#dog teams running into each other with little issue at all

[emberfrostlovesloki]

A Warm Bath [Hotch x Reader]

Photo credits: Left (@cozyreadings) Center (@weleavetomorrow) Right (@milla984)

Prompt: Aaron is having negative thoughts about his body and aging. The case the team faces puts Hotch’s physical ability on the line, as he attempts to save the BAU-reader from a violent fate. 

Pairing: [established relationship] Aaron x gender-neutral reader. The reader uses They/them pronouns. 

Category: Angst/comfort 

Word Count: 16K 

Content Warnings: Body image issues [mostly related to aging (Hotch)], brief mention of food and diet, mention of 2000s celebrity tabloids, multiple deaths [via dogs eating them], victim’s body parts are mentioned, animal cruelty [some dogs are described as living in bad conditions and being mistreated]. Animal death [dogs (not explicitly shown or described, but implied], a good bit of swearing and language, Hotch and the reader are naked in front of each other [no smut], and slight drinking.  

A/N: Hi loves! I’m back with another long, angsty fic. This was written for my love Rome (@criminalskies) from my December prompt list (linked) #28: Character A hears Character B sing for the first time. This was supposed to be short and sweet, and like most of my writing, it got a bit away from me, but in a way that I like. I will say I think this is a bit darker than some of my writing given the means of death, but I hope I handled it and the animal issues okay. If you know me, you know I love some insecure Hotch plus lots of angst, and I hope you find that here. Once more, thank you Rome for being my friend. ILY. If you like this story, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated. I hope ya’ll have a great rest of the week. - Love Levi ❤️

P.S. There is a mention that the reader’s favorite song is Hozier’s “Unknown / Nth” If this is not your favorite song, feel free to substitute your own! 

List with all stories 

_y/n_ = your name 

_y/l/n_ = your last name

_y/f/c_ = your favorite candle 

Aaron stood in front of the full-length mirror in his bedroom. The mirror was half-steamed from the warm air and moisture seeping from the bathroom. The white towel draped over his hips sat in a way that did not reveal anything inappropriate. Those areas and his legs were not the spots on his body that bothered him. Those areas didn’t bother _y/n_ either. Not that any part of his body bothered _y/n_. When they were bare to each other, _y/n_ seemed to worship him in a manner that Aaron didn’t feel he deserved. Where these insecurities had arisen from. He was unsure or unwilling to explore. But he couldn’t stop judging his body as hard as he tried. He knew he had little time before _y/n_ would come back from the store. They had just gone on a small grocery run. The winter weather called for some soup and toasted sourdough, but Hotch had been woefully short in the bread department. Probably because he hadn’t bought it in weeks. He was trying to add more protein to his meals. Because it was December and flurries fell on the ground almost every day, Aaron’s daily runs had been cut, almost completely, out of his schedule. His body ached too much in the cold. His knees and back gave small pops of protest, and his chest was particularly sensitive around the scars left by Foyett. That attack had been over a year ago, but the pain lingered and reminded him of how weak he had been that day. How he’d been off his feet for weeks. He hadn’t liked his body after that spell either. Of course, he could always go to the Quanitco gym, but most of the men there were more built like Derek. Pumping iron in some unspoken competition of who could look better in a tank, shorts, and being sweaty. Even if Hotch could zone out while he did his workout, he just felt like he didn’t belong in that space anymore. ‘This is so stupid, Aaron, and you know it,’ his internal critic droned out. Hotch tried to still the voice and ran a hand over his stomach. He could still feel his muscles under the slight layer of fat, tissue, and skin. ‘At least you have that,’ the voice continued. Aaron pulled his hand away as if he was burned by his own body. Aaron had planned to move to his dresser and cover the body that was bothering him so much, but his face, cast in the soft glow of his lamps caught his attention as well. Hotch moved closer to the mirror. The bags under his eyes, crow's feet, and the small, grey hairs that peppered his dark locks seemed to bother him as much as the rest of his body. 

Aaron wasn’t dumb, far from it, but as he looked at his reflection, he couldn’t help but judge how age had changed not only his body but his face as well. Aaron hadn’t expected to age like a celebrity or anything; his work ensured that his body was worn down weekly, and the stress of the job did nothing for his frown lines. He knew late middle age would catch up with him one day, but he hadn’t expected it to be like this. The aches and pains, the look of wariness that haunted him. His reflection only mocked him. Reminded him that he wasn’t young anymore. His intrusive thoughts got louder: so loud that he didn’t notice when _y/n_ entered the room; cheeks flushed from the cold they had been in just a minute ago. _y/n_ was going to give a cheery, “I’m back!” But stopped in their tracks as they saw Aaron absorbed by the mirror. This wasn’t the first time they had seen him like this. Hotch tried to hide it in the morning when he showered, and _y/n_ brushed their teeth in the sink. They could see his eyes dart to the mirror for a second and then away like he was assessing himself negatively. They didn’t know when this had begun, but _y/n_ caught him doing it more and more recently. _y/n_ knew they would have to say something soon. Whatever was going on didn’t seem good for Aaron’s mental health. Realizing that now might be as good a time as any to breach the subject, _y/n_ cleared their throat and said, “See anything interesting over there, mister?” Of course, to _y/n_, Aaron clad in a towel was the same as looking at a statue of a Greek god, and him without a towel -- well, that could be blinding, but it seemed that Aaron was less than pleased with himself, and _y/n_ sought to understand why. Aaron’s eyes snapped to the side, realizing he’d been caught body-checking. Hotch turned and faked a half smile and said, “Hey, love. I felt something in my eye. I was trying to see it before I tried to wash it out in the sink.” The lie was so half-assed that Hotch wouldn’t have believed it. And _y/n_ was far too perceptive a partner and profiler to be taken in by a white lie. Aaron wasn’t even sure why he had lied. He assumed it was because it was embarrassing. He felt like a teenager looking at the cover of Stars where Miley Cyrus, or Brintey Spears, or Ann Hathoway’s heroine chic figures were splashed on the front page with the headline “Starlet gains pounds - Fan wonder where X fell off the wagon?” And below that would be the advert for a page about dieting or exercise. It was all too shameful to admit to something like that to _y/n_. _y/n_ matched his lie by stating, “Come here. Let me see if I can see what’s in your eye.” Aaron hesitated and stumbled through the response with, “Well, well I… I think it’s gone now, _y/n_. I’ll be okay. Just need to get some clothes on. Did you find the bread you wanted at the store?” He spoke quick as if he were trying to cover up some secret. _y/n_ tilted their head and raised a brow. In as gentle a voice that was also pseudo-commanding, they said, “Come sit with me on the bed for a second, Aaron.” 

Aaron listened to _y/n_, especially when they used that tone that was half-concerned and half-wary. Wary not for themself, but for him. It was rarely employed, but when _y/n_ did use it, he listened. He padded over to the side of the bed with _y/n_, and they both sat down. _y/n_ looked into his dark brown eyes. _y/n_ knew if they saw them in the light, they were tinted hazel. But that wasn’t what this was about. _y/n_ looked from him to the mirror and said, “That thing isn’t doing you any favors, Aaron. A reflection can be a cruel companion. Hotch flushed and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, _y/n_.” _y/n_ smiled softly and said, “How many times have you told me I’m not stupid when I doubt my logic on a case?” _y/n_ let that question hang in the room for a second before replying, “Hundreds at this point. And you know what? It’s true. Now I see how you look at yourself. Doubting. Hesitant like I am sometimes. You wear darker colors. I know what those things can mean. Aaron. Where is this coming from, love?” _y/n_ had only known Aaron to be confident since they started their relationship. There had been a small period of doubt after Foyett, but shortly after that, it had been replaced by rage. There was a short silence as Hotch looked at the soft woven blanket that covered his bed and then to the window. He watched the snow fall lazily to the ground. He sighed and said, “I feel different. My body, it feels different now.” _y/n_ placed a hand over his and gave it a squeeze. That got him to look at them. _y/n_ moved their hand from his hand to his defined jawline, running a hand down it before dropping it back to the bed. _y/n_ asked, “Did this start in December?” Hotch half nodded and said, “Kind of. I’ve felt it worse now that I’m not working out as much. It just happened so slowly. Age has hit me differently than I thought it would.” Somehow this wasn’t the conversation _y/n_ had planned on having today, but it wasn’t something that could be put off. Not with Aaron seeming so upset. _y/n_ asked, “What do you mean that it’s ‘different than you expected,’ exactly?” Hotch looked back at them and said, “I can feel my body changing in various ways. I don’t feel like I can perform the same way I did on the field. That if I’m put in a physical situation, I might fail.” _y/n_ resisted sighing. They knew how fragile a conversation this was and wanted to address it with care. _y/n_ held his gaze and said, “Hotch, you’re allowed to age. We all do. You’re the Unit Chief of the BAU. If Strauss had a problem with your performance, she’d tell you again. The team would tell you. You’re a competent, capable agent. As for your physical prowess, you’re strong, Aaron. Did you forget how you carried me over the huge puddle in the parking lot the other day because I was wearing my nice shoes?” At this, Aaron chuckled. He remembered it clearly, as Morgan had teased _y/n_ about getting their good leather shoes wet. But Aaron knew they didn’t want to get them wet half because they were very nice shoes and, also, because they had been an anniversary gift from him. At his laughter, the mood seemed to lighten. Even with that being the case, _y/n_ still worried about him; these types of thoughts, if he’d been having them long, didn’t bode well for the long term. _y/n_ leaned in and kissed him gently. They started at his neck and up his jawline. Aaron relaxed into the touch, and as _y/n_ pulled back, the look they gave him reassured him that _y/n_ meant every word they had just shared. _y/n _added, “Hotch, I think this is something that a professional should hear about if these types of thoughts continue. If they make you feel bad about yourself?” Aaron let out a sigh, and said, “You’re right, _y/n_. I’ll speak to someone if I start feeling this way again. Thanks for the affirmation. I didn’t know I needed it that much.” _y/n_ smiled at him and ran a hand over his right arm. _y/n_ was about to suggest taking a warm bath together to decompress from that conversation, but before the words could come out. Aaron’s phone rang. 

Hotch stood and moved to his nightstand. He swiped to answer the call and put the cell to his ear saying, “Agent Hotchner. There was a pause, and then he said, “Yes. Got it. Be there in a few, JJ. Have you called the rest of the team? … Okay, and yeah, _y/n_’s here. We’ll be over soon. … Okay, bye.” Once Aaron hung up, he moved decidedly to his drawer. He dropped the towel and pulled on his briefs and an undershirt before moving to his clotheshorse that held his outer shirts, suit jackets, and pants. _y/n_ didn’t even have time to admire his nude body, as they needed to change into their formal attire as well. _y/n_ moved into his closet, changed, and unlocked the gun safe, pulling Aaron’s two guns out for him with their sidearm. _y/n_ called from the closet, “Does it sound bad?” the audible sigh from Aaron in the next room told _y/n_ all they needed to know about the type of case that had just landed at the BAU’s door. Twenty minutes later, Aaron and _y/n_, plus the rest of the team were seated in the conference room with JJ and Aaron standing up front and Penelope running the slideshow from the far side of the table. Hotch looked at his media liaison for a second almost for reassurance before saying, “I’m just going to show you the photos first. I think once you see them, you’ll know more about the type of person we are dealing with. Aaron rarely prefaced the photos attached to the case, so the team looked with some anticipation at the screen. Garcia clicked for the next slide and everyone, even Hotch, cringed at the gruesome, bloodied, almost unidentifiable body parts of one victim. Then the next, and the next, and the next. The victims varied in skin color, build, and sex. There were three female victims and one male victim. Each of the deceased was missing various parts of their bodies. Since their bodies were so exposed, half-eaten, the elements had only decomposed the bodies faster. Aaron gave the team enough time to see the photos on the big screen before having Garcia turn the screen off. Hotch said, “As you can see, we’re dealing with something strange here. The coroner knows it’s some kind of wild animal, and we are waiting on the diagnostic report from the hospital two counties over. Some of the victims were so badly mauled that teeth prints had to be taken to identify the victims. We know all of their identities. Hotch nodded to JJ, who had Garcia show regular photos of Katerina Lia, Jeffre Domingez, Sherry Paine, and Dusty Hoffner. When this was done, Hotch continued, saying, “Their profiles and the photos can be found in your files after the briefing. The police in Kansas were hesitant to call us the first two times, as they thought it might just be a tragic accident by a wild animal, and they involved the Game and Fisheries authorities as well as contacting State Troopers. The few parts of the first victim were found strewn on the main street and although it seemed unlikely, the authorities wanted to rule out the possibility that it wasn’t a wild animal, or pack of animals first. Given the external damage to the bodies, it’s unlikely that it’s only one dog or coyote. In the following two weeks, the three other bodies were found in similar popular areas in town, like the park, outside the movie theater, and at the middle school. After that, there was no denying that this was just a wild animal. Thus we were called, but a bit later than I would have liked. But that’s what we’re working with. This case is undoubtedly an odd one, but the unsub seems to be amping up his kills, and if we don’t stop them quickly, well, we’ve seen what happens. Now. Wheels up in thirty.” 

The team scattered to their desks, each repulsed by what they had seen. _y/n_ was so grossed out that they even skipped getting coffee for the plane. _y/n_’s mind kept flashing to whoever had found each of the bodies. Probably a young worker moving to clean the theater for the first matinee show. Or a janitor or coach arriving early in the morning trying to get some extra work done. This fact twisted _y/n_’s stomach even more, as they grabbed for their go bag from the deep drawer in their desk, plus the pair of tennis shoes that they always stuffed in their duffle. It constantly bothered _y/n_  that not only the victims that the BAU saw were often minorities of some kind, but those who found them also often lived in difficult situations or worked hard jobs. This irked _y/n_ more than they would admit. _y/n_ found it hard seeing the gore and violence they did, and they were acclimatized to the sight. How could a normal person recover from seeing such a thing? It seemed insurmountable to them. The possibility that dogs might be involved in some way also twisted _y/n_ insides. They loved animals, and using man’s best friend in such a brutal manner felt more than psychotic. As _y/n_ stood up, they were surprised by Aaron, who already had his go bag and briefcase ready. He looked at _y/n_ and noticed their visible distress. He asked, “Are you alright?” He brushed a hand over theirs, and _y/n_ replied, “Yeah. This case is just weird. It feels different. But I can’t put a finger on it yet.” Aaron nodded and said, “We’ll look out for each other on this one. I promise.” _y/n_knew what Hotch meant by “look out for each other,” was “I’ll look out for you, okay?” _y/n_ nodded, reassured by his words and continued support. Hotch held out his hand for their duffle, and _y/n_ gave it to him. Aaron swung the bag over his shoulder and waited for _y/n_ to follow him to the airstrip. He didn’t need to do this but felt that _y/n_ might need some extra support right now. He didn’t blame them. He’d dropped a load on their shoulders this morning, and now they had this case. It felt like a lot, even to him. So he was going to be there for _y/n_ -- even if it was just physical closeness. 

On the jet, the team debriefed about what their initial thoughts were. Spencer had stats on the town and how rare animal attacks were one in every 70,000 deaths a year. Derek mentioned how the bite marks looked like dog bites. Morgan had seen a few bad bites in his previous Chicago beat. After the debrief, the team slipped into their normal groups. Em moved to JJ’s side. Reid and Morgan found each other, and _y/n_ put on some wired headphones and pulled out the brief again. As much as _y/n_ found the team's chatter comforting when a case troubled them, they found silence or an easy soundtrack or song to help them focus on the case. Aaron settled next to Dave and Emily. The trio started talking about Cottonwood Falls, its population, and the type of police force they should expect there. Small towns often called in State Troopers to help with bigger investigations, which just meant more bureaucratic red tape; something that all three agents were all too familiar with. Hotch looked over his team and _y/n_ sitting near the back of the jet. He was sure that _y/n_ that they were either listening to white noise or one of their five playlists which mostly consisted of Hozier and other music in that genre. Aaron appreciated _y/n_’s need to find moments of calm and clarity at the start of cases. When they had first joined the team, Aaron had overheard _y/n_ speaking to Garcia about feeling weird about isolating themself from the team early on in the case, but it helped to ground them in the new whirlwind of events. They liked to annotate the brief written by JJ and thoroughly look at the photos. This often helped later on as trends or niche things from the crime scene would be useful if the team got stuck. Aaron listened in as Penelope said, “Sweetheart, everyone has their own method. Your contribution to the case is essential and, however, you need to do that is fine. I promise. Stick around this group for long enough, and you’ll see that we all have our strange habits.” Aaron had been thankful and was still thankful for Garcia for being so uplifting and understanding of the team. Together they made an odd group, but it worked. The next case after that conversation had happened, Hotch had made sure to shoot _y/n_ a hint of a smile as they distanced themself to read the case file beginning to end -- pen and highlighter in hand. It was a similar scene now, as _y/n_ opened the case file and looked at the brief. It read:  

Location: Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, USA

Population: 851 

Victim No.: 4 

Names of Victims: Dusty Hoffner, F (28), Jeffre Domingez, M (39), Katerina Lia, F (45)

 Sherry Paine, F (19).

Victim’s Occupations: Unknown. 

Report of crimes thus far: On December 15th at 5:00 a.m. A local refuse worker (Jim Vaunt) found a mangled left hand near a trashcan on Locust and Union St. He quickly called the police, who quickly arrived. Mr. Vaunt and the officers were disturbed to find other body parts of the first victim (Katerina). The areas where body parts were found were condoned off, and a thorough search went out looking for a wild animal. The residents were informed, and school was canceled for the day. Little progress was made and the next week, the three other victims were found in similar states of decomposition and decay. Though the cooler weather and frost have kept some of the body parts better preserved. The town is in a panic, with parents pulling their children from school early and groups going looking at local farms for any animals. This had resulted in the death of one family dog that had gotten loose earlier on the afternoon of the 17th. The State Troopers have been called in. Two town meetings have been held, but little progress has been made so far. 

_y/n_ then moved back to the vile photos. Sherry’s stood out the most as she was the youngest victim. One photograph of her left hand showed that she had been wearing bubble gum pink nail polish. It was slightly chipped from wear. _y/n_ frowned at a life so young being snuffed out in such a brutal, literally animalistic, fashion. It wasn’t fair. But that was where the BAU came in; _y/n_ reflected. Not that they could change the past, but at least they could ensure that the human who committed such atrocities paid for their choices. There was a reassurance in that. When _y/n_ had finished taking notes and looking at the crime scene photos, they paused their playlist and took off the headphones. _y/n_ grabbed their file and moved over to Derek and Spencer to see what they were thinking. Now _y/n_ was ready to add their voices to the preliminary profile being built. As the jet cruised toward the small landing strip a few miles from Cottonwood Falls, the team all felt anticipation, an undercurrent of tension at what would face them in the small town below. 

Cottonwood Falls was as small and quiet as Spencer had described. But it wasn’t a peaceful quiet. It was a disquiet. The team saw large groups of men sitting in the backs of various trucks, holding shotguns, and scowling as the Chase County Police Department got closer. The team didn’t see any children out, and the schoolyard and playgrounds lay quiet. Devoid of kids. It made sense, of course, four unknown people had been torn apart, literally. _y/n_, who was in an SUV with Spencer, Derek, and JJ, hoped that there would be more information once they got to the stations. _y/n_ was right as the team was slightly heard into the station, Sheriff Welsh had hastily introduced himself to the team, with Aaron running as the point man. Sheriff Welsh seemed more prepared than most small-town cops who had a bizarre crime happen in their jurisdiction. A whole corner of the department was dedicated to the case, with multiple maps and boards up on the walls with the photos neatly grouped. The information that they already had was neatly placed on two pop-up card tables. The Sherrif had the team stand near the tables, and the dark-haired man said, “I have two new bits of information to share with you now that you folks are here. The first is that although it’s not growing season, we still have some workers that hop from farm jobs to far jobs through the slow season. It turns out Katerina Lia was one of those workers. A farmer in Olathe noticed her picture in the paper and called us, saying that she had signed a two-week contract for his sorghum harvest. It was late in the year, and he needed fewer workers, but Katerina was one of them. Also, though this is a small town, we do get tourists driving through because the highway runs toward Wichita and Topeka on either side of us. So I’m thinking that these might be some people or visitors hoping to pass through and something went horribly, horribly wrong. The other big item is that the coroner has stated that the cause of death was bleeding out and shock, and the bite marks found on the body were made by dogs. Various breeds and sizes, but for sure, it was dogs.” The horrible idea seemed to weigh the Sheriff down. It made him look ill. Hotch absorbed the information and quickly said, “Thank you for those updates. For now, I’m going to send my team to various sites to gather data and when we have more information and regrouped, we’ll present a preliminary profile for yourself and your officers.” Aaron could see the question, “What’s a preliminary profile coming,” and stopped the man saying, “And I promise to explain all of the practical jargon this afternoon if that’s alright?” The Sheriff raised his hands and said, “You got it. I’m just grateful ya’ll came out here to the sticks. Take all the time you need. There are three SUVs that you can use.” Aaron nodded and signaled to the team. He stated clearly, “Morgan, Reid, you go to the hospital and look at the victims. See if there’s anything we’re missing about them. Anything that might give us a location of death. Em, JJ, you go check any animal shelters in the area. Then call the school and theater. See if you can interview the janitor and employee who found the victims. Rossi and _y/n_, come with me. We’ll check out the other two sites and see if the vets around town have had any reports of wild or rabid dogs in the last two weeks.” The team understood their roles and moved to their respective cars. Just before Hotch had stepped outside, keys in hand, he asked Weiss, “How many farmers have dogs around here?” The Sheriff shrugged his shoulders and said, “Heck, all of them that I can think of. I’d be stupid not to.” Aaron nodded and let out a sigh. He realized that it was going to be harder to track down the dogs than he might have thought, but the method of killing was so specific that he hoped they could at least find the unsub quickly. Someone in a  town this small had to know something. 

There was a shocking amount of vets in such a confined space. However, it made sense given how much livestock there was in the farming and ranching community. Be it hobby farms or cattle, those animals needed care. As they were driving to meet Mr. Vaunt for an interview, _y/n_ had an idea and called Penelope. _y/n_ put the techie on speaker, and Garcia answered with, “Hello, my loves. How can the Office of Supreme Intelligence assist you today?” _y/n_ couldn’t help but smile at Penelope's pep, and said, “Can you compile a list of people that visit and more importantly adopt dogs regularly in the surrounding towns and counties? It probably won’t be all at the same time, maybe two or three weeks apart.” _y/n_ caught Hotch’s eyes in the rearview. He gave them a nod of approval at thinking of this. After a short pause, Garcia said, “I’ll have to get back to you on that my sweet. These small towns seem to have fewer electronic records, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find them somewhere. I’ll get back to you when I have something.” Before Garcia hung up, Aaron said, “Garcia, nothing illegal,” in a semi-stern tone. Penelope let out a bright laugh and said, “You got it, Hotch.” After that call, the day seemed to slip by quickly. By the end of it, the team had discovered and then presented to the small police force that the unsub was most likely a white male in his mid-thirties, a recluse or someone that rarely came into town, owned land to hold a pack of dogs who had at least five large canines. The land potentially had a field of tall June grass, as lots had been found on the victims' clothing, thanks to Spencer’s keen eye, and the unsub was only targeting out-of-towners. Lastly, if the man finds another person to kill, he will take the chance to do so again without remorse as the unsub was most likely a psychopath. After the basic profile was delivered, the team worked late into the night. They speculated that the unsub might have had a bad incident with a dog in his past, or some significant trauma with an animal of some kind. Emily recommended going back to the hospital in the morning to see if there were any medical records of such an event happening around thirty years ago. Hotch agreed and made preliminary assignments for the morning. With nothing else to really go on, the team headed to their motel to turn in for the night. It was odd getting to bed before two a.m. on a case, but this was not a normal case. In his room, Hotch showered and changed. He slumped into bed, trying to ignore looking in the mirror, at this body again. It was hard for him to imagine that it had just been that morning that _y/n_ had reminded him how much they loved him in his entirety. It was funny to Hotch how quickly he forgot those things. Aaron rolled onto his stomach, grabbed his phone, which was charging, and texted _y/n_ simply writing, “I love you, _y/n_. Sleep well.” He read the quick reply of, “Love you too, Aaron,” before he turned off his lamp, set his alarms, and attempted to sleep. Aaron was having a hard time with his rest and he sat up. He moved to the door and down the hallway. He knocked on _y/n_’s door and he could see the lamps still burning bright in their room. _y/n_ let him in, headphones still in their ears. Hotch slumped down on their bed, comforted to be in _y/n_’s calming presence. They didn’t bother him as he closed his eyes. They sat down and kept reading over their notes, again, and again, and again. Aaron could hear _y/n_ tapping along with the beat of their playlist on their leg. He knew the rhythm well at this point and it lulled him to sleep as _y/n_ kept thinking deep into the night. 

The dawn woke the team, and everyone was relieved to find that there wasn’t a new victim. That didn’t mean there wouldn’t be, but they would strive to make sure it didn’t happen again. At the precinct, the team drank the poor-grade coffee and talked briefly about how quiet the town was at night. Spencer had stayed up all night and heard an owl and one time the barking of a dog. The genius had admitted that even that had him scared. Of course, Morgan had made fun of Spencer for this, except he had to eat his words because one of the police dogs had barked right after his joke, and Derek nearly jumped out of his skin. That had brought a moment of lightness to a very grim case. The team, little did they know it, would need that for the rest of the day, and their time in Kansas. 

Rossi suggested to Aaron that he, Derek, and Aaron go and speak to some of the men running their patrols looking for dogs. _y/n_ suggested she and Emily go and check the medical records, and JJ decided to try and contact the farmer who had employed Katerina to get more information while Spencer found maps of the area. He wanted to see if there were any large swaths of June grass in the surrounding areas, and the lean agent knew he could guess pretty well with a topological map where large patches of the native grass would grow. Aaron agreed, and everyone moved to their respective tasks. Hotch, Morgan, and Dave were told by the sheriff that most of the menfolk had met at a local dive bar down the street, made plans, and then drove out for the day to ‘explore.’ Aaron thanked the man for the information, and his group headed out. The dive bar was ironically called Shooters. The theme of the place was hunting-oriented with mounted deer heads and some old-style rifles adorning the walls. The proprietor, who was standing behind the bar was potbellied and red-cheeked. He seemed more chipper than appropriate. but Derek assumed it was because he had the room half full with lots of people holding beers or shots in front of them. The place was tackily decorated for Christmas with a small tree in the corner and lights up on the walls. One of the deer heads had a Santa hat askew on its head. Morgan and Rossi moved to speak to the owner of the bar. Aaron began talking to a few of the men, showing his badge when questioned. As Hotch moved toward another group, he noticed a small faded flyer. It had the picture of an English Springer Spaniel with a duck in its mouth. The blocky, white text read: “Here to hunt at the Lodge on Route 75? Make your time here more fun and successful by renting a purebred hunting dog! $80/day, including drop off and pick up at your designated hunting site. Call: 390-785-0092 for inquiries. There was no name attached to the flyer. Aaron moved to the man behind the bar and asked, “Do you know who put up that advertisement?” The man looked at where Hotch was pointed and took on a reflective gaze before nodding and saying in a deeply accented voice, “Yeah. That’s Jeff Karon’s side business. Man has corn and wheat crops, but in the summer we get swamped with hunters and he breeds dogs on the side for some extra cash. He’s an odd one. Lives way out there past the town limits.” Hotch nodded and wrote down the name and number. He would call Penelope and see what she came up with as well as speaking with Sheriff Weiss when they returned to the station. 

_y/n_ and Emily at the hospital started to make converging discoveries with Hotch. The pair sat in the medical records room. A kind nurse had pulled out some boxes from the 1990s that she remembered being memorable cases for such a small town. After an hour they found nothing and moved to put the boxes back in the correct place. However, as they had quickly been putting the files back in chronological order, one folder was misplaced. It was much older than the rest. The front read Jeffery C. Karon 1958 - Infected Dog Bite. Emily let out a laugh, and _y/n_ turned to face her and said, “What is it?” As they put a box away on top of a dusty old one, Prentiss replied, “A file in the wrong box. Coincidentally it sounds related to the case.” _y/n_ stepped off of the one small step they needed to reach the tall, top shelf and walked over to Emily saying, “Let’s look at it. We’ve almost looked at every other file in here anyway. Maybe we can learn something.” Pretiness scoffed and opened the file as _y/n_ stood at her shoulder. However, after both agents' eyes skimmed over the first paragraph, they realized that they might have stumbled across something important. The patient data was typed and the case notes were written in cursive. They read read: 

The young boy of twelve was bitten pretty severely by a rabid dog in the wheat field on the father’s farm in Oldsdaile. Ten stitches were needed to seal the wound and a rabies shot was given along with a course of antibiotics. There was a note about the patient’s father and then something about how if the wound wasn’t cleaned and cared for carefully, the boy could develop an infection in the bone and might need major surgery or worse. 

_y/n_ and Pretiss looked at each other and then the photo of the young boy on a sepia-toned brownish grey. Emily grabbed the file and said, “Let’s ask around and see if anyone knows who this Jeffery Karon is.” The two agents moved to the nurse in charge of records and _y/n_ asked, “Ma’am. We found a file accidentally misplaced, but we think this person might be helpful to our investigation and the recent deaths. Do you or anyone here have any idea who this person is? If they still live around here?” The nurse took the file and looked it over. She said, “Just a moment, let me ask around.” Em and _y/n_ waited for a few minutes and the nurse returned and said, “Sorry but no one here seems to know who this is. Our old doctor. Dr. Anderson. who just retired and moved to Texas to be with his grandkids would know. I would recommend going to the town hall and looking at the records there. I can also print you a copy of this file and give Dr. Anderson’s number. Just don’t spread any of this around -- And Dr. Anderson is notorious for not answering his phone. He never really learned to use one, but perhaps that’s changed now that he’s around some youngsters.” Both agents thanked the nurse for her help and waited for the copy of the medical file and the number. It was only a few minutes before Emily and _y/n_ were back in the car and headed to the station. Instead of going to the town hall, Prentiss and _y/l/n_ decided to call Garcia instead. Before they came to that choice, they reflected how small-town cases were so different from those in the city. How they offered a change of pace to the often hectic cases in sprawling metropolises. Not that this case wasn’t urgent, just different. Emily was driving, so _y/n_ pulled out their phone to call Garcia, but just as they started to dial, Penelope called _y/n_. _y/l/n_ said, “Speak of the devil,” as they smiled and swiped answers. Garcia, always her chipper self said, “Alrighty my little chickens. It took me a while. but looking at the ten adjacent counties surrounding Cottonwood Falls there was a startling pattern. One man seems to go into these shelters and has been adopting a surprising amount of dogs that are up for euthanization. But the dude is picky. He only takes in big breeds from Shepards to Heelers to Great Danes. You name it. If it’s a big dog and it seems on its last legs, this guy will take it in.” Emily asked, “What’s this dude's name?” Garcia replied, “Jeffery Karon.” Prentiss and _y/n_ looked at each other knowingly. Both simultaneously thought, ‘Bingo.’ _y/n_ let out a sigh and said, “How many dogs are we talking about here? And how often are they being adopted?” Penelope clicked a few keys on her computer and said, “I’d say three to four a month. So maybe thirty-six a year. But some months there are no adoptions. I don’t know how one man can care for so many dogs. Feeding them alone must cost an absorbent sum each month.” _y/n_ didn’t say it but thought, ‘One way to cut costs would be to not feed them. Thus the need to adopt so many dogs.’ They thought back to the photos of the victims. They all had really been torn apart. The image of that happening was to sickening to the stomach and _y/n_ cleared her throat and said, “As always Garcia, you’re the best. We’re pulling up the precinct now and it looks like Hotch is back too, so I’ll call you with any updates when I can.” Garcia replied, “Anything for you sweetness, and I texted you the dude’s address too. It’s headed to your phone as we speak. Supreme genius out.” Emily put the car in park and they both jumped out. They both had a lot to share. 

As the pair got inside _y/n_ realized that Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi had also just gotten back as well. Emily let out a breath behind them. The brunette was excited to share their news and said, “I think we might have our guy!” The three men, and JJ and Spencer in the back looked over at her. Hotch spoke first and asked, “Is his name Jeffrey Karon?” Aaron’s statement seemed to take the wind out of Emily’s sails and she replied, “Hey. How’d you know?” The small sub-teams merged, and they all got updated on what they had all learned that morning. When everyone was caught up, the team moved to Sherrif Weiss. Aaron asked the head of the police department, with a copy of Jeff’s childhood photo, “Do you know this man? Jeffrey C. Karon?” The Sheriff nodded after a moment and replied, “Yeah. Yeah, I do. He’s an odd one. He’s lived on the farm his father, Jean Karon lived on. It’s a farm out in the boonies. Jean’s wife died in childbirth and from what I understand, Jean wasn’t exactly dad material. So it was just those two for a long time. Then the town they lived in dissolved. Too many people moved out in the 70’s. A few years after that, Cottonwood Falls proposed taking the land into our county. By that point old man Karon was pretty worn out and sickly, but he was vehemently against reintegration. He waged a moral war on the idea and, well he kind of died while losing that battle and Oldsdaile became part of Cottonwood Falls. That left his twenty-year-old son with the farm and a small sum of cash the man had stored away. Jeffrey tried to go away and get an education at a local college. He fell in love with a girl. I couldn’t tell you why, but Jeff dropped out of school and brought his new wife back with him. Allegedly they had a kid together, but anytime I’ve visited that farm I’ve never seen a kid. So I guess when Jeff’s wife inevitably left him, she must have taken the kid with her. And honestly, good for her. I wouldn’t want to spend a long time out there either. But I haven’t honestly seen Jeff in over two years. Guess he ended up a recluse like his father.” The Sheriff gave a whistle after the long monologue. The Sheriff had almost forgotten the wheat farm on the far outskirts of town. The whole team took a second to absorb that the Sheriff had described the perfect unsub. Breaking from their shared trance, Hotch emphatically asked, “Where does Mr. Karon live!” As the Sheriff murmured, “Let me look. I haven’t thought of him in a long while.” While the man was puttering about, _y/n_ pulled up her phone and said, “I have it Hotch. Penelope sent it to me while we were on the way back here.” Aaron shot _y/n_ a small smile and said, “We’ll need LEOs for this Sheriff Weiss. Five men at least.” The law enforcement officer looked at Aaron with apprehension and asked, “You think Jeff is our guy?” The look Hotch shot Weiss was enough to shut the man up and then turn and order two cop cars and five officers to accompany the BAU team on their trip out to the isolated farm. 

The white SUVs and two cop cars rushed down the isolated dirt and gravel road. The Karon farm was a good thirty-five minutes outside of town set on an isolated road that left the highway. As they moved down the road. _y/n_ noticed that random patches of the tall grass seemed pressed down or pushed aside unnaturally. Hotch was driving too fast for them to see what was happening but after the third time seeing the phenomena, _y/n_ called out, “Aaron, stop for a second. Somethings off on the side of the road.” Hotch threw _y/n_ a look with his classic raised eyebrow from the front. His sunglasses were blocking his eyes but after a moment, he slowed to a roll and then a stop. _y/n_ jumped out of the car with Morgan, who was also in the middle row of the car. Derek called out, “What did you see, _y/n_?” As they both ran toward another place where the grass looked odd. _y/n_ didn’t need to answer him as they pushed the tall grass aside to reveal a long wooden board with over two dozen nails pounded through the wooden beam. Morgan whistled and said, “Well that’ll stop a car alright. How many of these have you spotted already kid?” _y/n_ looked up at Derek and said, “This makes four.” The pair of agents didn’t disturb the plank in case it was needed for evidence later, and they both jogged back to the stalled car. Once inside, Morgan said, “Hotch there’s a homemade parking block spikes in the grass, and _y/n_ spotted three more before that one.” Aaron nodded and then started the car again. As he pushed the gas pedal, he said, “We did wonder how he got his victims out of their cars. Maybe they get turned around and go ask for help, but then get a flat instead. Aaron turned briefly and looked at _y/n_ and said, “Good catch. Keep a count of how many of those you see as we keep getting closer to the house.” After another four minutes, the cars reached an old rushing iron gate with a big sign in the font that read: “PRIVATE PROPERTY - DO NOT ENTER: BEWARE OF DOGS!!!” The line, “Beware of dogs,” sent a chill down everyone’s spine. Aaron attempted calling the home number twice, which Penelope had also dug up for the team, but nobody picked up, and there was no option for voice mail. One of the police officers got out of his cruiser with a pair of bolt cutters and broke open the chain that held the fence closed. The gate made a terrible screeching sound that had the team’s skin crawl. All of the cars pulled into the drive. The house was a simple farm-style house, painted white with green accents. All of the paint was badly chipped and there was a large truck parked out front. It seemed to be the only sign of life on that part of the farm. Aaron got on the radio and spoke to the other car saying, “Everyone’s wearing their FBI vests here, and everyone has weapons drawn. We can’t be sure what we’ll find in the house or on the farm. Lastly, no one, and I mean no one goes off alone. Rodger?” There was a crackle on the line and Emily replied, “Got it, Hotch.” As the team stepped out of the cars, a symphony of howling and then barking could be heard from the house Everyone went on the defensive. Hotch pulled out his microphone and stepped a few feet closer to the glass and screen door. _y/n_ followed after him a few paces. From their angle, they could see what looked like three to four big dogs at the door barking up a storm. _y/n_ had their gun aimed at the door. If something went wrong, they would have a bead on one of the dogs and would shoot if it came to that. They prayed it wouldn’t. Rossi sidled up next to _y/n_, they felt better knowing they weren’t alone in keeping Aaron safe as he clicked on the microphone and said, “Jeffrey Karon. This is Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. If you’re inside I’m giving you three minutes to restrain your dogs and come out of your home with your hands up. I’m starting a timer now.” Aaron’s voice echoed across the face of the house and the yard. It was a very tense minute and thirty seconds as the dogs continued to bray at the agents and police officers. 

It felt like an eternity before one of the windows on the side of the house revealed a haggard-looking man who shouted, “Get off my goddamn property before I get a shotgun and shoot you, people. ‘Tis is an ‘nvastion of ma rights. My God-given rights ‘ye hear me!” All eyes turned to the window and again, Aaron stepped forward and said, “You don’t have any right Mr. Karon. You’re suspected of five counts of first-degree murder and tampering with remains. Now come downstairs and restrain your dogs or my team and I will come in and do what we have to restrain you. And I don’t think you’re so stupid to not know what will happen to you if you do try and get a gun.” Jeffrey was red-faced and spluttered, but in a half-show, Aaron looked at his watch and said, “You have a minute and a half left,” then Hotch angled his gun at the front door. Of course, _y/n_ knew that Aaron wouldn’t shoot one of Mr. Karon’s dogs unless it was a life-or-death scenario, but Mr. Karon didn’t. Hotch’s threat was enough to have the man at the window shout, “Fine, fine I’m coming. Don’t shoot the dogs. God damn you. I’m suing if anything happens to those dogs!” Aaron lowered the sidearm and let out a breath, slightly surprised that his strategy had worked. The team watched with bated breath as Jeff moved down the stairs slowly. He looked like he was in pain, as he walked with a significant limp, gripping the white stair rail tightly. The man called his dogs loudly enough for the team to hear him say, “Here boys, here.” At the call of their owner, the dogs all moved away from the door and to the foot of the stairs. Now that they were farther back, _y/n_ could see that it was five dogs, not three. All of the canines' tails seemed to wag happily as they saw their owner. Jeff petted all of them and seemed to give them a treat from the pocket of his robe. Something the older man said had the dogs stop barking. Jeff moved toward the door and Aaron and the team stepped onto the porch. Aaron looked at Jeff as the man moved to open the door. Hotch gripped the handle and closed it as soon as the man tried to open it. Aaron said clearly, “Put your dogs on leads and attach those leads to the stair rail.” Jeff blustered and said, “My dogs don’t go on lead. No State Commie can make me do that.” Hotch glared at the man and said, “They go on leads when I say they do. If you don’t do as I say I’ll add intentionally delaying a state investigation to your list of charges. Do you want the state looking into you more than we already are, Mr. Karon?” Jeff furrowed his brow and turned. The man who had tanned and spotted skin like many men who spent hours in the sun let out a litany of curse words as he moved to the other side of the room and grabbed five old faded leads. Again, the team watched as he moved painfully toward his dogs and one by one attached the lead to their collar and then tied the collars to the staircase. This took about seven minutes and finally, Aaron motioned for Rossi and _y/n_ to follow him as they breached the door. There was some chaos as Hotch cuffed Jeff and the dogs barked at seeing their owner get angry and yell again. Aaron twisted Karon’s arm uncomfortably and said, “I’d put a rag in it and answer any questions asked to you, Mr. Karon.” The added pain had the farmer shut up for a second before the man spit at Aaron’s shoes and said, “I’ll shut up. I want a lawyer. You big city types think you can break into an honest man’s house and threaten him, well. We’ll see about that, Special Agent Hotchner.” Jeffrey seemed to have a glint of malice in his eyes, and Aaron pushed him toward one of the officers, not letting the threat affect him. Aaron told the officer he handed Karon off to, “Put him in the back of one of the cruisers and read him his Miranda’s. If he says anything, record it. Anything could be important in this case. And once you're done that, take the dogs out and attach them to the wooden railing on the poach. Make sure they have shade and water.” The officer looked a little hesitant but nodded and began hauling Jeffrey off. 

Now that the house seemed quiet, Aaron had the team split up into groups of two and look over the whole abode. Even though the dogs and Karon were out of the house, that didn’t mean that they dropped their guard. As the echoes of “Clear” rang through the upstairs and downstairs, the team seemed to lighten up. The most interesting things in the house were the profound amount of liquor bottles in the bedroom and kitchen, as well as the cabinet full of assorted pain meds in the bathroom. It was obvious to Spencer, Emily, and _y/n_ that Karon was self-medicating. If it was just for the leg injury that he had gotten as a child or something more, they couldn’t know until someone interviewed the potential unsub. Spencer took a moment too long looking at the multiple narcotics bottles for _yn_’s comfort and they gently said, “I’ve got this Spencer. Why don’t you help Morgan.” Reid looked at _y/n_ with a hint of gratitude and nodded softly saying, “Thanks, _y/n_.” _y/n_ just smiled at him and said, “No prob, Spence.’ With that, Spencer left the bathroom while Emily was looking over the bedroom. _y/n_ gave a small sigh. They knew Reid was clean, and had been for a few years now, but they knew how easy it was to fall back into bad habits, and alleviating any possibility was the least they could do for their friend. But the most interesting thing in the house was the little boy’s room on the first floor next to the living room. The pastel-blue walled room was caked in dust. So much that Hotch had a coughing fit for three minutes after leaving the room. It was hard to tell if it was Karon’s old room or his supposed son’s. Garcia hadn’t been able to find a record of Jeffrey Karon having a son, but she did find a name and address for his ex-wife who now lived in Tennessee. Hotch was beginning to think that the story about Mr. Karon having a son was a local legend of some kind. A story passed around about the strange old recluse with a tragic backstory who lived at the edge of town. Either way, the room being so well preserved and unused would prove helpful in trying to crack Jeffrey in the interview process. The child’s room meant something to him. When the house had been gone through, the team spread out in groups of two again to search the rest of the large thirty-acre property. 

Behind the house was an ATV with the keys still in the ignition. Derek speculated that that was the easiest way to navigate the bumpy roads between the fields. The largest wheat field had two barns on one side of it. The first barn was for a large group of chickens that squawked when Spencer and Derek entered the smelly space. The other barn seemed to have regular farming equipment and feed for the assortment of animals that resided on the land. However, as _y/n_ moved a rake through the deep chicken feed containers, something snagged on the tines of the object. Pulling the tool up revealed a very tattered shirt sleeve. _y/n_ called in and let the team know what she’d found. Emily was up in the hayloft and said, “_y/n_, there’s a pillow and blanket up here too. Let the team know I think someone might be sleeping up here.” _y/n_ acknowledged Prentiss and let the team know the new information. Once Em had documented the small and narrow loft space, which was barely seven boards wide and could be accessed by a  ladder, she climbed down to help _y/n_ to see if they could find anything else in the grain bins. As it turned out, a lot more was to be found including shoes, pants, IDs of the victims, and cash. Not only did they find the personal identification of all of the victims so far,  but they found three new IDs and a passport of victims, who had not yet been found or reported missing. 

The last metaphorical nail in Jeffrey Karon’s case was when Aaron and Rossi plus two other officers neared the oldest and largest barn on the other side of the wheat field which Spencer aptly pointed out had been tilled and Blue grass had been planted as a filler crop until next planting season. Neither car needed to even roll down its windows, as they neared the barn and heard the near-constant cacophony of barking and growling that filled the air in a disorganized symphony of sound. All four men drew their guns again. Obviously, they couldn’t just open the barn doors because Aaron didn’t know how the dogs inside this barn were being contained, or if they were contained at all. The BAU men moved around the barn, and Rossi found a ladder that would let them look up and into the barn’s higher windows. Aaron and Rossi moved the ladder to the window. Dave kept the ladder steady and Hotch climbed up to the dusty glass. Aaron slipped off his sunglasses and used his keen sight to look into the dim barn. He could see that one-third of the barn was empty but the other two-thirds had a strong very tall metal fence containing the bodies of a dozen dogs or more moving, writhing, and barking at the almost darkness. Every now and then one of the canine’s teeth would catch the light of the window Hotch was looking in, and Aaron couldn’t help but imagine how those teeth felt tearing into a human's flesh. The idea revolted him. He caught something odd, a red glowing light on the front of the cage. Aaron called for a pair of binoculars which were quickly brought to him. Hotch carefully shot out the windows which only set the dogs inside off more, but without the glass in the way and with the aid of the binoculars, he could see that there was a locking mechanism on the front of the padded gate. This reassured Aaron that they could get into the barn, but it only added that Jeffrey was smarter than he let on. Lawyering up was one thing, but having a timed gate assured that Mr. Karon didn’t become an accidental victim to the dogs inside the barn. Aaron quickly stepped down the ladder and told Rossi and the officers that they were clear to enter the hostile den. The officers seemed hesitant, but Rossi brushed past them, trusting Hotch and opening the doors of the barn. The dogs went wild and rushed the gate but couldn’t get out. Hotch and Dave covered their ears, and they stepped into the barn. Even though it might be safe for them to be inside the dank-smelling space, they kept a good five-foot distance from the dogs. Aaron observed that all of the dogs were malnourished and had their tails docked. Many of the dogs had bite marks and looked in ill health. Rossi noticed the feathers on the floor of the cage. There was a children’s pool filled with stinking water and flies on the far side of the cage. Aaron took pictures of the dogs, the cage, and the locking mechanism which seemed to be turned on via a switch or remote timer. Hotch felt a pang of pity for the dogs inside the barn and what a horrible life they had been put through. However, he realized that these animals had also killed up to seven human beings. There was no nice way of putting that. When Rossi and Aaron had seen what they needed to, Aaron called Sheriff Weiss and brought the man up to date. He detailed the need for animal control and that they would need a lot of animal control. Weiss had paused and said that he would have to call into multiple counties and vets for help getting all the dogs out of the barn. Hotch understood and agreed. Aaron left one of the policemen to sit in his cruiser just outside the bard to wait as long as it took for the animal control members to arrive and take care of the situation inside the barn. The officer seemed to relax when he realized that he could wait inside his protected vehicle. 

With the farm mostly searched and a lot of damning evidence gathered, the team left with Mr. Karon to conduct their first interview. The unsub had said very little except for cursing the officer in the other police car out. The team left another three officers to cordon off the farm and sites of interest. At the precinct, Jeffrey was quickly moved into a room that was normally a holding cell for those who had too much to drink and needed the night to sober up before going home to their wives in shame with another fifty-dollar ticket of disorderly conduct or public indecency. It was the best the small police station had for an interrogation room. Sheriff Weiss had a table and chairs brought in and Derek and Rossi had the first round of trying to get the unsub to talk. Outside the cell _y/n_ paced and Aaron watched them while also looking into the room with Jeffrey. Something was upsetting _y/n_ and he could tell. It was not only the pacing, but the way _y/n_ was just slightly biting the inside of their cheek. After a minute of this, Aaron turned to them and asked, “What it is _y/n_?” _y/n_ turned on their heel and said, “It can’t be him Hotch? You smelled his breath when we first got in the house. It reeked of alcohol and he was stumbling around either because he was drunk or high on meds, or both. I don’t know how a man like that can pull something like this off. Not by himself. Not to mention his leg injury. He can barely walk. He couldn’t possibly handle those dogs in the barn. Plus, we’re looking for a supposed psychopath. Mr. Karon might be disturbed, but he loved those dogs in the house. How does that work?” Aaron nodded. He had felt that something was off too, but having _y/n_ put it into words helped solidify how he felt. _y/n_ said, “It’s something to do with that boy’s room. That makeshift bed in the barn. I think we’re missing something big. I think I should go back.” Hotch nodded and said, “I’m coming with you.” _y/n_ gave him just the smallest smile and said, “Alright. I’ll tell the team, why don’t you start the car? I’ll be out in a minute.” Aaron agreed and moved outside. It didn’t take long for them to get back to the farm. Aaron had an officer go with _y/n_ to the boy’s room, and he and another officer moved back to the barn to look at the cot again. The two were determined to find out what vital piece was missing from the bigger picture. 

Back in the interrogation room, Karon wasn’t talking and it had been nearly fifty minutes. Derek was saying, “So what, you get bitten by a dog when you're a kid and then have dogs kill people? What do you gain from that, Karon? Apart from some sick need to see people be torn apart.” The man didn’t answer and Rossi tried another approach saying, “Why keep your bedroom the same Jeffrey? Why lock it up and keep it preserved? Why is it so important to you?” This finally had a response for the unsub and he said, “That room’s special to me, yeah. Gotta keep it like that for when she comes back.” Morgan and Dave looked at each other and Rossi asked, “Who comes back, Mr. Karon? You’re wife? Your son?” Jeffrey put his head in his hands and said, “That goodman bitch of a wife you idiot. My son’s still there. But he’s not like he used to be. And I’m not like I used to be, get it. Before that bitch of a city slicker wife left me everything was fine. FINE! Get it, but she left and it all went bad. Went to goddamn shit.” Morgan cared less about the wife and more about the fact that Jeff had said his son was still on the property, on the farm. Derek asked, “Your son, Karon. Where is he!” Jeff laughed and the built agent raised to his feet and slammed his hands on the table near the unsub, getting him to stop laughing and Morgan said again, “Where is your son!” Karon chuckled a little and said, “Sleeps ‘n the barn at night. I hear four of those cops are still out there, and two of your agents. Pity for them. Jason’s better with the dogs than I am. Has been for the last ten years since my fucking leg’s been acting up more. Motherfucker of a leg.” This realization hit the two FBI agents like a ton of bricks. There was a beat of silence before Rossi rushed out of the room to call Aaron and let him know that Karon’s son was on the farm while Derek worked his best to not beat the crap out of the man in front of him and try and get something that might help Hotch and _y/n_. Rossi paced as he waited for Aaron to pick up. Finally, his friend did, saying, “Hotchner.” Dave nearly yelled, “Karon’s son is still living on the farm. He’s the one letting the dogs out. Where’s _y/n_? Are you with them?” 

Aaron’s stomach dropped like a bag of stones as he realized _y/n_ hadn’t checked in in over twenty minutes. He put Dave on hold and called _y/n_. He prayed that they’d pick up, but _y/n_’s phone went to voicemail. Aaron then tried radioing the officer with _y/n_ but all he got was the man sitting outside the barn. Hotch almost threw himself down the ladder to the loft and shouted at the officer at the bottom to follow him. Hotch drove faster the he ever had toward the farmhouse. Something told him that he would find answers there. It had been _y/n_’s last location for starters. Aaron didn’t even bother turning off the car as he and the officer rushed into the house, guns drawn. There was no one in the main room, but sounds were coming from the kitchen. Aaron breached the room and found a large man standing with a clever aim to cut apart a de-feathered chicken. The man froze when Aaron rushed the room and pointed the gun at him, Jason Karon. Hotch shouted, “Put the knife down slowly or I shoot.” The man didn’t seem to care that he was moving incredibly slowly while he set the knife down on the butcher block. Hotch then shouted, “Where is the other agent and officer?” The large man shrugged, and Aaron shouted again, stepping within a foot of the second unsub’s face, “Where is my agent!” Jason said slowly with a small glint in his eyes, “Middle of the wheat field I guess. That fucking agent bit me. Had to tranque ‘em. Dogs ‘ill get ‘em soon. But don’t ya worry. I gave ‘em a fighting chance. Set a timer for the dog's release. It’s no fun to watch them die if they’re tranqued. Dogs ‘ill be out in ‘bout fifteen minutes and if I timed it right, the drugs ‘ill wear off a bit before then. I ain’t never seen a cop die before. Should be fun” There was a devil-may-care attitude that indicated the unsub cared nothing for human life. The rage that filled Aaron nearly had him shoot the man in front of him, but the fact that _y/n_ was still alive and could be torn apart had Aaron brush past Jason and ran out the back door so quickly that he didn’t even tell the officer to restrain the man. He only had thoughts for _y/n_. Hotch straddled the ATV, turned the key that was miraculously still in the ignition and pressed the electronic throttle. Aaron could feel the wind in his face and his hands held onto the handlebars of the ATV with a death grip. He entered the wheat field in around seven minutes and slowed slightly as he got closer to the center. He didn’t want to run over _y/n_, but he knew he had only minutes to find them before both of them were going to face the same fate as all the other victims from before. Just as Aaron heard the first howling of the dogs, he found _y/n_ on the cold ground. 

Hotch jumped off the vehicle and ran to _y/n_. Their eyes were open but glazed. _y/n_’s hands were bound, but not their feet. Aaron grabbed _y/n_ and pulled them onto the ATV in front of him. _y/n_ was lucid enough to move their feet with Aaron’s. As Hotch kicked the ignition on again. He saw the first three dogs breach the tall grass. Hotch opened up the throttle. He held _y/n_ to his chest while he tried to press the gas and control the ATV all at the same time. Even at the full thirty miles per hour, the dogs were catching up to them. Aaron felt his heart beat faster than it ever had before. It was like he could hear the breaths of the crazed animals following him, could hear their feet hitting the ground, which would outpace him and _y/n_ soon. Another three minutes and they’d be out of the field, and the police would see what was happening and come to help. At least that was what Aaron hoped. But a sound had Hotch’s heart nearly stop. At the edge of the wheat field, the engine of the ATV spluttered loudly. Hotch looked down at the gas gauge: E. Aaron pushed the machine as far as it would go but it slowed after another thirty seconds, then died. 

There was a split second when Aaron thought there was no way for them to live. His mind went blank, black. But _y/n_ stirred, and he knew they couldn’t die. He’d happily die, but _y/n_ couldn’t die. Not like this. They deserved warmth, retirement, and old age, and happiness. And because Aaron couldn’t have the love of his life die, he was forced to think in a split second. This brought up two options. The first was to shoot as many of the dogs as possible. He knew that he wouldn’t get to all of them before the rest overpowered them, but this was an option that would reduce the number of animals that would kill them. Maybe the others would get scared off by the sounds of gunfire. The other option was to make a run for the barn with the loft inside. It was about ten feet from the open barn door. Something in Aaron’s gut told him this was the only option where _y/n_ lived. Aaron didn’t care if he died; he just needed _y/n_ to live. 

So with his soul telling him, compelling him forward, Aaron dismounted, pulled _y/n_ over his broad shoulders, and ran the fastest he had ever run before. 

Step, step step, breath. Step, step, step breath. Pothole. Twisted ankle. Step, step, step, shooting pain up the leg. The reek of dog breath, and teeth at his legs. Breath. Door, ladder, Teeth in the leg, Foot to dogs mouth, Last step. 

Aaron’s heart felt like it might burst, and his muscles had never hurt so much, never been pushed so hard. However, there wasn’t time for that, as one of the dogs had used its legs to get to the top of the ladder. Not even thinking of his gun, Aaron kicked at the dog's head, trying to avoid the now bloody and snapping teeth. When the dog had fallen, Aaron used his hands to tear the old ladder from the loft sending it crashing to the ground below. Even though the ladder was old, it was rusted in place with only Aaron’s adrenaline that allowed him to get it off the loft. Hotch slumped back next to _y/n_. How he had managed to get them both up the ladder, he wasn’t sure. Aaron pushed _y/n_ to the wall and lay very closely pressed to them as there wasn’t room for both of their bodies in the loft. Aaron was half in shock. He didn’t really hear the gunshots from the officers below, but he could somehow feel the heat from the blowback and saw the light flash from the ignitions. The noise seemed to rouse _y/n_ more, and Hotch moved to cover their ears. He was blocking their view of below with his body. Even he didn’t want to see what lay beneath the loft, but after a few minutes, whatever chaos had been happening stopped. Aaron could now see the red and blue lights of either an ambulance or police car on the wall of the barn. Sound suddenly rushed back into Hotch’s senses. He also registered the pain in his body and leg where he had been bitten. Due to his shock, Aaron felt like stuff happened to him for the next two hours. Aaron did make sure that _y/n_ got into the first ambulance that had arrived even though they started saying that he needed it more because he was hurt and they weren’t. In the end, it didn’t matter as the only other ambulance from the small local hospital arrived shortly after. Hotch was given a local anesthetic in his left leg which had been bitten to the muscle below. Aaron was so exhausted, and now that he knew that _y/n_ was safe, he closed his eyes and let everything else that was happening to and around him just wash over him like a flood

It turned out that Aaron needed ten stitches for his bites and a set of antibiotics to make sure that he didn’t let the bite get infected. _y/n_ had been given a larger dose of Tiletamine and they needed to be kept on close observation as that medication was related but not the same as Ketamine and the side effects of that drug on humans were not known as it wasn’t a drug not meant to be used on humans. _y/n_ felt queasy and said they had a bad headache and were weak, but thankfully the symptoms didn’t get much worse than that. After a few hours of close monitoring for both Aaorn and _y/n_. The hospital staff felt that both agents would pull out without too much physical damage. However, the hospital required Aaron to stay put until the local anesthetic wore off so they could assess his pain, and that _y/n_ stay for a full twenty-four hours to ensure there were no long-lasting side effects of the drugs they had been given. Rossi went in and checked on Hotch first, letting him know that _y/n_ was going okay apart from some slight discomfort and nausea. He then explained what had happened since Aaron had been out of the loop for around three hours. How the police had handled most of the dogs by the time the rest of the BAU had arrived. How Jason Karon had been taken into custody and his father had agreed to throw his flesh and blood under the bus for a potentially lighter sentence once he found out that his son had been caught. How Jeffrey Karon had delusions about his wife coming home, how Jason had all the makings of a psychopath, and how together the father and son had made a fun hobby of killing anyone unlucky enough to land on their farm that they both wanted to protect with their lives. Hotch listened with disgust at the narrative and how so many had died for nothing more than a game, a distraction. He reflected on how in some cases, no one seemed to win. There were just losers. But then again, _y/n_ could have died. He could have died. Not that he valued his life much, but _y/n_ was physically okay, and that was enough of a positive to let him relax just a little bit into the bed. Rossi looked down at Aaron from his chair, gave his friend a pat on the shoulder, and said, “You did everything you could, and sometimes that just has to be enough. 

The next morning, _y/n_, who had been given some medication to help them sleep, woke to Aaron sitting by their bedside. They rubbed the sleep from their eyes and looked over the parts of their love that they could see. _y/n_ noticed the bandaging on Aaron’s leg, and they asked, “Should you be out of bed?” Hotch chuckled and tried to lighten the mood by saying, “Oh, I just had to fight two nurses to get here from my room.” _y/n_ leveled him with a glare that had him honestly say, “But seriously, they let me out last night after you were under. Rossi insisted that I not stay here all night waiting for you to wake up.” That got a small smile from _y/n_, and they replied, “Remind me to send Rossi a thank you card when we get home.” Aaron laughed again and rolled his eyes before asking, “How are you feeling today? I’m sure the nurses will be in here in a moment to ask you the same, but I’d like to hear it first.” _y/n_ took a moment to think about their physical state before saying, “Better. I still have a bit of a headache, but much better than last night.” Hotch nodded and then looked to the door as two nurses entered the room as he had guessed. The medical staff asked Aaron to sit in one of the chairs near the wall as they performed some routine checks on _y/n_ and assessed their vital signs. After the nurses had given _y/n_ a dose of medication to make sure they remained stable, they left Aaron and _y/n_ alone again, promising to be back in half an hour to check up on _y/n_.

When they had gone, Aaron moved back to his prior seat. _y/n_ held out their hands for Hotch and he took it in his, running his thumb over their knuckles. Aaron looked up and _y/n_ was looking at him with sad eyes, like they knew something already, but they wished it wasn’t true. _y/n_ had a vague memory of some of yesterday, but with the drugs and the excitement, it had seemed to fade; they asked Hotch softly, “Tell me what happened yesterday. Everything that happened.” Aaron hesitated before replying, “_y/n_, it’s not very pleasant. Maybe you should wait a bit.” _y/n_ sighed and said, “Once the team comes to see me they’ll talk about it and I’d rather hear it from you. I do remember the doctor telling me I’m stuck here for twenty-four hours last night which leaves me with about ten hours to spare.” Aaron sighed before realizing that they were right. He recounted the events of the former day to _y/n_. They squeezed his hand as he described how he’d gotten them out of the field and to the barn. How he couldn’t let them die, and how that had saved his own life. _y/n_ didn’t have the right words to thank him for saving their life at that moment, but Aaron could see it, the look of thanks in their eyes. Instead of saying anything else, he leaned down and kissed _y/n_’s forehead. His lips lingered on their skin. Aaron knew that they had saved each other in an unspoken way. Aaron couldn’t let _y/n_ die, and deep down, he knew that they’d never forgive him if he’d died yesterday either, which had pushed him to run instead of shooting at the dogs. _y/n_ seemed to notice his shift in thoughts, and they asked, “And the dogs?” Aaron knew they would ask about the dogs soon. As someone who cherished animals, he knew his response would bring _y/n_ pain. Hotch pulled back and just nodded his head no, indicating the worst. _y/n_ closed their eyes and let out a half breath, half sob, saying, “They didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t know what was happening.” Aaron squeezed their hand and said, “I know, love. But maybe it was a mercy. They weren’t treated well, and I heard from one of the officers that a lot of them looked sick. The state wouldn’t have let them live, and they went quickly.” A few tears fell from _y/n_’s eyes, but they nodded ever so slightly, wanting to believe Aaron. Trusting what he said, even if he had fibbed, even if they could hear him lying to make them feel better. _y/n_ opened their eyes and asked, “What about the dogs from in the house? Those were good dogs? Nice dogs.” Aaron replied, “I’m not sure. I didn’t think about them when we got back to the farm. I’ll call the Sheriff later and see what he says. Maybe animal control came and took them before we got back.” _y/n_ nodded, also remembering how the other dogs had been gone once they arrived. They hoped that at least those dogs that they had petted on the first visit to the barn would find good forever homes, far away from the farm. Far away from Kansas. 

Later that evening, _y/n_ was discharged, and the following day, the team was headed back to Quantico after the largest thank you from Sheriff Weiss. Aaron ever so slightly accepted the gratitude but knew with a weariness that another, possibly worse case was waiting for them on JJ’s desk, and the two men shook hands. On the plane, Hotch and _y/n_ both took their mid-day meds from the hospital. _y/n_’s medication left them drowsy, and they moved to sit next to Aaron on the couch, slipping on their headphones and slipping their right hand into his. _y/n_ nestled slightly closer into his side and rested their head on his shoulder. Aaron pressed a kiss to _y/n_’s temple and moved back to the file in his hand. After about twenty minutes, the words began swimming in front of his eyes, and Aaron closed the file and realized he was defeated for the moment. Hotch tapped _y/n_ on the shoulder, and they roused a bit, mumbling, “What is it, Aaron?” Wordlessly, he put out a hand for one of their headphones. _y/n_ smiled and handed one over. Hotch slipped the earbud into his right ear and let the soft soundtrack of Hozier’s “Francesca,” “Northern Attitude,” and _y/n_’s favorite Unknown / Nth” envelope him like a hug. Aaron realized that whenever he listened to this playlist, he could picture _y/n_ so clearly in his mind. Their time together. The soft longing in the Irish man’s voice had become a connection for how much he loved and longed to spend his days with _y/n_. As he slipped off to sleep, he pictured them back home, already nestled in bed, under the covers, skin to skin. His face rested in a calm facade for once as the jet flew thousands of miles above the ground, taking them home. 

When they all got back to Virginia, the team went to their separate houses, Aaron and _y/n_ arrived home, ready for some sleep. Aaron went to the kitchen to make them an early dinner while _y/n_ unpacked their go bags and replaced their dirty clothes with fresh ones whenever the next case came their way. Turning on the light, _y/n_ caught sight of their reflection in the mirror, reminded them of how Hotch had looked at himself before the case, the way he spoke of himself. _y/n_ remembered the idea of getting him into a warm bath and showering him with praise while they sat by the side of the tub, rubbing his shoulders and massaging his scalp. The idea sent a flush through them, and they were determined to make it happen after all they had been through on the last case. _y/n_ had to wait a few days until Aaron could be safely submerged in water. His leg had significantly healed, and he was now putting on a topical antibiotic cream to the bite area instead of the stronger oral tablets he’d been taking before. It was Wednesday evening, and _y/n_ sent Hotch off on a short errand to get some tomato sauce and zucchini for dinner. While he was gone, _y/n_ filled the tub with hot water, lit some of their _y/f/c_’s, and dimmed the lights to low in the bedroom. _y/n_ also put a sheet over the standing mirror in the bedroom and a towel over the mirror in the bathroom. This was about Aaron cherishing his body, not putting it under a microscope. Just when all of this was done, _y/n_ heard Aaron enter the apartment and set the grocery bags on the counter. _y/n_ slipped out of the bedroom and found Aaron, kissing him. Hotch smiled at them, and as _y/n_ wordlessly pulled him into the bedroom, he didn’t question it or protest. Aaron did, however, look a bit taken aback as _y/n_ started undoing the buttons of his shirt He asked softly, “Is everything alright, sweetheart?” _y/n_ smiled at him tenderly and said, “It will be when you have your clothes off.” Aaron flushed. _y/n_ was rarely so brazen, and he didn’t know what this was about, but he didn’t stop himself from undoing his belt and sliding his trousers to the ground. Now that his shirt and pants were off, and his skin exposed to the cool air of the room he took _y/n_’s hand and looked at the bed as if asking if they wanted to move there now. _y/n_ leaned down a bit and kissed his chest, running their hands down his torso and beneath the band of his underwear. Hotch took in a sharp breath, flexing his muscles. _y/n_ pulled his last article of clothing down and simultaneously began gently sucking on one of the scars Foyett had left on his upper torso.

Aaron whispered their name and made to move to the bed, but _y/n_ said, “Actually, I drew you a warm bath. I, I kind of thought you might need something relaxing after that last case.” Hotch’s dark eyes changed from something filled with desire to a different kind of want; to be shown affection, and his gaze softened ever so slightly as he whispered, “Would you lead the way?” _y/n_ nodded, taking his hand as they led him to the bathroom. They checked the temperature of the water, and it felt perfect. Aaron kissed _y/n_ once more before settling in the tub. He lowered himself slowly into the water, letting it lap at his thighs, groin, and finally, his chest. He let out a sigh at how comforting the bath felt. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d treated himself to something like this. He could sense _y/n_ move behind him with soft steps and then get onto their knees near the lip of the tub. _y/n_ dipped their hands in the water and ran them over his broad, muscled shoulders, which were tight from the stress he kept in his neck and upper back. As _y/n_ began running firm hands over the knots, Aaron turned his head to the side and asked, “Would you get in with me, _y/n_?” _y/n_ paused, and though that had not been their original plan, a bath with Aaron sounded like bliss. _y/n_ put their head near this mouth and said, “Okay. Just give me a moment to put away the groceries. I’ll grab you a drink too.” Hotch smiled and nodded. He was happy that if he was going to be so relaxed, that _y/n_ would get to revel in it too. 

Aaron didn’t think much about how long _y/n_ was taking to put away the groceries, get him a drink, and then strip in the next room. He kept his eyes closed and pictured _y/n_ and really, without thinking about it, started humming _y/n_’s favorite song. When the tune to the chorus came around, he murmured the words as well in his soft tenor voice. Little did he know that _y/n_ was standing in the doorway listening to him. When _y/n_ stepped forward, he stopped immediately as if embarrassed for singing aloud. _y/n_ didn’t comment yet as they stepped into view, now stripped of their clothes. Aaron looked up at them, reveling in the sight of them fully revealed to him. Not that he didn’t see this every day, but it never failed to take the breath from him. _y/n_ handed him a chilled glass with an amber liquid inside saying, “Thought you might enjoy a scotch.” Aaron downright beamed at _y/n_’s thoughtfulness and said, “You’re singing my song.” _y/n_ smiled and cheekily replied, as they got into the bath, “Actually, I think you were singing my song.” Hotch flushed, as he took his first sip of his drink. There was a silence before _y/n_ asked, “Would you sing the rest of it for me? I don’t think I’ve ever really heard you sing before.” Aaron spluttered for a second, and he said, “Probably because I’m not a good singer, _y/n_. I think my talents lie elsewhere.” _y/n_ gave a soft pout and said, “I think you sounded lovely before. Please, Aaron.” Hotch knew he could never refuse them, and he steeled himself as he finished singing the third verse, bridge, and chorus of Hozier’s lyrics. He was shocked that the words just came to him, as he’d never actually looked them up before. But he guessed he’d just heard it so often and listened to _y/n_ sing them in the car or the shower that they had soaked into his neural paths naturally. After he finished, he looked to _y/n_ for some response.

Their smile told him what he needed to know, and he relaxed back more fully. For a moment there was just the soft sound of water lapping at their bodies. Eventually, _y/n_ said, “You know I love every part of you, right?” Aaron opened his eyes and met _y/n_’s as he responded with, “_y/n_ I…” He dropped the sentence because he didn’t know how to finish it. He did know that they loved every part of him, but he felt this was more than just about their perception of him. Aaron’s silence told _y/n_ that he was thinking and they gently said, “I mean it, Aaron. I love your mind that’s sharp as a razor, and I love your determination to do the right thing and protect people, and I love your body too. No matter how you change with age and time, nothing is going to stop me from loving you wholly. I need you to know that. I wouldn’t be here right now if it hadn’t been for all three of those things a week back.” The cynical side of his brain had him say, “_y/n_, that was all adrenaline in the heat of the moment.” _y/n_ scoffed at his logic slightly and said, “And? So what? That was your adrenaline that saved me. No one else's. Not the cop’s, not Derek’s. It was you who put your body on the line for me and didn’t let me die in a field in Kansas. You think you’re not capable of things because you’re getting older, but me being here is proof that you’re more capable than you know. And you always will be Aaron.” Hotch felt the weight of their words and emotions in _y/n_’s statement, and he almost started crying. He looked at _y/n_ through bleary eyes and said, “Thank you for taking care of me, _y/n_.” That was all he could get out without letting his tears actually fall. _y/n_ gave him a soft smile of understanding and opened their legs to make space for him, and they patted their chest for him to lean on. Aaron moved so his back was against their chest, and _y/n_ said, “Always, Aaron. We’ll always be there for each other.” Aaron closed his eyes and chose to let go of his negative thoughts for now. Choosing to accept _y/n_’s reality. Choosing to believe that he was worthy. As he settled back into their embrace, _y/n_ started working his aching muscles with their hands, whispering words of praise. He knew he had made it home.

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[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

I CANT. I'm also getting the dinkate vibes off of ghostkate and it's making me a bit feral. Kate making bets on every shot she makes and calls them in even when no one responds she legally owns half of the teams guns. Someone gives her their jacket and the whole team heart eyes at how small and scary she is while she is just >:( she gets hurt on a mission the they all turn into rabid guard dogs and she makes them get her everything. Kate wears ghosts skull mask and talks in an absurd British accent and gruff voice and stands next to him in the same pose and Johnny is like why am I blushing Ghost pretends to be annoyed but is actually fond. Kate watches them train a couple times and then uses their moves against them. Kate sees ghost without a mask once and falls off a building and has to get grappling hooked back up to the roof.

we're gonna get a little nsfw here, yall been warned also oops it became poly!141.

oh my god ohh my goddddddddd kate hustling the 141 i am SCREAMING

like it would only work for real when she first joins up with them because eventually they WILL learn that she does not miss shots. Or she'll make them take bets as a form of caretaking. "If I make this shot you have to go take a nap" "if i don't make this shot i'll do your laundry but if i DO make it you have to tell me what's bothering you"

before that, though. i wanna say she technically owns Price's car, three skull masks, something with the MacTavish tartan, and like two of Gaz's jackets (sometimes more, sometimes less. she steals his jackets. they're in civvies to go do something and he'll say "that's my jacket" and she will lie to his face about it. gets to the point that he just starts putting things in the pockets when she's wearing them, she may as well carry his phone since she's WEARING HIS JACKET). This is also how she got keys to everyone's off-base housing. All of them regret this fact. Soap was coming home from a bar one night with a pretty hot girl and they're running into walls, etc, for some reason they go through the kitchen and the girl shrieks because there's a person??? on the counter????

it's Kate. crouched on the counter, tucked into a little ball. she's....sleeping???? she blinks up at him and informs him he's out of bread before tucking her head back down

The girl doesn't stay. Obviously. And Soap has to figure out why a terrifying pocket-sized sniper is sleeping on his countertop and not Ghost's??? Ghost is BAFFLED by this question. Why is she more likely to be on his countertop than anyone else's. Which is how Soap finds out that Hawkeye and Ghost AREN'T doing the nasty??? (Maybe they are and just lying about it. Either way, Gaz and Soap get a lot flirtier with her. Ghost h888888 it. But also it's kind of cute. He's conflicted)

It also leads to the entire team realizing they have no idea what she does when they all head off base

JOHNNY SEEING HER ACT AND DRESS LIKE GHOST AND BEING LIKE OH NO IS THIS A THING FOR ME. If she wasn't doing the bad accent he would be DEEPLY into it

that night Ghost comes up to her and tells her she can't ever do that again, and he's so serious so she's apologizing, she didn't mean to insult him or hurt his feelings--

which is not the issue at all but kate won't let it go until finally he says something about how he can't be half-hard as he's yelling at recruits!!

now of course she has to find out if it's a mask kink or if it's a his mask kink and Ghost is vehemently denying it's a kink at all (it totally is). Soap gets dragged into this conversation and is like, yeah, this is absolutely a kink. don't worry simon, he totally gets it

widely agreed upon that Hawkeye + Soap is the cutest drunk combo. they will sit across from each other and try to imitate each other's accents. VERY funny when kate has been stressed out and parts of clint's midwestern accent she picked up start to come out (y'all)

(Also widely acknowledged if not spoken about that Kate and Gaz kissing would be very pretty. Am I saying that Price and Soap try and get them a little drunk so they make out? Maybe)

Price keeps track of who she is hanging out with because there are certain combinations that are...inadvisable (he completely ignores his effect on things. The ones in parenthesis are ones he pretends dont exist)

(Price+Ghost+Hawkeye: honestly they just sit and vibe with each other for hours. If they need to get something done Price and Ghost will let Hawkeye body double them for the ADHD. all of them have leadership roles and don't want to make any decisions during their time off so they have a "wheel of activities" that they spin)

Ghost+Hawkeye: never a combo Price worries about. if he can't find them they're probably napping somewhere or at a range shooting something. sometimes they disappear for a few hours and you'll see something on the news about, like, a child abuser getting their hands broken before they were carted off to jail, but that has nothing to do with them

Ghost+Soap+Gaz+Hawkeye: they generally just chill together, decreasing their chances of getting involved in shenanigans. Hawkeye and Gaz will probably wind up in the walls or ceiling at some point. only becomes worrisome if they start discussing conspiracy theories

Ghost+Soap+Hawkeye: now this is a chaotic grouping but it's mostly horny, so there's less to worry about

Hawkeye+Gaz: something is getting set on fire or they're going berry picking, no in between.

(Price+Soap+Hawkeye: Hawkeye and Price butting heads the whole time. Soap thinks it's hilarious. Actively tries to get them to fight, is not sneaky about it. Loves when they figure him out and focus all their attention on him.)

Hawkeye+Gaz+Ghost: if they do anything that's not outdoorsy, it's a whole Thing. The last three times they went out to eat together they uncovered various smuggling rings. It took Ghost an hour to get them to leave the smuggled sloth last time. He got the silent treatment for two days.

(Gaz+Price+Hawkeye: ends in tears most of the time. Either Gaz and Price vs Hawkeye or Hawkeye and Gaz vs Price. If Hawkeye and Price manage to work together Gaz stops functioning. They bark out orders at the same time? Both say he did a good job? Gaz cannot be expected to function under these conditions)

(Price+Gaz+Soap+Hawkeye: terrible choices have been made. someone is getting injured. three of them lowkey trying to impress Price and they don't even realize it. from an outside perspective it seems calm, trust me it's not)

(Price+Hawkeye: Both of them trying to be in charge. whatever they were supposed to get done doesn't happen but they do come up with an apocalypse contingency plan)

Hawkeye+Gaz+Soap: worst possible timeline. something is getting blown up. something has already caught fire. they are accompanied by an animal or have rescued a small child. The Hague is being reconvened. they are dancing on kissinger's grave. it's pandemonium. someone will probably get a medal for it. Get Ghost over there IMMEDIATELY

Nickname drift where when Kate gets irritated at Soap she calls him Mr Clean and he's like "It's SERGEANT Clean to you, lass!"

Kate getting hurt on a mission!!!! the whump i live for. if she gets hurt on a west coast avengers mission, the task force is PISSED AS FUCK. FUCKING. UNACCEPTABLE. BULLSHIT. if you can't take care of her you don't get to have her!!! again, i feel like Price is the most terrifying one, here. The others are all very visibly angry and loud about it, and Price is standing in the back, looking calm as he comes up with five plans to dismantle this team

if she gets hurt on a task force mission....uh the young avengers are PISSED AS FUCK. if you can't take care of her you don't get to have her! no it's not important how we wound up on this secure military base!

Clint is revoking everyone's Hawkeye privileges as they speak

She doesn't even ask them to bring her stuff. They just do it. They have to be forcibly removed from her room. Clint's like, yall cute but I'm in charge. Gets annoyed at Price at some point and turns his hearing aids off. Clint and Ghost getting very territorial and legitimately hissing and growling at each other. Kate is on very strong painkillers and thinks she made that up.

one night Kate hangs out with a different group on base and 141 is like "are we not good enough anymore? what did we do? does she not like us?" hardcore mopery happening. but that's what happens when you refuse to play darts with your hawkeye!!! also, she's probably hustling the other guys. Gaz promises he'll play darts with her. wraps his arms around her waist and gets her pinned to the couch so she has to hang out with them

alternatively, the 141 sees her hanging out with other people when they came TOGETHER for weekend drinks and Ghost goes over to her and picks her up, carrying her back to the 141 table. Not! acceptable behavior!!! but she did kinda like it. tbf if someone tries to hit on one of the task force she's like haha. no (: will sit in laps, play with hair, spill a drink, whatever is needed. just need them to be weird little freaks about each other

Gaz says something about "age before beauty" and she's like WOW fuckin RUDE and that's how they find out she's older than Gaz. Literally none of them caught that.

ugh i am having so many thoughts about this crossover and i accidentally started writing a real fic about it. save me.

[tiannasfanfic]

Sleep

Steve Harrington x Reader x Eddie Munson (Fluff)

| Masterlist | AO3 Link |

Summary: Some nights are harder for Steve Harrington to sleep than others, especially when away from the familiarity of home. Will staying with his two partners at the Forest Hills Trailer Park finally help him get a good nights sleep...or somehow make things worse?

Rating: General Audiences

Author Note: Gender neutral Reader, no pronouns used. No body parts described when Reader is nude.

CW: Hurt/Comfort; sleeping issues (some insomnia, light sleeping); mild descriptions of panic, anxiety and PTSD (Steve has been through a lot); nudity (no details); kissing; mildly sexually suggestive language (no details, not explicit).

Word Count: 1,714

Steve Harrington is a light sleeper.

It didn’t used to be that way. Throughout childhood and most of high school, Steve could’ve slept through a tornado while in the middle of an earthquake.

But then the Demogorgon happened. The Mind Flayer happened. Vecna happened.

Now the wind could blow a plastic bag down the street, and it would wake Steve up.

It wasn’t something he ever got used to, but it wasn’t too terrible at his parents’ house. The neighborhood he lived in was quiet, the houses decently spaced apart, and his house was well insulated with high quality windows that blocked most sounds from the outside. The only thing that ever really woke him up were the random creeks and groans of the house when the temperature changed and the house settled, or when the weather was bad.

But when he started staying over with you and Eddie? That was a whole different story.

For one thing, the trailer park was louder than a normal neighborhood, even at night. Not only was each residence much closer together, which made it easier to hear the neighbors, but random vehicles would come and go at all hours. No one worked a standard 9 to 5 job, and the vehicles themselves were noisy since almost everyone had an older model.

Secondly, there were some stray dogs running about, so someone was always barking nearby.

Thirdly, there were even more stray cats running about, so someone was always yowling nearby.

Fourthly, if there was even a slight breeze, everything in the trailer creaked and groaned as if it were a 90-year-old man with a wicked case of arthritis.

And fifthly, you and Eddie both moved around a lot in your sleep.

That wasn’t to say either of you tossed and turned like Nancy did, or that you had nightmares like Robin. Despite everything that happened over that horrible Spring Break, with Eddie on the run for three murders and you nearly getting assaulted by the basketball team just for being Eddie’s significant other, you both were very sound sleepers.

No, you both just moved around a lot. Turning over, pulling at blankets, adjusting pillows, prodding each other or Steve to cuddle, all normal stuff.

It wasn’t something Steve noticed right away though. The first few times he stayed over were fueled by alcohol and weed. While the next few times did also involve weed, nothing involving you or Eddie didn’t also involve weed. But, unlike Johnathan’s friend Argyle, rather than get relaxed and laid back while high, you and Eddie both got relaxed and wanted to get laid while high. Even on the nights he didn’t partake in the smoking himself, Steve would be so relaxed and worn out that he could sleep uninterrupted. The few times he did wake up, it was only to use the bathroom, but then he’d go right back to sleep.

As the weeks went on, the honeymoon period winded down and the nights weren’t quite as wild and tiring anymore. It didn’t take long before Steve found himself slipping back into his normal ways. He was waking up at every little sound or movement one of you made in bed.

After a few nights of this, Steve started to consider going home for a bit just to get his normal four ish hours of sleep instead of the barely two he had been getting , but he hated that idea. Even when he found himself wide awake for hours at a time, just lying-in bed with the two of you was nice, even when you were dead asleep. Because of that, Steve decided getting hardly any sleep was better than sleeping alone.

One night, Steve found himself waking up randomly in the middle of the night, like had become his normal. Feeling movement beside him, he opened his eyes to see you carefully slipping out of bed from between him and Eddie. He watched you for a moment, smiling as his eyes followed your bare backside as you quietly tiptoed out of the room. While none of you had sex the night before, you preferred to sleep naked, something that both Eddie and Steve absolutely loved. Knowing he’d soon hear the toilet flush and you’d come back to bed shortly after that, Steve closed his eyes.

But, while he did hear the toilet flush like predicted, you didn’t come back to bed.

After a few minutes, Steve began to worry. Typically, you and Eddie both came right back to bed after a trip to the bathroom. When you didn’t, he usually would hear something to indicate where you were, like a cabinet opening or the shower running. Not this time. The wind was up outside, and the creeks of the trailer were covering up any minor noises he could’ve heard.

He finally decided to check on you and slipped out of bed, glancing over at Eddie once he was on his feet. Neither you nor Steve getting up had disturbed him. He was still snoring softly as he slept on his stomach, head buried under his pillow with one foot and his arm dangling out of bed.

Walking softly through the trailer, Steve checked the bathroom and kitchen, finding both empty. He grew alarmed when he reached the living room and saw you weren’t there either.

The combination of sleep deprivation and the normal low level of paranoia he always kept hidden sent Steve’s protective nature into overdrive. Memories of that Spring Break flashed through his mind, particularly the battle in the Upside Down where both you and Eddie ended up severely hurt.

Did Vecna somehow survive and come to take you for revenge?

The thought instantly sent Steve into a panic attack. He just got both you and Eddie, he couldn’t bear to lose either of you.

Steve was about to go wake up Eddie when he noticed the front door wide open. Without thinking, he immediately went to check outside, flying through the screen door and out of the trailer onto the front porch.

The wind made the fall night a chilly one, but even though he was clad only in sweats, he didn’t feel the change in temperature. His adrenaline was running too high. Running off the porch and into the small yard, Steve looked around for any sign of you.

Eddie’s van was still there, as were both your car and Steve’s. He couldn’t see any sign of you though and was thinking about checking for you in the back of Eddie’s van when your voice called down to him from the porch.

“Did you leave the gas on or something?”

Steve wheeled around to find you sitting on the couch that was on the front porch, clad in your fluffy robe that fell past your knees. You were watching him with a curious expression, a lit cigarette in your hand.

Feeling relieved, he sighed and walked back up to the porch. Standing up, you took the last drag from your cigarette then put it out in a nearby ashtray. You met each other at the door.

Now that you were close to him, you took one look at Steve and knew something was wrong.

“You okay, sweetie?” you asked, bringing one hand up to cup his face.

Steve felt his anxiety melt away at your touch as your thumb softly stroked his cheek.

“I got worried when you didn’t come back to bed,” he muttered, one hand coming up to rest on top of yours.

Steve’s gaze was aimed down at the porch. The whole thing felt really silly now that he was standing here with you.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” you said softly.

He looked up at you then to find you smiling warmly at him.

“You didn’t,” he said. “I just don’t sleep very good anymore.”

As you ushered Steve back inside where it was warm, he briefly explained the issues he’s been having at night.

“Oh sweetie,” you said, slipping out of your shoes, and starting to untie your robe. “You should’ve said something sooner. I’d have tucked you in so you could sleep better.”

Steve couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“I think I’m a little old to be tucked i-“ he started to say, then cut off as your robe flowed down to the ground around your feet.

No matter how many times he saw it, your naked form always took his breath away.

“Oh, something tells me you’ll love having me tuck you in,” you said, coming over to slip your arms around his neck, your bare chest pressing against his. “Eddie even begs for it sometimes.”

As you spoke, you let the tips of your fingers on one hand trail up the back of his neck. Steve sighed softly at the feeling, his eyes closing as his hands slid up the sides of your bare legs to rest on your lower back. Carefully combing through his thick hair, you slowly worked through it until the pads of your fingers were resting against the back of his head. You began to rub his head in slow, soft circles. Steve couldn’t help but moan, and soon felt your lips brush over his.

“Come on, sweetie,” you said softly, pulling away from him to take Steve by the hand. “Let’s get you back to bed and, well, tucked in.”

The living room may have been dark, but Steve could see the way your eyes glinted at him, and the way you bit your bottom lip after you said the words “tucked in.” He felt a hot flush spread across his face and neck as you started leading him towards the bedroom.

Halfway down the hall though, Steve had a thought and stopped.

“Wait,” he said, and you stopped to look back at him. “Won’t we wake-up Eddie?”

“Oh, we most certainly will wake him up,” you said, then smiled at him in such a way that made his heart race. “But he won’t mind. He’ll be just as eager to help.”

Steve didn’t have any other objections and obediently followed you.

True to your word, Eddie stirred awake a short time later.

And, just as promised, he was more than eager to help the both of you get back to sleep.

[mosscreeper-ao3]

October writing challenges prompts and pairings!

Flufftober (prompts from @flufftober)

Pairings are in green. Please be mindful of the difference between "/" (romantic or sexual) and "&" (platonic) pairings

Last pet meet cute-Kaidan & Rocky (his dog from my main mShenko series)

"Left, other left!"-mShenko

Favorite scent-Kaidan & the Normandy crew

Market day-MFE friendship

Acorn, pinecone, chestnut-Jaith

Mistaken identity-Keith & Shiro (Broganes)

Hoodie weather-Jaith

Chopping and piling wood-mShenko

"Don't do that." "but-"-Jaith

Bet, game, contest-Jaith, MFE friendship

Ingredients and spells-Paladin friendship

"This is spooky." "Really?"-Klance

Attic, cellar, hidden room-solo Keith

Fantasy AU/Mundane AU-Jaith

"What are you wearing?" "It's laundry day."-Jaith

Yes, no, maybe-Jaith

Rainy Day (alt prompt)-Jaith

Bewitched-Jaith

Yarn-mShenko

Paw-Keith & Kosmo

Bonfire-mShenko

Heirloom-solo James Griffin

Stormy night-Jaith

Comfort food-MFE friendship

Haunted house-Klance

"I can't find it."-mShenko

Afternoon stroll-mShenko

Lucky charm-MFE friendship

Time capsule-Paladin Friendship

"Forever?"-Jaith

"Make a wish."-Jaith

Whumptober (prompts from @whumptober)

This one will be mostly split into two fics with each prompt being a chapter. One exploring James' emotional state after Keith leaves and the other exploring Keith's being captured during a BoM mission.

A few prompts will be turned into one shots.

Keith's fic will cover the following prompts

Day 1-race against the clock/search party

Day 3-set up for failure/wrongfully arrested

Day 4-hallucination/sensory deprivation

Day 7-only for emergencies/unconventional weapons

Day 8-sleep deprivation/forced to stay awake

Day 12-starvation/"just a little more"

Day 16-necrosis/wound cleaning

Day 21-body horror/spirit possession

Day 22-bleeding through the bandages/reopening wounds

Day 24-radiation poisoning/equipment failure

Day 26-nightmares/parting words regret

Day 29-fatigue/"who said you could rest?"

James' fic will cover the following prompts

Day 2-trust issues/role reversal

Day 5-sunburn/heatstroke

Day 6-not realizing they're injured/unhealthy coping mechanism

Day 9-obsession/broken window

Day 11-seeing double/loneliness

Day 13-team as family/familial curse

Day 14-left for dead/“Because I want you to know what it feels like to be haunted”

Day 18-revenge/loss of identity

Day 23-forced choice/broken pedestal

Day 28-denial/CCTV

Day 31-asking for help/"I'm alive, I'm just not well"

One shots will cover the following prompts

Day 10-blow to the head/"I can't think straight", Jaith

Day 15-childhood trauma/"I did good, right?", Jaith

Day 17-nowhere else to go/"we had a good run", Jaith

Day 19-blood trail/"is there anybody out there?", Paladins

Day 20-emotional angst/"it's not your fault, Shiro & Keith (broganes)

Day 25-surgery/"it's for your own good", solo Shiro

Day 27-voiceless/muzzled, solo Shiro

Day 30-recovery/"what have I done", solo Shiro

Kinktober below the cut

Kinktober (prompts from @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction)

Pairings are in green.

Edging-Jaith

Love bites-Jaith

Breath play-Shiro/Curtis

First time-Allurance (all Allurance will have trans Lance)

Nipple play-Allurance

Mirror sex-Jaith

Secret reltionships-mShenko

Fingering-Romelle/Allura

Sex pollen-Jaith

Scissoring-Allurance

Threesome-Kallurance

Kneeling-Shiro/Curtis

Shower-Klance

Begging-mShenko

Surrender-mShenko

Public-mShenko

Praise kink-Jaith

Psychic bonds-femShep/Liara

Fuck or die-Jaith

Whipping-Shiro/Curtis

Bondage-Shiro/Curtis

Shotgunning-Jaith (college AU)

Blindfold-Allurance

On the desk-Jaith

Sleepy sex-Shiro/Curtis

Marking-Jaith

Body worship-mShenko

Face sitting-Romelle/Allura

Hair pulling-mShenko

Afternoon delight-Shiro/Curtis

Free space, swimming-Jaith

[mollywog]

Trick or treat 🧙🏻‍♀️😈🎃

How do you think Haymitch would feel about Halloween (assuming that they had it in District 12)? Would he hand out candy, or turn all his lights off until it’s over?

And if you’re interested in a prompt I would LOVE to read about the three District 12 victors spending Halloween together post-Mockingjay

Happy Halloween!! Thanks for stopping by! Here’s some 🍭 🍫🍬

I really wanted this to be a fic, but i couldn’t wrangle it the way I had hoped, so please accept this mood board and concept

(A bunch of people have already discussed this, but here’s my version) Some years after the War, the government starts putting out ‘Heritage’ propos where they dig up old traditions of yesteryears and reimagine them into ‘modern’ times - Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch were approached to star in some of these but refused. (Haymitch eventually ‘takes one for the team’ and does a segment to keep Plutarch from pushing the issue. (I have such a vision for what this looks like and it is so absurd))

The Fall Fest that’s an amalgamation of Fall Harvest, Halloween, Day of the Dead, Michaelmas.

They reintroduction the idea of trick or treating and the first year or two send candy to each District’s Justice building to distribute to the local businesses to get the tradition up and running.

Katniss is… weary.

They run segments on creating your own costumes for everyday items. The ideas are tame - After the games and the war, no one really has a taste for children in horror costumes, it’s mostly just kids dressed as occupations or animals

some of the braver children approach Katniss to see if she’ll lend them deer sheds to complete their costumes - she can’t resist and helps anyone who asks. When one of the children mentions that she plans to dress up as a dog, Katniss starts having nightmares about the tribute mutts and begins to have concerns about her and Peeta’s reactions to festivities.

They discuss and decide they shouldn’t participate - at least not this year and plan to spend the weekend at the cabin. Peeta suggests they invite Haymitch too and assuming he’ll decline, she does so flippantly.

Haymitch surprises her and accepts. A morning of Trick or treating, the three Victors of District 12 make their way to the lake - it takes significantly longer with Haymitch tagging along.

From there I picture the snuggest, most rustic little fall camping trip: sweaters, blankets, Fires, naps, card games, warm beverages and meals cooked over the fire. Just the tree of them with no responsibilities, good naturedly teasing each other, warm, and content

[hchollym]

random fic idea that has no real purpose or anything it just popped up in my head

Fred and George have a transfiguration project due soon (for the sake of this lets say the project is to turn an object into an animal and back again) but they’ve put it off for so long and they have absolutely no clue what to do.

So they ask for Percy’s help.

He tries to help them but no-one is listening to each other and all the chaos and stress ends in the result of one of the spells being butchered and shot straight at Percy.

He ends up being turned into a dog or something (just any household pet really, but a cat or a dog would blend in better(for this ask im just gonna stick with a dog)) and cue the panic. They try to reverse it but they can’t and Percy in his dog form is absolutely freaking out. He’s running about, jumping on everything, barking and howling and whining and just all out causing a ruckus which human Percy would be absolutely horrified off.

Anyways, after many botched attempts, in a final act of desperation they wrap him up in a blanket and attempt to try and smuggle him to Professor McGonagal’s office.

They eventually get there (whether it was a smooth journey or full of absolute chaos is up to you) and they explain the situation to McGonagall. She does a little check up etc. and (for the sake of plot) she tells them that the spell would last anywhere from a week to a month (i’d say like a week or two).

Because the spell was meant to turn something into an animal the animal is just a blank slate, so basically unlike an animagus (at least i assume animagi dont have this issue), Percy is just in the body of a dog. Which currently occupies the mind of a dog. So he’s freaking out trying to keep tabs on his human brain and trying not to slip to far into animalistic behaviours.

Anyways, so they come to the conclusion that the twins can get away with not doing the project , but as punishment? (i guess? or like a substitute project) they have to look after dog!percy until he changes back. Obviously no-one is happy about this but there’s not really anything else they can do

that’s all i got so far, but the basic plot would be something like:

Things start to slowly fall apart without Percy to hold it together. Nothing too chaotic, but definitely noticeable.

Students failingc classes or flunking tests cause Percy isn’t there to help them study. More fights and arguments because Percy isn’t there to break them up. More people doing things they shouldn’t because Percy isn’t their to stop them.

Slowly but surely, the twins start to notice these little differences and throughout the story, the learn how much their brother is responsible for and they learn to appreciate him better (idk how that would show in a story like this. ideas?)

Meanwhile, Percy is having his own issues. Battling between his now two minds and adding on the fact that he has practically nothing to do for the next two weeks or so since he’s a dog. His story would focus on him learning to relax a little bit and allow himself to indulge in the things that make him happy (again, not sure how this would play out. ideas?)

maybe the other weasley siblings find out and join in as well in lookinv after Percy. It starts off as teasing but by the end of the story they all appreciate him better and Percy learns how to appreciate them a little more as well since they’re taking care of him.

You could even throw in the Golden Trio as well. Maybe the Gryffindor Quidditch team, including Oliver Wood (he is Percy’s roommate so i’m sure he’d notice somethings up when Percy doesn’t come back to the dorms one night). Maybe Marcus even joins the journey somehow

It could even tie into some Third Parent Percy as well. Such as the Weasley siblings start to feel a little bit off as the days go by and eventually they realise it’s because they don’t have Percy checking up on them everyday and even though they’ve complained about it, the start to miss it.

Anyways, yeah.

Thoughts?

You should write the fic! I love the idea - Percy as an adorable dog and learning the relax, the twins taking care of him, things slowly falling apart, the younger Weasleys realizing how much Percy actually does and learning to appreciate him more. 🥰

Like when Fred and George actually do well on an assignment, their parents don't congratulate them because they expect it from all the kids anyway (whether it's realistic or not), whereas Percy is always the first person to congratulate them and say "Well done." They used to grumble about it not mattering, but they secretly liked it because it made them feel cared about, so when they don't get that anymore, they're pretty disappointed.

I think it'd be great if this took place in Percy's 7th year (Book 3). We'd see the prefects not functioning as well either; they're disorganized and stressed because Percy usually makes sure that things run smoothly. I also love the idea of Oliver and Marcus' fights blowing out of control because Percy isn't there to act as a mediator, so maybe they get threatened by McGonagall that they're going to be suspended from a Quidditch match, which has everyone panicking.

Plus, Percy could meet Sirius in his Animagus form and not realize it's him. Like Percy goes running through the woods - trying to embrace being a dog and find a way to relax - but he gets lost and doesn't know how to find his way back or feed himself without magic.

Sirius finds him and is intrigued by this cute - but rather pathetic - dog, and he takes him under his wing, because he figures he's just a young stray, and Sirius is obviously a dog lover. He shows Percy how to find food and a safe place to rest, and even though the twins are freaking out that Percy is missing, Percy's getting more unconditional attention from a parental figure than he's ever gotten. 😭

If you write it, let me know! I'd love to read it. 🥰

Thanks for the ask! 😊

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

So does that mean you enjoyed Pokemon Violet? And do you play those games often or this was a one-off?

Did I Enjoy Pokemon Violet?

If we're going on a yes/no decision here: no. I enjoyed it enough to finish the game, and it's more or less what I'd expect out of a pokemon game, but it was thoroughly alright.

It somehow feels even easier than the last gen (which is impressive) both in how to gain experience as well as the puzzles throughout the game, the storyline was more memorable than some but ultimately lulzy, and while the open world was neat and the scenery was nice I'm not really an open world game person and it was a little buggy (not as much as before all the patches but it was noticeable from time to time).

As it is, the open world thing in Scarlet and Violet sort of worked but also kind of didn't. To make the gyms make sense, you still pretty much had expected places to go where you'd get scared off by either obstacles you can't get past without beating a titan or pokemon that can kill you. So, you almost had 'routes' anyway and certainly an expected order to things. Not being attacked by rattatata all the time was nice, but at the same time, you had pokemon running at you when all you wanted to do was stand there. Having the three storylines simultaneously (the gyms, the big mystery of the game, the Team Rocket thing) sort of worked but also to me made each of them kind of flatter so as to accommodate them not being connected in any way.

Not sure why Nemona wants to battle you all the time, guess she has issues with her parents. Sure, I guess someone should beat up those Team Star nerds so they actually go back to school, but doesn't really feel all that important and shouldn't this be your job Mr. Principal? Sorry about your dog, Arvan.

I also wasn't really a fan of the gimmick of the game: the raid battles or terralyzing (whatever it's called). Now, it's less dumb than some of the other gimmicks we've seen, but I wasn't even a fan of mega evolution so in general I don't love the trend of having a new gimmick every game and going "it's different! You love it!" when I don't.

That said, the pokemon games aren't made for me, they're made for eight-year-olds where this is one of their first serious games (where they're expected to be able to read/problem solve/etc.) and they enjoy a nice story about uh friendship. While I enjoy the harder earlier gen games more (which also had slightly more edge in their stories) this clearly is the direction they want the game to go where it's much more accessible.

It was better than some of the other recent releases (I didn't finish Sword/Shield because I got bored, and Sun/Moon I didn't even get as far as that) but to me it's still far below the quality of Gen 1-3 (where for me it's all been downhill since then).

I do find the story though in this one (from your task of beating up bullied children to Arvan's dead robot dad being the worst) hilarious. But I'm not sure if that makes a good game, it just made me laugh.

Am I a Regular

Yup, started Pokemon Yellow, somehow been here ever since. That said, each time a new one comes out I ask myself if I'm really going to get it since my enjoyment has gone progressively downhill each game, but so far I've kept doing it.

[mymisfitsbabe]

Harringrove - The Book

This is the fourth chapter of the @harringrovestorychallenge

1st Chapter by @harringrovestorychallenge

2nd Chapter by @lorifragolina

3rd Chapter by @medusapelagia

Chapter 5 coming soon @dragonflylady77

CHAPTER 4

TW: Blood, gore, abuse. Explicit 18+ only!

Two weeks, it had taken two fucking weeks for things to spiral so far down that Billy couldn't find a way out. Monsters in the woods. If Billy was being honest with himself, he'd always thought it would be his dad that killed him. Not some mutated bastard from another dimension but now Billy was starting to wonder.

Three days after Billy had nearly been mauled to death in the woods, someone else was. It was a boy, he was on the paper at Hawkins high and was trying to get home. Hopper found him in pieces. 

They found another set of bodies four days later and Billy was panicking. Neil and Susan hadn't come home from their date. Billy had tried to stop them from leaving, he'd had Max locked up tight for the whole week he'd known, but the adults wouldn't listen. 

Neil had clocked him once, real good across his jaw, told Billy they were going to the city over and they'd be back. But they didn't come home. Max was asleep on the couch, her feet slung across Billy's lap as he watched the news, waiting for an ID on the bodies they'd found last night. 

It wasn't them. It was cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham and her boyfriend on the basketball team… Jason Carver. Billy knew them, he'd known them and now they were being buried in semi empty closed coffins. But the parents still weren't home.

Steve's brat called an emergency meeting, and Hopper issued a dusk curfew. Max dragged Billy over to the Wheeler's house where the dork squad gathered and immediately started screaming over each other. A plan, the idiot children came up with a plan. 

“Not on your fucking life!” Billy snarled, he grabbed Max's arm and started to haul her out of the basement.

The kids swarmed him and Billy was one breath away from shoving them out of his way and driving back to California. But Steve interjected, he stepped in front of Billy hands up in a playacting manner. 

“Hey, hey come on. Relax. I know it's hard, I know it's terrifying, but we've handled worse.” Steve spoke slowly, trying to soothe Billy. 

“No, no. This is insane. I'm taking Max and we're getting out. People are dying! Chrissy is dead! Jason is dead! I'm not letting my kid sister get eaten because you all think you're super heroes or some bullshit!” Billy raged.

“I agree, I say we all get the hell outta this shit hole.” Lucas’ little sister said from her spot on the couch. “Fuck the rest of the people in this town, our friends and family. Let them get eaten while we run and hide and hope the things eatin them up don't come find us in California.”

Billy stared at her, he swallowed hard knowing she was right. What was to keep these things in Hawkins? Max grabbed his arm, he looked down at her, she gave him a reassuring look and Billy groaned.

The plan was to go out into the woods, with some superpowered kid (Billy did not take finding that out well.) and either take the monster out or capture it. Hopper, Joyce, Johnathan, Nancy, Steve and Billy were on guard duty for Eleven who was going to kill the thing. 

“I don't think this is a good idea, pretty boy.” Billy whispered as they walked into the woods. 

It wasn't. They managed to kill three of the 7 foot tall monsters and more than a few dogs, but they'd been quickly overrun. Jonathan was the first to go down, one of the dog things bit into his leg. Then Nancy was tackled to the ground where she hit her head on a rock. Joyce's arm was bitten and Hopper called for a retreat. 

El had kept them from being killed but she couldn't hold them all back by herself. Steve had used his bat, he freed Johnathan from the monster on his leg and helped El take out one of the big ones. Hopper was keeping the dogs back, and helping down the tall ones so El could finish them.  Billy kicked the dog off Nancy before it could sink teeth or claw into her, and bashed in the skull of the one that clamped onto Joyce with his tire iron. But Billy had almost shit his pants when two of the tall things stalked toward them. 

El had crushed them before Billy even had the chance to swing on them, feet planted and adrenaline running so rampant inside him Billy thought he'd throw up. Billy carried Nancy's unconscious body, Steve slung Jonathan's arm over his shoulders and the rest of them ran on their own out of the woods. 

Once they made it into the bronco Billy started tying off Jonathan's leg, then Joyce's arm, he didn't know what to do for Nancy other than hold pressure on the gash in her scalp. Billy thought he'd been through the worst his short life had to offer, but that night proved him so wrong.

Jonathan, Joyce and Nancy ended up in the emergency room while Steve and Billy ended up back at Steve's house with all the kids. They set up a huge pallet on the floor in the basement, piling in blankets and pillows till all the kids looked comfortable. Steve and Billy brought down the TV and a stack of movies to keep the kids entertained. 

“I don't wanna talk, pretty boy.” Billy whispered, knees to his chest and arms wrapped around himself. 

Steve just sat next to Billy on the couch in the empty living room, he slumped down and let his head hang off the back of the couch. Billy noticed the thin black sweatpants and a new loose fitting shirt. They stayed like that for a while, just letting the terror of the night fade from their system. 

“Showers free. Waters hot too, and I have your clothes from the last time. Nice and warm, they'll be out of the dryer in ten minutes.” Steve spoke softly, his voice tender and calm. 

Billy turned to look at Steve who stared back, freshly scrubbed clean from his shower Steve looked so… Billy leaned over and kissed Steve. 

Soft lips turned feverish, tongues sliding into each other's mouth as Billy moved to straddle Steve. Frenzied hands worked to pull off each other's clothes, Billy's blood stained fingers making a dark contrast against Steve's pale beauty marked skin. 

Steve rolled them so Billy was laying face up on the couch. Billy lifted his hips to help Steve strip him. Steve's weight on top of him made Billy feel safe, the kisses making his body warm and the press of Steve's cock inside him making him feel full. 

It was slow, and sensual, a tender contrast to the quick brutal terror of the woods. Billy sighed softly as Steve left feather light kisses across his neck, jaw and lips, while rolling his hips up into Billy causing an orgasm to crest. 

“I love you.” Steve whispered into Billy's ear, making him moan in pleasure. “I love you, I love you” 

The words were repeated and signed with a kiss across Billy's skin and in the morning Billy could still hear the words repeating in his head.

[river-muse]

Wall-of-text comment, coming right up!

Okay I think I forgot to mention this before, but I love the Mundus powerscaling you've settled on, and the story of Vergil running away after dmc3!

I think the dmc3 novel or smth gave fans the impression that a 'rested' dmc3 single twin could have defeated Mundus, which, while truly tragic as so much trouble could have been avoided, I think it's also very underwhelming. I guess you upscaled Mundus even higher than dmc1 Dante (30-smth yo) + DS Sparda? Anyway, I really love this. Mundus is a very dangerous and tangible threat, and it's a great pressure point on the twins to figure out their bullshit faster.

And the story you've come up with for post-dmc3 Vergil is very true to him, or at least, I think it is very true for him. Vergil's been on the run from his issues for the last decade, and the ending of the last twin fight just showed him that...all that growth was still enough. His newly awakened little brother was able to defeat him, then what chance does he stand against Mundus? As painful as it looks, that defeat was be a significant blow to him, and Dante's attempts to help would not be able to remedy that, if anything they would only aggravate Vergil's wounds. So yeah, it makes total sense Vergil ran into the night one after that.

Birthday chapters commentary:

(regarding the notes at the beginning of the chapter - I Am Looking Forward To Seeing Your Older Nero)

My best guess is that Vergil was thinking of his 'hiding' habits and how they affected Nero, so, berating himself in front of his mom, before the beginning of the chapter. Then, Dante mentioning that Eva would be proud of Vergil's parenting (which she would) triggered him and he bolted.

Lemme just quickly say here that the frustration Dante feels when Vergil runs? So. Goddamn. Relatable. To. The. Reader.

Love the twins' strategy of constantly picking Nero up, adorable))) Also love that Nero came up to his uncle for the support there (I am weak for Uncle Dante), be clearly needed some support there to tell his dad. That entire scene is great and I love it. The moment Nero interprets Vergil leaving wrong is small but heartbreaking all the same.

The description of the uncle-nephew nap had me crackling in tears xDDD So accurate too!

The scene of Dante waking up automatically looking for a gun is another sneaky, yet powerful heartbreak. I guess he anticipated something like this before and started keeping his girls away when family visits occur? Also wonder why didn't Nero run and jump full speed on his newly-awakened uncle. Missed opportunity, birthday boy!

Twins almost starting another fight, but wrapping it and tossing it away just as quickly in front of Nero is definitely progress, and another prime example of 'forcing the dogs to lie'. Perfectly in sync, even if their actual opinion on the topic are opposites, and the question before them is in dire need of discussing.

Car space for legs being too short is just. Pure torture. All-too relatable, sadly. Poor bois, they did nothing to deserve this(

Nero&Dante teaming up in 'zebra is a horse' arguement is everything to me. Vergil was laughing at his favourite idiots, no doubt xD

My live reaction at little Nero trying to get Dante involved in zoo activities (follow your own advice for your brother, loser): 😭😭😭

Surprisingly accurate common zoo layout description! Very well done there.

"Lizards are not crying aside- [topic switch]" demons? Was that a Devil May Cry reference? What next, a fic Featuring Dante???

I love every single one animal interaction. Like, you could have easily glassed over those, they don't affect the plot or character interactions between each other. Yet, they are all so detailed and lively, I adore those. It's clear you've had a lot of experience with animals, OR your research is obsessively-crazy good. I bet both.

My live reaction at Nero holding hands with twins: 😭😭😭

"I can't Birthday Boy out of this one" - snorted out loud at this one xDDD I feel like the zebra debate is based on personal experience xD

UNCLE DANTE SHOULDER RIDE UNCLE DANTE SHOULDER RIDE UNCLE DANTE SHOULDER RIDE (Vergil absolutely got jealous, and it was his own fault)

Kyrie is a certified otter lover. Love Vergil's little queue to not bring her up and how quickly Dante adapts to his advice.

The plushie naming scene is precious.

Dante seeing that the gift for Nero is hand-wrapped by a clearly inexperienced Vergil is another sneaky little, but very powerful heartbreak. While Dante would make a truly awesome uncle, I also feel very strongly that he would be jealous of Nero. Dante was never enough for Vergil, but Nero had to just..appear and boom! almost-domesticated Vergil. (this is absolutely Dante's issues speaking and not what actually happened, I can also absolutely see the reverse of this happening - Nero being jealous of Dante's twin-telepathy with his father.

Vergil's little cake admission. OUCH. Bad Dante, you shouldn't deflect your closed-off brother's rare emotional moment, you should encourage those to happen more, Bad Dante, Bad.

Twins pool scene can solve all of reader's mental health problems, guaranteed. Precious. Soul-healing. Very touching.

(why was Vergil shaken after that shoulder pat?...my best guess is touch-starvation, but Nero should have been able to keep that one at bay I think...)

I'm enjoying this reread and note-taking very much)))

I GET TWO IN ONE DAY????? 👀

Ohhh you were CHEWING on this one I can see! For your guess on my knowledge of zoo layouts/animals- I grew up obsessively watching Animal Planet and have been to zoos and aquariums quite a lot before! I LOVE animals even if I don't have the skills/certifications/heart to work closely with them in a professional setting. When I was super little I'd been thinking about pursuing that as a career but set it down because I get way too attached to things. Besides my beloved massive american wirehair cat that roams my house like an overgrown baby I also keep a corn snake I've raised since he was younger than a month old.

Mundus! Yes! I wanted him to be an actual threat that's looming in the background of the narrative because let's be real that guy can create other demons wholesale on a whim and can- well- wait that's spoilers hold on I can't say that 💀 either way I wanted his presence to have actual weight to it rather than just seem like a little speedbump that the twins can take down without issue and have just been avoiding for no reason. He's got his own plans in motion that get hinted at in the narrative but not said outright. He's acting like a persistence predator in that respect. Strategically hunting at random points, cutting off escape routes, and keeping his quarry on edge so their capabilities diminish little by little until they get desperate and tired. :)

I'm not gonna lie I think you even picked up stuff in the narrative I HADN'T PLANNED but it all works so good!!! The case of the writer subconsciously pulling off genius narrative strikes again.

I'm in love with all of this I'm dipping you lowly(platonically) because while I'm going to keep being self-indulgent in this series until it's over it's so exciting to get interactions with it!! I spent a while worried that my method of situational characterization with this divergent AU would be off-putting to anyone else but you're proving me so wrong.

Also yes Older Nero in this AU is going to be fun! I have quite a lot of that content already written or planned. He grows up to have a very similar to canon personality with- a different flavor that you'll see as we progress in the series.

I have a fun question that doesn't need an answer, but is a little extra tidbit to think on because you've made my day:

If the official DMC team said once that Nero wouldn't be who he was without Kyrie- then what do you think Kyrie would be without Nero?

EDIT: No you know what I am NOT DONE TALKING!! I keep dwelling on how you noticed every single moment of action that reveal scars that haven't healed!! The one that still kills me is the description of how Vergil wrapped the gift because if it had been from his perspective we would have just seen him berating himself for not being able to do better but through Dante's eyes we see the MEANING behind the gesture and how significant it is.

Also the zebra argument was by far one of my best things and if I've had that hyper-specific argument before I don't remember but I have FEELINGS about it!

The pool scene. Oh, how soft it makes me feel. Writing it was such a nice breath of fresh air it makes my heart melt and was a sign that with time Vergil can heal and open back up to his family.

[artistic-writer]

a year gone by

Many of you will know that for the last year or so, I have had very little, if any, fandom contact. I guess I should explain a little bit about what has been going down and what has kept me away.

My account would not let me in: And i am stubborn. So i stopped trying to get in. At the time i felt like the fandom was moving apart and I didn't want top to be apart of the he said she said that came along with it. I have seen a good number of new fandom members emerging, who are kind and loving and thoughtful on the Discord, and have made me want to come back.

Wilf: I got a second dog without realising the consequences of doing so and the impact it would have on my family. Wilf has his share of problems. He is my little ball of anxiety and I have been working through the many issues he has with him, but we are far from there yet. He is nearly 2 now <3

My health is in the tank: I have had several flare ups of my Fibromyalgia in the last few years, and many of them have made it difficult to sit still long enough. As you can imagine, this takes its toll on one's mental health. Yay having an illness that is worsened by inactivity. My nature is a little self destructive and i throw myself into work in order to forget about the pain, and that has led to severe fatigue, which in turn, is not conducive to writing or arting. I am sorry. Also, in April i had a work related accident where i thought i had just sprained my ankle, but as it turns out, i have detatched not one, but two ligaments, so am awaiting the outcome of will i/won't i need an operation? My appointment is in Dec.

I took up a hobby!: For nearly FOUR years I have been on the waiting list, trying to get into a dog sport called Flyball. FINALLY, my local team got back to us and Killian is running through their first course, and will hopefully be offered a place on the team! I have found a group of real human beings who 'get me' and so far, i am loving it!

I got a promotion at work: I am the boss now. for reals. i still cannot believe anyone would put me in charge of a team of people, but here we are. This eats up more of my time but also allows me to have a decent schedule - so should allow for more me time!

I went back to school: Obviously, not content with enough in my life, I enrolled on an Advanced Canine Behaviour Diploma course, for which i have a year to complete. I'm sure i can fit it in...somewhere. Collecting all the letters after my name, innit.

I work two jobs: 48 hrs a week in one job just wasn't enough, clearly. I am currently training with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT) and hope to become a fully accepted member at the satrt of next year. Their values align with everything i do in dog training, and although I currently offer 1-2-1's, classes, and such, I really want accolades that tell people I am the best. I currently work as a dog trainer Fridays, with the odd handstripping and groom thrown in between jobs.

My husband and I are working through some things: We are not actually married but it is easier to tell people we are rather than explain why we are not. We have had a very up-and-down few years, mainly because of miscommunication, but we are working through it because we are each other's soul mates. I would never want anyone else in my corner. maybe @hollyethecurious, but she's just there to hide the bodies. As such, we are making time for each other more, so I'll likely just be around in the evenings or weekends.

[buck-yyyy]

BYLER - BEGINNING OF A TIME LOOP

!! major character death and angst !!

THIS WORK IS UNFINISHED AND WILL NEVER BE FINISHED

It was an odd feeling, the end of the world.

You’d think that it would make you feel hopeless. Lost, confused. Scared out of your mind, and maybe ready to die.

But the only thing that Mike felt was cold, hard determination.

And sure, he was afraid. It would be impossible to not be.

But as he sat awake in his bed in Hawkins, watching the puffs of spores float through the air for what could easily be the very last time, the only thing on his mind was how ready he was to end this.

For good.

His door opened, and he looked over.

Oh. Nancy.

She was wearing full camouflage, her hair tucked out of her face with a practical bandana. She even had her gun, already strapped across her chest, her hands wrapped around the handle and barrel.

“Mike. Get up. It’s time.”

He took a deep breath, readying himself.

“Am I the last one up?”

Nancy nodded, watching him carefully.

“Are you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah,” he breathed, rubbing his eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m ready.”

She turned around, glancing back briefly before walking out of the room and pulling the door shut.

He pulled on his clothes: a white tee, a black denim jacket with a soft, fuzzy collar, loose and flexible black cargo pants (each pocket full of useful tools and supplies), and sturdy leather boots that they’d nabbed ages ago from some military store.

As he went to leave, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror on his wall.

God, he looked grown up. He didn’t look like the skinny little fourteen year old kid that he did two years ago, when all of this started. He was taller, leaner (though still thin). His jaw was sharper; and his Adam’s apple pressed against the skin of his throat, bobbing as he swallowed.

He pushed back the twinge of resentment that arose with the thought of any lost teenage years.

Sure, it wasn’t fair—but it didn’t matter. That wasn’t the point.

He was ready.

He pushed open the door, walking out into the hallway and making his way down to the living room, where the entire group was sitting strewn around the room, staring solemnly at the floor.

The atmosphere was thick, choking; anxiety filled the room with an uncomfortable fog that made Mike want to run back to his room, slam the door shut, and hide away forever.

But instead, he joined the others on the couch.

“Hey,” Lucas greeted, raising his head.

“Hey,” Mike responded absentmindedly. He stretched his arms, cracking his back. “We need to go over the plan again.”

Robin pulled out a large roll of paper, spreading it out across the Wheeler’s coffee table. She looked up to Nancy.

“Nance? You want to do it?”

She nodded, taking a steadying breath before moving forward and pointing at the marked up paper.

“Okay. We have five teams. Steve, Robin, Dustin, and Erica, you guys set up. You’ll be going in first, making sure the coast is clear of bats or dogs, or God forbid a full-grown.”

“Demogorgon,” Dustin interrupted. “And we’ll carry through as Scoops Troop, thank you.”

Nancy nodded, clearly holding back an eye roll.

“Right. And you’ll be fully armed, with spears and shields. Chest plates go underneath your clothes. You have them on?”

Erica rapped her knuckles against her chest, the solid noise indicating a thick vest underneath.

“Got ‘em.”

“Once you’re in, you’ll set up the way for everyone else. We know the path, that shouldn’t be an issue; we know that he’s camping out in the library. But we do need you to defend while everyone else comes through.” She took a deep breath, pushing back a stray hair. “Once… Scoops Troop clears us, everyone but Murray and Joyce come through. You two are reconnaissance, you’ll make sure that there’s no dangers from outside the gate. And if there are?”

Joyce held up a large siren. “We’ll let you know, hold them off, and help you get out, if needed.”

Nancy nodded again.

“Good. Once everyone is in the Upside Down, we spread out—but once we find him, we stay together. Scoops Troop is outer defense, flanking at the sides. You’ve got the Molotovs, if he tries to get away, flame him. Don’t let him get out. Trap us all in, if we have to; we’ll find a way to get out after he’s dead.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Me, Hopper, Lucas, and Will, we’re all ranged—we’re the third ring. We stay behind Hopper.” She glanced over at Will, who was staring grimly at the plan, his jaw quivering slightly. “Will, I know you don’t want the gun, but we don’t know enough about the extent of your powers to let you go in without it. And Lucas, you have enough arrows, right?”

Lucas reached for the large quiver leaning against the couch, picking it up and setting it next to the crossbow by his feet.

“Plenty.”

“And just to be clear,” Hopper said gruffly, pushing his way to the front. “She’s going over this plan, but I’m the one in charge. I tell you to get out, you get out. You need to listen to everything I tell you once we’re in.”

Dustin gave him a mock salute, and Nancy gave him a quick nod, before turning back to the map.

“El is the center ring. She’ll be the one doing the majority of the fighting, we know this. That leaves Mike and Jonathan—and you two will be flanking El. Both of you are armed,” Mike glanced over at the crowbar and nailed bat, respectively, sitting off to the side, “but you’ll only be stepping in if necessary. Keep El safe. That’s your job. The majority of any real fighting will be done by the rangers and El, and she needs to focus.

El raised her hand, standing up straight from her spot leaning against the wall.

“And once it’s over? What then?”

Nancy grimaced.

“From what we can tell, it might start to fall apart. Erase itself, maybe, I don’t know—nobody does. But whatever happens, we run like hell. I don’t care how fast you can run the mile—you run ten times faster than whatever you’ve got. Joyce and Murray will have the gate prepped for removal, and they should be able to stop it from closing, we’ve practiced that. They’ll get us out, remove the stoppers, and then it’ll close and we’ll have won.” She allowed herself to smile at all of them, beckoning them to do the same. “And it’ll be over. Permanently.”

Lucas clapped his hand against Dustin’s back, his face pulled into a perfectly serious expression.

Despite the forced confidence, something squirming in Mike’s chest insisted that it wasn’t enough.

It’s not going to work! the thing screamed, pounding its invisible fists against his rib cage. Everyone’s gonna end up dead!

Mike shook his head, his thick messy curls bouncing against his neck.

No, we’re not, he told himself sternly. It’s a good plan, and nobody is going to die. We won’t let that happen.

And if someone does? the thing retorted.

He paused.

Then it’ll be me.

~

Everything was going perfectly, and it fucking sucked.

The unease creeping in around the edge of Mike’s mind was no longer just creeping in; instead, it was full-blown constant panic.

Not panic that he was in the Upside Down.

Not panic that he was only some thirty feet away from Vecna.

Panic that something was going to go wrong, and it would all be his fault.

He clenched his crowbar tightly in his hands, the cold metal a relief from the buckets of nervous sweat dripping off of his body.

“Shit—Jonathan!” he yelled, dropping the crowbar and running forward, jumping up to reach for El’s leg—but she was already up too high before he could reach her.

A deep, echoing laugh came from the front steps of the library where Vecna stood.

“You’ve lost. Accept it,” he said, his voice buttery and sickly sweet. “Or die with her.”

“Mike!” Jonathan called out. “Here, if I lift you up, we should be able to reach her!”

“But she’ll still be in the trace,” Will said.

Mike spun around.

“Will? What are you doing, you’re supposed to stay in your ring?”

Will dropped his gun into the mud, straightening out his shoulders.

“There’s no other way. He doesn’t know about me yet.”

“Will, no,” Jonathan said sharply. “You can’t, it’s too dangerous.”

“Hopper already approved it,” Will replied, walking forward.

“What?”

Vecna watched curiously as Will walked forward, his smaller frame trembling.

“Will Byers. The boy who came back to life.” He laughed. “Though, can we really consider it living, what you’ve been doing?”

Will looked up at the sky, taking a deep steadying breath.

Mike was frozen in place, his feet stuck to the floor with panic. Across the way, Jonathan appeared to be in the same situation, his eyes wide and terrified as he watched his little brother stand at the front of the fight.

No one moved, nor even dared to breathe.

Everything hinged on this—but what if it went wrong?

What if—

Before Mike could finish his thought, Will screamed, throwing his arms out wide. As he screamed, small crackles appeared at his fingertips,

vecna dies, UD starts to fall apart

A sickening crunch snapped Mike out of his panic—a second too late.

Will crumpled to the ground, his face covered in the blood still leaking from his nose.

The world moved in slow motion.

He was vaguely aware of Jonathan running at him, grabbing at his wrists and trying to pull him back, but he slipped out of reach, darting forward and turning over Will to face him.

“Will!” he heard himself yell through the ringing in his ears. “Will, you have to get up, you got him! He’s gone! We can go home!”

Will didn’t respond.

“Will,” Jonathan said, his voice slowed through the fog. Mike could barely hear it, but his voice was cracking heavily, as he pushed down the thick sobs that threatened to escape from his throat. “Will, no, please.” He knelt down next to Mike, wrapping his fingers in Will’s shirt and pressing his forehead to his chest. “Fuck. Fuck, no, what am I supposed to do?! Will, you can’t—“

Nancy ran up behind Jonathan, her hand pressed to her mouth and her eyes wide.

“Mike, Jonathan,” she whispered, kneeling down next to them both. “It’s too late. We have to go, now, everything—it’s all falling apart.”

“No! No, why the hell would we leave him here, he’s just—he just needs to get up! Help me carry him!” Mike insisted, pulling at Will’s wrists. His body moved limply with the gesture, following Mike’s every movement.

Jonathan backed away, turning around with one hand clasped against his mouth, his back heaving as he retched into Nancy’s shoulder.

“Mike. We have to go, okay? We can’t—“

“I’m not leaving him!” he shouted. “We can’t leave him! He just needs to wake up!”

At some point, Hopper had joined the group. He clasped a hand on Mike’s shoulder, pulling him up.

“It’s too late, Mike,” he said, his tone flat yet oddly gentle as he pulled him back away from Will. “He’s gone. We have to go. We have no choice.”

“Then fucking carry him!” He was screaming now, his voice cracking heavily. “We can’t leave him here, he’ll die!”

Hopper watched him closely as Nancy led a shaking Jonathan away.

“Come on, kid. We gotta leave him. We can’t lift him up through the gate.”

“I don’t fucking care,” Mike hissed. He wiped away some of the blood from Will’s upper lip, smearing it on his white shirt. “We’re just going to have to figure it out. He just needs to get to a hospital.”

Hopper let out a deep exhale.

“I’m sorry, kid. I’m sorry.”

In one fell swoop, he picked up Mike and slung him, kicking and screaming, across his shoulder, casting a final look at Will’s still body before jogging ahead to catch up with the others.

“Put! Me! Down!” he shouted, pounding his fists against Hopper’s back. “We have to go back for him! We have to—“ He twisted around in Hopper’s grasp, ready to make a run for Will.

But it was too late.

The blackness had already consumed him.

His vision turned red.

“You fucking killed him!”

“Okay, is that everyone?” Steve gasped, leaning against a light post to catch his breath.

Hopper nodded.

“Yeah, we’re all here.”

“No, where’s Will?” Joyce said, peering into the gate. “He’s not back yet, did anyone see him?”

No one said anything.

She slowly looked up, turning to Hopper.

“Hop. Where’s Will.”

He looked away.

Jonathan detached himself from Nancy, moving forward to wrap his arms around his mom, pressing his nose into the curve of her shoulder.

“I tried,” he whispered, his eyes welling up and his entire body shaking. “Mom, I tried so hard, but he—“

“No. No, no, no.” She shook her head, ducking away from Jonathan. “No, he’s just on his way back. We have to keep the gate open.”

“Joyce.” Hopper set his hands on her shoulder, tilting up her chin to meet her eyes. “We have to close it, okay?”

“No!” She pulled away. “You’re going to trap him in there!”

Mike pressed his face to his knees, curling into himself on the ground.

“Hop, stop it! Go get him, what are you doing here?! He needs help!”

“Joyce. Joyce, there’s nothing more that anyone can do. We have to close the gate. We have to end this.”

“No!”

“Hopper’s right, mom,” Jonathan croaked. He’d returned to Nancy, her arms wrapped protectively around his chest. “We have to close it. He’s—“ He pressed a hand to his mouth, a spluttering choking noise escaping from between his fingers. “He’s gone. It’s too late.”

Joyce backed away from the group, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.

“Stop it. Stop it,” she hissed, pointing a finger at each of them individually. They all looked away. “We can’t do this. We can’t lose hope, not when my boy is still trapped in there—we have to find him!”

Murray crept forward, slowly removing the blockers from the gate with one hand while he rubbed at his face with the others.

Joyce jerked around at the noise.

“What the hell are you doing?!” She slapped his hand away from the gate. “You’re going to trap him in there!”

Thick ropes of guilt and mournfulness looped around each of them

Hopper came in through the door, his hair wet from being freshly washed.

“You okay, kid?”

Mike stared at the wall, not bothering to look up.

“Mike?”

A beat.

Two.

“I wish you left me instead,” he said slowly, his lips dry and chapped. “You carried me out. You should have taken Will and left me there.”

Hopper looked down at the floor, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You know that wasn’t an option.”

“Well, you should have made it one!” he yelled, suddenly jerking his head away from its spot staring at the wall. He threw himself out of bed, taking long strides over to where Hopper was standing and pointing an accusatory finger into his chest. “You left him! And you took me! It was the worst fucking decision any of you have ever made!”

Hopper pursed his lips tightly.

“Kid, it was too late. It wouldn’t have done anyone any good.”

“I don’t care! I don’t care what real, actual good it would have done, you should have taken him and just let me die, because he’s done more good for all of us than I could ever hope to.” A dry, choking sob escaped from between his lips, and he lifted his clenched hand, bringing it back down and hitting Hopper’s chest. He did it again, and again, and again until he was peppering small blows over his torso, arms, and shoulders.

“Mike. Mike.” Hopper held his shoulders in place, keeping him an arms distance away. “You can’t do this. Will wouldn’t want this, okay?”

“How the fuck would you know?” he screamed, ducking out of his grasp. “You left him in the place that ruined his life! You don’t know anything about what Will would have wanted!” Stumbling backwards, his back hit the wall, and he slid down it until he was sitting cross legged on the floor.

A heavy throbbing in his head made his eyes nearly cross, the pain striking his temples over and over again until it was unbearable.

“I hate you,” Mike whispered, smacking the back of his head into the wall repeatedly. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you so, fucking, much.”

Silently, Hopper sat down next to him on the floor, keeping his hands folded in his lap as he stared up at the ceiling.

“I know,” he said quietly, difficult to hear between Mike’s intermittent sobs and gasping breaths. “Believe me, kid, I do too. I wish I could have done something more.”

“You could have carried. Him. Out.” Mike hissed. “Don’t act like you’re the victim here. You don’t matter. Will is the one who’s gone, and it’s your fault.”

“There wasn’t time, Mike. There was nothing anyone could have done.”

“Yes, there was!” He stopped, taking a deep, gasping breath. “Get out.”

“Mike—“

“Get. Out.”

Hopper sighed, smacking his hands lightly against his thighs and pulling himself to his feet.

“You’ll understand eventually,” he said, turning to give Mike one last glance before he walked out of the room.

And he was alone.

The crunch of Will’s body collapsing echoed in his mind, the scene playing out on repeat in his head as he curled up into his knees, fat tears drilling uncontrollably down his face to the rhythm of his sobs.

Will was gone.

Will was gone.

He’d never again get to see his sly grin during campaigns, or the way he scrunched up his nose when he was focusing on something. He wouldn’t ever hear the velvety sound of his laugh when he thought one of Mike’s jokes was funny, or his slightly off-tune voice as he belted along to one of his bands in the basement.

He wouldn’t get to put an arm around his shoulder, or give him a lingering hug.

He’d never see him again.

He fell asleep like that—curled into a little ball on the floor, his clothing still stained with dirt, grime, and the thick, blotchy patches of Will’s blood.

A knock on his door woke him up several hours later.

And as he opened his eyes, something inside of Mike shattered.

It wasn’t that Will was gone.

It wasn’t that he watched him die.

It wasn’t that his own sobs still echoed in his mind.

It was the fact that he wasn’t in the hotel room in Indianapolis like he’d fallen asleep in—because he was back in his room in Hawkins.

Another knock at the door startled him, and he sat straight up, clutching desperately at his covers.

Nancy walked in, her bandana from yesterday pushing her hair back out of her face and her large gun still strapped across her chest.

A chill ran down his spine.

“Get up, Mike. It’s time.”

[lonsdalewrite]

maple syrup and hazelnut butter

One last story before June ends, featuring my paleonecromancer (nonbinary trans man, bi ace, he/him) and his girlfriend (trans woman, hetero ace, she/her).

Mercé was still at work when Tappani got home from the expedition. He stretched, trying to ease the strain in his shoulders, before he took out his keys. When he’d been called to speak to the hadrosaur herd found in the fossil bed, he hadn’t expected to be asked to join in the digging as well. Alas, one of the team members had sprained his leg, necessitating a temporary replacement.

As he stepped back down into the house, he was promptly greeted by Cometa. The little white-and-brown dog dashed up to him and ran in tight circles, making excited noises as his claws clacked against the floorboards.

At Tappani’s side, his familiar Hyaline stretched out her neck to return the greeting. Cometa jumped to tap his nose against the tip of her spectral beak. Then they raced off together, running up the stairs and disappearing into his bedroom.

Tappani went to the couch and flopped down. After four days of finding and summoning spirits that had left the mortal plane seventy million years ago, two days of separating fossilized bone from regular rock, and hours of waiting for the bus back to Cataveya, all under the baking summer sun, he was too exhausted to do anything else. At least hunger wasn’t an issue — he’d stopped to get a salad after he hopped off the bus.

Thinking about the salad brought other thoughts of food. He randomly remembered the most recent conversation he’d had with Ayanda, one of his acquaintances from the trans meetup him and Mercé went to. She’d been talking about the new market that’d opened up near her place.

“They’re part of a worldwide farmer’s collective,” she said, “and they sell foods from all four continents. Have you ever heard of maple syrup? You have to try it at least once. It’s so sweet.”

Tappani had made a mental note to do so. Then he’d gotten home and seen the letter about the hadrosaur excavation in the mailbox, and all gastronomic plans had gone out the window. He’d completely forgotten it until now.

New note to self: find that market and buy some maple syrup. Maybe tomorrow…

Tappani was still a little tired by the time that Mercé got home. Or he would’ve been, if the fact that his girlfriend was here hadn't been enough to send a starburst of energy through him. He leaped from the couch, and they collided in an embrace.

“I’m so happy you’re back,” Mercé murmured into his shoulder. Then she pulled back and raised the bag she was carrying. “Look what I got.”

Tappani took the bag and pulled it open to peer inside. Laying across the bottom was a tall glass bottle filled with amber liquid. The label read MAPLE SYRUP.

“I overheard what Ayanda was telling you at the last meetup,” said Mercé. “I thought it would be a nice surprise for you when you got back.”

“Thank you.” Tappani took out the bottle, feeling the weight of the syrup. “What should we try it with?”

“You decide. I bought it for you.”

Tappani thought about it. What did syrup go with? He’d had birch syrup on pancakes before, but he didn’t feel like making those right now, nor waiting for tomorrow’s breakfast. Some other wheat-based food would be a good bet for compatibility… could he try it on toast? He’d need to add some additional topping, though.

Thinking about toast toppings made him remember the special weekend breakfasts Silvio had made for him when they were together. One of his signature dishes had been hazelnut butter on toast, topped with paper-thin apple slices and a generous helping of cinnamon. (Tappani’s memories of Silvio were bittersweet, but he’d retained a love of hazelnut butter.)

“I have an idea,” he said.

Five minutes later, Tappani and Mercé went to sit out on the porch. Tappani was carrying a plate with two pieces of syrup-drizzled cinnamon/apple/hazelnut toast. After the two sat down in the chairs, they each took a slice and dug in.

Even with Ayanda’s description, Tappani was surprised by how it tasted. She hadn’t been exaggerating how sweet it was. The almost caramel-like flavour was a far cry from the slightly astringent birch stuff he was familiar with. That was sweet too, but nothing like this.

“This is delicious,” was Mercé’s verdict as well. “We should have this more often.”

“Agreed.” Tappani liked the idea.

“So how did the excavation go?” Mercé finally asked, and Tappani launched into telling her about the dig site and what the hadrosaur spirits had told him.

And when the tale had been told, the toast long finished, they sat back and watched the sunlight play on the surface of the sea.

[originalwinnercheesecake]

What pokemon would make up teams owned by the Characters in Star vs The Forced of Evil

I am back making my lists, and its time to do Star vs the forces of evil. So like my previous lists (TOH, GF, Amphibia) this show had a large cast. This show was also had a longer run time than any of them, 4 seasons, and who the important characters were depended on which season. This list contains my picks for Star, Marco, Ludo, and a handful of Star and Marco’s close friends. If you do not see your favorite character here, and have an idead as to a pokemon they would be a really good trainer for feel free to put them in the comments.

Star Butterfly

Star was a really easy one to make a team for. Most of her magic moves with her wand involved conjuring up animal based creatures, and I just transfered them over to pokemon.

Cetitan: Star’s trademark attack is her “Narwhale blast” and when looking up Narwhale pokemon (and double/triple checking I got a actual pokemon and not a fanmade one) this is the pokemon that came up for Narwhal pokemon.

Joltik: The smallest and (In my opinion) the most adorable of the spider pokemon, also packs a powerful shock. A near perfect representation of Star’s strongest spell: Spider with a top hat.

Yamper: a cute and playful little yellow dog pokemon with a heart symbol somewhere on its body. Its the closest I could find to the Laser puppies Star gifted the Diaz’s with on arrival.

Galarian Rapidash: Star had a love for Warnicorn’s, their speed, their furosity, and did not want an adult life were she had no time to ride and have fun with them. So I will give her a Rapidash.  An Galarian rapidash because those fit Star’s style better and add a fairy type to her team.

Makuhita: Star does not always really on magic to fin a fight though, She also knows how to brawl/box. So I wanted to give her atleast one fighting type. I picked Makuhita while its a heavy hitter and a real tough pokemon its also got a very cute and tubby design; it looks like a Sumo pikachu. Like Star its adorable from a distance, threatening up close.

Nidoran girl: represents her bond  of friendship/romantic with Marco. He has a boy one.

Marco Diaz

Solrock: Marco was originally going to be named Sol. He is also represented in that Prophatic image as the Sun right? Star is an actual star and Marc is the sun, they are together? Pretty sure I remember that. If Marco is represented by the sun n the show than it’s only fair I carry that over onto my team by giving him a solrock.

Lucario: Marco loves and does karate, so I picked a fighting type that’s method of fighting it more simlar to karate for him.

Shiny charizard: I really wanted to give him a dragon type to reresent his dragoncycle Nacho’s. The Original one I had picked out was another Fame made non offical pokemon (I have to be more careful of those). Of offical pokemon Charizards Shiney form. I think its still fair that this be his strongest. He did spend decades training and fighting with Nacho’s in Hekapoo’s dimension

Kirlia: a graceful and feminie pokemon to represent Marco’s super popular princess persona Princess Turdina. Also to give him a fairy type as well.

Nidoran boy: represents his bond of friendship/romance with Star. She has a girl one.

Ludo Avarius

Mimikyu: A fairy and dark pokemon that has issues with its appearence as well as mentality, and can also mess with the mental state of others. I am not sure if Ludo and Mimikyu would make each other better or worse, or worse than better (hopefully that one). But that they would be a very intresting and entertaining partnership of that I am sure.

So Ludo’s monster henchmen in season 1 were not the best as we can all agree (Sorry about that Buff Frog. We all know you did try). But in season 2 he had a pretty strong team, what with Bird, Spider, and those rats. To represnt them I will give him a Sparrow, an Aridos, and a Alalon Rattata. 

Rufflet and Vullaby: These represent his brothers and sisters. The ones who after going through everything he did, he was able to go back and save from their awful parents. 

I gave these three teams of six since they were arguably main characters. The rest of the list will be notable secondary characters, who will each get three.

Janna Ordonia

Haunter: Both it and Janna like to scare/prank people

Nickit: a theif pokemon that helps Janna swipe other peoples stuff

Klefki: It helps Janna break into places she is otherwise not allowed

Tom Lucitor

Scorbunny, Litleo, Fennekin.

I gave Tom each of these three for the same number of reasons. Firstly they are all fire types, and Tom is a fire demon. Secondly all of them are fuzzy and adorable, and in the show Part of Toms anger management therapy involves soothing himself by petting/playing with cute fuzzy animals. I could see eaxh of these three being part of his therapy (yes I did look up “fire bunny pokemon specfically to find one to represent Marshmellow) Lastly while they are in no threatening, cutesy, first forms now, they all evolve into very strong battlers. Once Tom got his own temper under enough control that he could handle pokemon battles he could do pretty well with these three.

Jackie Lynn Thomas

Chimecho: She has a very soothing appearence and personality. She also told Marco that one time she is into soft rock. So I gave her a soothing, soft toned, music pokemon

Baltoy: She also told him she was really into studying history. Baltoy may not be a fossile pokemon, but it is historic. In addition to that it has great balance to stay perpetually spinning in place like that. Jackie also has great balance on her skateboard

Vaporeon: So despite fans best efforts and theorising, the show creator never did reveal Jackie to secretly be a mermaid, who’s able to live on land becasue her shell necklace is actually a magical amulet that when worn exchanges her see tail for a pair of land legs. But it was a great theory, and she does give off very beachy, merlike, vibes. So idecided to give her  a merlike water pokemon, that could travel both in water and on land. Also I had to exclude Vaporeon from my Gravity Falls list, and still really wanted to give it to someone cool.

Kelly.. Huh looks like she was about the only character to not get a last name. Wow. Okay just Kelly

Galatian Moewth, Mankey, Tangrowth

Like with Tom all three of Kelly’s Pokemon were ones I picked for the same reasons. Those reasons were that all three are tough, scrappy, pkemon; completely covered from head to toe in wild, untameable, hair.

Eclipsa Butterfly

I wasn’t gonna do Eclipsa at first, simply becasue I wanted to keep the secondary characters evenly split between earth and mewni characters. But she is like the third most iconic character in the show and I had to do her.

Spiritomb: You know dark types would be her favoite, and I feel like the more sinister lore with Spiritomb would really intrigue her and make her want one.

Honchkrow: eyes in the sky to replace he all seeing eye spell . They also have basically the same taste in hats, so there’s that.

Roserade: She says in the beganing of season 3 that she loves roses.

Oskar Greason

(why does he get a last name when Kelly didn’t?) Here let me throw Oskar in as well as Eclipsa to keep numbers more even.

Toxel: To represent his interest in playing music.

Furret: Because he has a pet ferret

Noibat: goes with his whole bad boy musician vibe, and with the added bonus that it would maybe be able to freak out his mom’s boyfriend whom he is implied to absolutely hate.

[kanisema-blog]

Love Bet

Chapter 19

I arrived at the construction site early in the morning, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. The air was cool, filled with the scent of freshly turned earth and sawdust. Jay Absom, the Construction Superintendent, was already there, overseeing the preparations. He greeted me with a warm smile as I approached.

"Morning, Jeya. Ready to see your vision come to life?" he asked, his voice filled with enthusiasm.

I nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension. "Absolutely. It's always amazing to see a project move from paper to reality."

Jay chuckled. "Well, you're in good hands. I make sure everything runs smoothly. I manage the crew, coordinate the materials, and handle any issues that come up. And I brought a special guest today." He gestured towards a playful golden retriever bounding around the site.

I smiled, crouching down to pet the dog. "Who's this little guy?"

"That's Max. He loves coming to the site. Keeps the morale up," Jay said with a grin.

Max wagged his tail enthusiastically as I scratched behind his ears. "He's adorable. A nice distraction from all the stress."

Jay nodded. "Definitely. Alright, let's get to work. We've got a lot to do."

I spent the morning watching the crew start laying the foundation, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. This mansion was going to be something special, and despite everything with Felix, I was determined to make it perfect.

After a few hours, I headed back to the firm. My desk was piled high with sketches, blueprints, and notes. I needed to review everything and ensure the construction team had all the information they needed.

As I settled into my chair, Rheiny walked by, rubbing her arm. "Ugh, my arm is killing me," she complained.

I looked up, concerned. "What happened?"

"Just overworked, I guess. Too much drawing and typing," she replied, wincing slightly.

"Take it easy, Rheiny. Maybe get it checked out if it doesn't improve," I suggested.

Yana, passing by, stopped and leaned against my desk. "Hey, Jeya. How's the mansion project going?"

I smiled, feeling a bit of the day's excitement returning. "It's going great. We started laying the foundation today. Jay's team is fantastic."

Yana nodded. "That's good to hear. I can't wait to see the finished product. It's going to be amazing."

I spent the rest of the day engrossed in my work, occasionally interrupted by the chatter of my coworkers. Despite the noise and distractions, I managed to stay focused, making sure every detail was perfect.

When the workday finally ended, I gathered my things and headed to the parking lot. The drive home was uneventful, my mind occupied with thoughts of the mansion and the progress we were making.

At home, I followed my usual routine. I made myself a simple dinner, washed the dishes, and took a long, relaxing bath. As I brushed my teeth and went through my skincare routine, I thought about the day and the conversations I had.

Settling into bed, I scrolled through Instagram, looking at pictures of beautiful homes and architectural designs. It was both inspiring and a bit overwhelming, seeing the incredible work others were doing. But it also fueled my determination to make this mansion project a success.

As I finally drifted off to sleep, my dreams were filled with images of the mansion, each room coming to life with every detail meticulously planned. I saw Felix there, walking through the halls, but I pushed those thoughts away, focusing instead on the future and what lay ahead.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Underdog Kids (2015)

Underdog Kids is like a bad children’s drawing you find on the internet. The further you are from it emotionally, the more fun you’ll have. If you know Phillip Rhee - the star, writer, director, and producer of this family film - do not watch this. You’ll want to die of embarrassment. Composed almost entirely of plot points you've seen elsewhere - most specifically the kind found in The Karate Kid, The Bad News Bears and other kid sports movies - it's entertaining, but not in the way intended.

Former mixed martial arts champion Jimmy Lee (Phillip Rhee) reluctantly agrees to coach a ragtag team of kids at the Mid-County Community Center. If the children’s issues weren’t enough to deal with, Jimmy’s desire to get back into the world of professional sports threatens to pull him away from them at any point.

The only surprise in Underdog Kids is that at no point does some kind of bigwig come over and announce that the community center is going to be torn down unless someone can raise a fat stack of dollar bills. This movie has nothing going on so it’s packed with clichés like the silent black teen who flies into a rage whenever he’s teased, the other kid who’s embarrassed by his mom’s attempts to be frugal at the movie theater, the little girl who wants to get her nails done but can’t because her dad is poor, the siblings whose parents have recently died in a car crash and are being taken care of by their single aunt, and the fat kid whose father thinks he’s a source of shame. There are others too, but you get the idea.

Even for these kinds of stock characters, the writing is as weak as a kitten. Jimmy’s nickname is “the Lightning Bolt”. Not because he’s fast; because he was hit by lightning as a kid. What does that mean? Nothing. Another example. In a normal movie, the scene showing that the pint-sized martial artist can’t punch out a candle would be early on. Then, you’d have a bunch of training, maybe a couple of scenes where he matures or learns something and then confirmation that his arc is over with a scene showing that now, he's acquired a new skill. Here, we go straight from the “I can’t do it” scene, to the kid’s birthday party when he puts out the candle by himself. That’s amateur-level stuff but it’s nothing to the fat kid’s “arc”. And no, that’s not me being mean. That’s what the character is. In every scene, he’s stuffing his face or talking about food. I know the actor got paid, but he had to feel a little dirty. Everyone else has clearly been cast for their ability to throw kicks and punches. Him? he was cast because of his figure and Phillip Rhee gives him the most humiliating scene. It’s the big tournament and the Underdogs are hopelessly outmatched. Most of their opponents - hailing for the Cobra Kai-like Scorpions - tower over them. Porky runs around in terror until he falls on the ground. When his adversary reaches to take him out, he gets a giant, stadium-filling fart in the face and passes out. It doesn't end there. Later on, we see the kid’s dad cheering, telling the crowd that’s his boy down there! Either Dad’s sense of smell, hearing, and sight have long eroded, or he came in late. Either way, it does not feel justified at all.

Underdog Kids continues to find to ways do what everyone else has done before, but worse. After all of the dubiously won matches, the Scorpions and Underdogs are tied. Now, they will be judged via a choreographed dance set to music. You think this is where that “embarrassing” ballet regiment we saw earlier will pay off, but no. The Scorpions go first and their performance is so incredible they receive a 49 out of 50. How bad is it that you can not only tell me who’s going to win but what their score will be, and what each individual judge’s sheet will say? And no, this is not the kind of movie that will surprise you by having the ‘dogs lose because the Scorpions are led by a cheating coach who has no sense of fair play and bullies his students. He’s pure evil and absolutely must be defeated to teach the dumb kiddies watching and laughing at all the farts a lesson about how cheating is wrong.

While Underdog Kids looks professional, the performances are generally weak and the fight choreography isn’t convincing. Then, you have the script, which introduces storylines and then drops them unceremoniously, fails to capitalize on the characters introduced and holds no surprises. It’s the kind of movie that’s sure to put you to sleep unless you go in knowing it’ll be bad. That extra information allows you to make it into a fun experience by making sarcastic remarks with your friends. (March 11, 2022)

[thetristoneera]

the Setting

Year 2041-2044.  Hi upper east siders.  Fresh out of prison & the gossip is so juicy; I have to give it to everyone on the bus back into the city.  Upon my arrival; I expect all of the shiny bodied, know it all brainiacs, frenemies of frenemies, retail hook uppers, the bag ladies & everyone’s mother to be raving.  Since Constance’s last year of success with sports, each day of summer got hotter & hotter.  “I could not, touch the bars on my cell.”  Everyday was a celebration as the elite of the elite made everyday an ode to pollution.  Taking the focus off of world issues to inflate their egos to blimp status is simply an understatement.  Cause all of that is going to come crashing down, word with the admins proves that the golden wolf is preparing to pass out golden tickets for several golden seasons.  Will our all stars be able to retain their positions or will they bring each other down to make a dream reality.  From track stars to photo bombing & tossing cookies at pep rallies; it’s going to be the roughest year yet, leading up to the years for the next Olympics.  Our upper east siders plan on keeping it golden until & here’s your golden ticket for the front row seats.  Let the scandals replace the brawn, cause the heart made of gold is going to sink his fangs in the entirety of the upper east side.  xoxo

Knowing they don’t have to do anything, all of these teens know they have riches that can get them anything; but they want glory.  They had a childhood that was so joint, you’d be on your fourth blunt by now.  All of them that stayed in sports had natural talent in their brawn.  It was only right they stuck with it, to be able to brag about it.  Over the years, they have gotten stronger & have gotten notoriety.  Being beyond their predecessors have them looking good for the Olympics; but there’s going to be a new player brought into the mix.  A scholarship in wrestling will have him placed in the upper brackets.  A free ride with education is a bonus, but the real bonus will be in how he will shake up several teams that have been on this path of triumph since they were yay tall.  All of the girls plan on running their volleyball team, the seven originals; to the Olympics & medal in gold at least three times over three different Olympics.  The fellas want to take a wrestling team to the Olympics so they can build a life off of that that meshes with their parents business plans; to further project the family business into a higher echelon.  They don’t need it but their brains are in the right place; they will stay there until Lobo comes in & changes everything up; even for the girls.  Gearing up just got hotter, from the locker rooms to social media; no one is safe from scrutiny & maybe; some cheating will be exposed.  Maybe…

LETS READ ABOUT THESE GIRLS BEING GIRLS

Unlike the current wave of women standing up for women & fixing each others crowns; their mothers skipped over that because the dog eat dog world humans refuse to graduate from. Their mothers told them, “Keep it friendly, keep it smart, keep it careful, keep it aware & keep it thuggish. Don’t let no one take advantage of you twice. You’ll learn how good, neutral & bad others can be; so understand the definition of yes & no. For your boundaries are yours, for your vessel is yours. Now go on, I gotta hustle your father; about another trip to Milan.” Question marks on those little girls faces as they heard those words differently at such a young age. Over & over again… Because the faculty took careful measures to spread the word kind around; it kind of made this glamazon group of eighteen girls. It’s a friendship that stood the test of time but eventually; it did graduate to a frenemieship collective.

Purples, Orange & Silver / Artistries

Bleus, Magentas, Reds, Pinks & Whites / Volleys

NOT VOLLEYS / Suizi, Halriona, Jivonzhi & Iria (Besties)

the Magnificent Seven

Rocky, Bella, Raconya, Lovelie, Yiren, Alice & Criselle / This is the only friendship that’s a one hundred percent friendship out of all characters. This is the only group. These seven fell in love with volleyball at the tender ages of 4 & 5. Over time, all of them have filled the position of captain & co captain. Once making it to varsity, eighth grade time period; Rocky stayed the captain & Bella stayed the co captain. The girls voted amongst themselves & made it so by convincing the coaches that they wanted it this way. Nicole, Lissi & Arra are still on the varsity team but they are there for support. While the Magnificent Seven treat volleyball & athleticism as a lifestyle. Regardless of Rocky and her alcoholism, Bella and her sense of off the radar, Raconya and her robotics projects, Lovelie and her fanboy following, Yiren and her cosmetology obsessions, Alice and her gambling & Criselle and her street pharmacy; they hold each other accountable as if they were a round table protecting several castles. Those castles being the seven of them, their friendships hits highs & lows like any other group. But nothing so far in their lives have turned one against any of the other; for good. They are sisters from other misters & I wish you luck in breaking that. Now Gossip Girl, she won’t need any luck when she resurfaces…

Kanani VS Everyone / Kanani is a guys gal, hanging with the fellas & mostly her cousin Odin. It’s just her personality, she gravitates to guys & guys gravitate to her. She is one of the populars & all of the fellas want a piece of her. Her motivating force in life is modeling, fashion, blogging, traveling & partying. Life of the rich & famous is already hers; she just has to figure out a way to supply her own life. Outside of her trust, to a point she becomes her own celebrity. With the way she has been working her vessel already, she is the most followed on all social media platforms; versus the other populars. Now when it comes to being friendly with the girls; she is most close to the following: Mocana, Cariño, Lissi, Suizi, Lovelie & Arra. Most seen with Mocana because she has the same aspirations as her; but all of them are heavily plugged on her socials. All because they know how to be the prettiest with the angles they were given. To better her modeling potential; she has direction in her & isn’t afraid to use it. Beef comes when she some how, takes everyone’s bestie; for personal use. You know, if they’re there; she’s the queen. This butts heads with Halriona the most because Halriona is the Student Body President of her class. Halriona has Jivonzhi, the Student Body Vice President; so under her wings, Kanani can never use her beauty either. If you were to ask this student body who is the most pretty, gorgeous, beautiful, sexy & hot; it would be between Kanani, Mocana & Halriona. Kanani is the only one willing to side her morals to do just enough; to have majority of the guys in her back pocket. Halriona despises her for that because of her; ‘I’m my own woman with no help from any man’, mantra.

THEY ARE THE LARGEST GIRL GROUP

With them being the top eighteen female students of the school, they are always battling for the top spots. Same year, most high with it in their class. From the singer to the Magnificent Seven to the models to the Ballroom to the hacker to the robotress to the President to the Vice President to the journalist & to the paintress; they have the Class of 2044 looking beyond lit. Fifteen year olds, wayyyyyyyy ahead of their time like Father Time was their god father. Blessed with magical might & have been running their class from the moment of their enrollments. If I had a name for them, we will call them ‘Sweet Triggers’. Calling shots then pulling the triggers, cause why? Money talks & bullshit walks; so don’t be too amazed by them when you see them. Abuse is a word they know all too well, but a better word describes them… Intelligent. Life is an opportunity & they plan on using their luck to their fullest extent. Both parents, their connections, Constance Billard, their natural talents, their educative opportunities, looking forward to their trust funds but the most important thing is creating their own independence. Then there’s the lesson of game; guess who taught them chess? Yeah, take a real guess on the opportunist who fed them the game… ‘Georgina Sparks’, one by one; all the pretty girls Sylvester brought home, were told a very significant thing by Georgina… “Know your parents, believe your parents; but don’t be your parents. That’s not how you escape, that’s not how you own the world. Being that bitch, that’s the world.” So be prepared to pay full attention on who will fully utilize that advice…

THE REST OF THEM

Janetta / Janetta is Bronx’s twin, she is the older one. Janetta looks like their mother & Bronx looks like their father. Janetta is an aspiring recording & performing artist; vocal production, choreography & writing is what she desires the most. It’s the only way to appease her head when she isn’t enjoying the liberation of drugs. Outside of her personal desires, she plans on going into Real Estate Broking in her adulthood.

Cariño / Cariño’s aspirations deal with the Ballroom & show business. Actually has been on television already, numerous times; just dancing her vessel away. When she’s not tending to her education, she’s either with friends or at the House of Bermuda; training. Sometimes they call her Commander Cunt, she knows what she’s doing. All the time, she is building a life for the entertainment industry.

Nicole / Nicole’s aspirations deal with poetry, comedy & uniting people. A kind girl with the gift of gab; often considered a comedian at times. But she also helps Janetta, Giovanni & Quartrail with their singing. All of them stay on the jam session vibes, but Nicole often is allowed to give speeches. Her pin game is miraculous when it comes to addressing everyone. Outside of her personal desires, she plans on going into philosophy & politics.

Suizi / Suizi’s aspirations deal with information technology, marketing & video gaming. If she’s on her phone, she’s doing something illegal or gaming. All up in somebody’s business to cover all of their business or humiliating gamers around the world. It’s most ridiculous when she’s showing off to all of the fellas in the Screening Room. Her biggest spectacles are Mario Kart, Gran Turismo & Burnout. Outside of her personal desires, she plans on going into motor sports with information technology backing her.

Lissi / Lissi’s aspirations deal with artistry in the scheme of colors, sculpting, drawing, photography & most important; painting. Painting is her therapy & her learning tools. Uses it to politics, english, math, science, philosophy, sociology & religion. Every single one of her assignments are a work of art & when anyone gets assigned to work with her, they thank the high heavens. Outside of her personal desires, she plans on going into law with artistry being her backing.

Halriona / Halriona’s aspirations deal with pageantry & politics. Ever since she learned about the Student Counsil; she has followed her parents footsteps with leading her generation. As prim as she’s kept, Halriona is far more detrimental than anyone else because of her intelligence. Precisely controlling everyone around her is easy & most of the time; she doesn’t have to be vicious. Her stunning beauty is enough to get her by in life; but having that intellect makes sure that everyone will bend the knee. Outside of her usual shenanigans, Halriona wants a career with E! She’ll be heading to a college for the entertainment business.

Jivonzhi / Jivonzhi’s aspirations deal with fashion design. If she’s not paying attention, her head is in her one of a kind; highly decorated notebook for the gods. All the girls fucking love Jivonzhi, so fucking much; it’s like to the fucking fucked power. Cause she will definitely answer your morning text real quick about the colors you choose to wear today. Yet, she is Halriona’s personal slave; by her own choice, an extreme fan girl she is. Outside of her personal desires, it’s hard to determine what she wants to be when she grows up.

Iria / Iria’s aspirations deal with trying to be beyond the spitting image of her mother. Who happens to be a prominently famous, CNN correspondent, interviewer & reporter. To get like her, she plays her mother but covers the ridiculous & the scandalous scenarios of her friends. You can only guess what kind of field day Gossip Girl will have with that if she ever gets her hand on that footage. Her personal desires are etched permanently around being a fan girl to her mother.

Mocana / Mocana’s aspirations deal with being an all around model. That deals with spokes, catalog, editorial, social media, high fashion, personal fashion, runway, being an extra, commercial work & being an actress. With a multitude of beautiful friends with ravishing personalities; she learns so much. Head is completely about the High Life & that’s an ode to that Nelly Furtado song. Outside of her personal desires, her trust fund is her trust fall. When she really should be focusing on her ability to sing.

Arra / Arra’s aspirations deal with international diplomacy. She has dual citizenship, USA & Norway. Spends her academic career learning languages, politics & laws for nations on each continent. To prepare an adulthood with her family business; that deals with stream service publishing, broadcast radio, communications & marketing. In the mean time, she’s having as much fun as she can. Keeping it beautiful, volleyball support, student council support; Constance Billard support. Just don’t expect anything other than her last name, cause she loves the mirror & is an expert at using them. Understand that statement as best as you can…