i already know that im gonna become a Theme Park Person(tm) when im living in LA like 30 min away from some of the best parks in the country and i feel ashamed about it. im two months away from moving and im already planning my trips down to what i eat and wear and which rides ill ride in what order like i can feel myself becoming obsessive. sorry guys... but fear not i will never give disney a cent of my money that's the one park i refuse to visit. lets all have a mutuals meetup at knotts berry farm or six flags or super nintendo world <3
Disneyland Magic Key Holder Passes set to go back on sale
Disneyland Magic keys (aka annual passes) are set to finally be back on sale, beginning on January 10, 2024. The keys are only available to be purchased on Disneyland.com
They were previously on pause – meaning non-current key holders could not purchase a key. It is unknown how long the sale will last. They usually have the keys on sale and then they sell out and are no longer available for…
Summary: You had hoped to have a nice normal morning but its nothing but normal at the BAU and next thing you know you end up locked in the Evidence Room with none other than Spencer Reid, your coworker and crush. As time passes Spencer starts to have a panic attack and there was only one thing you could think of to help stop it...
TW: Fluff, Coworkers to Lovers Relationship, Kissing, Playful Banter, Jealous Spencer, Derek calling you Babygirl as a joke, Depictions of a Panic Attack due to Claustrophobia
Word Count: 2.5K?
A/N: This fic is my annual bday present for my best friend so happy bday my queen and I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I did making it for you. I hope your MGG thirst is quenched with this one even though its not really a smutty piece since I ended up changing my plot/idea last minute because I wasnt happy with my writing at all and I’m rusty so I’m sorry if its not as good as my other pieces. THIS IS ALSO MY FIRST CRIMINAL MINDS/SPENCER FIC SO SORRY IF HE SOUNDS A BIT OUT OF CHARACTER I TRIED YALL. BEFORE ANY ONE COMMENTS AND COMES FOR ME YES THIS WAS INSPIRED BY THE STILES & LYDIA KISS FROM TEEN WOLF 3x11 SO SHUT UP I KNOW!
Coffee holder in hand you used your hip to push the glass double doors to the BAU open. You had purposely gone to the coffee shop early that morning so that you could order not only yourself a cup but to also get one for Spencer, who also happened to be the one guy in the BAU that you had the biggest crush on ever since the first day you joined. By some miracle you had remembered his order by heart and it was stupid that you were remembering such little things about him but that's what you do when you really like someone that much right? You tried to convince yourself that watching him make his coffee step by step every morning in the kitchen wasn't creepy at all but next thing you knew you were taking notes about what milk he used and how many sugars he would put inside his cup.
You shook your head at the silly thought and happily you walked over to your desk with the biggest smile on your face ready to take on the rest of the day. Penelope took notice from across the room as she walked in at the same time as you and she lightly nudged your shoulder.
"Well someone looks extra chipper this morning." She commented pushing up her pink colored glasses.
"Aren't I always happy every time I walk into work?" You question raising your eyebrow at her.
"Usually you are but I'm guessing that it has to do with the fact that you bought two coffees...I'm pretty sure that's not all for you." She says with a sly smirk on her lips since she is clearly the best hacker in the BAU there is, but your crush on Spencer was blatantly obvious that she didn't need to hack into brain to know that information.
"Bold of you to assume that Penelope." You say trying to look away but you weren't always the best at hiding your feelings.
"Oh come on, you know I'm right and I'm pretty sure that coffee is for a special someone that we all know you have the biggest crush on." She says with a small roll of her eyes at how it was pointless for you to deny it at this point.
"Fine! Fine...I did get him a coffee but it's just a coffee and that's it, nothing more I promise." You say as you lie to not only yourself but to Penelope who wasn't believing a word that you were saying at all but she just gave you a look of disbelief as she saw Derek across the room and waved hello to him.
"Whatever you say Y/N. Just promise me that eventually you will make a move or else I'll do it for you." She said with a nudge to your shoulder again which just made you chuckle at her declaration.
"I pinky promise, you happy now Penelope?" You say a bit reluctantly.
"Much better. I'll see you in ten minutes in the meeting room, Hotch gave us a new case so I have to prepare." She says as she parts ways with you and heads to her office as you make your way to your desk which of course happened to be right across from Spencer's and it was extremely hard to focus all day looking at his pretty face twenty four seven.
You were surprised to see another coffee cup on your desk with a little sticky note attached to the lid and it instantly made you smile. The closer you got you set down the holder and looked across to Spencer’s desk but he was nowhere in sight. You carefully took the sticky note off the lid and started to read it to yourself.
Y/N,
Hope I got the order right and enjoy.
- Spencer Reid aka Your Favorite Desk Neighbor
His little note made you smile from ear to ear and you could help but pick up the cup and take a small sip. To your surprise he really did get your order right, you hadn't expected him to be so observant but then again he would have a job if that was the case right?
As you look up you see Spencer walking in your direction and when your eyes met his you tried your best to keep your composure and waved to him, his footsteps getting closer until he seemed to park himself right in front of your desk.
"Morning Spence. I-Um...thanks for the coffee that's really thoughtful of you." You admit taking another sip as you glanced over his beautiful facial features.
"Morning Y/N," His reply a controlled stutter, barely keeping it together while you inched closer to where he was leaning against the desk.
He accepted the pipping hot cup you bought him with a whispered thank you. You were excited to see his reaction and you had your fingers crossed that you remembered every detail of his order.
"Did I get it right?" You asked with an eager attitude and smile on your face while you tried to hide behind your coffee cup.
"Surprisingly enough you-" His words were interrupted by Derek coming up from behind and shaking his shoulders playfully.
"Good Morning you two," He said greeting us as he looked at all the coffee cups on your desk and furrowed his eyebrows.
"Looks like you two decided to throw a coffee party and not invite anyone. I'm taking this as compensation." He says with a laugh and grabbing the cup of coffee you had bought for yourself.
"I-I'll allow that but you owe me next time Derek." You say taking a sip and gritting your teeth a bit in anger but not letting it get the best of you.
"Fine I'll get you one next time babygirl," He said with a smirk and a little playful wink which made you flustered for a quick moment since it was out of character for him to ever call you that, that was always his thing with Penelope. You glanced at Spencer and his gaze seemed frustrated and angry, his knuckles almost turning white as he gripped the coffee cup harder. You couldn't quite read what was on his mind since he never was the best at showing or expressing his emotions. It was clear he was upset maybe jealous even.
"Oh come on now, I'm just playing no need to get all flustered. I'll see you both in the meeting room in ten." He said patting Spencer on the shoulder seeing as he made no comments at all about the interaction.
Before you could try and bounce back from the awkwardness Derek had instilled into your conversation with Spencer this morning felt like it couldn't get any worse until you got a call on your desk phone and you picked up.
"Hey Y/N, I need you to go into the evidence room and bring me a few boxes of evidence. Looks like its so old and outdated that its not in the computer system yet," Penelope explained over the phone.
"Penelope really?! Is it that urgent that it needs to be right now?" You question in a bit of an annoyed tone in your voice being as nothing seemed to be going as planned this morning.
"Yes Y/N it is! Pretty pretty please I won't ask you for any other favors for the whole day I promise," She pleaded and well you couldn't say no to your best friend in the whole department.
"Fine I'll go. Just text me the record box numbers and I'll go get them." You said letting out a breath as you nervously played with phone cord.
"Make sure to bring Spencer or Derek with you. The boxes are pretty heavy and good luck!" She hung up quickly before you could even say another word in protest but you accepted that this was basically defeat at this point.
You put the phone down hanging up and you give Spencer a look that makes him immediately curious. After with whatever just happened with Derek there was no way you were bringing him as a helping hand. You hated to admit it but the evidence room was extremely dark and scary looking to go into by yourself so it put you at ease that maybe Spencer would tag along.
"So...Spencer I need your help to go get some boxes from the evidence room. Are you in?" You ask taking one last sip of the delicious coffee and putting it down.
"Yeah, yeah of course I'll help." He quickly responds without hesitation as he followed your lead around the office and towards the direction of the room.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence between the two of you, he finally broke it the moment you reached your destination.
"I didn't know you and Derek had a 'thing' going on. I just always assumed him and Penelope were more into each other because of that ridiculous petname he calls her which honestly I think is a violation against having a healthy and safe work place environment-" He was fumbling his words as he rambled on about how he just couldn't imagine you and Derek being together.
"If it makes you feel any better Derek and I aren't a 'thing'. We never were. I don't know why he called me babygirl...it felt wrong but I know he was just probably joking with me to get on my nerves or something." You admit as you turn the rusty old doorknob after fussing with the keylock and open the door slowly.
"Wait...really so you aren't into him?" He questions while following your lead into the very lowly lit room that was filled with hundreds of boxes on dusty shelves.
"Make sure to hold the door open or else it will-" You spoke a bit too late because before you knew it you heard the door close and lock behind the both of you.
"-lock us in." You finish your sentence and Spencer looks behind him seeing as the door had really locked you two in there for who knows how long now.
"You should have warned me beforehand."
"How was I suppose to warn you beforehand if you had me distracted with something else?!"
"Jesus now we are stuck in here and Y/N you know how much I hate small dark enclosed spaces! This is literally my worst nightmare right now!" He exclaimed as his breathing seemed to get faster and he put his hand to his chest that was heaving up and down quickly. Spencer was having a panic attack and you weren't sure what to do.
"Hold on Spence, let me just call Penelope I'm sure she can help us." You say quickly fumbling with your phone, trying to put on the flashlight and finding her contact to call her as soon as possible.
"PENELOPE!" You scream into the phone in a panic.
"AH! Y/N why are you screaming into my headpiece right now?!"
"Spencer and I are stuck in the evidence room and he is having a panic attack right now so what do I do?! Can you get us out of here please!" You begged.
"Oh god…ok so this wasn't how this was suppose to go!" She replies back quickly.
"Penelope what are you talking about?! Did you plan this?"
"Well I wasn't planning on the door locking but I wanted to give you the right moment to make your move on Spencer but not like this!"
"Penelope I'm going to seriously unfriend you after this."
"I'm sorry! I'm gonna try and fix this right now just give me a few minutes, I will call you back right away."
"Is everything ok?" Spencer asks in-between quick and heavy breaths now that he has resorted to sitting on the floor while he tries to control his breathing but sadly all the dust and darkness isn't really helping at all and he seemed to be clutching his chest.
"We will get out of here soon, don't worry about that right now, just focus on me Spence." You say sitting in front of him and trying to do something but you didn't know what to do that could help in this situation.
His breathing only got quicker the more he seemed to panic and at that point you got an idea but maybe it was worth the risk of whatever would come afterwards but you decided to just do it anyways.
"Hey! Spencer look at me...just look at me..." Your voice trailed off as you seemed to lean in closer to him, your hands cupping his face, being pricked by his stubble as you made eye contact with him despite the lighting situation.
Without even having to think twice you quickly closed the gap between the both of you and your lips met his. At first he was completely stunned you could tell by his reaction since his teeth seemed to clash with yours but as you both eased into it a wave of relief hit his body and he was completely relaxed. You didn't let go of him only bringing him as close as humanly possible while your lips moved gently against his. Before the both of you almost ran out of breathe you slowly pulled away, his forehead leaning against yours as you were surprised with yourself that you even did something like that to begin with.
Spencer's eyes seemed to be darting everywhere looking at you but then looking all over your entire face, still in shock that you flat out kissed him.
"How...How did you do that?" He whispered out into the small space between you both.
"I-Uh...I read once that holding your breathe can stop a panic attack," You paused for a small moment almost getting lost in his brown eyes as you tried to focus on trying to shamelessly explain yourself.
"So when I kissed you...you held your breathe."
"I-I did?" He asked almost in disbelief that he even had the chance to kiss you.
"Yeah...you did."
"Thanks...you know that's really smart..." His voice trailed off almost echoing but you could help but blush and feeling absolutely flustered by the whole situation.
"Well I just-I read it somewhere and I felt a bit helpless not being able to help you so I thought this must be the only way." You twiddled your thumbs in your lap looking down as you bit your lip, it still tasting of coffee except it seemed more bitter tasting.
"Must be the only way, hmm," He hummed a bit in disbelief at your explanation but he reached his hand out to hold yours and gently squeezed.
"Do you believe now that I definitely don't have a 'thing' with Derek?" You question squeezing his hand right back as you couldn't help but smile at him despite not being able to see him too well in the darkness.
"I don't know I might need you to verify one more time just to make sure." He says with a chuckle coming off his lips.
"Wow you're much cheekier than I thought Spence." You say giggling a bit to yourself.
"You know when we finally get out of here do you maybe want to go to dinner with me sometime? I mean only if you want to-" He was still nervous and somehow stuttered out his sentence but you just pulled him in for a hug and kissed his cheek in the process.
"Yes, I would love that Spence." You say with a smile on your face as you squeeze him tightly in your arms.
Eventually Penelope came to the rescue with a giant crowbar in hand as she pried the door open, breaking the lock in the process. You had never seen Spencer happier to go into the meeting room and go straight to work in his entire life. Now that you both were finally out of the evidence room the next hurdle to jump over was to finally go on your first date with him knowing that it was confirmed that you two both had feelings for each other and it was a plus that he was a really good kisser too.
For those who don't know, we are on supposed to be taking in 250k migrants a year, a number that is far too high in my opinion, however the Trudeau government has stated they are going against immigration standards to import 500k, at least that is what they told the public.
Well, Candice Malcolm, a journalist, calculated the actual number of migrants the Trudeau government has let in each year.
Canada welcomes 500'000 each year as permanent residents, the equivalent of U.S. green card holders.
On top of that, we also admit another approximately 660'000 as temporary workers, 900'000 international students and, in 2023, Canada saw an explosion of illegal immigration, with 143'870 illegals entering the country and demanding political asylum, despite not coming from nations that one would need to flee from, and passing through dozens of safe nations to get here.
For context, during the Stephen Harper years, Canada dealt with 10'000 to 25'000 illegal migrants each year, and 260k immigrants, including foreign workers, students and permanent residents.
Under Trudeau, these numbers have exploded.
When you add up these numbers, the total annual newcomers arriving in Canada balloons to 2.2 million people per year.
Canada's infrastructure struggled to support its own native population of 35 million in 2015 when Trudeau got in, it can't support an influx of 2.2 million annually.
Canada's population was estimated to be 40 million in October of 2023, 5 million people in 8 years, that's unsustainable growth, at least if we want to continue to exist as a nation.
Not just that, when polled, half to three quarters of all Canadians believe immigration must be reduced, it is an issue that most don't see the full scope of, in reality most believe that the immigration numbers are between 250-500k a year, they would lose it if they knew the real figures.
But, it won't matter if they do, Trudeau, like Biden, is shipping in a new voting base, and has openly stated to the press, it isn't his job to be liked by the people, and has made it clear he doesn't care if his voter base knows he hates them.
I know you fucks don't care about Canada, but I do.
Absolutely wild of the AGO to call the exhibit keith haring: art is for everybody and literally just under that say that its only available to members and annual pass holders
we need a blurb of Trevor finding out about her being pregnant with lu
you guys i miss poppy so dang much
“You’re going to tell him soon right?” Alex asked casually as he walked into the kitchen. You were all in Michigan at the Hughes brothers’ lake house for the annual summer get together.
Your eyes widened and you looked around, making sure your husband was nowhere in sight. “Alex, are you ever capable of keeping your mouth shut?” You raise an eyebrow at your best friend who just grins back.
“He went down to the lake with Poppy, relax” Alex turned to grab a beer from the fridge, cracking it open before holding it out to you, then laughing at his own joke and pulling it back to take a sip. “Seriously though, when are you going to tell him”
“I don’t know. I wanted to get P a ‘big sister’ shirt but I haven’t been able to find one… life’s been a little crazy this summer” After getting married at the beginning of summer, you and Trevor went on your honeymoon and then spent the rest of the time with Poppy, taking here to New York and Michigan, dividing your time with all of your family and friends.
“Right, of course but you have to tell him”
“Obviously” You roll your eyes. “I will, it’s just taking a little longer than I thought it would” It wasn’t like you were scared that Trevor would be upset, you knew he’d be more than happy. There was just something about telling him that made it so… real.
“Tell him before the season starts Y/n/n” Alex’s stare was is tense so you nodded, knowing it had to be done and he was right, there was no use in waiting.
…
“When is Daddy coming home?”
“Soon P” You had been back in Anaheim for a week, trying to settle back in before the season started. Trevor was in Vegas for media and Poppy had been asking for him ever since he left.
It also didn’t help that the first trimester had hit you hard this time and you had been sick for the past couple days so you weren’t doing as many activities with her as you usually would.
“C’mon love let’s watch our movie and then maybe Daddy will be home when it’s over” It was movie night and Poppy had chosen her favourite, Frozen, of course. She happily ran to the couch, jumping next to you and settled in to watch the movie.
When Trevor got home, the movie had just finished but you had been passed out for an hour already. Poppy tried not to jostle you as she jumped up, running down the hall to see her dad.
“Daddy!”
“P Baby! How’s my favourite girl?” Trevor grinned, dropping his bags so that he could pick her up, peppering kisses all over her face which made her giggle.
“I missed you” Poppy said, flipping her head into his shoulder and Trevor grinned, holder her tighter in his arms.
“I missed you more, where’s your mom?” Trevor had just noticed how quiet it was which usually wasn’t the case when you and Poppy were home together. There was almost always music blaring (Disney’s biggest hits of course) or something going on but the house was silent.
“Mommy’s sleeping, she’s sick” Poppy answered easily, her hands making their way up to Trevor’s face, squishing his cheeks which made him laugh.
“She’s sick? Hm well c’mon let’s get you to bed and then I’ll go check on Mommy” Trevor left his bags, carrying Poppy right up to her bedroom, rushing through her night routine since it was past her bedtime. Once he was done, he headed back downstairs to find you on the couch, passed out in what looks like an uncomfortable position. Trevor smiles gently, moving the various toys he assumed Poppy had balanced on you after you fell asleep. The movement woke you up.
“Trev?” You werent sure if you were actually awake, if you were still dreaming or not.
“Hi baby”
“When did you get home? Where’s P?” Trevor held out his hand to help you up and pull you off the couch.
“Not too long ago, I already put her to bed” You nodded. “She said you were sick?”
You froze. “Uh yeah…” You didn’t know what to say. This wasn’t how you wanted to tell him, he couldn’t find out like this. You wanted to do a cute announcement, get Poppy the cute shirt and have her tell him or surprise him with the pregnancy test that was sitting in your bedside table drawer. He wasn’t supposed to find out because you’d been sick. The thoughts were racing through your mind and before you knew it, you were crying.
“Hey, babe, what’s wrong?” Concern flooded his face which made you feel even worse and the tears seemed to speed up rather than slow down.
“I- we…” You couldn’t get it out but your overdue confession was too heavy and you couldn’t possibly keep it to yourself any longer. “I’m pregnant”
Now it was Trevor’s time to freeze. His eyebrows were raised and his jaw dropped a little as he stared at you. “You’re pregnant?” He asked and you nodded. In a split second he jumped forward, pulling you into a tight hug.
“Wait… why were you crying? Do you not want-”
“No! No I just… I wanted to do something cute to tell you with P and it just wasn’t going to plan. I wanted this to be better than when we found out about Poppy”
“Hey, at least you’re consistent. You cried both times you told me” Trevor teased and you poked his side.
The annual Black Spire Summer Race was almost decided. After horses and riders had demonstrated their endurance, agility and jumping skills at obstacles along the track, now there was only the stone bridge to cross to reach finishing line.
Two horses were clearly in front, a Batuu-hoof and a Moonwood workhorse. Close behind them, two riders fought viciously over third place.
*clomp, clomp, clomp*
One of the front runners was the cup holder, called Plum, the other a challenger from Moonwood Mill, going by the name of "Ruin". Plum was in second place when they entered the home stretch...
Daniel (panting): "We've... got... this... He won't..." *gasps* "...sacrifice what he'd have... to... keep... this pace..."
Any moment now the front runner would slow down and then all Plum and Daniel would have to do was keep going at the current speed, the fastest they were able to go while still passing the post-race vet check. Daniel actually had to rein Plum in a little, otherwise she'd overdone it.
Alas...
Ruin with his rider entered the bridge, where the winds were blowing hard, in addition to the gust from them going fast already. No hairstyling could withstand this double barrage.
Ruin's rider frowned when his perfecly coifed thatch turned into something like a scarecrow's top, but he pushed through and crossed the finishing line first.
Daniel: "Kudos! I didn't think you'd do that."
Armitage: "If I got ten credits everytime someone said that, I could buy a capital ship.”
Daniel: “Only people usually don’t add “Kudos”, when they say that about you! So... a landspeeder license plate, maybe.”
Rose: "Hello, dashing rebel! Have you seen my fiance? Tall, dark, perfectly styled flaming hair?"
Poe: "Probably fell into the canyon. Hit on this one instead, he's a better catch!"
Rose: “But I actually liked that hairstyle on him!”
Armitage: "There better wasn’t a photo-finish camera in place..."
Armitage scored 10 points, Daniel, Rose, Poe and Don nine points each in the rabbit hole competitions. Then the tiebreaker races gave me Daniel - Rose - Poe - Don as the finishing order. Gavin only got eight points.
⭐ 02.10.2023 // I'm slowly starting to get better. I don't know how I was so well last Wednesday (maybe the meds, idk) but since Thursday I didn't manage to do anything, just rest and crochet.
Friday night I went to an event for Disney's Annual Pass Holders with my family and my bf. Although exhausting (we went back home at 3am), it was really great!!
Then on Sunday, we went to my town's street market and I found some yarn!! I was so exhausted after that I slept all the afternoon ahah
Today I did some physiology and pharmacology, not that much but I try to take it slow now :))
Summary: Holder and you are trying to track down a suspect, but something about him is making Holder uncomfortable.
Word Count: 1987
TW: Angst, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Chemical Burns, Past Trauma, Fear of Clowns, Language, Smoking
“Clowns…. why it gotta be clowns?” Holder mutters under his breath as he slams the car door shut and jams his hands into his pockets.
You smirk up at him as you begin walking down the boardwalk. “Okay, Indiana, what do you have against clowns?”
The two of you had been working a case for a few weeks now where bodies had been turning up with their faces burned and corroded away. After a lot of dead ends, you had finally caught a break. The only thing connecting all the victims was the fact they were parents of young children. And all of these young children could be tied back to a local actor, Trevor Moses, who dressed up like a clown for parties and festivals and such. When you found out he was working down at the pier at the annual seaside festival that was happening in a few days, you decided to check it out and see if he was there. Your partner had been acting strange ever since you had identified the suspect and now it seemed that you knew why.
Holder hunches over even further. “They’re creepy as fuck and what’s the point of ‘em anyway?”
“To make people laugh? To bring joy to our otherwise joyless lives? I don’t know. I never really got the appeal either, but you seem really bothered by them. Are you good to do this?”
“Shit. When’s the last time I let you down? I gotchu, girl.” He shoots you his trademark Holder smile, but you see it doesn’t reach his eyes.
You lightly grab the sleeve of his hoodie, stopping you both. “Hey, seriously Holder, it’s just a few simple questions. I can handle this on my own. If you need to hang back that’s fine. In fact, it might even be better. That way you can make sure no one suspicious is lurking around while I’m in there.”
It is a lame excuse and you both know it, but he nods. “Yeah… yeah, that sounds like a good plan.” He pulls out his pack of cigarettes and lights one up. After taking a long drag from it, you notice he seems a little calmer than before.
You smile. “Okay, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll meet you over by the Ferris Wheel.” When he nods again, you continue down the boardwalk until you reach the shop you were looking for.
The entire area was pretty much deserted seeing as the festival was still only half-constructed and all the workers had gone home for the day. But your intel said that Moses sometimes worked at the joke shop by the pier in addition to performing at the festival, so you might as well check it out.
As soon as you walk through the door, something feels off. The whole place smells faintly like bleach and yet, nothing looked like it had been cleaned in months. As you take another step farther into the store, a man comes out of the back room. He is wearing a traditional clown costume but with boots and a large coat over his polka-dotted attire. And even under all of the makeup, you recognize him as your suspect.
“Trevor Moses? I’m a detective with Seattle Homicide. I just have a few ques-”
Before you can finish, Moses charges forward, shoving you to the ground as he passes, and bolts out the door. You scramble back to your feet and take off after him. As you begin chasing him down the boardwalk, you catch Holder out of the corner of your eye, leaning against the Ferris Wheel, cigarette in his hand.
“Holder! He’s making a break for it!” you scream, never slowing for even an instant.
Your partner jumps in surprise, drops his cigarette, and takes off after you. But he is several hundred feet behind you and even with his long legs, you know it will take him time to catch up. So, you push yourself to run as fast as you possibly can, slowly closing the distance between you and Moses.
It takes until you are almost to the end of the boardwalk before you catch up to him. You reach out, fingers barely grazing his coat. But just as you think you have him, he whirls around, spraying you with the fake flower pinned to his lapel. It looks like the typical flower squirting water gag you had seen a million times with other clowns but the liquid that splashes onto your skin is not water. You manage to block most of the liquid with your left hand and arm, but it immediately begins burning as if on fire. Instinctively, you begin pawing at your skin with your right hand, but that just spreads the painful sensation there as well.
Moses takes off running again as you collapse to the ground in pain, frantically trying to rub the substance off on your shirt or jacket. But it is no use. Vaguely in the back of your mind, it clicks that this must have been how he killed the others, with a shot of acid to the face, and you are lucky you were able to block it. However, at that moment, you feel anything but lucky.
As tears begin quickly flowing down your face and you clutch your hands protectively against your chest, you feel Holder drop down next to you as he yells into his phone, “Officer down. I repeat, officer down! We need medical assistance at the pier right fuckin’ now!”
He tries to examine your injuries, but you push him off. Through gritted teeth, you growl, “Go! Don’t let him get away.” He hesitates, not wanting to leave you like this, but you scream at him, “GO!”
Holder jumps to his feet and takes off after Moses. You watch them both disappear around the corner, heading into the woods behind the pier. You roll onto your back, sobbing as the pain only seems to be intensifying. Your mind flashes to the mutilated faces of Moses’s other victims and you have to swallow the bile that you feel in your throat.
Suddenly, you hear multiple gunshots from two distinct guns coming from the woods in the direction Holder had just run. Then…. silence.
“Holder!” you scream, but there is no response. “HOLDER!”
When you still don’t hear anything, you try to push yourself up to your knees, but your hands and arms are too damaged and weak to give you enough leverage. So instead, you just collapse back to the ground, panting heavily. You squeeze your eyes shut and say a silent prayer that your partner is okay, though you know even if someone out there hears your plea it could already be too late.
But then, you hear a quick shuffling, and you glance up to see Holder limping quickly out of the woods and heading straight towards you. The left leg of his jeans is stained dark with blood, but he gives you a small smile when he sees you looking at him.
The ache in your chest eases slightly at the sight of your partner, but the pain in your hands is still just as intense. You try to stay strong as Holder collapses down next to you, but you can’t help the small moan that escapes your lips. Holder tries to reach for your hands, but you pull them away. “Don’t. I don’t want it to get on you.”
He thinks for a minute, then pulls off his hoodie and begins using it to gently rub your hands, trying to get some of the remaining acid off. When it doesn't seem to be helping much, he stands up, gathers you into his arms, and hobbles over to the dunk tank set up by the Ferris Wheel. Dipping his hoodie into the water, he begins trying to clear off your skin. While still excruciating, the water does seem to help slightly. You look around, trying to find something to distract you, and your eyes land on Holder’s bloody pants.
“How’s your leg?” you ask, jaw clenched.
“’S okay. Shot just winged it. Looks worse than it feels,” he mutters.
You hesitate a second before asking, “Is he….?”
He nods solemnly. “He pulled a gun. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Yeah, I heard.” You can see the conflict and pain etched on his face over what he had done. “Hey, you did what you had to do. He was going to shoot you… He did shoot you. And now he can’t hurt anyone else like this ever again.” You motion down at your hands before flinching when a flash of pain surges through them. “God! Why does it hurt this badly! Shouldn’t it be stopping by now?”
“I guess it takes some time to get it all off.” Holder says, but you can see the concern in his eyes as he stares down at your hands. You are trying your best not to look, but his face says it all. “Try not ta think about it.”
“That’s a lot easier said than done. I keep trying to think of something else, anything else, and it all comes back to the pain.” You let out another loud whimper as Holder rubs his wet fingers over your damaged skin.
He stares thoughtfully down at your hands for a moment before he finally says, “My moms took me to the circus when I was six. Liz was spendin’ the weekend at a friend’s, and she thought it would be a good bonding time for us or somethin’. And it was… until she forgot me. She just got bored and split, never gave me a second thought.” His eyes have a far-off, haunted look to them and you know whatever he is seeing at the moment, it isn’t you. “She just left….. and I was so fuckin’ scared. I started runnin’ around lookin’ for her and I stumbled into the tent where the clowns were gettin’ ready.”
He shudders at the memory. “They surrounded me, squeezin’ their fuckin’ red noses and tryin’ to make me shitty balloon animals. It was so loud and hectic and I just wanted my moms….”He trails off and you see tears starting to form in the corner of his eyes.
Then he shakes his head and uses his shoulder to wipe his face. “They finally called the ringmaster who then called the police. I hadda wait another few hours before they could finally track her down. She never even knew I was gone.” He sighs. “So, yeah. That’s why I fuckin’ hate clowns.”
“Holder….. I’m so sorry. No wonder you didn’t want to go in there and face him.”
“Yeah? And look where it landed you. If I had just manned up and gone with ya, this woulda never happened.” He gestures angrily to your hands.
You shake your head. “You don’t know that. He could have pulled the gun on both of us before we knew what was happening. Or he might have gone immediately for the acid when he saw there were two of us and then my arm might not have protected me. Holder, this isn’t your fault and you did nothing wrong. Like you said earlier, you never let me down. Ever. And you still had my back when I needed you. Just like you are doing right now. I mean, you were shot and all you care about is trying to help me. How could I ever ask for a better partner than that?”
Holder grins shyly at you. “Yeah…. I’m pretty great, huh?”
You chuckle just as you see the ambulance driving up. Holder picks you back up into his arms and limps over to it. And as they are loading you up to take you to the hospital, you nudge him with your foot. “You’re wrong, Holder. You’re not pretty great…. You’re the best.”
I'm hosting a toontown fan meetup at downtown disney next month! It's for fans of all toontown private servers, and TTO!
Since momocon/TTR toonfest is really far for toontown fans in socal, I thought it would be fun to have our own little event after toonfest! Plus this will be for all private servers, so clash stuff can be included too!
I chose downtown disney because its an INCREDIBLY safe place for a meet up like this. There's a TON of security everywhere, they even check your bags before you go in. Plus, it's close to the real life toontown!
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BUY A DISNEYLAND TICKET TO COME. DOWNTOWN DISNEY IS THE OUTDOOR MALL OUTSIDE OF DISNEYLAND. If you would like to, I'm not going to stop you. I'm a magic key (annual pass) holder, so I'll probably go into the parks after the meet up.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me or @cherrycookies , who is helping me organize this event!
ok, so once again I have done a whole bunch of reading for literally no good reason and I intend to make it the problem of anyone foolish enough to follow me
I think the average person is familiar with two basic kinds of payday lending. The first is legal or semi-legal, and involves probably legally enforceable high-interest short-term loans. The APR on these might be in the hundreds or so. The main excuse offered for these is that they provide an alternative to the second kind, which would otherwise be the only option for some people (what an indictment of our society that is). That other one involves fairly obviously illegal terms, APRs that can’t even reasonably be calculated, because there is just a mobster of some description fronting you a couple hundred bucks and then regularly extorting you, not with the threat of legal action but with the threat of violence from his hired thugs.
The way it works in the Czech Republic, you have the preposterous interest rates and obscene functionally incalculable APR and absurd legally nonsensical terms and the blatant extortion, but it’s all legal. The terms might not technically pass legal muster, but they never have to, because the law doesn’t actually exist. Your debt can be passed to an executor (collection agent) with only a formality in the way of legal review. The executor can seize your property, send thugs into your home without notice, garnish your wages without judicial review. The only thing the executor needs is a single court writ initially assigning them to your case, upon nomination for this duty by the debt holder. If the debtor wishes to object to this, as far as I can tell they are supposed to send their appeal to the Executor Professional Association. These thugs do all of this with the full participation of the authority of the state, personified by its police.
As an example, some sample loans I was able to find online have nominal annual interest rates in the hundreds percent, but an APR in the tens of thousands percent. Would these stand up to legal scrutiny? Well, on one occasion an interest rate of 80% was found to be inherently extortionate by the courts. On a later occasion, a different court found an interest rate of 115% not to be extortionate. There’s no consistency, though I think once you hit the several hundreds it would be hard to defend. But the system is set up such that the debt itself does not go through the courts, it goes through the executors. Anyone poor enough to get suckered into a payday loan does not have recourse to the protections of civil law.
Regarding the wage garnishing (which, again, you effectively cannot appeal, and happens automatically), the minimum amount you can be left with per month, from which you have to cover all living expenses and rent, is around $400 equivalent base, plus $160 or so per dependent. Now, money goes further here than in the US, according to the OECD about 50% further, but it’s still incredibly bad. This of course drives people subject to this regime to find less-than-legal employment whose proceeds can’t be stolen.
You might think, well, the people with debts they couldn’t possibly repay can at least resort to bankruptcy. Kind of, perhaps, if they’re very lucky. Bankruptcy proceedings involve basically the same regime of garnishing, over the course of 5 years. After those 5 years, if you have paid off 30% of the amount you owe, you’re probably going to have your remaining debt erased. If not, better hope the insolvency court takes a liking to you. Oh, also initiating bankruptcy costs like $200 initially, and then a solid $40 a month for those 5 years. Good luck putting that money together, hope you manage to hide it from the executor because he will absolutely try to steal it off you.
The previous government decided to tinker a bit with the laws, because the social democrats were in the governing coalition and the communists were providing confidence and supply. They added regulation regarding the maximum allowed penalty interest rates for loans, to the tune of a National Bank interest rate benchmark, plus 8%. What they did not regulate, as far as I can tell (and the way the law is written makes it extraordinarily difficult to tell), is the maximum allowed regular rate for loans, which seems rather more important. Meanwhile, the current justice minister’s wife is an executor, and in his previous offices of state he has directed government collections to her. So I don’t expect much in the way of legal relief from the current government.