#emilys game is actually sunday

[oswednesday]

hey you! come and watch this charity stream [link] for medical aid for palestinians! its 72 hours of indie ttrpgs played by a game group called rollplusbond that my friend @toomanyfeelings5 belongs to! come watch her in beat the champs at 4am (sunday est)! there's also teeshirts and proceeds go to the national network of abortion funds !!!!! [link again]

[strawbeerossi]

Competition

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid

Description: You’re the new genius on campus. Spencer doesn’t like that one bit. Whenever there is a poker competition for charity held by the FBI, it only makes sense that you are both coming for each other’s necks.

Content/Warnings: Snarky!Spencer and snarky!reader, gambling, two characters are just alike so they hate each other trope, sex in a bathroom, finger sucking, unprotected sex, creampie.

I have no knowledge on poker. Sorry 😭

Word Count: 2.3K

Anon Request: You don’t have to do this but it’s my birthday on sunday (5th Nov) and i was wondering if you could do a Spencer one-shot. Maybe a little enemies to lovers sitch. smutty ofc 😉😉😉😉

Navigation || Criminal Minds Masterlist || Request

Happy birthday Anon 😘🎂

🏷️ @kr-1-sta @iluvreid @nervousmoongiver @multifandom-on-the-side @ferrjulie @lov1ngreid @sobbingcryingattsizzles @doriantomybasil @thegluesong @rosiehale23 @queermaxwooo @rubyatarah @smallgayandnotokay @Princesskuzimu

Spencer wasn’t a jealous guy by any means, nor was he the type to be so self absorbed that he could care about someone’s opinion of him changing. As cocky as it sounded, he knew that he was going to always be the person on the team with the most knowledge on any given subject. That was until you joined the team.

You rivalled him in the academic department, having an IQ of 187. You didn’t have the eidetic memory though, so Spencer liked to think he could one up you in that department. You might have been good with any form of maths or science, however you didn’t hold a candle to the amount of vast knowledge that he carried in his memory alone.

Your first day on the team determined your relationship, you getting angry at the way he would so quickly talk over you when a question was being asked. You came into this job excited, wanting to spend time with the whole group that seemed so close knit from an outside perspective. Instead, you were met with an immature imbecile who really thought you’d allow him to speak over you.

As weeks turned into months, things didn’t seem to change. You wouldn’t dare admit it but it did upset you just a tiny bit that he never actually gave you a chance. Ever since you spouted off your first contribution to a briefing, it was like he had to upstage you. Instead of discussing things like mature adults however, you both gave each other the most childish treatment. In your mind, he deserved it. He foolishly believed he was better than you for what reason? Was it because he was threatened that a woman came in to take over his genius position? Was he jealous of all the attention the team paid you without an eye roll, the opposite of what they did for him? You’d never know.

Whenever there was a poker competition that was brought up by the director of the FBI, it was a silly idea to want to gamble all night. Even for charity, you would rather just donate to the cause and go home to read a good book and have a tall glass of red wine. “Are you going to participate in the big game?” You had asked as you leaned against the counter in the kitchenette, a cup of coffee in your hand as you were talking with Penelope, Derek and Emily. “I might go just to support the charity. Nobody is gonna win whenever Reid is there. That guy is..” Penelope whistled while sipping from her own mug. “What do you mean? Him?” Derek was chuckling at your disbelief. “Poker is just a big math equation to him. He grew up in Vegas and can count cards. Nobody stands a chance against him. Not even you, mama.”

The words had you frowning. “I think I could kick his ass with no problem.” Emily was scoffing at your confidence. “Sure you will. I’m telling you, this isn’t something you wanna get into with him. Especially when betting is involved. He’s gonna get you, every single time.” You weren’t buying that. There was no way that these abilities couldn’t be outsmarted. Spencer wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. You were going to prove that.

When the day finally came along, you were paying for your ticket at the door before heading inside the large venue the FBI director had rented out, mainly to make sure that it was possible to fit all the agents and other people who purchased tickets for the poker tournament. You’d worn a black dress for the event, wanting to use your prized assets (wink) to take care of the men who were easy to distract. You’d made it to one of the many tables set up and placed your clutch beside you on the table, the chips you’d already purchased being stacked up in front of you while you waited for the table to fill.

Spencer had seen you the minute he came in and he knew where he needed to be for the night. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t completely hate your guts. He always thought he would’ve liked you, however with you puffing out your chest and trying to take over his position on the team, he wouldn’t just lay down and take it. He fought back, anyone would. “Good evening.” He greeted you, making your eyes roll at his formality. “Hello, Reid.” You spoke in a monotone voice while resting your chin against the palm of your hand. You were just happy he willingly signed himself up for defeat whenever he sat beside you. This was a war that you intended to win.

Derek and Emily were funnily enough the two that day at the same table in order to get your game kicked off. As the cards were being dealt, you were confident. A flush. That’s not so bad. Luck was on your side, all you had to do was have a good poker face. As your eyes darted around the table, you were only raising an eyebrow once you made it to Spencer. He was staring at you so hard that you felt like he could see right through you. He was trying to read you. Another reason to keep a straight face as you return the questioning stares. “I’ll raise 20.” Spencer spoke, words slow and calculated as he tossed his chips in the middle of the table. “I’m folding.” Emily huffed, cards being put down on the table as she brought a hand to rub her face from frustration. “I’m calling.” You hummed while glancing over at Derek, who’d done the same.

With a straight from Derek, a flush from you, and a fucking royal flush from Spencer, you could feel your eye twitching. There was no way. He looked as cocky as ever, a smirk on his face as he was leaning over to get the chips. “Shall we go for another game?” He asked, making Emily nudge your side. “I told you.” She hissed. Maybe she was right. No! No, she’s not. You’re gonna do this even if it’s the last thing you do.

As the games continued, the tension between you and Spencer had grown much stronger from just how competitive you were being with one another. He was single handedly leaving you with nothing every play so far, causing you to run low on chips.

It was the last game whenever you had enough, pushing every chip in the middle of the table. “Fuck you, I’m all in.” You frowned, Derek and Emily pushing their own chips in just to end this whole thing sooner rather than later. “All in? That’s so foolish.” Spencer scoffed, however it didn’t stop him from adding his massive collection of poker chips to the pot. “I think you should’ve learned by now that I’m going to take this home.” He said, his tone cocky as he was looking over the new cards that were being passed around the table.

“I just wanna get another drink.” Emily muttered her own commentary to Derek, who nodded in agreement. “I know exactly what you mean.” He grumbled in return. This game had lost the fun nature of it whenever you and Spencer were too focused on one-upping one another.

You had the last laugh though, the look on Spencer’s face the moment that he realized you had a straight flush when he only had one pair was something you wanted photographed and framed. “Well. I don’t mean to brag Dr. Reid, but I just beat the best card counter in Vegas!” You smirked, leaning over the table to use your arms to scoop the chips close. Now, the way you leaned over the table gave a nice, tasteful view of your breasts threatening to spill over the neckline of your dress. “And that’s the game. Sorry.” You hummed, watching the way Spencer stared at you, a fire behind his eyes as he glared at you. “You got lucky! That’s all. You really think you can beat me when I’m not at my best?”

“That’s all the time, Spencer. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have chips to redeem.” You smirk, stacking them on the little tray before heading off. Which after you’d redeemed your winnings, you were walking off to the bathrooms. Spencer was still bitter, last you seen of him was him storming off to go god knows where. Whenever you had finished doing your business and you were washing your hands, your eyes were glancing up when the door was being pushed open. Whenever you saw the same agent who was still looking at you like he wanted to ring your throat, you couldn’t help but snort out a laugh. “This is the woman’s bathroom, Reid. What are you? A pervert?” You asked, staring over at him with amusement.

Although amusement turned to confusion when he was turning the lock on the door. “You know. I’m tired of your problem with me. You really think you’re better than me?” Spencer asked, walking closer. “Is that really a question?” You asked. Every ounce of cockiness was gone though whenever he had you trapped against the counter of the bathroom. “You really do. I think you need to be humbled. Nobody likes a cocky brat.” He huffed, making you scoff. “What are you gonna do? Huh? Gonna lecture me with your useless and boring facts like you always do? If anyone needs to be humbled, it’s you.” You seethed.

What Spencer did next caught you by surprise. The feeling of your teeth clashing together was felt immediately after as he was slamming his lips into yours. It wasn’t a soft ‘ease your way in’ kind of kiss. No. This was an angry ‘you need to learn a lesson’ kiss. You were dumbfounded. It didn’t stop you from returning the kiss that was dripping with rage and desire, your arms around his shoulders as your body leaned into his frame. “Always thing you’re better than me.” He murmured against your lips, his hands moving from your hips to your ass, giving it a firm squeeze as he was gently lifting you up to sit you on the counter. His lips were pulling from yours as he was sliding his hands up the black dress you wore tonight, his hands finding their way to your panties. Instead of taking them off though, your eyes were widening when you heard the sound of fabric tearing. “What the fuck?!” The words were in a high pitched squeak, Spencer shrugging as he was getting the ruined underwear. “You don’t need them. You like the attention anyway. I’m sure you’d like to bend over a table and show the whole place your pussy anyway.” He murmured, hand already working on his belt.

You shouldn’t have been as wet as you were. This was Spencer. Annoying, rambling, stupidly smart Spencer. The same guy who talked over you, who treated you like you weren’t a valued team member. Yet here you were, sitting on a bathroom counter at a convention center while the same man you despised was pulling his hard cock out of his slacks. “Who knows, maybe this will calm you down. In fact, I think it’ll get all that pent up anger and frustration out, I’m sure.” His tone was condescending, much different than you’d expect from the sweet Spencer Reid persona that he carried.

“Shut the fuck up.” You spat, making the male shake his head. “See? Brat.” He murmured, now pushing your thighs apart while guiding the leaking tip of his shaft to your entrance. “Let’s teach you a lesson.” One of your hands was gripping onto his shoulder, the other clutching the marble countertop as you let your head lean against the mirror in the bathroom the minute his cock was sinking inside of you. “F-fuck.”

“Who knew that this would shut you up?” He asked with a smirk, his eyebrow raising. “Maybe I should’ve done this sooner. Think you secretly love the idea of me fucking you like this. Bet it’s all you’ve ever dreamed of.” He continued to taunt, rendering you speechless for the first time ever. As he fucked into your pussy, his hand was ultimately covering your mouth from your loud moans. “As much as I’d love for everyone to know that I’m doing this, I don’t think we need to alert the whole building.” He mumbled through clenched teeth, ultimately shoving two fingers in your mouth in order to muffle everything without having to completely cover half of your face.

“I’m gonna cum soon.” He warned, knowing that just by the feeling of your inner walls spasming and clenching tight around him, you weren’t far behind. “Fuck. What if I fill you up with my cum? Get you pregnant? Then I could have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re never gonna get rid of me. Gonna have my child inside of you, keeping a piece of me right there with you.” His words had your eyes rolling to the back of your head as you let your legs tighten around his waist from his sloppy thrusts. With a rush of white making your body run hot, you were clutching his shoulder as you’d reached your orgasm, the creamy arousal coating his cock as he was giving a few more thrusts before the gush of hot cum was painting your insides.

You were both flushed, beads of sweat on your skin as you stared at one another. Spencer was gently pulling his fingers from your mouth while brushing his hair back with one hand. “Can you stop trying to compete with me now?! I’m so tired of this.” He grumbled, making you scoff weakly as you were closing your eyes to help come down from your post orgasmic high.

“Not if you’re gonna fuck me like that every time I do it. I think we should go play another game.”

[emily-prentits]

wip wednesday (its once again sunday)

no im not doing this game as soon as i start actually writing. definitely not. glad we got that out of the way! from chapter 7 of revenge:

The silence that follows Addison’s outburst makes it seem like all the air has been sucked from the room, it’s suddenly hard for Meredith to breathe. When Addison looks down, horrified, Meredith is frozen in place staring up at her. This is her fault, she registers numbly, watching the pain play out in Addison’s eyes. All of it. What the fuck was she thinking, telling Addison that she went on a date with Finn? Cristina clears her throat quietly and it breaks her out of her trance enough to be able to fake her job, even though she barely thinks about it. Logically, sleeping with the wife of her ex-boyfriend is anything but sustainable. God, she should have done something, anything else to get back at him. All they’re doing is hurting each other, all three of them in this cursed unrequited love triangle. Meredith almost laughs when she thinks of the phrase, but doesn’t dare. The thing is, none of them are bad people. Meredith knows this as a fact.  (They’re hurt people. And broken people. Maybe too broken for anyone to fix, but they try anyway. They try.)

no pressure tagging: @which-star @walshies @crime-wives @shrrpteeth @sillyfroggremlin (again since its been a bit) @silver-inked @sucker-for-emily-prentiss and any other writers that want to!

[study-with-aura]

Sunday, March 31, 2024

I am posting this on Monday since yesterday was a holiday here. Easter went very well, and even though the sunrise service at the park was very early, I truly enjoyed it. We still had a regular church service afterwards for Easter Sunday, plus our Bible Study group, so it was a packed Sunday morning with church family and friends.

My mom and our other troop leader thought about canceling the meeting yesterday for Girl Scouts, but none of us wanted to cancel because we're starting on our Citizen Science journey badge, which will take several weeks to complete. Plus, we wanted to still get together and share candy because what else do you do with sweet treats? You share them with friends! So we worked on some activities while eating candy. It was fun. We also did a prayer for Easter Sunday as a group. All of us in the troop identify as Christian or we wouldn't have done it. Our parents are very respectful towards other religions and religious practices unlike some of the other homeschool families in our area unfortunately. It makes me sad, and I don't associate with those families much because of it. I think we can learn so much from other cultures and religious practices and Jesus taught love, so shouldn't we show that to those who may be different from us and respect their beliefs just as we expect our own beliefs to be respected. This was a tangent, and I apologize, but I also blog for myself like a diary, not only for any readers that might find my posts.

But it also makes me think of this current book that I'm reading. It was on my reading list already, but I chose to read it now because of it taking place during WWII and after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The amount of hatred in this book towards the Japanese, even when they are American citizens, is horrifying. I guess nothing should horrify me anymore after seeing a genocide taking place in my own lifetime, but it does. It makes my heart hurt. And now I'm getting ready to study the Holocaust in World History, although I've read about it before, this time is more in depth since I'm in HS now, but even watching the docuseries that I'm watching to supplement my learning and understanding. It makes me emotional to see actual photos and videos of some of what took place. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but I don't think so. I think everyone should be responding in a similar way. They should be disgusted and horrified that things like this happened so recently and are still happening in the present.

I need to get back to studying. The world is such a terrifying place, that I'm grateful I can still see the beauty in it at all.

Tasks Completed:

Duolingo - Studied for 15 minutes (Spanish, French, Chinese) + completed daily quests

Piano - Practiced for three hours in one hour split sessions

Reading - Read pages 158-239 of Beneath the Wide Silk Sky by Emily Inouye Huey

Streaming - Watched Hitler’s Circle of Evil episode 5

Chores - Put the dishes away

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (Genesis 1)

Sunrise Service

Church

Bible Study

Girl Scout Meeting

30 minutes gaming

Journal/Mindfulness

[ieatsmallorphansnamedtom]

Yo, can you do hcs of Marnie, Jas and Shane’s family dynamic? They mean the world to me ❤️

The Marnie, Jas, and Shane Family Dynamic

Ahh, they have the cutest relationship. I hope you like it anon!

Marnie is running around like a tired mother every second of the day. She's got a kid and a grown man constantly getting into all sorts of trouble she has to sort out. She's spending half her lifetime staring at that microwave because she's trying to figure out how to sort this mess of a life out.

When he's not at the saloon or work, Shane is teaching Jas all sorts of fun games. Part of the reason why he has the thing to cheat at his games is so Jas can learn how to play on an easier level. If they had Mario Kart, those guys would have a Mario Monday for sure. Marnie's tried her hand at video games a couple times too, but found them way too confusing.

Jas gets a void egg from the farmer and keeps it as a pet. Marnie and Shane think it's just a nicely painted egg until it hatches and a void chicken comes out. Marnie loses her mind, wondering what in hell the farmer is doing at their farm, but Shane is really excited. I mean, the man made chickens blue, he wouldn't be all that worried. Marnie just has to sit there and watch as her family marvels over a glorified emo chicken like it's some sort of deity.

Okay, so I saw a video somewhere of a guy who sent his friend a video of him drunk playing Crash Bandicoot at four in the morning and that is actually the perfect summary of Shane. Marnie is awake in her room hearing something in her nephew's room and when she goes in she just sees him making sound effects every time his character jumps. It's three in the morning and he's going to play a horror game drunk.

Speaking of horror, they have a horror movie Sunday. Jas is surprisingly immune to the scary parts and loves movies like Coraline. Marnie, meanwhile, has to sleep in Jas' room for the night until she can get over it. Cue Penny hearing about Jas explaining the plot of Hellraiser and wondering if she should call CPS.

Jas and Shane are accuetly aware of Marnie and Lewis' deal. I mean, what Mayor only ever comes to their house for dinner. And he's 'collecting taxes' twice a week. Shane doesn't mention it, but Jas is very open. She tells Vincent, and Vincent tells everyone else.

Jas: "I saw Mr Lewis in Marnie's room last night." Penny: "That's nice sweety."

Most of their dinners are pizza. It's all Shane will really eat. Marnie doesn't mind though. The saloon atmosphere is really nice to her. And Jas gets to garner all the attention from Leah and Elliott and flaunt it to Vincent the next day.

Shane almost always dances with Jas at the Flower Dance. There's almost always someone who's partner dropped out and Emily takes their place, so Shane gets to hang out with Jas. They both love it, and look so cute. Haley has to fight hard to keep her Flower Queen title. Marnie tapes the whole thing with a smile on her face. Although her camera skills are a bit wonky, so most of it is Harvey's back.

Jas and Marnie deliever Shane breakfast in bed every Saturday. He usually can't find the motivation to get out of bed, so it really helps. It's very healthy food. Jas asks him lots of questions about what games they're going to play while Marnie goes and gets Charlie.

-~-~-

FInished! I had so much fun writing this. I hope you like it anon. I hope you have a good week and thank you for the ask!

[betterbooksandthings]

My top 6 dimension 20 shows ranked with little to no context

So all you DnD dropout girlies know dimension 20 has some excellent excellent content. I started my actual play watching with D20 so I am, of course, biased, but I just prefer watching something that well edited with a range of play styles and game familiarity. The fact that some of the tables have players who have played for decades and others who are starting their first game is really great. The diverse, laugh-out-loud but somehow also make-you-want-to-cry game play is just unmatched. So, I decided to be moderately unhinged this Sunday afternoon and rank my favorite dimension 20 shows as of February 2023. 

1. A Court of Fey and Flowers: Listen I was promised Bridgeton in the feywilds and Aabria Iyengar delivered. The epistolary phase! My ace pillar boy really doing the most. The “I’m taking my suitcase out on a walk.” Not to mention the fact that Jeremy Renner is an NPC. 

2. The Seven: I am nothing if not chaotic and I did, in fact, start my D20 watching with this show. The horse-girl energy was giving what it needed to give. The teamwork was excellent. I also love them. So there. 

3. The Neverafter: As a medieval-early modern girly with a hunger for oral tradition and retellings, this show is my catnip. It is at number three because we are only halfway through the season, but I am having a great time. Every time Emily or Siobhan light up at myth recognition, I too am excited. Also, death is everywhere so that’s a nice touch. 

4. Misfits and Magic: If I want to recommend someone watch a manageably small campaign this is what I recommend. All the PCs know how to craft the worst person to go to wizard school, which is glorious. Plus it is non-TERF wizard school content which we always appreciate in fandom spaces. Of course, you should also watch the holiday special, but yes, Aabria is an excellent GM once again.

5. A Starstruck Odyssey: It’s a campaign based on Elaine Lee’s before it’s time graphic novel series. Of course, this is Brennan (give the monster a cookie) Lee Mulligan’s mother and their interviews explain so much about him as a person. The world-building, character, and story arcs are impeccable. See you in the stars forever and always. 

6. Fantasy High: I gotta include an oldie but a goodie. Will never be over watching this group work through teen adventurer problems. But also, unmatched NPCs. Bill Seacaster! Cathilda Ceíli! Wilma and Digby Thistlespring! Sklonda Gukgak! Our yogurt icon Gilear Faeth! Ayda Aguefort! All very good people who live rent-free in my mind. 

So I hope this moderately chaotic list was, if nothing else, fun to read. Stay nerdy intrepid heroes! 

[leafs-lover]

Too Far Gone - Part Fifty One

A/N: There was supposed to be another cute/fluffy part before this but I figured you were getting bored of all the softness and decided to mix it up.

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of drinking, talks of mental health - anxiety, a little angst

Series Masterlist

Word Count: 5900

Coming home Auston is beat.

It wasn’t a particularly long trip, only gone for three nights, but for some reason he just feels mentally drained. He has for weeks.

The first time he noticed was the Sunday morning of the All-Star weekend. He spent the days before taking Taylour around the city, bringing him to the dressing rooms to meet the players (he was only really interested in Fred and Mitch) and all the mascots, they watched the skills competitions and games with his family. It was a great couple of days in St. Louis, so great Auston posted a picture of Taylour to his story for the first time, ever. You couldn’t see his face, could barely see any part of him with the puffy jacket and toque he had on, but something about it felt good. Even though there were press releases where Auston acknowledged he had a kid, a couple interviews where he’d casually say “my son” in an answer, it felt as if he was hiding Taylour from the world. He didn’t want Taylour to grow up and think he was embarrassed or ashamed of him because that couldn’t be further from the truth - media and fans haven’t shown they deserve to see that part of his life.

It didn’t come without consequences. Thousands of messages on Instagram, screenshots ending up on every other social media platform, but Auston didn’t worry about any of that. He only concerned himself with Tia’s response, and the heart emoji showed she was okay with the decision.

On the Saturday night he, Fred and Mitch ventured out, along with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Matthew Tkachuk, Mat Barzal and a few other players. They had dinner and drinks, then they had shots. They shared stories of themselves and other players in the league. They all talked with a group of women; Fred ducked out early to go home with one of those women.

At 1:30, Auston climbed into bed and opened his phone. He ventured to Instagram and watched Tia’s stories – who spent the night out with friends celebrating her first official sale. She was practically bursting out of a low-cut, tight, emerald green crop top, her skirt was short and her boots stopped just below the knee. Auston saw and loved the outfit, that wasn’t what he focused on. His favourite part was how happy she looked.

Once he watched all of Tia’s stories, Becks started to play. He watched every single one of hers, smiling at the videos of Tia dancing - a few drinks always unleashed her quirky side. He even watched the one where she was in the background, talking to a blonde at the bar while Becks fumbled around with the camera, trying to focus on Camille and Emily who were singing wildly off-key to The Backstreet Boys. Auston laughed, he could practically smell the alcohol through the screen, or maybe that was his own.

He woke up early, surprisingly without a hangover. He FaceTimed Tia to confirm the plans to pick up Alex and Taylour at Pearson. In that moment he felt fine, then he tried to make plans for them to celebrate as a family, and it felt like she blew him off. She fed him something about being busy with school (midterms were coming up), working at the store and getting the order out. Auston understood and didn’t push it, but it just kept happening.

Any time he’d see her he’d casually bring it up and she always had a reason not to. It felt like pulling teeth. There were thirteen days where Auston was in Toronto and didn’t have a game, that she could have picked from.

The only reason he got her to a restaurant was because he told Taylour it was her birthday, and she couldn’t say no to him. He tried to tell himself it was all in his head; Tia was actually busy and not ignoring him. The dinner fell on her reading week, and she should have been somewhat more relaxed. She could barely look him in the eye, and 90% of what she said was ‘hmm’ or ‘yeah.’ It shouldn’t have been that hard.

That was when he knew Tia was shutting him out. He didn’t know what caused it, everything on the surface seemed to be going well. She had a few more sales, she aced all her midterms, and when he asked Becks, she laughed him off and said she’d never seen Tia so happy.

She wasn’t upset or letting her mental health deteriorate. She wasn’t grappling with knowing Kylie lived on the other side of town, she wasn’t searching either of their names on Twitter or Tumblr. She had a problem with him.

Their usually playful banter was gone. FaceTime’s where they’d spend the entire time talking because Taylour was asleep completely stopped. Instead, he’d get texts that said “Taylour’s asleep, can’t talk.”

Days either dragged on or went by in a blur. He couldn’t focus on what people were saying or doing around him. When he stepped on the ice he managed to tune it all out and play hockey, but once the gear came off Auston shut down. The more she pulled away the more he felt himself fade. At this point he doesn’t what he needs to feel better, if anything can even help, but he needs something to bring him out of the haze.

His bag lands with a heavy thud by the door, he is too bothered to carry it to his room. He kicks his sneakers against the wall and tosses his keys on the small table a few feet away. With his head down he slips his hand into the pocket of his hoodie and lights up the screen. Defeated when he doesn’t see Tia’s name on the screen.

He’s so out of it, moving robotically, that he doesn’t even recognize the sounds coming from his living room. The clattering of plastic and faint giggles. He rounds the corner and Taylour drops one of the cars for the Paw Patrol tower which causes Auston’s head to snap up. So perplexed by what is happening he doesn’t even attempt to welcome the tiny body barreling his way; instead, Taylour runs right into his leg.

“Taylour?” Auston calls out, wondering if this is real.

“Hi, Daddy!” His entire face is glowing.

“What are you doing here?” Auston bends down and picks him up, bringing him in for a tight hug.

“I’m playing with my tower,” Taylour simply explains. 

“Yeah, I see that,” he lets out a quiet laugh, knowing his son doesn’t really understand the question. “Is your mom here?”

“Mhm.” Taylour nods.

“Where is she?” Auston gently pokes his side to prompt him further.

“I don’t know.” Taylour squirms and lets out a soft giggle, one of Auston’s favourite sounds. “Maybe the kitchen.”

She isn’t. Apart from the coffee pot that’s half full of cold coffee, there is no evidence she was ever there.

“I’m going to find her.” Auston kisses Taylour’s temple as he lowers him to his feet. “Then I’ll come play with you.”

“Okay, Daddy!” He emphatically nods.

Auston waited for a second to watch Taylour, worried that if he blinked Taylour could disappear. Even though he heard his voice, smelt his hair, and felt his touch, he still couldn’t believe it was real. Tia long ago was given a key, but only used it those couple days at Christmas. In fact, she rarely even comes to his apartment. He is the one with a car, it makes more sense for him to drive ten minutes than for her and Taylour to sit on a bus for almost forty minutes.

When Auston finally accepts this is real, Taylour is there and not some incredibly vivid hallucination, he turns around and walks back toward the door. He once again leaves the bag by the door, then ventures down the hall. He first stops at Taylour’s room, but she isn’t there – the bed is made, perfectly, with tight corners, pillows and stuffed animals neatly arranged – she was there at some point.

He pokes his head in the spare room, the bed is made which again could be Tia, but nothing else is out of place. There isn’t a hairbrush or face cream on the dresser, there is no sweater folded on the bed – left out for when she inevitably gets cold – and the faint scent of her perfume doesn’t linger in the air. The bathroom too is empty, along with the laundry. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she wasn’t there.

Then he hears it.

A mumbled curse word, followed by a loud clattering sound coming from his closet.

He has spent hours in her room, slept in her bed every night for months, but he can’t remember a time Tia was in his. Auston is so fixated on how peculiar everything is, he ignores the mountain of clothes on the various pieces of furniture, the Rubbermaid totes overflowing with sneakers and stacks of hats on the dresser.

Tia is so fixated on what she is doing she doesn’t even notice him. Pieces of wood, rods, and bags of screws and bolts scattered around. His drill is pushed to the corner and a pencil is tucked behind her ear, holding back her chestnut hair that is simply blow-dried. She is on her hands and knees, hunched over a set of Ikea instructions, spinning a screw in her hand.

“Who puts two screws in the same bag without labeling them,” she utters. “They are the exact same, but one is longer, how do I know if this –“

“What are you doing?” Auston leans against the doorframe, his voice drawing up her gaze. 

“I thought I had more time.” She drops the instructions and flicks her wrist to glance at the watch, then looks back up at him. 

“To remove all the clothes you dislike?” He queries, joking slightly. 

“Not enough time for that,” she dismisses teasingly, then turns her attention back to the instructions. “I’m trying to install these organizers.” 

Reaching down he grips her wrists and forces her to her feet - the only way to get her full attention. “Why are you installing organizers in my closet.”

Her eyes drop to the side. Tia doesn’t have the strength to look in his eyes and tell him. Wave after wave of anxious energy rolls off her. If she had the stomach for breakfast, it likely would reappear. But she couldn’t eat, has barely eaten in days.

“Tia?” Her behaviour does little to settle his nerves, in fact it does the opposite. His heart is pounding and one of his hands is bound in a fist, so tight his nails carve into his palm, but he doesn’t notice. With his free hand Auston grabs her chin and forces her to look his way. “Talk to me,” he pleads, desperately.

“I –“ she whispers, unable to speak with any sort of authority. Her eyes dart all over the place, never meeting his burning gaze until a thumb begins to sweep over her jaw. It’s such a simple touch, something he has done countless times before, and like every time before it works, she is looking at him. His usually warm and grounding eyes are panicked, desperate to be let in, but there is still a softness to them, one that gets her every time.

She rises to her tippy toes and wraps her arms around his neck. Her fingers tug at the baby hairs on the nape of his neck she lets out a soft sigh following the first brush of their lips - she missed the way he felt, the way he tastes. She tries not to think of the million ways this could end badly. She tries. And for a moment everything is amazing, perfect even. She swears Auston returns the kiss, which is all she needs to sink into it and tug on his curls a little harder.

Then Auston pulls away.

A wide and sweet smile is pressed to her face, she rises to her tippy toes again. This time Auston pushes her down to the floor and takes a step back, creating space between them.

“Tia?”

Auston is frozen. He was confused enough by her behaviour the last few weeks; he doesn’t even know where to start processing this. Did it actually happen, or is this still a very vivid hallucination?  

Her face twists into a mix of embarrassment and disappointment. She gasps. Horrified. Absolutely horrified. “I…I am so sorry,” she quickly fumbles out. What has she done?

She takes a step over an assembled drawer and tries to maneuver around him when he throws an arm in front of her stomach. Tia tries to swat at Auston’s arm, she can barely handle his concerned gaze, there is no way she can allow his touch.

“Please,” she croaks. A lump in her throat blocks the oxygen from reaching her lungs.

“Tia.” He almost laughs, how could she think he’d let her go?”

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

Auston’s voice is scarily calm. “But you did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, just explain.”

Auston feels Tia lean back on her heals and his arm drops, the two of them stand just inches apart. The air that sits between them is heavy, so much that needs to be said but not enough words to say it. 

Neither one knows how long they stand there. Seconds bleed into what feels like hours. Breathing in the same air, barely able to hear the others shaky exhales over the pounding of their own heart. Tia uses all her strength to not crumble then and there. She never saw it going like this.

“Mommy!” Taylour’s voice ruptures the silence. “Mommy!” Two little feet pitter on the wood floor, and his voice getting louder. “Mommy, can I have a snack?”

“You want a snack?” Tia waits until he is in the closet to speak.

“Yes please!” He bashfully smiles.

“Okay.”

This time Auston let her go, he had to. He took a minute to compose himself as best he could, and when he finally emerged the kitchen was quiet. Taylour was sitting on a barstool, shoveling yogurt into his mouth and Tia had her back to him. She was gripping the counter tight, and her feet looked tethered to the floor.

Auston carded his hand through Taylour’s hair as he walked by, earning a muffled giggle. Then he walked over to Tia and found her biting on her thumb nail. Her face was white, but she is deep in thought.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?”

He sweeps he hair back behind her shoulder, providing him a better view of her face. She jumps at the contact.

“Nothing.” She whispers out, barely able to think straight. 

“You don’t kiss me like that and not talk about it.”

While it was unexpected and left him confused, it was the kind of kiss Auston could have gotten lost in. Her lips were soft yet warm and the sweet moan she let out almost caused his heart to explode. He could have spent hours exploring her, letting them fuse together. It reminded him of the kiss she surprised him with on their first date, the kind of kiss that used to keep him up at night. Unfortunately, over the last year it’s been the kind of kiss that has accompanied pain.

“I said it was a mistake,” she practically hisses.

“Tia.”

Auston grabs her by the shoulders and spins her around. She says nothing.

“Whether you want to or not, we are talking about this.”

She says nothing.

“Tia Grace Adams!” He finally speaks with authority, so much so it surprises them both.

“I like you okay!” The words come out before she has a chance to stop them. Hot embarrassment floods her face, only getting worse when his shoulders fall and eyes flutter closed. She wishes she said anything but that; surely she could have made up an excuse if she tried.

“You like me?”

Tia just nods.

She spent days trying to convince herself didn’t have feelings for him. And for a moment she believed it, then she made her first sale, he was the first person she told. The next night while out with her friends, Tia kept looking to the empty seat at the end of the table, she found herself wishing he was sitting in it. And later when Brody with his charming smile and charismatic personality approached Tia at the bar, she could only notice the ways he wasn’t Auston. Everything she did, grocery shopping, walking to get a coffee, she kept wanting him to be there, and every time something happened, no matter how big or small, she wanted to phone and tell him.

She hoped if she kept blowing him off he’d give up on the notion of taking her. He didn’t. He kept asking, anytime he saw her, and she couldn’t keep coming up with reasons to say no. Being around him was suffocating, but in the best way possible.

It took her a little bit, but she finally admitted to Heidi she had feelings for Auston. Heidi just smiled, in a way that said she already knew that but was happy Tia came to that conclusion. They spent the next few sessions talking about that and what Tia wanted. Now that she had admitted her feelings it was easy, she wanted Auston.

“You like me.” Auston repeats after a shaky breath. He takes another and then another, then pushes all the air out of his lungs and runs a hand down his face. Stroking over the stubble on his chiseled jaw, he breathes deeply again.

“Yeah.”

“You like me.” 

He blinks in disbelief.  

She nods. 

Auston doesn’t know why he is so dumbfounded by Tia’s admission. He held out hope for months she would tell him this exact thing, but as time wore on, he accepted this wouldn’t be the case. This shouldn’t be happening. 

“You like me.” 

“Can you say something, anything other than that,” she pleads. 

“I just…I don’t know what else to say,” he answers dejectedly, making her heart sink. “I wasn’t expecting that.” 

“Sorry for kissing you out of the blue –“ 

“I handled that better than this,” he scoffs.

“Daddy.” Taylour tugs at the hem of his shirt and looks up at him with beady brown eyes. “You play with me now?”

Auston looks down at Taylour and nods. “Yeah. That I can do.”

**

Tia had no idea what to do once Auston walked into the living room with Taylour. She didn’t want to talk, he begged her to only to repeat the same thing over and over then walk away. He sat on the floor and accepted the Skye figurine Taylour handed him. He put her at the top of the tower and sent her down the zipline. He pressed buttons and even laughed at some of the things Taylour said, he seemingly forgot about everything that transpired between them.

He didn’t.

He couldn’t.

It was all he could think about.

Taylour created some wild fictional story, a mystery they needed to solve. He would move the cars back and forth, give Auston instructions and laugh. Auston pressed the buttons to turn on the sound effects, he’d move Skye from point A to point B and smile whenever Taylour glanced his way. But he could not do anything else.

At some point a ministick was shoved in his hand, it took the ball hitting Auston’s ankle three times before he made an attempt to join in. Even then the ball would bounce over his stick or roll by because he just could not focus on it. His mind was caught on a loop, replaying Tia saying, ‘I like you’ and him…saying nothing.

Tia hoped that because her heart had been yanked from her chest, the rest of the day would have been blur. She felt it all.

Heidi tried to prepare Tia for the possibility Auston wouldn’t feel the same way, but Tia never considered that a possibility. In her mind, there was no way he didn’t. If she ignored the late-night FaceTime’s when Taylour is asleep, the kisses they shared, the way he looked at her and the fact he repeatedly told her that he loved her (never that he was in love with her, but Tia could read between the lines) there was still Fred. Every time he has seen her in the last three months, he has made a point of calling her out for having feelings for Auston. If Auston didn’t feel that way about her, why did his best friend care so much?

She played this situation out a hundred times and not once did it end this way. Every single time he kissed her back, said he had been waiting to hear her say that, and their clothes on a bedroom floor.

The door was barely closed before the phone was in her hand. It took everything for her to not fall apart sitting on a barstool in her ex-boyfriend’s kitchen, she couldn’t take anymore.

“Yeah.” Abby huffs into the phone after seven rings. Tia didn’t expect her to answer, they haven’t spoke in weeks. If the situation were reversed Tia wouldn’t answer, but she always let her ego get in the way.

“I kissed him Abs, I just...I kissed him.” Tia fumbles out, frantically pacing around the mess of clothes in Auston’s room.

“You kissed him?” The sound of running water stops on the other end, then wood scrapes as Abby sits down to focus.

“Yeah.” Tia admits. 

“That’s amazing Tia, I’m so hap –“ Her friend’s voice softens, Tia can feel the warm smile which only makes this worse.

“He stopped…he pulled away…” Tia’s voice trembles.

“What? Why did he do that?”

“I don’t know.”

“What happened?” Abby asks sternly.

“I kissed him, and he kissed me back. Then he just stopped. He seemed confused when I said I liked him, like I suddenly had two heads.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Abby laughs. “Why would he be confused when you say you like him but proceed to kiss you?”

“I told him after the kiss.”

“Tia,” Abby groans and lets her head fall. “What did you do?”

“I…I don’t know.”

Tia’s voice snaps. Warm tears well in her eyes and as she lets out a shaky exhale they begin to fall. Abby doesn’t say anything, she just listens to Tia cry through the speaker. Five minutes later, when she has a sliver of composure Tia starts to tell Abby what happened.

“I’m proud of you,” Abby says after minutes of incoherent rambling when she can finally piece it together.

“I ruined everything,” Tia laughs through the pain.

Subconsciously, Tia brings her left hand up and bites at the hangnail on her thumb. She frantically blinks, hoping to rid the tears from her eyes.

“That’s not true, you just surprised him.”

“Gee, you don’t say?”

“How long did it take for you to get to that conclusion?”

“I told Heidi a couple weeks ago… but you know it’s been way longer than that.”

Abby laughs to herself, the closest she’s going to get to you were right.

“Mhm, and don’t you think Auston deserves more that five seconds to draw a conclusion?”

Tia sighs and falls back onto bed. Abby is right, of course she is. Tia allowed herself time to get to this point, and as much as it may hurt, shouldn’t she give Auston the same courtesy?

“What do I do now?”

“You need to talk to him and let him know this wasn’t an impulse. That you spent weeks processing your feelings, discussed it in therapy before doing anything. You tell him to take his time and that you aren’t expecting an answer right away.” Tia continues to nod through the speaker, if only she put her ego aside maybe this could have been avoided.

“What if he doesn’t feel the same way?” Tia shudders at the thought.

“There is nothing you can do.” Even though it’s not the answer Tia wants, Abby doesn’t sugar coat it. “If that’s how he feels, I help you pick up the pieces.”

Tia releases all the air in her lungs. She knows should have considered this from the beginning, but she knew if her mind was allowed to wander to the possibility, she never would have had the courage to tell him. Now all she can think is how arrogant and ignorant she was to have thought that way.

“Tia?”

“Yeah?”

“You have to stop hiding.”

Tia took a few more minutes to gather herself. She sat on the edge of the bed and thought about what Abby said, tried to remember what Heidi had told her – considering she spent the entire time Heidi talked thinking I won’t need this, it proved to be a little challenging.

With a deep breath to settle her heart, Tia reached for the handle. She thought the slight breeze from the door opening was going to knock the air from her lungs, but what did was Auston, standing inches away, about to open the door from the other side.

“Oh.” Tia gasps. “Sorry.” She shakes her head. “I’m just –“

Auston jumps, just as surprised to see Tia. He knew she ventured down the hall, but once again, he didn’t expect to find her in his room.

“Okay.”

Auston shuffles to the side to let her by. They don’t say anything. They don’t even look at the other. Auston’s brows are drawn together, and he has no colour left in his face, still in a state of shock over everything that has transpired over the last four hours. Tia can only wonder how long he stood at that door, and how much he heard.

**

Auston and Tia moved somewhat robotically after that. She had been gone so long Auston made lunch, she couldn’t eat. She took the plate and placed it in the fridge, then made herself small, curled into a corner of the couch.

Tia heard the shower start, then stop a few minutes later. She heard faint muttering as he maneuvered the various bins and piles trying to find something. She heard plastic scrape along the floor, banging and cursing as he stepped on something that shouldn’t be on the floor. He wasn’t putting anything back, he did not have the mental capacity to look at Ikea instructions, but he needed space to walk and space to sleep. He spent some time stacking all the pieces for the closet storage system together in a pile, so they were out of the way but wouldn’t get misplaced. He closed the Rubbermaid totes, stacked them and left a few pairs of shoes on top for easy access. He pushed everything into corners, against the wall, and threw piles of clothes that were left scattered around on top.

He found Tia’s bag, open, in his room. He left it where it was and set her pajamas on a beside table. He left her hairbrush and toothbrush in the bathroom, set the couple hair elastics he found in a pile. The more he moved around the more he realized this wasn’t an impulse. There were enough clothes in her bag to last almost a week, the three hair elastics and products in his shower indicated she had been there for a few days, not just in his apartment but in his room.

Hours went by and neither one had said anything. Tia knew she should be the first to speak. She wanted to tell him everything. She just sat on the couch, picturing his response.

I’m sorry Tia.

I don’t feel the same way.

This isn’t a good idea.

Too much has happened.

We’re better off as friends.

I’m seeing someone. She’s great, I think you’ll like her.

I’m sorry.

Her heart breaks as those words ring in her ears. She is dizzy. Tears burn her eyes, and she fights to keep them at bay.

Auston heard her sniffling. A lot. It took every ounce of strength to not scoop her up and hold her tight. The heavy silence and suffocating tension broke him, it shouldn’t be like this. They shouldn’t be like this.

After dinner (another meal Tia didn’t eat), Taylour wanted to watch a movie, and on went Toy Story 3. He smiled and laughed and after everything, would turn to one of them with wide eyes and a big grin asking, did you see that? Auston always answered, smiled and tried to sound enthused. Tia, she could barely acknowledge him.

It scared him to see her like this and he hoped it was temporary. He’s met this version of Tia before, but always hoped that’d be the last time. This version of Tia is reminiscent of the one who stopped caring and hadn’t showered for days, her hair was tangled, laundry and dishes were piling up and she didn’t even care. This is the Tia from right after the article came out, the Tia from September that tried to fight through an insurmountable amount of pain alone. The previous times he met this version he was partially to blame, this time it was all on him.

He did this to her.

He broke her.

The credits began to roll long after Taylour fell asleep. Trailers for similar movies appeared and they watched them all. Then the Disney home screen reappeared, and they sat, staring at it for what felt like hours (it was less than three minutes) before Auston slithered out from underneath and carried Taylour down the hall.

As if Tia’s anxiety wasn’t through the roof, that was the moment it all started to become too much. Her palms became clammy, and heartrate began to accelerate. No matter how hard she tried to focus on it, she couldn’t seem to catch her breath.

Up until this point there was a reason to not talk about it – Taylour. Now that he was asleep, there was no buffer, Tia couldn’t hide her crippling anxiety and fears, she couldn’t avoid the heartbreak anymore. He deserved honesty, but she didn’t think she could handle his. At least not right now.

“You like me?” Auston asks, taking a seat beside her. If Tia didn’t know better, she’d think that’s all he could say. 

“Yeah.” She replies, as if that’s all she can say.

Tia finally turns and looks at him, the first time in hours, and that’s when she realizes he looks like hell – heavy dark bags linger on his hollow cheeks, he twists the watch on his left wrist round and round. His nostrils flare and he chews on the inside of his cheek, a nervous tick.

“I’m sorry for kissing you, for just throwing this at you. I know it’s a lot.” As she turns to look at him her hand fans over his thigh ever so briefly. He flinches. It’s small, barely noticeable, but it’s there. Tia would have missed it if she hadn’t become an expert at reading him, something she wishes she wasn’t. “I’m sorry.” 

“How um…how…” Auston clears his throat and lets his shoulders drop. His eyes are trained ahead, he tries to think of how best to approach this. He needs to be delicate, tug at the string until it slowly unravels. “Are you still taking your meds?” 

Neither delicate nor slow. 

“Every day.” Tia nods. She wishes that wasn’t his first response, to assume her mental health had collapsed. “Heidi actually thinks we can start cutting my dose back soon.” 

“That’s good,” his response is barely a whisper. 

“She’s been telling me to do this for a few weeks now. To tell you.” 

Auston’s eyes widen at her admission. “How long have you liked me?” 

“I only admitted it a couple weeks ago, but Heidi knew before that. She said it became obvious at Christmas.” 

“Christmas!” There is only shock in his voice. “That was two months ago!” 

“Yeah.” Tia nods.

“I feel like I’ve had a pretty good read on you, but you’ve had feelings for me for two months and I didn’t know!” 

“Apparently,” Tia nods again. “I only admitted it a couple weeks ago though.”

“But do you think she’s right? Have you been feeling this way for over two months?”

According to Heidi, Tia has felt this way since before Halloween but there were more pressing issues to focus on. Heidi knew that Tia would only admit her feelings for Auston when she was mentally and emotionally ready to take that step. which is why she left it well enough alone. Maybe there would have come a time where Heidi prompted the discussion, but Tia got there first.

Tia’s face scrunches up in confusion. Halloween, Christmas or two weeks ago, what difference does it make? How is this what he is fixated on?

“Yes.”

Auston flies off the couch before Tia can even react and starts to walk quickly, back and forth, around the living room. He paces, and he paces, and he paces.

His skin flushes and he scrapes a hand through his hair, then along his jaw, and over the back of his neck. He speaks, quietly, incoherently, to himself. He paces, and he paces, and he paces, stumbling over the toys that litter the living room.

Her eyes water and a heavy ball forms in her throat. She lets out a soft sniffle and water droplets begin to stain her sweater. She watches him. She waits.

She doesn’t know for what or how long it will take, but he’ll figure it out. It took him a month to visit after he found out about Taylour, almost another month to decide to be a part of Taylour’s life. She hopes it isn’t as long for him to process this, but she knows that eventually he’ll find what he’s looking for.

“What were you doing in my room?” He comes to a complete stop; his eyes are white with panic. “In my closet?”

“I thought that if we did this,” she points between them, “I would leave some stuff here. A couple pairs of jeans, some shoes. A sweater or two. I was just trying to make space, one thing led to another, and I was building shelves. I don’t know.”

Tia stands up and sniffs, no longer trying to hide the fact that she’s crying. She thought she had learned to accept heartache; she never realized the hardest part would be having to mourn someone who was still in her life. “I’m going to bed. Can you watch him while I’m at therapy tomorrow?” Her voice cracks and Auston just nods in response. “I really am sorry Auston.” She only speaks once she’s almost out of the room, away from him. “I should have done this differently; I was so sure you were going to say yes.”

“I never said no.” Auston whispers, but she’s long gone.

Taglist: If you are in this list you have expressed interest in the series (either through likes/reblogs or by asking). If it’s crossed out your tag didn’t work. If you would like to be removed or added to the list send me an ask:

@youtxbemusic @nicoleloveshockey @emsully2002 @hockeypuckspottspot @ashleymarine @albal321 @b34ut1fulb4st4rds @biznastysloneshift12 @burkylover @c-tangerine @canadian-girl87 @crazzyfann @dana-hqy @delighttfulll @evawest5 @every-beautifulthing-thereis @greendragonzz @heatherawoowoo @hockeybabe87 @hockeyinaussie @hockeyisit @hockeypuckedmeup @je-ne-regrette-rien @jakekisska @partypoison00 @princesscameston @puccbunni @queenmarvel21 @sixmapleleafs @starswin @trashforbarzal @0kikina0 @1-fuzzy-squirrels @janeydeaux @stuff4me2do @callsign-denmark @monnbc @simpgirl-lat @huneyjojo221 @idfan21 @elly-dx @samanthasgone @holyalfalfasprout @lwstuff

[wild-wombytch]

Their credit card code ???? That's a recipe for disaster ToT

Hi, anon, thank you for dropping by, I hope you had a nice weekend and are having a nice day 🌻✨

Unfortunately, yes, you read that right 💀

My mother really screams inside when she sees that, and it's multiple times a week, if not multiple times per days sometimes...

The disasters are already happening, but I kinda hope it gives these parents a reality check :

(for the Independent article below, the dad says he doesn't know whether he should be mad or laugh...moids will be moids, no matter the age, I guess)

(of course the parents blame FB rather than their own parenting. Like FB obviously needs to die but these specific events wouldn't have happened if the parents actually watched their kids and didn't give them access to credit cards' functioning)

...So yeah, some people really don't think about the logical consequences of things, as long as it keeps their kids busy and not crying or screaming or running rather than... you know...actually parenting them, playing with them, giving them plushies, going outdoor with them...etc I can't say I'm surprised, when the French gov literally had to make an ad for this specific kind of parents to stop posting pictures of theirs kids online and then making Pikatchu faces when they learn it's spread and sold in ped0 communities for some males to jerk off on the beach day where little Emily is in swimwear...

...tbh I don't get why so many people have kids if they hate spending time with them so much. Or more exactly, I guess they do so because The Straight Must Have Babies™ like they "must" have a big dumb house that leave them indebted and a big dumb car that gives them even more debts and a dog and must have a depressive breakdown after 8y of vety unhappy life together like it's no big deal because it's heterosexual culture and idea of success and fulfilled life and nobody questions it. And that's just one of the many criticisms I'd have about parents these days, because sometimes (often) I see things that make me want to nuke them and then myself.

For real, these neglected kids will grow up even more messed up than the average Tumblr population did. Then they'll vote. And will be our nurses when we'll be old. And they'll struggle a lot with empathy and resources saving with the climate crisis.

Anyway, that's bright mood Sunday for me apparently lmaooo Hope I didn't make you lose faith in humanity. It just sucks that I notice parents who raise their kids well and interact with them more than shitty to downright abusive parents when I go outside. But then again, Brittany might be an advanced case, because we're dealing with cultural traumas that created issues with alcoholism, violence, mental health issues, weird distance between kids and their parents, and so on.

[zizzlekwum]

Stranger In A Not-So-Strange Land

Masterlist

CHAPTER SIX

The BAU investigates a series of homicides where the unsub calls 911 before murdering the victims. Follows the events of Criminal Minds Season 2 Episode 14 “The Big Game.”

Trigger Warnings: none

Word Count: 4,918

Tag List: @leftoverenvy @itsmeanobody @ctrljuls @theclassicgaycousin [if you want to be added to the tag list, please comment or send me an ask]

NOTE: Sorry again for the delayed upload, I kinda forgot yesterday was Sunday. Oops!

In your old life, you rarely went to clubs, more content to visit your few friends at their houses and play video games than going out drinking, but when Garcia excitedly tells you that everyone is going to the bar after work, you can’t bring yourself to tell her no. The people you work with are your only source of social interaction now, so you can’t justify not going out with them on the basis of it being outside of your comfort zone.

At the Irish-themed pub, you’re content to sit on the sidelines and chat with your found family, thankful that you were wearing your Calmer noise-reducing ear buds when you woke up in this universe; it helps you deal with the loud, booming music that serves as a reminder why you typically avoid going to places like this (you also always carry a pair of foam earplugs in your pocket, though, just in case). When Emily stands to grab everyone another round of drinks, you, you volunteer to help her carry them back to the table.

“Hey Morgan, be careful!” she shouts over the roar of the music as you follow her back to the table, balancing three glasses in your hands. “The one in the back could take your wallet!”

“That’s all right,” Morgan tells her with a grin, dancing with multiple women. “I’ll be a broke, happy man.” You laugh as Emily shakes her head, the both of you placing the drinks down on the table in front of Hotch, Haley, and Garcia.

“Thank you,” Hotch says, grabbing his glass. “Cheers!”

You sit down as you raise your glass of Blue Moon and smile, taking a sip. “Cheers!”

“So how are they treating you at the BAU, Emily?” Haley asks after setting her drink down.

“She means am I being nice to you,” Hotch jokes. Haley nods, smiling.

“Actually, everyone has been incredibly nice,” Emily tells her, smiling.

“Good,” Haley says.

“Just look at him move!” Garcia is turned away from you in her chair, sipping from her drink as she watches Morgan hungrily. “It’s like a cat.”

“More like a dog!” Emily exclaims, laughing.

Garcia glances at her. “He did not ask them to dance. They asked him.”

Emily smiles. “Okay. Okay, he’s a cat.”

“An alley cat,” Haley jokes, causing you to choke on your beer, spilling a little.

Hotch stands, grabbing her hand. “Come on, Haley, let’s go show them how it’s done.”

“I’m game if you are!” Haley says as Hotch leads her to the dance floor.

Emily hands you napkins as you finish coughing. “Thanks,” you tell her, wiping at the spilled beer on your shirt. “God, that was unexpectedly hilarious.”

“It was a good one,” she agrees, laughing. She looks over at Hotch and Haley. “That is so sweet!”

Garcia stands. “I’m going to the loo.” She points at Emily. “Do not let anyone steal my seat.”

“I’ll guard it with my life,” Emily tells her, smiling. She turns to you as you take another sip of your beer. She turns to you. “Having fun?”

“I’m enjoying spending time with everyone— you know, outside of work— although a loud bar wouldn’t typically be my first pick,” you admit. “I have sensory issues, so I don’t really like loud places, and crowds give me anxiety, but luckily I have these.” You reach up and remove one of your ear buds, showing it to her before putting it back in your ear. “They help reduce the noise to a more manageable volume.”

“How do they work?” Emily asks.

You shrug. “No idea. And I won’t be able to look it up, either, because these are from my own universe and won’t be invented for years.”

“What else do you do to help manage your sensory issues?”

“I try to avoid handshakes when I can— I don’t like that they’re never the same amount of pressure, and men squeeze way too tightly for my liking. I also don’t let anyone touch my head,” you say, then point to your hat. “And the hat helps me feel less anxious, though I’ve never really been able to pinpoint the reason why.”

“So that’s why I’ve never seen you without one,” she says, smiling.

You smile back at her, nodding, and open your mouth to continue the conversation when you notice JJ making her way through the crowd towards you. “Shit,” you say, taking a big sip of your beer.

“What’s wrong?” Emily follows your line of sight and frowns. “Oh no, that’s her ‘we have a case’ face.”

“We have a case,” JJ says when she reaches you, confirming your suspicions.

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” you tell her, standing.

“I’m going to go tell the others,” she says as you and Emily head to the bar to pay your tabs, abandoning your drinks.

“You good to drive?” Emily asks as you take out your keys.

You wave your hand at her as if to wave away her concerns. “I only had one beer,” you tell her, then pause. “Well, one and a half. Plus, I already had something to eat, and as my best friend Derek used to say, I have the alcohol tolerance of a cow.”

“A cow?” she repeats, chuckling.

“I don’t know, I guess it’s supposed to mean I have a high tolerance,” you tell her as the two of you exit the bar. You gesture down the street. “I’m down there. I’ll meet you at the BAU?”

She nods, beginning to walk in the opposite direction. “See you there.”

*   *   *   *   *

Back at the BAU, you all gather in the conference room. “You know, it never fails,” Morgan says, pouring himself a coffee. “Just as I’m getting my groove thing going, BAM! We’re back at the BAU.

“You know, statistically, a case doesn’t come in with any more frequency if you’re at a party or gathering than if you aren’t,” Reid says as you and Prentiss chuckle at Morgan. “It’s a trick of the mind. We merely remember the ones that came in that way more.”

“Besides, is it really that hard for you to get your ‘groove thang’ going again?” Emily asks. You snort.

“Only when he’s sleeping,” Gideon says as he walks into the room, taking off his coat.

“Where were you tonight?” Hotch asks Gideon.

“I told you, I went to the Jeffersonian,” Gideon says, sitting down.

“You missed a good time,” Prentiss tells him.

Gideon shrugs. “I had a good time.”

“Well, that’s definitely over,” JJ says as she walks into the room and grabs the remote, pointing it at the TV screen and bringing up a picture of a well-dressed couple. “The Kyles, Dennis and Lacy, were murdered an hour ago in their suburban Atlanta home.”

“Only an hour ago?” you say.

“Police were on scene unusually fast,” JJ tells you.

“Why?” Morgan asks.

“One of the unsubs called them and told them that the other was about to murder the victims.”

“You’re kidding.” Morgan shakes his head.

JJ nods. “From inside the house. According to the dispatcher, the first male sounded terrified and begged them to get there because the other, who they both identified as Raphael, was about to kill the sinners that lived there.”

“Sinners?” Hotch repeats, frowning.

“Yeah,” JJ says. “The 911 center is going to send Garcia a copy of the tape.”

“How fast was the police response time?” Reid asks.

“Four minutes, 26 seconds,” JJ tells him, pressing a button on her remote and pulling up pictures of the crime scene. “During which time Raphael managed to do this.”

“Oh,” Garcia says quietly, looking away.

“In four and a half minutes?” Prentiss says, a shocked expression on her face.

“Mr. Kyle is a dot com millionaire,” JJ continues. “His company is one of the largest employers in the community. There’s gonna be media coverage.” She turns back to the TV screen. “Also, when they arrived, the police found this displayed prominently on the bed.”

“Revelations, chapter six verse eight,” Hotch notes.

“They’re killing sinners,” Morgan says. “These guys are on a mission.”

“And mission-based killers will not stop killing,” Reid adds.

“‘And I looked and behold a pale horse,’” Hotch reads, “‘and his name that sat upon him was Death.’”

“‘And Hell followed with him,’” Gideon finishes.

“Hey,” you say, a thought occurring to you. “The name Raphael, could that be a reference to the archangel?” You mentally thank your obsession with Supernatural for helping make the connection.

“It could be a coincidence,” Hotch says, frowning. “But certainly something to keep in mind.” He looks around the room at everyone. “Wheels up in thirty.”

*   *   *   *   *

After the plane takes off, Morgan sets up a laptop on the table in front of you, connecting to Garcia with a video call. Prentiss sits next to him, you across from her on the other side of the table.

Prentiss looks to Morgan with a frown. “This is a bad one, isn’t it.”

Morgan sighs. “Unsubs with a cause are never good.”

“Pets, I just got the 911 call from the Georgia State Police,” Garcia says. She plays the audio.

“911, what’s your emergency?” the operator says.

“I’m at 1527 Chestnut Drive,” a man whispers, his voice shaking.

“I know where you’re calling from, sir, what’s your emergency?”

“He thinks they’re too greedy. They have too much.”

“Too much what?” the 911 operator asks.

“Stuff,” the man whispers. “You know, possessions. Things they don’t need. Hurry!”

“Are you calling because these people have too much stuff, sir?”

“No, I’m calling because Raphael—” There’s a thud, and the man stops talking.

“That’s enough,” a second man says.

“I don’t want to,” the first voice tells him.

The second man doesn’t respond. “He’s calling because Raphael is going to kill the sinners that live here.”

“I’m sorry, did you say somebody is killing someone?” the 911 operator asks. The audio file ends.

“Well, unsub one definitely sounds frightened,” Emily says. “Maybe he’s doing this against his will.”

Gideon shakes his head, frowning. “I doubt it. He whispered.”

“He could’ve called out to save them instead of calling 911,” Hotch says.

“Not if he had a gun to his head,” Morgan says.

“If he had a gun to his head, why would he have dialed 911?” Gideon points out.

“The second unsub said Raphael was going to kill someone,” JJ says. “Is there a third?”

“He could’ve just been referring to himself in the third person,” you offer.

Reid nods. “That’s not uncommon for an unsub. Ted Bundy gave thoroughly detailed accounts of his murders, but he never actually admitted to doing it. He would just say ‘the killer.’”

“Okay, so I’m gonna go ahead and run the name Raphael through the Georgia criminal databases as well as our own,” Garcia says.

“Thanks Garcia,” Hotch says.

“Ever so welcome my liege,” she says as Morgan closes the laptop.

“We have a killing team on a mission in rural Georgia,” Hotch says. “We know what that means.”

“They’re not gonna stop,” you say.

“Not until the mission’s complete,” Morgan says.

“We need to hit the ground running,” Hotch tells you all. “JJ, we need an inside picture of the victims. Victimology can be critically important in a mission-based spree.”

JJ stands and walks to the far end of the plane. “Already on it.”

“Prentiss and Y/L/N, go to where the bodies are,” Hotch continues. “Examine the wounds. They managed to kill two victims in four and a half minutes. We need to know how.”

Prentiss nods. “You got it.”

“I’m going to set up at the Atlanta field office and go over case files from the state,” Hotch says. “It would be highly unusual for a first kill to be this efficient.”

“Reid, you and Morgan, come with me to the crime scene,” Gideon says.

“We land in less than an hour,” Hotch tells you. “Everybody try to get some rest.”

You know you’re not going to get any sleep without taking your sleeping pills, but you also can’t take them now because of the case, so you don’t even bother to close your eyes. Instead, you reach into your backpack and take out your copy of the current DSM and research mental health conditions until you land.

*   *   *   *   *

“They’re all long, deep gashes,” the ME tells you and Prentiss as he shows you the bodies. “Each victim has virtually the same wounds— both throats cut, a vertical gash up one arm from wrist to elbow, and a vertical gash down one leg from crotch to upper thigh.”

“Major arteries,” Prentiss notes.

The ME nods. “It’s damned efficient.”

“How much anatomical knowledge would someone need to do this?” you ask.

“Anyone with a basic understanding of the body knows where these arteries are,” the ME says.

“And do you have any idea which one of these wounds was delivered first?” Prentiss asks.

The ME reaches over one of the bodies and grabs a clipboard from the table. “Um, there was a— there was active blood flow from each of the wounds.”

“So probably all the wounds were made at about the same time?” you say.

He nods. “With any of these wounds, the victim would bleed out quickly. Almost like an animal at slaughter.” He pauses. “No, actually, exactly like an animal at slaughter. A-a-a deer or-or a lamb or a cow, something like that— you-you cut the throat first, then-then sometimes open up other major arteries to assist in draining the carcass.”

“So maybe a hunter?” Prentiss says.

“Or a farmer, or—” The ME stops himself, frowning. “Pretty much anyone in rural Georgia.”

“Oh,” Prentiss says quietly.

“Great,” you groan, rubbing a hand over your face. “Just great.”

*   *   *   *   *

When you and Prentiss arrive at the field office, Gideon, Reid, and Morgan are already there. Gideon is talking to Hotch.

“…a video of the attack,” you hear him saying as you and Prentiss approach them.

Hotch turns to face you. “How’d it go at the ME’s office?”

“They were killed like an animal at slaughter,” you tell him. “So basically, anyone in rural Georgia could’ve done this, as the ME put it.”

“What did you guys find at the crime scene?” Prentiss asks Gideon.

“Garcia found a video of the murders online,” he says, sighing. He motion to JJ over at a desk with a computer. “JJ was just pulling it up for us.”

You follow him over to JJ as she steps back. “It’s all set,” she says. “Just hit play.” Gideon moves the mouse and clicks, and the video begins to play.

A man in a hood appears on the screen, the lighting casting dark shadows across his face, concealing his identity. “He says the world is a cesspool,” the man says. “Of greed. Lust. Disease.”

“That sounds like unsub number one,” Emily says.

“He says redemption must be sought,” the man in the video continues. “We must all repent.”

“And he referred to being Raphael?” Hotch asks.

Gideon shrugs. “Or God.”

“It’s not God,” Morgan says. “It’s someone sitting right there next to him, telling this guy what to say.”

A second voice begins talking in the video as the screen changes to inside of a house. “As the Lord God spoke in Leviticus 26:18—”

“That’s a new voice,” Morgan points out.

“—and if you will not yet for all this—”

Emily shakes her head. “A third unsub?”

“—I will punish ye seven times more for your sins.”

“Could just be recorded from a religious program or a sermon,” Morgan suggests as a man and a woman you assume to be the victims walk into the screen.

“‘Punish ye seven times,’” JJ repeats.

“Five more victims,” Gideon says.

“These images were shot from the exact spot on the dresser where that computer sat,” Morgan says, pointing over at Reid, who is sitting at a desk behind all of you.

Hotch turns to walk over to Reid. You follow him. “So if this video came from that computer’s camera, then what? Did the unsubs bring it with them?”

“As far as we can tell, this computer belonged to the Kyles,” Reid reports. “Garcia can do a better analysis, but it has their banking statements, vacation photos.”

Hotch looks back over at the screen where the video is still playing. “One comes into the room and immediately goes after Mr. Kyle. What, did the other unsub turn the camera on?”

“We might be asking the wrong questions,” Gideon says. “This video, this message, it’s important. Clearly, they want the world to see this. They need it. But they didn’t bring a camera with them.”

“Guys,” you whisper quietly, stepping away from the laptop in front of Reid. “What if one of the unsubs hacked the Kyle’s computer and used it to shoot the video?”

Reid stands. “Agent Franks,” he whispers. “Does this building have wireless internet?”

Franks nods. “Yeah, why?”

“That camera’s on right now,” Reid tells you all quietly. “The computer’s connected itself to the internet. It’s streaming a video feed somewhere.”

“Can we trace the stream to its destination?” Hotch asks quietly.

“If we keep it open, Garcia might be able—” Reid is interrupted by a beeping sound coming from the Kyles’ laptop. You look over to it as the screen fades to black. A message flashes across the screen before the computer turns off: THE ARMIES OF SATAN SHALL NOT PREVAIL.

Reid shakes his head. “It turned off.”

“So they’re controlling it remotely?” Hotch asks.

“Is that even possible?” Prentiss asks.

You nod. “Oh yeah, totally. It’s why I always tape over the camera of any computer with a built-in webcam.”

Morgan takes out his phone and dials Garcia. “Hey Garcia, how would someone go about remotely accessing a computer?” he asks immediately when she picks up.

“Well, it’s actually done a lot today,” she says. “When a mortal calls for tech support, instead of, like, giving you instructions, the tech can work on your computer from wherever she is.”

“And they maintain the access even after the work is done?” Hotch asks.

“They’re not supposed to, but I suppose you could install a Trojan Horse during a service.”

“It’s, um, something left in the computer to be turned on later,” Reid explains, noticing the blank look on Gideon’s face. “Same way that websites get pop-up ads onto your computer.”

“Garcia, can you check the Kyles’ phone records and see if they called for tech support in the last six months?” Hotch asks.

“Right-o,” she says. “Oh, and if you get me the Kyles’ laptop, I can search the drive for anything implanted there.”

“Fast as we can,” Hotch assures her.

“By the way, this video?” she says. “It’s gone crazy viral.”

“What’s that mean?” Gideon asks.

“It means that a shit-ton of people have seen it,” you explain.

“It’s the most downloaded video on the internet,” Garcia adds. “Worldwide. And judging by the responses embedded in the files, people seem to think it’s pretty cool.”

Hotch shakes his head. “Call us if you find anything on the Kyles’ computer.”

“Yeah,” Garcia says. There’s a click, and she’s gone.

“Murder is entertainment,” Gideon says, shaking his head.

“They probably don’t even realize it’s real,” JJ tells him. “People see so many images online every day, they might assume it’s marketing for a horror film or something.”

“These unsubs are right about one thing,” Morgan says. “The world is pretty screwed up.”

You all head back to the conference room, where there’s a bulletin board set up with images of the crime scene and the victims’ bodies. A white board is next to it. Prentiss uncaps the marker and writes EFFICIENT IDENTICAL WOUNDS in blue ink.

“So what have we got so far?” Hotch asks.

Prentiss sighs. “Well, the killings are clinically efficient. They had the ear marks of a slaughter, as in an animal.”

“Or a sacrifice,” Morgan suggests. You nod. Prentiss turns back and writes SLAUGHTER/SACRIFICE.

“We haven’t been able to find anything in federal or state databases that suggest similar crimes,” Hotch says. “As far as I can tell, it’s the first in a series.” Prentiss writes NO PRIORS on the white board.

“At least one member of the team may believe he’s killing in the name of God,” Reid notes, “suggesting a psychopathy that should display extreme levels of disorganization, yet there are forensic countermeasures and somebody in control enough to do complicated computer work.” He grabs a paper from the bulletin board as Prentiss writes RELIGIOUS PSYCH, and COMPUTER underneath it. “One member of the team’s organized, the other’s extremely disorganized. But what’s strange is that the one we would consider as being most in control, the one that made the phone call, can’t seem to stop the other one from killing. Usually the frenzied personality takes direction from the cooler head.” Prentiss writes UNSUB 1 (DIS) and UNSUB 2 (ORG) in blue ink on the white board.

“All right, so let’s look at that,” Morgan says. “Unsub one called the police before the killing, but he didn’t leave time enough for them to get there. Is the phone call just the guy working on a defense in case of capture? I mean, maybe he didn’t wanna stop the other, but he did whatever he had to do to cover himself.”

“So,” Gideon says. “What do we have so far?” No one says anything. “Not enough.”

*   *   *   *   *

You and Prentiss are reviewing the evidence and bouncing theories off of each other when Hotch pokes his head into the room. “We got another murder.”

Hotch drives, with Gideon in the passenger seat. You sit in the middle between Morgan and Prentiss. When you get there, there are already multiple police cars surrounding the house. The front door is open, with an officer standing outside it.

You follow Hotch through the front door. “Detective,” he greets.

“Yeah,” the detective says, turning around. “Well, he called again. This time, it was different. Only one of them spoke.”

“Which one?” Hotch asks.

“Pretty sure it was Raphael,” the detective says. “I wrote down what he said, and I got a recording being brought out here. Took us almost eleven minutes to respond. We only had the one unit close.”

“Could the unsub know that?” Morgan asks.

The detective nods. “The lack of police presence out here has gotten some local media attention recently. Now, the 911 call wasn’t the only thing that was different. This particular scene is weird in another way. The male victim, upstairs… throat cut.”

“Why is that weird?” Gideon asks.

“He doesn’t live here,” the detective tells him. “He’s a local handyman.”

You follow Morgan and Prentiss up the stairs and into what appears to be the master bedroom. You each put on a pair of white latex gloves. The body is still on the floor, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. There are blood spatters across the white headboard of the queen-sized bed. On the desk across from the bed is an open laptop.

Morgan walks over to the body, his back to the desk. “Don’t look now, but we’re on candid camera,” he tells you and Prentiss, his voice quiet.

Prentiss nods. “Uh-huh.”

“Yep,” you say, popping the ‘p.’ The three of you continue to casually observe the body. “Body was sliced just like the other victims.”

“No defensive wounds,” Prentiss notes, checking the victim’s hands.

You look around the room. “Not many signs of a struggle. If the unsub did take the woman who lives here, she must’ve been easy to subdue.” You walk over to the edge of the bed, where there is a piece of paper with a highlighted bible verse printed on it in an evidence bag. “‘Power was given unto them over the fourth part of the Earth,’” you read aloud. “‘To kill with sword, with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the Earth.’ Revelations. A book about the end of days. Not good.” You all exchange a look.

There’s not much left to do, so you wait for Hotch and Gideon to come look at the room before exiting the house. Hotch turns to face you.

“So let’s work this out,” he says. “What does the new behavior tell us?”

Emily sighs. “That there was only one unsub this time? Uh, Raphael? Alone?”

“Not if he’s the psychotic,” Hotch says. “He wouldn’t be capable of operating this efficiently. Someone was here who could control himself, make sure no evidence was left behind.”

“At the first crime, unsub one called the police, right?” Morgan says. “This time it was Raphael. Why? It’s like the phone call is necessary. It’s part of the signature.”

“This team doesn’t act like any team we’ve ever come across,” you say. “Someone’s clearly the dominant one and someone’s clearly the follower. It doesn’t change like this.”

“Have we ever seen this in case history?” Hotch asks.

Morgan shakes his head. “A mixture of extreme psychosis in a controlled individual? No. One of the most common indicators of extreme psychosis is solitude.”

“They don’t exactly play well with others,” Emily adds.

“Was Garcia able to find anything on Raphael in the records?” Gideon asks from behind you, walking over to join the rest of you.

You shake your head. “Not yet.”

“So why is he naming himself?” Gideon asks. “Twice. Certainly not worried about us getting that name. In fact, he wants us to know it.”

“An alias?” Prentiss asks. “Y/L/N did suggest that he could be claiming to be the archangel.”

“Or Raphael doesn’t actually exist,” Gideon says.

Morgan frowns. “So we’re not looking for a team?”

“Meaning?” Prentiss asks.

“We may have one unsub, suffering from the delusion that he’s actually an archangel,” Gideon says. “Maybe that first phone call was not two people, but one.”

“A split personality,” you say. “Interesting.”

“Well, what about the third voice?” Emily asks.

Gideon shakes his head. “That I don’t know about yet.”

Hotch sighs. “Well, if Mrs. Douglas is Jezebel, there’s an especially unpleasant death in her future.” You cringe.

*   *   *   *   *

“Garcia’s running voice analysis on the first 911 call to see if there are actually two voices,” Morgan tells Hotch as you all walk back into the field office. “She’s also gonna peel the third voice off the videotape and see if that gets anything.”

“We should have a copy of that latest call brought over here within the hour,” the same detective from earlier says.

“Thanks,” Hotch tells him.

“Hotchner,” Agent Franks calls from his desk, phone in hand. “Your tech from Quantico is on the phone.” Hotch nods and walks over to a vacant desk, pressing a button on the phone. “Garcia?”

“Jeez, don’t you people answer your cell phones anymore?” she asks.

“We were driving back to Atlanta through the countryside,” Hotch explains to her. “Spotty cell signal.”

“If you think that first video went viral fast, the second one’s going through the stratosphere.”

“Second video?” Hotch asks, frowning.

“Yeah, there’s a new video from our psycho,” Garcia tells him. “I’m downloading it myself right now. Some of these upload sites get more than a million hits a day.”

“Get it on the monitor here as soon as you can,” Hotch says.

“Right,” she says.

You wait for the video to pop up on the computer screen. When it does, you lean closer. A hooded figure is sitting in front of a struggling woman, bound and gagged. “‘…that he spake by his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, saying, in the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel,’” the figure reads from a bible in his lap. You hear dogs snarling and barking as the woman in the background struggles. As soon as the dogs appear on the screen, you turn away, the woman’s screams ringing in your ears.

“Jezebel’s death,” Gideon says.

“My God,” Prentiss says.

“You can turn it off,” Hotch tells her. She goes to reach for the mouse when the detective stops her.

“Wait!” he says, grabbing her arm.

“You haven’t seen enough?” Morgan says.

“Those dogs,” he says, pointing at the screen. “Those three dogs attacked someone a couple of months ago. I would’ve had them impounded but the victim knew the owner. A neighbor. He didn’t want to press charges.”

“And you’re sure?” Gideon asks.

The detective nods. “With God as my witness.” He reaches into his pocket and withdraws a notepad, beginning to flip through it. “Three mangy mixes. I knew those dogs looked sick. I called Animal Control, but I don’t know if they ever followed up on it.” He stops turning pages and shows Hotch his notepad. “Here is it.”

“You have the owner’s name?” Hotch asks.

“Hankel,” he says.

“‘Hankel?’” Hotch repeats.

“Tobias Hankel,” the detective says.

Your eyes go wide. “Shit!” you exclaim. Everyone turns to you in surprise. “Wait— oh my God, where’s Reid? Hotch, where’s Reid?”

“He and JJ went to talk to someone who called in a prowler in front of the Kyles’ house a few weeks before they were murdered,” Hotch says, looking stricken. “The name was—”

“Tobias Hankel!” you finish. You curse again, your heartbeat slamming against your chest. “They went right to the unsub. Hotch, he’s gonna get Reid. He’s gonna get Reid!”

Hotch is already rushing to the door. “Let’s move! Everybody, now!”

[mynameischalie]

What’s Up Tumblr!

- I only have about a month left of summer off before a new school year arrives before I’m back to the grind of Monday through Friday. I’m going to start having to condition my body to get ready to be back up at 6 AM. I’m spoiled over here and get to wake up around 10:30 AM daily.

- Last Saturday I saw Counting Crows and Dashboard Confessional in Atlantic City. I had one of those wild nights I’ll just say that. As I was waiting in line to get into the venue a couple from Delaware asked me if I was by myself. I told them I was, so they told me their friend who was 7 months pregnant couldn’t make the show and that they had an extra VIP PIT ticket. I had a cheap ticket and was just content on being at the show. They ended up giving it to me, a 300 dollar ticket mind you. I went in with them and was able to get in before everyone else and we had our own section in the front right next to the stage. I must have thanked this couple numerous times but they didn’t want the ticket to go to waste so they were happy to give it to me. It was a very generous act of kindness and they were so sweet. It’s something being up there in a VIP area, there were women in evening dresses and high heels. That’s probably not the best concert attire but hey they were doing their thing!. It was a great vibe though and both bands were fantastic. Dashboard is always really good (I would say they are a solid take your girl to see kinda bands) and I was actually surprised how insanely good Counting Crows were live. I would 1000% see them again.

- This past Sunday night it was back to the punk house for me! So I went to see Captain, We’re Sinking! If you’re reading this you’re probably like “Nope Chal, no idea who the hell that is” Basically, they are a punk band from Scranton, PA and the singer is the brother of Greg Barnett from The Menzingers (who was in attendance to watch his brother!). I got to this show and I didn’t get the memo that this was basically all friends and family (girlfriends, wives, brothers, sisters, you name it). Everyone knew each other, I would say that there were 150 people? So just imagine me standing there and people coming up hugging each other left and right and saying “Omg you made it, I haven’t seen you in forever”.  I decided just to go with the flow and damn was that show fun. I was pretty much having the time of my life up front singing along to every song. Captain, We’re Sinking are GROSSLY underrated. I struck up conversation with them after their set and they appear to be fine gentlemen. The tall guy, Ben, from Tigers Jaw played bass for them tonight and is always pretty outgoing.It’s cool to see when people are like that and not into themselves.

- I need to be in and around a pool soon. It’s going to be 99 Friday here in Philly so floating in a pool would be ideal. It’s one of those does anyone know a friend with a pool? I’ll bring you alcohol or wine!

- I saw Oppenheimer yesterday and it was great! I didn’t know a three hour biopic would hold my attention but everyone brought their A game as it was a selection of an extremely talented cast. Easily a career performance from Cillian Murphy. Emily Blunt was equally as captivating as his wife and I would be surprised if a nomination did not come her way. Also to my guys reading this... ladies feel free to roll your eyes at me... but Florence Pugh’s tiddies. *Chef’s kiss*

- Only 98 more days till Halloween, this is your fair warning that spooky season is on the horizon. Somewhere there’s a woman right now dancing in a Spirit Halloween store.

[legendtraineremily]

Day 3 of My Pokémon Yellow Nuzlocke Challenge!

Today will be a bit shorter than others since I do the church thing and then use Sunday as a calm, lazy napping day. Still, I can see where the day gets me.

First up will be finishing up these trainers and then getting my encounter for the route.

Route 3 Encounter—Spearow/AngryBoi

Hp: 30

Attack: 18

Defense: 12

Speed: 22

Special: 13

You know, that’s not a bad Pokémon to have. Actually, in Gen 1 games, Spearow has better moves overall than the moves the Pidgey line gets. At least in the early game. And having another flying type for a while will be useful.

And now I’ve made it to the Pokémon Center just outside Mt. Moon. Here I have a conundrum. You see, inside the Pokémon Center is a man who offers to sell you a Magikarp. I did state that Pokémon offered as gifts are on the table but this isn’t a gift, I guess. Okay. No longer confused. Buyable Pokémon are off the table. Sorry Game Corner! (Not sorry.) But we may have to try something that requires an Abra that I may have to purchase from the Game Corner. However this would be just for fun though and not part of the challenge.

So…I took a few steps into Mt. Moon and what do I encounter? This freaking pest meme of a Pokémon:

Mt. Moon Encounter—Zubat/BlindBart

Lv. 9

Hp: 27

Attack: 15

Defense: 12

Speed: 15

Special: 13

Ah well, at least I have another battle fodder option, I guess? Hello, Geodude and Paras. Where were you two when I needed you? And hey! I found an HP Up item to use so that’s great. And hello Clefairy…you could’ve been a fantastic catch so I could trade you for a Mr. Mime later. Oy vey…

I’m close to running out of MtnDew Spark. Dang. Tonight really isn’t going my way so far. And I’ve got a lot, and I mean A LOT, of cave to cover. For the most part it’s just trying to get out without being too fatigued and run out of health before the end. I’ll see if I can do it. I’m already on healing run 3 and I’ve barely made it through floor 1.

Oh, Lily tried evolving but I denied it for now because she’ll learn Poison Sting next level instead of in like 2-3 more levels. While I’m in Mt. Moon, I’m going to look for a Moon Stone to evolve her further soon. Oop! I immediately found one. Perfect! Having her as a Nidoqueen so soon will make her a super useful member for quite a bit longer.

I guess I was closer to the end than I thought so I’ll just grab my Fossil and beat up Jessie&James. This time I’m grabbing the Dome Fossil. I know, I know praise Helix. (For those who don’t know, that is a reference to a Twitch Plays Pokémon run many years ago which had a very useful Omastar that was originally the other fossil I’m not taking this time.)

Dang it you Team Rocket goobers! You’re not supposed to Poison poor Stinky! It’s just trying its best to beat your Ekans up. Good thing I have a couple Antidotes. Also, let Lily Double Kick your Meowth’s teeth in; she’s so close to learning Poison Sting and then evolving. And knock it off with the Smog attacks! Zippy doesn’t need to be poisoned too…oh. Too late. Dang it, Jessie&James!

Now that that’s over, Lily has evolved and we need to heal up a bit before exiting. And now that we’ve exited, let’s grab the couple items out here and catch our Route 4 encounter!

Route 4 Encounter—Rattata/Goober

Lv. 12

Hp: 31

Attack: 21

Defense: 16

Speed: 23

Special: 11

Not really what I was hoping for, but rules are rules. At least I don’t have to really grind to get it up to a better level.

Before I turn in for the night, I’m going to take out the two Gym Trainers in preparation for beating Misty tomorrow and then receiving the Bulbasaur in Cerulean. Plenty to do tomorrow and I’ll have to start out by getting all prepped for the battles to come. Love ya’! -Emily

[emilybradshaw]

English Rose - A Bradley Bradshaw Story

Chapter 6

Well, here's chapter 6! Sunday has arrived and its date number two for Emily and Bradley.

Absolute fluff in this one, with a hint of suggestive...

Taglist: @bratshaws

Sunday came rather quickly for Rooster and he found himself walking down to the beach with the Dagger Squad to set up their football game, Emily had text him earlier to say she would join them at around two so they had enough time to play a couple games before she got there. The whole Squad were looking forward to properly meeting her and getting to know the girl Bradley had spent the last 48 hours pining over since their first date, it had gotten so bad Phoenix had caught him stalking her Facebook and Instagram profiles when they were eating breakfast, something which she was sworn to absolute secrecy over. He had not, however, heard about the little debacle with Lieutenant Jackson, something which Hangman was presently on his way over to talk about.

“Hey, Rooster. Wait up!” he shouted as he jogged to the pilot from behind. “I want to talk to you about Emily.”

“What about her?” he asked inquisitively.

“Well, I like her. She reminds me of my little sister and she handled herself so well after the little thing with Jackson”

“What little thing with Jackson?” he asked, his eyes now growing wide in concern.

“He tried to have a little go with her, grabbed her wrist and that, wouldn’t take no for an answer”

“He did what” Rooster replied in an incredibly low, angry voice, “I’ll kill him.”

“No, no, she had it more than covered, managed to flip his wrist so she had control and then threatened him a bit, it was quite something” Jake said, noticeably impressed as he was retelling the tale.

“If he ever goes near her again…”

“I don’t think he will, Bradshaw, she scared him, then I did”

“You defended her?” he asked, surprised.

“Yeah, like I said, she reminds me of my little sister, I’m not gonna let anyone hurt her, she’s too sweet for that.”

Bradley patted him on the shoulder as they reached the part of the beach they usually play on, setting up the lines and dividing themselves into teams before they started the first game. They went on to play another two games before a figure started walking towards the group.

“Hey lover boy, your little girlfriend’s here” Fanboy sarcastically shouted as she approached, earning a hard stare from Rooster.

“Shut up, she’ll hear you” he whisper shouted, quickly replacing his scowl with a smile as Emily drew closer, she looked breath taking, she had a little pink and white summer dress on, it hung off her shoulders and pulled her in at the waist, giving her an hourglass figure, then it stopped in the middle of her thighs, highlighting all the muscles he knew she worked so hard for with her dancing, she had her trusty Nikes on her feet and Bradley was quickly starting to believe they were the only pair of shoes she’d brought with her to America.

“Hey you” he shouted as he walked up to her, pulling her into him with one arm and planting a kiss on her hair as she returned the hug, “how are you?”

“I’m good! I’ve been looking forward to this all morning actually” she giggled as he released her,

“I have too, and all day yesterday” he admitted, giving her a wink, “come on, I’ll properly introduce you to the others”

He led her to the rest of the group, his hand on her lower back guiding her as they walked, she seemed to relax into his touch already and he liked that.

Hangman was the first to move as they approached, “hey little one” he smiled as he too pulled her into a hug.

“Little one?” she questioned, looking up at him, her shoulders still held by his hands as she did so.

“Yeah, I mean you’re younger than me, smaller than me and remind me of my little sister, so why not?” he smirked.

“Well, it’s an improvement on the last nickname you gave me so I’ll take it” she laughed, slapping his hands away as she moved to hug Coyote. She then worked her way round the rest of them, giving hugs to all of them as she fully introduced herself. Some of the aviators calling her ‘Emily from England’ earning a laugh from the group and a glare from the girl herself.

“So have you been playing long?” she asked.

Phoenix, who was midway through a bottle of water replied “yeah, we’ve just done three games, we’ll probably have a bit of break now and start again in a half hour”

“Oh right, nice” she smiled, looking down at her feet, Bradley picked up on her change in mood immediately and asked if she wanted to go for a walk, she of course said yes and he quickly grabbed her by the hand and started leading her away from the group, who in turn began gossiping like school children the moment they were out of earshot. Emily couldn’t help it, she was sometimes very anxious and she had thought her arrival had stopped them playing, but Bradley assured her it was just because they were all a bit tired after their previous exertions. They walked a bit further down the beach until they reached a quieter area away from other people and they decided to sit for a while, when they were both comfortable Bradley turned to her.

“So, Hangman said you had a bit of trouble with Lieutenant Jackson” he stated, not taking his eyes off of hers, she looked down momentarily before looking back up and straight into his.

“Not really, I mean, he tried it on, wouldn’t give it up”

“Hangman said he grabbed you?”

“He did, kinda hurt, but I think I scared him more than he did me” she chuckled.

“I heard about that… Hangman was very impressed” he smiled, but then he suddenly looked all serious again, “if he does it again, you’ll tell me right?”

“I don’t think he will, Bradley, I think he got the message, total dickhead”

“Well, if he does. I want you to tell me straight away, promise?”

“Alright, I promise I will tell you Lieutenant” she smiled, leaning in for a cuddle, something he immediately opened his arms to. The pair stayed like that for a while, just content in each other’s company, no words were needed. After about ten minutes Emily spoke,

“I can’t quite believe this time four days ago I didn’t know you existed, funny that”, Bradley could feel her smiling into his chest, he laughed at this, sending vibrations through her scalp and down into her spine, making her shiver slightly. Feeling this, Bradley instinctively pulled her closer. “Bradley?” she questioned.

“Yeah, sweet one?” She nuzzled in further at this.

“Do you believe in fate?”

“I didn’t, but then you just came into my life… I guess that was fate” he smiled, taking a deep breath before he continued, “listen, Emily.” Oh no, she thought, the last time she heard this Charlie was breaking up with her, I mean he was an arsehole but when he ended things, it hurt a lot. She leaned herself out of the cuddle, pushing herself up from Bradley’s torso and once again looking him dead in the eyes, this time with a more worried expression.

“Look, I’m sorry if I said something wrong there Bradley, I really didn’t mean to, I don’t know what came over m—”

“Emily, hey, slow down… let me finish” he said, placing his hands on the top of her arms and squeezing them slightly, “what I was going to say was, if it didn’t sound too forward, how would you like to go out with me? Officially?”

“Like…be your girlfriend you mean? We’ve only been on one date”

“Two” he corrected, “look, I’ve never felt like this before, like something is pulling me towards you. I’ve not stopped thinking about you since I first laid eyes on you, I know it’s quick, but sometimes, well, sometimes you just know, don’t you. So what do you say? Miss Emily Walker, will you be my girlfriend?” He grinned.

Emily just sat there looking perplexed for a moment, her mind processing the words that had just been directed towards her, Bradley was now starting to look a little worried at her lack of response, but this worry was soon quelled as she practically launched herself at him, connecting their lips almost instantly.

“I’ll take that as a yes then” Bradley murmured through the kiss, not breaking it once, closing his arms around her waist and turning her he could lower her onto the sand so he was on top of her, only then did he pull away. “You. You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, Queenie, and I promise that I’ll take good care of you my sweet one”. She giggled, pulling him back in, both of them fighting for dominance in the kiss, Bradley winning as he decided to pin her arms to the sand, catching her by surprise and making her gasp, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth, quickly circling hers. They continued this for a while longer before Bradley broke the kiss and softly moved his hand over Emily’s cheek, the pair gazing at each other so longingly.

“We’d better head back, reckon we’ve missed a couple of games” Bradley said as he got up from their position, offering his hand to Emily and effortlessly pulling her up to join him. He then held out his arm for her, “shall we, my lady” he asked in an absolutely terrible English accent, making Emily scoff as she looped her arm through his.

The pair laughed and joked their way back to the group, when they were in sight, Phoenix leant over to Hangman, “I bet you 10 bucks he’s asked to be his girlfriend” she quipped.

“No can do Phoenix, I’m not betting on those two, besides, it’s obvious he has, look at them”

“A picture of happiness” she smiled.

“Sickening, that’s what I call it, but I like her, we’ll be seeing a lot more of her now” he stated,

“Yeah, I imagine we will. She’s part of the Dagger Family now, Hangman, once you’re in there’s no getting out.”

[whydoiwrite]

29 plz

29. Favorite passage you wrote?

But it’s not nothing at all. It’s the joy this woman brings her, joy that she forgot existed. Peace that she never knew could exist. Grace that she doesn’t deserve, but she finally understands now why everyone sings about it being so amazing. Kelley was the alarm bell going off in her head, the kind that make you wonder if you left the stove on, until that uncertainty manifests into an obsession with fighting ambiguity. But Lindsey… Lindsey’s safe as Nanny’s snuffbox.

She’s not Kelley.

She’s everything that Kelley isn’t.

It’s all the things Lindsey doesn’t understand about this place that make her different.

She could just run the damn red light when no one’s around and nothing’s gonna happen to her. After being passed down for generations and supplemented on occasion, the blue and white China pulled out for Sunday supper may not match, but nobody’ll notice amongst the ironed linens, silver, and plates piled high with fried chicken, snapped string beans, potato salad, and yeast rolls. She needs to stop asking if places have unsweet tea because it’s embarrassing when the entire restaurant goes silent. When Mrs. Sonnett said “bless your heart,” the first time Lindsey came over, what she was really asking was, “Who raised you?” She’s just gonna have to get used to the guessing game of which of the three or four margarine containers in Emily’s fridge is the one that actually has the margarine. And when somebody asks “Who ya for?” they mean Georgia or Tech, not your political party; hopefully the kick Emily gave her under the table was enough to make that one stick, but there’s something about Lindsey that tells Emily the way the server all but threw the slice of pecan pie down on the table and walked away in disgust didn’t faze her. She really ought to learn pretty quick that the answer is Yellow Jackets.  Always.  

There’s a promise in her eyes that she’ll get it… all of it…eventually.

And it’s all the things that she’s taken the time to figure out that make her worth risking everything for again. When Emily asks for a coke, Lindsey asks her what kind.  It’s usually a Dr. Pepper, but sometimes it’s an Orange Fanta, so she checks. You keep a shotgun by the backdoor just in case. Ma’am or sir follows every yes or no, regardless of age or stature, and there’s no such thing as too many pleases or thank yous. Grits get sugared. And you just smile and nod when you hear about that one touchdown that won them the 2A State Championship back in ’92, because the whole town’s gonna still be talking about it years from now, while wearing gold and black, whether they were old enough to remember it happening or not.

[valkyrie-sdv]

tailor challenge: part 1

starting this challenge! i've been thinking about it for awhile. the basic premise is to collect every single clothing item in the game, while primarily earning money only through selling accessories (shoes, rings, trinkets) and cloth. see the carrd for the challenge for info!

liveblog under the read more.

i've already figured out my farmer in advance, and i even created a hair just for her. i'm starting with the meadowlands farm since it starts with a dresser for storing clothes and accessories! i'm also doing remixed bundles and remixed mine rewards. i made a page already with all my mods for this run. since i've played stardew a bunch, i've added some mods that add more dialogue and events, plus that put a limit on how many events i can see per day. i also added a mod that makes it harder to gain friendship. i figure with all of these things, plus with this likely being a longer run, it'll help keep the game fresh for me.

anyway!! sunday. i've made a page talking about her in more depth here for anyone interested. i'm intending on thinking a lot about how she reacts to things during this playthrough, so i'll be making references to her at times.

soon... god it's going to take a bit before i can get my hands on some cloth to actually use this!!

also at the bottom-right you can see that i'm running the survivalistic mod that makes me have to manage hunger/thirst values. i discovered that if my values are low enough, it also starts dragging down my energy. so day one has actually been a little terrifying when i only have a few foraged items to start!

was fortunate enough to already find an artifact today... money is going to be soooo tight in this run, since i'm also really not shipping anything except cloth. in the rules i'm allowed to ship things to get the achievements (since i also need to get perfection to get one of the final hats!), but that means just one of each shipped item, and only extras to get monoculture, polyculture, and things for quests/special orders. so it's going to be tough. it's making me think about things really differently than i would normally, though.

like for example, i got a daffodil which i can ship. but since i can only ship one, i'm better off waiting until i get a gold or iridium one since then it's at least slightly more gold for my one shipment.

unlike so many other characters, emily's immediately warm. between that, the fact that she has a job, and that she invited sunday to see her at the bar, she is immediately paying attention to her. plus, she has the sewing machine. she wants access to that!!

honestly, i'm not an emily fan personally, so writing sunday in such a way that she would end up in a relationship with her has been a challenge. i tackled that a little bit on sunday's page on this blog, because while i'm planning on having sunday marry emily (so she can get the clothing locked behind her 14-heart event), i'm definitely going to have them get divorced afterwards.

day two started with sunday already almost starving, which means she could pass out. especially since hunger being that low drags down her energy. survivalistic really does make this feel a lot tougher at the very beginning!!

rather than doing anything farming-related, sunday had to book it to the docks ASAP to meet willy so she could get the fishing rod. finally, easier access to food!!

alex, please 😭 i can't get over all his new egg-related dialogue!!!

sunday is so messy that she's immediately internally making a list of all the people in pelican town with stable jobs.

first achievement... soon: hat mouse.

end of spring 2 got sunday to level 2 fishing since she had to fish so much to keep up her hunger/thirst levels!

of course the first help wanted quest that was actually possible to achieve was one from emily. somehow.

by the end of spring 3, sunday already got all the way up to level 5 fishing somehow 😭 i was so determined to get joja cold for both emily and sam...

i keep thinking that since sunday is often hanging around the river south of his place to fish, she just keeps running into sam and chatting with him. of course she'll give him a joja cola if she finds one. i keep thinking that unlike shane, she doesn't mind joja cola? calories are calories and she can't afford to be picky. so she'll probably drink them with sam if he's hanging around.

joja corporation was sunday's dead-end job she was working, so while she doesn't feel strongly about the community centre itself, she definitely makes a decision after hearing about this that she can't get a membership at joja. she's already avoiding the shops as much as possible, so no real difference, right? she has too little money to begin with.

average response to sunday.

encountered an interesting thing here. today is the day that the mines are finally open. but one of the mods i'm using is event limiter, which i downloaded because i wanted my events to be more spread out—particularly after events like the luau that really raise friendship levels a ton, where you usually end up bombarded with a ton of events the next day. i have it configured to only allow one event per day. so since i already saw the event with the community centre, now i can't get the one with marlon to get the sword until tomorrow.

it definitely makes me feel like i get to take my time a bit more.

partially because of that, it meant i got to spend the day fishing again. also because demetrius posted a quest to get four carp. so now i have the mother catch achievement.

finished day five, and got to level 6 fishing, and level 2 foraging. i've barely been able to ship anything so far just because of the limitations i set, and how i'm trying to be strategic about when i ship the few things i have! i've actually been keeping a spreadsheet just out of curiosity to see just how little money i make from different categories.

day 6: finally got the rusty sword from marlon.

hanging out and fishing near sam's place again. i'm using an unofficial update of the mod friendship tweaks, which allows you to configure how quickly or slowly you want to progress friendships. i have mine set at (iirc) 0.25x the normal level, so you can see that with talking every day and giving two gifts to sam this week, i only have the tiniest fraction of a heart.

trying to get his three-heart event may genuinely be an issue at this rate, but we'll see 😭 that's the only event i get tense about since it's possible to miss...

OH, cute, i like that lewis comments about this... i can't remember if this is the new dialogue from concernedape or if it's some new dialogue added by one of the dialogue mods i installed.

spending some time in the mines, finally... i think that sunday spends a lot of time here, since she isn't great with self-preservation, and there's a lot of cool things she can find, so it feels worth it to her. PLUS: finally got my first clothing item other than the ones from character creation!!

i also managed to get a new weapon while down in the mines, but since i can't earn money from weapons in this run, into the trash my old one goes.

with day 6 over: finally got to level 1 farming, then level 7 fishing (SOMEHOW??), and level 1 mining.

i was going to visit the wizard today, but when i stepped outside, i triggered a clint event. so event limiter has decided i still can't talk to the junimos yet today!

at least i have a furnace now.

sunday managed to scrounge up a birthday gift for lewis, even if it was just a liked one. a parsnip, since he mentioned it to her.

sunday is absolutely taking notes.

and current breakdown of clothing items i have as of the end of the first week... this is definitely going to be a long run. also total gold earned: 840g, mostly from quests.

[handelplayssims]

Oye. How many more days left with these vampires? 4 it seems. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Well, let’s look at Roxana’s whims. Prank and be mean to someone. As usual. Welp, pranking is easily done. Hey, Omar! Here’s this hand buzzer trick! Next is Omar who wants to have child, or get disliked by someone. Mm. They already dislike each other though. I’m going to refresh those whims and then have him focus on Harrison. ...the whims were to leave a note on the family bulliten board and become enemies with the person he disliked. -shrug- Emilie is up and at em and needs food, and it’s an hour until work and school. Let’s just wait out the time until we head back into work with Omar.

And here we go! Perhaps today, we might get that final surgery requirement. ...if I was mean, I would perform surgery on a patient that might not need it...but eh, let’s try to be a good doctor. WOAH, there we go! We got a guy who collapsed right at the front door. And he needs emergency surgery! There we go! And hey, the patient we’ve been working on also needed surgery. Nice! Finally! He’s got that promotion! And is now a specialist! Good for Omar.

Oooh, Roxana, while I did manage to queue and get her the plasma fruit salad she needed, she also just ran out and drank from a passing sim. Hee. Now she’s super-tense about drinking from others.  MAN. I keep forgetting about Emilie and the making-friends-at-school thing! Now it’s 8PM and I bet there would only be teens at the park at this time. Doing their teen hangout thing. Ah well, both parents have whims regarding kids so, I decided to have both of them lecture their kids about manners. They’re neat sims, they’d care about this sort of thing. And now the kids are asleep. I decide to have the parents chat about the struggles of parenting...and the struggles of being a vampire. But thankfully Omar has a very high logic and can logic away the stress of drinking from a random sim. And she has low fun so uh, let’s have a woohoo in the shower.

Harrison wants to meet someone new so lets see if any teens are hanging around the park at the moment. But if not, we’ll bring someone along because he needs to drink! Hmm. The Alluring Visage means he’s low on vampire energy now. Meaning he needs to sleep. But we just got here! But I guess we can go right back home.. because it’s pretty much time for-

Neighborhood Watch!

Devan Geiger in the Geiger household has died. No cliffhanger here; Devan slipped when rock climbing.

Hold on, let me check something…yep. This was the guy who just moved into a home. RIP!

Mack Newman in the Newman hosuehold has died. Mack tried to make cereal but it burst into flames.

Let’s see, it’s early in the morning, nothing much to do. The kids sleep schedule is all kinds of messed up but alas. Let’s make sure I actually remember to set Emile to make friends at school. Omar’s got work at 9 until 7pm. So that leaves Roxana alone to do her work. And we got a biography about a dude who very much wants someone to write about him. That’ll do. Huh, and evidently she’s excited about the project at least. So a drink break and then we head back to work. Annnd she’s sick. Stuffed up nose, it seems. Well, what is the recommendations, internet? Taking a steamy shower! Annd hey, it worked! Back to writing she goes! Kids are back from school and boy, are they tired! But Roxana wants them to volunteer with her and so what she wants, she gets!

Let’s see. Omar does want a promotion, again. Could think about just having him visit a library for a late-night study instead. Since hey, that does also work, in theory, for a doctor. You gotta research your medical stuff! Oh hey, we actually met a scientist, since we’re at Strangerville. There would be a scientist/doctor solidarity, wouldn’t there? Let’s play a game of chess, get the know the guy a little and then head home.

Home again, and Omar wants to eat some popcorn. It’ll go poorly but we can attempt to have some. Meanwhile Harrison wants another promotion. Which, fine and all but I guess let’s work on your charisma skill. Selena’s hungry and Emile, oof! Bladder failure! ...and Roxana’s whim didn’t clear because we left in the middle of it. Fair enough, I suppose! Also I am trying to have Omar mend his relationship with Selena but alas! She just thinks he’s creepy with that weird hissing all the time! Ah well. Anyway it’s time for-

Neighborhood Watch! Mizuki Maeda in the Maeda household has died. Mizuki was victim to a vicious chicken attack.

Ah man. She was one of my longest lived townies. Riiiiiip!

Akira Kibo in the Kibo household has died. Akira fell for a cowplant’s cake bait. He could not have his cake and eat it too.

Ha. I had a feeling this was going to happen to him sooner or later. RIP!