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s65ns · 2 months

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i need a hug.

bestfriend!harry x oc (jas) /wattpad link

in which Jas just needs a hug, and who better to give her a hug than her best friend, Harry.

warnings: none.

word count: 1.3k words.

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third person pov.

"I need a hug." was all Jas had to text before Harry quickly situated himself in his car to drive to her house.

He could care less that she lived an hour away or that he would be driving in the pouring rain. His best friend needed him and he was going to be there.

"I'm on my way." Harry sent back before setting off.

It was six o'clock in the evening and the sky was already dark. The drivers on the road were driving like they lost their minds.

Harry lowered the radio as a means to help him stay focused on the road.

He didn't want to end up in a car accident and have to explain what took him so long to Jas.

Meanwhile, Jas was sitting on her bed, wiping her tears away and smiling to herself. She didn't believe Harry when he said he was coming, but she thought his response was cute.

Jas: thank u stink. can't wait to see you soon. :) she sent back jokingly.

She waited a few minutes for a response, before putting her phone down to make some tea.

Once she had finished making her tea, she checked her phone again. Still no response.

"Weird..." she thought. Harry was usually a fast responder. Unless he told her that he was going to be busy, he would usually respond within five minutes.

Just then, Jas heard thunder roll outside. She peaked out the patio door to her apartment and saw the pouring rain.

Jas smiled contently to herself. This was her kind of weather. It was the perfect weather for her to snuggle up with a blanket and read a romance novel.

She quickly dashed over to the couch, pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, and began to read.

Jas had started reading a new book series called Shatter Me. It is a dystopian thriller with romantic themes so nevertheless, it peaked her interest.

Thirty minutes went by and still no response from Harry. Jas was getting really in to Juliette and Adam's story. Jas could easily relate to the longing to be touched. That's how she felt right now.

She just wanted to be touched. Not in a weird perverted way, but simply the comfort that comes with being held by a loved one was what she yearned for.

An hour had now gone by and Jas still hadn't heard back from Harry. It was unusual to say the least. She was beginning to get worried.

Jas: you okay? Nothing.

Jas: harry? Still nothing.

Jas: come on this isn't funny anymore... Once again, nothing.

Jas got got up and began to pace the floor. The bad weather mixed with the lack of response from Harry was truly beginning to worry her. She knew it was probably just her hormones still being worked up from crying earlier, but she couldn't help the bad feeling hanging over her.

She decided to give Harry a call.

"You've reached the voicemail box of 'Hello, it's Harry-'" Jas was sent straight to voicemail. Now she was really starting to panic.

It's like when you know your parent(s) are supposed to be home at a certain time, but they're not home yet and you begin to imagine the worst case scenario.

Jas begins to dial Harry's number again. "You've reached the voi-" she hangs up the phone and tries again.

"You've reached the voice-" she hangs up the phone again. Just as Jas is about to dial his number again, a soft rap is heard at the door. She halts in her movement and peers skeptically at the clock.

7:34 PM was blinking back at her. Who was at her door when it was almost eight o'clock at night? Jas rounded the sofa and slowly made her way to the door. She peered through the peephole only to see a mildly wet Harry standing in the hall.

Jas quickly opened the door and gaped at the man in front of her. Harry stood there with a wide grin on his face as he took in her appearance.

"Harry, wha- what are you doing here?" Jas asked. Harry simply stood there and watched her. He looked deep in thought as if calculating his next move.

Harry licked his lips before stepping towards Jas and wrapping his arms around her. He buried his face in her neck. He let his one arm snake around her waist, and held her tight for he knew that's how she liked to be hugged.

Jas could only stand there in shock, the phone calls since forgotten. Slowly, but surely she came back to reality. She was still reeling over the fact that her best friend had really driven an hour to her house just to give her a hug.

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she returned the gesture by wrapping her arms around his neck. Harry exhaled softly while running a hand throw Jas' kinky black hair.

They stood in the doorway like that for a minute, soaking each other in both figuratively and literally.

A shiver ran through Harry's body. Not just because his clothes were damp, but because it felt so surreal being here with Jas.

Jas sniffled and it caught Harry's attention. He pulled back to give her face a one over and make sure she was okay. He placed his hands on her cheek and gently wiped the tears away.

"There's no need to cry, baby. I'm right here." he said with a smile. Jas nodded realizing how ridiculous she probably looked.

"But how? How are you here? My message was just wishful thinking. I mean-" Harry softly shushed Jas' rambling.

"You called and I came. That's all that matters." he said tilting her head up so they could maintain eye contact.

Jas shook her head with a sigh before embracing Harry again. Harry let out a soft chuckle and returned the hug.

He reached out with his foot behind him and kicked the door shut. He then walked them over to the couch all while never letting go of their hug.

Jas giggled as Harry plopped them down on the couch. Jas is the first to let go of the embrace. She sits back and just looks at her best friend.

"You are something else, Harry." Harry shrugs with a soft smile. Jas places her head on Harry's lap. Harry combs through Jas' unruly hair and gives her a head massage. Jas smiles up at him contently. A beat goes by and they enjoy each other's company.

"Hey, listen," Harry begins, "I want you to know that anytime you call for me, I will always do my best to be there. If I can't physically be here with you, I'll try to reach you virtually." Harry continues to play with Jas' hair as he speaks.

"We don't even have to talk about what is bothering you. If me just being here is enough for you, then I will do that."

Once more, tears begin to brim in Jas' eyes.

"Aww, Harry, stop." she whines. "I've cried enough for one night and then you go and say the sweetest things all because I said I needed a hug."

Harry smiles as he leans down and rub their noses together.

"If I could, I'd hug you forever." he whispers. Their eyes run over each other's faces, soaking in each other's features. Harry leaned back knowing if they had stayed like that, he might do something he shouldn't.

You see, Harry has had a crush on Jas for a year or two now. He's watched her go out with men who don't deserve her—Harry's opinion—and have her heartbroken by said men.

Does it hurt watching the woman you love go out with other people? By all means, but he doesn't let that interfere with the bond they've built so far.

Harry's in it for the long run and if all he can do for now is be a friend that Jas calls up when she needs physical affection then that is exactly what he'll do.

Their eyes never once left each other as Harry leaned back. Jas could visibly see Harry's eyes darkening in shade. She could feel her cheeks burning up at this.

Its moments like these that make the boundaries become blurred lines. Right now, Harry wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss Jas.

And who knows...maybe Jas wanted Harry to kiss her too.

#harry styles #harry styles writings #harry styles related writings #boyfriendrry #harry styles fanfic #soft harry styles #fan fiction #soft harry #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic rec #harry fanfic #soft harry fanfic #one direction #one shot #best friend harry #bestfriendrry #harry styles blurb

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fqeriemin · 12 days

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𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐈𝐓 '𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂 . mark lee

O1 . THE PARK | nct master list

synopsis : Sitting on a bench in the middle of a random park in Seoul, you didn ‘t mind the fact that a stranger sat next to you. But you didn ‘t expect it to hit it off with him. au : nonidol!mark lee x afab!nonidol!reader requested? : no trope : friends to lovers pronouns : you / your type : just pure fluff <3 warnings : reader is a hopeless romantic , small mention of ab**e. word count : O822 ( originally 14O4 ) play list : magnetic - illit sparks fly - taylor swift maroon - taylor swift

just a little mark drabble because who doesnt love mark <3

YOU GAZED AT THE pink cherry blossom petals floating through the air and falling delicately to the ground. It was late March , just around the time that cherry blossom trees were blooming. You were reading the novel you’d just picked up at the bookstore. Seoul was chilly at this time of year , and you had wrapped yourself in a windbreaker before stepping out. With the zipper straight up to your chin , you sat there , content with the hum of the city as your company. Page after page , you let the city calm you after a long day.

Until you felt someone sit down next to you. You didn ‘t mind it at first , as long as they didn ‘t disturb you. This person was pretty quiet , aside from the soft shifts of their feet on the cement walkway. You took a little peak at them out of the corner of your eyes at them. Blonde hair , strong jawline , and their phone held up to take a photo of the scenery. You directed your attention back to your book , and heard the camera snap of a phone. You crossed one leg over the other and made yourself more comfortable.

“Pride and Prejudice?” asked the stranger after a few minutes of silence. You looked at him , and finally got a proper view of his face. His bangs stuck up a little , as if he ‘d just climbed out of bed. And that bright blonde hair.

“Oh- yeah.” You respond , taken a bit off guard by the question.

“You like classics ?” He raised an eyebrow , pocketing his phone.

“Not particularly.” You slide your bookmark into the page you were on and shut the book. “Just decided to try it. It was on a whim.”

He nodded. A beat passed , and you were debating on whether to reopen the book or not. Your gaze tore away from him and onto the cherry blossom trees. Then he spoke again. “I’m Mark.”

You nod. “Y/n.”

“Pretty name.” He looked at you. He had nice eyes.

You couldn ‘t help but smile in return. “Thank you.”

A moment passed again as you both sat in a semi-comfortable silence. You had reopened the book. You winded a small strand of your hair around your index finger. He just stared back out the trees. They were beautiful. They don ‘t bloom at random times of the year , and with them blooming now , Seoul felt fresh to him. Anew. Like what spring should feel like.

“Do you have any specific genre you like to read, Y/n?” Mark piped up, gazing at you again.

Once more, you closed your book. “Dystopian and fantasy. You know books with war politics. Trilogies and sagas with a lot of plot armour. You know books with dreamy writing and-” Suddenly, you cut yourself off. “Sorry for rambling. What about you?”

Mark grinned as a small laugh escaped his chapped lips. He looked down at his shoes in thought and raised his eyes back to yours. “Mystery. Definitely mystery.”

“You read the Hardy Boys as a kid?” You cocked an eyebrow. It was a simple question.

“How did you guess?” He kept the grin plastered on his face.

“I think it’s every kid ‘s starter series.” You smile back. “It was my first.”

“Well.” He leaned back on the bench. “My people don ‘t read that much. Even as we grew up , they ‘d ditch the book for HotWheels.”

“My people only read the filthy stuff.” You mirrored his action , so you could get a better look at him. “That ‘s all they read.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “I never understood why people did that. Dark romance can be so nasty.”

Your ears perked at the statement. Yes! Someone with sense who didn ‘t let the internet distort them. “Thank you! I ‘ve been saying that since the whole trend started.”

“I mean , being in love with someone who literally abuses you. That ‘s so strange. And they romanticize and swoon over it too.”

“Oh my god, Mark.” You were somehow so comfortable around him already. You just met and you already thought you made a friend. “Finally someone with a brain.”

Mark just smiled back , leaving both of you staring at each other for a moment. Something passed , and you could literally feel it.

“Do you…want to exchange numbers?” Normally , you ‘d never prompt that question. But today you found yourself doing something different.

“Yeah, i mean, that ‘d be cool.” He agreed , pulling out his phone and opening the phone app. He set to creating a contact and passed the phone to you. “Put in your number. I ‘ll text you.”

So you did. “Wanna give me yours?” You asked , handing him the phone.

“Nah. you ‘ll get it when I text you.”

You both smiled again. The way you were smiling it was like you ‘d just found your person.

#mark lee #mark scenarios #nct dream #nct drabbles #renjun #jaemin #nct dream x reader #nct dream fluff #nct dream fic #mark lee x reader

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magicshnoolbus · 1 month

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This is something straight out of a dystopian novel. Planing around people who are protesting your award event because it’s happening at the same time as thousands of people are being bombed is horrifying.

#palestine #free palestine #politics #Ac

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samsayswhatever · 5 months

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I always have a few classic, go-to fic starters. I'm thinking about these for Lokius now:

Trapped in a snow storm

Truth or dare (bonus if camping for some reason)

Fake dating for Christmas

High school AU (alt: Magic school au)

Groundhogs day, but they are BOTH stuck in the loop

Roommates to lovers

One character is a vampire all of a sudden

Murder mystery cop drama

One character is Royal/famous (the other is not enthused)

Arranged marriage setup (dystopian and/or royal)

Only one bed (can be used at any time)

Two person love triangle (falling for their online persona while the other falls for them in person)

Fairy tale re-telling (Cinderella, Beauty and the beast etc.)

Married in Vegas and fall in love trying to peice together your drunken last 24 hours

Some version of the classic straight romance novel (big city person returns home for holiday, and falls for hot apple farmer while saving the harvest festival, and finds out he's secretly a millionaire)

Fix it fics: a) the final obstacle that keeps them apart can be taken on by another, freeing up love interest, b) the final obstacle can be completed, and then the love interest can do something to find them when it's over

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thatsleepymermaid · 4 months

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So, let me introduce you to the diabolical GILEE program Atlanta cops have with Israel

If you follow this blog, you probably know I have a lot to say about Atlanta Police and Atlanta in general.

Anywho, the Atlanta Police and Israel have this deal called GILEE (Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange). Basically, we send Atlanta cops to Israel, and Israel send cops to Atlanta. Started to enforce the Olympics in 1996. I linked the actual program's website, and it's straight out of a dystopian sci-fi novel.

Israel will use cop city to train more genocidal law enforcement against Palestinians!

And, worst cop city is set to be completed by Next December

Please please please don't forget about our fight to save the Atlanta forest. And please please please remember that this facility will be used to train all cop, essentially making us the world's police force. I am begging you to call your reps and continue to be disruptive in order to stop this monstrous facility being built. Atlanta is already having flooding and biodiversity problems because this forest was cut down (I know because I collected the data). Anything will help. And trust me, we need help.

#stop cop city #atlanta #politics #weelaunee forest #environmentalism #tortuguita #ecology #free palestine #Palestine #isreal is a terrorist state #defend the forest #pollution

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51nn0n · 9 months

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My word, everyday the worlds is just getting more and more dystopian like we live in a world where overlords of large corporations in control of our entertainment are wanting to copy someone likeness using a computer to use instead ACTUALLY hiring and paying them for acting. Like how fucked up is that??? Shit sounds straight out a novel???

#51 rambles #sag-aftra

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phaedraismyusername · 2 years

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Just chucking my 10 pence into the ring for Women in Translation month with a handful of recs on the off chance it'll be of use to someone

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

- a short novel about a Korean woman who decides to become a vegetarian after a bad dream and how the people (mainly men) around her react to the decision and her subsequent spiral into stranger and stranger behaviour.

Convenience Store Woman by Sakaya Murata

- the story follows a neuro-divergent middle aged Japanese woman who loves her job at a convenience store more than anything and just wants to be left alone to do what makes her happy and how the people around her pressure her into conforming to what society expects from her (finding a man, getting a "real job", etc) and how those expectations negatively impact her life.

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

- a strange winding Argentinian novel about a dying woman and a young boy sitting in hospital together and telling stories. I don't really know the best way to sell you on this one other than you'll have to try it to know if you'll like it lol. But if you like a whole lot of weird and appreciate narratives and themes around environmental abuse then this could be for you.

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

- another Argentinian book but this time it's just a straight up consumption horror lol. It follows a man who works at an abattoir essentially in a dystopian society where animal meat is now poisonous to people so they've started breeding and mass-processing humans for meat instead. Does what it says on the tin and pulls absolutely no punches in the process lol.

Confessions by Kanae Minato

- an excellent little Japanese thriller. A class room of teenagers are sat down by their teacher on her last day of work to talk about her resignation after her young daughter died in an accident on school grounds, only for her to reveal that she knows that two of the students are responsible for her death, and the steps she's taken to set her revenge into motion. The rest of the book jumps pov every chapter as you watch the consequences ripple out from there.

and last but not least

Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang

- a Chinese sci-fi novel that follows a group of Mars-born teenagers who, after a civil war between planets, have spent their formative years on Earth as delegates and are now returning to Mars and how they deal with that, basically. It's the longest book on this list by far at around 600 pages but the writing is beautiful and the conversations about Mars being a communist ideal while Earth has reached the pinnacle of what capitalism can create are done in a way that doesn't feel at all soapbox-y and feels very fair in exploring the pros and cons of each system. Just an all around excellent book.

#women in translation #wit month #book recs #the vegetarian #convenience store woman #confessions #vagabonds #tender is the flesh #fever dream #sakaya murata #kanae minato #samantha schweblin #han kang #hao jingfang #agustina bazterrica #books #recs

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escapism-from-the-real-world · 20 days

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You know it never really sunk in that we live in a dystopia, or at the very least a society that accepts and shrugs at dystopian societies when they appear in real life until I thought about the implications of North Korea.

There is a whole ass country where the people aren’t allowed to LEAVE under penalty of DEATH. You have to look a certain way, act a certain way, you’re constantly monitored, you’re encouraged to rat on anyone who is “different” or has any kind of ideology that differs from the expectations of your government. Hell, well the last dictator of North Korea died, you were PUNISHED IF THEY THOUGHT YOU WEREN’T MOURNING HARD ENOUGH.

That is straight out of a dystopian novel and we just??? Ignore it?? Like we joke about how insane and awful and crazy North Korea is but we never do anything about it?? We hear the stories of people who escaped that hell hole and we’re just like “wow that’s crazy” AND THEN WE DON’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT???

Like I was truly brainwashed as a kid for not realizing that we live in a world where a fully functioning and running dystopian government is ruling ruthlessly over a whole group of people. That it was just normal for that to happen and for people to be suffering like they did, like they are, and for us, the so called “freedom fighters”, us “liberators” who “stand for justice and democracy” to do NOTHING ABOUT IT.

Are we really surprised that our government and when world governments are okay with genocide when a) they have performed many genocides before this point in time for their own personal and financial gain and b) HAVE ALLOWED A LITERAL DYSTOPIA (THAT ONE COULD DESCRIBE TO SOMEONE AND THAT PERSON WOULD GUESS IT WAS A FICTIONAL SETTING WHEN IT IS, in fact, A VERY REAL PLACE AND GOVERNMENT) TO EXIST WITHOUT ANY KIND OF PUSH TO STOP THE DICTATORSHIP OF THAT LAND???

It’s insane. This is insane. How are we not seeing the dystopian society we are currently living in? That we are letting people live in?

Fuck this. Fuck the world governments for letting this happen. Fuck the education system for making this seem like a normal fucking thing.

Free Palestine. Free the people being literally tortured, manipulated, and abused right in front of our fucking faces.

#free palestine #palestine #free gaza #gaza #north korea #what the fuck #dystopian society #fuck the dystopian society we live in #there is a fucking war in fucking ba sing se

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moonlightspencie · 1 year

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The Fulton Project

Description: The knowledge of an FBI operation gone wrong has the world as the BAU knows it turning on it’s head. How does something like this end after months of civil unrest?

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader (but honestly the relationship aspect comes like 3rd in levels of importance to this story lol)

Warnings: violence, non-graphic major character deaths (2), implications of suicide, ANGST, (kind of an unreliable narrator, but in an im-traumatized-and-not-thinking-straight way)

Word Count: 4k

A/N: this is me speedrunning a ya dystopian novel to be honest. i wrote it all at like 1am after watching the entire hunger games series lollll

We were gathered around my desk one morning, everything feeling so normal that day. I wish I’d have known then that I wouldn’t get to experience it again. I would have appreciated it more.

“I don’t know. Strauss has been acting super weird. Like she knows something we don’t,“ JJ stated, leaning against my desk.

“What’s new?” Morgan asked with a snort.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s like she’s afraid of something. I don’t get it. She never acts scared of anything.”

I sat with that sentiment for a moment.

“Has anyone asked her?” I inquired. “I know we don’t like to talk to her if we can help it, but if this is serious—“

“I don’t think she’d admit anything,” JJ responded.

“Maybe Pen can dig something up,” I said, just as Hotch strolled in.

“Dig something up on what?” he asked.

“Strauss,” Morgan said curtly. “JJ said she’s been acting all weird lately.”

“Is that new?” he said, giving his barely-there smile.

“That’s what I said!” Morgan yelled out, going back to his own desk.

JJ mentioned something about seeing Penelope, and I watched as she dragged Emily with her. I started on my consultations for the day, and was only interrupted when Spence came up to my desk with a new mug of coffee.

I smiled, taking it from him.

“Thanks, love.”

“Of course. It looked like you needed a little energy boost,” he noted, watching me for a moment. “Do you want to go out tonight?”

I glanced up at him. “Where were you thinking?”

“That Thai place you love?”

I smiled. “That would be great.”

“Do you want to leave after work tonight, then?”

“I’d love nothing more.”

The day went on quickly, and finally getting to have a night that was just Spence and myself was a welcome reprieve from all of the casework we’d been doing. He always seemed to know how to lift my spirits, even when the world was upside down. He did his best, time and time again, to be there for me in whatever way possible.

We were asleep in his apartment when we got the early-morning call. Spence answered the phone, face dropping. I only heard a muffled, panicked rambling on the other end from Pen’s sweet voice. He assured her that the whole team would be there as soon as possible, then turned to me when he hung up.

“Garcia found something big. We’ve gotta get to work.”

We rushed over. I drove as Spence contacted the rest of the team. He immediately went to meet her in the conference room as I double-checked that nobody else was in the bullpen. When I was sure, I started up the stairs and towards the conference room.

“Here,” Penelope’s voice said, quietly as I neared the doorway.

I walked into the room, seeing her look like she’d just seen a ghost. She gave me a quick glance, then excused herself from the room.

“Is she okay?” I asked Spencer.

He only shrugged, unsure. Everyone else filed in within the next couple of minutes. He looked over everything Penelope had given him, sorting through all of the things that were worth reading for the rest of us to see. He only slowed his roll when he started nearing the end.

“I think I found something,” he said.

Prentiss sat up straight. “What is it?”

“It’s called the Fulton Project,” Spencer said, scanning over the rest of the file. “I don’t think this is what it seems.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, pretty boy?” Derek asked, half a smirk on his face.

Spencer wasn’t smiling, and it seemed that Penelope’s exit from the room made much more sense now.

“This is… How did we get this file, again?”

I stood from my seat, circling around behind him.

“Penelope found it. It used to be encrypted, but the last time it was opened someone got awfully irresponsible. She found a way in,” Prentiss said, looking across the table.

I scanned it as she told him, horror building.

“I thought the CIA was the one that did stuff like this,” I whispered finally.

They all gathered around to see what I meant, each person’s attitude turning sour the further down the page they got. However accidentally, we’d uncovered something huge. An entire operation dedicated to not only “silencing” agents, but civilians as well. It was like some sort of twisted men in black for governmental secrets. And it didn’t end there. The torture methods described in order to brainwash people or garner information were on par, and even worse, than the unsubs we hunted down every day.

“What do we do?” I asked.

Instinctively, everyone turned to Hotch. He looked at each of us for a few moments before answering.

“We take it down.”

We went for a few weeks, uncovering as much as we could under the radar. More information than I ever wanted to know came to light, but we had to make a really solid case before we could bring it to a court. It turns out there was more corruption that we’d thought possible after the first file we had seen. Framings and assassinations and brainwashing and making people disappear. It was all too much. Then, Hotch had an idea to light a fire under the bellies of those involved.

I took a deep breath as I stepped up on the podium. Reporters stared me down, all scrambling to get close.

“Good evening,” I began, trying to tune out everything but my own voice. “We’ve— I’ve prepared a statement on the events that occurred today, and over the past few years, really. After an inside investigation, we have reason to believe that the Fulton Project, headed up by Richard Jones, Mark Stein, and Amelia Sanchez has been an elaborate cover-up for operations within the FBI that we as a unit do not stand for. However, these are only allegations, so please let that reflect on the record. We will keep you all updated as we learn more.”

A million questions started being thrown my way, but I felt Hotch take my arm and guide me back off the podium. He started walking me into the building.

“Good. That was good,” he noted quietly. “The sooner this gets out, the more likely it is that we’ll be able to take them down.”

I breathed deep as we stepped into the elevator.

“Are you sure this was the right move? You and I both know this likely runs deeper than the FBI.”

“It’s going to work out just fine,” he said, not glancing in my direction. “After today, everything is going to change.”

I was told that me going on the news to release that statement would be fine. Hotch reassured me that nothing bad would happen. He told me it was the right thing to do. He told me that speaking the names wasn’t defamatory because we weren’t actually accusing them of anything. It was a huge move, and I knew that.

I didn’t know it would change everything.

I sat in the bullpen at my desk when we got back in the building. Everyone left eventually, leaving me, my thoughts, and the imaginary paperwork I told everyone I had to do. I really just needed time to think. Unfortunately, my time for thinking was cut short.

My personal cell rang, an unknown number on the screen. I wasn’t usually one to pick up for unknown callers, but something in me compelled me to this time.

“Hello?” I greeted.

“Do you know who I am?”

The voice was familiar, though I couldn’t place it.

“I don’t.”

A sigh came from the other end.

“You’re nothing but a parasite in this organization. Ruining everything with a stupid press conference, and you don’t even know my name?”

I paused. “I’m sorry.”

“You will be. Live television isn’t the place to expose secrets, my dear, and yet you did it anyways.”

“I didn’t mean to—“

“People are asking questions. You let it all loose, and tomorrow news stations across the country are going to be putting up your name and your image as the person who caused all of this.”

I was silent, trying to process all of this. It was one slip, how could it possibly put me in the line of fire like this?

“Watch your back.”

The line went dead after that.

I left the bureau and went to Spencer’s in a panic. I knew I wasn’t safe at work anymore, and frankly I was shocked I could leave at all. On the way to his place, I tried calling Hotch, but the line was dead. I ended up at the door of Spencer’s apartment, waiting with shaky hands. He opened the door with a smile that faded fast.

“What’s wrong, love?”

“Can I come in?”

He nodded, shutting the door behind me as I entered.

“Lock it,” I instructed.

He listened, following me in confusion as I shut his curtains.

“What’s happening?”

“I’m not safe.”

He stopped me from pacing around the room, holding my face in his hands.

“Why not?”

I held onto his wrists, breathing in deep.

“I think—“ I swallowed, unsure if I could finish the statement.

He furrowed his brow, as he always did.

“What?”

“They know that we know. I didn’t mean to, but it’s all being taken down, now.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, trying to get any clear answer from me.

“I think Hotch was using me. He knew this whole time that the higher-ups were corrupted and let me be the one who’s face is plastered on it all coming out. It’s only getting worse now that the secret isn’t contained to the bureau. The whole country is going to know.”

He swallowed, the usual color in his cheeks drained.

“Hotch wouldn’t do that.”

“He would if it meant protecting Jack. He shut off his phone, Spence. He would let me take the fall to protect his son.”

“No.”

I nodded. “He would. He would, and you know that. He could rationalize it by telling himself he wasn’t directly harming me, but he knew what would happen.”

Spencer shook his head, tears in his eyes. I took his hand, trying to give him any semblance of comfort.

“What do we do?” he asked, voice small.

“We’re not doing anything. You’re going to help the team finish what we started.”

“And you?”

“They’re coming for me, but I refuse to let them find me without a fight.”

“Let me come with.”

“No.”

“Please. You can’t do this alone. We stand a chance against them, we can take them down.”

I sighed. “You’re better off trying to do that here. Use that big brain of yours. There’s always a flaw in these systems, especially when the motives for keeping them in place are all wrong. You know that.”

“The team can do it without me. I need to be there with you.”

I sighed hard, knowing he wouldn’t take no for an answer this time. “Fine.”

We worked for months. All of our meetings had to be completely concealed once I went into hiding. The team and I knew better than anyone the lengths they would take to find me and have me destroyed. My image was the one attached to all of this, and now the general public saw me as the sole reason for the secrets getting out.

Against my better wishes, Spencer came with me. We were holed up in Tennessee somewhere, completely cut off from practically everyone. The only person who really knew where we were was Penelope, strictly for the fact that she was the one in charge of communication. That was something else that happened completely against my wishes, but she kept us updated. Hotchner had long-since escaped somewhere with Jack, thus escaping from the inevitable guilt that came with forcing me into a role I never wanted or asked for. I knew that one day, whether I succeeded or not, he’d have to live with himself. That kept me from wishing worse for him.

The others stuck together. Though, having worked for the government, they all had massive targets on their backs. They had to stay off the grid as much as they could. Their only true communications were through Penelope, and the main destination was me. Until, eventually, they stopped communication altogether. According to Pen, they’d found a way to be safe. She wouldn’t tell me any more than that, but if what it took for them to be safe was no longer associating with me, it was worth it.

Unrest continued to build as the general public realized more and more what had been happening within our country. Right under our noses. I worried at first that we would be too complacent to fight against it all, but was quickly proven wrong. My initial exposure of the corruption had inspired a sense of conflict that I would never have expected.

I supposed it helped that the FBI directors immediately tried to kill me. They put me on top of the “most wanted” list, and made it clear that they weren’t going to stop hunting me down. That certainly didn’t assure everyone that things were as fine as they had been led to believe. It was mistake number one.

Mistake number two was the attempt to put military on the streets. They didn’t count on everyone being against a governmental body in such a strong way. They definitely didn’t expect people to be willing to put themselves in the line of fire for freedom’s sake. But, after we released all of the documents that showed what they’d done, it only grew.

I sat in the safe house with Spencer as we watched footage of the destruction. I was used to seeing horrible things in front of my eyes daily. It’s what came with the job I once had. But this was different. It killed me to see innocent people giving their lives when I’d been the one to start it all unraveling. Spencer tried to be sympathetic, but I could see in his eyes that he was glad for it. I would even say he had a sense of excitement at the unrest in the states. It was a miracle for him. It was hell for me.

“I didn’t mean for all of this to happen,” I said quietly, viewing nothing but destruction on the screen before me.

Spencer ripped his sights from it, looking at me instead. Now visibly less excited.

“This isn’t a bad thing, you know? Innocent people were being killed and framed for things they didn’t do, and even worse. It’s good that the secrets finally came out.”

“Innocent people are still dying, Spence.”

“But their deaths aren’t meaningless anymore. They’re fighting against evil.”

I fell silent. I knew he wasn’t getting it. He couldn’t get it, not really. He didn’t feel like he was the reason for all of this. He was used to being the hero, rarely thinking twice any time he gunned someone down. The years of seeing in black and white finally got to him, and now it altered his perception of the current state of the world as a whole. I still saw in tones of gray, and this entire debacle was one big sea of gray. There were no winners or losers, only people who were dying left and right for no real reason.

A ping on my computer alerted me of Penelope’s message, taking me out of my own head.

“Let’s check it out,” I said, not looking at Spencer.

I heard him follow behind me, watching as I clicked on the link from her and typed in the codes we’d agreed upon to view it. There were two messages.

One was typed out:

- Something is wrong. I don’t know what’s happening, but I think they’re coming for me. Now is the time. Don’t wait.

I froze, my stomach dropping.

“What does that mean?” Spencer asked, his voice sounding horribly far away.

I clicked on the second message, an impending sense of doom in my gut. Something was horribly wrong. A video popped up, playing before I had a chance to click it. A familiar face showed on the screen, but it was the last face I wanted to see. Richard Jones.

“Good evening, doll. Your little friend is all done playing walkie-talkie.”

I watched in abject horror as he moved back to show Penelope strapped into a chair. Her usual bubbly, colorful self was in drab clothing. Her hair undone. Not an ounce of makeup on her face. The only color I saw was the pink tint on her nose and cheeks from all the crying she was doing. Those were the first things I noticed. The second was a gun aimed at her head.

“Turn yourself in. We’ll find the rest of your friends if you don’t. Let this be a message that we’re not afraid to wipe out every last one of you.”

The trigger was pulled, but my scream and the hands flying to my eyes still couldn’t shield me in time from hearing the shot or seeing red splattered over her body. I fell to the ground, sobbing in hard breaths that couldn’t be stopped. I felt Spencer’s hands try to comfort me or at least stop my crying, but it was all so far from me. I was outside of my body, looking down at myself in a mess on the ground. She deserved so much more than an early, terrifying death that could have been prevented.

The next thing I remember is waking up on the couch. I shot up, heavy breaths coming in at the dream that I quickly remembered was actually a memory. She was gone. And it was my fault. I couldn’t stop myself from acting anymore.

I got up, getting dressed quickly without waking Spencer. I gathered my things, and started packing them all up in a different room than the one he slept in. It didn’t stop him from coming in.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going. No one else is going to die because of me.”

“They’ll kill you.”

I was quiet as I packed the rest of my things. He physically got in my way when he realized I wasn’t going to quit.

“Stop.”

“Move, Spencer.”

He huffed a sigh, taking my arms as I tried to move around him again.

“Please, stop doing this. I don’t want to fight you.”

“Good, because this isn’t your fight to begin with. It’s mine. Pen said to stop waiting, and I’m not going to give up on her dying wish.”

He stomped out of the room, and I thought I was in the clear until he came back a minute later, completely dressed.

“If you’re leaving, I’m coming with.”

I shook my head. “You’re not.”

“Yes, I am.”

I pushed past him into the hallway.

“You need to stay safe, Spencer. You’re not safe with me.”

“I still love you, you know?” he called after me as I walked towards the door.

I froze, my eyes closing tightly. He walked up behind me.

“Do you still love me?”

I sighed. “You know I do. But things are different now.”

“It’s been months since you said it. The last time you did was two weeks, three days, and 8 hours from the time we first came here to keep you safe.”

“I’m sorry.”

He grabbed my arm again, and I turned to face him reluctantly.

He furrowed his brow. “If you still love me, then please don’t make me stay here while you run off to die.”

“They might kill you, too, Spence.”

“I know.”

I swallowed, then nodded solemnly. He finished getting ready, and we were off less than an hour later. I didn’t know where to go, so I figured the easiest course of action would be to meet them where they were: DC. The only question that lingered in my mind is if they’d let me get that far before inevitably killing me off. Or worse.

We were traveling as quietly as possible until we got to Virginia. We decided to stay the night at an abandoned hotel, and the easiest way for me to get any peace of mind was turning on the news. Staying updated was the only thing getting me through anymore. There was no such thing as peace. Every day was a new form of hell, and it never ended. I longed for days that were as easy as chasing down serial killers.

I didn’t realize I had drifted off until I heard vehicles approaching. I looked out the window and down at the ground to see multiple cars pulling up quickly.

“Spence,” I whispered, running over to shake him awake. “They’re here. We need to go.”

His eyes shot open.

“What?”

“They found us. They found me, we need to leave.”

He sprung up, gathering his guns before checking out the same window I’d looked through.

“They’re surrounding us.”

I breathed heavily, my mind racing with a million possibilities. I ultimately settled on one.

“Follow me,” I said, running into the hall.

He chased after me blindly, and I let myself take a moment mentally to appreciate that he always trusted me. Hopefully that would carry him through. We burst into the stairwell, and I started racing up the steps. He questioned what I was doing, but ultimately decided to keep chasing after me. I found the door I was looking for, and stepped out onto the roof of the hotel. I turned to look at him as he scrunched up his face in confusion. He glanced around, only paying more attention once I neared the edge.

“What are you doing?” he exclaimed quietly, pulling me back.

I watched as the last of the men below entered the building. I took a moment to appreciate the breeze blowing against my warmed skin. I felt everything so much more in that moment. Then, I finally spoke.

“If I jump, you have a chance. They’ll find you here without me. You can say you pushed me, and they’ll let you live.”

He stared for a moment.

“It isn’t right. You can’t just— You can’t do that.”

“There’s worse fates, Spencer. Don’t tell me what’s right when we can’t ever know for sure the difference between right and wrong here. Not anymore.”

“I promised I’d never let anything happen to you. Please don’t make me watch it all be for nothing.”

I looked down at the ground. I was fairly certain that even if I survived the fall, something else would finish me off. Spencer would be safe.

He took my hand. “All of this for so long. We came here together, we stayed together, and for what? For you to die?”

“I can’t let them take me. You can survive. I can’t get away. I lit the fire, and you know that they’ll want to do much worse than kill me for that.”

“Please.”

I shook my head, hearing the voices grow closer as they came up the stairwell. All of these months felt like years. The betrayal from a close friend. Seeing Penelope die because of it. It was like a thousand lifetimes crammed into one. I couldn’t let Spencer be the next on the list who was harmed because of me. My mind was made up. This was the only way he could get out.

“I love you, Spence. But I refuse to let you burn with me.”

He stared, though whether his eyes were filled with horror or emptiness I’m still not sure. All I know is that I fell, and that it didn’t feel like I thought it would.

It felt like peace at last.

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid angst #spencer reid one shot #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fic #criminal minds reader insert #spencer reid reader insert #criminal minds

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bipirate · 4 months

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favourite things: 2023 edition

last year i made one of these and i thought it'd be fun to make another one. i have a notion spreadsheet with all the media i watch/read/play throughout the year (not just things that came out this year!) and i give them ratings. these are the highs (and some of the lows) of 2023 (not in order).

Games

Tunic - such a great and beautiful game that i do not want to spoil. seriously, play it. if you like zelda, exploration, solving puzzles, and cute little foxes, then it's a must

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - what can i say, i love a zelda

Portal 2 - just an even more excellent sequel to an excellent game

Alice in Borderland - i didn't know what to expect at first but it was excellent and highly addictive

Not Me - my introduction to thai BL (for better and also definitely for worse lol). anyway this show changed my brain chemistry. it has everything: gays, a twin switch situation, leftism, arson, rooftop kiss... you know

Bad Buddy - speaking of rooftop kisses...... if you know you know. anyway this is also a thai BL and it's still rotating in my brain. i rewatched it almost immediately, that's how good it was

The King's Affection - cheesy historical kdrama about a crown prince who is secretly a woman, with a swoon-worthy romance and political intrigue. this one's for the bisexuals (after all, the male love interest falls in love with the prince before he finds out it's a woman)

Vinland Saga - this anime fucking wrecked me. season 2 had me crying every single episode. thorfinn is my new child and i WILL name my future cat after him

The Devil Judge - a kdrama about a dystopian south korea with a fucked up justice system. anyway kang yohan character of all time. oh and also toxic homosexuality (affectionate)

Books

The Poppy War trilogy by R. F. Kuang - what an excellent series to get me back into fantasy series. it was not without faults, but i was hooked anyway

Babel by R. F. Kuang - i read this brick in 5 days straight. it's beautifully written and has such interesting things to say about language and colonialism. again, it has flaws but i wasn't bothered, i was obsessed with this book

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - i didn't realise how much i missed high fantasy until i read this. it has lesbians, dragons, a bitter old homosexual, magic, and did i mention dragons and lesbians?

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker Chan - the sequel to She Who Became the Sun, my favourite book of last year. this sequel fucking DELIVERED. i went insane about it multiple times. it's a must read

Graphic novels/manga

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama - i started this manga 2 years ago, but since it's still ongoing and I've read new chapters this year, it counts for this year as well

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run by Hirohiko Araki - not finished with it yet but it is truly as good as everyone says it is

The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour by the McElroys and Carey Pietsch - i know not everyone likes the taz comics, but i do, i think theyre great adaptations, and this one looked incredible

Movies

Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse - not as good as the first one, but still really good. beautifully animated and extremely entertaining

Bonus: the lowest of the low, titles that earned my 'sucked shit' rating

Theory of Love - amazing that out of the 3 thai BLs ive watched, 2 managed to make it on my favourites list, and one of them was some of the worst television i've ever seen

Where the Crawdads Sing - read the book for book club last year, we all hated it, and now we decided to watch the movie for a laugh. it also sucked

#special shoutout to boys planet (the kpop variety show) which i rated both 'bad' and 'good' at the same time.#i didnt actually watch many movies this year oops #if only interview w the vampire was available to watch in my country otherwise i'd have watched it already #and itd probably be on the list. next year i'll try to watch it somehow

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high-school-lit-tournament · 8 months

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High School Lit Tournament Side C

The Master and Margarita: An audacious revision of the stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita is recognized as one of the essential classics of modern Russian literature. The novel's vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously accurate that it could not be published during its author's lifetime and appeared only in a censored edition in the 1960s. Its truths are so enduring that its language has become part of the common Russian speech. One hot spring, the devil arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a retinue that includes a beautiful naked witch and an immense talking black cat with a fondness for chess and vodka. The visitors quickly wreak havoc in a city that refuses to believe in either God or Satan. But they also bring peace to two unhappy Muscovites: one is the Master, a writer pilloried for daring to write a novel about Christ and Pontius Pilate; the other is Margarita, who loves the Master so deeply that she is willing literally to go to hell for him.

We: Yevgeny Zamyatin's We is a powerfully inventive vision that has influenced writers from George Orwell to Ayn Rand. In a glass-enclosed city of absolute straight lines, ruled over by the all-powerful 'Benefactor', the citizens of the totalitarian society of OneState live out lives devoid of passion and creativity - until D-503, a mathematician who dreams in numbers, makes a discovery: he has an individual soul. Set in the twenty-sixth century AD, We is the classic dystopian novel and was the forerunner of works such as George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. It was suppressed for many years in Russia and remains a resounding cry for individual freedom, yet is also a powerful, exciting and vivid work of science fiction. Clarence Brown's brilliant translation is based on the corrected text of the novel, first published in Russia in 1988 after more than sixty years' suppression.

#high school lit tournament #classic literature #we #the master and margarita

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stupittmoran · 7 months

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In a shocking revelation, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has recently brought to light a deeply concerning issue that should alarm every American citizen. The U.S. government is currently funding research into “transgenic edible vaccines,” a term that sounds like it’s straight out of a dystopian science fiction novel. Yet, it is very much a reality, and it’s happening right under our noses.

The Gateway Pundit reported in 2021 that scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have been experimenting with turning edible plants like lettuce and spinach into mRNA vaccine factories.

According to the press release published by the University of California, the project aims to utilize mRNA technology, similar to that used in COVID-19 vaccines, to turn edible plants into vaccine factories.

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denimbex1986 · 30 days

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'There are certain kinds of films that really impact me emotionally. One genre is what I will call “Saddest Film I Ever Saw”, and weirdly the Brits seem to have almost cornered the market on this one.

If asked, I usually say the very saddest film I have ever seen is “Never Let Me Go”, the heart-rending British Sci Fi classic based on Nobel-prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel. Oh, and if that didn’t make you cry, with its trio of Oscar winners and nominees — Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightly — trying to love and live before they are forced to sever their limbs (yep), then the Merchant-Ivory production of Ishiguro’s “The Remains of the Day” has to.

Or your tear ducts have straight up dried up.

And, also from the UK, Saorise Ronan in the insanely sad Dystopian Sci Fi film, “How We Live Now”. Oh.my.garsh. There’s a new one: a distinctly British tale of late love, “All of Us Strangers”.

Gay Love and Heartbreak: Who Knew?

I have read a lot of reviews of this film, and, well, it had a nearly perfect IMDB Critics and Users score. I recently had a debate with some other people who are quite knowledgeable about film, about whether IMDB scores even matter. They eschew IMDB and use Letterbox’d — all the cool kids do, apparently (LOL).

Trust me, IMDB scores matter. Nearly every film I have ever seen that has had an IMDB score higher than 6.5 has been Good, and ones with a 6.8–7.1 score (they hardly ever (ever) go higher than that) are usually amazing.

What critics have keyed on is not that this is a beautiful tale of Gay love, of growing up Gay during the AIDS era and having parents who, in the words of The Fresh Prince, “just don’t understand” (or do they?), and then get killed in a car crash. Although all of that is present. Critics have keyed on the fact that “All of Us Strangers” is a timeless story of love and loss. Period. It could be any pair of people: old, young, gay, straight. It doesn’t matter, because Haigh’s and co-writer Taichi Yamada’s script and direction deliver the goods.

The Progress We Have Made

This film probably could not have been made, or been as successful even ten years ago. But today, when despite the forces of Evil arrayed against LGBTQ+ people all over the world, and especially in the US, Haigh presents us with an achingly beautiful love story between two people, who happen to be Gay Men. And it shows us, sans any prurience, gorgeous scenes of Gay Lovemaking that are the farthest thing from pornographic or even lurid.

And he does this by asking more narrative questions than he ever answers. Which I, personally, love.

Andrew Scott plays Adam, a screen-writer (how Meta) living in a nearly empty apartment building somewhere in London, at some point in time (the recent past? the near future?), who by a simple twist of fate ends up in the arms of Harry, played by Paul Mescal. I have loved Scott ever since his turn as a sexually active Anglican Priest in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s amazing TV series “Fleabag”, and also love Mescal for, among other things, the critically lauded “Aftersun”.

A Queer Ghost Story?

What makes the narrative so fascinating is that, in parallel with this surprising tale of new love, Adam decides to return to his home town and finds his Mother and Father still living in the house in which he grew up, and still the same age they were thirty years ago right before they died in a car crash.

Why and how this impossible thing is happening provides much of the narrative force for “All of Us Strangers”, and Haigh inter-weaves the yearning love of Adam and Harry with Adam’s need to talk to his parents. You see, he needs to know if they knew he was Gay when he was in school (they did) and whether his Mum approves of the fact he likes Men, not Women (She does).

If you are fully willing to “suspend disbelief” (as Poet Coleridge famously said) then you are all in, and the only important thing is to see how Adam’s dialogues with his Mum (played by the excellent Claire Foy) and his Da (played by the under-rated Jamie Bell) will give them, and him some Peace.

It Gets Weird, then it Gets…

And why do they need that? Because, and this not a spoiler, they are all probably Dead. Jamie Ramsay’s gorgeous, yet unintrusive, Cinematography establishes a dream-like visual language in which we simply follow along both the Love Story and the Ghost Story, and really don’t want it to end.

But, alas, the story needs to go somewhere, and in the third reel Adam comes back to the Apartment Building to find Harry dead in Harry’s apartment. Again, not a spoiler, as it is never clear if any of the few characters in the film are actually alive in the first place.

As they lie together on his Bed, the shot of the two of them starts to shrink against a white background, eventually collapsing like a Neutron Star. Queue tears — bawling, really.

Question posed? Yes. Answered? Brilliantly, no.'

#Taichi Yamada #Strangers #Andrew Haigh #All of Us Strangers #Never Let Me Go #Keira Knightley #Carey Mulligan #Andrew Garfield #Saoirse Ronan #Paul Mescal #Andrew Scott #How We Live Now #Phoebe Waller-Bridge #Fleabag #Aftersun #Claire Foy #Jamie Bell #Jamie Ramsay

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