#at-home anti-aging solution

[pharmaciopy217]

Pharmaciopy’s Eneo Classic: Powerful Anti-Aging Technology

Tired of skincare that overpromises but underdelivers? Meet Pharmaciopy’s Eneo Classic, the FDA-cleared anti-aging device designed to transform your skin without invasive treatments or harsh ingredients. This sleek, medical-grade tool helps smooth wrinkles, fade pigmentation, and bring back your youthful glow through advanced light therapy. Whether you’re a skincare minimalist or a beauty enthusiast, this innovative device delivers real results in minutes. Safe for all skin types and tones, Pharmaciopy’s Eneo Classic is your all-in-one solution for professional skincare at home—convenient, powerful, and truly transformative.

Why Pharmaciopy’s Eneo Classic Stands Above the Rest

When it comes to anti-aging devices, Pharmaciopy’s Eneo Classic sets a new industry standard. While competitors rely on gimmicks and temporary fixes, this FDA-cleared device uses proven red and infrared light technology to deliver visible results that last. It’s hypoallergenic, safe for daily use, and designed with a smart temperature control chip for comfort and precision. Unlike bulky skincare tools, it’s lightweight, portable, and effortless to use. For those who value results, reliability, and simplicity, Pharmaciopy’s Eneo Classic is the smarter skincare investment.

What Is the Pharmaciopy Eneo Classic?

Pharmaciopy’s Eneo Classic is an advanced, FDA-cleared skincare device designed to reduce visible signs of aging through red and infrared LED light therapy. It works by stimulating collagen production and improving skin texture without the need for invasive procedures. Suitable for all skin types and tones, this non-invasive tool targets fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, and sagging skin. With clinical approval and dermatologist recommendations, it offers an effective, pain-free alternative to traditional anti-aging treatments from the comfort of your home.

Benefits of the Pharmaciopy Eneo Classic

Using Pharmaciopy’s Eneo Classic comes with a host of long-lasting benefits, including:

Uses red and infrared light to reduce wrinkles and fine lines

Detox blue light offers powerful anti-inflammatory effects

Medical-grade applicator for safe, gentle contact with skin

Clinically tested temperature control for consistent results

Enhances skin clarity by reducing impurities and imperfections

Promotes long-term collagen production and skin elasticity

Safe for all skin types and tones

Non-invasive, easy-to-use device with visible, lasting results

How to Use the Pharmaciopy Eneo Classic

Begin with clean, dry skin or apply over your favorite serum or moisturizer

Turn on the device and let it warm up for a few seconds

Glide in slow, upward V-shaped motions across your face or target areas

Treat each section for 4 minutes using gentle, consistent pressure

Finish with moisturizer for best results

Clean the device after each session and recharge it for next use

Use daily or as part of your weekly skincare routine

Rejuvenate Your Skin with Pharmaciopy Today

Experience the difference of high-performance skincare with Pharmaciopy’s Eneo Classic. It’s time to say goodbye to fine lines, dullness, uneven texture, and tired-looking skin—right from the comfort of your home. Don’t wait to transform your skin and boost your confidence naturally and safely. Visit Pharmaciopy today and explore the Eneo Classic, your new go-to solution for effortless, glowing, radiant, youthful skin.

[pharmaciopy216]

Reveal Youthful Skin with Pharmaciopy Thrmoage Viox Mask

Looking for a luxurious skincare solution that delivers real results without the hassle of salon visits? The Pharmaciopy Thrmoage Viox Emerald Thermal Mask is a self-heating anti-aging thermal mask designed to reduce fine lines, boost collagen, and restore skin elasticity. With a spa-like formula powered by emerald powder and hyaluronic acid, this innovative mask deeply cleanses, detoxifies, and rejuvenates. Whether you're battling dullness or fine lines, this is your secret to youthful, glowing skin—right from the comfort of your own home.

Pharmaciopy’s Thermal Mask Delivers Results Others Can’t Match

The Pharmaciopy Thrmoage Viox Emerald Thermal Mask is not your average skincare product—it’s a bold leap ahead of traditional anti-aging solutions. While other masks simply hydrate the surface, this thermal mask activates with heat, diving deep to cleanse pores, stimulate collagen, and visibly reduce wrinkles. Powered by emerald powder and advanced botanicals, it brings professional spa results to your home. Backed by clean, cruelty-free ingredients and real science, Pharmaciopy’s thermal mask outperforms competitors by delivering results you can actually see and feel after just one use.

What Is Pharmaciopy’s Thrmoage Viox Emerald Thermal Mask?

The Thrmoage Viox Emerald Thermal Mask is an advanced anti-aging thermal mask that activates with heat when applied to the skin. It mimics the effects of a professional facial or Botox treatment without invasive procedures. By opening pores and enhancing absorption, it helps remove impurities, hydrate the skin, and boost collagen production. The star ingredients—emerald powder, hyaluronic acid, and watercress—work together to revitalize and refine skin for a youthful, radiant appearance.

Benefits of Pharmaciopy’s Thrmoage Viox Emerald Thermal Mask

The Pharmaciopy Thrmoage Viox Emerald Thermal Mask offers a wide range of advanced, skin-enhancing benefits that make it a standout anti-aging solution:

Reduces the appearance of fine lines and deep wrinkles

Improves skin elasticity while enhancing natural firmness

Stimulates long-term collagen production for youthful skin

Uses self-heating action to detoxify and clear clogged pores

Enhances absorption of vital nutrients and active ingredients

Deeply hydrates and balances uneven tone

Reveals skin that’s smoother, brighter, and visibly rejuvenated

How to Use Pharmaciopy’sThrmoage Viox Emerald Thermal Mask

Applying the Pharmaciopy Thrmoage Viox Emerald Thermal Mask is simple, effective, and fits effortlessly into your skincare routine:

Use the included spatula to gently mix and activate the formula

Apply a generous, even layer to freshly cleansed, damp skin

Allow the mask to self-heat and work for 2–3 relaxing minutes

Rinse thoroughly with warm water and gently pat your face dry

Use once or twice weekly for best visible results

Follow with your favorite Pharmaciopy serum and moisturizer for enhanced benefits

Elevate Your Skincare with Pharmaciopy's Thermal Mask

Don’t settle for average skincare when you can indulge in radiant, youthful results with the Pharmaciopy Thrmoage Viox Emerald Thermal Mask. Perfect your skincare routine with a luxurious, science-backed solution that delivers real change. Ready to elevate your glow? Visit Pharmaciopy today and discover the anti-aging thermal mask that transforms your skin from dull to dazzling—one application at a time.

[cosmetricz]

MISTIC BOTOX - Ser Filler Profund ANTIAGE, cu caracter BioMIMETIC, indicat pentru repararea leziunilor epidermice, ridurilor, pierderii elasticității, tenului tern, din cauza imbatranirii pielii. MISTIC BOTOX realizeaza restabilirea sanatatii si tineretii tenului, datorita structurii sale combinate, cat si datorita Bio-Tehologiei incorporate.

Este formulat pe baza componentelor esentiale structurii pielli, ce au efecte excelente antiage evaluate clinic, cu dimensiuni variabile in jur de 3000 daltoni: Tripeptide-31, Hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin, Pentapeptide-18, Palmitoyl tripeptide-38, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Azelaoyl Bis-Dipeptide-10, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-19, Lizină HCL, Lecitina, Tripeptide-9 citrulin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, vitamina A, vitamina E, vitamina PP, vitamina d3,Sodium Ascorrbyl Phosphate, Glycoproteins, Glutamic Acid, Threonine, Valine, Kigelia Africana, Extracte alge,..

Reduce eficient imbatranirea pielii, ridurile, previne insuficienta si creste productia si concentratia componentelor esentiale in structura pielii, realizaza concomitent, oxigenarea, reactivarea, regenerarea celulara si mentinerea acestui proces, contracareaza relaxarea structurala, pentru toate tipurile de ten.

Actioneaza atat in matricea extracelulara cat si in cea extracelulara, fiind un un activ anti-aging de origine naturală cu efect impotriva ridurilor si a lasarii pielii. Este recomandat pentru o piele ferma, tonifiata, cu un aspect mai neted si mai tanar.

Se foloseste zilnic. Cosmeticele ce contin alcooli, sulfati, dimeticon/silicon, parabeni, vor scadea actiunea MISTIC BOTOX. Se pastreaza la frigider , aprox 5gr.C. A se feri de lumina puternica si caldura.

#botoxnatural #botoxlike #complexvitamineten #colagen #elastina #regenerareten #tenimatur #prevenireriduri #cremaantirid #cremacuefect #eliminareriduri #health#facecare #perfectteint #nowrinkles #hialuronicacid #acidhialuronic #antirid #antiage #liftingnatural #riduriochi #ridurifrunte #tratamentantirid #antiwrinkle #antiwrinkletreatment #antiwrinkleserum #antiwrinkles #nowrinkles #beautytreatmentathome #kollagen #antifaltencreme #hyaluronsaure #gesichtscreme #hautverjungung #falten2023

#tratamentintinerireten #tenferm #tentanar #farariduri #eliminariduriledeexpresie #eliminaridurilanas #liftingnatural #lifting

[av-shiftz]

⛧ Things to Script for your Supernatural DR ⛧

BLOODHOUND - you can smell when your enemies or things you are hunting are nearby

THINK QUICK - you have very fast reflexes and are always the first to think of a quick, logical solution

SOUL REAPER - you and your loved ones can never die on a hunt, only of old age

WICKED WITCH - hex bags never work on you, and backfire onto the sender

HOLY WATER - you are immune to turning into a supernatural species such as a vampire or werewolf

TRUTH SERUM - you have a way of knowing when someone is lying to you or dodging around the truth

SQUEAKY CLEAN - somehow, you always luck out, and your motel rooms are always clean and sanitary

ANTI POSESSION CHARM - you can never get possessed by a demon or any entity

BLESS OF HEALING - your bruises go away very quickly, and your wounds heal in a short time as well

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS - Sam and Dean don't snore (trust...)

BLOODY MARY - you never get your period during an inconvenient time (ex. on a hunt, not at home)

AT HOME LUXURY - If you live in the bunker, script that it has an extra space with your favorite amenities (ex. pool, hot tub, sauna, gym)

FENDER BENDER - your vehicle can't get wrecked (for those high paced chase moments)

ILLUSION DIFFUSION - you can tell when someone is astral projecting and when they are actually there

[hero-israel]

While I agree that Israel has made it nearly impossible for any Palestinian political movement to actually engage with them in good faith to find a peaceful solution (or even a peaceful pathway to a solution) a lot of people seem to have run with that to “Hamas had no choice but to attack with such savagery!!!!” And 1) if you actually look at Hamas’ track record over the past 20 years or so it’s a whole lot of “well I’ve tried nothing and I’m all out of ideas” (tbh Hamas has tried one or two violent, terrible ideas that didn’t work out, but same diff) and 2) “well they hurt me so I’ll hurt them” is the morality of a five year old

You never see Tibetans or Uighurs massacring hundreds of teenagers at a rock concert in China then packing the women onto rape trucks. Yezidis do not send suicide bombers into Arab old age homes on major holidays to kill off 3 generations of families. There is no way to view this topic without confronting the specifically anti-Jewish chauvinism, supremacism, and genocidalism that has been the norm in Arab and Muslim societies for a millennium or more. The entire "well, what do you EXPECT Palestinians to do??!" frame is pure colonialism. It says only Palestinians know how to have problems, only their tactics count, and anyone who doesn't bomb school buses either doesn't have problems or is doing it wrong.

[documentationofcorruption]

I'm exhausted. 2 whole days of compiling zionist statements for y'all. Please reblog.

(LONG POST: TW- genocidal rhetoric, anti-palestinian hate, additions welcome)

-

#1 - ALARMING STATEMENTS FROM ISRAELI LEADERS:

"This is a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle."

-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deleted tweet

“You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. 1 Samuel 15:3 ‘Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass’," 

-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 

“We are striking our enemies with unprecedented might,” … “I emphasize that this is only the beginning.”

-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 

“We're in complete compliance with international law. I think in many ways, we're setting a different standard. We seek to minimize civilian casualties, and Hamas seeks to maximize it.”

-Benjamin Netanyahu tweet 

“The civilized world must unite to defeat Hamas,”

-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says that 'there is a time for peace and a time for war.' This is a time for war. A war for our common future,"

-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 

“We will hold Gaza after the war too, we will not trust international forces”

-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 

"Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened, and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home,"

-Israeli minister of energy, Israel Katz

"Each country should take a quota...We need all 2 million to leave. That is the solution for Gaza."

-former Israeli Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked

"The goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages. Only then will Israel be calm for 40 years."

-former Israeli interior minister, Eli Yishai (2012)

"After we turn Khan Younis too into a soccer field […] we need to take advantage of the destruction [to tell] the countries that each of them should take a quota, it can be 20000 or 50000 […] We need 2 million to leave. That's the solution for Gaza."

-former Israeli interior minister, Eli Yishai 

"King David cut off another 100 foreskins of Philistines as revenge for clogging up the wells with dirt. Our soldiers, who have gone to war to protect their homes and to avenge the terrible massacre that these Nazi terrorists carried out, will cover them in their tunnels with dirt, and will return to peace with the abductees only after they have cut off all these accursed foreskins.”

-Israeli minister Shlomo Karhi 

“We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly,”

-Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant

“We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza,” 

There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything will be closed.”

Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant

“There is no such thing as a Palestinian nation. There is no Palestinian history. There is no Palestinian language.”

-Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich (March 2023)

 "It is natural that my wife would not want to lie down next to someone who just gave birth to a baby that might want to murder her baby in another 20 years."

-Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, on segregating maternity wards (2016)

(Israel must) “create sterile security areas around Jewish communities and roads and prevent Arabs from entering them, including for the purpose of olive harvesting.”

-Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich 

"[Hilltop Youth] are heroes and righteous people, and I admire their love for the people, for the land, for the Torah. Their dedication. But like young people in other domains, sometimes they struggle to hold complexities, make mistakes, and we must know where to draw the line."

-Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich (referring to the extremist religious group “Hilltop Youth” notorious for illegal settler violence 

“It is an entire nation out there that is responsible,”

-Israeli president, Isaac Herzog

“It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up. They could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’etat.”

-Israeli president, Isaac Herzog

(long chunk of text)

“1. This war is not only against Hamas.

2. This war is first and foremost about the future of the State of Israel and the future of the Zionist project.

3. Any scenario other than a complete and unequivocal defeat of the enemy, at any cost, condemns us and our descendants to a bleak future that will not allow our existence here as a free people.

4. If we do not convey the message to our foes now about the price they will pay for hurting us, they will continue to hurt us mercilessly. 

5. Only strength - military, political, economic, social - will ensure the victory of Zionism and the State of Israel.”

-Tweet from Israeli Foreign Minister Emmanuel Nahshon

“if it is one Israeli mother crying, or a thousand Palestinian mothers crying, then a thousand Palestinian mothers will cry.”

-Israeli Lawmaker, Zvika Fogel (2022)

“We are too merciful. It’s time for us to stop being so. It has nothing to do with racism.”

-Israeli Lawmaker, Zvika Fogel (2022)

“Gaza should be wiped off the map.”

-Knesset Member, Galit Distel Atbaryan

“All of this preoccupation with whether or not there is internet in Gaza shows that we have learned nothing. We are too humane. Burn Gaza now no less!”

-tweet from Israeli deputy speaker Nissim Vaturi

“Your fear will kill us. Stop being humane.”

- Israeli deputy speaker, Nissim Vaturi

“In 1967 we held them by force. We cannot repeat this mistake. As a democratic state we must allow them to leave to other countries, far from here.”

-Israeli deputy speaker, Nissim Vaturi tweet 

"We need to put them (the Palestinians) on boats and send them to wherever will be good for them. They're wanted in Scotland? We'll hand them over."

- Israeli deputy speaker, Nissim Vaturi

“"we can leave one old man (alive) there - he will tell everyone"

-Nissim Vaturi tweet regarding Gaza

(The Palestinians) “They can go to Ireland or deserts, the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves”,

-Currently suspended minister Amichai Eliyahu, who proposed nuking Gaza as “an option”

When you go to prison and put a prisoner there you restrict his rights, is that apartheid?"

-Amichai Eliyahu

“Right now, one goal: Nakba! A Nakba that will overshadow the Nakba of 48. Nakba in Gaza and Nakba to anyone who dares to join! their Nakba, because like then in 1948, the alternative is clear.”

-Knesset member, Ariel Kallner

"Occupation [of the Gaza Strip] is a must. Every time our enemies lost territory, they lost the war. We need to be in full control - that's what will deter our enemies, convey a message of victory.”

-minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir

“My right and the right of my wife and children to move around freely on the streets of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) is more important than the freedom of movement of Arabs. Sorry Muhammad.”

-minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir

“The only thing that should enter Gaza as long as Hamas doesn’t release the hostages it holds is not a gram of humanitarian aid, but hundreds of tons of explosives from the Air Force.”

-minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir

“If the international media is objective and shows both sides, it serves Hamas.”

-former Israeli prime minister, Yair Lapid

"This is Gaza's Nakba 2023."

-agriculture minister, Avi Dichter

“We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba”

-agriculture minister, Avi Dichter

“Human animals must be treated as such. You wanted hell, you will get hell.”

-general of the Israeli army, Ghassan Alian

“The children of Gaza have brought this upon themselves.”

-Knesset member, Merav Ben-Ari

“I am very puzzled by the constant concern which the world is showing for the Palestinian people and is actually showing for these horrible inhuman animals.”

-former Israeli U.S. Ambassador, Dan Gillerman

“99% of hilltop youth don’t cause any harm to anyone - not to the army and not to others. There’s no such thing as ‘settler violence’.”

-tweet from head of IDF Central Command, Yehuda Fuchs (regarding an extremist group)

“...And the thing I most enjoyed was seeing the Israeli flags they put up in every corner, and the amplifier playing the national anthem, HaTikva, at full volume on a loop from morning to night. May their names and memories be eradicated.”

-media advisor, Ariel Elharar, describing treatment of Hamas-affiliated POWs in prison.

“As you will have seen in the last couple of weeks, the fighting is very surgical. It is slow. It is very methodical. We are trying not to reach any of the non-combatant population in the Gaza Strip. And I think that there is no way that we can eradicate the Hamas without dealing with most of its forces that have been— that have fled to the south. Now, again, one little note, “the non-combatant population in the Gaza Strip” is really a non-existent term because all of the Gazans voted for the Hamas, and as we have seen on the 7th of October, most of the population in the Gaza Strip are Hamas.”

-former Mossad chief, Rami Igra

#2 ALARMING STATEMENTS FROM AMERICAN LEADERS:

"What they say to me is I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I'm sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war,"

-president Joe Biden regarding Gazan death tolls

“…I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using.”

-president Joe Biden regarding Gazan death tolls

 “Anyone that is pro-Palestinian is pro-Hamas.”

-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

“Ethnic cleansing of Palestinians?!?!?!” You mean the Palestinians who decapitate babies, rape women and dismember children? Or those who hand out candy in celebration? Or those who provide the terrorists aid, comfort, safe passage and a place to hide? Israel doesn’t oppose their ethnicity, it’s their barbarity that is the problem!”

-former ambassador David Freidman

“If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all antisemitic,”

-Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Palestinians

“I’m sick of hearing the media, I’m sick of hearing other people blame Israel just for defending itself,”

-Florida governor Ron DeSantis on criticism of Israel

“I don’t even want to call it the Palestinian flag because they’re not a state, they’re a territory, that’s about to probably get eviscerated and go away here shortly, as we’re going to turn that into a parking lot,”

-Rep. Max Miller (who thinks Israel doesn’t need to follow rules of engagement)

“...Israel is not trying to wipe the Palestinian people off the map. Israel’s not trying to wipe Gaza off the map. Israel is trying to defend itself against a genocidal terrorist threat … If we’re gonna start using that word, fine. Let’s use it appropriately.”

-National Security Spokesman, John Kirby

If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children, you know what? It wasn't enough!"

-Stuart Seldowitz, former advisor to Barack Obama

“All of them!”

-Rep. Michelle Salzman (enthusiastically) in response to a colleague asking how many more Palestinians have to die before it is deemed enough

“We’re in a religious war here. I am with Israel,” 

-Senator Lindsey Graham

“Do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself. Level the place.”

-Senator Lindsey Graham

“Gaza is going to look like Tokyo and Berlin at the end of world war two when this is over. And if it doesn’t look that way, Israel made a mistake,”

-Senator Lindsey Graham

“Hamas is creating these casualties, not Israel,”

-Lindsay Graham’s statement which contradicts about everything else here

“As far as I’m concerned, Israel can bounce the rubble in Gaza,”

-Senator Tom Cotton

"Israel must respond DISPROPORTIONATELY to this and any future attacks." 

-Senator Marco Rubio

“I don't think there's any way Israel can be expected to coexist or find some diplomatic offramp with these savages. I mean, these are people, as you have been reporting and others have seen, that deliberately targeted teenage girls, women, children, the elderly, not just for rape and murder, but then dumping their bodies off in the streets of Gaza, where the crowds can then defile their lifeless bodies.

I mean, just horrifying things. And I don't think we know the full extent of it yet. I mean, there's more to come in the days and weeks ahead. You can't coexist. They have to be eradicated. And you've pointed out the very difficult challenge ahead—this is going to be incredibly painful. This is going to be incredibly difficult and it's going to be horrifying—the price to pay.”

-Senator Marco Rubio 

“Finish them. Finish them,”

-Nikki Haley after being asked about a humanitarian pause

“This is not just an attack on Israel—this was an attack on America. Finish them, @b.netanyahu. They should have hell to pay for what they have just done.”

-instagram caption from Nikki Haley 

“I don’t know how you can have a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire, with an organization like Hamas, which is dedicated to turmoil and chaos and destroying the state of Israel,” 

-senator Bernie Sanders

“The calls for a ceasefire are outrageous.”

-house speaker Mike Johnson

“there are very few innocent Palestinian citizens”

-rep. Brian Mast

(terrorism is) “absolutely supported by the Palestinian people from elementary school all the way up into the elderly,” 

-rep. Brian Mast

“I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians, as frequently said,” … “I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians’ during World War II.”

-rep. Brian Mast

“Rashida Tlaib has alleged ties to Hamas.

Based on these allegations, it’s sadly not surprising she’s calling for a genocide against the Jewish people.”

-an accusatory tweet from senator Marsha Blackburn regarding lone Palestinian congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib

“I don’t have any malice towards Palestinians. I have Muslim friends, believe me.”

-rep. Ryan Zinke regarding criticism of his Palestinian ban 

“I don't trust the Biden Administration any more than I do the Palestinian Authority to screen who is allowed to come into the United States. This is the most anti-Hamas immigration legislation I have seen and it's well deserved.”

-also rep. Ryan Zinke claiming his Palestinian immigration ban is ‘well deserved’

#3 VIRAL STATEMENTS FROM EVERYDAY ZIONISTS:

(long chunk of text)

“On the Gaza beach the autumn night is descending

Planes are bombing, ruin follows ruin

See the IDF crossing the borderline

To annihilate the Swastika carriers

In one more year

There won’t be anything left there

And we’ll return safely to our home

In one more year

We’ll eliminate them all and go back to plowing our fields”

-Video on Kan News, sung by several 6-12 year olds

"After the war, Israel should handle Gaza like China handles Xinjiang. Full surveillance state. Re education camps. Sterilizations. It's warranted and the only way to pacify the jihadi population."

"They reproduce like rabbits and raise them to be terrorists, creating more poverty, misery, and terrorism. Why should we allow that. The world would be a much better place if they didn't reproduce."

-tweets from cofounder of Oyster Ventures, Kenneth Ballenegger

“These are the Palestinians. Blood thirsty morally depraved animals who want nothing short of every inch of Israel and all Jews dead.”

“Lots of sand for Palestinians in Sinai which Israel gave to Egypt. Give them all 48h to get there…”

-tweets from pediatrician at John Hopkins, Darren Klugman

(long chunk of text)

“Listen carefully you leftists,

We don’t do reconciliation.

And the chorus stays the same:

May your village burn down.”

-Sung by IDF soldiers in the West Bank 

“No ceasefire!”

-chants from March For Israel crowd in response to Van Jones wanting no more deaths

“I wish they will rape you alive.

They will film you.

And if your mother be alive.

They will send the video for your mother to see how you burn.

That’s what I wish.”

-March for Israel protester

“Let me say the unsayable. I’m not endorsing this but it’s a possible solution which is simply to expel them from Gaza. You might call that ethnic cleansing and so forth but the fact is that at the end of the second world war there were a million Germans kicked out of Poland. There were Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia,"

-Breitbart editor, Joel Pollak

“That’s an option, I think, after all this … If it comes down to ethnic cleansing, you want to cleanse my people. I’ll cleanse yours first.”

-Breitbart editor, Joel Pollak

“There will never be a Palestinian state. It’s over.”

-Breitbart editor, Joel Pollak

#4 A FEW ALARMING CELEBRITY STATEMENTS:

“Gazans rape Jewish girls only in self defense,”

-a line from a comic posted by Amy Schumer

“You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism”

-Noah Schnapp 

“Many are saying that it’s inhumane that Israel is cutting off water/electricity to Gaza. Israel made it pretty simple — ‘release the hostages and we will turn it back on. Instead of pleading with Hamas to release CIVILIAN hostages which include BABIES and TODDLERS there are politicians (cough cough AOC) calling Israel inhumane. If that isn’t enough for you: ISRAEL DOES NOT NEED TO SUPPLY GAZA WITH THESE RESOURCES (which they do, for FREE),”

-deleted Sarah Silverman story she said she made because she was “stoned”

[girlactionfigure]

THURSDAY HERO: Jeanne Brousse

Jeanne Brousse was a Frenchwoman and devout Catholic who put her own life at risk to save Jewish families during the Nazi occupation of France.

Born in 1921, Jeanne grew up in a working-class family in Annecy, a charming town in the French Alps. Her mother worked as a maid, and her father, a cheesemaker, was a veteran of World War I who had been gassed by the Germans and suffered lifelong health problems as a result. After helping care for her injured father as a young girl, Jeanne decided to become a nurse and help other suffering patients. She moved to Paris at age 18, to train at a nursing school run by the French Red Cross, however war was declared and she was unable to enroll. Instead she returned to her hometown and became a civil servant in Annecy. In 1941 Jeanne joined the brand-new Refugee Service, an agency of the local government formed to help new arrivals to the region.

In her new position, Jeanne did much more than the job called for. Seeing an immediate need for French Jews to find a safe haven from encroaching Nazi persecution, Jeanne used her contacts in the government and the clergy to find out when deportations of Jews were scheduled so she could warn them and help them flee to safety in Switzerland. Incredibly, Jeanne had never met a single Jew before she decided to devote her life to saving them. She later said, “I felt horrified by the atrocious fate likely to befall all these innocent victims whose only ‘mistake’ was to be born Jewish. I was determined to find solutions so that the greatest number of those who came to me could be saved.”’

Word got out among the Jews of Annecy that Jeanne was an ally. In November 1942, a Jewish woman named Suzanne Aron approached Jeanne with a desperate request. Her husband, Francis Aron, was a reserve officer in the French army who was injured in 1940 and received the Legion of Honor, the highest award given by the French government. When he and his wife were ordered in 1941 to affix a yellow star prominently to their clothing, identifying them as Jews, Francis was furious. He was a decorated war hero who’d given everything to his country, and now he was being persecuted and humiliated by the government he’d sworn to protect and serve? Defiant, Francis refused to wear the yellow star and burnt his identity papers identifying him as Jewish. This impulsive act however did not provide freedom but rather increased danger. Francis’ wife Suzanne had heard about the woman at the Refugee Service who was helping Jews, and she went to Jeanne’s office and begged for help getting false identity papers.

Despite the danger not only to her career but her life, Jeanne immediately created new identity papers for the Arons, giving them the non-Jewish name of “Caron.” If the Nazi occupiers, or the collaborationist French police, discovered that Jeanne was creating fake documents, she would have been sent to a concentration camp, but her moral compass, inspired by her Catholic faith, was stronger than her fear.

Other desperate Jewish families approached Jeanne, and she started providing “survival kits” for each family, consisting of fake identity papers, clothes, food and ration cards. She tapped into her extensive network of friends and colleagues to find safe homes and jobs for the Jewish refugees. Prominent French Rabbi Henri Schilli and his three daughters were among those saved by Jeanne.

As the war dragged on, Jeanne’s rescue activities intensified. As a government employee, she was not subject to curfews and had a coveted “nightpass” which enabled her to move around freely at night. She used this opportunity to distribute anti-Nazi leaflets, and warn young local men who were on the government’s list to be drafted to work in Germany, helping the Nazis. Because of Jeanne’s actions, many young men avoided the labor draft and instead became resistance fighters.

Annecy and the surrounding region were liberated by Allied forces in 1944. Soon after, Jeanne married Jean Brousse, who had also worked with the French resistance. Jeanne had three children, and spent the next three decades focused on her family, not spending much time thinking or talking about her astonishing wartime heroism.

In 1973, Jeanne was honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem, partly because of the testimony of Rabbi Schilli. After that, Jeanne began speaking to schoolchildren and other groups about her experiences during the war. She said of herself, “I am not a hero, I am not a lecturer. I am, quite simply, an ordinary woman who lived through extraordinary times.”

Jeanne Brousse died in October 2017 at the age of 96.

For risking her life to save others, we honor Jeanne Brousse as this week’s Thursday Hero.

[moonlightmornings]

(don't panic, this isn't an anti-Shannon post haha... just some thoughts (more like a rant)) i don't think people talk enough about the inner turmoil Eddie went through when it came to Shannon abandoning him and Christopher, and then having to raise him as a single father. feeling like he ruined her life and couldn't fix things, or that he couldn't trust just anyone and might've had trouble getting close to people after Shannon left, and then died. all the while poor, innocent Chris became an accessory and a bystander in all of this.

again, this isn't to say Shannon's a bad person; i'm purely talking about Eddie's emotions here. everyone always discusses Shannon's difficult pregnancy, taking care of a newborn while her husband's at war, dealing with religious pressure/abuse and taking care of her ailing mother. yeah, that's a fuck ton of responsibility to be handing at such a young age, and by herself no less...

i just don't often see people go in-depth about Eddie's way of processing things outside of "yeah being a single father sucks", but that's likely because we see it play out with our own eyes over the course of many seasons.

but it's also well documented that Eddie and Shannon's whole relationship wasn't the best; they both had there faults...

when Eddie fled to the military after Chris was born it was to provide for their family, but it was also a twisted way of avoiding things back home. he wasn't ready to be a father and hadn't prepared himself for a life like that yet, and his solution was the run away. when Shannon left them it was because she "needed time" away from her troubles as a wife and mother when the stress and pressure got to be too much. she left with the promise that she'd be back, cut basically all contact with them until one day YEARS later Eddie makes an attempt to bring her back into the picture.

i think a lot of fans are divided on how they feel about Shannon. some see her as some sort of villain, others sympathize with why she struggled so much and understand why she did what she did...

[aestariiwilderness]

He's right. You don't need a degree in history to understand this conflict and see who's right (Israel) and who's wrong ("Palestinians", Gaza, Hamas, Hezbollah, the 22 Arab ethnostates surrounding Israel, the antisemites around the world, etc.). You just need to listen to what they say and see how they can't keep it straight even to themselves. Post below: It’s been a while since we did a round up of all the absurd lies people believe about Israel. Here’s the thing. You don’t have to know history. You don’t even have to know facts. You can think whatever you want. It is just pure logic. These lies contradict each other. The anti Israel narrative is full of contradictions, and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that. Let’s get started. - Gazans: “Israel was an open air prison before October 7th. That’s why we attacked. To resist the Israeli occupation of Gaza!” Also, Gazans: “Gaza was paradise before October 7th. Look what Israel did to it!”

- The “Pro Palestinian” (Oops, I spelled antisemitic wrong.) crowd: “Hitler was right. We wish he would have finished the job.” Also, “The Holocaust never happened.”

- “Globalize the intifada!” Also, “Ceasefire now.”

- “From the river to the sea…” Also, “Two state solution.”

- “The Zionists are starving Gaza! There’s no food!” Also, “Oh stop with the propaganda! The hostages are fed well!”

- “All we want is a state of our own!” Also, “Thanks Israel for giving us Gaza on a silver platter, now hold my beer while we burn it to the ground and elect a terrorist organization as our leadership!”

- “I’m not antisemitic. None of us are. We are just Anti Zionist!” Also, “Let’s attack every Jew on the internet and on the streets whether they support Israel or not, even if they’ve never stepped foot in Israel!”

- “Israel made up October 7th. It never happened!” Also, “Look at my amazing high resolution footage of October 7th. It was the proudest day in our history!”

- Putin: “We call on Israel to pull out of Israel and stop the aggression.” Also, Putin, “Excuse me while I continue to invade and bomb Ukraine back to the stone ages!”

- The Iranian regime: “The Zionists must stop their violence against the Palestinian people!” Also, “We will obliterate Israel and kill all the Jews and then we’ll come after America and the rest of the western world.”

- The UN: “Israel is spreading lies about us and our organizations! We have nothing against Israel!” Also, “Let’s pass more resolutions against Israel than all other countries combined including countries with genocidal evil regimes that murder their people indiscriminately!”

- Israel defending itself? “Genocide!” Gazans murdering, raping, and burning thousands of people? “Resistance!”

- “If only Israel would end the occupation and go back to the 1967 borders, there would be no Arab aggression!” Also, 1967: “Let’s attack the Jews!”

- “The only reason the “Palestinians” attack Jews is because of the occupation. End the occupation and the terror will end!” Also, 1927: “Let’s massacre Jews in Hebron. Who cares if the state of Israel doesn’t even exist?”

- “Israel is ethnically cleansing the ‘Palestinians’!” Also, the ‘Palestinian’ population has grown exponentially since 1948!”

- “Israel is committing genocide and bombing Gaza indiscriminately!” Also, “Israel has to take its foot soldiers (Who Israel sends in and puts at risk as opposed to bombing from the air and causing accidental innocent deaths.) out of Gaza!”

- Protesters and parliaments worldwide: “Israel is committing genocide! They must be stopped!” Also protestors and parliaments worldwide after mass graves were found in Syria: Crickets…

- Gaza: “We voted for Hamas and 70%-80% of us support October 7th. In fact, many of us proudly participated in the massacre!” Also, Gaza: “Gaza isn’t Hamas and Israel is killing us for no reason!”

- ��Israel stole Arab land and that’s why there are so many ‘Palestinian’ refugees who just want to return to their home!” Also, “Let’s make sure more and more ‘Palestinians’ call themselves refugees year after year.”

- “Israel occupied an Arab Palestinian state that existed for thousands of years!” Also, “I can’t name a single Arab Palestinian before the Egyptian named Arafat hijacked the world Palestine, which was Israel.”

- “So what if there is endless archaeological evidence that Jews lived in this land for thousands of years and there is not a single shred of evidence that Palestine was ever Arab? The Jews stole Palestine from the Arabs!”

- “Israel is an apartheid state!” Also, “Please give me work permits and let me come into Israel so I can have a better life!”

- “Israel is trying to occupy Syria illegally and they must stop immediately!” Syrians: “Thank you for liberating us. Here, take Assad’s weapons and destroy them.”

- The world: “Give the Palestinians a state. That’s all they want, to live alongside Israel!” The ‘Palestinians’: “We don’t want a state. Israel offered us one countless times. We just want no Israel and as many dead Jews as possible!”

- “Islam is a religion of peace!” Islam: “Kill infidels wherever you find them!”

- “Israel is trying to take over the world!” Radical Islam: “We want to take over the world!”

- Arabs in Judea and Samaria: “Israel is oppressing us. We don’t have freedom here. Why is Israel doing this? Why the check points?” Also, Arabs in Judea and Samaria: “Let‘a build a second Gaza here, a hotbed for terror, and let’s send suicide bombers into Israel and try to commit as much terror as possible!”

- Gaza, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria: “Let’s attack Israel non stop and try to kill their innocent civilians!” The world: Silence. Israel: “We need to defend ourselves against Gaza, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria so we need to retaliate!” The world: “Those evil Zionists attacking everyone!”

- Antisemites worldwide: “Israel is committing another Holocaust!” Also, “The Jews are milking this Holocaust lie. It never even happened!”

- Hamas: “We know exactly how many innocent people Israel has killed!” “Hostages? We have no idea how many there are or who is alive. How would we know that?”

- Hamas: “Israel is killing all of us. They must be stopped!” Also, Hamas: “We are winning!”

- “Israel has the iron dome and bomb shelters, we don’t! It’s not fair!” Also, “Let’s use the billions in foreign aid to build terror tunnels and weapons!”

- “People are dying of dehydration in Gaza. There is no water!” Also, “Let’s use all of the water pipes in Gaza to build rockets to attack Israel!”

- The world in 1940: “Get out of Europe. Go to Palestine. Build your own state!” The world in 2024: “Get out of Palestine and to back to Europe. You don’t deserve your own state!”

Honestly, I can continue, but these lies exhaust me and even writing them sucks all the energy out of my brain, so I’ll stop here. What would you add to the long list of hypocritical lies being told to villify Israel and the Jewish people? - Hillel Fuld

[pharmaciopy217]

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[lackablazeical]

🩵🌙Usagi Miyamoto🌙🩵

General info -

Usagi's birthday is March 4th. He is a Pisces ♓️

Usagi is demisexual Vincian.

Usagi has PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Usagi has MDD (Major Depressive Disorder).

Usagi has Agoraphobia.

Personality traits -

Usagi is quiet, withdrawn, shy, self-sacrificing, depressed, logical, responsible, pessimistic, and routine oriented.

Usagi is very quiet and withdrawn. Many of his co-workers assumed he was mute because of this. He never attends social gatherings and prefers to stay home.

Usagi is self-sacrificing, and will do anything for those he loves, even if it means sacrificing his own life or happiness.

Usagi has depression, and often feels completely empty or numb. He is not very 'active' in terms of his depression, and would rather just stay in dull routine.

Usagi is logical, able to critically think about problems and find solutions on the fly.

Usagi is incredibly responsible, wanting to fawn everyone around him and fix their problems and mistakes.

Usagi is pessimistic, never expecting the best. This can make him a bit of a pain to be around sometimes.

Important details -

His beliefs -

Usagi's element is water.

He feels connected to any type of water, but specifically rain, ponds, lakes, oceans, and puddles.

Usagi does not flavor his drinking water because of this. He also does not drink out of straws.

Usagi loves sitting in rain, and he loves being able to relax by bodies of water.

Usagi will prefer baths to showers, so he can soak in water.

Usagi prays over the first water he drinks of the day. He manages to stay well hydrated.

His dynamic with Leo -

Usagi is a victim of Leo's abuse.

Usagi hates Leo, but has been manipulated into being dependent on him. Usagi feels like he is nothing without Leo.

Usagi was originally extremely against ever being around Leo, but as time progressed, started feeling the opposite way. Usagi often doesn't know what to do with himself when Leo is not around.

Usagi often screams at, kicks, and punches Leo, often in an attempt to get him to stop what he is doing and leave Usagi alone.

Usagi needs Leo's permission for everything he does, and is terrified of somehow making Leo mad.

Usagi would never leave Leo, as he knows that would never work, and likely risk the safety of his family.

Usagi barters affection or makes up 'games' in order to get Leo to do what he wants. It's often in a desperate attempt to get Leo to actually listen to him. This only works about half the time.

When around Usagi's family, Usagi will put on a mask and fake interest (and even enjoyment) of Leo's actions as to not concern his family and risk them finding out about Leo's abuse.

Usagi will often just listen to what Leo tells him to do, as the fight is often worse. Sometimes, though, he may press back, and he gets swiftly reminded of why that is a bad idea.

His life in the Hidden City -

Usagi often worked many odd jobs at once, sometimes working up to 70-80 hour weeks. He would lie about his age to be hired, and often worked below or just barely at minimum wage.

Usagi ran into debt multiple times, because he wasn't aware of how loan sharks (or American currency) functioned. He was often tracked down because of this, but always managed to weasel out of it or evade then.

Usagi had no friends, and was known as very anti-social to anyone that even knew of his existence. Some even believed he was mute.

Usagi had lived in one cheap, dingy apartment the whole five years he lived there. He couldn't afford to move.

Fun facts -

Usagi's favorite food is any type of produce with salt, and his favorite drink is plain water.

Usagi self-harms on his arms and upper legs/hips.

Usagi prefers having long sleeves he can roll up, to having short sleeves.

Usagi hates being pinned on his stomach.

Usagi is a ritual cleaner, and deep cleans everything he owns fairly often.

Usagi is a good cook.

Usagi hates all sweet foods but mooncakes.

Usagi hates being touched.

Voice claim [Steven Yeun] -

[vibratingskull]

Fake dating

I took @al-astakbar​‘s idea and run with it.

Thrawnxf!reader

Resume : Alone on an strange planet with a little chiss girl you walk desesperatly trying to reach coordinates given by a beacon. Here you are saved by Grand Admiral Thrawn’s crew and he proposes you an incongruous solution to your problem...

You hold her hand, never letting her go. You advance on the precarious terrain, stepping over trunks and gullies. The tall grass is as tall as her and she can’t see far away in the forest. 

“Keep going… walking farther…” You try to communicate. She looks at you with round eyes, like you’re asking the impossible. She sighs with a tear rolling down her cheek. You sit her down and take off her shoe.

It is not pleasant to see.

And without a bacta pack you’re afraid amputation awaits that little girl. But she didn’t complain once, walking straight without slowing you down, she’s far more resistant than you were at her age, she’s impressive.

“Show me beacon, please.” you try to articulate. This little girl, Moarorou, if you understood well, doesn't speak a word of basic and you don’t speak a word of her language. So you opted for your very poor Sy Bisty, the only language that sparkled a reaction in her. She hands you her weird necklace, it’s still beeping, still giving you the same coordinates she translated for you earlier, you only know that you're approaching them.

This is your only certitude.

You don’t even know if you could reach it in time, or ever. Too many parameters out of your control.

Your gaze lowers down on her foot again. The poor thing got stabbed by a metal tube in the foot and it got infected due to the grease and rust. You tried to wash and bandage the wound as well as you could, but without proper medical equipment, a miracle is all you can hope for. Right now you wish you could give her a painkiller, an anti-inflammatory medication, anything…

She pulls on her collar on wince, gasping for air. 

Those shock collars…

You take hers in your hands and try to find some slack to break it off, but once again to no avail, you look at her and shake your head with a sorry expression. If you're once again at range of your captors you're done for. You feel yours constricting your throat. The symbol of your enslavement… 

You wipe her tears with your thumb and smile at her, trying to give her the hope and courage you’ve long lost, putting your forehead against hers you caress the back of her neck in a soothing manner.

You palp the rifle at your hips and pass your arms under her.

“I carry you.” you explain standing up “Hold on.” She encircles your neck with her emaciated arms and lays her head  on your shoulder. You walk with her in your arms for hours, in the stifling air despite the shadow provided by the enormous trees. You only stop to permit her to ease her pain in a fresh stream of water and eat some berries off a bush. The cold water seems to be efficient but as soon she takes her feet off the water the pain comes back as grave and powerful. 

“Destination… help…” You promise every time, but the walk is so long and your chances so thin.

At night you hold her as she cries in pain and fear. You’ve never seen her species before, she must be so far away from her home… So you squeeze her, chant her some old melodies your mum sang when you had a nightmare, doing your best to not get wet by the rain, your rifle never far away. When she finally sleeps it’s you who can’t, reviving the crash with such precision… The panic, the horror, the screams. You see the Hutts, your captors, you see your chains, and all those nights parked in the slave cell; pressed against the other slaves, shuddering and cold.

And now you’re lost on this forest planet, blindly following an alien antiquity to find your way.

You wake up to the hot air, even more oppressive than yesterday, but without any sun. You examine her wounds. The flesh all around started to darken and the bad odor indicates you the necrosis started. She’s sweating and is really hot, taken by a fever.

If you don’t find civilization in the next 48h you’re afraid even amputation might not be able to save her.

Once again you carry her, on your back this time and walk straight ahead, crushed by the heat. She sleeps and talks at the same time, in complete delirium, you don’t understand a word as she’s talking in her strange language but imagining with ease that she calls her mom. 

You seem to hear some sort of… humming. 

You press your steps, hope rising in your chest. Is it the ship here to save you?

When you arrive at an open clearing you stop dead on your tracks.

You understand now why there isn’t any sun : An ISD of the Empire is floating just above you, finally free of the foliage that hid them until now.

Your stomach drops, escaping the Hutts to end in the empire’s hands is not an improvement. You gulp as you see a corvette slowly going down towards you, menacingly.

You stay on your toes ready to sprint off at any sign of danger. Strangely, only one woman exits the small ship, in the green uniform of those monsters that she seems to wear with pride. You take a step back as she continues towards you with assurance. When you decide she’s close enough you draw your rifle.

“Stop right there!” You shout.

She stops and gauges you up and down in silence, like she’s measuring her chances. But to your surprise she holds her hands high and visible. You think you see some commotion behind her in the dark of the ship, but you can’t say for sure

“Why are you here?!”

“Hello madam, I am commander Karyn Faro of the ISD Chimaera, I-”

“Why are you here!?” You shout back again, the temptation to shoot her between her eyes is so tempting, but that would for sure be your sign your own death warrant.

“Calm down madam, I am here to help.” She tries.

“Help? No. Your kind doesn’t help, it never does!” You start panicking, counting your options.

“We do. Often.” She tilts her head on the side. “We are here to help the child.” You feel Moarorou’s head resting on your shoulder moving a bit. The denominated Karyn takes a step towards you “Listen, we are here because of a distress signal. Let us help you.” Your gun starts to tremble in your hand but you don’t lower your arm “We can give you food and shelter, we can heal that poor child. The Grand Admiral Thrawn asked that no harm be given to you.”

“I don’t know that Thrawn!” You warn. “What value can I give to the words of an Imperial anyway?!”

“The highest value.” She’s almost on you. “The Grand Admiral is a man of honor. You can trust him…” With the tip of her fingers she traces the canon of your weapon. You search in her eyes any trace of humanity, she doesn’t seem to lie. “Do it for the child.” 

Slowly she invites you to lower the gun, and very gently take it out of your hands. 

“O…Ok…” You mumble, at the end of yourself.

She nods and spins on herself in a swift movement. With a snap of her finger she calls two all black stormtroopers that head towards you with their gun pointed at your chest. You’re tempted to run away but you know they shot in your back, therefore Moarorou’s back to stop you. The first one comes and just grabs Moarorou off your shoulder, tearing her from you. When you hear a weak whine of pain you immediately see red and ready to jump at their jugular. You throw yourself at them but you're stopped by a prodigious smack of the second’s knee in your stomach. You fall down, panting for air, they force you on your belly and handcuff you unceremoniously. You’re dragged to the shuttle and thrown into a seat.

“Hey!” You protest.You frantically search around you to find Moarorou. You find her on a stretcher with two droids busying themself around her. You rise up to go to her but you’re shoved back down right away.

“She needs me.” You plead to the black stormtrooper. They remain silent but threaten to hit you with their rifle butt. You turn back to Moarorou in despair as you hear here faintly calling your name.

“Here, Moarorou. Am here.” You answer, praying it comforts her.

“Don’t worry, our meddroids are the most competent across the galaxy.” Karyn Faro calmly enounces. “Now remain calm and everything will go smoothly. We are going.”

As she finishes her sentences you feel the shuttle take off. You gulp. In what mess did you end up? Your stomach is turning acidic by the minute and the closer you get of that gigantic ship the worse you feel.

__________________________________________

Then everything went so quickly.

Someone grabbed your arm without any care, stripped you of your old ripped dress and throwed you in a shower where you’ve been clinically cleaned with water blasts attacking your delicate and wounded skin. Then someone scrubbed all your body and hair thoroughly with a very efficient chemical product with alcohol lingering scents. You scream and protest, in pain, but the people in combination are deaf to your cries. Once cleaned you are asked to put on those pajamas for the hospital's patients and Karyn Faro guides you through the ISD, your arm in hand. You have no idea where you are going, your questions remain unanswered. She just lets out a stern “You’ll soon see.” 

You end up before a large door guarded by two stormtroopers, they salute her and open it, you end up in some sort of short corridor with two doors, one on your left from which you hear some grunts and metal impacts, but she pushes you towards the one in front of you. She looks at you up and down, pulls on your t-shirt to flatten it and pushes any strand of hair out of your face. 

“Alright, be polite and you should avoid the cell.”

“Wha-”

She pushes you inside and the door slams back shut. You drum against the cold metal.

“Wait! Don’t leave me alone! Please” But she’s far gone. You slowly turn to see where you are. It looks like an office of some sort with art decorating its walls. Behind an impressive desk, taking center stage are two statues of a lizard of some sort, holding a world in their claws. You consider the seat in front of the desk, wondering if you had the right to sit. Surely not. You must be in a high officer’s office, a low person like you surely remains standing.

A shudder spreads across your spine as you hear the door shuffling behind your back.

You feel a presence behind you.

Something cold and merciless. Something imposing…

You dare not move nor make a sound, not even turning to greet the person. You feel them move more than you hear them walking.

“Sit.” Say a calm voice.

You obey, eyes low.

They walk around the desk to sit in front of you.

You dig your nails in the fabric of the pajamas, greeting your teeth.

They remain silent but you can feel their burning gaze on you, gauging you, judging you.

After a full minute, no words were exchanged.

You hold your breath.

“Are you going to remain like this? Are you not going to look me in the eyes?” He asks softly. Too softly for someone with such a presence, it’s hiding something…

Looking at him in the eyes? You don’t know if you would dare. The last time you looked up to someone higher than you you earned 30 whiplash. You’ve learned your lesson. Your collar is still strangling you…

“Look me in the eyes.” He says. You don’t move an inch, too terrified. “It is an order.” The tone calls for no resistance.

So you obey.

Reluctantly you raise your head, and slowly you open your eyes.

And air gets caught in your throat.

This man…

Moarorou!

They are the same.

Detached from all of this, he observes you behind folded hands.

“Is it not better? Speaking eye to eye…” You gulp, knowing better than to speak your mind. Or speaking at all… “Relax, you are not in any immediate danger.” He assures taking a datapad in his hand. “I am Grand Admiral Thrawn. I only need you to answer me some questions.”

You observe his red eyes, piercing with intelligence. You feel like they could read you like a holobook. So he’s the Grand Admiral? An alien? You observe his stature, tall with prominent muscles he’s surely a warrior. Your eyes linger at his large hand, terrified at the idea that they could go for your throat in the immediate future…

“Are you mute?”

Your gaze crosses his once again and you lightly shake your head.

“Then answer me.” he hits you sternly. “What is your name?”

You answer with a small voice.

“Louder.” He says, eyes on his datapad.

You repeat.

“Good. Where do you come from?”

“I… We come from a crashed ship.”

“Owner?”

“My master’s name is Nattai Gleula.”

“No. The ship owner.”

“Oh…” you feel embarrassed now “The Hutts.”

“How did you encounter that little girl?”

“She was brought to the Palace one day. I don’t know much, we don’t speak the same language…”

“I figured you did not. Do you know for what works they purchased her?” This time he looks at you, and you would rather he did not because his gaze is terrifying. You always find Moarorou’s eyes pretty but from an adult warrior they are just terrifying…

“Huh… For cleaning and cooking. That’s what most children of her age do.”

“Did they ever take her to a ship?”

“No?” What a strange question “I mean, I never saw them do that…”

He nods pensively.

“What were the reasons for your trip?”

“Family reunion. They always travel with their court of slaves.”

“Do you know who could have something against your master?”

Your eyes widen, who couldn’t would be easier.

“Huh… He’s a crime syndicate so..”

“Excuses. Let me reformulate : Do you know who could have attacked you that day?”

“Attacked? I thought the ship just malfunctioned?”

“I think not. I think you ended up in an ambush set by an enemy. So?”

You think, but no one comes to mind. They all want your master dead and they all failed until now. Or maybe not, you didn’t stay behind to ensure the safety of your master, you took your chance and runned.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry sir.”

“It is okay, I already have an idea. Describe me the crash in more detail.”

You gulp.

“I was performing for my master when I felt the ship tremble. It was terrifying. Then it brusquely tilted on one side and everyone fell against the wall. I think I hit my head because I lost consciousness. I woke up with flames all around me, I used them to melt my chains. I tried to find an exit and ended up in the slave quarters, that’s when i heard Moarorou’s cries : her cell comrade was already dead and she got something metallic through her foot, locking her on the ground. I had to tear it up from her foot. There was so much blood… I managed to more or less cauterize the wound and we runned to the escape pod. I knew we couldn’t join space with them from the ground but they could project us far enough to escape. So we launch them and almost killed ourself when we landed. Since then we walked through the forest following her beacon’s indications and… then you found us.”

You remember the necklace, too weird and of poor metal to be worth anything, was in fact your life saver. For now….

He nods.

“Yes. This beacon comes from our people and is distributed to the likes of her.”

“The likes of her?” You dare ask.

“Children, of course.” He smiles.

“Oh… okay…”

You're disappointed. For what need a species would give a beacon to all of its children?

“And since when were you in that forest?”

You count mentally.

“A week, sir.”

“Hmmm.” He holds his chin and contemplates you. “I find myself in a precarious situation, miss.” 

That’s when he’s gonna tell you he can’t keep you like that, that he’s gonna imprison you and sell you back on the black market, unless you prove yourself to be nice and docile and earn some moment of liberty against some favors. If only you could secure Moarorou’s place at the medbay.

He rises from his seat and turns towards the statues, hands folded behind his back.

“You see, we are very few of my race in those parts of the galaxy. And the apparition of a child is not a good auspices in my humble opinion. If I am right, we are going ahead with some serious problems.”

You look at the back of his head, mouth agape. Some problems? What is he talking about? 

“Do you care for the girl?” He turns towards you, looking down at you from his height.

Why would it count? Why should your opinion count? Why does he care? You look at his eyes, searching for malice or a trap. 

But his gaze is clear.

“I… Yes.” You nods firmly. “Yes, I do.” 

“Good. Then I will ask you for your help. We must protect the child, at all cost, and send her back home as quickly as possible. But we must protect her identity.”

You blink, you’re not sure you’re following everything. And it’s been a while since someone “asked” you anything.

“Hum… Alright. And how should we do that, Sir?”

“I ponder this question since I have been made aware of your existence. I expected to only find a child, not two people. I have a plan, but I would understand if you refused.”

Flashes of Moarorou’s calling desperately for you appear in your mind.

“I want to know!” You exclaim. “I want to protect Moarorou!”

“Moarorou is her name?”

“Yes, I think…”

“We will know soon. We will find her once her operations at the medbay are over.”

“Alright.” You nod, reassured. “So… How do we proceed, sir?”

If you ever thought you would partner up with an imperial. But to protect little Moarorou you would do anything.

“We should pretend to be family. If I pass myself as her father, nobody should question her existence and search for her past. I would need you to pass for her caring mother.”

“But… That would make me your…”

“My wife. Exactly.”

You could burst out laughing if you were not that shocked. 

You?!

Pretending to marry an Imperial?!

A God-Damn Imperial?!

A slave trader ?

No!

“Wha-? Sir, you cannot be serious!?”

“I am completely serious. It is a necessary wrong to protect her.”

“But… Why would she need protection in the first place? She’s just a child!” 

“She is more than just a child. She is a key.”

“What is she?”

“That I can not tell you.”

“Then I think I cannot help you...”

“Then know you are condemning her.” He shakes his head with a sorry expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Only with this comedy I can fully protect her to the full extent of my capacities. The other option is keeping her locked and hidden from the world, but that is not a life for a child. She should be able to learn, to live freely, and I do not think you might want to inflict that on her.”

“No. I don’t, I…” You lose your words.

“Then consider my proposition. Think about it for a night, and give me your answer tomorrow.” He proposes.

Your head is spinning. Too many things to think about. 

“Come.” He proposes. “Let us see her. She must yearn for your presence.”

He looks into your eyes, and you can only see intelligence and an inalterable resolution.

“Yes…” You murmur “Let’s go.”

[almost-peterparker]

Possible

Chapter 1

Pairing: Sebastian Michaelis x reader

A/N: This will probably be on the longer side, I've been posting it on a03 as well.

Summary: //TW// abuse, strong language, violence, gore, etc. Also, the plot is going to be based on the manga! (Y/n) (L/n) was a relatively anti-social twenty-one-year-old. She had no real family, and she was really only close to one person, that person being Mara Kline. They were so close, in fact, that they did everything together. They would shop together, eat together, and most importantly (for Mara anyway), they watched Black Butler together. The two girls owned an apartment together, making this moderately easy. Mara had a very large hyper fixation on the anime, she was quite literally obsessed. One day, the two of them are riding around in Mara's vehicle. Mara, not paying quite as much attention as she should have been, allowed the two of them to get hit by another car. (Y/n) could have never imagined that this accident would cause the two of them to wake up in a familiar, yet unfamiliar setting. Nor could she have foreseen how it would change her life.

Word Count: 5475

Your eyes snap open as your alarm clock screams at you to get up after hitting snooze multiple times. Though, that wasn't what caused you to open your eyes. You had felt a weight on your bed. And as you squint through the sun's blinding rays, you can make out a silhouette. Mara is hovering over you holding a pillow as if she was going to smother you in your sleep, her dark hair dangling and framing her face as she eyed you. Her golden eyes were wide, apparently, she hadn't expected you to wake up before she ended your life. You groggily grab the pillow next to you, and you swing it blindly in the direction that you believe her to be in. You successfully nail her in the face with your pillow. You hear an "Oof!" as she backs away from your half-awake form. You sit up from your bed stiffly like a vampire from its coffin as you glare in her direction.

"Mara?" You question.

"Yes, (Y/n)?" She responds as if she had been doing nothing wrong.

"What the fuck?" You say as you finally blink the sleep from your eyes, staring at her. You can virtually see a halo over her head. "Well, you wouldn't quit hitting snooze on your alarms so, I only saw one reasonable solution." She smiles at you innocently. "Your reasonable solution was to just smother me in my sleep?" Your eyes narrow in her direction as she grins in response. 

This was the dynamic of your friendship. You could remember meeting Mara like it was yesterday. You had grown up in a pretty broken neighborhood, not many "good guys", so to speak. You weren't so good either. Whereas Mara was more fortunate and grew up pretty happy.

You had only met Mara about two years beforehand. The two of you met under some rather, unfavorable conditions. You grew up in a pretty shitty home, your father was a wanted murderer. Your parents were very neglectful; thus, you were always forced to sneak out of the house just to be free of them. By the age of seven, you became a great pickpocket due to your parents' neglect. You were rarely caught. Almost. The few times you had been caught ended up pretty ugly, you would end up being assaulted whether it be verbal or physical. You would acquire bruises and sometimes worse from the people you'd steal from. Worse treatment could be expected after your parents would find out. This worsened their neglect towards you as you essentially grew up without any form of love. You had plenty of scars and mental scars that you had acquired from your childhood. Though, you really just viewed them as growth points now. All of those experiences led you to the place in life that you were currently living in.

By the age of sixteen, you ran away. You began your own form of living. At this point, you were virtually undetected, you could steal from almost anyone and they never even noticed. You had become a great thief, so then, you can imagine how great you were by the age of eighteen. You were virtually undetectable now. And not to toot your own horn but, you were also considered quite the escape artist now if you ever were caught. You can get out of almost any situation now. 

But, back to Mara, the two of you still went to the same school but you were hardly ever present. You saw no point in attending. Though, your thievery was actually how you ran into Mara. As mentioned, she grew up rather well, meaning, she grew up with semi-wealthy parents who were never home. This naturally made her one of your targets at some point. She had just been jubilantly walking down the street, listening to music as she went. Though, she had been taking a different route home than normal, why? Her justification was a shrug and a simple 'I was bored, duh.' Anyhow, you had seen her inattentively making her way down the street. Mara was a very beautiful bronze-skinned woman, as aforementioned, she also had dark hair and golden eyes. She got quite a bit of attention.

Anyways, you'd noticed how well she was dressed and some of the items she had with her, as she went by, you also eyeballed a rather expensive necklace dangling from her pocket. Why? Again, the response to this after you'd asked her was a shrug, she said a guy she didn't much care for gave it to her, so she didn't care for it much either. This resulted in you snatching it from her pocket. But Mara was incredibly aware as she felt the weight of the necklace leaves her pocket. Though she didn't care for the necklace, she would be damned if she would allow someone to take something of hers. So, you briskly made your way down the street, not running, so as not to draw attention to yourself. Instead of calling for help a few minutes later as people typically did, you heard footsteps approaching you quickly. You spared a glance over your shoulder to see Mara charging full speed in your direction. You underestimated how fast this damn girl could run as you took off too. Mara was very well-versed in cardio and long-distance running.

You, however, were not.

Meaning, she caught up to you and practically tackled you to the ground. At the time, you'd been wearing baggy clothing and a hood over your head to make it incredibly difficult for others to determine your gender. Which seemed pretty important. Anyways, she had tackled you and flipped you over. You had expected her to start pummeling you the second she flipped you due to her weirdly strong nature. That wasn't the case because as soon as she pulled off your hood, she recognized you. "Hey...you're that girl from school. Don't we have a few classes together?"  So instead of calling the cops on you, like she probably should've, she told you that she wouldn't call them on one condition. That being that you had to tell her why you stole from others. Since you'd have rather not had the cops up in your business, you gave her a brief rundown, minus all the abuse and such. Anyway, this encounter somehow allowed the two of you to become friends. You believe it was because (F/n) pitied you, she disagrees though, she said she was just interested in you. 

This leads you to the point you're currently at, in your shared apartment as you glare at your friend for trying to assassinate you in your sleep over alarms.

You shake your head as you slide out of bed. "I was getting to it." You grumble as Mara just shakes her head, "You were not, you always say that. Anyways, you remember what today is, right?" She beams. "Of course, how could I forget?" You say while quirking a brow, "It's your birthday." That's right, it was Mara's birthday, meaning that she was now the same age as you. The two of you had roughly, a six-month age gap. So, nothing too large. "Meaning?" Mara questions excitedly.

"Meaning that just like the past two of your birthdays that I have spent with you, you're going to subject me to watching as much Black Butler as we can within a few hours while you fawn over Baldroy. Then, I'm going to take you to an anime merch store so you can find something either Black Butler related or just anime-related in general, that you absolutely need to have. So, then you can remind me that it is, in fact, your birthday so I can buy it for you." You state, smiling at her. The both of you only worked part-time due to Mara's parents literally paying for your apartment and virtually any essentials that either of you would need. So, your money was pretty much just "spending money", as Mara says.

She nods her head enthusiastically, you never understood how she could be so excited about doing the same thing that she does almost every day. You mentally shrug, not caring very much as long as she is happy. She quickly begins to move around your room, which was her preferred place to binge anime for some reason, as she sets things up for the two of you. As she was doing this, you went into the kitchen and proceeded to make yourself a bowl of cereal. When you arrived back at your room, the first episode was already on and paused. You walk in and you sit down next to her. She quickly, and rather excitedly hits play. You had watched this series enough times to practically be able to quote it. But who were you to deny (F/n) of this joy? As soon as Sebastian had started speaking on the screen, Mara said, "Hey, did you know that Sebastian's name is extremely similar to Sebastien Michaelis's, he was a French author from the 1600s who wrote a classification of demons in Hell." She always had some sort of fun fact for you as you watched.

After watching for about three hours, you had just finished the episode "His Butler, at the Funeral", Mara decided that was enough for the moment. She always hated seeing Madam Red die, it was one of her least favorite Black Butler moments. She rolls over on her bed and huffs before groaning. This causes you to raise an eyebrow at her. "What?" 

This causes her to turn to look at you, "They always kill my favorite characters." She says as she pouts. "Mara, you've seen the anime more times than I can count, you knew she died."

"I know...It's just sad. She didn't deserve it."

You shrug, "Well that's what happens when you start murdering people."

"She had a reason though!" Mara whined.

"Not a very good one, in my opinion. Now then," you say as you rise to your feet, "It's about midday now, do you want to go shopping? On our way back, we can get you a cake."

"Ice cream cake?" She asks as if you didn't already know that she wanted an ice cream cake rather than a regular cake.

"Yes. I will get you an ice cream cake, Mara." You respond while ushering her out of your room so that she can get changed.

The two of you get changed into more presentable clothing and then convene in the living room. "Oh! I wanna drive!" Mara smiles. "It's your birthday, shouldn't I be the one driving? You, letting you relax and such?" You respond, to which she replies with a shrug. "I just want to, you always drive. My birthday, my rules." She says grinning. You hold your hands up in mock surrender, "Whatever you say dude." 

You follow Mara out to her vehicle, she drives a black, 2011 Mustang. You loved her Mustang. It was just…nice. The two of you usually just shared her vehicle as well, other than work, you guys usually just traveled together. She hopped in the driver's seat, and she waited for you to follow suit. You climbed into the passenger seat and threw your seat belt on. “Alright, off we go,” Mara says, reversing. She whips her car out of the parking lot and drives down the street. Oh yeah, forgot to mention, Mara drives like she is absolutely fucking crazy. It's a wonder that she has never gotten either of you killed. Hence why you typically choose to drive. It was better for your health. 

After a seemingly endless, dangerous drive to the mall, the two of you managed to make it in one piece. Mara pulled the Mustang into the mall's parking lot. After parking the car, the two of you proceeded to get out and walk into the mall. Mara was already vibrating with excitement. You always saved plenty of money for her birthdays. In your mind, it was somewhat like repaying her for pulling you onto this new path of life that you walked. Mara and you began to bounce between all the anime shops. She was like a kid in a candy store, her eyes were practically glowing. She ended up purchasing a Demon Slayer poster, a tiny Itadori Yuji plush from Jujutsu Kaisen, and she had somehow managed to find a Baldroy Figure. He was holding a flame thrower and grinning with a closed-eyed smile. If there was something that anyone needed to know about Mara, it was that she adored Baldroy. He was by far her favorite character. You thought it was cute. You, personally, didn't really have a character preference when it came to Black Butler. You loved the servants. But you could see the pros and cons of almost every other character and therefore chose to remain neutral with your character opinion. Now, you love anime too. You just couldn't say you love it as much as your friend here does.

After a while of walking, the two of you stopped to have a bite to eat at the food court, you chose to get Chinese. After eating, Mara demanded that you read the fortune from your cookie out loud to her. Her request caused you to roll your eyes, but she reminded you that it was her birthday and she deserved 'princess-like treatment.' You broke the cookie and skimmed it before reading it aloud, "'A life-changing event will occur soon and you will reap fruit from it.' There, happy now?"  She nods before also reading hers out loud, "'Land is always in the mind of flying birds.' I don't even know what that means." Mara mutters. "It means you never realize what you miss until you're flying away for it. Kind of like how your parents go on trips all the time but then complain that they miss home," You shrug, "They're all just generic fortunes anyways. I don't believe they have much relevance." 

After you both finished eating you decided it was time to make your way back home. Not before stopping to pick up the ice cream cake, you had ordered from a local shop first. Heading out of the mall, the two of you got back into Mara's car and after a short trip, you had arrived at the cake shop. You directed Mara to stay in her vehicle whilst you went in to grab the cake. You actually knew the owner of the shop fairly well, he was around your age, maybe a few years older. His name was Santos, a very tall, friendly man with quite a passion for baking. 

You went into the shop, making small talk with Santos for a few minutes before he made his way back to the shop's freezer to grab your cake. After a moment, he walks back to the register, setting the beautifully decorated cake down. You paid for the cake, thanking him before heading back out to Mara's car. 

She seems very delighted after seeing the cake. "It's so pretty! He always does such a great job!" She praised the baker. You agreed. Then, the two of you began your journey back to your shared apartment. As you approached a stoplight, the two of you had heard sirens, you really thought nothing of it. Again, you still lived somewhat close to a bad neighborhood. The light shifted from red to green. Mara, not thinking anything of it, drove forward, again, she is kind of a reckless driver. She pulled forward very quickly, your gaze quickly turned out the passenger window as you heard the sirens blaring again. However, now they sounded too close. As you turn your head you see a large red truck absolutely flying in your direction. You could now see where the sirens were coming from, your eyes widened in horror as you watched the truck approach you way too quickly. Before you could even utter anything, the large truck slammed into your side of the vehicle. This caused Mara's Mustang to actually roll due to the force and speed that came at it. Glass and pieces of the car flew everywhere, and you felt several pieces fly into you. You, somehow still conscious but very much in pain, looked down to see a large piece of glass embedded in your chest. That was the last thing you saw before the Mustang landed its final roll leaving the two of you suspended upside down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You look around, only to see darkness. It felt almost as if you were floating. It was an endless void. Then suddenly, you can hear a multifarious voice whisper in your ear. 

"...gift...life..."

This left you confused, as you couldn't make anything else out of it. But as suddenly as you heard it, it was gone. After what seemed like a few more minutes, you suddenly see a very bright light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It felt like your head was splitting, causing you to groan, immediately registering the hard ground underneath you. You felt as if you didn't even have the energy to open your eyes. Therefore, you simply lay as you were for a moment. That was until you heard a very familiar voice groan as well. Mara. Suddenly, memories of the crash that you'd endured flash through your mind. Your eyes snap open, and you immediately sit up, looking down at your chest to see a fairly long vertical scar. "What's...going on...?" You mutter to yourself. "(Y/n)...?" You can hear Mara's question; you look around the room you're in only to realize you are in a cell... What the fuck? You see Mara lying across the cell from you. "Mara..." you say as you attempt to make your way to her only to realize that it feels like your body is made of Jell-O. She looks up after hearing your voice. She blinks a few times, apparently wondering the same thing as you.

"Mara?"

"Yes, (Y/n)?"

"Why on god's glorious green planet are we in what really looks like a jail cell?"

"I would really like to give you an answer to that one. But unfortunately, I'm at a loss."

After a few minutes, you realize you can actually feel your limbs now. You stand and stretch, "You remember what happened too, right? I'm not crazy?" You turn towards your friend. She hesitantly nods, "No I definitely remember my beautiful baby flipping. I also distinctly remember bashing my head in. when it happened." This causes you to nod, "I had a huge ass piece of glass that went right into my chest, and now..." You paused momentarily, looking back down at your chest, "It's like it happened but...it didn't? I clearly gained a scar from it." You looked back to Mara, approaching her. "You say you hit your head, right?" You asked, to which she nodded. You move her hair to the side as you see a scar that honestly kind of looks like Tanjirou's scar. "Dude, you kind of look like a whole ass main character right now." You say, examining the newfound scar. It seemed that there were no other new scars that had appeared either. "Oh my god! (Y/n)!" Mara exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" You asked, startled. "We never got to eat my cake!"

You sigh rather loudly, "That is definitely not what you should be focused on right now."

"So how are we here then?" Mara questions after regaining composure over the lost treat. "Well, let's think logically here." You say, thinking of any possible way that you could be here.

"There is no logic in this situation (Y/n)." Mara deadpans. "Apparently we should be dead but yet here we sit in a prison cell! You don't think that..." She pauses, trailing her words. "Oh my god (Y/n), we're in Hell!" She jumps up, clinging to you and immediately wailing. It's honestly comical. Mara continues, "I thought you would end up here because you're an asshole but...me?! I'm too pretty for hell!" 

You swear that in this moment she almost looks like an anime character. Something was obviously super fucked up here. "What do you mean that you thought I would end up here?!" You exclaim, immediately shoving off your distressed friend.

Apparently, the two of you screaming at each other was considered obnoxious. You soon heard footsteps. A bearded man approached your cell, "Shut up you lot! You'll be interrogated soon enough." You noticed that the man was wearing a very old-fashioned policeman's outfit. Like the weird tall hat, the button-down jacket, and all. You also noted the strong seemingly British accent he had. Mara's sobbing was immediately halted and with that, he walked away. 

You slowly turned to her; she did the same. "What the actual fuck...!" You whisper-yelled. "He was dressed like an old cop dude!" Mara whisper-shouted back.  You both stared at each other for a moment, absolutely perplexed.  As you sat in silence, you heard another pair of footsteps approaching your cell. Scratch that, it sounded like at least two people walking. The two of you locked eyes and stayed silent. After a moment, two guards showed up. They unlocked your cell, immediately putting cuffs on you. This caused you to huff and roll your eyes. You definitely did not like being handcuffed and could easily get out of them. But you knew Mara couldn't, so you decided to play nice and just follow the apparent officers. "Hey, why are we under arrest?! We were never given our rights or a cause!" Mara exclaimed. The officers just acted as if she wasn't even speaking. This caused Mara to grumble something about 'shitheads' under her breath. They led the two of you into a relatively large room with a wooden table in the middle. There were three chairs currently set up, two on the side closest to you and adjacent one on the other two. The officers had the two of you sit in the two chairs and gave no instruction other than to wait because whoever you were apparently going to be talking to was due to arrive soon. 

After they left the room Mara turned to you, "So, does this bring back any fond memories?" She asked with a shit-eating smile on her face. "Oh ha. Ha. Good one Mara, you're really a comedic genius, ya know?" You said with a flat voice and no expression on your face. This made her laugh, it's crazy how even in the worst situations, the two of you couldn't be serious at all. "So, I know you can get out of cuffs, why didn't you? You could have totally kicked those guys asses." 

You shrug in response, "I'd have to leave your ass behind and if I ever came back for you, I would have never heard the end of it." Before Mara could even give some sort of a response back, the two of you could hear keys being inserted into the door that you'd previously entered through. The two of you stared at each other before slowly turning to the door. 

"Right this way sir, they're in here." You heard one of the officers say. You saw the door open, and the officer let the guy he was talking to in. Your jaw nearly hit the floor. You whipped around to Mara to see the actual stars in her eyes. You knew this place was off! Other than the obvious dying and awakening here, this place seemed strange. The Officer let in someone who looked dead onto Ciel Phantomhive. He was adorned in his top hat and his overcoat cape thing. Right behind him, his stoic butler. And may I just say DAMN. There was literally no reasonable explanation for what you were witnessing right now. This had to be some sort of a joke. But how could it be when you had felt yourself die?

The Ciel doppelgänger took a seat across from Mara and yourself as the officer left the room. You were honestly surprised Mara hadn't said anything yet, glancing at her, she seemed speechless. She probably couldn't think of anything to say. That's rare. You remained quiet as the kid's cyan eye scrutinized the two of you. You glanced at the butler behind him, seeing that he was indeed doing the same. You broke the silence after a moment, "So, uh, what the fuck is going on?" The boy and his butler looked taken aback by your language for a moment before doppelgänger Ciel responded, "Who are you and where do you come from?" 

Your eyebrows rose for a moment. You then narrow your eyes at the kid, "Uh-uh short stuff, I asked you a question first, you snooze you lose." This caused the boy to glare at you, not liking the perfectly suited nickname that was acquired. "I'm interrogating you; I'll be asking the questions." 

Mara piped up, "Well, she did ask first. She can be pretty persistent; I promise it's just safer if you answer her first. Trust me." "Ciel" glanced at his butler before he resumed glaring back at you. "The two of you are suspected of being foreign spies. You were discovered in an alleyway in London. You were speaking incoherently, and the authorities were called on you. You were assessed based on your clothing and the strange flat glass boxes found on you. They were assumed to be weapons and you were assumed to be foreign spies. Thus, we were called. I am Ciel Phantomhive, the Queen's Guard Dog. This is my butler, Sebastian Michaelis."

Flat glass boxes...? Oh my god, your phones. No way. 

"Now I've answered your question, you're required to answer mine."  You looked at Mara, wide-eyed. She looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel. "Um okay, but you probably won't believe us, we're-" You were cut off by Mara. "HOLY SHIT! ARE YOU REALLY CIEL PHANTOMHIVE?? THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

This elicited a sigh from you, it was only a matter of time. She had been a ticking bomb since they'd walked in. "E-excuse me?" Ciel was taken aback by her sudden yelling. Sebastian seemed to feel similarly. You maneuvered your hands out of the cuffs you were wearing, unlocking with ease. You hadn't even realized you'd done it. You quickly slapped a hand on Mara's mouth, preventing any more shrieking.  Sighing again, you spoke, "See, I was getting to that part."

"How did you-" Ciel questioned astonished as he saw your currently free hands, Sebastian having his eyebrows raised as well. You cut him off by holding up a finger, "I'm gonna give you the run down, it's gonna sound crazy but at this point, I feel like I am. My name is (Y/n) (L/n) and my friend, Mara Kline, and I are seemingly from a universe that you don't technically exist in. You guys are fiction. Our universe or time period or whatever, I don't know, I'm not a scientist, is at least 120 years ahead of this one as well. We were in a fatal accident, at least that's how we remember it. We both remember dying. Then, like magic, poof! We wake up in the jail cell those assholes housed us in." You tried to make it as short and sweet as you possibly could. 

Ciel was silent, eye widened. He looked at his butler, Sebastian seemed fairly surprised as well, he looked like he wanted to say something. "Young master, if I may?" He asked for permission. Ciel nodded. "What evidence do you have to support this statement?" 

This caused you to quirk a brow as you locked eyes with the butler. "Really? The outfits aren't a giveaway? Neither are the accents and terminology that we've been using?" You heard Mara's muffled speaking coming from under your hand now as well. You turn towards Mara, "Alright, Mara, I'm going to take my hand off of your mouth now. No screaming, you got it?" You felt her nod in response. You slowly remove your hand. She takes a breath, "First of all, I can't believe I'm meeting you guys! It's a dream come true!" She exclaims while smiling, "Secondly, you mentioned, 'strange flat glass boxes', correct?" Ciel nodded in response. "Well, those will have all the proof you need. They're not weapons, they're our cell phones."

Ciel's brows furrowed as he looked at his butler, who also looked confused. "What is a... cell phone?" Ciel questions. "Well, the technical term is a mobile or portable phone. It enables a user to communicate almost anywhere in the world. They could be considered similar to how you use letters." You answer matter-of-factly. They still seemed lost. Mara sighed, having calmed, "Do you know where they are?"

"Sebastian."

"Yes, my lord." 

Sebastian pulled out your phones from one of his pockets before handing them to you. Mara attempted to grab hers, but she was still unfortunately handcuffed. She pouted. This left you to show your phone to the boy and his butler. They were astonished as soon as you'd turned it on. You explained a few simple concepts to them while allowing them to see and hold the device, proving that it wasn't a threat. 

They seemed content after a few minutes. Well, as content as anyone could be in their situation. Sebastian's eyes went down to your uncuffed wrists, and he said, "By the way, Miss, (Y/n), was it? Pray tell, how did you manage to get your handcuffs off?" 

"Oh right! That reminds me," You turned toward Mara, seemingly pulling the handcuff key from thin air, "Let me help you." You unlocked Mara's cuffs, and she immediately pocketed her phone, grateful they didn't see hers due to the amount of Black Butler content on it. Ciel, again, looked shocked, "How did you acquire that key." You shrug, "No one really pays enough attention." You responded. Mara grinned in response, "Who knew that your skills would help us one day?" 

That definitely piqued the Earl's interest. "Skills?" He inquired. "Oh, it's nothing." You respond. "Nothing?" Mara chimed, "Ol' (Y/n) here is a professional thief." This caused you to sigh and drag a hand down your face. 

"Mara?"

"Yes, (Y/n)?" 

"Remember when I had a conversation with you explicitly saying that you probably shouldn't just tell people that?" 

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Ciel had been having a silent conversation with his butler while your banter was occurring. He cleared his throat, causing the two of you to look at him. "I have decided that since the two of you are, in fact, not from this time period, nor this universe, you will be coming back to my manor with me." Mara almost lost it. She was pretty much bouncing in place. You sighed. 

"(Y/n), you will now be my 'self-defense' personal trainer from now on. Somewhat of a guard. If you can escape that easily while also being undetected, I want you to be with Sebastian and me on cases. And you, Mara, what can you do?" Ciel quirked his brow. Mara grinned, "I can cook really well!" You nodded in agreement to her statement. "Is that so?" Ciel asked, "Very well, you'll be assistant to the head chef."

Her eyes almost blew out of the socket. She'd be working with Bard. She looked at you, grinning and vibrating in place. 

"Good luck." You laughed at her condition while the other two looked rather concerned.

After this, Ciel asked what you knew about them. Mara and you had decided that it would be safer to not tell them that you knew everything that would happen if this world followed the anime. "Well, we know that Sebastian and you have a contract and that he's a demon," Mara stated, shrugging. Ciel nodded and then made sure that neither of you was going to spill that as soon as he took you away from here. You swore that you wouldn't, of course.

Ciel then ordered Sebastian to go inform the officers of what would be happening and for him to fetch the carriage. It took about twenty minutes but, you were finally able to leave. You stepped outside and took in your surroundings. Everything was vastly different from what you were used to. Sebastian assisted Ciel and Mara into the carriage, this nearly caused her to faint, of course. He offered you his hand, with his fake little closed-eyed smile. You had always found it slightly unnerving. You declined his offer and just hopped up into the carriage, taking your seat next to Mara. Your rejection had caused the butler's eyebrows to rise, but nothing more. He closed the door and then you were off. After about ten minutes, you were out.

You were awoken by Sebastian opening the door to the carriage. Also, Mara shaking you and completely freaking out. You looked to where she was looking, and your eyes widened as your jaw dropped. The manor was huge! Mara jumped out of the carriage before Sebastian could assist her, followed by you. You stood in awe as you took in the scenery. You couldn't help but think about how beautiful it was. Your thoughts were quickly broken by Sebastian, however. "Lady Mara, Lady (Y/n)."

"Welcome to the Phantomhive Manor."

[herewebingo]

timeline 1/2

transcript

Age 16- (1993)

Leon Scott Kennedy was born in the Midwest US in a town about two hours from Raccoon City.

His early life was marked by two prominent events. Firstly was the death of his uncle, who perished during a crisis in the 80s. He wasn’t close to the man, but was close enough for it to have a haunting impact on his life, specifically in how his extended family responded to the news.

His mother’s side of the family disowned his uncle, and did not speak to his mother in the fallout that occurred because of this.

The second event put his life into upheaval. Both of his parents died in a car accident, leaving him unintentionally emancipated at 16. At the funeral, his godmother reconnected with him while also taking his family’s home to sell after he graduated high school.

Leon was already working by 16, and balanced his graduating years by taking up smoking instead of more permanent solutions to complex problems he didn’t know how to deal with.

He was shuttled into a state university, and tolerated it for the extent of an associates degree in History.

Afterwards, he saw an advertisement for the Raccoon Police Academy. Wanting to do something “useful” and supposedly “meaningful” with his life, he enrolled and completed the course.

-

Age 21 (1998)

September 28th, 1998. Leon awoke the day after a nasty breakup to the realization he was an entire day late for his first day at the R.P.D. He had drunk himself into a blackout after the fact. This consequently saved his life.

Leon drove into Raccoon City, stopping at a gas station in the outskirts, and met Claire Redfield while they both were being attacked by zombies.

They drove into the city and were hit by an out of control truck, and were separated. Claire and Leon agreed to head to the R.P.D. and regroup. There, they managed to navigate a way out of the city through Umbrella’s secret laboratory underneath the city sewers.

While in Raccoon City, Leon met a woman named Ada Wong. Not knowing she was a spy, he fell into her mission to steal the valuable and coveted “G-Virus”, while also uncovering some of Umbrella’s secrets. Leon took a bullet for Ada in the shoulder, and was patched up by her using a butterfly emblazoned compact to hide her medical equipment.

Leon did not in fact end up giving Ada the G-Virus. Instead, as the Umbrella Lab Nest was self-destructing around them, he confronted her.

Annette Birkin shot Ada in the shoulder before any resolution happened, and she slipped off the edge of the NEST catwalk. Leon grabbed onto her, trying to pull her up, but she fell into the abyss. Pursued by the T-02 “Mr. X” and the mutated form of Dr. William Birkin for the majority of his escape, Leon defeated G-3 Birkin and the Super Tyrant T-02 with help from the shadows.

Leon escaped with Claire Redfield using a train system, and both of them walked out with Sherry Birkin to an uncertain future.

Leon vowed from that point on to “scrub the virus from the face of the earth.”

-

Age 25 (2002)

Adam Benford, a CIA intelligence officer coerced Leon into military special operations service under USSOCOM, leveraging the infected Sherry Birkin against him. For the sake of Claire and Sherry, he agreed. Prior to conscription, Leon kept tabs on Claire, contacting her brother when Claire reached out for help during the events of Code Veronica. Leon went through an absolutely brutal training regimen at the behest of President Graham, who in response to the Raccoon City Disaster, codified “Anti-Virus Weapons Protocol No. 7600”. The protocol gave a lot of decision making power to soldiers under the protocol. Leon was sent with orders into South America, after target Javier Hidalgo, following a purchasing trail of bioweapons. On this operation he met and worked with Jack Krauser against an outbreak of the T-Veronica Virus harvested from Antarctica. They met a girl Manuela, who later turned out to be the daughter of Javier. Manuela was born with a degenerative sickness that left her terminal, and Javier could not accept it. Javier used the T-Veronica virus, and stolen organs to keep his daughter alive. Racing through the jungle, Leon and Krauser eventually fought a mutated Javier to defeat, and Manuela was rescued. She was taken into U.S. custody shortly after.

-

Age 27 (2004)

In 2004, President Graham’s daughter was kidnapped by a Spanish cult named Los Illuminados, and tracked into the village of Valdelobos.

Leon was not initially meant to be sent on this mission, but due to internal breaches, he ended up going. With local PD, he was meant to rescue Ashley Graham, but this did not pan out simply. His escorts were killed, and Leon and Ashley uncovered that the cult was actually a group of humans that had been infected by the Las Plagas parasite.

Leon fought enormous mutated giants, and lake monsters, and was infected himself with a Las Plagas egg that hatched and began to sink into his spine. When he found Ashley, she had been infected with Las Plagas as well. They both escaped the village and were kettled into an old castle of castellan and Illuminados cult member Ramon Salazar. Salazar intended to capture and deliver Ashley to the cult lord, Osmund Saddler.

Luis Serra, an ex-Umbrella researcher on parasites, ended up being one of their most valiant allies in their race to escape the Valley of Wolves and the cult. Luis mentioned there was a way to remove these parasites, and haunted Leon and Ashley’s steps through their escape.

Meanwhile, Ada Wong reintroduced herself to Leon in the background, and assisted him in the shadows, while he assisted her with his destruction-first approach in her mission.

Leon fought his was through hordes of cult members and parasite-infested monsters, eventually losing Luis Serra in the process to Jack Krauser. Luis handed Leon the key to his lab, trusting him to do what he had to to rid himself of the parasite.

Leon and Ashley fought their way to Osmund Saddler, and alongside Ada, defeated him.

Ada provided a way out for Leon, as the island was set to be destroyed, and he was commended for his service upon his return.

-

Age 28-29 (2005-2006)

In 2005, Leon was deployed during a bioterror outbreak in Harvardvale, and helped quell the attack alongside Claire Redfield and Terrasave.

2006 proved to be one of the most painful years of service. Early in the year, Leon was involved with combatting the outbreaks in Pennsylvania, combatting the fanatics and fascist movement of the Population Control Movement. Directly afterwards, he was pulled away to D.C.

Leon immediately got involved in the politically brutal Penamstan Coverup, which saw Leon get involved in the plot of Jason and Shenmei, who resorted to using the virus to uncover more sinister actions by the US Government. Alongside Claire Redfield, Leon collected a wealth of information on the current internal corruption. Claire insisted he hand over the collected information on the incident, but Leon did not report his findings directly. He instead took them to his F.O.S. handler, Ingrid Hunnigan. Together, they took steps to form their own solutions to internal corruption at the tail end of Graham’s tenancy as the President.

In the summer of 2006, Jill Valentine was declared dead. Jill was seen as virtually invincible, and downright superhuman. She was considered something of a guiding light for anybody in this seemingly endless fight.

That light gone, the people close to her had to learn to cope without it. Leon turned to what he always did, and drank after her funeral.

-

Age 32 (2009)

In 2009, United States Senator, Doan Everett disappeared on a diplomatic visit to China, and suspicions arose that a strange group was responsible. The group was suspected of being in possession of a strain of the T-Virus, the virus responsible for numerous biological disasters, including Raccoon City.

Leon alongside Manuela Hidalgo journeyed to China, following a seemingly endless trail through neighboring countries and then further distanced countries, to find evidence of Doan’s whereabouts.

They tracked her down to the country of Daijoon, and further, into the city of Nohsava. The city was gripped in a family’s religious schism, with one side of the family engaged in worship and use of a sacred tree (the Savaviens), and the other, insistent on its protection and secrecy above all else.

Leon and Manuela discovered Doan hanged by the Nohsava in the “Tree of Ages”. This tree seemingly reanimated the corpse, planting “ghosts” in the bodies.

Things go horribly wrong, when Leon and Manuela are trapped in Nohsava by the Savavien, and call “ghosts” into the bodies of the deceased to detain Leon.

Leon was separated from Manuela, and fought through horrific creatures in an effort to reunite with her. He succumbed to a fever halfway through a howling rice field, and collapsed.

Stricken with illness, a strange woman in a raincoat, who seemed eerily familiar, approached him as he was fevered. Flanked by sweltering undead, the woman took a look at him, and handed him some water, before vanishing.

Leon had to be evacuated by Manuela, and succumbed to malaria, and was rushed to a hospital in neighboring Vietnam. While there, he received a visit from the old Nohsava leader, who contracted him for a task off the record.

Jill Valentine was rescued simultaneously alongside this mission, and morale was given a much needed boost.

[flamboyantly-incompetent]

HPB, Chapter 3 - Slughorn's Party

Draco Malfoy x Hufflepuff!Reader

Warnings: none?

Masterlist

Word Count: ~6,300

Note: hehehe

Halfway through an unseasonably wet October, Donna and Yvette prepared to brave the road to Hogsmeade for sweets from Honeydukes.

Donna wrapped her head in a woolen scarf and turned to you. “You’re sure you don’t want to come?”

You sat cross legged on your bed, Wilbur curled up beside you. Though the enchanted windows in the Hufflepuff dormitory projected warm sunlight and a soft breeze, you had gotten a good look at the real weather over breakfast. “It looked thoroughly miserable out there. Are you sure you want to go?”

Donna grinned, “I am in dire need of candy if this Halloween is going to be a festive one.”

“And I need new quills,” Yvette added. “Someone replaced all of mine with sugar quills. Speaking of, here.” She reached inside her bedside table, and handed a wrapped package to Donna. “I suspect it was Peeves.”

“Try not to be too bored without us,” Donna jested. “See you at dinner?”

You nodded and shooed them out the door. “Have fun, don’t freeze your noses off.”

“Okay, mom,” Yvette teased as they left the common room.

Herbert had already left with Justin, leaving few Hufflepuffs left in the common room. A few first years played Wizard’s chess by the fire, Wanda Clemm had a blanket thrown over her legs which she was still in the process of knitting, and Zacharias Smith was muttering to himself over a roll of parchment.

While you wanted nothing more than to go back to bed and enjoy a Saturday in a mostly empty dorm, the library and several unfinished assignments called to you. So, you sighed, and packed your schoolbag for a busy morning of study.

The basement and the dungeons of Hogwarts always took on a damp, musty smell whenever it rained that made you think of the fieldstone wall around your mother’s garden at home. You hoped the rain wouldn’t impact her crop of venemous tentacula.

You passed no one else until the main hall, where small groups of younger students had gathered to play gobstones out of the rain. The library was likewise unoccupied, so you were able to claim your favorite armchair, by the window with a view of the Quidditch pitch.

Professor Snape had you studying jinxes and counter-jinxes in preparation for the O.W.L. He’d said that while you’d be tested on the defensive spells, there was no better defense than a good offense. You’d never admit it to Herbert, who held a grudge against Professor Snape since second year over a Strengthening Solution, but he was certainly not the worst teacher you’d had. Next month, you’d even start dueling exercises.

It made you miss the DA meetings from the year prior, but it was better than nothing.

He’d assigned no less than two feet of parchment on the differences between a counter-jinx and an anti-jinx due for Monday, so you set down your bag and went on the hunt for reputable sources.

Wind rattled the windows in their frames while you browsed the many shelves of the library, and you smiled to yourself, thinking of Donna with her scarf pulled up over her nose and wrapped around her forehead down to her eyebrows, braving the storm for Honeydukes.

Madam Pince tutted to herself at her desk, watching you down her nose.

You turned down the next aisle, containing the biographies of several famous and long dead witches and wizards, quickly to avoid her continued gaze. Out of sight, you huffed silently. You had never once abused a book.

Circling back around, you passed the Restricted Section and gazed at it longingly. The rope that separated whatever tomes had been deemed inappropriate for school aged wizards and the rest of the library would be easy to simply step over, but if Madam Pince caught even a whiff of rule breaking, she’d be marching you to Professor Dumbledore’s office before you could read a single forward.

Then, as you passed the next aisle of the restricted section, you stopped short, staring at the back of a head of silvery hair.

Draco Malfoy perused the shelves of the restricted section, arms crossed in front of him, but he hadn’t seemed to notice you. Hoping to keep it that way, you backed up slowly, holding your breath, until you barely disappeared behind the row of shelves.

What could he be looking for? Surely nothing for school. Had Professor Snape given written permission for this access? Or had he used his prefect badge as a get out of detention free card once again?

You held your breath, listening, as he sighed to himself scanning the shelves. Whatever he was looking for, he must not have found it yet.

Then, he was moving away from you, further down the row of shelves. You tried to match him step for step, and hoped no one else was planning on a Saturday study session that would catch you in this act of espionage.

The footsteps stopped, and you risked a peek around, just to see what he was looking at now.

He had stopped halfway down the row, back to you once again, thankfully. The both of you lingered there for a moment, neither of you moving, until Draco heaved another sigh. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and you took that as your cue to duck back out of sight.

You backed up quickly, almost jogging, and tucked into a row you were allowed to be in just in time. He opened the section of rope to exit the restricted section, and closed it behind him. He must have had permission, then.

You watched him through gaps in books, feeling now a little silly, as he left the library. You could’ve just asked him what he was doing. He might even have told you. But where was the fun in that?

Hurriedly, you packed your things and followed him out of the library.

He strolled at a leisurely pace down the corridor, and you let him fall out of sight before catching up. The staircase he’d started up had begun to move. You’d need to hurry if you wanted to get to him before it moved again.

The castle always felt so empty on Hogsmeade days, even the paintings were snoozing as you passed by them.

Draco wove down a corridor of classrooms, never once looking behind him or down adjacent hallways he didn’t intend to stroll down, until he came to a dead end, then went up another set of stairs.

Following him was beginning to wear you out, and this meandering suggested he might not even be headed really anywhere. You considered just going back to the library. But then you turned a corner and

He was gone.

You turned around, checking for a door you’d maybe missed.

“Shouldn’t you be studying?”

You jumped, yelping, at the voice. Draco Malfoy leaned against the door jamb in front of you, smug.

He continued, “If you’re going to make a habit of this you should really invest in better footwear.” You frowned and looked down at your trainers. “I heard you squeaking all over the library before you even knew I was there.”

“What were you doing in the restricted section?” you asked.

He shrugged. “Just browsing.”

“In the restricted section.”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“Well, no, but-“

“Then, I don’t see how it’s any of your business. But, since you’re here. Have you made any progress?”

“I haven’t had much time for the hedgehog.”

“No, I meant the… other thing.”

It took you a moment to put together what he meant. He hadn’t brought it up since that night, and you certainly weren’t expecting to talk about it now.

“Oh, um. Not really. I’ve done a little reading, but, no.”

He leaned in conspiratorially, “If you run out of ideas, there’s always the restricted section.” You narrowed your eyebrows and opened your mouth to scold him. “Just a suggestion. See you Monday.” Before you could get another word in, he’d brushed passed you, down the stairs he’d come up.

You stood there a moment, watching the wind batter the stained glass windows at the end of the hall. Draco hadn’t even been angry about you following him, and this was the second time he’d caught you. Maybe better, sneakier shoes would be good, in case you ever wanted to try again.

“Ha,” you muttered to yourself mirthlessly. Next time you’d just ask him what he was doing, leave the sneaking to him since he was apparently so good at it.

You huffed again, and stalked back to the library to finally get to your schoolwork.

The first Saturday of November, Zacharias had insisted that everyone get down to the Quidditch pitch early to secure good spots for the game. You hadn’t even planned on going - the first game of the season was always a pissing contest between Gryffindor and Slytherin and you weren’t keen on hearing yet another refrain of Weasley Is Our King.

But, as Zacharias had declared the night before, he was commentating the match so he couldn’t very well keep an eye out for any advantages Hufflepuff could get against either team. So, you clomped down to the pitch with Yvette and the rest of the team, schoolbag filled with treats from Honeydukes and a few books on magically activated traps slung across your chest.

“Who d’you think we should focus on?” you asked.

Yvette considered a moment. Her Patronus may be a horse, but her eyes were thoroughly hawkish when observing the Quidditch pitch. “Gryffindor.”

You nodded. Since Katie Bell, one of their chasers, had been moved to St. Mungo’s for curse treatment, Harry Potter had been slow to announce who’d take up her spot. Until last night, when Devon Summerby announced he’d overheard Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan arguing about it over supper. They were the team to watch.

You’d get to see Draco play today. Quidditch was never something you were dedicated to, or even really made time to watch. The last time you’d watched Slytherin play was in your second year, since the season had been canceled for the Tri-Wizard Tournament in your third, and you hadn’t even been paying attention then.

Yvette gave you a sidelong glance, reading your mind. “Slytherin always plays dirty,” she said. “This ought to be an interesting match.”

The two of you settled in by the eastern goal posts with the sun at your backs, so you’d be able to see most of the pitch but keep an eye on the Slytherin keeper - to see how Gryffindor planned to sink the quaffle. Yvette teased you when you pulled out a book.

The lessons with Draco had been going… on, and while you were suddenly spending more time with him than you’d ever expected, he refused to speak any more about what he’d told you that night in the owlery. Any time you mentioned it, his face went stony and you could get nothing out of him. Worse, was knowing he was definitely up to something. It was infuriating. But your Transfiguration work had gotten better. You could now transfigure a hedgehog into a pincushion, though it did still make little snuffling noises when presented with treats. Progress was progress.

So, you pursued what Herbert had suggested - a good old fashioned trap. So far, the only sources you could find that were even relevant to your goal had been about travel safety, keeping gnomes out of the garden, and childproofing potions equipment. Skimming over this one, it appeared to be even less helpful - an account of a shop keeper rigging their safe as a portkey that would teleport away from thieves- but you started at the first chapter anyway, hoping for a clue or new idea.

The stands began to fill up, and the match began.

Harry’s strategy as seeker had always been to hover high above the rest of the players to survey, and keep watch for the Snitch. It was a good way to see every flash of movement below you, but the moment he moved with any speed, the crowd, and the other team’s seeker, knew the game was almost over. Draco, however, zoomed circles around the pitch, quicksilver, zigging and zagging sharply. It was impossible to tell whether he was on the hunt or in pursuit. Sneaky. Very sneaky.

You jotted down your thoughts and tried to tune out Zacharias’s commentary. He wasn’t going to earn himself any friends today, that much was certain.

Slytherin had possession of the quaffle, the captain Urquhart bolting down the pitch with it tucked under an arm, flanked by both beaters. The one on the right swung his bat into the bludger with a crack just as the quaffle went flying.

Ginny’s brother, Gryffindor’s keeper, wobbled on his broom but made the save.

Draco circled around towards his team’s keeper. He certainly looked at home on a broom. He almost looked… he almost was-

He looked at you looking at him, and smirked, then was gone a second later.

You balled up your fists at your sides. Git.

The match was a close one, in the end Draco and Harry had rushed the snitch side by side, shoving at each other the whole way, until Draco pulled up sharply and Harry caught the snitch, bowling over into the sand under the Gryffindor side goals. By that point, you had several pages of notes on habits, play styles and formations.

When your Monday night Transfiguration tutoring session rolled around, you expected Draco to still be cranky from the loss. But, when you got to the Room of Requirement, it was still the same, welcoming sitting room, albeit slightly bigger this time, and Draco was once again sitting by the fire, reading. He was the picture of composure, tie tucked into his characteristic green argyle sweater, prefect pin affixed proudly by the collar.

He did not look up when he heard you enter, but waved you in and said, “Sit, the kettle’s on.”

“Something special planned, then?” you asked, gesturing to the extra space the Room had allotted you.

He glanced up at you through sharp eyebrows then returned to his book. “Perhaps. Did you enjoy yourself? At the match?”

You sat down, uncomfortable. “It was a close one. The other chaser-“

“Vaisey. Got hit in his thick head, sent to the hospital wing. Harper had to step in,” his voice was casual. If he was upset about the loss he wasn’t letting it show. “It’s only Quidditch.”

You barked out a laugh. “Well that’s a new one.”

“What is?”

“You, not caring about Quidditch. Especially when you lost to Gryffindor. I’d half expected this chaise to be in shambles today.”

He closed the book and fixed his cold gaze on you. “Believe me - I detest losing to Potter,” he growled. “But Quidditch is the least of my worries this year. I almost didn’t play, but,” he trailed off, waving a hand. He moved to place the hedgehog on the table.

“But what?”

“I wanted to.”

“Uh huh.”

“And you?”

“Me?”

“Are you ready to face Ravenclaw?”

You shrugged. “I mean, I’m just Keeper, it can’t be too different from practice.”

He smirked. “Just keep an eye out for Bradley - he’s the tricky one.”

You frowned, and glanced at the steam now leaking from the kettle. “Is that what you have planned for today? Quidditch pointers?”

“Just some small talk, while we wait for the water. Unless you’d rather we sit in uncomfortable silence?” You shook your head, chastised. He tapped the thick, silver rings on his fingers against the binding of the book in his hands, thinking. “Did I see you reading?”

“Note taking, actually,” you said casually. “Just to prepare for the season.”

Something flashed in Draco’s eyes, he almost looked impressed. “Smith has you spying then? Stepping up his game.”

“Not spying. Just… observations.”

He leaned forward and smirked. “And what have you observed about me?”

You froze. He was enjoying this too much, but to what end? Was it wise to reveal what you’d learned? “You never stop moving, you rely too heavily on faking out the opposing seeker and it ends up destabilizing your own team, and you don’t mind colliding with other players if it gives you an advantage. But, you and Harry were neck and neck, you could’ve caught the snitch if you’d followed through. Why didn’t you?”

“It didn’t seem worth it.”

“To win?”

“Yep.”

“Why not?”

“Like I said, it’s only Quidditch.”

You looked at him a long while, his face revealing nothing. The whistling of the kettle broke the silence, and once the tea was poured, the tutoring began, and the small talk ended.

After pouring over the notes from the Gryffindor v Slytherin game, Zacharias had tailored drills to exploit weaknesses from either team, but none of those would give you a particular edge against Ravenclaw.

The morning of the match was a snowy one, and in the changing rooms by the pitch, Devon Summerby was offering to put a warming charm on everyone’s gloves. Everyone but McManus wisely declined.

You’d heard from Yvette, who’d heard from Hannah, who’d heard from Pansy herself that she’d be commentating the match today. You gathered that she was the Slytherin girl always trailing after Draco and his entourage whenever he was surrounded by them, which had been seldom recently. But her disdain for Hufflepuff was no secret. If she was aware that you had been spending more time with her idea of a local celebrity, she hadn’t made it known to you.

The keeper’s helmet fit snugly on your head, and it made you feel silly.

Yvette laughed at your frown, fiddling with her forearm guards. “Don’t worry. You won’t be worried about how you look once you’re staring down a bludger.”

“Or falling off your broom to make a risky save,” Wanda added, offering a small smile. “You’ll do great, it’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, guys,” you replied, almost confident. If Hufflepuff lost because of you, Smith would never give you another moment’s peace.

“C’mon,” your captain called. “Let’s go.”

You followed the rest of the team out onto the pitch, gripping your broom nervously.

“Remember,” Wanda murmured, “if your hands get too cold, the end of your broom makes an excellent paddle.” She winked and followed the other chasers into the sky. You followed suit, and kicked off to circle the goalposts.

Even with the inclement weather, the stands were packed. It took you a moment, but you managed to pick out Donna and Herbert, huddled together for warmth about halfway between the goals and the teacher’s box. They waved, and you waved back, then you continued to circle the pitch.

A glint of sun off of white hair sent a jolt through your stomach, but it was just Luna. She wasn’t wearing her usual raven costume that cawed, but rather was bundled from head to toe in blue and bronze scarves, and her brilliantly blond hair had splayed itself out over her shoulders. At least it wasn’t Malfoy. The thought of him watching you, wearing this, giving him another thing to tease you about, made your stomach churn.

The match began in a flurry of robes, brooms, and snow, and you didn’t have to wonder long whether Pansy made a better commentator than Zacharias.

“Oh, there goes the Quaffle,” she droned, sounding bored. “Yvette Malcomn’s got it, there she goes. Not very pretty, that one.”

Despite yourself, you smacked your palm against your forehead. Was there no one in all of Hogwarts qualified to comment a sports game?

She continued, “Oh, look, now Roger Davies has got it. So interesting. He’s at least a bit better looking.”

Davies, the Ravenclaw captain, did have the Quaffle, and he barreled towards you from halfway down the pitch, Chambers at his heels. But where was Bradley? Draco had said to watch out for him.

You shook your head, hovering between the left and center posts. Now was not the time to think too hard about anything Draco Malfoy said.

Davies had his arm tucked like he held the Quaffle in a death grip, but now that he was closer, you weren’t sure anymore that he did have the Quaffle. Now, you truly did need eyes on Bradley.

The Hufflepuff team followed in hot pursuit, scrambling for a steal maneuver. Then, Davies and Chambers pulled off to the sides, revealing Bradley who’d been hidden between and slightly behind them. He bolted for the right goal, then at the last minute turned, and shot for the center.

But you were ready for it, thanks to Draco Malfoy of all people. You caught the Quaffle with both hands, and tossed it to Zacharias.

The match continued, you stopped a number of shots made by Bradley and Davies, though Chambers managed to sneak a few in, all while Pansy updated the crowd in a shrill monotone. Zacharias, Yvette and Cadawaller managed to gain a sizeable lead against Ravenclaw, and you could feel the hope of the Hufflepuffs in the crowd building. Until, of course, seconds away from catching the snitch, Devon Summerby’s warming charm faltered and both his and McManus’ gloves caught fire.

Pansy let her cackle echo across the pitch as the match ended in Ravenclaw’s favor.

Miniature Christmas trees and holly wreaths lined the dormitory in preparation for the break, but no one in your year felt particularly festive. Every single one of your professors, yes, even Hagrid, was determined to keep you working fervently right up until getting on the train to spend the holidays with your families.

Even so, Professor Slughorn had scheduled a holiday party for the Slug Club mid-December, just days before the break, and you hadn’t been quick enough to think up an excuse.

Your mother had sent you a dress to wear through the owl post, it was wintry but not particularly Christmas. It fell halfway down your calves and swayed in navy blue, embroidered with sparkling snowflakes, and the sheer cap sleeves were likewise decorated. It reminded you of the Black Lake when it was frozen over.

Herbert waited for you in the common room wearing his dress robes. He grinned and offered you an arm. “Are you ready to schmooze?”

“Am I ever,” you answered dryly.

Yvette and Donna were both nose deep in their textbooks by the fire, flanked by Hannah and Wanda. Yvette looked up from her copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 and whistled.

“You two clean up good.”

Donna added, “I believe it’s clean up nice.”

“It’s clean up nicely,” Wanda corrected, smiling. “And you do look quite nice.”

“Thank you, Wanda,” you said with emphasis. Donna waved a hand at you and returned to her reading.

Yvette addressed Herbert. “You’re sure you’re okay with this?”

He looked you up and down, and said, “I’ve had worse company on a Friday night.” You punched his arm at the joke.

Yvette rolled her eyes. “I meant talking me up to Slughorn.”

“I know. Don’t worry - your academic reputation is safe in my capable hands.” And then Herbert winked. And Yvette blushed.

“Ahem,” she said, covering quickly. “Well. Have a good night then.” Herbert pretended not to notice and steered you out the round common room door.

In the basement corridor, with the door shut behind you, you turned to Herbert and remarked incredulously, “That was smooth. Who are you and what have you done with Herb?”

He smiled shakily, and began walking you to the party.

“Was it? My ears feel like they’re on fire, and I may faint any moment.”

“Could’ve fooled me. I think you definitely fooled her. Where’d that come from?”

“She’s just a girl. It’s not like she’s gonna bite me if she doesn’t like me back. So, I have decided to flirt.”

He said it so matter-of-factly, he’d definitely thought this through carefully. You had to laugh.

“We’re rooting for ya, buddy.”

He rolled his eyes at you. “Your continued support means more than I can say.”

The both of you wove through corridor after corridor, up staircase after staircase, and by the time you were anywhere near the faculty offices, you were both cursing Hogwarts’ chief architect for putting the Hufflepuff common room below sea level. At least the Slytherins would have a further trek, and the image of Zabini huffing and puffing like you were doing now made you feel better.

You shared a determined look with Herbert, and knocked on Slughorn’s door.

At once, it boomed open. The potions’ master was once again clad in his preferred smoking jacket, but the cap he’d chosen to accompany it this evening bore a long tassle. Music poured from the open door.

“Miss Y/L/N!” he boomed, inviting you in. He took Herbert’s hand and shook it enthusiastically. “And you must be Mr. Fischer. Y/N has told me all about you, now tell me. Is it true you too can conjure a full bodied patronus?” Slughorn steered Herbert away from you, readying for the surprise interview.

Herbert only smiled genially. “If you think that’s impressive, sir, you should hear about my friend, Yvette Malcomn.”

The room had been draped with Christmas colored curtains top to bottom, and the only light was a beautiful golden lamp hanging from the middle of the ceiling. You frowned, real fairies had been shut inside, and you had half a mind to ask them if they’d like to be freed, but Professor Slughorn probably wouldn’t appreciate that much. You meandered through throngs of adult wizards smoking long pipes, house elves carrying trays of hors d’oeuvres, and students you were half familiar with, looking for someone you actually knew.

Luna was supposed to be coming, with Harry Potter of all people. Though they didn’t appear to have arrived yet, given Slughorn’s interest in Harry, you believed you’d hear about it when they did.

Then you spotted Ginny across the room, tucked into a corner, looking horribly uncomfortable.

“Ginny!” you said, relieved to have found someone to talk to. She turned to look at you with puffy eyes. “Hey, no Dean?” She shook her head. “D’you wanna get some butterbeer?” She nodded, and you looped her arm through yours.

She walked with you over to the casks of magically chilled butterbeer without enthusiasm, and took the mug you offered her.

“You know,” you said, taking that perfect first, frothy sip. “You could always dump him. You’re way too cool to be with someone who won’t even come to parties with you.”

She laughed, and replied, “This just isn’t his thing, I guess. Who’d want to come to a fancy party with your professor’s fancy friends and have your girlfriend wearing a fancy dress hang off your arm all night.” She rolled her eyes, mirth gone again, and took a long swallow of butterbeer. “But, I’m here, and he isn’t, and I may as well have fun. Who’re you here with, anyway?”

“Herbert, but he’s off schmoozing Professor Slughorn.”

“Let’s mingle a bit then, shall we?”

Ginny turned back into her normal self like a switch had been flipped, which did make you worry a touch, but she was tough, and if having a normal evening without talking about feelings was what she needed, you were happy to oblige. The both of you mingled your hearts out, meeting several of Slughorns old students, all now prominent members of their fields. You were beginning to get the sense that this ‘Christmas party’ was just another, larger, networking meeting.

“Oh, no,” said Ginny.

You looked around. “What?”

“McLaggen, straight ahead. I forgot Hermione was coming with him. They’re headed straight for the mistletoe.”

You watched, horrified, as McLaggen looked up and grinned at his good luck, mere moments before Hermione did the same and shuddered at her equally bad luck. He said something, probably meant to be flirtatious, then plunged his hands into her neatly done hair and went in for a kiss as she dodged.

“Merlin’s beard,” you remarked. “We should do something.”

Ginny reached into the pockets of her red and golden dress, and pulled out an old candy. “Nosebleed Nougat. Leftover from last time I wore this thing. Shall we?”

“You’re just. So. Cool.”

You moved in casually, Ginny from the left as you went right, and synchronized your attack. Ginny got Hermione’s attention as you bumped into McLaggen, who flailed for a moment before righting his balance, but by the time he could, Hermione had followed Ginny behind a curtain. As he was glancing around, you slipped the bad end of the Nosebleed Nougat into the last cup of toffee pudding on a passing house elf’s tray. Then, you slipped away, watching him take the dessert out of the corner of your eye, suspecting no foul play.

Take that, Malfoy, you thought smugly to yourself. Turns out I can sneak just fine.

Hermione had continued to slip through the curtains back towards the drink casks, and Ginny met back up with you to share a high five before you followed Hermione for another celebratory round of butterbeer.

Slughorn’s enthusiastic greeting boomed all the way to the corners of the room - Harry must’ve just arrived. Herbert appeared at your side, his own mug of butterbeer in hand.

“I think I’ve made some headway,” he said. “Hey Ginny, Hermione.”

Hermione gave a weak hello, then, “Bloody hell. He just doesn’t give up. I’ve gotta go.” She slipped back into the curtains just in time for McLaggen to spot Ginny and come trotting up.

“Where’d Hermione go?” he said. A drop of blood had finally started to gather at the tip of his nose. It wouldn’t be long now.

Ginny pointed across the room. “I think she stopped to talk to-“ but she didn’t need to finish, as McLaggen was already off in the direction she’d pointed to. “Git.”

Professor Slughorn paraded Harry around, who was holding onto Luna like a lifeline, to several of his old friends. You waited for the opportune moment to say hello, when the door banged open again.

Mr. Filch was dragging Draco Malfoy in by his ear. The latter wrenched himself from the former’s grasp, face burning red.

“All right!” he shouted. “I was trying to gatechrash, happy?” A small crowd had begun to form because of the disturbance, and his eyes flicked over you as he took in the onlookers. He looked tired, again. Like he’d caught cold but was refusing bed rest and tea.

Filch, equally red in the face, shouted back, “No! You’re in trouble, you are!”

Finally, Slughorn stepped in, waving a hand. “That’s quite alright, Argus,” he said. “It’s Christmas, after all, and this is a party. Just this once, you may stay if you like, Draco.” He winked, expertly breaking the tension. “We’ll forget about any punishment. Alright, Mr. Filch?”

Mr. Filch did not look like he was alright with that, but wasn’t about to argue and shuffled off. Draco, however, immediately set to kissing up to Slughorn.

You overheard an especially sugared remark about Draco’s grandfather’s supposed opinion of Slughorn, and snorted.

Immediately, Draco’s sharp gaze leveled on you.

“Something to say, Y/L/N?”

There was venom in his voice you hadn’t expected. Herbert shifted protectively.

“I only wondered how often your grandfather made a point to discuss Hogwarts’ faculty with you. Seems an odd topic of conversation to me.” You glared at each other for a heartbeat before Professor Slughorn continued on talking like the exchange had never happened.

Herbert steered you away by the elbow, whispering, “Let’s not get into any fisticuffs at a Christmas party, yeah?”

“Sorry,” you grumbled. “I just haven’t actually had a chance to eat anything yet.”

“Well we should fix that then.” He gallantly offered you his arm to lead you in a search for the nearest house elf with food. A lukewarm spinach puff later, and you felt a little bad over the whole thing.

Draco had settled in, helping himself to a mug of butterbeer. You assured Herbert you were fine, and went to apologize.

“Fancy party, huh?” Draco asked, hearing you approach.

“Very. I see you dressed up.” He was wearing his usual casual dress, which happened to be not very casual at all and accompanied by a black tie. The corner of his mouth quirked up. That was the best you could hope for. “I’m sorry, for earlier. Kissing up is a normal part of networking, but it’s impolite to point it out.”

“True.”

“So, now that you’re here, what do you make of the Slug Club?” He snorted derisively, casting a judgmental gaze across the party goers. Something was off, so you took a shot in the dark. “You didn’t come here to crash the party, did you?” Draco’s expression was stony, his eyes evasive. “What are you up to?”

“No, I came to see what kind of company Slughorn deems fit for his inner circle. My father always said the quality of this school was failing,” he scoffed.

His father was also a current resident of Azkaban, but you bit your tongue. Instead, you replied, “Well it certainly looks as if he’s interested in your input.”

“I won’t apologize for the standards my family has fought to uphold since before the Ministry was founded,” he snapped, “My pride wouldn’t allow it.”

“I don’t care that you’re proud. Or competitive. Or that you have a sharp tongue. I care that you take every cheap shot you can. I care that you refuse to see reason, and you’re so obsessed with your precious bloodlines, like witches like my friends somehow don’t deserve to be here. And I care that if it weren’t for that one thing I might… We may have been friends.”

“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he sneered.

“Yes,” you said, incredulous. “I don’t understand why you have to fight everyone all the time.”

“Have you ever considered that maybe everyone is fighting me all the time?”

You crossed your arms in front of you and gave him a look. “Now, that’s a crock of dragon dung, and you know it.”

Professor Snape materialized at Draco’s shoulder. “A word, Draco.” He walked away, expecting Draco to follow him.

Draco left you with one more sour look before following his Head of House out of Slughorn’s office.

Ginny replaced him, standing in front of you looking none too pleased. “Well,” she said, “that was interesting.”

“What?”

“Looked a lot like a lovers’ quarrel to me. I should know, I’ve had more than my share of those recently.”

You were suddenly very tired, and had no patience for guessing games. “I’m sorry, can you catch me up here?”

“You and Malfoy seemed awful familiar. It does make me wonder when you’ve had the time to make nice.”

“He’s been tutoring me for Transfiguration. Dumbledore asked him to.”

“Sure, sure,” she said, though she didn’t look convinced. “But I’ve never fluttered my eyelashes at a tutor, much less a Slytherin.”

You narrowed your eyebrows, not liking at all what she was insinuating. “I did no such thing.”

“Oh, I think you did. In fact, I think you have a crush. And I can’t pretend to approve your choice, so next time you have relationship advice for me, save it.” She appraised you coldly for a moment. “Harry thinks he cursed Katie Bell, you know.”

“He couldn’t have,” you said without thinking.

“Oh? And how would you know?”

“Because… I saw him, in the library. While everyone else was at Hogsmeade.”

She smirked, and simply said, “Right, of course you did.”

You turned away from Ginny and stormed out of the room, wrenching out of Herbert’s grasp as he tried to stop you. You had to find him. A crush? On Draco Malfoy? That sniveling, annoying, good for nothing prat? You were going to find him, and when you did you were going to give him a piece of your mind. That’ll show him. That’ll show her.

Turning down the corridor, you started looking in classroom windows. By the time you got to the stairs, you knew where you’d find him.

The door to the Room of Requirement was already materialized on the wall. You yanked it open to find Draco, hunched over, gripping a table in an almost bare room. He turned as you entered.

“How did you get in here?”

You ignored his question and started yelling. “You!” He backed away from you, looking a little frightened. Good. “You just keep popping up, everywhere! Why can’t I get away from you?”

He stammered something, a lock of disheveled hair falling in front of his eyes as he looked for an escape route.

You shook your head, grabbing him by the tie, and pulling on it to make him look at you. “You are the absolute worst, do you know that?”

“Uh,” he warbled.

He was right where you wanted him. You were primed to eviscerate him verbally. And then -

You tugged a little harder, crashing your lips against his.

His breath hitched, surprised, but then he sunk into it. Draco’s ringed fingers brushed across both your cheeks, cupping your face.

Something in your gut flipped when you realized what was happening, and that he wasn’t fighting it. You froze.

Draco pulled back, confused. “What?”

“I-I’m sorry.” You backed away, stumbling around the table. “I don’t know what, I don’t know why I did that.”

He reached for you again. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry.” You turned and ran out the door before he could catch you, not stopping until you reached the common room door.

You stopped in front of it, and brought a trembling hand to your mouth. You weren’t sure what was worse - that Ginny had been right, that you’d kissed Draco Malfoy, or that you could still feel his lips on yours.

~~~ Taglist ~~~

@jemomgershippingco

@snickersmee

@cillshot

@reb0rned

[marta-bee]

News of the Day 5/24/25: Family Values

Paywall-free.

Last week, when I heard an IVF clinic had been bombed out in California, I had flashbacks to the anti-abortion violence in the 1990s. I was so sure it was going to be a pro-life thing. Turns out it was exactly the opposite: the suspected bomber was an anti-natalist and was upset, not about the embryos created and ultimately destroyed, but with the prospect of any of them being born at all.

AG Bondi's response was unsettling, but telling. Shortly after the attack, she tweeted how "the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable." Speaking as one of those crazy cat-ladies, it does get under my skin when I hear how women should be having more babies, that we're extra-special or heroic or that's what gives us worth. And I've been hearing that a lot these days.

To be clear, there's a lot of talk about babies, but little being done to make them affordable. One-time checks are very helpful to parents, I'm sure, but $5,000 is less than half the cost of giving birth here if you don't have insurance. It would also cover about 4-5 months of infant daycare. After that you're on your own.

(SNAP benefits would help. Affordable housing and childcare. Medicaid that didn't impose work requirements even on the mothers of young children. So, so, so many other things.)

The reality is, the president and those around him don't just want more babies in America. They want the right kind of babies. From family's well enough off they don't need public programs. From stable heterosexual marriages where the mom can stay home. And then there's the whole racism of it. There really is a generational shift in the West driven by falling birth-rates, but the US previously had a solution in high immigration. A lot of the groups driving this hyper-awareness on women needing to have more babies have some strongly eugenic strains to them, too.

I've no problem with people having more babies. I like kids! I want more people who want to raise them to get that chance, to really be able to afford them. I'd just love to have more of that for people who want it, without also feeling like I'm living through the Handmaid's Tale. And yes, we're not there yet, but at a vibe level, it is getting harder and harder to ignore.

Pro-Natalism

They say they want Americans to have more babies. What's beneath the surface?

The precipitous decline of birthrates throughout the world poses a serious threat to humanity. Aeon discusses different strategies to address it worldwide.

Restricting immigration throws out America’s best advantage for addressing the generational shift. (X)

A deeper dive into how high immigration addresses labor shortages in particular US industries. (X)

More young women are embracing fertility tracking methods long popular among Catholics, looking to influencers, questioning doctors — and finding a home in MAGA.. (X)

The rise of eugenist thinking in US policy. (X)

The GOP’s Resurgence Of Pro-Natalism Looks A Lot Like The Past (X)

Specific policies the White House is considering to encourage more pregnancies. (X)

“Don’t Let ‘Pronatalists’ Define What’s Family-Friendly” (X)

Recent Abortion-Related Shenanigans

A Georgia woman is brain-dead after an accident. They’re still keeping her body on life support because she’s pregnant. (X)

A questionable report on mifepristone’s safety is helping anti-abortion groups push to restrict access. (X) RFK ordered the FDA to do a new investigation of the abortion drug’s safety, which many fear could give Trump political cover to ban abortion nationwide. (X)

Trump’s DOJ dropped a lawsuit involving Idaho and the EMTALA.

Context: The law requires hospitals to provide “stabilizing care” for people in emergency rooms, including abortions - even when state bans forbid it. Biden’s DOJ had been arguing Idaho’s abortion ban didn’t make enough exceptions for the health of the mother. (“Life” is not enough.) It’s a major tool to fight for health-saving abortions, and if the administration isn’t willing to pursue court cases based on the EMTALA, that’s concerning.

The current GOP budget defunds Planned Parenthood. (X)

In 2024 Missouri voted for a state constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights. State lawmakers have now approved a referendum to reverse it and enact a ban on most abortions not from rape or incest. Basically they’re asking the voters to overturn the 2024 amendment.

A federal judge scrapped laws requiring employers to give women time off for abortions. (X)

More on the Palm Springs IVF bombing

Details about the Palm Springs IVF attack. (X)

Details about a manifesto left behind by the bomber. (X)

‘A rabbit hole of paranoia’: what an IVF clinic bombing tells us about young men and online extremism

The IVF bomber was part of the “anti-life” movement.Experts warn that online nihilism is fueling similar violence in the US and Europe. (X)

TIME: “The Unexpected Grief of Discarding Your Frozen Eggs” (X)

“Bombing at IVF clinic should be a security wake-up call for fertility centers, experts say” (X)

The fertility clinic owner vows to rebuild. (X) Good details about their response.