the moment shortly after he'd woken up from surgery a few weeks ago. She was there at his bedside, like she always was, when Punk, dozy from the anaesthetic, turned to her. 'Ape,' he'd said, his face as serious as the grave, half-lidded hazel eyes boring into her dark browns, 'I would destroy this entire building and everybody in it to get my hands on some Dr Crankenstein's Peanut-Butter Stuffed Goober-Heads right now!'

She'd blinked back at him for a moment. 'Ok, good to know,' she replied. 'I saw a vending machine outside, you want me to go buy you some-'

'AJ, AJ, AJ, Ape, Ape, Ape,' he whittled, wobbling his head from side-to-side. 'You sweet, beautiful creature, you' (Punk was extra affectionate when he was drugged up to his eyeballs, ironically) 'you can't just go buy them, they're not in season. They only bring 'em out for my birthday. And, you know, Halloween. Hence... hence' (she didn't know why he felt the need to say it twice), 'why I said I would destroy every brick in this fucking building and every man, woman and child in it to get my hands on them.'

'Oh...' Damn, he was lucky he was high as a kite right now or else she'd be a little concerned. 'Ok then, sweetie.'

'Except for you,' he added, clutching at his wife's hand. 'You're way too beautiful and amazing. I could never destroy you.'

'Ok. Good to know. Thanks.'

Inspiration struck! (She was a fucking genius!)

She would find those Gooby-watcha-thingies, even though it was only February, and she would present them to Punk to help him out of his depression. She imagined his face when she handed them over, how it would light up and his eyes fill with tears and his lips tremble as he uttered out 'how...' and she'd just shake back her hair and go 'because I am the best in the world'.'

No wait, that was his catchphrase. Damn... she'd think of line later.

Sneaking off to the back door, AJ pulled on her jacket and laced up her Chucks then popped Larry into his stroller.

'Larry,' she said, snapping on a pair of dark shades. 'Let's roll!'

The first place she tried was a short walk down the block. She found nothing in the candy aisle and tracked down a poor, unsuspecting employee to help her. 'Hey,' she said to the guy who looked to be in his early twenties and really didn't want to be here today, let alone serve some crazy lady pushing her tiny werewolf around like a baby. 'I was wondering if you happen to sell any Goober-Heads?'

'Any what?'

'Goober-Heads. You know, those things with peanut butter in them, made by uh, something-stein, um doctor or professor... Funkenstein or...'

'Dr Crankenstein?' The guy asked with a raised eyebrow.

'That's the guy!' AJ cheered. 'You got any of those?'

'Lady, this is February. They only come out in October around Halloween.'

'Yeah, I know that, but you might, I dunno, have one or two just lying around? Like in the back or something?'

'You think we have a secret stash of months-old candy in the back? In like, a super-secret closet? The same one we keep the Ark of the Covenant in?'

AJ knew she was being mocked. But also, kinda didn't care. She was on a mission from God. 'Do you?'

'No, lady!'

Hmm, worth a shot.

Being polite didn't work so in the next store she tried being flirty. 'Excuse me, kind sir?' she asked an older employee, pulling her shades down enough for her enormous chocolate eyes to look over them alluringly. 'Do you mind helping lil ol' me out?' Oh, so we're going for Southern Belle are we? Interesting...

'Of course, how can I help?' Oh dear, he sounded very professional and she suddenly spotted the word 'manager' on his name tag but she carried on in spite of the warning signs.

'You see, I'm having such a terrible time of it lately, you have no idea-'

'I'm sorry to hear that, m'am.'

'Oh, you're too kind. Why, firstly I was jilted by the man I loved with all my heart then I married another out of spite, a soldier who went off to fight then up and died from the measles-' And now, we're just reeling off the plot of Gone with the Wind. Great! '..and here I am, a widow in mourning with a child to raise by myself and all's I long for is my stolen youth.'

'I... see,' the manager said, sounding so very concerned and supremely confused. 'I am really, very sorry to-'

'But, you know what would make all this hurt and pain in my heart disappear?' AJ took a step in closer and whispered huskily 'every packet of Mister Crookenstein's Peanut-Butter Filled Cooker-Heads you have.'

The sudden change in tone broke every wire in the poor guy's brain. 'W-what?'

'If you'd be so kind?'

'Do you mean... Dr Crankenstein's Peanut-Butter Stuffed Goober-Heads?'

'Yes, those.'

'Um, M'am, I am terribly sorry for the loss of your husband and your, um... youth, but we don't currently have any Dr Crankenstein's Goober-Heads in stock. It's February.'

'Not even in the back? Like a secret stash in some kind of super-secret closet?'

The manager stared back at her blankly.

'I'll just show lil ol' me out, then.'

Next store, she channelled her inner Karen (she had to reach deep, deep down inside of her) 'You!' she screeched at the closest employee, her shrill voice making Larry jump inside his stroller. 'I want to speak to a manager!'

'That would be me, m'am,' a woman stepped out from behind the till, with a neatly pressed polo shirt and a 'don't-fuck-with-me' look on her face. AJ gulped and considered bolting for the door but then thought of her husband at home, scrolling mournfully through his phone and the vision was so tragic she kept her ground.

'Oh, good! I want every single one of your Dr Pepperstein's Peanut-Butter Crammed Goober-Heads this second cause I know you have some in the back and I won't be leaving without any.'

The manager took in a deep breath to keep herself good and calm. 'M'am, they only release Goober-Heads in October for-'

'I don't care. I am a paying customer and the customer is always right. Have one of your staff search the back and find me some Glooper-Heads-

'Goober-Heads!'

'Uh, yes, Goober-Heads or else!'

The manager drew in another breath, staring daggers at AJ while she plucked her radio off her belt. 'Mack? This is Samira. Can you please search the back for any Dr Crankenstein's Peanut-Butter Stuffed Goober-Heads.'

'Goober-Heads? But this is Feb-'

'Just do it, jackass.'

She flicked off her radio and the two women stared one another down for ten long, long minutes until the radio crackled and Mack informed them that he had hunted high and low but found nothing.

'See?'

'Yeah, but did he try the super-secret-'

'Get out of my store!'

'Fine.' Letting out a huff, AJ turned around. 'But you'll be getting a very firmly-worded e-mail from me about this!'

The following stores all followed the same pattern;

'Goober-Heads?'

'In February?'

'I'm sorry, m'am, they're not in season.'

'They only release them around Halloween.'

'No, miss, we don't have any "lying around" in the back.'

'What do you mean "secret stash"?'

'I've said it once and I'll say it again, there's no such thing as a super-secret closet.'

Until AJ had to admit defeat and began the long, slow march home. Larry must have sensed her melancholy as he gave her hand a comforting lick. 'Thank you,' she smiled sadly when all of a sudden the little dog made a strange noise and began to pad his feet impatiently. She followed his gaze as he gave out a yip and gasped.

There on the corner, was a store she'd never seen before. An odd, little shop that looked dark inside but the red fluorescent light said it was 'open' so she took the chance and steered the stroller towards it.

The interior smelled of incense and had way too many curtains but there was a cash register in one corner, a fridge stuffed full of bargain basement soda brands buzzing in the other and an ancient coffee machine looming ghoulishly over her, suggesting it was indeed a convenient store. She wouldn't have been surprised, however, to find this place sold mogwais.

AJ spotted an old-fashioned reception bell on the counter so she went over and dinged it and waited for a reply. A head suddenly popped up from behind one of the shelving units, greeting her with a 'yes, how can I help you?'

'AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!' Clutching at her heaving chest, AJ tried to compose herself. 'I... um, do you... do you have any...' Only now, after everything she'd done that day, did it finally hit her how dumb she sounded. She hung her head. 'You know what, forget it.'

Turning Larry around, she began to head for the door when the shop assistant stepped out from behind the unit and eyed her. 'You've been searching for something, haven't you?'

AJ blinked rapidly at him. 'How did you-?'

'You have the steely look of determination and the stench of fatigue that comes with a formidable quest.' AJ scrunched up her nose at that, feeling insulted and more than a little tempted to lift up her arm and check. 'Tell me, young lady, what do you seek?'

'Um... Dr Crankenstein's Peanut-Butter Stuffed Goober-Heads?'

'In February?'

Her heart sank. 'I know, I know. They're out of season.'

The shop assistant glanced around him, shuffling over to the blinds at the window and peered out. 'Can you be trusted?'

'Uh... yeah?'

'Do you swear to take this secret with you to the grave?'

A bit dramatic for a packet of candy but, yeah, sure, whatever. 'I swear.'

The strange man lingered at the window a moment more than made a dash for counter. 'Follow me.' He lifted up one of the many curtains for her and Larry to enter through and AJ found herself in the storage area at the back, piled high with boxes and crates. But the man carried on, walking over to a huge, ornate closet made of dark wood and carved with intricate markings. It was pad-locked. He used a key on a chain around his neck to unlock it.

'Now, remember,' he said to her as he grasped the burnished metal handles, 'never breath a word of what you have witnessed today.'

She gave a firm nod. The doors were flung open, and a great light blinded her for a moment. As she blinked back into reality, what she saw was... beautiful! 'The Super-Secret Closet...' she hushed out under her breath.

'Here,' the shop assistant said, pressing a plastic packet into her hand. Angels sang in her skull when she spied those infamous words printed in black, loopy letters. Dr Crankenstein's Peanut-Butter Stuffed Goober-Heads. 'That'll be twenty dollars.'

It was a fucking rip-off! They only cost like five bucks.

She bought ten.

Then dashed home, her glorious treasure carefully stashed in the basket under Larry's stroller, both members of the triumphant fellowship holding their heads up high. Her feet were light as a feather, walking on air as she skipped up her driveway, unlocked the door and booped it open with the side of her butt and-

'Hey, you're back!' She jumped a mile when Punk manifested in the doorway behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. 'I missed you both so much.' Placing his lips against her neck, he peppered her with kisses, making her eyelids flutter and she swooned back against his strong chest.

'You seem happier?' she noted, looking up at him. Soft, hazel eyes glistened back at her.

'I am. Now that you're here.'

'Me?'

The corner of his lips curled and she was putty, melting under the influence of a blowtorch. 'You always brighten my day, no matter how low I feel. You always make it right, just by being you. I love you, Ape.'

In that moment, her mission dulled in importance and she walked away, leaving her precious bounty behind. Right now, what her husband needed... was her. So she sat with him and watched tv, cuddled into his side while Larry sprawled over both of them and snoozed with his little pink tongue sticking out between his distinctive fangs. They ate junk food and ordered take-out and laughed and kissed and talked about anything other than the PLE unfolding in Australia.

Later on, when Punk went to take Larry out for his evening walk he felt something large in his jacket pocket. To his utter amazement, he pulled out an unopened packet of Dr Crankenstein's Peanut-Butter Stuffed Goober-Heads!

'What the fuck?!'

From the living area, AJ lifted her head up lazily from her book and glanced over. 'Everything ok, baby?'

'Did you get these?' He waved the bag at her.

She made a face and shook her head. 'Never seen them before in my life.'

'They're like, my favourite candy of all time! But they're impossible to find this time of year.'

'Maybe you had them in your pocket this whole time and just forgot about them?'

'Yeah... maybe...'

AJ returned to her book, a small, sly smile on her lips when warm arms engulfed her shoulders and lips nuzzled into her hair, kissing her passionately. 'I fucking love you, April Jeanette Mendez!'

Her cheeks began to turn pink and she beamed back bashfully.

'I love you too!'

*I am never writing Dr Crankenstein's Peanut-Butter Stuffed Goober-Heads ever again!!!

[kennys-shinyforehead]

Just friends - Sharky 💚

————————————————————————

Summary: You and Sharky are convinced you’re ‘just friends’ but your actions towards each other tell a different story.

————————————————————————

You and Sharky were just friends, you both knew that, but for some reason, no one else could see it.

An example of this was the time you were at the Beta Squad house for filming and everyone was taking a break in between shots.

“Not gonna lie, it’s kinda cold in here.”

Sharky remarked whilst lounging on the couch.

“Yeah, I know what you mean, I’m pretty cold as well.”

You responded, rustling through your bag trying to find your hoodie.

“Hey, no need for that, come over here.”

Sharky said before patting the spot next to him.

“We can keep each other warm.”

He says with a smile.

You lie down on the sofa, resting your head on Sharky’s lap, he immediately starts running his fingers through you hair which he does often, you don’t mind, it feels like a head massage.

Harry Pinero, who has never seen this before is quick to make a comment with a smirk on his face,

“Is there something going on between you guys?”

You look up as Sharky and you both exchange a confused look,

“What are you on about?”

You say laughing before turning over to bury your head in Sharky’s lap.

“Yeah, we’re just friends.”

Shark says agreeing with you. 


Another time was when you had finally hit one million subs on youtube. You had all of the Beta Squad over the day you thought it would finally happen, you had the live subscriber count on your TV screen and everything. You had waited for this moment for so long and the thought that it might finally come was just so exciting.

You were all sat there in your living room for what felt like hours, all your eyes glued to the TV watching the number go up and down, sometimes even just one away from that 1 million mark. You start to doubt yourself, getting lost in your own thoughts, what if you were just getting your hopes up? Maybe today wasn’t the day? Suddenly you were brought back to reality by the sounds of familiar cheering and yelling. You glance up at the screen, you can’t believe your eyes, 1 million, you had hit 1 million!! You yell out, screaming and cheering amongst everyone else, you run over to Sharky, your best friend, he immediately picks you and spins you around

“You did it!!”

He yells to you excitedly,

“I did it!!!”

You quickly yell back, with a huge grin on your face.

You suddenly the room fills with laughter from the other Beta Squad members. You and Sharky both quickly turn to them with a confused look on your faces,

“What?!”

You both say, almost in sync with one another. This just causes the boys to laugh even harder,

“The fact you think you’re both ‘just friends’ is absolutely ridiculous!”

Niko says in between his laughter.

“What are you talking about??”

Sharky is quick to say,

“Bro, you’ve literally got her in the air right now.”

Kenny says chuckling a little,

“I’m just congratulating her!”

Sharky says quickly putting you back down. You’re quick to chime in,

“Yeah, he’s just congratulating me!”

“Sure sure…”

Chunkz says with a smirk on his face,

“Whatever you both say.”

AJ remarks. You and Sharky both sigh, they just don’t get it.

The final straw was the fans also started to realise the way you acted around each other. You and Sharky had filmed a video for his youtube channel and the comments had a lot to say.

You’re at the Beta Squad house sitting in the kitchen with Sharky and AJ whilst looking at the comments from the video you and Sharky posted just a couple days ago.

“Sharky look at this!”

You say turning your phone to face him, Sharky leans in to look at whatever you wanted to show him,

“Look at all the comments on the video we posted!”

Sharky looks at these comments and reads one out loud,

“‘I want a man to look at me the way Sharky looks at Y/N.’ What?! I don’t look at you any kinda way.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!”

You respond quickly.

Sharky takes the phone out your hand and begins to read more of the comments,

“‘Sharky and Y/N are such a cute couple.’ Are these people for real?!”

Sharky exclaims before handing the phone back to you.

“I don’t understand why everyone thinks there’s something going on between us, I feel like this happens every time we post together!”

You say whilst scrolling through more of the comments. Suddenly AJ pipes up as he’s been siting there the whole time listing to this conversation,

“Y’know, we’ve been telling you this the whole time and now the fans are starting to see it too.”

You are Sharky are both quick to get defensive,

“We’re just friends!!”

You say quickly, Sharky backs you up saying,

“Yeah, I don’t understand no one can see it!”

“Maybe because you guys literally act like you’re in love with each other?”

AJ remarks which a chuckle.

You and Sharky both respond to this comment with an eye roll.

Let’s be real, you and Sharky weren’t‘just friends’, in fact your so much more then that. Everyone else was right, it was only a matter of time before you both realised it.

———————————————————————

This is the fanfic I wrote for you guys based on the poll results, Sharky had the most votes so here you go !!

I hope you all like this one, as always requests are open 💚 xxxx

[magicamicitia]

Volume One, Chapter 4

“You just have to prove it to them!”

The distortion of reality around them slowly began to turn back into the beautiful hedge maze it once was, and the only remaining proof that a witch ever haunted the place stood perfectly still on the ground.

Fluttershy picked it up, looking somewhat disappointed.

“Only one…”

“You should have it, darling.” said Rarity, with a gentle yet sincere exprsssion on her face.

Applejack nodded in agreement.

“Yeah! You busted that thing down good! We’d have turned into witch food without ya.”

“Oh…” She nervously fidgeted with the seed in her hands. “I… I couldn’t…”

“FLUTTERS!”

“Ah-!”

Rainbow Dash tackled down her friend, laughing and crying at the same time.

“You were AWESOME out there! I can’t believe you finally made your wish! That stupid witch never stood a chance against you at all!”

“Oh… Um… T-Thank you, I didn’t really do all that much….”

Before she could finish her sentence, reality crudely downed upon her.

“No, Aj… You should have it. You used a lot of magic back there… I’d feel bad taking it from you…”

The cowgirl smiled.

“Don’t worry about it, sugarcube. If I do end up needin’ one, I can always go on a night patrol.”

“Ooh! Ooh! I’ll help!” Rainbow Dash let go of Fluttershy, excitedly skipping towards Applejack.

“What..?” Fluttershy seemed shocked.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow turned around.

“Oh, nothing, it’s just…” She looked down at the grief seed in her hands. Her wish had really come true. “I’m so glad you two are getting along like this.”

She couldn’t help but let a relieved tear stream down her cheek.

“Flutters… Are you… Are you crying…?”

She quickly wiped her face.

“Oh, don’t mind me. That was just… A really scary battle. I think i’m still a little shocked.”

“This calls for a celebratory Make-Fluttershy-Feel-Better PARTY!!!!!” Pinkie jumped out from behind them.

Amidst all the laughter, Twilight couldn’t help but feel like she was forgetting something.

“WE’RE GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!!!”

Meanwhile, In Canterlot High, Sunset Shimmer sat alone in her chemistry class. It’s not like her attitude had earned her many friends, so usually she just sat with Twilight.

As she quietly resented her friend for not telling her she wouldn’t come in today, the door opened with a loud bang.

“I’M SO SORRY I’M LATE!!!!!”

“Twilight!”

“Ah, Ms. Sparkle! We thought you wouldn’t be able to join us today. Please, take your seat.” Despite the young student’s evident stress, the teacher smiled calmly as she said that. Still, Twilight couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as she stumbled toward the table where Sunset was.

“Where were you?” she whispered. “I was worried!”

“I, um… I had ebola.” Twilight blurted out.

“What?!”

“S-Sorry. That’s the excuse I came up with in case someone asked. I found a witch on my way here.”

“Oh, that thing we saw the other day?”

“Yeah, but…” Looking over at the soul gem ring on her right hand, she felt a pleasant warmth flow through her body. “I found… others.”

“Others?”

“Magical girls. Like me!”

“Huh?”

“They actually study here at Canterlot as well! Isn’t that wonderful?”

Sunset felt like her stomach had jumped out of a 12 story building.

She’d always known that, despite her special treatment of Twilight, she still wasn’t exactly the bestest friend ever. She’d tease her a lot, and occasionally her own anger would get the best of her. It wasn’t a surprise that Twilight would want to replace her eventually.

“Yeah, that’s…. great.”

Sunset had always been better off alone. Friends will only make you vulnerable and bring you along when they go down. But now that she had come face to face with this ultimatum, she…

“Sunset? Are you okay?”

She looked up at Twilight’s worried face. Her hand was gently placed on top of her own. Sunset cursed herself for letting her guard down so easily, but now that she had experienced true friendship, it was just too hard to let go of.

“C…” Her pride made her words heavy. “Can… I… Come along… With you… guys… Next time…?”

Twilight’s expression of worry quickly turned into one of excitement.

“Of course! I’ll introduce you to everyone!”

Oh boy.

Somehow, Sunset felt like introductions wouldn’t be needed.

When the last bell rang, Sunset was impatiently waiting at the front doors of the school. When they opened, Twilight appeared accompanied by five other girls.

“Alright everybody, as I was saying, this is my best friend…”

Uh oh.

“Sunset Shimmer?!” The five of them exclaimed in an unpleased tone.

“Hey… guys.” She awkwardly scratched the back of her head, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

“Oh? You already know each other?” Twilight excitedly said, oblivious to the situation.

“Do we?!” Applejack crossed her arms.

“It’d be hard not to.” Rainbow Dash added in an agressive tone.

Hidden behind her, Fluttershy asked.

“Twilight, are you really friends with…. That girl?”

“Huh?” She looked around, confused. “Wait, am I missing something?”

“Listen, guys, I…” Sunset tried to explain herself.

“Frankly,” Rarity cut her off. “We don’t need to listen to anything you have to say!”

“Yeah! Twilight, don’t you know Sunset is the biggest, most meanest meanie of all meanies?” Pinkie backed up the rest of her friends.

“What? But I…” Twilight couldn’t understand what was happening.

“I’ve changed, okay, gosh dang it !”

Sunset Shimmer’s voice echoed through the campus.

When she realized what she’d done, she quickly covered her mouth with her own hands in embarrassment.

“I-I mean…”

The looks on the other girl’s faces were of the disgust she already knew. But Twilight’s eyes, covered in tears, almost made her lose balance for a second.

“Frankly, If this is all you had to show us, I think we’d best take our leave.” Rarity picked her bag up and turned around, with the others following behind her.

Soon, they had all left, but Twilight stayed.

Sunset tried to swallow her own embarrassment.

“Aren’t you going with them…?”

“No way! Sunset, listen…”

She held her hands up, looking closely into her eyes.

“If anyone knows you’ve changed, it’s me. You’re a wonderful person, and an amazing friend. You just have to prove it to them!”

“Prove…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you. I’ll always be with you, all the way. Cause that’s what friends are for!”

Sunset let go of Twilight’s hands, wiping her face.

“Yeah… Thanks, Twi.”

“Alright! Then, for today, I’ll go back to my own house and create the best, most foolproof friendship plan ever! Just you wait, soon, everyone will be happily hunting witches together!”

Twilight clumsily skipped away, and Sunset was left alone in the campus.

She couldn’t help but wonder if someone like her could truly make friends.

She had already failed once before.

[burrowbabe]

Give and Take - Chapter 9

The next morning, you're sat in the living room enjoying a cup of coffee with your brother AJ, discussing the upcoming deadline for your album.

"We have to narrow down the final songs, Anna. We can't just keep recording and scrapping everything." AJ says, running a hand through his hair. 

"Don't you think I know that?" You say, rolling your eyes. You set you coffee down on the table in front of you, noticing someone else had entered the room during your conversation.

Joe.

"Good morning." He greets, shuffling in and sitting on the couch opposite of you. You both share closed mouthed smiles and divert eye contact quickly to avoid any awkwardness in front of your brother.

"We'll just have to call Oliver later." AJ says, sinking back into the couch with a big sigh.

Oliver was your loyal manager since day one. He was no stranger to your late night phone calls, strange requests, and complaints when it came to career obligations. 

"Fine. We'll just see what he says." You shrug, picking up your coffee once more and meeting Joe's eyes. 

His hair was disarray and the small crinkles under his sleepy eyes were so adorable. You just wanted to kiss him again. 

He thought the same, eyeing your mismatched pajama bottoms and top, with your novelty oversized sneaker-looking slippers.

"I gotta get in the shower, let's meet back here in 30 and call him." AJ says, gathering his things and leaving you and Joe alone in the living room,

He matches your small smile as it grows, looking at one another.

"So, what are you up to today?" You ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Hanging out with you, hopefully."

"We can arrange that." You reply, surveying your surroundings before inching closer to him. 

"After my meeting today, let's try to blow everybody off and try to spend some time together. Ya know, maybe order food, watch a movie? The whole first date cliche." 

A wide smile spreads across Joe's face at this suggestion. 

"I would love that." 

***

Later that afternoon, the rest of your friends suggest going to dinner and a nightclub. While everyone but you and Joe agree, your hopes for a quiet night in seem to be in motion.

"But Annie, what about dancing to our favorite songs?" Tana whines.

"We can do that any other night, babe. I just want to take a night off and chill." You say.

"Me too." Agrees Joe. 

"You guys are lame!" Nick chimes in, throwing back another shot to pregame the nights events.

"Listen, you guys have a great time. Joe and I will be saving our money and the debilitating hangover for another occasion." You quip, silencing any other protests.

"If you insist." Tana rolls her eyes.

"Besides, Joe and I will make ourselves busy. I have plenty of rom-coms on deck that he needs to see." You say, looking at him with a devious smile.

With an exaggerated, wide-eyed look, you laugh knowing full well that this statement wasn't totally fabricated.

***

Around 8 p.m., the others were just heading out to dinner, just as your take-out was arriving. As you called out distant goodbye's for the night, you and Joe cracked open the Chinese food containers.

You queued up Never Been Kissed on the living room TV as Joe grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge to accompany your dinner.

"Now what is this hot garbage you're about to make me watch?" He asks, laughing as he joins you on the couch.

"Only one of the greatest Drew Barrymore movies ever." You quip, pouring he and you a glass of rosé.

You didn't pay much attention to the movie though. As you ate, you both yapped about the silly characters, plot lines, and jokes, until the conversation ended up on yourselves. 

"Listen, I did not know I would get suspended for that!" You exclaim, slamming your carton of noodles on the coffee table.

"How could you not!?" Joe laughs, grabbing his abdomen at your outrageous story form yesteryear. 

As the laughter died down, you rest your elbow on the top of the couch, looking at him with stars in your eyes. 

You had polished off the bottle of rosé long ago, but that wasn't the only reason for the blush on your cheeks. 

Joe's shyness had fallen away, sitting and talking with Anna all night. 

"I have to say, this date falls in the top three of best date ever." Joe says, earning a shocked expression from you.

"Top three?! I'm not number one?"

"Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know." He laughs, biting his lower lip.

"I'm not used to being number two. I'd better hope I'm the top of the list, or we're through."

Both of your dazed eyes scan each others' faces, thinking of every possible way to make the next move.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Sighing, Joe leans back against the couch.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asks.

You lips part, not knowing what to say. His blue grey eyes are swimming with emotion and you're captivated by it. 

"How on Earth do I get the privilege to know you?"

Your heart pounds in your chest. You don't know how to respond, but fight the desire to grab him by the collar and kiss him. 

You can't even spit a word out before he inches closer to you.

"I would do anything to please you." He says, moving to kiss your neck. You gasp, rolling your head to the side to give him better access.

"Joe, I- "

"I know. I don't want to do anything you don't want to do."

You don't exactly want to give it all up to him now, but the aching desire in your core begs to differ. But, emotionally, you know you can't delve into such intimacy so soon with the fear of getting hurt. 

Joe plays with the waistband of your sweats while attacking your neck and mouth with kisses. 

"What do you think about taking these off?" He asks, with no ounce of pressure whatsoever. His eyes are pleading in an innocent way.

You nod your head quickly, grabbing the hair at the nape of his neck to pull him closer as he worked his hands over your body.

Before he could get your pants past your hips, the alarm system had indicated that the front door was open, followed by a loud roar of chatter from your roommates who had just gotten home. 

Jumping a foot away from each other, you whine in desperation and pull your pants back all the way up.

Joe, having to grab a throw pillow to hold over his lap, joined you in sharing a painful expression because of the interruption. 

"Heyyyy guys! How was your night?" Tana slurred, holding herself steady on the back of the couch. 

How had you let the time pass you by? 

"Good." You say, with a closed mouthed smile. "Just heading off to bed."

"Me too. Too many tequila sodas." She says, rubbing her temples. "Tuck me in?" She asks.

You look at a panic stricken Joe, and reluctantly agree.

You get up to assist Tana up the stairs as Joe is joined by your brother and his friends in the living room. Your panties are soaked and you mind races with the thoughts of what would have transpired if no one had come in.

Living under the same roof, though, it was bound to happen again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

smut to come soon I promiseeeee

[queeniecook]

January 20

There's a gentle rain falling upon the island of Sulani as the Grant household wakes up for the day. It's a Saturday which thankfully means no school for AJ.

"Can't I do this later? I want to go talk to Rahmi. She has fun stories about her farm." AJ says with a sigh. 

"It's best to get it done and out of the way. Then you have the rest of the weekend to have fun." Naya tells him, she's helping him with his homework while her husband stares at the TV, watching the ending credits of some movie he found to watch. 

By the time Rahmi gets up and gets ready for the day, the rain had cleared up - almost like magic one could say. According to her weather app, it was supposed to rain all day. She leaves the house to go meet Ukupanipo at Sand Simoleon Beach.

"Is the weather around here always so unpredictable?" Rahmi asks after they've gotten in the water. She still isn't used to seeing her friend in his merman form. There's a certain ethereal beauty to him when he's in the water - in his element - but she won't be sharing that thought anytime soon. 

Ukupanipo's face breaks out into a huge grin. "When you have those of us who can change the weather, yes it can be. Normally I don't meddle with nature but I did tell you I'd bring you here today..."

Rahmi's eyes grew wide "You...stopped the rain?"

He nods his head "We can summon clear skies, among other things." He doesn't want to give away all "secrets" yet. 

"Well...thank you." Rahmi says with a smile, she feels a warmth spread through her chest at the idea of someone doing something like that for her. 

After their swim, they grill out fresh fruit for their dinner. Tomorrow she would be spending time with AJ and Apollo while Naya is at work. The guys want to take her to a local museum so she can see some of Sulani's history.

The duo eat their dinner, chatting here and there about their lives.

"Since you go back soon, there's one more thing I'd like to show you." Ukupanipo announces to his companion. He isn't sure if she'll agree to it or not. 

"Oh?" Rahmi asks, putting down a piece of fruit to look at him.

"I work at the island's bar and well, I'd like to take you there. Not while I work obviously but I'd like to give you a taste of the Sulani nightlife scene." 

Many things filtered through Rahmi's mind in that moment. Is he asking her out on a date? Or is this just a friend thing? Then her emotions kicked in. Panic and happiness were the main ones. "Sure."

Night begins to slowly creep in and Rahmi finds herself putting on some warmer clothes she brought with her. The fact that it's wintertime and she's been at the beach most of the day while her kids are dealing with snow back home isn't lost on her. She's been keeping in touch with her kids and they seem to be doing well, from what they're telling her anyway.

The pair spend time around a bonfire someone built on the sand until it gets late and they part ways.

Once Rahmi returns to the Apollo and Naya's house, she goes to Vera's old room and finds Naya sitting on the love seat.

"Did he ask you out yet?" She asks, almost giddy. Despite her own struggles in her marriage lately, Naya is a fan of love. She loves love and seeing people in it. 

"No. Yes...I don't know." Rahmi says, staring at the blonde. She tells Naya what happened at the beach.

"That's totally a date! Don't worry, I got your outfit covered." Naya beams. It's not often she gets to dress someone up. Apollo let her play dress up on him once and that was it - but that story is for the bedroom only.

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

Kay’s Advice For Going To Wrestling Shows

Hello Everyone! First things first , I wanted to thank you all for taking time and reading my blog and sharing the content on it! I appreciate all of you! I decided to switch things up a little today with this article. I’ll be sharing a few things I learned from going to different wrestling shows whether it’s a WWE, AEW , TNA, etc or an Indie show. My Brother- In - Law is a wrestler. I hope this article can help!

1. Cleanliness- If you are at any wrestling show , please make sure you pick up after yourselves. This helps event venue staff in the long run if it’s a show for a huge promotion such as WWE , AEW , etc. If it’s at an Indie Wrestling show , please do the same as you would at a huge show. This is one of my biggest pet peeves when I go to a show . I was an All Star Cheerleader and I saw people not picking up after themselves a lot . Also , please wear deodorant when you come to a wrestling show! No one wants to smell body odor when they are trying to enjoy wrestling !

2. If you are standing outside an arena waiting to hopefully meet or see your favorite wrestlers , make friends! You might even meet some of your social media friends! I did ( shout out to @slutfortheeclaymore and her awesome family !) . Also , if you meet your favorites , be nice and talk to them! I’ve met a few , Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae , Raquel Rodriguez ( she signed my sister’s , @sjones41488 ‘s notebook for her birthday), The Miz , Shelton Benjamin . I had two amazing interactions . Johnny Gargano singled me out and told me he loved my vintage Shawn Michaels shirt I wore when I met him , and Drew McIntyre made eye contact with me and waved at me. Same rules apply for going to meet and greets. I met AJ Styles and he is phenomenal!

3. Let’s Talk About Legends Appearing At Indie Shows - If a wrestling legend appears at an Indie show you are attending, please respect them! If it wasn’t for them , you wouldn’t be watching the wrestlers you are now! Go up to their table and talk to them! Ask them questions , buy their merch , take photos with them etc. I’ve met a few legends myself and I can say , I’ve learned a few things . You might even get to see them wrestle too. I’ve watched George South wrestle a lot and let me tell you , he is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He asked me to work his merch table at a show I was at and it was an honor to do so. I couldn’t turn it down. When I met the legendary Manager/Valet , ‘ The Perfect 10 ’ Baby Doll, I got to help her by taking photos of her and other fans. That was an honor for me as well. I’m grateful for both of those opportunities. Also, if you a wrestler, manager, etc, when a legend steps into your locker room , please show respect by helping them out . You could help them set up their merch table , carry their gear bag, shake their hand, etc. To me , this is a sign of respect. I’ll be attending WRESTLECADE this year and I’ll be meeting Kevin Nash and seeing other legends. And this goes for anyone , if a legend tells you a story about their time in the business, please listen.

4. PLEASE RESPECT WRESTLERS! I am so sick and tired of seeing articles and videos about wrestlers being ambushed at airports when they got off their flights to go to their next show. And do not wait outside of their hotels! That’s their private time! Incidents like this make me wish there was more security around wrestlers like there is for a celebrity like Taylor Swift. They are human like us! And if you are at an Indie show , please do not try and start fights with the wrestlers . The show doesn’t run smoothly of that happens and that is the last thing promoters don’t need other than talent getting injured. I’ve seen it happen. Also, DO NOT BE A CREEP TOWARDS WOMEN WRESTLERS! After seeing and hearing about creepy men harassing wrestlers such as Skye Blue , Alexa Bliss, and the guy trying to take photos of the feet of the NXT Women’s roster , I feel like this needs to be said. If you do this , you’re gross! I’ve noticed on AEW that Saraya calls creeps out when they do this! And don’t bully wrestlers , like I said , they are normal humans too and have feelings.

5. Don’t bully other fans at shows because of who their favorite is. I’ve seen videos of Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes fans fighting at Wrestlemania over their match . It isn’t cool . Those fans are there to cheer on their favorite wrestlers just like you. Also, don’t be a creep to female fans either!

6. Wear Comfortable Shoes- Please wear comfortable shoes if you go to a huge show because you’ll be doing a lot of walking that day. I like to wear Sneakers or Athletic shoes, I find them comfortable when I go to shows. Or if you cosplay as your favorite wrestler, find a shoe that is comfortable to you . I don’t recommend wearing heels or sandals. You don’t want your feet to hurt or get stepped on.

7. Make sure you have some extra money on you! What I mean by this is bring some cash other than having your cards on you just in case if a card machine is down. This will help you in the long run in order to buy concessions and your favorite wrestler’s merch. But , getting something to eat is way more important than buying merch!

8. THIS ONE GOES FOR ALL WRESTLING SHOWS! - If a 10 bell salute is going on , please join in on the moment of silence. It shows respect to someone in the business who has passed away. I can’t stand it when someone talks during one because I think it’s disrespectful. And it’s okay to show emotion during it too.

9. At an Indie Show - If you are asked to stay out of the locker room, please do so. It’s rude and disrespectful if you are a fan trying to barge in on the talent getting dressed. The only ones in there should be the talent and promoter. Wait outside to meet the talent. And be respectful to their significant other ( if they have one) and their families . Also , if a show is doing a meet and greet for talent , go to that!

10. The Golden Rule - HAVE FUN! As a fan , professional wrestling shows are one of the most fun things to ever go to! If you haven’t been to one , that’s okay too! I hope you get the chance to go to one soon! The environment of a show is great!

My Final Thoughts:

These are just my tips for going to any wrestling show. I hope the advice I gave in this article is helpful to everyone ! Are you attending a show this year or going to WRESTLECADE? And what are some of your tips for going to wrestling shows ? Let me know and I might do a part 2!

Love You All,

- Kay

[fraeuleintaka]

Interview with the AAIC Devs

This is the 58th post in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Countdown: 23 days left until release!

Today's topic: an interview with the developers behind the Investigations Collection!

A few interviews have been released with producer Shunsuke Nishida and localisation director Janet Hsu (and the first including producer Kenichi Hashimoto as well) on the topic of the Investigations Collection and the AA series in general with some interesting revelations and information coming forth. I found three interviews on three different sites with some overlapping questions but also lots of different ones and I'm going to highlight the most interesting points (to me).

Development on the Investigations Collection began in 2022 (right after development for the AJ trilogy wrapped up) and they spent 3 whole months just working on the character sprites' graphics (as they knew fans wouldn't be satisfied with the product without putting in a significant amount of effort)

This is insane to think about considering how long they kept quiet about this! 2022! And most people at that time were thinking that any hope for an Investigations 2 localisation was delusional... So glad that it ended up happening! It also sounds incredible how they describe the amount of effort they went to for the HD sprites and updated graphics in general. They really went the extra mile(s) (ha!) to remake these two beautiful games as best as they could. So worth it!

Several people of the development team worked on the original games and they also asked other Capcom staff that worked on the original games for opinions and advice

This is good to hear! So they make sure that the enhancements, possible changes and localisation are all in spirit of how the games were originally meant to be. It's nice when they take care of the story and characters like this.

Replicating the feel of the original Investigations (and trilogy) was challenging (they tried to keep it as tonally consistent with I1 as possible but with 10 years inbetween the localisations slight differences are unavoidable) as well as keeping the complicated mysteries, threads and foreshadowing straight (they even created event timelines for their own reference), keeping things consistent and references straight is a big part of the process in general

I can imagine that 😄 I2 is about the most complex game in the series in the best possible way! And this sounds like they paid attention to every possible detail, nice! Love that they also wanted to make the 2nd one feel like the 1st one despite the long time between localisations, I hope it worked out. At least from what I've seen of the two first cases nothing feels jarring so that's promising.

Kay is JH's favourite character in Investigations and her added depth in I2 only makes her more likeable

Based opinion! I love Kay, she's my favourite assistant character in the series and her role in I2 is great. My favourite Investigations character is Shi-Long Lang and my favourite Investigations 2 character Sebastian Debeste (Eustace Winner).

They did not play the fan translation in order to create their own original localisation without outside influence

Understandable and probably the better way to do it instead of constantly having a different version in one's head. Though that'll likely mean there'll be no references to the fan translation which I'm a bit sad about.

There are cultural and grammatical challenges in localising AA to establish the right context and make the mysteries work, JH is particularly proud of the California rolls change

I honestly don't know what they mean with the California rolls thing. Maybe I'll know when I encounter it in the game. Apart from that I always love hearing about the localisation process and I hope that we'll get some blog posts from JH again about localising I2.

They didn't redo the Investigations localisation in any way, they only fixed typos and other glaring must-fixes

I think I prefer it this way. I don't know what they would even want to fix apart from typos and continuity corrections, I don't remember any major problems. Investigations' localisation is great the way it is.

• They redesigned the UI completely to account for larger screens and added on to the background visuals and other illustrations as necessary to extend them horizontally

The UI changes are obvious but I hadn't noticed that any of the visuals are extended in this way. Huh, neat, I'll have to check and compare them.

They gave no comment on further games for Miles or Investigations in general

They also didn't give any hints towards the Investigations Collection release though so this could mean anything. Maybe a sequel is already planned on for when the collection sells well...

JH just thinks of puns easily, the name finding process includes looking at the Japanese name to see what they were going for, brainstorming several names going in different directions and whittling down the list for the name that best fits the character (personality-wise) followed by a balance check at the end that all the names in a given game feel cohesive

That sounds like a very careful and extensive process to really make sure that the best possible name is chosen for a given character. Sure, if you can't think of the perfect name, it can't end up in the game but I'd really love to see the alternative names that were considered for some characters (like for Sebastian) and why they ended up choosing the one they did. That cohesiveness check is also interesting, I wonder if they ever changed a name because it didn't fit in with the others they'd chosen.

The growing number of AA fans was a deciding factor for releasing I2 now and they hope to increase the fanbase further, all the quality of life improvements are supposed to give the best possible experience for both old and new fans

As expected but still nice to have this confirmed. Why wouldn't they release it now? And as an old fan, from what I've seen, I'm more than happy with all of the improvements!

The HD redesign of the chibi characters was a massive undertaking (sometimes they thought they wouldn't finish in time) and they started from scratch on how to enhance them (exploring several options) as they're unique to Investigations and unprecedented

The more I hear about how much effort this entire redesign took, the more impressed I am. That they even did this is amazing. And just look at the result! All that effort was more than worth it!

Investigations is a unique take on AA not least because of Miles as the protagonist and his unique thoughts and developments guiding the narrative

Agreed! That's why the Investigations games are the best 😉 And why Miles is my favourite protagonist in the series, he's by far the most fun to play as!

When deciding on a name the level of pun appropriate for the character is important, if it's obvious or subtle, if the character is serious or funny

Makes sense and it's really noticeable. That's why we'll (sadly?) never have "The Adventures of Deid Mann". Though what counts as an appropriate name for a serious character in AA stretches the definition pretty far. I somewhat disagree on their chosen level of pun for Sebastian (and Ray aka Eddie), but if they think his name is serious enough for his serious arc in the later part of the game, it should also be serious enough for giving him a protagonist role in the next Investigations, right? Right?

The gameplay systems in Investigations (Logic, Mind Chess) reflect the nature of protagonist Miles Edgeworth

That's what I'm saying! Miles is just so epic that he has multiple unique mechanics to reflect his nature instead of one single gimmick like the others 😉

The most difficult part in localising is balancing the tone of the dialogue so that everyone can enjoy it, the fine-tuning of the words make or break the experience

Sounds pretty intense but only natural. You're basically re-writing the entire story so you have to make sure that not only is the meaning conveyed but that everything sounds natural in the language you're translating to. I've translated stuff before and it's noticably different from how you'd write it naturally in the other language. That doesn't work for a story. But the other localisations so far have been great so I'm positive that I2's will be as well.

A strong sense of how each character should sound keeps the characterization consistent while giving them a speaking style (including text scripting) that gels well with their personality and animations

The best thing is always when you can tell which character said which line just by the line alone. Distinct voices for all characters helps a lot in making them feel unique and bringing them to life in the story. The way they describe using speech patterns and how the text is delivered to convey characters' quirks and personality is exactly why AA characters are so memorable and why the games are so fun.

Miles is the most interesting character to write for because of all of his different eras, each version is a little different but still the same deep down (he's also one of JH's favourite characters)

Not surprising at all, Miles is one of the best characters in the entirety of AA after all and the most developed, too. That's why he's my most favourite 😊 He's so fascinating and despite his amount of screentime there's still always something new to explore about him!

I2 is one of the most thrilling localisations JH worked on being very happy about everyone's reaction to the announcement

It's not every day you can localise such an anticipated and sought after game so I totally get that. And the reaction was truly something - completely warranted! This is the only game I'm doing such a countdown for after all 😉

[ricky-tiki-tah]

If you're still looking for Ego prompts, maybe Wilford? 👀

Yes! I’ve had an idea for him banging around for a little bit.

—Story Time—

Mornings were always a quiet affair. Most of the other egos figured that Wilford needed his coffee to wake up in the morning, as any attempt to interact with him before then was largely unsuccessful. Only a few of the older egos knew the truth.

“Good morning, Wil.”

William hummed a quiet greeting to Dark, nodding towards the Jims at the kitchen table as he grabbed his mug, once again thankful that Dark gets up early enough to make coffee before everyone else is awake.

“Morning Not-so-Pink Jim!” One of the two Jim’s currently at the table spoke up.

“Mornin’ CJ.” William responded, turning around to lean against the counter and sipping his coffee.

Dark turned to grab the sugar and whipped cream, in preparation for Wilford’s memories to slot into place. “Any plans today, love?”

William shrugged, closing his eyes to just enjoy the quiet. “Got a meeting with Kathryn later. Think I’ll work on new interview questions til then.”

At this point the pink was returning to his hair and mustache, so Dark passed him the sugar. “Tell Kathryn I said hello, would you?”

Wilford nodded, reaching for the whipped cream and digging through a cabinet for the rainbow sprinkles. “Oh sure! Here’s to hoping she doesn’t mention the mess that happened yesterday!”

Wilford clinked his overly sugary mug with Dark’s, pressing a kiss to the other’s cheek before turning to head towards his studio. “Later Jims! I’ll look over your footage after my meeting.”

“Later Pink Jim!” The duo chorused.

AJ turned to look at Dark, who raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

“Reporter Jim wants to interview William.” CJ spoke up.

Dark shook his head, finishing off his own coffee. “That’s not advisable, Jim. Wilford doesn’t know about his lapsing into William, and I would rather not find out what would happen if he were to find out.”

“Permission to interview Wilford, Demon Jim?” AJ asked.

“If you don’t ask about William, I don’t care AJ. Goodness knows what you four will do otherwise.” Dark replied. They had long since given up arguing with the Jims that they weren’t a demon.

—

“Wil, I can’t find Roosevelt!” Artie ran up to the pink journalist.

“Well then I’ll help you look! She’s bound to be around here somewhere.” Wilford pat the boys head reassuringly before turning towards his manager. “Excuse me Kathryn, this is of upmost importance. Roosevelt is expecting and Artie here has been busy making her a comfy little nest.”

Kathryn sighed but nodded. “Well we were nearly done already. I’ll leave the notes on your desk. Nice to see you Artie.”

“Nice to see you Kathryn!” Artie waved, tugging on Wilford’s hand. “Let’s go Wil!”

“Later!” Wilford waved. “Oh, Bim was wanting to talk to you too.”

“Alright. Good luck Artie.”

“Thanks!” Artie was finally able to pull Wilford away and towards his room.

“Have you looked in your treehouse yet, King?” Wilford asked, watching Artie tug him along with amusement.

“Yeah, she’s not actually missing though. I just had to think of something to get you out of the meeting.” Artie admitted, opening his door and making a beeline to his window.

“Oh really, whatever for?”

“Roosevelt had her babies!!” Artie explained, leading the way across the rope bridge to his treehouse.

“Oh did she now! That’s wonderful!” Wilford laughed, following the boy’s lead in staying quiet and moving slowly.

“Look!” Artie pointed towards one of the nest holes. “They’re so tiny!”

“Indeed! What do you plan to name them?”

Artie hummed deep in thought, milling it over as he studied the squirrel kits. Wilford smiled fondly, petting another squirrel while he waited.

“I think I’ll call that one Sherbet, that one Rocky, that little one Obi-Wan, and that one Moose.” Artie finally decided, pointing to each kit as he named them.

Wilford laughed. “Lovely names, I’m sure they’ll grow right into them!”

Artie beamed. “Oh they will! I’m the best King of the Squirrels ever and I’ll make sure they grow up to be big and strong little squirrels! Oh, the Jims want to interview you again, by the way.”

“Of course, they’ve only done so twice this week, I was waiting for them to come looking for me again.”

—

“There you are, Darkling!” Dark looked up as the pink ego appeared in their room.

“Hello Wilford, how was your day?”

“Oh it was great!” Wilford started, sprawling across Dark’s lap. “I scheduled another interview, and that meeting with Kathryn went splendidly! Oh say, did King tell you about his baby squirrels? They’re so adorable and tiny! And of course the Jims interviewed me again. This time they wanted to know how some of my hair is pink and I told them ‘well how should I know? It just is!’”

Dark smiled, setting his book aside and carding softly through said pink hair while he listened to Wilford ramble on about his day.