#crimes against kansas

[hughbot]

I have a table at KC ZINE CON 9 today. If you are in the Kansas City area come by say hi!

[crawfordpress]

On Sunday September 1st I had a table at the 3rd annual Paper Plains Zine Fest in Lawrence KS. I had a great time. I sold out of Weird Horses! So if you bought a copy at the fest or any where for that matter thank you! Weird Horses is gone and now I look forward to debuting my next full color, broadsheet newspaper comic at SLICE in October.

[reportwire]

Woman in custody after hourslong standoff that followed the shooting of three officers, authorities say | CNN

CNN  —  Authorities say an hourslong standoff at a Missouri home that followed the shooting of three officers is over and a woman found in the house was taken into custody. A deceased man was also found in the home, according to state authorities. The three Kansas City, Missouri, police officers were hospitalized after being shot while executing a search warrant Tuesday night, Kansas City…

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #29

July 26-August 2 2024

President Biden announced his plan to reform the Supreme Court and make sure no President is above the law. The conservative majority on the court ruled that Trump has "absolute immunity" from any prosecution for "official acts" while he was President. In response President Biden is calling for a constitutional amendment to make it clear that Presidents aren't above the law and don't have immunity from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. In response to a wide ranging corruption scandal involving Justice Clarence Thomas, President Biden called on Congress to pass a legally binding code of ethics for the Supreme Court. The code would force Justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political actions, and force them to recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have conflicts of interest. President Biden also endorsed the idea of term limits for the Justices.

The Biden Administration sent out an email to everyone who has a federal student loan informing them of upcoming debt relief. The debt relief plan will bring the total number of a borrowers who've gotten relief from the Biden-Harris Administration to 30 million. The plan is due to be finalized this fall, and the Department of Education wanted to alert people early to allow them to be ready to quickly take advantage of it when it was in place and get relief as soon as possible.

President Biden announced that the federal government would step in and protect the pension of 600,000 Teamsters. Under the American Rescue Plan, passed by President Biden and the Democrats with no Republican votes, the government was empowered to bail out Union retirement funds which in recent years have faced devastating cut of up to 75% in some cases, leaving retired union workers in desperate situations. The Teamster union is just the latest in a number of such pension protections the President has done in office.

President Biden and Vice-President Harris oversaw the dramatic release of American hostages from Russia. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan held since 2018, Russian-American reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Alsu Kurmasheva convicted of criticizing the Russian Military, were all released from captivity and returned to the US at around midnight August 2nd. They were greeted on the tarmac by the President and Vice-President and their waiting families. The deal also secured the release of German medical worker Rico Krieger sentenced to death in Belarus, Russian-British opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, and 11 Russians convicted of opposing the war against Ukraine or being involved in Alexei Navalny's anti-corruption organization. Early drafts of the hostage deal were meant to include Navalny before his death in Russian custody early this year.

A new Biden Administration rule banning discrimination against LGBT students takes effect, but faces major Republican resistance. The new rule declares that Title IX protects Queer students from discrimination in public schools and any college that takes federal funds. The new rule also expands protections for victims of sexual misconduct and pregnant or parenting students. However Republican resistance means the rule can't take effect nation wide. Lawsuits from Republican controlled states, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, means the new protections won't come into effect those states till the case is ruled on likely in a Supreme Court ruling. The Biden administration crafted these Title IX rules to reflect the Supreme Court's 2020 Bostock case.

The Biden administration awarded $2 billion to black and minority farmers who were the victims of historic discrimination. Historically black farmers have been denied important loans from the USDA, or given smaller amounts than white farmers. This massive investment will grant 23,000 minority farmers between $10,000 and $500,000 each and a further 20,000 people who wanted to start farms by were improperly denied the loans they needed between $3,500-$6,000 to get started. Most payments went to farmers in Mississippi and Alabama.

The Biden Administration took an important step to stop the criminalization of poverty by changing child safety guidelines so that poverty alone isn't grounds for taking a child into foster care. Studies show that children able to stay with parents or other family have much better outcomes then those separated. Many states have already removed poverty from their guidelines when it comes to removing children from the home, and the HHS guidelines push the remaining states to do the same.

Vice-President Harris announced the Biden Administration's agreement to a plan by North Carolina to forgive the state's medical debt. The plan by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper would forgive the medical debt of 2 million people in the state. North Carolina has the 3rd highest rate of medical debt in the nation. Vice-President Harris applauded the plan, pointing out that the Biden Administration has forgiven $650 million dollars worth of medical debt so far with plans to forgive up to $7 billion by 2026. The Vice-President unveiled plans to exclude medical debt from credit scores and issued a call for states and local governments to forgive debt, like North Carolina is, last month.

The Department of Transportation put forward a new rule to bank junk fees for family air travel. The new rule forces airlines to seat parents next to their children, with no extra cost. Currently parents are forced to pay extra to assure they are seated next to their children, no matter what age, if they don't they run the risk of being separated on a long flight. Airlines would be required to seat children age 13 and under with their parent or accompanying adult at no extra charge.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it is giving $3.5 billion to combat homelessness. This represents the single largest one year investment in fighting homelessness in HUD's history. The money will be distributed by grants to local organizations and programs. HUD has a special focus on survivors of domestic violence, youth homeless, and people experiencing the unique challenges of homelessness in rural areas.

The Treasury Department announced that Pennsylvania and New Mexico would be joining the IRS' direct file program for 2025. The program was tested as a pilot in a number of states in 2024, saving 140,000 tax payers $5.6 million in filing charges and getting tax returns of $90 million. The program, paid for by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, will be available to all 50 states, but Republicans strong object. Pennsylvania and New Mexico join Oregon and New Jersey in being new states to join.

Bonus: President Biden with the families of the released hostages calling their loved ones on the plane out of Russia

[tofics]

Out Of This World

Chapter 5

Masterlist

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x fem!Reader x Dean Winchester

Summary: You and the Mikaelsons are fighting a powerful witch that’s trying to take over New Orleans. The only solution: banishment to another universe. However, the spell goes… wrong, and it’s not the witch that ends up in another universe, but you. - At the same time, over a thousand miles away in a bunker in Lebanon, Kansas, an alarm goes off: a rift has opened up. The Winchesters and their angel partners in crime decide to investigate. What will they find when they get to New Orleans?

Word count: 5245 words

Warnings: A whole lot of anxiety, but probably less than in previous chapters.

Previously: "Who's to say she's not a witch herself?" You gawked at Dean. Is this guy serious? A shriek laugh slipped out of your throat before you could stop it. Me? A witch? The situation was just getting more absurd by the second.

You had visited many different places with Elijah over the years of your relationship. He'd taken you to various countries and cities, exposing you to locations and cultures you'd otherwise have never seen.

Stepping foot inside a bunker, however, was still a first for you.

Sam, who introduced himself as Dean's younger brother, gave you the tour. According to him, it covered the basics: kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, the library and its adjoining 'war room'. The name weighed in your stomach like a heavy stone. You could only imagine what kind of wars were planned in that room, or who those wars were fought against.

"I know it kind of seems like a maze, but trust me, you'll find your way around soon enough," Sam said as he led you through one of the long corridors back to the library. You couldn't help but notice that he'd deliberately left some doors untouched and unnamed.

"How are you holding up?"

You shrugged in response. "It's fine. I've lived in similar places, I'll get the hang of it."

When Dean had mentioned that they lived in a bunker, you had imagined a small, crowded space; clammy, dimly lit and stacked to the ceiling with cans and containers - basically, your average prepper's bunker. You couldn't have been more wrong. Besides an obvious lack of windows, the complex was eerily similar to the compound you'd lived in for the past years, with its many rooms, hundreds of books in the library and old-looking knick-knacks everywhere. It was both a comfort and a punch in the gut at the same time.

"Not what I meant." An amused smile played around Sam's lips as he held open a door for you. You pondered the question until you arrived back at the library where Sam gestured for you to sit at one of the large tables.

"I mean... I'm okay, I think. I don't really know. This is my first time being stranded in a different universe, so I have no reference points, but I think I'm doing okay, all things considered."

"I'll say." Sam's smile was warm and full of compassion. It reminded you of Dean when he'd paid for your coffee almost a day ago now. You hadn't seen much of that in him after that. He had practically ignored you for the entire ride to the bunker, save for some comments here and there that were more in response to Castiel than directed at you. It was just as confusing as it was irritating. You could understand his suspicion to some extent, but with the way he had snapped at you back in the alley, and the way he'd occasionally looked at you through the rearview mirror... Something just wasn't adding up.

Either way, you found his younger brother much more likeable. He was a lot kinder to you, in the same way Castiel had been during the long hours on your drive to Kansas.

"Alright!" Dean dropped the contents of his arms onto the table you and Sam had taken a seat at. He'd brought all the essentials - silver knife, salt and holy water - as well as an angel's blade and a gun loaded with silver bullets in case things went south, both safely tucked into the back of his pants where you couldn't see them. He’d meant what he’d sad to Cas in the alley way. Things were never that easy. There had to be a catch. And he was gonna find out what that catch was.

"Pick it up, if you'd be so kind." Dean gestured at the silver knife and then crossed his arms as he waited for you to touch the knife. He trained his eyes on you so he wouldn't miss a single thing, no flinch nor twitch. If you were going to have a reaction to any of the basic tests, he'd know.

He watched you cautiously lean forward and inspect the items he'd dropped in front of you with furrowed brows.

"What's this?"

Much to his annoyance, Sam jumped in to explain. "Just a few tests to confirm you're human. It's standard procedure for everyone we bring here. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Dean huffed. "Ts, yeah, we'll see. Go on, then." He nodded at the knife again.

Instead of picking up the knife though, you looked up at him defensively. "What is your problem with me! Why'd you even bring me here if you're so sure I'm gonna do something to all of you?"

He didn't have to think about drawing the angel's knife. It was simply in in his hand as he brought both of them down onto the table in a slam. "Take! The knife!" he bellowed.

"Dean!" Sam chided him from the side, but he didn't care, didn't even look at his brother.

You jerked back, obviously taken aback by his harsh demeanor, and then finally reached for the knife. Dean's fingers tightened around the grip of his own blade. He didn't miss the way your hand was shaking, nor the way your eyes flitted to his blade and back to the table.

"Okay? Can I put it back down?" The knife laid calmly in your palm, your hand showing no sign of not being able to handle silver.

Dean's jaw clenched. So you were no shapeshifter, fine. So what. He felt it in his gut that something wasn't right with you.

"Water's next, then." His eyes stayed trained on you as Sam took the knife from your hand and handed you a shot glass instead, filled with water from the tiny flask Dean had brought.

Again, instead of drinking the holy water, you eyed the content of the shot glass first, then even sniffed at it. Dean felt his throat vibrate as a low growl worked its way up. His patience was worn thin. "Quit stalling. Bottom's up."

There was a defiance in you that he definitely did not like. The way your eyes narrowed at him had his hand twitching, but just then you finally brought the shot glass to your lips and downed the water in one quick go.

Dean watched you like a hawk in the silence that followed, but you just blinked at him. He groaned in frustration.

Not shapeshifter or demon then. What could have counted as good news to other hunters just drove Dean’s frustration up. Could still be a witch.

“Keep an eye on her hands, Sammy. I’m gonna get the shackles,” he growled and tossed the angel's blade over to his brother.

"Shackles?!" Even though you'd stood your ground during their 'tests', the word still came out in a shriek, and in no small part due to the large silvery dagger that Dean tossed to Sam. Paired with his words, it was very clear that the dagger was intended for you.

Sam caught the dagger with ease and you instinctively leaned away from him.

"What? Dean, no - it's okay, don't worry," Sam hastily said to you before turning back to Dean, "is this really necessary?"

"Are you kidding me?" Dean turned on his heels and stared at his brother in visible anger and disbelief. "Since when are precautions not a necessity anymore?"

"Dude, that's not what I'm saying. Just look at her! She's-"

"I am," Dean cut in. "And I see no reason not to be suspicious! Hell, for all we know, she could've opened the port- stay where you are!"

You froze in your spot, hands raised in the air apologetically. "Look, I'm not trying to cause anyone trouble-" you started, but Dean cut you off as well. "Yeah well, too damn late. And put those hands down! Don't even think about hexing us."

I wish I could hex you, you thought in annoyance, but you knew better than to say that out loud. Instead, you inhaled deeply. Breathe. You got this.

"Like I said. I'm not trying to cause anyone any trouble, and clearly my presence here is not... endorsed by everyone." You threw a quick glance at Dean before you continued. "So it's probably best if I just go."

"Like hell it is. You're not going anywhe-"

"Uh, boys, if I may?" Castiel interrupted the scene as he stepped into the library. He was followed by a young man who shyly smiled at you. "I think I might have a solution for this... problem." He nodded at the young man who'd stood patiently beside him, a child-like smile on his face. "This is Jack."

"Cas." It sounded like a warning, almost like a threat, the way Dean spoke the angel's name. You glanced back and forth between Castiel, the young man and Dean. The tension between them was palpable, yet you couldn't say what'd brought it on.

Castiel replied in a similarly low tone, although you weren't sure if it carried the same veiled threat - from what you could tell, this was just the way he spoke. "Dean. You can trust me on this."

Judging by Dean's face, he was not a fan of whatever Castiel was suggesting, regardless of whether he trusted the angel or not, but he didn't interrupt Jack when he stepped forward into your direction.

There was nothing threatening about the young man's approach, but you found yourself taking a step back regardless. Sam and Castiel seemed kind enough, almost sympathetic even, but Dean's attitude towards you had your nervous system on high-alert.

"Oh, it's okay. I won't hurt you." Jack smiled at you again as he closed the distance between the two of you. "May I?" His hands were hovering near your temples, clearly awaiting your permission to touch your head, yet he didn't offer an explanation. It was rather unsettling.

"Uhh..." Your eyes flickered from his hands over to Sam's face. Despite his furrowed brows, he still gave you an encouraging nod, and so after you swallowed down the lump in your throat, you gave your okay.

Despite Klaus' best efforts, Elijah hadn't spoken much in the first night of your absence.

While their sisters had been out studying the ancient scrolls again, Elijah had sat in the compound's office and stared into the flames of the fireplace. Klaus had tried his best to be there for him, but his older brother had ignored all his attempts, save for the glass of whiskey he'd slipped into his hand and had dutifully refilled throughout the hours.

Even though Elijah had appeared calm on the outside, Klaus knew that there was a storm raging inside of his brother. It was no secret that you meant everything to Elijah. 'Always and forever' was the Mikaelson motto, their pledge to each other that come what may, family would come first, always, forever. You had become a member of that family a long time ago. Rebekah and Freya were not trying to find ways to bring you back purely out of loyalty for their brother, but because they cared for you like they cared for each other.

What the Mikaelson siblings felt for you could only be topped by Elijah's fiery love for you. Klaus had seen his brother fall in and out of love multiple times over the centuries. Lovers came and went as time progressed - an almost unavoidable process in the life of an immortal. Still, he had never seen his brother fall for someone in the same way that Elijah had fallen for you. He loved you deeply and openly and with an intensity that none of his previous matches had been able to ignite in him.

His brothers silence troubled Klaus, and he was not a man that was easily troubled. Paranoid, yes, but worries about his siblings usually rarely extended further than what consequences would brought about for Klaus himself.

This was different, though. Usually, Klaus was known to be the one to act out of blind rage, led by feelings and with little concern for the consequences of his actions. Elijah's moves were always more calculated and thought-through, the counterpart to Klaus' reckless nature. Even when it came to protecting their family, Elijah never acted on a whim.

And yet, Klaus couldn't shake the feeling that with your disappearance, all bets were now off the table.

He couldn't know, of course, how soon he would be proven right.

Elijah was teetering on the edge of madness.

Out of all the battles his family had fought throughout the centuries, all the hurdles they had overcome and obstacles they'd had to face - this one could be the one to tip him over the edge.

In all of his wretched time on earth, he'd had but two rules: family comes first, and do what must be done.

The latter was commonly a result of the first one. Elijah would stop at nothing to ensure the safety of his family, no matter the consequences. There was no such thing as a price too high to pay. If there was something, anything, that could be done to remedy a situation one of his family members found themselves in, he would find it, and he would get it done.

But what was there to be done now? What could he do, now that you were god-knows-where, lost to a universe that wasn't his?

There were no arms to twist, no men or women to bribe, no deals to be made or lives to be threatened. There was no one to blame besides Athea, that wicked scum of a witch, who was already dead, having succumb to her own spell that took you from him.

He'd have his sister bring her back to life if they could, if not to reverse the spell, then to rip her apart limb by limb, slower and more painful than her previous death. He had wished for her death so many times before in the previous months, but now, it just wasn't enough. One death simply would not suffice for what she had done. This banishment, this punishment that you were now enduring had been meant for her. Against all odds, she had found a way to bring about even more suffering with her death. It was as much an insult as it was the superior move. They had been checkmated without ever even sensing the danger.

The most gruesome aspect of it all was his inability to do something about it.

Never before in his life had Elijah ever felt so useless, so powerless, so completely and absolutely helpless.

So he did the only thing he could do.

He drowned himself in whiskey and waited for his sisters to return. Maybe they would bring news. Maybe they wouldn't. Nothing he could do about it, but drink and wait.

And drink he did.

"Brother, wake up! They're back." Klaus' voice sharply cut through the hazy dream Elijah was experiencing. He found himself in the same place from the night before, where he sat down in front of the fireplace and drowned his pain and worries in as much whiskey as Klaus would supply. The glass still sat in his hand, its bottom caked by remnants of the dark liquid.

"Get on with it! I want to know what they have found. I'd expect so would you." The irritation in Klaus' voice did not go undetected, but Elijah didn't care, nor did he quicken his movements. His body was stiff from the hours it had spent locked in the same position and his head felt dull, empty and exhausted from the worries that had hounded him deep into the night and the alcohol he had consumed.

"Oh, for Christ's sake." The glass was ripped from Elijah's hand and he was pulled upright abruptly by the collar of his shirt. Despite his dazed state, Elijah's hand caught Klaus' wrist as quickly as his brother had moved on him. "Take your hands off of me, Niklaus, unless you wish to spend the better half of the next hour re-attaching them to your body."

Klaus arms went up in defense, paired with that god-forsaken, devilish grin his brother was known for. "Alright, alright, no need to be so prickly about it. Just get a move on so we can hear what they've got to say."

What they had to say was a whole load of nothing. Their sisters looked tired and defeated, and Elijah could tell from the second he laid eyes on him that they did not come bearing news, or at least the kind that could have lifted his spirits.

According to their studies, the simplest solution - reversing the spell - was out of the question, as the original spell had been worded in such a way that a reversal was impossible. This didn't surprise Elijah. After all, it had been part of why they had chosen this particular spell in the first place. Its irreversibleness was what had drawn them to it in the first place.

Since a simple reversal was out of the question, a new spell would have to be created to bring you back. This proved to be a difficult task on various levels. For one, a spell of such power had to be perfect down to the last syllable and its pronunciation. The slightest deviation or variation in pitch or emphasis could have a tremendous impact on the spell and its effectiveness, beyond things imaginable.

"It would need to be thoroughly tested to ensure full efficiency and to rule out possible side-effects. The whole endeavor could take months, if not more. Not to mention the amount of power it would take to conduct the tests. We would have to send something or someone to another universe, which on its own is a massive feat, and then bring them back. Even with all of you by my side, I don't know if it would be enough." Freya's voice was coarse with exhaustion. His sister was visibly spent. On any other day, Elijah would have ushered her to bed to rest. Today, he found himself indifferent to it.

"Well, that should not be a problem. What else do we have a little extra witch for?" Klaus spoke smugly from his side. "Where is she, by the way? Davina?"

"She left." Rebekah sighed and dropped into one of the arm chairs in the foyer. "And rightly so, as much as I hate to say it. I promised her to get Kol back, and now, we have yet another thing that takes precedence. Understandably so," she added with a look at Elijah, then continued. "Still, I don't know if we can count on her for this endeavor."

"We shall see about that. Kol is as much part of this family as is Y/N." Klaus spoke before Elijah could interject. It was an odd feeling, to weigh a brother against his girlfriend, but Rebekah was right: you took precedence. Kol was already dead, and yet, he was still there in the ancestral plane, making him closer even in death than you in life. It was the only acceptable option to Elijah, that you were still alive. If you died in another universe, entirely impossible to reach or protect... He pushed the thought away at once, unable to complete it.

"I don't know if Davina would see it that way. I believe her commitment to our family does not stretch much further than our beloved brother." Freya's voice had a sourness to it as she rubbed her face and sighed. "Even so, it doesn't matter. Until we know where precisely Y/N has ended up, it doesn't matter who we have on our side or not." The eldest sister paused for just a moment, seemingly gathering herself before continuing. "If we are able to create a retrieval spell - and that's a big if - it has to be tethered to a specific location. I'm no physicist, but from what we've gathered so far there is an infinite number of universes besides ours. The energy it would take to send the retrieval spell through each universe... It would have to be infinite as well. It's simply not possible."

Silence settled in the foyer as each of the siblings digested Freya's words. Elijah pressed his hands into fists. Your rescue slipped further out of reach with each detail they uncovered. Would he ever see you again?

He dug his nails deeply into the palm of his palms, unaware that he was drawing blood.

"Would it be possible to track me, if you were to send me after her?"

The faces of his siblings all turned to him at once.

"You cannot possibly be suggesting that we send you to a different universe as well?" Disbelief mixed with a hint of anger in Rebekah's face. It was enough to make the volcano that bubbled in Elijah erupt.

"And why not, sister? What would you have me do instead? Sit by and watch as you and Freya do all the work?" His words slowly rose to a shout and his legs started moving on their own accord, carrying Elijah through the foyer at a restless pace. "You cannot possibly expect me to idly stand by as the hours pass and we know nothing of her whereabouts. NOTHING!"

"Come on, let's find you a room and get you settled."

Whatever Jack had done, it hadn't take more than ten seconds. One moment his fingertips were gently touching your temples, and the next he'd dropped his hands from your face and announced that you were not, in fact, a witch.

Everyone in the room had relaxed a little at Jack's declaration, except of course for Dean. He'd just stared at you for a couple of seconds before he'd turned on his heels and had left the room.

"Here you are," Sam said and gestured around the room. "Bathroom's right through that door and you can put your things in that dresser over there."

Even though your motel room had been more spacious, this was clearly an upgrade in every way. The furnishing was sparse and functional - a bed, a nightstand, dresser and desk - but it looked clean and in shape, almost like the exact counterpart to the room you'd spent the previous night in. The motel room had been sucked dry by too many occupants, but this, this was a space waiting to be lived-in.

It was more than you could have hoped for. As far as you were concerned, you would have taken the couch in the library if you'd had to.

"Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate it."

"Let me know if you need anything, okay? I'll let you get settled in." He patted you on the shoulder and was almost out the door when you called him back.

"Uhh." You chuckled awkwardly. "I hate that I have to ask, because you've already done so much, but umh... Any chance you got some spare clothes laying around somewhere? It's just - I didn't exactly plan for a trip, let alone an interdimensional one, so... This is kind of all I've got."

He left with the promise to find you something for the night and before you knew it, you were in your new room all by yourself. It felt eerily quiet, the only sound coming from a clock above the door to the hallway, and you realized it was the first time you were on your own since you first ran into Dean and Castiel.

It was kind of nice. The past 24 hours felt like a whirlwind and the sudden quiet was almost soothing, if it wasn't for the tight knot in your chest. You had first felt it when the realization dropped that the spell had gone wrong, and it had only tightened since. Meeting Dean and Castiel had been distracting and intimidating enough to temporarily distract you from the sensation, but that only made it more noticeable now that all of the distractions were gone.

You dropped on the edge of the bed and planted your face in your hands. The inner corners of your eyes were already stinging again, alerting for a fresh wave of tears, but you could only sigh at the prospect of crying yet again. You'd already spent so many tears, you were almost surprised you had any left at this point. Regardless, the first drops came quickly and you gave in with another sigh, letting the tears roll down your cheeks as fast as they would come. What else were you going to do anyway?

The answer was taking a shower, as it turned out just a few minutes later. As quickly as the tears had come, they'd quickly dried up to an occasional drop and a lot of sniffles, leaving you as a puffy-faced, snotty mess. Your whole face felt sticky and itchy and your body didn't feel nowhere near fresh either, so you forced yourself off of the bed and into the shower.

The first warm jets of water brought about another wave of tears, although this one tasted more of exhaustion and less of sadness and pain. You were no stranger to crying, but here, in this unfamiliar world, it seemed to be all you could do to process your emotions. So you let yourself cry into the steady water stream for as long as your body needed to while still taking care of yourself. The tears rolled as you shampooed your head and they shook your body as you lathered it in shower gel, but they subsided into small little sobs as you rinsed yourself off, an occasional hiccup sneaking in and replacing a sob here and there.

By the time you were drying yourself off, your eyes were red and swollen, but you still felt miles better than before. There was a comb in the mirror cabinet above the sink, along with a toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as some generic deodorant. Just like the furniture of the room, the cabinet only held the basics, and you made a mental note to ask for sanitary products the next time you saw Sam. For now though, the few items would do. You brushed the stale taste out of your mouth that came with the fits of crying and then combed through your hair carefully, taking your time with the knots that had formed in the chaos of the last day.

Sam had apparently snuck into your room and dropped off a change of clothes on your bed while you had been in the shower. Whether they had spare stuff laying around or he'd taken a few things out of his own closet, you didn't know, but everything was a few sizes too large on you, save for the pair of underwear that was definitely a woman's pair and, miraculously, more your size. You were thankful for it all regardless. The clothes all smelled freshly washed and were quite comfortable thanks to their large size. Together with the shower, they almost made you feel comfortable. Almost.

A chair splintered on the wall, thrown with such force that its parts flew across the foyer. Elijah's chest was heaving, his breath shuddering as he forced himself back into a calm state. His sister's voice sounded from behind him.

"I understand your concern-"

Elijah flipped around and stared at Freya with fury. She raised her hands in return, but didn't retreat.

"-but even if we did use the same spell on you, I couldn't promise that you would end up in the same place as her. The incantation we used did not specific a specific place for the person to be sent to. You could end up in a different universe entirely and then you'd both be lost to us."

Elijah closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Once he was sure he could control his voice, he spoke quietly. "Do not suggest that she is lost to us." One hand was pinching the bridge of his nose, his other was held out in the air like a stop sign. There was a slight tremor in his arms, barely detectable to anyone non-human, and it was a clear indicator of how much strength it took him to remain calm in this moment.

Freya replied equally as quiet. "That is not how I meant it. All I meant to say is that I cannot guarantee that you will be sent to the same place she was sent to. The risk is simply too big."

Elijah's hands balled into fists again. "You cannot send me there, we don't know where there is, and we cannot get her back unless we find out where she is. Did I get that right?"

"...yes." The defeat was audible, despite the small word. Elijah sighed as the emotion carried over to him and flooded him from head to toe. He couldn't lose you.

"Elijah, we need some rest." Rebekah's hand found his shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. "You know she means the world to us too, but we can't work on empty tanks. Let us recharge, then we'll go back to work."

It took a moment, but he eventually nodded. His sisters both briefly touched his back, an expression of empathy and comfort, then headed up the stairs to their respective rooms. Elijah stood for a moment, then straightened, a new destination in mind.

"And where might you be off to, brother?" Klaus asked from behind him. Elijah didn't turn around to reply.

"Do some research of my own."

Unsure of what to do, you strolled around your room. Sam said he'd be back for dinner, and while he didn't explicitly tell you to stay in your room, it felt like the safest choice. Despite Jack's okay on you and you seemingly having passed all of their tests, Dean's reaction had been anything but reassuring and you didn't trust the man not to slap some shackles on you the next time he saw you, so you decided to inspect your room instead.

The drawers were all empty, but the desk held a notepad and some pencils. For a lack of better things to do, you sat down and began to scribble down the list that you drew up in the diner.

Find out if magic exists in this universe.

Safe to put a check behind that. You couldn't exactly tell yet what kind of magic this universe held, but they did have rifts too, as well as ways to open them, even if they were different from yours. On top of that, they had angels, as well as a variety of other things apparently, judging by their 'tests'. So: check.

2. Find the spell that brought you here.

By some miracle, stumbling across Dean and Castiel had led you straight into the arms of knowledgeable men on the topic, and they seemed to have a large library at hand. Going by their hunter's profession, you bet some of these books would have spells in them.

3. Find the ingredients.

Depending on what number 2 on your list would reveal, it would likely also come with a list of ingredients needed to complete the spell. You just hoped it wouldn't be more difficult than gathering the materials had been back in your universe. They did say something about angel's grace... You'd have to ask them about that.

4. Find someone to perform the spell for you.

Well. It looked like you had your work cut out for you.

It was time to interview the Winchesters.

Series Masterlist - Mobile Masterlist

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[goldenvulpine]

ok here is a helpful guide for Superman fans in Tumblr when referring to different eras of Superman:

Golden Age Superman: Kal-L. The Original. Very cocky. Very charismatic. Couldn’t fly as a kid. Has no solid code against killing. Chaotic Good. Can actually fly now. Has a disturbingly high kill count. Loves Toxic Women (Lois Literally Drugged him one time). Literal WW2 veteran. Not from Kansas. Smallville, East Coast (likely New York). Is now married to Lois. Head of the Daily Star (not Planet). Is Power Girl’s cousin. Is very aggressive. Still saved people from suicide canonically. Canonically religious (Married Lois in a Kryptonian Ceremony). “What trauma?” Seen everyone he loves die.

Silver Age Superman: Kal-El. The Most Popular. Speaks fluent Kryptonese. Total “50’s Dad”. The Strongest. Also the most conformist. Strict Code against killing. Lawful Good. From Smallville. Is canonically Religious (For Rao, his culture’s God). Has multiple cousins. From Smallville, East Coast (likely Maryland this time). Says he wouldn’t hit a woman. Probably has. Sneezed a Solar System Away. Somehow the WEIRDEST one. Also the biggest Prankster. Was Superboy. Was part of the Legion. Saw Pa die. Refuses to acknowledge his trauma. Needs a hug but won’t say it. Works for the Daily Planet. Alan Moore loves him.

Bronze Age Superman: Kal El. Actually just Silver Age Superman but “weaker”. Still the Strongest. Your favorite writer’s favorite Superman. Neutral Good. Originator of the Clex Drama. Met God. Is a pure scientist. Has Three Canon Endings. All of them are literal tragic endings. Is best bros with Batman. Is the Original Nightwing. His cousin is the Second Nightwing. Dick is actually the Third Nightwing. Loves his bro Jimmy Olsen. Smarter than Batman. Made a vow to protect life. Newscaster. Grant Morrison and Mark Waid love him.

Dark Age/Byrne Superman: Clark Kent (Kal El). Still moody. Weakest Superman. Thinks he’s Neutral Good, still Lawful Good. Doesn’t like Krypton. Designer Baby. Best Journalist. Canonically a Porn Star. Died. Came back. Most insecure Superman. Loves ‘Murica. Killed like three people one time. Strict code against killing. “Superman is what I do, Clark is who I am”. Legion who? Superboy who? Supergirl who? Football Star. Pure Sarcasm. Agnostic. People say they hate him but is the reason Smallville, Man of Steel and STAS exist. Literally wants to fuck Jimmy’s Mom. Triangle Era (90’s) Superman: Clark Kent (Kal-El). Is less moody now. Makes more Jokes. Still a drama queen. Smarter. Stronger. Wants to write a Novel. Married Lois. Jimmy is the Best Man. Good Leader. True Lawful Good. The Superman you probably think of the Most. Coolest guy. 90’s Superboy (the best) 90’s Supergirl (Matrix). Was once Gangbuster (Chaotic Neutral). Mind so strong, he killed a psychic in his sleep without knowing it. Christian (Married Lois in a Church). Still knows Kryptonian Kung Fu (Torquasm Vo/Rao). Dick Grayson’s 3rd Dad. Tim Drake’s 4th Dad. Slept with a Mermaid in Collage. Is fun.

Post-Crisis/2000’s Superman: Clark Kent (Kal El) Retcons out the ass. Kara comes back. Knows Boxing now. Knows Kung Fu. Held a Black Hole in his hand. Destroyed Moons. Agnostic. Still Lawful Good. Loves his wife. Loves his adopted son. Chris Kent. His son is Nightwing. His other son is also Nightwing. Walked the earth one time because of war crimes. Saves people from suicide again. Was a Kryptonian general one time. Literal Genius. Smarter than Batman. Is the GOAT. Hates the President.

New 52 Superman: Clark Kent (Kal-El) Very cocky. Very charismatic. Couldn’t fly as a kid. Has no solid code against killing. Chaotic Good to Neutral Good. Lower kill count than Post-Crisis. Loves Toxic Women (Loves the craziest version of Diana). Had a Mid-Life Crisis in his Mid-20’s. Was a Wrestler. Talks like Jason Todd/Wally West/Nightwing/Peter Parker/every mid-20’s white boi in the 90’s-00’s. Everyone hated him. Wasn’t as bad as they say. Is the Andrew Garfield/Spider-Man of Supermen. Killed off without good reason.

Rebirth Superman: Clark Kent (Kal-El). Is literally just Triangle Era Superman. With kids. No Chris tho. Still Lawful Good. Strongest of the Post-Crisis versions. Tries to be a good dad. Is a decent dad. Except for the time where he left Jon alone. So he’s a bad dad. I’m still not over that. Bendis loves him. Says please alot. Watches Anime. Kind of a dead beat. I miss Chris.

if you want summations of other Supermen I didn’t cover you are welcome to ask.

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - March 27, 2023

🐢 - Why did the 90-year-old tortoise become a father? Because he finally came out of his shell!

1. New Mexico governor signs bill ending juvenile life sentences without parole

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed a bill into law that prevents juvenile offenders from receiving life sentences without eligibility for parole. The bill, known as the No Life Sentences for Juveniles Act, allows offenders who committed crimes under the age of 18 and received life sentences to be eligible for parole hearings 15 to 25 years into their sentences.

This legislation also applies to juveniles found guilty of first-degree murder, even if they were tried as adults. The move puts New Mexico in a group of at least 24 other states and Washington, DC, that have enacted similar measures following a 2021 Supreme Court ruling.

2. Promising pill completely eliminates cancer in 18 leukaemia patients

An experimental pill called revumenib has shown promise in curing terminal leukemia patients who were not responding to treatment in a long-awaited clinical trial in the United States. The drug works by inhibiting a specific protein called menin, which is involved in the machinery that gets hijacked by leukemia cells and causes normal blood cells to turn into cancerous ones.

The pill targets the most common mutation in acute myeloid leukemia, a gene called NPM1, and a less common fusion called KMT2A. The US Food and Drug Administration granted revumenib "breakthrough therapy designation" to fast-track its development and regulatory review based on the promising results of the trial.

3. Spain passes law against domestic animal abuse

Spain has passed a new law on animal welfare, accompanied by a reform of the penal code that increases prison sentences for those mistreating animals. The law will make compulsory training for dog owners, and will prohibit them from leaving their dogs alone for more than 24 hours.

It also mandates the sterilisation of cats, with exceptions for farms, and increases the penalties for mistreatment of animals to up to two years in prison, or three years in the event of aggravating circumstances.

4. Bravery medals for women who raced into 'rough, crazy' surf to save drowning girls

Elyse Partridge (far left) and Bella Broadley (far right) raced into dangerous surf to save Chloe and Violet from drowning.(ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

Bella Broadley and Elyse Partridge saved two 11-year-old girls from drowning at Angels Beach near Ballina, an unpatrolled beach in Australia. The younger girls, Chloe and Violet, became trapped in a rip and overwhelmed by waves and the current. Bella and Elyse jumped into action, using an esky lid as a flotation device to help them swim to the girls. Elyse helped Chloe back to shore while Bella swam further out to help Violet.

Elyse and Bella were on Wednesday named on the Governor General's Australian Bravery Decorations Honours List, which recognised 66 Australians for acts of bravery.

5. Almost every cat featured in viral Tik Tok posted by Kansas City animal shelter adopted

Let's find homes for the rest

6. A 90-year-old tortoise named Mr. Pickles just became a father of 3. It's a big 'dill'

These critically endangered tortoises are native to Madagascar and have seen their numbers decline due to over-collection for illegal sales on the black market. Captive breeding programs have helped produce new radiated tortoises, but the species still faces extinction in the wild.

That's why the arrival of these hatchlings, born to 90-year-old Mr. Pickles and his 53-year-old partner Mrs. Pickles, is such great news. Mr. Pickles is considered the most genetically valuable radiated tortoise in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, and the births represent a significant contribution to the survival of the species.

7. EU strikes ‘ground-breaking’ deal to cut maritime emissions

The European Parliament and EU ministers have agreed on a new law to cut emissions in the maritime sector. The law aims to reduce ship emissions by 2% as of 2025 and 80% as of 2050, covering greenhouse gas, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions.

The European Commission will review the law in 2028 and will decide whether to place carbon-cutting requirements on smaller ships. The agreement will also require containerships and passenger ships docking at major EU ports to plug into the on-shore power supply as of 2030. Penalties collected from those that fail to meet the targets will be allocated to projects focused on decarbonising the maritime sector.

- - - -

That's it for this week :)

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[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jill Filipovic at Slate:

Should the very state of being pregnant place women in a subclass of citizen, vulnerable to criminal prosecution or civil penalties for behavior that would be perfectly legal from a nonpregnant person? Judging by their proposed legislation and various legal antics, the anti-abortion movement says: Yes. Pregnant women simply should not have the same rights as any other U.S. citizen. Take, for example, efforts to criminalize the crossing of state lines for abortion. There is a very, very long tradition in the U.S. of allowing people to travel out of state to access medical care, and it’s so deeply ingrained we barely think about it. Consider, for example, the businesswoman who lives in New Jersey but works in New York City and so goes to the dentist in midtown Manhattan, or the dad who lives on the Kansas side of Kansas City but takes his sick kid to a specialist at a hospital on the Missouri side. A great many Americans don’t think twice about crossing state lines for health care. Abortion opponents are trying to change that for one group of people: pregnant women.

Conservative legal groups are already drafting model legislation to prevent pregnant women from traveling for abortions by legally penalizing anyone who helps them, a strategy used by the state of Texas in one of its abortion bans, which allows anyone in the U.S. to sue those who assist women with abortions—and be rewarded with a bounty paid by the state. The architect of that Texas abortion bounty law was Jonathan Mitchell, an anti-abortion activist (and Donald Trump lawyer) who is currently representing a Texas man in his quest to probe into his ex-girlfriend’s abortion, which she allegedly sought outside of their home state. Mitchell filed a petition to learn the details of this woman’s abortion for, he says, a potential future lawsuit. But to be clear, the woman in question did absolutely nothing illegal: Traveling out of state for health care, including abortion, is not against the law in Texas or anywhere else. It’s just that Mitchell and other abortion opponents would like to change that—and are apparently happy to represent controlling (and, in another case Mitchell took on, allegedly abusive) men to do it.

They’re also happy to reclassify pregnant women as a kind of sub-citizen who, by simple virtue of their pregnancy status, are not entitled to the same legal freedoms and protections as anyone else. A Texas woman who goes to a Colorado abortion clinic is being treated differently from any nonpregnant person who travels for a medical procedure—and you can bet that this categorization of pregnant people as suspect, should they travel out of state, will lead to all sorts of investigations and abuses.

Take this hypothetical: Say the anti-abortion movement succeeds and makes it a crime to travel out of state for an abortion. Say a woman in Idaho (where abortion laws are so extreme, they have no exceptions for saving a woman’s health) travels to Washington state, where abortion is legal, and gets her hands on abortion-inducing drugs. Say she’s not pregnant. Say she takes the drugs anyway. Has she committed a crime? Or, to use a more likely legal model, say Texas makes it a crime to help a woman travel for an abortion, and a Texas woman goes to Colorado, gets abortion-inducing drugs, and takes them, despite not being pregnant. Is the friend who helped buy her plane ticket still liable? Presumably not: No pregnancy means no abortion, which means no violation of an abortion ban. But if the two women in these scenarios had been pregnant, the legal calculus would be entirely different.

Or to use a perhaps more realistic scenario: Mifepristone, an abortion-inducing drug, is also commonly used to treat Cushing’s syndrome, and researchers say it has tremendous potential to treat other illnesses, too, from various cancers to PTSD. Under an anti-abortion legal scheme, if a Texas woman with Cushing’s syndrome travels out of state, gets mifepristone, and takes it, she (or those who help her) would face potential legal consequences only if she’s pregnant. It’s her status as a pregnant woman—not the act of traveling or even taking an abortion-inducing drug—that is the problem. And generally, the law frowns on making a person’s status—rather than their actions—the basis of a crime or a lawsuit. That’s part of treating all people equally under the law, and offering all people the equal protection of it.

Preventing pregnant women from crossing into a state for a legal medical procedure isn’t the only way in which the anti-abortion movement is attempting to curtail basic rights and protections for anyone carrying a pregnancy. Earlier this year, abortion opponents argued before the Supreme Court that pregnant patients should be treated differently than nonpregnant ones in cases of serious medical emergencies—that doctors and other health workers should be permitted to give pregnant women a substandard level of care, and to essentially refuse to appropriately stabilize them. If a woman comes in and is very ill, she’s entitled to one standard of care; if she comes in and is very ill and pregnant, that standard of care is lower in states that criminalize abortion.

At issue in the Supreme Court case, a ruling in which is expected early this summer, is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), a law initially written to prevent hospitals from dumping seriously ill patients who couldn’t pay. Pregnant women in particular were often coming into hospitals in labor, only to be refused care; there were stories of women birthing in hallways and cars. EMTALA says that any hospital receiving federal Medicaid dollars (which is most hospitals, both public and private) must provide lifesaving care to anyone who walks through their doors, regardless of their ability to pay. That means that hospitals have an obligation to stabilize ill patients. (If they don’t have the ability to appropriately stabilize a patient, they must move the patient to a facility that does.)

Jill Filipovic wrote in Slate the insidious trend of anti-abortion hardliners making pregnant people 2nd class citizens by enacting laws criminalizing access to out-of-state abortion services (this is also applicable to gender-affirming care).

[the-guilty-writer]

Valid

Spencer Reid x Reader

Summary: After experiencing a non-epileptic seizure, Spencer refuses to leave your side.

A/N: Oh you know… just me writing to try to help heal from medical trauma.

CW: reader experiences a non-epileptic seizure, mentions of medical gaslighting.

---

For once, you found a doctor that you didn’t hate. Of course, most of the doctors you hated were MDs and Spencer had three PhDs, so he wasn’t a medical doctor, but sometimes just the Dr. abbreviation in front of the name was enough to make you upset.

You wondered, sometimes, if those doctors would have a different opinion about the cause of your so-called “psychogenic” seizure condition if they knew that you didn’t have seizures when you thought about how angry you were at them, despite their insistence that strong emotions were surely the cause of your episodes. If it wasn’t that, then they’d say it was repressed trauma, despite having therapists and psychological evaluators tell you that they didn’t see anything concerning. In the early days, you’d kept track of everything, hoping to find a trigger that was avoidable or something that you could work through, but you never did. And medical professionals never believed you.

There was nothing they could do.

You worked at the BAU, but not on the team. Your job was all about VICAP- analyzing the data to help look for any serial crimes that crossed state lines to give the FBI jurisdiction, and to evaluate if any of them required the expertise of the BAU. As soon as your position was added to the unit, Spencer had become intrigued with your job.

“You’re doing a geographical profile on the whole nation, essentially,” he had said.

“Essentially,” you had replied.

Because of safety reasons, everyone you worked with knew about your condition, but you didn’t make a big deal out of it. If anything, you tried to hide it as much as possible. When you did have seizures, you usually caught an aura in time that you could close your office door, lay down to make sure you were safe, and recover in peace. That was the only reason you were thankful that your office, which was previously JJ’s, wasn’t in the bullpen.

Most of the time, however, you were in the bullpen- sitting at a spare desk with at least two computers and a stack of spreadsheets. That’s exactly where you were today.

“Anything interesting?” Spencer asked as he came by your desk, leaning against it and taking a sip of his coffee.

“Possibly,” you replied. “And by possibly I mean there is about a-” you typed in a few numbers on your computer. “0.0032% chance that there’s a serial killer crossing between Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.”

“You know,” Spencer started. You probably did know, but you let him keep talking anyway. “For an organized killer that would be a great way to evade detection considering all the jurisdiction lines that would be crossed.”

“That’s why I check it every week,” you told him. “I might not be a profiler, but I do know my statistics and geography.”

“Oh, that reminds me of…” Spencer began to ramble on about a new paper that had just been published. “I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” you went to smile, but it faltered slightly as the wave of an aura washed over you. And this time it was the kind that you knew was coming hard and fast. “I’ll be back-”

You got out of your chair and began to walk towards the bathroom. You wouldn’t make it to your office, but maybe you could save yourself the embarrassment of having to explain your unexplainable condition. Weakly, you opened up the bathroom door and stumbled inside.

Even thought it hadn’t stopped a seizure in the past, you leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on your face with the hope that it might work just this once. You felt the aura get stronger, more intense, and your body began to give out.

You crumbled to the bathroom floor- your vision leaving you and your control over your body gone. It felt like your brain had turned to mush. There was a faint sound of a door opening, but you weren’t sure if it was real or not, because the next thing you knew, you were out cold.

---

When you started to come too- the liquified world becoming solid once again- you smelled Spencer. It was his cardigan, balled up under your head. The next thing that cleared up was your hearing, but the only thing you could hear was the soft buzzing of the bathroom lights that needed to be replaced. And then there was your vision. It always came back last and was the slowest to clear, but when it did come back to you, you were met by the sight of Spencer.

There was a sort of panicked calm about him- his eyes wide with worry, but his voice soothing as he talked.

“Hey,” Spencer said calmly. “It’s Spencer. You had a seizure. Just relax.”

You took a deep breath. It could be hard to speak after a seizure sometimes, but you were able to get some words out. You started to focus on your breathing, letting the world come back to you slowly. “I’m fine.”

“You had a seizure,” Spencer said again. “Please relax. I don’t think you’re fully coherent yet.”

“I’m fine, Spencer,” you said. You carefully tried to sit up, but your head was still fuzzy and your body was still weak. Slowly, you pulled your torso upward and leaned against the wall for support before handing Spencer’s cardigan back to him and closing your eyes. “Please, just leave.” You felt heavy with embarrassment.

“I’m not going to leave you,” Spencer said gently. He sat down next to you on the floor. “You shouldn’t be alone after that.”

You opened your eyes a bit, trying to get used to the lights. “Spencer, please-”

“No,” this time he said it far more firmly. “I’m going to stay with you until you’ve recovered.”

Tears began to well in your eyes and you felt yourself wanting to sob. “They’re not even real,” you whispered. Those were the words the doctors had told you. Even after years of trying everything from CBT to biofeedback to mediation… they all just believed you were hysterical or looking for attention. “They’re not a big deal.”

“I saw it,” Spencer said, his voice taking on a higher tone. “It was real, and it was scary, and it is a big deal.”

“Then why don’t the doctors think it’s real? Why do they say it’s all in my head?” you said quietly. A tear slipped down your cheek, but you weren’t sure why. Maybe it was the humiliating feeling that a coworker had seen you at your worst, or the echoes of the voices of all the specialists that told you that you were crazy over and over again.

Spencer took your hand gently, trying to comfort you. “It’s not all in your head. There’s so much about the brain that we don’t know- it’s possible that what causes your seizures scientists don’t even know exist yet. Just because they can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t real. It isn’t your fault that medical professionals feel the need to blame things they can’t see on psychiatric issues instead of being open minded,” Spencer tripped over his words just a little. You hadn’t spent months hanging around profilers to have caught onto nothing.

“You sound like you speak from experience,” you said quietly. There was a pause. “But you don’t have to tell me.”

“No, I-” Spencer said. “I want to tell you.” He sighed. “A few years ago I was having headaches. They’d last days at a time. I couldn’t focus at work and it cut my reading speed in half.” If you had the strength you would have laughed at that- even at half the speed, Spencer could still read about five times as fast as the average person. “And I got every test and image done imaginable, but the doctors told me it was all in my head.”

His hand was still in yours and you squeezed it gently in support. He smiled gently. “I ended up finding a geneticist that helped me. She had me superdosing with a few vitamins at certain intervals and they cleared up eventually.”

“I’m happy for you,” you told him. It was sincere. As hard as it was to watch other people get better while you still suffered, you were always glad they didn’t have to continually experience pain.

“I wish I could help you,” he said.

“You’re the only doctor I know who hasn’t minimized my experience and told me that yoga and therapy will make it go away. That’s more help than an MD has given me in years.” You opened your eyes fully, having started to recover more.

Spencer’s eyes were wide and longing, like if he looked at you with enough sympathy it would take all the trauma of being gaslit for years taken away. “You’re not crazy. Your condition is real, No matter what anyone says.” He squeezed your hand again. “You’re valid.”

There weren’t words to express the relief his words gave you, so you had to settle and hope that he could feel, through the touch of your hands, how impactful his acknowledgement was.

“Thank you,” you whispered. “Really. Thank you.”

[luulapants]

The Fix - Chapter 1

Destiel | Rated E | WIP

Castiel’s eyes scanned the file once, quickly, then again more slowly, taking in every detail, starting to sort them into mental boxes: basic, irrelevant, potentially consequential, definitely consequential, exploitable.

Basic: Kansas Representative Dean Winchester, age 32. Republican. Brown hair, green eyes. Born in Lawrence, Kansas. Resident of Gypsum, Kansas, a suburb of Salina, with an apartment in Washington, DC. Appointed to his seat after the untimely death of his father, former representative John Winchester.

Irrelevant: Graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor’s in political science. Competitive skeet shooter. Classic car aficionado. Chose classic rock songs for all of his campaign rallies.

Potentially consequential: Married to a Lisa Winchester-Braeden, age 34, with a son, Ben, who was born healthy seven months after their wedding. She owned a wellness brand that operated more-or-less as a pyramid scheme. Mother, Mary Winchester, was murdered in a home invasion in 1981, which inspired her husband’s tough-on-crime political campaign.

Definitely consequential: Younger brother, Sam Winchester<, a liberal activist lawyer working with groups such as Greenpeace, The Green Party (a picture of him shaking hands with Ralph Nader), the ACLU, and The Innocence Project. Currently involved in a massive class action lawsuit against the Kansas Department of Corrections. Dean’s previous jobs were in the orbit of their father – his campaigns, his staff, more recently on the board of The Mary Winchester Foundation.

Exploitable: A single Polaroid photograph, stored in a black plastic sleeve, of Representative Winchester, naked face-down on a bed, hands bound and a blindfold tied at the back of his head, the penis of whoever took the photograph buried in his asshole.

Cas traced his thumb along the edge of the photograph, then carefully tucked it back into the sleeve. “So what’s the plan for him?” he asked.

Zachariah held his hands wide as if this were not his devising but rather an inevitability that had fallen into his lap, leaving him helpless but to receive it. “He’s young. Conservative. Politically viable.”

“And easy to control,” Cas supposed. He could see it, the whole trajectory they had planned for Mr. Dean Winchester. Today a representative. In a few years, he could be appointed to the senate when Brownback went for the governorship. He wondered if they would dare to lift a puppet like this any higher than that. A sex scandal waiting to happen. Or maybe that was where Cas came in.

Read the rest on AO3

[hughbot]

KC Zine con was held at Goofballs Skatepark in the Waldo area of Kansas City. It was a really good show. I had a lot of interest in my work. One of the many highlights was a Kansas City Librarian taking a copy of The Field Guide to the Frogs of Jasper County for their brand new zine collection. Apparently Kansas City library patrons will be able to check out zines to take home and read which I think is pretty cool.

Going to zine/comic/small press shows is a real treat for me because it's the only way I get to see people in real life engage with my work. I had a number of people stand at my table, read comics cover to cover and laugh. It's an incredible feeling, it really makes up for the fact that most of them don't buy anything.

I gave away copies of The Dog Sandwich Portfolio for free and it was a big hit. "Free" is an incredibly popular price point and a great way to introduce new folks to my work.

I had several people ask if I sold stickers. I found this baffling at first because I'm so focused on the craft of making comics that making stickers never really occurred to me. This morning I ordered stickers of my cover version of "Au Lapin Agile" .

It's a two hour drive from Joplin to Kansas City and one of my favorite things to see are old grain silos that have trees growing in them.

Thanks again to everyone who reblogged my table assignment post for the show! I appreciate you all helping to get the word out.

[papirouge]

I gave up on being pro life publicly and online. The genocide in the Congo and in Gaza have proved it to me that many western women who run those pro life accounts don’t care for children. Many babies have been lost due to hospital bombings. More children are displaced with no families.

I’ve tried reaching out when they talk about saving children in generic posts because very real babies are losing their lives by IDF terrorism. And I get blocked or I get told “that’s different/ they’re Muslim/they should have left already/I don’t care” over and over and over again. The countless videos are already out that have children begging and crying for their families they lost or the homes that can’t be saved. Some of the worst messages I read criticized and blame the Palestinian men too that they should be protecting the kids, so when they die, it’s actually Palestinians fault. Not the IDF. Meanwhile those “young men” are just teenagers because their parents are dead. The Congolese topic is worst. Many are begging people to stop buying the iPhone 15 to raise awareness over the issues there but I got told by one girl who likes to call herself an anti woke submissive wife that she couldn’t care less about the Congo, she’s going to do whatever her husband wants, if that means ignoring genocide then that’s what she will do too. It’s her god given to have freedom over dead bodies l…

I’m fed up. I’m sick of the hypocrisy. I’m sick of seeing stupid homestead content of how they’re at peace taking care of a home as they purposefully condone genocide. If some hacker group exposed all these “submissive Godly trad wife” accounts as being agents for Israel to distract the west from IDF war crimes, I wouldn’t be surprised the least. Their apathy is demonic

@not-your-average-prolifer is the only pro life blog who passed the vibe check as far as I know. She reblogged posts about the emergency of pregnant women in Palestine and also post about mental health of middle east women. I think she is left leaning (correct me if I'm wrong!) so I'm not surprised to see her with more empathy about whatever's happening to women abroad, unlike Conservatives who are extremely stupid & uneducated when it comes to foreign affairs, if not straight up xenophobic.

I hope for every single Christian I know to never open their mouth about uwu Christianism is from Middle east uwu ever again the next time someone calls Christianism white man's religion or I'll go berserk on them. They better shut up forever. They had no problem to keep their mouth shut witnessing the martyrdom of our brothers - they better keep it that way permanently and stop summoning their struggle once it's convenient to them. YES, they proved they definitely consider Christianism a white man thing, considering our little care they have for our (non white) Christian brothers overseas. They better keep them out of their mouth permanently.

"They're Muslim" it's been well documented that there are Christians in Palestine. But even if they weren't, Christ wants everyone to be saved and accept him as their lord and savior - refusing to extend some basic empathy to people being bombed and killed in their sin is not the way to go. Never forget that Jesus didn't heal or saved only Jews, but also pagans, prostitutes, etc. It's insane how so unemphatic "Christians" have become.

Christian Palestinians are actually some of the oldest Christians - like, where do they those idiots think Jerusalem was?? where did the Pentecost happen? IN MIAMI?? KANSAS?? "They should have left" WHERE?? aren't the ppl pulling out this argument the same crybabies whining about woke culture destroying western civilization? Why didn't they leave the western zone already??? Also aren't they the same against immigration and how men fleeing their country are lazy cowards? so why are they mad at Palestinians sticking to their land?? Damn, Western politicians/diplomacy have the opportunity to do the funniest thing possible and mass import Palestinians in western countries to abide Zionists requirements in Israel 💀

And LOL oh so now Palestinian men are supposed to protect children? what are they supposed to do when the IDF is bombing their house? Take weapons to defend/get back their land and shit? Oh my bad, that makes them terrorists (and let's be clear : what happened on October 7th is unjustifiable but let's not act like the Hamas wasn't called terrorist much earlier than that). It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't. If they do nothing, they're cowards, and if they do, they are terrorists - because in this case, resistance is defiance. Ultimately they just want to deflect from their own lack on empathy and find a rational explanation to that.

Conservative scrotes are the LAST people who should lecture anyone about defending the children when there are acting bullying kids young enough to be their grandchildren calling them wokes, leftists, or whatever. I won't even start about gun violence and how deflective they are about protecting the children only to protect their precious right to carry. Ghouls. They only care abt unborn babies because they are unable to call them out on their bs yet. Once they do, they'll cuss them, call them woke, and all sort of -ists.

On TikTok there was a Christian girl saying how Christians are "too emotional" and how we should keep supporting "God chosen people" (Israel). I already made a post calling out how this "god chosen people " narrative didn't stand now that we were in the NEW COVENANT. But let's follow her train of thought: isn't humankind made from God image? Where do emotions come from? Didn't God himself have emotion? Why? What's the right or wrong place to have emotion? She and all the clown who agreed with her would never be able to reply those questions. We've all seen the videos. I did what I could to avoid them but they're quite unavoidable at this point. What's the correct emotion after seeing 2 kids younger than 10 carrying a third one crying while one of his foot was hanging with only one tendon?? This girl, along with every single Christian unmoved by this disaster has to shut up. Their heart is a stone and they should stop trying to lecture people who still have a heart made of flesh. We're not the same. Christ is PEACE. Not war or violence.

And girl, you really shouldn't even engage with women labelling themselves "anti woke submissive wife" 💀 why would you expect them to care about anything but their idol (husband)? Stay focus on what really matters. Peace and God. We're in the end times and God is slowly but surely unfolding the truth. The masks are slipping. Take note of all the so called who remained silent witnessing satan action, take proper action, and go on.

[tofics]

Out Of This World

Chapter 4

Masterlist

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x fem!Reader x Dean Winchester

Summary: You and the Mikaelsons are fighting a powerful witch that’s trying to take over New Orleans. The only solution: banishment to another universe. However, the spell goes… wrong, and it’s not the witch that ends up in another universe, but you. - At the same time, over a thousand miles away in a bunker in Lebanon, Kansas, an alarm goes off: a rift has opened up. The Winchesters and their angel partners in crime decide to investigate. What will they find when they get to New Orleans?

Word count: 4127 words

Warnings: Little bit of a panic attack, some cursing.

Previously: The dark blonde haired man in the car in front of you was beginning to look impatient, and you couldn't blame him. He'd paid for your coffee, and now here you were, stumbling around your words. Then again, you couldn't be sure you'd heard them right when you'd come out of the diner. You took a deep breath before you spoke. "Uh... did you say anything about a rift?"

Davina Claire had sworn that she would bring Kol Mikaelson back from the dead. As his family, the Mikaelsons had promised their support in her efforts - despite his tamper and, as a result, his frequent daggerings, he was their brother after all and they preferred to know him daggered in a coffin, ready to be brought back at any time, rather than as dead as he was now. One condition was temporary, the other permanent. Davina Claire intended to change that.

Rebekah had stayed true to her word and the two of them had spent hours browsing the various antique books that rested in Kol's lair or were part of Cami's heritage. That was, until Athea launched her first attacks on the Mikaelson clan. Soon, she became their sole focus. And Davina understood. It's hard to fight two battles at once, so she kept at the studies on her own. However, when some of her own friends fell victim to one of Athea's attacks, she reluctantly joined the Mikaelson's fight. Davina was not the kind of person to stand by and watch her friends die, even if it meant that Kol had to wait. It was her who found a hint about a spell that could transport a being to another universe. She delivered the breakthrough for what ultimately became their final strategy against Athea.

As part of this strategy, she had agreed to stay back and protect the compound as a 'just-in-case' precaution. Athea had tricked them time and time again, and even though they were sure that this time, they would finally get rid of her, they still had to play their cards right. So Davina stayed back and put a protection spell over the compound while the attack team ventured out to carry out their final plan. As an extra-precaution, she didn't stay at the compound herself, but had locked herself in Kol's 'playhouse' where she finally resumed her studies.

It was time to bring her boyfriend back from the dead.

Or it would be, if she finally found a way. So far, she was no closer to her goal than she'd been in the months and weeks before. Davina was glad to hear the door open and see the two Mikaelson sisters entering. Help had arrived.

"I see you brought reinforcements," she smiled, but her smile quickly faded when she noticed the tension in the duo's faces. "What happened?"

"I can't believe she found a way to redirect the spell." Davina slowly sunk on the stool behind her. You and her had never been the best of friends. While you had no issues with each other, you had never truly warmed up to Kol. It didn't run as deep as animosity, but it would have been a stretch to call you and Kol 'friends'. The status between you and the youngest Mikaelson brother had transferred to you and Davina, who couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment towards you: loving one Mikaelson brother and even accepting Klaus' behavior, only to turn your nose up at Kol's past mistakes; it didn't sit right with her. But even so, she would have never wished for anything bad to happen to you. The fact that Athea had managed to send you to another universe - you didn't deserve it. "How did she do it?"

Freya placed a small sack containing a black powder on the table in front of her. "I think she used this. Y/N was choking on it when we got there. It's dried fruit of the tree of life. Supposedly you can use it for a multitude of ways in just one spell," she explained as Davina examined the fine particles.

"Like choking someone and then sending someone to an alternate universe," Rebekah sourly added. Freya nodded.

"I think the choking was just for show, a distraction from her real plan, which was to redirect the spell and mark Y/N as the true target. The choking was probably just a decoy."

"Fruit of the tree of life. I've never heard of it before." The young witch rubbed the black substance between her fingers and watched as it coated her fingertips like coal dust, glittering and shimmering in the light that emanated from the ceiling.

"That's because it was believed to be extinct. Not even Daliah knew of a plant that still grew these. This is seriously old magic. About as old as it gets."

Davina could tell that Freya was right. There was a sort of power, a kind she had never felt before, that softly radiated from the powdered substance. Fruit from the tree of life.

Tree of life.

Tree of... life.

The idea struck her like lightning.

"We could use this for Kol!" Davina jumped from the stool and hastily walked over to her notes that were strewn across another table. "If we channel the power from the fruit-"

She was cut off mid-sentence by Freya. "It won't work."

The interruption stunned the young witch. She momentarily froze, papers in one hand, the other still tarnished from the magical substance. Then came the anger. All her grief, all her desperation surged through her in a hot wave.

"And why the hell not!" she exploded. The lights briefly flickered in the room and her notes flew off the table.

"Because! What little bit of powder I could gather in that alley is not nearly enough to do what you propose! To redirect a spell and to to resurrect someone from the dead - they're two entirely different undertakings with vastly different resource requirements!" Freya was seemingly growing agitated by Davina's attitude, but the younger witch did not care.

"Okay, so we find more!"

Freya laughed at that. "Oh, right, because that'll be a walk in the park. This very well could have been the last fruit in existence. It's supposed to be extinct, if you remember," she snapped back. Tension built in the room as the two witches stared at each other, palpable in the air as their magic flowed out of them, fueled by their emotions.

"Alright now, let's just calm down for a moment!" Rebekah stepped between the two women, arms raised in the air. "Don't you see? This is exactly what Athea wanted. She's dead, for Christ's sake, and we're still at each other's throats!" She looked from one witch to the other. Both were still staring each other down, although the palpable tension had eased up a bit. Neither of them objected, so Rebekah turned to Davina.

"I swore to you that I would help you bring Kol back and I stand by what I said. I would like nothing more than to know my beloved brother alive and well."

Davina crossed her arms in front of her chest. "But?"

"But." Rebekah sighed and finally let her arms drop to her side. It looked more like resignation than standing down. "Kol is dead, while our beloved Y/N is very much alive, stuck in another universe. I hate to say this, but I think my dear brother will have to fend for himself another day while we focus on finding a way to get Y/N back."

"I can't believe you. I can't believe you! You know the ancestors are constantly looking for him! Who knows what they'll do when they find him!" Tears of anger sprung in Davina's eyes. Kol had made it clear that he was anything but welcome in the ancestral plane. She was worried that they would find him and do unimaginable things to him, things that would leave his soul damaged beyond repair and unable to be brought back. How could Rebekah not see that?

"If he's managed to avoid them this long, I'm sure he'll be able to do it for a moment longer. Come on, Davina, you know Kol is too smart for his own good. He'll find a way. But we need to find a way too. We can't just leave Y/N like that." There was pleading in Rebekah's eyes, but it didn't touch Davina in the least.

"No, I suppose you can't. But you sure have no trouble leaving your brother behind." With that, she turned on her heels and stormed out of the cemetery complex.

"She said it was a witch that got her here." Dean held up his phone between himself and Cas.

"A witch?" Sam's voice came through the speaker.

"Mh-hmm," Dean nodded and eyed you through the windshield. You leaned against the hood of the car that was parked in front of the Impala, bouncing a leg and nibbling on one of your nails. "Said she saw someone casting, then one second she was there, next she was here."

"Sounds like she was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Sam mused.

"She called it a rift though." Cas shifted in his seat so that he got closer to the speaker. "Wouldn't that imply knowledge of the spell?"

Jack was quick to jump on that bandwagon. "Is she a witch?"

"I don't know, man," Dean replied as he kept on watching you. Something felt off to him about this, although he couldn't quite put a finger on it yet. For what it was worth, you did truly seem out of it. Like you were... lost. "Wouldn't she just book it out of here if she was?"

Sam agreed that he had a point. "Look, why don't you just get her here and we'll see where we go from there?"

It was as good an idea as any, and more than Dean could come up with at the moment. Still, he wasn't ready to leave just yet. Cas had been right - they should definitely sniff around a bit, even if it looked like they'd already found what they'd been looking for. "Yeah I'll get back to you on that, Sammy." He had an idea after all.

The two men hadn't been on the phone for long, and yet it still felt like an eternity had passed when the one who'd payed for your coffee finally stepped back out of the car. He walked over to you at a leisurely pace, although it seemed a bit forced, like he was approaching you in a way you would a scared animal, trying not to spook you. It didn't really ease your nerves. If anything, it put you more on edge. Regardless, you tried to keep your voice steady. "So? What's the verdict? Am I being admitted?" You were proud to hear that your voice wasn't nearly as shaky as you felt on the inside.

He gave you a quizzical look, but when he saw the somewhat sad smile on your face, he gave a dry chuckle. "Is that what you thought we were doing back there?"

You shrugged. "I wouldn't have blamed you. Talking about witches and how I'm from a different universe... Not the kind of stuff you hear every day, I guess."

Another short laugh came from the man. "Trust me, we've heard weirder stuff."

You couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that, but it didn't look like he felt the need to elaborate on that.

"So." He shoved his hands into the pocket of his jacket as he shifted into a wider stance. You couldn't help but feel like he was trying to exude more authority. "You think you could find your way back to where you entered? We'd like to take a look at the scene ourselves, see if there's anything to find."

As if you could forget. Not only had you gone back there last night, drunkenly stumbling through the streets in hopes of finding anything, something that could help you feel at ease, but you'd lived in New Orleans long enough to know your way around most parts of the city. You'd found nothing, of course. And neither would they. There was nothing to be found. "What are you looking for, exactly?"

"We'll know when we find it." You could tell he was watching you closely, gauging your reaction.

"Alright," you shrugged. "I can show you. But whatever you're hoping to find, I'm telling you, it's not there. I checked myself last night."

"I'll take that chance. Come on." He cocked a head at their car and waited until you'd moved past him to follow you.

"Right in there," you said and gestured at the opening of the alleyway that was ahead of you. It had been a short, silent car ride. The car you'd ridden didn't resemble a cop car in any way, and yet it had felt very much like you were in the back of one. Or at least what you imagined it would be like. Sure, you hadn't been handcuffed and there were no bars separating you from the front seats, but there was an unspoken tension in the air that felt cold and about as comfortable as a ride to a police station would probably be.

You paused at the corner, reluctant to set a foot into the place. In your drunken state you'd tumbled around the alley no problem, but in your sober state, crossing back into where everything had just gone so horribly wrong... You had to physically force your body to move.

Your two companions were walking up and down the small alley, checking the floor, looking behind a dumpster, even running a finger across the walls here and there, although what for, you had no idea. It didn't look like they were coming up with much of anything, at least as far as you could tell. The one who'd paid for your coffee reached into his jacket and retrieved a funny looking device. It had a small antenna like old hand-held radios did back in the day and the top of it was lined with tiny colored lightbulbs. You'd never seen anything like it.

"Uhhh." You stepped a little further into the alleyway. "Umh, what's that for?"

"EMF-Meter," came the reply from behind him. You turned to the other guy, but before you could ask, he already continued. "Checks for ghost activity." He smiled at you, looking rather proud for having shared this information with you.

"Right." You'd told them a witch had brought you here. What did ghosts have to do with this? "Umh. Why?"

"Just covering all our bases." The man holding the EMF-Meter seemed satisfied with the results of his measurements and tucked it back into his pocket before he got his phone out. You saw him open the Maps app. "This checks out. It fits with the location the table picked up."

The man in the trench-coat nodded at you. "Looks like we already found what we were looking for."

Even though it seemed like a positive statement, they did not seem very happy. You felt the spotlight on you as they both regarded you for a moment, the lines growing deeper and deeper on the forehead of the man with the funny gadget. He seemed rather upset with something.

...with you?

"Umh." You shifted uncomfortably on your feet. "Something wrong?"

Silence. You felt your pulse slowly quicken. Heat rose within you and slowly filled your gut as the anxiety put your bile on a simmer.

"Dean." The man in the trench-coat gently nudged his partner, who still had his eyes locked on you. When he didn't reply, he nudged him again.

The man named Dean made a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a growl. The annoyance was carved into his face. "Come on, Cas, when has anything ever been this easy!"

Excuse him?

"Easy?!" Your core temperature was still boiling, but the underlying emotions were shifting as the uneasy fear slowly got replaced by anger. Why was he so annoyed with you, with your situation? And what about this was easy?!

"I'm sorry that my predicament is such an inconvenience to you, but I would just love to know what about this is so easy! Did I miss something? Is there an alternate universe hot-express that I can just hop on? Next stop my universe, final destination the Marvel universe?!"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous." Dean rolled his eyes, which made you all the more furious.

"Then what is it, hm?" You were almost stomping your foot like an upset toddler, but dammit, what was this guy's problem? It's not like he was stuck in a universe that wasn't his.

"I got a feeling you're not telling us the whole truth, that's what!," he snapped at you, his voice echoing back at you from the walls on each side.

You stared at him furiously. No shit you hadn't told him everything. You knew better than that. You get transported to another universe by accident and run into someone talking about a rift the next day? If he had any reason to be suspicious of you, then you had all the more reasons to be just as suspicious of him and his companion. Who were they to know what a rift is anyway? 'We came to see what came out of the rift' they'd said. Like that wasn't just as dubious as your story, if not more. And what was up with the way they'd checked this alley? What had they been looking for? They'd gone over the place looking for traces of god-knows-what in the same way a hunter would check for tracks of his prey.

Shit. The penny suddenly dropped. Hunters.

Of course, of all the people you could run into, it'd be hunters. Luck really wasn't on your side at the moment.

You weighed your options in a split-second. Take off? Probably not your best shot. You did well in a fight if you had to, but your stamina did not allow for a wild goose chase through the city, especially after the night you'd had. Yesterday's sprint had already proven that. So what else? Even if they were hunters, they were your only connection to the Supernatural you'd found within the last 24 hours. Might as well stick it out with them, at least for a little while. If you played your cards right, perhaps you could use their help until you found a way back. If things got too hairy in the meantime... well, you could still ditch them later, and in a more clever way that wouldn't require running.

"I told you," you pressed out between gritted teeth. "A witch sent me here."

"Okay, yeah, but you didn't say why? Must've had a good reason to do a big spell like that. What'd you do, eh? Piss her off?" Dean had moved a little closer towards you. Everything about his body language put you on edge - it was almost like he was getting ready to square up with you, which did not seem so unlikely after all.

"No!" You involuntarily moved a step backwards and, against every instinct, tears suddenly flooded your face. They weren't tears of fear, nor of rage. "Something went wrong! It wasn't supposed to be me!" The last words came out in a sob and you rubbed over your face angrily. It felt weak to be crying in a moment where your safety wasn't guaranteed, but you couldn't help it. Dean's hostile behavior just drove the fact home that you were entirely on your own, with no one in your corner to back you up. It frustrated you and it disgusted you that without Elijah, you were reduced to this, this blubbering, lonely and insecure version of yourself. Not only was this version of the world alien to you, you yourself felt alien.

You rubbed your sleeve over your face again to get rid of the tears, but they wouldn't stop. The man that Dean had referred to as Cas approached you and laid a hand on your shoulder. "Come on, Dean, this is pointless. Her tears seem genuine to me. Let's just go back to the bunker," he said in the deep and gruff voice you'd heard him speak in before. Then he turned to you. "I should have a handkerchief here somewhere. Hold on." He patted down his trench-coat in search for something that could stop your snot and you were grateful for his intervention. Dean, however, had not been convinced.

"Who's to say she's not a witch herself?"

You gawked at Dean. Is this guy serious? A shriek laugh slipped out of your throat before you could stop it. Me? A witch? The situation was just getting more absurd by the second.

"Something funny to you?" He took another step towards you, bringing himself into an arm's reach. His eyes had narrowed and his face was cold and hard.

"Yeah, actually," you scoffed while you made sure to stand your ground. No retreating this time. "You are. You think I'd send myself here on purpose? What a genius idea. Why don't we all just send ourselves to a place where we know fuck-all and leave everyone we love behind! Get in, losers, we're going to a different universe with no way back!" Your voice had slowly risen to a shout. And with the decibels, your anger also grew.

"Why the hell would I be coming to you for help, if I was such a powerful witch?" You'd jabbed your finger at his chest and now it was Dean who was retreating, apparently somewhat intimidated by your outburst.

"He probably thinks you're here for him."

You spun around to the man in the trench coat behind you. Unlike Dean, he didn't seem to think you were a threat. Where Dean's body language was all 'just give me a reason', nothing about this man indicated that he found you worrisome in any way. It was oddly reassuring and just the tiniest bit insulting.

"Me. Here for him," you repeated, but the words didn't make any more sense the second time around either. "Uh-huh. Why?"

"Because they usually are," the man replied ever so nonchalantly. You narrowed your eyes. Is he fucking with me?

"Are you fucking with me?"

"You were right about the Mikaelson's. They don't stay true to their word, always finding something else to invest themselves in, something that they think is more important." The bitterness in Davina's voice was unmissable, dark and sour against the sweet tone of her voice.

"I did warn you. Giving trust to a Mikaelson is the same was fetching water with a bucket full of holes: time wasted."

Davina snorted at the comparison. The woman next to her smiled, then continued. "I wish you would have believed me sooner, though I suppose you had to find out for yourself. They won't aide you in bringing back Kol Mikaelson."

"I see that now."

"Good." The other woman rose from her seat and turned to Davina once more. "You know what to do then."

Davina stayed in her seat as the retreating steps slowly faded into the background behind her. She did know what to do. It just wouldn't be so easy.

"So, the last time someone opened a rift to this world, it was from an apocalypse world where angels were fighting against humans."

"That's correct."

You leaned back into the backseat that you had all to yourself. Just like before, Dean was driving, and the man who'd introduced himself as Castiel sat in front of you in the passenger seat.

"And you're not fucking with me."

"I'm afraid I'm not," Castiel replied.

"Right." You had a hard time digesting what Castiel had told you about their past experiences with rifts. To be fair, this was your first time dealing with interdimensional traveling, but from what he'd told you, their experience was very different to yours.

"And you needed angel's grace to open it."

Again, Castiel hummed in agreement.

"Where the hell does one get angel's grace?"

"Well, we couldn't use my own, of course-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up, your own?" You leaned back forward and gripped the seat's edges. Castiel awkwardly shifted in his seat so he could look at you.

"Well, yes. I am an angel. I thought that was clear."

All you could do was gawk at him. An angel. Here. In this car.

Eventually, you found your voice again. "So angels are real?"

"What, you've got witches but no angels?" Dean scoffed, like it was the most ridiculous idea that you hadn't known about angels until now.

"I mean, pretty much, yeah," you started, but then it occurred to you that you were probably dealing with hunters and maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't give too much away about what creatures you knew, or well, dated, for that matter.

Dean seemed to ponder this for a moment, then nodded to himself. "Hu. Wonder what that's like."

Series Masterlist - Mobile Masterlist

A/N: I know, two chapter 4's in one day that took wayyyy longer than anticipated, but what can I say, when inspiration strikes, it strikes! :)

Feedback is always appreciated! If you have any requests, feel free to send them my way. I'm always happy to practice my writing! :)

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged in future chapters!

Tag list: @vicmc624 @foreverrandomwritings @imoompalumpa @wildernessflora @spnaquakindgdom @zepskies @starkleila @scripteria @estrelacaida @joonseuph0ria @jamerlynn @katiergriff @chaersun @xxqueenwxtchxx @onlyangel-444 @chochoooooo

[elise-51-blog]

WIP snip "Now and Then"

(in which Damian visits Kansas...where TWO Superboys live)

Jon spits out the window. He seems to have really leaned into the midwestern male thing for some reason. Damian wonders if this change could threaten their friendship in some kind of indirect way. Their respective fathers still seem close in a way Damian’s never understood. He’s always taken comfort in the difference between the two generations. However, he may have miscalculated. He hopes not. 

“Look, I need you to be nice today.”

Jon’s looking at him in that way. Hoping not to be disappointed. That hasn’t changed at all.

“I’ll be nice as long as he is,” Damian hates his own tone, so juvenile. It doesn’t happen around too many people. But really, they’ve talked about this already. 

“I just--”

“I don’t think I’ve been here five minutes, and I’m defending myself against crimes I’ve yet to commit.”

Jon stares ahead, taps his fingers against the steering wheel. He’s never still a moment. To his credit, he does look a little sorry, a little anxious.

Damian lets him off. “What’s that thing your father used to say when we came to town?”

Jon’s shoulders drop, he huffs out a laugh. “It always pays to be prepared with you Waynes. And then Bruce would go,”

Damian lowers his timbre just a bit, “That’s real cute, Clark.” 

They both laugh, trading gravely impressions: 

“Fastest man alive, and yet--”

“And yet always slowest on the uptake.”

Jon rolls his eyes, but there’s a smile there too. “Your dad’s got some good ones.”

“He’s always enjoyed a good ribbing. Especially with bumbling Kryptonians.”

Jon tilts his head like he’s listening to the sun. He might be. 

“You know he can hear you right now.”

“Of course he can. But is he listening?”

“I don’t know, Dami, is there a Wayne in town?”

“Please. He’s too busy flirting with Lex Luthor.”

“Careful, Detective,” Jon taps the side of his nose. “You might be onto something.”

Damian tilts his chin up. “I shall use the distraction to plot the downfall of all mankind.”

“And here I thought you preferred mankind. Men-kind.”

“Careful, Detective.” Damian taps the side of his nose.

Jon laughs, big and full, just like his father. Just like all the Kents. 

[f1ghtsoftly]

All The Feminist News You Missed This Week 2/23/24

From a US Perspective

Hey all, sorry for the lateness, I had a deluge of stuff to work on for some projects/events I’m putting on in the spring and summer!! Will be back to a Friday afternoon release next week!

US News:

NYT profile on suggestive instagram accounts for minors, and the parents that run them.

Read Here (PAYWALLED)

Alabama: Alabama Supreme Court Rules That Embryos Are People

Oklahoma: Trans Teen Dies After Bathroom Beating

Relevant Context: Nex Describes The Incident In Detail Shortly Before Death

Ohio: Adult Film Star Kagney Linn Karter Dies By Suicide at Just 36

Washington: Women Win Class Action Against Tech Company Oracle

Missouri: Kansas City Unveils First Women’s Sports Stadium

New Jersey: New Lawsuit Against Glouster County Prosecutor Alleging Anti-Woman/Anti-LGBT Discrimination

South Carolina: First Federal Trial For Hate Crime Killing of Trans Woman is Underway In Columbia

Nikki Haley backs Alabama Supreme Court, Asserts Embryos Are People

International:

Australia: Woman Murdered by Husband in After Repeatedly Going to Police

Indonesia: Meet The All Female Firefighting Crew in Borneo

Tunisia: Oscar Nominated Film Depicts Women’s Radicalization By The Islamic State

France: French Film Awards Under Pressure Due To Sex Trafficking Scandal

England: British Woman Loses Appeal For Citizenship After Joining Islamic State

Japan: Women Participate in Traditional Japanese Festival For The First Time in 1,250 Year History

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Can you believe it's time to choose our book for March already? And every single choice an absolute banger! If you'd like to join the book club, feel free to send me a message and I'll drop you the link to our Discord! Book summaries are under the cut!

Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman

Twin sisters, both on the run, but different as day and night. One, a professional rogue, searches for a fabled treasure; the other, a changeling, searches for the truth behind her origins, trying to find a place to fit in with the realm of fae who made her and the humans who shun her. Iselia “Seelie” Graygrove looks just like her twin, Isolde… but as an autistic changeling trying to navigate her unpredictable magic, Seelie finds it more difficult to fit in with the humans around her. When Seelie and Isolde are caught up in a heist gone wrong and make some unexpected allies, they find themselves unraveling a larger mystery that has its roots in the history of humans and fae alike.

Both sisters soon discover that the secrets of the faeries may be more valuable than any pile of gold and jewels. But can Seelie harness her magic in time to protect her sister, and herself?

Bindle Punk Bruja by Desideria Mesa

A part-time reporter and club owner takes on crooked city councilmen, mysterious and deadly mobsters, and society’s deeply rooted sexism and racism, all while keeping her true identity and magical abilities hidden – inspired by an ancient Mexican folktale.

Yo soy quien soy. I am who I am.

Luna—or depending on who’s asking, Rose—is the white-passing daughter of an immigrant mother who has seen what happens to people from her culture. This world is prejudicial, and she must hide her identity in pursuit of owning an illegal jazz club. Using her cunning powers, Rose negotiates with dangerous criminals as she climbs up Kansas City’s bootlegging ladder. Luna, however, runs the risk of losing everything if the crooked city councilmen and ruthless mobsters discover her ties to an immigrant boxcar community that secretly houses witches. Last thing she wants is to put her entire family in danger.

But this bruja with ever-growing magical abilities can never resist a good fight. With her new identity, Rose, an unabashed flapper, defies societal expectations all while struggling to keep her true self and witchcraft in check. However, the harder she tries to avoid scrutiny, the more her efforts eventually capture unwanted attention. Soon, she finds herself surrounded by greed and every brand of bigotry—from local gangsters who want a piece of the action and businessmen who hate her diverse staff to the Ku Klux Klan and Al Capone. Will her earth magic be enough to save her friends and family? As much as she hates to admit it, she may need to learn to have faith in others—and learning to trust may prove to be her biggest ambition yet.

Scorched Grace by Margo Douaihy

Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this debut crime novel.

When Saint Sebastian’s School becomes the target of a shocking arson spree, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and their surrounding community are thrust into chaos. Unsatisfied with the officials’ response, sardonic and headstrong Sister Holiday becomes determined to unveil the mysterious attacker herself and return her home and sanctuary to its former peace. Her investigation leads down a twisty path of suspicion and secrets in the sticky, oppressive New Orleans heat, turning her against colleagues, students, and even fellow Sisters along the way.

Sister Holiday is more faithful than most, but she’s no saint. To piece together the clues of this high-stakes mystery, she must first reckon with the sins of her checkered past—and neither task will be easy.

An exciting start to Margo Douaihy’s bold series for Gillian Flynn Books that breathes new life into the hard-boiled genre, Scorched Grace is a fast-paced and punchy whodunnit that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

The Shadow in the Glass by J.J.A. Harwood

Once upon a time Ella had wished for more than her life as a lowly maid.

Now forced to work hard under the unforgiving, lecherous gaze of the man she once called stepfather, Ella’s only refuge is in the books she reads by candlelight, secreted away in the library she isn’t permitted to enter.

One night, among her beloved books of far-off lands, Ella’s wishes are answered. At the stroke of midnight, a fairy godmother makes her an offer that will change her life: seven wishes, hers to make as she pleases. But each wish comes at a price and Ella must decide whether it’s one she’s willing pay.

A smoldering, terrifying new spin on Cinderella – perfect for fans of Laura Purcell and Erin Morgenstern.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions of the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

As a young horse, Black Beauty is well-loved and happy. But when his owner is forced to sell him, his life changes drastically. He has many new owners—some of them cruel and some of them kind. All he needs is someone to love him again…

Whether pulling and elegant carriage or a ramshackle cab, Black Beauty tries to live as best he can. This is his amazing story, told as only he could tell it.

Inferno by Dan Brown

Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in an Italian hospital, disoriented and with no recollection of the past thirty-six hours, including the origin of the macabre object hidden in his belongings. With a relentless female assassin trailing them through Florence, he and his resourceful doctor, Sienna Brooks, are forced to flee. Embarking on a harrowing journey, they must unravel a series of codes, which are the work of a brilliant scientist whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written, Dante Alighieri’s The Inferno.

Dan Brown has raised the bar yet again, combining classical Italian art, history, and literature with cutting-edge science in this sumptuously entertaining thriller.

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

A searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.

They’ll scare you straight to hell.

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold. Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.