#uncovered hoax

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Middle School Monday: Loch Ness Uncovered: Media, Misinformation, and the Greatest Monster Hoax of All Time by Rebecca Siegel 

Researching this book was the adventure of a lifetime. It began, as the best adventures do, in my hometown library.

[Hey, how's THAT for an opening?]

Many people have heard of the Loch Ness Monster, but fewer people know how this story started, how it grew, and why so many people were willing to believe it. When most of us think of the Loch Ness Monster, we think of a highly publicized photograph showing a creature that looks like a dinosaur, with its long neck coming out of the water.

This book digs deeper into the story, and you’ll learn about the woman who first said she saw a large creature swimming in the water, the couple who said they saw a dinosaur-like monster walking across the road, and the reporters who kept the story going, adding extra details and exaggerations along the way. You’ll also learn about what motivated different people to invent “evidence” of a monster that didn’t exist. 

Give this book to older kids and younger teens who love real-life mysteries. It’s also a great read for any readers who want to understand more about critically understanding (and detangling) hoaxes, legends, fake news, and misinformation.

[creature-wizard]

Scams, Hoaxes, Conspiracy Theories, & Cults Everyone Should Know About

Jilly Juice: Jillian Mai Thi Epperly claimed drinking sixteen cups of her super salty cabbage concoction each day could regrow missing limbs and cure everything from cancer to homosexuality. In reality, overdosing on so much salt caused followers a host of health issues that Epperley dismissed as "healing symptoms."

Nonhuman Body Hoax: Jaime Maussan attempted to pass off mummified human remains as nonhuman beings to the Mexican government. (This isn't even Maussan's first hoax, by the way. He has a history.)

Love Has Won: Amy Carlson, a woman who'd walked out on her own children, started a New Age cult in which she presented herself as "Mother God," the creator of the universe. She claimed to be in contact with dead celebrities and alien beings, and taught a conspiratorial worldview. As her health declined, she attempted to treat herself with colloidal silver and alcohol, and her behavior became increasingly abusive. When she finally died, her followers sincerely believed she would return to life and kept her body in a sleeping bag. (She did not return to life.)

Seed Faith Offerings: Reverend Gene Ewing came up with the perfect get-rich-quick scheme to prey on desperate Christian believers: tell believers that if they "sowed seed" by giving money to him, God would bless them with even more money in the future. He made millions of dollars from these donations, while most of his followers never saw the miraculous returns they were promised.

William Walker Atkinson: In the early 20th century, William Walker Atkinson wrote around one hundred books, many of which he wrote under various pseudonyms. Some of these pseudonyms included alleged Hindu mystics. That's right - this guy was practicing literary brownface to sell his mystical ideas.

The LDS Church: In the 19th century, a man named Joseph Smith claimed that an angel had told him where to dig up a set of golden plates that were supposedly written by ancient Hebrews who'd come to North America. Smith even had eleven close associates who vouched for the plates' existence. Yet the script they were allegedly written in bore no relation to actual ancient scripts of the Near East, and the the names the locations in the books he "translated" were very obviously derived from placenames he would have been familiar with. (For example, Oneida/Onidah.) Oh, and actual archaeology and DNA studies have discredited pretty much everything from this guy's weird racist narrative.

Fake Cancer, Fake Cure: Wellness entrepreneur Belle Gibson claimed that she'd cured her brain cancer with natural remedies. Gibson never actually had cancer in the first place.

Medbeds: Back in 2020, QAnons and QAnon-adjacent people started circulating claims that a new form of healing technology was about to become available to the public within the next several months or so. Depending on who you asked, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and even the Galactic Federation of Light were involved. The time of their supposed unveiling came and went, and what do you know, there are still no functioning medbeds used in actual medicine.

COVID Vaccine Zombies: Conspiracy theorists have been claiming the government practices high-tech mind control for ages now. One recent iteration of this is a conspiracy theory claiming that people who'd received COVID vaccinations would have malicious DNA code activated by 5G on October 4, 2023, turn into zombies, and riot. The time came and went, and no zombie outbreak happened.

Ms.Scribe: In the early 2000s, a Harry Potter fan known as "msscribe" or "Ms.Scribe" faked her own harassment through a number of sockpuppets, with the apparent goal of becoming friends with some Harry Potter fandom bigwigs. She manipulated the fandom for a few years until the deception was finally uncovered.

[makingqueerhistory]

Spooky Queer Books

Since spooky season is starting, I thought I would share a list of my favourite queer books that are great for this time of year.

Some of these links are affiliate links.

It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror

Joe Vallese

Horror movies hold a complicated space in the hearts of the queer community: historically misogynist, and often homo- and transphobic, the genre has also been inadvertently feminist and open to subversive readings. Common tropes--such as the circumspect and resilient "final girl," body possession, costumed villains, secret identities, and things that lurk in the closet--spark moments of eerie familiarity and affective connection. Still, viewers often remain tasked with reading themselves into beloved films, seeking out characters and set pieces that speak to, mirror, and parallel the unique ways queerness encounters the world.It Came from the Closet features twenty-five essays by writers speaking to this relationship, through connections both empowering and oppressive. From Carmen Maria Machado on Jennifer's Body, Jude Ellison S. Doyle on In My Skin, Addie Tsai on Dead Ringers, and many more, these conversations convey the rich reciprocity between queerness and horror.

Into the Drowning Deep

Mira Grant

The ocean is home to many myths, But some are deadly... Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy. Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

The Devouring Gray

C. L. Herman

After her sister's death, seventeen-year-old Violet Saunders finds herself dragged to Four Paths, New York. Violet may be a newcomer, but she soon learns her mother isn't: They belong to one of the revered founding families of the town, where stone bells hang above every doorway and danger lurks in the depths of the woods. Justin Hawthorne's bloodline has protected Four Paths for generations from the Gray--a lifeless dimension that imprisons a brutal monster. After Justin fails to inherit his family's powers, his mother is determined to keep this humiliation a secret. But Justin can't let go of the future he was promised and the town he swore to protect. Ever since Harper Carlisle lost her hand to an accident that left her stranded in the Gray for days, she has vowed revenge on the person who abandoned her: Justin Hawthorne. There are ripples of dissent in Four Paths, and Harper seizes an opportunity to take down the Hawthornes and change her destiny--to what extent, even she doesn't yet know. The Gray is growing stronger every day, and its victims are piling up. When Violet accidentally unleashes the monster, all three must band together with the other Founders to unearth the dark truths behind their families' abilities...before the Gray devours them all.

Tell Me I'm Worthless

Alison Rumfitt

Three years ago, Alice spent one night in an abandoned house with her friends, Ila and Hannah. Since then, Alice's life has spiraled. She lives a haunted existence, selling videos of herself for money, going to parties she hates, drinking herself to sleep. Memories of that night torment Alice, but when Ila asks her to return to the House, to go past the KEEP OUT sign and over the sick earth where teenagers dare each other to venture, Alice knows she must go. Together, Alice and Ila must face the horrors that happened there, must pull themselves apart from the inside out, put their differences aside, and try to rescue Hannah, whom the House has chosen to make its own. Cutting, disruptive, and darkly funny, Tell Me I'm Worthless is a vital work of trans fiction that examines the devastating effects of trauma and how fascism makes us destroy ourselves and each other.

[gaytrash-back-in-a-paperbag]

Just One Reason (Chapter 2)

Just One Reason 

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

Natasha Romanoff x Wanda Maximoff x GN!Reader  

Summary: Y/N has been working hard as a criminal investigator and always comes home to their lover Nat. When they come home tonight, however, something is different. 

Chapter summary: Y/N definitely wasn’t expecting to end up in between an investigation and the Avengers’ issues, but yet. Suddenly secrets are uncovered and you can’t keep everything the same anymore. 

Warnings: Cheating, implied sexual interactions, swearing, lots of implications to abuse, murder, blood/gore, PTSD, anxiety attacks, alcohol , self-harm, kidnapping, (stay safe loves <3) 

A/N: Chapter 2 hits the site :)) See you guys soon for the next chapter!

AVENGER’S COMPOUND

SUNDAY, 7:47 AM

14 HOURS SINCE THE TEXT

“This, Director Fury, was not a funny hoax,” You growled at him from the back of your throat. The text had come from him, and he didn’t even know their location. It had taken everything in you not to punch his good eye until he didn’t have one. 

“Officer Y/L/N, you must understand that we knew it was the only way to get you in here,” He insisted in his usual cool and calm voice. You frowned, your entire face just one big scowl. 

“Because your efforts are beyond the laws and completely reckless and unethical! If you weren’t a group of powerful people, you’d all be in jail for life. And I’d enjoy being the one to do it.” Crossing your arms, the rest of the elevator ride was in complete, and utterly blissful might you add, silence. Entering the actual compound for the first time had you fuming from the very beginning. You had been taught by the NYPD that the Avengers were ruthless with the law and they never abided by the government-placed laws. You glared at everyone in front of you, scanning the area for any signs of the redhead or the witch, but nothing seemed to show they were there. You knew you shouldn’t care, but it couldn’t be helped at this point, you were still way too caught up in everything work related that you hadn’t really flushed out the remaining emotions towards the women. 

“What is it you want, Fury? I don’t have all day, you fucker. If you’re here to fix something, you aren’t going to succeed, so you can just let me leave.” Your words were so bitter, even Thor himself looked mildly taken back. Clearly, they knew about what had happened a week ago, but they hadn’t expected a reaction like that. 

“We have no intention of getting into that side of the business, but as you are likely aware, both Wanda and Agent Romanoff haven’t been on the scene since Wednesday.” He paused, waiting for your reaction. You just gave a solemn nod and waited for him to continue. “We have no ideas on their whereabouts as they left on their own accord without our knowledge. We did not send them out on a mission of any sorts, and thus, they have been put as MIA.”

The Avengers around you looked sorrowful. You hadn’t seen any of them this way since the war against Thanos, in which Bruce Banner and Clint Barton had sacrificed themselves for the better half of the population that had been snapped away. They were acting like the two women had died or something, and that made you slightly uncomfortable. 

“Give me access to their rooms. I’ll begin an investigation,” You said at last, turning to face Director Fury. He gave a nod, and began to guide you into the dormitory area of the compound. It was just you and him at that point, and he decided this would be a great time to push you around a bit.

“I’m aware of your secret, Y/N. It never went under my radar.”

You turned to look at him, a look of distaste on your face. “If this is a ploy to get me to join your little mismatched group of heroes, it’s an automatic failure.” 

 “No ploy, no trickery. I am just stating I know about you. I know your secret, your little power of yours.” He gestured towards your back, causing your face to heat slightly, out of both anger and embarrassment. He knew about your power, sure, but he shouldn’t know about the scars. 

“Will you explain it in more detail, Officer Y/L/N? Or must I continue?” He pushed further, taking note of the way you gritted your teeth together and clenched them in anger.

“My ability to see into the multiverse is none of your concern, Director Fury. Nor are the things I do within it. It has only happened twice, and I have no intention of doing it again.”

 He smiled now, only slightly, because this is Fury we’re talking about. You were so furious that you thought you might punch a hole in the wall, until you reached the door of Natasha’s room. Opening the door, you slammed it in his face. You turned your attention to the room you were in. It reminded you of her too much, the way it even held the same smell of her hair, that smell of poppies and vodka, and somehow that smell was good. You bit your lip, holding back a flood of emotions. It pained you to see all the things that you had seen her wearing on dates, all lined neatly on her bed as if she had just unpacked. You noticed a few of the things you had bought her were in an organized chest by her bed, but when you opened the chest more, you found some of the most important items missing. The picture you took on your first date, the one she carried in her pocket at all times, wasn’t in there, and neither was the pair of matching converse you had gotten custom designed with the black widow logo on them. Had she taken them with her, or did she just throw them out? You swallowed down the thoughts, thinking, Come on Y/N, you have a job to do. Don’t be moping over a girl who spent her entire relationship cheating on you. 

You slapped your face a couple times, lightly, and went back to checking for any clues on where she had disappeared to. When you entered the bathroom, you were surprised to find many of the photos the two of you had taken taped to her mirror, and you had to suppress your soft smile. Maybe she did care, just maybe you took things the wrong way, maybe you should have let her talk. Then, you had that urge, that sting on your back, and you sighed deeply. Lifting up your shirt, you turned your head as you glanced at your back through the mirror. Hundreds, probably, of scars littered it, with most old, but a beat red one on your lower right side meant only one thing to you. 

“There goes another one…” you muttered to yourself, wincing as it stung once more before fading into just another old scar, like any other on your back. Rolling your shirt back down, you noticed a note out of the corner of your eye. It was in such an odd spot, as if whoever wrote it knew only you would be able to find it. Pulling it out from its odd position behind a tile in the bathtub, you unfolded it and began reading its contents. 

“Well, I guess Director Fury will probably send Y/N to find you, don’t you think Natasha? It’s okay though, I think that’s what we both want. They’ll come running to save you, won’t they? Like a dog on a leash, eh? You really had them fooled, you did Ms. Romanoff. You didn’t mean to, but you put them right into your grasp and maybe now you can wring them dry. Unless you’re actually in love with them. Oh, that would make things so much more fun, yeah? Take your little witchy girl too, she’ll be fun! And to think you could have both, oh dear Natasha, you can’t have either.” 

You must have read it four or five times for it to really stick in your head. What the fuck was that? Didn’t mean to have you fooled? Was Natasha up to something and dragging Wanda into it? You frowned so deeply that it physically hurt your face. Something wasn’t adding up. It was a type note, god damn it, so there was no way of identifying anyone through means of handwriting, and there wasn’t enough for someone to depict anyone’s writing style for a hit. You gripped the side of your head with your free hand in an act of frustration, before standing. Turning to leave the room and report back to Fury, you paused by the mirror again. Your eyes found one photo in particular, it was about three months after your first night with Nat. She had taken it while you weren’t looking, you were shoving a hamburger down your throat at your favorite dinner. She was grinning and trying not to laugh, and the way her cheeks squished into her eyes, you couldn’t help but feel like she was actually happy there. You hesitated, then grabbed the photo and shoved it into your pocket. Exiting the room, you almost crashed into the playboy himself. 

“Woah, watch where you’re standing, robot!” You hissed as you collided into him. He was just as surprised as you were, and you both hit the ground with a thud. You stood first, and did not offer him a hand, so he pushed himself to his feet, grumbling something about you being a bitch. It took all your mental power to not just grab at his weirdass heart thing and pull it out. Stuck up asshole. You said to yourself in your head, for once mildly sad Wanda wasn’t there to giggle at it. You cursed at Fury mentally for not being there and making you walk around the compound looking for him. Finally, after one or two more awkward conversations with the Avengers, you sighed with relief when you saw the eyepatched man. 

“Director Fury?” You asked, trying to pull his attention to you. He turned to face you, raising an eyebrow at what you wanted. You silently showed him the note, and after he read it, asked, “Do you know who wrote this?”

“No. I have no idea. This is… not something I’ve heard about from her.” His response made you a bit upset, now you felt yourself getting slightly worried. 

“That’s alright, I’ll just take this back to the station and have the NYPD deal with i-”

“I’m afraid you can’t do that, Mx. Y/L/N. This investigation stays here,” Fury warned, rewarding him with one of your meanest glares. “I apologize but the police have a way of putting things into the public eye and we cannot have that. We told the press they were on an official hiatus. If it gets out that they are actually MIA, it will send the public into a panic.”

“The public will panic over anything, this is no exception. If anything, it’ll get your little squad of random heroes a bit more of public excitement as this investigation will keep everyone on their toes. Isn’t that what you guys love? You guys seem to really enjoy the attention. Why is this different? Because they’re missing and you’ll be seen as failures for your lack of protection over a former Russian assassin  and an unstable witch who can’t always control her damn powers. I’ve seen this before Fury, and in that universe, that witch ripped through your world like it was paper,” you retorted. You weren’t lying, you had seen this in a different universe, but the circumstances were different. It was obvious though, whatever was going on, this could go horribly wrong if either of them got seriously hurt enough for Wanda to lash out.

He had no response for that, and so you left the building. You drove yourself back to your old apartment. You knew if Nat had left, she left something behind here for you to find. You felt like you were playing a mix of hide and seek and a scavenger hunt, and by God you hated it. Glancing around, you knew not much had changed since the last time you had come, other than the tons upon tons of vodka bottles scattered around the rooms. Apparently you weren’t the only one drowning your problems with alcohol that was for sure. That same old Nat smell filled every part of the apartment, but it also had the smell of Wanda, the cherry cola and the scent of lavender. Somehow, the scents together still made you feel comforted, despite the circumstances. You just wanted to curl up with Wanda and Nat and have them hold you and let you relieve yourself of all these pent up emotions. You missed them both, and you loved them both. You didn’t understand how Nat could be so distraught by what happened if it meant nothing to her. Because it had to have meant nothing to her, if she never even told you about Wanda. 

You hit the wall with your fist, and you hit it again. Before you even knew it, there was blood trickling down your hand and around your wrists and your knuckles were gashed open. Tears streaked your face, you tried to wipe them away but the stains were already there. Heaving a hefty sigh, you felt a strong urge to go into your living room. Following your gut, you entered to find that same gut feeling pulling at the couch. No, not at the couch. Under it. You knelt down, getting on your knees and leaning down to see another note. Expecting to find the second note to be written by the same person as the first, you were utterly surprised to find Wanda’s handwriting. Well, partially. It was shaky, much shakier than hers was even on the worst nights of drinking or, well, anything. It had you nervous as you read the lines of what was Wanda’s true worst nightmare. It didn’t make sense, she had written, that somehow it was like seeing double. How were they here when they had just left my life, for a second time? It’s like the multiverse is playing some cruel joke on me. 

You pouted at the word “multiverse”. You were hoping that what you thought it was, that it couldn’t be that. It shouldn’t be possible, you had rid yourself of that ability, had you not? No, Y/N. Don’t second guess yourself, you did it right. It had worked, you saw it. You assured yourself that it was just a trickery of Wanda’s eyes, that this was just a mistake in her head. You stood, folding the note carefully, and placed it securely in your jacket pocket. Making your way into the bedroom, you began looking through drawers, searching for anything else they had left behind. Opening one drawer, however, left you with a malfunctioning brain. There lay the two hoodies you had been missing, messly tossed back in there like they had just been worn but not enough to be washed, or maybe, they didn’t want to wash them. One had Nat’s unique smell, and the other smelled of the witch herself, and you found yourself surprised to still find the faint smell of your favorite beer still on them, probably from a spill or something. You choked back even more tears, before picking one up and putting it up to your nose. You ended up burying your face into it, this one smells like Wanda, and allowed yourself to curl up on the bed and cry once more. The tears fell, and you just let them. You hated that you still loved them, they had broken your heart, both of them, and yet, you wanted nothing more than to be with them. You wanted their love, their words and their kisses, their affection, you wanted their issues and their problems, you wanted their drunken asses and their emotional breakdowns. You wanted it all, just once more. You had left behind this feeling of longer in the old universe, and you made the deal with yourself to switch, to be free from that. This universe was supposed to be different. Then why wasn’t it?

The sting on your back brought you back to reality. There went yet another one, you groaned at the thought. Why did this have to be you? You didn’t ask for any of this, and you definitely didn’t think anything like this would happen when it started. Everyone always talked about Wanda and Strange and how brilliant their powers were, and even America Chavez, who you hated with all your guts. Oh their powers are revolutionary! Brilliant even! Never before been seen! Yeah, well, never before been seen in this universe. You knew that they weren’t that special, that everyone has them in some universe. An endless multiverse, who were they to think they were unique? You, now, you were unique. You weren’t like them, you were special. Multiverse after multiverse, and you never found anyone else with this ability. This… was it an ability or a damned curse? You felt like it was both a gift and a curse. You got to jump multiverses and live your lives whenever you pleased! But you had to trade with the you from that multiverse, and once they switched, their destinies changed and their fates could leave them dead. It’s not like you knew their fates before you swapped, but it always hurt to find out they died. Even when you don’t swap with them, you still get those fucking scars on your back at their deaths. You could only blame yourself, your single upset in your original universe sent you spiraling and you did anything you could to get away. 

You laughed hollowly at the thought, remembering in one universe where the Avengers were just a made up story, the movie they had released that showed Wanda tearing the multiverse apart. You remembered the universe where that actually happened and you could only roll your eyes through the movie as this version of Wanda stated a couple of very Wanda comments and it almost felt like that actor could have been Wanda. Probably because in every other universe, she is. But you still got a laugh out of it. You sighed, pulling yourself back together as you set down the hoodie. You smiled at the thought that they had kept them. You definitely had this whole thing wrong. Looking at your watch, you hadn’t even realized that the day was basically over and you had gone the whole day without a single thing to eat. On top of that, you could hear your phone ringing for what was probably the ninth time in that hour. Kate and Yelena were definitely worried, especially when you never came home for dinner that night, and didn’t show up the next morning, not to mention you ignored all their texts for the entire day today. Yeah, they were going to be pissed. Huffing, you got to your feet and grabbed at your phone in the living room. 

“Hello?” You said into the phone, bracing yourself. 

You needed that bracing because Kate came at you with full force, “Where the fuck have you been, Y/N? We have been worried sick, you asshole! Yelena, come here, you don’t have to call the police anymore, this dipshit finally picked up.”

You muttered some sort of an apology, but Kate grumbled that you needed more than an apology to save you. You tried to defend yourself, to explain, “Look, Kate. I wanted to go home last night, I did,  but I got caught up in something.”

“Caught up in what? What could it have been that made you not even answer any of our texts?” You could hear Yelena shout from probably five feet away, trying to make sure she was heard. She didn’t seem angry as much worried, she was never one for lack of communication. You and her had gotten extremely close when you became a friend of Kate’s. You had similar personalities, though she was much better at controlling her anger than you. Probably all those years of the Red Room, which had been taken down long ago, but she was always the one keeping you from throwing the first punch. 

After a moment, you grunted, “The Avengers.”

Silence rang for way too long before Kate spoke, “What the fuck do they want? Can’t they see you don’t want anything to do with them? You literally just broke up with Nat, you dated Wanda, and you’re a part of the NYPD, who are basically their biggest enemy. They’re practically asking you to punch Fury in his one-eyed face!” 

The sigh you let out was enough for Kate to soften her voice, choosing to let that go. “Where are you right now, Y/N? We’ll meet up with you for dinner tonight. Have you eaten?”

“At my old apartment, grabbing some last things that Nat had forgotten,” It wasn’t entirely a lie, you were at your apartment and you were going to take the hoodies. “No. I haven’t eaten. It’s been a hell of a day, I completely forgot about it.”

You heard shuffling from the other line, before you heard Yelena take the phone from Kate. Her voice made you feel better in an instant, the blonde Russian had a way of doing that to you. “Meet us at Mel’s Pizza. We’ll pay, you just eat, дурак (stupid).” 

This gave you a slight smile and you nodded, “Alright. See you there, пончик (donut).” You could hear her smirk at your nickname for her. It was one of the few words you could remember in Russian, and it stuck with her. 

“Yeah, yeah, sure, Умник (nerd).” 

The call ended. You could breathe again, thank goodness. You were so thankful for some pizza that you almost left the apartment without the hoodies. Grabbing them and rushing out the door, you couldn’t help but feel like you’d need to come back. Like you were missing something. You ignored the feeling, happily driving to Mel’s Pizza. You made it there about five minutes before Kate and Yelena, so you grabbed a table and sat down, scrolling through your phone. Then a message popped up at the top of your phone from your head officer. 

“We found something in the Bronx Zoo case. Surveillance footage shows that based on the autopsy report of death at 15:09 pm on Sunday, July 16th of 2023, our prime suspect was on 21st Street, meaning there was no way he could have been there during the time of the murder. We’re back at square one.” 

A frustrated sigh left your lips and Kate pulled the phone from your hands, turning it for her to read. Wait, Kate? Oh shit, they must have gotten here while you were busy in your thoughts. Yelena slid next to you, sharing that side of the booth, she threw an arm over your shoulder and squeezed lightly, her silent sign that she was there. You took your hat off and plopped it on her head, giving her your best grin. She gave you a smile in return, before flagging down the waitress, who you might add, was very hot. She ordered a beer for you, a vodka for me, and a water for Kate, who just rolled her eyes as she watched the two of you debate over the best alcohol types. For a moment, it all felt normal, like your life was returning to normal for just a moment. You could feel at peace without worrying about your ex-girlfriends or any curses, or powers whatever someone would phrase it, and just enjoy the time you’re having with the two best friends in the world. Deep down, you knew the three of you could never fully like the Avengers, with Nat leaving Yelena in the Red room, Clint giving himself up to save the world and in return, leaving his wife, kids, and Kate all alone, making Kate’s dream of becoming the next Hawkeye an empty goal, and yourself, who had your heart torn apart twice by two Avengers. 

The pizza came and, within twenty minutes, had been absolutely devoured by the three of you. You felt full, thankfully because God, you had been so hungry. Grinning from ear to ear now, probably because you had drank at least 4 more beers than Yelena and thus you had won your little drinking game, you let out a chuckle. In your head, you felt in that moment, free from all the guilt that had been building up in your consciousness for so long now. The guilt of all of your deaths, the guilt of the pain you had caused by switching lives with them, because you knew it was all over now. You wouldn’t switch again, you couldn’t! You were happy here, for the first time in who knew how long, you were happy with this life, happy with this universe. The haunting trauma of your original universe slipped away in that moment, you couldn’t even remember it. You didn’t have to envision the look in your father’s eyes, the pooled blood, you could just look in your friends eyes and their smiles could make everything okay. Because everything was okay, wasn’t it?

Well, if you ignore that both your exes are currently listed as MIA and you still had a murder case on your hands. That you still had to fix all the problems that were piling up, and that other than Kate’s apartment, you were borderline homeless. Okay, so maybe things weren’t entirely okay, but in your drunk state, you couldn’t really care too much. Yelena, who had stopped drinking before she got too drunk, decided to drive home in Kate’s car and Kate would drive you home in your own car. You sat in the passenger seat, hugging the two hoodies and sniffing into them occasionally. 

“What are you doing, Y/N?” She asked you, to which you responded in a slurred tone, “Smelling them…” You hiccupped. “They still smell like them.”

“Smell like who?”

“They smell like Natty and Wans.”

Kate visibly cringed at the nicknames and rolled her eyes. “I thought you hated them.”

“I doooo.” You insisted, grumbling and lolling your head back. “I hate them so much, but I miss them, Katey!” You bit your lip, trying not to start crying like a loser. “What if they didn’t actually mean to hurt me?” 

“They both cheated on you with each other, Y/N. How could they not mean to?”

“Well, I mean,” you hiccupped, “If they wanted to hurt me, why would Nat keep my hoodies? Why would there be vodka bottles scattered around,” you felt another hiccup slip out. “That doesn’t seem like someone who wants to break a heart does.” 

Kate couldn’t entirely argue with that logic, and thus, the rest of the car ride was filled with music. The lyrics to the song Yelena had taught you floated through the car. 

“Bye, bye, Miss American Pie. Drove the Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry, them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye, Singing, ‘This'll be the day that I die’. This will be the day that I die”. 

When you got home that night, you were exhausted and very, very drunk. You didn’t really care though, as you flopped down on your bed. You didn’t feel the blood on your arm at first. You didn’t notice until the morning. You had gone to take a shower, and you were examining your back, completely ignoring your arm until you felt a sharp pain on your forearm. Glancing at it, you found that there on your arm, carving into your forearm’s skin, was the black widow’s symbol. 

And a message, of sorts. There were no words, but the symbol said it all. It said only one thing,

You. Deserve. This.

[maidragoste]

You're doing the right thing

Aemond Targaryen x Reader (Daughter of Rhaenyra)

Summary: After an argument with your brother, you need someone to tell you that you are doing the right things and that your husband is there to support you.

It is part of the universe of the queen and her husbands but I think it can be read independently.

I MISSED WRITING AEMOND… I still feel like the ending was strange, sorry, I have to get used to writing it again 😓😓

Second one shot of the 1k followers special. Thanks for all the support, it always makes me happy to answer your questions and comments. reblogs and likes are always appreciated 🥰🥰💕

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.

"I hate you!"

Aemond heard Viserys's shout and the door was flung open. The boy barely looked at him and continued walking, taking steps. The man watched until Viserys disappeared from his sight as the boy turned into another hallway. A part of Aemond wanted to go find his nephew, drag him to you, and force him to apologize. But he knew that would only make the situation worse.

The prince entered the chambers. His anger against your brother increased when he saw your slumped posture and your palms hiding your face. It wasn't the first time he saw you like this. You often found yourself in that position ever since Viserys had returned to court.

When that family from Lys showed up saying they had Rhaenyra Targaryen's youngest son with them, he and Aegon thought it was a hoax but realized it wasn't fake when they saw how you and Egg seemed to have gotten back together. life when they met the child. The melancholic Egg finally seemed to act like a child and he couldn't stop smiling while you couldn't stop hugging your brothers. Having Viserys back with you brought joy to your life. But also headaches.

"He doesn't mean it," your husband said rushing to your side.

"My mother should be taking care of this," you muttered to yourself.

You feel frustrated because it was your duty as an older sister to take care of Viserys. But you felt that you were fulfilling the role of mother. Your mother should be the one arguing with him and try to make him understand the situation. She should be the one enduring Viserys' anger and his yelling. You were sure that she would do the same as you because Viserys is a baby. He shouldn't be married at such a young age and the thought that he already consummated his marriage made you want to vomit.

"Please, tell me I'm not going crazy and that I'm not wrong," you asked, uncovering your face so you could see Aemond.

"Make me a place," he asked so you got up from the chair and let him sit down and then settle you on his lap. You rested your head on his chest and you felt a little better listening to your husband's heartbeat, whenever you were too anxious listening to his heartbeat calmed you down, and how he hugged you around the waist with one arm

“Of course, you're not crazy,” he said as he used his other hand to gently stroke your hair. “You're doing the right thing. He can't stay married to that girl. Breaking up the marriage was the best"

"I forced her to drink moon tea," you admitted sadly, remembering how you made the guards hold Larra Rogare down while you gave her the tea to drink. Your brother was a child and a child shouldn't be having a baby, he shouldn't be a father so you did what you had to do to prevent it. Despite that, you weren't proud of the way you handled the situation, you wished the girl would have taken the tea willingly.

“Again you did the right thing” he kissed your forehead “Viserys is only 12 years old. He can't be a father,” Aemond said, feeling uncomfortable remembering how young his sister was when Jaehaerys and Jaehaera were born. Obviously, Viserys wouldn't be the one to bear his children but the thought of the child having to take care of a baby was so strange. Viserys had many things to learn before fulfilling the role of being a father.

“What if I'm taking his happiness away from him?” you asked in a whisper. You were sure of your decision. You couldn't allow your brother's marriage to continue or to continue sharing a bed. You couldn't let that Lyx family take advantage of him. But you feared that by removing Larra Rogare from King's Landing you would bring unhappiness to your brother. You wanted to believe that eventually, he would get over it but you were afraid that he would end up just like Egg. You loved Egg with all your soul but he had hard days where you couldn't get him out of his bed, days when he seemed lost in himself and you had to fight to feed or clean him. You didn't know if you would be able to bear seeing your two little brothers like this.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"He says that he loves her and that I'm taking her happiness away from him," you said putting aside the insults and nasty comments about you and your husbands that Viserys made in the discussion.

"He thinks he loves her because he was held captive with her family," Aemond said with a frown.

You remained silent, you had said the same words to Viserys and he replied that in case you were not in love with your husbands either because her family held you captive. But it was different. You had fallen in love with Aemond before the war, and he did not marry you just for power. You secretly got married without knowing that there would soon be a war. The Rogare took advantage of a child that no one was looking for because everyone believed him dead. Your situation with Aemond and Aegon was nothing like that. They didn't take advantage of you.

"I know. I told him"

“Listen to me, he will grow up and in time he will realize that you were right. Give him time ”Aemond promised, kissing you now on the cheek, managing to get a small smile out of you“ When he grows up and marries a girl his age who really loves him, he will thank you on his knees ”

"Viserys will never do that" you rolled your eyes in amusement at your husband's exaggeration. Aemond was not one to exaggerate. You knew he was just doing it in an attempt to amuse you and you were very appreciative of that. "He is too proud"

As soon as you finished saying those words, the door was flung open. You were instantly up from Aemond's lap as Egg and Viserys entered. You ran to them when you saw that Viserys's cheek was red, with the clear mark of a hand. Soon your hands were on Viserys's face, carefully lifting his chin for more blows.

"What happened?" you asked concerned.

Aemond already knew what happened, you were so aware of Viserys's injury that you didn't notice how Egg was looking at Viserys with a cold fury. It wasn't normal to see the boy angry and when he was generally it was because someone had disrespected you (which didn't happen often because you're the queen and only an idiot would dare insult you). Aemond stopped himself from smiling. There was a reason Egg was the best he liked out of your brothers.

"Viserys came to apologize," Aegon said seriously.

"Aegon!" you said horrified realizing that he was responsible for the mark on your other brother's face “Don't do that again. Whatever problems Viserys and I have will be resolved without the need for violent intervention,” you declared, scowling at Aegon.

"He was being an idiot to you and he needed to realize it," your brother answered, crossing his arms and looking at Viserys with a raised eyebrow. Still waiting for him to apologize to you.

"I'm sorry," Viserys murmured.

You sighed before catching them both in a hug. "I don't want this to happen again, don't fight over me," you asked as you stroked Aegon's hair.

Aemond watched feeling satisfied because no matter what happened he knew that Egg would always defend you and he could always count on him to make Viserys think again. Aemond just wanted to see you happy and your brothers were a big part of happiness along with your children.

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[grayheartart]

Democrats Pose as Trump Supporters to Spread Hate Online: Taral Patel, "Antonio Scallywag" and Judge KP George.

The long and short of it.

-Former Biden-Harris Staffer and Democrat, Taral Patel is running for political office in Texas.

-Taral Patel decides to pose as a Trump supporter and leave racist and hateful comments disparaging himself and his campaign on his own websites using the online username "Antonio Scallywag"

-An investigation quickly uncovered Taral Patel's hate crime hoax and he catches a felony.

-Turns out, Taral Patel was impersonating a district Judge too.

-A warrant to search his electronic devices reveals that a Democrat Judge named KP George not only knew about the hoax being perpetrated by his fellow party member, but joined in on the hoax.

-KP George is also catching a felony

Democrats are scum.

[sapphicbookclub]

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy.

Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

Genres: fantasy, horror, romance

Order from Blackwell's here and get free worldwide shipping!

Listen to the book on audiobooks.com here!

[silli---lilli]

The Only Hoax I Believe In

Simon Riley had worked for months to figure out exactly what the new Sergeant was up to. Johnny Mactavish had treated him strangely since they met, and he was not one to let some shit like that go.

In Las Almas, Ghost had hung back for Soap, barely knowing him, and he'd had to get to the bottom of his own actions then, too, because getting him out alive had become his only goal. More important than any other aspect of the mission. That was strange.

And then Soap hadn't thanked him and not moved on. He'd thanked him and stuck impossibly close to his side then. Simon had thought for a bit that maybe he was just showing gratitude but, then came questions.

Soap wanted to know about his home, he asked about his tattoos, and how he chose the design for his mask. He wanted to know how Simon took his tea and what he missed about being off duty and if he thought he'd ever retire. Simon answered him, respectfully, but he began to feel curious and then wary and then downright manipulated. Because he always answered in a way that had previously earned him his solitude, but Johnny had stayed.

Johnny had stuck beside him. It was Johnny in his ear, guiding him, it was Johnny's quiet voice in the kitchen when neither of them could sleep, it was Johnny's burning cigarette that lit his in a great show of his own weakness. It was Johnny who looked at his uncovered face like it was normal and beautiful and not monstrous and gruesome. But he didn't ask why Simon chose to cover it. He let him have his reasons, and respected them.

He had decided it was a trick, a great hoax the man was playing. He was smart enough, bright enough, mischievous enough, and there was no way he actually wanted to be that close. He was waiting for the moment Johnny pointed and laughed at him and all the others laughed along with him.

It was one of those nights, with the cigarettes, when he finally said something about it. To get ahead of the humiliation.

"How long you gonna keep this up, Sergeant?" His voice was steady and hollow, he didn't want Johnny to know he was afraid of the answer. Of being shown his own gullibility.

"Smoking?" Johnny pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and inspected it. "Until it kills me, I suppose."

Simon just looked at him.

"What?" Johnny frowned, realizing the tension in the man beside him.

"I mean this." Simon motioned vaguely between them.

Johnny slowly lowered his hand and stared back. Simon could see he was relaxed, not tense as if he'd been found out. "You want to stop?"

Then, it angered him. He wasn't stupid enough to get caught up again. "Well its not anything real, is it?"

Johnny nodded then, and notion he'd had earlier confirmed. "You don't believe someone could just want to be around you, Simon, do you?"

Simon questioned himself. Whether or not he was right about the whole thing, the question was valid. "I've chosen to believe it, for now, but I'd rather end it quietly. Not make a scene."

"That what you want? To end it?" Johnny sat up straighter. "I'm confused, Simon, I thought you were okay with me being around."

"I don't know." He admitted, which was a worse vulnerability than he'd uncovered at any point before.

"Well I do." Johnny turned to face him, placing his free hand behind his back to fight the urge to touch him. "I get it. But it's no game I'm playing, LT, and maybe it's my reckless nature or impulsive tendencies but I'd like to keep this up." He took another drag. "If you'll allow it."

"It's not one of your grand schemes?"

Johnny chuckled. "I'm flattered, but no. I just like you. Maybe I should have said that sooner."

"I wouldn't have believed you." Simon looked down at his gloved hands, shame worming his way into his heart. Maybe he shouldn't have doubted someone he knew to be truly good.

"And now?"

"I don't know." Simon repeated.

"Well I'd be happy to prove it. I love a good challenge."

With that, they quieted. Johnny became more vocal about why he stayed close and Simon decided that even if it was some grand trick, whatever pain came after it was revealed was worth the warmth of letting himself believe it in the moment.

[connectparanormal]

Spring-Heeled Jack: The Leaping Legend of Victorian Horror

Spring-heeled Jack is hard to classify. Was it a big hoax? Hysteria? An alien?

From the description:

From the 1830s to the late 1800s, Spring-heeled Jack became a notorious urban legend in Victorian England, captivating the public with his supernatural leaping abilities and terrifying appearance. Media sensationalization fueled the myth, resulting in widespread panic and numerous sightings, while theories about his identity varied, reflecting societal anxieties and fascination with the paranormal.

[piedpiperart]

Phantom of Gotham 10

Chapter 9

After breakfast, Tim, Damian and Danny went on the tour while Jason went to check out the library. It was Jason code for ‘I’ll be in the manor if you need me, but I’m avoiding Bruce’, and Tim appreciated that. It also gave him time to send Jason the files he’d uncovered about Danny. 

Unsurprisingly, Danny wasn’t from Gotham. Surprisingly, Danny had come to Gotham under a fake identity, one so well hidden even Tim wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t paying attention. The person who set Danny’s backstory was a great hacker, and Tim absently wondered if it had been Danny, despite the lack of computer coding classes in the boy’s schedule. He knew Danny was more proficient at chemistry and engineering. 

Nevertheless, Danny Folson was actually Daniel Fenton. He was from Amity Park Illinois, supposedly the most haunted place in the world. Just by reading that fun fact, Tim knew it wasn’t a coincidence that both Danny and Phantom had shown up around the same time, and berated himself for not noticing it sooner. He wasn’t exactly sure what their relationship was, or who was protecting who, but it was obvious Danny was a runaway. The only mystery now was what-or who- he was running from. 

Tim’s running theory is the parents, especially when he found the missing persons report filed by one Jack and Maddie Fenton, the town’s ghost hunters. Brushing off the creepiness of that, Tim dove deeper into the Fentons and found out they’d published a lot of papers about ghost portals, realms, ectoplasm, ghost biology, and worse, weapons. Based on their obviously biased research, Tim was not too surprised that they had invented more weapons and capture gear than anything else. It was worrisome, given that they had a rivalry with ghosts, yet their son was on the run with one. Or at least they were in contact with one another. 

Danny’s past was a big puzzle Tim was itching to put together, especially when they had more information on the GIW and Phantom because of it. Apparently, since Danny’s disappearance, the Fenton’s had partnered with the GIW. After all of Tim’s research on the GIW, he couldn’t help but be suspicious that so many people in Amity Park seemed to be aware of the ghosts, when no one else had any clue. Even the Justice League didn’t have any records on ghosts like Phantom, and Tim knew Bruce had gotten in contact with Constantine on the matter. 

Reading all of this in his phone, Jason grimaced. Danny had runaway from his weapon-obsessed ghost-hunting parents to Gotham a the same time an actual ghost showed up. Based on Tim’s reports, Danny running away had no catalyst, no big event for why. Jason could guess it had something to do with ghosts, but other than the GIW and his parents, the actual existence of ghosts were considered a hoax to everyone else in the world. 

The vigilante’s theory was that Danny ran after meeting Phantom, but still. Jason could tell something was off. Phantom had mentioned there were a few halfas in hiding, which, without knowing how they came to be or what their abilities are, it would be difficult to find them. Then again, Tim had thought Danny could possibly be one. It would explain running away from his parents who hated anything to do with ghosts. But Jason and Tim didn’t find any evidence of meta abilities besides a slower than usual heartbeat, possible resistance to cold, and lack of appetite. All of those could be just regular human quirks though. 

For now, they needed to talk to Phantom. If Danny turned out to be a halfa, they needed to find out how to help keep him safe and healthy. No doubt being homeless put a strain on his body, and given that there were only three halvas around, they could assume no one knew exactly how to treat them medically. Jason sighed running a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to think about what could have happened to turn Danny into a half-ghost. It hit a bit too close to home for him, and he wasn’t sure how he felt.

Messaging Tim, they confirmed that they’d keep an eye out for Phantom tonight. With Bruce and Dick off to who knows where to stop some sort of magical snowstorm responsible for all the snow in Gotham, it would just be the three of them out tonight. Alfred would keep an eye out for Danny while they were gone, and Jason knew no one would come take the kid at the manor. Not with the bats security system. 

Bruce and Dick had found out about the snowstorm the same day it happened, given that it was unusual for winter to start so early with so much at once. They hadn’t given out details but Jason was pretty sure it was a ploy from Dr. Freeze. If anything, they should be done by tonight, Jason suspected. Freeze was simple enough to handle. 

Jason skimmed through Danny’s files again, committing it to memory. It seemed the kid had pretty good grades up until two years ago. After that, it was mostly Cs and poor attendance. Possibly when the ghost thing started, or when Danny became a halfa. Jason did note that the kid hadn’t had any sort of checkup at a doctor since he was seven and had to go for a broken arm. Looking at his sibling, he could tell that she more or less took care of the kid when she could. Jasmine Fenton, currently attending college in Illinois, not too far from Amity Park. Considering her major in psychology, he could infer that she was not onboard with her parent’s ghostly obsessions. It was a strong possibility that she had helped Danny get out of Amity. For now though, they’d have to talk to Phantom first before interrogating the kid. 

A quick text from Tim had Jason putting his phone away and picking up the book he’d been reading, looking towards the door expectantly. He wasn’t surprised in the least to see that Damain and Danny had somehow turned the tour into a race. The two skidded to a stop in the middle of the library while Tim followed leisurely behind, a bit exasperated. 

“I win,”Damian claimed, puffing out his chest. Danny stood up straighter, adopting a thoughtful look. 

“I dunno, I feel like I might’ve won that time,” Danny said, stroking his non-existent beard. “Tim? Who do you think?”

“Drake was not even paying attention,”Damian grumbled, scowling at Danny. 

“Since I value my life, I’m gonna have to say Damian won,”Tim said, collapsing into a red beanbag chair. Damian nodded with a smirk, and Danny pouted. 

“Alright, but I’ll get you next time,”Danny vowed. He went to sit in a green beanbag chair, only for Jason to catch his attention. “Jason, right? Whatcha reading?” 

“Jane Austen,”Jason said, flipping the book to show Danny the cover. 

“Ah, Pride and Prejudice,”Danny nodded sagely. Jason perked up at the reaction whale Tim and Damian rolled their eyes. 

“You’ve read it?” Jason asked casually. Danny made a so-so movement with his hand. 

“I read the version that was retold as a guinea pig picture book,”Danny said, like that was normal. Jason and the others gave him a bewildered look. 

“What?”Damian asked incredulously, while Tim was typing on his phone, no doubt to search if such a thing existed. It did. Tim made a noise of vague interest, and sent it to Jason’s phone. 

“I think it’s called ‘A guinea pig pride and prejudice, but it might not be too different to the normal version,”Danny said, oblivious to the look on Jason’s face. “Anyway, Tim said you’d join us for videogames?”

“As soon as I burn whatever book you’re talking about, sure,”Jason shook his head, getting up. “Which games are we talking about?”

“Mario Kart,”Tim called from his beanbag. Danny stuck out a hand to help him up, and effortlessly picked Tim out of the beanbag, much to Tim’s surprise. “Whoa, you’re stronger than you look.”

“I’ll have you know that short people can also be strong,”Danny sniffed. “I just forget sometimes that people can’t handle my raw strength,”Danny said, gesturing to his frankly abysmal muscles. 

Damian snorted. “I would highly doubt anyone would be impressed by a fishbone such as yourself.”

“Yeah kiddo, you look like a light breeze could knock you over,”Jason joked. The three of them made their way down to the game room as they talked, Danny getting more exasperated. 

“I’m telling you, I’m stronger than I look, promise,” Danny laughed. “I bet I could even beat Tim in an arm wrestle.”

The three brothers snorted. “Bet,”Tim smirked. He knew he looked kind of scrawny from afar, but because of his night job, he had amassed a lot of muscle. 

“I can’t wait to see this,”Jason laughed. “If you beat Tim you can stay here as long as you want.”

“As much as I hate to agree with Drake,”Damian scoffed,”There’s no way you’ll beat him.”

“Oh I see, ye of little faith,”Danny hopped on his toes, grinning. “I think you’re just scared.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Sure, I’m so scared of you and your noodle arms.”

Before Dnany could retort, they’d made it to the game room. “Woah, does this mansion have everything? Is that an arcade game?”

“Yep,”Jason said, grasping the teen’s shoulders and leading him to a table. “Now arm wrestle Timmy. You can’t make a claim like that without following through.”

Danny laughed, standing opposite to Tim at the table. “Alright alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He joked as they got into position. 

“Three, two, one,”Jason counted off, and the two arms gave a bit of a jolt before standing still in the middle. Tim looked baffled, while Danny had a grin. “Come on Timbo, are you even trying?”

“I.. am.. What the-” Tim gritted out, and stopped talking when their arms moved slowly in Danny’s winning side. Their hands briefly touched the table before they relaxed, and Jason broke out into a loud laugh. 

Meanwhile, Damian shook his head. “I knew you were weak, Drake, but now you’re just pitiful,”Damian scowled.

“Wha- No, he’s actually really strong! I’m not kidding, how the heck-”Tim sputtered.

“I told you,”Danny said smugly, crossing his arms. 

“Me next,”Jason grinned, and Danny nodded. 

“Okay, no offense, but I think you could lift my whole body with just one arm, so I don’t think this is very fair,”Danny said, choosing to ignore how Tim and Damian started arm wrestling at a different table to see who was srongest.  

“Why, you scared?” Jason teased as Danny gripped his hand. He startled a bit at how cold Danny’s hands felt. 

“Nah,”Danny said easily. He knew if he’d used more ghost strength it would look suspicious. ”I can at least give you a run for your money.”

The arm wrestle started and while Jason still won, he did so a lot slower than he would have against Tim or Damian. Jason laughed. “You’re pretty strong though, I’ll give you that.”

“Hey, as long as I beat Tim, my life goals have been met,”Danny laughed. “Now what’s Mario Kart? I’ve never played.”

Suffice to say, they were all cramped in the game room for hours until Alfred came to collect them for lunchtime. Despite the siblings previous reluctance to hang out together before, they found that they were pleasantly content to get along with Danny around. Jason brushed it off as everyone behaving for the new kid, but it felt nice to forget about all drama for a while. 

“Did you notice how cold his hands were?” Tim whispered to Jason once Damian and Danny were occupied with vegetarian sandwiches. Jason nodded, knowing Tim would add it to his ever-growing file. Looks like their halfa theory was becoming true.”And he’s strong, could be a meta ability.”

“You’re just a sore loser,”Jason whispered back, only to get a scowl back. He grinned, patting Tim on the back before joining the shorter two for sandwiches. 

“You’re vegetarian as well?” Damian was asking. 

“Yea,”Danny said between bites. Looking at his plate, Jason only saw half a sandwich and resolved to get the kid to eat another one by the time lunch was over. “My friend is an ultra-recylo-vegetarian, and she finally convinced me,”Danny explained. It definitely wasn’t because he regularly saw ghosts that resembled corpses, and that meat had started to remind him of that a little too much. “I don’t mind it, but I’d just prefer not to eat meat when I can.”

Damian nodded sagely, giving Tim and Jason a look. “I am glad at least one other person here is sensible.” 

Danny laughed,”My friend Tucker was horrified when I told him. Are you the only vegetarian at the manor?”

“I am,” Damian said. 

“Not for lack of trying,”Tim added under his breath. Then louder, he added,”You should try the cucumber sandwiches, Alfred makes them the best.” He said, grabbing one and putting it on Danny’s plate. 

“I don’t think I’m that hungry,”Danny joked, nervously. Jason patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. 

“You’re skin and bones, kid,”Jason lectured. “An extra sandwich won’t hurt ya.”

Danny gave him a confused look, but ate as much as he could anyway. He really didn’t feel hungry, but maybe he was acting too suspicious? Danny thought to himself. It just felt weird to eat when he didn’t feel hungry, and he wasn’t sure how his ghostly side was even affecting what he ate. Honestly he didn’t even know if he needed to eat anymore. Jazz would kill him if he tried to test that theory though, so he stuck to munching on the delicious sandwich while the siblings bickered. His core hummed quietly at the feeling of being included with the family. 

He’d miss them when he left. 

Chapter 11

[alice-after-dark]

The Red King and the Unicorn - And Then There Were Four

Heavily inspired by The Last Unicorn, Howl's Moving Castle, and Beauty and the Beast.

Ah dammit this has a plot now.

TW for discussion of gore.

Husk waits until their new arrival has fallen asleep on the couch before he digs into the topic weighing on his mind. "How'd it go?"

"Dreadful," Alastor groans, sipping the tea Husk has brewed for him. "Four more dead."

Husk chokes. "Four?! In one week?!"

"Two naga, a faerie, and...a unicorn."

Husk flinches, eyes flickering over to the couch. "Let me guess, all of them stripped?" Alastor nods and Husk curses. "Four in one fucking week. They're escalating. Were you able to find anything?"

"Nothing. Carmilla is certain they have to be receiving help from a magical being to cover their tracks so well. She and Zestial are becoming agitated by the lack of progress uncovering these scoundrels and you know how the fae can be."

"The faerie who was killed...hers or his?"

"Hers. That makes the third Seelie fae killed this month alone. A little one too. Withered like a dead rose with its wings and eyes plucked." He took another sip of his tea, smile strained. "The naga...two women, both skinned from the waist down with their fangs ripped out. And the unicorn...there was hardly much left for us to find."

"Shit."

Husk pulls out the chair beside Alastor and joins him at the table. "So...what's the current plan?"

Alastor neatly places his silverware on the now empty plate and twines his fingers together. "We continue as we have been. We remain vigilant and cautious and proceed with our investigation. The carnie man may not have known anything, but somewhere out there, someone will. We just need to find them."

Husk nods. "And what are we gonna do about him?" He jerks his head to the occupied couch.

"From what Niffty gathered from the carnie man's records, the poor thing has been imprisoned for decades. He won't be in any position to defend himself should these poachers come hunting for him." Alastor lifts a hand and the throw blanket on the back of the couch drapes itself over the sleeping unicorn. "I admit I didn't expect to actually find anything real at that hoax of a show. He was quite a surprise."

"That why you nabbed him in a deal?"

"Precisely. I'm no fool to let such a rarity slip through my fingers. That insipid carnie had no idea what he had." He stands. "Now, I have a little curse breaking to prepare for. We'll discuss this further at a later time."

Husk nods and takes Alastor's plate and teacup to the sink. "Go say hi to Niffty before you go lock yourself away all day. She missed you this morning."

"Of course. And keep our new arrival inside the house for now. I don't want him venturing too far while he's still weakened."

"You got it, boss."

Alastor vanishes in a whirl of shadows and moments later Niffty's delighted squeal floats in from the yard. Husk smiles only briefly before glancing back at the unicorn.

You're in for one Hell of a time, kid. Hope you're ready.

[gachacatt]

Day 16 - Reptile

Whilst there has been tales of a beast living in the Loch, it wasnt until 1933 when the famous Loch Ness Monster truly took off and sparked curiosity and wonder. When a couple found a giant dragon or prehistoric like monster climbing out of the lake which led to a hunt following severy zoologists and hunters alike to uncover the truth. The descriptions closely resemble a plesiosaur, a long extinct aquatic dinosaur. All evidence found, one way or another have been discredited or thought to be a hoax and indecisive enough to be proof. Despite this, scotland will always hold 'Nessie' to heart as people to this day still travel across the globe to see the Loch in hopes of catching a glimpse.

[gusty-wind]

On the call, Trump can be heard telling Raffensperger, "I just want to find 11,780 votes." That statement was one of the centerpieces of the former president's second impeachment. Was it definitive, though? In context, Trump had also asked Raffensperger to "find the fraud," indicating that he thought there were legitimate votes left to be uncovered. 

Regardless, Fulton County DA Fani Willis used the phone call as the foundation for her RICO prosecution against Trump and his associates. According to a new book published by Michael Isikoff (who was an original pusher of the Russian collusion hoax), that call was illegally recorded by Jordan Fuchs. 

Who is Fuchs? She is Raffensperger's Chief of Staff and has a very checkered history of political activism. Her hatred of Trump can be described as obsessive, and she was in Florida when she recorded the call in question. Why is that a problem? Because Florida is a two-party consent state. 

Here's the quote from Isikoff's book, which Fuchs was a primary source for.

Fuchs has never talked publicly about her taping of the phone call; she learned, after the fact, that Florida where she was at the time is one of fifteen states that requires two-party consent for the taping of phone calls. A lawyer for Raffensperger’s office asked the January 6 committee not to call her as a witness for reasons the committee’s lawyers assumed were due to her potential legal exposure. The committee agreed. But when she was called before a Fulton County special grand jury convened by Fani Willis, she was granted immunity and confirmed the taping, according to three sources with direct knowledge of her testimony.

[creature-wizard]

How the reptilian alien conspiracy theory is antisemitism, in a nutshell

Since ancient times, Jews have been falsely accused of cannibalistic crimes.

During WWII, antisemitic propaganda depicted Jews as snakes and dragons.

In the early 1950s, George Hunt Williamson (an author with ties to American fascist William Dudley Pelley) wrote a book claiming that the swastika was a symbol used by supposedly good aliens, and described evil reptilian aliens from Orion in ways that sounded very much like antisemitic Jewish stereotypes.

In the late 1990's, David Icke claimed that the antisemitic hoax The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was in fact true, only the evil conspirators were evil reptilian aliens. He claimed that Judaism was a lie created by the evil reptilians to create and manipulate the Jews, and falsely claimed that European Jews aren't even real Jews. (By way of the Khazar myth.) He claimed that these "fake" Jews are possessed and controlled by reptilian entities, who control and manipulate the world. (The Jewish banker myth with lizards.)

Depending on who you ask, these reptilians consume human blood, human flesh, adrenochrome, or human fear. These are all forms of blood libel.

There is a strong current of belief that these allegedly "fake" Jews must be rounded up and executed.

If those regarded as "real" Jews aren't considered inherently evil, they are expected to eventually convert to Christianity or New Age. (IE, stop being Jewish.)

There is a strong current of belief that anyone who refuses to convert to Christianity or New Age must be executed.

The conspiracy theory has strong overlap with QAnon (many reptilian believers are QAnons), which is also antisemitic and pushes toward a Christofascist government.

More information:

Blood Libel

Starseeds: Nazis in space?

Antisemitism Uncovered - Antisemitism in Global History - ADL

QAnon builds on centuries of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that put Jewish people at risk

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion @ Holocaust Encyclopedia

[shyanshippingsociety]

Hi, are there any fics where the boys, preferably Ryan, is psychic?

hello! we sourced a few of these for you:

you and me and the ghosts make three by varnes | Series, 2 Works (16K), Complete

Keeping Out the Cold by blacktofade | E, 28K, Complete

After a strange ghostly encounter, Ryan and Shane begin sharing visions via a telepathic bond. AKA: the In Your Eyes AU that no one asked for.

I’m The One (With a Healthy Dose of Disillusion) by Ourladyofresurrection | G, 3K, Complete

"I'm a psychic," Ryan blurted out, his brown eyes shining brightly up at Shane. Shane just about choked on his own saliva, "What?" ~ Ryan’s a psychic. Shane is a tired detective trying to solve the first murder in 50 years in his small town just inside of Schaumburg. Shane thinks Ryan is bullshitting him. Ryan thinks Shane is an asshole...also, he might be crushing on the skeptic, but that’s besides the point. (Psych! AU.)

Let Me In by orphan_account | M, 4K, Complete

Shane uncovers 'supernatural' hoaxes for a living, and Ryan performs at a circus as a fortune teller and mindreader. Shane refuses to believe even as Ryan knocks down each of his theories, one by one. In the end, the truth as Shane wants it may not be the most important thing.

From Hell, With Love by snapdragonpop007 | T, 4K, Complete

Shane Madej is a demon, and Ryan Bergara is a psychic medium. These are facts. Ryan knows one of these facts, and Shane knows both of them.

[9w1ft]

This might be too conspiracy-theoryish, but we’re amongst friends… do u think it’s possible that Taylor and Karlie want ppl to think they’ve been apart. So that if things do play out where Taylor formally comes out (let’s be real, she has come out many times lol) we can see they were together and then found their way back to one another? Maroon, for example.

oh yeah for sure i think this is plenty possible, if not more probable than many other scenarios. i think sometimes you might see me or others use the phrasing “public reconciliation” and that, to me, refers to the idea of working towards publicly making amends, finding their way publicly back to one another, and this being something separate from the truth of how they might actually be privately

i think it’s possible because personally, i don’t think taylor would go back and correct the record and be like oh the feuding i made that all up! —at least not anytime soon— because i think that these gaps in their story, a haze, if you will, would be kind of necessary to protect certain parts of their truth. so while i don’t really agree with the idea that they broke up but got back together, i’m not out there actively picking that line of thinking apart as an argument because i think this way of thinking about it is important to have exist given the circumstances of what i think the truth could be.

i’m not saying taylor would make up songs entirely. like, i think taylor can sing about one thing but present it as another. i mean hey, that’s something she’s always done, in a way. that is, she can tick both boxes: songs as a form of personal truth expression and also packaging it as a means to an end.

there is a nice collection of songs that a lot of people have come to consider kaylor breakup songs that i’ve curated other interpretations to, that strongly fit the major beats of what would have had to have transpired over the last several years. since you brought it up as an example, i have an idea that maroon might be about losing the 2016 election, and losing a public reconciliation narrative, as opposed to breaking up, for example. hoax, as a lot of us talked about at the time, can be about actual hurt in a long term relationship without having it be a breakup song. etcetera etcetera. honestly, slowly uncovering these things little by little has been so enthralling and has made albums like folklore and even moreso with evermore and midnights in particular so incredibly fascinating and mind blowing to me in terms of what she might have been able to get away with singing about.

i think that if you spend time with it and think hard enough on it and consider a lot of things, it’s possible to grasp that full picture. but i think that there is also an intentionality to how one can also just accept that they once had a moment and that the feuding narrative pushed by gossip magazines was real and that they (pending it happening of course) found their way back to one another. and in terms of probably never seeing eye to eye with all gaylors on it, well, ive made peace with that 😆