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beardedmrbean · 3 months

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WILMINGTON, Del. − A federal jury convicted Hunter Biden of federal gun charges, a historic first for the offspring of a sitting president, after a trial featuring wrenching emotional testimony about his drug use from his ex-wife and sister-in-law.

President Joe Biden's son faces up to 25 years in prison for three charges − lying on a federal screening form about his drug use, lying to a gun dealer and possessing the gun − although first-time, nonviolent offenders typically get shorter sentences.

The 54-year old businessman and attorney's case came after a plea deal fell apart in July 2023 that could have resolved gun and taxes charges without prison time. Hunter Biden still faces another federal trial starting Sept. 5 in California for allegedly avoiding taxes.

Biden's legal troubles coincide with his father campaigning for reelection. But the elder Biden as the trial kicked off issued a statement supporting his son and later told ABC News he wouldn't pardon him.

Follow along for live updates from the USA TODAY Network.

What is Hunter Biden guilty of?

The president's son was convicted on three firearms felonies. In October 2018, Hunter Biden walked into a gun shop north of Wilmington, Delaware, and purchased a revolver. People who purchase firearms are required to fill out a standardized form that asks whether they are an unlawful user or are addicted to controlled substances, narcotics and other listed substances. Biden is accused of answering "no" to that question on the form.

But Biden has been open about his longtime struggles with crack cocaine addiction. He's written about it in his 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things," and discussed it during a court hearing last year, stating he's been sober since 2019.

Biden faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, although first-time and non-violent offenders are often given shorter terms.

– Xerxes Wilson

Hunter Biden looks to lawyer, wife after verdict announced

Hunter Biden pat Abbe Lowell, his lawyer, on the back after his felony conviction was announced. He then turned to look at his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden and hugged other members of his defense team.

He was holding his wife's hand as he was ushered into elevators after the court adjourned.

– Xerxes Wilson and Esteban Parra

Hallie Biden received texts about drugs from Hunter Biden

Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden, testified during the trial about how her brother-in-law introduced her to drugs. She also walked the jury through a series of text messages in the days after Hunter Biden bought the gun on Oct. 12, 2018.

A text the next day said he was behind a baseball stadium in Wilmington “waiting on a dealer named Mookie.”

Hallie Biden later texted Hunter Biden, stating that she tried calling him “500 times in the past 24 hours.” He eventually responded: “I was sleeping on a car smoking crack on 4th Street and Rodney.”

Hunter Biden called Hallie Biden ‘stupid’ for trashing gun

Hallie Biden told the jury she found the gun in Hunter Biden's car 11 days after he bought it. Rather than risk their kids finding it, she put the gun in a leather case and drove to a grocery store, where she threw it into a trash can.

“I realized it was a stupid idea now, but I was just panicking,” Hallie Biden said.

Hunter Biden confronted her when he discovered what she had done.

“It’s hard for me to believe anyone is that stupid,” Hunter Biden said in a text. “Do you want me dead?” he asked in a later text.

Retiree found gun in grocery store trash can

An 80-year-old retiree, Edward Banner, who scavenged trash containers for aluminum cans, found the gun outside Janssen’s Market in Greenville. A state police lieutenant tracked him down and asked whether he’d found anything unusual.

“I definitely remember finding that,” Banner said.

FBI chemist found cocaine residue on Hunter Biden gun pouch

Forensic chemist Jason Brewer testified that he found cocaine in the residue on the leather pouch that held Hunter Biden’s gun. Two spots on the pouch had a “minimal amount” of “off-white powder,” which Brewer pointed out in a picture prosecutors projected onto a screen in Biden’s trial on gun charges.

“Cocaine was identified within the residual white particles I sampled,” he told the jury.

Biden trial followed collapse of plea deal for gun and tax charges

A plea agreement that fell apart last July offered the possibility Biden could avoid jail time for all of the charges. Noreika rejected the deal because of disputes between prosecutors and defense lawyers about Biden’s protection from future charges.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed the U.S. attorney in Delaware, David Weiss, a special counsel to continue an independent investigation. Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, argued unsuccessfully the charges should be dismissed because no new evidence had emerged since the plea agreement.

The gun indictment charged Biden with knowingly deceiving a firearms dealer by buying a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver. He was charged with falsely filling out a federal form denying he was addicted to any narcotics. And he was charged with knowingly possessing the revolver despite the restrictions against people addicted to drugs owning firearms. The three charges carried a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

The tax indictment charges Biden with three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanors. He allegedly engaged in a scheme in which he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed taxes from 2016 through 2019, and also evaded tax assessment for 2018 when he filed false returns.

The previous agreement would have allowed Biden to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges, which could have resulted in no jail time, and enter a pretrial program for a gun charge that could have been dismissed if he complied.

But Republicans blasted the agreement as a sweetheart deal and Hunter Biden became a lightning rod for criticism of his father.

#nunyas news

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justinspoliticalcorner · 3 months

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Hugo Lowell at The Guardian:

The US supreme court has ruled that former presidents are entitled to some degree of immunity from criminal prosecution, dramatically reducing the likelihood that the federal criminal case against Donald Trump on charges he plotted to stop the transfer of power will proceed before the 2024 election. The court’s conservative majority – which Trump helped create – found 6-3 that presidents were protected from prosecution for official actions that extended to the “outer perimeter” of his office, but could face charges for unofficial conduct.

Trump is accused of overseeing a sprawling effort to subvert the 2020 election, including two counts of conspiring to obstruct the certification of the election results, conspiring to defraud the government, and conspiring to disenfranchise voters. Among the accusations: Trump spread false claims of election fraud, plotted to recruit fake slates of electors, pressured US justice department officials to open sham investigations into election fraud, and pressured his vice-president, Mike Pence, to obstruct Congress’s certification of Joe Biden’s win. To determine whether Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results came under the protected auspices of his official duties, the supreme court remanded the case back to the presiding US district judge Tanya Chutkan, who will have to review the indictment line by line.

The court left the bulk of the analysis up to Chutkan. But Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, found that Trump’s threat to fire the then-acting attorney general for refusing to open investigations were protected, because the justice department is part of the executive branch. Roberts similarly found that Trump’s effort to pressure Pence was probably protected, as the president discussing responsibilities with the vice president was an instance of official conduct. “Trump is at least presumptively immune from prosecution for such conduct,” the opinion said. The final decision on the Pence question rested with Chutkan, wrote Roberts. The burden was on prosecutors to “rebut the presumption of immunity” and whether charging Trump would “pose any dangers of intrusion on the authority and functions of the Executive Branch”.

And on the matter of Trump’s remarks on January 6, Roberts wrote that they too were probably protected, since presidential addresses were an integral function of the office. But the opinion also allowed that in Trump’s case, it may be more appropriate to categorize his speech as that of a candidate for office. The ruling in Trump’s election subversion case was one of the last handed down by the supreme court this term. In waiting until the end, the conservative majority played into Trump’s benefit and legal strategy of trying to delay any trial as much as possible. The effect of the ruling to block a prompt trial, after the court moved quickly to keep Trump on the ballot in March, has already ignited fierce criticism by liberals and others who believe Trump’s case should be resolved before voters cast their ballots in the forthcoming election.

Trump’s legal strategy for all of his federal criminal cases – he also faces charges in Florida for illegally retaining classified documents – has been to delay them until after the election, in the hope that he will be re-elected and can appoint as attorney general a loyalist who would drop the charges. As the calendar now stands, a trial in Trump’s election subversion case cannot start until 20 September at the earliest, since Trump’s lawyers have 88 days left on the clock to prepare a defense after the case was automatically frozen when they launched the immunity appeal.

Sad day in America, as tyranny will be rewarded if Donald Trump wins again: The radical right-wing 6-3 majority on SCOTUS rules in Trump v. United States in an opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts that Trump has total immunity for acts done in an official capacity but no immunity for private acts.

The case has been remanded back to the DC Circuit Court to determine whether Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 elections count as "official duties."

#Trump v. United States #Total Immunity #Donald Trump #SCOTUS #John Roberts #Capitol Insurrection #Fake Electors #Electoral College Vote #DC Circuit Court #Tanya Chutkan

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thewebcomicsreview · 10 months

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Crafting A Comic: Frog Alarmclock And The Fabric Of Time

For a long time, I’ve wanted to make a webcomic.

I’ve written two webcomics, Legend of the Hare and Saffron and Sage, but I didn’t draw either of them. And I’ve always been a little self-conscious about that, and harbored a desire to make a comic all by myself, art and all. This desire has been inflamed lately by the success of ForEach, a comic made by one of my discord mods. It’s getting kind of popular, and already has more interest and engagement that Saffron and Sage, something I’m very normal and well-adjusted about, and I’ve been thinking this is something that’s in my power to make. My art, while still limited, is finally at the point where I can do this, and I’ve been writing forever. All I need is a plan.

I have never been a good planner, and it shows a lot in my comics, so I want to have a lot more of the comic written out and planned before pencil comes to paper than I traditionally have done, and I‘d like to turn this brainstorming into Content for you all. It’s a critical part of the writing process, and one that gets glossed over a lot, in part because it leads to slightly rambling essays. But I do have one thing to start with: a protagonist.

(Art by HolyHandGrenade)

Frog Alarmclock is a young woman being trained to join a coven of powerful witches who stitch the fabric of time. She has very little interest in this grand destiny, and is a bit of a stereotypical NEET loser despite her great magic power. Her name, Frog, comes from a knitting term referring to a way of correcting mistakes, but obviously frog-the-animal theming is cute and marketable. I’ve posted a bit about this character on my discord, and the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, so I think there’s some potential here worth mining. So far, though, the only plot element I’ve been able to come up are

Frog lives with her Grandma, who trains her. Grandma’s power level has fluctuated wildly in my rough drafts, from “generic witch” to “personally gets into fights with Satan in hell”, and I’ve been leaning towards the higher end. Frog and Grandma don’t get along. I’m giving her the placeholder name “Batra”. It sounds witchy, sounds batty, and it comes from batrachia, which means Frog, so it fits the theming subtly.

Frog lives in a Florida suburb. I don’t remember why I settled on Florida specifically, and that may change, but I do like the idea that this cosmic entity lives in kind of a slummy neighborhood. I may move them to Lowell, MA, which is closer to home and an aesthetic I know better.

Frog has a crush on a pink biker chick with pig theming, the Miss Piggy to her Kermit. For the time being, lets call this character Susie Pepper. Susie from “Sus” the latin word for pig, and Pepper because Peppa Pig. It’s a placeholder name.

That’s all I got so far. Even the name, “Frog Alarmclock and the Fabric of Time” is placeholder I made up just now while writing this. I’ve written a few random short stories of this character, trying to get a feel for her, and I even made her my character in a weekly Pathfinder game. But it’s time to try and get a proper story going. With Legend of the Hare, I had a huge over-arcing five-year plan for each layer in the tower, but little sense of where the comic was going to be in three pages, which led to a lot of problems. With Saffron and Sage, I set out with a vague over-arching storyline of “Saffron must rescue her prince”, and kept the comic to short episodic self-contained stories, taking heavy inspiration from Gunnerkrigg Court. Saffron would go on wacky adventures, and rescuing Faunus would be some vague future goal she was theoretically working towards in the same way Ash Ketchum wanted to be a Pokemon Master but took 20 years to get around to that. This worked better, but led to the comic feeling very aimless and meandering, which is part of why it’s turned increasingly farcical. In some ways, my two comics would be better served by switching protagonists. Saffron is very driven in a way suited for a somewhat goofy battle shounen, and if Jill set out on an adventure to rescue Riley she’d be distracted more easily and it’d lend itself better to an adventure-of-the-week format.

Frog, being a NEET loser, is closer to Jill than to Saffron. And suddenly, just from that sentence, I know what I want to do with this comic now. Writing this essay has given me one of those Eureka moment that happens sometimes, when you go from no ideas to the entire plot of the comic all at once. Frog is Jill if she was the Rabbit Champion for a few years before the story started. They’ve got different personalities, of course, Frog isn’t just Jill with a big hat, but this is the throughline I needed. I can work with this, get a first draft done, get an editor to look at it, and report back to you with more detail.

#Frog Alarmclock

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myboyknows · 7 months

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"the confidence when he's playing a role vs the insecurity when he's being himself" is such a good way to put it, and there's times I've fantasized about having a line that deft to throw at the haters. I'll keep it in my back pocket if such a situation ever arises again.

Please do!

I've been an AtS fan for a long time, and something I've always found so compelling about Angel is how easy it is for him to slip into a disguise and walk into a situation armed only with his own confidence in the role he's playing. He does it several times - especially over the course of the first two seasons of AtS - and I am absolutely enthralled by it. He's suddenly an art museum guide, a police detective in charge of a crime scene, a priest, 'cool' vampire J-Don, a lawyer, a French guy who loves fashion. Angel would never go out in a Hawaiian shirt and beach hat on his own, but he has zero problem with becoming Herb Saunders: Clueless Tourist from Baltimore in front of a mob boss. There are a lot of things this says to me about his character:

He's clever.

He's spontaneous.

He's calm under pressure.

He's good at improv/bluffing and should probably call Rebecca Lowell's agent and just become an actor already.

He doesn't care how strangers perceive him. This is the one that I think a lot of fans don't really understand about Angel. This man does not give a fuck. The reason he wouldn't wear a Hawaiian shirt on a normal day but is happy to do it in front of Little Tony isn't because he's embarrassed for other people to see him in a loud shirt - clearly - but because Angel has his own particular style that he feels comfortable in as himself and doesn't want to wear something that doesn't appeal to him, unless he himself chooses to wear it for a reason. It's like with the pink motorcycle helmet. Angel has no problem with other people mistaking him for a gay man, so when he doesn't want to wear the ladies' helmet, it's not because it might affect anyone else's perception of him but because he doesn't want to wear that helmet and he didn't get a choice. He likes his dark clothes and he likes his car, and the fake swami accuses him of developing this type of style to cultivate a persona for other people to appreciate without taking into consideration that these things appeal to Angel himself regardless of what strangers think. The only folks that he does actually care about in terms of their impressions of him are his friends, and so he'll correct them (sometimes) when they misinterpret him, but often he lets them think what they want about him, too. Which is maybe why it feels like Angel is so often misunderstood in fandom - because so many fans simply accept other characters' opinions of Angel as if they are fact rather than actually looking at Angel himself. Like with the smiling thing. There's an overwhelming fannish opinion that Angel doesn't smile very much because there are characters in the show who say he should smile more. But outside of serious or dangerous situations, Angel actually smiles all the time, and if it's any less than Wes or Gunn then it's only because he's more often in situations where it would be really weird to be smiling. He's a pleasant guy unless he's been given a reason not to be!

I also headcanon that one of the reasons Angel is so good at pretending to be someone else is because human camouflage is something that is literally built into his physiology as a vampire. Pretending to be something they aren't is a super important skill for all vampires, not just defensively in order to move through the human-dominated world but also as a means of getting close to their primary source of food. Angel spent 150ish years using his human face to deceive his prey while hunting, then a further 100ish years using it to blend in and disappear. Wolf in sheep's clothing, except the sheep's clothing is a really fucking good impression of a normal human being and he can wear it all the time. It comes naturally to vampires to pass as something they're not (we're ignoring the friend of Xanderrrrr's here) and Angel has 250 years of experience of people-watching. If he couldn't do pretty good imitations of different kinds of people by this point, I'd be surprised and disappointed in him.

But also! When we first meet Angel in the show, he's had very little experience interacting with humans while he's trying to be himself and not play some role to accomplish some kind of purpose. He's never had friends before, at least not with a soul, and he has no example of another vampire with a soul to imitate or learn from. He's flying totally blind, navigating unfamiliar territory, AND has conflicting impulses. So when he's insecure about his feelings and actions and expectations in his own life, that is also as natural for him as the confidence when it comes to pretending to be someone else.

Er, thanks for coming to my TED Talk?

#reply #angel the series #i love him your honor

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prototypelq · 1 month

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DMC Questions Anon here!

A little bit ago it was Father's Day (for me anyways)! Now I want you to tell me how DMC characters celebrate Father's Day.

Hi Ember! I am, as usual, very timely with my answers. Thanks for continuing to give me food for thought despite that 💚

Father's Day is actually the series' favourite holiday, given how 3/5 games give us an opportunity to murder someone's dad! xD

But, uh, yeah, no joke, parents are a big part of DMC themes so it's genuinely an important holiday for the characters, whether they like it or not. And about half of them don't like it probably.

Obviously, Lady and the twins hate it. Sparda's absence was the event that made the childhood of brothers come crashing down, and no matter how mature they are, I don't think that is something they can ever forgive. Outwardly, they might be neutral about it, or try to excuse Sparda even, but deep down I think they will always be resentful about it.

It's also the reason I adore the fics where Sparda somehow returns. I think this upsets the whatever careful balance and peace post-hell twins can achieve, but without anything life-threatening happening. Pure family drama and I'm a sucker for that xD (Sparda's definitely getting a violent welcome from the twins tho). Plus, Nero gets a grandpa!

For Lady, Trish and Lucia I don't think Father's day is salvageable. Not for Lady for sure, and neither Trish nor Lucia really Have a figure they could celebrate so yeah.

Returning to more canon/my-fanon territory, (nodding at Nero and Patty) I think Father's day might become a pleasant day for the twins)))

(headcanon that Patty started bringing Dante small gifts for Father's Day a long time ago, she got away with it because Dante didn't pay attention to dates or holidays for most of his life, and she did it without fanfare)

We don't know what Kyrie's situation is, but I imagine she and Nero could honor her and Credo's parents.

Nico is probably the one character who has a genuine great and uncomplicated day with Rock. I think they go fishing or maybe camping or smth. Nico's in just because her dad likes it, but she enjoys the activity with him.

If you don't mind, I'll also insert Mother's day answer here.

A couple of weeks ago (listen I was lazy okay) it was Mother's Day (for me anyways)! Now I want you to tell me how DMC characters celebrate Mother's Day.

Same way as the Father's day is...complicated for most of the cast, Mother's day is pretty somber for most of the cast.

The twins, Kyrie and Lady spend the day honouring their respective mothers.

I imagine this would be a good date for the twins to Talk TM with Nero about their family history. Maybe they visit the mansion again, if only for some emotional closure, as pretty much nothing there survived.

(crossing fingers for more fanon Witch Eva)

Trish has had a complicated time on this day, but I think she's better about it now and probably ignores it.

Patty and Lucia spend the holiday with their moms, I think the whole cast can only be happy for them.

(free space to insert some unpopular opinions regarding parents:

- I don't think Nero and Kyrie fulfill the parental roles for the orphans they host, as they are not ready for that themselves. They take care of those children, sure, but it's out of sympathy (and relatability) of their situation. It's not a permanent arrangement, nor is it parenting.

- A tutorship of new Devil Hunters would fix Lady, maybe with some unwanted responsibility and parental feelings for her students involved

- demonic pets for twins au reminder. pets aren't children and pet owners' aren't parents, but it's close)

#hopefully i didn't forget anyone if i did then sorry #btw in terms of vergil and nightmares technically you can count him as parent but the emotional weight isn't there so i won't do that #thanks for the asks ember)))#dmc questions anon #dmc #dante sparda #vergil sparda #nero sparda #dmc lady #dmc kyrie #dmc trish #dmc nico #dmc lucia #patty lowell #see i can be a normal person about patty and dante and not totally deranged #...maybe i wont limit myself the next time

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laurancezvahlslefteyebrow · 9 months

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I wanna talk about titles and names for things in my MCD au/rewrite

This may be long, you’ve been warned

First and foremost Lord Lady and Sir:

In my universe, it was generally uncommon (though not unheard of) for a woman to be the head of a village until Aphmau. If a woman was the head of a village she would be called Lady (her name) and never Lord (her name). Aphmau was the first woman to call herself Lord, and since then it became customary.

Though there are other reasons someone may be called “Lady”. If they are the wife of a Lord, a high or head knight/guard, or if they are someone of great importance. For example, Lady Katelyn the Firefist and Lady Azura of Bright Port. While Katelyn is a member of the Jury, Lady Katelyn the Firefist is her official title, but when she is stripped of her rank, that title is taken as well and she became just Katelyn. Azura being head guard of Bright Port gives her the title of Lady Azura.

And finally, Sir. Similarly to Lady, Sir is the title given to male head guards. While Garroth is head guard of Phoenix Drop, he is known as Sir Garroth of Phoenix Drop. While Laurance is head guard he is Sir Laurance Zvahl of Meteli. Though when he left for Phoenix Drop he lost that title. He still sometimes introduces himself as Sir Laurance by accident.

Next, Werewolves:

There are a few different kinds of werewolves: pure blood, half blood, and turned. Werewolf is the umbrella term used for any Lycan kind.

A pure blooded werewolf is also known as a Wolfer. These wolves do not have a human form, though they do have a human-like form (think how we usually see Bodolf or Lowell). They also have a pure wolf form or natural form, where they appear like a normal wolf, though slightly larger.

A half blooded werewolf is also known as a halfling wolf or halfling wolfer. These are werewolfs that are born of both werewolf blood and the blood of something else, be it a human, meif’wa, elf etc. These wolves have a pure wolf form, a pure human form, and the ability to show their wolf ears and tail while in their human form. Examples of halfling wolfers would be Yip and Leona.

And finally a turned werewolf is exactly how it sounds. A werewolf who was not born but rather turned. Their traits depend on what the wolf that turned them’s traits were. In Logan’s case, he was turned by a Wolfer, therefore has the traits of a wolfer along with a human form.

I also want to mention a bit about werewolf hierarchy.

Most werewolf villages are small and refer to themselves as tribes or packs, depending on if they are made up mostly of halfling wolfers or full wolfers respectively. Their leader is referred to as The Alpha or just Alpha. Never by their name unless it is someone they are very close to.

Finally Magicks Users, Witches, Warlocks, etc.

The term used for any type of magickal person is Magi. They are also sometimes referred to as Mystics, though this term is fairly outdated.

A magicks user is any person born with the ability to use magicks. Pretty simple. This does not include witches.

Witches are born witches, much like an elf is born an elf. It is a species not ability. Witches are born with a higher connection to the earth and have the ability to learn witchcraft rather easily, though they don’t all choose to. Witches are often female, but it is possible for a male to be a witch.

A mage is a person who is not born with any magicks or witchcraft. They give themselves Rune Tattoos and often Scar Runes, and teach themselves magicks. This often takes a very long time, so in some cultures (like Zerimar) they do this at birth so the child will grow up with the ability. Mages are outlawed in many places throughout Ru’aun.

A Shaman is a mage who teaches themselves magicks for religious purposes, usually under the faith of Irene or another Divine Warrior. In Castor, the Chicken Shaman’s case, it was under the faith of the chicken gods… or something… no one really knows..

A Demon is a bit blurry. Not much is known about them other than that they come from another realm and are often evil.

A Shadow Knight is anyone brought back to life (or in Laurance’s case transformed against his will) by the Shadow Lord in the Nether. A Shadow Knight that has not claimed their immortality is often referred to as a “premature” Shadow Knight.

A Divine Being is anyone with borderline unnatural magickal abilities, or anyone able to master both a magicks and witchcraft. They are believed to be either divine beings or divinely chosen.

And FINALLY, a Warlock is anyone who falls under any of these categories (aside from the last three) and uses their abilities solely for evil, their own selfish gain, and/or to deceive others.

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angstylittleguy · 10 months

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In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong Characters

-> writing masterpost

Aurora "Rory" Estrada

⋆ A girl that woke up one day and could hear the thoughts of everyone around her, whether she likes it or not.

⋆ She hates that she can't give the people around her any privacy, and she constantly feels like she's intruding and being disrespectful, as she has no right to hear someone's private thoughts.

⋆ Her head constantly hurts, her temples throbbing and no amount of Tylenol can fix that.

⋆ The only thing that can even attempt to battle the flood of voices, is music. Rory never goes anywhere without her headphones.

⋆ After she discovered her ability, her short-term memory declined as she was plagued with the thoughts of everyone but herself. She's started keeping a journal to help her remember things.

⋆ Despite all of the downsides to her ability, she has hopes of becoming a psychologist, and is going to college to get her degree.

⋆ Rory is the one who can sense people like her: people with unwanted abilities. Something about their thoughts are different, laced with an extra something that she didn't understand.

Dalton Richards

⋆ Dalton is disgusted with his powers.

⋆ He was a very private person, never sharing how he was feeling with anyone and he normally kept to himself, dealing with his thoughts on his own.

⋆ But now that he has these stupid abilities? All it does is draw attention to himself, and he's forced to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

⋆ His emotions controlled his height, and it terrified him.

⋆ At first it started with growing or shrinking a few inches, but as the days went by his ability grew stronger and his height changed more drastically.

⋆ When he was sad or upset, he would shrink down to where the smallest of objects would tower over him, and when he was angry his head would brush the ceiling and he would have to hunch over on himself to avoid breaking anything.

⋆ He was terrified of hurting people, and he had no way to control what happened to him.

Bennett Haltiwanger

⋆ Bennett was certain he had the worst power out of everyone.

⋆ Rory had called it the "Groundhog Day" power, and he hated that name. He couldn't think of a better one, though.

⋆ The first time he had discovered his ability, was in a terrible car accident. At first, he had thought it was all a dream, because he woke up in his bed at the beginning of the same day. He and his friends got into the car, Bennett brushing off the bad vibes™ as something from the weird dream he had. Then a car swerved into their lane, and Bennett woke up in his bed once again. The loop repeated over and over and over again, and did not stop until he survived to the next day. A day in which he could not convince his friends to leave the car, and he had to go without them.

⋆ His powers sucked, forcing him to relive a tragedy over and over again until he survived, and often times he could not save the people around him.

⋆ He started isolating himself from people to avoid being stuck in the loop, knowing that he would be the only one to walk out alive.

⋆ His ability scared him. He didn't know what would happen if one day he died from natural causes. What if he got sick? Or died from old age? Would he have to relive that day over and over again, even if there was nothing he could to do to avoid that death?

Josiah Lowell

⋆ When Josiah had discovered his ability, he thought it was permanent.

⋆ He had woken up one day and he had no reflection.

⋆ With absolutely no idea what to do, Josiah just stayed at home in his apartment until it finally wore off. Of course, at the time, he didn't know that it wasn't permanent, and the time that he spent locked away in his room was extremely panic-induced. It took eight days for his reflection to return.

⋆ When he was invisible, he couldn’t feel anything. It’s like his entire body was numb. Sometimes, he would even sink through the floor, as if he no longer held any matter and had the mass of air.

⋆ The invisibility came in spells, with no way to tell when it would happen and how long it would last.

⋆ He had gotten used to it for the most part, and learned to navigate his daily life without making too many changes.

⋆ And then he began to lose feeling in his fingers.

⋆ And his vision began to decline.

Meiling Zhao

⋆ Meiling liked to go fast.

⋆ She had run track and cross country in both middle school and high school, and when she was old enough she got her motorcycle license and began to drag race.

⋆ Needless to say, when she discovered her ability, she wasn't exactly upset about it.

⋆ She used it as often as she could, running around and doing daily tasks as quick as lightning so she had as much free time in her day as possible.

⋆ As the days stretched on and it felt like the sun set less often, Meiling began to feel her body growing tired from the constant usage, her muscles and limbs aching.

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mermaidsirennikita · 7 months

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any recs with men who Grovel? like Grovel Grovel, not just ‘I’m sorry pls take me back’. I just finished reading Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage it was just *chef’s kiss*

Okay sooo I've done some grovel recs before but I'll try to keep it to the most intense:

Untamed by Elizabeth Lowell has the "I WILL RAZE CITIES TO THE GROUND" grovel when the heroine is kidnapped and his spies come back and are like "damn dude she thinks you don't even care enough to get her back"

Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips has the "my grovel is a gesture of humility and the one thing you know sacrifices my pride which is most important to me"

Lothaire by Kresley Cole has a "facing my worst and most intense fear for you and laying myself bare" grovel, PLUS the "I love you so madly the past before you seems sane" speech.

Mafia Madman by Mila Finelli and Mafia Target both have beautiful grovels, one of which is more of the crazy variety and one of which is more of the "aching romance" variety

There's an amazing rain grovel on his knees in When the Earl Met His Match by Stacy Reid; Stacy also has a great grovel in Wicked in His Arms, where the hero has to really give something up and make himself uncomfortable for her

I really love the grovels in The Prince of Broadway and The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe; they're very SACRIFICIAL in terms of pride, and The Bride Goes Rogue has the "leaving her presents like a cat leaves its owner dead birds" grovel

The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean is another book-long grovel because he's coming back from cheating on her, which... is a lot. MacLean writes amazing grovels though, and this is one of her best

#romance novel blogging #romance novels #book recs #grovel recs

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alun1r · 3 months

Text

Curiosity

Sebastian Sallow x Valeria Lowell (MC) One-Shot

Word Count: 3,000

💚SFW💚

» I wanted to write a one-shot fic of how I think it would have gone down when Valeria told Sebastian about her family and how she really ended up at Hogwarts. So I wrote this cute, fluffy, comfort fic taking place during their fifth year. (Pre-In the shadow of the Relic Quest)

Valeria Lowell sat in a patch of grass. Her eyes fixated on the wondrous Castle. She’d been walking the halls for months now. Attending classes. Eating. Sleeping. Studying. Making friends.

Something she had never been accustomed to. Especially when it came to making friends. And now she had a handful.

It still didn’t cure the loneliness. And the bitterness she felt at the story of her life so far.

The thought of her parents made her tremble for a moment as she pulled her gaze off of Hogwarts and down at the grass she sat upon.

She took a deep breath.

“ There you are.” A familiar voice said beside her, suddenly.

She perked up curiously and peered over.

“ There YOU are.” She responded with a small smirk before looking back to her grand view.

“ I didn’t see you at Dinner. Are you feeling ill?” Sebastian Sallow asked slowly approaching her.

She shook her head. “ No. Honestly, I came out here to study. And the time seemed to have escaped from me.” She said with a sigh upon realizing she wouldn’t be getting any dinner.

Well she knew she could ask the elves to sneak her a snack. But she didn’t feel like making the trip to the kitchen now.

“ Got rather side tracked I supposed.” She trailed off. “ How did you find me?”

“ Spotted you from the Astronomy tower.” He said as he eyed her curiously.

This girl had been a mystery to him all year. She was clearly selective with what she wanted to share. With anyone she knew here.

He had figured maybe she spoke more to Poppy and Natsai. Considering they were all girls.

But when asking about where she came from they all said the same thing.

London.

Nothing more and nothing less.

When asked about her family, it was the same.

They’re fine.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

He knew she didn’t have siblings. She’d alluded to being a half-blood. She definitely was likely the first witch of her family given her fascination with everything. And how much she had to play catch up, not just with studies but everything in the wizarding world.

“ Side tracked or perhaps searching for a ‘Do-Do’ bird to call your own?” He poked fun as he recalled the first time she saw a Dirricawl.

It was in beasts class the first week of term. Her eyes widened in pure shock. As she pointed so confidentially and said ‘ a real do-do bird! How is this possible!’ Sebastian laughed so hard he got detention for continuing to giggle about it during the lecture.

Valeria relished in the revenge.

She rolled her eyes as he teased her. “ Hush! You can’t possibly still find that funny! Dont make fun of our cultural differences.”

Sebastian laughed as he stepped closer to her, capturing a better glimpse of the view she had. “ I promise to remember that till my death bed. I had heard muggles called them that but honestly I didn’t know OR think it was true.”

Valeria groaned with a laugh. “ I apologize for not having a magical upbringing.” She said, her tone filled with playful sarcasm.

“ What sort of upbringing did you have?” Sebastian asked after a moment. Clearly cautiously.

Valeria caught on to his caution and glanced up at him. Her expression was suspicious of him. The walls were being slowly raised again. And he could see it in her eyes.

But he hoped she’d say something further. Anything to cure his curiosity.

She looked away. “ Why do you ask?”

He crossed his arms in a relaxed state. This was a step further. And he definitely had the patience to seek out more. Especially knowing how powerful she was with ancient magic. You’d think someone like that would boast and gloat. Not even bother with studying. Because why would you?

But she studied meticulously. Spent hours in the greenhouse. So much so to have been dubbed the Garden Snake of Slytherin by other students.

Sebastian honestly loved that name for her. It was fitting far past her fascination with plants.

“ Many reasons. Mostly curiosity.” He said honestly.

She smiled to herself slightly and nodded. “ I do like that about you.” She murmured, almost to herself.

Sebastian’s cheeks flushed slightly, caught off guard. “ What..”

“ Your honesty.” She said softly.

Sebastian stepped further. “ Oh? It’s not my obviously amazing dueling skills?” He feigned hurt as he put his hand over his chest.

When she peeked back at him, he grinned and crouched down at be at eye level with her.

“ I’m always honest about my curiosity. However it’s not just that.” He said, his tone indicating a more serious reason.

She raised an eyebrow.

“ You remember the first day we met?” He asked suddenly.

She nodded. “ Of course. The first day of the term in the common room—“

“ September 2nd.” He interrupted. She stared at him confused as to why the exact date was important.

“ It’s now nearing the end of February… and if anyone were to ask what I know of my friend, Valeria Lowell. I wouldn’t be able to say much.” He admitted softly.

She looked away and stared at the blades of grass beneath her. Slowly moving against her with the breeze. The sun hiding behind Hogwarts as night creeped upon them.

“ I must apologize for that.” She said suddenly.

“ No you don’t have—“

“ Then what do you want?” She asked. Slightly defensive.

Sebastian looked a bit startled and surprised her sudden tone change. When she noticed his expression, hers softened as she turned away in shame.

“ I’m sorry.” She sighed quietly. “ It’s not you. And it’s not that I don’t want to discuss it with you… I merely don’t know how.”

“ What’s that mean?” He asked.

She shrugged. “ I don’t… I just…” she stammered for the proper words.

Sebastian remained in silence as she took her time. Her hair tied up with a navy blue ribbon. He frowned. She needed green for Slytherin. But that was an issue for another time.

‘A green ribbon would suit her hair and skin tone better ‘ he thought to himself.

“ you were the first person who is my age. Speak to me as an equal in more ways than one. And if I’m being more… honest. You’re also the first person I’d considered to have become my friend.” She murmured softly.

Sebastian’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as many questions arose. Her tone wasn’t that of gratefulness or joy to finally have a friend. It sounded more like she was disappointed it wasn’t something she had sooner. Something she could have and should have had.

But why couldn’t she?

“ An Equal?” He suddenly asked the first question he could hold onto in his mind.

She nodded. “ I know I haven’t been forthcoming with where I come from. I’ve heard the rumors about me having been from another wizard academy.”

Sebastian nodded as he had heard some rumors. “ Yeah that one started to explain why you’re so poised and… proper.. no offense?” he said cautiously.

Valeria turned and eyed him stifling a laugh. “ Why would that be offensive?” Her smile slowly faded. “ Is my behavior to others perhaps rude?” She said suddenly rethinking her approach to other students. She always tried to be friendly. Perhaps it was too much though.

Sebastian shook his head quickly. “ No no no!” He said trying not to laugh at how worried she was over others perception of her.

“ It’s more so of how… kind and approachable you are.” He said trying to think of the proper words. “ And just… how you carry yourself, I suppose. It’s different from most people. You seem so… mature.”

She thought about it for a moment and suddenly it made sense. Her poised and proper nature was perceived as kind and approachable. In reality was how she was molded.

“ Is the Lowell family name known by anyone in the wizarding world?” She asked.

Sebastian shook his head. “ No… already looked.”

She eyed him, not totally surprised that he tried to look her family up somehow. Or at the least ask around.

“ You like my honesty.” He shrugged.

She rolled her eyes with a smaller smile before it slowly faded as she transpired how to tell him about her family.

Or rather lack thereof now.

“ The Lowell’s own many trades and run various businesses across the coasts of South America. Parts of North America. And Spain.” She began.

Sebastian was already in shock. Not only was she from London. But she was definitely a prolific member of high society with a family that did business like that. They already sounded like Ominis’ family.

“ I was the only child of Edward and Dahlia Lowell. And a girl.” She explained. “ That business would never be mine. But I would have to be the perfect bride for a man who could own it.”

Sebastian’s expression fell.

“ But then Professor Fig arrived.” She continued. “ He explained I was a witch. And he was there to teach me and get me up to speed. But when my parents received the news they… were not thrilled.”

“ Not thrilled? Could they not imagine how magic could further their business?” He said in frustration. He was already disliking her family. But he held hope perhaps they’d had come around.

She merely laughed at his question. “ Honestly I hadn’t thought of that. But no definitely not…” she murmured before sighing. “ My father spoke for me. But Fig wouldn’t hear of it from him. He said he had to hear it from me. And so my father offered an ultimatum he thought would leave my hands tied.” She said as she took a breath. “ I choose my family. And the life they paved for me. With every choice made by them. Who I would marry. The number of children I must bare with them… everything. Or choose magic. And be dead to them.”

Sebastian’s heart sank as he processed the ultimatum given to her.

“ You chose magic.” He murmured softly.

She nodded in silence.

“ So where did you go over Christmas break?” He asked suddenly.

“ I stayed here.” She said quickly.

“ No. You packed a bag” he said suddenly. He had caught her in a corner. She couldn’t deny it. She wished him a well Christmas. And had said she’d pass his well wishes to her family.

She bit her lip and sighed as she hung her head down.

“ I went back.” She admitted. “ I… I thought they were bluffing.” She admitted even quieter.

“ They weren’t…were they?”

She shook her head. “ No…” her voice sounded shaky.

Sebastian’s heart began to race.

“ The letters I’d sent apologizing and explaining sat at our empty estates mailbox. The name on our state was chiseled away.” She explained further. Her eyes remained fixated on the swaying blades of grass. Begging the tears in her eyes to dry quickly before Sebastian would notice.

She had only cried the night she got back to Hogwarts that day. Feeling abandoned. Useless. Swallowed by a void of loneliness.

Sebastian’s arm slowly rose and gently pulled her head into the side of his chest, as he sat closer beside her.

She froze as he did so. Her breath hitched quietly but she didn’t fight or pull from him.

“ I’m sorry.” He whispered. “ I can’t say I understand. Or that things will change and they’ll come around. I don’t know them.”

She nodded.

“ But if they did. Would that make you happy?” He asked.

She thought for a moment. About the life they laid out for her. Her life with them was beautiful. All the dresses and jewels possible to make her beautiful. All the books she could have to make her intelligent. That year she left for Hogwarts she would have been making her debut to social circles. The one thing that life certified was security of a comfortable care free life. At the expense of her individuality.

And she knew she couldn’t ever stray from her parents path. She’d already faced the consequences for doing so before. Her father had always wanted a son. She was never enough for him. Or her mother. To her she was imperfect. Never a good enough daughter. To her, Valeria read too much. She’d ask meaningless questions as a child. And she was thankful by the age of 12 that her daughter was now practically mute. Only ever nodding or shaking her head in response. Speaking only when necessary and when spoken to.

“ I wasn’t happy there to begin with.” She said suddenly. Her body trembled slightly as Sebastian’s hand trailed down her arm, gently caressing her in comfort.

“ I don’t know how anyone would be.” He said quietly. “ But everything about your nature makes sense now. Why didn’t you say anything about it? Why lie?”

“ I’m sorry.” She said through a trembled voice. “ I haven’t had friends or these sorts of relationships with peers before. It’s just… it’s embarassing to have been casted out like I was.” She admitted trying to hide her face.

Sebastian quickly wrapped another arm around her.

She suddenly pulled away from him. A few tears leaking from her eyes.

“ I apologize for lying but it’s just… I have no idea on how to even describe what happened and what I’m doing here.” She said.

Sebastian stared at her hazel eyes, her tears making them shine a bit brighter. Especially when illuminated by the moonlight peeking over the highlands.

“ And this world is so different from my own. I apologize for being so odd and as thought I’ve kept a secret about myself that’s worth anything but… I didn’t want to risk humiliation and loosing the friends I’ve made because my own family didn’t even want me after everything.” she admitted quickly.

Sebastian’s eyebrows furrowed as he quickly held her shoulders to sooth her hysterical state.

“ Valeria you’re not thinking properly. And jumping to conclusions. I’m not angry with you or anything” he quickly said.

Her expression remained panicked but now puzzled.

“ I’m not angry with you nor would I think less of you for having this happen to you.” He explained as he reached up and slowly pushed her black wavy hair back. Her face was still stained with tears.

“ Although I do wish you had told me so I could have dragged you off to Feldcroft.” He chuckled suddenly, as his hands reached down to hold hers.

She looked down at his gentle touch. For someone as brash and aggressive as he was in dueling, this gentle nature of him was surprising to her. It made her heart skip several beats.

“ Dragged me?” She laughed softly.

“ Anne would have loved Christmas with you. Ominis would have been there as well.” He chuckled.

“ I’m sorry.” She said after a moment.

“ I don’t like when you apologize to me.” He murmured as his thumb massaged small circles on the top of her hand.

She looked up confused. “ What—“

“ Doesn’t suit you. You’re much more of a know it all you know?” He teased.

Valeria gasped and gently shoved him as he laughed.

“ That’s the Valeria Lowell I know.” He laughed. “ Poised and proper but I know you can’t resist me and my antics.”

“ Get over yourself Sallow.” She laughed as she rolled her eyes and used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her face of her remaining tears.

He stood up and leaned down offering her his hand.

She smiled and accepted the help up, but rather than release her hand, he gently pulled her into a warm embrace.

For a moment she’d considered pulling back. Her mother would have it out for her had she seen her embrace a boy like this.

But she wasn’t here anymore. Her father wasn’t here either.

Her choices were entirely her own.

She let her arms wrap gently around him, as she relaxed into his arms. He smiled against the side of her head, the smell of lavender and vanilla filled the air he breathed. She always smelled nice to him.

His scent made her melt even further. A mix of cinnamon and parchment, almost. Would make sense. He always had a book or was sneaking around for them.

“ Thank you for telling me more about you.” He murmured softly in their embrace. “ I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with this alone. And felt like you had to. But, you don’t Valeria.” He whispered as his embrace around her grew tighter.

“ I’m here. And we’re friends. You’ve done more than I could ever repay you for this year. And I’ll always be grateful for your help in curing Anne. So please let me at least try to repay you by being here.”

Valeria remained quiet. Her face flushed from his kind words and warm hug.

She pulled away and met his gaze for a moment before looking back at the grand castle, illuminated by the moonlight.

“ I’ve spent months mourning the life I thought I needed to follow. And the home I thought was mine.”

“ It wasn’t.”

She shook her head. “ No it was not.”

She smiled as she looked back at him. “ You are. Ominis is. Hogwarts is.”

He smiled with a nod and reached down for her hand.

“ Let’s get you back home then.” He chuckled as he pulled her along.

“ Last thing I want to deal with are prefects.” He joked.

She laughed as she followed along, their hands intertwined the entire treck back to the Slytherin Common room.

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