#and one presents as who mike truly wants

[chirpsythismorning]

u know what? I'm a Willel twin truther now, Mike being in love with El's twin is much better than Mike dating his cousin LMAAO

LMAOOOO a win is a win

[alittlebitofrainbyyourside]

.

[changetyre]

Hiiii, uhm i dont know how to ask this hahha but could you maby do a smut fic with Lance Stroll, you can do any Story you want but i just cant find any fluffy or smut stories with him, plsss (only if you want, but smut pls , would be much appreciated)

SUMMARY: Being a personal assistant to Lance Stroll was complicated considering certain leniencies, when he misbehaves you take all the hear, which naturally caused tension between you both.

WARNINGS: **18+**, not proofread

A/N: Again sorry it took so long but hope you like it ;)

You sat in the meeting room, trying to hide your annoyance but it was clearly evident in your face as well as many others. You looked at your watch indicating you were almost reaching the 40 minute mark of waiting for one person to start.

You would’ve worried if this wasn’t such a common certain for a certain member of the team who was so secure in his position he truly didn’t care for punctuality, no actual punishment for his lack of professionalism.

"This is the 5th time this week alone he's been late to his meetings y/n, I thought you said you handled it the first time-" A team member muttered beside you.

You would've answered if it weren't for the door opening soon after.

“Morning everyone, sorry I’m a little late ran into some traffic.” Lance finally walked into the room.

There was a shared sigh of relief from everyone although for you his appearance only made you angrier reminding you of yet another date you were at risk of canceling because of having to wait for this brat to show up.

“No worries, let’s start right away.” No one dared to scold Lance, even less when the older Stroll was present who didn’t even bat an eye at his son’s tardiness.

The meeting started as Lance took a seat next to you giving you a wink completely dismissing the furious look in your eyes. Lance's hand went to rest on your thigh as he so often attempted to do but was quickly swatted away by your hand as usual.

"So Lance you haven't come in for sim work this week which we really need, are you able to stay for about an hour this evening?" Mike asked him.

"Right I would love to but I think I have an important meeting tonight right y/n?" Lance turned to look at you hoping you would once again pull him out of his duties but you'd had enough.

"No actually, you're all free this evening, as well as the whole day tomorrow...I made sure to clear your schedule." You cockily smirked loving that everyone was here for this as Lance looked at you annoyed.

"Oh are you sure I mean-" Lance tried to push once again.

"100%" You quickly cut him off.

"Perfect, we expect you this evening then." Mike was content as he continued on with the last details of the meeting all while Lance glared at you.

Once the meeting was finished you were quick to pack your things up and head out but Lance was quick to stop you before you could leave.

"What the hell was that?" He asked you once everyone else had left the room leaving you both alone.

"It was me doing the job I am paid to do successfully for the first time in a while." You bit back.

"Fine, but where the hell do you think you're off to in a rush?" Lance watched as you continued packing things up quickly stopping you by pulling you close to him by your waist. He was touchy you knew that and eventually grew used to it.

"Unlike you, I'm done for the day so I'm hoping I can still make it to my date." You attempted to walk by him but he blocked your path.

"A date?" He scoffed. "You're not going anywhere, if I'm staying you are too." he cockily smiled as his hand gripped your waist tighter.

"I was meant to finish over two hours ago I've done my job so no excuse me-" Once more you attempted to walk past him only to be stopped again by him pulling you into his chest.

"You knew this job didn't have strict working hours, you're my personal assistant, and I say when you're done. You get paid generously for every extra minute." He got closer repeating every word right up in your face. You could feel his breath on your lips.

"You're a dick." You shoved him back which only humored him.

"You better cancel that date if you want to keep this job sweetheart." Lance laughed.

You were furious, he knew you couldn't afford to lose his job and he was right in the fact that you always got paid for every single hour you worked.

_____________

After the previous rough evening, you found yourself once again back in the AM headquarters waiting for Lance to show up for more testing which he was late to.

"I thought we said 8am sharp." One of the team analysts looked at you, obviously annoyed.

"I told him to be on time, I gave him his schedule, he knows-" You started explaining.

"Your job is to make sure he is where he needs to be when he needs to be and you have failed to do so for months now." Mike who had also been waiting for Lance to arrive threatened you. "After today you're fired."

"Please I-" You didn't have a chance to defend yourself.

"Morning everyone, let's get started." Lance arrived, smiling as if he hadn't just arrived over an hour late.

Everyone else faked a smile just for him, just to keep him pleased while you were left concerned for yourself.

_______

"You have a marketing day tomorrow, you need to be there at 7am on the dot." You looked through Lance's schedule stressed about everything he had lined up praying for once he would listen to you.

"Hmm...I'm having a late night tonight so might be a little late but-" Lance started ready to approach you with his excuses as he changed out of his uniform.

"NO LANCE!" You blew up. "Fuck." You fell back onto the couch in his room in defeat realizing you had been way too loud. "For once will you just do as you are asked...even if it's the last time." You looked down.

"What are you talking about?" Lance approached you trying to hold you as he normally did but this time you pulled back.

You looked up at him and he noticed the fiery look he normally found in them was missing.

"Mike fired me this morning." You revealed to him too bothered to get angry at him anymore. "I finish today then I'm gone."

"He did what?" There was obvious fury in his voice. "Why would he-"

"Because you never do what I ask you to do." You didn't even let him finish.

"You're saying this is my fault?" Lance asked.

"You know what whatever Lance, do whatever you want. I'm done" You threw the iPad on the couch grabbing your stuff ready to leave.

"Stop." Lance grabbed your arm. "You're not going anywhere."

"I don't think that's your call anymore." You dismissed him but he held you tightly.

"I hired you. So trust me it's my call." Lance cupped your cheek making you look at him. "You're not going anywhere."

"But Mike-"

"Mike does what I say." He didn't even let you refute it.

"Don't worry...you're not going anywhere." He repeated pulling you closer and placing a kiss on your forehead.

"So you're just gonna keep paying me for not being able to do my job well enough?" You looked up at him.

"I would pay you to just keep you around me looking all pretty sweetheart." Lance smiled down at you placing a kiss on your cheek.

"You're infuriating-" You met his eyes again.

"Shut up" Lance kissed you roughly pulling you tightly against him.

"What do you-"Lance deepened the kiss, "think you're-"He began taking your coat off "doing?" you finished asking him between kisses with no real attempt to stop him.

"What I've always wanted to do." Lance quickly answered as he pulled his shirt off before pulling you back in and slipping his tongue inside your mouth.

"We shouldn't do this." You said as you pulled your own shirt off letting Lance unbutton your jeans and begin pulling them down.

"I love doing what I shouldn't." Lance finished pulling your jeans down before pushing you back onto the couch.

"And I hate you for it." You reminded him but were quickly shut up when he went down on you. "Agh fuck-" You moaned as he began to kiss your clit over your panties.

"I thought I told you to shut up." Lance cockily smiled between your legs as he pushed your panties aside licking up your slit before you could even bite back.

"Mhmm...please Lance." You gripped onto his hair.

"Please what baby?" Lance licked and sucked at your clit driving you crazy. "Fuck you're so wet-" Lance drooled at the sight in front of him.

"Don't stop-" You begged him as you could feel your orgasm nearing.

"Nah ah, sweetheart. You're cumming on my cock-" He stopped just before you could finish making you whine in annoyance.

"Lance! Please." You begged annoyed, a tone he was more used to but in a completely new context.

Lance didn't bother to go slowly as he sank fast and deeply into you, your eyes rolling back in pleasure.

"Aghhh shit" you moaned as he began thrusting into you.

"Does that feel good baby?" Lance asked you as he toyed with your tits.

"Fuck Lance...feels-" You struggled to speak through the pleasure. "Feels so good." You got lost in the feeling.

"You're not going anywhere, baby. I'll make sure of it." Lance whispered to you a quiet reassurance while he fucked you harshly, the first time of many.

[sayyourprayers]

Why Will's resentment of El is not an in-show theme:

Diorama scene

Scene begins with El completely clueless about the school dynamics - eg. waving hi to someone who dgaf. She knows she isn't having a great time (hence lying to Mike) but at the same time she feels like THIS IS THE DAY when everything will change. Bruh if you haven't gotten the memo till a day before spring break maybe Hopper didn't call you stupid enough.

Talking about Hopper - presumed dead - presumed hawkins mall fire hero - subject of El's direyama, it wasn't Will's job to find a hero for El nor was it his responsibility to to suggest she make a projected presentation (his own project's a chart ffs). The shots of Will looking nervous and upset when El presents is for 2 reasons:

i) She followed Angela

ii) She followed Angela

It doesn't matter what your project is, your bullies aren't bullying you for quality control purposes. I guess people who think they can just intervene and stop bullying by their aura alone, truly have no idea how bullying works. Hopefully, for better understanding the material being analysed (to death), they do get to experience being at the receiving end of it, even if it's just a little.

As per El's own admission she chose the diorama as a visual aid - as she was allowed to. Idk if y'all expected Ms. My grammar's getting better also to do a verbose write-up or Ms. sheltered in the lab has got no one poor bby to just suddenly know and find heroic inspiration in famous personalities. What is it? Is she undersocialised and trapped or not? Analyse that.

2. Post presentation

Will tries to assuage El that her presentation wasn't that bad (not a lie that it was great but it truly wasn't the worst) But Ms. friends don't lie won't listen to him. (omg willel wonder twins friends). Sidenote: how was Will gonna tell her that her project was "not what she should have made"? I am guessing the lines would be similar to Angela's and El's response would be similar to El's. Anywho. I'm not spending more time analysing this scene that was clearly meant to establish that El's lying in her letter to Mike and she's not really having a great time in California - which isn't just about the school and bullying btw but also (moreso) about her father's death and the loss of her powers (shown by the scene of her walking away merging into a depressed max doing the emo walk to the chart topping kate bush song: nordic walking really fast up a cliff.) But let's forget all that on-screen text for fanfic hit pieces.

3. Die a rammer

Before El's homage to Hopper meets the wrath of Devila there's a small scene (bby scene tiny as hell uwu) of El receiving her maths tests results. And they were F-ing bad. Another scene to establish how much creative writing went into El's letters to Mike. Will should have tutored her though, I agree. The least he could have done for the girl that got him kidnapped and then saved him from the kidnapper - but was it really saving if he's forever changed? Not important: this is about establishing Will's guilt and El obviously has none.

Anyway, El is minding her business and California dreamin' but Angela and the minions trip her up and methodically destroy her diorama. It doesn't help that an enraged El tries to telekinekick Angela's ass, but as we all know (and now re-know) she has lost her powers and is sad and frustrated about it.

Now some brilliant scientific minds of our generation wanted Will to step into that shit show and (and what?) defend El? The guy that famously freezes? The guy who loaded up a gun in 3.5 seconds but froze up and didn't use it on a literal monster with a monsterface? The same guy who has NO POWERS (would be copying El) and has been bullied throughout his life, not only in school by his peers but even whole ass adults. They called him slurs, egged on by none other than his own Papa. So the great analysts with zero experience in bullying and less than basic level of empathy towards bullied people, wanted Will to shatter his little never seen before peaceful Cali existence to save El after the fact? Yes, Zombie boy go save your social pariah wonder woman channeling sister friend. The fact is, he NEVER abandoned her, but he also didn't have enough social standing at school to prevent El from getting bullied. (A point missed in all analyses.)

He was upset and worried and headed over to console El, not in secret no no, out in the open. He is not a fighter. He has never stood up to his own bullies. He's only "sassy" with his friends and family, people he's close to and feels safe with (a feeling he associates with El too, as seen in his "sassiness" with her, but that's for later.)

Poor El had to be rescued by the teacher herself. No other person in that entire school that was present did anything even remotely expressing sympathy - no they were all laughing at her. Only the teacher and Will were in her corner. So much for resentment.

4. Rink O Maniacs

Let's begin with the airport waiting area: Two happy Byers pookies (yes even I have to concede that El was a pookie here) waiting for their incelebrity crush/love - disappointed almost immediately by the scrotoid they fancy cuz they've not discovered feminism yet.

El has the whole day planned, Will is there around them cuz I guess he's too young to be hotboxing with (a concerned and all-knowing) Jonathan and my man Argyle. I mean they could've bonded over being stressed out over not their girlfriends.

Instead though, Angela and the aerobics class decided to eff up El's planned dayte. Angela on being called El--er--Jane's friend grabs her and heads over to the rink. Will knows El's lying, but was he supposed to idk just blurt it out with all that audience? What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to pre-empt the attack (either) in a crowded place? He wasn't physically gonna stop anyone, let's be real. If Angela would have picked on him, he'd be the one on the rink dressed in milkshake. So let's not pretend it's a reaction unique to seeing El in distress. No that's his response to BEING DISTRESSED - which he was, seeing his sisterfriend whom he likes and doesn't resent (apart from her being the love of Mike's life) in trouble.

Mike goes "above and beyond" i.e. reacts the way y'all would've loved Will to react (but it's not his gene type). Will however is worried and the one that alerts Mike once he realises, things are no longer gonna go anywhere but down under. He finally, reluctantly, but for his sisterfriend El, tells Mike about her problems, or that she's having them. Mike also can hear what's being announced for all the rink (a dedication to Jane the snitch) and coupled with what Will's told him reacts fast and tries (the operative here, he failed too) to stop the show.

Acting prowess aside, Mike and Will are both shocked and worried by El's "wipeout" in a crowded rink where it seems nobody likes her. Mike calls out to El who runs away hurt and embarrassed n not in the mood to answer him.

Now, they BOTH look for El, and MIKE the cunt thinks it's a great time to have a one on one with Will, about him "sabotaging" the day. (I still don't know how he did that, since M11 were pretty much enjoying the date till Angela appeared). The stupid gay fight happens, whatever man, idgaf.

El straightening up in the staff closet hears Angela and the pussycats (and not stupid byler) laughing (most likely at her) and decides, powers or no powers, Angela's gonna feel it tonight. The iconic Angela facelift happens after El's appeals to salvage the day and protect her lies are dismissed. Mike and Will are both again there to give loud reactions and Mike manages to be a moid even in that situation and questions El's overreaction (he at least truly believes that, unlike Will who is ready to lie to the cops abt it being an accident, lol) (Also, a quick mention Mike doesn't remind her of Brenner, Mike's the final straw that takes her back to the lab, she's already feeling weirded out by the blood and the people surrounding her, but ya whatever.)

Commentary:

Will asking El about why she's lying to Mike, isn't just him caring about Mike being lied to over El's well-being. If one's to engage a third braincell, one would notice that Will, too, found out about El's lies that day itself. He realised cuz he lives with his sisterfriend and is with her at school and at not school and so knows whatever she's saying and Mike's recalling from the letters has more imagination put into it than his painting. Will is annoyed at El and Mike (El - cuz he says it, Mike - cuz Mike says it) for being made a third wheel and also being greeted awkwardly (let's not forget he literally didn't gift Mike the painting which he painstakingly made cuz of Mike's weirdo behaviour.) That's not resentment, that's plain annoyance - an emotion Will has shown multiple times over the course of 4 seasons. His emotions don't only exist in the context of El and Mike's existence - you may ask Jonathan and Joyce, if you don't believe me.

It's hard for some people to read Will's character as anything other than a lovesick fool or brother of the main character, and their analysis reeks of this. Let's not forget, unlike Mike Wheeler, Will actually has his OWN stake in the supernatural/sci-fi/horror/superhero plot. Mike is the romantic lead. Will and El have their own journeys and stories both including and completely independent of each other and Mike.

Will not showing El the painting, is more a testament to his enduring feelings for Mike and the post-puberty clarity of romantic/sexual attraction vs puppy love. El didn't show Will her letters to Mike either. (And I am not saying she should have.) Will is not in the text to serve El. In fact, Max herself got promoted from that job. Just slapping on Vecna preys on this juicy shit - doesn't make it true. I am not saying Will and El are perfect siblings, but they're close to it and the show wants us to believe that. (You may take this as a contribution to DBros/MissedOpporunities OTP fanwork)

Will's resentment of El is the jealousy from romantic (not even) rivalry, but it is a very small part of their relationship. He could and should have been more pissy about having the girl who (even accidentally) upended his life just being his new sister now (mike or no mike) but that's not what Will is as a person. Will's jealousy of El is also something he takes out on Mike and NEVER on El.

Maybe there's such a thing as re-watching the show too many times. Y'all jumbling up character names. Y'all need to be peer reviewed.

[episodes-ff]

Grateful Days

Armando

Sitting in my bed, I moped and grimaced at how shitty everything has turned over the past few days. I’m still truly upset about the failed proposal, but more than anything I’m upset with myself for how I handled it. After sobering up, it finally sank in how royally I messed up things. Staring at my phone as I waited for the possibility of her call, I sighed realizing that it was me who should be doing the apologizing. I don’t even know how I could allow myself to say such hurtful things to my heart like that. Shaking my head as I remembered the words, I decided it was high time I be the bigger person and go win my woman back.

Taking a nice hot shower, I collected my thoughts and feelings and came up with a genuine approach of apology. Stepping out, I quickly dried off and began dressing as the panicked nerves set in at the possibility of losing her forever. Pulling on my pants, I stressed looking for a decent shirt before settling on a grey long sleeve and placing on my chain. Making sure I looked presentable and smelled good for her, I started searching for my keys as more hope rose within me. Still looking for my keys, I heard a knock at the front door. “Mike, will you drop it? I already told you I’m fi-“ “Hi.” She spoke not making eye contact as she twiddled her fingers. “Hey, um come in, come in!” I rushed allowing her entry as I straightened up some loose clothes. Taking a seat on the couch, I sat next to her and as she waited awkwardly to speak. “I need to tell you something.” “No, me first.” I insisted taking her hands into mine.

“Diamonté, I am so deeply sorry for what I said to you that night. It replays over and over again and it makes me sick to my stomach that I even uttered something so hurtful to you. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, I barely deserve to be in your presence right now, but trust me when I say I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I truly regret the decision I made and if you don’t ever want to see me again, I’ll have to find a way to live with it. I just wanted to express that.” I recited as she sat looking down at our hands. Watching her knee bounce nervously, she burst into tears as I hugged her in concern. “Shit, I’m sorry, Dee, I didn’t mean to make you cry, bebita.” I hushed rocking her back and forth in my arms. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes before pulling back to look at me. “Armando, I’m pregnant.” She panted breathlessly as her tears continued to fall.

“You are?” I murmured happily as I took hold of her chin. Nodding, she wiped more of her tears. “I was supposed to tell you that night but when you proposed I got so nervous that I threw up. That’s why I ran off. I meant what I said about my answer being yes.” Holding her cheek in my hand, I smiled kissing her forehead as I started to cry. “You forgive me for being an idiot?” “Yes, you forgive me for not speaking up?” “Of course, baby, come here.” Meeting my lips, we shared a longing and meaningful kiss as I embraced her and rubbed her back. “How far along is the baby?” “I’m not sure yet. The first appointment is in a week.” “Are you excited?” I asked earning her sweet laugh. “Yes, I want a little girl.” She smiled as I coasted my hand across her stomach. “I do too.” I simpered before leaning down to kiss her lips again. “One more question.” I asked nervously. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Armando.” She smirked as I chuckled and went to grab the ring. “Good because you had me waiting long enough to put this on your finger.” I joked as I slid it in place on her left hand. Standing up, she hugged me tightly and kissed me once more making my heart skip a beat. “Now my turn to ask.” “Sí, mi vida?” “Can you please come back home so your son can stop asking where you are?” She huffed as I laughed nodding. “Of course, my baby.”

Terry

“Baby, get up! You’re too heavy for all this!” Anaya whined as I ignored her requests and got more comfortable on top of her. Today is one of my first full days off and I’m taking all the advantage I can get. Baby girl is fed and sound asleep in her crib, the bills are all paid, I’m not on call, and it’s not my night to cook. Yeaaaa, I’m gonna enjoy this. Or at least I had hoped I would. “Terry, get up or so help me God, imma smack you.” “You wouldn’t dare, Anaya.” I groaned deeply as I started to doze off in the soft pillows of her breasts. Feeling a hard sting to the back of my head, I shot her a deadly glare as she cackled. “Don’t give me that look, I told your heavy ass to move. Now get up so I can pee.” She fussed like a proud mama before getting up and twisting hard to the bathroom causing me to laugh. “Stop doing that stank ass walk.” “You love it though.” She countered from the commode as I shook my head.

Shutting my eyes once more, I felt the sweet and supple warmth of sleep taking over my body before being rudely interrupted by Anaya’s antics. “Baeeeee.” She whined grinding on me as I groaned. “Anayaaaa, I’m tryna sleep. Damnnnn.” “Fine, if you don’t love me just say that.” She spat moving to the other side of the bed. Clenching my jaw, I yanked her over to me by her nightgown and hovered over her face. Leaning down to her ear, I caressed her cheek with my hand before gently wrapping it around her throat. “Anaya, this the last time imma say it. I’m trying to get my rest and all this moving around and shit finna piss me the fuck off. I’m asking as nicely as possible, baby, just take a nap with me. Please?” Nodding slowly, I sighed before releasing her neck and cuddling back up to her chest while closing my eyes. “Put me to sleep, Daddy.” She purred softly rubbing my scalp as my eyes shot open.

** HOURS LATER**

“Ouuu, baby, let’s get these! I think they’d go nice with the room.” Nodding groggily, I followed aimlessly as she pointed out different items decorate the house. After putting Anaya to “sleep”, we napped for a good 45 minutes before she got hit with the home decor bug and she insisted that we needed to get supplies to finish the house. We are now three stores deep with no sign of retreat, and Daddy and baby Maya are completely over the experience. “Bae, you’re not even looking!” “Anaya, we have more than enough time to finish the house. Why can’t we just chill today?” Giving me the death glare, I smacked my teeth following her with the cart as she continued to shop. Turning into an aisle, I realized I forgot to grab water for the house and tried excusing myself to go and grab it. “Bae, I gotta grab water, you and Maya gone be okay for a few minutes?” “Yea, baby we’re fine.” “Aight, keep your phone close in case.” Nodding, she kissed me goodbye and I made my way to my destination.

Grabbing what I needed, I headed back to our original aisle before halting as I heard a guy. Peeking around to where they were, I noticed an older man standing too close as Anaya frowned up in anger holding Maya to her chest. “Look I’m not gonna tell you again to back the fuck up.” “We got a problem?” “Nah, young buck, I was just-“ “I believe I was asking her.” “No, it’s fine. He was just leaving.” She said putting Maya in the cart as he huffed in disapproval. “Will you just hear me out?” He asked grabbing her arm when I lost it. Setting the water down, I yanked him off his feet before holding him up to the shelving of the aisles. “Nah, motherfucka, you hear me out!” I seethed as Anaya cried for me to stop. “If you ever set foot near my wife and child again, I fucking promise you it’ll be the last thing you do!” I spat as my blood boiling more and more just thinking about this clown touching my lady.

“Terry, stop! Please! Just put him down.” She pleaded as I glared him down icily. “Gimme one good reason I shouldn’t fuck yo shit up right here.” “She’s my daughter.” He heaved out as I looked at her for confirmation. “He’s my dad, Terry. Just put him down.” Setting him down slowly, I faced her as she rubbed my arms and calmed my anger. “Explain, Anaya.” “He skipped out when I was two years old and it’s been just my mom and I ever since. Apparently he’s been living here in Miami so this run-in was not at all anticipated.” Nodding as I absorbed her words, I further calmed down as we exited the aisle, checked out, and went home. Relaxing day my ass.

Thank y’all for being so patient with me! The scene with Anaya and Terry was inspired by this video so I hope y’all enjoy.

Tags (Based on interactions, if you’d like to be added or removed let me know): @violetmuses @believeinthefireflies95 @brisunique @kaylaahisthebestest- @madxlov3 @armandosbabymama @casualsludgeshoetoad @mauvecherie-writes @nahimjustfeelingit-writes @theereina @kumkaniudaku @geneziesm @megamindsecretlair @simpledopeme @goldenjasssy @vivaalenaa @playgurlxoxo @ghettogirly @luuvprincess @perfectlyimperfectme @tbmotw @comfortzonequeen @melanin-honeyy @strawberrymoon45 @luckygirlszn @kindofaintrovert

[strangerfigs]

I understand ppl wanting will to be some bad ass but like truly he is just a traumatized kid!! and he is SCARED! and that is OKAY! he was completely traumatized by everything that happened to him in season 1 and 2. like it’s normal for him to be traumatized by that and that doesn’t make him worth any less. I just watched season 3 and it’s CLEAR that will is the most scared out of all of them and the least likely to fight out of them all. he is tired and scared and over it. like in season 3 it almost seems like he has 0 energy in him to fight. where in season 1, he loads the gun, but it doesn’t STOP the demogorgon from taking him. in season 2 where he takes bobs advice and tell the mind flayer to go away (or whatever he says i forget), the mindflayer gets him still. will has NEVER won against these supernatural creatures. in s3, he was never the only one in danger but he was also never the one to proactively fight against the evils. it was always someone else (which is fine). even in the finale, when they are in the mall, will senses that the flayed monster thing is activated and present but he doesn’t even tell anyone which is interesting and made me think why wouldn’t he tell anyone? it was when it was on the roof. it ends up being max who notices and then she tells mike who yells out for nancy. this scene made me really think and question why will didn’t say anything but then it made me think of when the group has flayed billy trapped in the sauna. will’s sense activated and he grabbed his neck but it was MIKE who called out to max to move. it was another time that they were all in imminent danger. the only time that will voiced to those around him that his sense was activated was when Lucas and Mike found him at castle Byers and they weren’t in any imminent danger then. this brings me to my point…

will is TRAUMATIZED. his trauma defense is freezing. trauma defenses can be flight, fight, freeze, or fawn. flight or fight is mostly known to the public. will FREEZES when they are in an imminent danger situation because of all the trauma he has endured. which is FINE. he is traumatized. he has never won against the evil anyway.

my point is will doesnt need to be some bad ass with a gun who is better at mike than fighting Vecna or whatever upside down creatures they encounter. he is already a bad ass in other ways such as being sensitive and compassionate. he doesn’t need to fight. that’s not who his character is. he survived the upside down by “hiding” and using his smarts to figure out how to communicate with his mom. he has other strengths!!! I put “hiding” in quotation marks because I do feel like there is more going on and will has some kind of powers possibly but whatever they will be I do not think that they will be of the nature of “fighting” in the terms that you maybe imagine. I think it would be something else. and wanting will to be this bad ass fighter is taking away from who he is. he is sensitive and kind and does not need to be anything else.

[munsonsboy]

♥️ here's a little something I've been working on ♥️

professor steve is in his 30s. instead of being absent his parents were around but they were also strict. his mother might have been physically present but she wasn't emotionally. his father had a heavy hand. it was either straight A's or a slap all the way down to the basement freezer that had a lock and key.

but steve loved school, it was his oasis. home away from hell. so him going into the teaching field was the easiest decision he's ever made.

homes different for him these days since he has his own place. no more punches and cruel words, though the cold air and empty silence is just about the same.

but on campus his office is spacious, the class rooms are bright and friendly, and there is always someone around talking; either in the hallways, the courtyard or the cafeteria. even if sometimes it's not to him it's a lot better than nothing.

eddie, who's ready to take his education seriously after having a couple years off, is finally starting college. he failed senior year 3 times, of course he wasn't gonna just hop into something so stressful and demanding.

some people think it's shameful to be a college freshman at 23. eddies never given a shit about what those people think.

eddies a little nervous but he has a great support system. the boys he played DND with in high school after his repeated failings are all starting this year with him.

then there's the three stooges, jonathan nancy and robin, who are also taking classes this semester. the four all grew up together and even though eddie dragged his feet in school they thankfully never once treated him any differently. they're the sole reasons why he finished high school and is where he's at today, eddie truly doesn't know what he'd do without them.

everyone has wildly different schedules but they plan to meet up as much as possible.

it's the first day of classes and they're lucky enough to have made lunch plans together, only lucas and dustin can join this time but that's fine, mike and will said they can make it for dinner.

7:40 am on a monday in august eddie steps into a big lecture room, surprised that he's on time. actually, he's early. 20 minutes early.

if you tried telling his high school teachers that eddie munson was 20 minutes early for a morning class they would laugh in your face.

at first he's the only one there, so not thinking much of it he gets himself situated in the middle of the very first row.

now try telling anyone who knows him he's seated anywhere but the back row and they would laugh in your face even harder.

but eddie is planning on doing things differently this time so being a little early, a little up close and personal to where all the teaching is gonna go down, won't kill him.

he gets the necessary materials out on his desk, leans back to play on his phone and to wait for class to start.

but then in walks the most gorgeous man eddies ever laid his eyes on.

he's wearing a dark cardigan, light beige slacks that hug an ass eddie desperately wants to sink his teeth into. his hair looks naturally soft, not as long as eddies but there is some length to it. when the man walks up to plop his messenger bag and to go mug down on the desk thats front and center facing the class, he tilts his head down just a little so a couple of strands fall into his eyes and he has to brush them out of the way, tuck them behind an ear big enough to put dumbo to shame.

his eyes are almond shape and a soft brown. they remind him of chocolate, maple, honey brown. forest and woods that go on forever where thick trees connect and roots are so big you gotta climb and struggle to get around them brown.

and when the man looks up to make eye contact with him, eddie feels like he's lost in those woods but it doesn't matter because there's a scorching fire, a heat that burns in him bright enough to last for days and weeks and months. eddie will never run out of it. he's warm and he's full and-

'good morning.' are the first words this angel says to eddie and it's not much but even the man's voice leaves him feeling lost.

'morning teach, eddie munson at your service.' eddie stands and gives a full body bow because that's what you do when you greet royalty. he hasn't taken his eyes off of the brunette so eddie sees his lips curve up in amusement and that makes him feel light. sun streaming in through the cracks of the trees up above in the early morning, light.

'professor steve harrington, at yours.' the other man bows his head back and holy shit. eddie was in the middle of sitting back down but the reference catches him so off guard he almost misses the chair entirely.

thankfully his flailing arms and quick grip on the desk saves him from falling on his ass just in time but steve catches it and gives an exasperated huff. steve continues to get his things situated saying, 'since we still have another 20 minutes until class begins if you have any questions regarding anything, im happy to help.'

eddie has questions. eddie has so many questions. what's this mans favorite color? what body wash does he use? how did he sleep last night? what's in his to go mug? tea? coffee? if it's tea then what kind of tea? if coffee, then how does he take it? what side of the bed does he sleep on?

but eddie is self aware enough to keep these questions all to himself. self aware enough that he realizes they seem borderline creepy for a professor he just met. so eddie simply gives the man a crooked smile, and a shake of his head, 'cant think of any right now but when i do ill be sure to ask.'

the professor accepts the answer. after a comfortable silence where steve quickly munches on apple slices he brought while sorting out necessary paperwork and eddie tries to discreetly watch him from over the phone that he's shoved in his face, students start pouring in and the day begins.

eddie likes steve's teaching style, he likes the rest of his classes and he likes the nacho fries he orders at dinner that dustin and robin wouldn't let him finish alone because, 'its big enough to feed a family of 6 eddie! let us have a damn nacho!' but he's excited when he finally crashes on the coach in the living room of the small 2 bedroom apartment he shares with jonathan because even though he has so much homework to do, first he needs to look up professor steve harrington.

it's not cyber stalking, everyone does shit like this. there's a website that's centered around rating collage professors, it's not cyber stalking.

so that's why when eddie learns steves professional history and that he has a kind of cult following on campus, he gets curious about how things are going personally for steve and onto facebook he goes.

he learns that professor steve harrington was born and raised in plainfield, illinois. he's 34, doesn't have much family or friends but he does dog sit for his neighbors, a big man named jim hopper and his daughter named eleven, a lot. the three seem close and the dogs are four pitbulls that are tall, they reach almost just below steve's hip. apparently steve helped name them ennie, meenie, miney, moe and there's an inside joke there that eddie wants to know and be a part of bad.

steve likes sports and he goes to the gym regularly with two siblings he met through el, a red head named max and her brother billy, who is almost as beautiful as steve is himself.

there's pictures of max and el painting steves nails, of steve buried under a pile of dogs and hopper trying to help him up. one of billy and steve working out together, a couple of him and any one of the other four in a kitchen cooking or baking things that look delicious.

there's not much else but eddies learned who the people closest to steve are and a couple of his favorite hobbies so he feels as satisfied as he can without actually talking to the man himself.

jonathan is getting home from his evening class and eddie doesn't even grace him with a hello, just continues to scroll down steve's facebook with a strong interest he hasn't felt in anybody before. eddies been in love, he's had crushes, he's had his heart broken.

but with this, he needs to know more, wants to see more. the little bit of satisfaction is already fading into impatience for the unknown.

he clicks add friend and it feels the way heroin did pumping through his veins for the first time after he broke 2 years of sobriety last winter.

but then like always, after the high fades, comes the regret.

'fuck fuck fuck!'

eddie knows what addiction feels like and this is something that's coming close to it. it's dangerous and it's unhealthy and-

'whats going on?' 'this is so fucking humiliating, fuck.'

and on the other side of town, steves walking into his quiet town house.

he hears a ding! informing him that he has a facebook notification.

he closes the door, pulls out his phone and sees a friend request from eddie munson. the student who bowed, made the hobbit reference and made steve smile so early in the morning. after staring at it for a couple of seconds in confusion, he slips his phone back into his pocket and continues on into the kitchen to start dinner.

he doesn't accept the request, that would be unprofessional and inappropriate... but he also doesn't reject it.

(1/?)

♥️ shout out to azriel greens Scorpio Skies, it gave me the inspiration, check it out on patreon ♥️

[probablyintensemuses]

Hey Brother, pt 2

summary: in the present, you and Armando have an even rockier start.

authors note: read part 1 if you haven’t already. This one is mostly in Armando’s POV which I think is extraordinarily important.

Read Part 1 Here

Armando let the water run over him, each splash hitting a wound, causing him to wince.

The fight with McGrath’s people had been tougher on his body than he thought, and truthfully, on that tiny boat floating adrift, he didn’t think he’d make it here alive.

Luckily he had, trailing blood up the stairs and into your apartment as he waited for you to come home.

Mike had instructed him to come here and stay until things died down, until there could be some type of resolution for him, one that wouldn’t require more jail time.

He had said you would be fine with it, that you wouldn’t hesitate to help.

Armando wasn’t worried about that, he could see it in the way you’d placed a blanket over him, tucking him in, and stitching him together.

What he was worried about, truly, was facing you.

Yes, big bad assassin Armando was afraid to face his baby sister.

He couldn’t pin point why, exactly.

Maybe it was a mixture of fear, anger…guilt.

Guilt that you, his own little sister, almost died because of him all those nights ago.

Fear that you’d always be afraid of him and what he could do to you.

Anger that he even had to got through any of this shit at all.

Armando’s ran a wet hand through his sleek black hair, dragging water through his strands.

His fist shook and he wanted so desperately to punch something, but this wasn’t his place and he didn’t want to make things worse than what they already were.

So he took a deep breath, counted to ten, and then turned the shower off.

He climbed out of the shower, wrapping himself in the towel you had given him, walked out of the bathroom, droplets of water still coating him.

He tried to be as quiet as possible when closing the bathroom door as not to disturb you.

From the hallway he could see you sat on the couch, a bowl of cereal to your right, textbooks and pencils to your left.

You were studying with soft music trilling in the background, your glasses hung low on the bridge of your nose and your curly hair sprawled out.

Armando felt frozen in time as he observed you.

He hadn’t the slightest clue who your mother was or what she looked like, or the story between her and your father.

But from what he could see, you did look somewhat like Mike. Your brown eyes, thick, dark hair, warm brown skin and rotund face.

The only thing missing was his height, really.

Armando continued to watch as you turned a page in your text book, “you know staring isn’t polite, right?” You said, not looking up from your studies.

Armando coughed, adjusting himself. “I wasn’t staring.” He lied.

“Okay.” You roll your eyes. “Sure.”

“Why would I be staring at you?’ Armando trudged on.

You raised a brow, snatching off your glasses. “I don’t know, you tell me? Perhaps you’re planning to drug me again.”

Armando huffed. “Trust me, princesa, if I wanted to do anything to you, I’d have done it already.”

You look up at him, your eyes widening and your mouth opening and closing like a fish. “That’s not comforting…at all.”

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Armando reassured again, a pang tugging in his chest.

You didn’t trust…and some part of him felt the same about you. What was to stop you from calling the cops on him right now? Especially since Mike dumped him on you without so much as an explanation.

But in another breath it somehow hurt that you didn’t trust him. Wasn’t that part of being an older brother, trusting that he’d never hurt you?

“Why, because we’re family?” You question.

Armando frowned at that word, his nose scrunching. “No,’ his next words were slow to come out. “Because you’re not worth it.”

You scoff, gathering your things. “Wow.”

Armando watches you gather all your study materials in a haste, not sparing him anything more than a cold shoulder.

“Have whatever you’d like,’ you brush past him. “Because you're right, I'm not worth it, to anyone.” You slam your bedroom door in his face, leaving Armando with his thoughts.

Armando threw his head back with a sigh before gathering the clothes you had laid out for him and slipping them on.

Of course they hardly fit.

But that was the least of his worries right now.

The FBI was undoubtedly after him, he had wounds all over his body, he was shaking with his long-lost little sister who hates him, and he hasn’t the slightest clue when he’d be free from all this.

All the lies.

All the trauma.

All the pain.

It be a miracle if he could shake it all.

You force captures his attention, washing over his thoughts and beckoning him towards your door.

Armando leans against the wood, getting a better shot of your conversation.

“Dad?” You whisper.

“Babygirl, are you okay?” Mike asks.

“Am I okay?’ You scoff. “No I’m not okay! You completely violated my privacy by sending him here, not to mention I had his literal blood on his hands and I’m complicit in a fucking crime!”

“Hey! Watch your mouth.” Mike said, sternly.

“Really, my language is your biggest concern right now? Not the fact that you are the one who’s being disrespectful by going behind my back and brining him here!”

Armando winced at the conviction in your voice, you really didn’t like him. And if he was honest, you had no reason too.

Mike was silent for a beat before he responded. “You’re right.” He sighed. “I was just trying to do right by him. Do you know how it feels, having missed out on nearly thirty years of his life, knowing he was lied to and mislead?”

“No, I don’t. But I know how it feels to be thrust into an impossible situation just to make everyone else feel better.’ You sniffled. “I mean dad, I get that he’s your son…but I’m your daughter, and you could have at least taken into consideration how much this sucks for me too! Or even the fact that I’m fucking terrified of him!”

Mike sighs. “I know, I’m sorry.”

“If you know, why couldn’t he have stayed with you and Christine?”

“It would have to much of a risk for us.”

Armando jumps at the sound of something crashing behind the door. “What about me! Do you even care about how I fucking feel!”

“I do baby girl!”

“No you don’t, ever since you found out he was your son, you’ve been obsessed with redeeming him because of your own fucking guilt. So much to the point where you’ve put me in the backseat!”

“That’s not true!”

“Yes it is,’ you growl. “It was him, then Christine, Callie and Judie, and I just fall wherever else. If you feel all this guilt for all these people, you should have at least saved some for me.”

“Why would I save guilt for you, huh?” Mike said, clearly getting angry now.

“You know what,’ you took a deep breath. “I really hope your find a home for your murderous, bastard son soon, because I’m done being the pile you load all your shit on.”

“Don’t—,”

The line when dead before Mike could let out another word.

Armando swallows the last of your words a sharper knife than any he'd ever been stabbed with.

And maybe it wasn't exactly your words that hurt but the fact that you hadn't been lying.

Mike had been obbssesed non-stop with finding the good in all the bad things he'd done, like finding a shining diamond in a dirty, muddied pond; a miracle and an impossibilty.

Instead, he should have been focused on mending the fallout his actions left the both of you, in particular you.

Armando almost felt bad for you.

No, he did feel bad for you.

You were only seventeen when he kidnapped you, he and his mother threatening your life several times, only for you to find out it was all over a lie.

One big, fat fucking lie.

And instead of your father being there for you, shielding you from your greatest trauma, he exploited it by bringing Armando here.

It hit him then, maybe it wasn't hurt he felt when it came to you...maybe it was empathy.

He knew exactly how you felt.

Being exploited by a parent sucked, let alone two.

Armando wasn't sure what came over him, but he found himself knocking on your bedroom door.

It took a few minutes, but eventually you opened up the door.

Your brown eyes were swollen with tears and your bed was a clear mess of fustration and anger.

"I'm not apologizing for anything I said."

"I'm not asking you to."

"What do you want?"

"To apologize.' He swallowed.

You let out a low, sad chuckle. "For what?"

"I don't really know yet, maybe because I know no one's said it to you yet." He admits. "And if anything, you and I both deserve it."

Armando watches you straighten. "And why's that?"

"Because our parents suck."

You shrug. "That's true."

"So, I'm sorry."

"For our parents sucking?"

"Yes...no, I don't know. Look, I just don't want us to hate each other."

"I don't hate you." You say, using your feet to play with the hem of your pants.

"It sounded like you did back there." Armando nods to your cellphone.

"I was upset....I didn't think you'd hear all that."

"You were pretty loud."

"Well it is my house, and you did break in...so."

Armando sighs, "Touché."

"So now what?" You say.

"What?"

"You just say sorry and then what? Do we act like some happy family or do we skate around each other?"

"Up to you."

You sigh, playing with your nailbeds.

"Do you like ramen?" You eventually ask.

Armando shurgs. "I've had worse."

You leave your room. "I'll take that as a yes."

It wasn't much, but at least you were sitting across from him, enjoying a bowl of spicy ramen instead cowering away in fear.

For a moment, Amrando could actually enjoy some peace, a little calm before the storm.

He never imagined it be with the sister he never knew he had.

Life is really...something.

[dipperscavern]

hiiii! the anon who requested the Mike x fem!reader fic here. please don't apologise, I can totally understand😭😭 the show's too addictive, I binged watched the first few seasons really quick too, you can take your time🫶🏾

HII IM SO SORRY FHIS TOOK SO LONG GRR. honestly, i really struggled w this 😭 i didn’t make it very long or defined (i wanted this to set the tone of their relationship), and i left it pretty open ended (on purpose) so it could be built off of in other continuations as maybe a clientsdaughter!reader 🙂‍↕️thank u sm for the ask & i hope u enjoy!! (this is ass)

mike ross x fem!clientsdaughter!reader

mike had learned a countless amount of knowledge since joining the firm. how to talk to people, how to negotiate, how to work, how to win. along with this, he also learned the workings of the office itself — more so the people that were in it.

kyle talks to his girlfriends throughout the day. it’s often mike can catch him leaned back in his chair, not-so-discreetly checking his phone, eyebrows raising as he clicks on the selfie he was sent.

louis keeps his favorite breakfast bars in the top cabinet. rachel chews her lip when she’s thinking. the fax machine only listens to donna — don’t mention if harvey’s having a bad hair day, he knows.

oh. and don’t sleep with clients.

not getting involved with clients was a general rule of thumb. according to harvey, the less emotion involved, the better. even so, harvey himself was guilty of sleeping with a few clients — after business was done, of course. but that was different. harvey was harvey, and mike was a first year associate, already tap dancing on thin ice. he could absolutely not afford to break any rules — no matter how unspoken they might be.

truly, it was all going fine. until he met you.

you & your father are in the racehorse industry. famous for the record breaking times your horses submit (& the world-class conditions they’re always in), thousands come to the races to bet on them. your family has been breeding, training, and racing horses for decades, and your father loves his job. there’s only one issue.

he’s currently being sued for “wrongful termination” by an ex employee. the employee mistreated multiple horses during his time working for you & your father. once you both found out, he was gone.

now, 4 months later, when your most famous horse “knights honor” has died, the employee is claiming the horse was milkshaked before his races (he was not).

“Milkshaked? What the hell is that?”

harvey’s voice carried through his office as jessica presented the case to him & mike. your father was a friend to her, and it was important that harvey got this done. mike remembers the article he read years ago on racehorses when knights honor won his first championship.

“In the context of horse racing and illegal substances, a milkshake is any compound or combination of compounds administered to a horse, pre-race, for the purpose of causing.. metabolic alkalosis of the blood and extracellular fluid of that horse. Although, a previous widely used method to ensure placing times, milkshakes are a prohibited practice on race day in all U.S. jurisdictions.”

harvey and jessica exchange looks between themselves & mike. they're about to raise questions when donna's voice crackles through harvey's phone.

"Translation: Its when the horses are given a “milkshake” of different drugs before a race. It can kill fatigue and improve their endurance."

all heads look down to the phone, then at donna's desk. donna's already looking their way, of course, and she swallows under their field of vision. she shrugs.

"What? I can't.. watch tv?"

she abruptly puts the phone down, turning her chair around to type on her computer. jessica clears her throat.

"Tom is an old friend. He's genuine."

harvey interrupts. "You need me to make it go away.”

“No. This could tarnish his entire reputation… his life’s work. I need you to kill this thing in its tracks. Get it done.”

with that, jessica turns & exists the office. harvey sighs, skimming over the case file jessica dropped on his desk. he looks at mike.

“Find the daughter. Find out everything — previous arrests, divorces, a stolen tangerine from publix- I wanna know about it.”

mike nods, offering a-

“Yes, captain,”

(which makes harvey give him an exasperated look) before he retreats back to his cubicle, moving to start his manhunt. donna winks as he passes her desk.

꧁——————————————————꧂

“No, he doesn’t.”

you can sense the presence of the associate approaching behind you. you quickly thank the man working the stand as he hands you your pretzel, and you turn to face harvey’s right-hand. mike ross.

“I- You don’t even know what I was about to say.”

“Yes, I do.”

he’s cute. pretty blue eyes, a photographic memory, and a boyish charm that you can’t say you’re immune to.

“You were about to ask if he’s had any previous arrests. No, never.”

mike shakes his head. “Sorcery. Speeding tickets?”

you turn to look at him with an exasperated look. “No, officer.” he smiles.

“How did you know? That I’d ask.”

you shrug. “Ancient blood magic.”

a few moments of silence pass, and he’s silently moving his head in tune with his thoughts — like he actually believes you. you decide on mercy.

“It’s the first question lawyers always ask.”

“Ah. Been through this before?”

you shrug.

“Do you always stalk your clients?”

he doesn’t miss a beat. “Only the pretty ones- a hobby of mine.”

you hum, breaking off a piece of your pretzel and handing it to him. he sighs, leaning back.

“Oh you sweet, sweet angel.”

you both continue your walk to pearson/hardman, wanting to get there early to prep for the deposition today. mike breaks the silence once he’s done chewing.

“Do you always feed your lawyers?”

“Only the cute ones,” you break off another piece, handing it to him. “Its a hobby of mine.”

꧁——————————————————꧂

the elevator rings, signifying the end to your journey. mike is in disbelief as you step out of the elevator — mind trying to wrap around your last statement.

“What- are you serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

mike moves to catch up with you. “Okay, multimillion-dollar horse racing company, and you just.. have no security cameras? Zero?”

you turn to face him, giving him a defiant look that makes his heart flutter.

“I don’t see any cameras around here.”

as you approach the glass-doored conference room, mike opens the door for you.

“Touché.”

you shoot him a look across your shoulder before you move to greet your father, already waiting. mike pauses outside, staring, as you hug your father, no doubt offering some sort of reassurance.

“No.”

mikes head snaps toward the voice, harvey’s un-foreseen presence making him jump a little. mike looks around a bit.

“I.. didn’t even-“

harvey points a finger at mike, then at you, then slowly wags it back and forth for dramatics. mike sighs, looking around and putting his hands in his pockets, waiting for his scolding to be done.

“Harvey-“

“Uh uh.”

“Harvey.”

harvey continues his finger wag. “Micheal.”

“Harvey.”

harvey walks backwards towards the door, opening it with his free hand. “Don’t.. do it.”

mike rolls his eyes, following harvey into the room.

okay. don’t get with the funniest, most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. got it. easy.

easy. right?

the look you give him as he sits down proves him otherwise.

[bomikalover]

Did my yearly rewatch of Austin and Ally (all 4 seasons) and now I’m hyper fixated on it. So I decided to yap my head off on here so if you don’t care for anything A&A specific then just scroll and enjoy my other posts or edits of the stuff you do like 🫶🏾

Anywaysss, why I’m here.

AUSTIN AND ALLY’S PARENTS ARENT GOOD PARENTS!!

There i said it.

The only one I give slack is Ally’s mom as she mostly lives in Africa for work (I think?? I kinda black out the parents storyline since I’m here for any else but the parents) plus she wrote a book and when she was in Miami with Ally she spent all her time WITH HER DAUGHTER. She gave advice, presents, and even gave her an opportunity to sing at her event which was the event she overcame her greatest fear. She was polite and sweet to all the kids, put effort to talking to them, and getting to known them. We’ve seen her for maybe 2-3 episodes TOPS in the whole show but I never disliked her. Do I think she could have had a talk with her ex-husband and made him work at his own business?? Yes but they spilt for a reason and maybe she was just already mentally clocked out of anything dealing with him…cuz I know I am.

Her dad on the other hand I majorly dislike. He opened a business just to leave in the hands of his only daughter between ages 14-18 while she was already occupied with school and then her career as an artist. Plus she had friends and a young life that she wanted to live. Fortunately Ally was lucky her 3 friends stuck around all day in Sonic Boom helping out and hanging there instead of completely leaving Ally out since she was constantly busy with work.

He was also extremely cheap. Like being cheap with urself is fine but with ur daughter is a whole nother thing. Like when he gave her emergency funds for when she went to go on tour with Austin and she actually needed it as she was stranded in an unknown state. Just to find out that her dad only gave her $6 and an expired coupon. She once again was on her own and performed for her own well-being.

And he was also unsupportive of Ally sometimes. Like in the first episode when he said that she had one in a billion chance of making it into the music industry. (Austin’s dad said that as well, but we’ll get to him later) WHAT?! Is it so hard to be supportive of ur daughter. (He does support her in future episodes but for me it’s says a lot that the first impression we get of her father is that he’s unsupportive and only wants her to run the family store)

Speaking of no support and forcing their child to follow their footsteps…Mike and Mimi Moon.

They also came out the bat being unsupportive but seemed to care enough to not force Austin to work at the Mattress Kingdom. But they heavily offered the job every time something went slightly off course with Austin’s Career. (Him getting vocal nodes or when he chose loving Ally over his career that he’s been passionately working on for years)

Both of A&A’s parents were just letting their kids travel by themselves or go on tour by themselves. (It’s EXTREMELY common for parents to be MIA in kids tv but these rubbed me the wrong way) like we rarely saw Mr.Dawson at Ally’s performances Vice versa with Austin and his parents. It took Austin having to go the doctors or Ally moving away super far to accomplish her goals to get their attention.

I’m not surprised Auslly has such a strong unbreakable bond when they’re two only children with neglectful parents who are unsupportive of their dreams. They have no one to relate to and share the passion with beside each other. They both have best friends that have been in their lives YEARS before each other yet Auslly talk of each other as if that’s all they have is each other. (Side note: the way Auslly write their songs make me question how much stuff they truly went through together. Like “You can come to me” lyrics are so sweet and intimate but also so deep but it’s extremely evident that they are singing these lyrics to each other and only each other. Like they surpassed hurdles that Dez and Trish weren’t there to surpass with them. I wonder how much of Auslly we haven’t seen and will never see.)

Dez and Trish aren’t only children like Austin & Ally. Dez has a (older?) sister and Trish has a little brother. Both their families seemed extremely happy, loving, and outwardly supportive of them…I can’t say the same for Austin and Ally.

I could go on and on about this topic alone but I’ll spare your eyes from all the reading and stop yapping. But I’ll gladly talk about all my other thoughts about certain A&A things. Like the Auslly dynamic in a whole, why Austin’s passion for music is so strong, or even why Trish can’t keep a job.

But that’s a yapper-sation for another time.

[gayofthefae]

Ok but can we talk about how most of Will's pining shots are just shots of him being normal with fancy closeups and music and most of Mike's normal shots are of him pining?

Upset at being ignored*, worried about the state of his friendship, worried about Mike - who is clearly upset. The only truly romantic twinged ones I would say are his reaction to Mike's apology and of course, the painting speech and all. This is not an argument for the people who denied, it was very clear, it's more further proof of how much framing can do to show you things consistently present (which makes me excited for season 5 all over again! Whatever the leaks, we can never predict the camera angles)

*when he isn't being ignored he's pretty chill about Mike and El. No reaction to their kiss or forehead touch. Additionally, asking what the difference is between you and someone who is being treated better than you is super normal also. And as an add-on, not wanting to grow up too fast (3x03) is also a symptom of trauma. Also I shouldn't have to say that hugging your best friend is normal.

Our boy is like super normal and successful at being in the closet. Meanwhile Mike...

Really, it just goes to emphasize Mike's queerness how subtle Will is. He actually has done very very little suspicious. Which means that Mike's reaction is a hypersensitive one due to it already being on his mind.

[lovemikewheeler]

Byler time !!

Sorry if I yap a lot, but I was having some thoughts (as people do) so I was thinking about Will and Mikes love languages when it comes to giving and receiving. What made me start thinking about this to begin with is looking back on how Mike treasures every art piece Will gives him, in short: Mike loves gifts. It is even said in the last episode of season 3, when he is talking to El that he “loves presents”. So I just wanted to make a fluffy post about my thoughts on byler love languages.

The 5 types of love languages are:

words of affirmation

acts of service

receiving gifts

quality time

physical touch

First…

Mike

Love language:

Giving: physical touch

Receiving: gifts

Giving:

Let’s talk about how, in my opinion, he would love to give physical touch (once they become boyfriends in season 5!!) and I have a few reasons for this.

My biggest reason being how much he looks at will, and I mean looks at him. It is a known fact in the byler community that Mike looks a little too much at wills lips and has been caught multiple times checking him out. It’s a safe assumption to say that Mike is physically attracted to Will. But now I wanna think about El and Mikes relationship, and how in season 3, they only spent time making out and never truly getting to know one another. I have a theory (and if this sounds stupid or wrong let me know) but I feel as if he took his frustration out my making out with El, subconsciously aware of his physical attraction to Will.

This is more head-canon territory, but I love to think of Mike as Will’s boyfriend, and he would hug him from behind and be very physically affectionate with him, because after years of repressed romantic and sexual attraction he would wanna let himself free. He would be very adamant about always touching him to make him feel included, possibly from all the guilt he’s had from treating him wrongly as teenagers. He would put his hand on his leg while driving or touchy his hair while laying down. Bottom line is that Mike would be super touchy when they end up dating.

Receiving:

This one is a pretty simple one to explain, his face lights up when he sees Will painting for him, and admires the effort and details that went into it. It is also shown that Mike gets jealous whenever it’s implied that someone else is getting Will’s artwork. For example, in El’s letter to Mike, she states that the painting “is for a girl, I think there is someone that he likes.” Implying there is someone special enough to receive Wills artwork, someone more special than Mike. At the airport, that was the first thing he ask Will. All Mike responds with is “Cool.” Shortly after, showing he’s annoyed. He’s upset at the fact that someone else can be receiving artwork from Will, something he has binders of and hangs on his walls. In the van, when he figures out the painting is for him, he seems so exited that he got a gift from Will, only for his smile to fade once Will tells him it’s from El.

Will:

Love languages:

Giving: gifts

Receiving: physical touch

Giving:

I found it so cute how Will’s plan to confess to Mike was through a painting, and through that painting that he gifted Mike, he pored his heart out and confessed his love. Will has always been a gift-giver, during Joyce’s speech to Will, when he was possessed by the mildflayer, she tells the story of how he gave his yellow truck to a girl who was sad, even though he knew his parents couldn’t afford another one. He’s always been a giving person, he’s always been a selfless person. That is shown through his gift-giving skills

Receiving:

Ok, this is loosely based on facts in the show but also mostly my head-canon (I just think the idea of their love languages matching is so cute) During season 2, Mike often used physical touch to calm him down, and reassure him that everything was going to be ok. Feeling his hand made him feel calmer about the situation, that and a mixture of touch and his words.

Anyways, they are boyfriends! Bye ya’ll 😋😋

// Lmk if u guys have any thoughts on this !! I kinda wanna write a fic of them in the future but I also don’t write fanfic (with this topic of love languages) but idk English is difficult. Also I treat this account as my personal diary, so sorry my thoughts are all over the place :(

[booksandpaperss]

How Stranger Things (poorly) handles racism as a topic compared other heavy topics it successfully tackles

before we get started, I would to direct you all to some other accounts who have already discussed this that you should check out either before or after reading this post: @wewebaggit @googoogagaeyes @elekinetic and anyone else please feel free to tag yourself or another account that’s discussed this and I’ll happily boost it

Content Warning for in show examples of racism and discussions of racism, as well as mentions of homophobia and the AIDES epidemic

.

. While we're discussing historical accuracy in stranger things and homophobia + ignorance being present even in well meaning characters, I want to point out that if the writers of the show weren't so squeamish about addressing racism in any in depth way, than this type of historical accuracy would be for racism too.

what I mean by this: in this sense, the show is not consistent. It's clear that the writers have done their research on 80s homophobia and how openly prevalent it was, if the AIDES allegory in season 2 and the way homophobia was very clearly present in seasons 1 and 2 (it still is in seasons 3 and 4 but the first 2 seasons showed it in the scope of the entire town), but racism was just as overtly prevalent, and yet the writers have neglected to address it in the same thoughtful and coded way. if the show was just as consistent about racism as it is about homophobia, than the white characters would be at the very least shown as ignorant just like the straight characters are.

and I'm not going to say that it's completely ignored, because that's not true:

-in season 2; mike makes an ignorant comment that implies Lucas should have been Winston because he's black, and Lucas calls him on it. There's also the very racist undertones (that are practically overtones) of Billy's treatment of Lucas. -There is almost nothing in season 3 except for a jokey joke when Nancy says the whole party is her family and the receptionist, who is a black woman, gives Lucas a skeptical look.

-Season 4 is a little better, with the implications (key word: implications, I'll come back to that in a moment) of Lucas's season 4 arc being that he was trying to fit in because he didn't want to be racially targeted and bullied for being a nerd at the same time anymore, that he felt like even more of an outsider compared to the rest of his otherwise all white friend group who, as far as he knows, are all cishet and giving him shit for wanting to lessen how much he's perceived as an outsider because he's automatically seen as even more of a "freak", and his friends just weren't getting it because they were white and ignorant. So the writers aren't blind to race and racism.

However. None of the examples that I've just listed are addressed later in any in depth way; not like the homophobia is. The only one that's even remotely delved into instead of simply being glossed over is Lucas's s4 arc, and even that is still very flitted around and left up to interpretation of the audience.

The writers seem to have a very "hit and run" sort of policy with addressing racism. They clearly know they should, and they at least seem to know that having a black character in an 80s setting with a cast of mostly white characters inherently creates a lot of racial subtext-

-for example, the very loud subtext of Jason (a white boy much older than Lucas) seeing Max (a white girl) in a trance alone with Lucas (a black boy) and immediately assuming the worst + Jason's white friends tackling an 11 year old black girl to the ground: subtext that I'm still not sure if the writers and directors were even aware of bc they never addressed it and their track record isn't great-

-but they hardly do anything about it.

I'm not surprised, considering this show is headed by two white men, but what really gets me is that they all truly could have tried harder. Like I said earlier, it's clear they've done research and put thought into addressing homophobia (it still could've been handled better but that's an entirely different conversation), and it's evident from Max's s4 arc that they also did research on Depression, PTSD, and the impacts on someone of their abusive family member dying. So the lack of care and thought put into addressing racism in the same way is clearly more than ignorance (which would still be bad, when you're writing a show this big in 2023 with topics like this you're actually, shocker, responsible for making sure they're addressed properly, ignorance is a choice at that point), its just fucking lazy. they don't care. And this not caring is inherently harmful on a show this big and frankly, I'm tired of so many viewers and people in this fandom straight up ignoring this fact, just like the show runners.

And I haven't even covered the complete lack of effort put into Patrick's backstory, or the fact that Erica is very much the sassy, mature for her age black girl stereotype (she deserves so much better). Oh, And we can’t forget the copaganda.

I'm glad that season 4 started to explore the dynamic between Lucas and Erica and expand on both their characters, and from the looks of things that will continue in season 5, so the writers have a chance to do their research, actually put effort more effort into the sinclair sibling’s characters, and improve, and I'm hoping they will but as of right now I don't trust them to, and won't unless they prove me wrong.

TDLR; the main issue is that Stranger Things is clearly a show that addresses topics like depression, abuse, homophobia, and racism, but the racism part is neglected compared to the others, just like how Lucas and Erica's characters are handled poorly compared to the white characters,. it's lazy, horribly insensitive, and racist in and of itself. There's a clear bias, and even if it improves in season 5 we still should be talking about it, and more white people (yes white queer people included, we are not exempt from this discussion, if anything we should care just as much about it as when we’re talking about homophobia) in this fandom need to start listening when black and brown people do talk about it instead of just waltzing through and ignoring it for your own peace of mind.

also I should clarify that I myself am white, I made sure I did research before making this post in order to talk about this accurately and consciously, but if I made any mistakes or said something insensitive or used an incorrect term or anything else, feel free to correct me and I will readily fix it

as a final note: please check my rebligs of this for links to more posts that talk abt this issue

[theblueprincess590]

The Protector of Children’s Laughter-An Analysis of Kingdom Heart 3

Sora has assumed many roles throughout the Kingdom Hearts series from, Unlikely Hero, to Knight in Shining Armor, to Fool, but in Kingdom Hearts 3 Sora assumes his most important role, as a Fairy Tale Guardian.This can first be seen in Kingdom Of Corona where Sora Guides Rapunzel throughout her journey and encourages here to see the beauty of the outside world. The main point of the world was to explore how Sora’s role allows him to spread joy to others. Monstropolis further elaborates on Sora as a Fairy Tale Guardian by exploring how his role makes him a protector of children.

The goal of Monstropolis is to protect Boo and get her back home. Fighting the Unversed, putting out the fires, overcoming Randall’s challenges, and traversing the Door Vault, it’s all done for Boo’s sake. However it is not just her physical body that the team strives to protect her heart as well. Throughout the World a special meter known as Laugh Power appears. Whenever this meter appears the mission statement changes from just fighting the unversed and heartless to keeping Boo happy. You must pull out all the stops and defeat the monsters as flashily as possible without letting yourself or Sully get hurt. This is all done for the sake of keeping Boo Happy. Her laughter must be preserved in the face of darkness, not just because it serves as an in-universe power source but because a child should be laughing. No child should ever go through such terror like this, their childhood should never be sullied by the greed of selfish adults. So Sora fights to keep Boo smiling, to keep the memories of terror far away from her heart and to instead give her memories of laughter. 

Even outside of the meter the ideal of preserving Children’s laughter is ever present in the World’s story. Several times throughout the Journey the Gang takes pit stops to cheer Boo up such as when Mike and Sully cover themselves in paint to make Boo laugh or when Sora puts on his iconic silly face. And interestingly enough both of these events have the characters calling back their past. During Mike and Sully’s College years they were humiliated by a group of bullies who covered them in colorful paint. This was one of their lowest moments as their dignity was stripped from them for the sake of a petty joke. And Yet in this moment they reclaim that humiliating memory and use it as a force of good. Willingly covering themselves in pink and blue paint in order to make Boo Smile. The sting of the painful memory now replaced with the child’s joyous laughter. As for Sora’s goofy face this moment calls back to Sora’s first meeting with Donald and Goofy in KH1. When they first meet Sora’s soul was playing a symphony of sadness. The loss of his home and friends dragged his heart down, threatening to drown him in darkness. And so to combat this Donald and Goofy shared their ideals with Sora, telling him that if he wants to come with he has to wear a happy and silly face, explaining that their ship runs on happy faces. And while out of context this may seem harsh, it’s far more than the two just telling Sora to buck up and smile. As disney characters and fairy tale heroes it is Donalds and Goofy’s mission is to not only help others but to make them happy. They can not waste time worrying when people need them, they must traverse the Ocean Between smiling all the way so that others may smile in turn. Sora shows his understanding and acceptance of this ideal by giving his own Goofy smile in turn, Truly becoming a Disney character and fairy tale hero. So when Sora brings this smile back in KH3 we know he is putting on a Brave face for Boo, inspiring her to be courageous and smile in turn, becoming for her what Doanld and Goofy were for him in KH1.

If Sora and Sully are Fairy Tale Guardians Than Randall and Vanitas are Childhood Nightmares. Randal is a selfish egomaniac terrifying children and  preying on the weak simply to validate himself. He rejects the truth that Laughter is more powerful than screams in order to justify his self-serving desire of returning to the old way. He doesn’t care for the safety of his world nor the well being of the children. To him everyone else only exists to stroke his ego. And so he warps Monsters Incorporated into a twisted reflection of its past. A death trap filled with mindless monsters that never think for themselves as they preying upon those that are different from them and machinery that destroys rather creates. Born from sinful pride Randall’s path of fear only serves to reveal the weakness of both his ideology and his true self. The Factory falls apart under Randall’s control. With the Unversed and Heartless free to run wild as they burn down the metaphorical Kingdom Randall lusts for all while the screams Randall gathered fail to power anything of value. Randall himself is shown to be nothing more than a parasite. He never once fights Sora, Donald, Goofy, Sully, and Mike himself, instead choosing to hide in the shadows while letting the Unversed and Heartless do all the fighting for him as he pathetically taunts the heroes or complains when they fail to get the job done. Randall can do nothing for himself because he is fundamentally a coward  who prays on the weak in order to feel like a big man. And in the end Randal is rejected by the world itself as not only does the authority of the world in the form of the CDA Agents oppose him but he is permanently banished from the monster world thanks to Sora’s keyblade, a weapon born from a literal age of fairy tales. For parasites parading as Nightmares have no right to stop children from laughing.

 While Randal was just a weakling parading as a creature of fear, Vanitas is a true walking nightmare. A horror born from the abyss itself, Vanitas seeks only to spread terror and despair. Using Randall’s ego and the Unversed spawned from his maelstrom of hatred Vanitas spreads terror to not just the world of monsters but the countless dreams of all children, he torments them, scarring their very hearts for no reason other than to consume their very screams. Every tragedy in the world is born from his twisted machinations, the torment of the children, the destruction of the factory, and the creation of the Lump of Horror. This is what Nightmares do, they spread misery everywhere they go, feeding off the fears of children to take shape, just like how Vanitas needs the negative emotions of others to take a form. And that is exactly why Vanitas losses at the end of the world. He can only exist through the pain of others whereas Fairy Tale Guardians like Mike and Sully exist for the sake of others. They do not rely on the children for strength but instead are the ones who give children the strength to move forward. And as such Vanitas is powerless against Sully. Even with his body fully restored Vanitas is incapable of fighting back against Sully who effortlessly banishes him from Monsters Incorporated using the Very doors Vanitas abused.

In Contrast to Vanitas and Randall who are punished for their acts of terror against the young, Sora and Sully are rewarded. By protecting both Boo’s innocence they are able to use her laughter to save both their world and themselves. Through the Laugh Power meter they are able to destroy Armies of Heartless and Unversed or restore power to the falling machinery, more importantly near the end of the journey Sora is rewarded with the powerful accessory of the Laugh Pin. A one of the kind item that grants the miraculous ability MP walker which restores MP with every step taken. Ultimately the accessory represents both the courage Sora gave Boo through his goofy face and the power Boo’s laughter gave to Sora. 

In the end while a Fairy tale Guardian’s job is to protect children they can’t keep them safe forever. As Seen by the Unversed malice will always find a way to reach the children and their hearts. Pain is an inevitability of life and while what Randall said about fear remaining sticking with a child is true that is not the end all be all. Hope though weak is eternal and can blossom in any heart is nurtured by Joy. While Mike and Sully can not erase the pain burdened upon them by Vanitas they are more than capable of healing the wounds by continuing to make them laugh every night. For a fairy tale guardian never gives up on the children. They will always be the protector of the light of children, Just like how Sora will continue to protect all hearts in his war against Xehanort.

[felassan]

BioWare Blog post: An Update on the State of BioWare

by BioWare - August 23, 2023

"Hello again, Today, rather than discuss one of our upcoming projects, I’d like to share an update about the studio itself and outline our vision for BioWare’s future. In order to meet the needs of our upcoming projects, continue to hold ourselves to the highest standard of quality, and ensure BioWare can continue to thrive in an industry that’s rapidly evolving, we must shift towards a more agile and more focused studio. It will allow our developers to iterate quickly, unlock more creativity, and form a clear vision of what we’re building before development ramps up. To achieve this, we find ourselves in a position where change is not only necessary, but unavoidable. As difficult as this is to say, rethinking our approach to development inevitably means reorganizing our team to match the studio’s changing needs.  As part of this transition, we are eliminating approximately 50 roles at BioWare. That is deeply painful and humbling to write. We are doing everything we can to ensure the process is handled with empathy, respect, and clear communication. With that last point in mind, I want to take a moment to explain how we got here, what we’re doing to support our colleagues, and what this means for BioWare’s current and future games. WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW After much consideration and careful planning, we have built a long-term vision that will preserve the health of the studio and better enable us to do what we do best: create exceptional story-driven single-player experiences filled with vast worlds and rich characters. This vision balances the current needs of the studio—namely, ensuring Dragon Age™: Dreadwolf is an outstanding game—with its future, including the success of the next Mass Effect™. We’ve chosen to act now in part to provide our impacted colleagues with as many internal opportunities as possible. These changes coincide with a significant number of roles that are currently open across EA’s other studios. Impacted employees will be provided with professional resources and assistance as they apply for these positions. While it’s unlikely that everyone will find a new role within the company, we are committed to supporting our staff as they navigate this change. Our sincere hope is that they can continue their exemplary work at studios who stand to benefit immensely from their talents. IMMEDIATE IMPACT If you’re wondering how all of this will impact development of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, let me be clear that our dedication to the game has never wavered. Our commitment remains steadfast, and we all are working to make this game worthy of the Dragon Age name. We are confident that we’ll have the time needed to ensure Dreadwolf reaches its full potential. I can also tell you that every member of our team, even those departing BioWare, deserves credit for crafting a spectacular experience. These are our colleagues and friends, and we would not be here without them. I am so proud of all the work our team has done. WHAT COMES NEXT While this is an extremely difficult day for everyone at BioWare, we are making changes now to build a brighter future. We’re excited for all of you to see what we’ve been building with Dreadwolf. A core veteran team led by Mike Gamble continues their pre-production work on the next Mass Effect. Our commitment to quality continues to be our North Star. As cliche as this sounds, there truly is never a good time to enact changes like this, but we trust that we have the right leaders and team in place with vision, passion, and proven track records to deliver world-class Dragon Age and Mass Effect experiences that our fans will love. For now, I want to thank everyone at BioWare—past and present—for making the studio what it is. I also want to thank our community for your continued support. We’re eager to reveal more about Dreadwolf, and we look forward to discovering what else the future holds. Gary McKay General Manager, BioWare"

[source]

[nightmareonashstreet]

Hi there!! Stumbled upon this account and I just couldn't miss the opportunity! If it doesn't bother yall, may I request some angsty stuff for Emily? Preferably with a fem reader 🫶 thankss

TWIN FLAME | EMILY DAVIS

CONTAINS : Emily being Emily (we love her tho), gore and violence, character deaths, past trauma, the safe room incident, angst, mild language, usual until dawn shenanigans, small description of a female reader, set a few years after until dawn, dark pictures references, might make a part two...

Two survivors stood in the cold winter watching as a cabin burned to rotting wood and ashes. Then all of it was over, a misunderstanding that resulted in a life or death decision ended with Emily Davis never wanting to speak to you ever again, but it's hard to do so when the only other survivor can understand the horrors that occurred that night.

The stench of rotting flesh and charred wood was always present in your nose. It didn't matter where you were, you could never get rid of the smell, it was always there and a constant reminder of what happened, of the things you'd done or said.

Your conscience would never truly be clear, the guilt that had clawed its way into your skin and settled inside your very soul prevented that. There was so much blame that bleeded out, so much guilt and shame and horror, you'd never been the type to feel much guilt in the past, was it your punishment to only feel such a thing now. You have remembered that night for as long as you lived it, the hot iron blood, the screech that made your ears bleed, those horrid scars that never healed quite right, your friends, it always circled back to them.

You attended the funerals despite not being welcome, a shadowy figure blended in with the dark outfits as they'd been put to rest. You were deemed a lunatic, a crazy girl who told lies to save her own skin. Melinda Washington's anger was the fiercest, she had struck you in the face the moment you tried to lay flowers for Josh. Sometimes in your broken sleep you dream about them, Mike's stupid jokes, Chris and Ashley staring at each other lovingly but never making a move, Sam's laugh, Jessica's music you'd both listen to while driving, Matt's football facts that had made him seem smarter than he was. You missed them, to lose them all in one night, everything you ever knew, it was all gone, they were all gone.

All except for one. Emily Davis.

You haven't spoken to her since the incident, she cut you off and might as well have spat in your face. You tried to reach out when you were in the police station in the cold quiet hours of the morning but her harsh words shut you down and so you stopped trying. She hadn't shown up at the funerals, she was always smarter than you, she must have known how people would react, you'd only caught a few glimpses of her since the incident, she visited Matt's grave monthly to replace flowers, you'd even seen her lay a bunch down at Jessica's despite their broken friendship that had occurred.

Any drama in the past seemed pathetic to think about, it was pointless and petty and you knew that now, you had been a bad person back then and an even worse friend, a thing you were able to acknowledge now.

You thought about her a lot, your only living friend but it was hard to use that word to associate her with, you had stopped being friends the moment you decided to back Mike up that night, doing nothing as he pointed a gun in her face and got so close to pulling the trigger. You were still able to remember the look on her face, the terror as everyone stood by, how you stood by, you couldn't look at her, you didn't listen to her cries as the gun clicked, it was something that always stuck with you.

Did she have nightmares as you did? Did she also awaken screaming and thrashing in the night like you did? Did her parents have to rock her back to sleep and assure her she was safe? You didn't know, you never knew a thing about her after that night, you never tried and neither did she, a part of you thought she must've been over it, she would have moved on with her life, she was a tough cookie and unlike you she didn't crumble into crumbs. You felt as if you'd never see her again, the only person who might be able to understand what you're going through and she'd ended up hating your guts. You needed someone to get what happened, to not brush off your insistence of that monster that took away your friends, nobody ever took your claims seriously, nobody ever would.

Your mother had suggested group therapy, a small little thing in the back of some church, somewhere that could help you understand your trauma better and so you had gone to stop her worrying. You could see the stares and whispers and laughter as they deemed you crazy but it ended up being worse than that.

Emily was the one running it.

Your former friend, Emily, who had never been the nicest of your friends. Emily, who had slapped your friend when she told the truth. Emily, who pushed you into danger of those monsters to save her own skin. That Emily, how on earth she was running some sort of therapy group was a shocker to you, something you'd never be able to figure out for yourself.

Emily Davis was running a therapy group and you had no idea whether to stay or go.

You needed help, whether you got it from Emily or not, a therapy group was the start of a rough recovery, so your crumbling guilty soul forced you to stay, sitting near the exit at the back of the group and watching what went on and what was said. She hadn't looked in your direction at all so you must've been doing the discreet thing right, all the focus was on an older man who said he fought these underground monsters in Iraq back in 2003. You believe him, so does everyone else.

These people were just like you, they'd experienced this unimaginable horror that nobody would believe, they all had a story and now you didn't feel so crazy from creepy monsters underground to werewolves that slaughtered some summer camp, everyone had a story, you just had no idea if you wanted to tell yours. You wondered if Em- if Emily had shared anything from that horrible night at Blackwood Mountain. The stories went on and on, and Emily didn't say a word, she just listened. You could not stop staring at her, still unsure if this was some twisted nightmare you'd wake up from. Your nails dug into your arm, pinching the skin sharp enough that you knew you must've been awake and that this was real. Emily Davis was really here and you didn't know what to do, why on earth did you decide to stay and listen.

She seemed better, as if nothing had ever happened to her. The only noticeable things being a faint scar on her head and the faint line of a sharp disfigured bite poking out from beneath the thin strap from her fancy top. She seemed at peace unlike you, she seemed healed, happy, the Emily you knew only appeared through the smaller reactions that swam across her features.

The group had finished up and some stayed for warmed up coffees or sweet teas, chattering amongst themselves and you looked at Emily once more to see her laughing at something a member of group had said, she was smiling a lot brighter, glossy lips genuine with these people she'd been helping and it was then you knew that you wouldn't stay much longer, she had healed and you hadn't and for your own guilt ridden reasons you didn't want to drag up the past and ruin any progress that she'd built. You exited the way you entered, quiet and unheard, hood up and an awkward shuffle of feet as you push open the door. She's better off without you, there's a reason she never tried to contact you all those years, you knew it and so did she, it didn't need to be said aloud to be known.

If you had looked back, you would have seen her beside the window, watching you leave her life like she left your life all those years ago.

Instead, she shut the door, as if you were a mere stranger and you didn't acknowledge the noise of it closing, Emily had closed the door on her past and you were trapped, a single lock keeping you in the horrific past.

She wouldn't let you in.