#Jim Hill High School

[xxryth1x]

Fun fact: I write all my ideas down on my notes app for comic ideas & such, this is 3 of my ideas, I copy pasted these 🙂…

Tiger + bat = Xornoth dead

Jornoth but thye /muahing

(High school au Joenith & flower husbands)

Flower husbands on a date during a midnight festival, the lanterns & banners making the place so lively, scents of a variety of foods line the are as Scott & Jimmy get a kabob & go up the hill, setting up a picnic in a field of poppies, Scott’s head on Jimmy’s shoulder as Jim points at the stars, they seem so pretty at this time, or maybe they seem nice because they’re both viewing them with their favorite person? Each other, who knows.. :))

Which should I do 1st?? :D

(I just found out abt coloring letters, omg am I so happy)

[petercapaldi-press]

INTERVIEW

Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi series 9 interview

August 18, 2015

On a June visit to the Doctor Who studios in Cardiff, we enjoyed a round-table chat with Peter Capaldi about series 9…

Despite being hamstrung by a list of not-for-discussion topics as long as the Mara (plot specifics, new monsters, returning characters, series arcs…), you can always rely on Peter Capaldi to fill an interview to the brim.

It helps that he's fluent in nerdy Doctor Who detail, from anecdotes about his old pal Jim, designer of the original Zygons, to being able to reel off the name of Jon Pertwee’s season eight stuntman, to chatting about Chumblies.

Along with a handful of fellow journalists at the Cardiff studios earlier this year, we spoke to Capaldi about all of the above, series nine, looking back at his first year in the role, his own fandom, and more…

On where the Doctor and Clara are at the start of series nine:

I think that the Doctor and Clara are sort of celebrating this freedom that they have, to roll through time and space wherever they want to go, and are having a high time. I think they’re having a brilliant time. They’re really, really excited about the idea of adventure and they keep pointing themselves in that direction, but of course, being as it’s Doctor Who, that’s a dangerous thing to do, not just in terms of the dangers that they will encounter but also, you can’t have a good time for too long. You have to pay for it somewhere down the line [laughs].

I think [the Doctor]’s moving. I think that the nice thing about what we’re doing, what I find interesting about it, is that the Doctor’s still sort of looking for himself. So he’s changed to some degree. I mean, he hasn’t changed, he’s still the same, he still has the same concerns and worries and darkness if you like, but he’s embracing the present. But that’s really because he has a profound knowledge of the past and the future. In this incarnation he is, I think, sometimes prone to… He’s wiser than he often says. He knows that things can often end in great distress, but rather than focusing on that, I think he’s decided to have a good time. But it doesn’t mean that he’s not aware that darkness will fall… or whatever phrase I can think of that they can print that sounds good!

On how Clara’s teaching job fits in to series nine:

She’s still there teaching. She can be full-time teaching, because I can just whoosh her away and bring her back before she left. […] I love having the school and the fact that it’s Coal Hill School and also that the younger audience can related to that in a very clear way. She’s still very busy there.

On working with Game Of Thrones’ Maisie Williams in series nine:

Maisie’s been great, because I’m huge Game Of Thrones fan, so I was very excited for Maisie to show up. She amuses me incredibly. Maisie’s been on Game Of Thrones since she was twelve! So she’s very, very assured, technically [laughs]. She’ll always find her light, she knows where to stand. She knows all the right questions to ask. Jenna and I were quite intimidated by her authority when she arrived [laughing] because we’re a bit more… we throw it together a little bit more. But she’s great, because also she has that great combination of being very gifted—you’ll see what she does on the show, she has to cover quite a range, she has to be quite different in different episodes, and she does it quite beautifully and subtly—but it’s also great to have someone who, you know, she had her eighteenth birthday with us. It’s great to have somebody who’s eighteen around, because she’s full of fun and vigour and life and she’s not spoiled. But at the same time you can get Game Of Thrones gossip off of her [laughs]. She starts telling me it and then she starts revealing things I don’t want to know so I have to get her to be quiet.

On welcoming Michelle Gomez’s Missy back for series nine:

Michelle’s fabulous. The mechanics of that story are slightly different. […] It’s good, it’s good. Michelle’s great. She’s very funny. But it’s slightly different. We sort of help each other.

On the return of the Zygons in series nine:

Aren’t they good? They’re fantastic monsters aren’t they? I worked with the man who designed them, who was Jim Acheson, who became a very, very celebrated costume designer. I was in the film of Dangerous Liaisons, for which he did all these fabulous eighteenth century costumes for Glenn Close and John Malkovich—I had a little part in it—and all I wanted to talk to him about was Zygons! And also, because he designed Tom Baker’s original [Doctor Who] outfit, and I think he designed the Mutants as well. He was fascinating. I asked him about it. He was slightly embarrassed I think. He was moving into a higher area—I think he’d won Oscars and all those kinds of things for his Costume Design. […] Even if you go back through all the Doctors and look at the ones that he’s done, the monsters and the costumes do stand out from some of the lesser concepts.

On having the Daleks back in season nine:

So many of them! Which is lovely. Not having them all CGI-created, to actually have a whole pile of them in the room. It’s very exciting, very mobile. It’s lovely to go into that. I don’t know if you saw the set. That was great. It had a lovely kind of sixties feel about it. […] When you looked at that set there was a sense of it that it was in widescreen for some reason, it sort of reminded me of the movies as well, the Doctor Who movies.

On what Jenna Coleman gives him as a performer:

Well, she’s great fun. We’re very simpatico in terms of how we like to work, but she’s just brilliant. That’s the thing with Jenna. You’ll sort of be having a laugh and all that and think ‘oh we’re rolling along here’ but then she’ll do a bit of acting and you’ll think ‘oh God, I’d better up my game a bit here because she just delivers this fabulous, truthful, emotional, potent acting. So she keeps me on my toes like that. I think in terms of the Doctor and Clara, it’s not dissimilar really. I guess maybe that’s developed as we’ve gone along. She sort of tries to make him more [laughs] amenable to the human race and Jenna tries to do that with me as well. She tries to help him function more successfully with ordinary human beings.

On his chemistry with Jenna Coleman in series eight:

We were sort of instantly in that zone. She was so kind to me right from the start, from the moment I arrived, to do the Regeneration. She was the first person that came and showed me around the TARDIS and all that stuff. She was very, very supportive and friendly, as everybody was. It’s quite scary stepping into this role and especially on your first day when there’s like, 250 people standing, looking at you. But I always felt Jenna’s support. 

Also we don’t plan much, we just turn up and see what each other’s got in mind. I might have an idea and it might be garbage. She might have an idea and that might be garbage. But somewhere, we’ll come up with something. Also it’s useful to have someone who, first of all had already done the show for a year before I arrived, so she was able to keep me posted on the stresses and strains and the mechanics of it.

On how much Steven Moffat tells him about the series arc and where the Doctor is going to end up in the series finales:

This year in particular they have kept me in the dark. It comes out through gossip, because I hear things and people have to put costumes together, and the crew generally walk around with scripts [laughs] of episodes which I don’t see. Steven, generally, in the two years I’ve done, he’s always given me an evening where he’s taken me through the whole series, but in this instance, I don’t know what’s happening at the end.

I think it’s easier [not to know]. I’m not sure I would be able to act better if I knew. If the Doctor doesn’t know what’s going to happen to him, how am I supposed to, what would I do, if I knew?

On whether there’s anything he might like to do more or less of, looking back at series eight:

Not really. I mean, I’m not involved in writing the scripts so whatever comes is whatever comes, and it’s very, very good and particularly strong this year. I think all Doctors when they come along at first probably react against the Doctor who was before them, because obviously Matt was very friendly and open, and I probably felt it was important to not be like that. I still think it’s important to not be like that. He’s still not like that, but Clara has to try to create strategies to help him function with human beings more successfully [laughs] which is quite fun.

But no, I think we made good choices. But I think it’s right that he grows as a character. It must be a very weird thing if you’re suddenly Regenerated, if you’re suddenly a new—although you’re essentially the same character—you’re a new spirit, a new being, you’re like a baby who has to discover who you are. So he’s still on that journey, even though it may appear that he’s settled into a groove. I think he’s still—and I think they all are—they’re all looking for who they are, hence the title.

On his series nine stunts:

Yeah. I get good stunts. I love the stunts because they’re often done and I emerge at the end of them adjusting my wig! The stunts are good. I always love stunts on Doctor Who. One of my favourite moments [laughs] I think it’s Terror Of The Autons, when, at the climax, the Master drives a bus towards Jon Pertwee. He’s going to run over Jon Pertwee! And the bus is almost upon Jon Pertwee and at the last moment, Terry Walsh, Jon Pertwee’s stunt-man, does a spin back and rolls away from the bus and then it cuts to a close-up of Jon Pertwee getting up! You think yes! That’s what I want to do.

On how he experiences the new stories as both a Doctor Who fan and actor:

I guess those two bits of me are welded together. The fan and the grown-up professional actor—the not very grown-up, professional actor! So I just look at the material from the point of view of how I can make this work and how best I can do my job with it. But at the same time I’m always excited, because there’s always something fun in it that I really, really like. I’m always excited to see a new monster or an old monster.

I don’t get giddy and breathless with excitement [laughter] but there is a very warm, honeyish feeling you get when you walk into a roomful of Daleks or you see the Zygons. So I enjoy it, but I always think the whole fan relationship with Doctor Who is actually kind of private and intimate really. Although it’s a massive brand and there are millions of fans all over the world and they all communicate with each other, I think each individual’s relationship with the show is quite individual and I carry that with me. I have my own relationship with it.

You know, I couldn’t be gushing. Everyone would hate me if I turned up every day and went ‘Oh look! There’s another rubber monster! How fantastic! And here’s another corridor to run down!’ although I do feel like that most of the time!

On whether he feels a parity between his experience and that of a Who actor like Carole Ann Ford [who visited the set of Doctor Who last year]:

I think it’s a different show but everybody’s sort of linked. And you know it’s important. Someone like Carole Ann, I think she knows how respected she is. There’s a kind of dual thing because I can see it from the point of view both as a fan and as an actor. What was it like to be an actor in the sixties? Going to Vidal Sassoon to get your hair cut and trying to be trendy and work with Verity and all that stuff and be part of that, and what jobs did you go on to and… so I have a respect for her as an actor, but also her place on the show is very important and key.

And of course, she’s my granddaughter. I’m always fascinated by that. I always think that’s one of the most haunting moments in the show is William Hartnell and her, and I wish we could somehow echo that and bring it back, or do something with that.

On which past Companion he’d like his Doctor to meet up with again:

I think they’re all fab. Katy Manning was fab. I met her as well, she came along. The late Lis Sladen of course was fantastic. They all did a great job. Karen. I met Karen Gillan a few times, she was great fun. But of the older ones… Ian and Barbara. At the moment, today I’m hankering back to those. I’m not every day like this, but there’s something about that and Coal Hill school and the beginnings of the show. I think one of the things that I sort of bring with me because of my age is probably an echo of all of that. Barbara I think was remarkable. She was very glamorous for a teacher at Coal Hill school [laughing] I suppose Jenna maintains that position. Yeah, it’d be nice to see them.

On going the extra mile for fans:

To be honest, I don’t think I do any more than Matt or David or Chris or anybody does. It’s just that we live in a new age so it’s more communicated and reported. I think they did as much if not more. You just walk around with this sense of this constant murmur of letters and stuff that you can’t deal with. You can’t get round everybody. I do the little drawings sometimes just because I doodle and it seems slightly more personal to do something like that. I don’t think I particularly do anything special. It’s a real great privilege of the job in the sense that you know you can make people quite happy just by showing up and they’re very forgiving. They don’t ask very much of you.

On how he came to drop in at Cardiff’s Doctor Who Experience in March 2015:

I was there because I usually go back home to London at the weekends but for personal reasons I was staying around that weekend and my wife said ‘Why don’t we just pop in and see what happens?’ [laughs] And also, I’d never been through it. Although we’d filmed there and I’d done a thing upstairs where I’d showed up, I’d never actually done the whole tour as it were, so I thought yeah, that’ll be a laugh, let’s go and do that. And also of course, you know or you hope that you’ll be able to make some people happy just by showing up and indeed, that’s the case. That’s the sort of gift that’s been given to me, because, believe me, it’s much more fun for me to be held in such esteem.

On whether he sees his younger self in other Doctor Who fans:

I think I remember what it’s like and I think I know how important it is. Which is why I kind of have this sack full of guilt, because I simply can’t do everything. You can’t. So I try to do what I can but to be honest, there’s probably going to be a time when I’m going to have to say I’m going to pull back because you won’t have enough time to do the show. But I stress again that I don’t think I do any more than anybody else.

On which monster from Doctor Who’s past he’d like his Doctor to face:

There’s so many of them. Often, if I’m asked that question I try to pick the most obscure one, like the Chumblies! Just because they’re obscure. I would like the Daemons. I think what would be fun. It’s always fun to see the older monsters recreated with new technology because they’re given a couple of coats of paint but they retain the original idea, so it would be nice to see some of the older ones given that. I think the Daemons would be good because they’re a little bit black-magic-y. I like the monsters that are a little bit supernatural, not just sci-fi ones, but who have got a kind of horror movie element to them.

The Axons would be good as well. Steven always says they’ve got a face like a Bafta [laughter] I don’t know why, maybe because he’s got plenty of Baftas, he’s sick of them! [laughs] If you look at them at the time—people do their best, people do their best but you know, skin-tight cat-suits and gold paint—but then they transform into these horrible squidgy things. I just think they’d be good all modern.

And of course also the Mondassian Cybermen, which I constantly crusade for.

On how the pressure has changed for him between his first and second series:

I think it’s the same. I think you may have the sense that you’ve succeeded in having your contract renewed for the next series [laughs], so you’ve got another year, so you’re happy about that! But you can’t sort of rest, you’ve got to continually try to make it as good as you can make it. So you’re constantly looking for ways to be interesting and entertaining.

Doctor Who is like any other episodic television programme, you often find yourself in similar situations. If you’re on a cop show, every week you have to face a murder, so you have to face the same questions. So the Doctor often finds himself in a similar place. How did this dreadful situation happen and why are these monsters here and what’s going on? You have to find sort of both new ways to do that and also revisit the old ways that people are happy with.

I think they write for me much more now and I think it’s more expanded into aspects of my personality possibly that they are more familiar with. There are various things we do and he does in the TARDIS that are more sort of personal to me. He’s more like me I guess, in his stupider aspects [laughs] and less like me in his heroic aspects. Because he’s much more heroic and braver  than I would ever be.

Peter Capaldi, thank you very much!

Doctor Who returns to BBC One on Saturday the 19th of September.

[omgthatdress]

I have a lot of feelings about Julie’s collection. After the election of Richard Nixon, the deaths of Janis Joplin, Jimmi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison, and then the Manson murders, the peace and love happy hippie 60s had given way to the dirty, strung-out scumbag 70s. Even though Julie is living in San Francisco, the hippie era had long since passed by 1974. As Hunter S. Thompson beautifully put it in Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas:

“There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . . . And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. . . . So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.””

I love the hippie aesthetic. I get that AG would want to have a doll that reflects that. A lot of Julie’s story revolves around her fighting for environmentalism, which is one of the aspects of hippie culture that managed to stick around, largely because of backlash to the consumerism of the 50s. But in Julie’s collection there’s plenty of times when her looks lean too far into the 60s and miss the mark of the 70s. As much as I appreciate AG doing the hippie thing, an accurate collection for the 70s would drag us to polyester hell and never let go. The 70s are one of those special eras in fashion where everything is ugly as fuck. The fashion of the 60s was much more aesthetically pleasing, but the fashion of the 70s is ironically appealing. It’s so ugly you love it. It’s ridiculous. It’s camp.

Granted, the fridge that was 1974 fashion still had plenty of hippie leftovers in it, and her original meet look with its crochet cap, embroidered tunic, and fringe belt feel true to the era.

Hand crafts like knitting and crochet had a resurgence in popularity, so I’m glad that both collections have a knitted accessory.

Part of the history lesson Julie gives is that Title IX meant schools could no longer forbid girls from wearing pants, so that’s why Julie is in jeans.

Julie’s BeForever look is straight 60s hippie. The inspiration seems to be Janis Joplin, who had been dead for four years:

AG seems to be wanting to have it both ways with Julie, and I honestly wish they’d just commit to the 70s:

On another note, the 70s would have been a great chance to have another doll of color (American Indian Movement, much?), but they went with a White girl with blonde hair. Which honestly I kiiind of get. Like if I were going to select ONE decade of the 20th century to have a blonde doll, it would be the 70s. I cannot emphasize enough how ubiquitous long blonde hair was to 70s pop culture.

For an era that still claimed to be progressive, the 70s were whitebread as hell. Outwardly there was women’s lib, civil rights, and the sexual revolution, but inwardly, the 70s were an extremely conservative decade when Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority were just starting to lay their slimy hooks into the American political system. It’s a decade of contradictions and extremes that I wish AG would fully commit to.

[strryhaze]

Neil Perry : I can't talk to him this way.

John Keating : Then you're acting for him, too. You're playing the part of the dutiful son. Now, I know this sounds impossible, but you have to talk to him. You have to show him who you are, what your heart is!

Neil Perry : I know what he'll say! He'll tell me that acting's a whim and I should forget it. They're counting on me; he'll just tell me to put it out of my mind for my own good.

Among his many activities at Brown, John especially enjoyed being onstage and proved to be a talented actor. He told director John Emigh that one of the reasons he loved acting was that he believed people would cast him not because of his family background but because he fit the role best. Jim Barnhill, who taught John in a small scene study class in his sophomore year, described John as “among the best and most talented students” he ever encountered. He thought that John could have been accepted into Juilliard School or the Yale School of Drama.

While John appeared in a few plays that Emigh directed, he passed on one. It was Shakespeare’s Henry IV, which tells the story of a young man who transcends his misspent youth to become king. Even though most of his friends were in it, Emigh reflected, “John wanted nothing to do with that play. It hit too close to home.”

In January 1982 John again showed his commitment by cutting off his hair for David Rabe’s play In the Boom Boom Room. He played the role of Big Al, a foul-mouthed street hoodlum who was dating a go-go dancer. “Kennedy’s performance was really the high point of the evening,” the Brown Daily Herald critic wrote. He brought out his “more sensitive side in a very realistic manner, all this without hardly ever succumbing to the characteristic Pacino-type movements and speech patterns so many actors feel obliged to take on.

John’s final theater performance came in April 1983 for Miguel Piñero’s Short Eyes. “It was not John F. Kennedy and the guys,” recalled Richard Gray Jr. “It was an ensemble.” John, he reflected, went out of his way to be like everybody else. “It was clear in the theater community that John never wanted to get anything because of his name. He wanted to be right for the role.”

“Mrs. Onassis, who attended the opening-night performance of Short Eyes, gave them rave reviews, telling the actors, “This was as good as anything on Broadway.” Stephen Hill recalled that John’s famous mother “radiated this glow of friendliness and warmth. I remember how proud she was of John, how happy John was to be with his mom and introducing her to all of us. It made me realize Jackie Onassis is just another proud mother.”

Many people have written that John wanted to be an actor and that his mom objected and forced him to pursue a more traditional legal career. Christopher Andersen quoted a friend as saying, “His mother laid down the law. She told John in no uncertain terms that acting was beneath him, that he was his father’s son, and that he had a tradition of public service to uphold.” But not all close friends shared that opinion.

“I really think that’s just myth,” reflected Sasha Chermayeff. “I think he enjoyed acting. But he had no intention of pursuing acting professionally, ever. I never ever heard him say anything seriously about wanting to pursue it as a real life’s work.”

Although director Emigh claimed that John confessed he liked the theater because he would be evaluated based on his talent and not his family name, John was not so naïve as to believe such neutrality existed. He knew there was no escaping his past—not even when he was pretending to be someone else.

— america’s reluctant prince, stephen gillon .

[userlaylivia]

making a disclaimer because I did a comfort movies poll and got so many asking why wasn't this or that on there or attacking my choices I put and I don't want that again lol in case people are wondering I had to delete the comfort movies poll because I got tired of all of it ugh I chose the shows I did for this that gave me massive amounts of comfort throughout the years and whether that's through love or family or friendship it's here for a reason! some of these shows had a lot of emotional moments but they were still a comfort show for me at times lol himym is here because horrible series finale aside it did give me comfort a lot before that lol also the office isn't on this list because aside from jim/pam I never really watched it because I never liked it ugh the same for modern family I only liked andy/haley and hated everything else about it lol

[thegreatimpersonator]

Hi everyone! Here’s the newest addition to my Creator Shoutout Series ( january 7 - january 14)!  I want to appreciate editors and their creations that i love from the past week. To track this series or look at previous shoutouts, please check out the tag on my blog *creatorshoutouts.

the ballad of songbirds and snakes gifset by @thecoveys

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @midnighthangintree

jeremy allen white golden globes 2024 winner gifset by @experienceandobservation

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @deadringers2023

the ballad of songbirds and snakes gifset by @kitconnor

taylor swift: the eras tour gifset by @h-f-k

the hunger games: peeta mellark gifset by @jakeperalta

paramore: you first graphic by @dulcevenganzaa

orville peck: birthday gifset by @allicansay

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @elizabeth-sherman

saltburn soundtrack gifset by @madeline-kahn

gilmore girls: rory gilmore gifset by @clarkgriffon

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @thepunkpanther

olivia rodrigo: pretty isnt pretty gifset by @kiimtaehyung

paramore: crave graphic by @syladelphia

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @miss-lauryn-hill

yellowjackets: jackie taylor season one costumes gifset by @eightynines

paramore: thick skull graphic by @cellphonehippie

the hunger games gifset by @mockingjay-sings

the ballad of songbrids and snakes gifset by @saws2004

bottoms 2023 gifset by @rosamundpkes

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @danburys

the ballad of songbirds and snakes gifset by @annabeths-chase

maisie peters: history of man graphic by @its-tortle

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @ravenclairee

paramore: talking heads tribute teaser gifset by @userparamore

taylor swift: eras tour reputation gifset by @thatwasthenightthingschanged

the ballad of songbrids and snakes gifset by @andtosaturn

yellowjackets: shauna and jackie gifset by @natscatorrcio

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @cardvngreenbriar

friends: monica and chandler gifset by @chandler-monica

the ballad of songbrids and snakes gifset by @arabellas

high school musical trilogy + blue gifset by @clubglee

the hunger games: catching fire gifset by @clairesbeauchamp

assorted 2022 album releases gifset by @antoniosvivaldi

halsey: i am not a woman, im a god gifset by @tolerateit

the hunger games: katniss and haymitch gifset by @bi-alinaoretsev

the menu gifset by @h-f-k

severance gifset by @sheryl-lee

the hunger games: johanna mason gifset by @bixcaleen

the office: jim and pam gifset by @bellamysgriffin

talk to me gifset by @thesoldiersminute

saltburn gifset by @irlvernon

the hunger games: catching fire arena gifset by @alexisrosemullens

yellowjackets gifset by @wickedhawtwexler

[mermaidinthecity]

I Love You’s

I love you, family. Dad, because you are my biggest fan, and I’ll never get tired of the way you smile when I pick up a guitar and play. Mom, for being my best friend and most trusted companion, even in times when you were my only friend. That was just fine. Austin, my little brother, for being so much more brave than I ever hope to be. My aunt, Alison, for being such a beautiful person. My aunts, uncles, cousins, and relatives (even the ones I didn’t know I had) for making Thanksgiving something someone should write a book about. I love my mom and dads’ friends who have been so unbelievably supportive (and so unbelievably loud at my shows).

I love my friends. Abigail, I love you because you are my best friend in the entire world. Can’t wait to room together when we’re 65 and wrinkly and living in Minnesota. I love Ally, Kelsey, Kathryn, Jeff, Clay and all my awesome friends in Hendersonville. Britany Maack for being my first friend, I miss you!

I love everyone who helped put this album together. Scott Borchetta for believing in me and actually DOING something about it. Shake and bake, Radioman. This is how we roll. Nathan Chapman because he is the most amazing red-headed freckle-faced little producer in the world and I love your beautiful wife Stephanie. Thanks Nathan for gracing me with your first album. Liz Rose, you are my songwriting soulmate, and one of my dearest friends. Robert Ellis Orrall, you Rock! Nick for breaking your drumsticks on my songs, Tim for playing on my session ON YOUR BIRTHDAY, and everyone else who played on the album because you are THAT GOOD. Chad, for your amazing mullet (and engineering skills).

I love my record label. Jack Purcell, for your Minnesota accent. Mandy McCormack, for humoring me in my mailbox obsession. Rick Barker, because I learned everything I Know about radio in… nevermind. HAHA. Bobby Young, thanks for taking us shopping. Whitney Sutton, you are so organized and I love you for it. JZ, because of that adorable laugh/nose thing you do. Erik Powell, for being cool and pretty much a genius. Larry Hughes, you rock! Jamice Jennings, for being the sweetest ever. Kelly Rich, you are the wizard of Marketing! Jayme Austin for adding so much spirit to the label. Sandi Spika Borchetta, for being creative/brilliant/beautiful and buying me pretty things to wear. Penny Lazo, you are a crazy rock star. Andrew Kautz, if I ever walk into the label and you’re not there, I will not know what to do with myself. Natalie Kilgore, for your amazing sense of humor. Ray Pronto, for putting this Big Machine in motionnn.

I love the people who helped me get here. Arthur Buenahora, thank you for signing a FOURTEEN year old to a full writers publishing deal. I will never forget that. In fact, I love everyone at Sony Publishing. Pat Garet and Suzy Dalton for letting my little ten-year-old self open up for you. Harry Warner, for being such a gentleman and having my back at BMI. Frank Bell for being so brutally honest about my music from the time I was like 12, and so supportive of my career NOW. Andrew Orth for 14 years of great photos!! Paula Erickson for being the most stylish publicist in the world. Jody Williams, for listening to my rants about high school, and being such a dear friend and musicologist. HHS for supporting me 100%. Bob Taylor and Bob Borbonus at Taylor Guitars for believing in me and making perfection in the form of guitars. Mike Milom for being a genius and the best lawyer ever. Sarah, Ed, and Jim at GAC for taking such a vested interest in me, and PUTTING ME ON TV! CMT you’re awesome! Trey Fanjoy, because you are such a visionary and for directing an amazing video. Pete Fisher you are amazing. Rod Essig, for believing in me from the beginning and being so passionate about what you do. I Love Tim McGraw for making such inspiring music. I love Faith Hill for being the most graceful woman in the world. I love you, Jack Ingram. If at any point in my life, ever ever amount to being HALF as cool as you, I will throw myself a party. I LOVE RADIO because I haven’t met one person I don’t consider a friend. I love all of my myspace friends for taking such an active roll in what I do, I will never forget how you all rallied for me from the beginning.

I love everyone who’s inspired me to write a song, whether you know if or not. I love anyone who has ever turned the volume up when my song comes on the radio, anyone who has bought this album. Anyone who can sing along to my songs when I play them live. Anyone who’s ever requested my song on the radio, or even remembered my name. If you ever see me in public, I want to meet you. I will thank you myself. You have let me into your life, and I will never be able to thank you enough for that. I love YOU, and I love God for putting you in my life.

Love love love

-T-

PS: To all the boys who thought they would be cool and break my heart, guess what? Here are 14 songs written about you. HA.

— Taylor Swift (2006)

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 1 INFO

Round 1 will be posted between Friday, November 10th and Thursday, November 16th. It will be split between 4 sets, each set being posted on a different day. There will be a total of 128 participants (32 participants in each individual set) divided in 64 polls (16 polls in each individual set). By the end of Round 1, 64 participants will make it to Round 2 while the rest will be sent to the Shadow Realm where their souls will be tormented for eternity. Each poll will last a week. As the sets are posted, I will link them below.

ROUND 1A

Cinderella (Disney's Cinderella Animated) vs. Ella (Disney's Cinderella Live-Action Remake)

Hatsune Miku as Cinderella (Various Songs) (Vocaloid) vs. Hello Kitty as Cinderella (Hello Kitty no Cinderella)

Cinderella/Aschenputtel/Cendrillon (German/General European Fairytale Variant) vs. Vasilisa the Beautiful (Russian/East European Fairytale Variant)

Rhodopis (Greek Fairytale Variant) vs. Ye Xian (Chinese Fairytale Variant)

Hamupipőke (Hungarian Fairytale Variant) vs. Eun Ha Won (Cinderella with Four Knights)

Mireleh (The Way Meat Loves Salt by Nina Jaffe/Louise August) vs. Settarah (The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo/Robert Florczak)

Cendrillon (Otogi-Juushi Akazukin) vs. Leila Takashiro (Hime Chen! Otogi Chikku Idol Lilpri)

Hoshizora Miyuki / "Cure Happy" as Cinderella (Smile PreCure/Glitter Force) vs. Mofurun as "Mofurella" (Mahou Tsukai PreCure)

Giselle Lai (Cinderelle) vs. Isabell Heartwell (Cinder's Ball)

Cinderella (Grimms Notes) vs. Cinderella Mary Skelter)

Queen Cinderella Charming (The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer) vs. Ella of Maidenvale / Cinderella (The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani)

Eleanor / Cinderella (The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker) vs. Elegant "Ella" Herringbone Coach (Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella by Megan Morrison)

Vassa (Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter) vs. Vasilisa "Vasya" Petrovna (The Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden)

Cinderella (Fables) vs. Cinderella "Cindy" Baxter (The Sisters Grimm)

Mia Basile (Cinderella the Cat) vs. Rose Cinderella (Regal Academy)

Maria Aparecida "Cida" dos Santos Souza (Cheias de Charme) vs. La Cenerentola (La Cenerento Laossia La Bontà in Trionfo)

ROUND 1B

Ella of Frell (Ella Enchanted book by Gail Carson Levine) vs. Ella of Frell (Ella Enchanted movie)

Cinderellis (Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine) vs. Danielle Whiteshore (nee de Glas) (Princess series by Jim C. Hines)

Imogen Keegan (Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke) vs. Jess Parker (The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy)

Cinderella/Prinzessin (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters & Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG) vs. Fairy Tail - Rella (Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG)

Cindy (How to Save Your Tail by Mary Elizabeth Hanson) vs. Cinderumpelstiltskin (The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka/Lane Smith)

Cinder Edna (Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson) vs. Cinderella (Cinderella Penguin, or, the Little Glass Flipper by Janet Perlman)

Cindy (If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy) vs. Elle Wittimer (Geekerella by Ashley Poston)

Bronwyn Murdoch (The Prince Who Loved Me by Karen Hawkins) vs. Sophie Beckett (An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn)

Ella (Cinder Ella by S.T. Lynn) vs. Cynthia "Cyn" Robinson (Cinders) (Sapphic Fairy Tales by Cara Malone)

Lucinda Jarvis (Grimm) vs. Queen Cinderella (10th Kingdom)

Sam Montgomery (A Cinderella Story) vs. Mary Santiago (Another Cinderella Story)

Katie Gibbs (A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song) vs. Cinderella (Cinderella 2021)

Cinderella (Bad Cinderella) vs. Ella (Happily N'Ever After)

Ella (The Glass Slipper) vs. Cinderella (The Slipper and the Rose)

Ashlynn Ella (Ever After High) vs. Threadarella (Monster High: Scarily Ever After)

Danielle de Barbarac (Ever After) vs. Popelka (Three Wishes for Cinderella)

ROUND 1C

Miss Piggy as "Lady Holiday" (The Great Muppet Caper) vs. CinderElmo (Sesame Street: CinderElmo)

Minnie Mouse as "Minnie-rella" (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) vs. Baby Gonzo as "Gonzo-rella" (Muppet Babies 2018)

Brittany Miller as Cinderella (Alvin and the Chipmunks) vs. Scrooge McDuck as "Scroogerello" (Ducktales)

Chuckie Finster as "Finsterella" (Rugrats) vs. Cinderella (Sabrina: The Animated Series)

Fella (Cinderfella) vs. Popeye the Sailor Man as "Cinderfella" (Popeye the Sailor man: Ancient Fishtory)

Betty Boop as Cinderella (Betty Boop: Poor Cinderella) vs. Cinderella (Swing Shift Cinderella)

Barbie as Cinderella (Barbie Dolls) vs. Yasmin as Cinderella (Bratz: Kids Fairy Tales)

Cinderella (Collector Plates) vs. Ella (Total Drama: Pahkitew Island)

Touya Kinomoto as Cinderella (Cardcaptor Sakura) vs. Saki Hanajima as "Cinderella-ish" (Fruits Basket)

Reki Kyan as "Cindereki" (Sk8 the Infinity) vs. Mettaton as Cinderella (Undertale)

Cinderella (Stand of Aya Tsuji) (Jojo's Biazzre Adventure Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable) vs. Cendrillon (Persona of Sumi Yoshizawa/Violet) (Persona 5)

Cinderella (Once Upon a Crime) vs. Dulcie Hastings (nee Duveen) aka Cinderella (Murder on the Links) (Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie)

Scarecrow as "Scarecrowella" (D'Ocon Mumfie) vs. Ella Brown (Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix)

Princess Petra / Spinstress as "Spinderella" (Earth-423) (Marvel Comics) vs. Cinderella (Girl Genius Fairytale Theater Break: Cinderella)

Cendrillon (Cendrillon by Telephone) vs. Cinderella (Cinderella by The Cheetah Girls)

Harper Finkle as "Harperella" (Wizards of Waverly Place) vs. Morgan Philip (Disenchanted)

ROUND 1D

Cinderella (Dimension 20: Neverafter) vs. Cinders (Once Upon a Time in Space by the Mechanisms)

Linh Cinder / Selene Blackburn (The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer) vs. Cinderella (Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella 1997)

Carrie White (Carrie by Stephen King) vs. Cinder Fall (RWBY)

Cinderella (Into the Woods) vs. Cinderella / Princess Ella / Ashley Boyd (Once Upon a Time)

Cinderella (Kingdom Hearts) vs. Cinderella (Shrek series)

Cinders (Cinders) vs. Lucette Riella Britton (Cinderella Phenomenon)

Cinderella (SINoALICE) vs. Cinderella (TAISHO x ALICE)

Cinderella (Sid Story) vs. Rin Hoshiora as Cinderella (Love Live)

Aisling "Ash" (Ash by Malinda Lo) vs. Xing Xing (Bound by Donna Jo Napoli)

Clara (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire) vs. Ella Saturday (Witches Abroad) (Discworld series by Terry Pratchett)

Euphemia "Effie" Reeves (Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater) vs. Kate Kassell / Nate Ganymede (After the Ball)

Cinderella (Burn the Witch) vs. Shindou Rei (Boku wa Ohime-sama ni Narenai)

Cinderella (Cinderella Monogatari) vs. Haine Otomiya / "Seashore Cinderella" (The Gentleman's Alliance Cross)

Ghauri (Azure Striker Gunvolt) vs. Miyo Saimori (My Happy Marriage)

Ashley Vans (A Wicked Tale of Cinderella's Stepmom / I Raised Cinderella Preciously) vs. Cinciarell Winchestion (Don't Call Javotte an Evil Stepsister)

Cinderella (Blood Bank) vs. Itsumi Tachibana (You Are My Princess)

[ickaimp]

Thinking about the Writers and Actor’s Strike reminded me of a High School substitute math teacher I hated at the time.

Mentioned before that while in High School, the school and surrounding locations were used as filming locations for Beverly Hills 90210 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Part of that draw is that Torrance is relatively close to Los Angeles and Hollywood.

I don’t remember anything about what he might have taught us, but I remember him talking about the fact that he’d been in Apollo 13. He had one line, which he gleefully acted out for us. Several times.

“Jim, gum.” And then Tom Hanks spat his gum into the substitute teacher’s bare hand.

That was it. It was his first speaking line, got him a couple of hundred bucks, and Tom Hanks shook his hand and welcomed him into the actor’s union. He was sure this was the next big step towards him being a famous actor, talking how we should get his autograph.

And the thing was… Apollo 13 at the time was a Big Movie. And none of us kids at the time understood what someone who was in a record breaking movie was doing as substitute teacher, when it was obvious that he didn’t want to be there at our school, teaching us snot nosed kids math.

Because if you’re in a big movie like that, talking to Tom Hanks, you’ve got to be rolling in the dough, right?

Right?

Except, that’s not the reality, is it? The stories we’ve been hearing, especially since the strike started is the complete opposite, how broke average actors like the substitute was. How they have to do two or three jobs to sustain themselves, because acting can’t.

We had a couple of substitutes in other classes that were also actors, just part of the background radiation of being around Hollywood. None with the same ego or condescension.

I can’t even remember his name. Looking at IMDB, I’m not sure what the character’s name was, and I’ve never seen the movie.

He was just an actor, like so many others, trying to making a living perusing his dream.

One, now that I’m older, I hope he got to fulfil. And wonder if maybe he’s on the picket lines today.

I kinda hope so, because he really wasn’t a great substitute teacher.

[writerwhowritesao3]

I'm sooooo close to finishing the final chapter of What Is And What Should Never Be!!

It's a long chapter. It's also heavy on trauma.

Hope people are excited to get, like, super bummed out lmaoo

Excerpt:

Jim sighed and wiped the rain off his face with his sleeve. He radioed in to the station that his last call of the night was completed and that he was clocking out. Powell had the night shift that night. Thank Christ, too, because Jim was fucking done.

Wayne Munson had called the station about an hour or so ago, reporting a domestic disturbance in the trailer next to his. Again. Said that his neighbors, Buddy and Mildred Wilcox, were screaming at each other and that he had heard several loud thuds and crashes. Again. 

By the time Jim got to the Forest Hills Trailer Park, the Wilcox's fight had mostly died down. He had taken their statements separately. Under the vinyl awning right outside the front door, Buddy, with the collar of his shirt ripped halfway off, had waved off the whole thing, saying that yeah, he and his wife argued sometimes, just like everyone else, but it was hardly anything to involve the cops in. In the kitchen, Mildred, her hair a mess, her makeup smudged, and her lip bloodied, had rolled her glassy eyes, mixed a generous shot of vodka into a cup of Sprite, and gave Jim a similar line. 

She declined to press charges. Again.

Jim shoved the key into the ignition. As soon as the windshield wipers swiped away the rain, he saw Wayne Munson's shithead nephew sprawled out on the couch on the covered porch of their trailer. The kid locked eyes with him, smirked, and gave a sarcastic two-finger salute before lighting up what Jim was choosing to believe was a cigarette.

Jim ignored him and started to drive off. He didn't want to give the kid a warning. Again.

He drove carefully, keeping the radio playing at a low volume. He was exhausted. He just wanted to get home, have a beer, and hang out with his daughter. He and El had a new nightly routine where they would read one of her books together, taking turns reading pages out loud. Her reading had been steadily improving. So had her communication skills. Jim wondered if maybe she would be able to actually attend school in a few years. Maybe earn a high school diploma so she could have some kind of life and job prospects when she grew up. 

The sky was dark and there were only a few street lamps, and Jim was so lost in his thoughts about El and what kind of future was in reach for her that he almost didn't see the person walking along the side of the road, maybe a dozen yards away from him.

What the hell?

Jim slowed his car as he got closer to whoever was foolish enough to be walking around in this rain in the middle of the night in a poorly lit area. He was officially off-duty, but damn, he was still a human being.

His jaw dropped when he saw that it was Billy Hargrove. The kid was hunched over with his arms crossed tightly against his body. He didn't have an umbrella. He wasn't even wearing a raincoat; just jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. 

What the fuck?

[damn-stark]

Chapter 4 One rule

Chapter 4 of Stargirl

A/N- Nancy brings out y/n’s mommy issues.

Warning- Swearing, ANGST, violence and blood, fluff! SLOWBURN, long chapter.

Pairing- Steve Harrington x fem!reader, male!oc x fem!reader

Episode- 2x08 and a part of 2x09

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

————

He only gave you a few rules. Only a few. One which doesn’t matter—well it probably will after tonight, but the important rule was NOT to go to Hawkins Lab.

And what are you doing?

“I don’t see him,” Dustin comments as you come to a stop on top of a hill that overlooks the sleepy town.

Lucas pulls out his binoculars in some hope he’ll see the roaring monsters heard in the distance, but it’s dark now, there’s trees everywhere, he won’t see shit.

“It’s the lab,” Lucas interjects and lowers the binoculars. “They were going back home.”

They need you, so you’re going to Hawkins Lab. Even though there’s multiple of those monsters.

“We should go somewhere that’s not monster infested,” you try to suggest to the group. “We can go to my house, ask my dad for help. Ask my uncle Jim for help since he knows about this shit. We can’t—”

“Wait,” Dustin cuts you off while you continue to walk towards Hawkins Lab. “Wait, rewind. Your uncle Jim? Chief Jim Hopper?”

Both Lucas and Dustin look at you with shock, and you don’t know why they’re in disbelief.

“Yes,” you respond slowly. “Jim Hopper is my uncle.”

Dustin hums. “Hm, they don’t look like brothers,” he says.

You scoff and shoot him a pointed look. “Half brothers,” you clarify.

“Why didn’t you say?” Dustin query’s.

You shrug. “You didn’t ask. And why would I?”

“Because I was talking about him when I told you everything!” Dustin exclaims out of annoyance. “Because it’s important information.”

“To who?!” You yell back. “It’s not important I haven’t even seen the man in years! It doesn’t matter, what matters is what we’re doing! We can’t go to that lab with one gun, a flimsy wrist rocket and a bat with nails. We will die.”

“We’re just going to scope the place out,” Lucas interjects. “See what brought them all here. And if there’s some way to get rid of them, we will then call for support.”

You nod slowly. “Yeah, children and high school teenagers?” You quip. “What can possibly go wrong?”

Dustin nods as if nothing is wrong with what you just said. “Yes. But hey you can run home to your daddy if you’re scared.”

You scoff, and Steve cuts in now. “She has a gun. She leaves so does the gun. We need her. So stop fighting, you're all getting on my every last nerve.”

You let out an annoyed exhale and decide to walk ahead considering you’re the one with the gun. And you are one of the eldest.

“Hey,” Steve nudges you as he falls beside you. “You okay?”

You look down at your palm that’s not bleeding anymore and then look back at him and nod. “Yeah, children just drain my patience. It also doesn’t help that we are walking to death.”

Steve sighs and nods lightly. “Yeah that does it, but think about this. We’re helping something bigger than us.”

You let your gaze linger on him before you smile at the ground. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I almost ran too, you know? I was where you are now,” he adds, pulling your gaze back to him. “But—”

“It feels nice being needed?” You fill his sentence.

Steve draws out a deep breath and averts his gaze. “That’s not what I was gonna say, but,” he pauses and looks ahead. You watch him ponder before he nods. “It’s a part of it.”

You hum softly and follow his line of gaze. “Then why did you go back?” You probe.

Steve slides his eyes to the corner, and you slide your gaze to the corner to meet his.

“I was being stupid,” he mutters. “I couldn’t just leave her behind.”

You begin to smirk. “So you didn't pretend you didn’t care.” You nudge him. “And you got the girl.”

Steve scoffs as he rolls his eyes. “Yeah I suppose you’re right….thank you for being stupid earlier. Luring them with your blood saved my ass.”

Your smirk turns to a soft smile and your heart skips a beat. “I couldn’t just leave you behind.”

Steve’s eyes soften and a small smile tugs on his lips. You hold his gaze for a lingering moment, but you then look at the darkness ahead.

You still feel it. You shouldn’t, you really shouldn’t, but that pining is still there. It only burns hotter as you feel his gaze on you, as you feel how close he walks beside you. As you see how brave he is.

You could avoid him until all these feelings fade away, but you also don’t want to, you’ve dug into each other's souls too deeply to come out with nothing now. So you’ll just ignore these feelings, you will. You’ll even stop coming back to the same thoughts. Because it’s happening. You’ll walk the rest way towards Hawkins Lab in silence, focusing on the monsters.

The kids walking behind you threaten to break your silence and focus, but you manage to ignore them. You focus and manage to lose some of your fear as well.

However, just as you approach the end of the tree line a voice calls out in the distance.

Can it be that the monsters somehow learned to talk? Mimic voices?

“We’re going towards the voice?” You ask fearfully.

Dustin walks past you. “Yes, it can be help,” he mutters.

“What if the monsters learned to mimic voices,” you whisper sharply out of fear it’d hear you.

“You watch too many scary movies,” Steve comments back.

You scoff in protest, but pick up your pace to walk beside him with your gun pointed ahead.

“Who's there?!” The voice yells out again.

You narrow your eyes and notice…Nancy?

“Who’s there?!”

It’s Jonny too.

You lower your gun and when you walk out of the tree line they both come at full view. And they look just as shocked as all of you.

“Steve?!” They both call out.

You strap your shotgun around your shoulder and meet Nancy's bewildered look.

“Y/N?” She asks with confusion.

You offer her a tightlipped smile in response.

“Nancy?” Steve questions.

“Jonathan,” Dustin names.

That’s right Jonathan. Ha.

“What are you two doing here?” Nancy directs at Steve and you.

You part your lips to give a summary, but Steve interjects first. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re looking for Mike and Will,” Nancy responds.

Mike and Will? Mike and Will? They sound familiar…

Aha! Dustin’s friend, and the boy that disappeared but came back!

“They’re not in there, are they?” You point to the lab with your thumb.

“We’re not sure,” Nancy answers quieter.

“Why?” Jonathan asks.

And as if on cue the monsters screech out, making a chill crawl up your spine.

At least Nancy’s is here now. After trying to look for her she’s here where you least expected. Now you can all die together. Yay.

“Don’t you hear them?” Dustin asks and walks towards the closed front gate.

Nancy blinks in confusion and again as if on cue the monsters screech from inside, shooting terror in both Nancy and Jonathan that’s clear as day.

“Whatever we need to do,” you interject. “Let’s do it fast before they decide they want to come outside again.”

“Well the damn gate is closed,” Jonathan points out, drifting all of your eyes to the abandoned station. Which isn’t good, all your instincts are telling you to get out, that there’s more than meets the eye.

The lab isn’t abandoned, there should be guards. One at least. If not out here there should’ve been one already coming out to shoo you away.

But do they listen to you? No! They all want to be heroes, and you…are following them too…

“Well yeah the power is out,” Steve says as if seeing the lab basked in darkness doesn’t make that point obvious.

“Is this what you’ve been doing?” Nancy asks. “Chasing these things?”

“Yeah—”

You snort, causing Steve to stop and for all pair of eyes to fall on you in confusion. “What?” You quip. “We didn’t chase ‘em. We lured one and then got ambushed by multiple. We barely escaped with our lives. We wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for…” you trail off since you have no idea what called them away so suddenly.

“Something called them here, we don’t know what, or why, but they came here,” Dustin finishes for you. “That’s why we’re here. We’re following they’re trail.”

Steve hums in agreement, and Nancy's gaze still doesn’t leave you.

“I still don’t understand why you’re here y/n?” She asks for clarification.

You sigh. “They needed help and I had a gun. That’s literally how I got involved in all this.” That and you also are unofficially helping your father.

Nancy hums in comprehension and you catch the pointed glare she directs at Steve. What for? Getting you involved? Jealousy? Who knows. She did it and Steve just looks confused.

“Are the people you’re looking for really in there?” You ask her now.

Nancy and Jonathan share a worried look before Jonathan shrugs and answers. “That’s what we came to see. Will wasn’t home. Have you guys seen Will or Mike at all today?”

“We haven’t seen Will—”

“I haven’t seen him since…”

They all begin to talk over one another, making you sigh in annoyance. Luckily Nancy departs from the group and points something out. “The powers back.”

You break away from your spot by Steve and follow Nancy, noticing all the lights of the lab slowly turn on floor by floor until finally the entire area is lit again, and they’re hopes of getting in are rekindled.

Nevertheless, when Jonathan tries to open the gate the buttons still don’t seem to work.

“Let me try,” Dustin butts in and leaves your side to begin to argue with Jonathan inside the box.

“No—”

“Let me try, Jonathan!” You hear Dustin complain. When you look over you see him urgently press the same button, but to not avail.

“Does anyone know how to rewire wires?” You ask the group.

Max looks back at you and redirects your question. “Do you?”

You shake your head and lean back against the car. “No. I was just asking so we can find a way in.”

“Try talking to your dad again,” Steve says over his shoulder.

Let’s see if he answers this time.

You slide your backpack off your shoulder and twist back to reach for your walkie, however, as you do strain your hand a sharp pain hits you where you cut your palm. “Oh fuck!”

You’ve been so preoccupied that the pain doesn’t even register until now.

“You haven’t gotten that patched up?” Steve query’s and turns around completely to face you.

You cradle your wounded hand and shake your head. “I haven’t had the time. Can someone please reach in and grab my walkie?”

Steve moves to do what you asked, but Nancy is closer so she beats him to your aide. She ends up quickly finding the walkie, and places it on your waiting hand, but she cuts in too. “Turn around.”

You slowly do as she asks and see her holding a bandage and alcohol. “found this in your backpack. Let me help you.”

The corner of your lips pull to a smile and you don’t hesitate to give her your hand. Albeit before she can begin any progress the doors begin to open, pulling everyone’s attention to it.

“Hey!” Dustin chuckles. “I got it! I got it!”

Jonathan and him step out of the box and with not a second to spare Jonathan hurries to the parked car.

“Nancy get it, the rest of you wait here,” he throws out.

“I’ll help you after,” Nancy now directs at you and hands you your stuff back. “Can I borrow your gun?”

Your eyes widen. “My gun?” You ask nervously. “Do you know how to use it?”

From the corner of your eyes you see Steve shake his head before he interjects. “She has a thing about guns,” he talks about you.

You sigh as you hesitate, but you don’t want to go in and potentially fight more monsters so you pull your gun off your shoulder and hand it to Nancy.

“Hey!” Steve remarks.

“Don’t lose it,” you warn her and step away from the car as she hurries to the passenger seat. “Please.”

Nancy offers you a tightlipped smile and a quick assuring nod, which isn’t that assuring at all. None of her response is reassuring, but you watch as Jonathan drives away with her and your dads gun, leaving you once again before you can even talk.

“How come you let her use it?” Steve immediately complains.

You meet his gaze and shrug. “I mean when you asked for a gun, I thought all this was fake. I mean I heard about all this weird shit, but a part of me didn't want to believe it. Now that I’m here, after I fought a monster, I would have let you use it.”

Steve scoffs, and you shoot him a small smile before you hand him your first aid supplies Nancy got out. “Just help me please.”

Steve lets out a deep sigh, but he snatches your hand towards him and begins to wrap the bandage around your cut.

“Please disinfect first,” you interrupt his attempts.

Steve glares up at you, but he pulls the bandage off and hands it to you so he can rip open the alcohol wipe. You snicker and watch him carefully wipe it over your wound.

“Does it hurt?” He asks in a softer voice.

You feel the alcohol stinging your cut and wince before you can assure him with a lie. “Yeah,” you mumble.

Steve continues to wipe your cut softer this time.

“I thought of something,” you interject with a tiny smile. “A game of sorts.”

Steve briefly glances at you. “Okay,” he probes. “What is it?”

“We have to say a goal we want to accomplish after making it out of this,” you share happily. “One or two, how many you want. It just has to be a goal. Something you’ll commit to.”

Steve lifts his head and drops the dirty wipe and slightly narrows his gaze out of curiosity. “Okay, I’ll play. You go first though.” He takes the bandage from you and once again begins to carefully wrap the bandage around your hand.

“Okay,” you laugh giddly. “I want to learn how to play the drums. My friend Eddie invited me to join his band, but I am musically untalented, so I want to learn to play the drums. Maybe join a band when I’m good. An all girl band,” you giggle. “That’d be cool.”

Steve hums and nods along with what you said. “Okay,” he mouths. “That’s cool. Good goal.”

You nod. “Yep. That is if I make it out.”

Steve meets your gaze. “You will, we all will,” he assures you. “Unless we suddenly get ambushed by those dogs.”

You frown in discontent and roll your eyes before you now press him. “It’s your turn. Go.”

Steve focuses on what he’s doing and ponders for a moment before he shares his goal. “Uh, graduate. I want to graduate.”

“Pft,” you blow out. “You are going to do that. It has to be something different.”

Steve finishes bandaging your hand and pats the back of it before letting it go. “I have shitty grades,” he mumbles at the ground. “I don’t know if I will. Might just disappoint my dad even more and have to repeat senior year.”

You frown a pity frown and tilt your head down to meet his upset gaze. “Tell you what,” you interject. “I will help you study and you can help me impress the guy I like.”

It will probably be weird since you do like him too, but you can’t just hold onto hope for him no matter how much you like him. You have to direct all your focus on Zion because he’s single and does like you. Or you hope so.

Regardless, Steve slowly lifts his eyes to meet yours while he lifts head, and you mirror his movement. “I have a study partner—but…” he sighs deeply and looks past your shoulder. “You know yeah, I think I can squeeze you in.”

You flash him a grin. “Good,” you say softly. “Will you help me? You are the love expert.” You tease him.

Steve scoffs in amusement while he rolls his eyes at your comment. “Yeah,” he gives in. “I'll help you too. But are you sure you’re, like, smart?”

You shoot him a pointed glare and mock him. “Are you sure you’re, like, smart?” You push him away and counter. “Duh, that’s why I’m offering my help.”

Steve chuckles lightly. “Got you.”

“Whatever,” you grumble and walk away to try and contact your dad. But no matter how much you try and try, nothing. There’s static and silence. So much for emergencies! You could probably be dead already!

You try again until you hear multiple gunshots that don’t come from your shotgun. Yet all you can do is wait now, there’s nothing you can do but that since you’re already worried.

Thankfully not so much time passes before headlights pop out from down the driveway, it’s Jonathan and Nancy! But they’re not alone, a bigger car follows behind them. When Jonathan and Nancy pass, the truck stops and you notice it’s a cop car.

“Let’s go!” The driver urges.

Since you were behind the group you can’t see who’s driving. You don’t see until the kids begin to climb in the truck.

“Holy shit,” you gasp with bewilderment. “Uncle Jim?!

Said man blinks repeatedly in confusion, he doesn’t seem to recognize you at first, not until you begin to approach the passenger side as Steve climbs in the back.

“Y/N?” Your uncle Jim muses and leans over.

You finally climb in the car and share a relieved but also nervous smile.

“What are you doing here?” Your uncle asks you.

You exhale with relief and then reply. “I’ll explain on the way. Let’s get out of here first.”

——

“Here.”

You turn around and see Nancy with your gun. After a lot of explaining to your uncle, after arriving to a house filled with a lot of colorful paper, after some introductions with Joyce Byers, and Nancy's brother, you finally find time to talk to her. Just like you wanted to do before.

“Thank you, I didn’t end up using it but still thanks.” She adds.

You take the gun and nod softly while you smile at her. “No problem.”

Nancy puts her hands in her pockets and looks at you with curisoty. “How are you holding up? All this…” she sighs. “Must be scary.”

You let out a breathless laugh and nod. “Yeah. Yeah. It’s fucking terrifying, I want to go home, but…I’m involved now. They need me so…fuck it, right?

Nancy laughs softly and nods.

“Are you okay?” You ask her.

Nancy blinks with surprise and takes a moment before nodding. “I’m fine. I think. It’s been a long week.”

You smile and nod. “Tell me about it. Is that hangover cured?” You tease her. “I tried talking to you after the party, but I never saw you or could actually get a hold of you.”

Nancy parts her lips, but remains speechless for a few seconds before she smiles softly at the floor. “It’s all cured. I’m sorry about that,” she groans and then meets your gaze. “I remember you helping me that night. Thank you for that. You didn’t have to, but you did. Thanks.”

You offer her an assuring smile, and let her continue.

“Uh, how about we make up that mall date we never got to? After this I think it’s overdue.”

Your smile begins to widen and you nod a bit too eagerly. “Yeah, yeah. That would be cool. It’d be nice to take my mind off everything.”

“Cool,” Nancy nods and begins to shuffle towards Jonathan talking to his unconscious brother on the couch. “We can agree on a date later.”

You nod in agreement and then turn around, and can’t help but grin happily. Finally!

“Hey, kid come call your dad for me,” your uncle Jim directs at you as he hangs the phone up.

You hurry to take the phone and quickly dial the house number. As it begins to ring you give your back to the kids as they begin to argue with your uncle.

“They didn’t believe you did they?” Dustin questions.

“We’ll see,” your uncle mutters.

“Come on answer,” you mumble the ringing phone. “Where the hell are you?”

“We’ll see,” Nancy's brother, Mike exclaims before he continues to yell at your uncle. You however don’t pay attention to them since you catch Steve staring at Nancy sadly, while she comforts Jonathan.

Did he catch something you don’t comprehend? They are just friends, no? Jonathan and Nancy.

Steve proceeds to turn around and sniffles, and before he can catch you staring you focus on the fact that your dad did not fucking answer.

“God—ugh,” you groan and then call again.

This time however, the phone gets snatched from your hand and your uncle pushes you out of the way.

“Hey!” You protest. “I'm calling him!”

Your uncle gives you his back, so you walk around him and wait with anticipation. But just like before, your fucking dad doesn’t answer.

“Look Rowan, it’s Jim. Your brother…we—your daughter needs your help, bring your guns, we need them all….” He follows by giving the curtain address before hanging up.

You try to question him but he just walks away.

“Rude,” you scoff.

Now what?

You wait, but for what? An army that didn’t even say they’d come, for a father that hasn’t answered the phone or walkie? For the monsters to attack?

You should go home now, go to sleep and wake up to just listen about the aftermath. But…no, you wait and let the silence slowly kill you. You can’t even talk to Steve, he…doesn’t seem like he wants to talk because besides the obvious exhaustion of today's events, there’s this solemn look he carries; he doesn’t try to talk to his girlfriend or comfort her. He stays away and lets her comfort Jonathan.

The same guy who took her home after the party…did they? Are they?

So many questions rise to mind but you don’t dare to ask any. Instead you lean back against the wall hoping the phone will ring, hoping your walkie will go off, but nothing.

“Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?” Mike finally breaks the silence, but with a matter which doesn’t interest you, so you tune it out until Mike adds a daring comment. “We can’t let him die in vain.”

You slowly pick your eyes off the floor and look at Dustin as he exclaims.

“What do you want to do, Mike? The Chief’s right on this. We can’t stop those Demo-dogs on our own.”

Demo-dogs?

“Demo-dogs?” Max questions your exact same thought. Albeit she sounds a bit judgmental, you…think it’s pretty creative.

“Demogorgon dogs,” Dustin explains whilst he also explains with his hands. “Demo-dogs. It’s like a compound. It’s like a play on words—”

“Okay,” Max cuts him off.

You drop your head and snicker quietly.

“I mean, when it was just Dart, maybe,” Dustin continues to say.

“But there’s an army now,” Lucas adds for him.

Dustin nods. “Precisely.”

“His army,” Mike mutters, causing you to slowly lift your head as you grow confused and intrigued.

“What do you mean?” You probe.

“His army,” Mike repeats louder. “Maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army, too.”

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion, but before you can ask what he really means, Mike runs off. Lucas, Dustin and Max follow him, so Steve and you share a knowing look before you both follow them to a child’s room filled with the same posters.

“The shadow monster,” Dustin names the scary spider-like monster terrorizing over some drawn out woods.

It’s just a drawing but it doesn’t fail to cause you to grow scared.

“It got Will that day on the field,” Mike explains. “The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him.”

You blink in disbelief while you take the drawing from Dustin to study it better.

“And so this virus,” Max says. “It’s connecting him to the tunnels?”

“To the tunnels, monsters, the Upside Down, everything,” Mike says rapidly.

“Whoa,” Steve cuts in. “Slow down. Slow down.”

You hand the drawing to Steve and pay closer attention to what this kid says.

“Okay, so, the shadow monsters inside everything. And if the vines feel something like pain, then so does Will.”

“And so does Dart,” Lucas says after Mike..

Mike nods. “Yeah. Like what Mr Clarke taught us. The hive mind.”

You’ve heard of that behavior. It’s an interesting behavior.

“Hive mind?” Steve questions.

You nod and look at him. “It’s a collective consciousness. It’s a super-organism,” you explain to him excitedly. “It’s seen in bees, ants, and birds. Of course none to that level where they share the same pain, but think of it like that. Just in a bigger scale!”

Steve doesn’t seem to understand, but Mike cuts in before you can explain it in simpler terms. “And this is the thing that controls everything. It’s the brain. Like the mind flayer.”

Lucas snaps his fingers, and you actually don’t understand that connection, so just like Steve and Max, you also utter the same word. “What?”

But once again they don’t explain it right away, they grab some game manual and then gather everyone around the table, except for the boy Will and his mother. Once everyone else is gathered though, Dustin begins to explain what was brought up.

“The Mind Flayer.”

“What the hell is that?” Your uncle questions.

“It’s a monster from an unknown dimension,” Dustin explains. “It’s so ancient that it doesn’t even know it’s true home. Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains using its highly-developed psionic powers.”

Not like a bee.

“Oh my god,” your uncle snaps. “None of this is real. This is a kids game.”

“No, it’s a manual,” Dustin quickly rebuttals. “And it’s not for kids. And unless you know something we don’t, this is the best metaphor—”

“Analogy,” Lucas corrects him, making you slowly look at him in annoyance.

“Analogy?” Dustin quips. “That’s what you’re worried about? Fine! An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is,” Dustin shouts, making you back away from him.

“Okay,” Nancy interjects, “so this mind flamer thing—”

“Flayer,” Dustin corrects her. “Mind Flayer.”

Nancy sighs and then asks her question. “What does it want?”

“To conquer us, basically,” Dustin explains. “It believes it’s the master race.”

“Like the Germans?” Steve adds quite confidently.

He should’ve sticked to just listening.

“Uh, the Nazis?” Dustin asks.

Steve catches the judgment and just nods. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Nazis.”

Oh god he’s going to need a lot of help.

“Uh,” Dustin says. “If the Nazis were from another dimension, totally. Uh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself.”

“It wants to spread, take over other dimensions,” Mike now adds to the explanation. Which helps somewhat understand what they’re trying to get at.

“We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it,” Lucas cuts in.

You sigh and feel your fear heighten.

“That’s great. That’s great,” Steve comments nervously. “That’s really great. Jesus!”

You swallow thickly and try to probe for more. “Okay, so if this thing is like a brain that’s controlling everything.” You approach the table and take the book to study the description. “Then if we kill it…theoretically, we kill everything it controls.”

“We win,” Dustin agrees.

You glance at him. “Theoretically?” You ask.

“Yes of course,” Lucas agrees.

You hum and watch your uncle take the book from you as he now also interjects. “Great. So how do you kill this thing? Shoot it with fireballs or something?”

Dustin chuckles and shakes his head. “No. No, no fire—no fireballs. Uh, you summon an undead army. Uh, because…because zombies, you know, they don’t have brains, and the mind Flayer, it…it…it likes brains…”

Oh.

“…it’s just a game. It’s a game.”

You sigh and rub the bridge of your nose.

“What the hell are we doing here?” Your uncle complains and throws the book down.

“I thought we were waiting for your military backup,” Dustin snaps.

“We are!”

“Even if they come how are they gonna stop this?” Mike also argues with even more anger.

Why is he so angry?

“You can’t just shoot this with guns.”

Hey, you did.

“You don’t know that!” Your uncle yells back. “We don’t know anything!”

You would say you killed one with a gun but you’re scared to get yelled at, so you just keep your mouth shut.

“We know it’s already killed everybody in that lab,” Mike adds.

“And we know the monsters are gonna molt again,” Lucas reminds the group.

“And we know that it’s only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town,” Dustin adds to the argument.

“They’re right,” a new voice interjects, pulling your gaze to the kitchen entrance and spotting Joyce—“we have to kill it.” She nods. “I want to kill it.”

Your uncle breaks away from his spot and walks to her. “Me too, Joyce, okay?” He says. “But how do we do that? We don’t exactly know what we’re dealing with here.”

“No,” Mike cuts in. “But he does,” he refers to Will while he walks out of the kitchen. “If anyone knows how to destroy this thing, it’s Will. He’s connected to it. He'll know it’s weakness.”

Isn’t he the one that alerts the demo-dogs where he is?

“I thought we couldn’t trust him anymore,” Max says your thought outloud. That he’s a spy for the mind flayer now.”

“Yeah,” Mike agrees. “But he can’t spy if he doesn’t know where he is.”

And just like that everyone spreads out to find ways to cover the shed in the backyard. You help them to keep your mind off everything, to not just sit and wait for your dad to respond back. To not think of your fear mostly.

And it works for a while, whilst you help everyone cover the inside of the shed your mind gets distracted. But that doesn’t last long because once the inside of the shed is covered, Jonathan, his mother, Mike and your uncle interrogate Will. It seems a lot of today has been spent mostly just waiting for something to happen, for the Demo-dogs to take the bait, for Nancy and Jonathan to go to the lab in search of their family, wait for the army people to answer, wait for your own father, and even now you wait for answers.

Waiting should be boring, but it’s just stressful. Tension weighs your shoulders down. It probably ages you ten years too.

If you were home, living ignorantly—or just vicariously through your dad, you’d be out with Zion right now. At least that’s what you agreed to…He probably hates you now. You left him a voicemail since no one picked up at his house, but he still probably hates you for flaking. You’d hate yourself.

After today albeit, you wish you can live ignorantly. Pretend nothing happened and just go out on that date and not have to worry if you’ll get eaten. You even…and this is a pain to say…but you would even be down to watch one of your mothers movies. And that’s not said lightly.

Nevertheless, throughout all that thinking as you wait in the tense silence, you do end up nodding off on the couch. It felt like eternity, but you only wake up 30 minutes later because the house phone rings.

Albeit, Dustin quickly hangs it up.

“Oh it isn’t a dream,” you grumble as you rub your eyes. “Is it the army?” You ask groggily.

Everyone’s tense?

“What’s—” you get cut off by the sound of the phone ringing again.

This time as Dustin is going to hang it up Nancy yanks it off the wall and throws it to the ground.

“Do you think he heard that?” Max asks.

Oh right! That. Will can’t know, right, right.

You get off the couch and approach the kitchen.

“It’s just a phone,” Steve comments. “It could be anywhere. Right?”

You swallow thickly and at that moment catch a paper with dashes, dots and the word “Close gate” on it.

“Is that the solution?” You ask and turn the paper to stare at it.

“We hope,” Nancy says.

You sigh and then glance at the door out of fear. There’s a possibility that Will wouldn’t figure it out, but considering this is his house, he’s in his own shed, he probably has some idea of where he is. He just needed a last hint.

And of course the phone ringing was his push to figure it all out because not so long later growls echo in the distance.

“Shit,” you mumble and face the front window. “That’s not good.” You maneuver past the kids watching the window and pick your gun off the floor.

Jonathan, Joyce, Mike then rush inside with a now unconscious Will. And while joyce lays Will down somewhere your uncle marches inside soon after that.

“Hey, hey, get away from the windows!” He orders.

You cock your shotgun and stand guard in front of the window.

“Do you know how to use this?” Your uncle directs at Jonathan.

“What?” He asks.

You peer back and notice his confusion.

“Can you use this?!”

“I can,” Nancy steps up, making you smirk.

“To being stupid teenagers?” Steve whispers to you as he falls beside you.

You slowly look over at him and nod stiffly. “To being stupid teenagers,” you repeat.

Steve sighs and then looks ahead, you follow his line of gaze and point your gun out at the window. The demo-dogs sound closer now, you can hear them rustling, screeching louder.

“Where are they?” Max asks impatiently.

You clench your jaw and exhale shakily. The monsters growl, and you can’t help but tighten your grip around your gun.

A loud thud then hits something outside, making you and everyone else turn to face it and be ready. Yet none of them show up at the window or try to take the door down. They just seem to stay outside.

“What are they doing?” Nancy asks shakily.

Leaves rustles as they pass, but still nothing.

“Are they messing with us?” You question their tactics.

Before anyone can answer though, a snarl sounds outside the window, causing you all to turn again. But still nothing, one actually seems to screech in pain, and more make the same noises, but then out of nowhere one hurls through the window.

You yell along with everyone else and point your gun at it to get ready to shoot, but it doesn’t move! It’s…dead.

“Holy…shit,” Dustin muses.

Your uncle slowly approaches the dead demo-dog, and you slowly lower your gun.

“Is It dead?” Max asks.

You nod slowly. “Seems so.”

When your uncle Jim reaches the demo-dog he moves it with his foot, and it continues not to react. However, wood then creaks from the outside.

The monsters don’t make a sound anymore, so what is it?

The lock then turns and your heart begins to pound harder.

They can’t do that can they? What the fuck!

The chain lock gets pulled off like something from a horror movie, and the doorknob slowly turns before the door begins to open.

However, when the door gets pushed open, it isn’t some demo-dog standing outside menacingly. It’s a girl with gelled back hair and a bleeding nose. Everyone seems to be unthreatened by her, so you lower your gun and lean towards Steve. “Who is that?” You ask.

Steve leans over and responds quietly. “Eleven, the girl Dustin told you about….”

The girl your dad is looking for. Holy shit. The girl that can lift shit with her fucking mind!

“Eleven,” Mike mumbles as they close the gap left between each other with a hug.

“Mike,” Eleven gasps.

You brush your hand over your walkie and step back.

She’s the one who can end this all? The one that started it…or at least that’s what Dustin said.

Hm. Interesting.

Now since you don’t know her and she doesn’t know you, you walk to the kitchen as they reunite with her, as your uncle talks to Mike privately.

Your dad said he wanted to end this. All of this terror that haunts this town. You haven’t seen a fraction of what the others have, but from what you’ve lived through today that’s enough terror for you. Enough terror for them. So if she’s the part that’s needed to ending it…shouldn’t you help your dad?

End it and you also get to finally settle down and live.

Besides, even after all that’s happened, this little town is a good place. You already have friends, a home, you don’t need to go back to Washington DC, you can stay here. And the only way is to get rid of all of it. Your dad can’t do that if he doesn’t know where she is though.

However, before that can happen you need to know something else, so you wait. And as predicted Joyce brings her to the kitchen to speak about the answer Will gave.

“You opened this gate before, right?” Joyce asks Eleven.

“Yes,” Eleven mutters.

You fold your arms over the table and watch her cautiously.

“Do you think if we got you back there, that you could close it?” Joyce continues to question her.

Eleven glances at her and then looks ahead, she agrees quietly, but this time your uncle argues against her. “It’s not like it was before, it’s grown. A lot. And I mean, that’s considering we can get in there. That place is crawling with those dogs. ”

He’s protecting her…

This may be a problem.

“Demo-dogs,” Dustin corrects him.

Your uncle sighs. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said, uh, Demo-dogs? Like Demogorgan and dogs.”

He’s at it again.

“Like, you put them together, it sound pretty badass—”

“How is this important right now?” Your uncle cuts him off.

Dustin looks away and retorts. “It’s not. I’m sorry.”

You sit up and look back at your uncle. “I can help. I killed one with my shotgun,” you let him know with a smirk.

Your uncle shoots you a pointed look and shakes his head.

“It’s true, Uncle Jim” you exclaim. “I killed one!”

“Uncle?” You hear the girl, Eleven, question your comment.

“No,” he spats. “You’re not helping. Your dad hates me enough. I’m not putting you in harm's way.”

“I can do it,” Eleven then cuts in, turning your attention back to her.

“You’re not hearing me.”

Eleven nods. “I’m hearing you. I can do it.”

“Even if El can, there’s still a problem,” Mike interjects. “If the brain dies, the body dies.”

You blink in confusion and question that. “I thought that was the whole point?”

“It is,” Mike agrees. “But if we’re really right about this…I mean, if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayers army…”

“Will’s a part of that army,” Lucas finishes for Mike.

“Closing the gate will kill him.”

You look down and share something that’s been itching your brain. “Not exactly. You said it was a virus. It’s not a part of him. He’s just like a…voice, that’s putting it simple. A puppet. Right? You just have to cut its string. Or in this case make the host inhabitable.”

All eyes fall on you, no one adds anything as they all think, Joyce gasps though out of a sudden and then walks away. Before you can follow Steve puts his hand out.

“Nice,” he compliments you.

You high five him and shoot him a smile. “Thanks. That’s what homeschooling gets you.” You get off your chair and follow him after the others.

“Whatever.”

“He likes it cold,” you hear Joyce mutter inside the room.

“What?” Your uncle asks.

“It’s what Will kept saying to me. He likes it cold.”

You peek inside and watch Joyce close the window. “We keep giving it what it wants,” she says.

“It’s just like y/n said,” Nancy interjects. “We have to make the host uninhabitable. So if he likes it cold…”

“We need to burn it out of him,” Joyce adds.

“We have to do it somewhere he doesn’t know this time,” Mike shares his thoughts.

Dustin nods, “yeah, somewhere far away.”

And just like that your uncle suggests his cabin, or his grandfather's cabin. All things get set in motion now, Jonathan and his mother will take Will, your uncle will take Eleven, and you will lead your father to her.

So while Steve and Nancy search for heaters out in the junk thrown out from the shed, and while the kids fare Eleven good luck, you go to the bathroom and try your dad one more time.

“Dad,” you let the button go and wait. You watch it as if that would do anything.

And this time rather than static and nothing, your dads voice responds. “Y/N? Baby, where have you been?”

You sigh with relief and quickly respond, but not in English, you can’t risk letting anyone hear, so you speak to him in Mandarin. “<I will explain it all later, swear. That girl you’re looking for, the anomaly. She’s going to the lab with uncle Jim. Now. You promised we’d find a home after right? Well this is your chance. I want to stay here.>” You let go of the button and wait.

Your dad takes a moment but he then makes sure you hear him sigh before he responds. “<I have so many questions, but I’ll get those later. Thank you.>”

You smile softly and then quickly make sure to add a short warning. “<Before you leave just know that when you get there monsters are going to be there. You have to wait until the girl closes a gate inside the lab, okay? That’s how we get rid of them. Make sure to wait until after that gate is closed! Understand?>”

Once again your dad sighs, but he doesn’t question you. “<Fine. I understand. Go home. Don’t wait up. Just know when you wake up breakfast will be ready.>”

You laugh softly and nod even if he can’t see, even if you don’t plan to go home yet. You just don’t want to argue with him. “<Be careful.>”

“<I will. I love you, baby.>”

Before every mission he never failed to say that. And everytime he said it genuinely and with no struggle.

It’s you who felt embarrassed.

“I love you,” he repeats with amusement. “Copy?”

“Copy,” you giggle.

“Say it.”

You roll your eyes. “I…love you,” you say back. “Be careful.”

“I will. Over and out.”

You sigh. “Over and out.”

Yeah, you’re going to the lab too. He hasn’t faced those monsters, you have, he’ll need your help. But your uncle will never let you ride with him, so you’ll wait. Act normal.

You walk out of the bathroom and catch the man you were just thinking of. He seemed to be walking out, but when he catches you walking to the living room he turns and stops at the end of the hall.

“You,” he points at you. “You stay here. Got it? Stay out of trouble. If your dad decides to answer, tell him where I am. Or to pick you up. Understand?”

You nod in agreement. “Yep. Be careful.”

Your uncle nods stiffly and walks out. When he’s out the door you sit on the couch and watch the window until both cars can’t be seen anymore. You continue to wait though, Mrs Byers car is outside so you’ll use that to get there. You just can’t catch up to your uncle so you'll wait a few minutes.

After a few moments pass of everyone doing their own thing, the silence finally breaks. “Mike, would you just stop already?” You hear Lucas complain.

Said boy stops pacing and faces his friend. “You weren’t in there, okay, Lucas?” Mike rebuttals. “That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs.”

“Demo-dogs,” you mouth. And just as you predicted, Dustin corrects him like he corrects everyone else who hasn’t said it.

“Demo-dogs!”

“The Chief will take care of her,” Lucas tries to assure Mike.

“Like she needs protection,” Max comments.

“Plus,” you add so later you won’t sound suspicious. “My dad is going to help. I managed to get ahold of him.”

Mike drags his gaze to you and counters sassily. “And what does your dad do?”

You smirk. “He was a CIA agent. He’s skilled enough.”

Mike rolls his eyes like if he doesn’t believe you, but doesn’t say anything, letting Steve cut in.

“Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it. All right?”

You snort at his comment before you pick at it. “First of all, this isn’t a sports game, and second we’re not even in the game. We’re on the bench man.”

Steve holds your gaze and nods slowly before he begins to stammer. “Right, so my point is—”

You lean forward from where you sit and quirk your brow.

“Right,” Steve agrees. “Yeah, we’re on the bench, so, uh, there’s nothing we can do.” He puts a towel cloth over his shoulder and sighs in defeat.

However, Dustin interjects now. “That’s not entirely true. I mean, these Demo-dogs, they have a hive-mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away.”

“So if we get their attention,” Lucas cuts in, and Max follows by adding to the plan.

“Maybe we can draw them from the lab.”

“And clear a path to the gate,” Mike says.

“Yeah,” Steve cuts in. “And then we all die.”

“That’s one point of view,” you counter.

Steve shoots you a pointed glare and shakes his head. “No that’s not a point of view. That’s a fact. Weren’t you just scared of them?”

You nod but shrug him off instead.

“I got it!” Mike exclaims and walks past Dustin and Steve, you get off the couch and follow him along with the others—”this is where the chief dug his hole,” Mike points to a spot on one of the colorful papers. “This is our way into the tunnel. So…” he trails off and walks to another spot.

“Here,” he points out. “Right here. This is like a hub. So you get all the tunnels feeding in here.” He crouches and continues to explain. “Maybe if we set this on fire…”

“Oh, no yeah? That’s a no.” The kids ignore Steve though.

“The mind flayer would call away his army,” Dustin shares his theory.

“They’d all come to stop us,” Lucas adds.

“Then we circle back to the exit,” Mike continues. “By the time they realize we’re gone—”

“El would be at the gate,” Max says excitedly.

“Hey,” Steve exclaims, finally catching everyone’s attention. “Hey! Hey! This is not happening.”

“But—”

“No, no, no buts,” he interrupts Mike. “I promised I’d keep you shitheads safe and that’s exactly what I plan on doing. We’re staying here. On the bench. And we’re waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everyone understand that?”

You nod. You’re the only one who does.

“This isn’t a stupid sports game,” Mike argues with annoyance.

“I said, does everybody understand that?” Steve presses. “I need a yes.”

Before anyone can answer though, an engine revs outside, stealing everyone’s attention to the window. But only Max and Lucas run over to get a better view through the wicked

“It’s my brother,” Max announces, piquing your curiosity. “He can’t know I’m here. He’ll kill me. He’ll kill us.”

You take a step forward and probe. “Who’s your brother?”

Max looks back at you with worry. “Billy Hargrove.”

Oh, that guy?

“Stay here,” Steve orders suddenly before he walks out of the house before anyone can argue.

You join the kids by the window and watch Billy climb out of his car and meet Steve half way. And since you can’t hear the interaction since they’re speaking too low to hear them clearly, you watch them confront each other.

They remain calm for a moment. Only for a moment before Billy points at all of you in the window.

“Fuck,” you mumble and slide down along with the kids.

“Shit, did he see us?” Dustin asks panicked.

You nod. “Yeah, he saw us.” You get up and point your head to the kitchen. “Go.”

The kids run after you, but the door then gets slammed opened as Billy storms in.

“Well, well, well,” he greets everyone and slams the door shut.

Where’s Steve?

“Lucas Sinclair,” Billy just names him and ignores his sister and the rest of you. “What a surprise.” As he approaches him he glares at his sister. “I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max.”

“Billy, go away,” she mutters.

“You disobeyed me,” Billy says quietly. “And you know what happens when you disobey me.”

“Billy…”

“I break things,” he says and then suddenly grabs Lucas by the collar and drags him away to slam him against a cabinet in the kitchen.

“Hey!” You exclaim and chase after him without helping Steve. “Stop! Leave him alone!”

“Billy stop! Billy!” Max yells out.

“Get off of me, you—”

“Since Maxine won’t listen to me, maybe you will.” Billy sneers at the boy. “You stay away from her. Stay away from her! You hear me?”

You have enough and manage to shove Billy to the wall beside him. “Leave the boy alone, asshole.”

Billy stares at you with surprise at first, letting you pull Lucas behind you so he can sneak away back to his friends.

“It’s you,” Billy chuckles.

You scoff smugly. “It’s me.”

Billy proceeds to push you, making Max react.

“Leave her alone Billy.”

You however, don’t let him push you around, you close your hand to a fist and then without warning hit him with an upper cut.

Billy groans and stumbles back since you catch him off guard. You don’t stop there though, you see his threatening stance, you saw him with Lucas, and predict what he did to Steve, so you throw a right hook too.

“Nice,” you hear Dustin say.

You proceed to knee Billy in the balls. “Don’t touch me,” you warn him. “Or them ever again.”

Billy groans and holds his crotch, but rather than writhing in his pain, he begins to laugh, making you step back and watch him in confusion

“You’re so dead, bitch.” He hisses.

You swallow thickly out of fear, but stand your ground.

Albeit, Steve then pushes you away and takes your place in front of Billy. “No,” Steve says. “You are.” And before anything else can be said or done, Steve throws Billy a strong right hook that makes him stumble.

Steve then grabs Billy by the collar and turns him to throw him back against the table. And like before Billy begins to laugh.

“Steve,” you try to warn him.

Said man meets your gaze and points his eyes to the side, letting you understand that he wants you to get out of the way.

“Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh?” Billy laughs. “I’ve been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody’s been telling me so much about!”

“Get out,” Steve warns Billy as he pushes him back.

Nevertheless, Billy throws a punch. Steve luckily ducks it and also throws a punch that lands on Billys face.

“Yes! Kick his ass, Steve!” Dustin exclaims with excitement.

There’s no point yelling. Its either get beat up, or beat him up. You don’t want Steve to lose, so you let him fight Billy.

“Murder that son of a bitch!” Dustin shouts as Steve hits Billy again and again, and again until Billy is against the sink laughing like a maniac.

“Get that shithead!” Mike yells too.

“Kill the son of a bitch!” Dustin cheers Steve on. But as he does Billy slams a plate against Steve’s head.

“Steve!” You cry out and try to approach him, but Steve puts his hand out to stop you.

You don’t listen and meet him halfway as he stumbles away from Billy. Steve grabs your arms as you secure your hold around him.

However, you miss Billy storming over and don’t catch him until he kicks Steve out of your arms.

“Hey!” You bellow and try to shove him back, but this time he’s more aware of you. Before you can touch him he swings his hand back and slaps you harshly with the back of his hand.

“Fuck,” you hiss and hold a part of your face that begins to sting.

“Y/N,” Lucas calls out and approaches you with the other kids in tow.

You shake your head and face them to assure them. “I’m okay. I’m okay.” You nod and then drift your attention to the men, catching how Billy picks Steve up by the collar.

“No one tells me what to do!” Billy spats and then slams his head against Steve, making him fall back. “Whoo!”

“Stop!” You cry out. “You’re gonna kill him! Leave him alone, you made your point!”

Billy climbs over Steve and begins to punch him repeatdly. Your mind threatens to keep you there, but you snap out of your stupor and run to grab your gun from the corner of the wall you kept it against.

You don’t plan to shoot Billy, you just need to scare him by shooting beside him or something.

Nevertheless, just as you face Billy, Max beats you to it and stabs a needle in the side of his neck, causing him to finally stop hitting your friend, and shut the boys up.

Billy follows by getting up though to face his sister with disbelief, letting you drop your gun and fall on your knees by Steve.

“Oh god,” you mumble shakily as you see the blood all over his face. “It’s okay, you’ll be okay.” You press your ear against his lips and hear him breathing. He’s just unconscious. “You’ll be okay.” You whisper to his unconscious body.

A body thumps against the floor, so you look over, and catch Billy falling unconscious himself. He makes sure to laugh first though.

Creep.

Max picks up Steve’s nail bat and lifts it up to warn Billy. “From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?”

“Screw you,” Billy mutters, making Max swing the bat down between his legs.

“Say you understand!” Max yells back angrily. “Say it! Say it!”

You look over at Billy and see him lick his lips before responding. “I understand,” Billy whispers.

“What?” Max asks.

“I understand,” Billy repeats before falling unconscious.

Max doesn’t wait to drop the bat and take the keys out of her brother's pocket. “Let’s get out of here,” she tells the boys.

About that.

It’s later than you wanted, but its okay.

“I’m going to Hawkins lab,” you let the kids know as you get up and walk to the kitchen to get a cloth to clean Steve’s face. “I’m using Mrs Byers car and meeting my dad there.”

“What?” Dustin asks as he follows after you while you get other things to clean Steve’s cuts. “But—”

“My dad doesn’t know about these things, not enough anyway. He…he’s going to help my uncle,” you lie. “But he’s going to get caught up in the mess, I need to help him. He’s the only family I have, I can’t let him die.”

Dustin parts his lips to argue, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Good,” you say and peer over your shoulder. “You guys need a ride first?”

“No!” Max exclaims. “I got it! You go, help your dad.”

You turn and face her as she also follows after you. “You drive?”

Max hesitates but then nods. “Yeah, my mom taught me.”

She’s too young for that, but you only have your dad, he’s what matters most in this world, so you take her word.

So now after you clean and bandage all of Steve’s cuts, after you wipe all the blood off his face, you get in Mrs Byers car and head to Hawkins lab. Your dad might not even need you for what he needs to do, but you were serious. He’s all you have. Your mother is a deadbeat, so you can’t lose your dad, you love him too much to lose him. So you go to him even with your fear of these Demo-dogs, even if it might mean having to harm that girl.

But if she’s the means to an end then…is it not worth it?

.

.

.

.

.

Tagged- @middle-of-the-earth @x-theolivia @redskull199987 @lilyhw1

[lboogie1906]

Kelso Benjamin Cochrane (September 26, 1926 - May 17, 1959) one of the early victims of racial violence against West Indians in London, was born in Johnson’s Point, Antigua to Joanna Valentine and Stanley Cochrane. He was born into a working-class family and was a carpenter. In 1949, he then moved to the US. He began working on an agricultural labor contract in Florida. He met and married Kansas Green and the couple had a daughter.

They moved to New York City to re-establish themselves but failed. He returned to Antigua and migrated to Great Britain in September 1954.

He continued to work as a carpenter whilst saving to attend law school. He then met Olivia Ellington. In June 1959, they planned on getting married. On May 17, he was murdered. He had to pass a popular pub frequented by Sir Oswald Mosley, a well-known white nationalist and staunch anti-immigrant advocate, and his supporters. From across the street, six white men shouted, “Hey, Jim Crow” at Cochrane. The men descended upon him and stabbed him. He was rushed to St. Charles’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead. His last words were, “They asked me for money. I told them I had none.” Since the Nottingham and Notting Hill riots, in 1958, racial tensions within those areas remained high.

On June 6, 1959, his funeral was held at St Michael’s and All Angel’s Church in Notting Hill. A crowd of 1,200 lined the streets to mourn his death. The Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation, the High Commissioner of Ghana, and the Mayor of Kensington were in attendance. In July 1959 and on May 17, 1960, Mosley and his supporters held a “Keep Britain White” campaign meeting at the spot where he was murdered.

When he was alive, he was unknown. In his death, his face and life story became intertwined with discussions of Black rights and protest movements in Britain and the Atlantic world in the post-WWII era. On May 17, 2009, a blue plaque was unveiled at the Golbourne Bar and Restaurant, which is now “West Thirty-Six,” opposite where he was attacked. His actual murderers were never brought to justice. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[piastrinorris]

but it rains, and i rise — a stranger things summer camp au

Camp Hawk, est. 1953 in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, was designed to ignite the spark of creativity in young teenagers in the hopes of keeping them off of the streets. As years go by, one of the great consistencies throughout generations of Hoppers is their belief that if schools were to take the arts more seriously, kids would go on to live more enriched lives.

And what better example to lead by than the constant flow of counsellors that opt to graduate from their years of being a camper themselves? It's tough to get the campers that grew up with them to refer to them by their counsellor names, but the Eagle himself, Jim Hopper, sees for himself year upon year how well the kids take to respecting their peers once that extra boundary is in place. It's not just former campers, either - despite it being so small and discerning, Camp Hawk is one of the most sought-after for counsellor applications.

Argyle - Canary: A newbie fresh in from Lenora Hills, California. Rocking up in a beaten-up pizza delivery van, blasting reggae music, Hopper was about ready to turn him away before his tyres could track through the parking lot, but his partner, Joyce, insisted Argyle be given a fair shot. Hopper doesn't care much for Argyle's laid-back approach to life, but his offer to create the brand new role of cooking tutor impressed the camp operator enough to hire him. Argyle's always been the kind to throw caution to the wind and let it drive him, but now that he's graduated, he's got to prove himself. He thought getting his job at Surfer Boy Pizza would prove his responsibility, but no dice there. Perhaps this job will help him get taken seriously.

Nancy - Oriole: Hopper's never played favourites, of course not, that wouldn't be fair - but relief certainly swept through him when he saw the name Nancy Wheeler amongst counsellor applications. She was whipping her team into shape even as a young camper - though that started to waver once Steve Harrington came on the scene. Every year became the same - a whirlwind summer romance that lasted from the moment their feet would touch camp soil, only to break each others' hearts on the last day, just to pick up where they left off a year later. However, as Nancy matured over the years, Steve certainly didn't, driving her out of his arms and into the far quieter ones of fellow camper-turned-counsellor, Jonathan Byers.

Jonathan - Finch: It was Hopper's ability to find a talent in young Jonathan which brought him out of his shell, that ultimately brought his mother Joyce closer to the camp operator. It was no skin off Jonathan's back - it practically guaranteed him a spot on the counsellor team without having to interact too much with his fellow campers, at least. But he eventually learned the benefits to socialising when being an ear to listen to Nancy's troubles soon became a shoulder to cry on, which snowballed into a friendship that hinted at far more. Though the two live in completely different parts of the country, long distance seems to suit Jonathan just fine - in fact, better than being in each others' spaces for, say, weeks of their summer vacation.

Chrissy - Parakeet: Chrissy hated camp at first, but she'd never tell her parents. She'd made such a big deal about wanting to go, despite them telling her she wouldn't handle being away from them. That wasn't why she hated camp - that could be boiled down to two words. Steve. Harrington. Every year, without fail, he'd do the absolute most to try and make her life hell. She hated to admit to it, but this rivalry did build character for her. She wants to be as much of a role model to new campers as her counsellors always were to her, and at least she also managed to get her best friend from back home a job, too.

Eddie - Kingfisher: One half of the self-proclaimed Team Newbie, Eddie needed something to pad his resume with now that he'd finally graduated high school alongside his best friend two years his junior, Chrissy Cunningham. Another hesitant hire from Hopper, except beyond the anarchist persona the man could tell that there was a softer side to the boy, crying out for a little bit of order, a little bit of responsibility to prove himself. If Hopper plays his cards right, Eddie has all the makings of an ideal counsellor.

Vickie - Parula: Vickie had lived in close enough proximity of Camp Hawk all her life, and while she begged and begged her parents to sign her up, they insisted on summers being for family vacations. She celebrated her 18th birthday by sending her application for counsellor eight times over - one for every year she wished she could have attended. Of course, she'd done her research. She knew the culture of Camp Hawk inside out. She knew that almost everyone there would know someone, except her. But perhaps that's the unique take she can bring to the camp. If she can show one kid who's struggling to make friends, that even the adults need to start from scratch sometimes, she'd be satisfied.

Steve - Robin: Steve was by far Hopper's proudest achievement. Turning Robert Harrington's spoiled little brat into someone who enjoyed being in a place of structure so much that he was begging Hopper to come back as a counsellor. Just one problem - Steve Harrington doesn't have a creative bone in his body. That's a slight lie, there's one way his creativity shines, but the last thing Hopper needs is Steve teaching more kids how best to prank Chrissy Cunningham, even when his on-and-off girlfriend Nancy was desperately asking him to grow up and settle down for her. Still, Hopper couldn't resist creating another brand new role just for Steve. He just hopes that having a responsibility for something that he cares about will be the final flame under Steve's ass that he needs.

Robin - Cardinal: Robin has spent her whole life being the black sheep of everywhere she goes, and now that she's supposed to "go out into the world" and "find herself", she has no clue where to even begin. She's more than happy to sit back, play second fiddle to whoever needs her to, and let someone else dictate her life for her for as long as possible. Anything that allows her to procrastinate from having to face the realities of all the burdens of reality: not knowing what direction she wants to live her life in, though the pressures of college sure want her to; coming to terms with having finally come out to herself, and having to face the ultimate dread of figuring out who would ever possibly be safe to come out to.

these were made using this template from ana-makes as a base!

[rabbitcruiser]

National Smile Day

Wear  your best smile to this party as we celebrate National Smile Day every  year on May 31. Founded by dentists Dr. Tim Stirneman and Jim Wojdyla of  Compassionate Dental Care in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, this day is  meant to, you guessed it, “Share with the world what the power of a  healthy smile can do!” The best part, this day heralds the beginning of  National Smile Month!

History of National Smile Day

The  history of the smile can be traced back to monkeys and apes, according  to primatologist Signe Preuschoft. These animals bare their teeth in a  facsimile of a smile to show dominance or warn off predators. The theory  is that humans copied this behavior and, over time, the smile evolved  to show amusement and enjoyment. Research indicates that on the way to  portraying happiness, smiles were a way of attracting mates among early  humans.

If you’ve ever wondered why older portraits often showed  unsmiling people, it was because people in that era had a lot of tooth  rot caused by sugar and a poor diet. Plus, more common was the  aristocratic perception that smiling and laughing was indecorous, and  showed a lack of self-control or good manners. One of the few exceptions  was Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” although the portrait’s ambiguity  is part of its fame. As dentistry and an attitude of authenticity  developed, people began smiling even in portraits, this time with their  teeth on display.

Studies of yearbook photographs over the years  point to the breadth of smiles increasing over the years. The study  indicates that because participants had to hold the pose for longer  periods in the earlier days of photography, their smiles gradually  dimmed. The prevalence of smiling in the recent past is linked to  culture and traditions and varies from country to country. Some regions  with high individualism and low population density had a higher  incidence of people who smiled. A study found that the biggest reason  people smile, however, can be attributed to a country’s tradition of  diverse immigration over time. So places like Brazil and the United  States, where people do not share common customs or languages, see  higher incidences of smiles. The study states that this is because the  smile is part of a universal language.

A French neurologist,  Guillaume Duchenne, who studied the mechanism of facial expression,  discovered there are two types of smiles: a Duchenne smile and a  non-Duchenne smile. The former smiles with the eyes or is a genuine  smile, whereas the latter is an ambiguous, non-genuine, or simply polite  smile.

National Smile Day timeline

1700–1780s The French Now Smile with their Teeth

French portraits of people show smiles with teeth, which is a new occurrence.

1702 Rules of Decorum Still Frown on Smiles

French  priest and educational reformer Jean-Baptiste de La Salle publishes  “Rules of Christian Decorum and Civility,” which advises against smiling  and laughing, since they are ‘indecorous’ displays of emotion,  according to him.

18th Century Dentistry Emerges in France

This is a turning point in social practices.

1950s Smiles are Common in Portraits

It becomes the norm to smile in photographs.

1962 Laughter is Contagious

In  Tanzania, students at a school break out into fits of uncontrollable  laughter, which eventually spreads to their parents and their  acquaintances.

How To Celebrate National Smile Day

Smile!

Make someone else smile

Visit your dentist

The  best way to celebrate this day dedicated to smiling is to smile, of  course! Spread some good cheer around and grace another person with your  smile. We often don't realize that we wear a frown for most of the day.  Share a smile with someone just for a moment and see the difference it  makes in your everyday interactions.

Do  one thing to bring a smile to someone else’s face. Start small (tell  them a joke) or go big (volunteer at a children’s home). Whatever you  choose, cherish the feeling of being able to light up someone’s life,  and keep bringing smiles to everyone you meet.

Since  this day was created by dentists, delight yours by giving them a visit.  Go for a dental checkup to make sure your smile is in tip-top shape.

5 Fun Facts About Smiling

Smiling is less taxing than frowning

Babies are better at smiling than you are

Babies can fake it too!

We know when a smile is fake

Laughing for the heck of it

It takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile.

Babies smile about 400 times a day, while, on average, adults only smile about 20 times.

At  only nine or 10 months of age, babies have learned to offer fake smiles  to strangers, reserving real smiles and laughter for people they are  comfortable with.

Our  brains have evolved to such an extent that we can see a fake smile a  mile away — also, our brains automatically mimic the smile we see, which  means we give a fake smile for a fake smile.

A  study on why people laugh found that 80-90% of all laughter is in  response to simple statements like  “It was nice meeting you”, or “I’ll  see you later.”

Why We Love National Smile Day

Smiles hold power!

Smiles have health benefits too

A smile is the best accessory

Not  only do they automatically make you feel good (yes, even fake smiles!),  but they also create a temporary bond between the people sharing a  smile. Data shows that over time, smiles can increase productivity and  creativity in workers, and make people seem more competent and  trustworthy.

The  more we smile, the healthier our brains become. This is because smiles  make us happy, thus reducing stress. Smiles are also known to reduce our  blood pressure, heart rate, and pain. Smiling can increase endurance,  strengthen our immune system, and even help keep the cells in our body  healthy.

Smiling  shifts our mood, tipping it into the ‘happy’ side. A happy person is a  more confident person. Walking into a room with a smile is better than  wearing fancy brand-name clothes or shoes. There’s no downside to  smiling, not in the way it looks, nor the results it brings us.

Source

[toomuchlovereviews]

Once Bitten (1985)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW: Do be aware that there are some slight anti-drag/anti-drag terminology within the first 20 mins. F-slur usage at about 1:12:00, with commentary about the event for about two minutes after the fact.

Campy horror is a way of life when you’re gay. And anything from the 80’s is bound to be campy to the max. With a soundtrack to match? Thank god.

And I’m about to say something inappropriate, but a young Jim Carey could get it. Funny, handsome and an elastic face? Yes, please.

The conversation and actions between Mark and his friends were very realistic to high schoolers, which is a win in Hollywood’s book. This dialogue was written by people that experienced high school recently! And it is much appreciated, because of how it contributed to the verisimilitude!

End of: this movie is a sexy vampire flick, that is so worth it. The Countess can take me anytime, sorry Robin.

You should watch this if:

You love a hot woman taking the lead

You like young Jim Carey being an idiotic high schooler (he was literally perfect for this role)

Similar titles:

What We Do in the Shadows (2014, 2019-present) (I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL, THIS IS MANDATORY, EVERYONE MUST SEE THIS MOVIE AND SERIES)

Bit (2019) (modern vampire girl gang)

Weird Science (1985) (Came out the same year, campy high school sci-fi, but this time: the nerds make the hottie)

[aemiron-main]

Mothergate Posts

(you can read james @henrysglock's initial mothergate post here)

Henward, Vaginal Imagery, Brenner's Surgeries and Tearing (x)

Spines Twisted and Eyes Popped Out: “Mother” Edward, Jim Hopper, and Lab-Russian Prison Parallels (x)

Henward, Mothergate, Castration, and Billy (x)

“Mother” Edward and The Fly (x)

Boys Don’t Cry, Henward, and Surgeries (x)

Brief Post About Mothergate and 001 vs 007 (x)

Henward Mother Weirdness, Joffrey, and 002 (x)

A Festering Wound: Brenner Talking About Festering Wounds to El vs Mothergate (x)

I Don’t Know What Those Stains Are: Eddie Munson, Edward Creel, and Genital Mutilation (x)

Henward, Birth, and Bathtubs (x)

Pretty Woman, Pretty, Henward, The Pennhurst Guards, and Always Sunny in Philadelphia (x)

They Were Becoming Part Of Me and “Mother” Henward and Basket Case (x)

You Are The One (ft “Mother” Edward) (x)

“No, no-“ Terry, Will, Henward and Mothergate (x)

Mothergate and Creepy Handholds (reblog addition to James’ post) (x)

Darling, Mother Edward, and Running Up That Hill (x)

Mothergate, Henward, and Celestial Marriage (x)

Mother Edward, Blonde Twins, and High School Musical (x)

Those “Wild Caught” Kids May Not Be Wild Caught At All (x)