— thank you for the music

can you smile? just for me? oh - pretty please? yes, see, there. isn't that better? that's what they always say. it never helps, not really. but one day, i'll smile and i'll mean it.

[heldpeace]

rey.

the other’s presence in the force was immediately obvious. rey had felt even more sensitive to all of it lately, as though she were growing stronger somehow –– unaware that it had everything to do with the pregnancy of not one, but two humans who would be strong with the force one day. books are momentarily forgotten as she turned toward the other, taking a step closer to her. finding others from their world was a comfort, although she knew it needed to be one taken with caution. “holopads sound easier,” she remarked. 

the pull of the force is strong with the other, more so than with any other being she’s had the pleasure to meet. it seems to radiate from the other, from her abdomen.      from her abdomen.     the realization and the pull to protect the other consumes ahsoka all at once. this person, so strong with the force, has more life forms growing inside. the corner of ahsoka’s mouth quirks upwards,          “   yes and no; they’re easier if you know what you’re looking for, then you can just search within the database. i prefer this, actually,   ”          she gestures to the shelves surrounding the pair.          “   i can see my options in front of me physically.   ”          ahsoka pauses a moment before turning to the other, hand outstretched,          “   ahsoka tano.   ”          it almost felt strange to leave the rest of her titles off   :   padawan learner, commander. they didn’t belong to her anymore. she didn’t belong to the jedi anymore. she was just ahsoka.

[heldpeace]

rey.

the better part of their afternoon had been spent in the library, staring at the spines of books and sheepishly avoiding picking them out. rey had always struggled with reading – their education had been subpar in their fake life, labeled as dyslexic and given up on for accommodations. but now, she was more motivated than she ever had been before. pregnancy books had served to make them uncomfortable, so instead, their focus had shifted to parenting. the new problem was that there were so many. anxiety had pushed them away from the parenting books, meandering instead. “there are so many. how do people just pick a book?”

the library –– something so simple as books lining shelves, something that she had seen hundreds of times before –– completely enraptures her. she hadn’t seen anything like this since the days of the jedi temple and, simultaneously, she had seen something like this only days ago. it was enough to make her head spin. what the kriff had she gotten into? facial markings scrunch slightly as her brows crease.          “  usually they know what they’re looking for to start. after that . . . no clue.   ”         there were so many ways to simply pick a book that it would take a lightyear just to mention them all.

[heldpeace]

sanguine.

“OH !  Scared me out of my skin.”  Sanguine said holding his chest as he almost dropped his whiskey bottle. He was only wearing a leather skirt and shirtless “Didn’t hear you creep creeping like that…say I don’t recognize you…” Sanguine always remembers a face.  “Did we have party sex and I forgot to escort you out?  That has happened before so you never know”  

“   that’s definitely not true because your skin is still on your body,   ”          lila deadpans. she doesn’t think her expression can get more flat, but her brows crease as she looked at the other.          “   no –– no, we didn’t. my manager told me to come over and say that you need to be fully clothed to get service here, so if you want to eat go find a shirt.   ”

[heldpeace]

( a glock-17 sidearm with a 26 hidden in an ankle holster, button-down shirts accompanied by a necktie protected by a bulletproof vest, a demeanor only shakable by the worst tragedies ) –– && it looks like aaron hotchner has finally arrived in woodshore ( though he originates from criminal minds ). although known as a workaholic back home, here they are a forty year old behavioral analysis unit supervisory special agent, known to be GOOD-HEARTED, but SINGLE-MINDED. they were coaxed here with the promise of a team so close they’re like family. they remember signing the divorce papers. ( dot, tom ellis. )

from what point in your characters canon are they taken from?

i’m slowly clawing my way through criminal minds, so the last major event that hotch remembers is signing the divorce papers that his wife, haley, served him. 

gender/pronouns

cis male / he+him

anything else you’d like to add!

hotch is a pain in the ass. he’ll warm up, but he’s a workaholic who just wants the world to be a better place and in doing so, has created a bigger mess in his personal life.

[heldpeace]

caleb  widogast.

unlike  caleb  himself ,  frumpkin  could  be  social .    typically  the  cat  trotted  beside  him  these  days  as  an  ever  present  companion  but  sometimes ,  this  instance  for  example  as  caleb  was  distracted  looking  into  the  window  of  a  used  bookshop ,  frumpkin  strayed  from  him  slightly  &  would  rub  on  the  legs  of  the  occasional  stranger .    he  catches  the  cat  in  the  act  when  a  soft  meow  comes  from  the  creature  that  tears  his  eyes  away  from  the  books .             ❝    ah !   frumpkin ,  nein .   ❞        though  he  would  wander  when  unattended ,  he  was  fairly  obediant  for  a  cat .    at  least  when  it  came  to  caleb  he  was .    when  called ,  he  trotted  back  to  caleb’s  side  with  a  soft   ‘brrbt’  sound .        ❝    we  don’t  know  them ,  you  know .   they  may  not  appreciate  you .   ❞          he  bends  down  to  scratch  at  frumpkin’s  head  then  looks  to  his  company .       ❝    sorry  if  he  was  a  bother  or  anything .   ❞

OPEN   /    @woodshorestarters​

though snowy and cold for the time of year, woodshore was beautiful. it was nothing like los angeles; in fact, it reminded her more of the east coast than the west coast. there was an ease to strolling through town, stopping occasionally to peak in the windows. a coffee cup warmed her hand and she often brought it to her mouth just to feel the steam rising from the liquid within. it was while she was stopped that she felt something brush against her legs. her first reaction –– that gut reaction buried so deep in any human –– was to jump. she kept her coffee from spilling and was thankful as she would have drowned the cat at her feet. a smile stretched across her face,          “   well, hello,   ”          the blonde crouched down to pet the cat only for it to trot back to its owner.          “  oh, it’s no bother. i love cats. i’m surprised you let your cat walk without a leash, most cats wouldn’t come back like that when called.   ”

[heldpeace]

aiya  ren.

“and what do you think causes them to not have a chance?” the question comes out without a pause or hesitation. aiya would not hesitate to criticize those around them, especially those that came from this planet. it seemed to breed weakness in people. they could not imagine having such a lack of awareness of the universe, of the force. they assumed this apparent detective was the same way. “i prefer not to keep unwanted company,” their statement was blunt, uncaring, paired with a shrug of their shoulders. “aiya.”

chloe was beginning to see that there was no point in arguing with aiya, that the other would twist her words into oblivion. they were not of the same caliber. chloe could see no compassion lingering in her face or hear it in her words, he didn’t care about people. she tipped her head back in a nod,          “   chloe,   ”          she offered.          “   you’re already out, might as well pretend to keep an eye out. people won’t question you.   ”          they won’t question you anyway.

[heldpeace]

bb-8.

they spoke almost at the same time, their respective questions of weather the other was all right cushioned by the thunks from just a moment before. it was, admittedly, kind of the other to ask if bb-8 was all right, but also, unsurprising. in their months here in woodshore, the brunette had come to realize that their height and general demeanor was much softer than everyone else’s, and therefor, it meant they had to be taken care of more. “ okay, yes, ” they offered in reply with a small nod, stacking up the books one at a time. “ lots of books, tiny arms. ” their laugh was cute, a little metallic. “ strong, ” they amended, smiling. “ strong too. ” they nodded to the other, who had a small stack of books growing as well. “ thank you. ” that was always a nice thing to say.

yet, the more the brunette looked at the other, the more familiar they became. “ hey. ” it was as gentle as the rest of them. “ know you ? know me ? ” formality, and the concept of being subtle, was entirely lost on the once-droid. when they wanted to know something, they asked.

jyn looked over the over, brow creasing. there was nothing familiar about the young woman that she could place.          “   no, i’m sorry.   ”          the apology was new.          “   i don’t know you, or at least i don’t recognize you in this form.   ”          she was well aware that there were some people here who’s forms would not change no matter how hard they wished and others who’s forms would change at the drop of a hat.

[heldpeace]

ben  solo.

ben was taken so off guard by the woman’s extended hand that he almost took it –– a habit developed during his fake life to be polite, as refusing to shake a hand did nothing but hurt your career choices. but his hand stopped a few inches from his side and fell back again. it was true that he was opening up, thoughts of rey and their bond, their newfound relationship and the chance this place offered them still blossoming in his chest –– but still he found it difficult to trust, to let in a stranger. when she said her name, he felt as though it was supposed to mean something, be familiar in some way, but it wasn’t. if he introduced himself, would she attack him? did she know the name of ben solo? did she associate him with kylo ren? “ben,” he greeted, nodding once in place of shaking her hand. “where are you from, jyn erso?”

lost little girl, where are you from ?  what place do you call home ?   so many years of her life were spent running that her gut reaction is to ignore the question, play it off, put it back on him. even her fake life had not been kind to her, dropping her from foster home to foster home until she was eighteen. she’d gotten into some trouble after that, cleaned up her act, and ended up here. trapped. it was a thought she’d had the past few days, that there was no escaping this planet –– especially without her team by her side. the silence has lingered far too long to be comfortable now before she makes eye contact,          “   assuming you’re not talking about this secondary set of memories, i’m from yavin four.   ”          it was as close to a home as she’d had since she was a little girl, a family that supported her and ultimately followed her to their graves.          “   what about you ?   ”

[heldpeace]

sharon  carter.

     sharon laughed too before nodding. “just keep telling yourself the mountain air is good for you i guess,” she said, though that was hardly any consolation for the cold. “i’m sharon.” she tucked her hands in the pocket of her jacket. “i’ve lost track, but several months now… not quite a year. i’ve noticed that too. this place seems like a very extended temporary stay kind of deal i guess. it is strange, you’re right.” she found herself shivering now. “do you want to go get a coffee? or tea? i like both.”

“  there’s something not right about being here –– y’know the song hotel california by the eagles ?   this sort of feels like that, but in a more gruesome way : you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.   ”          karen shakes off the thought, letting the cold of the day recenter her head. of course there was a way out, there was always a way out. they just had to be creative about it.          “   yeah, yeah ! i’d love to get a coffee and get out of this weather. know any good places around here ?   ”

[heldpeace]

jessica  jones.

jess hadn’t considered the possibility that the other might not remember her. she paused for a moment, one eyebrow quirked as she realized it. new journalist. as if anyone in their right mind would have accused jessica jones of being that. but it was clear this one wasn’t in her right mind. well, shit. that’d be a problem for matt. or maybe it wouldn’t. she wasn’t above leaving things behind, knowing that there were some people who just would have been better off without her in their life… he was the right kind of self-loathing where he might have thought the same thing. “no, definitely not.” regardless, her blunt attitude stayed the same. most reporters were full of it. “i was just looking into the archives. kind of thought i’d be alone, but…”

the other was blunt in her words, bordering on uncaring. karen glanced at the other before looking back to the pile of papers that sat on her the shelf in front of her. the woman felt familiar to karen in a way that she couldn’t place, like seeing a face in passing but having it appear in a dream later on. it was a sense that she couldn’t seem to shake.          “   well –– there’s no real rhyme or reason to how any of this is organized. i spent the last half hour organizing the papers by date, but –– it’s odd, some months are skipped completely and other months the papers are . . . well –– at the risk of makin’ a bad joke –– paper thin.   ”          karen gathered the newly organized set into her arms,          “   was there anything you were looking t’ start with ?  i could point you in the right direction.   ”

[heldpeace]

emily  prentiss.

“ only if i want a lecture, ” she replied, well-aware that reid would be a fountain of knowledge on the subject at hand, spilling over at the smallest remark. of course, there was a part of her that would be lying if she said she hadn’t missed reid’s ramblings on… almost anything thrown his way. she was a creature of change, not of habit, but the stoicism hotch brought, the empathy jj radiated, the eccentricity garcia emitted – all of the team… they were the constants she needed. “ there’s been more than one ? ” although it was perfect timing, arriving after a murder, she had only heard of one ( granted, the grapevine can’t always be trusted ). “ i mean, we can’t really put together a good profile if it was just an isolated incident. ” probably male… that was about it. offering a slight grin, both in response to his short sentiment and his readiness to work a case, she replied, “ never change, hotch. ”

“   there was an animal attack after the kidnapping and before the murder, it’s likely that our unsub is progressing.   ”            this town, progressing on the build of a city, was growing. there was bound to be crime, uncouth activities that happened under the noses of otherwise oblivious citizens. the truth of the matter was that if they wanted to get anything down; victimology, a profile, possible suspects, they’d need to wait out the killer. another victim would have to die. the thought always tenses hotch’s muscles; a parent losing a child, a child losing a parent –– the career of being a bau agent was not an easy one.          “   i’m going to have psych eval’s done on the team when we get back to quantico.   ”          it was possible, with this secondary set of memories, that they had been drugged. hallucinations that manifested themselves fully as memories rather than fading. it wasn’t a drug that he had heard of, but he was certain that garcia could find it with the right amount of information.

[heldpeace]

ssa derek morgan.

@heldpeace​​ >Hotch

Seated at his desk, Derek was deep in paperwork, but his mind wasn’t really on it. He had met three people, complete strangers as far as he could remember and he was reasonably good with names and faces, yet they knew him. Combined with the mysterious, almost sinister letter that not only he had gotten, but Spencer? He was more concerned with what was really going on in Woodshore, and it was more than animal attacks and one murder. 

As callous as it was, one murder was nothing, not compared to Chicago. 

Stretching, he looked around the station at the other cops there. Some he’d gotten to talking to, they’d received letters - but not the same promise he’d gotten. A team. He didn’t have a team, he’d never wanted one after he finally got free of Buford. But every time he thought about what the letter said, his heart ached the way it did whenever he thought about his father, like there was something else missing from his life. 

Eyes connecting with another man, Derek inclined his head in a sign of respect without thinking about it. Lately, he’d been following his instincts more than ever. “Can I help you, man?” 

sleeves are rolled up to the elbows, several nearly empty case files clutched in one hand, a coffee clutched in the other.   ah  –– coffee, the drink of choice for the bau.  liquid energy for nights when reports seemed neverending or they were on a particularly difficult case.  eventually, though, there came a point where even coffee couldn’t keep the most adamant agent awake. too many flights back to quantico involved the entire team collapsed and asleep on the jet.

hotch poured over the nearly empty pages, trying to find any connection between the crimes that had been committed. there comes a point when any good agent, even one like hotch, is completely stumped, especially without his whole team at his side. brows crease as his gaze scans the room –– spencer had said he would meet him and it wasn’t like the other to be late. it occurred very rarely and was always accompanied by a quip from morgan.

the thought brings morgan to the forefront of his mind and his eyes focus on the same man. he dare cracks a smile, a rarity for aaron hotchner anymore.          “   morgan, have you taken a look at any of these files ?  i asked jj to send them around.   ”          another thought strikes him as he places the files on morgan’s desk,          “   have you been able to get into contact with garcia ?  i can’t get a call out to quantico anywhere i try.   ”

[heldpeace]

GENNA  FAIR.

    grinning, genna was filled with a bit of joy actually meeting her double here. in some cases, she’d heard there were more than one. maybe her and the woman she was facing had another one between them too. “you met stephen?” she questioned, tilting her head to the side. she supposed it really hadn’t come up between the two of them yet. “he’s probably told you my name, but…” she held out her hand. “…my name is genna fair. it’s a pleasure to meet a fellow doppelganger or honestly whatever we are.” she paused for a moment, thinking back on her greeting. “are you from france?”

“   i did. he was very kind, apologetic even when he realized that i was not you.   ”          ella reaches out for the others hand, taking it within her own to shake. it was odd to say the least, as though she was shaking her own hand. the physicality was the same, only different in their nails. ella’s were polished in a light pink.          “   my name is ella, it’s a pleasure to meet you, genna.   ”          lips stretch into a full smile,          “   oui, mademoiselle, i am from france, though –– you will not find my village on any map.   ”

[heldpeace]

vax’ildan.

Vax hummed as he sipped his drink, just…relaxing.  It’s something he hates to do but he can’t rush around trying to find Vex or anyone of his friends.  Even Gilmore would be wanted right now.  To be honest the look of the girl makes him feel somewhat at home.   “Makes you wonder what the city forces here are doing to help.”  The half elf pipes up just a bit  

pointed ears and a lithe build. it was a physicality that she hadn’t seen in quite a long time –– it was certainly elven.           “   i don’t think there are unified forces in this city to help. i’ve heard so many people wanting to take matters into their own hands,   ”           jester’s head tilts slightly, the chain connecting the cuff on her horn and the top of her ear jingling slightly,          “   where are you from ?   ”

[heldpeace]

spencer  reid.

𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫  𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝  𝐢𝐧  𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐚𝐬  𝐬𝐡𝐞  𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝  𝐡𝐞𝐫          name.    ella.    pretty  name.    he  rocked  slightly  on  his  feet  as  he  waited  for  her.    to  be  in  all  fairness ,  he  wasn’t  even  sure  what  she  was  going  to  do.                              ❝     you’ve  a  pretty  name ,  ella ,    ❞                              he  said ,  giving  her  a     bigger  smile.       when  she  turned  into  the  apartment ,  he  hesitated  but  did  follow  her  in.                              ❝     thanks.    i     really  appreciate     you  doing  this.    i  was  going  to  go  to  the  library  but  i  figured  that  they  weren’t  even     going  to  be  open     at  this  time.    ❞                              he  added as  he  looked  about  the  room ,  something  he  usually  did  when  he  entered  in  a  new  place.    he  took  a  step  closer  to  the  books  she  sprawled  out  &  sat  down  next  to  her ,  never  taking  his  eyes  of  the  books.    spencer  picked  up  a  few  books  &  studied  them  for  a  bit  before  placing  them  in  his  lap.                              ❝     i’ll  just  take  shakespeare ,  wilde ,  hemingway ,  &  shelley  for  now.    thank  you ,  again.    you’ll  most  likely  get  these  back  in  about  a  day.        maybe  two     if  i  take  my  time.    ❞

“   you’re sweet,   ”          ella smiled as he settled beside her.          “   it’s no problem, i never mind sharing my books, though i apologize that i don’t have more of a variety for you to choose from.   ”           shakespeare, wilde, hemingway,  &  shelley.    he has good taste.          “   you’ll have to excuse the highlighter marks and the dogearred pages –– some of these are from school, others were for pleasure readings, so they’re a little messy. i hope you don’t mind.   ”          she began to restack the books meticulously in their shelving underneath her bedside table. a good story was always within reach in her room. about three books have made it to the shelves before her motion pauses for a moment before continuing,          “   did you say a day or two ?   surely you mean for one of those books, oui ?  they’re all very dense.   ”

[heldpeace]

sirius  black.

sirius could see from the way she sat that there was no chance jester was innocent, nor would she end up being any better of a liar than he was –– which is to say, trying to sell lie was a lost cause. “make no mistake,” he said, pointing at her, “i make no accusation without being absolutely certain of the truth. and you have a bit of a trademark, you know?” he dropped his hand and glanced back down at his menu. “oh, you think i scrubbed it?” he asked, eyebrows raised, and his lips curled into a smile before he let out a genuine and loud laugh. “love, if i hadn’t learned a handful of cleaning spells by the time i was ten, my evil bitch of a mother would’ve ended my life mighty quick for my inability to keep a space tidy.” he sipped his coffee –– Irish coffee, of course, with a shot of jameson whiskey slipped in. “but i’m holding you to that two sides of bacon, seeing as i didn’t notice the bloody thing till the afternoon and i’m certain a number of others did. it’ll cover your damages to my pride.”

“   i’m actually a very good liar, sirius.   ”          the traveler had taught her well –– allowed her to sneak away from the lavish chateua, but only for short periods of time while her mama was performing or with clients. it was not uncommon for her to sneak down to the local bakery for some pastries. her sweet tooth was insatiable most days. jester could hardly imagine having a mother who was so cruel that she would threaten death at the sight of a mess.          “   you’ll have to teach my friend, caleb, some cleaning spells, he’s really dirty all the time and i’m pretty sure he doesn’t know what a bath is,   ”          she is partially teasing and partially serious about the request. caleb tended to often forgets ( or refuses ) to shower or bathe. manicured fingers flip through the menu before settling on french toast. cinnamon was her favorite.          “   i’m sorry your mom was mean to you though, mom’s shouldn’t be mean to their kids –– it should be a rule or something. you would like my mom a lot though, everyone does.   ”

[heldpeace]

clark  kent.

clark was relieved when she took his approach in stride –– most journalists were less welcoming to being approached in such a way, because they knew better than anyone that it usually didn’t mean well. part of the job, he supposed, though neither he nor lois had ever been the type. “you’re sweet,” he said, smiling. “a lawyer named matt murdock. he spoke highly of you.” he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose again on instinct –– a habit developed as a human-like tick, even when not necessary. “i was a journalist in new york before coming here,” he explained, “and before that, in our lives before all… this… in a city called metropolis. i don’t know about you, but i’ve been antsy doing nothing since settling in.” that had some partial truth to it –– though keeping an eye out for a murderer kept superman rather busy. but there were some things a journalist could do that a caped crusader could not. “i was wondering if you wanted to collaborate.”

“   matt recommended me to you ?   ”          did matt even know that she wanted to be a journalist after ben urich had been killed because of her ?      sure, she had the chops for it –– ben had taught her well, but . . . something about it felt off. she’d have to go find matt later, ask him about it. what secrets did he have to hide ?     karen nods along, keeping up with his story easily enough. it was familiar in its own right; gravitating towards a career that the subconscious knew was right.          “   that would be really helpful actually, collaboration. i could use someone to talk to outside my own head about all this –– this town does things that are enough to drive a person mad . . . or to the bar,   ”          lips crack upwards and she leans forward to offer a conspiratorial whisper,          “   that was a joke.   ”          leaning back, she fills her now empty hand with her to-go bag.          “   i’m headed to . . . well, it’s not really an office, but it’s as good as we’re gonna get, if you wanted to come along ?   ”