#this is why i’m against the death penalty

[simplegenius042]

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[crookedfandomquill]

This is very situational, and sadly may not be realistic for everyone, but I need y’all to understand that a very important part of political activism is fucking talking to your conservative or moderate friends and family.

My dad voted for Trump in 2016. He’s a middle class white evangelical from Arkansas. He raised me with conservative Christian values, just like his parents raised him. When he voted Trump, he was holding his nose, but he didn’t feel too bad about it, and went on to vote red down the ticket in the 2018 midterms, as well.

But I started college in 2017. Higher education and independence changed everything for me, and I went home over holidays and summers with fire in my belly and a thousand arguments ready at the drop of a hat, to my father’s dismay.

I remember crying in my room after emotional, intense arguments with him. I told him over and over that I felt betrayed by his choice to vote for a man who admitted to sexually assaulting women, who built his platform on dehumanizing immigrants and the disabled, who spread overtly-racist rhetoric, who flouted the values of kindness and self-discipline that I’d been raised on. And my dad always had some justification about the “greater good”: fighting against abortion, bolstering the economy, getting other Christian politicians into office.

But over time, as we grew further apart and I lost my will to discuss anything with him at all, he softened. He started asking me why I thought the way I did about the things we disagreed about. He would listen to my answers without interruption, and mull them over afterward instead of expressing his own opinion. And all the while, he watched the Trump presidency become cruel and absurd and devastating.

The first time he openly expressed regret to me, I had come home for a weekend after Kavanaugh was confirmed to SCOTUS. My dad realized he had helped elect a man who preyed on women… and that man had opened the door to more predators. I can’t tell you what it felt like for him to admit that he’d made a mistake, not just in voting for Trump but in defending him for so long. We kept arguing, but it was more debating than fighting. I knew he was capable of seeing my side of things, even if it took a while, and he knew I wasn’t just a sensitive college student with shallow new ideas about the world.

And then 2020 hit. Specifically, George Floyd was murdered, and the events that followed played out on the national stage. My dad was incredibly shaken by it. He asked me if I had any books from college about racial issues. I loaned him The New Jim Crow, one of the required readings for my Race and the Law class. Then I gave him Just Mercy. Then he watched the documentary 13th. Then he joined a racial harmony group he learned about through one of the few Black families at our church and insisted our whole family come. He held up signs at a protest against Confederate monuments in our conservative southern town. In three years, he went from defending Trump’s comments about “Black-on-Black crime” to publicly advocating for racial justice and opposing the death penalty.

We went together to vote in the 2020 primaries. I couldn’t help asking who he’d voted for; I didn’t even know if he’d asked for the Republican or Democratic ticket. He admitted he’d voted for Bernie. fucking. Sanders, then made me promise not to tell my grandma he’d voted liberal. When the election rolled around in November, he voted Biden. I’m sure he held his nose to do it, just like he held his nose voting in 2016. But I know he doesn’t regret it.

I am, of course, unbelievably lucky to have a parent who loved me enough, and was empathetic enough, to choose his relationship with me over his strongly-held opinions. He kept searching for truth because, as much as he’ll deny it, he’s a very smart and curious person. No degree of intelligence or curiosity makes you immune to propaganda, especially if you were raised not to question the party line. It’s easy to dismiss our conservative, conspiracy-pilled loved ones as stupid, hypocritical, and cruel. Sometimes they are. But sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes they will bend to keep their relationships from breaking. Sometimes, if they can be made to understand that their beliefs and actions are harming someone they love, they will make concessions. And sometimes they just need one person in their life to put a foot down, to be vulnerable and assertive and argumentative, to bring the impact of their politics close to home.

As the most important election of our lifetimes approaches, do not put peace over progress. If you have someone like my dad, someone who is good-willed and smart and loves you more than their own opinions, tell them how you feel. Tell them what their choices will mean for you, for your friends, for your community. Tell them what they could lose: your trust, your affection, your respect. Don’t avoid conflict if it could be productive. Because my conflict with my dad didn’t just win him over–it won over my moderate mom and one of my conservative brothers. And it put us in community with other like-minded people and led my parents to a healthier and kinder faith.

All of this to say, there is hope in conflict. There is hope in our relationships with people who think differently from us. There is hope in exposing your fear and anger and pain to people you love. And hope is a form of activism.

[shiyorux]

JUJUTSU KAISEN.

Incorrect Quotes.

-

Y/N: Guilty!

Higuruma: No.

Y/N: Execution!

Higuruma: sigh No.

Y/N: Death Penalty!

Higuruma: NO.

-

Y/N: *sad*

Yuuji: Why are you sad? :(

Y/N: Promise not to tell?

Yuuji: Promise.

Y/N: I’m getting picked on at school :(.

Choso: *barges through the door.* I could smell Y/N’s tears through the wall, what’s wrong?

Yuuji:

Y/N:

Yuuji: The other kids at school are picking on her-

Y/N: YUUJI!

Choso: *gets in Y/N’s face and breathes menacingly* WHO?

-

Kashimo:

Y/N:

Kashimo: So where’s Sukuna?

Y/N: On vacati-

Kashimo: *proceeds to throw Y/N into a wall.*

-

*in the culling games.*

Hakari: So why are you here if you aren’t a sorcerer?

Y/N: Idk, i just wanted to see the hot men and women fight.

Hakari: … I can’t argue against that.

-

Higuruma: You’re accused of 1st degree murder, attempted genocide and mass destruction, how do you plead?

Y/N: Nuh-uh.

*silence.*

Higuruma: The fuck you mean nuh uh?

-

Megumi: They say you attract what you fear.

Y/N: Sukuna, ahhh i’m so scared ahh Sukuna-

Yuuji: Y/N?!

Megumi: I have no words.

Yuuji: *trying to ignore the fact that Y/N just riled Sukuna up.*

Sukuna: Let me out, brat.

-

Nobara: If Y/N jumped off a cliff, would you?

Megumi: *face dark as he considers.*

Nobara: MEGUMI!

Megumi: What?

Nobara: Don’t jump off a cliff!

Megumi: Well, i wasn’t planning on it.

Nobara: But if Y/N did, you would?

Megumi:

Nobara: MEGUMI-

-

:3

[cath-lic]

it is my religious belief that we need to abolish the death penalty. yes, for everyone.

it’s important to note that i’m speaking from an american catholic perspective here. capital punishment has been outlawed in 23 states, and i pray and vote that it will be outlawed in more.

as a note, capital punishment is generally legal for cases of murder, treason, and in some states, sex crimes against children.

when i say it should be abolished for everyone, i mean it. yes, that means the lowest of the low. it means rapists, torturers, abusers, murderers.

i think the actions of these kinds of people are horrifying and disgusting. and, yes, as a human, i want them to die.

i have been extremely lucky to never have been victimized by these types of people. i hope that i never will be, and if you have been victimized, i hold deep sympathy and respect for you.

here’s the thing. when you justify violence against a certain group, you find ways to put other people you simply don’t like into that group.

it’s the oldest trick in the book. it’s why innocent black men have been lynched. it’s why the government, regardless of party, mistreats mexican immigrants. it’s why gay and trans people have been killed on the streets.

do you honestly think a group would justify crimes against others without believing they were the scum of the earth? we all believe we’re the hero of the story.

you might say, yeah, but i only would kill the people that deserved it. i want you to think about what everyone else would say, too.

christians are just as liable to fall into this trap. the old testament is chock full of groups of people being destroyed because they “deserved it.” and—if it’s not too heretical to say this—i wonder who really wrote that down.

in order to have compassion for the innocents, we must also have compassion for the guilty. there is no in-between. there is no line in the sand.

i will not use the tired superhero’s argument that the death penalty “makes us no better than them.” i will not say that some people don’t deserve to die, because as a human with hate in their heart, i do think that some people deserve to die.

i will simply say that in this age, it is more important than ever to abolish the death penalty.

if you’ve read this far, thank you for having an open mind. god bless you, my sibling.

[argyrocratie]

(...)

"Set the scene for us: what is the ICJ, and why is the hearing taking place there?

The 1945 UN Charter — signed by all UN members, including Israel — affirms that the ICJ is the UN’s supreme legal organ. The Constitution establishes two powers for the Court: issuing advisory opinions, and ruling in cases between states. The Court’s verdicts are binding on the states that have signed the UN Constitution. A state can agree in an ad hoc manner that a particular dispute will be litigated by the ICJ, or invoke signed treaties containing a clause that establishes ICJ jurisdiction over disputes relating to those treaties. 

Israel has always had reservations about the jurisdiction clause, and has refrained from agreeing to ICJ jurisdiction in all the hundreds of treaties it has signed, except one: the Genocide Convention. Article 9 of the Convention stipulated that if disagreements arise between the members over the Convention’s authority or interpretation, the ICJ is the place to hear them. 

ICJ decrees are enforced by the UN Security Council. Chapters 6 and 7 of the UN Charter allow for a range of sanctions against countries that violate the Court’s ruling, such as economic sanctions, arms embargoes, and military intervention. The latter is rare but it has happened, for example in the first Gulf War.

Why did Israel sign up to ICJ jurisdiction in the Genocide Convention?

I’m not a legal historian; I can only guess. Israel was one of the initiators of the treaty, and historically one can understand why Israel would have pushed for such a treaty in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Secondly, I think that back then, the popular Israeli notion that we do not let gentiles judge us had not yet developed. We are talking about an era in which the international system had recently decided to establish a Jewish state. Maybe there was a little more trust in that system back then.

What constitutes a violation of the Convention?

(...)

It is defined as an act of extermination, or creating conditions that will annihilate a particular group with the intention of eradicating that group or even a distinct part of it.

The Convention, which was integrated into Israeli law in 1950, states that a soldier or civilian who kills a person, even one, while aware that he is part of a system aimed at annihilation, is guilty of the crime of genocide. In Israeli law, the punishment for this is the death penalty. This also applies to those who conspire to commit genocide, those who incite genocide, and those who attempt to participate in genocide.

What is South Africa basing its lawsuit on?

South Africa bases its accusation on two elements. One is Israel’s conduct. It cites a great deal of statistics about the indiscriminate, disproportionate attacks on civilian infrastructure, as well as about starvation, the huge number of casualties, and the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip — horrifying statistics that the Israeli public is barely exposed to, because the mainstream media here does not bring them to us.

The second and more difficult element to prove is intent. South Africa is trying to prove the intent through nine dense pages of references to quotes by senior Israeli officials, from the president to the prime minister, government ministers, Knesset members, generals, and military personnel. I counted more than 60 quotes there — quotes about eradicating Gaza, flattening it, dropping an atomic bomb on it, and all the things we’ve gotten used to hearing in recent months.

South Africa’s case does not rely only on the fact that some Israel leaders have made genocidal statements. It further charges that Israel has done nothing in response to these statements: it hasn’t condemned the statements, it hasn’t dismissed from office the people who expressed them, it hasn’t opened disciplinary proceedings against them, and it certainly hasn’t opened criminal investigations. This, as far as South Africa is concerned, is a very strong argument.

Even if we haven’t heard the IDF Chief of Staff or the General of the Southern Command say these things, and we don’t have an operational order that says, “Go and destroy Gaza,” the very fact that these statements have been made by senior Israeli officials without sanction or condemnation sufficiently expresses Israel’s intention.

South Africa also pulled a little legal stunt to get here, correct?

Yes. The jurisdiction of the Court is determined when a dispute arises between the parties over the interpretation or application of the Convention. South Africa sent several letters to the Israeli government saying, “You are committing genocide.” Israel responded, “No we aren’t.” So South Africa said, “Okay, we have a dispute over the interpretation of the Convention.” That’s how it got the authority.

What can we learn from similar ICJ cases in the past, such as those regarding genocides in Bosnia and Myanmar?

First of all, we know from these cases that the burden of proof on South Africa is significantly lower for obtaining an interim order than for ultimately proving that Israel is committing genocide. We also know that this case will continue for years: the Bosnia case took 14 years; Gambia v. Myanmar is still ongoing. But the procedure for an interim order is fast.

Gambia filed its case against Myanmar on behalf of the Organization of Islamic States. It asked for an interim order stating that Myanmar must cease its military operations [against the Rohingya people]. The Court ruled that at this stage of the hearings, it did not need to determine whether the crime of genocide had been committed. What it needs to decide is whether, without an interim order, there is a real danger that the prohibitions set out in the Genocide Convention will be violated.

An interesting interim order was issued in that case, which I think has a good chance of being issued to Israel as well — not in the context of military activity, but of incitement. The Court’s order also required Myanmar to take enforcement actions and submit reports to the ICJ and Gambia on what it was doing to prevent genocide. As for the cessation of Myanmar’s military activity, this matter went to the Security Council, where both Russia and China threatened vetoes, but Western countries imposed sanctions and a military embargo anyway.

So even if South Africa fails to make the Court issue an interim order to stop Israel’s military activity, it could be that in the context of incitement — which enjoys full immunity in Israel — the Court will say that Israel needs to do something.

(...)

I know lawyers don’t like to wager on the results of court hearings, but if the ICJ does produce an interim order, what will that mean for Israel?

If the Court issues an order, the question is of course whether Israel will obey it or not. Knowing Israel, I expect that it will not obey the order, unless it can present the ending of hostilities as the result of its own independent decision, unrelated to the Court order. 

There are good reasons for Israel to do this, because disobeying an ICJ order brings things to the UN Security Council. It’s true that the United States has a veto there, and therefore a resolution to impose sanctions on Israel would most likely be blocked. But vetoing an ICJ order regarding concerns that genocide is taking place would come at an enormous political price for the U.S. government, both domestically and internationally. 

The Biden administration wants to portray itself as a government that sees human rights as one of its pillars. So it is likely that the United States would only veto such a resolution while imposing a significant cost on Israel in order to justify doing so, such as allowing the residents of northern Gaza to return to their homes, or entering into negotiations over two states — I don’t know.

But even if the United States doesn’t use its veto in that scenario, an interim order from the ICJ is likely to cause Israel serious problems. 

There is such a thing as an international legal “deep state.” Jurists and judges listen to what important courts say. And when the ICJ, also known as the World Court, makes its rulings, national courts in most of the Western world take note. Therefore, if the ICJ rules that there is a danger of genocide being committed, I can imagine a British citizen turning to a British court and demanding that the UK cease trading arms with Israel. Another implication is that such an ICJ ruling would likely force the ICC’s chief prosecutor [Karim Khan] to open an investigation of his own.

(...)

Within what time period is the Court’s decision expected?

There are no set rules, but in the Gambia v. Myanmar case, there was a decision within a month. It should be remembered that this [Gaza] case will continue after the hearing on the interim order. Israel will have to present evidence that will exonerate it from the claim that it is committing genocide, but in doing so could get into difficulties with the ICC. For example, it may explain that it bombed a certain place because it was pursuing a military objective, but it may thereby make admissions that create a basis for the claim that it used disproportionate force."

...

[t0ast-ghost]

S3 EP24 (The Turnabout Intruder) I can’t believe I’m here. At the end. This is the last thought post.

Let’s go already:

- Awww they’re beaming down together

- Leaving Kirk alone with a woman…

- An episode directly calling out sexism? More likely than you think?

- “We would have killed each other.” “Might have been better.” Hot

- Is this set on Friday cause that’s pretty freaky

- I’ll miss you Star Trek opening (I’m going to rewatch this show idk what I’m talking about)

- Obsessed with Kirk talking that way omg

- Something about transitioning or whatever

- They should know it’s not actually Kirk cause he didn’t do his dramatic ass communicator flip

- The actress doing a great job at playing Kirk (just body language at this point but it’s already spot on)

- Kirk’s ass uhmmm

- Woah Bones is going to riot! There’s so much medical malpractice happening here

- Nurse Chapel with brown hair <3

- Lester is fucking up so bad impersonating Kirk. Like she didn’t even cross her leg over the other when she sat in the captains chair and she isn’t properly listening to Spock’s infodump :(

- Bones gets to have his riot. Wait. How does Lester know to call him Bones?

- Bones why would you lean over Kirk like that

- Kirk storming out of his own damn room

- Kirk’s ass analyzing something or other or what-

- She is so good at playing Kirk

- Guys. Listen. She is my queen. I love her. I adore her. And more than that I think she’s the coolest motherfucker alive.

- If I was Kirk I’d have slapped Coleman. No hesitation.

- Kirk’s gotta get in contact with one of his boyfriends

- Kirk is so good at putting on his charm. Like he’s so quick to panic about the ship but the charm is quickly regained

- *smashes the glass and cuts through restraints* bad fucking ass

- The boyfriends are ✨worried✨

- McCoy and Spock look so pretty

- Bones is going to kill Kirk. His blue eyes are murderous

- Spock using his ‘I’m that bitch’ privileges to get past security

- “Don’t get dressed yet.” McCoy out of context 1969

- SHE DID THE PERFECT KIRK SMILE

- A CALL BACK TO A PREVIOUS EPISODE?!? Tholian web mention?!? Woah.

- THATS GAY HOLY SHIT THATS GAY

- “Doctor McCoy may be of help.” Yeah go get your other boyfriend!

- The guard stopping them from exiting and then Spock looks over at Kirk like, ‘the audacity of this bitch. Should I just nerve pinch him, captain?’

- LMAO HE DOES NERVE PINCH HIM AND FAILS THE FIRST TIME WHAT A LOSER

- eugh Lester shaking Bones’ hand is so unnaturally uncomfortable

- Can’t bring Kirk to Bones, bring Bones to Kirk

- WAIT NO SPOCK AND KIRK ARE CANONICALLY HOLDING HANDS OMG

- McCoy’s eyeing Spock like what the fuck is happening to our boyfriend

- “Why…? Captain.” The spite Spock has

- McCoy hates being used against Spock like this

- How can William Shatner make those clicking noises with his mouth so casually

- “But her intense hatred of her own womanhood made life with her impossible.” This is like lady Macbeth

- Spock getting mad oooooooh

- Ohhh my god it’s so fundamentally sexist how Kirk is now ‘more emotional’ which could be a character choice but it feels so over the top and more like a ‘she’s a woman so this is how she acts’ choice

- Lester hates being a woman so much because of prejudices and stereotypes that she now perpetuates those same things onto others

- I love how many episodes have mutiny

- THEY GOT CAUGHT IMMEDIATELY LMAO

- “The penalty: death.” WHAT

- SULU AND CHEKOV CONVERSATION! They’re amazing

- Spock was just like, ‘we gotta be ready to slap a bitch’

- “Kill him!!!” no murder tonight for you Lester

And that’s just how they end the whole fucking show huh

I’m not sure if I’ll ever do something like this again for a show but this was a blast and I enjoyed every second of it. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed along. Every comment, reblog, and like has been appreciated.

However, I will be posting some bonus thoughts so keep a lookout for those :)

And as always Masterpost

Teleplay by Arthur H. Singer

Story by Gene Roddenberry

[asherisawkward]

I found Luz not caring about the demon realms history annoying. I get it. Some of it was made up, but most of it wasn't, just why the crusade was started. It seems a lot of the history she got was through word of mouth.

You figure a fan of fantasy would be excited to learn the history and culture of a magical realm, not just magic. I'm surprise a lot more demons and witches didn't get fed up with her. The only thing who seemed to have anything against it was Hunter, but I could be remembering it all wrong. Sorry if this comes off as a rant.

I absolutely get what you mean!! Luz, from what I remember of TOH, spent a lot of time trying to fit the Boiling Isles into her opinion of what a fantasy world should be. She doesn’t really listen to the laws or the cultural norms. I suppose that it makes sense to ignore the laws to a certain extent, considering they’re made by a witch hunter pretending to be a benevolent ruler, but she doesn’t even try to think about things critically. Especially in this day and age, you are supposed to research and analyze before you draw a conclusion, not just take the word of some criminal who doesn’t even off you any proof. I love Eda. She’s badass and creative, and I adore how she grows to care about others through the series. But she is a biased character to introduce a world through, and Luz doesn’t even question it. She hears Eda’s “oh, he just wants to control magic” and runs with it.

The biggest example of her complete dismissal of the Boiling Isles culture, laws, and norms would be when she continued to push to be in all classes. Not only does she lack the necessary knowledge to cast precise spells, but she is asking the principal, the teachers, and all the students to risk themselves for her fantasy. This isn’t some petty pickpocketing that she’s asking a few people to ignore. She asks to be allowed to violate one of the most important laws in the whole country—it has the death penalty, for fuck’s sake! Principal Bump could have been executed for allowing this; the teachers could have gone to prison! And the students who don’t turn her in, while unlikely to suffer so severely, are likely to be punished as well! How many people could have been hurt or killed by her thoughtless violation of the laws if Belos had been shown to be a bit more how Dana claims he was? (Because, all things considered, he’s not shown to be the harshest ruler ever.)

Additionally, it bothers me that she never bothers to explore any real cultures or traditions on the Isles. She “wants to be a witch,” but doesn’t focus on anything other than the magic of it. If it were Harry Potter world, where witches are exclusively humans with human culture but magic, I’d get that, but it isn’t. It is a whole other world where everything from childhood to the system of government is different. Her refusal to let go of her preconceived notions and just explore what the BIs is like comes off a little bit like a weeb in their mother’s basement saying “I want to be Japanese,” going to Japan, and then never exploring it beyond their notions of what Japan is like from anime. I love Luz, and it was incredibly impactful for me to see a fellow neurodivergent fantasy nerd on screen, but she has a tendency of treating the Boiling Isles like her escapist fantasies. It bothers me that it’s not really addressed.

Finally, this lack of exploration leads to limited knowledge on what the actual inhabitants of the Boiling Isles are like aside from a select handful. What beliefs aside from the Titan do people have? What rituals do they perform, holidays do they celebrate? What are the people of the Boiling Isles like? Part of what I love about Amphibia is the time it takes to world-build, to show us all the different ways that the world works, and how there are varied, diverse, and unique cultures that are a part of it. It makes Amphibia dynamic and alive. The Owl House doesn’t do that with the Boiling Isles, and I’m bummed about that.

I hope this is close enough to what you’re talking about, because this got me on a tangent.

[televisionlassie]

The reason I find Jason to be boring is because people are so scared to hold him accountable. You can’t claim to like anti-hero’s or claim that Jason is an anti-hero if you’re going to excuse everything that makes him an ANTI-hero.

There is no doubt in my mind that I would like him a whole lot more if people accepted him as a character that does bad things. I understand he has trauma and his own reasons but trauma is only an explanation, not an excuse. While I like consuming content of the batfamily being a family, when it’s not based in pretty much an entirely different universe it doesn’t make any sense.

Pretty much all of the batfamily (except Bruce because he’s can actually be pretty awful to Jason) has reasons to hate or be mad at Jason.

Jason went out in a Nightwing outfit and killed people to try and ruin Dick’s image, and all the shit he’s done to Dicks other siblings. You really think Dick would just be cool with the fact that Jason beat one of his little brothers and shot another one?

Cass has a moral code probably stricter than Batman, she would HATE Jason for killing. And again same thing with the siblings.

Tim I just don’t understand why he would ever forgive Jason. Jason beat the absolute shit out of him, plus you gotta admit that guy is too much of a cocky bitch to ever just forgive and forget

Unfortunately I can’t say much about Steph as I can’t think of a single time where they actually interacted in canon. But I don’t think she would be too fond of the guy who beat up her best friend and shot Damian.

Duke I think has had one personal interaction with Jason and while it wasn’t too friendly I don’t think he would hold that big of a grudge.

Damian I think would be more understanding but it’s hard to forget how he was shot by Jason and had to have his SPINE replaced because of Jason.

I’m not trying to hate on Jason, he honestly makes me sad because he is filled with wasted potential. It’s not even that they never make him do bad things, it’s that there’s never any lasting consequences.

Many times when I see people who hate on Jason they bring in the death penalty argument, which as much as I hate and believe is stupid, still has some tiny bit of validity. The reason it sucks is because the world of DC comics is not even remotely similar to our real life. Criminals in real life don’t have plant powers or convoluted plans to distribute their weird ass poisonous gas. If they did, they wouldn’t even spend a night in jail because they would be shot on the spot. If Jason did just kill these types of criminals, then he would not be considered an anti-hero, just a hero. But that’s the thing, Jason doesn’t just kill the Joker, or the Riddler or any of the Rogues, he kills the type of criminals we would see in our real lives. THAT is where the validity lies in that argument, it’s not just that Jason is killing supervillains but that he is killing the type of people that we are fighting against the death penalty for. Obviously this argument means nothing to you if you are pro-death penalty but I just wanted to explain.

Jason would be so interesting if he was treated like the character he is supposed to be. A young traumatized person who does bad things for the right reasons but still has to face the consequences.

And if people really want to give him a character arc where he eventually stops killing, it shouldn’t just be he gets tried of killing or tired of arguing with Bruce, but that he sees how his way of crime-fighting can do more harm than good.

It’s just so frustrating to see how people just act accept anti-heros for what they are. It like people are so scared of making or admitting a character to be immoral, that they just erase the consequences of their bad actions to make it excusable.

Anyways, thank you for coming to my rant, Jason Todd fans this wasn’t me hating on your babygirl, I’m trying to help you.

[g4yforethan]

the help

pairing: mickey altieri x male!reader 

summary: reader plans revenge against sidney prescott but with the help of mickey, the two of them begin to fall for each other (credit to @akiraackerman19 for the plot) 

warnings: kissing, cursing!

you had just lost your mother due to your dad having an affair with someone else. now, you’ve lost your brother too. although he was sick in the head, he was still your brother and grief came and went. your brother was billy loomis and the person who killed him was sidney prescott. every night, you sought to plan revenge against sidney for what she and her mother did to your family. it also didn’t help that sidney became an overnight celebrity and your family’s name was tarnished. a year had passed and your plan was almost complete. you wanted to finish what billy had started and honor him so you followed sidney to windsor college. you arrived there and ran into her in the library. “sidney prescott?” she looked behind her and recognized you immediately. “oh my god. y/n loomis?” “in the flesh. it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other huh?” “yes i mean after what happened 2 years ago, you and i have never had the chance to speak.” “i know it’s been a crazy couple of years. i’m sorry for what happened with you and my brother. for everything he caused to you and your family.” you notice sidney starts to tear up and she gets up and gives you a hug. “you are nothing like him y/n. remember that.” the two of you talk for a little while and go your separate ways. you start to feel guilt for your plan on the way to your dorm room but when you arrive to your room, you notice someone sitting in a chair writing notes. he notices you standing in the doorway. “oh hi there.” “um hello. i thought i was going to be the only one in this dorm room.” “you were until i was told you are billy loomis’ brother.” “what does that have to do with anything?” “are you kidding me? you’re telling you don’t have any craziness in your genes. i mean it’s kinda obvious with what’s in your closet.” you walk over to your closet and realized that you forgot to stash away the ghostface costume. “listen. i had a very sick plan that i am no longer going through with.” “you can’t. it’s a perfect plan. i’ve wanted to finish billy’s plan too. that bitch prescott doesn’t know what’s coming her way.” you couldn’t help but notice how insanely attractive he was. ‘i’m sorry i didn’t ask your name.” “mickey. mickey altieri.”

as the weeks went on, the two of you got closer and closer to each other and the plan was coming together. one night in your dorm room, the two of you talked about other things besides the plan. “so after this is over are we just gonna run away or do you want to be caught?” you asked mickey who was laying next to you in bed. “ i mean getting caught would be pretty cool. have an insane trial about the attacks and hopefully get put on death penalty but i have another idea. you and i run away together.” “why would you want to do that instead?” “because i feel things for you. i feel like i have to protect you and make sure you’re safe after this.” “that’s really sweet. you care about me.” you start to tease mickey about it but notice he is being serious. “i just want to be with you. always. you’re the only one who truly gets me.” the two of you stare at each other before you start to lean in for a kiss. his hands touch your face while you feel on his shoulders and back. “do you want to do this?” he whispers to you. “yes” you reply back. he takes his shirt off as do you and he starts to touch your back and waist. he admires your physique and kisses your neck and chest. you go on top of him and kiss on his neck while he scratches your back which makes you moan in pleasure. you go down and kiss his belly area and reach his pants. you look at him and he nods giving you permission to unbuckle his jeans. you tease him and start to suck and you hear mickey moan and roll his eyes back. “i’m almost there. i’m going to-” you go even harder and are delighted to hear mickey moan and grab onto your hair. you lay on his chest as he plays with your hair. “did you like that?” “i loved every second of it.” you blush and give him another kiss.

author’s note: reply in the comments if i should do a part 2 where mickey and the reader reveal themselves to sidney and run away! 

[xreaderbooks]

Paradise on Earth (15)

Chapter: 15. The Darkest Hour

Pair: JJ Maybank x Routledge! Reader

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings: Language and violence (drowning, choking)

Summary: JJ and Y/n visit John B in jail while also planning on how to get him out.

A/N: Are you surprised? Me too baes. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments. Send me a message or comment if you wanna be tagged ;)

Available on Wattpad and AO3

Masterlist - Series Masterlist - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

Rage fueled in your veins at the injustice of the system your brother had fallen victim to. John B was charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances and the possible death penalty. You sat throughout his trial, silently praying for the downfall of everyone sitting in the courtroom staring and whispering ill wishes his way.

Everything leading up to this moment had formed a deep pit that your heart just wanted to scream into. This didn’t make any sense, this wasn’t fair and the true cause of this was sitting a few feet away from you playing the part of the distraught victim. You didn’t realize you were staring and that they were taking John B away already.

There were no words of comfort that you could give him, there was no use, you would visit him as soon as he was processed into the system. Sarah called out to him and reached with her hand but was quickly pulled back by two officers standing in her path.

People filed out of the courtroom with praise to the judge and jury, grateful that ‘that criminal is finally off the streets’. Each word spoken in disrespect to your brother shortened the very short leash that your patience was on.

‘Justice is served’ ‘He had it coming’ Murmurs that were not made to be subtle were heard all around you. Each phrase made to jab at your brother was a tick in the timer of a bomb waiting to explode- you were going to explode. It wouldn’t do any good, of that you were sure, that was why you kept your mouth shut throughout the trial and as you walked outside with your friends.

Sarah's eyes and face were puffy from crying, you were sure she cried enough for the both of you, as soon as you got home you would be right next to her with tissues with matching tear streaks. “I should have never come home,” She stated.

“They’re gonna kill him, I know it” JJ commented.

“I am so sorry for what you and your family have gone through,” You heard an older kook say to Ward. “Thank God the system works.”

You turned from the direction you were walking in to face the voice that ignorantly spoke, “Can you shut up?” You walked their way and made your voice strong, “Of course, you think the system worked because it was made to protect you and people like you.”

“He’ll have his day in court and a jury will decide,” The man with peppered hair and fancy suit replied.

“He shouldn’t even be in court!” You exclaimed.

Kiara walked up from behind you a bitter look on her face, facing Ward and pointing directly at him as she spoke. “You should, ‘Cause you’re a murderer.”

You placed a hand on her shoulder and stepped forward, “You have a lot of nerve showing up to court. Showing your face while my brother is in jail with the possibility of the death penalty, because of you!”

Ward held out a hand like he was trying to calm a dog from attacking, “I know you’re upset. I understand you’re upset-”

“Upset?” You seethed. A couple of police officers had made their way to where the group that formed was standing. Against your better judgment, all the pent-up emotion came out as you lunged for Sarah’s father. “No, I’m not just upset!”

Shoupe from your left had gotten a hold of your elbow, Officer Thomas grabbed your right. They forcefully backed you up, Pope was behind you steadying you by your biceps warning Officer Thomas to get off of you. JJ, Sarah, and Kie blocked their way to you as soon as you were released.

“Why don’t you take the kooks down for a change Shoupe?” JJ asked the officer.

“You wanna get arrested?” Shoupe stared you down, He pointed at your group “Get out! You need to go.”

You saw red, you didn’t care if you went to jail or got the death penalty so long as Ward was dead. Whatever awaited him in the afterlife had better be something worse than hell for everything you and your friends had to go through. You inhaled hoping it would help the ongoing anger.

Sarah put her arm around your shoulders, “C’mon. It’s not worth it.”

“I'm so sorry, you shouldn’t be going through this,” Deputy Plumb’s voice was heard consoling the Camerons. You shook your head and rolled your eyes refusing to look over, thankfully Kie spoke up for you.

“It’s not a coincidence that your daughter’s sitting with us!”

~~~

By the time the pogues were settled in the Chateau, the weather had matched everyone's mood. It seems like everyone had gone through the five stages of grief within the hour. On the way to your house, furious comments were made by Kie and JJ in your defense, in John B��s, and on the audacity of the people who had no fucking clue what was actually going on. Silence took over for a good twenty minutes, surprisingly not a word from JJ, the only sound coming from the rain pattering on top of the roof.

“I’m gonna testify under oath, I was there” Sarah announced. “I just need to get a hold of my sister.”

“Sister?” JJ muttered under his breath.

“I was there too,” You said. “His sister and his girlfriend, they’ll discredit us without a thought Sarah.”

“We would be under oath, they can’t just arrest us if they think we’re lying. We have to try,” She responded. “Kie, Do you have your phone? Wheezie is the only other person that knows Rafe wasn’t home that day.”

“Wheezie?” JJ breathed incredulously.

“I don’t know what else to do,” Kie hands Sarah her phone. “I got us into this mess, I’m gonna do my best to get us out.”

Wheezie was a smart girl but if she was the only hope to get John B out of jail, you didn’t know if you would put all your eggs in that particular basket.

“Yeah, that’ll work.” JJ scoffed. “Well, she’s right about one thing. We gotta do something, Our boy is held captive by the enemy right now, maybe even scheduled for execution. Are we just gonna sit here?”

“What’s the plan then?” Kiara stood from the armchair in the corner of the porch. “We start by kidnapping Shoupe?”

“That’s not the worst idea actually.” The scary part is, he looked deadly serious. You couldn’t help but cackle, exhaustion and delirium were what kept you going. 

You love him, in moments like this when everything was so utterly fucked, it scared you how much the feeling overwhelmed you. The way he kept fighting for your brother made you feel safe. Although it was the most outrageous idea but that was JJ.

Kie and JJ stopped their bickering to give you an odd look, the silence and a full minute of laughing like a crazy person to the point of tears falling out of the corners of your eyes, you stabilized yourself. You wiped the tears from the corner of your eyes.

“That is the worst idea you’ve ever had,” You told the blue-eyed boy.

“It’s pretty bad.” Sarah agreed from inside the house as she typed away at Kie’s phone.

“Just stay out of this, okay?” JJ’s annoyance with Sarah was obvious.

“No, honestly though,” Pope’s features were stern. “What is the actual plan? You’re gonna storm a jail, guns a-blazing?”

“All I’m trying to get you to understand is they got our boy,” Pope and JJ are face to face now. “Are just gonna sit here and do nothing? No! We’re gonna get his ass, we’re gonna do something about it!”

The enthusiasm was encouraged but so was logical thinking. You watched as Pope tried to keep JJ from ‘thinking’ out his plans.

“We’re not storming a jail, it’s not happening.”

“Fine, man. Sit in your comfy chair and do nothing.” He looked you in the eye in full seriousness, an invitation to follow him in his plan yet his words trying to shame you all for not wanting to take immediate action. “I’m gonna see what I can do, make something happen. Even if I have to do it by myself.”

JJ runs out of the front porch, straight for his bike.

“Should we be worried?” Pope asks.

“Yes,” Kie sighs and shrugs. “I’m gonna git up my parents and see if I can get money for a lawyer.”

You decide to let Kie and Pope talk amongst themselves about the logistics and go after JJ was sitting on his bike, almost like he was waiting for you.

“Change your mind, Princess?” He takes off his cap and places it on your head to shield you from the rain even though it’s pointless now.

You swing your leg over the bike to straddle it and wrap your arms around his waist. “Just go before I change it again.”

~~~

“Now where exactly are you taking us?” You say in his ear as he whips past all his cars on his bike.

“We’re going to visit a certain jailbird!”

You weren’t sure if it was even allowed considering it had only been hours since he was sentenced but you knew that JJ would find a way.

Turns out his plan was fucking stupid, not reckless for once, and for that, you were thankful but definitely stupid. He parked by a tree in front of the Kildare County detention center, and two officers walked down the steps and right past the both of you. JJ being extra, stood at attention and saluted them as they walked. You look at him annoyed and he simply smiles, you push him in front to follow his lead.

JJ did some thoughtless acts but Jesus he looked good doing them. He stopped by his house to change from his wet clothes that were soaked from the rain to a pair of dry jeans and a clean white shirt. He also grabbed his headphones and mp3 player. He fixed his hair, put on a pair of sunglasses and suddenly he was giving James Dean. It was bad timing for your heart to stutter the way it did when you saw him change his shirt in front of you as if you hadn’t seen him shirtless before.

It was over when he pulled out a shirt- your shirt- from deep within his messy closet. It was from when you slept over that one time, you must have left it here and forgot to pack it. The moment felt so domestic, too domestic, it messed with your emotions and you already have too many with everything going on.

You trained yourself to focus on the task at hand, ignoring the wrongness you felt from the sleepover with JJ and then actually having sex with Rafe (with some feelings that you’d rather not get into), the treasure, John B in jail… it was all too much.

“We’re here to see John B Routledge,” JJ said loudly. He had his headphones on with the volume to his music all the way up.

“No music, and get rid of the toothpick.” The man at the front desk enunciated his words.

“I can’t hear what you’re saying man, these things are on full blast.” JJ tapped on his headphones, not caring at all what the officer had to say. “We’re here to see John B Routledge.”

The officer looked to you, “Can you get your friend to take his headphones off? There’s no music allowed and you both need to clear your pockets if you wanna see the inmate.”

“Can do, sir.” You place your empty wallet that only had a couple of bucks and your permit, and your phone (that was dead). “He, unfortunately, has a mind of his own.”

He took a breath and mimed what he wanted JJ to do, taking off the headphones and toothpick.

JJ glanced at you then at the man and took off the headphones hanging them around his neck, “I mean, I thought it was a free country and all but I guess you don’t like freedom very much. Now do you, cupcake?” He smiled slyly, leaning on the desk with his forearm.

Now you supposed you shouldn’t be surprised by what he had the balls to say but your jaw fell open anyway, you covered your mouth and looked around to see if anyone else had heard that.

Turns out the Officer had enough of JJ toying with him and took JJ by his biceps and pinned him to the wall. You picked at your nail nervously, until the Deputy came and told the front desk guy that it wasn’t worth it.

JJ kept a wide smile as he saw her, “Good to see you Plumb. Nice to have something in your mouth, you know.”

“Take off your hat and empty your pockets.”

“Yes, ma’am.” JJ finally did what was told and placed his things next to yours winking at you when Plumb led the way to where you can see John B.

You flinched as you passed by a prisoner who slammed a fist on the window of his cell. He called out to you, “Why don’t you come in here?”

Next to you, JJ guided you to go in front of him through the threshold of the visitation area, Plumb told you both that you only had five minutes.

There he was, in an orange jumpsuit, wrists in cuffs. You wanted to hug him, tell him it was gonna be okay and that you were gonna get him out of this. The only one of those things you were gonna be able to do is the latter and only if you were able to figure out a plan which you didn’t have.

You sat to John B’s right, getting a good look at him now, his eye was still bruised from the beating they gave him when he was first arrested. The anger came bubbling back that formed in tears until you all looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“I thought it was gonna be me,” JJ chuckled.

“I think we all did,” You sniffed.

“Welcome to my humble abode.”

“When you said you had a new apartment, I had no idea,” JJ fidgeted with the visitation card they handed you both as you were officially signed in to visit.

You patted the top of the metal table, “It’s cozy. A little aluminum theme.”

“Yeah, I like to go for the cold, dark…”

“Alone, kind of theme?” JJ continued John B’s description for him, they nodded in sync. “Look, I would love to sit and chitchat but I’m on the clock and I’m here for one reason only, okay?”

Your eyes widened as you thought about the jailbreak idea JJ was playing with earlier. Was this it?

“Operation liberation, baby.” You facepalmed once the words came out of his mouth.

“Hear me out though, step one; piss off the cops so badly they don’t see what’s coming.” He waved at an officer that walked by the window looking in. “Check.”

“Was that what that whole thing was?” You slapped his arm, “A warning would have been nice.”

“Your right, I could’ve used some backup but your reaction was hilarious so it’s fine,” JJ was delusional. You ignored the fact that he really thought he was gonna pull this off as he laid out his plan. “Step two; at exactly 11 p.m. this evening, you’re going to have an attack of acute appendicitis.”

John B looked like he was doing the same thing you were, “Do you even know what appendicitis is?”

JJ’s pupils were dilated as he explained, “Remember eighth grade, algebra final?”

“Jesus Christ,” John B breathed. JJ faked appendicitis once before a test in eighth grade and was able to get away with it and this was the plan he was going with. You were glad you knew how it worked to visit JB in jail now since you were gonna have to get used to the process.

“It worked like a charm, to sell it, you gotta actually look sick though okay?” Not an ounce of a joke was heard in his voice. “You got some of that ghost face sunblock in here?”

“Be so fucking for real right now,” You kept your face in your hands stressfully, your head shaking in disbelief.

“JJ, I’m in jail. I have a block of soap, that’s it.”

“Is it white?”

Hesitantly John B replied “Yes-”

“Perfect, that’ll work. Take some of that, rub it into your face well, got it? You don’t want that shit rubbing off when they check your vitals.” JJ added. “After that, run your hands under cold water for five minutes. After that, you’re ready. Showtime baby, stumble out and collapse. Once you’re down on the ground squealing, they’ll rush you to the infirmary. There, you just have to convince the nurse that that sucker’s about to burst.”

He began to visually show John B the details of where the nurse will check him, John B’s acting skills would have to be absolutely flawless and without any doubt to pull all that off.

“I get it, I get it.” John B glances behind his shoulder and leans in closer, “Then what?”

“No fucking way, John B,” You stare at him in disbelief. “JJ he’s not doing this.”

JJ didn’t acknowledge you, “They’re gonna eject you to the hospital. Remember Cousin Ricky?”

“The weed dealer?” You questioned.

“He’s an EMT.”

“He sold us our first dime bag,” John B mentions.

“So? You can do both. It’s a gig economy, bro.” JJ shrugs. “Now, step three is extraction.”

“This is the dumbest freaking idea you’ve ever had.” John B states, at least you weren’t the only one thinking it.

“Yeah, you’re probably right but you know what’s even more dumb? You thinking you got any other way out of this.”

“JJ, this is a fortress.” John B explains, “They've got barbed wire, cinder blocks, guards on every corner-”

JJ stops John B from shutting him down further. “Don’t, you’re not the detail guy. Leave it to the professionals.”

“If you think that we’re the professionals in this you’re so mistaken,” You shake your head in disapproval.

Plumb was by the door telling you both that your time with your brother was up.

“You gotta trust me on this one,” JJ says and moves out of his seat giving John B his last words. “Nothing to lose now, 11 P.M.”

John B stares at you with a silent question, you squeeze his hand before leaving the visitation area behind JJ. Plumb led you down an unfamiliar path to the exit. She scans her badge before opening a metal door, JJ goes through first and goes towards another door to the right. It was an inmate basketball court, his dad was dribbling and blocking against another prisoner.

“Dad!” JJ pounds on the door trying to get Luke’s attention. “Dad!”

“Let’s go,” Plumb shoves JJ away from the door. If you didn’t know any better you would say she brought you both this way on purpose to get a rise of him. It was her way of giving him a sign that said ‘You could just as easily end up here.’

Seems like JJ caught on as well, he clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly as he noted, “I see what you did there Plumb.”

Your jaw tightened as you saw the way she was handling JJ, forcing him out of the center. “I just have one question before we leave. How much are you splitting with Shoupe?”

She shoved you harshly into JJ, “You’ll be back here one day, both of you. It’s in your blood.”

JJ started to walk away defeated but you wouldn’t, you couldn’t. This wasn’t what your life would be, not yours, not JJ’s. John B was wrongly accused and JJ was not his dad, “Fuck you, bi-”

“Y/n, come on.” JJ put his hand on the small of your back to lead you away from the officer who was meant to ‘protect and serve’.

“What a bitch!” You spat. The nerve of her, you had taunted her but deep down you knew that she was probably getting a major payday from Ward. Instead of letting you see your brother in peace, she just had to bring you down even further as if she wasn’t breaking major laws. “She’s a hypocrite JJ, she's not a fucking fortune teller to tell us what our future will look like.”

He didn’t say anything in response solely making sure you were ready before revving up the bike and driving away from the detention center.

~~~

You told him you weren’t going to join him in his plans, he looked disappointed but since he was off from earlier he left you at the Chateau without a fight. You felt guilty knowing JJ definitely had a lack of support but you would only be a hindrance to the plan if you did go along with it. Instead, you found Sarah in one of John B’s shirts already several feet away from the house.

You ran up to her and asked her if she got in contact with Wheezie to which she said she was on her way to meet her.

“We’re here,” She whispered to herself clutching her gunshot wound as she checked the other side of the dock.

Wheezie apparently had texted her to meet her at the harbor. You went straight and paused, Rafe came around the corner. “Sarah,” You said in a small voice backing away slowly.

“Nah not wheezie.”

“Where the hell is Wheezie?” Sarah questioned from behind you.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rafe stepped closer with his hands half up in surrender. “Listen, it’s all good. I- I just needed to talk to you for a little bit.”

The stutter in his voice concerned you, he was out of it and it was only you and Sarah out here on the docks at night with this psychopath. Every step he took to close the distance between the three of you, you and Sarah held hands and stepped away.

“Is that okay?” He asked looking at you and then at Sarah. He reached for you “Y/n-”

“Don’t come near me,” You held your hand out in front of you defensively.

He sighed and focused his attention on Sarah, “What you do affects me, you don’t think of that, do you?”

“You shot me, Rafe.”

“That’s it, right?” He exasperated. “It’s always my fault like you know, I wanna keep what’s mine. That I got by my work and I’m the bad guy for trying to- to hold on to it?”

His pacing and waving of his hands while he talks make it clear that he’s unhinged. In comparison to the way, you and Sarah are frozen in your spots waiting for Rafe to make one move.

“It’s not yours,” Sarah tries to express.

“Like I’m wrong to protect what’s mine, huh?” His voice raises a couple more octaves. Chills run up your arms at his projection. Your mind takes you back to the night you spent together and you suddenly feel nauseous. His voice softens as he approaches Sarah, “Listen to me. The cops are going to talk to you and I need to make sure the story’s straight.”

Sarah speaks up, “You killed Peterkin. My story’s straight, listen this would go so much better for you if you would-”

His eyes roll to the back of his head in a lazy drug hazed way, “Who are you trying to protect here?”

“I’m trying to do the right thing.”

“You doing the right thing is the reason that you got shot because you were following John B.”

“John B might get the death penalty because of you!” She snaps.

“That!” Rafe points as he backs away and sits on a barrel. “That right there is exactly what I’m talking about Sarah, you’ve always been against me!”

She shakes her head, no, A threatening tone takes over “Don’t shake your head, you still are. You’re not just against me, you’re against us and you know, Dad always takes your side. Cause you’re gonna cry in front of him like you cried in front of me, but you- both of you listen to me. I am a proactive type of person and we have a problem, and I gotta solve that problem tonight.”

You glance at Sarah who’s shaking where she stands, you inch to the right, and Rafe follows your movement with his eyes.

“Do you understand?” He asks then shouts it at the both of you again, “Do you understand!”

You and Sarah took that as the queue to run. He runs after you, you were faster as you got a headstart but that meant that Sarah got caught by Rafe. He slammed her against a large blue plastic container that held water.

“Rafe!” You screamed, “Rafe!”

“Back off Y/n, I don’t want to do something I’ll regret.”

You heard Sarah begging Rafe to stop, you ran back and tried to push him off of her but with one hand he backhands you to the ground.

With a hand on your left cheek, he made you bleed with a ring he was wearing, “You’re drowning your sister!”

“She’s not my sister!” He shouted back at you with a harsh tone. “Not anymore.”

Sarah’s tears flowed freely, she let out a whimper as he tightened his grip on her throat. “Rafe, please.” You begged.

“Y/n I swear to god!” His voice was close to a growl.

“You swear to God what?” You lifted yourself up from the ground and came closer to where Rafe was drowning Sarah. You were hoping to bait him into letting Sarah go and focus his attention on you. If he was distracted enough to taunt you or hurt you then maybe Sarah would have a chance to breathe. “You’d hurt me? Cause you already have, Rafe.”

He screams as Sarah struggles, she gasps with two seconds of air before she is submerged again.

You try to pry him off of her but he releases her instead and grabs your wrists as he had many times before. “I would never hurt you, Y/n, she brought this on herself!”

His fingers were white and you felt your bones being compressed from his hold. His nails were digging into your skin making you want to kneel and clutch your arms but he was too strong. Sarah was free and coughing up the water in her lungs, exhausted from her fight. His right hand comes up and clutches your throat.

“I loved you,” You whispered.

His forehead was on yours, stray fell from his eye and onto your cheek, “I love you too, Y/n.”

You kept his eyes trained on yours without giving him doubt despite the fact that you were getting strangled by your former lover. You attempted to breathe air but the hold he had on your throat prevented your airways from being able to inhale properly.

Topper- who you had no idea where he came from- has a finger to his lips as he inches closer and whacks him in the head.

Rafe fell onto his back and you wheeze, able to breathe again, you go to Sarah who holds an arm out for you.

“Sarah, are you okay?” Topper rushes to her side and asks her, “Can you breathe?”

She nods and hugs him, your hands were on your knees, and you look at Rafe on the ground and sob. All your previous moments with him, your confession to him, his confession to you. What had just happened. He drowned Sarah and strangled you while confessing to being in love with you.

You felt nausea come back up again, you couldn’t hold it. Your insides came up and out through your mouth, you vomited in the dark water at the edge of the dock.

~~~

Next Chapter

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[richincolor]

Interview with Seema Yasmin

We are please to have Seema Yasmin today, author of Unbecoming, a novel about the fight for body autonomy, which arrives on bookshelves on July 9th. I remember seeing Seema speak at NCTE22 when she was promoting “What the Fact?” Finding the Truth in All the Noise”, and she hinted at this book. I was so intrigued about the premise as it had only been 5 months since Roe v. Wade had been overturned and the wounds were still raw. I was so happy to get an ARC of this book and to ask Seema all about what went into bringing this moving novel to life. 

Also…slight warning as I’m going to try to do this interview without spoilers but just in case I let one slip….

K. Imani: I actually started reading Unbecoming on the day the Supreme Court ruled against a ban on mifepristone, which was a huge (albeit temporary) relief. At the beginning of Unbecoming, mifepristone has already been banned. What are your thoughts on the court’s ruling? 

Cautious relief, but greater amounts of concern. Some of the Court’s decisions have been based on fraudulent and flawed science and I worry about how this might pan out in the future. There are also the personhood laws that are disturbing and fly in the face of science. Georgia, for example, is offering $3,000 tax deductions to people who are six weeks pregnant because they count the pregnancy as a person. (This is even if the pregnancy later ends in miscarriage.) I could go on and on but we should be aware that the overturning of Roe v. Wade was just the beginning.

K. Imani: No lie, the world that you created for Laylah and Noor was terrifying but also could be our very near future. How did you approach creating this world and how did you practice self-care while writing it? 

It is our present in so many ways. At least six things I wrote in the novel have already come true, including the attack against IVF, the inability of doctors to provide emergency abortions in some states, criminalization of those helping a person get an abortion, and the fact that the overturning of Roe v. Wade led to the proliferation of state laws banning abortion. The novel mentions that Texas is soon to make abortion a criminal act punishable by the death penalty. Just a few weeks ago, we learned that the Texas GOP has just this punishment in mind.

I began to write the novel in 2019, three years before the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade.  But it wasn’t difficult to imagine the world of Unbecoming. Margaret Atwood famously said the heinous acts of torture against women in The Handmaid’s Tale were inspired by real life. Every sadistic punishment, from forced births to mandated monthly pregnancy tests, had been invented by politicians somewhere. Someone on Twitter asked her: :How do you come up with this shit?” Atwood’s response: “As if I invented it.”

It was easy for me to imagine a dystopian, post-Roe America. Inspired by Atwood, I looked to countries where abortion was banned to learn how desperate people act in desperate times. And I looked closer to home, to Texas, the most dangerous state in America to be pregnant, a state in which I had worked as a science journalist covering abortion. I sought inspiration from other states with abortion laws so restrictive they might as well have enacted bans.

I remain hopeful because of community organizers and movement lawyers; and my friends, many of them poets and artists who remind me a different world is possible. That better future begins in our imaginations. That’s why I write fiction. 

K. Imani: You have an impressive resume of non-fiction books published, but Unbecoming is your first fiction book. How was the writing process different for this novel versus your other books?

It wasn’t that different! I did a lot of research, took a lot of notes, wrote by the seat of my pants and then started to outline when I hit roadblocks. So, pretty much how I write non-fiction!

K. Imani: Throughout the novel Laylah and Noor are writing a guide for teens and comment many times on their research. What type of research did you have to do, if any, for this novel?

Yes, the novel contains a self-help guide! I talked to activists and asked them to imagine what they would be doing if they were teens. I looked into how younger people were organizing since they are not the apathetic monolith that people claim them to be. And I imagined what I might do if I were a student journalist, like Noor, who was stuck in a world where agency and autonomy were being ripped away from people with uteruses, and where young people felt powerless and voiceless.

K. Imani:  What are you hoping teens come away with after reading your novel?

Hundreds of thousands of teens become pregnant each year in the U.S. By some estimates, the number is close to 700,000. I want pregnancy, abortion and abortion care to be part of our stories since they are part of our lives. I want Laylah and Noor’s story to disrupt perceptions of Muslim teens, of queer teens, of Texans, of religious leaders, of politicians, even! Laylah and Noor learn some lessons during the course of the week in which this novel takes place: chief among them are that you have to turn up as your whole, messy self in order for your friends to fully love you and be able to support you; and while you’re worrying about how others might perceive or misperceive you, you might be misperceiving them.

K. Imani:  What was the hardest scene or chapter to write? 

There’s a part where Noor has to make a decision: does she save Laylah or does she save her friendship with Laylah? I won’t say which way she goes, but it was hard—and fun—to write about this friendship dilemma. She feels stuck between a rock and a hard place, and whether we’ve supported a friend through pregnancy and abortion, or not, we can all relate to that.

K. Imani: Can you share what you are writing right now? 

I’m writing a novel about a teenaged girl, climate change and mental health. And I’m working on a middle grade series called Muslim Mavericks which will be published by Simon and Schuster in the next year or so.

Thank you Seema for sharing with us all about the novel and your writing process. I really enjoyed the novel so look for more in my review of the novel in July.

 Pre-order Unbecoming today so you can have it in your hands on July 9th.  https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Unbecoming/Seema-Yasmin/9781665938440

__________________________________________________________

DR. SEEMA YASMIN is an Emmy Award–winning journalist who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, medical doctor, professor, and poet. She attended medical school at Cambridge University and worked as a disease detective for the US federal government’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. She currently teaches storytelling at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a regular contributor to CNN, Self, and Scientific American, among others. Her other books include What the Fact?: Finding the Truth in All the Noise, The ABCs of Queer History, If God Is A Virus, Viral BS: Medical Myths and Why We Fall for Them, Djinnology: An Illuminated Compendium of Spirits and Stories from the Muslim World, Muslim Women Are Everything: Stereotype-Shattering Stories of Courage, and The Impatient Dr. Lange: One Man’s Fight to End the Global HIV Epidemic. 

[catierambles]

Feral Instincts Ch.31

Pairing: The Rogue’s Gallery (Geralt, Syverson, Mike, August Walker, Walter Marshall) x Stephanie Daniels (OFC)

WC 1415

Warnings: Mentions of injury/torture

There were dark circles under her eyes when they walked into the hospital the next day, Stephanie wearing one of Walter’s jumpers that swamped her. August had pulled at her wolf, helping her heal, her injuries now more an annoyance than an actual concern.

She burst into tears when she saw Mike, running over to him, holding him tightly as his fingers wove through her hair, his lips moving over hers as he kissed her deeply. Albert was still unconscious, but scans showed healthy brain activity and he was breathing on his own. Spreading out next to him on the narrow hospital bed, she laid her hand over his heart, reaching out with her wolf and finding his. It was scared, curled in on itself, licking its wounds, but she felt as it felt hers and she gently coaxed it out of hiding, keeping it just below the surface. He breathed in deep, his heart rate spiking, and his eyes opened. They immediately settled on her and he began to sob, the smell of his fear sharp in her nose.

“He kept trying to get me to call you. To ask you to come back.” He said, “He would hit me, or cut me, when I refused. He ordered me over and over again, hurt me over and over again when I told him no.”

“It’s okay, sweety. I’m so proud of you. My strong Omega.” She said, pressing her forehead against his. “He’s not going to hurt you again. He’s not going to hurt anyone ever again.”

“Is he dead?” She just nodded and that made him sob harder, but out of relief.

Later, she stared at the Council rep from across the table at one of their local offices. They had called her in, ordered her, really. Sy and August wanted her to tell them to piss off, but she wanted to get it over and done with. They were standing behind her, arms folded over their chests, a male Alpha wall of protection. Even Napoleon was there, off to the side, having met them outside the building.

“We wanted him alive, Ms. Daniels.”

“Fuck you.” She said simply and he blinked at her in surprise. “He deserved to die.”

“A bit hypocritical, don’t you think? Based on your opinion of the Cleaners?”

“If Albert had died, if Mike had died,” Walter started, “And Jordan had been taken into police custody. He would have been charged with two counts of first degree murder while in the process of a felony, namely grievous bodily injury with the ultimate goal of kidnapping Stephanie. With the aggravating factors, i.e. his history of abuse, he would have been eligible for the death penalty. All the Prosecutor would have had to do was show pictures of the victims, how they were found, as well as Stephanie’s previous wounds and there wouldn’t have been a jury in this world who wouldn’t have decided to put a needle in his arm. The fact that Albert is a child, legally, would have only strengthened it. So don’t you dare call her a hypocrite.” Napoleon’s phone went off in his pocket and he answered it, still staring at the Council rep.

“Solo.” He listened for a bit. “Thank you.” He hung up, sliding his phone back into his inner breast pocket. “I had them run the Feral’s DNA through ViCAP in coordination with federal law enforcement.”

“Why would you do that?” Sy asked.

“Call it a gut feeling.” He said, shrugging, “It popped on about a half dozen unsolved murders across the country, his DNA found under the female victim’s fingernails. There were about a dozen more with a similar MO but no DNA. Guy liked knives and playing with his victims. Only one survivor.”

“Let me guess.” Stephanie said, “A wolf.”

“Good guess.” Napoleon said.

“She survived the attack, but in the process of her fighting him off, he got infected.” Stephanie said and he made an acknowledging sound with a nod. “Makes sense why he was able to hide his Feral status so well. He was used to wearing masks.”

“And he was batshit before becoming a wolf,” Sy said, “Not because of it.”

“In my professional opinion,” Walter said, “He probably targeted Stephanie as his next victim, but he felt what we all did and his wolf claimed her as a Mate, although she wasn’t a wolf yet. Deluded, but par for the course with Ferals. So instead of killing her, he dated her, but he couldn’t hide all the time, so he wasn’t exactly boyfriend of the year. She tried to leave him, so he infected her, probably thinking she’d be exactly like him and they’d be a bloodier Bonnie and Clyde. Cutting a swathe through the country until they were finally hunted and put down by a Tracker, possibly even by Geralt.”

“But he couldn’t control her.” Geralt said, “She ran away after he infected her, found Sy, and asked him for help.”

“And here we are.” Sy said, “Eighteen dead women, that we know of, and one attempted. Death penalty, Walt?”

“Many, many, times over. There would have been a fight over who got to do it.”

“I wonder,” Stephanie said, “How many victims there were after the DNA started coming back as wolf. Seeing as the Council likes to maintain their squeaky clean image. Wouldn’t shock me if they “took over” the investigations and swept it under the rug. No serial killer wolves here, no Sir. He didn’t stay in one spot, have one hunting ground, so you can't send a Tracker if you don’t know where to send the Tracker to.”

“Never heard anything about it.” Geralt said, shaking his head.

“Leon, what’s the technical term for it if it were to get out that the Pack Council was concealing the existence of a serial killer that turned furry? Not just from the public, but from the organizations that could have stopped him?” She asked.

“A shit storm, Stephanie, it’s called a shit storm.” He said.

“You wouldn’t.” The rep said.

“Fuckin’ try me.” She said, “Shit has to change. We’re not hiding anymore, we can’t act like we still are. I wonder how many women would still be alive if the Pack Council had worked with the Feds in tracking him down?”

“I’m putting Stephanie’s name forward as a candidate for Councilor.” Napoleon said, “There are a few wolves that are…past their prime that should have stepped down years ago. They have the majority vote. Replacing even one of them would swing the vote in favor of reform and cooperation. No more Cleaners, no more cover-ups.”

“What happened to me being naive?”

“I would call you more of an idealist.” Napoleon said and she snorted.

“Why would they step down?” Sy asked, “Old dudes in power like to stay in power.”

“I would very politely, and respectfully, let them know that stepping down is in their best interest.” Leon said.

“You’d blackmail a Councilor?” The rep asked.

“Absolutely not. Wouldn’t dream of it.” Leon said, “I would simply say that stepping down in the interest of reform is what’s best for everyone. Times are changing, and we need to change with them. If they stepped down in order to further advance relationships and partnerships with the human government and governmental entities, it would look best for them. Putting the interests of all wolves ahead of their own. What would be your first order, Steph? Hypothetically speaking.”

“Repurpose the Cleaners as Trackers.” She said, “After extensive psychological evaluations. Starting with this one.” She jutted her thumb over her shoulder at August and he scowled at her. “I’m joking. About you, anyway.”

“After that?” Leon asked.

“Meet with the heads of the Alphabet Mafia, lay everything out on the table. Full disclosure. Trust is a two-way street.”

“I like it.” Leon said, “Show them our hand and encourage them to show theirs in the spirit of cooperation. Anything else?”

“Ask me again when that’s done.” She said and he nodded.

“Also, if any of the Council tries to block her,” August said, “Or do some shady bullshit to take her out of the picture, we’re returning whoever is involved back in pieces.” His head tilted to the side slightly, “Starting with you.” The representative paled and Stephanie rolled her eyes.

“August, he’s just a lackey.” She said, “Don’t be a dick.”

“Just looking out for you, Princess.”

“Testosterone disaster.” She mumbled and Walter snorted.

[fortheloveofwonderland]

Darkness Declares Glory | Chapter 13 | S.R

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

A/N - this fic deals with some very dark themes such as drug use, self-harm and suicidal ideation. Please proceed with caution and Minors DNI. There is a reader insert but it is very Spencer-centric.

I am aware a death sentence wouldn’t be granted so fast but artistic liberties were taken. Sue me.

Chapter Summary - Spencer tries to take Maggie’s advice and faces your teasing. Luke and Matt visit and drop a bombshell that could potentially destroy Spencer’s recovery.

Pairing - Spencer Reid / Fem! Reader

Category - dark angst | smut | eventual happy ending.

Warnings - swearing, masturbation (male), fingering, oral (male receiving), voyeuristic dreams, weight gain, mentions of Cat Adam’s, talk of death penalty, Luke’s flashback, stab wounds, self inflicted wounds, blood, mentions of surgery and hospitals.

WC - 4.8k

Chapter 13 - You Want a Battle? (Here’s a War)

He was irritable all day, snapping at people and biting off heads unnecessarily. His unfulfillment of the morning followed him all day like a dark rain cloud. But his days were so busy with therapies and the like, he didn’t have any more alone time. 

When he finally did find himself alone after his second group therapy session of the day, it was short lived. He was in bed with the door closed wondering if it would be better to wait until after lights out when he wouldn’t be disturbed. But he was achingly hard and he couldn’t wait any longer. 

As he trailed his hand under the sheets and palmed himself through his slacks, the door practically burst open. 

“Hey, I thought you might want…” you trailed off and raised an eyebrow at him. “Why are you in bed?” 

Spencer snatched his hand away from his bulge and brought it out from under the sheets. 

“Tired.” He shrugged. “What do you want?” 

“Rude.” You scoffed, inviting yourself in his room. “I wondered if you wanted to hang out. But if you’re too tired…”

“No, I’m fine.” He willed his erection to go down but it was almost impossible with you in his room. 

He watched you glance over his photographs before your eyes landed on the chess set on the desk. 

“You play?” You asked, pointing at it. 

“Yeah, do you?” 

“Used to. Haven’t for a long time.” You picked up the set and expertly carried over to the bed without dropping any of the pieces. 

Spencer drew his legs closer and crossed them, keeping his bottom half covered by the sheets so you wouldn’t see his painfully obvious erection. Just be sure he grabbed one of his pillows and put it in his lap, leaning on it with his elbows. 

You hopped up onto the bed and set the chessboard between the two of you. 

“You look weird.” You frowned a little at him.

“Now who’s being rude?” He scoffed. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing. Just play the game.” He sighed. 

You looked like you might say more on it but thankfully you didn’t and he watched you move a pawn while willing his uncooperative cock to go down. 

***

A few hours and three games later, you were on a losing streak. Spencer never lost at chess, except to Gideon, and even with his muddled brain he was still just as good as he always was. 

Thankfully the game had been rather uneventful and he’d managed to get his erection to die down. It was a good job too as you’d stolen the pillow from his lap to cushion your shoulder against the wall. Part way through the fourth game you looked up at him curiously. 

“Something is bothering you.” You mused. “I can tell.”

“Oh really?” He rolled his eyes. 

“Call it intuition. But something is definitely bothering you. Spill.” You challenged him with your gaze. 

Spencer really didn’t want to tell you what was on his mind. You were the last person he wanted to talk to about this. But before he could talk himself out of it, the words came spilling from his lips. 

“My therapist wants me to masturbate more.” He cursed himself as the words tumbled out. 

Your eyes widened and an amused smirk sprung to your lips. 

“Ah,” you stifled a laugh. “And you have an issue with that? Jeez I didn’t think men needed to be told to masturbate more often.” 

“Yeah, forget I said anything.” He moved his piece on the board but you made no attempt to counter him. 

“Seriously, what’s the issue?” 

Spencer heaved a sigh. He wished he hadn’t said anything. 

“Is it not…this place is far from…you know…?”

“Sexy?” You laughed. “You can’t get it up while you’re in a recovery facility?” 

“I didn’t say that.” His cheeks flushed. 

“Oh so you can?” Your smirk grew. 

“I really don’t want to talk about this.” He focused on the chessboard as he was feeling himself growing hard again. 

“You think I’ve been in here for four months and not done it?” 

Fucking Christ. Fucking shitting Christ. That is the last thing I need to think about. 

“Seriously, can we change the subject?” His face was burning with embarrassment. 

He stayed perfectly still because he was worried if he moved you would notice how hard he was beneath the sheet. 

“Are you twelve years old? Everybody does it Spencer.” You giggled and that did not help the situation. 

“Fuck.” He whined and his voice gave away his arousal. 

Your eyes fell to his lap and you instantly saw the bulge in his pants.

“You should take care of that.” You laughed. “It helps with the cravings. It helps relax your mind.” 

“Please stop.” He closed his eyes, wishing he were anywhere else in the world. 

“I’m being serious! You’re in a foul mood today, an orgasm will do you the world of good.” 

His dick throbbed and he knew you must have seen it. 

“I’m begging you to stop.” 

“And I’m begging you, for the sake of your sanity, just jerk one off.” 

The moan that left his lips was completely involuntary and it made his cheeks burn hotter. 

“I can go. Or I can stay if you’d prefer?” 

“For the love of god.” He groaned. “Go, please? Please just leave.” 

“Suit yourself.” You giggled as you jumped back up from the bed. “Happy masturbating, Spencer!” 

He groaned again, eyes still closed until he heard the door shut behind you. Seconds later he was laying back on the bed, kicking the chessboard to the floor and relieving himself from his slacks. 

He had never been more desperate for touch in his life, even if it was just his own. He watched his hand move up and down his own length, pushing his sleeve up so he could look at your bracelet on his wrist. 

Definitely the same bracelet worn by the woman who jerked him off in that alleyway. Closing his eyes and picturing your face as he touched himself, it really didn’t take much time for him to come. 

And he didn’t think about drugs or his cravings once. 

***

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! I’m close, I’m so goddamn close.” He panted into your neck as you quickened your pace on your strokes.

His fingers were buried inside of you, curling up into your bundle of nerves. 

“M-me too.” You moaned, legs shaking beneath you. 

You were only able to remain upright due to his body supporting you. His thumb rubbed against your clit and you swore you saw stars. Your legs buckled but he steadied you with his other hand. 

“More! More! I need more!” You whined. 

He moved his other hand to your shirt where he practically ripped it open, revealing your bare breasts underneath. He bowed his head and took one of your nipples in his mouth, rolling it between his teeth. 

“Fuck, I’m so f-fucking close.” He whimpered against your skin before sinking his teeth into your nub. 

“Fuck! Fuck!” You screamed, tightening your hold on his cock. “Gonna come. Oh fuck, I’m gonna come!” 

“Come for me, angel.” He moaned. 

Almost simultaneously you both reached your peaks. He felt you clenching around his fingers and your legs trembled furiously as you screamed out into the night. Seconds later his hot come was spilling onto your hand and his cock twitched as he expelled himself. 

He removed his lips from your nipple and rested his forehead against your shoulder while he caught his breath. He held you up right with his arms while you both came down from your highs. When Spencer’s breathing had calmed he looked up at you through hazy eyes. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for that.” Cat grinned at him. 

His whole body stiffened and he practically shoved her off of him. 

“What are you doing? Where’s Y/N?” He panicked. 

“Who’s Y/N?” Cat frowned, smoothing down her skirt. 

The bracelet around her wrist caught his eye and his heart started to race. 

“No, no that’s not yours.” He pointed at it. 

Cat turned her wrist over a few times as she inspected it. 

“Well I’m the one wearing it. So I guess it is.” 

“No, it’s not. That belongs to Y/N. You tricked me!” 

“Oh Spencie, lighten up.” Cat rolled her eyes. “Would you rather it was Maeve you made come?”

Suddenly Cat’s face warped right before his very eyes until she was gone and standing in front of him was Maeve. 

“You’re so good with your fingers, Spencer.” Maeve smirked at him, moving closer and pressing her lips against his neck. 

Her hands wandered his body and despite the fact he’d only just come, he felt himself getting hard again. 

“Fuck, this isn’t fair.” He whined. 

A hard wrapped around his hardening cock, attached to a wrist that was wearing your bracelet. Maeve smiled at him as she started stroking him. 

“I always wished I’d gotten the chance to touch you like this, Spencer.” She was panting even though he wasn’t touching her. 

He wanted to touch her, probably more than he’d ever wanted to do anything in his life. But why did it feel like cheating on you? 

He kept his hands planted at his sides while Maeve worked his dick. He was panting and moaning and at some point he closed his eyes and lolled his head back against the brick wall. 

He felt movement and a few seconds later his shaft was entering a warm, wet mouth.

“Fuck.” His knees buckled a little and he opened his eyes, looking down at the person on their knees. 

The hand with the bracelet was wrapped around his base but the set of eyes looking up at him through long lashes weren’t Maeve’s. 

They were yours. 

“Y/N, thank god.” He panted and then moaned when you took him all the way in your mouth. 

His eyes closed of their own accord again as he gave himself over to the feeling. For a few minutes he was allowed to revel in the sensation and then a voice snapped his eyes back open. 

“Have you ever thought about masturbation?” Maggie stood at his side, eyebrow raised. 

“You know all the facts and statistics on pretty much everything. So I’m sure that you know all the benefits of masturbation, Reid.” Tara was at his other side. 

“You think I’ve been in here for four months and not done it?” You came off his dick and stood up. “Are you twelve years old? Everybody does it Spencer.” 

“I used to do it as soon as we got off the phone each Sunday.” Maeve laughed, appearing at your side.

“It did it thinking about you being locked in prison.” Cat resurfaced. 

“I’ve done it on the BAU jet.” Luke emerged. 

“Haven’t we all?” Tara laughed. 

“What is going on?” Spencer groaned, pushing himself back against the wall. 

“It’s perfectly natural Spencer, jeez you’ve always been so uptight.” Another face emerged. 

“E-Ethan?” Spencer’s eyes widened. 

“Pretty boy will always be uptight.” Morgan was suddenly there too, laughing. 

“It’s just self pleasure, Spencie. It will make you feel so good.” Cat pouted at him. 

Your fingers snaked around his wrist which was now adorned with the purple and gold band again. You guided his hand towards his still exposed dick. 

“Try it, you’ll love it.” You smiled at him. 

“It will stop your cravings.” Maggie chimed in. 

“I-I’m not…with an a-audience.” Spencer tried to fight your grip. 

“We can all do it too, if it’ll help.” Luke chuckled. 

“W-what? No! That won’t help!” His hand was on his cock against his will. 

“Mmm just like that, Spencer.” Maeve sighed happily. 

His hand was moving up and down his shaft without his meaning too, all the eyes on him and what he was doing. 

“God that’s hot.” Ethan moaned a little as he spoke. 

“Feels good right?” Tara nudged him in the arm. 

“No! No, I don’t want this! Don’t look at me!” He closed his eyes but his hand kept moving. 

“Give us a show, kid.” Morgan spoke again. 

He tried to block out the sounds of the people crowded around him, tried to ignore everything in the hopes they would disappear. He kept his eyes screwed tightly shut trying to pretend he was alone and that all these people weren’t witnessing what he was doing. 

His hand continued its movements even though he wanted it to stop. His audience goaded him, giving him words of encouragement. His orgasm built and eventually he came with a strangled moan, feeling completely mortified that all these people had seen what he’d done. 

Panting slightly and legs trembling he cautiously opened his eyes… 

…A nurse stood at his bedside, his medication in one hand and a cup of water in the other. 

“You were out like a light.” She smiled slightly.

Spencer frowned and with a shaking hand he took the medication and the water and tossed them both back. He didn’t say a word as the nurse took the cups back and wheeled her trolley out of the room. His heart was racing as he leant back against the pillows. 

He could feel his cock softening in his pants. And he could feel his sticky come lining his underwear. 

***

For the week that followed Spencer didn’t see you once. It was so easy to believe it was all in his head when you showed up so sporadically. He wanted to see you more than anything else in the entire world. He wanted to see you more than he wanted drugs for Christ sake. 

So it stood to reason, given his desperation to see you and the side effects from years of drug use, he was imagining you. It was the only way to explain how, when he did see you, you acted as though you had no idea who he was. It was just his subconscious willing you to be here and the withdrawals causing him to hallucinate. 

But if that was the case, how did he explain the bracelet still adorned on his wrist? Tara had seen it too so he certainly wasn’t imagining that. His head was a fucking mess. He needed to see Emily. 

By the next time he had a visitor, he wasn’t even a little surprised it wasn’t her. But he had to admit that seeing the two faces waiting for him in the gym put a smile on his face. 

“There he is!” Matt grinned as Spencer limped through the door. 

“Hey man, you’re looking a lot better. Healthier.” Luke smiled too. 

Spencer was able to walk cautiously on his own now and it was so freeing. His leg still hurt but nowhere near as much as it used to. 

“Thanks. I guess I’ve put some weight back on.” He patted his stomach. He was still skinny but his three meals a day were helping him back towards his normal weight. 

Luke pulled him into a hug as soon as he was close enough and Spencer felt his cheeks burning a little. The last time he’d seen Luke he’d been trying to trade sexual favours with him in exchange for drugs and then had to confess to him he’d had a wet dream. And on top of that he’d had two risqué dreams featuring the other man. 

He averted his gaze when the hug ended and focused on hugging Matt. Maybe subconsciously Spencer had always been attracted to Luke and just never realised it. Or maybe it was just because he hadn’t gotten laid in a while. Yeah that had to be it. 

“How have you been?” Matt asked with his usual soft smile, and Spencer shrugged. 

Now he was seeing him again, Spencer wondered how he’d ever seen a similarity between him and Cedric. 

“I’ve definitely been better. But all things considered I’m…ok.” He nodded, refusing to make eye contact with Luke so he focused on Matt. 

“You look a hell of a lot better since I last saw you.” Luke spoke and Spencer just nodded. 

“Why have we met in the gym? I can barely walk, let alone play sports.” Spencer directed at Matt. 

“We thought we could just bounce a ball around, give you a change of scenery.” Matt walked over towards the racks on the far wall that held an array of basketballs. 

“Sure.” Spencer chuckled. “Why not?” 

The three of them bounced a ball between them while Matt and Luke filled Spencer in on the goings on at the BAU. Apparently he’d missed a lot. 

Rossi and Krystall had gotten married, something Rossi hadn’t mentioned when he’d visited. He supposed it wasn’t a time to show off his happiness when Spencer was struggling, but he still wished the older man would have told him. Spencer hadn’t even noticed his wedding ring. 

Kristy was now pregnant for the fifth time and Matt was preparing his house for another baby. Spencer was happy for them but it left him feeling guilty. He’d been so wrapped up in himself that he’d become out of the loop in his friends lives. 

But the biggest news by far was delivered by Luke after Spencer’s leg had enough of standing and he was sitting on the floor watching the two men toss the ball between them. 

“So uh…I guess we should probably tell him?” Luke spoke to Matt as he caught the ball before throwing it back to the other man. 

“Tell me what?” Spencer frowned up at them from the ground. 

“Be my guest.” Matt replied, bouncing the ball a few times, the sound echoing throughout the gym. 

Luke sighed, running a hand through his dark hair before looking at Spencer. He moved closer to him and slid down to the floor, stretching his legs out in front of him. Spencer looked between Luke and Matt who stayed on his feet distracting himself with the ball. 

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” Spencer folded his arms with a frown. 

“Emily got a call a few days ago from Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility.” Luke played with his hands in his lap. 

“Cat Adam’s facility?” Spencer croaked. 

“Yeah.” Luke sighed as he spoke. “She requested the death penalty. And her petition was granted. But uh…she’s asked to see you before she’s put to death, she wants to see you.”

“Fuck.” Spencer let his arms fall to his sides and he hung his head, furiously grinding his teeth. “She doesn’t want to go to her grave before she sees how much she fucked up my life.” 

“Emily wasn’t sure if telling you was a good idea. But we thought you had a right to know.” Matt held the ball in his arms, close to his chest. 

“That bitch will not be satisfied until she has completely destroyed me.” He reached into his sleeve and caressed your bracelet. 

“We uh…spoke to your doctor when we got here. As long as you're supervised they will grant you day release to visit her, if you want to.” Luke sounded guilty. 

Clearly they hadn’t discussed this with Emily. Spencer looked at Luke, a pained expression in his eyes. 

“That seems like a really dumb idea.” Spencer huffed out a breath, blood boiling his veins at the mere thought. “But I haven’t exactly been known for my good decision making recently.” 

“I get why Emily was skeptical about telling you. It could cause you more harm than good.” Matt nodded. 

“But it could also provide you closure.” Luke added. 

“This is the last thing I need.” Spencer grazed his fingers up and down the woven band. 

“We’re sorry man. We thought you’d rather know than be kept in the dark.” Luke looked guiltily at Matt. 

“How long?” Spencer closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. 

“How long?” Matt questioned. 

“How long until she’s executed?” 

He was met by a few seconds of silence but he kept his eyes screwed tightly shut in the meanwhile. He knew Luke and Matt would be subconsciously trying to decide who would answer that. Eventually he heard Luke sigh before he spoke. 

“Two weeks. The judge had a rush put on it.” Luke croaked out. 

“Goddamnit.” Spencer groaned, opening his eyes and looking between the two men. “God-fucking-damnit.” 

“Just think about it. No one’s going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” Luke offered him a sad smile. 

“The last thing I need to do is think about Cat Adam’s.” Just saying her name made him want to use again. 

He needed to forget all about her and all the twisted, fucked up things she’d done to him. He didn’t want to think about her let alone see her. 

“I’m sorry, man. We didn’t want to…” Matt trailed off as his phone started to ring and he stepped away as he answered it. 

Luke glanced at Spencer who looked pale and like he suddenly had the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

“I’m really sorry.” He spoke softly. “We talked about it on the drive here and thought telling you was the best option. Maybe we were wrong.”

“I think I’d rather have known.” Spencer sighed.

“Do you think you’ll see her?” 

“I really don’t know right now. It’s a lot to process. I don’t think any good could come of seeing her. But also maybe it would give me closure. I don’t know.” He rubbed his eyes hard with his palms before looking back at Luke. “Luke?”

“Yeah?” 

“I’m uh…I’m sorry for the stuff I said and the way I acted the last time I saw you.” He felt his cheeks instantly redden. 

“It’s ok. Don’t worry about it. You didn’t mean it.” Luke also blushed. 

“I was…I was a mess.” Spencer chewed on his lip, averting his gaze again. 

“I get it. It’s fine, really. You were better than you were the last time I saw you before that.” 

He suddenly looked back at Luke, eyes wide. 

“W-when was that?” He choked on his words. 

“I guess six months ago?” Luke shrugged. “I was visiting Lisa at the hospital during her shift and I found you.” 

“In the hospital?” 

“Yeah. You were in a complete state….”

Luke happily traversed the corridor, bouquet of flowers in his hand as he made his way to find his girlfriend. He hummed a little as he walked, excited to see her after over a week away on a case. 

He made his way down the hall and through the ER which was the quickest route to the bank elevators which would take him to the physical therapy ward on the fourth floor. The ER was relatively quiet given it was a Tuesday afternoon and Luke manoeuvred through doctors and nurses weaving their way between beds. 

Suddenly a loud, angry voice cut through all the other noises in the emergency room, causing Luke to halt in his tracks. 

“I said don’t fucking touch me!” The voice screamed and Luke watched a doctor run towards a closed curtain of one of the bays. 

As the doctor pulled back the curtain, Luke was able to see the messy haired, painfully skinny man who was trying to fight off the doctors and nurses around him. 

“Don’t touch me!” He yelled again, swatting away a nurse. “I’m fine!” 

“Sir you are bleeding profusely. You need to let us take a look.” The doctor spoke calmly. 

Luke froze, the bouquet of flowers falling to the floor from his limp hand. 

“I don’t care! Don’t touch me!” 

Luke forced himself to move, stepping tentatively closer to the bay. He watched on in horror as the doctor tried to touch him again but was smacked in the arm. 

“Sir you have to let us check you out.” 

“No! Don’t touch me! Don’t fucking touch me!” 

Blood was seeping through his shirt from his stomach but every time someone tried to lift his shirt, they were batted away. 

“Someone get me sedative.” The doctor spoke over his shoulder. 

Luke’s legs had carried him closer until he was standing right by the open curtain. 

“No! No sedatives! Just leave me alone!” He fought off another doctor, sitting up in the bed and groaning in pain as he did so. 

His hand shot to his stomach and he doubled over. 

“You’re in a lot of pain, let us help you.” The doctor tried to help him lay back down. 

“I said I’m fine! Goddamnit go help someone who needs it!” 

A nurse handed the doctor a syringe of what Luke presumed to be a sedative and as the doctor turned he spotted Luke hovering.

“Excuse me sir, you shouldn’t be here.” The doctor told him but Luke ignored him, stepping closer still. 

“Reid?” Luke finally spoke and Spencer stopped fighting off doctors and looked up. 

Their eyes met but Luke could tell Spencer didn’t recognise him. He could also ascertain from the size of his pupils that he was high. 

“Sir please you need to-“

“Spencer?” Luke ignored the doctor again. “Spencer it’s me, Luke. Luke Alvez?” 

Spencer’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Luke for a moment or two. It seemed like a lifetime before recognition started to dawn on his features. 

“Luke!” He nodded frantically. “Luke, you gotta tell them I’m ok. Get them away from me.” 

“Can I take a look? Can I see where the bleeding is coming from?” Luke stepped closer to the bed. 

Spencer pulled a face but then sighed. 

“I guess.” He fumbled untucking his shirt from his slacks and peeled the blood soaked fabric away from his skin. 

He was morbidly slim, but the wound in his stomach and the blood pooling from it was more of a concern right now.

“What did you do?” Luke asked softly. 

“Stabbed myself.” Spencer shrugged like it was no big deal. “Worse than it looks. S’fine.” 

“You need to let the doctors help you, Reid. It’s pretty nasty.” 

“No!” Spencer yelled again, pulling his shirt down to cover the wound. “Nobody is touching me!” 

He suddenly started flailing again, more violently than before and smacked Luke in the face in the process. Luke growled at the impact and stepped backwards as the doctor came closer. He tried to grab at Spencer’s wrist but Spencer hit him too. 

“Don’t fucking touch me!” He screeched. “I’ll fucking kill you! Don’t touch me or I swear I’ll kill you!” 

The doctor tried again, this time managing to grasp Spencer’s wrist and forcibly roll his sleeve up. Luke recoiled when he saw the pulsing track marks beneath his shirt, feeling his stomach turn. As Spencer continued to kick and scream, the doctor managed to inject him with the sedative. 

“No! No!” He screamed again but soon he went silent and his limbs stopped thrashing and fell heavily to the bed. 

Luke stumbled backwards while doctors clamoured over his friend. His heart beat frantically in his chest and he felt tears stinging his eyes as he backed out of the bay and the curtains were once again drawn, shielding Spencer from his view. 

“I ended up hanging around to make sure you were ok. They took you into surgery and patched you up but I was too scared to see you when you woke up. I should have stayed. I was a coward.” Luke shook his head sadly. 

“I probably wouldn’t have been happy to see you if that makes you feel any better.” Spencer subconsciously ran his fingers over his stomach. At least that explained the mysterious scar on his abdomen. 

Just then Matt headed back towards them, pocketing his phone. 

“The doctor has put Kristy on bed rest so I need to get back to help with the kids.” He smiled sadly. 

Luke pushed himself up from the ground before helping Spencer to his feet. 

“Thanks for coming guys. I really appreciated the distraction.” Spencer coiled his arms around his waist. 

“I’m sorry if what we told you makes things worse for you. We just thought you had a right to know.” Matt squeezed his shoulder. 

“It’s ok.” Spencer shrugged, following them towards the door of the gym. 

Luke held the door open for him as he limped out and once outside he turned to Spencer.

“If you decide you want to see her, call me ok? I can go with you if you need me to.” Luke reached out for him and Spencer found himself falling into Luke’s arms.

He clung to the other man as though he was his only lifeline. Tears sprung behind his eyes but he refused to let them fall. 

“Thank you. I’ll think about it.” As if he’d be able to think of anything else. 

When the hug ended he sniffed back any tears still threatening to escape. He waved goodbye to them both as his arms snaked around his own waist again, holding himself by way of protecting him against all the evil in the world. 

Or at the very least, it might protect him against thoughts of Cat Adam’s. 

@andiebeaword @muffin-cup @takeyourleap-of-faith @ssa-uglywhore27 @tiredmilky @thatsonezesty13 @1mechanicalalligator @elle-28

@dreatine @matthew-gray-gubler-lover @people-whatabunchofbastards @spencer-reid-wonderland @thebloomingeagle

[simply-strangers]

A bit of a long-winded question but here we go.

How would Joker approach a now terrified partner after he is committed to Arkham and post-Arkham? Imagine his partner is good-hearted, almost a pacifist, and they’re just heart-broken over how their sweet Arthur has become a killer. They visit him at Arkham and cry over believing that they could have somehow prevented Arthur’s murders but Arthur tries to comfort them: he feels confident and better than ever. When he gets out and approaches them after Arkham, they are TERRIFIED. They’re scared Joker is going to kill or manipulate them, while Joker is devastated by how much pain and fear he’s caused them. He is still desperately in love with the one good thing in his life so— how does he try to fix this situation and save his relationship?

Very ready for your hot take.

- ☁️

This was so long ago, hello again my darling Cloud. How are you? I'm sorry I've been away but I've cracked a few knuckles and drank a few V8 Energy's (they're healthy and flavorful) so this SHOULD be well.

Title: Predator and Prey

Sorry it’s a tad short but I thought this scene in my head was really cute and I didn’t want to be distracted by backstory.

taglist: @ajokeformur-ray

#####################################

“Please Y/N just listen!” Arthur, Joker, whoever the fuck he was stepped towards you into your apartment and you could almost scream but a hand clamped over your mouth muffling it.

Hot tears streamed down you face and Arthur’s eyes looked pained and sorrowful.

“Shh, Shh, Shh! Please let me talk okay? Let me explain it all okay? I won’t hurt you, I’d never hurt you okay?” Arthur’s voice is soft and coaxing, nothing like the horrible horrible clown on TV.

Still you saw the green staining his roots and the white clay paint around his jaw. He was a murderer. A terrorist, but he wasn’t hurting you. He was holding your head with unprecedented gentleness and not even really keeping you that still. You just responded to his touch that way.

“See? See everything’s okay.” He uttered and a light thumb came and wiped away a stray tear. “I’m right here.”

“Why’d you do all of this? Why did you go off the rails?” You cried into the telephone and sobbed into your sleeve.

“I’m sorry, please don’t hate me but I’m happier. Everything is better this way. It’ll all be so much better.”

“You promised it was going to be better, so explain to me how the HELL killing people on the street and parading around causing riots is better!” You sobbed and you caught a glimpse of Arthur’s eyes. The shattered glass that broke in those soft seafoam eyes. The glass that had been glued over and over again till the owner gave up on trying to fix it.

“They’re bad people Y/N, people who do nothing for those they hurt or leave dying on the streets anyway.” Arthur explains quietly. “Those people, who riot, they’re crazier than me. They’ll do anything without a leader and that’s dangerous. Someone good could get hurt and I don’t want that.”

He reached out for you and you let him hold you.

“This is necessary. I promise, I’ll never hurt you or let anyone do so.” Arthur vowed and it vibrated deep in your chest to your heart. It was true and you cried into his shoulder.

The shoulder of a man who should be behind bars awaiting a death penalty or something and a man who loved you wholly and would never lay a finger on you. Or let anyone else do so. 

Arthur. You could have Arthur, and maybe one day embrace Joker. Maybe one day you could see his mission, even if it made your gut twist and your throat tighten with fear. He was dangerous, but not to you. A lion protecting a mouse.

Predator protecting prey.

“I love you Y/N.” Arthur said quietly and only then did you realize you had sunken to the floor, wrapped in his gangly arms.

“I love you too Arthur.” You finally responded and slipped your arms around his middle, pulling him close and closing your eyes against the King of Crime in Gotham.

[pocketfullofarchivists]

I’m not in SCP fandom but sometimes I kinda touch it

Spoilers for the Find Us Alive 50 ep: it made me all introspective. Including going on a memory lane 10+ years ago, when I was at school and had to present a case against death penalty(it was rhetorics class, main thing was arguing no matter your actual morals. This time both were how I felt but stats against me)

I won that argument, even with biased “judge” over doubting the whole system.

Can we tell for real whose prosecuted for their crimes and who’s been targeted for something else?

In case of SCP foundation I get why they need disposables. There are monsters among humans too. But how accurate is that assessment?

Who’s in charge of deciding? How anyone Can decide that and stay on a “good” side?

[antiyourwokehomophobia2]

Diff anon but I feel the same way. Some people have tried to argue with me about morals but I genuinely don’t care if proven abusers get killed by their victims. Now this is me taking it a step further but It’s also why I’m not always against the death penalty. But I do get why people don’t want the government to be able to have such a power. But I just can’t bring myself to feel bad about abusers dying.

Yea, to me their death will be a positive in at least one person's life