#New York is like an abusive spouse

[confused-pyramid]

Coming Up For Air | s1

pairing: aaron hotchner x childhood bsf!reader

summary: Hotch and his childhood best friend working together at the BAU: a slow burn across the seasons.

word count: 10.4k

warnings: canon!typical violence, mentions of abuse, death of a spouse, slow slow slow burn, specific episodes mentioned in this part are 1x01, 1x06, 1x07, 1x08, 1x15, 1x16, and 1x22

a/n: I started rewatching Criminal Minds from the beginning, and this is what came out of it heh. This is the first part in a little series I'm starting that follows Hotch and his childhood best friend in the BAU, beginning with the pilot. If all goes well, this will continue through the rest of the show, with ~1 part per season :) Title is from Coming up for air by Signals in Smoke

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You haven't used your oven in over a year. It's not that you don't like cooking - because you do - you just haven't had the time. If you could, you would blame it on the extra hours you have had to put in after starting at the BAU, but that wouldn't be fair. Your transfer to the unit was the only thing that got you through his death at all.

After your husband was shot and killed in action while tailing a kingpin of one of the New York mobs, you couldn't bear to be in this house at all. You had gone back home to stay with your father for a couple of months, but eventually you had to get back to your real life. With a month remaining on your bureau-mandated leave, you returned to the home you had shared, before one of the lower-level mob soldiers misfired -

You didn't let yourself think about it for almost a year, but time heals all wounds. The poets were right. At least you hope they are.

Even back at home, you still couldn't bear to be there alone, other than when you were sleeping. That's why your peloton was gathering dust and your kitchen went untouched, until just now.

So, of course, the call from the office comes when you're making dinner. It takes five minutes to change into slacks and a button-up, and two more to toss your half-cooked vegetables in the trash, before driving down to headquarters.

A fourth girl has been taken in Seattle, and the local PD only now decided to invite your team. You know the BAU isn't well-liked by the other departments, but that doesn't mean you aren't effective.

When you enter the building, you rush through the I.D. check and jog over to the lecture hall, where Morgan and Reid are standing outside of a neighboring office like children waiting for their father to come and get them.

Shooting them both a thin-lipped smile, you step inside just as they finish discussing the unsub's pattern.

"They want you back in the saddle," Hotch says to the man beside him after greeting you with a nod.

Your eyes are so immediately drawn to Hotch that it takes you a moment to realize that you recognize the man standing next to him. You haven't seen him since the day you were assigned to the BAU, mostly because you were technically transferred to this unit because of his extended leave.

What was supposed to be one month became six, before Hotch informed you that your temporary placement would be permanent, if you were willing to stay in Virginia.

It was a no-brainer.

You turn your gaze to Jason Gideon as everyone in the room stares at him expectantly. He looks self-assured, but you're sure the confidence is a front. "They sure they want me?"

"The order came from the director," Hotch says simply.

"Well," Gideon states, "we'd better get started, then."

Hotch glances over at you as everyone files out of the room and you raise your eyebrows momentarily, a quick check-in between the two of you. He nods imperceptibly and it's enough for now. He didn't tell you Gideon was coming back today, but now isn't the time to give him hell for that.

***

Hotch is the last to board the plane, and he takes his usual seat beside you, this time in the aisle, a few rows away from the rest of the team.

"I was going to tell you," he says as soon as you close the case file in your hands. "The section chief wants me to evaluate him to see if he's ready to return to the team."

"That's a lot of pressure." They have to know that Gideon will be able to smell him out within the day. "You sure it won't get in the way?"

Hotch makes that face you hate, the one that says he knows you're deflecting. "I was going to tell you."

It doesn't take much for you to forgive him. It helps that you trust him completely, especially after everything he has done for you.

"Still," you smile, bumping his shoulder with yours, "it would have been nice to know about the sudden change to my job security."

You're mostly joking, but his frown is genuine. "Don't be silly. You'll always have a place on this team."

He takes everything so seriously these days. You suppose it's only fair, given the files he has to sort through on a daily basis. Picking which case deserves the team's attention the most.

But he wasn't always like this. You're the newest member of the team, but you've known Hotch longer than any of them.

You still remember the first time you met him, at eight years old. He was your first real friend at school, and you became inseparable easily. Your shared love for The Beatles and Law and Order made you fast friends, and as you grew older, your interests shifted in tandem.

Sometimes when you look at him, you still see that little boy who knew too much, but still managed to always make you laugh.

***

The team disperses soon after you land in Seattle. You've never had to come up with a profile in one afternoon, but it's also been a long time since your ticking clock to find the victim was just over a day.

When Gideon and Morgan head to the latest crime scene, you join Hotch and Reid to interview the victim's brother. The moment the three of you step into his house, his dog, Sandy, starts barking up a storm.

"It's what we call the Reid effect," Hotch smiles, walking over to pet her. "Happens with children, too."

You can't help but smile as well, peering over at Spencer, who looks about as uncomfortable as he usually does.

It doesn't escape your notice that the brother looks looser now. Hotch has a way with people that traces back to his childhood self. He was always wiser than his years, something you chalk up to his need to grow up faster than he should have, but his paternal instinct comes from practically raising his brother, Sean, after his dad's untimely death.

The casual interview reveals enough about the victimology that when you head back to the station, Gideon calls the officers in to explain the profile.

You can feel Morgan's agitation wafting off of him as he watches Gideon state his assumptions with startling clarity and confidence. Hotch, on the other hand, looks contemplative, which reminds you that he's been tasked with the returning agent's evaluation.

He can see your furtive glances in his direction, even as you try to remain secretive about your interest in his demeanor. He presses his lips together to keep from smiling as he thinks about how lucky you are that you went into profiling and not covert operations.

You have never been especially good at keeping your own thoughts or intentions to yourself around him. While some would call that a weakness in this field, he sees it as your greatest strength, because it clearly shows how much he can trust you.

As a kid, you were outspoken about every idea you had, and you used your strength and willpower to look out for him when he needed it. It took him a long time to admit how much he used to need you (maybe too long), but you always knew.

***

Gideon's profile leads to the arrest of Richard Slessman and Tim Vogel, and Elle manages to save the last girl while she's still alive. You catch your breath for the first time in 36 hours as you stand with Hotch in the shipyard, watching the paramedics and local police clear the scene.

"What are you going to tell them?" you ask under your breath as his gaze turns to Gideon, who is getting patched up in the back of an ambulance.

He had goaded the unsub into shooting him instead of the girl, but your mind can't seem to focus on the silver lining.

Hotch sighs, crossing his arms over his chest, as though to hold his coat closed against the breeze. "They want to know if he's fit to be a field agent again."

Normally, you would give him shit for using that tactic. Avoiding a question by providing more information. This time, you know he's just thinking out loud.

"What would you say?" Hotch asks as Morgan walks over and sits on a barrel next to you.

"Gideon saved her life," Derek shrugs, his eyes flashing to you for a moment. "That's good enough for me."

Hotch seems to ponder this for a second. "Do you know what Gideon means in Hebrew?"

"Mighty warrior," Reid interjects, popping in to the conversation with the subtlety of a tiger.

You're confused at first, but then you remember the baby names book that was sitting in Hotch's living room the last time you visited him. "You cannot let Haley name your child Gideon."

Hotch laughs suddenly, and you can tell you surprised it out of him. Your chest warms comfortably as he smiles, his cheeks flushing softly in the chill air.

He looks over at Gideon again, deciding in real time that he's going to recommend him to come back to the team. He would never admit it to you or anyone, but he knows that if your position on the team was in jeopardy from Gideon's return, he wouldn't have been able to complete his evaluation fairly.

It was Hotch who recommended you for the open position after he was promoted into Gideon's role as unit chief. You deserved the spot, of course, but Jeff's death had still been fresh and he knew better than most how much the job can take one's mind off of the other aspects of their life.

While Hotch watches Gideon, you watch him. You can tell from the look on his face that it's a done deal. Jason's coming back to the team. It will be a change of pace for everyone, but that doesn't mean it won't be good.

Having joined the team right after the bombing, you saw exactly how Gideon changed after getting the profile wrong, but so did everyone else. What people didn't talk about was how Aaron changed too. Rising into the rank. Growing to fill the hole that Gideon left in the unit, but somehow also shrinking into himself at the same time, because that's what this job does to you...it takes and it takes and it takes until you have nothing left to give.

But sometimes that's what you need: to give something up so you know you aren't losing everything.

***

Gideon settles into the team faster than you anticipated, and soon it's almost like he never left. Even though you can see the vein on Morgan's neck pulsate every time he hijacks a profile, you can't help but appreciate the support he gives to Spencer and Elle, both of whom are becoming incredible profilers before your very eyes.

That's also why you find yourself a little worried when Hotch tells you that Reid failed his weapons recertification.

"I thought you said you were helping him practice," you say as the two of you walk past security and toward the bullpen.

"I was," he emphasizes, before correcting himself, "I did. I'm sure he was just nervous."

You nod, pushing open the doors and spotting Reid sitting quietly at his desk. "He can test again in two weeks. He'll be fine."

When Morgan hands him a whistle with a quippy joke, you sigh into your coffee tumbler, but don't bother stepping in. He's being childish, but if you try to intervene, it'll just embarrass Spencer more.

"Okay," JJ starts, "Franklin Park, Des Plaines. Yesterday afternoon."

She dives into the case, but you have already read the file (and you know Reid has too) so you scoot your chair over to his desk and lean forward so only he can hear you. "I failed my first weapons certification at the bureau too."

Spencer looks up immediately, his face colored with surprise. "Really? You're one of the best shots I know."

You smile with a shrug. "The tests aren't real life. When it comes down to it, I get the job done. Just like you will."

He doesn't say anything for a moment, but then his lips curve up into a small smile. You both turn your attention back to the front just as JJ finishes explaining the case details.

"Wheels up in 30."

The flight to Illinois is filled with heated discussions about the bureau's fruitless history of trying to profile long distance serial killers.

"L. D. S. K.s are so rare, we haven't been able to build a standard profile," Hotch explains as the jet reaches cruising altitude.

Gideon chimes in immediately. "Here's what we do know: they're always male, and they frequently have law enforcement or military experience, and they always contact the police or the media."

Elle looks confused and you echo her sentiment as you lean your hip against her armrest. "To take credit or relive the experience?"

"Both," he says simply. "All serial killers attempt to relive the ecstasy they get from their killings. Some use souvenirs taken from the victims, and others return to the dump site to interact with the body. Both modes require contact with the victim, contact which, by definition, long distance serial killers don't have."

"Our unsub hasn't contacted anybody," you point out. "What do we do until then?"

"Sometimes it's not what the unsub does that reveals the profile. Sometimes it is what they do not do."

Reid glances up from the file in his lap, and you notice that he looks at Gideon first. "He doesn't kill his victims."

"Underkill's a unique signature," Hotch ponders, standing up and walking along the cabin. He only paces when he's deep in thought. "The question is, does he shoot them in the stomach intentionally just to wound them, or is he just aiming at the biggest part of the target?"

The team is silent as you take in this new analysis. You're not surprised when Gideon is the first to speak up. "Specifically, does the unsub lack the skill to make the head shot, or simply the will to take it?"

When the plane lands, you check out the last crime scene before spending the day talking to the local police and the victims' surgeons at the nearby hospital.

That night, when you check into your hotel room, the click of the door lock closing behind you is a welcome relief from the tension of the day. Many of the Des Plaines police officers were unhappy with the team's initial assessment, because it heavily implied that the unsub may have been a law enforcement official himself.

You wash your face and change into a tee shirt and a comfortable pair of sweatpants, before climbing into bed and opening the case file back up again. The rest of the team has also gone to their own rooms, but you can't help but wish you had another set of eyes looking at this with you.

As though reading your mind, a knock thuds on your door and you stand up quickly, in case it's an emergency. When you check the peephole, you see Hotch standing way too close to the door.

Unlocking it slowly so you don't startle him, you open the door to find him in still in a full suit.

"Is there a problem?" you ask immediately. "Do I need to get dressed?"

He shakes his head, glancing around the hallway so quickly that you almost miss it. "I was just looking over the profile and I wanted your opinion on some thoughts I had."

The corner of your mouth twitches and you open the door further to let him in. He doesn't miss a beat as he takes a seat on the armchair in front of your bed and flips open his notepad.

"I was thinking about the bullet we recovered on the scene," he says slowly, like he's thinking through every word he's saying.

You nod, sitting on top of the bed covers and crossing your legs under you. "Garcia called after you left the station. The bullet was a .223 fired from the M-4 variant of the M-16."

"That means he's military," Hotch says, reaching his hand out without taking his eyes off his notepad. You close the case file you had laid out and hand it to him. "M-4 is a shorter barrel than the M-16, so it's less accurate and a lot harder to fire, especially at these distances."

"This level of skill indicates specialized training. That means..."

"It means the underkill was on purpose," Hotch says, finishing your thought. "What is he trying to prove?"

You purse your lips as he sits up in the chair to give himself room to remove his jacket. His pinstriped button-down is slightly crinkled under his arms, but you can tell it was freshly ironed this morning.

"Maybe he's in a fast-paced occupation," you suggest, "which would fit with the profile that he has a big ego."

"Then we're back to law enforcement."

You lean forward, your eyes following his hands as they fidget with his cuffs and undo the buttons, one at a time. You've always been attune to every one of his movements, but maybe it's just because you've spent so much time around him.

"Hotch," you whisper-yell, snagging his attention from your case file, which he tosses back to you.

He hums and you take that as an invitation to continue speaking. "Be careful tomorrow, when you're giving the profile."

One of his eyebrows lifts and you can tell he's holding back a smile. "It's just in front of the Des Planes PD. You'll be there too."

"It's not that," you sigh, shaking your head. "Everything about this profile points to the shooter being either current or former law enforcement. I'd be surprised if they didn't take it personally."

His eyes flit up to yours, his brow furrowing. "I can handle myself."

"I'm sure you can, Hotch," you say with a breathy laugh. "Doesn't mean I don't still look out for you."

He pauses and it's like his whole body takes a beat. "I know."

***

You're talking to Dr. Landman with Derek, Elle, and Jason the next day when a gunshot rings out through the hospital. Last you checked, Hotch and Reid were in the E.R., but you haven't heard from them since you arrived.

"It's Phillip Dowd," a nurse informs you when you meet with local police outside the closed E.R. door.

After a quick call to Penelope, the profile becomes clear.

"He joined the army at 18," Gideon recites, pacing around the room in a vaguely reminiscent manner, "went to ranger school, did 6 years before being dishonorably discharged in '95 for conduct unbecoming. Obviously lied about it, joined the Arlington P. D."

"You were right," the police captain sighs. "He was a cop."

His hopeless tone is disheartening, and you find yourself upset for not the first time that your team was correct in their assessment.

After the initial commotion, the E.R. is silent except for a few muffled voices. You can't hear what's being said, but the lack of gunshots or loud noises is all that's keeping you from falling apart.

"It'll be okay," you hear whispered from next to you. You turn to see Derek, who presses his shoulder to yours briefly. "Hotch will know what to do."

You know there's nothing you can do from out here, especially with how precarious the situation inside is, but doing nothing has never been your strong suit.

"I know," you tell him, echoing your thoughts. "I just wish we could help."

Derek cocks his head at the S.W.A.T. team readying themselves to break the door down. "We can help. We need to give Hotch and the kid time to wear Dowd down."

His tone is light and you feel yourself laugh, ignoring the thickness that swells in your throat. "That shouldn't take long."

Derek bumps your arm again in a silent extension of comfort, and you mouth a silent thank you.

You can feel Gideon losing patience as he reasons with the captain, but he eventually buys them three minutes to do what they can. When the final five second countdown starts, you unconsciously hold your breath, only to be released when Hotch's voice calls through the door.

"Hold your fire!"

Your breath comes out like a gasp and you squeeze Derek's arm before rushing forward. Hotch stumbles past you with a murmur that sounds obscurely like "help Reid", so you push your way through the throng of civilians moving to escape until you see him.

"Spencer," you gasp, crouching down to help him into a standing position. You would never admit it to him, but ever since he joined the team, he's been something of a little brother to you. "What happened in here? Are you okay?"

"You were right," he says with a surprising steadiness to his voice. "I got the job done."

You don't ask what he means, knowing that Hotch will fill you in when the time is right. Instead, you decide not to fight the vaguely maternal urge rising within you and you pull him into a tight hug. It's more of a quick squeeze, because you don't want to push past his physical boundaries, but he doesn't complain, instead looking over at you with a small smile that's more than enough for now.

***

You find Hotch where the departed ambulance that patched Reid up was parked. All of the hustle and bustle of the paramedics and local police officers and bureau agents comes to a standstill as you walk over to where he's sitting on the edge of the curb.

"I heard what happened," you say as a way to announce your presence. "Can I sit?"

He nods without looking up, and you crouch down next to him, settling on the curb with your shoulder pressed to his. You can feel the tension in his muscles as he grips the sidewalk, his palms digging into the concrete like he could break through if he pressed hard enough. "Reid.."

"..is fine," you whisper, nudging him so he looks up to where Spencer and Jason are chattering excitedly. "He's more proud than anything."

He doesn't say anything, so you bump your knee against his. "I guess all of the physical training classes you made him take at the academy paid off."

He knows you know exactly what is running through his mind, so he doesn't bother trying to articulate it. Instead, he lets out the breath he didn't realize he was holding, and looks over at you. "Do you remember that self-defense class we took before law school?"

You're not expecting this question, and you almost laugh. "You mean the singular self-defense class you dragged me to before dawn in the summer before we started at Georgetown?"

He levels you with a look that you would think is serious if you didn't know him so well. "You don't regret it, though."

"No," you smile, your eyes blurring with emotion. That's where you met Jeff. "I don't."

He was your instructor that day. He only taught that class twice a week, between lectures at Georgetown Law, and it doesn't escape your mind that you so easily could've missed him. One day earlier or later and you never would've met him, never would've been his girlfriend, or his wife, or his widow.

Hotch remembers meeting him that day too. He had to literally come to your apartment and drag you out of bed to make the seven AM class that he had signed you both up for, and you had been grumpy the whole drive over.

There wasn't much, other than coffee, that could get you alert before eight in the morning, but the moment you walked into that gym, it was like you were wide awake. He spent the rest of the class trying not to look as the man he would later come to know as Agent Adler kept coming over to give you extra pointers, and he pretended that the coil of ice slithering up his spine was there just because he was watching out for you.

When he found out the two of you had started dating, he continued to pretend the nausea rising in his stomach was from the day-old sandwich he had had for lunch, because it wasn't fair. Especially since he was with Haley, and he was happier than he had ever been, even if the new law school course load was making it harder to see her as often as he wanted to.

But eventually, your happiness with him overpowered every protective urge he felt, and he realized that even if there was a feeling in his gut that he didn't recognize when he saw you two together, Jeff was perfectly suited for you.

***

"He's so gorgeous!" JJ coos, her hands twitching at her sides like she's trying not to reach forward and take the baby out of Haley's hands.

She brought Jack, their newborn son, in to work today to show the team, and Hotch looks prouder than you've ever seen him. "Thank you."

"If you find baldness and wrinkles attractive."

"Reid!" you chastise, swatting at him. He dodges your hands without even looking.

"Look at his widdy biddy nose," Garcia squeals, before turning to Morgan with an inquisitive look. "Don't you want one of these?"

He just laughs as he rests his chin on her shoulder. "Mm, I'll stick to practicing."

"Congratulations," Elle chimes in before returning to Gideon's side to continue discussing the new case that came in. She's always on top of things, and it's something you respect greatly about her.

"Thanks," Hotch smiles, his gaze returning to Jack after looking away for only a moment. Jack is like a siren, the way each of his little sounds or movements holds Hotch's attention so steadily. He's the most focused of all of you, but you've still never seen him this enamored. "She's amazing. I'm a little terrified."

"You're glowing," you tell Haley as the rest of the team heads to the briefing room. "How is it that you had a baby just a few weeks ago?"

"You're sweet," she smiles, before tilting her head forward. "Do you want to hold him? You're practically his aunt."

You gasp quietly, so as not to wake little Jack. "That is a title I will carry proudly. And yes, I would love to hold him."

Haley hands him to you slowly, and you make sure to support his head carefully as you cup your arms around him. He looks so much like Haley that you almost make a joke about Hotch's genes not even putting up a fight, but that nose...that nose has Hotch written all over it.

When you glance back to where the team left from, you see him turn back at the same moment and offer you an encouraging smile.

"How are you holding up?" you ask Haley, barely able to focus on your surroundings with a newborn in your arms. Maybe there is something to the siren thing.

"Jack's been incredible. He barely cries, it's kind of a godsend...but I do wish Aaron could take time off with me."

You give her what you hope is your most comforting smile. "We've been super swamped with cases here, but in all my years working with him, I have never seen him so eager to leave every night."

She laughs, a pretty sound you remember from your youth. "I know. I feel so unfair when I complain about these things, but I appreciate you humoring me."

"Not at all," you assure her, glancing back down at Jack, who is mid-yawn. "I understand completely. If I had one of these little guys, I wouldn't be able to think about anything else."

You hear her breath catch and you open your mouth to reassure her that it's fine, but she is already reaching forward to squeeze your arm. "You and Jeff would have made amazing parents."

When you both joined the bureau, you were so busy with work that kids weren't on your mind at all. It wasn't until you got settled at the BAU, and Jeff found his place with organized crime, that you even started talking about it.

You want kids, don't you?

Only a few. Maybe four or five. Yeah, five's a good number.

"I should get back to the team," you say softly, blinking away the memories.

Haley sees your face and she smiles sadly as she takes Jack back from your arms. "I'll see you soon. Tell him I'm heading home, will you?"

You nod and watch the elevator doors close in front of her, before joining the team.

***

"I can't believe you went bar hopping without me," Derek shakes his head, feigning offense as he leans so far back in his chair you're afraid it may tip over.

"I think hopping is kind of a strong word," you say, glancing over at Elle, who is perched on the edge of your desk. "We only had one bar in mind, but it closed earlier than we thought, so we went somewhere else after."

"This was a much needed girl's night," Elle grins, patting Morgan on the shoulder as he continues to pout. "We'll invite you next time."

"How was your weekend, Dr. Reid?" you ask, turning around to face him.

Spencer doesn't look up from his crossword.

You say his name again, recalling the attention of Derek and Elle, who had started talking about some trip they've been planning for what feels like months.

When he still doesn't look up, you pick up one of the BAU-provided pens on your desk and chuck it at him, just hard enough to bridge the gap between your desks, but not so hard that it hurts on impact.

"Ow!" Spencer yelps anyway, glancing up with a look that's somewhere between confusion and indignation. He picks the pen up off the ground and turns it over to see the tiny insignia on the cap. "This is FBI property."

"How was your weekend, Spencer?" you ask again, ignoring him. "Didn't you say you had some fun stuff planned?"

"I did," he lights up, instantly forgetting about the pen incident. "My local movie theater was showing reruns of the first season of the original Star Trek, so I got to experience it on the big screen."

Derek laughs and walks back over to his desk next to yours. "We have very different definitions of fun weekend plans, kid."

You're about to tell Derek that no one wants to hear what his idea of fun is when the office door upstairs flies open and Hotch and Gideon walk out.

Reid hands you back your pen, and Derek sits up in his chair so fast it's almost comical.

"We have another case," Hotch announces before coming to a stop.

Gideon takes it away. "Our unsub is male, intelligent, organized and methodical. He has the confidence of a man who's been killing for a long time."

"Only victim removed from the scene is Freddy Condore indicating some tie to him."

Hotch turns to you. "You, Elle, and Reid stay on Condore's background with Garcia. The rest of us will head to the crime scene."

You nod before standing up. "Let's go, kids."

Penelope's lair is just as eccentric as you remember it.

"Take a seat," she instructs before logging into her computer and opening up her criminal history database. "Just don't get too comfortable."

Your lips quirk up as Elle flashes her eyes at you, and you nod your head at the empty chair on Garcia's opposite side. Reid is already sitting on a desk chair by the back, spinning in aimless circles as he rattles off a list of markers to search for.

After a minute, Penelope stops typing. "Credit card receipts show Freddy loved crab cakes, preferred light beer and used to spend his Thursday nights with a woman in Fells Point."

You pick up a stress toy shaped like a tomato from one of her shelves and bounce it in your palm, just for something to occupy your hands.

"What about his associates?" Elle asks, grabbing a pen with a pom-pom on the end and poking it at Spencer's knee.

"Most of them have criminal records."

Elle glances up. "That much I guessed."

Penelope frowns, and looks pointedly at the pen in her hand.

"She's holding the tomato!" Elle complains, throwing a finger at you.

You lift up your hands in surrender, dropping the stress toy. "Thanks a lot, Greenaway."

"Anyway," Reid interrupts, to everyone's surprise, "One of these guys is particularly interesting. Pull up James Baker's rap sheet."

Penelope turns back to her computer as Spencer reads over her shoulder. "He spent time in juvenile detention for attempted murder, was released at age 21, and then subsequently arrested for, and this is in order, armed robbery, petty theft, burglary, narcotics sales, and rapе."

"What's so interesting about that?"

"When it comes to psychological behavior, anything is possible but this criminal history? It just isn't probable."

Elle nods in agreement. "I mean, as a minor, he began with attempted murder and then devolved into pettier crimes?"

"It's the criminal history of a fractured schizophrenic with multiple personality disorder," you sigh. "It just does not make sense."

***

Hotch calls you into his office when he and Morgan return from Baker's address. You can tell something is off before you even step through the door, so you shut it behind you and take a seat in front of his desk.

"What's going on?" you ask, your eyes glancing over his face to see if his micro-expressions can give you a hint. "What's wrong?"

He looks up with a sigh, his hands clasped on his desk. "Baker's place was an artificial dwelling, and the weapon we recovered on the scene was standard law enforcement issue."

It takes you a few seconds to comprehend what he's trying to say - a few seconds longer than usual - and your breath stutters in your throat. "He was undercover?"

"That's what it looks like," Hotch agrees. "I wanted to inform you before telling the rest of the team."

You nod, pressing your eyes closed for a beat.

He missed his pick-up, Mrs. Adler.

We'll call you as soon as we know more.

The memories start to flood back in and you squeeze your eyes shut tighter before opening them. Hotch looks blurry for a moment until your eyes adjust to the light again.

"Does organized crime know where he is?" you ask, desperately needing to fill the silence.

He looks down at the case file. "We assume so, but it's not like they would tell us. They weren't too happy that we were taking on this case at all, and now we know why."

"Maybe they'll talk to me," you suggest, even though the idea of talking to Josh Cramer makes you taste bile. You haven't seen him since a month after the funeral. It's not for his lack of trying, you just couldn't stomach looking at any of them after what happened. One missed call turned to ten and eventually they stopped trying.

There's a piercing pain behind your eyes and you squeeze them shut for a momentary relief. "It was only supposed to be three months."

Hotch's brow furrows and you don't look up at him just yet. You can already picture his expression, the anguish you know he feels for you whenever you bring up Jeff.

"It was a three month operation," you continue, knowing you won't be able to discuss it later if you stop talking now. "That's all we signed up for. Three months away from me and then he was on leave for the rest of the year, so that we could focus on us again. Maybe even start a family."

Your voice cracks on the last word and you tilt your head down to hide your face. He hates it when you cry, but that's not fair. He knows how important it is to get your emotions out, so they don't pile up inside of you, but if he had his way, you would never have had a reason to cry in the first place.

"I hadn't seen him in over a month when he was..."

He can hear the tightness in your voice and he resists the overwhelming urge to reach his hand out and take yours. You're sitting a foot back from the desk, and it's not he could reach you from here anyway, but his fingers still ache.

"I don't want to blame them, Aaron," you sigh. Your words sound watery, and he pulls a handkerchief out of his inside jacket pocket and hands it to you. He's almost surprised when you accept the gesture, pressing the cloth square under your eyes to catch the tears leaking out. You were so self-reliant as a kid, never wanting or needing anyone else's help. "I don't want to blame them, but I do. I can't help it, I just do."

Someone else would have consoled you. They would have assured you that feeling this way was natural, and that no one could blame you for feeling what you do, but that isn't who you two are. "Jeff wouldn't."

His name is like a dagger to your heart. You practically wince as Hotch digs further. "That team was his family, just like we are yours. He wouldn't blame them, not for this. Not for something he chose."

Something he chose. This is why you don't let yourself remember that day. This is why you kept that day - the day you got that horrible call - locked up inside your brain, where not even you could reach it. Because if you let yourself think about it and remember, then you will remember that it wasn't really Cramer or his unit or the bureau that you blamed. It was him.

For choosing to miss his pick-up. For choosing to go undercover. For choosing to join organized crime.

You take a deep breath and re-adjust yourself in the uncomfortable chair Hotch refuses to replace, even though it's literally splitting at the seams. Something about your tax dollars hard at work. "What are you going to do about Baker?"

He lets you change the subject. "We have to contact Agent Cramer before-

"What the hell is wrong with you people?"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Sorry?" Hotch frowns, both of you standing up immediately.

Cramer doesn't take his eyes off Hotch as he seethes with anger. "I told you, this is my case! You ran my agent through IBIS?"

"Because I wanted to know who he worked for and now that I do, I'd like to talk to him."

"You don't have him?"

You can hear your heartbeat in your skull.

Hotch looks at you then, and finally Cramer notices your presence. "Y/N...it's been a while."

Your lips press into a thin line. "Almost two years." The anger you've been trying to avoid seeps into your voice against your will and you sigh, returning to the investigation. "How long has Baker been missing?"

"About 12 hours."

"You think he ran?" you ask, watching Cramer closely as his jaw ticks.

"No, Jimmy's too experienced to run without contact."

He realizes his misstep immediately and his shoulders fall. To his credit, he doesn't break eye contact, even as his expression softens. "That's not what I meant. All I'm saying is that I think someone's keeping Jimmy from calling in."

You can feel Aaron looking at you, but you avoid his line of sight. If you're going to have to interact with organized crime, you might as well make yourself useful. "We all want the same thing, Cramer: to get Baker back to his family."

You wait outside as he explains the situation in more detail to Hotch and Gideon, and you're surprised when he's the first to leave. "Can we talk?"

Hotch comes out behind him and raises his eyebrow for a fraction of a second, a check-in. Swallowing thickly, you nod your head and follow him down the hall to the top of the stairs.

"I'm sorry I haven't reached out recently," he says as soon as you're out of earshot of the others. "You know Jeff was one of our top guys."

Your eyes shut at his name, as though someone clapped their hands too close to your face. It's almost laughable how sure you were that you were past your grief. You passed the bureau's psych evaluation after your six month leave with flying colors (because your team practically wrote the answers yourselves), and as each new day passed and you weren't so debilitated by just the thought of him, you thought it meant you were fine. Because time heals all wounds. At least it's supposed to.

"I know," you whisper scratchily, before clearing your throat. "I know that. And it's okay. We've all been busy." You look down at the bustling bullpen where his agents are interacting with your team. "Clearly."

Then you remember you're job here in the first place. "We really are just trying to help. It wouldn't hurt to keep us involved."

Cramer sighs and you know he won't refuse. "We'll loop you in."

***

James Baker is found and Vincent Perotta gets taken into custody, but you can still hear the end of the interrogation ringing in your ears.

"You were just responding to what you learned, Vincent.

When you grow up in an environment like that, an extremely abusive and violent household... it's not surprising that some people grow up to become killers.

And some people grow up to catch them."

You can't pinpoint exactly what you're feeling, but if you had to guess, it would be sorrow. Sorrow for that little boy who got dealt the worst hand you can imagine, and still turned into the best version of who he could've been.

Hotch can't get the interrogation out of his mind either. He had grabbed his briefcase and headed out to the elevators as soon as Perotta was taken away, in the hopes of avoiding everybody. He's about to let out his breath when a hand reaches between the doors and sends them flying open again.

Normally your appearance is a welcome sight, but tonight, he's had enough talking. Perotta took everything he had to give, and then some, and he doesn't know if he has the strength to go through the proceedings again with you.

"I just want to get home," he says as you stand next to him without a word and face the doors. To my family.

You don't say anything as the little fluorescent floor number ticks down - has it always been this slow - and he feels his nerves tighten with agitation. You're never silent, especially not about something like this.

Just before the elevator reaches the second floor, you reach forward and pull the emergency stop button. He whispers your name, half irritated half relieved, and you step in front of him, focusing your eyes on his. It's a classic profiler technique, both to mentally establish trust and to physically block him from the keypad.

"You're a great father, Aaron."

His mind flashes back 25 years, but he squeezes the hand in his pocket into a fist to keep himself from succumbing to the memories. "I'm trying."

He knows what you're doing, and he would normally be open to a healthy exchange between two adults, but tonight he just can't. It's too fresh.

You seem to understand at least a fraction of what he's trying to convey. Your next words are gentle. "That already makes you a thousand times better than him."

That almost makes him smile. "You can say his name, you know."

You shrug, looking at him with a glint in your eye. "Honestly, I don't think I can. I'm afraid I'll turn into a pile of ash, with the fury your father instills in me."

That's what gets him. He coughs out a laugh that echoes around the elevator, and you return to his side, giving him a moment to breathe on his own.

This time, when his mind spirals back to his childhood, he's not as equipped to block it. The memories come in flashes, a blackening bruise on his abdomen, a split lip explained away through roughhousing in the backyard, the thin scars on his hands and elbows as he finally started to fight back. He would've taken it all forever if he had to, if it meant that he could keep the horrors away from the people he loved. "I really should go."

"Yeah." You push the emergency stop back into place and the elevator hits the ground floor in no time. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hotch."

He steps out, half expecting you to follow him. Instead, the doors close and he's by himself again, and he suddenly can't remember why he wanted to be alone in the first place.

***

When the Keystone Killer is finally caught after 18 years of inactivity, he finds himself expecting for there to be some sort of celebration, either in the form of a commendation, or a much-needed break. Instead, what he gets is a mountain of paperwork.

He usually doesn't mind the paperwork that comes after a long case. It's a helpful way for him to sort through his thoughts on what went down, and to learn from mistakes that were made along the way, whether in the profile or in the capture of the unsub.

Lately, paperwork has felt like an added torture to the long hours he already spends at work. It's not that he wasn't excited about going home before, but ever since Jack was born, he hasn't been able to get out of the office fast enough. But being the unit chief of the BAU has its responsibilities, and this is one of them.

He's drowning in consultation files and case reports when you knock on his door, two coffees in hand.

"Thought that was you," he says, finishing the sentence he was writing.

You frown, setting one steaming cup down on his desk. He hasn't even looked up yet. "How'd you know? Or do you just say that to everyone who walks in here?"

His lip twitches and he puts his pen down. "I could smell the coffee. It always smells the same when you make it."

"Oh?" You weren't aware you had a method. "And how's that?"

"Burnt."

You take the lid off your cup and chuck it at him with surprising accuracy. It would have thwacked him in the forehead if he hadn't swatted it aside with his stupid catlike reflexes.

"What are you working on?" you ask after taking a scalding sip of perfectly brewed coffee.

He looks up for a beat before diving back into the file he was skimming. "Paperwork for the Keystone Killer case."

"But we just finished that," you point out before reaching forward and taking the file out from under his nose.

He huffs. "I was...looking at that."

"This is a report on what happened a couple of hours ago," you say, ignoring his remark. "You can easily do this tomorrow, or later this week."

"It's fresh in my mind now. I don't want to forget any details."

You shrug in a motion that says 'fair enough'. "Or, you could actually go home before midnight for once."

You slide another file off the top of his pile and flip it open, reading over the notes Hotch has scribbled in the margins. He's so meticulous about his job that you almost forget he was promoted just a little over a year ago. He became unit chief at the same time that you joined the team, so you didn't get to see him in his early days, but looking at him now, you almost can't imagine it. It's like he's built for this, for taking responsibility and leading people with kindness and respect.

"Elle said something on the plane today," he says suddenly, jerking you from your thoughts.

You close the file and look up as he runs a hand over his head, pushing his thick hair back just for it to bounce forward again. "She said that she's scared she's going to look up and see that her life has passed her by while she was chasing monsters."

Something cold runs through your veins and you sit up straighter in your chair. "And what did you say?"

"I told her the truth."

You smile in an effort to keep your eyes from shining. "What, that we're all doomed?"

He looks at you candidly. "That this job will eat you up if you let it." Your smile falls and he continues. "You just can't let it."

"I'm sure Elle loved hearing that."

He shrugs. "She was surprisingly receptive."

That gets a laugh out of you, even if the good humor doesn't last long. "I don't know how you do it."

"Do what?"

"This job, while also being a husband, and a father." You sigh, and you can almost feel the weight of the air as it leaves your body. "When I go home, I don't have to be anything to anyone. Most of the time it feels awful, but sometimes, after an especially bad case, I'm almost relieved when I can go home and just check out."

You aren't talking about him anymore, and he can tell. He doesn't mind, if this is what it will take for you to work through your emotions.

"We were gonna start trying for a baby."

That surprises him. Not that you wanted to be a mother - he knows that - but that he didn't know you were already thinking about it, especially because of how you grew up. You don't talk about it often, but after losing your mother to a drunk driver when you were ten, you almost transformed into her, becoming the emotional support for your family when there was no one else to fill that role.

You press your lips into a thin line and take a deep breath, your coffee cold and forgotten on the desk in front of you. "We had been talking about it for years, but with the paths our careers were taking, there just wasn't enough time before then." Your eyes look far away, and you don't seem to notice that your lips have unconsciously curved up into a reminiscent smile. "Jeff wanted five kids. Five. God, can you imagine?"

He can, but he doesn't say anything, because he knows you aren't looking for a response. Just for someone to listen.

"I'm an only child," you say with a laugh. "I don't even know what it's like to have one sibling, let alone four." But Jeff had come from a huge family, and he had wanted you to experience that. He loved how full his home always felt growing up, never without someone to talk to. Now you won't ever get to experience that. "I guess I just wish sometimes that we had tried earlier."

"You'll have it someday," Hotch says simply, practically reading your mind. "If that's what you want, you'll have it."

"I waited so long," you whisper, closing your eyes for a long moment. "I was just so afraid that I wouldn't do it right, because I didn't have my mother anymore to help me."

"You would've been a great mother," he assures you, his voice confident. "One day, you will be."

Your breath comes out like a gasp and you clear your throat to keep the tears at bay. "How do you know?"

"I just know."

***

When you push through the doors to the bullpen the next morning, you are greeted by a familiar head of blonde hair.

"Sean?"

He turns around slowly, clearly recognizing your voice, and pulls his lips up into a smile that you return. "Hey, Y/N, how's it going?"

You weren't close to him as a kid, mostly because of the age gap between him and Hotch. You had tried to make more of an effort after graduating college, but Sean was fierce in his convictions, and there were a lot of things he didn't understand about his childhood that you certainly weren't going to explain to him now.

"Good, good," you say, leading him away from the throng of staring women. You shoot them a look that makes them disperse. "You here for your brother? He's upstairs."

He nods, glancing up at the closed office door. You start to lead him to the stairwell when he stops in his tracks and turns to you. "What mood's he in?"

"Why?" you ask, your brow furrowing. "You got bad news? Nothing I need to worry about, I hope."

Sean shakes his head, glancing up at the closed door again. "Nothing like that. I'll just go up."

You let him walk up on his own, knowing he doesn't want you getting involved in whatever he's thinking about. Before you have a moment to catch your breath, the three women return to your side.

"That's Hotch's brother?" Penelope asks, standing so close you can feel her breath on your ear.

"Maybe Hotch is adopted."

"What do you mean?" you ask, unconsciously glancing up the stairs. "They're honestly pretty similar." You're only half joking. They don't look anything alike, but that Hotchner brand of righteousness runs deep.

JJ frowns. "I don't see it."

"Yeah, he looks...like that," Penelope murmurs, before looking at you. "Did you know him when you were younger? Was he hot then too?"

You choke on your own spit. "He was nine years old when I left for college, so...no."

Her eyes widen and she lifts her hands in surrender.

"Ooh, here he comes."

You look up to see Sean storming down the stairs, Hotch hot on his heels.

"Sean, listen to me."

He turns so fast, you're afraid they're going to crash into each other. "Don't profile me, Aaron."

Sean stomps out of the bullpen while Hotch watches him leave, and you can't get the striking feeling of deja vu out of your head. Two boys, 15 years younger than they are now, standing in the same positions, with the same looks on their faces.

You imagine that you and Hotch probably act the same way around each other as when you first met, at eight years old.

The memory comes easily, even with more than two decades of time standing in the way. The little boy with dark hair who had sat next to you on the school bus, just because there were no other empty seats available that day.

You hadn't said anything for the first few stops, just watched him out of the corner of your eye as he nodded his head unconsciously to the music coming out of his large headphones. Eventually, curiosity got the better of you and you tapped on his shoulder. "What are you listening to?"

He had taken his headphones off quickly, as though caught in the act. "What?"

You repeated your question before leveling him with a pointed stare that meant 'there is a correct answer'. You were a feisty kid, and you weren't always the best at making first impressions, so his steady response impressed you. "Beatles. Revolver album."

"I love that one!" you had gushed, leaning in closer without a warning to press your ear to one of the speakers on his headphones. "Is this Yellow Submarine?"

He had nodded, the confusion in his eyes slowly transforming into delight. "You know their stuff?"

"Of course. My favorite's Eleanor Rigby."

He had frowned then. "That one's too sad."

You weren't surprised by his opinion. You had yet to find a boy your age who could appreciate serious music, but liking The Beatles was a start, at least.

"I'm Y/N," you had said, extending your hand like you were starting a business meeting.

He shook your hand furtively. "Aaron."

"Maybe I'll see you around."

The school bus had stopped at your street then, and you had gotten up without another word to this boy, who would one day become your best friend in the world.

Luckily, the next day, Aaron chose to sit next to you again, this time with a second pair of headphones to attach to his compact cassette deck. Two days turned to three, and before long, you had a new friend.

***

"I can't imagine what two weeks away from this place is gonna feel like," you sigh, packing some essentials into your bag and snapping it shut. "I might actually miss you guys."

"Not me," Morgan grins, before pressing a kiss to your cheek as he zips around you. "Two weeks of pure heaven with nothing but young, beautiful adults looking to make vacation memories."

"Your friend's resort better be as nice as you say it is," Elle says sternly as she wiggles her finger at Derek, who is busy inviting Reid to join their vacation.

"Thanks, but I'm going home," he says quickly, without looking at any of you. "Have a good one, guys."

"I'll head out too," you announce, grabbing your things and following him to the elevators. "Wait up, Spence."

He doesn't seem to hear you, but you slip through the doors just before they close. "You okay?"

"Huh?" he says, finally looking up. "Oh, yeah. I'm just not looking forward to the Nevada heat."

You can tell he's lying, but you don't want to press him right before the long break. "You can always call me if you need anything. Seriously."

"Yeah," he nods. "I know."

You wave goodbye to him in the parking lot, and you're back in the silence of your home by the end of the hour.

The rest of your day is spent lazing around the house, and you're asleep when you hear a knock at your door. After Jeff's death, you started keeping your gun in your nightstand, more out of a general sense of security than any specific acute fear, but its proximity during late night calls has given you the peace of mind you needed to finally sleep through the night.

Lifting it from the drawer, you hold it behind your back as you tiptoe to your front door and look through the peephole. When you don't see anyone, you carefully pull the door open, only to find a small packet sitting on your welcome mat with your name scrawled on the top.

After bringing it inside the house and locking the door again, you pry open the seal and extract a large piece of paper covered in a series of numbers and dots.

That's when the phone rings.

***

"How's it going?" you ask Reid and Morgan as you enter the conference room where all of the Fisher King's clues have been laid out. Neither of them have taken their eyes off the paper you brought in since you tacked it up on the board.

As expected, Reid doesn't look up. "The answer to what book we need has to be in here."

"Yeah," Derek sighs, glancing over at you, "but we sure as hell can't see it."

"Yet."

You look at the numbers again, hoping that your short walk to the coffee station and back would have been enough to unlock something new in your brain. Nothing. "The answer has to be based on specific details of each person's clue." A small sound turns your attention to the couch, where Elle is lying on her side. "Is Elle asleep?"

"I'm awake!" she starts, sitting up lethargically.

At the outburst, Hotch walks into the room and points at her bags. "I'm sending you home. You need to get some rest."

"No-"

"We won't do anything without you, I promise."

"Elle, seriously, we're not any closer than we were."

She nods, her lack of sleep seeming to dawn on her as she yawns again.

"Anderson," Hotch calls out, before you stop him. "What is it?"

"I can take her home," you suggest, looking over your shoulder as she lugs her bags down the hall with bleary eyes. He looks like he wants to protest, so you speak up before he has the chance. "She barely knows Anderson. I'll make sure she's settled, and then you can send him to watch her house, so I can come back here."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," he sighs, his eyes still trained on Elle's silhouette lingering by the elevator. "We may need you here."

You cock your head at Reid and Morgan, who have been sitting in the same positions for so long, you're surprised their necks haven't locked. "It's like they said. We haven't made any progress in over an hour. I'm not helping here."

He still looks unsure, but you know it's just worry. He'll always worry about you. "Okay, go. Call me in an hour to check-in."

You dip your head in a nod and jog through the bullpen to catch Elle as she's heading out.

"So you're my bodyguard, huh?"

You laugh, pressing the button for the ground floor. "Something like that."

"Good," Elle says, trying and failing to stifle a yawn, "you're much more fun than Anderson."

"Prettier, too."

The car ride to her house starts off silent, but eventually you break your internal promise to let her come to you. "How are you feeling after last night?"

She just shrugs. "It was more annoying than anything. I'm just glad I got to enjoy at least some of my vacation."

"I heard there was blood all over your room," you point out lightly, trying to broach the subject in a delicate manner. "That can't have been fun to wake up to."

"It was all on the outside. That's part of why they weren't able to hold me. That, and Hotch's lawyer chops."

You raise an eyebrow, glancing over at her as you pull over to the sidewalk. "His lawyer chops?" You know he used to be a prosecutor before joining the bureau, but you never got to see his skills in action.

"Yeah," Elle gushes, her face brightening considerably, "you should have seen the way he walked in there. Those beat cops had no idea what hit 'em. He was in full prosecutor mode, went all rainmaker on them until they released me."

You can imagine it. If any of you were in trouble, he wouldn't let anything get between him and your safety. "I wish I could've seen that."

When you put the car in park, you help Elle with her bags and walk her up to her door, where she insists that she'll be fine on her own.

"I promised I would wait with you until another agent could come and relieve me," you emphasize, instinctively scanning the vicinity around her home as she walks inside and drops her things on the floor.

"In about thirty seconds, I'll be passed out on this couch right here," she points at the window seat behind her, "so you'll just be watching me sleep for an hour."

You open your mouth to argue but she cuts you off. "Y/N, I'll be fine."

If there's one word to describe Elle, it's stubborn, so you let her shut the door behind her and you walk back to your car. Even if she won't let you sit with her inside, you still can't bring yourself to start the ignition, so you lean your seat back halfway and close your eyes, just for a few moments.

You haven't gotten much sleep either, and you're about to doze off when you hear a loud thud from outside the car. Jerking up, you undo the clasp of your holster and push open the car door. The world is silent, except for the rustling of leaves in the wind, but you start making your way up the drive, just to be sure. There's another thud, quieter this time, and you reach for your sidearm as you ascend her porch steps. Then comes a gunshot.

You start running.

[mariacallous]

Some prominent conservative lawmakers and commentators are advocating for ending no-fault divorce, laws that exist in all 50 US states and allow a person to end a marriage without having to prove a spouse did something wrong, like commit adultery or domestic violence.

The socially conservative, and often religious, rightwing opponents of such divorce laws are arguing that the practice deprives people – mostly men – of due process and hurt families, and by extension, society. Republican lawmakers in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas have discussed eliminating or increasing restrictions on no-fault marriage laws.

Defenders of the laws, which states started passing a half-century ago, see legislation and arguments to repeal them as the latest effort to restrict women’s rights – following the overturning of Roe v Wade and passage of abortion bans around the country – and say that without such protections, the country would return to an earlier era when women were often trapped in abusive marriages.

“No-fault divorce is critical to the ability, particularly the ability of women, to be able to exercise autonomy in their own relationships, in their own lives,” said Denise Lieberman, an adjunct professor at the Washington University School of Law in St Louis, who has a specialty in policies concerning gender, sexuality and sexual violence.

Before 1969, when then California Republican governor Ronald Reagan, who had been divorced, approved the country’s first no-fault divorce law, women, who are more likely to experience violence from an intimate partner, were often forced to stay in marriages. If they could not prove that their husband had been abusive or persuade him to grant a divorce, they would not be able to take any assets from the marriage or remarry, according to a study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics.

States around America gradually followed suit and passed similar laws allowing unilateral divorce until 2010, when New York became the last state to approve the practice.

Between 1976 and 1985, states that passed the laws saw their domestic violence rates against men and women fall by about 30%; the number of women murdered by an intimate partner declined by 10%; and female suicide rates declined by 8 to 16%.

Without such laws, “it’s hard to prove anything in court relating to a family because you don’t have any witnesses”, said Kimberly Wehle, professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law. “It’s very difficult to get evidence to show abuse of children. How do you do it? Do you put your kids on the stand?”

Conservative commentators such as Matt Walsh, Steven Crowder and lawmakers such as the Republican senator JD Vance of Ohio have argued that the laws are unfair to men and hurt society because they lead to more divorces.

The divorce rate in the United States increased significantly from 1960, when it was 9.2 per 1,000 married women, to 22.6 in 1980. But by 2022, the rate had fallen to 14.5.

On the increase in divorces, Vance said in 2021: “One of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace” is the idea that “these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy, and so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, that’s going to make people happier in the long term”.

Beverly Willett, a writer and attorney, argues that unilateral no-fault divorce is also unconstitutional because it violates a person’s 14th amendment right to due process.

The defendant “has absolutely no recourse to say, ‘Wait a minute. I don’t want to be divorced, and I don’t think that there are grounds for divorce. I would like to be heard. I would like to call witnesses,’” said Willett, who experienced a divorce she didn’t want because she thought her marriage could be saved. “I believed in my vows” and “didn’t want to give up”.

But Willett’s argument relies on the idea that “women are either property or that somehow men’s liberty is restrained by not allowing them to stay in a marriage with someone who does not want to be married”, said Wehle, who also wrote about it in the Atlantic. “I disagree with the idea that women are somehow property interests of their husbands. That is an arcane relic of law that has no place in modern society.”

Willett responded to Wehle’s critique by writing that “nobody has suggested a return to antiquated laws of the 18th and 19th century. Considerable reform that protects women and ensures their equality in family court has been enacted since then.”

On the argument that no-fault divorce reduces domestic violence, Willett points to data that most domestic violence occurs between unmarried couples and says regardless, with “any contract, any lawsuit, you still have to follow the constitution”.

But without such laws, victims of domestic violence would then have to navigate a court system that can be time-consuming, “very adversarial and very costly” because the plaintiff often must then pay for child care and transportation, said Marium Durrani, vice-president of policy for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

“Any sort of additional barrier that we add to the ease of legal proceeding is, frankly, a nightmare and an enormous burden for survivors,” said Durrani. “I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but it can increase death [if] a survivor of domestic violence has to prove that they are being abused in a divorce proceeding.”

Still, Lieberman does not think Republicans will succeed in their efforts to make it more difficult for people to get divorced.

“I do believe that that train has left the station. I mean, we have had no-fault divorce now for 50 years,” Lieberman said. But “I didn’t think the supreme court would overturn Roe v Wade, which we had for 50 years, so I suppose we will see.”

[tomorrowusa]

The Republican war against women continues.

In addition to reproductive freedom, MAGA Republicans are now seeking to get rid of no-fault divorce.

Conservative US lawmakers are pushing for an end to no-fault divorce

Some prominent conservative lawmakers and commentators are advocating for ending no-fault divorce, laws that exist in all 50 US states and allow a person to end a marriage without having to prove a spouse did something wrong, like commit adultery or domestic violence. The socially conservative, and often religious, rightwing opponents of such divorce laws are arguing that the practice deprives people – mostly men – of due process and hurt families, and by extension, society. Republican lawmakers in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas have discussed eliminating or increasing restrictions on no-fault marriage laws.

Religious fundamentalist MAGA males want to be able to point the finger of blame at women in divorce cases. And by packing the courts with misogynist judges along the lines of Alito and Thomas, it will be women who will usually end up on the losing side.

Today's GOP superficially professes loyalty to the memory of Ronald Reagan. But in addition to their idolization of the Evil Empire, this is another way they are trying to nullify his legacy.

Before 1969, when the then California Republican governor, Ronald Reagan, who had been divorced, approved the country’s first no-fault divorce law, women, who are more likely to experience violence from an intimate partner, were often forced to stay in marriages. If they could not prove that their husband had been abusive or persuade him to grant a divorce, they would not be able to take any assets from the marriage or remarry, according to a study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. States around America gradually followed suit and passed similar laws allowing unilateral divorce until 2010, when New York became the last state to approve the practice.

Getting rid of domestic violence laws could be next on the Republican fundamentalist agenda. Putin did this in Russia – another reason why the MAGA crowd loves Putin.

Between 1976 and 1985, states that passed the laws saw their domestic violence rates against men and women fall by about 30%; the number of women murdered by an intimate partner declined by 10%; and female suicide rates declined by 8 to 16%. Without such laws, “it’s hard to prove anything in court relating to a family because you don’t have any witnesses”, said Kimberly Wehle, professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law. “It’s very difficult to get evidence to show abuse of children. How do you do it? Do you put your kids on the stand?”

Republicans want to socially return the country to the 1950s when women were in the kitchen, gays were in the closet, and blacks were out of sight. They would ultimately want to turn the clock back to the 1650s when women were little better than chattel slaves.

[pynkhues]

literally sooo fascinated by logan and caroline's marriage tbh. give us all your thoughts!! (if you want ahah)

Oh, man, I could talk about them all day, haha. I kinda feel like people can sometimes rob both Caroline and Logan of any nuance, because yeah, sure, they’re often the central antagonists of the series, and their abuse and neglect of their children permeates the series, but the show’s always also been careful to show that the cycle of violence never started with Logan, and Harriet Walter’s talked in interviews too about the cycle of neglect not starting with Caroline either. They’re victims and perpetrators in the same way that Kendall, Roman and Shiv are victims and perpetrators, and the fact that neither of them were able to break that cycle is the exact sort of tragedy that's at the broken heart of this series.

It makes it really fascinating to me in that sense that Caroline and Logan found each other at all, and I think really slots into what we know about his three marriages – namely, that he marries women who are in some ways as damaged by life’s cruelties as he is. We understand that explicitly with Marcia, who pretty much says out loud that their connection has been born out of the fact that they’re both survivors, but I think it’s implied in his relationships with both Caroline and Connor’s mother too. At least Marcia and Connor’s mother became somethink like partners for a while too – Marcia was a co-conspirator with Logan for the bulk of season 1, and the RECNY Ball episode I think also showed that Connor’s mother, for at least a while, was the sort of socialite who could lubricate and work politicians alongside Logan.

We don’t really know what role Caroline played in that sense, but she’s obviously intelligent and savvy enough to have worked to secure the kids real power in the divorce, something we see her give back to Logan in 3.09. We also know that her title gave Logan the class elevation that he wanted (even if its one he also seems to bitterly resent), and that his money gave her security, and in a lot of ways, that’s a strategic match that sees them both step forwards in power together.

I was actually listening to an old episode of Vanity Fair’s Succession podcast recently where they interviewed Dame Harriet Walter, and she talks quite a lot about Caroline’s backstory.

She says that Caroline was born into a neglectful aristocratic family, an only daughter who due to the social structures of British aristocracy, wouldn’t have inherited her father’s estate as a result of her gender. Instead, his estate would’ve gone to a distant male cousin, which ties into what Connor says in 1.09 to Willa about the house being the ancestral home Caroline didn't inherit.

She was disregarded by her family but encouraged to marry rich, and she sees Caroline as having gone through a bit of a wild child phase, that she partied, used drugs, tried to escape herself. That she was probably featured frequently in the social columns ‘in disgrace’, and then married young to a rich British man who bored her. She sees Caroline as having escaped to New York on a trip, and met Logan who dazzled her. Who was the opposite of the men she’d grown up with, the men who’d cut her out of her own inheritance, and that he was exciting and creating something and married too, and that they likely left their spouses for each other. That he married for a title, but he also married her because he found her fun and funny and different from the other women of her class and station.

I actually love that backstory a lot, and in particular I think it feeds into the themes of cycles on this show, both with Shiv, but also in Caroline being cut out by her own family, and then cut out by the one she tried to make for herself, and the damage that likely caused her. It also I think really beautifully depicts this idea of legacy and succession which is so crucial to the show – that Logan can spend a childhood brutalised by a man who’d give him just enough to build an empire on and that Caroline can spend a childhood in luxurious neglect with parents who will leave her with nothing.

What that meant for their relationship - - I think they did love each other, as much as they could love anyone, and I think that vulnerability between them was something that probably allowed them as true an intimacy as they’d ever have for a while. I also think that that vulnerability and that intimacy gave them power over one another that they’d use often and likely cruelly, and that the final years of their marriage were probably torturous for both of them.

After all, at the end of the day, Logan had the wealth Caroline could marry but never inherit, and Caroline had the title Logan could marry but never inherit, and what is that if not a reminder of the poisoned soil they sprung from?

[darkcrowprincess]

I so want to write a romance like Lukercy or Pernico... Fanfics aren't really my thing, but I'm often inspired to create my own stories. There is so much potential behind these dynamics. I'd love to know if you have any ideas to offer, because I don't really have a starting point, or even a concrete idea. Maybe there will be nods to Romeo & Juliet, who knows ? Your posts and reblogs on them finally made me see and understand the beauty of this love story. Most of my romances will certainly have nods to it now, like with the case of Beauty and the Beast.

@darklinaforever

Do I have ideas!!! I got tons. And if you want to take them off my hands I'd love that!

Percico:

I have this idea for a potion of Endymion fic. Where to save Percys life Nico gives Percy a potion that heals him but puts him in immortal sleep(look up the greek myth Selene and Endymion to understand). Now Nico has to find a cure for Percy. The catch is though Percy and Nico can meet in dreams/have shared dreams. The dreams are very addictive. Nico and Percy are both very tempted to stay in the dream world where nothing bad could hurt them and thry can be together(Nico thanks since its a shared dream its the obly reason why Percy has feelings for him). The dream world is something they both can share and create together.

A 2004 troy movie au where Percy and Nico are Helen and Paris. Percy is in an abusive arranged marriage(it doesn't have to be Annabeth, but if i were to write it thats how I'd see it) so Nico his secret lover hides him away on his sister Bianca's boat when their heading back to Troy. Now war is on the horizon because Percy's abusive spiteful spouse wont let him go. But Nico will fight for him(look up the plot for 2004 troy)

Romeo and Juliet style romance between Percy and Nico who are young gods. They are children of Poseidon and Hades and are forbidden from seeing each other.

Lukercy:

Luke and Percy runaway together(Canada or Alaska) sometime between canon and dont look back. They start a horse ranch together. Maybe someone from their past finds them.

This one is based on the tv show. But them aged up. Luke kidnaps Percy and takes him with him through the portal when Annabeth finds them.

Luke is resurrected during Heroes of Olympus and helps the seven. He has gold angel wings and mainly protects Percy. He and Percy fall in love.

Tv show again, Luke finds where Percy lives in New York before season 2. Luke keeps trying to convince Percy to join him. Also apologizes for hurting and lying to him. Percy also wants to convince Luke to leave Kronos. Adventure and romance in New York for a year before summer. Who will convince who?

Hope you like my ideas.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Following the Supreme Court’s elimination of the federal right to abortion in June, conservatives have taken aim at other fundamental protections, such as same-sex marriage and access to contraception. But some on the right are resurfacing a different, long-simmering project: stigmatizing divorce, including, in some instances, attacking no-fault divorce laws.

No-fault divorce in the U.S. was first adopted in California in 1969, and New York was the last state in the country to pass a no-fault divorce law, which it did in 2010. Although state laws differ, in general no-fault divorce means that one party can successfully dissolve a marriage without needing to first prove wrongdoing by the other partner – including adultery, abuse, or desertion.

Ohio Republican Senate nominee J.D. Vance praised the idea of staying in violent marriages in remarks to high school students in southern California last September. Vance argued “all of us should be honest” about how “making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear” by leaving marriages that were “maybe even violent” had negative effects on the children, according to Vice, which first reported the comments.

Although Vance’s comments were made before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, they’ve taken on a new salience amid a conservative movement that sees formerly out-of-reach goals as newly attainable. And Vance has lots of company in right-wing media.

Reactionary YouTuber Tim Pool recently discussed no-fault divorce laws on his show, titling the clipped segment: “No-Fault Divorce Has DESTROYED Men's Confidence In Marriage, Men Don't Want To Get Married Anymore.” The discussion focused on how no-fault divorce laws were to blame for what the panel perceived to be a rise in prenuptial agreements, which segued into a meandering discussion lamenting divorce in general.

“The courts are heavily biased in favor of women to an insane degree, especially with children,” Pool said, parroting a cliche often espoused by so-called men’s rights activists, an anti-feminist movement that claims men are structurally disadvantaged in divorce proceedings and family court. (Although it is true that women are generally granted sole custody more frequently than men, the reasons for that are complicated and have to do with men historically having higher incomes and sexist ideas about mothers being natural caregivers.)

Fellow conservative YouTuber Steven Crowder has also argued that no-fault divorce laws are disincentivizing young men to get married. In an unfocused June 24 rant calling for the Supreme Court to now overturn marriage equality rights conferred in Obergefell v. Hodges, Crowder said no-fault divorce laws are “a raw deal for a lot” of men.

“Oh, it’s no-fault divorce, which, by the way, means that in many of these states if a woman cheats on you, she leaves, she takes half,” Crowder said. “So it’s not no-fault, it’s the fault of the man.”

“There need to be changes to marital laws, and I’m not even talking about same-sex marriage,” he added. “Talking about divorce laws, talking about alimony laws, talking about child support laws.”

That wasn’t the first time Crowder has made the argument. After referring to “no-fault divorce states” using air quotes in an April 22 segment, he said, “It’s the only contract that I know of where one side is financially incentivized to break it.”

“If you’re a woman that comes from meager means, and you want to get wealthy – you’ve never worked, you didn’t get a degree, you have no skill set, but you’re good-looking – your best path to victory is simply to marry a man, leave him, and take half,” Crowder added. He later reiterated that “we need to reform divorce laws in this country.”

Some of the loudest anti-LGBTQ conservative voices are also the biggest critics of no-fault divorce, in both cases making an appeal to tradition and what they see as a God-given natural order while defending nakedly patriarchal power relations. Patriarchy depends on a rigid gender binary, with clearly defined roles and expectations; conservatives believe LGBTQ identities subvert this dynamic. Similarly, no-fault divorce laws upended patriarchal power, freeing women from de facto second-class status and dependence on men.

No one encapsulates this tendency more than the virulently anti-trans conservative pundit Matt Walsh. In defending Kanye West’s harassment and threatening behavior in March toward his estranged wife Kim Kardashian, who had recently filed for divorce, Walsh also argued that it should be more arduous to dissolve marriages.

Walsh has made versions of this argument dating back to at least 2015, explicitly in the context of the supposed threat that same-sex marriage posed to heterosexual couples.

Walsh’s Daily Wire colleague Michael Knowles made the same point last year.

“We see the weakening of marriage through no-fault divorce," Knowles said. “This is a very bad turn of events.”

“Do you think society has gotten much better since the social and sexual revolutions of the 1960s? Or has it gotten a little bit worse?” Knowles asked. “Are we in a period of ascendancy or a period of decline?”

Knowles’ line is increasingly common on the right. Senior writer at National Review Online Dan McLaughlin also sees the liberation movements of the second half of the 20th century as a locus of social disintegration, recently linking gay marriage rights and no-fault divorce as twin aspects of a singular problem.

Some conservatives are even more overt in their playbook. The right’s successful campaign to overturn Roe should serve as a “path by which campaigns for social change must be patterned,” Katy Faust and Stacy Manning write at The Federalist. “That’s especially true for those still willing to fight the battle for marriage.”

Faust and Manning run Them Before Us, which describes itself as “a global movement defending children’s right to their mother and father.”

In their piece, they present a hypothetical back-and-forth that activists can use to field questions, such as:

“If you really think family is so important then you must be against divorce.”

• Correct, no-fault divorce is the original re-definition of marriage and it has devastated the American family.

(The two also oppose same-sex marriage on the grounds that “children of gay couples lose maternal or paternal love and half their heritage.”)

Others on the right downplay this trend.

“As for no-fault divorce, it’s not entirely clear that the policy — while a tragic mistake, from the social-conservative perspective—actually features prominently in the mainstream Right’s priorities. (Which Republican is campaigning on repealing no-fault divorce?)” writes Nate Hochman at National Review. To answer the rhetorical question: the Texas Republican Party, for one, which includes in its 2022 platform a proposal “to rescind unilateral no-fault divorce laws and support covenant marriage and to pass legislation extending the period of time in which a divorce may occur to six months after the date of filing for divorce.”

Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion in the Supreme Court’s recent Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe, made it clear that aspects of the right are interested in rolling back marriage equality and contraception rights. “We have a duty to ‘correct the error’ established in those precedents," Thomas wrote. It’s not difficult to imagine a movement built on patriarchy targeting divorce laws next.

[thephantomcasebook]

The Wilderness: A Psychotic Morally Bankrupt Exercise in Petty Feminist Immaturity

I've been preoccupied lately with the alarming trend of female power fantasies in media involving committing acts of crime and overall evil and not only getting away with it but revealing in a strangely moral superiority and smugness in the acts itself.

Shows and Movies such as "Anatomy of a Scandal", "Last Night in Soho", "Gone Girl", and recently "The Wilderness". Three of which started as novels by female writers. All have a very dubious premise of a so called "Wrong Woman" getting revenge on their spouse or boyfriend by dark and extremely immoral ways and are anointed as heroines by the writer for the supposed "Liberation" of the female protagonist by committing otherwise heinous acts that do not fit the crime they're supposedly avenging.

"The Wilderness" is one of the most dangerously psychotic and frankly one of the most immature examples of this trend of the female revenge fantasy. In which Olivia (Played by the amazing Jenna Coleman) murders her husband's mistress and then proceeds to cover up the crime under the guise of helping her unsuspecting husband protect himself, before framing her husband for the crime she committed. Then, in the end, the show frames this all as an empowering and heroic triumph, despite Olivia murdering two otherwise innocent people.

It is uncomfortably unhinged to go through the reasoning of the show that Olivia who killed her husband's mistress and beat the mistress's boyfriend's head in with a stone is less guilty than her husband who was cheating on her since they moved from London to New York. That somehow killing two people is less worse than her husband's serial infidelities with his American female workmates. Most of all is the strange encouragement and affirmation from other female characters like Olivia's mother and even the goddamn female Police Detective investigating her. They all continuously tell Olivia that she's not evil and what she did isn't bad, despite the fact that two innocent people are dead because she killed them.

I find it a disturbing growing trope in female led fiction that if one feels a certain way that any action taken from those emotions are valid and morally justified no matter what is done. That hurt feelings translating to an unhinged violent or transgressive action against someone is affirmed as empowering if said person has indeed emotionally wronged the female protagonist. Thus a cheating husband is far worse than the wife that murders because somehow he is the reason that his wife is killer. It is not only childishly immature logic of a toddler throwing a tantrum but outright ignores any personal responsibility of the female protagonist's own actions.

I'm for darker and more complex female characters, but said female characters should face consequences for their evil actions.

Also, I'd also like to address the racist trope of the "Magical Black Lesbian" that is also showing up a lot lately in white feminist fiction. The frankly immature Sapphic fantasies of women who think that all of their love life problems would be solved by simply being in a relationship with another woman - ignoring the fact that domestic abuse among Lesbian couples is at 64%. But the growing trend of portraying gay black women as some sort of wise and sainted reverent figure borders uncomfortably on the "Old Black Uncle" of mid-19th century antebellum literature in which usually young white female characters are seen as safe and comfortable with non-threatening elderly black men.

Now, in this strange cultist thinking of progressive white women, they've turned the elderly black grandfather into a lesbian black woman who serves two masters of being sainted for her sexuality and skin color while allowing the white liberal woman to show off her virtue by opening herself to the possibility of being in a safe and nurturing lesbian relationship with someone of the "Underclass" thus taking on their supposed racial and marginalized status and giving them a higher sense of virtue in their own eyes.

I find it all disgustingly dehumanizing, taking a skin color and sexual preference and washing down into a moralistic object of shallow progressive cultist belief rather than see them a person with flaws and prejudices like anyone else.

"The WIlderness", despite stellar acting performances by the main cast - especially from Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohan - remains a rather disgusting and degenerate pieces of morally bankrupt trash.

[astrologycharts242]

The 12th house of bed pleasures (sex) Using the singer Ashanti's birth chart (sidereal).

I have a video of this on my YouTube channel so imma drop the transcript. Not everybody is into the visual stuff but I recommend looking.

Is the singer Ashanti a sex addict? The 12th house in astrology Part 1 sidereal stumbled on her chart because her birthday is soon and I wanted to see more musician charts. By the way I looked at the transits for when she met Nelly in 2003 and he seems to be a spouse if she was to ever get married or engaged.

Around the time she met Nelly I don't see any indications of a relationship but more so meeting a spouse and February 23 2003 was the perfect day. Her 12th house caught my attention the most because there is a moon, and mars conjunction there. They are both in the in the Scorpio sign of sex drive, and gentilia.Moon is the mind, our thoughts, mental state etc. Although the moon is debilitated her mind would often be thinking about 12th house things. Which are bed pleasures and sex, don't forget she thinks about Scorpio things as well.Basically moon in the 12th house can make someone think about sex a lot. Moon in the 12th house makes someone have an emotional attachment towards sex. Moon in Scorpio makes someone think about his or her sex drive a lot.The debilitation of her moon will make her have emotional trauma or PTSD about sex.I wouldn't know what causes the PTSD though. It could be for various reasons like sexual abuse even rape but it has something to do with genitalia. Mars is what we put our energy towards doing so whenever it is in the sign of sex drive. Mars in Scorpio will make someone have a high sex drive even for masturbation. Mars in Scorpio are those that can go for many rounds. 12th house relates to bed pleasures even masturbation so we can easily see mars makes her put energy towards indulging in those things. Mars and moon being conjunct can show more of an aggressive or rough sexual experiences. Her sex life has a lot to do with control and her boyfriends being very possessive. Since Scorpio is about secrets she likes to keep her sex life very private. Not just with sex life she'll be secretive about her relationships and who her sexual partners are. Her sex life is so secretive I can't even find information of her talking about sex. This sidereal chart clearly shows sexual partners and boyfriends who are not from New York.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Pay Me To Go Away: BRF allegedly threatened persistently with divorce settlements up to $100 million by u/leafygreens

Pay Me To Go Away: BRF allegedly threatened persistently with divorce settlements up to $100 million With the recent talk of Todger divorce again, I wanted to re-visit some older stories in which the RF appears to have been threatened for years with up to a $100 million divorce settlement.Families don't pay divorce settlements, only the spouse and their income is taken into account. Why would the RF pay That One a settlement, unless it's under duress?May 19, 2018 - An article published the day of the Todger wedding was already discussing the "what-ifs" in a Todger divorce and how much money That One would get from the BRF. The article discussed royal prenups:that "all of the couple’s wealth gets divvied up, not just what each spouse brought into a marriage". This certainly sounds threatening.that Diana received a $23 million settlement from Charles, alluding to That One being worth much more with inflation.It seems strange divorce was discussed the day of the wedding unless it is the idea That One had all along.January 28, 2019, the palace is allegedly already in "crisis talks" over the marriage with a $37 million settlement discussed. We now know the RF and staff were abused in the lead-up to the marriage: Charlotte's dress fitting, "We both know I'll be your boss soon," employees "slumped over their desks", etc.March 3, 2019, shortly after the obscene New York "baby" shower, threats appear of a $25 million settlement to pay off That One with New York property. That One allegedly:was using the guise of a baby shower to "scout apartments on the Upper East Side." She "fell instantly in love with" a $25.4 million apartment.can't afford it but would no doubt "get a huge payout given she’s the mother of [This One]'s child.""as a royal divorcee, the commercial opportunities... would make her millions and millions." [This old chestnut again.]conceived a scheme to have Amal or Serena buy the apartment and keep it for when That One can "buy them out" [LOL]may use Amal as her divorce lawyer [LOL]February 14, 2020, a blind after Megxit states that stories about their brand valuation amount is really That One's "buyout number," a.k.a. the amount it will take her to "go away" and be less of a p.i.t.a. News (unarchived) stories in January were predicting Brand Todger "could get up to $100 million" to $1 billion. The RF didn't bite, so the Todgers trashed the family in the media.January 16, 2023, King Charles reportedly "could" pay That One a generous settlement to get rid of her and "save his son" (too late for that, IMO.) This time we are up to $50 million. The settlement will also include child support for the invisikids.July 3, 2023, the $80 million figure was allegedly part of the pre-nup to take care of any alleged children. This One was allegedly pre-contracted for full custody, yet That One was pre-contracted to "receive $80 million for their support" that she will "fight" for. Why That One would receive $80 million to support children who are in This One's full custody is illogical.It is interesting now that we know the bullying the RF was put under, it seems the bullying was a means to get them to pay her off to go away. They didn't fall for it or any of her other schemes. This results in Montecito-sourced harassment about reconciliation, olive branches and sweet nods that makes the one-sided bullying seem like a 50/50 spat.Now This One is cut off from his family and there is no way That One will get $23 or $100 million from the RF. That One can make her threats for an imaginary settlement as the RF continues to gray rock. post link: https://ift.tt/v4JD8GH author: leafygreens submitted: August 27, 2024 at 05:00PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[a-strange-inkling]

You wrote in the NYE fic that Eddie & Chrissy are diagnosibly codependent... so do Eddie and Chrissy see this as a negative or a positive aspect of their marriage? Does it affect their abilities to do things as individuals? I think it's kinda cute... but Im just wondering. Also, out of all the friends, are Eddie and Chrissy the most stable couple?

Ah! I love waking up to great questions!

Yes, they are diagnosably codependent, because of their shared trauma and their perpetual fear of losing one another. While they aren’t officially diagnosed and if they would be, they’d be classified as high functioning, it has been suggested by Chrissy’s counselor who has already officially diagnosed them with separation anxiety. They can be apart, go to work, pick up the groceries, get the girls where they need to be, etc, etc. But there is a great emotional and mental strain on both of them when they are separated for long periods of time (especially Eddie).

I’ll definitely tackle that topic more in the Chicago Era and New York Era. It’s so heavy and fascinating.

For Eddie and Chrissy, their bond is very deep and special. They don’t see any part of it as negative. They know where their codependency/separation anxiety stems from (where others don’t) so they have a better understanding of it. When they’re together, they’re fine, it’s not an issue, but it does become an issue with situations like Eddie’s first tour. The girls are just too young to come along, so Chrissy has to stay in New York with them and it’s very difficult on both of them. Eight whole weeks apart. Eddie almost calls it off, but Chrissy doesn’t let him. She knows it’s too important for him to pass up. Like everything in their life, they continue to grow and heal the best they can day by day. It’s not always perfect, but they do their best.

All the couples have their own strengths and weaknesses. Steve and Gwen are pretty healthy and stable, they’re very compatible and want the same things in life, but there’s some strain because Gwen doesn’t know about his Upside Down history and he’s scared and hesitant to share that with her. Same with Robin and Vickie, the domestic day to day stuff is perfect, but when Robin’s trauma flares up, it can be difficult to deal with since Vickie doesn’t understand that part of her. Nancy and Jonathan, as we all know, run hot and cold, they’re passionate and loving, but there is a lot of conflict with Nancy’s ambitions and Jonathan’s anxiety and devotion to his family. They tend to fight often, but always manage to resolve their issues in the end and come out stronger than before.

Eddie and Chrissy are probably the most stable in terms of harmonious partnership. For being so different from one another and having all these odds stacked against them; coming from extremely different backgrounds, their past familial abuse, the paranormal traumas they’ve experienced, their varying physical and mental health issues; I think they’re kind of a marvel for the other couples.

They love each other deeply, of course, and depend on one another, but they also really like one another as they are. They’re best friends as well as spouses. They rarely fight and if they do it’s short lived and they try to learn from it. They see a problem, they fix it. With both their past parental abuse and witnessing unhealthy and broken marriages, they are determined to break that cycle.

Thanks for the ask!!

Sorry it was a big long winded! 💖💖💖

[starry-blue-echoes]

You ask and I shall receive. Also can I be an anon here?? I really enjoy your content and actually sent a couple Jojolion AU asks myself ;) Anyways, let's get into it.

So, Shiloh is a time traveler from the 2020's [this year, actually!] and holds the stand Space and Time. Technically it's two stands but I think of it like Mista's Sex Pistols. It's fine. So anyway, this grants them the ability to time travel and warp reality, a bit like sans undertale and doctor strange. They are from Germany going on a college tour to New York for their studies. One night when they're off on a walk their stand Time kinda fucks up and transports them back to 1930's New York where they accidentally run into Joseph and get pulled into his wacky shenanigans. The plot continues fairly normally, saving Caesar from being stuck in a rock and a hard place. Until they have to leave to go back to their time, choosing the worst time for this, when Kars gets knocked into space. Everyone thinks they're dad now, oh no :(

Now back at their own time, they meet Ayumu, another stand user of Pillar Man descent [what are the odds], and the two of the take down an evil CEO of a company from Global Domination, making allies along the way. I don't have it super planned out, but during this time Shiloh gets attacked by a stand ability and shoved into a pocket dimension. Obviously they teleport the hell outta there but they end up in the 1870's England before Dio had beef with Jonathon. They are incredibly tired so they go to a bar to wind down when they see this kid being abused by their dad. They stand up for the kid and take him out for an actual meal because that kid as def starving. They have a nice talk and Shiloh stays for a it, but eventually as to leave to fight in that bizarre adventure in their time. But as something to remember them by, they give the kid a little green heart pin. You'll never guess who the kid was.

A couple years pass from defeating the company and now Shiloh and Ayumu are married, congrats fellow gays. They take their honeymoon to Egypt in the 80's for funzies. But then Shiloh got nabbed by Dio while the two got separated. The kid Shiloh had met in the 1880's was actually me, Dio, who very clearly remembers what happened that day. Shiloh gets turned into a vampire. Meanwhile Ayumu can not find Shiloh ANYWHERE. She has searched and searched and searched for so long and yet no sin of them, but she knows that they wouldn't abandon her. Until she spots one of Dio's minions [unspecified, possibly Hol Horse] who told her that Dio had them. Now she's angry at Dio, so she asks where the hell he is and what stand ability he has, but the guy runs away once she becomes 'too aggressive' [it's her spouse after all]. She's seen Polnareff before as an agent of Dio, so she decides to go find as many minions as she can to possibly get any info out of them as possible. Then they find Polnareff, non-fleshbudded, and just attacks him. The gang gets involved and Ayumu gets beat up until everuone realizes that all of them are here to kill Dio and Ayumu joins the SDC. Also if you're wondering why Shiloh hasn't escaped Dio's thot manor, I brought in Pucci to steal their stand so they couldn't teleport out of there. Rest in piece Shiloh </3 so they go kick Dio's ass and Shiloh and Joseph have that awkward reunion with each other because Joseph thought Shiloh was dead and Shiloh thought that they'd never see him again because they're lives were literally 100 years apart. Bonus everybody also beats up Pucci and Shiloh has their stand back :)

This is all I can type rn as it is one in the am and I need healthy sleeping skills, I will continue with the lore later because I am far from over :)

-Oc Anon

OOOOOOOOOOO THEY!!!!!!!!!

[nani-nonny]

The kids finally got a partner (or spouse) what would the peepaws react to it? And what would they do if this partner were to hurt them physically or mentally?

I feel like I’m being interrogated(/teasing) about my peepaws and I love it

I think I mentioned in an ask that DMD would be slightly wary for about a year but wouldn’t step in. He’ll let the kiddo figure it out for themselves but get involved if the situation requires it. If their partner were to get hurtful, DMD would repay twofold. He would turn on the Battle Nexus Champion switch and full on threaten the s/o. If it gets worse even after that, he’d send them to Big Mama so that he could have a “word” with them in the arena. He would lend a shoulder to cry on and all the peepaw hugs the kiddo would need to recover, but be unsure of how to make the pain go away.

Reunion would find out on one of those days he visits and be completely astonished. He would tease and joke and make fun of the kiddo, but give a few warning glances to their partner. If he recognizes the partner, he might tease the kiddo even more. In the case the partner is hurtful, he would find out from the other kiddos or see it by chance when visiting. Upon learning/seeing it, he would get involved, surprisingly, like an appropriate adult. (Surprising because of his childish teasing when he originally found out about the partner.) He would demand the s/o never come near the kiddo ever again, will physically involve himself in making sure the abusive partner is nowhere in sight any longer, and assure the kiddo gets the help they need.

LCD would see it by chance when patrolling the Hidden City, or the off chance that he visits New York for a new change of pace when patrolling. He’d feel different about the partner. Uncertain how to feel about it, maybe even a little jealous that the kiddo can keep moving on with life. But he wouldn’t get involved at all. He wouldn’t even watch from afar to make sure the kiddo is okay because, in all honesty, he’s sure they can handle it on their own. But if he happens to see a single tear on the kiddo’s face, the partner will suddenly disappear off the face of the earth. There would be no warning, no signs—just completely wiped clean of ever existing. And the kiddo will never get the closure needed.

WDS would find it so endearing but also finally have a chance to make fun of his own brothers. He’d do everything to embarrass the kiddos while secretly keeping an eye on the partner (that includes the future brothers watching). Cockroach peepaw’s (my nickname for WDS F!Leo because of an ask) nosey ass wouldn’t appreciate being sent away so the kiddo and their partner can be alone, and would give a time limit before he takes his kid away. If the partner was hurtful, the partner should be aware they will face the wrath of WDS and his own brothers. They will make the partner fear ever knowing the kiddo and regret having the audacity of hurting the kid. WDS and ghostly bros will erase all traces of the kiddo’s partner in the lair and help get over the asshole.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Also, none of the antagonists have gotten any lasting comeuppance. Not counting Gabriel and accomplices, we have Lila (who is still scheming with the only thing thrown against her being that the school knows about a supposed "lying disease"), Audrey (still being an abusive parent and spouse and gets to just keep doing her thing without even any verbal reprisal), Bob Roth (who was exposed as a plagiarist but whose career did not seem to have taken a blow), Chloé (who has been shoved back into the role with the writers insisting that she is irredeemable, but who has barely gotten any karma for anything she does in Season 4), and Félix (who is apparently set to be redeemed rather than pummeled into the ground). All of whom are or were initially intended to be and listed on TV Tropes as Hate Sinks. Even the racist ticket collector gets off scot-free. At least Alec is (too casually) redeemed (although he wasn't really treated as an antagonist despite causing an Akuma with his bullying nearly every time he appeared).

Not counting Techno-Pirate, who was arrested. But in that same vein, Cash was taken to be arrested for actual murder only to appear in the stinger of Miraculous New York (set later), so he fits in the list.

Kinda hard to hope for and expect the heroes to succeed when the villains are either not affect or rewarded for their deeds.

I think they've attempted to punish Chloé by taking away the Bee Miraculous but like.

Its... not really the best fit at this point and it wasn't entirely thorough her own downfall considering the other shit that happened.

[smokeybrandcompositions]

Somebody That I Use to Know

I know a guy who got Red-Pilled after his wife cheated on him. It was the second time he was cheated on by a spouse and dude just said f*ck it! Full MAGA afterward. It’s wild to see because I’ve known this due for, like a decade and change. He was never a cat who had any strong opinions one way or the other, and tended to kind of follow behind whichever cat in the room had the strongest male energy, but he was a good dude overall. Kind of a weenie, but not terrible in any way. And then he moved to Idaho, like a lot of other White folks, to get away from “California”. Not California, as in the State, but “California”, the Elitist, Liberal hellscape most ignorant Conservatives seem to have built my home up to in their own mind. It’s a crime to these people that we value intelligence, diversity, and equity. I do not, for the life of me, understand why so many of these Right Wing Cooks, have such a hate boner for California, but that’s something to ponder for a different day. I just read an article going into the Trump plan to take his entire campaign by leaning hard into the gender gap. He is basically courting all of these Manosphere types while, simultaneously, infantilizing women. It’s wild to see. How do you plan to win this election, by telling woman they won’t have to worry about abortion anymore because he’ll make sure you’re all happy? While taking credit for overturning Wade in the same goddamn breath? Who’s that for? The Red-Pilled guy I know.

See, this wasn’t a one-off thing for him. Moving to Idaho set in motions the slow, racist, devolution of someone I once proudly called friend. Now, it’s “I know a guy.” He sends me articles from the New York Post, never Fox News because he knows I don’t even consider that sh*t worthy of rebuttal, but didn’t understand that THAT Post is just the print version of Fox News. We once had an argument over something he read in the Epoch Times. I’ve seen that rag before. It’s the most Ultra Conservative garbage you’ll ever see, but stupid people think that, because it’s printed on newspaper stock and they see their favorite Senator carrying it into the Chambers with them, that it’s legit. The Epoch Times is not legit. It literal Chinese Propaganda. It’s published by the same cult that puts on those Shen Wu shows or whatever. They are so radical and violent, China kicked them out. I think they own a compound up upper New Jersey and basically bought off every local politician a la Scientology so they can do their weird, abusive, Chinese cult sh*t in peace. But this guy I know thought that was news, that the sh*t printed in that trash was something to actually believe. Like, mans is against Kamala Harris because she hasn’t done anything as Vice President. What the f*ck has ANY Vice President done? He then hit me with the whole Black or Indian nonsense. That was the first time anyone said that sh*t to me and, having been absolutely infatuated with a Blaxican for the better part of two decades, it was plain to me that Harris is both? Like, it was a question for because of how goddamn obvious it was. Not for this guy I know. For him, it was a point of contention, a proper issue. Neither one of us keyed in on the fact that though is she/ain’t she rhetoric is just good old fashion racism. I did, a day or so later, and asked him about it. He never answered. Which leads me to the fact that the guy I know is just plain bigoted now.

Ever since his wife stepped out on him, the guy I know has just been outright malicious. Like, he was always kind of weird about race, most White people are, but he was still pretty cognoscente of how to maneuver within minority spaces. His best friend and first love was a person of color, so he had an understanding of his privilege. Mans moves to Idaho, gets surrounded by ninety-six percent White people with an errant Mexican on occasion and Black folks as rare as f*cking naturally occurring platinum, he he’s about that “Shut up and Dribble” life. Like, WAY back during the whole Black Lives Matter movement, he was one of these assholes that tried to make the disingenuous argument that AL Live Matter. Of course they do, dick, but your White lives aren’t getting gunned down while jogging and choked out but cops in front of the bodega, are they? Nope, my BLACK lives are, and they have been since we were f*cking forced here! The protests are ruining the game of basketball, a league predominately Black and raised in environments identical to those of where George Floyd was killed. Hell, a former NBA player KNOWS Floyd! Stephen Jackson grew up with the guy! But excuse the hell out of us for protesting during your racially muted escapism. Value the Black body but not the Black life. Shut up and dribble, is it? That guy I know dismissed every argument, every point that we, as a culture were making during that summer, because there were riots. Bro, what the f*ck else were we to do? I asked him that, point blank. We’ve been peaceful. We’ve passed legislature. We did the sit-ins and arm-in-arm blockades. What did you respond with? Dogs, hoses, and guns. We pleaded and you beat us. But we aren’t entitled to a tantrum or two every, what? Fifty years? Really?

How do you go from having Black friends to f*cking fighting Critical Race Theory in schools? How can you have a wife, sister, cousin, best friend who has experienced the cruelty of male entitlement, and support Wade being overturned? I have an IQ of one hundred, fifty-four. Less than two percent of the population has an IQ score higher than one hundred and thirty. I’m usually the smartest in the room, wherever I go. I can learn anything, do any job, as long as I have a month or less to process the procedure. My Black ass is brilliant but, according to the guy I know, any job I get is because of DEI. Like, I WORKED with this dude. He knows me. He knows how intelligent I am but, because of the Red-Pill, I’m here to fill a guv’ment quota. How do you just allow yourself to be manipulated by the worst people you know (Republican Politicians and f*cking Andrew Tate types), into dismissing your own firsthand, personal, experiences? How do you let Trump convince you that the Haitians are illegal and eating cats, when the opposite of that is true? When the eaten cat in question magically reappears in the basement of their owner’s house and she admits on TV the story was nonsense? How can you support a blatantly racist bill, laughably performative, trying to make it illegal for the undocumented to vote on threat of government shutdown, when it’ already illegal for them to vote? None of that makes any f*cking sense if you stop and think for just a second but I don’t think that guy I know wants to think anymore. I believe he’s fine with some weird strong man telling how to live. I believe he wants to be that in his own family because he had his masculinity shattered for a second time. I think the Red-Pill is a means for weak men to “take back their power”. And above all, I think that sh*t is gay. Like, legitimately homosexual behavior. How the f*ck do you, as a man, let another man, tell you how to treat women? How to live your life?

[smokeybrand]

Somebody That I Use to Know

I know a guy who got Red-Pilled after his wife cheated on him. It was the second time he was cheated on by a spouse and dude just said f*ck it! Full MAGA afterward. It’s wild to see because I’ve known this due for, like a decade and change. He was never a cat who had any strong opinions one way or the other, and tended to kind of follow behind whichever cat in the room had the strongest male energy, but he was a good dude overall. Kind of a weenie, but not terrible in any way. And then he moved to Idaho, like a lot of other White folks, to get away from “California”. Not California, as in the State, but “California”, the Elitist, Liberal hellscape most ignorant Conservatives seem to have built my home up to in their own mind. It’s a crime to these people that we value intelligence, diversity, and equity. I do not, for the life of me, understand why so many of these Right Wing Cooks, have such a hate boner for California, but that’s something to ponder for a different day. I just read an article going into the Trump plan to take his entire campaign by leaning hard into the gender gap. He is basically courting all of these Manosphere types while, simultaneously, infantilizing women. It’s wild to see. How do you plan to win this election, by telling woman they won’t have to worry about abortion anymore because he’ll make sure you’re all happy? While taking credit for overturning Wade in the same goddamn breath? Who’s that for? The Red-Pilled guy I know.

See, this wasn’t a one-off thing for him. Moving to Idaho set in motions the slow, racist, devolution of someone I once proudly called friend. Now, it’s “I know a guy.” He sends me articles from the New York Post, never Fox News because he knows I don’t even consider that sh*t worthy of rebuttal, but didn’t understand that THAT Post is just the print version of Fox News. We once had an argument over something he read in the Epoch Times. I’ve seen that rag before. It’s the most Ultra Conservative garbage you’ll ever see, but stupid people think that, because it’s printed on newspaper stock and they see their favorite Senator carrying it into the Chambers with them, that it’s legit. The Epoch Times is not legit. It literal Chinese Propaganda. It’s published by the same cult that puts on those Shen Wu shows or whatever. They are so radical and violent, China kicked them out. I think they own a compound up upper New Jersey and basically bought off every local politician a la Scientology so they can do their weird, abusive, Chinese cult sh*t in peace. But this guy I know thought that was news, that the sh*t printed in that trash was something to actually believe. Like, mans is against Kamala Harris because she hasn’t done anything as Vice President. What the f*ck has ANY Vice President done? He then hit me with the whole Black or Indian nonsense. That was the first time anyone said that sh*t to me and, having been absolutely infatuated with a Blaxican for the better part of two decades, it was plain to me that Harris is both? Like, it was a question for because of how goddamn obvious it was. Not for this guy I know. For him, it was a point of contention, a proper issue. Neither one of us keyed in on the fact that though is she/ain’t she rhetoric is just good old fashion racism. I did, a day or so later, and asked him about it. He never answered. Which leads me to the fact that the guy I know is just plain bigoted now.

Ever since his wife stepped out on him, the guy I know has just been outright malicious. Like, he was always kind of weird about race, most White people are, but he was still pretty cognoscente of how to maneuver within minority spaces. His best friend and first love was a person of color, so he had an understanding of his privilege. Mans moves to Idaho, gets surrounded by ninety-six percent White people with an errant Mexican on occasion and Black folks as rare as f*cking naturally occurring platinum, he he’s about that “Shut up and Dribble” life. Like, WAY back during the whole Black Lives Matter movement, he was one of these assholes that tried to make the disingenuous argument that AL Live Matter. Of course they do, dick, but your White lives aren’t getting gunned down while jogging and choked out but cops in front of the bodega, are they? Nope, my BLACK lives are, and they have been since we were f*cking forced here! The protests are ruining the game of basketball, a league predominately Black and raised in environments identical to those of where George Floyd was killed. Hell, a former NBA player KNOWS Floyd! Stephen Jackson grew up with the guy! But excuse the hell out of us for protesting during your racially muted escapism. Value the Black body but not the Black life. Shut up and dribble, is it? That guy I know dismissed every argument, every point that we, as a culture were making during that summer, because there were riots. Bro, what the f*ck else were we to do? I asked him that, point blank. We’ve been peaceful. We’ve passed legislature. We did the sit-ins and arm-in-arm blockades. What did you respond with? Dogs, hoses, and guns. We pleaded and you beat us. But we aren’t entitled to a tantrum or two every, what? Fifty years? Really?

How do you go from having Black friends to f*cking fighting Critical Race Theory in schools? How can you have a wife, sister, cousin, best friend who has experienced the cruelty of male entitlement, and support Wade being overturned? I have an IQ of one hundred, fifty-four. Less than two percent of the population has an IQ score higher than one hundred and thirty. I’m usually the smartest in the room, wherever I go. I can learn anything, do any job, as long as I have a month or less to process the procedure. My Black ass is brilliant but, according to the guy I know, any job I get is because of DEI. Like, I WORKED with this dude. He knows me. He knows how intelligent I am but, because of the Red-Pill, I’m here to fill a guv’ment quota. How do you just allow yourself to be manipulated by the worst people you know (Republican Politicians and f*cking Andrew Tate types), into dismissing your own firsthand, personal, experiences? How do you let Trump convince you that the Haitians are illegal and eating cats, when the opposite of that is true? When the eaten cat in question magically reappears in the basement of their owner’s house and she admits on TV the story was nonsense? How can you support a blatantly racist bill, laughably performative, trying to make it illegal for the undocumented to vote on threat of government shutdown, when it’ already illegal for them to vote? None of that makes any f*cking sense if you stop and think for just a second but I don’t think that guy I know wants to think anymore. I believe he’s fine with some weird strong man telling how to live. I believe he wants to be that in his own family because he had his masculinity shattered for a second time. I think the Red-Pill is a means for weak men to “take back their power”. And above all, I think that sh*t is gay. Like, legitimately homosexual behavior. How the f*ck do you, as a man, let another man, tell you how to treat women? How to live your life?

[shop-korea]

SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME - Regine Velasquez | Reigning Still

DISNEY+ - PREMIUM - NO - ADS

CHAT - 2 - REACH - THOUGH - SAYS - 15 - IN - CUE

IT’s - RAPID - DON’T - LEAVE - PAGE - ITS - FAST - 2

THEY - HAD - NO - ACCESS - 2 - EMAIL - ADDRESS

SO - THEY - TOLD - ME - 2 - GUESS - AND - GIVE IT

ALL - AND - NOTHING - PASSED

THE - PROBLEM - WAS - I - GAVE - AN - OUTLOOK

EMAIL - AND - IT - ASSIGNED - ME - MY - GMAIL - 2

DIDN’T - WRITE - IT - DOWN - SO - NO - RECALL - 2

SO - ASSIGN - A - GMAIL - EMAIL - ADDRESS

THEY - JUST - CANCELLED - AND - I - GOT REFUND

SO - I - WILL - B - USING - GMAIL - ALREADY - JUST

CREATED - ACCOUNT - WILL - USE - PAYPAL

DEAR - SOUTH - KOREA,

DEAR - KOREAN - GIRLS - OF - SEOUL,

I - HAVE - MADE - A - DECISION - ABOUT - NUDITY

I - DID - ILLEGAL - PROSTITUTION - IN - CALIFORNIA

AT - AGE 14 - NO - MONEY - GIVEN - ME - BLED - ALL

PLACES - PHILIPPINE - ADOPTED - FAMILY - USING

WORDS - HEARING - TODAY - WITH MENTAL PLACES

THEY - SAID - ‘BLEEDING’ - ONLY - MENTALLY - ILL

BLEED - ALL - BEING - NOT - FIRST BORN - EXCEPT

HER - HUSBAND - WHO - VERBALLY - ABUSED - HIS

PINAY - MOM - WHO - DIED - OF - BRAIN - TUMOR

IN - PHILIPPINES - WHOSE - PEOPLE - LIVE LONG

EVENTUALLY - HE - SAID - HIS MOM - IS AT HOME

CHRISTIANS - OF - IVCF - INTERNATIONAL

VARSITY - CHRISTIAN - FELLOWSHIP - UP

UNIVERSITY - OF - PHILIPPINES

EMBLEM - PHILIPPINE - MALE - URINATING

ON - THE - FOUNTAIN

ONLY - COLLEGE - GIVEN CREDIT - BY USA

HANDCUFFED - 2 - DO - PROCEDURE - FOR

THE - HOMELESS - THEY - COULD - B - MENTALLY

ILL - DECISION - BY - REPUBLICAN - PARTY - OF FL

AS - EMPLOYED - LIKE - POLICE - FR

FEDERAL - TAXES

FLORIDA - 1%

NEW YORK - 1%

CALIFORNIA - 2%

RESIDENTIAL - PROPERTY - TAX - $1

BUSINESS - PROPERTY - TAX - $1

ALL - PROPERTY - TAXES - WILL - B - PAID - BY - NEW

DEMOCRAT - PARTY - DONATIONS - TAX - DEDUCTION

THAT - WILL - HAVE - LOTS - OF - POLITICIANS - LAID

OFF - MAKERS - OF - LAWS - THEY - LIKE - KOREA KR

THEY - SELECT - WHAT - LAWS - CIVILIANS - VOTE - 4

SOLUTION - OVERTHROW - OF - US GOVERNMENT

HANDCUFFED - ME - REMOVED - ME - OF - PURSE

WALKING - STICK - GAVE - 2 - CAMILLUS - HOUSE 4

NEARBY - ONLY 1 BUS PASS - GIVEN - OR - WALK 2

HOURS - FOR - 95 DEGREES - 4 - FOREIGNERS

PHYSICALLY - DISABLED

UNITED NATIONS - UNICEF

TREATMENT - OF - WOMEN - AND - CHILDREN

SLAUGHTERED - BY - MEN - THEIR - SPOUSES

SLAUGHTERED - BY - THEIR - SIBLINGS - AND

THEIR - PARENTS

WHO - SURVIVES - HANDCUFFED - BY - US POLICE

BY ORDER - OF - REPUBLICAN PARTY OF FLORIDA

WHEN - U - USE - THEIR - TOILET - ALL - GOES FAST

2 - THEIR - IN - FACILITY - LAB - 4 - CHECKING

WITH - MINE

NORMAL - NOT - MENTALLY - ILL

DIAGNOSIS - GIVEN - OVER - 8 YEARS - BY - 2 - USA

STUPIDS - ALSO

BIPOLAR - DISORDER - NON-DEPRESSION

ALL - BELIEVED - THAT

What is bipolar disorder? Bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental illness that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration. These shifts can make it difficult to carry out day-to-day tasks.

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition that doesn't go away on its own. While it can feel overwhelming and isolating at first, an early, accurate diagnosis is the first step toward getting better. Proper treatment, along with support and self-care, helps people with bipolar disorder live healthy, fulfilling lives.Apr 24, 2023

Bipolar disorder - Symptoms and causesMayo Clinichttps://www.mayoclinic.org › ... › Diseases & ConditionsAug 14, 2024 — Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings.

What Are Bipolar Disorders?Psychiatry.orghttps://www.psychiatry.org › patients-families › what-ar...Bipolar disorders are mental health conditions characterized by periodic, intense emotional states affecting a person's mood, energy, and ability to function.

USA - AFTER - 246 YEARS

WHAT - I - HAVE - IS - RARE - INSTEAD

ITS - DUALITY

du·al·i·ty/do͞oˈalədē/

noun

1.the quality or condition of being dual."the novel's deep duality about human motive"

What is the simple meaning of duality?As hinted at by the word "dual" within it, duality refers to having two parts, often with opposite meanings, like the duality of good and evil. If there are two sides to a coin, metaphorically speaking, there's a duality. Peace and war, love and hate, up and down, and black and white are dualities.

DUALITY | definition in the Cambridge English DictionaryCambridge Dictionaryhttps://dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › dualitythe state of combining two different things: His poems reveal the duality of his nature, the joy and hope, the fear and despair.

DEAR - KOREAN GIRLS - OF - SEOUL,

I - HAVE - WHAT - IS - RARE - AND - THAT’s - DUALITY

2 PERSONALITIES - GOOD - AND - EVIL - BOLD - AND

CONFIDENT - OPPOSITE - PERSONALITIES - SO - ME

DON’T - LOOK - 2 - LONG - AT - MY - EYES - WHEN ME

USES - THE - MIRROR - OR - INSIDE - THOSE - EYES

TAKES - OVER - SUPER - EVIL - AND - CONFIDENT AS

THE - HOLY GHOST - TEACHES - ME - 2 B - CALM AND

THE - JOY - OF - THE - LORD - JESUS - IS - MY - YES

STRENGTH - HIS - JOY - MY - JOY - AND - THIS - JOY

NO - ONE - WILL - TAKE - FR - US

I - ASKED - THE - MALE - POLICE - OFFICER - INSIDE

THE - CAR - 2 - SHOOT - ME - I - WANT - 2 - JOIN - MY

MOM - JUST - SHOOT - ME - I - WANT - 2 GO - HOME

I - ASKED - 2 B - DEPORTED - BUT - THEY’RE - NOT

VERY - SMART - AND - WANT - ME - 2 - SUFFER YES

MUDD - IS - MUD - AND - THEY - ARE - WHAT IS TRULY

CALLED - THE - BEGGARLY - ELEMENTS - OF - LIFE

SO - I - SAID - I’LL - CHANGE - THIS - 2 - ANOTHER

ANGLE - INSTEAD - REMINDED - THEM - OF BEING

KIDS - WITH - THEIR - PEE - PEE - WET - FACES OF

RELATIVES - AND - GUESTS - THEN - DANCED

AFTER - ONLY - THEY - NEVER - SAW - ALL - AGAIN

TALKED - ABOUT - ‘NOELLE’ - ABOUT - BEING - ON

SANTA’s - NAUGHTY - LIST - AND - ME - ONLY - ON

SANTA’s - NICE - LIST - WHAT - WAS - NOELLE LIKE

AS - A - CHILD - SANTA - DIDN’T - REALLY - DIE - HE

WANTED - 2 - TEST - HIS - WIFE - ESPECIALLY - IF

A - GRIEVING - WIDOW - OR - A - FINE & LOVING

MOM - 2 - HIS - CHILDREN - PASSED - FLYING YES

COLORS

THUS - IN - THERE - B 4 - GOING - INSIDE - THEY

ASKED - ME - 2 - SHOW - MY - BRA - AS - FEMALE

HISPANIC - NURSE - THEN - TOLD - ME - 2 - BRING

UP - THE - BOTTOM - OF - MY BRA - UP

THEN - TOLD - ME - 2 - PUT - MY - SHORTS - DOWN

TO - HALF - OF - THIGHS

YES - I - STILL - LOOKED - VERY - PREGNANT

BECAUSE - LOST - MY - BABY - BOY - IN - THE

LIBRARY - 2ND - FLOOR

AND - THAT’s - IT - AND - INSIDE - WHAT - WAS

FLUSHED

RESULT - WITHOUT - TELLING - US - AS - USA

WAS - BRIEF - HURRICANE - SO - I - WAS WET

FLU - WITH - MISSPELLED - OBYGN / PCP - (PRIMARY

CARE - PROVIDER) (FAMILY - DOCTOR - WHO - SEES

YOU - NAKED) FOR - VAGINAL - BLEEDING

FRIDAY - 30 AUG 2024 - DAY - B 4 - DIANA - FORMER

PRINCESS - OF - WALES - DEATH - ANNIVERSARY - 4

I - HAVE - ENGLISH - ACCENT - 31 AUG 2024

TGIF - SINCE - I’M - ANEMIC - AND - TOPIRAMATE 50 mg

WAS - A - NO NO - WITH - SEASONIQUE - BIRTH CONTROL

AND - THEY - LIKE - PSYCHIATRISTS - MAKE - FUN - OF US

WOMEN - WHO - THEY - CAN’T - KNOCK - UP - EVEN - AS

FAMILY - AMERICAN - WOMAN - AND - CLINIC - CREATED

BIRTH - CONTROL - WHEN - ALL - BIRTH - CONTROL

CLINICS - AND - DEVICES - WAS - ILLEGAL - IN - USA

POLICE - AND - MEN - LOVED - THEY - CAN - EVEN

KNOCK - UP - THEIR - SIBLINGS - CAN - GET - EVEN

COUSINS - PREGNANT - CATHOLIC - RELIGION WAS

DESTROYED - BY - BIRTH - CONTROL - PILLS

THEY - USED - IRON - WITH - WHIPS - AND - TRULY

WHIPPED - WOMEN - 2 - ACCEPT - MARRYING OLD

FAT - PIG - FARMER - 12 CHILDREN - ALWAYS - TIED

UP - UNTIL - 12 KIDS - WAS - BORN

MORMON - RELIGION - FORMER - 6 KIDS - REQUIRED

2 - INCREASE - THEIR - MEMBERS - AND - VOWS - OF

POVERTY - WHICH - NO - MORE - 6 KIDS - BUT - VOW

STILL - REQUIRED - TODAY - CHURCH - OF - SATAN