#Eve Brenner

[filmjunky-99]

s t a r t r e k t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n created by gene roddenberry [violations, s5ep12]

'I hear that humming again.' - keiko

'Keep listening to it, and hold out the brush. See if anyone takes it from you.' - tarmin

'It's Obaachan! My grandmother. She's doing ink brush writing. I can remember it now.

She used that cup for cleaning the brushes, and it was my job to fill it with water and bring it to the table.

I would sit beside her and watch the most beautiful characters come from that brush. And the whole time, she'd be humming to herself.

I remember it like it was yesterday.' - keiko

[henrysglock]

guys when the duffers hit them with one Y-shot in the middle of all the X shots. and it's ONLY over the line about a play:

(i'm going insane. steadily so)

[tryingonametaphor]

Why Will Byers?

An analysis and theory on why Henry/Vecna targeted Will first in season 1 and his plans for Will in season 5

‼️Contains The First Shadow (TFS) spoilers so please proceed with caution.‼️

This is going to be a little long but I’ve tried to give as much context as I can without actually being able to show snippets from the stage play. This is my interpretation of everything that went down as a member of the audience and not as someone who has read up any theories about TFS before. To understand why Henry took Will first in 1983, we have to start with -

Henry and Joyce

From all the times I’ve watched TFS, the one thing that has stuck with me is the final conversation Henry has with Joyce. It’s just before his last confrontation with Patty Newby and before he joins Brenner for good. Joyce is the last person (who doesn’t know about Henry’s powers) that he canonically talks to.

Throughout the entire play Joyce, Hopper, and Bob are investigating the animals dying at the hands of Henry and come to the conclusion that Victor Creel has been the one doing the killing. They get so close to solving the case. In her last conversation with Henry, Joyce tries to comfort him by saying that Victor will pay for his crimes - which makes Henry laugh because she’s so close yet so far from the truth. He gets a little frustrated and says something along the lines of “You don’t get it. But someday you will.” (edit 28/9: the exact dialogue is [Henry: you’re too nice. that is how they’ll get you. you have to learn to do anything you can to protect the ones you love] [Joyce: I don’t understand.] [Henry: You will.]) The next time we see Henry make a reappearance in Joyce’s life is during -

The Vanishing of Will Byers

Will is taken into the Upside Down (UD) by Henry. It’s not even a question anymore. All of the context clues from 1x1 lead us to believe that Will’s kidnapping was not by a demogorgon. Will - a 12 year old - miraculously survives a week in the upside down with no food or water. Will is even around the demogorgon a few times in the Upside Down. (Joyce communicating with Will through the lights and then the demogorgon coming after her immediately).

Barb dies the night she is taken but Will stays alive and also somehow manages to talk to Joyce through the wall. Joyce is led exactly to where Will was held at the end of s1 and he makes it out alive. It’s almost as if Henry knew all along that Joyce was the most capable of never giving up on finding her son. Like Henry took Will Byers because he was Joyce’s son. And like he was giving her just enough to know that Will was alive. Even when Joyce and Hopper find him at the end in a state of near death, he’s not injured by a creature. He was being prepared for the next stage of Vecna’s plan -

The Possession of Will Byers

The origins of Henry’s powers happen as such - As a kid, he is transported into the UD (originally coined Dimension X by the government) for a few hours because he touched something he wasn’t meant to touch. During his time in there, he came in contact with the Mind Flayer (MF). According to TFS this is the point in his life when he started getting “corrupted”. Brenner’s dad - who was one of the first people to enter dimension X - had mutated blood after but no powers. Henry was the first person to come in contact with the MF and it’s highly likely he got his powers because of this (This would also track considering how most of the party has been in the UD now but show no signs of having powers). The MF controls Henry for the rest of TFS and Henry grows more power hungry the more he kills.

In S2, Henry presumably sends the MF after Will - who has now had a year to heal from the events of 1983. Will is the only other person in all of ST to have had direct contact with the MF and survived it. Henry didn’t hesitate to kill Billy in S3, but he always gives everyone just enough to keep Will safe. Will himself tells Owens in S2 that the MF wants to kill everyone except him. Will once again survives the entire ordeal and is given a “break” for the next 2 seasons. Except I don’t believe he’s been just given a break. I think Will is -

Henry’s Sleeper Agent.

Ready to awaken in s5. I undoubtedly think that Will is going to have powers. And I don’t think they’re going to be the same as Henry and El. El and the other lab kids get their powers directly from Henry. Will’s powers will be directly from the MF like Henry. I believe this has been Henry’s plan all along and it’s further affirmed by what he tells Will in the recent VR game. That Will will be the key to Henry being able to infiltrate his friends’ minds. Jamie Campbell-Bower also mentioned during the S4 press that to get in character, he set up a display with all of Henry’s victims and targets’ faces on his wall(?), and Will was in the center.

Henry is going to use his connection with Will sneakily and midway through S5 he’s going to awaken Will’s powers (maybe in ep4 - which is said to be titled ‘Sorcerer’ and has young Will in it). Henry is going to try and manipulate his way into making an ally out of Will, and it’s not going to work because -

Will is the Perfect Character Foil.

Will is everything Henry could have been if he had a better support system. He is the perfect character foil. Unlike Henry, Will has a mother who loves him unconditionally and more importantly, believes him. Unlike Henry, the person who Will loves the most (the Patty to Will’s Henry: Mike) is going to love him back and stay by his side all season. No one is going to force them to be apart the way Henry was told to stay away from Patty. Will is not going to be easily swayed even though Henry has spent years crafting him into the perfect soldier. Sure, Henry has seen him heartbroken and sad, but that comes nowhere near to the amount of love and support Will is going to get from his people next season. And they’re going to quite literally defeat Vecna with the power of love and friendship. After that, Will Byers is getting the happy ending that Henry could have gotten.

[juniperpyre]

What are your thoughts on gender in the wizarding world? Do you think there’s a strong patriarchy, and if so how do you think it formed?

I feel wobbly about how powerful patriarchy would be in the wizarding world before answering this question. let's see what conclusion i come to lol

table of contents—you could skip to gender in the text if you don't want the connections to the real world and don't need the foundational ideology of my argument

1: where did patriarchy originate in the real western world? & what assumptions am I working off of?

2: gender in late medieval and early modern england & western europe

3: gender in the text 3.1: younger women 3.2: older women

4. conclusions

1. where did patriarchy originate in the real western world? & what assumptions am I working off of?

mona eltahawy called patriarchy "the oldest form of occupation", speaking to the way women & people classed as women (or gender deviant or ungendered) are treated as commodities to own. this BBC article argues that patriarchy was created as a way for the proto-state to leverage control over the population. the enforced social roles of males soldiers & female reproducers made groups bigger & more powerful.

I will take the article's assertion (it's very well sourced) that one of the first instances of patriarchy developing starts about 5,000 ago in Mesopotamia, when records show women disappearing from public life, at face value. then, ofc, in the mediterranean world we "soon" after see the Mycenaeans & Greeks & Romans, in that order, develop, all of which had patriarchal societies—tho to different extents.

as I have stated previously, the wizarding world loves Greek & Roman shit, as does the real western world (and we have! for centuries!). I like to consider their cultural norms, especially as they were interpreted during the Renaissance, when thinking about wizarding culture.

so, yes, the WW is patriarchal, since for at least 1,500 years, but probably more like 4,800 years. and for most of that time there was no wizarding world, just the World, and the WW had the same histories as the muggle world.

2. gender in late medieval and early modern england & western europe

so sorry, you've unlocked an info dump cutscene. it can be skipped.

I want you to imagine the traditional gender roles for men and women in western society. write them down, even. what should women be like? what is the inherent nature of women, if one exists, according to traditionalists? according to society at large? according to you?

in early modern england there was a HUGE shift in the perception of women and gender roles.

in "'The Good and Bad of that Sexe': Monstrosity and Womanhood in Early Modern England," by Alletta Brenner, the epistemological history of womanhood in the middle of the sixteenth to the end of the 17th centuries, is analyzed.

epistemology is about the study of knowledge, so think intellectual history, a history of what ideas and thoughts people are sharing and the patterns of those ideas and thoughts.

long story short: for about 1500 years, western culture regarded women as lesser versions of men, who are the perfect form of humans. male and female were not regarded as opposite, but two versions of the same thing. eve was made from adam’s rib, she’s a knockoff.

“Monstrosity and Womanhood” discusses two cultural differences between then & now that are significant to my argument. 1: people of the middle ages & early modern europe regarded the monstrous as a part of God’s creation, possibly frightening, but not unnatural. 2: women were regarded as too sexually driven, lustful temptresses. this is a stark contrast to the Cult of True Womanhood that we see in the 19th c, submissive, gentle, spiritually included, a soft place for her husband to find comfort in after being in the chaos of the outside world.*

(lily kind of embodies the late middles ages dangers of womanhood & it’s monstrosities in earth after rain.)

so, the answer to “what is a woman?” is changing rapidly right before the WW cuts itself off from the MW. I expect that, since the bio-essentialism of today started in the 19th century, post SoS, there is a significant difference in what the WW settles on.

the changing views on women in the MW are also influenced by and/or create the atmosphere wherein the witch trials are born. midwives and other women who transgressed their gender roles were targeted in the witch trials. the WW reacts to the witch trials by going into hiding (I don't believe this, I think it's part of the WW historical mythos used to uphold their society & it's fucking issues)

*this ideal of womanhood is only accessible by white middle and upper class women. other women are in many ways, monstrous, but they are also degendered.

3. gender in the text

in the books we see multiple examples of sexism, and a large chunk of these examples involve over-sexualization or sexual policing. our entry into WW culture, ron weasley, displays these views multiple times. he does not seem to believe that women are less intellectually or even less physically capable. he also doesn’t have a problem being defended by harry potter or hermione granger, or defending harry or hermione.

3.1 younger women

the threat of love potions is also brought up a few times throughout the books, and they are solely seen as a woman's weapon.

in Goblet of Fire, once skeeter turns on hermione, she asserts in a PUBLIC NEWSPAPER that hermione is possibly using love potions to seduce powerful men (pg 357). this is after harry's friendship with hermione is portrayed, again, in a public paper, as a romance (pg 225). hermione is pretty and smart when she's "with" harry, but when she is associated with a second man, thereby betraying the englishman who must be the hero of skeeter’s stories, she's ugly and smart enough to drug him. mrs. weasley, an adult woman and frequent caretaker of hermione, believes this and is cruel to her, a child.

over sexualization is used as a highly effective weapon against hermione. the WW easily accepts a young woman's sexuality as a threat to the men around her; she is voracious. i'm sure hermione being muggle born does not help.

merope gaunt is also accused, by dumbledore, of drugging tom riddle sr. with a love potion (pg 154 HBP). no evidence is given. we, the reader, are meant to assume the accuracy since dumbledore is making the claim. once again the sexual appetite of a young woman is dangerous. her misdeeds, brought about by choices made clouded with lust, only the short term considered, end up creating a fucking super villain. what's interesting is that this isn't only a belief of the characters in-text, it's the perspective of the author. nonetheless, dumbledore's quickness to blame a young woman's desire for driving her to violence and bringing misfortune, indicates that the sexuality of women in the WW is easily seen as dangerous.

i think this well establishes women's sexuality as a dangerous, insatiable threat in the WW culture. this is clearly a patriarchal ideology. the systematic reinforcement at the nuclear family level becomes clearer when we look at how the weasley brothers treat ginny's sexuality. they, just as men in the MW do, see their sister's sexuality as their business. however, this is not because men are a threat, but because ginny is unrestrained in her expression and exploration of her sexuality. I do not recall anyone ever worrying for ginny’s safety—women are competent and intelligent enough to defend themselves. 

here are two instances from HBP where we see the brothers judging their sister and trying to control her sexuality:

fred and george are selling love potions, but not to ginny, because she's used her wiles to collect enough men. ron is also reporting on ginny’s romantic endeavors to their older, of age, brothers (pg 91 HBP). Is this to leverage additional power and to control her? Later in the book ron doesn't want people to see ginny engaging in sexual behavior because of what they might think of his sister (pg 204). being a slut is bad in the WW too. :/

So, the two young women we focus on the most have their sexuality picked apart and policed.

3.2: older women

What of the older women? 

There are women in positions of authority in the WW, but most of the women who work and have positions of authority are not mothers in canon. The women with the most authority, mcgonagall, umbridge, arguably amelia bones though she is tertiary, are not mothers and remain, in canon, romantically unattached. pre-fudge there is a woman minister, who i imagine was put into power as a part of the glass cliff phenomenon, when shit hits the fan, women are more likely to be hired to oversee the shit hit everyone, and then be blamed. 

Marriage & motherhood remove agency. The important mothers of the series, lily, petunia, narcissa, molly, to a lesser degree alice and tonks, do not have children until they are married. Half of them definitely do not work. two have jobs, tonks and alice, and they + lily are in the order, activities unspecified. 

The lack of women occupying both domestic and public spaces indicates patriarchal control. There are two options. The married mothers we see occupying both spheres are all taking part in the public sphere with their husbands. Even tonks, who works were remus does not, is in the order with him. Mothers & wives are not unchaperoned.

It is also notable how young people are when they get married and have children. This is explained by war in the text. I posit that it’s actually another element of the patriarchal control of women’s sexuality. Since women are insatiable, those that are linked to a man must be kept under a higher level of control to ensure she stays loyal to her husband. Marriage in the teen years is younger than the average in MW in the 1970s (22.8 for women, 25.1 for men). the average age of women entering into their first marriage has consistently been 24 or older in england and wales since the 1550s—it dropped in the 1950s and 60s. 

Sidenote—during WW2 the age of marriage in the UK seemed to stagnate, and then it dropped at the conclusion of the war. 

We don’t have the stats for the WW, but we know james and lily married and had harry before 21, we know from the black family tree that narcissa had draco at the average age of marriage in 1970s MW UK, which indicates a younger marriage. We do not know alice and frank’s ages. tonks actually meets the average age for women in the UK in the mid 90s, but her husband and she are half bloods. it is possible that the average age of marriage in the WW is younger than the MW, especially among the upper classes. 

4. conclusion

The main element of patriarchy in the WW is control of women’s sexuality, because women are too promiscuous to control themselves, and this poses multiple dangers. Love potions, pursuing a man to near death, tarnishing the family name, etc. This has created cultural norms of younger marriage and women, especially upper class women, not working outside of the home once they are married. Women who choose not to tie themselves to a man through marriage may be seen as inherently less sexual, as adult women who do not marry are not put through the same scrutiny as women who express sexual inclinations. 

It is possible that we don’t see the scrutiny adult, unmarried women endure because harry is a child the whole time and does not think about his professors getting their backs blown out on the weekends. It is also possible that the women we see, namely umbridge and mcgonagall, put up a non-sexual persona to avoid this scrutiny, a childish feminine and de-sexed school marm respectively. I’d edge my bets towards the latter. 

Magic allows a significant portion of reproductive labor to be automated, and in the MW reproductive labor is designated to women and made invisible as an element of maintaining the nuclear family to uphold capitalism. Therefore women in the WW are partially freed from this element of capitalist patriarchy. 

Women are not seen as less capable with magic, intellect, or physically, so their voracious sexuality creates a greater threat. The patriarchy in the WW seeks to control their sexualities, but not much else. The desire to keep pure blood families “pure” likely increases the drive to control women’s sexuality in the upper classes. I’m not seeking to make this argument here, but I believe this element of policing would have evolved in the 19th century, parallel to the evolution of the bio-essentialist ideal women of the MW. the reason I am not making this argument here is that this post is long as shit, and making the point requires a lot of details about fascism and the history of the WW and MW.  

I do think patriarchy is “weaker” in the wizarding world, but still exists. Due to the SoS and magic much of the modern elements of capitalist patriarchy did not develop in the WW, instead, elements of the early modern patriarchy were carried over and intensified. At the same time, women in the WW always had a level of agency and power unreachable to muggle women, which carried over to the SoS society. Perhaps magical men treated muggle women how we treat marginalized women in the real world, and continued to do so after the SoS ended. Perhaps the WW is a secret upper class that exploits the MW without muggle’s knowledge. Perhaps.   

I can’t believe I didn’t talk about the witch trials at all. I have thoughts on those! They are forthcoming when i finish the wizarding world & colonial era meta.

[strangersteddierthings]

No Regrets - Part Three

This one got longer than I expected, so it's only about Spring Break. We return to the apocalypse next part.

Part One🦇 Part Two🦇Part Three🦇Part Four🦇Part Five🦇Part Six

"-eve?"

Waking up again is disorienting. His head aches like the beginning of a migraine. There was something he was thinking about but it's fading quickly. A conversation in a boathouse...? That's not right. The boathouse was empty. The police had beat them there.

"Steve?"

No. No conversation in a boathouse. But there was a phone call. He knows he remembers that. Joyce had called last night. Her and Murray sharing a phone between them as Steve- Oh! Right. Steve told them he knew about Hopper in Russia.

"You have to go, though. Hopper is alive and waiting. And there's a demogorgon. Demodogs, too. You have to kill them all. Any connection to the Upside Down left alive helps Vecna. It's like having a tether to here makes him stronger."

"I can't just abandon El," Joyce sounds conflicted, and Steve gets it. He does.

"You aren't. You're going to be giving her back her dad. She's got Jonathan and Will and Mike. Argyle, too, if he wants to be there. Just. Just get them on the road and back here as soon as you can. If they don't leave soon than Brenner will-"

"Brenner? What do you mean Brenner? He's dead. Right? He's supposed to be dead."

"Yeah, well, he's not. He- I don't know the full details, just. I was just given an overview because, y'know, other shit was going down. But he makes El relive a lot of traumatic shit from her past and yeah, it gets her back her powers, but she's just a kid. She's just a kid."

"Her abilities, they aren't gone?" It's Murray who asks.

"No. She's just traumatized, in a different way. It was... it was Jonathan who said this, actually, to me. I mean, he hasn't said it yet, and if everything goes the way I want, he won't need to say it ever, but that's- sorry, that's not important. He said he thinks El blocked her abilities because she lost Hopper. An internal block, you know? 'Cause she couldn't save him with them, so what was the point of having them?"

"And you think bringing Hopper back will free her of that block?" Murray asks.

Steve can't help it. He laughs. "Hell no. I think years of therapy might, but having her dad will help. There's no way it hurts, right? Also, uh, you're the parent here, Joyce, so I'll let you decide what to tell her, but the big, awful thing that Brenner made her relive? It was a massacre. At the lab, when she was there. Another guy, another number, killed a bunch of the people there. It was El who saved the remainder. She stopped him from killing anyone else by opening the first gate to the Upside Down. She tossed him in and closed it. She's not a monster. Oh, that part you have to tell her. She's not a monster."

"Steve!"

There's more to the phone call, Steve knows he knows that but there's yelling and it's distracting.

"Steve!!"

"What?" Steve snaps, both with his shout and back into himself. He's sitting at the picnic in Forest Hills. Everyone is looking at him with varying degrees of concern.

"You okay?" Robin asks, "we've been trying to get your attention for a while now."

"What? Yeah, sorry," Steve says, distracted, standing up and looking around. Eddie's trailer is right there, and Wayne's truck is parked in front. He knows Wayne. Knew Wayne? He's in charge of the gardens at home base. A real green thumb, not that you can tell by looking at the trailer now. "You think that with Fred's death, they'll stop suspecting Eddie?"

"What? We don't know that they suspect Eddie," Dustin is quick to say, "I know he didn't do it, and so do you so-"

"Yeah, I know! I do know that, but Chrissy died in his home and then he ran. Of course, he's a suspect. But he was in jail last night. So. They can't suspect him still, right?"

Nancy purses her lips, giving Steve a look he knows isn't good. "Well, it will depend on when they apprehended Eddie, which we don't even know they did. How do you know he was in jail last night?"

"Good point. I don't, not for sure. But Wayne might," Steve says as he starts walking away. He can hear everyone at the picnic table shouting for him and scrambling to follow. Steve picks up speed, dashing up the steps and pounding on the door before anyone catches up.

"Steve, what are you doing," Max hisses, because she's the fastest and therefore the closest.

"I just gotta-"

"Can I help you?" Wayne Munson greets, voice even. Steve watches as his eyes sweep the group, pausing on Nancy before coming back to Steve.

"Hopefully. Uh, I'm a friend of- well, no that's a lie. I don't want to lie to you. I'm not Eddie's friend, but I want to be, and Dustin here is, so we just wanted to know if you could tell us if Eddie's okay?" Steve says. "You already talked to Nancy yesterday, but she didn't know that we, like, knew him. Have you heard from Eddie?"

Wayne eyes him with suspicion, which is fair, "I ain't heard from him."

"Please," Steve says, because he's got to try one more time. Either Wayne doesn't know for real, or he's lying because he doesn't trust Steve. He's not sure he'll be able to tell which is which, but he has to ask again, "I swear that we just want to help Eddie. Whatever happened to Chrissy wasn't his fault, I know that. I just need. I need to know he's not- not out there, alone and scared. Please."

Wayne stares him down and Steve refuses to look away. Wayne's eyes flick away from him to the single police cruiser still stationed nearby, then back. "Get in here."

He doesn't need told twice. Wayne retreats into the trailer and Steve follows. Immediately his eyes jump to where the gate will form. Currently it just looks like water damage on the ceiling, but Steve knows. No gate yet, but it'll be there tomorrow. Probably fully formed by the time Vecna tries to take Max.

Robin, the last one in, shuts the door behind her gently.

"I told her yesterday that Eddie didn't do this," Wayne nods his head towards Nancy but he never takes his eyes off Steve. "Didn't stop them from arresting him."

"Thank God," Steve breaths out, which is the wrong thing to say, given how quickly Wayne's face morphs to anger, so he quickly adds, "shit, I mean, that means, he was in police custody when they found another victim last night, right? That'll prove he's innocent."

Wayne doesn't respond right away. Instead, he takes his time looking at each and every one of them, lingering on Nancy before settling on Max. "You live 'cross the way, don't ya?"

Max looks surprised to be recognized. "Yeah."

"Did you see anything?"

"I saw..." she trails off, brows furrowing as she thinks. She looks from Wayne to Steve. He doesn't know what she sees on his face, but he watches as she steels herself, a decidion made, before looking back to Wayne and saying, "What I saw is whatever I'll need to have seen to help Eddie."

"You'd lie to the police for Eddie?"

Max and Wayne have a silent conversation following the question, judging by their stare down and raising and following brow lines. When Max does speak, she says, "I've lied to police for worse people."

"Huh," is all Wayne says as he settles back against the counter behind him.

"Thank you," Steve says, even as his mind starts to calculate. They'll probably keep him the full 48 hours, since there isn't evidence enough to charge him. Right? There isn't really any evidence. Except, perhaps, what Eddie might have told them. Shit. Would Eddie say anything? "Can you let me know when they release him? Whatever happened, whatever he saw, probably freaked him out. I don't want him to feel alone. I mean, we don't."

Dustin is looking at him now like he's grown a second head but Wayne. Wayne is looking at him like he's made a realization. Drawn some unknown conclusion that he must approve of because he nods. "Sure, son."

"You got pen and paper? I'll write down my number."

The silence from his friends is deafening and does not bode well for Steve. He just knows they're going to bombard him as soon as they leave the trailer.

Which is exactly what happens. They wait until they're back by their cars before starting in, though.

"Steve, what the fuck was that?" Dustin says.

"How did you know he got arrested?" Max demands.

"Steve, you are acting so strange right now," Robin says, worry painted across her face.

"Explain," is all Nancy says, crossing her arms.

Should he? Does he even know what's happening? No. Not really. He's got memories of a future that's bleak and dark and terrible and he doesn't want it to come true. Are they even memories? Did those events even happen? He doesn't know for sure. All he does know if he wants to do everything in his power to prevent it from happening though. He doesn't want to have regrets about.... about something.

"We don't win," he says. "We don't win this one. Or, we didn't? We might now. Things are different this time."

"What?" Robin asks.

Steve ignores the question, giving instead more of the information he knows, "Hopper's alive. Joyce and Murray are on their way to Russia to save him."

"WHAT?" he's not sure who asked. Maybe all of them.

"And El is- I don't know. On her way, I hope. But she won't have her powers when she gets here. Or maybe she will? If she believes she's not a monster and really is the hero."

"Steve, you are not making any sense!"

"I know!" Steve shouts and drops into a squat. "I know! I'm not the- the figure it out guy, or the plans guy, or whatever. I'm just the guy who knows things he shouldn't, and I can't tell if it's because I actually lived it, or if I was just given knowledge about it somehow. I know the Upside Down has a red storm that never ends, more democreatures that just gorgons or dogs, and that Vecna slash Henry slash One is a goddamn monster who opens a giant hell gate and causes the apocalypse."

"Whoa, whoa," Dustin sooths, and when Steve looks up, Dustin's got both hands up and approaching like Steve's a wild animal. He kind of feels like one right now. "Slow down and explain."

There's a lot Steve could say. Should say. Steve is kind and soft, even in the face of the end of the world, but he's also learning that he's a little ruthless. Not heartless, but enough that he can see where they are, where they need to be, and how to get there in the easiest way possible. His eyes flick to Max. "Chrissy and Fred. They were both seeing the guidance counselor. You've seen them both there, right Max?"

"I- yeah. Yeah, I have."

"And Nancy, you've got a hunch, right? You need to go to the library to check it out?"

She narrows her eyes at him but nods.

"Okay. So, uh, let's use that as proof. You and Robin go check out your hunch, and I'll stick with Dustin and Max. Take Max to see Ms. Kelley and see if she'll tell Max anything that connects them?"

"You already know what we'll find, don't you?" Nancy asks, and Steve shrugs. "You're right. I won't believe you. Not without this proof. So, we'll go, Robin and me. And when we meet up, I expect you to tell me what we learned."

Max is completely silent the entire drive, an exact opposite of Dustin who shoots off so many questions in a row that Steve can barely remember the first by the time he's onto the next. Not that it would matter, because Dustin doesn't pause between any of his questions or comments to let Steve answer anyway.

Max launches herself from car almost as soon as Steve pulls up to the curb with a loudly groaned, "finally" before she slams the door and bounds across the street.

"Steve! Are you even listening to me!?" Dustin has finally lost steam or ran out of breath or something.

"Are you done yelling at me?" Steve retorts.

Dustin lets out a really big sigh then says, "For now. I just- Let's start with this. How do you know that Hopper's alive?"

"Joyce and Murray confirmed it when I talked to them on the phone. They're supposed to be getting El and crew heading back this way while they go to rescue him, but I don't really know how that's going."

Dustin squints at him. "I thought you could see the future now."

"No. I saw the future, so like, lived it or something. And it's like... You watch Back to the Future yet?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so like, the part where his family starts to vanish from the picture? Because he made his mom want to bang him-?"

"That is a disgusting oversimplification of the plotline, Steve."

"-it's like that. Except I want to change the events because we definitely end up in the bad timeline."

"Okay. Say I believe you. You said we don't win this time. Explain that."

Steve sighs. "Can that wait for like, everyone? Explain it all at once?"

"What made it so bad you have to alter the course of all of human existence?" Dustin demands.

"The Upside Down breaks through, man," Steve says, "Like, toxic air and no more sunlight or blue skies kinda bad. Full on, end of the world apocalypse type shit."

"Shit. We, like, lose lose," Dustin says in a small voice Steve doesn't think he's ever heard Dustin use before he huffs and falls out of view with a click and the sound of squeaking leather. Steve watches as Dustin reclines his seat back so he can stare up at the ceiling of the BMW.

"Yeah," Steve says before they fall into silence until Max sprints back, screaming for him to drive before she's even got the door closed behind her and certainly isn't wearing her seatbelt yet.

They all converge at the school, and Steve tells them what Nancy and Robin learned at the library, then Max puts together the thread that connected Chrissy and Fred, and he has to watch, again, as she accepts she's going to die. She even looks to him, as if he'll confirm that with a shake of his head or a nod.

He just blinks back at her until she looks away.

They want answers he isn't ready to give. Not until tomorrow, after Vecna tries to take Max. Given how today has gone, tomorrow shouldn't be much of a change. Nancy and Robin will still go the Pennhurst, and Steve will take Max everywhere she wants to go, but this time he'll be ready. It's not too late, so the little music store down from Melvald's will still be open. Hopefully they have Kate Bush handy. He'll make sure Lucas has a backup cassette player and-

"Wait. Lucas should be told. He should be here. Why isn't he..." Steve trails off, trying to remember why Lucas would be here. He went to party with the basketball team and- and what? There's something he's missing. Something changed. His head hurts and the white noise is back, and it hits him so suddenly he sways and stumbles backwards until he hits a wall.

"Steve!" Robin gasps his name and rushes to hold him up. Dustin is at his other side just as quick.

"I'm ok," Steve says with eyes closed. He can't explain it, but he's changed something. He knows he has. Lucas is with them tomorrow, he remembers that, and there's this feeling that he should be here now. That he should have shown up at the school, but the reason eludes him. Slips from his grasp like he's trying to hold water. "It's- there was something that was supposed to happen. Something that made Lucas find us here at the school. I remember that. I- I almost hit him with a lamp. But he's not here. He didn't- something's changed. Whatever happened before didn't happen again."

"What, like, you changed the past?" Dustin asks.

The laugh Steve lets out is manic, even to his own ears. "I don't know! I can't remember! It's there, the why, but I can't reach it. It's faded, man, like the picture. It's faded."

"Okay, I think it's time we get some rest," Nancy says. "Dustin, you'll radio Lucas tonight and fill him in. Tell him Steve or I will pick him up tomorrow morning to join us. Let's go everyone, before someone does show up."

Nancy takes Dustin and Max, and Robin sticks with Steve. She doesn't even question his detour to the music store, just helps him find the Kate Bush tape. Doesn't even raise an eyebrow when he buys two cassette players, five blank tapes, and a tape recorder.

"Who is the mix tape for?" Robin asks him only once they're at Steve's house and settled in for the night in front of the fancy stereo in Steve's living room. Robin's called her parents already and told them she was staying with a friend, and they had leftovers for dinner from.

"Just in case. Now, shh," Steve says, and once Robin has properly quieted, he pressed record on the tape recorder and play on the stereo. He's already found the track he wants, so it's just a matter of waiting the song out, pausing the tape recorder quickly, then rewinding the tape. He goes too far back, so his finger just hovers over the record button until Running Up That Hill comes back on, and he repeats the process. Over and over again, until the hour long tape is filled with nothing but one song.

Robin watches him do it in complete silence. She doesn't move or shuffle until after he's paused the recording, stilling again once he hits record. He knows she doesn't understand why, but also that she doesn't need to understand. He knows that she knows he'll explain as soon as he's able.

He's just afraid to say too much right now. He can remember tomorrow; the Pennhurst plan, how it is supposed to go based on what remembers Nancy and Robin saying. Max will bully him into driving her around, and they'll end up at Billy's grave. He'll be ready this time, he already knows the answers they're seeking but he doesn't want to risk too much.

He has a plan. And it'll work. It has too.

Because he can't remember what happens after. Patrick dies, and there's... water? A lake? But why is Patrick at a lake in the dark? He isn't, is the thing. It's like there are two memories overlapping in Steve's mind and he doesn't know which is real. Or if either of them are.

There's a memory of... of Eddie? Eddie talking about Patrick floating but there's also a memory of hearing it on the news, Patrick found dead in his room, murdered the same way as Chrissy and Fred with no sign of forced entry in his house. Both memories feel real, but Steve doesn't know, can't tell, which is.

Robin and he falls sleep wrapped around each other that night.

-

@i-less-than-three-you @nburkhardt @afewproblems @skepsiss @apomaro-mellow @eddie-munsons-lunchbox @sirsnacksalot @livelifeliketheresnotomorrow @sageclipse @schnukiputz @mbloggotdeletedsothisismybackup @lumoschildextra @juleswashere3 @yet-still-more-banched @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @yearningagain @starlight-archer @chaosgremlinmunson @aol19 @goodolefashionedloverboi @gutterflower77 @moomkin77 @wonderland-girl143-blog @krazyperson @sevenmerrymagpies

[pinkeoni]

candid tfs spoiler discussion below

So the AIDS thing is like, really on the nose isn't it. Like really really on the nose. Powers made through blood infection that is spread through blood transfusion and propagated by the US Government. Way to be subtle guys 😂 But it does make me a little excited knowing that reading the show through the AIDS lens was correct, even if they are gonna be obnoxious about it.

Will definitely has powers which I knew before but the origin is something that I got wrong, and tbf I knew I was definitely missing pieces and a lot of my assumptions about where his powers came from was, admittedly, me projecting the story that I wanted to happen rather than what the story was showing. If the show is using an over the top AIDS metaphor then it makes a lot more sense that Will's powers were inflicted on him rather than born naturally with him (even though HIV is something that can be passed on through childbirth, but it makes more sense to be inflicted in this particular case with Will)

And granted I have not seen the show with my own two eyes, and this is all taking things from bullet points that have been filtered through the experience of someone else. Honestly until I see a slime tutorial of the show myself then I won't have the full context, so take that for what you will. And I definitely need to read more into some of these spoilers.

But what I'm thinking right now for Will (because I only ever think about him and make everything about him okay!!) is that whether or not he was targeted specifically to be kidnapped or if he happened to be taken into the Upside Down (my money is still on he was targeted) I do think that Brenner and the lab had to tools to go in and get him but they decided to let him cook in there. The reason being because Brenner wanted another blood source. El herself could also be used for this, but maybe he wanted something tainted from the original original source??????? And what I'm also thinking is that Brenner had plans to "Adam and Eve" them essentially.

But all that is just me rattling off thoughts, and again, I'm taking this all through filtered spoilers from a stage play I haven't seen yet.

[curiositydooropened]

Steve Harrington Masterlist

This blog is 18+ only. I do not give permission for any of my fics to be duplicated, reposted, or put into AI. Thank you!

Navigation • Masterlist

Series

Hell Hound - Being FWBs with metal rockstar, Eddie Munson, is all fun and games until a dozen red roses show up at your door with a warning: Stay Away from The Devil or you will die. Despite your protests, Eddie appoints his personal bodyguard to keep an eye out for you.

Ranged - After Hell brought Horror to the Heartland, America’s dirt roads and open woods began to fall to rot and ruin. To prevent further inter dimensional slips, the government dispatched several workers, such as yourselves, to travel the country saving small communities. 

Wildfire - When Hawkins opened up and slowly slipped into the Ether, you were there on the front lines. Now, nearly two years later, after the tragic loss of your best friend, you're left without a partner and a rage building inside you like a wildfire. When you're given the option to retire or partner with your rival, Steve Harrington, you struggle to put aside your differences for the sake of the world.

Late Checkout - The cursor blinked. A writing retreat at an exclusive 5-star ski resort. A New Years Eve party in the moody lodge bar. A handsome heir. A bratty bad boy. A snowstorm blocking every guest from the outside world.

Oneshots

Chamomile - A look at two semesters spent meeting, knowing, and pining after Steve Harrington. Slowburn, college parties, dorm rooms, a bit of unrequited Ronance, and unforgettable memories with friends.

• Lemonade - A look at your week in Hawkins, soaking up the summer sun with your newfound friends. A follow-up to Chamomile.

Domesticity - After the final Battle of Hawkins, Steve Harrington has been recruited to find all of Brenner's "experiments" that didn't perish under Henry Creel's hand. Undercover in Suburbia, with you under his arm playing the role of dutiful wife, Steve uncovers more truths about himself than he bargained for.

Group Therapy - Steve’s friends encouraged him to attend group therapy, to push past the nightmares and insomnia. In such a small community of sufferers, he didn’t expect to meet you.

Better Off - Four years since Argyle's wedding, Robin invited you and the gang to her boss's lake house. Hoping good memories will be made, you're forced to wrestle with some ghosts of your past.

[foundtherightwords]

The Hollow Heart - Chapter 2

Pairing: Hellcheer, Gothic AU

Summary: To escape her mother's control and the stifling society of Gilded Age New York, heiress Christabel Cunningham impulsively marries Henry Creel, a charming and seductive stranger, and accompanies him to his remote mansion on the West Coast. There, as Henry grows cold and cruel, Christabel must uncover her husband's sinister secret before it's too late. But can she trust Kas, her husband's enigmatic assistant, who seems to be her only ally in this strange place, or is Kas's loyalty to his master stronger than his attraction to Christabel?

Chapter warnings: animal death

Chapter word count: 4.9k

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 - Her Own Betrothed Knight

Christabel did have to endure a lecture about the danger of wandering off on her own, but thankfully, Mrs. Cunningham was so upset by Christabel's injury that the lecture didn't last very long. Never mind that the ankle wasn't badly sprained. It wasn't even swollen. Her mother still insisted that she stayed off it until the All Hallows' Eve ball. Christabel suspected that her mother did it not out of concern for her wellbeing, but because it made Jason more attentive toward her than ever—he even intended to cancel the picnic the next day because Christabel would not be able to join them. Christabel, already uncomfortable with him after her rejection, did not relish the idea of being stuck at the house with Jason hovering over her and being chaperoned by her mother. So she convinced him to continue with his party, while she curled up on a window seat with a book.

"Don't fret, darling," Mrs. Cunningham said, coming behind Christabel with one hand on her shoulder and the other smoothing her hair back, though she knew Christabel hated being stood over like that. "Trampling through the woods in the sun and the wind would only dry out your skin and your hair and get you nowhere at all. Better save yourself for the ball. I just had your costume taken in a little, you're going to look lovely in it—"

Christabel didn't reply. She wondered how her mother would've reacted if Christabel told her that all her scheming was for naught, that Jason had already proposed and been rejected. She wouldn't want to go to the picnic anyway—except it would be a chance for her to slip into the woods, in the hope of running into a certain someone again...

At that moment, as though summoned by her thought, there was a faint ring of the bell at the front door. She heard the soft voice of a maid answering it, and another, deeper, male's voice. Her heart started beating faster. She recognized that voice.

A maid came into the room presently. "There's a gentleman here to see you, miss," she said, bobbing a quick curtsey.

"What gentleman?" Mrs. Cunningham's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"He said his name is Henry Creel, ma'am."

"He is the one that brought me home yesterday, Mother," Christabel reminded her. She hadn't told her mother much about Mr. Creel, only saying that he was a guest from a neighboring cottage, but her mother, with her usual penchant for gossip, had discovered his identity anyway.

"Ah yes, a guest of that crackpot Brenner, is he? Some upstart from out West, Mrs. Carver told me. Have a care, Christabel. Now that he's found a way in, he's going to hang on to you like a dog to a bone until—"

"Yes, Mother, I shall bear that in mind," Christabel cut her off before she said something even more vulgar in front of the maid. For someone so concerned with decorum, Mrs. Cunningham could be shockingly nonchalant when it came to talking in front of the servants. It was as though she didn't consider them human beings with their own thoughts and feelings. Christabel nodded to the maid. "Please show him into the morning room, Mary. Thank you."

Creel was standing by the fireplace, one hand resting on the mantelpiece, looking down at the hearthrug, lost in thoughts. When Christabel came in, he lifted his eyes but didn't move from his position right away, and she was struck by a sense of déjà-vu. She had seen that pose somewhere—a painting, or a sculpture, with a person's face half-hidden by his arm, showing only his eyes. Was it a portrait of Lord Byron? No. But it was something romantic like that. Never mind. It would come to her eventually.

The sense of déjà-vu vanished as soon as Creel moved toward her with his arms outstretched. "Miss Cunningham," he said, clasping her hand in both of his. "I've come to inquire after you. How is your ankle?"

"Thank you, it's improved a great deal. But really, you needn't have bothered—"

He leaned toward her, smiling conspiratorially. "I did say you can count on seeing me again, didn't I?"

Christabel blushed. She seemed to be doing so a lot around Creel. "Yes, but I didn't expect it would be so soon." A discreet cough behind her reminded her of her mother's presence, and she reluctantly made the introduction. As Creel bowed over Mrs. Cunningham's hand, Christabel could see that her mother was not impervious to his physical charms, for all her attempts to remain aloof. Mrs. Cunningham was briefly interested to learn that Creel's family came from the nearby village of Ringwood, but when he said it was over two hundred years ago and that his father made his fortune out West, her interest quickly waned and her manners turned frosty. Her mother had always been a snob about family name and lineage, and Christabel doubted she would ever approve of Creel, not even if his forefathers had been on the Mayflower.

"And have you made any further discovery about your family's history?" Christabel asked, to fill in the awkward silence.

"Not yet, but Dr. Brenner have told me about the ruins of a settlement not far from Tuxedo Lake," Creel said. "If this nice weather continues, I intend to investigate it more closely. Perhaps you would care to join—"

Mrs. Cunningham made a disapproving noise in her throat, and Christabel gave Creel an apologetic look. He did not seem to notice anything amiss. He gently led Christabel to a chair by the window, keeping up a stream of easy chatter with both her and her mother, talking about San Francisco, about New York and how he wished he could visit it more often—polite, impersonal talk that meant nothing at all, but from the way those blue eyes fixed on her, she could tell there were things he'd like to say to her but was prevented by her mother's presence.

After fifteen minutes, the minimum amount one could entertain a guest without appearing rude, Mrs. Cunningham stood up, signifying the visit was over, and claiming Christabel needed her rest. Creel stood up as well, with regret plainly written over his handsome face. He thanked them for a lovely chat, wished Christabel a speedy recovery, and moved toward the front door.

"I hope we'll have the pleasure of seeing you again, Mr. Creel," Mrs. Cunningham said, in a voice that meant quite the opposite.

"Thank you, ma'am, so do I," he said.

"Will we, though?" Christabel asked, lowering her voice so her mother wouldn't hear.

"You can count upon it," he whispered, extending a hand to her.

They shook hands. The book Christabel had been reading, which she forgot she was still holding, slipped out of her hand and clattered to the ground. Before she could reach for it, Creel had bent down, picked it up, and pressed it into her hand. When she frowned at the feel of the book in her hand, he gave her a discreet wink, bowed to her mother, who was still hovering behind, then turned and left.

Only when she was back in the privacy of her room that Christabel felt safe enough to look at what she was holding—not one, but two books. Creel had slipped her another while picking up her first one. It was Tales, by Edgar Allan Poe. Christabel felt a surge of excitement mixed with gratitude for Creel's discretion and consideration. Her mother would never approve of such morbid reading material.

There was a name written on the flyleaf—"M. Brenner". Christabel grinned to herself. Creel must have scoured his host's bookshelf for this one. As she turned the pages, a note fluttered out. With quickening pulse, she picked it up. In a slanting, elegant hand, it said, "I believe a lady named after a Coleridge heroine would appreciate the romantic and macabre genius of Mr. Poe." And, a little lower, "If you wish to escape the castle, I shall be waiting. Same time, same place tomorrow. H."

***

The difficult part had been to convince her mother that her ankle would improve with some light exercise. When her mother suggested she took a turn around the Carvers' garden, Christabel had exploded—the reaction may have been exaggerated to frighten her mother, who hated public displays of emotions of any kind, but the frustration was very real. "Am I a dog, to be held on a leash?" she'd said. "Why don't I start wearing a veil in public too, while you're at it?"

It had worked. Her mother had agreed to let her take a walk around the lake but insisted that she took one of the Carvers' maids with her. After that, it had been the simple matter of bribing the girl with a few coins so she could slip away undetected.

As she walked, Christabel wondered what had prompted her to have a clandestine rendezvous with a man she'd met only the day before. He was attractive, to be sure, and very kind and gentlemanly, in a quiet, mild-mannered way that felt more natural and genuine than the excessive gallantry of her other suitors. But it was more than that. He came from another world. She knew little of the West, but a place where men could make their fortunes and become respectable regardless of their origins was bound to be different from the rigid, suffocating world she was living in. When he scooped her up into his arms, his movement so decisive and casual, she'd imagined she had been touched by that other world, and she longed to feel that touch again.

Creel was sitting under the oak when she arrived, cutting a dashing figure with his bare head and his body in recline. Again, Christabel felt that sense of déjà-vu. She must remember which painting it was that reminded her of him.

He looked up from the notebook in which he was writing or sketching and smiled at her. A flock of butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

"I was getting quite impatient," he said.

"I had to distract my mother."

"I didn't get you into trouble, did I?" Creel peered at her with concern. "I would've come to the house, but I have a feeling that she won't appreciate my visit."

Christabel sighed. "My apologies, Mr. Creel. My mother can be—"

He made a dismissive gesture with his pencil. "Never mind that. I'm glad you came."

She sat down on a clump of grass opposite him. The sunlight scattered through the leaves, throwing speckles of gold over his face, so one of his eyes shone while the other remained in shadow. The gleam in that eye threw the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy, and she had to look down to hide her fluster.

"How did you know I wished to escape?" she asked, fingering a fold in her dress.

He smiled, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world. "How could you not?" he said. "Five minutes with that crowd and I would have run for the hills."

"Is the San Francisco society not like that?"

"I daresay it is, but I don't know for certain. I don't spend much time in society, to be honest. I'm too busy with my studies."

So perhaps it was not his world that was different, it was Creel himself. "What do you study?" Christabel asked.

"A little bit of everything. History. Science. Literature. Speaking of which, how do you like Mr. Poe?"

"Very much. I finished the book in one sitting." She neglected to say that she'd had to read it under the covers, for fear of being found out by her mother. She didn't want Creel to think she was still a schoolgirl. "Did Dr. Brenner mind losing it?"

An enigmatic smile appeared on Creel's lips. "What Brenner doesn't know can't hurt him."

"Of course, he's rather obsessed with death, isn't he? Mr. Poe I mean, not Dr. Brenner."

"Aren't we all?"

"Not just death in general either, but premature death and false death, specifically," Christabel said. The fates of Madeline Usher and Fortunato were still haunting her.

"Because those are the most horrible." Mr. Creel's eyes turned dark. "When you die before your time, or when others think you're dead and you're powerless to tell them. Can you imagine?"

Perhaps this was not the most romantic subject of conversation, but nobody had spoken to her with so much openness and honesty. Usually, when she tried to discuss books and music with another man, she could only nod and go along with whatever opinion he had, or she would be labeled a bluestocking and a bore and catch the eyes of no other man. At least that was what her mother had told her.

"Have you investigated the ruins that Dr. Brenner told you about?" she said after a moment, for Creel's eyes were still dark, and she wished to dispel that look.

"I have, but they're not the right one. Far too recent."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not." Creel turned his eyes upon her, the one eye that shone in the sun now sparkled with quite a different light. "In fact, I hope my search takes a long time."

"Why?"

"So I can keep seeing you."

Christabel turned crimson. Later, as they said goodbye, she didn't ask if she would see him again. She knew that she would.

***

They did see each other again, almost every day after that. They talked a great deal, or rather, Creel talked and Christabel listened. He told her about his house overlooking the San Francisco Bay and about his travels—he had traveled widely; it seemed there were few places left in America that he hadn't set foot on, and in Europe as well. "My dream, though, is to travel to the Far East," he said. "Japan and China. Especially China. There's a lot of Chinese people in San Francisco, you know, and their culture fascinates me. It's one of the oldest civilizations in the world. I think it would be something to see it with my own eyes."

"I always wish I could travel," Christabel replied, wishing she could say something more interesting or share some travel anecdotes of her own. Her stories of Newport and the Catskills must sound awfully provincial to him.

He also told her about his studies—his current interest was medicine from plants and animals. All the while, Christabel could only listen in fascination and admiration, wondering how he managed to do so much and learn so much and go to so many places at such a young age. And her yearning for that world he'd opened to her, a world of newness, excitement, and sophistication, grew and grew, only she no longer wished to be simply touched by that world. Now she wished to be a part of it, with him.

Then something happened that derailed their time together.

It was three days before the ball. There was no entertainment planned for that day, and Mrs. Carver wanted everybody out of the house so they could start decorating and preparing for the ball. Jason and the others were talking about going down to the lake for some boating and fishing, when Mr. Carver received a telephone call in his study. The Carvers had just had their telephone installed, and its shrill, unaccustomed ringing echoed in the hall ominously. A moment later, Mr. Carver emerged, looking strangely pale and shaken. Mrs. Carver fluttered into the study with a frightened look. The guests mingling outside heard some murmurings, and then Mrs. Carver's voice raised in irritation, saying, "Nonsense! It has nothing to do with us. Besides, we have been preparing for days." She came out of the study, looking quite put out, and could be heard muttering under her breath, "The old crackpot! Even in death he was a nuisance!" as she fluttered to the back to go through the menu with the French chef once more.

Finally, Jason managed to learn the truth from his father—Dr. Brenner had been found dead in his house the previous night.

He had been found in his library by his servant, with an unmarked bottle next to him. There was to be an inquest, though in all likelihood, it would be a formality only—the body showed every symptom of poison, the library was locked from the inside, and everyone knew Brenner's penchant for the occult. No doubt it was the result of some foolish experiment. Mr. Carver had considered canceling the ball out of respect, but fortunately, Mrs. Carver had convinced—or perhaps bullied—him to carry on as planned.

This didn't stop the guests from feeling excited about the prospect of a murderer in their midst and exchanging theories on how Brenner had really died.

"What about that mysterious guest of his, the one who brought you back that day, Christabel?" one of the girls said. "Might he have something to do with this?"

"I don't know," replied Christabel, though she was worrying about the same thing. She couldn't believe Creel had anything to do with Dr. Brenner's death, but she was worried that this death and the inquest may keep him from seeing her. And with her mother getting into one of her fits and forbidding Christabel from even setting foot outdoors—as though a murderer was lying in wait and ready to pounce on her—she didn't know if she could go to the woods again. She hadn't realized how much she had been looking forward to their daily meeting until it stopped.

That evening, she was wandering around the garden, feeling listless and despondent, when she heard a whisper nearby, "Miss Cunningham?"

Christabel bit back a startled cry. A shadow detached itself from the privet hedge and came to stand in front of her. It was a young man, as dark as Creel was fair. His skin was pale, and his eyes and hair appeared black in the moonlight. "Sorry, miss," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Mr. Creel's servant."

He was holding himself awkwardly, as though trying to make himself smaller, less noticeable. Somehow, this awkwardness made Christabel's initial fear vanish. "Is Mr. Creel all right?" she asked.

"Yes. He couldn't come himself because he's being questioned by the police." The young man pulled a note from his pocket and handed it to her. "He asked me to bring you a message."

Christabel went over to a gas lamp and opened the note. Her eyes fell on Creel's familiar slanting hand: "Meet me by the oak tomorrow, 10 AM. H." Emotions flooded her heart, mostly joy and relief.

She looked up to see the young man still standing there, as if waiting for something. "Thank you," she said. "Please tell him I'll be there."

He nodded but made no move to leave. Christabel remembered and searched her pockets for a coin for his tip, but came up empty. "I'm sorry, I don't have any money on me—"

"I don't want your money!" For a moment, his diffidence was gone, replaced by a brief look of rage. That, too, disappeared in a flash, though the man's hands remained balled into fists. "Begging your pardon, miss," he said, controlling his voice with difficulty. "But... if I were you, I wouldn't go."

With those enigmatic words, he vanished into the dark, leaving Christabel alone with the note.

***

The next morning, she managed to escape her mother and slip away. She went to the old oak tree and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Creel's familiar figure leaning against it. He still smiled at her, though his eyes were grim, and when she offered him her hand in greeting, he took it in a tight grip.

"What's happened?" she asked. "Is there going to be an inquest for Dr. Brenner's death? Will you have to make a statement?"

He shook his head. "The police seemed pretty confident that the poison was self-administered. They are going to rule it a suicide, or perhaps an accident." Christabel breathed more easily, but Creel's eyes remained dark. "I blame myself," he muttered.

"Surely you have nothing to do with it? You said so yourself, he took the poison of his own volition."

"I knew that Brenner was interested in alchemy and the elixir of life and things like that," Creel said. "But I didn't realize he would be so foolish as to attempt to brew one himself and drink it without testing it first. I should have warned him."

"No." Christabel laid a hand on his arm. "It was not your fault. You couldn't possibly know that."

He looked down at her hand, then up at her face, and something in his eyes set her pulse pounding.

"I'm returning to San Francisco soon," he said.

Her heart went cold. "Because of Dr. Brenner's death?"

"No. Because I've found what I was looking for."

"Your village?"

"Better. The remains of my family's cottage. Would you like to see?"

She nodded, and, still holding her hand, he led her through the trees, to the north end of the lake. Christabel followed him, trying to feel happy for him, but she couldn't stop the disappointment from rising within her, disappointment at the thought that he would go away, back to that free and easy world, while she would be stuck here, perhaps for the rest of her life.

They stopped at a clearing surrounded by elms and oaks, all glorious in their autumnal coats. There was something like a boulder or a cairn in the middle of the clearing, covered so completely with ivy that Christabel almost missed it. Creel knelt to spread the ivy apart, and Christabel saw that it was actually the remains of a stone fireplace.

"Look," he pointed to a smooth, flat stone at the back, where a large "C" had been carved.

"C for Creel?" Christabel asked, astonished.

"Yes."

"How long ago did your ancestors live here?"

"About two hundred years."

The thought of all that history now gone and buried in the ground under her feet made Christabel forget her heartache for a moment. "And did they move away, or—"

"No." Creel's face was somber. "The mother and the daughter died in mysterious circumstances, and the father was accused of killing them by witchcraft. He was hanged. Only the son survived."

Christabel's body grew cold with horror. Sometimes, caught in all the comfort and ease of modern life, she forgot how violent the history of their country was. She couldn't think of anything to say other than "Oh." Just then, the morning sun shone into the clearing, and her eyes caught something sparkling amongst the stones. "What's that?"

Creel dug into the daub, which had all but crumbled to dust, and pulled out something not bigger than the palm of her hand, covered in dirt. Red glints showed through here and there in the sunlight.

"My word!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe it!"

Pulling out his handkerchief, he wiped the dirt off of his discovery. It was a piece of stained glass, in the shape of a rose. "Do you know what you've found?" he said, awe in his voice. "It's our family crest. My ancestors brought it over from England and put it on the cottage's front door. I have something similar at my house in San Francisco. It's extraordinary that it was still here and intact after all this time." He beamed up at her. "I knew you would be valuable to me in some ways. I knew it the first moment I saw you."

The look in his eyes sent her heart into a somersault. Somehow she managed to open her mouth, and was about to say something back, something silly and girlish and inadequate, when she was interrupted by a scream that rent the air.

For a heart-stopping moment, she thought it was a woman or a child in distress, but when the scream continued, it became clear that it was an animal. Creel slipped the bit of stained glass into his pocket, jumped to his feet, and ran toward the elms. They soon discovered the source of the scream—a hare, caught in a steel trap. Blood pooled around the places where the cruel sharp teeth cut into its hind leg, but it was still alive, its eyes fixed on them with an imploring, almost human look.

"Oh please, please help him!" cried Christabel.

Creel stood looking down at the hare. "There's no helping it," he said. "But I can put it out of its misery."

"No!"

"Its leg is broken, Miss Cunningham." His voice was harsh. "Even if I free it, it would be lame and soon fall prey to a fox or an eagle. This is kinder." He took off his gloves. "Look away."

Christabel told herself she should just leave, she who always took care to never be present at the kill on a hunt, but some terrible force had gotten a hold of her, rooting her to the spot, making it impossible for her to tear her eyes away from the hare, from its chest still moving rapidly, from the twitching whiskers and the pink ears with red veins that stood out against the sunlight. Only when Creel snarled, "Look away, Miss Cunningham!" that she remembered herself and raised a trembling hand to cover her eyes.

There was a squeak, then silence. She lowered her hand. Creel was covering up the little body with dry leaves. "This trap was no doubt set by a poacher," he said, pulling his gloves on. "We should let someone know."

Somehow, the casual way with which he pulled on his gloves horrified her more than anything else. It finally shocked her out of her daze, and she turned and ran out of the clearing, chest heaving with sobs.

She didn't realize Creel had chased after her until she felt his strong grip on her shoulders, turning her around, and she found herself in his arms, hot tears staining his waistcoat, while he said, "Stop it, Miss Cunningham. I can't stand tears. If you don't stop crying, I'm going to have to do something quite drastic to stop you." Then his embrace turned into a caress, as his hands ran from her shoulders to her waist, and he pulled her to him and clasped his mouth to hers.

She was rooted to the spot again, not by some unknown force this time, but by the power of his arms and his body and most of all his mouth, a force that robbed her of her breath and her thoughts and her senses, leaving her with no choice but to submit to it.

A moment later, or a lifetime later, she felt the pressure of his mouth lift, but his arms remained around her. "I can't imagine leaving this place without you," he whispered in her ear. "Will you come with me, Christabel?" His kiss had left her so breathless that she couldn't answer right away. "Say yes," he said, a note of urgency in his voice. "Say yes now, or—"

"Yes," she said weakly, almost before she could think. It was as though he had put the word in her mouth and it had come out by itself, with no control from her. She opened her eyes and saw that the sun had gone behind the clouds, leaving the clearing gray and dreary. She couldn't help remembering, too, that they were standing on the ruins of a family home destroyed by tragedy, and that an animal lay dead at their feet. It was certainly not her ideal place for a proposal. But she didn't care. All she cared was that she was going to be free.

***

They agreed that Christabel would inform Mrs. Cunningham of their engagement the next morning, and if her mother approved, Christabel would send Henry a message and they would ask for her blessing together, after the ball. And if she didn't... well, they would deal with that together as well.

As she went to bed that night, Christabel wondered if she'd been too hasty. But, she reasoned with herself, others had gotten married after just one encounter, one look across a ballroom. And when she thought about how Henry made her feel—she thought of him as "Henry" now, with a certain relish—and the promise of freedom he brought, all her doubts were silenced.

There was one thing she couldn't get out of her head, though—it was the image of Henry standing over the hare, calmly putting his gloves back on. It disturbed her, though she did not know why. He'd been right, of course. It had been an act of mercy. Yet he had stood over that poor suffering hare not like an angel of mercy, but more like an avenging angel.

And with the thought of angels, it came to her in a flash, what she had been trying to remember since his first visit to the Carver mansion—what Henry's pose by the fireplace had reminded her of. It was The Fallen Angel, the painting by Alexandre Cabanel, whose reproduction she had seen in a book. Yes, he had looked exactly like it, with his tousled hair and that strange, intense look in his eyes, half of pain, half of rage. Exactly like Lucifer, after his fall from Heaven.

Chapter 3

A/N: Originally, Eddie/Kas wasn't supposed to show up until Chapter 3, but I got impatient so I had to give him an early appearance here :))

This is "The Fallen Angel" by Alexandre Cabanel, in case you're wondering.

[dannyreviews]

Cinema Legends Turning 100 in 2025

Another year, another group of possible centenarians.

Dick Van Dyke - actor, singer

June Lockhart - actress

Lee Grant - actress, director

Thelma Ruby - actress

Pete Murray - actor, DJ

Michael Beint - actor

Lise Bourdin - actress

Kerima - actress

Brigitte Auber - actress

Alan Bergman - lyricist

Les Colodny - screenwriter

Peggy Webber - actress, screenwriter

Janette Bertrand - actress, screenwriter

Alan Shayne - actor, casting director

Joe Hale - animator, producer (center) (Update: Died on January 29, 2025 at age 99)

Phyllis Dalton - costume designer (Update: Died on January 9, 2025 at age 99)

Hal Gurnee - director, producer (Update: Made it to 100)

Yoshiki Onoda - director

Barthold Halle - director

Bathsheba Garnett - actress

Noel De Souza - actor

Eve Brenner - actress

Hilkka Kinnunen - actress

Al Hyslop - producer

Adele Addison - actress, opera singer, playback singer

Blanche Marvin - actress, screenwriter, critic

Erich Scholz - actor

Jose Torres - actor

Lao Shen - actor

Bob Graham - actor, singer

Ewa Krasnodebska - actress

(no photo available)

Masao Hayama - actor

(no photo available)

Hubert Frank - director

(no photo available)

Shelia Mitchell - actress

(no photo available)

Yoshihiro Ishikawa - screenwriter

(no photo available)

Larry Kostroff - production manager

(no photo available)

Leonard S. Smith Jr. - production manager/assistant director

(no photo available)

Nicholas Sgarro - director, script supervisor

(no photo available)

Piet Kamerman - actor

(no photo available)

[ananke-xiii]

Jack and Eleven, the tropes of the evil and monstrous children.

I need an AU world where Jack from "Supernatural" and Eleven from "Stranger Things" meet and they are like that Ben Affleck smoking a cigarette meme. “Stranger Things” is not over yet so I can’t draw final conclusions but it’s still fun to see the similarities and differences between these two characters born out of the creative minds of American screenwriters circa 2015-2016.

Pre-birth

So far we only know a general outline of what happened before Eleven's birth. We know that her mother was literally used for experimental purposes in Hawkins National Laboratory but there's a rather unsettling blank as to how she got pregnant. Jack’s pre-birth story can be pretty much summarized as “Lucifer was throwing a tantrum and experiencing the ups and downs of having god-complex problems when your father is the literal God”. While we're not showed Jack's actual birth, we unfortunately see the moment before conception, a moment of deception and abuse to the detriment of his mother. Additionally, both Jack and his mother are referred as one famous pair: Rosemary complete with the baby. I hope this was a non-subtle way with which the writers wanted to signal us the underlying abuse but I have my doubts.

The mothers

Terry Ives and Kelly Kline have been violently abused, period. Terry’s story is perhaps even more tragic because of the sufferings she had to endure during her “participation” in the MKUltra Project. Kelly suffered severe trauma during her pregnancy and died after giving birth to Jack. Terry tried to get her daughter back (she was likely taken away from her after birth) only to be restrained and removed from the facility. She's still alive but in a catatonic state and we don't yet know if it was induced nor what happened after she got thrown out of the laboratory.

The fathers

Both Jack and Eleven have multiple father-figures. Jack’s biological father is the President of the United States possessed by Lucifer while his putative father is Castiel. Eleven’s biological father is unknown so far but who she considered as her “Papa” while she was a kid was Doctor Brenner. Her putative father is Jim Hopper. In this respect, Supernatural writers were bolder because Jack explicitly states that his father is Castiel, not Lucifer. Although they didn’t pick up on that in season 14, it still was something quite powerful that briefly broke from the never-ending “I am your father” reveals that perpetuate ancient-as-fuck theories about the predominance of the biological father in the formation of the subject. This doesn’t happen in “Stranger Things” and unfortunately I think we’ll have an “I am your father” reveal in season 5 which bleah ( I dream of a day where screenwriters will break from the "Star Wars" spell, guys you need to move on, there is a life to live, bikes to ride, roads to walk, sunsets to enjoy. LET.GO.).  Both Lucifer and Doctor Brenner are the bad and evil fathers, while Castiel and Hopper are both PTSD-suffering former soldiers who… let’s say they try to do their best to be the protective caring fathers.

The birth

We don’t yet know much about Eleven’s birth but we’ve partially seen it from her point of view (that was a ballsy, fantastic move, well done to “Stranger Things” doing proper homework on trauma). Jack’s birth, on the other hand, checks all the boxes of the birth of the “monster” as “prodigy”: massive power outage, a rift between worlds was opened, the usual.  Unlike Eleven, Jack is… a bit “different” because he is both angel and human so he gets to grow up super-fast after his birth.

The training

They both get some training to do because people want them to use their power to open a gate into a different dimension. In Eleven’s case things are way more awful, she didn’t get the Sam-Winchester-weak-ass training of moving pencils and talk about feelings, she was literally used as lab rat by Doctor Brenner stripped of her identity, branded with a 011 and even her name, Jane, was changed into said number. However, Jack did end up in the other dimension he had opened the rift to, got captured, maybe tortured (?) and eventually found himself to fight in a random war he had nothing to do with. So, you know. They eventually both grow up as...

The weapon

Both characters are compared to weapons multiple times in their respective shows.

The loss of powers

Both Eleven and Jack lose their powers at some point.  While Eleven has to re-start her traumatizing and abusive training sessions with Doctor Brenner, Jack does… whatever the hell they made him do it, i.e. the usual cannibalization of other angels’ grace etc. (which, to the writers' credit, is still thematic since the random war he was fighting was against the same angel he ended up cannibalizing, everything works in full circle etc etc).

The underground

Although in Jack’s case it wasn’t intentional (since the bunker already existed well before his birth), both characters are raised in an underground, hospital/military-like facility.

The performance

They both perform a “normal” persona for other people’s benefit. In Jack’s case, this persona is an infantilized, less-threatening version of himself. Eleven, on the other hand, performs femininity: in each season there are different people who put make-up on her face and who give her different styles of clothing and hairstyles. In season 4 she lies to Mike and pretends to be a popular girl in school who has a lot of friends while, in reality, she gets violently bullied by her peers. And this leads to…

The sacrifice

People rely on their power to solve problems or they’re too concerned with the way they decide to use their own power. It seems that everybody agrees that said power should be used for “good” but recoil when accidents happen or when both Jack and Eleven end up using their power for somethig less... “good”. This results in both characters having heart-breaking self-sacrificing tendencies, they seem themselves as monsters who need to prove themselves worthy of the human status. They sense when people who’re supposed to love them are scared of them and it makes them want to become "better" or more like "everybody else". I said heart-breaking because, while it may be a tiny bit less obvious in Jack’s case, it’s strikingly and visibly evident in Eleven’s story that theirs is the realest tragic story ever, the story of the children who get sacrificed for the" greater good" (I am, once again, begging storytellers to change this narrative, it can be done, the world will not end, I personally promise). She's got the weight of the world on her shoulders and people have these huge expectations of her ability to save them from evil and death while she's just this tiny, abused, traumatized and scared child. I don't know, man. My heart cries when I see certain scenes, I can't take them anymore.

The trauma

Eleven manages to “relive” her past and see it for what it is in all its horror. This allows her to break free from her evil father’s leash and see what he has really done to her (although more is to come for sure but she’s on an interesting journey of self-discovery). Jack, on the other hand, doesn’t get to break free from his trauma. He tries to find meaning by visiting his biological past in the shape of his maternal grandparents but there’s nothing for him there. Maybe his trauma is that he never was a child, he was forced to grow up too soon and, even though he’s the most powerful being on earth, he’s still also a human who has the right to go through all human experiences.

Friends

The second thing that set them aside the most is the presence/absence of friends. Eleven’s got quite a few of them and this is especially important to her growth. It’s not just about her family, it’s about an extended system of support who cares about her. Jack, on the other hand, sadly doesn’t have the same support.

I think I could go on forever but I’ll stop here to reflect on how Jack is mostly framed as “evil” while Eleven is almost always compared to a “monster”. Jack's story is very much tied up to morality while Eleven's to deviancy and craziness. They’re both presented as white, able-bodied, young humans who have “something” inside of them that makes them different. People around them are very quick to pick up that “different” vibe but very few people are willing to go beyond and look at the constant trauma that is their life. I think that Jack’s story doesn’t ultimately end well for him so I really, really hope the same won’t happen to Jane/Eleven.

[fallenstar193]

**Name**: Valentina Torres

**Age**: 18

**Occupation**: Part Time Music Record Worker

**Personality**: Valentina Torres is a vivacious and confident woman with a flair for the dramatic. Her presence lights up any room she enters, and her fashion sense is unparalleled. She’s known for her bold and vibrant style, never shying away from making a statement with her outfits, which are always on-trend and impeccably put together.

Valentina has an unapologetic sense of self-assuredness and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. She possesses a sharp wit and a quick sense of humor, often using her clever quips to disarm anyone who tries to challenge her. Her friends admire her for her loyalty and fierce protectiveness, as she would go to great lengths to support and defend them.

Despite her sassy exterior, Valentina has a warm heart and a deep sense of compassion. She’s a passionate advocate for causes she believes in and isn’t afraid to stand up for what’s right. Her combination of sassiness and sincerity makes her a captivating and unforgettable presence in the lives of those lucky enough to know her.

**Background**: Valentina life was pretty stable while being in a poor family. But there was happiness until it was shatter when her town was destroyed by the act of Martin Brenner. Blood and death surrounded the poor girl as her parents tried to escape with their daughter. But it ended in failure as they were chased by the soldiers and killed, but Valentina was not deliver with a killing. Instead she was held captive and forced to leave her town. Valentina didn’t know what would happen to her nor the gift she possessed. But all that was left in Valentina’s  heart was nothing but bitterness and emptiness. 

But what was waiting for Valentina was something much terrible.Forced to endure hellish experiments with other unknown kids she had never met.  

Some kids didn’t survive from these experiments. Valentina was one of the survivors who had excel in results Brenner wanted. Through these events alter her power. Gaining a second ability through the mutation of her blood. Being label as the Blood Maidan within the research files. Soon enough Valentina began to build a high pain tolerance from the countless experiments. Out of worry that Valentina might rebel and break out of the lab Martin had Valentina placed into a cyrostasis slumber, hidden away in the depths of the Hawkins national laboratory.

To which the idea worked as Valentina was in the state of docile and stable. When the massacre had happen,her pod had malfunctioned. Allowing Valentina out to which she took the moment of chaos to escape and finally have the freedom she desperately wanted. Wandering around the woods for some hours until she stumble upon a home of a old women. Sure it was creepy for a strange women in a hospital gown approach the home. However the old women felt pity for Valentina and decided to nurse her back to full health. It was strange that the old lady would care for her, though it did touched Valentina’s heart. Reminding her of the lost family she once had. This resulted in Valentina staying with the old women and trying to reform back into society.

**Powers**

Telekinesis: The ability to levitate/move a person or thing by her mind. Though this does strain Valentina. Causing her to gain nose bleeds if she over uses this ability. 

Immense Pain Tolerance: Valentina has an immense tolerance towards any kind of physical pain. 

Self Blood Manipulation- Valentina develop a secondary ability to control her blood if spilled. She is able to form spikes or even a lance. But it does not last long since it uses a lot of her strength.

Extra: Valentina’s brithday is new years eve, as well as being the last day of the year on the gregorian calendar

When Valentina  uses too much power, she will fall into deep slumber for a day.

She’s a foodie so if anyone wanted to get on her good side. Then food is the way. 

Valentina can be forgetful due to the trauma she had faced years before. So sometimes she will forget a task.

Valentina does on rare occasion have a nightmare of the facility. And the horrors she had to witness. A place she refuses to return to no matter what. 

Quotes:

”Music for me is an escape for my mind.” 

”Love? So that’s the funny emotion I was experiencing. It’s conflicting for me.”

”For this world to balance. There must be good and bad. If you destroy the other everything will crumble.” 

“I don't know how to roller skate. You better not laugh.” 

”I want to protect you? I can't explain it but I won't let anyone hurt you.”

[henrysglock]

I fully and truly believe ST1 Brenner was trying to kidnap Will to restart his “program” using El. All the Henry paralleling with Will, all the Edward paralleling with El…it screams “New Adam and Eve”.

1983 was set up perfectly to be 1959 all over again. Dead mother, dead sibling, kidnapped kid, father blamed for it and sent away. The only difference is that Jonathan was unexpectedly away during the attack, and Henward got to Will before Brenner could. Brenner had a fully realistic body ready for Will, he had the police set to cover it up, all the same as 1959 with the Creels.

I maintain that Joyce and Jonathan would have died that night like Virginia and Alice if they had been home, and that the Creel murders were doctored after the fact by HNL to make it look like Victor did it. If they could do it to Victor “Family Man” Creel, then Lonnie “Abusive Screw-Up” Byers would have been a no-brainer.

Henward just got there first, in our timeline (Not that he didn’t end up doing something similar with those slugs, but he’s not Brenner about it if you catch my drift. Less of a calculated breeding program, and more of a “pompilid spider wasp using a golden cartwheel spider as a host for its egg”.)

I can’t say the same for his timeline, though:

This newspaper, which also happens to be the one that conflates Joyce and Terry, putting Will and El in narrative similar positions to Henry and Edward in the 1959 papers. Henry and Edward, taken as genetically pure identical twins. El, kept in the lab because her genetics are pure. Will, taken because Brenner sees a new Henry to restart the program.

So while no, I don’t think Will was ever a number/lab kid pre-1983…I do think Brenner wanted him, since El brought his little breeding program to a screeching halt in 1979. And as every funded scientist knows…no subjects-> no results -> no money. Brenner needed another half for El, and desperately so.

Will was meant to be his brand new Henry.

Also, not to mothergate this too much, but…

Will with all his young Henry parallels (sensitive artist child, queer)…El with all her lab Edward parallels (Angela’s attack and her killing the agents in ST1 are direct parallels with the massacre in ST4)…Henward being “twins” not by birth but by circumstance via timelines…Jane and El seeming to be in a similar position as timeline twins like Henward…Willel also being “twins” not by birth but by circumstance…

Brenner looking to replace Henward, the first Adam and Eve. Brenner just couldn’t DIY a boy from Jane the way he could DIY a girl from Edward. Thus: needing Will, who seems similar enough to Henry (if not even more docile) that the program should be able to continue as it had been in 1979.

[elizajduclos]

8 Female-authored summer reads!

The summer is when I do most of my reading, lounging on the beach with an ice-cold lemonade. Doesn't that sound so good right about now? Get that summer feeling with my 8 summer reading picks by female authors!

The Better Yet Blog is a growing catalogue of articles where you can better your closet, beauty, body, mind, and life. Follow our blog to never miss a post! It's not about becoming perfect, its about becoming better yet.

Click "keep reading" below to check out my TBR (to be read) list!

The Summer book by Tove Jansson

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson is full of humor and wisdom. It follows a summer trip between an artist grandma and her six-year-old granddaughter. On an island in the gulf of Finland they learn each others fears, whims, and yearnings. This story is the perfect heart-warming tale!

Endless Summer by Elin Hilderbrand

When I am looking for a quick read, I love to check out short story collections. The best part of them is that you can get through one or two, even three, stories in one sitting. Endless Summer is the perfect book for long-time fans and new readers as she revisits some of her most beloved characters! One such story is “The Tailgate” which revisits the story of Hilderbrand’s book The Matchmaker.

Playing with Matches by Hannah Orenstein

If you liked The Matchmaker, you need to check out Playing with Matches by Hannah Orenstein. This is the book I am currently reading, and I’m about 65% of the way through. This story is a perfect balance of eccentric clients and main character Sasha’s rollercoaster personal life. I must say, I am loving this book so far!

Gilt by Jamie Brenner

Gilt by Jamie Brenner is next up on my TBR - as I wait for it on hold at my library. In the same realm of Succession, Gilt follows the story of three sisters divided by the family diamond business. After a decade, main character Gemma is the only granddaughter and also a jewelry designer. She is working toward success for herself and the legacy of her mother who passed away. This book is perfect for lovers of family drama, with a little glitz!

Silenced in Sequins by Debra Sennefelder

Silenced in Sequins is part of a series by Debra Sennefelder, but can also be read as a stand alone. This book follows Kelly Quinn as she transforms her grandmother’s old consignment store into a hot spot for fashion lovers around town. She receives a dress that becomes the center of a public riff between two Long Island Ladies tv-show stars, when one of them ends up dead! It seems that only Kelly can get to the bottom of this and save the reputation of her store.

Fatal Inheritance by Rachel Rhys

Lovers of historical fiction must check out Fatal Inheritance, set in 1930, by Rachel Rhys. Eve, in her loveless marriage, receives a letter one day of an inheritance from a wealthy stranger. She travels to the French Rivera to the villa left just for her, but discovers a group of people that will do anything to take it from her. Before things become sinister, she needs to uncover the mystery of the letter and the person who sent it.

Going Dark by Melissa de la Cruz

Told through social media posts, diary entries, and firsthand accounts, Going Dark is a 2023 release by Melissa de la Cruz. The reader goes through the mysterious disappearance of influencer Amelia Ashley. When Ashley failed to show up her boyfriend left their romantic Rome vacation without her. Meanwhile, a hacker is untangling her social media web. Then, the reader learns of another girl who went missing two years prior - could this be a coincidence? Going Dark is the perfect read for fans of true crime to put their detective skills to use.

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

The Club written Collette Lyons, alongside her husband Paul Viltos. Island Home is a newly-launching and exclusive retreat for celebrities and a-listers. The invite list is sure to bring a group of “beautiful people with their own ugly secrets.” Yet, before the party even gets started, tensions rise between Island Home employees. The Club is a thriller sure to leave you on the edge of your seat - or edge of your beach chair.

Now that you know what I'm reading this summer, I would love to hear what is on your TBR list and which one of these you are going to check out. Learn more about them by clicking the links above!

[amruta1]

Forecasting the Medical Spa Market : Industry Size, Growth, and Key Trends from 2024 to 2032

Global Medical Spa Market size and share is currently valued at USD 18.39 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to generate an estimated revenue of USD 64.69 billion by 2032, according to the latest study by Polaris Market Research. Besides, the report notes that the market exhibits a robust 15.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the forecasted timeframe, 2024 - 2032

Our newly published research report titled Medical Spa Market Insights offers a comprehensive analysis of the rapidly growing market. It highlights all the key factors anticipated to drive growth while shedding light on potential challenges and opportunities that could emerge in the market in the upcoming years. The market assessment includes a thorough analysis of Medical Spa market share, size, gross margin, and CAGR. The research report has been prepared using industry-standard methodologies to offer a thorough assessment of the major market participants and their market scope.

All the data and information provided in the study are curated and verified by expert analysts to provide a reliable and accurate market analysis. Also, pictorial representations such as tables, charts, and graphs have been used to enhance decision making and improve business strategy. The research report is a must-read for anyone involved or interested in the market in any form.

Key Report Features:

Comprehensive Market Data: Provides a thorough market examination of annual sales, current market size, and anticipated Medical Spa market growth rate during the forecast period.

Regional Analysis: Thorough analysis of all the major regions and sub-regions in the market.

Company Profiles: An in-depth assessment of all the leading market participants and emerging businesses.

Customization: Report customization as per your requirements with respect to countries, regions, and segmentation.

Major Market Participants:

The research report includes a comprehensive competitive landscape section that helps businesses understand their competitors and the market in which they operate. All the major Medical Spa market players have been covered in the report. By going through the competitive landscape, businesses can identify their competitors and understand their strengths and weaknesses. Also, businesses can better examine the products/services of their competitors and evaluate their offers and pricing. All the major competitive analysis frameworks, including SWOT analysis and PESTEL analysis, have been included in the research study to offer a thorough assessment of the market’s competitive scenario. Here are a few of the key players operating in the market:

Browse Full Insights

The top players operating in the market are:

Biovital medspa

Chic La Vie

Kurotel-Longevity Medical Center and spa

Westchase Medsap

Bijoux Medi-Spa

Clinique La Prairie

Lanserhof Lans

Orchard Wellness Resort

Biovital Medspa

Allure Medspa

Serenity Medspa

Vichy Celestins Spa Hotel

Sha Wellness Clinic

Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa

Mezzatorre

Cocoona Centre Of Aesthetic Transformation

Lily Medical and Spa

Aesthetics Medispa

The Drx Aesthetics

Mandarin Oriental

Westchase

Lisse

Medspa

Chiva Som

Mandarin Oriental

Market Dynamics:

Growth Drivers: The research report sheds light on all the major factors driving the robust growth of the market. Also, all the key trends and opportunities anticipated to have a favorable impact on market Medical Spa development have been covered in the study.

Technological Advancements: All the major advances in technology that can support market growth have been covered in the research report. Besides, the introduction of new products/services by major participants has been detailed.

Regulatory Policies: The research report examines the regulatory landscape of the constantly evolving market, shedding light on new market frameworks and policies projected to drive the market forward.

Segmental Overview:

This section of the research report categorizes the market into various segments, such as end use, product type, application, and region. Also, a thorough analysis of all the major sub-segments has been provided in the study. By going through the segmental analysis section, businesses and stakeholders can easily examine different Medical Spa market segments and identify consumer requirements within each of them. Besides, businesses can optimize their brand positioning and tailor their marketing efforts to specific segments. What’s more, companies can use market segmentation to identify gaps in their offerings that can developed up on.

Report Answers Questions Such As:

• What is the current market size and projected value? • What are the major factors driving Medical Spa market sales and demand? • What are the key developments and trends driving the market forward? • What are the key outcomes of the PESTEL analysis for the market? • Who are the major players offering their products/services in the market? • What are the major opportunities that market participants can capitalize on?

Report Summary:

The Medical Spa market research report is a reliable resource to understand the dynamic nature of the market. It covers several key market features, including capacity, revenue, price, consumption, production rate, and supply demand, to provide an in-depth market analysis. By going through the research study, readers can get a precise and reliable analysis of the rapidly evolving market.

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[byler-invested]

Guys…

“The Timeline is Wrong” theory video by this guy:

It’s the exact same shot of HNL on 1x01 and 1x08.

And next we get that suspicious Joyce vs Brenner scene, after which her & Hopper negotiate with the lab and go into the Upside Down to rescue Will (which is another very suspicious sequence of events).

Season 3 date announcement teaser:

- There’s multiple distorted ‘Big Apples’, just like the pine trees on @erikiara80’s theory.

- Suspicious code that definitely should be more closely analyzed…

- ‘Blue Meets Yellow in the West’ makes an appearance on the code.

- This is happening on 1984 New Year’s Eve, which is little time after season 2 ended. This is right before we enter 1985, the year season 3 is set on.

- When the code is entered a few seconds before the 1984-85 New Year’s transition:

The code glitches weirdly;

We hear s1 Mike screaming ‘Eleven!’;

The current 1984 New Year’s celebration screen turns upside down;

Right when the countdown ends and we transition from 1984 to 1985, the transmission gets interrupted/ fails/ resets and we get a rainbow screen.

- “One summer can change everything.”

And from there ensues the S3 weirdness that we all know and love.

Isn’t all of this a bit suspicious?

Bonus: what the hell is THIS?

“Multiverse Theory and the Upside Down, explained.”

It’s an official video by Still Watching Netflix.

__________

Tagging: @greenfiend @threemanoperation @strange-anni @bylerlipglances @reo-bylerwagon in case you’re interested, and if you want you can tag more ppl

More hints at time trickery

Shippingfangirl013 noticed that when Robin and Steve talk about Back to the future and look at the ceiling, there's this little pine tree that seems to multiply (like the timelines in a timeloop, maybe? The ceiling itself seems to turn into a sort of wormhole)

Interestingly, in BTTF the Twin Pines Mall becomes the Lone Pine Mall after Marty accidentally destroys one of Peabody's twin pines in 1955.

Parallel in S3

Then there's the JCPenney store, which is, of course, a BTTF Easter Egg. I think some interesting things happen when that sign is in the shot.

Here, for example, there seem to be two Joyces, then our Joyce blocks the other

In this shot with Will, we see a stroller

but when we see the girls, there's a woman that looks a bit like an old El.

Dr Ellis reminds me of her, and Will draws Will the Wise as both a boy and an old man...

[josuemen]

MÁFIA DA DOR - EMILY BLUNT E CHRIS EVANS | Teaser oficial 2023 Legendado

MÁFIA DA DOR - EMILY BLUNT E CHRIS EVANS | Teaser oficial 2023 Legendado Inscreva-se no Canal Compartilhe Esse Vídeo:   • MÁFIA DA DOR - EMILY BLUNT E CHRIS EV...   Máfia da Dor é um filme de suspense que mostra o lado obscuro da indústria farmacêutica. Emily Blunt interpreta Liza Drake, uma mãe solteira que está passando por dificuldades financeiras e emocionais. Ela aceita uma oferta de emprego de Pete Brenner (Chris Evans), um vendedor carismático, mas sem escrúpulos, que trabalha para uma empresa que fabrica opioides. Liza logo descobre que o seu trabalho envolve não apenas vender os medicamentos, mas também coagir os médicos a prescrevê-los e os pacientes a consumi-los. Ela se vê presa em uma rede de corrupção, violência e mentiras, tendo que lidar com um chefe psicopata (Andy Garcia), a doença da sua filha (Chloe Coleman) e o peso da sua consciência. Máfia da Dor é um filme que revela as consequências trágicas da ganância e do desespero na sociedade atual. #MáfiadaDor #EmilyBluntChrisEvans #OpioidesCorrupção #Suspense2023 MÁFIA DA DOR - EMILY BLUNT E CHRIS EVANS | Teaser oficial 2023 Legendado MÁFIA DA DOR - EMILY BLUNT E CHRIS EVANS | Teaser oficial 2023 Legendado MÁFIA DA DOR - EMILY BLUNT E CHRIS EVANS | Teaser oficial 2023 Legendado