#why is phoenix getting arrested you might ask

[metaphorical-goblin]

How about #2 with nrmt

“Phoenix?!”

His head shoots up, his shoulders strain from the officer’s grasp. “Miles!” He screams it, tugging against his cuffs, as he watches Miles fly down the courthouse stairs, Gumshoe’s coat wrapped around his shoulders and billowing all around him. Miles nearly crashes into him, sending them both careening against the squad car (and they would have, if this blonde jackass wasn’t holding on to Phoenix like he was actually going to try and run away). The man’s grip on his shoulders tightens, even as Miles’ hands scrabble for purchase on his suit jacket.

“Oh, God,” he whispers, knotting his fingers in Phoenix’s hair. “Oh God, oh God, I thought you died.” It stings, the way he pulls, but it’s good because he’s here and he knows Miles is alive, knows his fingers are real and his arms are real and that this is all real. “I thought you were dead.” His voice shakes with every trembling breath, and Phoenix just wants to scoop him up and carry him home.

“Edgeworth.” The cop’s voice is tense, terse, but somehow almost regretful. 

Miles doesn’t remove his arms. “A moment, Lang,” he spits, hot and furious, his nails digging into Phoenix’s back like claws. “Give me a single damn moment.”

And he sighs, irritated, but he relents. Phoenix feels his cuffed hands fall slack behind him, and he leans against Miles, legs trembling. “Miles,” he croaks, voice weak. He nudges Miles’ head aside as gently as he can and dips his head, pressing a single, soft kiss to his lips, no longer than a heartbeat or two. Miles draws back, silent, simply staring at him, mouth ever-so-slightly open. 

Phoenix leans forward, then, pressing their clammy foreheads together. “I thought I lost you,” he says, lips barely moving. 

That body, in his office—Miles’ office—wearing his coat, slumped over his desk.

His fingerprints were all over the scene. The victim’s blood, all over his hands.

Who could blame him?

There’re fingers curled around the nape of his neck, again, fingers curled in the front of his shirt, and Miles is kissing him, hard, first a gentle press of the lips and then a nip, a bite, an invasion of tongue as he drinks Phoenix down. Phoenix runs his tongue along Miles’ lower lip, groans at the way Miles goes limp against him, at the way he presses their bodies impossibly closer—

It’s all over before he can even open his eyes. “Edgeworth, come on.” The cop—Lang, apparently—interrupts, eyes averted but his hand now firmly clasped between Phoenix’s shoulder blades.

Miles pulls away, pupils blown, hands fisted in the front of Phoenix’s shirt. “I’ll figure this out,” he whispers. “I’ll— Gumshoe’s here, we’ll investigate right now, we’ll figure this whole thing out, and you’ll be out of there before they can even finish checking you in, I promise.”

“Don’t you dare go back in there, Miles. It’s not safe, who knows what—”

One hand lays soft on his cheek; the other tightens on his shoulder, gripping to the point of painful. 

“I’ll figure it out,” Miles says again, pulling his other hand close to his chest. “I’ll take care of everything. I promise.”

His back hits the ancient seats of the police cruiser, the door slams behind him, and all he can do is watch in horror as Miles stands on the sidewalk, coat billowing in the wind. The flames swallowing the prosecutors’ office lick ever higher, and the sound of approaching fire department sirens are Phoenix’s only comfort as Miles turns and marches himself back up those marble stairs as the sea of fleeing people parted around him.

---

Feel free to ask for another prompt from this list!

[hypostatic-oath]

Hiii! Welcome back!!! After reading your recent post, i had a thought about what if the isekai'd Overseer was founded wandering around Fontaine when the Traveler had yet to reach said nation. Do Focalors still trying to arrest and judge the Overseer, or do they belong to the category of the divine that she knows not to make an enemy of?

Hiii! Thank you so much, for the welcome and for the ask :D

Oh, I like this one. I'n usually afraid of writing characters before I have read all their lore (not me struggling with the locked voicelines for Neuvillette oof), but I think that Furina has provided the answer already - she is very much ready to put the Overseer on trial, and to make a big show out of it too. Why? Because of what happens with the Traveler, of course!

When the Traveler arrives in Fontaine, they are already known far and wide - Furina herself recognizes them and comes to "greet" them personally, albeit in her own way. I'd say that SAGAU Furina definitely knows that the Traveller is the First Vessel. There is no way she doesn't, either by means of being an Archon, or simply by word of mouth or the Steambird, in the same way she'd heard other things about the Traveler.

And what does she do as soon as we step foot in Fontaine?

Yep. An isekai'd Overseer would very much need to get their Phoenix Wright impersonation ready. I do believe she doesn't have ill intent, or that she actually wants to sentence the Overseer - it's more of a mixture of "hey, look at me!" and "I'm acknowledging your importance by coming here personally and making a fuss". One should feel honored, really. Furina likes entertainment, and I do believe that her theatrical worldview and the outlook of a lot of Overseers out there (guilty as charged) are rather similar - for us as players, the world of Teyvat really is a stage where a story plays out - better yet, it's a story wherein we can control the main character to make the story go further and interact with the characters! Of course, the difference lies in the fact that for an Overseer, the world of Teyvat really is just a game... while for Furina it's still her reality, no matter how many theatrical elements she adds to it.

As for whether she'd recognize the Overseer as a divine being she shouldn't make an enemy of... depends entirely on the way the Overseer interacts with her. We've seen her mask slip when the Traveler accepts her challenge ("Fighting gods? I've got a resume"). We've seen her take a step back in other occasions, too. But it all depends on whether the Overseer chooses to indulge her. The more drama-loving you are, the more you indulge in the theatrics, the further she'll go! After all, she's just found a kindred spirit. She's very excited if you play along! But if you're a no-nonsense Overseer with no time for her antics... she might just call in Neuvillette to accompany her the next time she needs to speak with you. Or she'll avoid the meeting altogether - forgive her, she's nervous.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Cradle To Grave: Final Part

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.2k

Summary: Your experience in prison isn't what you thought it would be. You're feeling everything and you don't know if you'll be okay when you finally come out of it. Meanwhile, the team notices a change in Spencer as he tries his best not to miss you too much.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Season Five Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

When the other half of the team arrives in Phoenix, Derek hands JJ a list he's been working on.

"JJ, I need you to call these fertility specialists and get them over here for interviews."

"Whoa," she whistles as she looks at the long list.

"Yeah, I know. Hotch wants to focus on the prenatal drugs the unsubs are giving the victims. He thinks we can build a new suspect pool, and he wants it done yesterday."

"There are two pages of names here. Shouldn't we narrow it down?"

"Just do it, JJ, okay?" She raises her eyebrows at him and he sighs guilty. "I'm sorry."

"Is everything okay?"

"Hotch has been on me ever since we got here, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why."

"I might know. The night before Hotch picked this case, Chief Strauss stopped by the BAU. They were behind closed doors, but it seemed like it got a little tense."

"I can understand. The Bureau's been on him for a while. He must have known this was gonna happen."

"Except now, they're making him justify every decision. For Hotch, that's hell. Don't worry, I'll start calling."

She goes down the list and manages to get one of them to come down to the station and talk to her and Rossi. She is more than willing to help if it means helping children from dangerous situations. JJ quickly explains the situation they're in so she's not confused when Rossi starts the questioning.

"Dr. Dekeyser, we don't think she's getting these prenatal drugs as a patient. I think she's writing the Scrips for herself."

"Then she wouldn't be very knowledgeable about what she's doing. Some of these drugs have serious side effects. There are dozens of meds I would prescribe before these, all of them more effective."

"Why would she use these ones?"

"My guess is these are the ones she had access to. Fertility drugs are a cocktail, and you keep remixing the cocktail until you get pregnant. The information is out there on the internet. She found the right one."

"So, the woman was prescribed these drugs for some other illness and figured out that they helped carry a baby to term?"

"Exactly."

"Then the real question is, what other diseases do these drugs treat?" JJ asks Rossi.

Derek walks past Rossi, JJ, and the doctor into the office Hotch has claimed his own. He has a piece of paper in his hands that Hotch knows about.

"What's this?"

"It's a tactical arrest plan. I'd like you to write it up for this case."

"You want me to write up how we apprehend these unsubs without risking the lives of the children?"

"Yes."

"Hotch, I've led dozens of tactical assault teams. You've never made me write up one of these before."

"That's because I always do it for you after each case."

"You know what? I'm sorry Strauss is coming down on you."

"This isn't about Strauss."

"Really? I disagree. Look, I understand that you're under the gun, but I gotta say it. I'm really not all that surprised. I've watched you walk away from a bunch of cops gunning down unsubs in D.C. You walked in unprotected to a hostage situation in Louisville. You're not even helping Y/N out of prison. One of our own. Of course, the Bureau's worried about you. Man, I'm worried about you, but just because you're the one who's under the magnifying glass, that doesn't mean I can't do my job."

"Morgan, there's a big part of your job that I do for you because I don't need you worried about paperwork and politics. I need you in the field, focused, and catching the next unsub. I can't do that anymore. I know it doesn't seem like I'm helping Y/N, but my hands are tied. You of all people would know I'd fight for her in an instant if I could. If the situation was different, you know I'd do that. I don't have to justify my orders to you, and you do have to follow them."

"I've always followed your orders when they made sense."

"Well, if you have a problem with this one, tell me now."

Derek scoffs and shakes his head knowing this is a battle he can't fight.

"You're the boss."

JJ waits until the pissing match is over, and she sticks her head inside the office.

"Garcia needs to talk to us."

They both follow her outside where everyone else is.

"Okay, so the gold star of the day goes to Agent David Rossi and his short list of one disease These prenatal drugs also treat breast cancer. Progesterone and Tamoxifen slow the spread, Metoclopramide and Domperidone are anti-nausea."

"Yeah, I took those," JJ chuckles.

"If this woman has breast cancer, would she be able to get pregnant?" Hotch asks.

"She could but she'd have to be dedicated."

"How dedicated?"

"She's have to go off chemotherapy. She'd be in a lot of pain, but she'll try anyway. Her whole life is children. That's her goal."

"When was Monica abducted?"

"Five years ago," Penelope answers Hotch.

"How many breast cancer patients in Arizona got pregnant five to six years ago?"

"Let me see. Not a lot. Seven."

"How many of those patients are married to a man with a history of sexual violence?"

"Just one. Robert and Linda Reimann. Jeeze, she lost her baby eight months into her pregnancy. She had to go through labor anyway."

"There's our stressor."

"Garcia, was the baby a boy?"

"Yeah. They even named him--Michael."

"There has to be a name on the death certificate. Doctors encourage bonding between mothers and stillborns," JJ says. Everyone looks at her in confusion about how she knows so much about this topic. "I volunteer with a new mom counseling group. They say it helps them cope with feelings of loss."

"Thos one can't cope, so she's recreating them."

Penelope gets their address but the team can't go in right away. The property is huge and they need a game plan before they go in. Derek has SWAT with him, and he's explaining the game plan by using a map of the property.

"Okay, Commander, this is the unsub's property and house. Now, five years ago when the wife lost their child, the husband started paying for home renovations with his credit card. A new shower, toilet, tile, and mesh fencing which he did not put up in his backyard."

"He was building his dungeon," Hotch says.

"No permits were filed for additional building on the property, so the entrance must be inside the house."

"How many doors are there to cover?" the Commander asks.

"Two. One in the front and one in the back."

"Do we have arrest warrants?"

"They were faxed over twenty minutes ago."

"Morgan, what's your plan?" Hotch asks.

"I think we should do a soft entry and see if we can get the kids out before the parents even know what's happening."

"Would you be in the door first?"

"Do you have another idea?"

"Send Prentiss and JJ in first. Children are more likely to trust a woman, and we need that presence."

"We don't know how many kids are in the house. I mean, the parents could take a hostage," the commander says.

"If we go in hot, that would definitely happen. Hotch is right. This is the way."

JJ and Emily get ready and sneak into the house from the front door. There isn't any movement inside once they enter, but the more they make their way through, they can hear the TV on inside the living room. There is a small child who is watching cartoons, and he looks at JJ and Emily in shock when he hears them.

"Hi, it's okay. We're the police. We're the good guys. Can you come outside with me?"

The child gets off the couch and grabs JJ's hand. She looks at Emily as they pass by her.

"Hotch, we got one accounted for," Emily says into her hidden microphone, "but there could still be more in the basement."

Derek, Hotch, and SWAT march inside quietly with their guns raised. They swiftly move through the house but pause when a toilet flushes down the hall. A man walks out of the bathroom not expecting ten guns in his face. Derek immediately grabs him and pins him to the wall.

"Where is your wife?"

"In the nursery."

Derek passes the man to Hotch who puts him in handcuffs while Rossi and Derek move to the nursery at the back end of the house. There is a sickly woman sitting in a rocking chair with her back turned to the window. There is a baby boy in her arms, and she is looking down at him with love. She hears the two agents come in but doesn't look at them.

"I knew this would end. I always knew you'd come to our door and take this away."

"Ma'am, why don't you give me the baby? We can talk about it."

"Why would I want to do that?" she asks and looks at him.

"What you've been doing is wrong. You must know that."

"This is all I have left. Do you understand? My husband hates me. There's nobody here that can help me with him, with this, with any of it. He's all I have."

Derek puts his gun away so she knows he's not a threat even though Rossi still has his out.

"Linda, please. I need you to think about the baby right now. You're suffering from stage four breast cancer. You've given your medication to the women who have been locked up downstairs. You don't have a lot of time left. I know you want somebody who will always remember you, don't you?" She doesn't answer him. "The baby's name is Michael, right?"

"Yeah," she whispers.

"Michael will remember you. He's gonna know that you helped bring him into the world. That's a part of him now, and he will always ask about you, long after you're gone."

"Do you really believe that?" she asks with tears in her eyes.

"I do."

"I would have been a wonderful mother."

"Then prove it. Let him go."

Linda softly cries and hands over the child to Derek. Both parents are taken away into custody while the two girls in the basement are saved. The one who gave birth is crying over the loss of her son but quickly turns that loss into tears of joy. She is reunited with her child just like the older boy whom JJ took away is reunited with his grandparents, Monica's mom and dad. She had another child, and they kept the boy.

Now that Hotch is back in Virginia, he makes a quick stop at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland. Spencer wanted to come but he buried him in paperwork so that he could talk to you privately. When you heard Hotch was waiting for you in the visiting area, you were excited to see someone you know and love. The visiting area is protected by a thick sheet of glass separating two chairs so that the only form of communication is through the phones on both sides of the glass.

Hotch is already sitting there when you walk into the visiting room, and you pick up the phone when you sit across from him. He can tell you've been crying with how puffy and red your eyes are.

"Hey."

"How are you doing?" he asks gently.

"Is Spencer here with you?"

"No."

You're about to tell him how you really feel. This place is killing you from the inside out. Everyone's pain and suffering is drowning you. You go to bed in tears and have nightmares so you're up constantly throughout the night. You're so tired. You just want to go home. If you tell Hotch this, he'll feel more guilty about not doing more to help you, and you can't feel that right now. Instead, you force a smile on your face.

"I'm fine. This place isn't so bad."

"Look, I know the others will want to come here and talk to you, so I figure it's best if you hear this from me. Chief Strauss asked me to step down as Unit Chief." Okay, you weren't expecting that. "Derek is taking the place of me right now as a sort of trial run to see how he does. I wanted it to be you."

"Me?"

"I've noticed your leadership skills improving. I sent letters to the board explaining how if I were to ever leave, I'd want you to replace me."

It breaks your heart to know you can't be there to help the team.

"Derek will do a great job. He is a good choice. I'm sorry you have to step down."

"Don't be. I understand their concerns about me. Listen, I'm doing everything I can to try and help you. Local police doesn't want our help, and Straus threatened anyone's job if they tried to work on your case. I don't know what else to do."

Hotch looks so defeated because he's stressing about you. You place your hand on the glass and tap on it once.

"Hotch, don't worry about me. Please. I will be fine here. I even made a friend with my cellmate. Your resources are better spent somewhere else. I believe I will get out. My trial is in a few months. My lawyer is working on a defense. My dad knows him. I'm in good hands. Please don't worry about me."

"It's hard not to."

"I know. Listen, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Keep Spencer away from here. I don't want him to see me like this. I don't want him to picture this when he thinks of me."

"I'll do my best," Hotch nods.

x

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[gaybae1021]

Day 12: Is this love?

Aka, a Garrance lore dump!

Garroth was assigned to help Laurance get acquainted with Phoenix Drop during his recovery from the nether. Aph thought it would be good for Laurance to have someone else to talk to aside from her and Zoey, and thought him and Garroth would get along due to their shared guard experience.

Laurance is pretty down during their first few meetings, but he starts to perk up as his health improves, and he grows more trusting of Garroth guiding him through the village. It doesn’t take long for Laurance to start flirting with him, though Garroth writes it off as him just being friendly, even as he’s lowkey reciprocating the advances.

During one of their “totally platonic outings” Laurance opens up about his past: He was born in O’Khasis, and had no memories of his birth parents because they were arrested when he was a baby. He spent a few years in an O’Khasis orphanage, but quickly transitioned to living on the streets, experiencing first-hand the struggles and cruelty O’Khasis hid from the rest of the region. It’s why he’s so slow to trust; after having no one to rely on but himself for so many years, it’s difficult to be so reliant on others while he adjusts to blindness.

Garroth, while not revealing everything (for obvious reasons), also opens up; he had run away from home because he didn’t like the person his family was pushing him to be, and he’s still struggling to be his own person.

When Garroth drops him back off at his home, Laurance kisses him on the cheek before going inside.

(Old art, didn’t feel like redrawing the scene)

Garroth.exe has stopped working.

Garroth avoids Laurance the next few days. He feels awful about it, but he can’t pin down how he’s feeling, and he feels talking to Laurance would just make it more confusing. Eventually, he gets frustrated enough to go and talk with Aphra:

G: I need to ask you a question.

A: Sure? Go for it.

G: Hypothetically, if someone kissed you, and afterwards you felt like you were gonna throw up, what does that mean?

A: …like throw up from disgust, anxiety, or butterflies?

Garroth shrugs.

A: Irene help us. Come inside.

It takes a long conversation with some input from Zoey (Aroace Aph is somewhat limited in the advice she can give), but they eventually get to the root of the issue:

G: I didn’t have a say in anything growing up. Everyone just told me what to do, told me what I wanted, and I went along with it. I thought I was finally getting better, but it’s like I’m still waiting for an approval that doesn’t exist anymore! I’m so confused, I can’t even tell what I want.

A: Well, that might be a good thing to tell Laurance. It’s okay to be confused, but it’s not okay to just ignore him while you work through this. You should let him know how you’re feeling, even if you’re not sure the feelings match.

Garroth goes home to think a bit more before leaving to find Laurance. When he opens his door, Laurance is already standing there, about to knock.

L: I just wanted to say sorry for the other day. I feel like I crossed a boundary, I should have asked before trying that.

He talks faster, clearly flustered.

L: I thought we were on the same page, but I guess I’ve never done this without being able to see so maybe I misjudged how comfortable you were, and either way I’ve really liked talking to you and I don’t want things to be awkward so if you just want to pretend it never happened I’d be fine with that-

…

G: Please? For real? I need to know.

[letmereadinpeace4]

I finally played through The Turnabout Serenade and yes, I can totally get why it is considered one of the worst cases in the franchise (Turnabout Big Top is still rank 1 for me, simply because it makes no sense AND I hated everybody). There are good things in that case : I liked the mixing board parts, even if the performance/music was a little too long, some twists were genuinely good and I liked getting a better look at Klavier's life. With that being said :

Machi being the defendant makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Yes, he wasn't blind and could speak English, but they didn't know that when they arrested him. The premise for at least the first half of the case was that the prosecution honestly believed that a fifteen-year-old BLIND teenager somehow managed to shoot a far bigger man with a gun with a high caliber, and somehow, despite two people arriving on the scene seconds after the shooting, managed to get out of sight, climb a ladder, get in an air vent, and crawl to another place, and some time later managed to drag a body on stage, and then passed out on the platform for no apparent reasons, all of that without anyone seeing or hearing him. I know that we've had twisted plans from culprits before in the Ace Attorney franchise, but this one makes absolutely no sense!

The twist that the shooting took place in the second act and not the third one is clever at first glance, until you realize that Lamiroir was apparently so stupid that she didn't realize that the shooting taking place when Machi WAS ON STAGE was fucking relevant! And when she said "no one asked me... and I didn't understand why I wouldn't be able to hear anything if the window was closed...", what she couldn't volunteer the information?? Fot the boy she claims to consider her son?

Lamiroir being blind and not Machi was just stupid! There was simply no good reason for it. They try to justify it with some marketing "Lamiroir-is-the-painter-of-landscapes" nonsense but I don't buy it.

The case draaaaaaags so much! The greater part of the first part of the second-day-trial is to figure out the "magic trick" behind the disappearing act, a trick that the witness, the prosecution and the assistant know! And somehow protecting a magician's secret (not contractually I might add, it was just an oath) was more important than saving a teenager's life.

I don't buy the resolution/moral of the case. Apparently, this case was meant to prove that the justice system was flawed because it relied too much on evidence and thus protected the culprits. But first, this is the first case where this is a problem, and second, I get that evidence can be twisted to write the story you want, but I don't see an alternative that wouldn't have serious drawbacks. I get that it's meant to be an introduction to the jury system that Phoenix will implement in the next case, but still, it doesn't sound right to me. Third, correct me if I'm wrong but they would have had actual evidence if the police/prosecution did their job properly, like not piling up on the fifteen-year-old teenager, for example. If anything, this case shows that cases go to trial far too quickly and don't give enough time for the police and the prosecution to investigate properly and explore different alternatives, which is a far bigger problem to me.

The more I write, the more Lamiroir pisses me off, which I'm actually sad about because I feel like I was meant to like her. At the end, when she says that some darkness seems to have taken hold of Machi, bitch please, you don't know why he needed the money, and excuse him for trying to save a life, even if it went against the laws.

So far, I don't hate Apollo Justice (the game, not the character. I like the character) but I am starting to agree that the execution isn't great. I like many of the new ideas and the new characters, but the execution is... flawed. At this point, I am mostly going through the motions until I get to the next game and hopefully have a better time (I can't wait to meet Athena).

[paxtonrp]

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒

Name: Theodora "Theo" McCarthy

Age: 32

Occupation: Owner of Outlook

Affiliation: Fingers for the Cowboy Mafia

Gender & Pronouns: Woman (she/her)

Faceclaim: Katie Gavin

𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐍

tw death, drugs

Theo was the youngest child of Tamara & Finn McCarthy and had an older sister, Tiffany, by a few years. Her mother came from a long line of women who had girl names beginning with ‘T’ and Finn was more than happy to give into his wife and let her do what she wanted with the two girl’s names. Theo was just five years old when she told everyone to stop calling her Theodora, to call her Theo. It became her identity from then on.

She was always close to her mother’s side, her mother a painter and artist and it giving her an insight to the art world, something she fell in love with since she could remember. Her sister couldn’t be more opposite of Theo and was always looking for something to do with law, despite her parents always asking her to rethink her decisions.

As a kid, Theo never understood why they asked Tiffany to rethink her law career. Surely any parent was happy when their child was saying they were reaching for the court-esque stars, but it looked like they were scared of it. They were scared of her falling into that life and Theo always tried to figure out why, but they were never going to tell a child. It wasn’t until she was just fifteen that it clicked in her head. Always heard whispers of The Cowboy Mafia and what they stood for, what they did, but she was sure she never knew anyone personally who was an affiliate of them, or worked for them. You’d always hear in school that you think the guy down the street might have been doing a deal for them, but nothing was ever confirmed. Then her whole world changed she opened the door that one day she was home from school with a stomach bug. Her father clearly didn’t know she was home, word hadn’t got back to him and there they were, other Cowboy Mafia members to come to see her father. How has she gone fifteen years without knowing her father was involved? He has kept it so quiet. Everything had changed for her then.

By seventeen, her sister was twenty and away at law school, despite her parents best efforts to stop her, and Theo’s too for that matter, but nothing worked. She was attached to her mother at the hip and always worrying about her father, worried he’d get hurt or arrested or something, but they never spoke about it with her. In fact since that one day when she was fifteen, they never spoke with her about it at all. Still, she never thought she had to worry about her parents going off to visit some family in Phoenix, her mother’s family (Finn was Paxton born-and-bred), and both her parents getting hurt. Remembers getting the call at 2 in the morning, home alone, and no sister to support her or comfort her. Both her parents, gone. Car accident they said. Overturned truck, had no chance. It took a week just to sink in that she was alone.

That’s when The Cowboy Mafia helped her. She didn’t wanna go to her family in Phoenix and there’s no way that Tiffany was coming back to take custody of her seventeen year old sister. Only one year until she was eighteen, she didn’t see the point. It’s when they stepped in to look after one of their own. Well, Finn was one of them, and Theo was now the daughter he left behind. They kept her afloat until she was eighteen and in turn she started doing small jobs for them. It wasn’t big, but they certainly went legal. Mainly to do with drugs. Felt like she couldn’t fuck that one up all that much.

After Tiffany found out that Theo became ‘one of them’ she disowned her, and the family name, but Theo was okay with that. Tiffany never really felt part of the family anyway and she felt more looked after by her parent’s friends than by her older sister in her whole life. Tiffany gave up everything, giving Theo the house and all the money that was left to them, and with that Theo opened ‘Outlook’ to feel like she could keep the spirit of her parents alive. It was opened when she was twenty one years old, and never thought it would still be open to this day, but here it stands. Her mother, in the sense it was all things art and all things she loved, and her father, in the sense she let The Cowboy Mafia do business out of Outlook if needed too, and still did the odd jobs here and there. Used the sales to help wash drug money for them and did arguably anything she could to repay them for helping her in her worst moments.

She thought about selling the family house, but never could. The essence of her mother and father were in every piece of that place, no way she was letting that go. It’s now her home, her childhood home. It’s never not been her home and she wasn’t giving that up.

𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐂

Theo has never had an issue with her affiliation to The Cowboy Mafia. In fact, she willingly joined them. To her, they were the family who took her in when she had no one, when her sister wasn’t there for her, when no one else made an effort to make sure the girl who lost her parents all in one night was okay. She owed her life to them, which sounded dramatic, but it’s true. Who knew where she could have ended up if they didn’t help her? Keep her going? It gave her something to keep working towards. Her only goal in life is to keep the spirit of her parents alive and having her art shop while still helping The Cowboy Mafia makes her feel like she’s close with both of them in some way.

[simcardiac-arrested]

skitters into your inbox like a bug Have you got any more fun thoughts about mr Phoenix Wright from the Ace attorney series of video games, tumlbr user and trusted mutual Simcardiac-Arrested?

saw this ask yesterday and then passed out but i assure you the phoenix autism is still here. i think what fascinates me about phoenix the most (and also why i love him the most) is just how much he genuinely cares. and look, when he was younger it might've been naive and trusting care, easy to manipulate, but even as he gets hurt and goes through things and grows older and wiser he still cares so fucking much. about everyone. about everything. the reason he becomes a lawyer at all is because he sees edgeworth hurting, and phoenix cares so much he can't NOT try and help his childhood friend. when his mentor dies and he's lost and confused he still takes her little sister under his wing because he just cares, and later on he runs across a burning bridge for her and gets hurt but he does it because he cares about maya. he fights for his clients not because he's keeping a win streak but because he cares about them and he cares about justice and he cares about the court system even if it is messed up. he cares enough to try fixing it. when he loses his job and his life crumbles around him he adopts an orphaned girl on a whim because he can't bear to leave her, he can't bear to not care. i love nick so much because at this core he is just a very caring person. he might not care about himself that much, and he might put on a front of being objective and professional and whatever, but like. at his heart? at the whole center of his character? what makes phoenix really phoenix? he cares. and he trusts. and he helps. and sometimes it is his downfall, sometimes he really is just being naive, sometimes he really is just trying too hard. but he cares.

[cryz-a-lot]

OK I know it’s been done before 1,000 times but LEGALLY BLONDE ACE ATTORNEY AU (also I haven’t seen the movie just the musical and yes I know timeline wise it makes no sense)

Ima rephrase ig each song if you could call it that

Omigod you guys: Maya, Pearl and Emma helps Phoniex get prepared to purpose to Dahlia

Serious: Dahlia breaks up with Phoniex and no one potentially dies

What you want: Phoenix finds out Edgeworth got into Harvard law school and is determined to meet Edgeworth again for love. He drops out of art school to try and get into Harvard. Emma helps Phoenix get all the books and stuff he needs to study. Maya and Pearl helps convince Harvard to accept Phoenix.

The Harvard Variations: Phoenix finds what class Edgeworth is in

Blood in the water: Professor fey explains how she would have 3 new interns from that class. Mia asks Phoenix to summarize the SL-9 case Phoenix cannot because he didn’t read it. Franziska suggests that she kicks Phoenix out of her class. Phoenix leaves afterwards from embarrassment.

Positive: Pearl suggest Phoenix try’s to fight Franziska. But Phoenix said she’s scary. Ema suggests Phoenix try’s to ignore Franziska. Franziska and Edgeworth leaves. Phoenix is positive that he can be serious and hopefully win Edgeworth’s love.

Irland/Irland (Reprise): Maya tells Phoenix about how her mother disappearances after DL-6 incident and her Aunt Morgan’s arrest for trying to kill her. She tells Phoenix not to worry about Edgeworth and he could easily win him over

Serious (reprise): Edgeworth and Phoenix talk about how they were friends in elementary school. Phoenix asks him why he left, Edgeworth just walks away

Chip on my shoulder: Phoenix explains to Mia how he followed Edgeworth to Harvard and how Edgeworth refuses to talk to him. Mia tells Phoenix about her childhood and why she is so determined. She tells him he needs to actually focus and study. Mia helps throw out some stuff he doesn’t need and study. As thanksgiving and Christmas pass they still are working together. Edgeworth asks Phoenix if he’s seen Franziska and Phoenix has a bi panic. Mia realizes that the reason he isn’t focusing is because of Edgeworth. During a lecture Phoenix proves Edgeworth’s point wrong and won a mock trial.

So much better: Phoenix changed his entire career for Edgeworth but it’s starting it think it might be a bad idea. But it turns out Mia picked Franziska, Edgeworth and Phoenix for her 3 interns and He realizes that he’s actually good at law and it’s successful with it.

Whipped into shape: Franziska teaches Phoenix how to “whip” your client/witness “into shape”. While also Mia tells the 3 of them that they need to trust their client but the odds are very stacked against them.

Take it like a man: Maya and Franziska get Phoenix ready for his first trail/give him a glow up to win over Edgeworth

Bend and snap: Maya, Pearl and Ema try and teach Phoenix how to flirt but fail miserably

There! Right There!: Before the trial starts Phoenix is running late and Maya and Gumshoe debate if Edgeworth is gay or not and the argument ends up involving the whole court room. Larry figured it by asking “and what is your first name again?” “Miles” “and your boyfriends name?” “Wright” Franziska finally says something about how freaking gay Edgeworth is for Phoenix.

Legally Blonde: After almost losing his very first case to Manfred Von Karma Phoenix try’s talking to Edgeworth about the case and how Manfred might have forged evidence but that spirals into an argument with Edgeworth about him not talking to Phoenix during and after the trial. Phoenix tells Edgeworth that he’s going to drop out and locks himself in his dorm. Edgeworth finally try’s to tell Phoenix something but he’s not listening (Yk what I mean if you’d listen to the song)

Legally Blonde (Remix): Franziska and Maya convinces Phoenix not to drop out and try and win the trial. Phoenix ends up winning the trial

Find My Why/Finale: Phoenix tells Edgeworth that the only reason he came to Harvard was to meet him again but now he realized that Phoenix is going to go on being a lawyer with or without Edgeworth. Phoenix gets his law degree

Yes I know it sound like I just spouted out random nonsense but it make a tiny bit of sense for my 2 brain cells. I didn’t mean that to get emo a lil but at the end but idk. I might write a fan-fiction with this idea but I’ve never written fanfic before.

[mintyisms]

Baddie SMP Starters 4

the one with a lot of murder

"There's a menacing sign on my door."

"I don't want to hit you because I might kill you. Might also set you on fire."

"I think it was a prank on yourself. You looked like an idiot."

"That's always your excuse, that you're being attacked by phantoms."

"That's actually defamation, so. . ."

"Why does she say her own name like a Pokemon?"

"Me and my dog are going for a walk if anyone would like to join us."

"Part of my unfinished business is haunting [name]."

"It means a lot that he forgave me on your behalf."

"Finally, some fucking peace and quiet."

"You've gotta die to be reborn as a beautiful phoenix."

"If it wasn't for you dying, we wouldn't have half of the adventures we've had."

"Everything's hot, including Butterfree."

"We're gonna be shagging with my daddy tonight."

"Do you wanna live in one of those low-grade apartments or do you wanna live in a luxury high rise?

"I hear everything, but I'm not really understanding anything you're saying."

"You're on for lunch tomorrow, right? At the place?"

"This is the most suspicious behavior I have ever seen."

"I'm civilian arresting this guy."

"We've got no choice but to drown him."

"Your dick is out, you're pointing a bow and arrow at me, and you're getting mad at me?"

"You have an arrow in your butt, by the way."

"I'm pretty dumb when it comes to movies, so sometimes I miss what they're about."

"There's blood coming out of my eyes all of a sudden."

"If you're a chicken, you have to tell us."

"There's a sad, naked sheep in here."

"You should try eating it. It's really tasty."

"You're kind of ruining my whole fucking vibe right now."

"I would kill to live with your father."

"Let's just go kill a family of goats or something."

"I'll bring the purple drink, you bring yourself."

"The second everyone leaves the room, you're fucking dead."

"I can't help but shake to this."

"If you kill my cat, I will end you."

"You asked a question, I used my endless knowledge to fucking answer it."

"I guess we're a band of mourning fellows now."

"I'm pretty sure I can survive this fall."

"I was unjustly slain in my prime by someone I thought was my friend."

"Speak much, loser?"

"I kinda feel partially responsible for egging you on."

"That's some nice stuff. You could build some things with it."

"I actually have a really poor memory, so thank you for reminding me."

"I wouldn't call it a murder weapon."

"It's against my religion to eat things pretty much any time."

"She's either vomiting or becoming a zombie right now."

[pocket-sized-nightmare]

Your daughter wants a princess.

You don't exactly know why she wants a princess. To be honest, you don't quite know if she knows what a princess is. Phoenix is seventeen, and a deeply intelligent child, but she’s never stepped foot outside the small mountain village you both call home.

Phoenix is half-dragon, with scales adorning her face and leathery red wings bursting from her back, so you first figure she only wants a royal crown to add to her hoard. You try appeasing her with shining jewelry, then a cheap fake tiara you try to pass off as real, but she insists. A real princess. Here. As soon as possible.

You don’t know how to make that happen. You don’t know why to make that happen. But the more you try to avoid the discussion, the more desperate Phoenix gets. When you tempt her with a shining rock from the garden, she finally narrows it down (as if that’s going to help): not just any princess, but Princess Alice, the sheltered darling of the kingdom. You are a dragonborn who has not been outside the bounds of Stoneview in decades, and your daughter is asking you to kidnap the royal family’s child.

You refuse, of course. Even if kidnapping weren’t illegal, it is irresponsible, risky, and above all, pointless. Not a single soul has entered the castle in seventeen years, and the guards are certain to apprehend a monster flying towards the garden gates. You’ll be arrested at best or dead at worst. To your surprise, your normally fierce daughter turns to begging. She offers her whole hoard – the hoard she’s spent her whole life gathering and treasuring – in return for a single day with the princess. You have never seen Phoenix like this before, and you hope to never see her like this again. Still, you refuse.

You awaken from a nightmare at half past midnight to discover a light on in your daughter’s bedroom. Phoenix may be half-dragon, but she’s still half-teenager, so you’re unsurprised to find her awake.

You are surprised when you don’t find her in her room.

Her window is wide open, and a dusty footprint in the corner indicates she’s jumped out and taken flight. She’s prone to fits of anger and the occasional runaway flight, but she’s always come back within a few hours. Still, she’s never left at night before.

You try not to be a worried parent – Phoenix will mock you forever if she finds out you fall into that stereotype – but you can’t deny she has been acting strangely lately. As you wait for her to return, your eyes fall onto her hoard in the corner. She treasures it like a diary and typically keeps it hidden, but tonight, it’s out in the open. Pieces of it are even scattered across her desk.

When you look closer, you discover there are items in her hoard that aren’t a dragon’s typical shiny collectibles. You refuse to pry (you would never read your child’s diary), but you can see the colorful figurines she collected as a toddler, bottle caps, and buttons from old jackets, and… a single yellow feather.

 It looks like a canary’s feather, but it’s large enough to fit on a gryphon’s wing. You have never seen a creature that fits that description in your life, and you can’t for the life of you figure out how Phoenix might have.

By the time she climbs back through her window three hours later, with her scaly face stained with hours of tears, you’ve already made a plan more outlandish than anything you thought you’d ever do in your life. If it means understanding Phoenix’s desperate secrets, then fine.

You might have to kidnap a princess.

On the first night of your plan, you tell Phoenix that you’re merely going out to get groceries and to not wait up for you. Before she can question it, you’ve already taken flight out of the village and halfway across the kingdom to the royal family’s castle.

You aren’t caught, but you don’t come away with answers. You memorize all the doors you can see through the castle’s blurry windows and look for every possible entrance. The sun rises and you haven’t seen Princess Alice, or any member of the royal family, for that matter. It occurs to you that as much as Phoenix has never asked to leave the village, you wouldn’t dream of forcing her to stay. It seems odd that the royal family would live such a secluded life.

As you turn to fly away, something drifts out of the top tower’s window.

It’s a single yellow feather.

On the second night, you concentrate your stakeout on the top window. You recognize that what you’re doing is criminal, but something about the whole situation feels wrong. Why has no one ever seen the princess in a photo that isn’t staged? Why is no one allowed into or out of the castle? For that matter, why should you feel afraid to approach the royal court as a dragonborn, when human messengers can get as far as the gates?

When a glimpse of blonde hair appears at the small window, you duck back into the shadows and watch.

The princess is seventeen, as you know well, but she barely looks like the pictures you’ve seen in newspapers and paintings. Her long, golden hair has been hacked off and barely covers her ears. A massive blanket is wrapped around her body and draped around her shoulders, and much like Phoenix, her face bears the telltale signs of hours of crying.

To your shock, she sees you hiding. Her eyes light up, then immediately grow wide with fear as she realizes that you aren’t who she thought you were. She throws her hands up to hide her face, nearly drops the blanket, and then ducks under the window, shaking like a leaf.

You fly away, because you can’t do anything else.

On the third night, you can’t bring yourself to do anything but ask Phoenix again why she wants a princess. You expect a blank answer, or perhaps deflection, but all she can do is mumble over a mouthful of soup, “I think she’d like the village.”

“It’s a nice village,” you respond as you study her face for clues. It takes you three more hours to realize she’s admitted something crucial – she doesn’t want to kidnap Princess Alice. She wants her to see the world outside her kingdom.

“Why don’t you kidnap the princess yourself?” you joke, trying to get your horribly quiet daughter to crack a smile. Instead, Phoenix looks at you with fire in her eyes. “I’m seventeen years old. I don’t know how to save anybody.”

She’s said too much, and she knows it. She darts up to her room and locks the door, where she’ll stay all night and all morning.

On the fourth night, you’re lost in thought as you prepare your plan. You have a bag of supplies on your back, you know every entrance and escape route, and you cannot believe you are doing this. If tonight goes well, you’ll sneak Princess Alice out of the castle for a day tomorrow. Nobody needs to know.

You’re a terrible parent, you think, but there’s something else behind it. How can you think that kidnapping a child is ever acceptable? How could you fail to recognize Phoenix’s pain for so long? And what, for heaven’s sake, does any of this have to do with Princess Alice?

You’re just going to break in and explain the situation. You’ll ask her permission. She’s seen you already, right? This can’t be as bad of an idea as you think it is, can it?

In your haste to get in and get out, you don’t check Phoenix’s room. You don’t see the light on inside. You don’t see her open window.

As you fly, there’s a pit in your stomach like nothing you’ve ever felt. There’s a piece missing that you can’t explain, and you can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. You move faster. It feels nice to stretch your wings for once in your life. You wonder if this is how Phoenix feels when she runs away.

By the time you reach the castle, a fierce wind has picked up. It blows leaves and branches into your face as you hover at the top of the tallest tree you can find. As you brush them away, a yellow feather drifts into your eyes, then another.

You fly higher, and that’s when you hear it.

Your daughter’s voice is echoing through the princess’s tower window.

“It’s all right, I locked them in a closet. We have time.”

“We don’t have time! They know about me, Phoenix! They’re on their way now, and not just for you.”

“I’m so sorry, Avian. I tried, I swear. He wouldn’t listen, and I don’t know how to make him believe me if I ever told the truth.”

It takes you a moment to realize Phoenix is talking about you.

You fight against the wind to fly higher, and it finally takes you to eye level with the window. What you see catches you so off guard that you nearly fall back down again.

Your daughter is sitting on the princess’s floor with the same child you saw days earlier – the one who didn’t match any photo you’ve ever seen of Alice. They’re both crying, and Avian’s hair is messier than it was even a few days earlier. All of that is shocking enough, but you almost don’t notice it behind the scene’s most heartbreaking detail.

Avian was hiding canary wings behind that blanket on the night you saw them, and they’re currently tied behind their back.

Phoenix cuts through the rope with a dagger from her hoard and rapidly does her best to preen Avian’s wings. “I’m getting you out of here tonight. I don’t care.”

“The guards are trying to cut my wings off. The king told them to. They’re mad enough that I cut my hair. I can’t tell them who I am. And if they know I’m in love with a dragonborn, we’ll both be dead before we can make it past the garden gate. Phoenix, go. At least save yourself.”

“I’m not leaving you!” Phoenix tries to open Avian’s wings. They flutter weakly as Avian winces in pain.

The guards, who have clearly broken out of the closet by now, reach Avian’s room and break down the door. One aims a crossbow at the young lovers, and the others threateningly hold swords.

“Alice,” the lead guard snaps. “You can’t hide from us any longer.”

“Phoenix,” Avian murmurs as they weakly point to the open window. “Please.”

It’s at that point that you remember you’re still there at all.

Before the guards can so much as blink, you swoop in through the open window and plant yourself between your daughter and the soldiers. “You have no right to treat them this way. How long has this abuse gone on? You’ve hidden this from the whole kingdom for years. The child you’ve been hired to care for is beautiful and brilliant, and you want to cut off their wings? I can’t believe how cruel you are… I can’t believe nobody noticed.”

“Who would believe you?” the lead guard sneers.

“My daughter would. I’m sure there are other children who know.”

“We’ve tried to tell the kingdom,” Phoenix mutters under her breath. “No one believes we know anything.”

The guards advance, and you remember your old plan. “Avian. Would you like to come back to our village with Phoenix?”

Avian wordlessly nods.

The guards race towards the three of you, but you’re filled with the adrenaline of years’ worth of anger hitting you all at once. They barely advance a step before you’ve thrown a burst of fire in their direction. As the smoke begins to dissipate and they find their footing again, Phoenix has Avian in her arms, and the three of you soar out the window and back to a world the royal family refuses to understand.

You thought your daughter wanted a princess.

Your daughter wanted to save her partner.

You hadn’t listened.

As Avian takes small sips of soup and manages to stretch their canary wings for the first time in years, you see the way Phoenix looks at them with nothing but love and concern in her eyes. You see them wearing a necklace matching one Phoenix has worn for three years. You see the way they wrap their wings around each other and lean into each other as Avian finally begins to relax.

You’re listening now.

You kidnapped a princess, because your dragon daughter wanted a princess. You are not sure why exactly she wanted one but you got her one.

[julialouisdreyfest]

Mr. Dad Interview

Mr. Dad is a band from Minot, North Dakota. They are very good. They stopped playing for a while but like the phoenix of Arizona, they are rising from the desert of not playing shows to play shows again. One of those shows is Dreyfest, and we are very grateful for this. They answered some questions that we asked them as well. They also mentioned that "The following interview may or may not be a product of AI technology."... Read on!

Q: Who is Mr. Dad?

A: Mr. Dad is an American indie rock band from Minot, North Dakota, known for their blend of alternative and indie rock influences. Their music often features introspective lyrics and dynamic arrangements. The band has gained a following for their energetic performances and distinctive sound.

Q: Why is Mr. Dad?

A: The band Mr. Dad takes its name from the title of a book written by Dan Brown. The name evokes a sense of familial or personal reflection, aligning with the band's introspective and emotive musical style. The choice of name might also hint at themes explored in their music, such as personal identity, relationships, and emotional experiences.

Q: How is Mr. Dad?

A: He’s on Lipitor, using Rogane, curving his drinking habits and has acquired a gym membership. His joints are stiff, but he is losing weight. He will be a huge piece of shit for many years to come. Spry, focused and “fat-fit”.

Q: Last time I saw Mr. Dad, Barack Obama was president - what’s happened in the eight, politically inconsequential years since then?

A: Over the past eight years, from 2016 to 2024, the world has seen significant developments:

Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted global health, economies, and daily life, leading to widespread disruptions and a major shift towards remote work and digital interaction.

Political Changes: Various countries experienced political upheaval, with significant elections, leadership changes, and shifts in policy. Notable events include Brexit and the presidency of Donald Trump, followed by Joe Biden's administration in the U.S.

Technological Progress: Rapid advancements in technology, including AI, renewable energy, and digital innovation, have transformed industries and daily life.

Social Movements: Increased focus on social justice issues, including racial equality, gender rights, and climate change activism, has shaped public discourse and policy.

Geopolitical Tensions: Ongoing conflicts and rising geopolitical tensions, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, have contributed to global instability.

These years have been marked by significant challenges and changes, shaping the current global landscape.

Zach thought he was gonna just get through his Vanity Plate interview without talking about the bombshell revelation that he is indeed a tech on the iconic 80s Australian rock band Men at Work - what the heck’s that like??? Zach says “It is pretty cool.” Any Men at Work shows at the All Seasons Arena coming up soon? Zach says “He doesn’t think so, but he will ask.”

Q: What’s the Minot scene like these days - all I remember is Hamms and some guy named Duffy…?

A: It’s about the same, you can actually still buy Hamms at the store! And that guy named Duffy? Doug Burgum is his name now.

Q: I am unapologetically going to ask a question I never ask b/c it’s so annoying…but what are your guy’s influences musically?

A: Bob Seger and the Last Heard. Just to maybe get some people a sense of the kind of shenanigans they’ll get into? But he is drunk and getting arrested for public indecency.

Q: My grandparents met at the North Dakota State Hospital Psychiatric Ward in Jamestown, North Dakota, and my favorite baseball player of all time, Darin Erstad, is also from Jamestown. That said, I have always thought about moving to Jamestown, half as a goof, half as a fulfillment of my destiny. Is this a bad idea?

A: Yes, but let’s weigh the positives versus the negatives. Here are some fun facts about Jamestown, North Dakota:

World's Largest Buffalo: Jamestown is home to the World's Largest Buffalo Monument, a 26-foot-tall, 60-ton statue that has become a popular tourist attraction.

Bison Symbol: The National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown houses a live bison herd, and its mascot, named "Buffy," is a significant symbol of the city's history and culture.

Pioneer Days: The city celebrates its pioneer heritage with the annual "Pioneer Days" festival, which includes reenactments, parades, and a variety of historical displays.

Unusual Neighbor: Just outside Jamestown is a small town called "Lakeside" that has only a few residents, making it one of the smallest incorporated places in the area.

Film Location: Parts of the 2008 film "The Longest Yard" were shot in Jamestown, adding a bit of Hollywood flair to this small North Dakota city.

Community Spirit: Jamestown has a strong community spirit and hosts various local events throughout the year, including the annual "Jamestown Civic Center Car Show" and local farmers' markets.

St. James Basilica: The St. James Basilica, a historic church in Jamestown, is known for its beautiful architecture and stained glass windows, making it a notable landmark in the city. The negative would be that Jamestown North Dakota is located in Jamestown North Dakota. Your Grandparents met at the mental institution and I presume, got the treatment they needed and promptly left? And baseball also no longer lives in Jamestown, North Dakota, as it is not conducive to sport, merriment or life.

Q: Other than the Blue Rider, what is the best dive bar in Minot?

A: Olive Garden all day, all night.

Q: What’s the maddest you’ve ever gotten at your job?

A: Sometimes I get so mad I think I could just quit! But nothing beyond the average existential dread of toiling away everyday for nothing meaningful. I wish I was a race car. I’d drive the less formulate [sic] to Olive Garden whenever they wanted. At Texas Road House, you can ask for bread and they will give it to you, even if you aren’t eating there. That’s not where I work, where I work I ask for bread and they give me shit.  When I was 17 I worked at Burger King. My first day there my Juggalo coworkers handcuffed me to some storage racking in the back room and blew marriuana [sic] smoke into my face. I don’t think I was mad though; I think I was surprised that work was like that. “Welcome to the working week!” Am I right?! I mean like punching bags of frozen fries in the walk-in freezer at Wendy's when you're 17…not that I would know anything about that.

Q: Favorite 80s horror movie?

A: Evil Dead 2

Q: Favorite 70s dad rock album?

A: Comus “To Keep From Crying”

Q: Favorite video game from childhood?

A: 007 The World Is Not Enough.

Q: What are Mr. Dad’s plans for the future?

A: A corporate fast food tie-in perhaps? Retirement and that sweet RV life.

Q: What can we expect for Friday’s set on August 9th at Craft Local at 9:45 PM MST 2024?

A: You can expect us to try our very best. Thank you for this opportunity to share our music with your community once again.

No, thank YOU, Dad, for sharing your music with our community once again. See them at Craft Local at 9:45 on Friday!

[briamichellewrites]

90

Bradford was spending time with Mike at his place. It was a nice break from Phoenix. Since he was spending time with Bria, he asked him about her. She was not doing well. Since he was not allowed to gossip, he hesitated about telling him about her and Jason. He had to promise to keep it a secret and he couldn’t tell her that he knew. I promise. He then told him everything. Bradford thought he was gay. That’s what he thought, too.

But, they were going behind his back and sleeping together. Who else knew about it? Phoenix and Linsey. She took her to the emergency room because she was experiencing heavy bleeding. They did multiple tests before they concluded her miscarriage. She was going through grief times ten. What was she doing? Was she hurting herself or self-medicating?

“She’s very angry at herself. The last time I saw her, I brought her to an emergency therapy appointment. She wanted to be arrested because she wanted to destroy things. I’ve seen her angry but this was something else. It scared me. Her therapist talked to her about her anger and where it was coming from. She explained it as a loss of control. They talked about what she could do instead of destroying things, like writing music or going swimming.”

Wow. How far along was her pregnancy? She just found out, so she was a few weeks. Jason invited her to Cambridge because he wanted to see her. He was going to stay at her place and watch her animals for her. It would take a long time before she could move on. Did Renè know? He didn’t think so. That was something he would talk to her about.

He was her manager, so he thought he should know. She was going back and forth on whether she loved him or not. He didn’t think she did. They talked about what love was. He told her that if she was truly in love, she wouldn’t question it. She would just know. He wasn’t going to keep her away from him. This was something she needed to learn by herself. He would be there to guide and support her but he wasn’t going to tell her what to do.

Yikes. That sounded tough. He encouraged him to do something for himself.

“Yeah, I will. I’m going to get a dog because the house is too quiet.”

“That’s a great idea. What about a girlfriend?”

“That’s another thing. I told Bria a white lie. I said I’m okay with being single and I don’t need a girlfriend right now.”

“What are you afraid of? How she’ll react when she finds out you’re dating someone?”

“Yeah. I’m worried about her feeling abandoned. I know that she will likely go to Phoenix and Linsey. Maybe you, too. I don’t know why I’m so scared about this.”

Talk to her. If she became angry with him, have her come to him. He couldn’t hold himself back. Loneliness was not healthy. He needed to do something for himself because he was so selfless. She might get angry with him or she might not. But he would never know until he talked to her. He would do that when she got home.

Bria was visiting Jason in Cambridge. He invited her to visit since he couldn’t fly home. She found a hotel nearby and made a reservation because she didn’t want to interfere with his studies. Mike initially didn’t want her flying there because of her miscarriage. After she got the okay from her doctor, he allowed her to go. It had been seventy-two hours since her miscarriage and nobody was expecting her to “get over it.” How could she?

It could take a long time before she was ready to move on. Maybe even a year or two. Jason welcomed her into the house he was renting and he introduced her to his roommates. It was nice to meet them. All of her stuff was in her hotel room. They went into his bedroom and closed the door. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.

“I had to see you”, she whispered through her tears.

“I know. I had to see you too. Where’s your animals?”

“Mike is watching them. I thought my birth control was working…”, her voice trailed off.

“Shh. It’s okay. I’m going to take you out to dinner. I want you to see Cambridge while you’re here.”

“Okay.”

He kissed her forehead. She wiped her tears before excusing herself to the bathroom. He sat down on the bed and sighed. It wasn’t okay. He had so much anger but not towards her. It wasn’t her fault. His anger was part of his grief. He was angry at the situation. His mother, Donna encouraged him to go to grief counseling. Mike also thought it was a good idea.

He could talk to someone who understood what he was going through. His studies would get worse if he was distracted by grief. Yeah, he would look into it. For now, he was focused on Bria. She was the only woman he would ever love. He thought about his sexuality and he considered coming out as bisexual. Then, he decided it didn’t matter. He wasn’t attracted to other women, just her. The only person who needed to know his sexuality was himself.

Everyone else was on a need-to-know basis. She came back after washing her face. Once she was ready, they walked out to the local restaurants. Grafton Street Bar. It was an inexpensive restaurant not too far from where he lived. It had appetizers and entrees with drinks. She got a raspberry cocktail while he got a beer.

“Are you going to make sure I don’t get drunk again”, she joked.

“I’ll take care of you if you get drunk.”

“I missed my college years, so I’m making up for it.”

She got a house steak with a side order of fries. It was delicious! She dipped her fries into the barbecue sauce. His friends noticed he was there, so he said hello to them and introduced her as a friend from home. Even though she was not in the mood to hang out, she was polite to them because she wasn’t raised to be rude. They left after a few minutes, so they could continue eating.

Since Mike needed a break from stress, he invited Phoenix, Linsey, and Bella over for dinner. Phoenix was in a good mood. His moods were stabilized, though he was always monitoring them. Before they came over, he moved the alcohol into a high shelf that could only be accessed with a chair. He didn’t want him trying to sneak alcohol out. Bella and the dogs sniffed each other out. Buddy and Missy were happy to have another dog to play with.

Bella looked at her humans for reassurance. Phoenix got up and went over to her. He got down to her level and scratched her head. It’s okay. They wanted to play with her. Missy wagged her tail. Yeah! Let’s play! Buddy went over and grabbed a toy for her. He dropped it at her feet.

She sniffed it before sitting down and chewing on it. Thank you! She was very welcome! Missy praised her brother for sharing his toys. Yeah. Yeah. They went to the other toys while Bella followed behind them in curiosity. Missy told her that she could play with them! That made her happy! Thank you! They all sat down together. Phoenix called her a good girl before coming back to everyone.

“Phoenix, you’re adorable”, Mike joked.

He laughed.

“Getting a dog was the best decision we’ve ever made. One of them. He is so much happier. It’s incredible”, Linsey said.

Mike was so impressed at how well he was doing! Good for you! How was his sobriety? It was great! I haven’t had an urge to drink in months. He was meeting with his therapist and Jeff once a week, while also exercising regularly and going to church. Bradford came over a few days ago and helped him with chores and getting groceries. He was proud of his progress! Thank you! He was proud of himself!

@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless @alina-dixon

[chibi-tsukiko]

Character Sheets Part 8 of 8:

Perfect aesthetic board made by @littleturtle95

Full Name: Ishida Tetsui

Gender and Sexuality: Male, Pansexual

Pronouns: He/Him

Ethnicity/Species: both a Child of the Light & a Child of the Damned

Birthplace/ Birthdate: On the shores near the Holy City /December 1st

Guilty Pleasures: Being cared for and being picked up

Phobias: Having no where to belong/ending up alone

What They Would Be Famous For: Can you be famous for the amount of times you self-sacrifice?

What They Would Get Arrested For: Most likely, he's taking the fall for someone else.

OC You Ship Them With: Ryuji

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: LOL everyone has tried to kill this poor boy at some point so...

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Fantasy

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Love Triangles (especially when used as a way to "spice things up" or add “drama”)

Talents and/or Powers: Ishida has a vast knowledge of magic. He can cast a variety of spells and is versed in many forms of alchemy as well. He is able to call upon Holy Light since he is part of the Light and can also tap into dark demonic magic since he is also of the Damned. While hand-to-hand combat isn't his style, Ishida is also a trained fighter in jiu jitsu arts. And when needed, he uses two twin Kujal blades as his weapons.

Why Someone Might Love Them: Ishida's empathetic and compassionate nature make him very warm and inviting. His heart bleeds for everyone. He is always putting others needs before his own and if you ask for his help, he'll agree without a second thought. Even in his darkest moments, Ishida remains honest and kind. You will always have a safe place with him. You will never be alone.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: To some, Ishida can seem condescending because of his endless knowledge and experience. He's sarcastic, flirtatious, and will push your buttons. Others may dislike him because he's always eager to sacrifice himself for the sake of others. (He also teases Takashi a lot so...Takashi stans may not like him for that).

How They Change: Ishida's changes are small and gradual. They have less to do with his personality (which stays the same) and more to do with his sense of belonging. He begins the story still struggling to find his place in the world, constantly trying to slap on a different label in the hopes that it will be the one that fits. Despite knowing who he is, and what destiny foretells him, he continues to run from it. Desperate to be someone else. Because of this, his identity crisis only intensifies. However, towards the end, he begins to see that he belongs with this family he's found, and only he can define who he is.

Why You Love Them: Ishida's loneliness and feelings of not having a sense of belonging are struggles I personally relate to. He makes sure he is always there for others, being/doing whatever they need him to be/do. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, blaming himself for a lot of his own trauma. Ishida is always doing everything he can to help others heal and become truer/freer versions of themselves, but he doesn't realize that sometimes, in doing that, he's hindering his own healing process. And while that can be seen as a character flaw, I find it to be mostly admirable. To want so desperately to find a safe space and to heal, but not hesitating to put that aside for the sake of creating a safe space/helping another person. Ishida has been through so much loss and hurt and betrayal, it could have turned him callous, but it didn't. Through all of his struggles, Ishida remains compassionate and empathetic. In the face of tragedy and cruelty, he chooses to be kind. And that's a strength not many people have.

Tag list : @littleturtle95 @phoenix-and-dragon @khaleesiofalicante @my-archerboy @clumsyowl-in-a-fandom @radisv @raziyekroos @magnus-the-maqnificent @spotsandclawsthings @sassybookworm2020 @shadowhuntingdemigod @elettralightwood @high-warlock-of-brooklyn

[battle-scvrs]

"You don't need to worry about it," Regulus said, his tone a little sharper than it had been since he'd sat down. "It's not about the war. Just because you are one of my officially assigned protectors does not give you an insight into my private life," though he'd already revealed far more to James than he imagined he would to his other protector. Bloody James Potter and his open and inviting personality, what a prick. That wasn't even to mention Edgar Bones for putting them in this situation in the first place. Clenching his fingers into fists as James continued talking about how hard Sirius' life had been, Regulus wasn't sure he'd ever manage to get past the bitterness that was deep seated within him, nor the overwhelming feeling of abandonment that threatened to swallow him whole. "I don't want to hear it. Not from you, anyways. If Sirius wants me to feel pity for his lot in life, he'll need to tell me that himself. I'll listen...but that requires him to talk," Regulus was fully aware that he was being a little childish, but he figured given everything else going on he was allowed a little grace. "I reckon a fist fight between Sirius and I might sort everything out. Wanna play referee?"

Regulus honestly wasn't sure who he was without the tangled web of feelings that had swallowed him whole for years. Perhaps it was the influence of dark magic impacting his soul, perhaps it was the general levels of distrust amongst the Death Eater ranks - he was always looking over his shoulder, fearing a betrayal. "Honestly, we've got bigger issues than my brain," he shrugged, before rolling his eyes at James' smirk. "It's intoxicating. It is...the power that you can wield over others. I can see why my friends have slipped down the path they have. I just can't...it's not right to hurt people, under the guise of blood purity, when really all they seek is power."

Regulus was still an absolute outsider to the Order of the Phoenix, and he was not interested in getting involved further than he already was. He'd been plainly honest with all those he'd spoken to - he didn't see what hope the Order had, but it was all they had given he knew there was corruption at the ministry. "It's the motivation behind it all," Regulus said quietly. "The Dark Lord's motivation is chaos, power and domination. The Order want to restore justice - or, that's my limited understanding anyways. There are curses that are reversible, curses that will merely disable someone enough for them to be arrested. You're more likely to land one when attacking, rather than fending off their curses and trying to stun. I'm not suggesting the Order should turn around and start killing people...but honestly, if we're going to arrest people and then give them the dementor's kiss, what's the difference? It's just a longer process but it's effectively the same result," and this was why Regulus was no major strategist, why nobody would ever look to him to lead. If the Order was always on the defensive, they would find themselves surprised and overwhelmed before much time passed at all. "I'm not asking you to sacrifice who you are, James. I respect what you're saying. But if it gets to a point where I'm fighting alongside the Order on a battlefield, I won't be using defensive spells and that's that. I will fight for my life."

With eyes fixed firmly on the mug of beer, Reg frowned deeply. "Even as recently as two weeks ago, my cousin made me practice unforgivables on her to demonstrate my ability or lack thereof. Crucioing my own cousin, then watching her disappointment because I didn't love it...my family's fucked up, James," he said with a small smile. Even as he was saying the words, he knew that it was only because Bellatrix cared - but wasn't that fucked up in itself? "How long have you got?" he asked with a small laugh.

Waving his hand dismissively, Regulus tilted his head slightly in James' direction. So James wanted to play dumb, did he? Well, Regulus would put a name to it then. "You're acting like you're jealous which you have no right to be. You said you're happy for me, and then did...whatever the fuck this is," he said, narrowing his eyes as James rolled his. "What's wrong with Caradoc? Or is it just....no, fuck that, I'm not gonna get into that." Regulus trailed off, feeling incredibly irate.

"What other developments?" he pressed. James wasn't typically the type of person to push anything; if someone wanted to drop a topic of conversation, he'd get the hint and segue into an other without a second thought. This was different. If it was something to do with the Order, or the war, it was important enough that he would at least try to get it out of him, even if he had to spell it out in black and white. He wasn't sure if it was real or imagined, but James noticed a look in Regulus' eye. For both their sakes, he hoped he'd imagined it. He nodded. "Yeah, I know. Though sometimes ... I'm sure he felt like it. What else could it be?" This all felt so sticky, complicated, and he was skirting around the things he truly wanted to say. "He has," James said firmly. "Even if you don't want to hear it. That's not to say you haven't gone through a lot, too. You both have the right to navigate this situation however you do, but a little empathy wouldn't be lost on either of you." James sighed deeply, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "This is bigger than some sibling rivalry. But it's better if you get this all out of your system now, I suppose."

It troubled him deeply that Regulus still felt like this after all these years. He'd tried to untie the vines, slowly, with love and delicate fingers, when he'd had the chance to, but it seemed they had all tangled up again. Or perhaps he hadn't done as much as he thought back then. "I can try." James listened quietly as he reeled off what made a good son and death eater, as if it were scripture. To some, he supposed, it was as good as. "Sure, but I meant more in a philosophical sense," he said, and couldn't help the smirk that crept onto his face. It lightened to something more soft as he continued. "You're lucky to have the conscience you do. Even if it might not feel like it. The world would be a much better place if others did, too."

To be honest, James didn't know much about the inner workings of the Order of the Phoenix, and he suddenly felt very stupid for it. All he did all day was fly around on a silly broomstick and shoot balls through a hoop. There were people who devoted their days to this cause, this fight that he claimed to be all-invested in, but here he was, unable to answer a single one of Regulus' questions. It was shameful, really. He listened intently. Everything he was saying made perfect sense, and yet, James felt a growing sense of discomfort in the pit of his stomach. "You're probably right," he agreed. "But then, what really separates us from them? I wonder about this sometimes. If I was put in a situation where I was protecting someone I love," He thought of Lily first, "Would I be able to look somebody in the eye and curse them? Kill them? Obviously, it's difficult to say unless you're in the moment, but I don't think I'd be able to live with myself." His voice was even. "I'd die for someone I love. A thousand times over. But I'm not sure, in good conscience, that I could kill for them. Maybe that's selfish. Maybe it means we'll lose, and we're doomed, but I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees. I don't want this war to turn me into something I'm not. I want to win, but I want to win on my terms, without compromising who I am."

Although it was on a far smaller scale, James could relate to far more of what Regulus was feeling than either of them probably realised. "No, I think I get it. As much as I can get it, I mean." No – had it been that obvious? He didn't want Regulus to think he couldn't talk about it further if he needed to, so James shook his head. "Confess to me. It's fine. I'll pardon all of 'em."

"Don't be like what? I'm not being like anything," he said defensively. "I'm being perfectly nice. I just said I'm happy for you." Of-fucking-course it was Caradoc. He rolled his eyes. Clearly, Regulus had a type. "Cool." There was definitely something wrong with him. He was acting like a moody, jealous teenager, and he wasn't even sure why, because he certainly wasn't moody, or jealous, or a teenager. A buzz filled his head, and he forced a smile. He wished Regulus had obliviated him, and then himself, so that they could both forget about this horrible reaction.

[pigeonwhumps]

Find the Word tag game

Thanks for the tag @verkja! I was tagged to find Hollow, Smooth, Glass, and Push. I couldn't find hollow unfortunately but I found the rest (and they're long snippets lol). All from different series too!

Smooth

CWs: fingore, handcuffs

And Sam kicks out.

They swipe the legs out from under the officer and he falls backwards, already unbalanced from leaning in to hear them. Then they stand, letting the handcuffs fall away, and quick as a flash they drag the officer across the floor, securing his wrist to a table leg. He watches, eyes stunned and scared, as they crouch down in front of him.

"Now. Where the fuck is my friend?"

"I– I can't say."

Sam takes the officer's hand and holds up a finger. "Lucky this room's soundproofed then, isn't it?" And they bend it back until there's an audible snap.

The man's howls echo around the interrogation room. Sam rolls their eyes as they wait for them to die away. They don't have time for this.

"I'll ask you again. Where. Is. Lucan?" When the officer shakes his head, panting for breath, Sam holds up another finger. His eyes widen. "No, please. Please don't. I don't know, I swear."

"Then how do we find out?"

"I– I need to radio the- the front desk."

Sam reaches into the officer's pocket and pulls out a walkie-talkie. "Here. Do it. And if they suspect anything, you can choose which finger goes next."

The officer swallows and presses a button on the walkie-talkie, sending it crackling to life. "Officer Walker here. I need some information on the destination of the faerie we picked up a few hours ago."

"Why do you need to know that?"

Sam squeezes Walker's finger in warning and he gulps, pained tears streaming down his face. "Figured it might speed up Johnson's confession if he knew he wasn't seeing him again.

The voice chuckles. "Good plan. I'll get back to you once I've found it." The walkie-talkie crackles out.

"Smooth liar," says Sam approvingly. That'll make things so much easier.

Walker whimpers and Sam snorts derisively. "Oh come on. It's not like I've broken your kneecaps. Raped you. Maimed you. I'm not you, after all. Pull yourself together."

"I– I've never done any of those things," he whispers.

"You've arrested people and knowingly handed them to those who do, that's as close as makes no difference."

Glass

CWs: minor whumpee, mentioned beating, non-con alcohol consumption

When Mrs Leach had returned the next morning she'd found them unconscious in a pile of uncleared rubbish, mess everywhere, a cut on their cheek from broken glass, and beaten them to a pulp for it.

Well. They don't remember being found. But they can still feel the clammy hand over their face, pinching their nose so he could pour the beer in, then clamping their mouth shut and not allowing them to breathe until they'd swallowed. They can still feel the burn of alcohol down their throat. The horrible queasiness and lack of control over themself and the pounding headache. The humiliation. They didn't think they'd ever be grateful for Mrs Leach.

They clutch their dad close, trying to dispel the memories still clinging to them. And their dad holds them just as tightly, running a hand through their hair.

"Iť's alright, Rowan, you're safe. Easy, kid, you're alright now. You're safe, I promise." He keeps up the litany of reassurances until Rowan can pull away, leaning against him instead, breathing in the crisp wintery air.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem. You want to go inside or stay out here for a bit?"

"I'm- I'm okay. We can go back."

Their dad nods, getting to his feet and pulling Rowan up with them, keeping an arm around their shoulders that they're incredibly grateful for.

Everyone looks around as they re-enter the living room, and Rowan shrinks a little against their dad.

Push

CWs: mentioned beating, possessions destruction, plushie abuse

Aaron's fuming as he makes his way up to Phoenix's team's quarters.

They jumped them. They fucking jumped them. Phoenix hasn't said as much, but between the jumpiness and not wanting to be left alone and the goddamn bootprint-shaped bruise on the small of their back it's obvious.

All those bruises, all over Phoenix's body. Aaron doesn't understand why they'd do it, not the night before Phoenix is due to leave. One last piece of fun?

Shaking their head, they push open the door to Phoenix's room. It's a mess. And not a Phoenix-mess, he'd recognise that anywhere after the amount they've made at his place, this is someone else's. They pick their way carefully through the scattered belongings, some of them dirty and torn, until they reach the wardrobe and pulls out a black camping rucksack. At least that's not damaged. They pull all the clothes remaining in the wardrobe and stuff them into the bag, then turn to survey the rest of the room.

There's no point trying to save the fairy lights, which have been ripped down and stamped on. He picks up the books he thinks he can save, most of which have missing pages or covers, but some are torn completely. There's no saving them.

Then they change their mind and pack those in anyway. Maybe Phoenix can fix them. Or they might want them anyway, even if they can't.

He strips the bed and covers, piling the colourful bedspread that was a gift from Kai into the bag as well as the massive fluffy blanket. The polaroids of the three of them they slip into a secure pocket.

Then they turn to the last remaining item, arm and foot torn off, stuffing pooling onto the mattress underneath. Mr Frosty. The only thing Phoenix has from when they were little, already repaired several times in his long life.

It's Aaron's turn to repair him this time.

He picks up the large plushy snowman and packs him away carefully, then gathers as much stuffing and loose plushy fabric as he can find, tucking it into another pocket.

That's everything then. There's a few pieces of clothing that would be impossible to repair, and the fairy lights of course, but other than that... Phoenix's life, packed into one not-quite-full rucksack. He shoulders it and turns to leave.

Abbie's standing in the doorway, arms folded, a smirk on her face.

I'm tagging @hold-him-down @whumpsday @quietly-by-myself @whither-wander-whump and anyone else who wants to take part! Your words are Box, Food, Hill, and Shine.

[wolfeyedwitch]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22

=-=

Phoenix tilted her head a bit, she hadn't realize it was a important matter, but think about it the uncertainty might be scary in Poppet's situation.

"Let's started with the why, I brought you here because I was curious, you were there, dying alone, and I wanted to know why. I know now, so I'm not really curious anymore," Phoenix said nonchalantly, "And what I'm going to do... I don't really know, but since I brought you here I'll have to find out, right? figure out in what I can use you... Tell me, Poppet, what can you do?"

=-=

CW: panic attacks, Bailey's crappy headspace, minor suicidal ideation

Despair and fear welled up in Bailey as Phoenix spoke. They were wrong; she was just like Slipknot. Just another person wanting to use them. Bailey was tired of being a tool, a toy, an obedient dog. But if they weren't useful, what was the point of them?

Who would bother to keep something useless around?

Their breath hitched in their throat, which felt no larger than a straw. Why was it so hard to breathe?

This? Asking them what they were good for? This was a test, and they were going to fail. All the things they could do were things they didn't want to do. Images flashed through their mind: Slipknot training them on how to use a gun, how to throw a punch, how to dodge and block. Teaching them fine control of their powers—by making it so they couldn't use their hands, leaving their powers as their only option. The training sessions where Bailey learned to fight against unfair odds, and the ones where Bailey learned to fight through pain and not show weakness.

Images of Icarus, broken and bloody and begging from what they did to him.

"I don't—" they started, words catching in their throat. They were backing up, trying to get away from her. Trying to get away from this new villain who wanted to put them on a fucking leash.

Around them, everything was shaking. Of course; the last time they'd panicked around Phoenix, they'd been too weak and drained to use their powers. Now, with some food and sleep, they had enough reserves to draw on when they fucked up and let their powers get out of control.

"I- I can't, not again, please, I don't want to, please don't make me," they babbled, barely knowing if what they said made sense. "Please, please, just let me go, I won't tell anyone, I won't tell them anything, I just—"

They had backed up far enough that they hit the wall. They leaned against it, the movement turning into a slide down to the floor as their knees gave up on them. Traitors.

"You should have left me, why didn't you just leave me there!" they said, becoming more and more hysterical. "I'd either have died like I was supposed to, on the streets like a common fucking mongrel, or I'd have made it to the heroes and been arrested so I could be useful without hurting anyone!"

They sobbed, burying their face in their knees.

Either option would have been better than this.

@neverthelass @cupcakes-and-pain @badluck990 @whumpsday