#ive been meaning to draw her and then i heard the good news

[romtoss]

CONGRATS ON YOUR PROMOTION GIRL NOW GO KILL YOUR HUSBAND

[ivy-diaries]

‎ ⁎ ‎ ‎ 𓍼 ‎ ‎ ๋ ‎ ◜ &.&. THE IVY INCIDENT ep 1. ◞ ‎ ... ‎ ‎

The intro plays, and Ivy appears on the screen smiling and leaning into the mic to speak. “Hello guys, welcome to my new podcast, 'The Ivy Incident!!’ This has been in the works ever since I stepped into the dive podcast studio when I came here to film the kpop daebak show with Eric so it's soo exciting to finally show you guys this project!” she laughs as the other staff there are heard clapping.

Laughing, she continues "so in this podcast, I invite my friends from the industry and we just you know, talk and share stories! It's a lot similar to Eric's but mine is more personal if you will because all these people are very very close to me and I've known them for a pretty long time! This episode is just gonna be me cuz this is like an introduction for all the first-time listeners who don't know who I am!" “So I heard Diane has some questions prepared for me, so let's get into it!” 

“let's start with the basics, yeah? Who is Ivy Jennifer James?” Diane asks her. 

“Oh we’re going back to the beginning okay! So as you’ve already mentioned, my name is ivy jennifer james. I was born in New Castle, Australia where I lived till I was five and then I moved to the US where again I lived for five years before moving to Korea when I was eleven. And in korea, i signed with bighit entertainment and when i was asked if i was ready to debut when i was 14 i think? I was like imma do it. So i debuted at 14 under both jype and bighit and the rest is history! And i'm here today hehe”

“What motivated you to pursue a career as a solo artist?”

“Hmm i think ever since i got into bighit, i've always wanted to be a soloist? I'm not really sure why but I always saw myself as a soloist for some reason. Even till now, if you ask my dad he’d say that i was born to do this” ivy laughs and continues “i think ever since i was little ive wanted to something in the field of music and performance”

“Was being a kpop idol your first choice?”

“It was actually! I mean keeping in mind that i started this since i was a literal child, it actually was my first choice. The kids at school did tease me for this but look at me now” ivy chuckles

“Who are your music inspirations?”

“That's a great question and I was literally talking to Jun about this this morning! I dont have one specific inspiration but i think i draw inspiration from any and all artists! I've been pretty inspired by the Beatles and Rolling Stone pretty recently and obviously, Taylor Swift is one of my biggest inspirations out there.” 

“Are you a sweet or savory type of person?”

“It honestly depends on my mood if i'm being honest” she laughs hard “now, im craving something savory! I'd kill for some fries right now oh man you’ve perked up my cravings now diane!!”

“What's the last song you listened to?”

Ivy laughs hard and almost tears up laughing “this is actually so funny oh my god the last song i listened to is actually a helium ingested cover of let me love you by justin bieber which yeonjun sung for me yesterday after a party we went to and let me tell you, it was soo funny!!”

“According to you, tell me 3 flaws and 3 qualities about yourself”

“Ooh, three qualities of mine would be, one, I think I'm kind I guess? Second, I'm somewhat responsible, and third and finally, I think I'm a human sized golden retriever because I'm very bubbly and very smiley smiley most of the time! And three flaws of mine are, one, i’m a big overthinker, i just rethink about every single choice or word of mine a little too much. Second, my moods are based on the weather…”

Ivy laughs at the look on Diane's face “yea.. My mood everyday kinda depends on how good the weather is.. That's why I'm not as fond of the rain because it makes me kind of depressed and I just shut myself off most of the time. Third, im a bit of a perfectionist so i expect any and all things to be a little too perfect.. If its not what i expect it to be, i just leave that and will not ever touch on it again and i know i should change these things and i am trying so.. yeah “

“okay, something similar but three things you like and three things you dislike”

 “I don't like these types of questions!!” she laughs “it makes me think too much to give an answer!! But anyways… hmm three things i like are, one, my husband” she giggles as a small blush is seen on her cheek “well it's true!! I wouldn't have married him if I didn't like him would I?” she giggles “second, i really love what i do so, my career and third, my loved ones! I love my friends and family because they've stuck with me through thick and thin and I'm really grateful for that!” she smiles and gives the camera a little hand heart

“three things i hate are.. Hmm lets see… one, people who do not value privacy. I've said this multiple times and i'll say this again but I do love my fans.. I love them a lot and I wouldn't be here without them. But there are some people who claim that they are fans but do unhinged stuff to get close to me. And like that's why I've sued some people for not valuing my privacy. I got hate for it but honestly I don't care when the privacy and the lives of the people i love are at stake."

"Second, coming back to a slightly normal side, I absolutely hate the smell of fish. I don't know if it's cuz im vegetarian but I always throw up whenever I smell it and third, coming back to a more serious side, I hate the fact that most people on the internet feel like it's their right to comment on us as celebrities or idols or as performers. It's so irritating that they don't even feel sorry for what they say. They don't know how much we over think it and it slowly becomes an insecurity that takes years to wear off.”

“Okay this is your second to last question and the question is, For listeners who may not have heard your music before, can you recommend a few songs that best represent your sound and artistic vision?”

“That is a really good question, oh my god! So I think my discography is quite diverse and I have a lot of songs for different kinds of people who like different things. So the top three songs that i’d recommend to people are, one, vengeance as its called. There's no explanation for that song but I loved making it and loved singing it so that's the first song and second, I have a song called lovers in the night  that i co wrote with seori which I absolutely loved and we had a great time writing the song. And third I think is, my whole album called “for us.”  which i wrote with yeonjun and its songs dedicated for each other and hence called for us!”

“Okay… last question, can you give us any hints of the upcoming guests you have here?” Diane asks, smiling knowingly. Ivy giggles and wiggles her fingers across the camera

“Well I guess I can.. But most of my friends have not given me exact dates of their free schedule so even i’m not really sure on whos coming” she laughs at herself “so that's all i can tell you now because that's just all i know so” she just shrugs as she smiles.

“That's it for this episode and I hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm so excited for all the things we have in store for you guys and I hope you look forward to it!! So this has been ivy so far and thank you for listening to the ivy incident! Have a good day or good night bye!!”

⋆ ivy taglist ˒ @stealanity @alixnsuperstxr @riikiblr @skz-libby @escapetheash (lmk if u wanna be added or removed)

⋆ priya says ˒ so this is not proofread so read at ur own risk lol <33 but if you've come this far,, please reblog with the bow emoji (🎀) so I know that readers are interactive and writers get the credit they deserve!! so lmk who you want to see on ivys podcast and any feedback tbh!! Happy reading!!

[meruz]

another ask post

i mean i also read it because a friend whos rly into queer SFF fiction circles recced it but she did kinda lead with "the writer used to write hs fanfic...tasmyn..taz...?" to which i replied

of COURSE I read the locked tomb because i heard taz had written a book. of course. ill consume most any media made by a beloved homestuck bnf. thats also why i played undertale. and read like..snotgirl. and idk... watched the new dub of neon genesis evangelion.

if u made homestuck fanwork 10 years ago and havent even made it since chances are I still remember and I love you for it.

sdlkfhsg its funny you sensed that because that drawing did in fact start kinda more........ well, I'd be lying if I said my hands never wrought a drawing toeing over the pg-13 line LOL...

NOT to say i have a secret stash of porn or anything. in general im more interested in the implication of sexuality or mature themes over any explicit depiction. like everything i draw is so softcore itd almost feel silly to make a nsfw acc for anything.

but im not rly jumping to post anything on main either bc i get the sense i have a lot of kids in my social media following. it varies from site to site and fandom to fandom but the themes in my work often circle around childhood, coming of age etc and in general i like stories about kids so the fandoms i draw for have a lot of kids in them. even stuff like IT (stephen king) which is about kids but isn't necessarily for kids.. there were a lot of kids in that fandom lol.

actually thats why ive been censoring swears in comics lately because the tmnt fandom comes across to me as a little young...IDK I've had MULTIPLE people ask me what "sodomize" means because of the joke in this post and I'm like... I Cannot be the one to explain this to you. you have to look it up on your own klfsdhsdg like i wouldn't be doing this if i were doing a comic for mgs or even homestuck wherein the characters textually swear constantly LOL but sometimes u gotta change tacks depending on the faces u see in the crowd yknow.

i HAVE been thinking abt drawing nsfw of sunspot/richard rider/kobak from x-men red just because that comic seemed to be really asking for it. who knows.. if the need rly arises maybe my separate account policy will change.

its rly more a matter of the fact that i havent read/watched much of any other iterations... im sure id like most lol. I like most things related to my interests regardless of quality. i rly like the marvel ultimate alliance games for instance. sometimes seeing my fave guy is enough he doesnt have to be well written LOL. i dont exactly have a wealth of free time tho thats the real impediment.

i did watch the 2007 movie on new years eve and found it quite charming overall. and i have read about 30-40 issues between the mirage and idw comics. still feels like im barely scratching the surface but i liked em. i rly want to read all the sophie campbell stuff bc i think her work is interesting. jason aaron will be a mixed bag i think lmao. i say as the worlds biggest Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) fan.

hmm this is kinda hard bc i feel like i naturally draw very loose and the hard part for me is tightening it up. maybe some suggestions tho...

1) hand excercises. i think its easy to forget this when many artists sit in front of the computer all day but drawing is a physical activity u do with ur actual...bodys...muscles lol. if u feel urself tightening up it might help to strech (any google search for "artist hand excercises" should yield good results) or do a page of loose practice strokes like..big circles. long lines. scribbles. that kinda thing. whatever feels good for ur hand. this is also just good to do as a general warm up before u sit down for any drawing sesh.

2) draw further away from the canvas. as a general rule...when ur painting traditionally you do the big strokes with your whole arm outstreched and a long handled brush. and when you do the details its smaller wrist movements and a shorter handled brush. so it might help to take a step back or push back from ur chair a little.. or hold ur tablet a little further away. and hold your pen further away from the nib.

3) change mediums / brush types. some brushes and mediums are more suited to loose sketching and some more inclined towards detail work. so changing ur tool could help. also! i personally have this problem where sometimes if im using a brush i feel really familiar with the pressure to make a "good" "finished" "perfect" drawing is greater... if i want to force myself to loosen up ill switch to a tool i dont use as often so it feels like the pressure is off. a lot of times for me this is switching from digital to traditional. but sometimes its switching from a small pen to a big marker. or a smooth pen to a textured one. or a nice brush to a shitty dried up marker.

but also every body is different so i dont think these tips will work for everyone. u should listen to what ur body and mind tell u and how drawing feels to you

bro just sign up and set it up i dont think theres much to it... i dont rly think too much abt my itch.io store because its digital goods so u just upload the file and let it do its thing. no distribution work needed on ur part. youll notice i barely even advertise my itch unless i have smth new on there lol.. its easy. but good luck!!!

idk if im the best person to ask this im more a comic fan than i am a comic professional... a comic hobbist.

well. scott mcclouds understanding comics and making comics are good books on the craft. i think i had to buy them for a class in art school once.

other than that idk just keep at it. comics are really laborious i think for a lot of people the hardest part is sitting down and doing it.

i think a lot of people have a very instinctive understanding of how to read comics and what they look like so whatever you think seems like good way to tell the story you have in mind, its probably right. if u get stuck, study comics that have done something similar. most people in comics are relatively self taught and actually it can be problematic bc you can tell when a lot of comic artists are all copying the same like 5 old white guys LMAO. but on the flip side if you make sure to reference and study broadly your comics will almost assuredly feel unique.

sorry im responding to this anyways. this is just a really nice ask. i like when people reference my older work bc i feel like sometimes theyre subtly implying it wasnt very good LMAOOO. but its true! at least compared to the work i make now ^^ and the fact that im still making art is whats keeping me from being embarassed abt how much of my old art just floats around online lmao im never ashamed to be growing and learning. isnt that a nice thought <3

[hermanunworthy]

!DNDADS S2 EP37 SPOILERS!

im a bit late bc i was at work all day but time for ep37 reactions!! i cant believe its already here

- now ive heard everyone talking about the intro i bet its gonna be a rickroll or some shit

- ITS FUCKINF ALL STAR. I KNEW THEY WOULD PULL SOMETHING LIKE THIS

- A TEENAGE GIRLS PARENT JUST GOT SHOT AND KILLED AND UR PLAYING ALL STAR.

- hermie mention in the intro im so calm and cool and chill about this /j

- "ur enough as u are" AINT NO WAY UR ABOUT TO MAKE ME START CRYING OVER A PARODY OF SMASH MOUTHS ALL STAR. WHY DID U HAVE TO PULL OUT THE BIG GUNS

- I DONT WANT THE TAYLOR VOICE CHANGE GOD NO

- MATT IM SCREAMING

- WILL CAMPOS U ABSOLUTE MADMAN. i already knew he was gonna find a way around using revivify but THAT WAS WILD

- are people gonna start drawing normal w that piece of jewelry now. bc i wanna. i already like drawing him w bracelets

- oh god what is beths fact gonna be.

- "i just keep meeting all the right people at all the wrong times" BETH MAY U ARE EVIL. THE PLOT OF THIS EPISODE HASNT EVEN STARTED AND IM ALREADY EMO

- ITS STARTING. OH NO

- NICKY BETTER FUCKING SHOW UP im curious to see what they actually decided on for the reason for him not being there last episode

- HERMIE WAS REMEMBERED giggles and kicks my feet

- TAYLOR AND LINCOLN ARENT AWARE THAT TERRY IS DEAD RN.

- were getting terris reaction rn i cant believe this is happening

- IM starting to feel sick godddd

- i bet im gonna see art of the lincoln and taylor piggyback ride hehe

- OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD TERRIS ASLEEP THIS MEANS WERE GONNA GET SCARY BACK. ALSO IS SHE GONNA SEE WILLY OH NOOOO

- NO NO NO NO NONONO

- "theres my girl" STFUUUUUU

- DOES SCARY REMEMBER ANYTHING??? DOES SHE KNOW WHATS GOING ON????

- "just wake him up" I. HATE. THIS EPSIODE

- SCARY GETTING CHOKED UP I CANT DO THIS

- TERRY DIDNT EVEN NEED TO DIE FUCK THIS

- "whoooa shit thats fucked up!" anthony burch i know u are just so incredibly pleased w urself.

- SCARYS STILL PRETENDING LIKE SHE DOESNT CARE ABOUT TERRY. JUST FEEL UR FEELINGS GIRL GOOD GOD

- "EMBARRASSING"??? FOR A KID TO BE UPSET THAT ONE OF THEIR PARENTS GOT MURDERED???? WILLY STAMPLER WTF IS WRONG W U

- there was never a more obvious lie than willy saying hell revive terry

- 19 INSIGHT LETS GOOO

- THATS RIGHT SCARY. STAND THE FUCK UP TO HIM

- NORMAL DESPERATELY TRYING TO HELP AWWWW MAN :[[ I HATE THIS

- PUTS MY HEAD IN MY HANDS. THIS IS SO DEEPLY UPSETTING

- WHEN WE SAID WE WANTED MORE SCARY AND NORMAL INTERACTIONS WE DIDNT THINK ITD BE LIKE THIS!!!

- THE TWINS ARE HERE NOW OMG

- beth is out for fucking blood this episode. god she is so good at making the audience feel for her characters

- SHES TELEPORTING TO GRANT?? IM NOT READY YET

- "hes dangerous! get away from him!" THE FACT THAT THIS IS LINCOLN SAYING THIS ABOUT GRANT BREAKS MY HEART

- SCARY HAS A GUN FUCK YEAH!!!

- FIRST HERMIE SPEAKING LINE OF THE EPISODE YIPPEEEE

- halfway through the episode now. cant wait to see what could possibly go wrong next!!

- i love whenever anthony allows a fun rulebreaking idea to work

- IDK WHY THE IDEA OF THE KIDDADS HAVING A GC IS SO FUNNY TO ME

- rons status remains a mystery....

- "we could do a whole scene w just hermie and all the other ones" u joke matt but i enjoy every scene w hermie no matter how unnecessary and drawn out

- as always linc and taylor are such a funny iconic duo

- WERE FINALLY GETTING ANGRY NORMAL??? FINALLY????

- WILL WITHDRAWING HIS COOL MOVE LMAO

- i just realized WE STILL HAVENT SEEN NICKY!!! GODDAMN!!!

- "the gayest fucking mecha of all time" swiftli fans do u like the new ship name /j

- ig i cannot deny it anymore swiftli is practically canon atp

- NICKY!!!! NICKY!!!!! I SHOT STRAIGHT UP IN MY SEAT

- NICKY AND HERMIE ARE FINALLY INTERACTING. PRAISE THE LORD

- i thought nicky got all his limbs back?? did anthony just forget

- btw ive probably been waking up my whole house w how hard im laughing over swiftli this episode

- LINCOLNS GONNA PUNCH GRANT WHOA. WHOA

- "so what are u gonna do, ur gonna kill me?" as i said before. i hate this episode.

- SCARY OBLITERATED PAPA JOHN SO FAST WHOA.

- THE DUNGEON SETUP VS THE TONE OF THE EPISODE HELPPP

- i just had such a weird thought/prediction. but i will hold my tongue. bc the last time i said something like this it came true and i do not want this to come true

- IS SCARY GONNA BREAK IT W LOVE FOR TERRY. I CANT DO THIS

- "i love u and i hate that u made me love u when u are who u are and u knew it." I WISH U COULD SEE MY FUCKING FACE RN. HOLYYY SHIT THATS DEVASTATING

- oh. my. good. lord.

- GUYS????? I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW. HOLY FUCK. THAT WAS HEAVY AS SHIT

[m0e-ru]

art summaries from this year and the last !! 21-22 !!

and here's some more commentary for 2022 because i will be more annoying this year

January - not a lot happening. i was asking for art reqs and NO ONE had ideas

February - MOEL SEKIYU TUMBLR BRANCH TOHRU ADACHI BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION?

March - 3/20 YEAH WAHOOO YEAAAH

April - lots of messing around this month. my merch came in the mail though !!!

May - PXDN ERA but i answered the teddie in a dress ask from like. two months prior

June - * didnt post this anyway i was messing around with csp. i really like the marker

July - * DIDNT POST THIS EITHER but one idol's stage costume looked like sho colors. it was funny in the moment

August - * DIDNT FUCKING POST THIS EITHER I HAVE NO IDEA anyway i just think theyre very important

September - * HOW MANY BIG PIECES HAVE I NOT BEEN POSTING HERE WHAT THE FUCK WHERE DO I EVEN SHARE THEM ANYWAY MAKING THIS WAS REALLY SAD CHIZUSAN WAS RETIRING AND DELETED HER SOCIALS ohh right my mimbot

October - I was trying out watercolors (the brush) and MARIE HALLOWEEN 2022 !!!

November - pocky day :] except it's jagariko

December - new year's art !! ive been wanting to draw blorbo to sogabe's new year art from the manga so here it is !!! sorry for no christmas holiday art

and here’s the love letter ive been meaning to write all the way back in august. it’s a bit personal but also vague . I am speaking from a soapbox next to a quiet intersection and pouring my heart out

im happy to see how ive improved throughout the years, and in some aspects stayed completely the same apparently. ve been jumping around 1000 brushes and 10000 more art styles ive never stayed consistent because I wanted something new and all I had was myself ! so apparently it became whatever happened here.

It’s true I had a lot more steam last year when it came to pumping art out but I think im also glad I did less art this year in a way. I’ll admit a lot of last year was fueled by chasing people and a way to reach the top and get my voice heard I felt like I was fighting for my life but im not too sure how it looked like from the outside. It’s also been fueled by spite which made me incredibly tired and something im glad I stopped utilizing this year. That I learned my boundaries and maintained them as peacefully as I am now.

Sure im a lot more tired but I think the pace im taking is a bit better in it’s own way too. I really wish I could’ve done more this year but when I look at it from afar I guess im still chasing things, too. Maybe not something new and I never really aimed for fame or anything. Maybe I just wanted to keep what I already have?

2021 I’ll confess was also a pile of shit and I guess 2022 was the year of my digging it all away and I’m not done yet. But as long as there’s progress that’s good enough for me. I’m glad I’ve been able to do all these things than not do them at all. But sometimes I wish I could relearn the restraint I had from before.

I never wanted to put a dark stain on the things I love so as long as I ground myself and remind myself why im here I can see the light and remember why I love theses things. I’m speaking in a very vague manner and I am relating this to my time in fandom as cheesy as it sounds, but also personally, I guess.

Imagine it like im talking on a soapbox right now when I say im really glad for the time I’ve spent here—while all of it isn’t the best that could’ve happened and the fault of my own shortcomings—I still treasure it. I love all the people I’ve met and the community I’ve formed and I guess there’s this fear of losing things since I’m afraid I can’t get them back, that I haven’t learned how to even connect better anymore. I really dont want this to sound like someone died lol but I really am genuinely grateful for all the time ive spent with people and how they considered me their friend and how theyre my friend and how they just moved on to other things and im stuck in a box ive put myself in that makes it so hard to be heard I stopped talking anyway.

To those who met me this year, or last year, or the year before that, or knew me before this gas station, and still are here somehow: thank you. For your kindness, for your tags, for your asks, for your replies, for your messages, for your discords, for your writing, for your art and for everything you’ve offered me. I always mean my gratitude from the bottom of my heart and I want to stop being afraid that it doesn’t show.

If this year brings more “Mim” then so be it. I’m happy you find joy in the silly nickname and all the love behind it no matter how silly it is. And even if I drift away or we all drift apart, I treasure every memory and sometimes cry over it at night. I wish 2023 would be nice to all of us and the years after.

[basement-buddy]

i have a question!! do you/have you ever had those perfectionist type feelings when it comes to ur art where u feel what u are doing isnt "real art" bc it's not super detailed, realism, etc. bc ive been dealing w that and its making it hard to be able to draw anything at all bc i feel like i do make is too simple and "easy" :(((

I actually feel this way a lot, and I'm currently on posting break due to this!! I understand the feeling, but I feel I wouldn't want to abandon my artstyle or theme, as I really do love it, even if it's too simple.

I've talked to an artist who's gone to college for artwork, and I've been following her advice, so here is what she has said to me regarding this:

- feeling inadequate in your artwork / art style / art skill is normal, and you're allowed to experiment with your art, and it's ok if it doesn't turn out right. This feeling just means you want to improve, and that's a good thing.

- some things you can do to improve this are following art fundamentals lessons, coloring lessons, or anatomy lessons on youtube/online class/written tutorial. It's ok to take a break from your art to learn something new, implementing new information and skills into your art, can be a huge improvement!!! Even if it's something very small, or being applied to a simple artstyle. There are lots of simple artworks that are actually complex because of their coloring, or understanding of anatomy, or anything etc!

Another thing I've recently heard from a video by Milkywaes is that "art is how you see the world, how you interpret it... ...art is supposed to be genuine to you." This really changed my outlook on artwork and I feel very eager to make new things, even if they appear simple, or if I feel pressure to be complex or realistic.

I feel like I'm getting rambly, so I'll cut to the chase. Art and artwork development is a journey and feeling the ups and downs is natural, especially if you're a perfectionist.

Just remember these things :

- simple art is also beautiful art. Simplistic art doesn't nessecarily mean the artist isn't hard working. I appreciate you and all of the other simple artists.

- it's ok to switch up your work to match how you feel about art! If drawing in a simple artstyle stresses you out, you can take a break and try something new. You are already an artist, so I know you can do it! I'm rooting for you!

- don't be too hard on yourself. There is a lot of pressure on artists that isn't warranted. Only one person can know your journey, triumphs and rough patches in art, so you've got to be your #1 supporter!

You've got this!! I'm not sure if I was any help at all, but I'm rooting for you! I will link some videos that help me when i feel rough about my work! I hope you feel better soon! ♡

[selineram3421]

Camilo X Reader:

Tears IX

{ IV , V , VI , VII , VIII .}

Summary: Somethings change and some things don't. You don't speak until Antonio.

~

Mirabel's gift ceremony was the start of everything changing. She didn't get a door and looked at her Abuela confused, holding her hands close to her chest.

The party ended early and your parents tried to get you home. Key word: tried. You threw a fit, kicking and screaming until they let you stay over. It was the noisiest you've ever been in your entire five years of living. Then Bruno was gone.

Your friend was gone.

No one heard you speak again, not even Mirabel. It lasted five years until one day you came over and Pepa was holding a baby.

"Would you like to meet him?", she asked, lowering herself a bit to show you the little baby in her arms.

"What's his name?", you asked softly.

The distant gasp of Dolores could be heard.

Shock was written over the red haired woman's face before smiling down at you. "His name is Antonio."

After that, you slowly began to speak again, but only in soft whispers. The most you've spoken was to the new baby and Mirabel.

Camilo had it differently. He heard from his mother that they finally spoke, but whenever he was around they'd stay mute. There was only one time he heard them, and it was when they were singing to his baby brother. He stayed hidden where he was and listened until they were done.

Years passed and the kids grew into teens.

Mirabel and you stayed close friends, meanwhile Camilo was still a bother to you.

Only sometimes at least.

Antonio was a ray of sunshine, and you acted like an older sibling to him. The annoying boy you knew when young softened up around his baby brother, making you see him in a new light. So maybe the shape shifter wasn't all that bad.

"Y/n! Can you draw me a Jaguar! Or a toucan!", the youngest Madrigal asked, jumping in place excitedly.

Smiling at the boy you nod and open up your sketchbook, starting to draw the basic shapes. You both were in the kitchen, babysitting the curly haired boy while most of the family was out doing chores. Mirabel was also busy working a gift for the little one and asked you to keep him busy.

"I saw some humming birds earlier today. They were near Isabela's window, drinking from the flowers.", Antonio says before taking a bite of his fruit.

"What color were they?", you asked quietly, starting to outline the jaguar.

"They were green and pink. I think.", he mumbles.

As you were finishing up the sketch, someone entered the kitchen.

"There's my little brother!", Camilo says and picks up his sibling, tossing the boy up before catching him.

Cheerful giggles left Antonio's mouth and you smiled watching the scene.

"Hey Y/n, are you falling for me?", the older Madrigal boy asks them and their smile fades, turning into a frown.

Over the past few years the shape shifter had turned into a mischievous thing. Teasing them whenever he can and still bugs them to no end.

"Don't be mean to Y/n. They're nice!", the little curly haired four year old says, giving his older brother a pout.

"I'm only teasing mi hermanito.", the green eyed teen reassures and lets his sibling stand on his feet again.

Letting out a huff, you go back to drawing and finish up the last details before ripping the page out.

"Its done!", Antonio says and rushes over.

The boys eyes widen in awe at the drawing, letting out a small "Wow."

Camilo smirks and comes over to the two of them.

"You know, they used to be terrible at drawing when we were kids.", he says and leans against the counter.

They roll their eyes at him and close their sketchbook.

"That was when they were small.", his little brother says.

"You should have seen the drawing they gave m-", before he could finish, his cousin Mirabel comes running into the kitchen.

"Y/n! I need some help! Oh, Camilo. You're here, good.", she goes over to them and tugs Y/n out of the kitchen. "Watch over Antonio! Ok! Bye!"

The two run off, leaving the two boys a bit confused.

~

Just imagine baby Antonio💕

~

~Seline, the person.

Taglist@

@mayuhiideyo135 @elegantkidfansoul @sunnth @xdyledz @sweettooth-simps @miwtycloud @yoshiiizy @lolalee24 @camilolovesroxiie

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Hue and Cry IV

Warnings: non-consent sex and rape; abuse of power, threats, chase, unwanted touching, mild violence.

This is dark!medieval!Bucky Barnes x reader and explicit. 18+ only.  Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Synopsis: You’re forgiven but only by the sins of another.

Note: Yesterday went pretty good! I have a longer day today but I will likely have my Second Anniversary Writing Challenge up on or before Thursday for all of you guys! I can’t wait and for now, I got number 4 done.

Thanks to everyone and thanks in advance for all your feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Another servant brought Lord Barnes’ first meal. You watched from the corner, huddled under the wool blanket. He had her place a bowl of porridge before you but there was no generosity in the gesture. He only sustained you for his own means. You gulped from the rim and the oats piled in your stomach heavily.

He didn’t say a word to you as he ate. He strapped on his arm and grunted as he tightened each strap. You helped him dress after he shot you a dark look and he stopped you as you made to take a step back. You were still naked and prone to his will.

“I didn’t want it to be like this,” he said, “you understand? It doesn’t have to-- you frustrate me and it makes me cruel. You should do without me asking.”

“My lord,” you watched his hand grip your wrist tighter. He yanked you closer.

“You are not responsible for my meals anymore or tidying. Any woman with a speck of wit can do that. You…” he turned and thrust you towards the bed, “see to this, see to me, that I am happy and I will make you happy.”

You stared at the mattress. Your lips parted and you were sure you uttered “yes, my lord,” but it felt more like a cough.

He huffed and nudged you closer to the bed, “sleep, I am certain the floor allowed for little of that. Upon my return, you might seek my forgiveness… and perhaps to begin in your new duties.”

You turned and sat on the edge. He looked down at you and pulled his gloves on. He scrunched his lips and tilted his head as he thought, seemingly having a conversation with himself.

“And you will not look at me like that,” he said as he strode away and grabbed his cape from the atop the chest where he’d laid it out, “I am not a monster.”

He was gone and you were lost. You knew there was a guard outside that door, you knew the castle was crawling with them. You had nowhere to go and nothing to do but what he said. So you buried your head and tried to forget all that, if only for a moment.

🏰

You woke to pain. You lived the last day in pain but a spark in your thigh awoke you. You groaned and pushed the pillow away and looked down at the hand that crawled along the welts on your legs. As the palm brushed over the curve of your ass, your eyes found his face and you squeaked.

It hurt to move but you rolled away and sat up, hugging the pillow as you faced Lord Rogers. His blue eyes glimmered as he smiled at you.

“What-- my lord, where is Lord Barnes?” you gasped.

“He is withheld in the stables,” Rogers pulled his knees up on the bed and crawled over to grab your ankle, “I did seek to ask after you and your condition. His rage does make him cruel.”

“Don’t,” you pushed on his hand as it tugged on your leg, “he will not be happy if you proceed, my lord.”

“Don’t? You are bold for a servant,” he took your other ankle and yanked you hard so you fell onto your back. You dropped the pillow and swatted at him as he tried to wrench your legs apart, “he owes me, he cannot be mad at me claiming my debt--”

“No,” you wriggled and twisted around onto your stomach, your legs tangled strangely as you grasped the edge of the bed. You slipped one leg free and kicked out, your toes jabbed his chest harshly and he released your other ankle. You tumbled onto the floor and cried out as you jarred your wrist.

You heard him coming around the bed and you got to your feet unsteadily, holding the square end table for support. You were so stunned after the rude awakening you could hardly think. It felt like a nightmare, like you were still asleep and trapped in your fears.

You grabbed the heavy brass candlestick and swung out at Rogers as he came near. He dodged and chuckled darkly.

“Ay,” he bent his arm to deflect your second strike, “you don’t want to do that, sweetness.”

“Please, no,” you begged, “Lord Barnes, he said-- he would hurt me more--”

“He doesn’t need to know,” Rogers smirked and you lashed out at him again and caught his forearm. He backed up and held where you’d struck, “My word, you are a little bitch.”

“Stop, don’t come closer,” you stumbled against the wall and pressed your back to it as you sidled away, “please.”

“I just want a little taste,” he hummed, “Barnes won’t know--”

You hit him again and he swore as he gripped his shoulder. You clung to the candlestick and dashed for the door. You unlatched it and ripped it open, only to stagger back at the figure waiting for you on the other side. Lord Barnes stood with his hand still in position to grab the long handle and his brows drew together in displeasure.

“And where--” he began as he entered and his voice died as he sighted the other lord holding his shoulder, only a few inches behind you as he haled mid-chase, “Steve,” Barnes said evenly and eyed him then the candlestick in your hand. He reached down and freed it from your hold, “go,” he nudged your shoulder and pointed you to the corner.

You cowered as you passed Lord Rogers and did as Barnes bid. You stood in the corner and shivered as he gestured for the other lord to follow him into the corridor. The door closed violently behind them and you pressed yourself to the chilled stones.

“Now I know why my guard has strayed,” Barnes' voice carried through the wood, “did I not promise you a reward in due time?”

“I was only playing with her,” Rogers argued.

“She should have knocked you in the head with this,” Barnes hissed, “I should break my promise now, truly it would be your dissolution on the matter for your impatience.”

“She needs a good slap, she is far to brazen,” Steve sneered, “she struck me, twice.”

“Good,” Barnes said, “she knew better than you.”

There was silence and then a long sigh.

“Go, I haven’t the energy for this and our travels on the morrow,” Barnes huffed.

“Buck,” Rogers said softly.

“If it does not happen again, I will let it be,” Barnes muttered, “I am tired.”

The door opened and footsteps faded down the corridor. Barnes entered and tossed the candlestick so it clattered to the floor. You flinched and watched as he struggled to unclasp his cape with one hand. You saw the line between his brows as he grew frustrated. You went to him meekly and hesitantly reached for the buckle. He dropped his arm and let you free the cape.

He nodded and you slung it from the silver hook mounted upon the side of the great wooden wardrobe. You sensed him watching you and turned back to face him. You folded your hand, uncertain, and swayed slightly.

“He should not have done that,” Barnes, said, “you were right to fend him off.”

“My lord,” you replied diligently.

He let out another long breath and walked around the bed. He sat at the foot and watched you dwindle beneath the heat of his gaze. “Understand that you belong to me, first and foremost. You are mine. You do not raise your hand or your voice to me and you do only as I bid.”

“Yes, my lord,” you said.

He lowered his hand and undid his belt. He let it fall loose and unbuttoned the front of his dark vest. “Help me. I’ve already sent for hot water.”

You helped him as you did before. The layers stripped away around the weight of his metal arm. He was not shy of his nudity but he kept you from removing his arm, he did that himself and kept his scars in the shadows as best he could. He fell back, his legs bent over the bed and sniffed.

“Cover yourself in a nightshirt and let the servants in to draw the bath,” he ordered.

You pulled on one of his nightshirts and when the knock came you did as he bid. Servants carried in a large metal tub and a procession of steaming pots filled it with hot water. When it was full, you closed the door and resumed your place in the corner.

Barnes rose and went to the tub. He lowered himself into the water and his blue eyes lingered on you. His broad shoulders pressed against the beaten metal and his single arm stretched around the rim.

“Come here,” he said.

You went to him and stopped beside the tub. His eyes slipped to the nightshirt and his lips curved slightly.

“Take that off, get in,” he nodded to the tub.

You bit down and lifted the hem of the shirt. You put it aside and neared the tub again. You gripped the rim and stepped over the side. Barnes sat up slightly as you drew your second foot in and he directed you with one arm. You turned your back to him as he urged you down against him until your back was against his firm torso.

He purred and his hand fell to your stomach. He traced a trail up to your breasts and fondled them one at a time. You felt a twitch against you and he pushed his hand back down. His fingers crept up and down your body as he explored your flesh with little hums.

“Were you afraid?” he asked, “when Rogers appeared?”

You watched his hand and resisted the want to push him away. Despite the steaming water, you felt cold and distant, almost as if your body wasn’t bound to your mind.

“Yes,” you said, “yes, my lord. He woke me and I didn’t know what to do.”

“You did the right thing,” his lips brushed the top of your head, “you kept yourself for me.”

You held your breath. You hadn’t truly been thinking about him, about what he desired, you were only terrified and desperate, like that night he’d tried to have you. You trembled and let out the air as it began to burn your lungs. Your skin buzzed as it all sank in; you were naked, more so he was naked too, and you were laying there against him.

“My lord,” you eked out as his hand slipped lower and rested over your most intimate part.

He stayed like that for a time. You felt his heartbeat against you as he basked in the warmth of the water and your body. His hand would move back up and he’d hug you to him but then it would hover again along your vee and sometimes his fingers would caress your thigh.

“Are you truly sorry?”

“My lord?” you blinked as your daze was cracked.

“Are you sorry that you ran from me?”

You heard how brittle his voice was and felt the tension in his body. You touched his hand as it rested on your stomach.

“I am truly sorry, my lord,” you almost believed yourself, “I am only a foolish girl and my ignorance did scare me, not-- not you, my lord.”

He nuzzled your head and slid his hand away and twined his fingers between your. You felt his member prodding you from beneath and that scared you. You felt every bit of him against you; his raw strength and his pulsing desire. You closed your eyes and braced for what came next.

“We must begin for the capital tomorrow,” he said and your lashes fluttered in surprise, “that means we must rest. You may sleep in the bed beside me,” he squeezed your hand and moved it over chest, “would you like that?”

You thought of the cold stone and the ache in your bones, the way even now your bottom and legs seared from the welt across them. You pictured the long trek to the royal castle and the onslaught of autumn. It all fell over you like a suffocating shroud.

“Yes, my lord, I would like that,” you said.

He was quiet for a little longer as he held you against him. He groaned and shifted beneath you, “I only did what I had to,” he turned your hand over and traced the lines of your palm with his thumb, “I never wanted to hurt you.”

You swallowed through your spite as your fear urged you to caution, “I know, my lord,” another painful lie lodged in your throat, “I… wronged you and I am sorry for it.”

[giorno-plays-piano]

Vicious

Part VI

Pairing: Steve x reader, Bucky x reader, Thor x reader, Loki x reader, Peter x reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, stalking, possessiveness, theft, mention of blackmail, all characters are adults.

Words: 1567.

Summary: Transferring to Stark Academy that has only allowed to take in female students last semester, you realize you are just one of three young women among hundreds of students. Your things are constantly being stolen, and soon you begin fearing for your safety.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

________

You spent the rest of your evening like a somnambulist, barely able to concentrate on your projects before you went to bed, barely finishing half of the things you planned for today. Even the change of locks didn't make you as happy as you thought it would. It felt like something between a dream and a nightmare.

Lying in the dark, you stared at the ceiling, thinking of what happened just a couple of hours ago. Why did he do it? Was it just out of habit and didn’t mean anything? Naturally, with his appearance and easy-going attitude, he probably dated many girls and didn’t think much before kissing someone he liked.

Remembering the way he talked to you in the morning, you thought he must have pretended to be shy around you. Thor certainly wasn’t sheepish.

Was it all a sham? Was Loki right about all of them, playing their roles to get close to you? You couldn’t forget the way Thor looked the moment he told you about being smart. It was like something switched inside him, and for a second you saw the real Thor who was far from being your simple, good-natured athlete.

Why did you keep thinking about that stupid kiss even after seeing the man could be dangerous?

Aroused and angry, you tossed and turned until you fell asleep.

____________

Waking up was especially tough, despite the fact you didn't really do much yesterday, meaning you were going to spend your weekend studying. Shoot, and that's when you planned to visit that new chocolate boutique in the city. Maybe you could still make it if you spent more time studying today?

But then again, going to the city alone might be a bad idea. Even if the guys who stole your things were beaten, it didn't mean it had always been the same people following you. The school was full of weirdos, in the end. What if somebody went after you? Steve would definitely say you had to bring one of your guards with you.

Damn. It was better staying in the dorm then.

"Good morning! Are you ready?" Peter's voice broke through the silence, and you flinched, hurriedly applying some lipstick because you didn't have enough time to put your makeup properly.

Well, at least you were fully dressed.

"Just give me a second!" Picking up your bag, you put your shoes on and opened the door, looking at a young guy who's face was lit up like a Christmas tree. "Hi!"

He definitely liked what he saw, and you felt your cheeks growing hot from embarrassment. From the very start of the semester Peter acted very sweet around you, and you thought you could be friends with him. He wouldn't do something as ugly as blackmailing, would he? Thor said it too. Clearly, Steve was exaggerating.

"Did you sleep well? I've heard you changed your lock, so now it'll be better."

"Ugh, I hope so. But I still sleep with my dresser blocking the door." Sighing, started walking, afraid to look in the faces of other students, hurrying off to school.

They must have been disgusted, watching you being friendly with one guy after being all lovey-dovey with the other just yesterday. Although you didn't see anyone in particular, you were sure somebody saw Thor kissing you. And now you were walking the corridors with Peter.

"By the way, what's your Insta?"

What? Your Instagram? Whatever for? Although you had no idea why he needed it, you let him add you, by the time leaving the dorm and walking towards the main building.

Suddenly, Peter got pretty close, his arm on your waist as he lifted up his phone and hummed, "Look here and smile!"

Before you realized what he was doing, the boy kissed your temple, and you heard the sound of a photo being taken by his front-facing camera. What the Hell?!

"Peter!" Pissed at him, you quickly break free and stepped back, but he was already looking at his phone, editing the photo and posting it almost immediately.

You heard your phone buzz when he marked you on the photo.

"That's a good one. You look very cute here."

"What are you doing?!"

"Making a proof we're dating, of course?"

You were taken aback by the sincerity in his voice, and Peter smiled from ear to ear like an excited teenager, showing you the picture: it wasn't that bad, and you looked as if you were slightly embarrassed by Peter's closeness. Oh, of course. He had to convince his friends he was dating you, but he didn't kiss you on the lips that could make other people too suspicious. Instead, friends of Barnes or, say, Thor, would still think it was all for show, and it was their friend who dated you for real.

Shit, Steve's plan was incredibly complicated, and you didn't like it at all.

"Oh, alright." You mumbled, lowering your eyes to the ground, and Peter laughed.

"We'll make a TikTok dance later. If you wanna make people talk, just use your social media." He winked at you and put the phone in the pocket of his pants, resuming walking, and you moved along, your face still hot.

God, what did these guys got you into? You felt like you were lost in the middle of a play, not even having a script to read what was your role in all this.

Before you parted your ways, going to a different classrooms, Peter talked about videogames, the upcoming Resident Evil - apparently, his favorite franchise - and some Dota tournament, but you didn't know much about it, and Peter offered to show you his favorite games "because you can't spend all your time studying!"

He was as careless and sweet as always, but you couldn't get Steve's words out of your mind. Damn, if only you could know for sure that Peter didn't blackmail anyone. Who could you talk to about it? Obviously, not Peter himself, but every time he spoke you had that nagging feeling you needed to talk to him. You barely kept your mouth shut before he went to a different room.

Ugh, why didn't you transfer anywhere else when you still had a chance? Obviously, now you could only drop out of school, and it definitely wasn't something you were going to do.

Luckily, the next couple of hours you were busy with your classes, trying your best to prepare for the upcoming exams. The academy held high standards, and even though you were a good student, it still took lots of efforts to keep up the good work. How Thor even managed to get enrolled, judging by the fact he hated studying and often skipped classes?

Ah yes, he mentioned something about getting a scholarship from the academy for his success in the sport.

By the lunch time you were drained, listening to Peter chatting with an absent-mindedly epxression on your face. Funny enough, Peter's grades were better than yours, even though he spent much less time studying. What, was he some genius like Loki? You felt a little envy.

"I gotta go take my tracksuit, I have PE next," the boy said, and you nodded, throwing away the leftovers of your lunch.

As you stood close while he grabbed his sportclothes, you heard two guys talking behind the lockers to your right.

"Have you seen her today? She's with Parker!"

You tensed immediately. Of course, they were talking about you.

"Yeah, so what?"

"She was with Thor yesterday!"

Watching you froze on the spot, Peter stilled too, listening carefully. Oh shit, you hoped no one cared about who you went with - why should they, in the end - but, apparently, you were drawing too much attention simply because you were a girl among hundreds of male students.

"So what?" The other guy asked impatiently, growing tired of this conversation.

"Are you stupid? She's going out with them! I bet she's looking for a guy." The first student said with excitement, and you cringed. No, you weren't going out with anyone, you wanted to stop the weirdos from following you and steeling your things. Was it too much to ask?

"Yeah, who cares?"

"We have three fucking girls in the whole school, and you don't care if one of them could be going out with you? Besides, this one's pretty. I'd fuck her!"

You felt like you were going to puke any moment. Why on Earth did you decide to transfer to an all-boys school? It was like the whole school were a men’s room filled with stupid-ass guys, and you were locked inside, forced to listen them talk junk.

"You'd fuck a sheep, weirdo. Go get yourself a girlfriend if you can’t stop thinking with your dick.”

Laughing, the guy left, and his friend followed him, shouting something stupid while you breathed out a sigh of relief. Of course, you knew there would be some talk, but you didn’t expect it to be so... gross. Were you really gonna spend the two remaining years here?

Watching you getting frustrated, Peter gently touched you by the arm and said softly, “Don’t worry. They won’t talk rubbish about you.”

“What do you mean?” Suddenly thinking of Steve’s words, you blurted out exactly what you were thinking of the whole day, “Are you going to blackmail them with something?”

“I... what?”

Part VII

__________

Tags: @finleyjayne @alexakeyloveloki   ​@helenaeisenhower @villanellevi @hurricanerin ​@inlovewiththefictionalcharacters @chris-evans-indian-fanfic @navegandoaciegas @rosalynshields @brattycherub @sllooney @angrythingstarlight @lookiamtrying @buckysbunny @stargazingfangirl18 @dillybuggg @literate-lamb @cosicas-cuquis @sarge-barnes-sir @buckybarnesplumwhore @jaysayey @megzdoodle @gotnofucks @lux-ravenwolf @ximebebx @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123 @sourpatchspinster @biiskuitx @stupendouslovegardener @iheartsebandchris @lovelydarkdaydream @soleil-dor @illyrianprincess @vampirestrawberries @goodgodimaweirdperson @frontmanash @freya-heya @yandematic @mariatietacapitu @d3monslust @maybesandohnos @ibeatuptwinks @mangobangi

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

DSMP Anniversary Recap: L’MANBERG

After their drug business idea resulted in disaster last time, Wilbur comes back to the server with a second plan: to turn their humble Camarvan into a new, independent server where no Americans are whitelisted.

The first order of business? Build a wall.

---

VOD LINKS:

Tubbo [unavailable]

Ponk [unavailable]

TommyInnit

Wilbur Soot

Eret [unavailable]

Punz [unavailable]

---

---

The previous day, Wilbur and Tommy discussed their plans for building an empire as Tommy constructed an underground sewer system, a nation where selling drugs is allowed.

“How do you know Sapnap’s not gonna like, I dunno, you know what they’re like, man, how do we know they’re not gonna…make it a war?” 

“How I see it is they can declare war, they can do whatever they want, but if we just ignore them and don’t acknowledge it, we win. We can’t lose...”

---

- Tommy’s noticed that the server is full of fighting, and he wants money. How does one monetize fighting? A fight club! He can make a fight club in his basement

- Alyssa comes over and hands him a poppy with Ponk. Ponk explains that Alyssa is his lawyer

- Wilbur tells Tommy off for being rude to them

- Later, Sapnap comes over to his basement. Tommy touches the “Do Not Touch” chest and falls to his death

- Sapnap likes Tommy’s fight club idea and helps him dig out the room

- Wilbur joins Tommy’s VC as Tommy is speaking with Sapnap and scolds him for talking with an American, pulling him into a different VC.

Last time, they tried to sell drugs out of their hotdog van and some people didn’t approve of that. This time? Wilbur wants a revolution.

Wilbur: “Starting a movement is easy. You know, Tommy? Anyone can start a movement. Movements are cool. If you start a movement towards a common good, you’re cool! You know? Nothing ever goes wrong! Revolutions are hard, Tommy. Lots of people are gonna oppose us, Tommy.”

- The first thing they need to do…is build a wall

- Wilbur logs on in the Camarvan and sees Tubbo’s package of blaze rods. Tommy asks how much armor he should be wearing, Wilbur says none

Wilbur: “We don’t win wars with battles and with armor. We win wars with our words, Tommy. We’re starting a revolution, not a war.”

- He opens the package of blaze rods from Tubbo and talks about how his wildest dream is a nation where they can sell drugs with no one to stop them

Wilbur: “Why are you being all quiet and slow to talk to me?”

Tommy: “No no no, I’m just trying to decipher who’s on the right side of history right now.”

- Wilbur shows Tommy all the blaze rods. They’re on the right side of history. Tommy shows Wilbur the flaming hotdog on top of the van. He likes it

- The first law of their new place is that no UHC block placement is allowed (he demonstrates by parkouring across the water). That’s banned

- Sapnap comes over and gives Wilbur some blaze rods

Wilbur: “Oh yeah, you can’t buy our peace from your tyranny.”

Sapnap: (whispering to Wilbur) I’ve changed Sapnap: just Sapnap: look Sapnap: Ive tried brewing

Wilbur: once an American always an American

- Tommy punches him away and Sapnap goes away. They call him. Sapnap says, though he can’t join their posse, once their empire grows he wants to buy their potions. He’s possibly addicted to their supply. They have their first export

- Wilbur needs sand, gravel and dandelions for the wall. He sends Tommy on his way. Tommy asks the new empire’s policy on women. Wilbur says they’re allowed as long as they’re European

- Wilbur starts drawing out the border and asks him what their new nation should be called

- Dream logs on. Tommy asks Wilbur how he and Dream have been since they flirted. Wilbur says he just wants to rob George of his loves. Wilbur asks Dream if he wants to kiss

Wilbur: “He’s not responding. Is he gonna ban me for xenophobia?”

Dream: (in chat) who

Wilbur: (in chat) you

Tommy: “What’s…what’s ‘xeno…?’”

Wilbur: “A distaste towards other countries.”

Tommy: “Oh look, here’s Tubbo. He’s on his own adventure.”

Dream: social distancing

Wilbur: SMART

Tubbo fell from a high place.

- Wilbur screams after getting startled by Tommy coming into the van. Tommy throws him a carrot (“Have a carrot, please, calm yourself”) and gives Wilbur the supplies for the concrete

- Tommy goes to speak with “Small T” (Tubbo) and they get him in VC. Tommy tells him “viva la revolution!” and asks for some sand. They also need black dye

Wilbur: “Tubbo, what’s your stance on the States?”

Tubbo: “Those United States? I mean, I’ve heard stuff’s pretty nuts over there so I guess it’s not going great for them.”

Wilbur: “Yeah, we’re pulling a reverse independence.”

Tommy: “Yeah, we’re taking away their independence!”

Wilbur: “No no no no no, we’re not – no no, they’re staying independent. We’re claiming independence from the server.”

Tubbo: “I thought everyone was already independent? Everyone can already do what they want.”

Wilbur: “No, see, when you’re on this server, you’re on the Dream SMP, right? Yeah, we’re making our own land so that when you are in our borders you are no longer on the Dream SMP.”

Tubbo: “Oh…okay…”

- From the drug war a few days ago, Wilbur’s decided that the Americans can’t be trusted to run their own nation

Wilbur: “So what we’re doing is we’re – we’re taking control. We’re making our own nation.”

Tubbo: “Nice!”

Wilbur: “Our own server. And we’re gonna make the Americans pay for it!”

Tubbo: “Wai– uhhhh…”

Wilbur: “See the thing is, Tubbo, server upkeep costs money. A pittance to Dream, may I add, the billionaire thing he is, but like, we still – we’re gonna be still not paying a single penny for the upkeep of the server. But we will have our own independent emancipated land that will not be part of the server.”

- Tubbo is onboard. They ask Tubbo for name suggestions. Tubbo suggests “Not Dream SMP.” Wilbur wants something more original

- Tommy comes back with an idea. There’s only one woman on the server, and they won’t be letting her into the state since she’s American, so what he’s thinking is:

Tommy: “Why don’t we call it…Manberg? Or alternatively, Mantopia?”

Wilbur: “I like Mantopia. But how do we make it European? United Manberg.”

Tommy: “United Mantopia. UNM – wait, lemme Google if it means anything offensive—"

- Since it only stands for the University of New Mexico, Tommy decides it’s good. But Wilbur realizes it sounds too much like the United States

Wilbur: “What about ‘Le?’ Le-Man-berg.”

Tommy: (in chat) le man burg

- Wilbur declares it “L’manberg,” as that’s how the French do it – and the French are quite big on their revolutions. “Lemonburg” is declared a slur in their nation. They will cancel anyone who calls it that

- Tubbo takes off his armor and they discuss “war-winning words.” Wilbur quotes Hamilton and Tommy suspects him of lyric pranking

- Wilbur is the general of L’manberg and Tommy is his right-hand man. Tommy suggests they make the Camarvan an embassy but Wilbur declares it the capital, the state building instead

- Tommy gives Wilbur a stone hoe and Wilbur hoes a single piece of land outside the van before getting an idea. He hoes another piece of land and declares it the “unsullied ground.” Tommy starts singing Hallelujah to it

- Wilbur wants revolutionary skins. He wants a redcoat skin. Their slogan? “L’manberg: We are alarming.”

- There is a hidden clause in Tubbo and Tommy joining L’manberg, and that is that they will have to have houses there. They are citizens

- Tubbo spends a minute spinning around trying to find Wilbur

- They spot Dream nearby and go to speak to him. He says he’s just chilling. Wilbur tells Tommy to shout war words at him

- Dream joins the call and they tell him that “L’manberg” is seceding from Dream SMP. This is their own server now. Dream notes that it seems pretty small, but Wilbur tells him it’s what they do with it that counts

- Dream asks what happens if the rest of the server decides to take over the land. Wilbur says that’s not how servers work. The laws – or “gamerules,” rather, of their server is that PvP is turned off. Wilbur tells him that he’s not whitelisted in their server and has to stay out. All they want is Dream’s acknowledgement – and he’s paying for it

- Wilbur tells him he can set up his own visa and whitelist for Dream SMP and that they don’t need anything outside of these walls. All Tommy and Tubbo need is to move all their items there. Dream is skeptical and asks Tubbo if he’s really doing that

Tubbo: “…HEYYY, so I was born in the Dream SMP, and um…”

Tommy: “Yeah yeah, as was I! I was also born over there so really, we have duo citizenship—”

Wilbur: “—There’s no dual citizenship in our nation. Our nation has zero dual citizenship.”

Tubbo: (crosstalk) “Wait, why are you making it difficult for us?”

Wilbur: “Look at me. Do you boys care about the revolution?”

Tommy: “…Yes.”

Wilbur: “Look, Dream isn’t our enemy. He’s our neighbor. But, we are seceding from his tyrannical rule.”

Tubbo: “What’s ‘tyrannical’ mean?”

Wilbur: (laughs) “Big words. That’s what we use in war. Say it, Tubbo.”

Tubbo: “Tyran-zanical.”

- They argue back and forth about infinite women

- Tommy suggests that they call his land, which is in Dream SMP, an embassy instead. In return, Dream can set up an embassy in L’manberg

- Eret logs on and Dream walks away

- It’s time to make Invisibility potions. Eret joins the call and they fill him in

- Wilbur locks Tommy and Tubbo in the van until they make Invisibility potions and leaves. Neither of them want to play with “the weird neighbor’s child”

- Wilbur explains to Eret that the issue last time was not the drugs, but that the Americans got involved and now they’re making their own server where Americans aren’t whitelisted. Eret already has visa by being a European. 

They’re calling it “Drexit”

- Tommy goes to his base to establish the embassy. Wilbur makes a “scum window” in the wall

- Tommy sees Dream at the embassy, telling him he has to follow the L’manburg rules on the land

- Tommy is allowed to start a “fight club” not just in his embassy, but even in L’manburg itself 

- Wilbur is horrified when he notices that the holy soil has become untilled. He calls Eret over and they re-till it 

- Wilbur declares the four of them the founding fathers. Tommy asks if he is Hamilton 

Tubbo: “Was Abraham Lincoln a founding father?”

Wilbur: “No, he was several hundred years after.”

Tubbo: “Oh.”

Eret: “Just a few hundred years off, you know? Easy mistake to make.”

Tubbo: “Better late than never.”

- Tommy yells at Tubbo for going through his chests and threatens to kill him. Eret and Wilbur start whispering to each other and Tommy and Tubbo become self-aware 

- Tommy notices Alyssa and Dream approaching the embassy

Tommy: “Good news and bad news. I’ve got you a woman. Bad news? She’s American.”

- Wilbur starts laughing so hard he has to stand up and walk away while Tommy and Dream bicker

- Tommy calls Niki on the phone, telling her they need women who aren’t American, but Niki isn’t whitelisted yet. Tommy asks Dream to add her and he declines. Wilbur tells Dream not to add her as it would delegitimize the manhood of L’manburg

Tommy: Too shay

Dream: too shay

- Wilbur, hungry, goes “manfishing,” whispering “salmon” repeatedly as he kills them

- Both Tubbo and Eret have done well. Wilbur tells Tommy he really is the “Hamilton” of their nation and hasn’t done much for them

- The signature meal of L’manburg is salmon

- Tommy and Wilbur start rapping “Non-Stop” from Hamilton the musical

- Wilbur and Tommy walk and talk

Wilbur: “Look around.”

Tommy: “At how happy we are to be alive right now.”

- Wilbur reminds Tommy of how far they’ve come, but Tommy has done very little in terms of setting up. Tommy takes Wilbur to the embassy

- Wilbur changes the sign on Tommy’s house to read “L’Manburg Embassy” and says he feels that Tommy isn’t fully devoted to the cause. Tommy doesn’t want to give up his home and tries suggesting the Power Tower instead

- Wilbur leaves Tommy and returns to L’manburg

Wilbur: “Chat…I think we’ve lost him. I think we’ve lost TommyInnit.”

- Wilbur doesn’t approve of Tommy living with the enemy. Tommy finally agrees to give up his home to be the embassy

- Wilbur tells them it’s time to don the skins

- Tommy notices that the forest outside L’manburg’s borders is on fire. In the distance he spots Alyssa and angrily runs after her

Tommy: “Wilbur! Wilbur! Do I kill the woman?”

Tubbo: “Yes!”

Wilbur: “Yes! Yes, Tommy! You kill the woman!”

- Wilbur and Tubbo start running after as well

Eret: “I thought we use our words! I thought we used our words!”

Tommy: “No.”

Wilbur: “Not in this case. Anyone -- they’ve tried to burn down our forest.”

Tubbo: “We care most about the forest.”

- They are like the Lorax. Alyssa combat logs. When she logs back in, Tommy kills her. Punz immediately shoots Tommy down, outraged that he would kill a woman

- Alyssa calls them and asks for her stuff back, saying she didn’t start the forest fire. Sapnap logs on and arrives with Punz. They start walking back

- The fire is still spreading and Tommy thinks it might be a political attack. Wilbur turns around and tells Tommy to go home. This isn’t a political attack and Tommy is too dangerous, running his mouth and talking too much

Tommy: “Tell me the thing he says in the second song of the musical Hamilton.”

Wilbur: “I think about death so much it feels more like a memory.”

- Wilbur dismisses Tommy, growing more and more annoyed as Tommy keeps on reciting various song lyrics to him

- Sapnap and Dream arrive as Wilbur goes off to get materials. Punz puts out the forest fire and Fundy has just logged on, confused

- Sapnap and Dream take Tubbo hostage in a hole in the ground. Tubbo drops Tommy an Invisibility potion

- Sapnap and Dream kill them as Wilbur arrives, losing them the Invisibility potions

- Wilbur gathers everyone in the Camarvan, a book and quill in hand. It’s time to draft the Declaration:

---

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDANCE

Signed: Wilbur Soot Tubbo_ TommyInnit ERET

Forever the nation of the DreamSMP have cast great sins upon our great land of the hto dog van.

They have robbed us. Imprisoned us. Threatened us. Killed many of our men.

This time of tyranny ends with us

This book declares that the nation which shall be henceforth known as L’Manberg is seperate, emancipated and independant from the nation of DreamSMP.

The union of the masters of men. Together we are one. When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one to dissolve the bonds which bind us. Disregarding of this truth is nothing short of tyranny.

WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF EVIDENT. THAT ALL _MEN_ ARE CREATED EQUAL

The right of the people exists above the right of the king. The right of the government and the right of the economy.

From the hto dog van we shall prevail.

Life. Liberty. And the pursuit of victory.

---

- The four sign the Declaration on the roof of the Camarvan, witnessed by Dream, Sapnap, Punz and Fundy watching from afar. Wilbur frames it in the van

- An invisible person arrives in the van to deliver a second book:

---

Declaration Of War

Sometimes you just gotta kill some people sometimes yaknow - Sun Tzu

Dream SMP declares war on la’manburg

JOINT RESOLUTION --PUNZ --SAPNAP --DREAM

---

- Wilbur and Dream exchange books

- Wilbur gives some motivational words to the L’manburgians. This is how they consolidate can power. This is an opportunity

Wilbur: “We do not fight a war of – of the war of greater sticks. We’re not looking for technological advancement, right. The war we’re fighting is gonna be done through guerilla tactics. It’s gonna be done through attrition…”

“And I want you guys on my side.”

---

UPCOMING ANNIVERSARY DATES:

July 31: Fundy becomes Wilbur’s son

August 2: Doomsday

August 3: Jack Manifold joins the server

August 6: Niki joins the server

August 9: Wilbur, Tommy and Tubbo create a drug park

[investigatorysuspect]

Post Mortem

They danced with the the specter of death long before they greeted it. Fifteen moments in Natasha's life (and the lives of those she loves) shared with Death.

Written for be_compromised Halloween Trick or Treat.

Warnings: language, canonical character death, death-centered content and descriptions (no gore). Rated T.

I & II. Russian Orthodox and folk tradition distinguish between a good death and a bad death. Each with the means to affect the living and the dead.The Red Room distinguishes between methods of death and purposes of death. Each for the motives of opportunity and impact. 

For three days the body is laid out. For forty days, the spirit wanders. It is supported on its journey by those left alive, who take equal care in warding against the greedy overreach by Death. 

The Red Room reaps its students and the bodies disappear. Natasha cannot spare the emotion to consider it. Tomorrow there will be a new Irina, a new Karina, a new Sofia. Natasha’s concern is that tomorrow, there will be no new Natalia. What function do funeral rites serve when there are no souls to steward? 

[Sometimes they visit her in dreams]

[Sometimes she braids in a twist as Ninochka did]

-

In the chaos after Budapest, a Widow escapes the grip of the Red Room and flounders, adrift. Three years later, Natasha chases a lead on a string of assassinations and recognizes the handiwork. The Widow had wrenched herself from her former life but could not make the transition to her next one. Natasha wants to save her [almost saves her], but the woman clips Clint with a bullet and Natasha knows they will not be so lucky on the rebound. 

Clint teaches Natasha how to use a bench plane and he spreads juniper sprigs as the pine coffin passes. Natasha ties a belt around the white dress and drops rubles in the grave. The headstone is simple but solid. Tatiana Pavlova has a place in this world and the next one too. 

III & IV. When seventeen year-old Kenny Robinson gets bucked off a spooked horse and stains a boulder with the last of his warm blood, Clint’s mom bakes Mrs. Robinson a casserole that she ropes Clint into carrying over, shielded by a kitchen towel and smarting the palms of his hands as it is. When eleven year-old Clint Barton’s parents die after his dad crashes their vehicle into someone else’s, his neighbors deliver hamburger helper in a pyrex dish. Swordsman leaves teenage Clint for dead on a road outside of Ames and even Midwest nice does not have crockery to acknowledge the tragedy. 

-

When thirty year-old Clint Barton spits on the grave of his father, he thinks about taking a piss too, but he is dehydrated from his drive across half the country, and also, some fucker had decided to put his dad’s plot right next to his mom’s. That fucker was his brother, and Clint does not get why he’d gotten a vote, since Barney had been a kid himself at the time. The stop was an impulsive detour, anyway, and Clint still needs to swing by a store and pick up the last ingredients for dinner. Four months pregnant, Laura had been made to settle into their new homestead on her own while Clint got sent to Azerbaijan. He looks forward to surprising her with an early arrival that he’ll follow-up with home-cooked shepherd’s pie and Martinelli’s. Shit, he can’t forget the Martinelli’s.

V. At one point in one timeline, Vision will ask Wanda “What is grief, if not love persevering.” And if Natasha heard that question, at certain points, in many timelines, she would respond, “What is love?” And if Clint was there, at most points, in every timeline, Clint would answer, “It is this.”

VI. Even with an infant at home, Clint invites Wanda to join Natasha at the farm the autumn following Ultron. She shuffles through the front door a bowed creature and engages with her environment nervously until the florid sugar skull bearing Lila’s refusal to stay inside the lines draws her attention to the fridge. Tracing a finger around the hollows of an eye, she fidgets with the Star of David around her neck.

Later, Lila hops off the bathroom counter and shimmies her shoulders to flap the wings suspended down her back. Cooper tells Natasha that he learned about metamorphosis in school and segues clumsily into the creation of Frankenstein’s monster. He trails off so that Natasha can apply the face paint around his mouth and tilts his head obligingly for the line of stitches at his brow. 

Wearing their own cheap masks, Natasha and Wanda drive the kids to the city of Spencer and escort them through the neighborhoods best known for king-size candy bars. A child in an overpriced white sheet trips on the sidewalk in front of them and Wanda shakes herself from her startle to help gather the spilled goodies. Natasha watches a young girl wearing a Black Widow get-up skip towards a front door and ring the doorbell twice. Long past dark, the Barton kids are shepherded back into the car and they head for home. It is a struggle against weighted limbs to switch nylon for flannel before they can tuck over-exhausted children into bed. Baby monitor in hand, Clint offers apple cider, which Wanda accepts, and alcohol, which Natasha pours. Sitting around the worn kitchen table littered with torn chocolate wrappers, Wanda strokes the metal of her pendant once and cups her mug between both hands. 

“Pietro would have liked it, I think…” she says. “Halloween in America.”

Laura reaches and places her hand over Wanda’s. “We are glad you came.”

VII & VIII. Clint does not erect crosses for his family and, not feeling it her right, Natasha does not either. Some days it feels too hard to get out of bed and Natasha thinks her grief will swallow her whole. But if no one dies until their living memory does, Natasha will not go gently.

[When memories were ripped from her, was that a second murder, or the first?]

-

She drives without interruption to Iowa but pulls off the highway to sob at a rest stop. Re-routing, memory guides her to the cemetery populated with the remains of Edith and Harold Barton. She tidies both graves and talks to a mother about the man she knew her son to be. She tries not to think of that man as dead. Maybe next time she will make it to the homestead to do the same cleaning.

IX. For seventy-three hours and twenty-one minutes after Thanos snapped his fingers, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stands unguarded, at which point a ninety-two year old veteran takes up the post. Dreykov tells Natasha that the tombstone of her mother read “unknown.” When Natasha passes a grave without a name, she leaves a token for the dead.

X. Steve purses his lips when Sam describes Operation Wandering Soul. In the kitchen preparing herself a cup of tea, Natasha mirrors the expression.

“It is something the Red Room could have had me design, if they had reason to, and I was alive then,” she shares and draws a look from Steve.

It is true that not every line in her ledger tallies dead bodies. But not every wail in the night is amplified distortion.

XI. Clint takes his family to a theme park and Cooper drags them all through a haunted house. He laughs at the canned moaning and wiggles his arms in front of the convex mirrors to tickle the trembling out of Lila. After they exit, he follows the flow of traffic until yellow ducks with red targets drop ice down his spine. Natasha diverts the incoming offensive with a challenge at the water gun race. She wins Cooper a stuffed dragon with his last game ticket and he tries to use the plushie to barter Lila for three more. Only a trace of pallor lingers on Clint’s face when he takes Laura's hand and slings an arm around Natasha's shoulder. At a food stall, he buys them all cotton candy and Natasha evaluates if the taste seems novel as the sugar crystals dissolve on her tongue like Ohio.

XII . When Europe hollowed its earth for living flesh to decompose next to shell-shocked ghosts, it resurrected spirituality on the homefront. Blackout curtains bore witness to the popularization of séances; there were too few repatriated bodies before which to pray. 

When Thanos snaps his fingers, his immediate victims do not leave bodies either. Seeing their territory swallowed up by tombstones over unbroken ground, some administrations restrict graves for the other casualties— the victims of the plane crashes and the chemical spills, the starvations and the untreated illnesses, the suicides. Allegedly, at least a few functionaries go so far as to require corpse inspection at burials.

Reconciling The Decimation is a free-for-all. Some people clutch Revelations like it can anchor their matter to this plane, others erect altars and burn incense for the next iteration of their ancestors. A neighbor explains the failure of the spirits to answer her calls as proof that the snapped yet lived and a grandson knocks the bible from his grandfather’s hands, shouting, “God is dead.” Theologians tug at fraying vestments and scramble to revisit foundational texts. Philosophers in sweater-vests and leather jackets debate metaphysics and morality. 

Clint turns to an empty field, the last wisps of his children already gone, and for five years becomes Death, at the end of which time, he looks down at a yellow rock in his hand and wrestles with the reality of his own soul. The return of what was once half of all living kind serves as proof of concept to many and they are hounded with questions on what they remember, what they experienced, what prayers they heard. Clint lets Wanda’s confidence reassure him for a moment that somewhere, in some form, Natasha endures.

XIII. Clint scrubs at the build-up on the bolt. It is such a routine process that he could do it in his sleep. Instead, he remembers what Omari told him that morning. “Sierra Team lost Moreau on their mission in Manila two weeks ago.”

Natasha reaches for the lubricant. “Moreau… he the one with the god-awful gumbo at the New Year’s party?”

“Yeah. GSW to the chest. Died on scene.”

“Who’re they thinking to replace him with?”

“Oliviera.”

“She’s a good choice.” Clint agrees with her, moves on to the barrel, starts to hum, and then interrupts himself.

“What will it take for you to make your baklava this year?”

“A few charges of insubordination. Hill wants me for the hit in Ljubljana.” 

Clint supposes it's all the same. Hopefully, he’ll still be on holiday leave for the first. If the poor suckers at base didn’t eat all the baklava at the party, the leftovers would probably have been stale by the time he got back.

“You think you’ll make it back in time for Lila’s birthday?”

Lila’s birthday is in February. “I dunno. Has the date changed.”

“You are a jackass”

“Should just be a standard op. Tell Lila she still needs to ask you first about the pony.”

XIV, XV & XVI. Natasha cries, messily, for what she feels must be the hundredth time. She tells Laura this and adds that she hadn’t even spoken to Yelena since she was eleven years old. Laura wraps Natasha in her arms and explains that grief is not a linear process, not a neat process, not an exclusive one.

-

Laura soothes the last of Lila’s sniffles, pulls the bedspread up to her chin, and presses a kiss where the furrows of her brow have eased. Back in her own room, she cocoons herself fully under the weight of her down comforter and reminds herself that grief is not a linear process, not a neat process, not an exclusive one. While she is straddling the border of wakefulness and sleep, Clint burrows into her shelter and reaches out to rub salty residue with the weathered pad of his thumb.

-

Yelena unfolds herself from the grass above Natasha’s grave and stands. Pressing a last kiss to the cold stone, she whistles for Fanny and then whistles for Natasha. Only one of them responds.

[delayed-affection]

Chapter six

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"Nancy!" Jonathan yells running through the woods "Where are you?"

Nancy's voice can be heard echoing as she runs from the creature "Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan, I'm right here!"

"Nancy!" He shouts, he can hear her and she sounds close but he can't see her, "Nancy!"

She runs around trying to find him and a way out "Jonathan, where are you? Jonathan! Jonathan, I'm right... I'm right here!"

He pants going around in a circle, "I'm right here! I'm right here! Nancy! Just follow my voice!"

She catches her breath and takes off towards his voice. She stops at a break in the trees trying to figure out which way to go. She turns to her left and comes face to face with the creature.

Jonathan runs over to a tree and shines his light on its hole.

Nancy hides behind a tree trying to quiet her breathing.

Jonathan drops his stuff and get a closer look. It has a red hue and is squelching.

The creature walks behind the tree growling as it looks for her.

"Nancy?" He says leaning closer to the tree

Nancy hears him calling for her and looks to her right. It's an opening back to her world.

The creature screeches, making her worry that it will get to her before she can get to the hole. She takes off running to the tree before she can think any further.

Her hands shoots out scaring Jonathan, "Jonathan!"

He quickly grabs her hand and starts to pull her out. They both groan until she's finally out. She cries into him as he holds her, assuring her that she okay.

~

"I just don't understand why we're coming out here." Carol complains from the back of Steve's car "She obviously doesn't wanna talk to you."

"That's... that's not it." Steve argues

"Oh, really? Because no girl would ever blow off King Steve." She says making Tommy giggle

"That's not it. She was acting weird. I mean, something was wrong." He explains

She scoffs "So what? Like, you're worried about her?"

"What?" He replies

"Aw, you are." She teases "Aw, Steve has a heart."

"Would you just- Stop." He grumbles

"Oh, Stevey's in love." Tommy comments

"Would you just shut up?" He says

"Who know?" She adds

"Shut up!" He exclaims

They pull up to her house and he quickly get out. He scales up the side of the house and up to her window.

He stops before he could anything, looking into her window to find her and Jonathan sitting on her bed.

~

News articles are scattered across the Byers coffee table. Joyce and Hopper are sat at the dining table.

"Look, we gotta go through this again." Joyce says to Hopper

"I told you everything I saw." He tells her

"Oh, gosh. Tell me again."

"Upstairs or downstairs?" He asks

"Upstairs." She answers

"There was a laboratory. It was where they must do experiments or something, and then there was... There was this kid's room." He explains

"How do you know it was a kids room?" She asks

"More like a prison." He states

"So why would you think it was a kid's room, then?" She questions

"Because, I told you, the size of the bed, there was a drawing, there was a stuffed animal-" he says

She interrupts him "You didn't say there was a drawing."

"Yeah, there was a drawing of a... an adult and a child. It said 'Eleven' on it." He clarifies

"Was it good?" She asks

"It was a kid's drawing, Joyce. It was stick figures." He explains

She gets up from the table and goes through some papers. She grabs one of Wills drawings and slaps it on the table in front of him "Wasn't Will."

Hopper puts his cigarette out and leaves the table with her following him to the couch, "Earl... The night that Benny died, Earl said he saw some kid with a shaved head with Benny. Now, I pressed him, he said it might be Will, but maybe..."

He searches through the papers, "Wait... Maybe, it wasn't?" She says

He informs her on what he's realized "Look... this woman, Terry Ives, she claims to have lost her daughter, Jane. She sued Brenner, she sued the government... Now, the claims came to nothing, but what if... I mean, what if this whole time I've been... I've been looking for Will... I've been chasing after some other kid?"

~

Jonathan rolls out a sleeping bag onto Nancy's bedroom floor. She walks into her room fresh out the shower in clean pajamas.

"Better?" He asks

"Yeah." She replies

"Is this okay?" He questions not wanting to over step more than he already has "Uh, I found it in the closet. I can go home. I just figured-"

"Yeah, no. I... I don't wanna be alone." She admits

She goes and lays in her bed while Jonathan settles into the sleeping bag, tucking the gun in with him. They just lay there unsure of what to do, wanting to go to sleep but not wanting to close their eyes.

"Can you just come up here?" She blurts breaking the silence

Jonathan slips out of the sleeping bag and lays on top of her comforter "Do you want the lights on?"

She whispers a barely audible "on."

"You now, it... it can't get us in here." He states trying to make her feel better

"We don't know that." She replies

~

It's now morning, Mike is sitting in the basement worrying about El. His worry turns into anger as he stomps over to where she used to sleep. He breaks the fort, throwing the blanket and kicking the pillows that laid on the ground.

~

Hopper stands in a phone booth while Joyce sits in the car.

"Uh, yeah, it's Ives. Terry Ives. That's with a Y." Hopper says speaking into the phone "Yeah, I got a pen. Hang on."

He pulls a pen out from his pocket and begins to write on his hand "Great, thanks. I really appreciate this, Frank. Say hi to the boys for me, too, would you?"

He hangs up the phone and hurries back to the car.

"Did you get it?" She asks

"I got it." He tells her, they pull back onto the road and drive off.

~

Jonathan wakes up and Nancy is sitting up on bed.

"Oh. Hey." He says pushing himself up

"Hey." She replies looking down at the papers in front of her

"Couldn't sleep?" He asks

"Every time I close my eyes, I just... keep seeing that... thing." She explains "Wherever I was, that place... I think that it lives there. It was feeding there. Feeding on that deer. That means that if... if Will and Barbara..."

"Hey. My mom said she talked to Will. If he's alive, there's a chance Barbara is, too."  He tries to comfort her

"That means that she's trapped... in that place." She replies "We have to find it again."

"You wanna go back out there?" He asks

"Maybe we don't have to." She states "When I saw it, feeding on that deer. Meaning it's... it's a predator, right? And it seems to hunt at night, like a... a lion or a coyote."

She flips open a book "But it doesn't hunt in packs like them. It's always alone, like... like a bear. And remember at Steve's, when Barb cut herself? And then, last night the deer..."

"Hmm, it was bleeding, too." He says

She grabs the book and turns to a page "Sharks can detect blood in one part per million. That's one drop of blood in a million, and they can smell it from a quarter a mile away."

"So you're saying it can detect blood?" He questions

"It's just a theory." She says softly

"We could test it." He replies "but if it works..."

"At least we'll know it coming." She states

The door knob starts to rattle making them both jump, he grabs her hand.

"Honey, are you up?" Her mom asks from the other side of the door

"Yeah, I'm... I'm getting dressed." She responds

"I, uh, made some blueberry pancakes." She informs

"I'll be down in a second." She replies

They wait for her to walk to start talk, Nancy looks down at their hands which makes him his pull away.

"Your mom doesn't knock?" He says making them both chuckle

~

A woman knocks on the door to Mr. Clarkes house, the same woman from the diner, Mr. Clarke opens the door.

"Hi. Scott Clarke?" She says

"Uh, yes." He replies

"The same Scott Clarke who teaches science and AV at Hawkins Middle?" She asks with a smile

"The very same." He responds

"Oh, wonderful." She states

Soon enough she's inside sitting across from him on the couch. Holding out a pamphlet to him.

"And we're making a newsletter, which we'll send out monthly. It'll showcase all the latest equipment, as well as how to articles which the kids write themselves." She lies

"Oh, that's neat." He smiles looking at the pamphlet

"What we're really trying to do here, Mr. Clarke-" she starts

He cuts her off "Uh, please, call me Scott."

"Scott." She says "What we're trying to do here, Scott, is to connect kids from all over the state and give them the support and encouragement to pursue careers in technology. We feel these are the kinds of kids that are going to make Indiana proud."

"I agree, yes. Completely." He replies

"So, you know any kids you think might wanna participate?" She asks

"Oh, I have a few in mind." He answers

~

Dustin and Y/n bike over to the wheelers house and head to the basement where Mike is pacing around.

Mike sighs "I just... I can't believe she didn't come back."

"She's gotta be close." Dustin comments

"Yeah, she couldn't have gotten that far." Y/n adds

"She said it wasn't safe. She just messed up the compasses because she wanted to protect us." Mike rants "She didn't betray us."

"Mike, calm down." Dustin says

He continues ignoring him "I shouldn't have yelled at her. I never should've done that."

"Mike this isn't your fault." Y/n assures the pacing boy

"Yeah, it's Lucas'." He replies

"It wasn't his fault, either." Dustin says making him stop pacing and look at him

"It wasn't his fault?" He asks

"No." He responds

"So you're saying he wasn't way out of line?" He questions

"Totally, but so were you!" Y/n answers

"What?" He exclaims

"And so was Eleven." Dustin adds

"Oh, give me a break!" He argues

"No, Mike, you give us a break! All three of you were being a bunch of little assholes!" Dustin argues back "We were the only reasonable ones. But the bottom line is... you pushed first."

"Go off, Dustin." Y/n mumbles to herself proud that he didn't hold back for once

"And you know the rule. You draw first blood.." he explains

"No! No way!" Mike shouts "I'm not shaking his hand."

"You're shaking his hand!" He demands

"No, I'm not." He responds

"This isn't a discussion. This is the rule of law. Obey or be banished from the party." He reminds him "Do you wanna be banished?"

"No." He replies

"Good." He says walking over to grab his stuff

"Where are we going?" He asks

"Where do you think?" He answers "We're going to get Lucas. And then we're gonna find Eleven."

He tosses Mike his backpack

~

A door slams open making Eleven wake up, heavy breathing can be heard making her sit up and see who it is.

"Today is a very special day." Dr Brenner says sitting down on her bed "Do you know why?"

She shakes her head no in response "because today, we make history. Today, we make contact."

~

Eleven shoots up from the ground where she was sleeping. She's covered in dirt from head to toe. She seemingly forgot where she was but was reminded by the surrounding trees and chirping birds.

She walks down to the water and puts the wig back on. She sighs looking at her reflection before taking it off.

The longer she looks at herself the heavier her breathing gets. She screams making the water surge and ripple, sending the birds flying else where.

~

"Where's Nancy?" Mr wheeler asks "I thought she was coming down."

Mrs wheeler sighs "She is. She was. I don't know."

She pushes herself away from the table and heads upstairs "Nancy what's taking so long?"

She juggles the door knob trying to get in "Nancy, come on."

When she doesn't get a response she decides to pick the lock. She gets the door open only to see that her room is empty, a sleeping bag on the floor, and the window wide open.

~

The three pull up to the Sinclair house and Mike rings the door bell. Lucas opens the door with an unimpressed look in his face "What do you want?"

Y/n nudges Mike silently telling him to talk, "I drew first blood, so..."

Mike sticks his hand out to Lucas, Lucas says nothing but invites them inside.

"Okay, I'll shake." He says "On one condition. We forget the weirdo and go straight to the gate."

"Then the deals off." Mike replies

"Fine!" Lucas exclaims

"Fine!" Mike repeats

"No, not fine!" Y/n shouts

"Guys, seriously?" Dustin cried turning Mike to him "Do you even remember what happened to the bloodstone pass?"

Mike looks at Lucas who looks at Y/n then to Mike.

Dustin sighs "We couldn't agree on what path to take, so we split up the party and those trolls took us out one by one. And it all went to shit. And we were all disabled! So we stick together, no matter what!"

"Yeah, I agree. But this is the party, right here in this room." Lucas states

"El is one of us now." Mike replies

"Um, no, she's not. Not even close!" He shouts "Never will be. She's a liar, a traitor- "

Mike cuts him off "She was just trying to keep us safe! She didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident!"

"An accident?" He questions

"All right, accident or not... admit it was a little awesome." Dustin comments

Y/n sighs smacking the back of his head, knowing that he's not helping the situation

"Awesome?" Lucas asks

"Yeah, she threw you in the air with her mind!" He says

"I could have been killed!" He exclaims

"Which is exactly why we need her." Mike replies "She's a weapon! Do you seriously want to fight the Demogorgon with your wrist rocket? That's like    R2-D2 going to fight Darth Vader. We're no use to Will if we're dead."

"If you three wanna waste your time looking for a traitor, go ahead, cause I'm not spending my time on her anymore. No way!" He responds "I'm going to the gate. I'm going to find Will."

He pushes his way through Dustin and Mike. The three head outside and get on their bikes. Y/n looks down at her wrist to check the time.

She groans, "No! You can't be serious!"

"What's up?" Mike asks

"I'm late. I gotta go, I'm sorry." She replies getting ready to push off

"What are you talking about?" He questions "Late to what?"

"Practice. If I miss this practice I'm no longer going to be in band. Because I've been flaking on all the other rehearsals. They're not accepting my excuses." She answers

"Are you serious right now? we have to go find El!" He exclaims

"This is the only thing I have going for me right now, so yes I'm being serious." She states trying to leave

"First Lucas and now you?" He shouts

"Mike." She pleads

Dustin pulls out his walkie and shoves it in her bag. "If you see her on your way there, let us know."

She smiles at him feeling bad for leaving but rides off.

~

El walks into a grocery store earning looks from the shoppers and workers.

~

"It's okay, Eleven. Don't be frightened. These are all friends." Dr Brenner says "They're just here to watch. Don't focus on them. Stay in here. Like before."

He taps the top of her head, leading her to the tank "Yes, papa." She responds

They prepare her for the tank "Now remember. Whatever it is, it can't hurt you. Not from here. So there's nothing to be frightened of." He assures her

"It's reaching out to you... cause it wants you. It's calling you... so don't turn away from it this time. I want you to find it. Understand?" He asks

She is then lowered into the tank and the helmet is placed on her head. Once she is fully submerged they close the top and black out the tank.

~

"Are you lost?" A salesman asks "Is your mom here? Your dad?"

"Mouth breather." She replies turning around to continue walking.

She stops in her tracks and opens the fridge door when she spots Eggo waffles. She grabs as many as she can carry.

"What should be do?" A saleswoman asks

"Uh... Call the police." He answers

"Excuse me. Young lady!" He shouts as El starts walking away "You know you have to pay for those!"

A cart runs into him making him slow down as she speeds up, "You have to pay for those!"

The doors glide open for her and she makes them slam shut on the man, making the glass shatter.

~

Joyce and Hopper knock on a door, a women peeks out through the glass before opening it.

"Can I help you?" She asks clearly not expecting company

"Hi, we're looking for Terry Ives." Hopper says "Does she live here?"

"Who's asking?" She questions

"The Hawkins chief of police." He replies showing her his badge

"And you want to talk to my sister?" She says slowly

"Well, if  your sister's Terry Ives, then, yeah, we do." He responds

"Okay, well you can come in, but if you want Terry to tell you anything, you're about five years too late." She informs them, moving out the way to let them in

"Terry, you have some visitors." She says leading Joyce and Hopper to her

"Hello." Joyce greets "My name's Joyce Byers. Uh, this is Hopper. We drove over from Hawkins. Uh, you see, uh, my son... he's been missing for a week now, and, um, we were wondering if we could talk to you about your daughter Jane. If there's anything that you could tell us about when she was taken..."

"What was your relationship with Dr. Brenner?" Hopper asks "You guys keep in touch?"

Terry just looks at the tv with a blank stare, not saying a word.

"This is, uh... this is him. This is Will." Joyce says holding the paper out to her "uh, you may have seen him... on the news."

"What's wrong with her?" Hopper whispers to the sister

"I told you, you're wasting your time." She replies

~

Lucas shoves his things into his backpack, puts on a utility belt, and ties a bandana to his head. He walks his bike off his driveway and turns his head when he hears a noise.

A man waves to him from his, Hawkins power and energy, van. Lucas politely waves back before getting on his bike and heading off.

~

"This is weird without them." Dustin admits while him and Mike bike to look for El

"Lucas, should have shaken my hand." Mike replies

"He's just jealous." He claims

"What are you talking about?" He asks

He sighs "Sometimes, your totally obliviousness just blows my mind. He's your best friend, right?"

"Yeah... I mean, I don't know." He responds

"It's fine. I get it. I didn't get here until the fourth grade. He had the advantage of living next door. But none of that matters." He rants "What matters is that he is your best friend. And then this girl shows up and starts living in your basement, and all you ever want to do is pay attention to her."

"That's not true." he argues

"Yes, it is. And you know it." He replies "And he knows it. But no one ever says anything until you both start punching and yelling at each other like goblins with the intelligence scores of zero. Now everything is weird."

"He's not my best friend." He states

Dustin laughs "yeah, right."

He sighs "I mean, he is, but so are you. And so is Will. Hell even y/n at this point."

"Can't have more than one best friend." He nags

"Says who?" He argues

"Says logic." He answers

"Well I call bull on your logic, because you are my best friend, too." He replies

Dustin smiles to himself but it drops as they stop to look at the commotion outside the grocery store.

"You don't think..." Dustin says

"Uh... definitely." He responds

They ride down the road, the man standing in trees goes unnoticed by them.

~

Y/n is about half way to the school and looks at her watch. The guilt of leaving her brother and Mike eats at her. Knowing that she was already late, she turns around and starts to head back.

~

"She was a part of some study in college." Terrys sister explains

"MK Ultra?" Hopper asks

"Yeah, that's the one." She replies "Was, uh, started in the '50s. By the time Terry got involved, it was supposed to be ramping down, but the drugs just got crazier. Messed here up good."

"This was the CIA that ran this?" He questions

"You and Terry would've gotten along. 'The Man' with the big capital M. They'd... pay a couple hundred bucks to people like my sister..." She explains "give 'em drugs, psychedelics. LSD, mostly. And they'd strip her naked and put her in these isolation tanks."

"Isolation tanks?" Joyce wonders

"Yeah. These big bathtubs, basically, filled with salt water, so you can float around in there." She answers "You lose and sense of, uh... sense and feel nothing, see nothing. They wanted to expand the boundaries of the mind. Real hippie crap. I... I mean, it's not like they were forcing her to do any of this stuff. The thing is, though, is that she didn't know she was pregnant at the time."

"Jane" Joyce sighs while Becky nods her head "Do you have any pictures of her?"

"I don't think you guys understand." She replies "Terry miscarried in the third trimester."

She leads them over to a room with pink walls and baby stuff "She keeps all of this stuff up. Been doing it for 12 years. Terry, uh, pretends like Jane is real, like she's gonna come home some day. Says she's special. Born with 'abilities.'"

"Abilities?" Joyce asks

"You read any Stephen king?" She laughs "You guys look scared, actually. I mean it's all make believe."

"What... what kind of abilities?" She questions

"Telepathy, telekinesis... You know, shit you can do with your mind." She explains "That's why the big, bad man stole Jane away. Her baby's a weapon, off fighting the commies. You know, the doctors all say it's a coping mechanism. You know, to deal with the guilt."

"Do you think there is any chance she was telling the truth?" She asks "About having had the kid."

"There's no birth certificate, nothing from the hospital. Doctors and nurses all confirm that she miscarried." She responds

"Yeah, but that could've been covered up. Right?" Hopper says

"Like I said, you and Terry would've gotten along." She says

~

Lucas pushes his bike over to the Hawkins lab fence that's in the woods. His compass points him towards the lab.

"Oh, man" he grunts pulling his bike over along the fence, trying to see if it will lead him a different way.

~

Jonathan and Nancy look for weapons in a hunting shop. Grabbing anything they think can help them fight off this monster.

The place everything on the counter earning a dumbfounded look from the cashier.

"And I'll have four boxes of the .38s" Jonathan tells him

He grabs the boxes and puts them down with their other stuff "What you kids doin with all this?" He asks

"Monster hunting." Nancy responds

"Huh." He scoffs checking out their items

They walk out the store to load everything into car.

"Monster hunting" he teases before he opens the trunk

"You know, last week. I was shopping for a new top I thought Steve might like. It took me and Barb all weekend." She says "It seemed like life or death, you know? And... and now-"

He cuts her off "You're shopping for bear traps with Jonathan Byers."

He shuts the trunk and she replies "yeah"

"What's the weirdest part? Me or the bear trap?" He asks

"You. It's definitely you." She answers

A car honks grabbing their attention "Hey Nance." A guy calls out "Can't wait to see your movie." He then drives off without saying anything else.

She turns around and starts walking to the theatre. Jonathan tries to match he pace shouting at her to slow down.

She runs across the street and reads the showing sign. 'All the right moves starring Nancy the slut wheeler'.

Her eyes gloss over and she starts to think that everyone is look at her, judging her. She hears the shaking of a spray can and rushes over, Jonathan follows.

She walks down an alley to see Steve, Tommy, Carol, and Nicole. She walks over to them as Tommy spray paints the wall.

"Aw, hey there, princess!" Carol taunts

"Uh oh, she looks upset." Tommy says

She walks up to Steve slapping him in the face making his friends 'Ooo' "What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" He argues "I was worried about you. I can't believe that I was actually worried about you."

"What are you talking about?" She asks

"I wouldn't lie if I were you. You don't want to be known as the lying slut now, do you?" Carol chimes in

"Speak of the devil." Tommy comments when Jonathan makes his way over

"You came by last night?" Her question coming out more as a statement

"Ding, ding, ding. Does she get a prize." Carol teases

"Look, I don't know what you think you saw, but it wasn't like that." She says

"What, you just let him in your room to... study?" He asks

"Or for another pervy photo session?" Tommy comments

"We were just-" she starts

he cuts her off "You were just what? Finish that sentence." He gets closer to her "Finish the sentence."

He scoffs when she doesn't answer "Go to hell, Nancy."

Jonathan pulls her away and tries to leave but Steve starts talking again "You know what, Byers? I'm actually kinda impressed. I always took you for a queer, but I guess you're just a little screw up like your father."

Steve follows them down the alley shoving Jonathan any chance he gets "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that house is full of screw ups. You know I guess I really shout be surprised. A bunch of screw ups in your family."

Jonathan stops in his tracks, anger bubbles inside of him as Nancy tells him to just leave.

Steve continues to run his mouth "I mean, your mom... I'm not even surprised what happened to your brother. I'm sorry I have to be the one to tell you, but the Byers, their family is a disgrace to the entire-"

Before he can finish his sentence Jonathan decks him in the face. He groans as he catches himself on the side of the building. Steve turns and tackles him to the hood of a car, before throwing him to the ground.

Nancy yells at Steve to stop thinking it would somehow help the situation. Jonathan gets on top pushing Steve to the ground.

Tommy encourages the fight telling Steve to kick his as while Carol shouts at them to stop. Steve knees his side and quickly gets up.

Jonathan jumps to his feet socking him in the face. Carol begs Tommy to jump in and stop the fight. Tommy pushes Jonathan away but Steve tells him off wanting to continue fighting. Tommy backs away from the two and back to the sidelines

Jonathan swings but Steve dodges and recoils to land a hit on Jonathan. Jonathan bounces back hitting Steve in the face, Steve is phased by the hit leaving him wide open.

Jonathan hits him again sending him to the ground. He gets on top of him and starts throwing punches into his face.

The cops pull up making Steve friends scatter. Nancy begs Jonathan to stop so that they can run. Tommy tries to pull him off but he pushes him away.

Callahan rushes over to the scene and gets elbowed by Jonathan as he's delivering punches. Powell yanks Jonathan off of Steve.

Tommy grabs Steve and runs from Callahan who tries to chase them down. Powell handcuffs Jonathan as Nancy freaks out not knowing what to do.

~

Hopper and Becky walk to the front door as Joyce stops to look Terry one last time before leaving.

"Hey..." Hopper says

"What?" Joyce asks softly

"We're gonna find him." He assures her

"Yeah, like Terry found her daughter?" She argues

"We're close." He states

She trembles "Twelve years? Twelve years she's been looking for her-"

He cuts her off "And then she shows up at Benny's five nights ago, which means we've got a chance. You know what I would give? For a chance? You know what I would give?"

Officer Callahans voice is heard over the radio "Hey, Chief, you there? Hey, Chief?"

He picks up the radio "Yeah, go ahead."

"Yeah, a fight broke out here and-" he tries to explain

Hopper interrupts him "Cal, I don't have time for this."

"It's Jonathan Byers." He replies "You haven't seen Joyce, have you?"

~

A women takes out an ice tray and walks over towards Nancy at the counter and pulls out a rag.

"Do you think we'll be out of here soon?" Nancy asks

"You, yes. Him, no." She answers putting the ice cubes onto the rag "He assaulted a police officer."

"Well, how long are you gonna keep him?" She questions

"You and your boyfriend have big plans, do you?" She replies

Nancy laughs "He's not my boyfriend."

"I think you better tell him that." She tells her "Only love makes you that crazy, sweetheart. And that damn stupid." She hands her the ice stuffed rag and walks away

Nancy heads over to Jonathan and sits next to him, "Found some ice."

"Thanks." He says as she lifts it to his head, Steve only landed one good hit to the side of his face.

"Everything okay?" He asks

"Yeah. Everything's fine." She responds

~

Eleven sits on the ground of the woods stuffing her face with waffles. She can hear Dustin shouting 'El' in the distance and then Mike.

"Eleven! El!" Dustin yells

"El!" Mike shouts "Eleven!"

"Eleven!" Dustin calls out

"Hey, stop. Do you hear that?" Mike asks

"What?" Dustin questions not hearing anything

"El!" Mike yells "El?"

Troy and James walk up the hill towards the boys.

"Hey, there, Frogface." James says as Troy flips out a blade.

"Toothless." Troy states

Dustin drops his bike and takes off running "Shit! Run, Mike!"

Mike follows, dropping his bike and taking off. Troy and James waste no time chasing after them.

"You're dead, Wheeler." Troy says

"Move, Mike!" Dustin yells weaving through trees

~

Lucas follows along the fence as the compass leads him. He climbs up a tree and takes out his binoculars. He scans the lab and sees the same van he seen outside his house.

~

Mike yells into his walkie as he runs "Y/n! Lucas! We  need help! The top of the quarry! Where they found Will!"

Y/n is close enough to pick up the message and picks up speed on her bike. Times like this she wishes she had taken the car. Her legs are moving at an unreasonable rate. She'll probably be there in three minutes top with her speed and how close she is.

~

Dustin groans "Ah, cramp."

"Just keep going." Mike instructs not slowing down "Keep going!"

Troy is behind them and James in front, trapping them.

"Shit!" Dustin says

They both grab the closet thing to them, a rock and a stick.

"Don't come any closer!" Mike shouts, he throws the rock completely missing James

James scoffs "Nice throw, numb nuts."

Dustin yells swinging his stick at Troy, only for Troy to get him in a head lock. He holds the knife up to Dustin face, "Get off! Get off me!"

"Let him go! Let him go!" Mike yells

"Stay back, or I cut him!" Troy threatens Mike

"What do you want?" Mike asks

"I wanna know how you did it." He says

"How I did what?" He questions

"I know you did something to me. Some nerdy science shit to make me do that." He replies as Dustin continues to struggle in his arm

"You mean piss your pants?" He asks

"Our friend has superpowers, and she squeezed your tiny little bladder with her mind." Dustin explains

Y/n pulls up to the bottom of the quarry and sees the boys on top. She rushes to find a way up.

"I think I should save Toothless here a trip to the dentist. Help him lose the rest of his baby teeth." Troy says

"Let him go. Let him go!" Mike exclaims

"I'll let him go, sure. But first... it's your turn." He responds

"My turn for what?" He asks

"Wet yourself." He answers

"What?" He questions

"Jump... or toothless her gets an early trip to the dentist." He bargains

"Stop... no" Dustin cries

"I'll cut him right now!" Troy states holding the blade closer to Dustin's face

"All right, just hold on! Hold on!" He yells

"Mike, don't do it. I don't need my baby teeth, Mike!" Dustin Begs "Mike seriously, don't"

Mike walks over to the edge of the cliff and looks down. Rocks fall as he places his feet and the edge.

"Mike, don't do it!" Dustin pleads "Seriously, don't do it, man! Seriously, don't!"

"Troy, I don't think this is a good idea, man" James admits

"Mike, don't!" Dustin yells

"Dentist office opens in five..." Troy starts to count down "Four... three...two!"

Mikes breathing gets heavy and he can hear his heart beat in his ears.

"Mike!" Dustin shouts

Mike steps off the edge and starts to fall. Dustin gasps and Troy let's go of him. The three of them rush over to the cliff.

They see Mike floating in mid air and not in the water.

"Holy shit." Dustin says

Mike whimpers not liking his current situation. He quickly makes his way back up. He floats over the group and hits the ground behind him.

Mike turns to see Eleven and Y/n walking over to them. The others quickly turn their attention over to where he's looking.

James falls to the ground like he's been pushed over. Eleven turns her head and Troys bones crack in his arm.

"She broke my arm! My arm!" Troy screams in pain

"Go." El tells them

"Let's get out of here! Let's go!" Troy shouts at James and they take off running

"Yeah, that's right! You better run! She's our friend and she's crazy! You come back here and she'll kill you! You hear me? She'll kill you, you sons of bitches!" Dustin yells at the two as the scurry off

El falls to the floor.

~

Elevens back in the dark abyss breathing heavily as she seeks out what she ran from the first time. She finds it and quietly wants to it.

It's eating something with its back turned to her. She reaches out to it and hesitantly taps it's back. It quickly turns around and roars.

She screams in the tank as alarms go off and lights flash around Dr Brenner. The wall in the lab starts to break causing everyone to run.

~

"El, you okay? El?" Mike worries shaking her slightly

She cries "Mike... I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What are you sorry for?" He asks

"The gate... I opened it." She admits "I'm the monster."

"No. No, El, you're not the monster." He assures her "You saved me. Do you understand? You saved me."

He pulls her into a hug which Dustin joins, he looks over y/n "well are you joining or not?"

She laughs to herself before joining the hug.

~

They walk back to Mikes house after grabbing their bikes. The van Lucas saw earlier spots them and calls it in.

~

Dr Brenner and his men strap themselves with tactical gear. As they head out to receive one of Dr Brenner's most prized possessions.

They load into the power and energy vans ready to take off. Lucas watches them leave from his place in the tree.

Mike and them enter from the basement, unaware of what's coming to them.

[dadbodfanatic-x]

Paper rings; part 10

Jim Hopper x original female character

A/N: lots of fluff, lots of angst I live for it. I love it. Mentions of some rough shit, experiments and thing. General cussing.

Trying to explain to Joyce what you all saw inside that lab was difficult because it still didn’t make sense to you. You were sat on the couch trying to make sense of everything while her and hopper were at the table discussing some of the things he saw.

“A drawing? You didn’t say there was a drawing” you heard the tone in Joyces voice change and you knew she was concerned that’s where her son was being held.

“It wasn’t Wills drawing…” that was the first clue to you that it wasn’t a cell for Will. He could really draw and you knew if he was being held somewhere and given the option to draw his would be very detailed.

“Are you sure? Just maybe look at these” Joyce went into another room to grab something

“I promise it wasn’t Joyce. My whole glovebox is filled with drawings from Will, he drew me something at Bennys every time we went. I could spot it, I promise”

The gears in Hoppers head were turning and it’s almost like you could see the lightbulb go off before he jumped up and ran over to the coffee table “earl said he saw some kid with Benny the night he died right?”

You sat up to follow his train of thought “yeah he wanted me to bring clothes remember?” You watched as he pulled out the article about Terry Ives missing daughter Jane and how she sued Brenner but nothing ever came of it.

“What if this whole time we thought we were after Will but we’ve been chasing the wrong kid?”

You stood quickly beginning to pace the room “I mean it’s possible. you know Will, he’s the sweetest kid in town. Maybe he ran into Brenners missing kid on his way home and tried to help them?”

A few more theories were passed around before everyone decided to part ways. The Drive home was a somber one, giving Joyce the news that Wills body was fake and she was right really felt great but not being able to tell her where her son was made things tense and you felt like your head was still spinning trying to grasp what you and Hopper saw in the basement of Hawkins lab.

When Hopper made the turn onto your street dread began to seep into your bones, after everything you saw and what the lab did to you both and also knowing someone had been in your home at some point to plant a bug made you feel so unsafe in your own home. “Hey Jim…” you asked so quietly it was almost a whisper

“Yeah…” he looked up at you with tired eyes as he put the car in park in front of your house.

You began fiddling with your hands “do you think that you could maybe stay with me tonight?” You finally looked up to meet his gaze “I don’t really feel safe being by myself…”

He reached out to grab your hand “of course doll” and you released the breath you didn’t even know you were holding.

When you stepped into your front door both of you just stopped, you left so quickly for Joyce’s today that you completely forgot the mess that was made looking for the bug. You looked at Hopper and groaned “I’m too tired to deal with this right now…” and he chuckled “as long as the couch is clear, I’m good”

You turned abruptly when he said that “wait, no…” and he turned to you confused “I uhhh I was kinda hoping you would stay with me in my room tonight…” and he shook his head yes as he rubbed the back of his neck “yeah…yeah that’s fine if you’re okay with that”

You led the way into your room before you realized his flannel was laying right in the middle of your bed. You snatched it up quickly but you could tell by the look on his face you were already caught “is that my shirt?” He was smiling and your face was turning a bright shade of red “I mean, I might have grabbed a flannel on my way out the morning after we got drunk and I stayed over. It’s fine I’m just gonna change real quick.” And you made a beeline for your dresser but you could still feel his eyes glued to you as he sat down on the bed to take his boots off.

You stood in front of your dresser for a long time, you normally slept in a long shirt and underwear but didn’t know if that was acceptable right now but you were exhausted and couldn’t think much of it so you just grabbed what your normally slept in a made your way to the bathroom. When you came back you actually had to take a minute to stand at your door. Hopper had always been giant but something about him laying in your bed made him look extra huge, he was laying on his back with his eyes closed and his arm up behind his head. He must have sensed you staring “you good?” He groaned, eyes still shut.

You stammered a little at him catching you but tried to play it off “you gonna sleep in jeans?”

“ I uhh didn’t know if I should or not” he finally opened his eyes and sat up.

You laughed as you came around on your side of the bed “take your damn pants off Hop” and you lifted the covers to get in and face your back to him giving him some privacy. Although you’re certain you hear a “yes ma’am” under his breath.

You feel the bed dip down beside you and try not to smile at the thought of Hopper in your bed. When he’s finally settled behind you just a little too far away for your liking but still close enough to feel the heat radiating off him you can almost hear how hard he’s thinking before he says it “can I…” and you cut him off quickly “please” you feel his large arm come to rest over your hip before he pulls you back into his chest and between being encased by his warmth and his scent and finally feeling safe sleep takes you quickly.

When the sun finally starts to peak its way into your curtains you groan at the intrusion and snuggle farther into your pillow, except you realize that it’s not in fact your pillow. At some point in the night you must have rolled over because now you’re cuddled into hoppers chest, his large arm wrapped around you, his hand squeezed over your hip and your leg thrown over his hip. You almost feel bad being awake and still laying like this but it’s the best you’ve slept in a very long time and you feel warm and safe and you lose track of your thoughts when he groans and pulls you into his side tighter before rolling to face you and wrapping his other arm around you too.

“Can I shower?” He groans into your hair and kisses your forehead. Never moving from his current position.

You’re ashamed at how taken aback you are by his sleepy morning voice. It’s octaves lower than normal and strikes a chord somewhere deep inside your core “yes…yeah of course” you finally answer into his chest before you hear him chuckle and feel it vibrate through your whole body.

When he finally releases you to get up and shower you actually whimper at the loss of warmth, and him of course. “I’ll make it quick” he says before exiting the bedroom. You know he plans on meeting Terry Ives today so you jump up and head into the kitchen, you start a pot of coffee and throw some eggos into the toaster before you head into your room again to get ready. Luckily your second day curls weren’t terrible so you throw them up into a clip and let some frame your face before you throw on an outfit and do a quick rush of your makeup.

You had just finished frying some bacon and throwing it on a plate when you hear the bathroom door open, you had already finished eating and were working on your coffee when he rounded the corner and saw you. He came over and picked up his cup of coffee before leaning over and planting a kiss in your hair “thanks doll but I gotta take this on the road. We gotta get moving” you just nodded for fear of your voice letting it slip just how lovely this domesticated morning in the middle of chaos was. He snatched up one waffle before putting a handful of bacon on top and sandwiching it between the other waffle. He took a giant bite and let it hang in his mouth while he had his coffee in one hand and his other was on your lower back ushering you out.

The ride over to pickup Joyce was quiet, you were giving him time to eat his breakfast in peace and honestly giving yourself time to wipe this stupid smile off your face. You were staring out the window when you felt his large hand slide over your thigh “you okay?” He sounded so sincere. You looked at him still sporting this goofy grin “yeah of course…” he smiled back at you “last night was just..” his smile actually grew “yeah…it’s the best I’ve slept in months” and you placed your hand over his and squeezed.

Picking up Joyce was easy and you were on the road again in no time. A small part of you was so surprised when you got back into the car after letting Joyce in the backseat and Hoppers hand was right back on your thigh. Jim had decided to stop at a pay phone on his way out of town to call an old friend Frank to see about getting Terrys address, leaving just you and Joyce in the car.

“So you and Hop huh?” Your head snapped around to Joyce “I don’t…I mean I’m not” you groaned when Joyce began to giggle “Hey, I think it’s great. He’s a good guy, he deserves someone like you” you smile at her unsure of what to say so she grabs your hand “he’s lucky to have you, so am I. Thank you for everything, for believing me and for helping the boys” you grab her hand tight now “you never have to thank me for that, I love those boys to death”

You see Hopper exit the phone booth and Joyce let’s go of your hand to wipe some tears away and when he enters into the car she asks “did you get it?” “Yeah I got it” he responds before pulling back onto the road.

You all crowded onto the porch of the address Frank gave you hoping this was the right place, you took a deep breath as Hopper knocked. A woman answered the door and she was rightfully timid as Hopper explained he was the chief of Hawkins and we needed to speak to Terry. The woman finally agreed to let you in but she mentioned that we were about five years too late to talk to Terry. You admit that confused you because if Terry was dead why would this woman allow you all into her home but as you rounded the corner you somewhat understood.

“This is my son Will, he’s been uhh missing for about a week now” Joyce began explaining to Terry but she never responded and never looked at the picture, Hopper attempted to ask about Brenner but Terry still never made a sound.

“What’s wrong with her?” Hopper asked Terrys sister.

Before the sister explained anything she had you all sit down

“She was a part of some study in college”

“MK ultra?” You asked leaning forward interested in if Terrys family had any idea the type of study she was in.

“Yeah that’s the one! Started in the 50’s it was supposed to be ramping down when Terry Joined but the drugs just got crazier. They gave her LSD and They striped her down naked and put her in isolation tanks. Trying to expand the mind…” After explains the study Hopper asked about the CIA being involved but the sister just blew that idea off “she didn’t know she was pregnant at the time…”

You remembered seeing the story about the daughter “Jane right?” You asked and the sister shook her head yes. Joyce asked about pictures of Jane but she told you all that Terry actually miscarried in the third trimester.

When Terrys sister invited you upstairs to show you the nursery she had created hoping one day Jane would come home your heart broke for her “she says her kid was born with abilities you know telekinesis, shit you can do with your brain”

“Do you think it could have been real? Having the kid?” Joyce asked the sister but you knew the answer before she even said it, you knew what people who didn’t believe anyone looked like and she was it.

When you left Terrys house and got back into the car you couldn’t help but feel guilt, here you all were drumming up old memories for Terry but you also felt hurt. You hurt for all three of them, Joyce, Terry and Jim. They all three had lost children and you’re heart split open when you heard Hopper talk to joyce about a chance, we still had a chance to save Will and he would do anything to just have a chance with his daughter. You reached out your hand for his and pulled it into your lap and squeezed it three times, you’re sure he didn’t know what it meant but you did and that was enough. You were staring into his hurt filled eyes when you heard his radio crackle to life. You wanted to roll your eyes at the thought of the station not being able to handle Jim not being there but then you heard it.

“There’s been a fight, it’s Jonathan Byers”

“WHAT?!” You and Joyce both yelled together.

[phoneybeatlemania-bit-the-dust]

do you have any theories about the india trip ?? personally, im not sure what to think about it, but i’d love to hear your thoughts !!

(Sorry its taken me so long to answer this - it just got lost in my drafts cause im an idiot lmao 🤦‍♀️)

Im not entirely certain on what I believe happened in India, if in fact anything did happen at all - but more on that later! I guess though that these are the main theories (though if you have any differing opinions/theories, feel free to discuss them!):

1. Paul rejected John’s advancements

2. John wanted to further their relationship, and Paul wanted to maintain the ‘friends with benefits’ situation they already had

3. Nothing significant happened between the two (yet something still changed in John)

I’ll try to discuss which theories I find the most convincing, compelling and substantiated - as well as offering my own opinions and hypothesis’s ^^ (discussion bellow the cut)

1. Paul rejected John’s advancements

The theory I would say im most drawn to - not the theory that im necessarily most convinced by though - is that John made a move on Paul, after a few years of pining for him, and was subsequently rejected. Its a theory that I tend to be compelled by, but I have to admit that its one I struggle to justify entirely. The problem with this theory, for me, is that this is a conclusion ive drawn based mostly off of what their relationship appeared to look like after India. It seems as though something must have happened between them to have ruptured their relationship as profoundly as it did - and because they were on relatively good terms before India*, combined with certain inferences we could draw from comments John made regarding his feelings towards Paul and their relationship, it feels as though it’s possible that he made an advance on Paul, which was rejected and thus caused the ultimate disintegration of the Lennon/McCartney relationship.

(*I mean, their relationship was always complicated and difficult - but it seems that it was okay-ish prior to India, and then just inexplicably plummeted after the trip)

But nobody (as far as im aware) has confirmed, or even really alluded to, this advancement or rejection ever having happened. And the lack of evidence substantiating the claim is a major draw back for me!

However, I do also feel as though nobody’s really come out about anything that happened in India - all ive heard is that they meditated, wrote songs, John and Cyn fought, and Ringo ate baked beans. But like, more must have happened on the trip, surely? Im not saying the absence of information regarding the trip is proof that there was a big “lovers quarrel” between John and Paul, and that everyone involved in that trip is now just sworn to secrecy or something - but like, id just like to see a biographer really investigate the holiday, and try to conclude what events might have occurred during the trip, because as of right now, with the information we have, it seems to have been, bizarrely, both a lacklustre and uneventful, yet still hugely impactful event. If the narrative of the “India trip” were to be shifted in the future in light of new information, the same way the narrative of “Let It Be/Get Back” is being changed, I wouldn’t be surprised!

2. John wanted more, but Paul didn’t

Another popular theory is that John and Paul were engaged in something of a physical affair, but in India John proposed (or perhaps demanded even) that they take their relationship further, and Paul just wasn’t compelled to do so.

Beliefs vary regarding this, based on how far you personally think their relationship went: some might say they only ever did a little drunken experimenting with one another, and that it was just a fun fling until John suggested they take it further. Others might argue that they were in fact in a committed relationship, and John wanted to go public with it - or at the very least, demanded exclusivity between him and Paul.

In entertaining this theory, im most compelled to believe that John and Paul were engaged in occasional “flings”, and perhaps by ‘68 were even acknowledging that there was some deeper and more sincere between them - but ultimately, I don’t think Paul would have ever been inclined to fully commit to John, because I think he always wanted children and a family. In addition to this, though its clear John and Paul were passionate about one another, it isn’t clear how compatible they were in the long term - and with Paul being the more grounded of the too, I suspect he would have recognised this incompatibility, which John (the idealist) might not have.

Though I admit that John could certainly be unrealistic and irrational, im not convinced that he suggested to Paul they go public with their relationship, because I think John still had a fairly strong sense of his place in popular culture, and would have still been able to recognise that if they were to “come out”, it would probably deeply and irreparably damage both their careers - as well as George and Ringo’s too - at least amongst the general public. They’d still have some ardent fans, but their following overall would have become far more niche, and the “beatlemania” would’ve worn off swiftly. Im not sure if either of them would’ve been willing to take that heat in ‘68, especially not Paul, who as I mentioned earlier, I think might have recognised the futility and incompatibility inherent in their relationship.

Then again though, John was always a little “cocky”* when it came to his sexuality - I think if an interviewer were to genuinely have enquired into his sexuality, straight up asking him “Are you bi? Gay?” I get the sense that he would have told us! Sure he’d probably have dressed the response up with a dozen quick quips and jokes, but ultimately, I think he would have given a sincere response. And so, perhaps he did feel he had the confidence, at least in India, to actually “come out”, but if Paul wasn’t willing to make this official with him, perhaps this confidence dissipated.

(*No pun intended you pervs🤦‍♂️)

Another thing to note about India is that they’d have been relatively secluded, as well as off the drugs/drinks for the most part - and this would have forced them to really reflect upon their relationship. Perhaps John saw that he wasn’t contented with Cynthia, and recognised his desire for more from Paul - and so in such a raw state of mind, I can see how he’d become so shattered if Paul were to have rejected him (that statement could relate both to the first and second theory, I feel). Perhaps John made an advance upon Paul whilst they were both sober for the first time, and that changed their relationship somehow? Just thinking out loud here!

But again, this theory overall has the same problem as the first in that, though it appears to make sense, it still lacks proof; it ultimately isn’t a substantiated claim.

3. Nothing happened between J&P, but something changed

This is probably the theory that everybody is least interested in hearing, but I still think its a pretty valid one, albeit the least dramatic (In my opinion though its still a really interesting perspective to explore though!).

Its possible that nothing of particular significance happened in India, but something still shifted in John, causing him to vilify and reject Paul. The issue with this though, is that it begs the question: why did John undergo such a significant change in India then?

Id argue that perhaps John was making very subtle and slight moves towards Paul, that Paul either ignored or didn't pick up on. Id assume that perhaps John had been hinting at this desire for awhile now, and maybe he got it into his head that in India, where him and Paul would have a lot of time to be alone and intimate, his feelings would finally be reciprocated. But then, Paul never picked up on these hints, and never made any advancements - and this broke something within John. It would fit neatly within the Yoko narrative, because it offers reasoning to the abrupt but intense attachment John formed towards her almost immediately after India - as well as explaining the sudden vilification of Paul. But I suppose that the first two theories also fit pretty neatly within the Yoko narrative, because they all relate to the same basic concept that John wanted more from Paul, and Paul didn’t - and so he tried to replace him with Yoko.

I suppose though, that the this theory overall could also be countered by making the argument that Paul also began to spiral after India, and so some occurrence presumably must have happened to Paul too. I wonder though if its possible that maybe Pauls spiralling was kind of a result of Johns? I get the sense though that Paul would need a change in his life to cause his mental health to seriously deteriorate, but I don’t feel like the same is necessarily true for John - I think John is sort of the type to spiral, irregardless of whether his life undergoes a significant change or not, because I think John was the force driving a lot of the drama and troubles throughout his lifetime. So if Johns mental well-being started seriously deteriorating, I can see this being a cause of panic and anxiety for Paul.

But something that further inclines me to believe that an actual event occurred between John and Paul is this extract from Geoff Emmericks memoir (x)(id recommend reading the entire extract, its interesting!):

‘I glanced in Paul’s direction. He was staring straight ahead, expressionless and weary. He didn’t have much to say about India that day, or any other. I sensed at that moment that something fundamental in them had changed.”’

It just really feels as though there was some confrontation between John and Paul that had to have happened to perpetuate the miscommunication later seen between them. Like if there hadn’t been some kind of confrontation, then I can’t really understand why Paul would be reluctant to speak about India, or harbour any regrets or dismay regarding the journey. Perhaps you could drill it down to the betrayal they appeared to have felt by Maharishi allegedly hitting on girls - but I feel like this was a “betrayal” mostly felt by John, I never really got the sense that Paul was deeply effected by it.

But yeah - those are the main theories I think.

Overall, I think that the third theory is probably the most substantiated claim, but I think it leaves a lot to desired. It just doesn’t feel like it totally fits together, as though theres more to the story - but I guess relationships and peoples psyches aren’t puzzles, and so not everything is always going to piece together perfectly; but I dunno.

Like I said though, the theory im most compelled by is the first. I acknowledge that it lacks evidence, but it just seems to make a lot of sense to me! But really, who knows what the hell happened in India?

If anyone else has an opinion on all this, or wants to expand upon or even suggest a new theory, feel free to! I always like hearing from you guys!

[hivequest]

Taking a Risk » Mallek Adalov/Reader

Wordcount: 2.3k words

Warnings: Swearing, fluff, stressed out reader, chillboy Mallek. TYping quirk only used when texting cause I could not be bothered lmao Originally posted on AO3

A/N: One of my favorite things that I’ve written, ever. I love Mallek and he’s for sure one of my favorite Friendsim characters. When I wrote this I was really feeling those Quarantine Woes

You didn't know what you were doing here. You felt out of place in the worst possible ways. It was a weird, squidgy feeling like stepping on wet grass. But not like the fun kind where you were running around in a sprinkler on a hot-as-balls summer day. No, this was the bad kind of wet grass that you stepped on without knowing it was wet. Why weren't you wearing shoes?

This analogy is stupid. The point is, you're feeling bummed out.

And what better way to not have to deal with that than hang out with someone you knew wouldn't push you into talking about all the ways crashing on this planet sucked! The point is, you're on your way to see Mallek. Mallek is absolutely the kind of friend who can tell when you just need to sit down and veg out. You had been so caught up in everyone else's bullshit that you weren't looking after your own damn self. So now you were doing that.

All it took was a quick text, asking Mallek if he had any company. He texted back only a moment later with a no, obviously not. You asked him if he wanted any. Not really. You ask him if you can come over anyway. Obviously.

You smiled at the palmhusk in your, well, palm. You could already feel the chill vibes of your hacker friend. Friend? Was that the right word for it? You didn't know anymore. When you first met there were definitely some sparks there. You could still feel them now and it made weird butterflies flutter around in your stomach. When you slapped his phone out of his hand and he sent you ass over applecart into the slimy depths of sewer water and he saved you, tits out and all.

You shook off the weird wistful feeling of maybe possibly crossing the friendship barrier and told him you'd walk to his hive. You'd been moping in some bookhive, not your usual hang-out spot with Tagora or Tyzias. This was some upper caste bookhive with purple bloods and some indigos and definitely not where you were welcome if the looks you were getting were any indication. They ranged from snooty to downright murderous. Yeesh.

Your phone -palmhusk, stupid troll names- beeped again. You got another text from him and those cheery fucking butterflies were back. God, you had it bad.

yeah were not doing that lmao;

im not going to let my robobuddy walk out in the sun

do you even know what time of day it =

just stay put ive already got your location ill pick you up;

And like a good little friendsimp. You park your ass on a chair and wait. You hadn't released your moping had taken up most of the night. But with the quick look around, yeah, no, this place was nearly empty by now. Just some older bluebloods trying to cram before their Ordeals and get shipped off-planet. Again: Yeesh.

You kept your ears open for the telltale sound of Mallek's limo. It was a sound you were getting used to these days. He always seemed ready to drop whatever coding shit he was working on to come to see you. You tried not to think too hard on what that might mean. No need to get your hopes up now. It's probably just your bad mood making you imagine some context where there's nothing. Yeah.

Damn, that shit hurted.

Just as you were about to add that to the reasons you were considering just screaming your lungs out who cares whose listening? you heard the wonderfully familiar sound of an approaching elongated scuttlebuggy. If that wasn't enough of a clue as to who the ride was for the quiet of the bookhive was very abruptly disturbed by a series of rhythmic beeps.

Holy shit was that the Tetris theme?

You shoved your palmhusk into your hoodie pocket and yanked the hood over your head. Even if the sun was only out a little bit you didn't want it anywhere near your freshly healed skin. You had no kind cowgirl to nurse you back to health right now if you got your asscheeks baked by the flaming death orb. You peeked your head out and even with the blinding light of Alternia's suns you could Mallek had opened the door and was waiting for you.

Aw. No, shit. You're in a bad mood don't get all heart eyes at him. Don't make it weird.

You took a few steps back into the bookhive, ready to make a run for it. You turn to a sitting indigoblood, who is just staring at you disdainfully for keeping the door open. You give her a two-fingered salute. Godspeed young cosmonaut. She gives you a one-fingered salute. Close the door you insufferable bulgebiter. Fair.

Taking a running start, you book it out into the heat of the Alternian sun and dive for the open car door. It's then that you realize he's halfway parked on the sidewalk to lessen the amount of time you'd have to spend in the sun. Aw. That also means that you came barreling like a cannonball at something that was like two feet out of the door. FUck.

Your face meets carpet and you can already feel the rugburn starting to set in. You hear a startled wheezy laugh from above you, a sound you know better than anyone else on this planet. You smile. It's not like you had any dignity to begin with.

You say hello to him as you peel yourself off of the floor of his car.

"Hey, there robobuddy. You stuck the landing this time," He smiles down at you as he reaches over you to shut the door, closing the space out from natural light and leaving you both lit by his colorful LEDs. You shrug and tell him you've been getting a lot of practice landing on your face these days. The look he gives you is still smiling but there's some level of disbelief at the dumbassery that is your whole existence.

"I know you can get yourself into it. Nothing too bad this time, though, right? No drones or broken bones?" He sounds concerned which is nice but he doesn't drown you with his concern. He leans back on the bench of his limo, keeping an eye on you as the vehicle begins to move on its own. You've been staying out of big messes but the little messes are starting to mess with you. He makes a sound of understanding the sounds as it comes from deep in his chest. Whoa. "Believe me, I've been there. Glad you're not cracking under it though."

He smiles and you can see his little fang and you can feel your heart melt a little. And also you're getting a bit teary-eyed and now Mallek looks alarmed. Shit. You try to quickly explain that you're fine, just, alien allergies am I right? He must be using some new air freshener to mask the musty smell of his limo. Since doesn't use it enough. Ha ha?

He isn't buying it.

With a rare show of cerulean prowess, he lifts you up off of the shitty car rug and sets you on the seat beside him. He feels uncomfortable and you can tell. Ah, goddammit you made it weird. You didn't mean to. Fuck. Fuck now you're feeling even worse. You thought you were starting to balance out. You're with Mallek now, shouldn't everything start to quiet down like it always does? Fuck. He doesn't say anything at first, just leans back against the seat and stretches his arms across it, letting you lean on him if you choose to.

...You choose to.

Your head finds itself somewhere between his shoulder and his collarbone, and you just. Shove your face there. Then scream.

To his credit, Mallek doesn't even flinch. He doesn't wince or shy away from you as you let out every bit of anger, sadness, and frustration out against his sweater. He just sits quietly, staring straight at the blacked-out windshield. You get the feeling he's needed to do this more than once.

Screw this planet. Screw everything about it that makes all of your friends suffer. Why can't you just get them away from all this bullshit?! Why do you have to deal with everyone's bullshit! You love them, you do but holy fuck they're looking to you like you can undo all the damage this place has done to them when you've got literally no god damn idea what's happening at any point ever!

And then, just like that, it fades into the background. Your throat hurts. Your head hurts and you think you might be crying. But it feels lighter. Better now that you've gotten some of that aggression out. You aren't like the trolls on Alternia. You can't kill people when you experience an Emotion™. But that doesn't mean you don't get pent up with rage.

Mallek realizes that now. He lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and his left hand slowly moves down from the back of the seat the rest against your back. His thumb brushes against your back, the claw drawing little patterns against the fabric of your sweater. His sweater. He tries not to think his sign your chest. This isn't the time.

"Feeling any better?" He asks and you don't know how to answer. You kinda don't want to. But you nod anyways, and you feel some tension leave his body. You knew he was worried about you. You apologize for making him witness your meltdown but he just makes another deep-chested hum. "Nothing to apologize for. I got the feeling you weren't feeling great. I could tell from the texts, you didn't use nearly enough ugly emojis."

You scoff and smack a hand against his chest and once again you hear that wonderful laugh from him. Hey! Your purrbeast emojis are adorable, thank you very much! And you'll not hear another word of it or else you'll send him pictures of rocks and rocks exclusively. No more memes.

"Jokes on you I'm into that shit." You laugh and thump your head against his collarbone. You thank him for being with you when were needed it. And picking you up to make sure you didn't deal with it alone. You don't want to make it weird but...yeah.

He doesn't respond this time, just letting you both enjoy the silence and the comforting sound of the engine. You should almost be at Mallek's apartment by now. It's as you're settling in for the last bit of the drive that you notice that the limo isn't moving. And hasn't been for a while. Your head pops up in confusion and the little GPS display on the back of one of the seats says... yep.

You're already at Mallek's.

But then why is the engine still on? That can't be good for the environment. Do these things even run on gas or is it bugs? Bug gas? Gross.

You notice then that the rumbling is coming from behind you. Like. From where Mallek is sitting. He doesn't look away when you turn to him, just kind of tilting his head to the side with a little bit of a cerulean hue to his cheeks. Oh. Oh, the sound is coming from him. He's purring. That's.

That's adorable.

You feel yourself soften even more when he lifts his arms, silently offering a hug if you want it. Is this platonic? Is this more? You've never had too much trouble identifying what people wanted from you. (Debatable.) If was overtly flushed you could shut it down or divert it to something very much friends only. (Like your every exchange with Zebruh.) But did you even want to do that to your hackerman? You could feel yourself screaming, no, absolutely not. But at the same time, you didn't want things to change. You didn't want to make his issues any worse than they already were. He didn't have too much longer on the planet and you knew it would tear him apart.

But then he turned those blue eyes to you. He looked just as unsure as you were but he was willing to take the risk. He shoved himself so far out of his comfort zone for you and was asking you to be selfish. To want something for yourself and do something for yourself. Not put him or anyone else's wants first. Just your own. And so you did.

You crawled up into his lap, pressed yourself as close to him as you could and clung to him. His arms didn't hesitate to wrap around you and you could feel a shuddering breath from above you.

"We don't have to put a label on this... not yet. Or ever. Either way is chill with me. I just... yeah." He gave up with a little shrug of his shoulders but you knew what he meant. Unless you could find a way to fight fate he was going to go off-world. He was going to leave you and you doubted you'd be able to go with him. You'd probably get gored by a drone for even trying.

But even if it was just for now, just for a moment, you were going to take it. You were going to let yourself have something, have someone who would care for you no matter how long or short your time was. You'd take it. You had stomached some of the most horrible things on this planet but Mallek had always been a constant. And you got the feeling he thought the same way about you.

So, you'd take it. Whatever comes next, you'd take it. You listened to the sound of his purring, in no hurry to move to get inside the apartment. Mallek felt the same.

You exhaled.

You would be okay.

[lexiwright]

Building Jealousy

Benny watts x reader

A/N- so hey first benny sorry. This was requested by Anonymous with the second prompt. This is my first in a while so I'm a bit rust but I really hope it's well received and yeah.

Also a side note that isn't import but when writing this Ive been listening to ”You” by petit biscuit. I'm not sure why but any time I've been reading anything to do with benny or writing him this is my go to song. But yes thanks for reading and ya.

Word count - 1720

Warnings - none

Prompt 2 “your jealous aren't you.”

You weren’t amazing at chess. You knew that. Next to people like Beth Harmon and Benny watts you were well aware of the fact. But it was an interesting game which you did good enough when you put your mind to it that you had entered a few tournaments over the years just for the adrenaline rush. You’ve managed to build up to a good enough level that you were state champion for a while but it only lasted a little while.

You’ve known benny a while. And Beth too. You were closer with benny and for a time you thought maybe the pair of yous could become something more. But as soon as Beth came into the frame you lost his interest and you went back to just admiring him without him returning any ounce of feelings to you.

You met Beth in Mexico. Before the great loss against Borgov. You barely got past the second round and lost in the third but hey you weren’t to bothered. But you had noticed how often Beth appeared alone and you decided to see if she wanted company. She seemed to take to you fairly well and yous quickly became friends. After her mum died you comforted her for a little while before you both had to go home. You understood she needed a bit of time and you went to New York for a little. You’d called up benny in advance who wasn’t doing much that weekend so offered his living room.

Accepting the offer and hoping to get to spend some more time with the man you arrived outside his house at a quarter to midnight. Shattered out of your mind from travel. You came in and greeted him as an old friend before you sat down at his table that displayed his board and had a look to see what he was playing.

It took you a second before you realised he’d been playing Beths last game with borgov. It’s angered you a little bit you tried to not care.

“How was the trip Y/N? “ asked benny as he rounded the table to the kitchen for some glasses.

“Nothing special. How’ve you been keeping?” You yawned and watched as he poured you a glass of milk.

“Ah, you know. Not a lot to do around here. Just waiting for the next tournament as always. I hear you met with Beth Harmon. What do you think of her?” He asked. Placing the glasses in the microwave for you both.

“Of course. She seemed nice. We got along well enough. Shame about her mum though but her playing is beyond amazing.” You accepted the glass of warm milk as you spoke and failed to notice as he tensed at your praise of the redhead.

He pushed his hair back and sat down in front of you and watched for a second as you took a sip of your milk. Studying your face with admiration.

Leaning forward, elbows on the table, he leaned his face on hand, two fingers tapping his cheek. Something you noticed he did when he was in thought. You tossed him a quizzical look before questioning him.

“What?”

He took a breathe and held it for a second before speaking in a gentle tone. “You look tired. Are you okay? “

You chuckled at him. Thinking he was joking. “Well, Benny I have just got off a plane so of course, I’m tired.”

But he stopped you. “No. It’s more than that.” You didn’t know what to say and just stared at him confused. He cleared his throat and moved back and gestured at the board. Still set up with Beth's last match. And spoke, “care for a few speed games?”

You rolled your eyes. You rarely win against him at speed chess. You know he was only doing this to show off. But you indulged him and let him flex his bored muscles. Yous played about ten rounds, winning two and drawing one while the king in a loose black striped shirt won 7. And you were sure he was going easy on you but you didn’t mind. It’s still fun.

Once he was sure you knew who was the best player and had finished your warm milk he suggested time for bed. Which you gladly accepted. He left you with the blow-up but knew you were too stubborn to let him do it.

You said goodnight and melted into one of the comfy seats rather than taking the blow-up bed and found yourself involuntarily drifting to sleep where you sat.

.

.

.

You woke with a start as you were shaken awake. You were on the plane and the air hostess was shaking you awake. Clipping in before landing you looked out the window. You were landing in New York again. Only this time you weren’t going to stay at Benny's. Beth was there now.

It had been a few weeks or so since you last stayed. You smiled at the memory of being woken up by a laughing Benny cause you hadn’t made it into bed last time.

You were staying at a hotel a while from Bennys. There was a small tournament that you thought would be fun to go too.

After leaving New York last time you’d called up Beth to see how she was doing. She had Harry beltik with her so at least she wasn’t alone.

You ended up taking for hours. Going over matches verbally for the fun of it and discussing favourite theory’s. This turned into a habit every few days and yous both seemed to get along well.

She called when Harry decided to leave. You could tell she was upset but didn’t want to push it too much. She called before her match with Benny. After the losing rounds of speed chess and you told her not to worry. And she called when she beat him. And then the next day when she told you she was going to New York with him.

You were happy for then although a little sad you wouldn’t get to spend time with him but you understood why.

You had got there a few days earlier so when you heard cleo was in town you opted to spend some time with her.

It had been a week or so and you had been invited to benny's along with Cleo and some boys. You went and was happy to catch up with Beth and Cleo.

You didn’t notice a dismayed benny who was disappointed your attention wasn’t on him.

He thought he could win you over by playing Beth in speed chess but even then he lost spectacularly. You sat out for the games. Not feeling like losing today. But when you and Cleo applauded beths wins. You failed to see just how livid he was that she impressed you more.

He went to bed sourly that night. Tossing and turning. Unable to get the beaming pride for Beth he saw on your face as you clapped her and not him.

Your third match of the tournament had been the next day. Normally if you think your gonna struggle you call benny and get some advice while you listen to him speak. His voice soothing you from nerves even if you end up loosing. But he knew that the match was today and was subtly waiting for the phone to ring. However when it did this time Beth picked up and you felt that you’d annoyed benny enough over the years so you decided to talk to Beth instead.

She was fine with this. Beth is proud of being needed. However, she ( unlike you) noticed the way benny drummed his fingers on the counter and stared at her as she said the first few words “Oh, hello Y/N...”

she noticed as his pupils dilated and the drumming stopped.

He had expected her to hand him the phone after that but when she didn’t he couldn’t understand why. And when Beth started talking about the game you were about to play he could feel as something boiled in him. He was who you needed. Not Beth. Yes, Beth was better than him but you needed him. Benny like being able to give you that little bit of ease before a scary match.

He waited a little while longer in case Beth gave him the phone. Till he realised she wasn’t going too.

“Is that Y/N?” He questioned harshly.

Beth just nodded and continued the conversation.

Benny couldn’t take it. And marched over to stand in front of Beth. “What does she want?” He asked. Even though he knew.

“Well she’s got her match today and she said she was nervous,” Beth said deadpanning.

The look on Benny watts faces told Beth something was afoot. Then she realised and gave him a smug look as she said her next words slow and loud enough for Y/N to hear.

“Your jealous aren’t you?”

He froze for a moment. Realising what she said was right.

He barely registered as Beth spoke to you again apologizing “sorry Y/N. I’ve got a green ogre here that I’m going to pass you too. Good luck for the match. “

She preset to phone into his hand and moved for him to sit in her seat.

He held the phone to his ear to hear your voice and he frowned.

“Benny what’s wrong”

He paused thinking before speaking with an almost whiny tone.

“ you think you can drop me cause I was beaten by Beth Harmon at speed chess, no, uh uh. I'm here to stay Y/N L/N and I won’t sit back and let you go off to someone else. No. Your mine got it.”

You were speechless. You hadn’t realised benny felt like thins. He realised what he said.

“ well eh you know, your not my property that’s not what I mean. I just.”

He took a deep breath and spoke with confidence. “ I need you Y/N. You're like the queen to my king. I feel I’m nothing without you. So please don’t brush me off for someone better.”

You smiled over the phone and he could hear it in your voice. “ I’d never brush you off benny.”

He sighed in relief and smiled.