#h.l. day

[polycraftory]

Exposed by H.L. Day

Reviewed by Gabe❤️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 | 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5

This edition is from the Thawing the Ice Rainbow After Dark book box from @rainbowcrate. As always, you can find more of Gabe's reviews @ wordswritinstarlight on Storygraph. You can find Meghan's very long (also 5 star!) review @ edgybutfemme on Storygraph as well. Find all our links from our website: Polycraftory.com

I expected to have a good time reading this book, but honestly I was surprised by how genuinely excellent it was. X is my favorite flavor of fucked up, and Tate is smart, which is frankly rare in plots revolving heavily around an escort mission. I spent this whole book braced for Tate to storm off and almost die or something stupid in that style, and instead he consistently makes what I would say is the smartest decisions available to him, even when the situation sucks.

Also, this is a really well executed dystopia. The DTP is somewhere between American police and Stormtroopers, and their willingness to kill just to make a point is driven home with onscreen actions rather than just hearing a report of it. This book really speaks to the part of me that is often frustrated with how dystopian media usually falls into either "we're going to kill the Big Bad and everything is fine now" or "this is how it's going to be forever and there's nothing to be done about it". It perfectly nails a middle ground between the two.

Recommended for anyone whose favorite action movie is Fury Road, or for anyone who likes the romcom Mr. Right.

Content Warnings & Spoilers Under The Cut!

Content Warnings From The Book

Graphic violence

Stalking

Knife play (consensual)

Breath play (consensual)

Mentions of domestic abuse

Police violence

Gun violence

Murder

Death

Alcohol abuse

Sex work

Explicit sexual content

Death of a parent

Ending Spoilers

X and Tate actually get to leave! I love that, even after everything, X has hope for something better, and that Tate decides he'd rather die trying to find a place to be happy than live a miserable life forever.

[theblackestofsuns]

Newspaper Days, 1899-1906 (1941)

H.L. Mencken

Johns Hopkins University Press

[melaniem54]

Review: Exercising a Demon (Possessive Love) by H. L. Day

Rating: 4.25🌈 Possessive Love is a 15 multi-author book series about demons in love. I love to explore a collection like this because of the opportunities to revisit authors I already enjoy to finding new ones to discover. In the case of Exercising a Demon (Possessive Love) by H. L. Day it’s an author I’m happily familiar with. Day is on my auto read list and Exercising a Demon is a terrific…

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

From the Department of People Are Definitely Opening Their Eyes: Overall, only 40% of Americans apparently qualify under H.L. Mencken’s comment about nobody ever underestimating the intelligence of the public. That’s the number who still believe Orange Fuckface and his bullshit. On just about every issue, from immigration to the economy, there are more Americans who disapprove of Trump’s actions in office than approve of them, according to a new poll conducted this month from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. As PINO’s April 2 deadline for imposing tariffs on most global imports looms, the poll shows that 60% of Americans disapprove of the administration’s handling of trade negotiations with other countries, compared to just 38% who approve. PINO is similarly under water when it comes to his handling of the economy (58% disapproval), the Russia-Ukraine conflict (56% disapproval), Social Security (56% disapproval), managing the federal government (55% disapproval), and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (54% disapproval). PINO’s strongest issue — his approach to immigration — is a much tighter split, with 49% of Americans approving of his performance, compared to 50% who disapprove.

From the Department of These Fuckwitted Basement Dwellers Are Still Here: One of Elmo’s Anti-Social Teenage Mutant Ninja Basement Dwellers is back on the payroll, and with even more access than he had .Marko Elez, 25, also broke data sharing rules and may have violated federal law at the U.S. Treasury Department when he shared personally identifiable information on a spreadsheet with several employees at the GSA who did not have permission to view the data, according to an audit. In February, Elez was brought on board as a Labor Department employee. He was later detailed on March 5 to HHS. According to a Saturday court filing, Elez is also employed by four other agencies. The court filings, which show how Elez and Elmo’s other kiddies have been given access to sensitive and secure databases, come just days after several other federal judges found that DOGE likely broke the law with its inexplicable access to sensitive data systems.

[TCinLa] from "Poking Around On April Fools Day"

[contemplatingoutlander]

H. L. Mencken was prescient 100 years ago in his explanation about how someone like Trump would eventually be elected

Many Americans continue to wonder why so many of their fellow citizens choose to vote for someone so deeply flawed as Donald Trump.

In a recent comment to an article in The Washington Post, a reader (Ulyth) suggested that "H. L. Mencken's blunt and astute observation of the common man from early last century explains both Trump and MAGA World." [emphasis added]

Ulyth followed this comment by quoting Mencken. (Below is an expanded version of the quote.)

"The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth. A Galileo could no more be elected President of the United States than he could be elected Pope of Rome." [emphasis added] --H.L. Mencken (1922). The Smart Set, 68.

Ulyth went on to comment: "Incredibly prescient, Mencken predicted 2016 and Trump's ongoing, appalling appeal." [emphasis added]

This was followed by another quote by Mencken. (Below is an expanded version of the quote.)

“When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental — men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack or be lost. [...] "All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. "The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” [emphasis added] -- H. L. Mencken (1920, July 26). Bayard vs Lionhart. The Evening Sun.

Given Mencken's perspective from a century ago, it seems that it was only a matter of time that Americans elected someone like Trump to the presidency.

[evidenceof]

RPF Services Edition Fic Rec: moniker by @randlemartin (modwyrs on AO3)

During the war, everyone had called him Bull. After the war, next to no one does.

Fandom: Band of Brothers Character: Bull Randleman | Relationship: Johnny Martin/Bull Randleman

I'm a sucker for stories that explore how names stick. And this is Caoimhe diving into the nuances (and affections) of Hayseed vs. Bull vs. Denver. All that, and how a name can be a promise. THIS IS A MODWYRS FIC, YOU WILL BE FLASH BANGED BY ROMANCE SWEETER THAN JUICY FRUIT. Love how it weaves you into how their relationship evolves from the day they're green as any replacement, up until they're back stateside with war wounds. So beautifully done.

"... And here I was thinking it was a girl, the way you were smiling so much.”  He feels his cheeks, which do strain from a constant grin, heat. “Nah, just Johnny.” 

If Caoimhe has a million fans, then I am one of them. If Caoimhe has only one fan then that is me. If Caoimhe has no fans, then that means I am no longer on earth.

Art featured is a mock up I based off of Armed Services Editions. I used elements from the original book cover for Heathen Days by H.L. Meken and the mini book cover detail is an edited still of Bull Randleman from EP 5 Replacements.

[spore-loser]

day four : high society ( r e g e n c y ) @elucienweekofficial

of all the wondrous places, of etiquette and graces of all the noble kings, of all the richest things of all the highest measures, of all the shiny treasures of all the wisest books, of all the fashion looks of all that we can find or reach within our mind of things that we can touch, there’s nothing half as much as vital in one single day, though poor or rich the way as a heart that’s dear and true, of a person loving you h.l.

[sigmaleph]

Noun sleep (countable and uncountable, plural sleeps)

[...]

(uncountable) Rheum, crusty or gummy discharge found in the corner of the eyes after waking, whether real or a figurative objectification of sleep (in the sense of reduced consciousness). 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 233: When she had rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and wept till she was tired, she set out on her way and walked for many, many a day, till she at last came to a big mountain. 1980, “Daydream Believer”‎ performed by Anne Murray: But it rings And we rise, Wipe the sleep out of our eyes […]

That is what rubbing the sleep out of one's eyes means?

[polycraftory]

We are back with the Thawing the Ice box from Rainbow After Dark @rainbowcrate. I actually managed to read both of these books, so later tonight and tomorrow I will be posting some fun detail shots of each book and with a full book review!

My favorite thing about the RAD box is that both books are indie published, so they both get the full overhaul. This month's theme was ice kings and queens. Exposed by HL Day is a post-apocalyptic action romance with X using all the knife skills and tactics at his disposal to save Tate, an innocent man being hunted by the dystopian "Defenders of the Peace" police force. A Whisper of Solace by Milena McKay is a sapphic contemporary romance set in Hollywood between the CEO ice queen of a major movie studio and the one woman that has been able to melt through her defenses.

Stay tuned for reviews and detail shots of these books soon!

[theblackestofsuns]

Heathen Days, 1890-1936 (1943)

H.L. Mencken

Johns Hopkins University Press

[darkmaga-returns]

“Ihate y’all bad,” asserted rapper Cardi B in reaction to Donald Trump’s presidential election victory on her Instagram page, which has 165 million followers. In a now-deleted X post, the former stripper responsible for some of the most sexually explicit mainstream pop music ever released added: “This is why some of y’all states be getting hurricanes,” a reference to recent devastation experienced in such conservative states as Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. These are not exactly the ravings of some fringe lunatic the Democrats can write off as not representing them — Cardi B spoke at a “Harris for President” rally in Milwaukee a few days before the election.

Nor is Cardi B an outlier among liberal celebrities. In an (also now-deleted) X post, Bette Midler, in a not-so-subtle jab at Trump voters, quoted the late journalist H.L. Mencken, who once described the “plain folks of the land” voting for a “downright moron.” Actress Yvette Nicole Brown in turn wrote (in another deleted post): “AmeriKKKa is showing out tonight. Just showing out.” Musician Billie Eilish on Instagram called Trump’s victory “a war on women” and at a  Nov. 6 concert declared: “Someone who hates women so, so deeply is about to be the president.”

Why do we put up with this? It’s not simply that the vast majority of our celebrities are leftists — we all know that most of the entertainment industry leans left, often far left. It’s that they feel compelled to mock and shame the (more than) half of the electorate that politically disagrees with them. America doesn’t just need a new political leadership. We need new celebrities, too.

[sabinahahn]

H. L. Mencken (1880–1956)

Mencken’s routine was simple: work for twelve or fourteen hours a day, every day, and in the late evening, enjoy a drink and conversation.

“Looking back over a life of hard work … my only regret is that I didn’t work even harder.”

- From Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey

“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

― H.L. Mencken, On Politics: A Carnival of Buncombe

“Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.”

― H.L. Mencken, A Mencken Chrestomathy

#dailyrituals #inktober #HLMencken #wantedToIncludeHimbecauseIfoundTheSentimentCompletelyCrazy #butWhatAPerfectQuoteForTodays

[umthisistheonlyusernamenottaken]

So I have been having this thoughts after I scrolled through the angst tamcien tag and honestly I have this horrible horrible idea.

Basically you know that Tamlin felt the sentries perish when he sent them over the wall? Well what if one day Lucien just feels agonising pain at the band of exile manor. Drops and just screams because he feels his bones breaking, his lung collapsing and then he feels nothing. Like something is missing, like someone he knew was gone.

Cue Lucien going to spring, it's there but its dying more rapidly. The trees are losing leaves by the second, the grass seem to wild when it was over grown before. Everything was dying. He keeps looking for days and days for him, for his friend. He didn't care if Tamlin saw him as a traitor, he didn't care that Tamlin still thought he had slept with feyre, that he had sided with NC that he was their emissary now. So he keeps looking for days only to go to a cliff by the see and see a family set of torn shit still stuck on a branch.

He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to believe but Tamlin had jumped and be was gone. He laughs, then he cries. Then he crashes out. He does the funeral at the dying spring court for the people, not many came, the high lords at least the ones who want to thank Tamlin for taking in their people come. Then Lucien sees rhysand and attacks him, blammig him for everything to the point it was Eris who has to stop him. That the other high lords stop Lucien as well. Lucien tells Rhysand to leave and the other high lord agrees.

Lucien does the funeral. He ends it but doesn't leave Tamlin's supposed grave. He can't even find his body no matter how much he wants to. Rhysand is at his own mansions with what Lucien said. "He's dead because of you!" Lucien screamed and he is weirdly affected by it. The two sorta go into fights with Lucien trying to find the next spring lord so he can fix spring and maybe right his wrong but also fight rhysand who keeps trying to visit Tamlin's grave.

Cue Tamlin at some boat playing his fiddle with his new friends. He did die for a bit but was saved by merchant sailors. He goes with them. He thought that a new high lord would come but since he's still alive there wasn't a new one.

OOOOHOHOHOHHHH *RUBS HANDS TOGETHER LIKE A FLY*

I LIKE THIS VERY MUCH

May I also add in a lil Tamlin amnesia plot?

Tamlin has completely forgotten who he is. He's wandering around with the mortal merchants, believing that he was travelling when he was suddenly attacked and left for dead.

Things are going great, but he keeps feeling this agonising pain.

Its Lucien's hurt, and Tamlin's reacting to it with his own confusion and fear, and they're just feeding into each other in a loop of pain

Maybe there are nightmares, and without realising it, Tamlin is speaking to Lucien and essentially laying a breadcrumb trail for him.

PLOT PLOT PLOT, THEY FINALLY REUNITE

I just want an interaction where it's like

Tamlin: yeah it sucks. I heard the h.l of Spring died and they haven't found his replacement yet. Bummer.

Lucien: 👁👄🟠 *sleep deprived, sped-ran through all the stages of grief 447318 times in the last month, not about to deal with this bullshit any longer* ... YOU'RE THE HIGH LORD

Tamlin: sorry what?🤠🎻

[hlfitzgeraldwriting]

When we met, I told you I didn't believe in God.

That I hated God.

That i wanted nothing to do with God.

You smiled gently and asked me

to let you show me your God.

And it took some time, but I did.

I let you show me that God is in the world

in nature

in the flowers blooming in my garden

in the whisper of the wind through my trees

and the rain, gentle or torrential.

God is in the faces of those I love

in the laughter over one too many margaritas

in the gentility of my friends, their hands on my face

holding me tightly in the pain we share.

Like an oath. Like I love you.

God is in my dogs

in the way they love me

in the undeniable soul in their eyes

in the way they teach me how to take every day as a gift,

gratitude for too little time.

God is in me,

in the strength and determination, unfailing,

in the feel of my skin

fingers dancing over the evidence of survival

white, pink, purple, yellow

in the breath from my lips

the mussed hair

the crying and the laughter and the human.

God is in you

in your crooked smile

in my fingers in your hair

in the curves and slopes and ridges

in the muscles and bones beneath the skin

that cartographers have drawn.

You asked to show me God and I let you.

You showed me God.

You showed me your demons.

I found my religion.

I lost you.

~H.L. Fitzgerald

[bookloover35]

Ichabod Crane X fem reader- Enchanded (2).

Ichabods Pov:

Miss Yn, after my meeting with her I can't stop thinking about her.

Her (h.l) which is colored (h.c) or her enchanting eyes which are (e.c) that you can get stuck in as easily as you want.

Miss Yn what have you done to me, I met you three days ago and I already fell for you.

I don't care that you're a witch.

You have bewitched me with your beauty and your goodness.

I want to be the only man in your life I want you and I have to see her again.

(Timskip).

Ichabod: Um miss Yn.

Yn: Ichabod! what gives me this fine honor that you come to visit me?

Wow even her voice is absolutely enchanting what is this woman doing to me?

Ichabod: I actually came here to ask you if you would do me the great honor of taking an evening walk with me this beautiful evening?

She smiled at me with rosy cheeks and answered.

Yn: I would like that.

I smiled back at her and held out my arm for her to take.

We linked arm and arm and started walking and as we walked we started talking about everything.

This woman is the one for me.

(5 years later)

Yn: Ooh Ichabod she is absolutely perfect, our little flower.

Yn said as she held our newborn daughter in her arms.

I looked at our newborn daughter with so much love, she is absolutely perfect.

I sat down next to my wife and looked at our daughter and said.

Ichabod: She is absolutely perfect, just like her mother.

Welcome to the world our little Alice.

The end.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Normal: Part One

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.9k

Summary: Another lunch with your parents reveals something that’s been locked in your head, but your dad makes you confused and jumbles up the truth. It’s hard enough to focus on a case with a deranged man killing people on the road, you don’t need family drama on top of it.

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

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated

x

"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats." - H.L. Mencken

Hotch requested everyone to meet at the plane instead of in the briefing room like normal. You're running a bit late since your go-bag wasn't properly prepared, but luckily, you had some time to waste. You get out of your car when your phone rings, telling you that you have a message.

You take your phone out to read the message your father sent you.

Can we meet up again? Are you going to be near us?

I'll be in Orange County. Any chance you can come down to me?

I have some business in town. I'll let you know when we can meet up. I'd prefer it if it were just you.

Sure.

You don't want to tell Spencer you're doing this because that would only upset him further. You'll tell him you're going out to lunch and would be right back. You enter the plane and see everyone is already there.

"Sorry, I had a bit of a delay."

You put your bag in the compartments where everyone else's bags are and join Spencer's side who saved you a seat. As soon as you're settled in, the pilot starts to take off. When you're at cruising altitude, Jordan begins the briefing.

"Ten days ago in Orange County, California, Judy Hannity who is a real estate broker, and a mother was injured by a shotgun on the 91 freeway."

"Did she survive this?"

"Barely. She's paralyzed from the waist down. The second and third victims were both DOA. There were different vehicles for each shooting. A small black SUV, a black sedan, and a white sedan with no makes and no plates."

"Any reliable witnesses?"

"The first victim described the shooter as a normal, middle-aged white guy in an SUV."

"She gave that description but she couldn't remember anything else?" Hotch asks.

"Isn't that consistent with trauma?" Jordan asks.

"No, actually. Trauma victims either remember everything or nothing," you state. "I'm confused, though. The third victim was shot last week and we just got the phone call now?"

"Until the third shooting, the locals weren't convinced it was a serial shooter. There were different cars, and in the first shooting there was a different weapon."

"It's the same weapon," Rossi corrects Jordan. "The shot pattern on the second and third one may be wider, but he sawed off the shotgun. It's the same shooter. He's evolving quickly."

"The media has already dubbed him the Road Warrior."

"That explains why they wanted us there so quickly. This type of unsub is the hardest to catch. His victims are impersonal to him. One-third of the time, he flees with his vehicle, another third is that the victim's cars are a wreck, and the last third is the road that's contaminated by all the other cars that drive over it."

"How do we get him?" Jordan asks.

"We build a solid profile. We release it to the public with an appeal for help. Somebody knows this guy."

When the plane lands in Orange County, you're taken to the sheriff's station that is housing all the victim's cars. The detective on the case is eagerly waiting for your arrival, and when she sees you, she immediately heads over. The victim's cars are to your right, and you have to take a deep breath to prevent yourself from being overwhelmed.

"Thea Salinas, sheriff's county homicide. I'm running the task force."

"I'm Special Agent Jordan Todd, and they are Special Agents Rossi, Hotchner, Prentiss, Morgan, Y/N, and he's Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Are these the vehicles from the shootings?" you ask.

"Yes."

"Did you set up a hotline?" Jordan wonders.

"Like you asked. We have the local stations putting the number out there. We're getting about a dozen calls an hour."

"I'll alert the media to stand by for our press conference. Excuse me."

Jordan leaves the group as Hotch, Derek, and Spencer walk over to the cars to inspect them.

"The sheriff's department and the CHP are on tac alert. We've got choppers on round-the-clock freeway patrol. The victims' vehicles come with maps, CSPs, and bullet points. Everything we got on the case is in this room."

"Anything solid on the tip line?"

"The usual nutjobs, crime buffs, and bored senior citizens. Orange County has an endless supply of three things--freeways, news coverage, and blond female luxury car owners."

"Are people pretty scared?" Emily asks.

"I could ask for a submarine and get it."

You leave Rossi and Emily's side and head over to the crashed cars. You grab and slip on some gloves so you can touch the evidence. You always get a better reading when you can touch things unless the energy is strong enough for you to paint a picture with. The crashes happened too long for that to happen, so touching the cars is the next best thing.

"What can you see?" Hotch asks you.

"Give me a minute."

You run your hands over the sharp metal carefully, and you close your eyes to focus on the energy the cars still have. Yes, the crashes happened a while ago, but there will always be energy left on them no matter what. It fades over time, but it never really leaves.

The first car is the most special since it's the first in a spree, so you might get something from it more than the others. The victims' pictures are posted on a bulletin board, so you can see the first victim in her car driving down the road. There is a car speeding toward her on her left, and when she looks over, the unsub has a shotgun in his hands. He shoots her, and the car runs into a concrete median and flips in the air, landing on the top of the car.

He's a white man, and based on the fact that you can't see his face, you know he's the unsub.

"I see her on the freeway," you tell Hotch, "and she's talking on the phone. The unsub comes speeding toward her on the left. He shoots her closed driver's window and she hits a concrete median. Her car flips and it lands on the top of the car. He drives off like nothing happened. I can only see his skin color. He's Caucasian. If another accident happens, or if I can talk to Judy, I might get more off our unsub. The first one is usually important. It's the first time he started killing, though, he never killed her."

"Good job," Hotch praises. "The first MO in the first shooting differs dramatically from the other two. The first one is in daylight on a crowded freeway."

"That's dozens of potential witnesses. It's high-risk. He got lucky."

"Well, then, he's a fast study. He sawed off his shotgun and lowered his risk by switching to nights and changing vehicles."

"What if he wasn't planning on murder the first time?" you say. "We know what he's capable of when he plans ahead, so if he's not planning to commit a crime, it makes sense for him to drive his own vehicle."

"Then why did he have a gun in the SUV if he wasn't planning to commit murder? What happened to make him pull that first trigger?" Derek asks.

"As I said," you turn to Hotch, "I need to talk to Judy."

Hotch decides in order to keep Judy from feeling overwhelmed, only he and you are going to interview her. She is still in the ICU at the local hospital, and when you get there, you see her son in the room with her.

"Ms. Hannity, I'm agent Aaron Hotchner. This is agent Y/N. We're from the FBI."

"She already told the police everything she can remember," her son quickly comes to her defense.

"Rick... it's okay," Just whispers. Hotch takes Rick outside so you can be alone with Judy. When they're gone, you take a seat next to her bed and give her a warm smile. "It's just the two of us. He feels like it's his job to protect me."

"It's good that you two have each other. I understand you spoke with the police, but I'd like to go back to the shooting if you can."

"I don't remember much. It comes back in pieces."

This is where you come in.

"May I hold your hand?"

"Why?"

"I'm a psychic. I can help you recover lost memories if you are okay with it."

"Doesn't hurt to try, I guess."

Since she is paralyzed from the waist down, she can still move her arms to reach out for you. Instead of letting her waste her energy, you grab her hand gently in between both of yours. The trauma from the accident is still very high, so you use that to help paint a more accurate picture of who this unsub is.

"So, you were angry?" you ask with your eyes closed.

"More like impatient, I guess."

Judy comes up behind the unsub in his car, but you can't see the license plate number. It's blurred out because that's not what she was focusing on. It's not the most important thing in her mind at the time, so you won't be able to see it no matter how hard you try. She slams on her horn for him being too slow, and she eventually passes him in a huff of anger. She zooms past him and gets in front of him to show him how angry she is for him being too slow.

"You cut him off?" you ask.

"Yes."

"Was there anything else? Did he swear? Did he honk? Did he threaten you in any way?"

"He tried to speak to me."

The unsub pulls next to Judy's car on the right and tries to get her to roll down her window. From the corner of her eye, the unsub looks completely blurred out. When she faces him, most of him becomes clear for you to see. She was talking to someone on the phone, so she wasn't paying attention to any defining features, but her subconscious picked up a few things that you are able to see.

The unsub is an older white man with round glasses. He is balding on the top of his head, so whatever hair he has is in the back and on the sides, but it's not much. He's wearing a suit and tie like he works in an office building. You can't see his eyes or nose, but you've gotten a lot you can use for the profile.

Based on how he's dressed and how nervous and shy he is when he talks to Judy, you know the kind of man he is.

"What did he say?" you ask.

"He couldn't say anything. I wouldn't give him a chance." She says something to him that causes him to lash out in anger. You already know the result of his anger. You open your eyes and let go of her hand. "If he hadn't seemed so normal, I wouldn't have said anything. I usually don't even use my horn, because on the road... you never know."

"I'll ask your son to come back in."

You leave the room but hold the door open for Rick.

"Is she okay?"

"She will be with you by her side. She's lucky to have you." Rick goes back into his mom's room, and you shut the door behind him. "She made it personal. She got angry at him for driving too slowly. When he confronted her, she told him off and drove off."

"Did you see what he looks like?"

"He's an older white man. If I had to guess, I'd say he's in his mid-fifties. He's balding on the top of his head, and he wore a suit and tie. I think he works in an office building of some kind. He seemed nervous to talk to her like he was not confident in himself."

"Two for two," Hotch chuckles.

You two head back to the police station where the rest are talking to Thea.

x

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