#'hey man how was your alternate dimension trip? i got a girlfriend what did you do'

[cupidsncheerios]

s2 ep7 is the closest arcane ever came to being a comedy because the entire episode functioned like a romcom that had clips of friday the 13th spliced in randomly

ekko is dancing with the girl of his dreams, finally able to share a pure romantic moment with someone he's known since childhood but been torn away from time and time again by forces outside of their control that left two people almost too different to share anything again, and yet he's finally allowed a moment of solace and joy in a world he knows isn't his but has welcomed him nonetheless

jayce is parkouring his way up a tower with a broken leg as space time shatters around him before greeting his own corpse and his ex as a time wizard

[troop-scoop]

Mistakes & Regrets XIII

Summary: When a trip to your Dad’s hometown of Hawkins goes wrong, you end up in the year 1983, and have to learn how to cope with being stuck in the past.

Pairing: Steve Harrington / Future!Reader (like, a really slow burn)

Warnings: Swearing, Steve implying that something happened to reader that didn’t, heavily implied homophobia, joke about diabetes (I’m at a very high risk to develop type one at some point, making jokes about is how I relieve the stress 🙃  )

• • •

December 31st 1983

The ceiling was spinning, and the crack in the door allowed a tiny sliver of light into the room that came over your body allowing for anyone who passed by the room to know you were in there. 

Drinking as much as you did was a terrible idea, and you knew that. But right now, you were supposed to be celebrating the turn of a new decade, making jokes about how the roaring twenties were back. But instead, you were drinking away the anger and malice you held against yourself in a different century. 

The heating in the stranger’s home made it unbearable to wear the corduroy jeans that seemed to be too popular in the women’s sections of stores, even if they were ugly. But they were comfy. 

You’d kicked off the jeans awhile ago, you didn’t know how long ago, and enjoyed the air that the fan was circulating through the room, feeling the uncomfortable heat inside your body beginning to leave with every gust of air that brushed over your legs. 

Closing your eyes you opted to try and get some sleep, hoping that when you woke up the ceiling would stop spinning. But you supposed that was a false dream, knowing that you’d probably wake up with a raging headache and sensitive to even the smallest sounds. 

A few of the girls who had tried to get you to stop drinking had put you in this room. That included the party thrower, Alison, and her boyfriend who got you into the guest bedroom with some difficulty and you almost falling out of their arms multiple times. You didn’t know how long ago that was either. 

Down the hall you could hear arguing, and heavy footsteps making their way down the hall. Bringing an arm over your face in an attempt to block out the light as the door was opened wider by someone. 

“Y/n, c’mon.” 

Uncovering your face you looked up and saw Steve grabbing your shoes. You didn’t have the mindset to do anything but stare at him with narrowed and annoyed eyes.

But his eyes were very observant right now. Because the moment he grabbed your shoes he saw your jeans laying by the foot of the bed. And he looked at you, seeing your bare legs. 

It was almost midnight, and Steve wasn’t doing much when he got the call from Alison, telling him you needed a ride home. 

Dropping your shoes he went to the side of the bed you were laying on and grabbed your face. “Y/n, what happened?”

“Hm?” It took you a moment to realize what he meant but when you did, you could physically feel yourself sober up an ounce or two. “Nothing happened, it was hot.” 

You watched him release a breath of relief, one that seemed like it was being held in worry. He let go of your head and helped you sit up. “I’m gonna get you home, okay?” You nodded a bit as he handed you your jeans.

Steve went to the door of the bedroom, closing the door and turning the light on. “No!” You complained covering your eyes from the bright light. 

“I can’t see in here, and I have a feeling you don’t want whoever walks by to see you in your underwear.” 

You squirted as you pulled your hands away and looked at Steve. “Who says I want you to see?” 

He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, a silent way of saying ‘seriously?’ “You’re wobbling.”

“So?”

“You’re still sitting on the bed.”

“My dad always did say my head was too big for my body.” You got a small smile out of Steve as you slipped your legs into the jeans. He came back over to your side, taking your hand and helping you stand. 

You were leaning most of your weight into him, your shoulder against his chest while you pulled your jeans over your hips and buttoned them up. Steve sat you back down while he grabbed your shoes and came back over. 

“You’re my best friend,” You told him. “Ever!” You added with a childish grin as he kneeled down, slipping your shoes back onto your feet. 

“Well, If we’re best friends ‘ever’ then if I ever get this drunk you better do the same damn thing for me.” He told you, tying the laces on your shoes. 

“I’m your best friend too?” You flicked a strand of his hair that was out of place. 

He nodded a bit, “Don’t forget the ‘ever’ part.” He joked, finishing up on tying your shoes and helping you back up and wrapping an arm around your waist so you could lean into him for balance. 

February 15th 1984

“If my apartment ever gets raided and they find that, I’ll be the one to get arrested.” 

“Nonsense,”

“Steve,”

“Y/n?” 

The two of you stared at each other for a moment while the five of you stood in the center of the mostly empty living room, with boxes of furniture still sitting around the large room from the furniture store a few small towns over. The only reason why Jonathan and Will were over was because you needed to put it together. Well, Jonathan was there to help, Will was just there because Joyce was at work. 

Huffing a bit, you took the bat from him and pointed a finger at him. “If I ever stub my toe on this thing in the middle of the night and lose it, I’ll burn your curtains.”

Steve looked at you with real offense as you walked over to the closet in the living room, where most of your cleaning supplies were kept, and placed the bat in the corner, hoping that the nails didn’t scratch the wooden floors. 

“I like my curtains,” He mumbled a bit while Nancy rubbed his shoulder blade in a way to keep him from shooting a response back at you. 

Everyone thought that whenever the two of you threw insults back and forth at each other it was because you hated each other. But that was far from the truth. You argued like friends did, and teased each other like friends. It was all in good fun. 

“Your room looks like it hasn’t been redecorated since you were ten, and your mom did it.” 

Will laughed a bit while he sat in the swivel chair.

“She won’t let me redecorate.” he admitted. “But, speaking about decorating, are you just gonna use boxes of furniture as furniture?” 

You tilted your head a bit and shrugged. “Maybe, but if you guys wanna help me build my furniture I’d really appreciate it. Jonathan and I only share two braincells and they fight all the time.”

March 20th 1984

Holding the grey bandana you took one last look at the poster on the coffee table. In the photo your hair had been pushed behind your ear, and the sweater had been itchy, you remembered that.

Sighing a bit you looked over at El and saw her flipping through the channels. “Hey-” You started, only to be cut off by her holding up her finger. “Rude,” 

In the time since you learned about Eleven being alive, you learned plenty of things that you shouldn’t have. Things that could get you killed. Things you didn’t even tell Eleven. 

For example, according to Owens, your body’s near immunity to normal drugs like tylenol and benadryl growing up was because Will built up a tolerance to the atmosphere in the Upside Down, and you received his tolerance when you were born. And you being in the alternate dimension only built onto it. 

Even Owens was shocked when he heard that you didn’t have immunity to alcohol or caffeine. 

Eleven stopped on an empty channel, with white noise filling the room. As she gestured to the bandana without a word. Bringing up the grey material you covered your eyes with it, tying it behind your head and closing your eyes, even though the material made everything dark. 

“Think.” She told you. 

“Yeah, I think I got that, Sherlock.”

You sat for a moment, legs crossed and holding a wooden pencil in both hands until you opened your eyes to be met with echoing darkness, your feet felt cold, and looking down you saw the wet ground. It felt like you were walking through a puddle on freshly dried cement. 

Turning around you heard the sound of a car door opening and slamming shut. You were met with an older looking car as you approached. Seeing the back of a young man who was leaning against the roof of the car. 

“Tom, it’s gonna be okay,” A familiar voice said. Looking to your left you saw Dad walking over to your pa, a sad look on his face. He looked close to tears himself, and you could see Thomas huff a bit and scoff. 

“They hate me, Will.” It wasn’t hard to figure out who he was talking about, considering that you only had one grandparent who was present your entire life. 

Looking at your dad you saw his shoulders drop a bit as he nodded. He couldn’t possibly be much older than 20 you observed as he grabbed the roof of the car. “I’m sorry. . . you can. . . go back. I’ll leave, you don’t-”

“Will, don’t do that.” 

You knew the story well enough from what your aunt and uncle had told you about your pa’s parents being absent from your life and his. 

“Do what?” Will asked, tears welling up in his eyes, while his bottom lip trembled. The last time you saw that happen was when your uncle Dustin got into a car accident and he was laid up in the hospital for a week. 

You watched as Tom grabbed Will’s hand. “If my parents can’t accept me for who I love, that’s on them, don’t put that on yourself.” 

“It is my fault, I mean in their eyes you were perfect before, you had a girlfriend, and you were going to NYU with your sister, I ruined that. I showed up and to them you’re all of a sudden gay!”

“Will,” Thomas tried to interrupt.

“In their eyes, I probably turned you gay,”

“That’s not how that works.” 

“They don’t know that!”

Thomas sighed a bit, giving Will the look you knew all too well whenever he had gotten slightly annoyed with your constant talking in awkward situations. 

“Will, I’m Bi, my parents knew that when I told them in ninth grade. I wasn’t ‘all of a sudden’ gay. They just didn’t want me to be with a guy. They kept saying I’d find a nice girl and settle down.”

Will looked down at what you assumed was the side of the road or concrete, but for you was an inch of water.

“I knew what I was getting into when I asked you out. I knew what my parents would say, but it’s still hard, because I always wanted them to accept me. But if they don’t, just because I love someone of the same sex, I don’t care. If they don’t want to be a part of every Christmas and thanksgiving we have together, and if they don’t want to meet our future kids, that’s on them.” 

You felt a smile creep onto your face as you crossed your arms and continued to watch the interaction. Seeing Will’s eyes widen a bit, and his mouth fall open a bit. 

“You want kids? With me?” 

Thomas muttered a swear under his breath, leaning against the car again, covering his face. “If you don’t want-”

“I do. . . I do want kids.” Will told him, grabbing his shoulders, a grin on his face. “I want kids, and I want them with you. I mean, I don’t know how we’ll have them exactly, but I do, with you.” 

Pulling the bandana off your face you smiled a bit, wiping the drop of blood away from your nose and looking at Eleven with a smile, leaning into the back of the couch. It was odd to think that your parents agreed to have kids after Pa’s parents disowned him, and right outside the old beat up Volkswagen that Pa drove up until you were five and loved to pieces. 

“What was it?” She asked quietly, turning the tv off. 

“My parents.” You told her with a smile. You could add that fact that apparently Will was still awkward in his early adulthood.

August 27th 1984

“Make sure he doesn’t get sent to the office,” Nancy insisted while she handed Steve his schedule that had been pinned to the bulletin board on wheels outside with the other Senior’s schedules. You already had yours in hand, and looked up at Nancy. 

“Why me, exactly? I have better things to do than babysit your eighteen year old boyfriend.” 

Before Nancy could answer, Steve laughed and showed you his schedule. “What the fuck, Steven?” You asked maybe a bit too loud after you skimmed the schedule as he continued laughing. 

“Miss L/n, watch your language.” Mr. Haul scolded as he passed by with a freshman who looked familiar. 

“Sorry,” You responded with lack of remorse. 

The freshman gave you a small smile as he followed the vice principal who also happened to teach third year english. “Thanks again for the water balloons,” 

It clicked and you gave a small nod and an awkward smile, watching as another boy caught up with him.

You turned back to Steve and hit his ribs, which sent him laughing again while you snatched his schedule. “Homeroom, that’s fine, but Mrs. Click too? Did you fail her Sophomore history class?” you demanded, looking at him. 

Nancy stood awkwardly in front of you two while Steve took the paper back from you hands, even if he had to snatch it back. “I didn’t take it,” He said with a genuine proud smile on his face. 

You blinked at him with a blank expression for a moment and hit his arm. “How did you not take it? Are you telling me you took Junior history before Sophomore?”

“Okay, just to explain it to you,” He started in a playful condescending tone. “I opted to take the college level government class, the administration didn’t realize it until I was already halfway through the year.”

“I think you mean college prep, and was it because of your birthday?” You asked, as he was a year older than the rest of his class due to the fact that his parents put him in school a later than they should have. One of the many things they did wrong with him. At least that you learned about in your time of being his friend.

“Exactly.” He said with a smile. “They said that they’d just put me in it the year after. But I chose to take a gap year of social studies.”

“God, you’re an idiot.”

Leaning against the pole you held your binder and watched as Steve examined the rest of his schedule. “Well, I have the same study hall class as Nance, so that’s a good thing. Right, Nance?” Looking up at Nancy you saw her smile and give a nod, and although it had Steve convinced, you were a bit skeptical. 

You gave her a smile and saw as her own became genuine as she returned it. Turning your head to look at the parking lot you saw the Ford Galaxie come into the parking lot. “I’ll be right back,” You told Nancy and Steve, walking over to the car. 

You saw Jonathan and Will getting out of the car. “Hey, Johnny Boy.” You teased with a smile. He glared at you for a moment, not fully out of the car yet, but sitting in the seat with his legs out. 

You went to say something before a loud click and flash went off. You froze up and blinked in surprise, before looking down and seeing Will holding a polaroid and smiling up at you, while you stared back with an unreadable expression. You saw his smile fade a bit. 

Jonathan had been telling the truth when he said that this younger Will you’d gotten to know in the past year wanted to be your friend. You saw the awkward attempts at trying to spark a friendship, and most of the time they fell flat. But not because of him. That was entirely on you, since you’d grown up looking in scrapbooks and yearbooks with this young Will’s face in it. 

You smiled a bit at him, and his came back as the photo printed out. He held it out to you and you grabbed it. 

It was bigger than most instant print photos you’d ever held, and already you could see the blue hues in the photo beginning to kick in your outline beginning to come into the center of the glossy part. 

“Who let you have a camera?” You asked with a grin, shaking the photo out of habit as Jonathan got out of the car, closing the door. 

“Our mom let it slip that your parents used to take photos of you at the beginning of every school year.” Jonathan informed. “Bob gave it to us. I said he could take the photo,”

You looked to Jonathan and smiled a bit. It was always your dad who took the photos, Pa was usually the one to get them printed out, or the one to put them in a photo album.

“Tell him thank you, for me then.” You told them as Will handed you the camera as well. 

“He said you could have it.” Will shrugged. 

Nodding you took your bag off and slipped your bag off, kneeling down with it, placing the camera in the bag and looking down at the photo in your hands. Still not fully developed, but almost done. With your mouth open to speak and hair neatly done. Some things never changed. And that included the way your hair was done on your first day of school every year. 

Every year, Pa and Dad worked together to try and get your hair to look nice. It was a simple thing, but it was a yearly occurrence, and truth be told, Pa was better at it. 

Reaching even deeper into your bag you pulled out an extra pack of gum and handed it to Will. “Don’t tell your mother. She’ll kill me.” You told him. 

October 25th 1984 

Class was always boring, but even more so when there was a sub reading from the textbook. So the moment you’d walked into Mrs. Click’s class you pulled out the patch Joyce gave you as well as the needle and thread you’d carried with you that day. 

“Where’s King Steve?” the familiar feminine voice asked as you approached your seat with the patch in hand. Chuckling a bit, you sat on the cheap wooden desk and shook your head. “Walking Little Miss Nance to her Home Economics class.” You told her. 

“Oh, the priss?”

Your shoulders dropped as you looked at her, “Be nice, Robin. Just because you like,” You mouthed the name ‘Tammy’ refusing to say it out loud for her own privacy. “And they’re obsessed with him, doesn’t mean you get to be mean.” 

“That was mean?” She asked, while you lowered yourself into your seat, feet up on the desk, even if the space was a bit tight to do that. 

“Yes, Rob, it was mean.” You laughed, stitching the ‘N’ into the patch. “Not to me, at least, but ya know, don’t encourage others.” You told her as she stood from her seat, holding her bag. 

“Got it, I’m gonna go sit with Nick.” She told you. 

“You’re trying to get on your section leader’s good side!” You accused as she walked to the other side of the class. “Sh!” She told you as she plopped down next to the section leader of the band.

You met Robin in art class and the two of you hit it off pretty quickly, hanging out after school sometimes. She was responsible for the posters you had up in the living room of your apartment, which were impulse buys that Robin encouraged. 

But you still remembered ‘What about this Kenny Rogers one?’ It had been a joke of course. ‘If you ever bring Kenny Rogers into my home, my parents would kill me, then you.’ 

Predictably, Steve came in late, holding his breakfast before he’d found his spot next to you, allowing the teacher to keep reading from the textbook. No scolding from the middle aged man while you stitched the letters in as best as you could. You weren’t good with stitching unless it was to fix a button or a popped seam. Something that your Cousin Barb taught you, because and you quote ‘the school system won’t teach this shit, and Uncle Will doesn’t know what the hell a needle is.’

But you would say that the letters were coming out better than you expected, but then again, Joyce traced the letters out for you. 

You still weren’t particularly close with Will, but you were willing to help with the costume, since they wouldn’t let you buy Will a store bought one. You’d seen Mike’s when you went over to Nancy’s, and knew that Will’s wouldn’t completely match his friend’s, but figured that it might have meant more to him, since his mom put it together for him. 

The door opened and you looked up, seeing the vice principal ask for the sub to come outside. And watching as the man closed the textbook and followed him out, students began chatting away, while you stayed quiet and continued with your work. 

Steve turned to you and tapped your knee, catching your attention, making you look at him, seeing the crumbs of his breakfast all over the floor and on his desk, a little on his sleeve as well. “What happened last night?” 

Scoffing you shook your head, wiping the crumbs off of his sleeve, going back to your sewing. 

“Oh come on, Hopper dropped you off at the video store, you have your own car.” He pointed out. The mention of your old but very well loved and pre owned car made you roll your eyes. 

“Leave Delorean out of this.” You told him with a small smile, multitasking by talking to him, but not wanting to get distracted and sew the wrong spot. It wasn’t like typing on a computer or phone where you could look away and still type, and fix any typos you may have made. 

“It’s not even a Delorean! It’s a Volkswagen Thing. That’s what it’s called!” Steve told you while you placed down the patch and looked back at him. You could tell him why, but decided against it. Knowing that you didn’t want to spoil the movie that still wasn’t out yet, and not wanting to explain the irony to him.  “Leave her out of it,” You stated, He dropped the subject all together, digging into his bag and pulling out red licorice, holding one out to you. 

Something about Steve Harrington not many people knew? He had the biggest sweet tooth out of anyone you’d ever met. He always had some kind of candy on him, but never over did himself. 

Looking at his bag you tried to spot the packaging he pulled it out of, but when you couldn’t see it, you leaned over the bar that connected the hair and desk you sat in, pulling the front of his bag down a bit to see the packaging. “Ew, no.” you told him.

“You love candy?” 

“Not Twizzlers.” You told him with a smile. “Everyone knows that Red Vines are better.” You told him. At that, he sighed and reached into his bag again, and you could hear glass as he pulled out a glass bottle of coke and put it on your desk. You just stared at the class for a moment before grabbing it. “Do you just carry around type two diabetes in your bag at all times?”

“Yes.” Steve told you nonchalantly. “What are you doing? He asked, changing the subject. 

“Oh,” You looked back to the patch and picked it up, showing him, “I’m helping Mrs. Byers with Will’s costume. He’s going as a ghostbuster.” 

“He chose Spengler?”

You chuckled and nodded. “He and his friends all agreed. It’s a group thing that they’re doing.” 

“You’re really close with the Byers.” He observed. 

Steve was right, in the past year, you’d grown very close with Joyce and Jonathan, and you liked Bob, he was sweet, and good to Joyce. 

“Yeah, good family.” You told him awkwardly.

• • • 

@disneyprincessbuffyannesummers​ @jxnehxpper​ @yllwtaxi​ @songofcosplay​ @potatopooper05​ @cheesecakeisapie​ @robinsdolan​ @yall-wildin-like-siriusly​ @the_passionate_freak @bisexualpears​ @ilovebucketbarnes​ @random-thoughts-003​

[ngame989]

“Été” - TGG SVTFOE Fanfic Collection Ch. 2

Writing: @ngame989​​

Art: @toxicpsychox​​ (make sure to follow him for bonus pics from the story!)

Editing: @bmc-nightfury​​, @seddm​​

Alternate fic links - FFnet, AO3

Summary: Summer is ending soon, and with the end of summer comes change, leaving Jackie Lynn Thomas feeling left behind. Can a certain pair of friends help her figure it out?

Comic Page

Masterpost

See below for the text, hope you enjoy!

“‘Mewni Welcome Soiree’, huh? The Echo Creek I know could never be this fancy, the fusion must already be rubbing off on it. It’s still no Paris, but c’est la vie.” Jackie grinned as her fingers traced the flier, one of many stapled haphazardly over the park, if not the whole town itself. All sorts of events and musical guests were outlined in shiny bold letters and pictures to get the message across as clearly as possible. The sweet laughter behind her was its own kind of music to Jackie’s ears.

Chlóe hopped over the back of the bench they had been sitting on to join her girlfriend’s perusal. “Surely it can’t be that bad?” she cautiously inquired, the French accent making itself especially pronounced when her voice lilted higher. “I’ve had a wonderful time in your city! And even if I don’t count you as part of that, it’s still been pretty fun.” Chlóe leaned into her as the two exchanged cheeky grins before Chlóe picked one of the fliers off the wall of the pavilion for herself. “Don’t be so down, there are some interesting-looking things here. Where else would I get to see The World’s Fattest Opossum on display?”

“Touché. It might be cool. What else have you got for us, Echo Creek?" The girls looked over their fliers, trying to find anything to peak their interest. Chlóe spotted a peculiar name under the "Bands" list.

"Looks like there's a concert, too. Mysterious Sonograms?"

Jackie's mind flew to the mediocre artists of said band. "It's the two guys from the taco stand and an otter… I think. Surprisingly less awful than you'd imagine, but that's a low bar."

"What about Infatuation Incarceration?"

"Oh yeah, that's the spin off band Love Sentence's head backup dancer started after their final breakup. They're… not really worth checking out though, to be honest. All their songs are just the dude angstily crying about how he's better off without them anyway."

Chlóe spotted the last name on the list. "The last act is a performance of… is this spelled correctly?"

Jackie scanned her own flier where Chlóe was looking. "'Faiurly Local'... someone typo’d it, but it's a good tune. Never heard of the cover band though, so I think I'll pass. Why don’t we head downtown instead? We can go scope out some new parkour spots!”

Chlóe stood up straight and softly grabbed Jackie’s shoulder, meeting her eyes with a concerned expression. “Tu vas bien?”

“Je ne sais pas.” Jackie leaned her elbows onto the back of the bench, finding it more comfortable to focus on the orange-purple evening sky than her girlfriend. “I’m just worried, y’know? About me, about us. I’m super glad you were able to get a flight home despite all this crazy stuff going on, don’t get me wrong, but it’s gonna suck without you here. The whole Earthni thing is cool and all, too - well, except for the name - but I’m just not up to celebrating it.” It was a wound that had been eating away at her, at both of them, for the last few days. Where would they go from here? Neither was really sure, and they’d avoided talking about it at all. Heck, it’s not like either didn’t know that it had to happen eventually anyway, Chlóe was only here for summer vacation, but it still crept up on them far too quickly to process.

The park fell silent as bittersweet memories washed over her, amplifying her anxieties. Skate camp, before 9th grade - that guy left early for a family road trip before she ever got a chance to get his name, compliment his nollie technique, and see where it went from there. When Marco had so obviously left half of his heart in a different dimension, it sucked then too, but she knew they’d both be happier apart. And now Chlóe was hopping on a plane and going an entire world away. Jackie had always considered herself pretty adaptable, able to just roll with whatever life tossed at her, so why was this particular situation affecting her so much more?

She were interrupted by a soft, fleeting kiss on her cheek and a soothing chestnut gaze as Chlóe took her hand. “Let’s at least get some food first. I heard there’s a stand with hot sauce so spicy that they pay you for it. Vaut le voyage, non?” Jackie shrunk into herself a bit and nodded in what she hoped was a convincing affirmation before strapping on her skateboard helmet, and the pair took off through the park.

Earthni was pretty cool, Jackie had to admit. It was as if some guiding hand lovingly melded them together like clay, taking care to keep all the essential functionality. All the moons were placed in the sky in such a way that the net effect on the tides had remained unchanged in the week since the event, cities and towns and even individual buildings still retained their infrastructure, and the sky had a radiant beauty at all hours of the day and night. Come to think of it, from what she’d gathered secondhand, Mewni did seem eerily similar to Earth in a lot of ways; it was as if there was some special connection that allowed them to flow so harmoniously into one another.

Her muted awe was finally morphed into a much more visceral shock, however, by a more metaphorical union of the dimensions that caught her eye as they skated past the concert. She motioned for Chlóe to stop as she dismounted without looking away from the sight in front of them: Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz just dancing their hearts out to some mediocre pop cover like it was a chart topper sweeping the nation - OK, maybe it technically was one since all the monsters and Mewmans were absolutely enraptured by it. To any other observer, there wasn’t even necessarily anything special about what she was seeing - Chlóe’s perplexity was proof of that - but Jackie knew. Maybe what she had with Marco was never the most serious thing in the world, but she knew him well enough to understand the way he looked at Star as they twirled each other and grooved to the beat. Even Star accidentally tripping him and toppling the pair into a heap on the ground didn’t curb their abundant joy. Jackie quickly pulled out her phone and snapped a picture after they’d gotten back on their feet; she couldn’t help but capture the scene.

No sooner had she lowered the phone than Star dipped Marco down and gave him a quick peck on the lips; what phased Jackie far more was that Marco took it entirely in stride. During their time dating, they could barely even hold hands without him becoming a flustered mess. Heck, even just a few weeks ago he was a nervous wreck over their history. It was already obvious what - or who - had enacted such a change, but Jackie still wanted a closer look.

She signaled Chlóe to stay put and dove into the fairly sizable crowd to find a stealthy route to them. Ducking and weaving through the mingling humans and monsters, she found an open space only a few feet from them. Almost… almost… now! Jackie pounced forward, hoping to catch them off-guard, but mistimed it and collided with Marco right as Star spun him out of her embrace. He squealed at the impact and virtually launched himself backwards, sending Star to the ground in a fit of uproarious laughter. “Oh, Jackie, it’s you!” he said, eyes still wide from the shock.

“Jackie? Hi!” Star jumped up and forward to hug her, unconsciously lifting her in the air; that girl really didn’t know her own strength, did she? “How’s it going?”

“I’d rather ask you two that question,” she replied expectantly as she was set back on the ground. Star and Marco grinned and intertwined their fingers with far less hesitation than she would have expected. Well, there was the direct confirmation she sought. “Let me guess, you two had something to do with the whole Cleaving thing.”

Marco rubbed the back of his neck and glanced down at the ground sheepishly. “It’s a bit of a long story, but, uh, yeah, after-” His attention quickly snapped back to Jackie in a panic. “Oh man, your skateboard! And helmet! I’m so sorry Jackie, I just left it at the portal and then Star was there and I didn’t even think to grab it-”

“Dude, it’s fine, my uncle works for the company, remember? I care way more about hearing this story of yours, but that can wait. I should probably, uh, get back to my girlfriend and let you get back to yours.” As soon as the words left her mouth, the previous anxiety crept back in. She tried to shove it away with a casual wink, but her momentary wince didn’t go unnoticed. As she was walking away, she glanced back over her shoulder. “Well, I’m off to get food, see you guys later,” she said with an uneasy cheeriness..

Marco and Star exchanged a quick glance before they hustled over, the boy putting a hand on Jackie’s shoulder. “Hey, is everything OK? I think I’ve seen you not be totally chill, like, one time ever…”

“Eh, could be better.” A brief moment of silence ensued as she centered herself; of the things she’d taken away from her relationship with Marco, being able to admit that stuck with her most. “Chlóe’s heading back home soon and I’m just pretty bummed, you know?”

He took a moment before responding carefully. “Do you two want to join us? We were going to eat soon, too. I’m pretty sure I brought more than enough nachos for four people,” he nodded in the direction of a picnic basket behind him and chuckled. “It’s kind of our first date, or, um, our first ‘official’ one, anyway. I might have gone a bit overboard.”

“Classic Diaz,” Jackie sniggered. Star rolled her eyes affectionately while nestling into his side and wrapping herself around his arm.

“Don’t worry about it, guys, seriously. I don’t want to intrude, you two have probably dealt with enough heavy stuff lately.”

“Pfft, don’t worry about that We’d love to hang out with you guys! It could be, like, a casual double date or something!” Star chimed in while Marco casually leaned his head against hers.

“If you’re up for it,” Marco hastily added on.

Maybe this was what she needed. She’d spent enough time inside her own head lately that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to enjoy time with Chlóe unless something dragged the fun right out of her, and there wasn’t anyone better at that than these two. “Sounds like fun, I’ll go ask her. Given the legends I’ve heard about Marco’s nachos, I don’t think she’ll need too much convincing, though.”

***

“OK, wait, dude, back up a second. Janna hypnotized you to make you hate nachos? I don’t know if I can associate with someone who’d deprive someone else the joy of Mexican cuisine,” Jackie mock-sternly asked between bites. An assortment of dips and toppings in insulated containers were spread between the four teenagers as she reached over to restock her plate. Chlóe sat beside her with her legs out to the side, enjoying the dinner more than anyone. Echo Creek’s Mexican restaurants clearly didn’t stack up to this, and Jackie’s heart warmed at the sight as much as her queso heated her throat.

“Yeah, but she undid it just a few days ago. Did I mention that she called me her friend?”

“Are you guys sure she’s OK?”

“That’s what I said, Jackie!” Star mumbled out between cheeks comically overstuffed with chips.

“We just saw her yesterday, she’s fine. Well, whatever ‘fine’ is for Janna, anyway. She was happy we were together because it meant, and I quote, ‘so many more ways to blackmail’,” Marco groaned and plopped backwards onto the grass, rubbing his temple in frustration.

Star efficiently scooped up the last of the salsa on her plate with one last chip. “Anyway, I guess that’s the whole story. Weird how this feels normal in comparison.” She motioned down to the rest of the town from their vantage point on top of the hill, where they could see a monster family - easily a few stories tall - having a picnic of their own at least a mile away. Humans were lined up for blocks trying out some Mewni corn stalls that had sprung up around town, and Mewmans for their part had been putting almost every Earth shop at maximum capacity nonstop trying to experience their new world’s culture as well.

“Thank you for dinner, Marco and Star. It’s different having Mexican food that isn’t spicy pain, but I love the flavors, c'était magnifique.”

Jackie leaned back on her hands, thoroughly satisfied from the meal. “Yeah, Diaz, these lived up to the hype. Star’s a lucky girl.”

Star giggled as she helped a blushing Marco upright. The pair began to put away the empty containers into the basket when Star peeked inside with a quizzical expression. “Marco, what the heck is this thing?” She shoved one arm inside, clearly trying to grip something large. Her tongue hung out as she shook the whole basket until a large red disk came out.

“Star, dude, do you not know what a frisbee is?”

She immediately recoiled and flung the disk to the ground, but Marco quickly snagged it before it could roll away. “Sorry, thought you said freezbee. Their stings give you hypothermia. I wonder if they made it to Earthni…” All four teens collectively shuddered at the thought.

“Nah, it’s a disk you can throw at people. Back at skate camp, we had this game where everyone would be in the bowl and you’d have to throw and catch it while in the air. Bonus points for any fancy tricks you pulled off, it was totally sweet. But it’s still fun without the boards, wanna try?” Star nodded at Marco, who flicked the disk to her with a bit of a wobble in its flight. She planted her feet with a burning resolve, her tongue hanging out a bit in concentration. When the disk finally drew near, she jumped and plucked it from the air, whipping it in a frenzied overhead toss aimed directly at Chlóe, who gasped and nimbly pivoted to the side to avoid it, their eyes all bugging out of their heads when they noticed the massive dent in the earth left in the frisbee’s wake.

“I win at frisbee!”

The sun continued its trek towards the horizon as the four tossed the disk around, chatting and laughing and occasionally wiping out on the grass. Marco had shaken off the rust and Star was getting the hang of it once it was properly explained to her, but Jackie still found herself able to go into autopilot and still keep pace. She was going to miss moments like this, just casually enjoying the company of her girlfriend, after over half a year of being together almost all the time. Was this how Marco had felt that summer? She’d already known as much at the time, but feeling some inkling of it stirring inside her gave her a fresh sense of what it really meant, and it just downright sucked. But still, she was glad they were able to enjoy this time together and do something different.

Jackie finally realized that she hadn’t been tossed the frisbee for a few minutes, snapping her out of her rumination. Momentarily disoriented, she looked around until her eyes settled on Marco trying to help Star with her throwing technique. He stood behind her, hands gripping her wrists as he took them through the motions. After a few tries, though, it was pretty obvious that Star was just enjoying being held, and Marco seemed to be in no hurry to finish the lesson himself.

“OK, Marco, all this technique stuff is cool, but check this move out!” Jackie turned towards Star shouting the last few words as she tightened her arms in preparation for a throw. “Spinning Sonic Hug Throw!” She let out a grunt as she whipped the disk as hard as she could, letting her entire body spin on her toes a few times before stopping herself by latching onto Marco in a fierce embrace that almost knocked him off his feet. Marco giggled and returned the affection as Jackie and Chlóe cooed at the adorableness in front of them.

When the hug ended, the two gazed into each other’s eyes until Marco suddenly blinked and looked around. “Uh, Star? Where’s the frisbee?” A soft gasp came from Chlóe a moment later, and everyone followed her line of sight only to find the frisbee stuck in the upper branches of a massive red tree.

“For corn’s sake…” Star facepalmed. “Why do boxing elders have to be here? Like, I know everything from Mewni is here, but why here here, really...” her grumbles trailed off. Wait, did she mean box eld- right, never mind, everything on Mewni is some flavor of weird. Jackie shrugged off the disbelief and took a closer look: the red specks weren’t leaves, they were… boxing gloves? Of course they were.

“I want to climb it.” The voice of her girlfriend shocked her out of her disbelieving stare. She’d been introduced to the wild world of Star Butterfly mere days ago and she was already charging headlong into it?

“Uh, are you sure that’s a good idea, Chló? I don’t know that much about Mewni but if I had to guess, it probably can actually punch you.”

“They have mean left hooks,” Star affirmed nonchalantly.

“It’s covered in those things, dude, how can it have a left- wait, where’s Chlóe?” Jackie looked and saw her girlfriend running over towards the tree with determination etched into her visage.

“OK, my dad has fought enough of them that he’s basically an honorary tree at this point so I’ll go help Chlóe,” Star said before scrambling after her.

Jackie and Marco were the last to jog over towards the base of the tree, stopping a bit short of the base and watching their girlfriends navigate it. Chlóe deftly leapt from branch to branch, dodging all the flailing comically oversized gloves, while Star just kind of clambered up the trunk like a koala batting away all obstacles. Honestly, Jackie knew she should have expected it; Chlóe was fiercely competitive with her parkour, scoffing at the idea of a challenge left uncompleted. Her effortless maneuvering around all the physical hurdles of the Mewnian tree reignited some of her anxiety from earlier in the day.

“Hey, Marco, can I ask you something serious?” Jackie sat down on the grass, hugging her knees to her chest unconsciously, her eyes never leaving the action in front of her, although not out of fear: she was fully confident they could handle themselves.

He joined her on the ground. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“I know this sounds weird, since I was, like, there for all of it, but how did you deal with Star leaving?”

“I, uh, don’t really think I did. Remember that cape? Turns out it was just Star’s dad’s meat blanket the whole time. I don’t even know if he’d washed it first…”

“So that explains why you smelled like a sketchy diner that whole summer!” She finally looked over at him and jabbed his side with her elbow with a smile. “But how did you and Star figure everything out, or whatever? What’s gone through the ole’ Diaz noggin? We were always pretty terrible at the mind reader game, y’know.”

Marco leaned back on his hands and kept his gaze steadily focused on the tree with a loving grin; Star had, seemingly, tamed one of the thicker branches and was valiantly riding it into battle against the others while Chlóe watched incredulously from a safe spot near the top, frisbee in hand. “Honestly? I don’t really know. I- I don’t even think we do have everything figured out. But I guess I felt like… whatever life was going to be, I wanted Star in it more than anything, and just went from there.”

All at once, the truth about why this time was different hit her. She couldn’t say how serious it was, or exactly how she felt. She liked Chlóe a lot, and knew she’d be sad without her there, of course. But she was sure right now that she wanted to put in that effort to make things work, in whatever form that would have to take.

Star’s rapid-fire dialogue quickly became audible as she reapproached with Chlóe in tow, huffing deep breaths between each excited line. “Seriously, Chlóe, how did you even get up there so fast? You would’ve been so famous on Mewni! I guess you still could be now, heh.”

“It’s just parkour, it’s not that amazing.”

“Thanks. This helped, a lot. You’re a pretty good friend, Diaz,” she spoke quietly so only he could hear as the other two drew nearer.

Jackie stood up and shook out the numbness in her legs when the four reunited. The sun was starting to descend behind the horizon when Chlóe leaned her elbow onto Jackie’s shoulder. “Do you think we should leave soon?”

“Actually… I think the concert is still going on. Wanna go check it out, for real this time?”

Marco’s eyes lit up mischievously as he turned to Star, offering her his hand. “May I have one last dance tonight, milady?”

“Just because you’re cute when you say it doesn’t give you a pass, Marco,” Star fumed, still taking his hand anyway. Her face went a bit red when she remembered their friends were still there. “So, anyway, um…”

“Don’t wait up, we’ll be a bit still,” Jackie said, ignoring the suspicious look Chlóe was giving her. “We’ll definitely have to hang out more. Stay amazing, you two.” Jackie gave them each a hug before they turned to walk away.

“Bye Jackie! Bye Chlóe!” Star exuberantly waved at them as she and Marco departed hand-in-hand.

“Au revoir!” As soon as they were out of earshot, Chlóe stepped back and folded her arms, staring Jackie down with a sympathetic expression. “Are you sure you’re fine? You’ve been off all day.” Jackie’s vision roamed their surroundings, avoiding the soft yet piercing orbs trained on her from under her furrowed brow. Finally she found a crude stone bench near the edge of the hilltop, no doubt not from her own dimension. She cautiously took Chlóe’s hand and led them over to it, sitting down and looking over the wonder of the town in the sunset. Jackie lost herself in the splendor, finally feeling able to wholeheartedly enjoy the view, still keeping their fingers laced together.

“About earlier… it’s gonna suck being so far apart. I don’t think anything’s going to change that, really.” Chlóe slowly nodded, letting the words sink in as they both were finally coming to terms with the inevitable. Her eyes sunk to the ground before shutting entirely. “But I think that’s OK. I was all, like, worried that everything would go wrong just because of that, but… I don’t think that’s true, or at least I don’t want it to be.” She nervously laughed, brushing aside a stray hair from her face and finally met Chlóe’s eyes that had not wavered from her during the speech. “It’s not like I was ever thinking about breaking up or whatever, don’t get me wrong, Chló. Just took a while to figure out what I really needed to say, I guess.”

Chlóe put her free arm around Jackie’s shoulder. “Life goes on, you know? But I understand, I’ve been feeling the same way. We can make it work. You’ll have to come out to France sometime, I’m sure there’s all kinds of weird new things we can explore there, too.”

Jackie squeezed her girlfriend’s hand, reciprocating the comforting affection. “Heck yeah, we can. So, wanna go check out that concert?”

“Maybe not anymore. That tree climb was much tougher than I thought it would be, I’m exhausted.” They strapped on their helmets and grabbed their boards again, beginning their slow cruise through the park.

“Dude, you made it seem so easy, you just zoomed up to the top. You’re way too good, I still don’t know how you do it.”

“Merci, merci. But I’m still jealous of all the fancy tricks you can do on that board, so I guess we’ve even. Your friend Star, though, she’s special. I got to see someone tame a punching tree! Nothing in France could beat that,” she laughed in that squeaky way of hers that Jackie always found adorable.

“Marco, too. They’re both something else.”

As they neared the periphery of the park, they passed the concert one last time. The crowd had thinned out, leaving only a handful of the Mewmans and monsters behind. The schmaltzy ballad that the singer was warbling honestly offended her ears a little bit, but the crowd seemed to be mostly ignoring it except the two people she’d been looking for. Star and Marco were far enough from the main stage that Jackie was almost certain they could barely hear the music. If they’d been employing any sort of formal slow dancing technique, they’d long since abandoned it. Marco held Star’s signature horns in his hand, his chin resting on her head buried in his chest as they casually swayed. Jackie thought about waving goodbye, but they wouldn’t have noticed it from their own little world. And if they could still find that happiness together, despite everything, then maybe she didn’t need to worry that much; it would all be worth the trip.

[lunarrpmemes]

Adventure Time: Elements Starters

Skyhooks

“That was definitely the longest adventure we’ve ever done.” “Let’s go take hot showers!” “Look at this fish. It’s... gummy?” “We’ve gotta get to the bottom of this hot shower.” “Home always looks different after a long trip.” “Everything being pink is probably not a big deal, and also I’m tired.” “Why do you worry so much, worry baby?” “Don’t worry, we’re only teasing you because you’re a baby.” “Hey! You look like me!” “Welcome, stranger! It’s so cool that you’re inside our house!” “We’ve obviously stumbled into an alternate dimension where everyone’s a different version of themselves. Yawn.” “I’m in control of my emotions.” “Drink up, babies!” “I used to have a LOT of fear and sadness - but now I’m FINE!” “No! That is body juice.” “What’s that? Do you spurn my fluids?” “Looks like someone’s feeling a little SOUR.” “Stop striding! It just keeps you agitated!” “Hey! You’re meat!” “They look so happy. Like dogs.” “Something smells nice. Nice and toasty.” “She’s everywhere.” “You fixed ‘em? But they’re your friends!”  “Goodbye, boys! It’s better this way!” “They’ll be back. They have nowhere else to go.” 

Bespoken For

“Why does it look like a four-way pizza?!” “Everyone is not dead. It’s much worse.” “What am I gonna do without my besties around?” “Bird watching sounds cool.” “I’m going out to get some magic ingredients.” “Cool. Bring me a snackie.” “You a toucan?” “I’ve tried so hard to help you.” “It’s saddening, it’s maddening, I’m rapping, and- and--” “No, I don’t remember who she is. But I know how to find out.” “It’s okay. I know you don’t remember me.” “Hey, wanna go on a date with me tonight?” “I think she might be an exotic bird.” “You need to get a nice bespoked suit.” “No, that’s just the muumuu, dawg. I’m jacked.” “Pretty fly for an ice guy.” “I’m really into skulls and old teeth in jars, too.” “Well, that was terrifying.” “Maybe you’re going after someone who doesn’t exist anymore.” “Why not take him as he is? After all, you’ve been through a lot of changes yourself.” “It sounds depressing when you say it that way. Think of a different way to say it.” “I don’t wanna be that guy who just hangs out with his girlfriend all the time and doesn’t see his friends... Man, I wanna be that guy so bad.” “These are some low-grade fairies.” “Where did the weird lady go?” “I wonder if my roomie has any more of these soothing donuts.” 

Winter Light

“We’ll enter via the sewer line.” “This is a place mat from a seafood restaurant - and this word search is way too hard!”” “I made these sweaters and ear muffs for you guys. They’re bespoke.” “It’s a lot colder now, too.” “Oh, I get it. The top one’s fake.” “This is crazy. It’s like being at the bottom of an ocean.” “Ice to meet you.” “You betta believe it, bucko.” “Do you wanna come with us? We’re on a secret mission.” “She’s, like, ruined the whole world and all our friends.” “Yes, I draw elves. It’s what I like to do!” “It’s not a sewer, but it’ll have to do.” “Oh no, you have an icicle. You look like your kids!” “Back in my old basement, where it all began.” “Cool boy say what?” “They denied their precious birthright.” “Instead of embracing their powers, they were overrun by them.” “Monstrous. Like life itself.” “If you’re so upset about this, you should fix it.” “The universe is an abyss of suffering.” “Best Friends Gang, retreat!” “Everyone leaves, except me. I remember Father made me stay at the table until all the eggs were eaten.” “Well, that sucks and I hate it.” “The goose... Is loose.” “My mystic soup is great for combating Ice Magic.” “I feel drained like a dirty bath tub.” “Ancient magic was actually my major.”

Cloudy

“Woah, neat-o.” “Graduate student? What the heck is that? You graduated, but you’re still a student? Doesn’t make any sense.” “Can the Dog do anything about this?” “What are you doing? Swaddling me?” “Look what happens when you go to sleep!” “Turn around! I can’t go when you’re looking at me.” “Yes sir. I sure like cuttin’ hair.” “All this stuff happened because I acted selfishly.” “I was talking about important stuff!” “I’ve been trying to distract you from all this, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy with the way things are going!” “You know what I’ve been thinking? What if we’re dead?” “I try to keep my worries hidden, but where does that send ‘em? To my kidneys? That can’t be good.” “I can get into that. Maybe when I’m thirty-five.” “I don’t care, don’t look in this direction. It makes me feel like you can hear my most private business.” “Since when is it such a hassle just to take a whiz?” “Are you being digested in there?” “Thanks for not digesting me.” “Nothing happened to us, so now we get to fix it.” 

Slime Central

“Here’s some trail mix for the road.”  “They’re two wack-a-doodle peas in a wack-a-doodle pod.”  “Something about it makes me feel weird in the ethics.” “You don’t wanna stare at happiness too hard, yaknow? Cuz it stares back, man...” “This smells like a locker room for a dead fish.”  “Okay, you look dope.”  “You guys on a team, yet?”  “No, you can’t be on my team!”  “You got something to say?”  “As always, the prize is absorption into the body of our bumpin’ leader.”  “Skate to assimilate!” “Isn’t assimilation amazing?”  “It might be comfy, like a hug that turns you into a hug.” “She can’t absorb us if we’re self-absorbed.” “You need a three person team to compete, and I’m taken.”  “But I’m the plucky underdog!”  “No, you’re just terrible.”  “No, wait! Discontinue the beat!” “They love me! I’m a true Cinderella story!”  “Today’s losers will now be punished with shameful absorption.”  “It’s like being in a warm bath full of snot.”  “It’ll work out somehow.”  “May as well give in to it...”  “This isn’t an uplifting underdog ending.”  “I’m not assimilating!”  “She’s gonna be rejecteeeed.”  “No, I totally faked it.”  “Even though I shoplifted this super cool outfit, I still didn’t fit in...”  “I guess I don’t fit in anywhere.”  “Whatever happened, he was always like... ‘it’ll work out.’“ “Stop being so selfish, I’m the one hurting here!” Happy Warrior“He’s probably having fun, and doing way better without you.”  “Your laugh is really annoying.” “Don’t talk that way about the skyhooks!” “Please keep your hands and bags away from the cloud’s edge.” “Don’t torture yourself! And don’t drop your phone into Fire Kingdom, dummy.” “If I don’t, you’ll die. Hah!”  “So... You guys wanna do something? Got any music?”  “You guys aren’t just, like, boring and old, right?”  “This doesn’t look so bad.”  “You see that bird? Gross.” “No, I’m just super cool.” “I got RAGE!”  “You cannot defeat me!” “Let’s take his armor.”  “I’m going, but I swear vengeance, okay?”  “Your cooking stinks!” “Man, this place used to be nice... er.” “I can’t, she’s like family!” “My flame shield protected me from the Change. The rest of the kingdom... Is lost.”  “She is spicy with anger.”  “We used to really bond over music, and.... Stuff.”  “This is as far as I go.”  “She said some... Hurtful things.”  “I’ll give her a good talking to. I’ll talk her into next week.”  “My wolf is also a loner.”  “When did he get cool? Everyone slept on that.”  “Die in a ditch!” “You used to be about the laughs!” “You can’t run the saw, then stay outta my woodshed.”  “The duck found a secret tunnel!”  “We’re just friends, and I’m proud of that friendship. Getting there took a lot of trust building and emotional growth.”  “... Do you do squats?”  “That big, gross dragon is your ex?!”  “This place is a toxic, aggro-macho-scape.” “That was messed up, and not who you really are!” “The only friend I have is violence, and the only thing we do when we hang is FIGHT!”  “I’m gonna ruin your universe.”  “Honestly, I could still see those two working out.”  “This is terrible, nobody’s paying attention to me!” “That’s a huge extrapolation from what I said.” “Surely, this is the end of all things.”

Hero Heart

“Is this about your ex?” “This is about the purity of battle.”  “Just listen to the beat of your hero heart!” “I only hear the drums of war.” “You’re hurting me physically and emotionally.” “Becoming a crazy, fiery bad boy has made you even more of a babe.”  “It’s a real magic flying carpet!”  “We lost him to the flames of war!” “You got any lotion? Your skin is so... Hydrated.”  “Aw man, I don’t think you should play this game ever again.”  “Look at all these thirsty customers!” “Ice cream pies for all our hot new friends.”  “Jeez, who sneezed in your cornflakes?”  “Look, weird lady - I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but we’re the only sane people left in this crazy, mixed-up world.” “Lets get in there and mash their potatoes!”  “My children have come home.”  “Oh, a dragon, how fun!” “I see you’ve been playing with matches.” “Fight me, nerd!”  “Ooh! Are we wrastlin’? Fun!”  “Everyone I know is spazzing out on each other.” “Is this the end? Will I be the last witness to the glory of this world that I chose above all others?” “I don’t think I can save the world on my own.”  “Curse these superior genes.”  “Your face tastes like my happy place.”  “My little Sugarplum - you’ve returned to accept your sweet fate!” “This charade has run it’s course.” “In your hearts, you are all sweet!”

Skyhooks II

“You left my friend down there.” “Don’t worry, I’ve got a new plan - a plan where nothing that happens here matters.” “He sees me like a handsome older brother.”  “Its me! I’m saving your tight butt!” “Maybe you’re not made of the same stuff as us.” “No more learning!” “Huh, musta dozed off. And bound myself.” “People say ‘you shouldn’t live in the past.’ But I say ‘why not?’“ “This book is strange, but when you puzzle it out, it’s mostly all charges and frequencies.” “My wonderful ___ will never become this sad, pathetic creature strewn before me.” “I thought I could do it, but I can’t. Being with you is like looking at my old life through a funhouse mirror.”  “I think you need to be the most ‘you’ that you’ve ever been.”  “I do believe in myself. I’m a blossoming debutante on the war path.” “Just relax, you’ll be obliterated soon.” “I - I guess I’m a special person, and I am worthy of respect!” “Can you turn this off and we can talk, maybe?”  “Boy, did I fail deep.” “Maybe I’ll try again in another thousand years.” “I’m not sticking around to see how this ends.” “I didn’t like being ditched earlier.” “I already saved your life, so quit telling me what to DO!”  “You mean these jewels love me more than they love those dum dums?”  “You bossed him back to normal!”  “The jelly is out of the tube!” “Oh, blessings. What a trip.” “Uh... Did you recently get a haircut?”  “Please be careful with yourself.” “I’m... A hero.”  “You really donked up.” “You and I can fix whatever this is, together. Whenever.”  “I was really scared when you left.” “I love you.”

[kyloren]

Mileven post-S2 fanfiction recommendation list: PART II

This is a follow-up part II to the first Mileven recommendation list I made. I actually haven’t finished going through the entire Mileven tag on ao3, but as soon as I power through another good chunk of it, I’ll probably do another part of the rec list. If your fanfic isn’t featured, apologies. Message me and we’ll amend that grievance in the next rec list instalment. 

* marks the ongoing stories. 

canon: 

even outdoor rpgs in the sun have rules!* by christah88: ““It’s summer!” Dustin called over his shoulder, converting a deep lunge to a leapfrog. “The sun is shining, it’s hot but not too hot, we’re with all our friends, we don’t have to go to school, we’re young and we’re free!” He stood up and threw out his arms. “Why aren’t you guys running around screaming?!” They looked at each other. “He actually — you know, I think he actually has a point,” Will said, a bit shellshocked.” [This is the funniest fic I have ever read. Ever. Read it.] 

devil’s in the backseat by ceruleanstorm: “Mike Wheeler is not a bad boy, but when he comes to school in a leather jacket, it’s the only thing anyone can talk about. Eleven knows something is up — if only he would stop avoiding her long enough for her to ask. Max, Dustin, and Lucas may have a gambling problem, and Will’s caught in the middle of it all, stuck keeping everyone’s secrets.” 

promises to keep* by AriaCessair: “Unconsciously, the promises make their way into their lives. In the end, it is what keeps them together.” 

watching through windows, you’re wondering if i’m okay by elsaclack: “The aftermath of the group’s collective brush with the Mind Flayer and his army.” 

and i feel life for the very first time by quinnking: ““I wanted her to have something special,” he says, his voice rumbling. “To welcome ‘85 in with… people.” “With people,” Joyce repeats with a chuckle. “You mean with people who love her?”” 

paladin vs witch by Someone_else_before: “El loves Mike. Mike loves El. Kali has… concerns. On a visit to Hawkins, El’s big sister starts feeling protective and comes up with a few simple tests to make sure Mike is as good a guy as everyone says he is. The tests aren’t exactly ethical, but since when has that ever stopped Kali before?” 

let your heart be light by evenhisfacewasanalias: “Takes place after the Snow Ball, with Mike introducing El to a few holiday traditions.” 

smart things by Strange_Archivist: “Nancy reflects on love, the importance of female friends, and staying true to oneself.” 

babysitters club by SmoothFluffle: “Mike and El (and Holly) as babysitters.” 

but we could be safer for just one day* by dragonyfox: “See, the thing is, they figured they were done. Done with monsters, done with baseball bats embedded with nails, done with lighting things that are trying to kill them on fire, done with worrying about their people. Things go back to normal.” 

like a distant star* by Someone_else_before: “Now that Mike knows El is alive, he’s not going to let even the scariest police chief in the world get in the way of seeing her again.” 

i am small, and needy by kittenCorrosion: “As El adjusts to life in Hawkins, she dreads the impending trial known as “school”. Mike knows just what to do, as usual, and comforts her.” 

stringe il cuore della stella morente by shipwrecks: “Months go by. Years go by. Everybody else remembers her only as a hero, there when they needed her. He shakes the core of a dying star.” 

i’m not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you by topangamatthews: “Mike Wheeler is not El’s boyfriend. So why is he so jealous of the boy who’s trying to be? (In which Mike Wheeler is an idiot and waits too long.)” 

+ its sequel: and suddenly you’re mine* by topangamatthews: “There is nothing stranger than dating in high school. (A collection of one-shots of Mike and Eleven through their high school years, hand in hand.)” 

july, july* by IrisVioletta: “Eleven adjusts to her new life, in her new family (now a life-spanning collection of oneshots.)” 

senior year by serendipitous_rambles: “Senior Year is almost at an end which means College is right around the corner. El is still unsure and confused about what she wants to do when she graduates and it feels like everyone else is moving on with their lives. But when Mike gets some news, it could mean heartbreak.” 

fake it ‘til you make it by TheMikeWheelers (jasongracefully): “Mike and El figured they would just mess with their friends a bit, they could get back at them for all the years of teasing. But fake dating never works out so easily.” 

l-o-v-e in hawkins by JoMo3: “A 5-part Mileven/Jancy Valentine fic.” 

alternative universe: 

speechless* by BimeyMooMimey: “A new girl comes to Hawkins, and the entire town takes notice. Little does Mike Wheeler know that she’s about to turn his life upside-down...without even saying a word.” 

survive the tide* by richiewheeler (jormaperalta): “After being rescued from a foster home run by a horrible man, “Eleven” is adopted by Chief Jim Hopper and tries to make Hawkins her home. But the schoolchildren are mean and she’s having a tough time fitting in, plus she needs a job for the summer. Then, she gets an opportunity to babysit Holly Wheeler, and finds her life entwined in AV Club President Mike Wheeler’s life as he navigates his last summer before he graduates from Hawkins High. As they start a summer romance, Eleven’s past starts to catch up with her as Mike’s future slams into his present. Can they survive the summer? Can their relationship?” No Supernatural AU. 

everybody talks* by hannahberrie: “What was he supposed to say? ‘Hey, so, I saw you looking kinda lonely over here, and I thought I’d come sit by you, for no apparent reason. Yeah, I know, it’s weird. Yeah, I’m kinda a total wasteoid.’” an 80’s High School AU featuring punk!Eleven and nerd!Mike. 

don’t stop believin’ by hoars: “In a world inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, the party comes to terms with their classes.” Magical Realism AU. 

wrong house by richiewheeler (jormaperalta): “The Party has a plan to egg Troy’s house on Halloween, but they accidentally get Chief Hopper’s instead.” No Supernatural AU. 

years that have gone, and years that will come by rileyhart: “Mike Wheeler has been able to feel his soulmate for as long as he can remember, and he’s been attempting to find her ever since. And he’s finally about to find her, after all those years of searching.” Soulmate AU where you are born with ability to feel the other’s emotions and pain. 

miles from nowhere* by kittenCorrosion: “Mike Wheeler and his friends really just want their band to catch a break so they can hit it big. But the week long road trip to a battle of the bands in the middle of nowhere gets complicated when his sister’s rival band shows up, one of his band mates gets tangled in a dark force, and the girl he starts falling for along the way turns out to have a dangerous secret.” Band AU. 

unpack your heart by mysterytwin: “They say home is where your heart is, and sometimes it takes a while to find exactly where that is.” Soulmate AU. 

+ its prequel: beneath the stars came falling on our heads by mysterytwin: “Mike tries to figure out the beginning, the middle, and the end of his story with Eleven. Mike tries to figure out the beginning, the middle, and the end of his story with Eleven.” Soulmate AU. 

ineffable* by princesspret: “An alternative universe where Mike Wheeler meets Eleven, “Jane Hopper,” in 1989. Unfortunately, he’s a little irritable, irrational, and rebellious but she loves him all the same.” bad-boy!Mike AU no-one asked for, but secretly kinda wished for. 

the place i call home* by notreserenade: “If one was to ask Mike Wheeler’s parents whether their son had a girlfriend, they’d scoff. Awkward, lanky Mike speaking to a girl? That’s ridiculous. But little did they know, though, that their son was very much in love with a girl. A girl of very few words. A girl with very curly hair. A girl… whose heart was as fragile as the raw emotion one gets during a sunset. A girl that — to Mike, was like no-one he had ever met.” No Supernatural AU. 

crossover: 

lionhearted (we’ll make this right)* by bottlefullofarsenic: “Normalcy should be easy to obtain. After all, they closed the gate, they defeated the monster, right? Life should go back to normal. If only it was that simple.” Stranger Things x It (2017) Crossover. 

curiosity door* by bananannabeth: “The Ghost Riders’ dimension isn’t the only one with portals into Beacon Hills.” Stranger Things x Teen Wolf Crossover. 

kingdom come deliverance by TheFlirtMeister: ““You musn’t—” Mike kneels down in front of her, Endleofan cheeping in his ear, nibbling on the lobe. “You can’t touch other people’s dæmons.” “Dæmons?” The girl repeats. “Oh brother.” Lucas says. “You don’t know what a dæmon is?”” Stranger Things x Dæmon Fusion. 

the upside down games* by peraltiagoisland: “Mike Wheeler lives in the Victor’s Village, thanks to his sister Nancy who won the games when she was 14 years old, allowing the Wheelers to live in the lap of luxury — or as luxurious as living in District 12 can get. Sadly, having a sister as a victor doesn’t protect Mike from the reaping. It also doesn’t protect him from getting picked to represent District 12 in the 83rd Hunger Games. Oh, and the thing about the arena that year? It becomes another dimension at night. It becomes the Upside Down.” Stranger Things x Hunger Games Fusion. 

+ bonus: wherein Steve Harrington is a good Team Mom™: 

that’s what friends are for by jibberjabber599: “It’s this action that seems to make his presence a welcome one when Dustin drags him around, even though he’d like to remind the little rugrats that he’s the one who got them out of that hole and saved their lives. Steve doesn’t really have a reference point when it comes to being a big brother—he’s an only child, never really willingly hung out with anyone younger than him—but he’s pretty sure it must feel a little something like this.” 

crazy or impressive* by WitchWithWifi: “Steve all but adopts five middle schoolers, their weird telekinetic friend, and all the crazy shit they come with.” 

the ache for home lives in all of us (a safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned) by Dontfloatthe100: “The six times Steve Harrington was a mom to the kids, and the one time he didn’t have to be.” 

steve harrington’s guide to parenting* by untuneduke: “The adventures of Steve and his 6 adopted children (and the rest of their family).” 

this is home* by PatchworkMedley: “The Party realise that maybe Steve is worth more than just driving a car and welding a nail driven bat. And Steve realises that when five pairs of eyes are giving you that puppy look, you don’t stand a chance. Now if only he had those looks when dealing with Hopper…” 

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guys, you know I’m gonna be pumping out these mileven fic recs until I feel like I’ve read every single fic in the ao3 tag, right? oh, god, what I have committed myself to? stay tuned for the next instalment. 

UPDATE: part III is out.