#journalist x gangster

[archangeldyke-all]

masterlist :)

hi babies <3 here's my masterlist! i'll try to keep this as up to date as possible!

sevika and her chihuahua 🐕

cockwarming sev while she works

making sev lunches

flustering sevika

5 ways you drive sevika wild

sevika and your plushies

office crush sev

soft sex with sev

relationship hcs/ chasekink

sevika dating a younger girl

simp sev!!!

sev comforting you when you're overwhelmed in the bedroom

semi-public hard but loving sex

simp sev being sexy

tattoo artist sev!

sevika as a gf hcs

controlling a vibe sevika's wearing ;)

cuddling with sev

even more simp sevika because shes the loml

passionate sex with sev

tattoo artist sev pt. 2

librarian sevika

ex sevika

sevika crushing on you

lighting her cigars for her

sevika's insecurities

sevika with a rambling reader

gymfluencer sevika

gangster reader

boxer sev and PT reader

more cuddles with sev

jealous sevika

sugar mommy sevika and virgin reader

butch 4 butch sev!!

having her baby 👶

firefighter sev and emt reader

sevika comforting you

virgin sevika

surprising sevika with a buttplug

modern sevika clubbing

more sugar mommy sevika

dirty talk ;)

spit kink sevika

blind date meet cute

jealous reader

soft reader

friends with benefits who both want more

stone top sevika

virgin reader and virgin sevika

gym crush sevika

player reader falling for sevika

sevika reassuring reader she'd never cheat

omegaverse sev

buttstuff with sevika

bodyguard sevika

sub sev with a tall reader

sevika's reactions to nudes

cuddling in the winter

sevika in her first stable relationship

vigilante sevika x journalist reader

mechanic sevika

bodyguard sevika pt. 2

that is NOT a lighter lmao

sevika making virgin reader squirt

sevika with her reading glasses

corruption kink sev ;)

wearing funny boxers around sev

making sevika squirt

blue collar sev and her housewife

ovulating with sevika

sevika with a sweetheart reader

sleepover with sev

sevika biting u while she's going down on you

drunk sevika

sevika comforting u on ur period

doing sevika's hair

sevika fucking you against the wall

wedding day hcs!!!

sevika finding your sketches of her

sev with a housewife kink

rough sex while holding hands :,)

sevika's reaction to her secret santa gift

busty reader hcs

softie sev

somno with sev

small breasted reader

sevika sending u nudes

sevika w/ a sex repulsed reader

mermaid reader and pirate sev :)

co-stars who are actually in love

sevika's strap hcs

sub sevika

sevika calling sub reader mommy

new years traditions with sev

basketball coach sev and volleyball coach reader

spanish speaking reader

reader who's taller and stronger than sev

sevika calling sub reader mommy pt. 2

reader with shitty parents

[skyfallslayer]

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Chapter Three

-A ST Rewrite Feat. Steve Harrington x Henderson!OFC-

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: An Increasingly concerned Nancy looks for Barb and finds out what Jonathan’s been up to. The boys pair up with El for an investigation. Joyce is convinced that Will and Steph are trying to talk to her. Meanwhile, Steve feels like someone’s watching his every move.

🎲Pairings: Will x Platonic!OFC; Dustin x Sister!OC; Slow burn! Steve x Henderson!OFC (Ex-bestfriends to Lovers); Slow burn! Byler

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 15,209 (Oh, lord)

🎲Date: 05/27/24

🎲Warnings: Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; References To Broken Friendship; Talks of Kidnapping; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Talks of Mental Health Issues; Bullying of All Kinds; Physical Fighting; Lying; "Death"; Crying (Lots of it); Brief Mention of Corpses; Gun Use; Implied Unloving Parents; Will & Steph's Mental Strain - Joyce's Too; Hopper Being a Great Cop & A Total Mess; Dustin Being a Gangster & A Total Mess; Steve's 'Asshole Era'; Steve's Emotional Damage. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

-This also contains me not knowing how the fuck the Upside Down works despite so much research.-

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N:  So… this is a very long, very intense one. Very emotional too. Hopefully y'all are ready for this. I notice a lot of you readers are spitting out theories and I can't help but love them. But unfortunately I have to stay silent and let you guess wait 🤭. While rewatching this episode, I totally forgot how fucking good of an actress Winona Ryder is. Seriously, rewatch the scenes with her and the lights again and you'll see. Any who, Happy Memorial Day everyone! Enjoy!

Steve practically had to “bully” Tommy into taking his girlfriend home last night. It was hard for him to make eye contact with her after their argument – A real argument, not just some mindless bickering they’ve done in the past that doesn’t pack much heat, but a real, real argument – and when she came back to his room only a few minutes later telling him that Barb must have left already and needed a ride, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Was this making him feel and look like a coward? Probably. But it’s not like he didn’t want to risk having another eye opening conversation with her again.

Eye opening, my ass. There was no “eye opening”. I’m just being paranoid. But was he though?

Nancy, oh, sweet Nancy, always talked about how she was aiming for journalism as her major. For a while, to be honest, he couldn’t really see it. Sure, curiosity was practically tattooed on her heart, but the months they’ve been dating he hasn’t seen anything else that screams “I’m a Journalist”. 

That was until last night.

He’s not sure why he never put that box away after their friendship ended, he doesn’t know why he didn’t just stuff it into his closet or under his bed, but the fact that someone had found it in his spot he called “out of sight, out of mind” shocked him. The little box that could fit under his dresser, completely oblivious to anyone who stands next to it. Of course out of all the days for someone to finally have spotted it was the day he brought his girlfriend to his home (Still, it might have been better for her to find it rather than his parents. They sure were… nosy).

And of course she would be the one to break him down when he was trying to forget, forget because it was the best option here.

And his girlfriend was smart, one of the traits he most admired, and she could read through his lies most of the time, a trait he hates. Loathe. But… did he really think he could have avoided all this? That once he put a lid on their friendship she would suddenly vanish? Every single thing about Stephanie Henderson would be forgotten? That was the plan, the “dream” so to speak. I guess dreams don’t always stay dreams unless you put work into them.

.

“So who is she to you?” Nancy asked, standing up and flashing the memorabilia at him.

.

She was just… just some kid he knew since they were five. Nothing more than that, It shouldn’t be more than that. She was just some girl that had confidence radiating out of her as they lock pinkies and swore–

.

“I’m not jealous. I’m just curious.” Nancy replies, honestly. She takes another look at the photos in her hand before looking back at him. “I mean, if she isn’t your friend anymore, then why do you hang on to all this stuff? Or better question–”

“Nancy, stop, it’s just–”

“Why did you break it off?”

His brain short circuits again. “What?”

“I said, ‘Why did you break it off?’ I mean…” She flips through some of the photos he has, memorized. “From what I see, you two remind me of Barb and I. You two look like you were tied at the hip. So why break it off?”

.

Because he had to. He needed to. God knows if he didn’t, her and her family would be… Jeez. He could barely remember it, not wanting to remember it.

The memory was blurry. So blurry. Maybe it was the many hits in the head for his shitty memory, or maybe he was really, really trying not to remember it. 

What was his parents planning on doing again that made him so… scared?

.

“Look, I just want to understand you. I mean, every time I think I have you figured out you throw me through a loop.” She gives him a reassuring look as she picks up the box, shuffling whatever was remaining around. “I mean, from what I see, you seem like a completely different person then. I just wonder if it’s a good thing or a bad–” 

.

No… no. He still doesn’t understand what she meant. He hasn’t “changed”. He’s still the same person since the day he was born. What was she even getting that from? A couple glances at some photos gave her a new impression of him? There’s no way. It’s laughable. It’s totally laughable. Everything that’s happened between him and Henderson was totally laughab–

.

“‘CAUSE IT WAS MY FAULT!! OKAY?!” Steve snaps, startling them both (He can’t believe he just lost his cool like that). He swallows again, head spinning at the memories (Why did he fucking leave the box right there?). “I just… there was an incident and… it… shaped my decision, okay? But it didn’t involve me or her with a gun, it was… s-someone else. Someone I know. I don’t know why I’m holding onto it, I…” 

.

That certainly wasn’t laughable.

Sometimes that memory is hazy, which he preferred, but the other times it was crystal clear. Too clear. Just a heated exchange between him and someone else just before it went to shit. He still remembers the pain in his bicep, the wind feeling like it was getting knocked out of him with someone’s loud scream. Then came the sinking realization that Henderson wasn’t bouncing up to her feet like he did. 

It still… fucks with him sometimes. Taunting. Haunting. Torturing. 

.

Nancy breaks eye contact, and only reverses it when she gathers the right words. “Look, Steve, I’m sorry I intruded, I probably shouldn’t have but… I’m just trying to understand you.”

Steve shakes his head, still confused. “I-I…” He shrugs, and crosses his arms defensibly. “What’s there to understand?”

.

Exactly. There’s nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Nothing. She doesn’t need to go digging around Pandora’s box.

.

But Nancy looked at him with eyes full of pity and took another step closer. “I don’t know what the reason was for you two to stop being friends, but all I know, from what I gathered, she wasn’t the one to end it.” She places Steph’s flier on his chest that he subconsciously grabbed, and said one last thing before leaving his room. And that was,

“Maybe there was a good reason for you to end it, but that’s not an excuse for you to stop being who you really are.”

.

But I haven’t changed. I’ve been the same person since I was born. Even his own gut coiled at his denial. The heaven’s beyond were probably busting a lung. Hell was shaking its head. He just keeps telling himself that lie and maybe it’ll come true one day.

Yeah, right.

This boy’s been telling himself that for almost two years now and hasn’t even sunk in yet.

Steve sighs, rolling in his bed to face his alarm clock; The red numbers glaring at him. It hadn’t even gone off yet, he still has about an hour but… 

Another sigh. School. Right.

He didn’t even feel like going, too mentally exhausted from staying up pretty much all night, completely alone with his thoughts – His very dangerous, troubling thoughts. He didn’t want to go, but his parents were going to be home any minute now from their trip and were not going to be happy if they saw him just lying around. They were surely going to berate him for missing a day of learning. Except...

Fuck. Going wasn’t an option, his brain hurts and his body was dragging and he really, really didn’t want to see Nancy’s pitiful eyes, or listen to Tommy’s mocking, or Carol’s sexified comments. Fuck, no. Fuck.

Where can he hide out for the next eight hours? He started putting what was left of brain together as he threw something on, not even trying to dress to impress today, and snagged his precious car keys. He is about a foot outside his bedroom when something tells him to stop. His chocolate eyes stare at the box on the end of his bed, something deep inside tells him not to leave it unoccupied.

He swallows, wanting to tell his subconscious to fuck off and leave him be, but… 

“Fuck it.” He races back over, making sure the lid was on before taking it with him. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

It’s been… how many days since then? They don’t know. They stopped counting every time they ran into trouble. Like… right now. Traumatized by the beast pulling an innocent woman into the Harringtons’ pool and violating her before coming after them. They were lucky to have some kind of head start or otherwise they might have been goners. But–

Jesus. It was getting hard to breathe in this place, the cold weather was getting to them too. 

Eventually, miraculously, they had escaped from their predator when their bodies finally gave out.

“Fuck.” Stephanie gasped as the two of them collapsed in someone’s backyard. They both sat on their hands and knees, a line of sweat dripping off their icy noses. She sniffles and pants, her breath being seen in the air. “This is getting ridiculous.”

It really, really was. They can’t even take a break without worrying if that thing would come after them. 

How am I supposed to figure out how to get out of here if I can’t even stop to think? She sits back on her news, frowning. “Why does it keep coming after us?”

Will sneezes, and sniffles before resting his body against the side of the random house. He starts fiddling with his frigiding fingers, worried if he was going to say something wrong. “I don’t think this time it was. It looks like it was attacking someone else.”

“That’s true.” She sighs, taking her cap off for a second to rest. “However, we either were at the wrong place at the wrong time, or that thing was following us and grabbed the first prey it saw.”

He nods. “Yeah. But that doesn’t explain where the person came from. Does… that mean we aren’t the only people here?”

“I don’t know.” Are there actually more people here? “I mean, I guess on the bright side, if more people are going missing someone’s gotta know what’s going on, right?”

That honestly didn’t cross her mind at all while being here. She was so worried about keeping herself and especially Will alive that she didn’t think about what was going on on the other side. How was her family reacting? His family too? And what about the town? Did the police actually give a fuck this time?

I really hope it’s Hopper. He seems like the only one who gave shit last time. Stephanie prays he’s on her case as she subconsciously tries to grab the chain around her neck, only to find nothing. Her heart sinks as she looks down and feels around the front of her shirt.

“Shit.” She says, dreadfully. Did she really lose her–

“What?” Will replies, concerned. 

“Uh, I just…” Fuck. “I just uh, lost my necklace.” She frowns again. “I didn’t even realize it.”

Now it was his turn to look sad (I guess you could say he was just copying her expression). “We can go look for it if you like.”

She’s already shaking his head. “No. It’s okay. I could have lost it on the first day here without realizing it.”

“Can you replace it?”

“It’s… I don’t know. It was a gift.” She looks over at him, his expression seems so broken over her confession. “It’s okay, Will. It’s not a big deal.”

“I know, but still.”

Stephanie couldn’t help but crack a small smile on her peach lips, and ruffle the boy’s hair. “Don’t ever change, kid. You’ve got a good little heart.” That seemed to do the trick because the boy blushed and seemed all proud of himself.

“Do you think it’s safe to rest here for a bit?” Will asked, as she looked around.

“Yeah.” She nods. “I think we’ll be fine. How about you pull out the blanket?”

They both shrug their backpacks off, and keep their guns by their sides pointed safely away; Will unrolls the blanket they took from her house and scoots closer. Steph tucks the fabric under their feet before the boy snuggles up to her side. Dying from the cold was off the menu for the both of them. For most of the time they stayed quiet, controlling their breathing and rubbing their cold hands in their laps.

“There’s something I don’t understand though.” Will blurted out. I guess this was the thought that came to mind in the moment of silence.

“And what’s that?” The older girl asked, sparing him a glance.

“If that thing is supposed to… you know, kill people, then why bring them here?” He stares up at her nervously. “Why not just kill us in our world? Why the extra hassle to bring us here?”

Her eyes widened slightly, those words hitting her like a truck. “That’s… a good question.” A really good question. It was something else she hasn’t thought about either. If the beast could go between worlds, why bring them here for the kill? 

Will must have noticed the wheels turning in the girls head and looks down hopelessly. “It’s going to be hard for people to find us then, right?”

Stephanie says nothing, and gnaws on her bottom lip because he’s right. If they’re stuck in another world then…

.

.

.

How are their loved ones going to know?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

When Jonathan woke up the next day he wasn’t expecting his mother to be leaving before he did. “Mom? Where are you going?” He asked, as she stopped upon hearing him speak.

“Oh, I’m going to town. I’m going to pick up a few things.” She replies, putting her belongings into her purse. “I was… you know, thinking about maybe getting some stuff Will likes to eat so he can have it when he gets home. Or, you know–”

“Mom?”

“And maybe a new phone? Our old one’s obviously not fine, so–”

“Mom?” Jonathan tries again, getting a hum. “You sure you’re okay going by yourself? I can miss school again if you don’t feel comfortable yet.”

“No, no, don’t do that. Go… I just need to get out of the house. I’ve been stuck in here for a few days.” Joyce replies, reassuring her oldest. “I’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” He nods. “But if something happens just… call the school and I’ll be there.”

“Okay.” She says, giving her a quick hug. “Thank you, sweetie. I’ll see you later.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

In the early morning at the Wheeler’s house, the boys were planning a mission to finally figure out what happened to their friends.

“We just tell our parents we have AV Club after school. That’ll give us at least a few hours for Operation Mirkwood.” Mike explains, the three of them gathered around the upside down D&D board.

“You seriously think that the weirdo knows where Will and Steph are?” Lucas said, making the other boy eye roll.

“Just trust me on this, okay? Did you get the supplies?”

“Yeah.” He nods, and shows off what he’s got. “Binoculars... from ‘Nam. Army knife... also from ‘Nam. Hammer, camouflage bandana…” He grins. “And the wrist rocket.”

Dustin looks at him strangely, almost laughing. “You’re gonna take out the Demogorgon with a slingshot?”

“First of all, it’s a wrist rocket. And second of all, the Demogorgon’s not real. It’s made up. But if there is something out there, I’m gonna shoot it in the eye–” Lucas snaps the rubber and startles his friend. “And blind it.”

“Dustin, what did you get?” Mike asked, trying to get straight to the point.

“Well, alrighty.” Dustin starts pouring stuff out of his bag, also proud of what he grabbed (Which is totally not what Mike told him to bring). “So, we’ve got... Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, apple, banana, and trail mix.”

“Seriously?” Lucas said, disappointed.

“We need energy for our travels. For stamina. And besides, why do we even need weapons anyway?” He points to the girl on the couch. “We have her.”

“She shut one door!”

“With her mind! Are you kidding me? That’s insane!” Dustin could almost laugh with all the stuff he could think of about her powers. “Imagine all the other cool stuff she could do. Like…” He quickly looks around and grabs a giant toy version of the Millennium Falcon. “I bet that she could make this fly!” He stands in front of El and holds it out. “Hey. Hey. Okay, concentrate. Okay?” He lets go of the toy that quickly drops to the floor. “Okay, one more time. Okay. Use your powers, okay?”

“Idiot.” Lucas mumbles once the toy drops to the floor again.

Mike sighs. “She’s not a dog!” He says, taking it away from him.

“Boys!” Karen calls out from above. “Time for school!”

He crouches down in front of Eleven as the rest of his friends make their way up stairs. “Just stay down here. Don’t make any noise, and don’t leave. If you get hungry, eat Dustin’s snacks, okay?” 

“Michael!”

“Coming!” Why must he be rushed? “You know those power lines?”

“Power lines?” El asked, confused.

“Yeah. The ones behind my house?”

“Yes.”

“Meet us there, after school.”

“After school?”

“Yeah, 3:15.” It took a second for Mike to realize that she didn’t understand. “Ah. Hang on.” He unstraps his watch and ties around her own wrist. “When the numbers read three-one-five, meet us there.”

“‘Three-one-five’.” She repeats.

He nods. “Yeah. Three-one-five.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Did you get any rest?”

Her tired blue eyes looked back at him, his face scrunched up in concern for the girl that almost tripped two seconds ago. And to answer his question, it was ‘no’. Their little rest had turned into sleep, but once again she couldn’t dare close her eyes with the beast lurking somewhere (She’s honestly surprised she’s still standing at this point).

“Yeah, I got a little.” She said, hoping that sounded convincing. 

Will narrows his eyes and steps in front of her, stopping them from walking any further. “No you didn’t.”

“Will–”

“Why aren’t you getting any sleep?”

She sucks in a breath. Guess there was no point in arguing with a twelve year old. “Because I’m keeping an eye out.” She tries taking a step around him but he follows.

“That’s bullshit.” He replies, shocking her (She’s honestly heard him cuss before. Which is ironic since he hangs out with three boys that act like cussing is their first language).

“Will, it’s true. I’m keeping an eye out.”

“Yeah, I understand. But you can’t keep missing sleep because of that.”

“Someone’s got to protect you. Just like I promise.”

“Well how are you supposed to do that when you can barely stand?” That seemed to strike a nerve. “Can you just… next time we sleep, I’ll watch and you actually sleep.”

“Will–”

“And, if I hear something, I’ll wake you up immediately. How’s that?”

Well… she can’t say no to that face. She sighs. “Okay. I’ll sleep.” She replies, getting him to smile. “But you wake me up if you hear anything, okay? Don’t you even think about doing the opposite and handling it yourself. I don’t want you to wound up hurt or dead. Got it?”

“Got it.” 

The two of them continued their unwanted detour that ended up being Hawkins’ little downtown. This place looked more like the apocalypse than their neighbourhoods. Dark, abandoned, quiet and completely trashed. It seemed a little scarier to walk around than the previous routes they took. 

“Maybe we can hide out somewhere here?” Will asked, as they stopped at an intersection to look around.

“Possibly. If anything’s open we can. I want to avoid making too much ruckus in case that’s what attracts the monster.” Steph said, thinking. 

They walked slowly and carefully by each store, peeking inside to see if anything got their attention. Stephanie blissfully sighs upon seeing a familiar sign and points.

“Dude, I kill for some chicken parmesan right now.” She says, smiling at the thought of eating Italian at ‘Enzo’s’. 

“Hmm, meatball’s sounds good. But I think I really want my mom’s Sloppy Joes.” Will admits, and can already picture it in front of him.

“Sloppy Joes are awesome too. I wouldn’t mind eating that when I get back either. Then Enzo’s.”

“Totally Enzo’s.” He chuckles. “Uh, so when we do get out of here, how do we explain this to someone?”

“What? This?” She gestures to the open air. “You mean that telling the authorities that we were abducted by an eight foot tall creature with just a mouth and brought to a creepier version of Hawkins doesn’t sound truthful?”

He makes a face. “I… I don’t know. They might think we’re crazy.”

“Crazy, but it’s true.” She shrugs. “I really do wonder how we’re going to explain this.”

“I hope my mom contacted Chief Hopper. I know they were good friends growing up, I’m sure he believes her.”

“I hope it’s him, I don’t really like some of the people he works with.”

Will tilts his head, confused. “You don’t like cops?”

“No, I don’t certain cops here. I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them.”

“How come?”

“Well–” She cuts herself off and stops, eyes trailing to something inside one of the shops. She takes a second to make sure she’s seeing that right before pointing and saying, “November 6th.”

Will perks up at that. “That’s the day when we had our D&D campaign. The night we disappeared.”

“Yeah.” Steph looks around her hand following up to another object, a clock. “Nine Twenty-Three. That’s probably around the time we disappeared too.”

“But why is everything stuck this way?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, didn’t this place exist beforehand?” Will asked, head spinning. “How come everything is stuck on the night we disappeared?”

She purses her lips. “It… exist because of us? Or does time run differently here?”

“This is making my head hurt.”

She chuckles. “You and me both, kid.”

They continued their walk, popping into a few shops when they saw something useful, like another set of matches or even a sleeping bag they could share. They eventually ended up at a hunting store and scavenged there. Steph started grabbing a couple boxes of shotgun shells and ones that could fit inside Mr. Harrington’s pistol. It felt strange to have something like this in her possession, especially given the history of it. A very… bittersweet history of it. 

Stupid, Harring– The small box tv on the counter startled her when it made a noise. When her gaze locks onto it, she realizes it’s not even on. She sighs, shaking her head. Now I’m imagining shit? This is getting fucking ridiculous.

She starts making room inside her bag for the ammunition when–

.

|| –Those Poor Children. ||

.

Stephanie nearly drops everything and grips the gun and starts frantically searching for the voice. What in the fucking–

.

|| Jesus, I know. I can only imagine what their families are going through. ||

|| It’s such a shame– ||

.

“What the…?”

“Did you hear that too?” Will asked, eyes full of hope as she looked between him and empty space behind the counter.

“Huh? Um… Y-Yeah. I-I did.” She swallows and then realizes something. “Wait… is that what you– Is that what you were talking about?”

“Yeah!” He shakes his head eagerly. “I told you, I swear I could hear my mom and Jonathan talking that night. I told you I wasn’t crazy.”

Stephanie takes a deep breath, still in a bit of disbelief I mean– This changes everything she’s thought about this place. “If we can hear somebody, then…” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. It was so shocking.

“Maybe we can talk to them. I know for a fact my mom heard me when I called the phone. She even responded when I talked back.”

“So it’s totally possible.” She goes silent to think, an idea coming to mind in a matter of seconds. She grins. “Follow me.”

Will of course does, a little intrigued by the fact that they found themselves climbing to the top of an old bell tower that overlooks most of Hawkins. “What is this place?”

“Somewhere I probably shouldn’t have been hanging out at when I was young.” Steph admits. “Don’t worry, the tower hasn’t been used in decades ‘cause the bell’s broken. Alright.” She smacks her hands together. “We have to figure out a way to get someone’s attention. Whether it’s your family, my family, friends, or hell, even some random stranger. We just need to get someone’s attention.”

“But how? I’m not even sure how any of this works.” Will asked, truthfully. He’s still not even really sure how he was able to contact his mom that night. 

She hums, scratching her head. “Where’s your house at?” He gets close to the edge, looks around and points to it in the distance. She nods and starts doing the same as she speaks, “Alright, well there’s mine, Lucas’, and Mike’s. So we got options. We just need to figure out how you were able to speak to your mom that night. If we can figure that out, maybe we can do it again.”

“All I really did was just dial my house’s number and she picked up.”

“Okay. Maybe it’s just that simple after all.”

“Well… I know whatever happened that night, it fired the house’s phone. We’re going to need a new phone.”

“We can get one. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll move on to another house. Hopefully, one of our friends will pick up.”

And they have to. This is our only plan right now. She waves for him to go first. “Careful going down, it’s more tricky than going up.”

“Okay.” He says, doing what he was told.

She starts to follow closely behind when another voice appears.

.

|| I am such an idiot. || 

.

She froze, her heart sinking again. She looks back at one of the corners of the tower, and an aching feeling in her gut.

“Steve?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve had a cigarette in one hand, and his other tangled up his own locks; One leg was dangling off the tower, while the rest of his body laid against the arch of the opening. Today was stupidly sunny, barely any clouds and no smell of precipitation in the air for a chance of rain – the aesthetic was the complete opposite of his mood right now.

He took a puff of nicotine and blew it out like a long, heavy sigh. The shit from last night keeps replaying in his head, provoking him to do or say something he’s probably not supposed to (or is supposed to, his subconscious yells at him) – He still doesn’t understand why he suddenly ended up here out of place. He could have gone to skull rock, or even the quarry, or maybe even just running around the mall hoping no one realizes he’s a teenager and asks why he’s not in school.

He groans, closing his eyes, listening to the traffic below and people bickering, praying nobody looks up and finds him here. Again, why did I pick this place?

“I am such an idiot.” He mutters, then the insecurities he had slowly started to fade away when he felt a presence nearby. Worried that maybe a cop finally found him, he changes his sadden look for something cooler before opening his eyes and looking. 

But strangely enough, no one was even there.

“Huh.” Steve blinks, swearing that he could feel someone was watching him. Maybe though? I mean, this was an old church that may or may not be haunted.

He shakes his head. “Fuck this.” He puts his bud out on the ground and stands up to leave.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Hey, Where’s Steve? I didn’t see his car in the parking lot.” Nancy asks, butting into Carol and Tommy’s conversation. She honestly wanted to see him to give him another apology, she still felt bad for prying so much about something she probably shouldn’t have seen. And I want to see if he’s in a good mental state today.

She watches the couple spare a look and gets worried, “What?”

“You haven’t seen him yet?” Carol said, as she shakes her head. “That’s weird.”

“Steve never skips school.” Tommy adds.

“What did you guys argue about last night?”

“Us?” Nancy said, pointing to herself. “You think he’s not here because we fought?”

“It’s a possibility. He finally has a girlfriend who’s charm finally made the King skip class.” Carol said, arms cross. “I’d say that’s an achievement.”

She scoffs. “First of all, It was just a disagreement, nothing more. A second, there’s no way that’s the reason he’s not here.”

“Maybe you hit one of his insecurities you were yelling about last night.”

Nancy holds her tongue and ends up just leaving in a huff. Every time she thinks she’s finally on their level, she’s pushed back down. She sighs and enters her first class of the day. Her gaze follows over to where her friend would be at, but atlas, her desk was empty.

She reaches out and taps the girl in front of her shoulder. “Hey, Ally. Where’s Barb?”

The girl raised an eyebrow. “Um, shouldn’t you know?”

Nancy’s stomach dropped. “You haven’t seen her anywhere... at all?” 

Ally shakes her head just as the bell rings and everyone’s ordered to sit down, leaving the Wheeler to wonder if she stayed home too because of their bickering.

•°•°•°•°��°•°•°•°•°•°

“There she is. Emerald City.” Powell announced as they pulled up to the one and only laboratory in Hawkins. They were going off really their only lead at this point, and hoping it plays out.

“I heard they make space weapons in there.” Callahan replies, getting a look. 

“Space weapons?”

“Yeah. You know, like, Reagan’s Star Wars. I guess we’re gonna blow the Ruskies to smithereens.”

“Hey, can I help you?” The guard asked once the police car rolled to a stop just in front of the gate.

“Uh, yeah. We’re here for a tour.” Hopper lied.

“Oh, we don’t give tours.”

“Okay... A quick look around.”

“You have to get clearance for that. You can contact, uh... Rick Schaeffer at the Department of Energy.”

“Maybe you seen it on TV.” Hopper pushes, not backing down from this. “We got two local kids missing. We have reason to believe they might have snuck in here.”

“Like I said, you have to speak to Mr. Schaeffer.”

Hopper exhaled through his nose, and turned the car and placed his hat on the dashboard; His partners beside him grew quiet, and let him have at it. “What’s your name?”

“Patrick.” 

“Patrick, I got a panicked mayor, and I got reporters breathing down my neck and I got two very upset mothers.” He said, his face growing softer, more wounded like. “Now, I know the kid’s not in there, but I gotta check off this box. Patrick, would you do me a favor? Would you speak to your boss and see what you can swing for us? I’d really appreciate it. I’m talking ten minutes, tops.”

Just ten minutes to see if they were in there. That’s all that the police chief needs…

And wants.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve heads inside the shop nearby, his stomach growling for food. It completely slipped his mind this morning – or afternoon now – he’s completely lost track of time. 

Now what kind of junk sounds appetizing today? He starts wandering around, not at all familiar with this layout or the shop for that matter (Why didn’t he just go to the sandwich shop next door again?). As he slips through one of the aisles, he notices the person in front of him struggling to reach for something off the high shelf. 

Deciding to be a nice boy, he reaches up and grabs it down for her. “Here you go, Ma’am.”

“Oh, thank you.” She said, surprised and grateful. “How kind of you.”

“Early Christmas shopping?” 

“Oh, I wish. No, I just need a new phone in case my son calls the house.”

He nods. “Your son lives far then?”

“Um, no, h-he’s missing.”

Oh?

Oh…

Oh!

Steve’s eyes widened at the realization. “Oh, oh my god, I’m so sorry. You’re that kid’s mother.”

“I am.” Joyce says, shifting her weight around. 

“Am… so sorry, I-I didn’t know, I–”

“Like you said, you didn’t know.” She puts the phone into the shopping cart. “It’s okay.”

“Okay, um…” This was awkward, right? Steve shifted on his feet too, not really sure how to wrap this up. “Uh, do you have… uh… heard any updates?”

Joyce shakes her head, sadly. “Not yet. I know the Police Chief has put many of his guys and volunteers to work. But I think at this point they covered all of Hawkins.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I just, uh–” He trails off, struggling to make a sentence. “Sorry, I was just being nosy. I don’t really hear much news, I…” He swallows. “I went to school with the Henderson girl, so...”

Is he making any sense? Hopefully she’s understanding what he means– Fuck, his heart’s racing so fast.

“Oh, yeah?” Joyce said, looking bittersweet – Looking like she was a mother staring at her hurt child (How come his own mother never looked at him like that?). “Must be hard knowing someone you knew is missing.”

Damn, right on the money. “Yeah.” He says, his throat feeling tight.

She hums, and then gives him a stern expression. “Shouldn’t you be in school though?”

Annnnddddd… Fuck. 

Nice Going, Harrington. He scolded himself as he racked his brain for a believable lie. “Oh, uh, I-I graduated already. I was a grade ahead.”

“Oh.” She says, apologetically. “My mistake.”

“No worries, seriously. It happens all the time.” At least he didn’t say something stupid, and needs to get out of this conversation before he does but… damn his little heart sometimes. “Uh–” He gestures to her cart full of different items. “Do you want me to pay for some of that? For bothering you? Or uh, I… I know you’re probably–”

“Oh, no!” She shakes her head. “No. Thanks, but I can get it. Money’s a little tight, I’ll admit, but there’s nothing I can do about it. You know?”

“You sure?”

“Yes. I appreciate the offer.” Joyce smiles, and subconsciously pats the young man on his shoulder. “You’re very sweet. Take care.”

“You too.” He says, seeing this as he exits and walks past her.

Joyce watches as he turns to another aisle, growing a bit sad by the interaction. 

Alright, do I have everything? She has a new phone, some groceries– things she knows Will would like– 

The display of string lights flickered for a second.

Confused, thinking most likely it was probably a short circuit, she doesn’t understand why she ended up muttering her youngest name, “Will.”

Coincidentally, the light flickers shortly afterwards. “Will!” She says, again, hope blooming in her chest. Then, all the lights on the display shined for a few seconds. 

God, call her crazy, but maybe this was a sign that her son is still close by.

Before anyone could blink, the checkout counter was filled up with so many boxes of Christmas lights, some just the basic color, and some of the tri-colors. She can only imagine how much this is going to cost her, but who cares! If this is strangely how she can talk to her son, then this is what she shall do.

Her Boss, who was the clerk for the day, looks at her worriedly. “Joyce–”

“Just ring me up, Donald.” Is all she said, patiently waiting until he was all finished. Without sparing another word, she gathers all the bags into her hands and races to her car.

Donald sighs while watching her leave. “That poor woman.” He says, just as Steve comes up to the counter with his snacks and drinks. He raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be minding your own business?” Steve said, becoming bitter again.

“Mmm, hmm.” He scans everything and a price pops up on his screen. “That’ll be Five-Fifty.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Found a phone.” Will said, almost immediately as they entered. It shouldn’t be a shock since this is the place his mother works at.

“That should work.” Steph said, smiling. “Let’s get a move on.”

Will gets up on his tippy toes to grab it, slowly pulling it off the shelf when something presses his hand. Startled, he falls back and the older girl grabs the box before it falls. 

“What happened?” She asked, worriedly.

“S-Something touched me.” He says, taking a step back.

“What?” She hands him the box and peeks over the shelf herself (She’s not exactly tall either). There was nothing odd out of the ordinary, just the normal dust and native plants that grew in this world. She frowns. “I don’t really see anything.”

Suddenly the display of lights flickered. Out of instinct her hand reaches for the pistol at her side. Then her heart sinks at the next thing.

.

|| Uh, do you want me to pay for some of that? I know you’re probably– || 

.

“Steve?” Stephanie says, surprised. 

So she wasn’t crazy after all. She did hear him. 

Will looked up at her, stunned too. “Steve Harrington?” He asked, but before she could speak another voice could be heard.

.

|| –I can get it. Money’s a little tight, I’ll admit, but there’s nothing I can do about it. You know? ||

|| You sure? ||

|| Yes. I appreciate the offer. You’re very sweet. Take care. || 

.

“Mrs. Byers?/Mom?!” They both erupted, then went quiet to see if they could hear anything else.

Nothing.

“Shit.” The oldest said, and now gnawing on her lip again, nervously (And completely forgetting about Steve for the time being). “That might have been our chance.” She hears the boy drop the phone somewhere next to her. “Will?”

The boy seemed fascinated with an idea swirling around in his head. Stephanie finds herself just watching, waiting to see what he had in mind. Will reaches up and lets his fingers brush the display of some string lights, the lights getting a little bit hazy – It was almost like his touch was giving them electricity. 

.

|| Will. || 

.

Joyce’s voice broke through very faintly, but they both heard it and nearly cried.

“Touch the light again.” Steph said, urgently. Will does what he’s told and they both stay quiet again.

.

|| Will! ||

.

“She hears us.” He says, happily. 

“Holy shit…” She chuckles. “I have an idea. Touch all the lights.”

Frantically, they rush to touch all the lights they saw on display, not even questioning how this was even possible, they just hoped Joyce got the message. Once the hue died down they both held their breaths, and crossed their fingers. And then…

.

|| Just ring me up, Donald. ||

.

Stephanie threw her hands up. “Yes!” She says, with Will laughing beside her. “Thank you, Ms. Byers.”

“My mom’s the best.” He said, with a warm look.

“Hell, yeah she is. And forget the phone–” She locks eyes with him, determined. “I think we figured out a better way to communicate.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“And you think these missing kids may have crawled through there?” 

Hopper spares the man a glance before looking back at the drain. Somehow, he convinced the security guard to let him and his guys in, but so far their theories are turning out pretty sour. “Well, that was the idea.”

Their “Tour Guide”, I guess you can call him that, made a fact that was all smug and prideful. “Yeah, I just don’t see how that’d be possible. We’ve got over 100 cameras. Every square inch covered, plus all my guys. No one breaks in here. Certainly not some kids.”

Hopper perked up at the news, eyes trailing to a few cameras in view. Now it was his turn to be the smug one as he asked, “Those cameras, you keep the tapes?”

Well… I don’t think the guide was expecting that reaction.

Now, the three of them were following the man inside, the hallways swarmed with men in lab coats, and a security team blocking a room that was marked “hazardous”. 

The police Chief found this a bit suspicious and asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you guys do in here?”

The guide chuckles. “You’re asking the wrong guy.”

“Staying one step ahead of the Russians?”

“I expect. Something like that.”

“Who’s in charge here?”

“That’d be Dr. Brenner.”

“And he builds the space lasers?” Callahan asked, eagerly. 

“Space lasers?”

“Ignore him.” Hopper replies, sighing. They eventually entered the surveillance room, the three of them watching the screen closely. “This is the night of the 6th and 7th we’re seeing here?”

“That’s correct.”

Hopper narrows his eyes, waiting to see if he sees anything unusual. However, to his surprise, the tape only lasted less than a minute. “Is that it?” He asked, in disbelief. 

“Like I said, we would have seen them.”

And then the cops were practically shoved out of there, and the guide gives them their condolences for the tired search (Yeah, what an asshole, right?).

“The night of the 7th, we had a search party out for Will and Stephanie. You remember anything about that night?” Hopper asked, seeing if he wasn’t the only suspicious one. 

“Mmm, not much to remember. Called it off.” Callahan replies, thinking.

 “‘Cause of the storm.” Powell adds.

“Yeah, a lot of rain that night.” Hopper says, arriving at their car. “You see any rain on that tape?”

“What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know.” He spares a look at the building, a sinking feeling in his gut. “But they’re lying.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the boys were outside shifting through the playground for some rocks. Mike picks one up and shows it off. “How about this one?”

Dustin looks and shakes his head. “Too big for the sling.” He says, getting on his knees to do some digging. “So, do you think Eleven was born with her powers, like the X-Men, or do you think she acquired them, like... like Green Lantern?

“She’s not a superhero. She’s a weirdo.” Lucas replies, rolling his eyes.

“Why does that matter?” Mike snaps, offended. “The X-Men are weirdos.” 

“If you love her so much, why don’t you marry her?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Mike, seriously?”

“What?”

“You look at her all, like…” Lucas makes a giggly face, and softens his body language, followed by a higher pitched voice, “‘Hi, El! El! El! El! I love you so much! Would you marry me’?” 

“Shut up, Lucas.”

“Yeah, shut up, Lucas.” Their bully, Troy, announced as he stomped towards the group. “What are you losers doing back here?”

“Probably looking for their missing friends.” James said, smirking.

“That’s not funny. It’s serious. They’re in danger.” Dustin hisses, annoyed.

“I hate to break it to you, Toothless, but they’re not in danger.” Troy bites back. “They’re dead. That’s what my dad says. He said that Byers was probably killed by some other queer. And maybe your sister’s been killed by some crazy stalker who is into weirdos like her.”

The two bullies laugh as Dustin looks like he’s about to strangle someone. No one says anything about Will like that. And nobody especially says something like that about his big sister.

Mike sees this, and puts his arm in front of his friend to soothe him. “Come on. Just ignore them.” He says, and starts to leave, only to be tripped – and face planted into the ground.

“Watch where you’re going, Frogface.” Troy spats, but he instantly gets a taste of his own medicine. 

To everyone’s surprise, Dustin was the one to deliver the karma, which was forcibly shoving him to the ground. 

Everyone stared, and before someone could speak he shoved James too and scrambled to pick up Mike.

“Lucas! Let’s go!” Dustin yells, and silently tells Mike to go. As they were leaving, he flips the bullies the bird and snaps, “You shitheads need to keep Will and Phanie’s name out of your mouths! Got it?!”

And then they broke off into a Usain Bolt type sprint.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

They finally ended up back on Mirkwood, guns loaded, backpacks full, and hope in their chest. If this works, if Joyce does this right, then maybe they can finally communicate to the other side. All they needed to do was tell her where they are, and maybe they could figure out a way to get back. 

It sounded easy, and they just hoped it was.

The two of them were silent for most of the walk, and when they got to this specific road, the boy grabbed her hand, shaking. She says nothing, ‘cause nothing needs to be said about it. If that’s what made him feel safe then so be it.

“Do you think it’s negative emotions?” Will eventually said, breaking the ice.

Stephanie tilts her head, confused. “Hmm?”

“Do you think that’s how we can hear some people? Through negative emotions?” He looks up at her. “Like my mom, she must be worried about me, maybe that’s why we can hear her?”

Her eyebrows shoot up, shocked. It’s definitely a plausible theory (But would that apply to Steve as well? And if so, why is he so worried?). “Maybe.”

“But would that go with us too?” He adds, the wheels in his head really were turning today. “I mean, is that how the beast picks their victims? Because they’re in a bad mental state?”

Well, now that makes sense if you put it that way. “It’s possible.” She said, nodding. Yeah, that’s completely possible. 

It explains a lot of things. More or so she wanted to admit. She knows these last two years were… interesting to say the least. Definitely could qualify as a ‘Bad Mental State’. And… she also has felt a bit stressed about school and talks about her future. But if she knew herself was in a bad state, then that means–

“Then… are you okay?” Steph asked, realizing something. The boy froze, like actually froze when she said that. It was a trippy sight to see. “Will?”

“What?”

“Are you okay?” She tries again, a bit gentler this time. “Mentally?” Nothing. “Will–

“I… I’m fine.” 

And then he lets go of her hand and starts walking a bit quicker– not even realizing he was doing so. She stops, concern on her face. She wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from a simple yes or no question. She makes a note for herself that when they do get out of here she’s going to have a talk with him (Or at least tell Joyce about her concerns).

She sighs. Always got to be the therapist, Henderson.

She takes a step to move but stops, her eyes trailing off the road to her right, right into the void of the trees. It was weird. She felt like someone was standing right there – The same kind of presence back at the clock tower. 

“Huh.” She turns her attention back in front of her, then proceeds to freak out a bit when she notices how far Will was. She cusses and breaks into a sprint to catch up quickly.

Completely unaware of who that presence really was. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve steps over the barricades, his feet sinking into the leaves. Curiosity got the best of him you could say, or maybe the conversation last night really was getting under his skin (Like he’ll ever admit that), but he found himself here. Standing at a… crime scene, I guess. 

Her car went off road with herself and the Byers boy in it. Not long afterwards, they ditched it. 

His brown orbs trailed from the tree the vehicle hit and down the long road. He also knows, from what he’s heard, they both ran back to the boy’s house and then the trail went cold after that. But that’s the part that tickled his brain a bit. 

Why run all the way back home, a place you’re probably the safest at, and then leave it? It didn’t make sense in his book. Hell, it shouldn’t make sense in anybody’s book. What was the urge for them to run away from home and into the thick woods that surrounds Hawkins? 

He rubbed his chin and started thinking like he was going to solve this or whatever. Like…

He then scoffs at himself. 

What the fuck am I even doing? What is he doing? Why did he drive himself here? It’s not like he should care anymore. I mean, he shouldn’t care anymore. His parents would have his head if they knew–

Then there it is again.

That strange feeling that someone’s watching him. 

He turns around, half expecting a cop to be there to scold him, the other half expecting nothing and– Oh! What do you know? It was nothing. 

But even if it was nothing, he swears someone is standing there, watching his every move. Almost like this presence was here to judge him and see what other stupid things he can do today.

It was definitely giving him the heebie-jeebies.

He frowns, and looks away. “What the fuck…?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It took her an hour, but Joyce got all the lights up. She strung them all through the house, up along the wall and hanging gently off the ceiling. She hopes that she’s not losing her mind – She knows how silly this looks; Putting up Christmas lights in November (I mean, the holiday’s not that far off but still). She was expecting some reaction to happen, some or maybe all of them would immediately start blinking; Instead, her doorbell rings and she’s met with Karen Wheeler.  

Not wanting to be rude, Joyce invited her and her youngest in. Karen pops in a casserole she made into the oven, sitting next to the worried mother and tries to see what state she was in.

Joyce chuckles nervously when her guest notices the festive decoration. “Will always loved Christmas, you know. So I thought if I... I put the lights up... I don’t know, he... I’d feel like he was home somehow.” She covers part of her face with her hand. “I-It’s silly, I-I know…”

Karen shakes her head. “No. No, it’s not silly.” She takes the other woman’s hand in hers, giving her a gentle squeeze. “How is Jonathan holding up?”

Joyce takes a deep breath. “You know, he’s good at taking care of himself. He always has been, you know? I…” She scoffs. “I mean, he thinks I’m losing my mind, but…”

“Joyce.” Karen says, softly. “I want you to know something. If you need anything, anything at all... Ted and I are here for you.”

This sentimental moment caused them both to become oblivious to the lights flickering on in the hallway, a walkway pointing towards Will’s room. The only one who didn’t miss it was Holly, who was now sliding off her chair to follow.

“Thank you.” Joyce said, sincerely. 

Karen smiles. “Okay.”

The two women continued to talk, Joyce even bringing up Mike’s feelings about the whole thing – and even wondered if Claudia and Dustin were okay too. Meanwhile, little Holly Wheeler watched the lights flickered on and off, guiding her to the bedroom. Her eyes watched in awe as the many, many lamps that were lingered around Will’s room turned off and on one-by-one in a symphony-like way.

She giggles and claps, excited to watch this “show”. Then…

They all stopped and the nightmare began. 

Her happiness starts to pool away as she hears a scary sound. She then turns white as a ghost when she notices one of the walls was moving and stretching out towards her.

Who knows what would have happened if Joyce hadn’t come in and grabbed Holly, handing her back to her mother. 

“She shouldn’t be here.” Joyce said, scared in both tone and facial expression. 

Karen didn’t notice the seriousness of her look as she apologizes, “Oh, I’m sorry. She’s quite the explorer these days.”

“Wait, did you see something?” The worried Byers brushes her off, and the little girl nods quickly. “What did... what did you see? Tell me. What did you see?”

“Joyce!” The blonde scolds, but she’s already being shooed away.

“Karen, thank you for the casserole, but I need you to leave.” 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nancy tapped her foot repeatedly, impatiently waiting for the person to pick up the phone. “Come on, come on, come on…” She mumbled, gripping the payphone tight. “Come on–”

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

Oh, thank god. “Hi!” She says, eagerly. “Hi, uh, Ms. Holland, it’s Nancy.”

[ ‘Oh, Nancy, how are you?’ ]

“Good. I’m good. Um, I was just wondering, uh, is Barb there?”

[ ‘Mmm... No, she hasn’t come home yet.’ ]

“But she did come home, right? After the vigil?”

[ ‘No, she said she was staying with you last night.’ ] 

Shit. Nancy mentally scolds herself. “Right, yes. She did, sorry. I meant, did she come home this morning? I think she left some textbooks and she was gonna go pick them up.”

[ ‘Oh, um, no, I haven’t seen her.’ ]

“Do– do you know what? I just remembered... she’s at the library.”

[ ‘Nancy, will you please have her call me as soon as you find her?’ ]

“Yeah.” She shakes her head, frowning at how worried Barb’s mother was sounding. “Yeah, I will. Sorry to bother you.”

She hangs up the phone, frustrated. This wasn’t like Barb at all. In the past when they’ve had some disagreements, she’s never once disappeared like this. The only thing Barb’s ever done that was “extreme” was she did the silent treatment for most of the school day. 

This is so weird. This whole day’s been weird. She sighs and digs out some more change for the machine, and dials another number she knows by heart. The whole time as it rang she was nipping at the tip of her thumb. To her surprise, a voice she’s never heard before answered the phone.

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

The voice was a bit husky, but sweet with a pinch of sass. 

Nancy’s confused, and twirls the phone cord around her finger. “Oh, I’m sorry, who’s this?” She asked, wondering if she dialed the number wrong. “Is this the–”

[ ‘This is Jessica. How can I help you?’ ]

Jessica?

Jessica?

Jessica? Who’s…

Her eyes widened. 

Oh.

Now she recognizes the name. 

It was Steve’s mother – The woman she hasn’t met yet – The woman she’s “meeting” for the first time over the phone.

She swallows, nervously. “Oh, I-I’m… sorry. I was trying to get a hold of Steve.” She replies, feeling a bit awkward (and nervous?).

[ ‘Steven? And who are you to him?’ ]

Well she sounds lovely. She can hear the snobbishness in her tone, almost offended that someone was calling for her son. That’s a little weird.

“Um, I’m his girlfriend.” Nancy replies, trying to sound confident. “I was just wondering if he’s home? I haven’t seen him at school day and I’m a little worried.”

Then came the very long, very uncomfortable pause. For a second there she thought the mom hung up, it was so quiet.

[ ‘Girlfriend? That’s new. ]

“Did Steve not tell you about us?” Nancy asked, a bit hurt and a bit confused. He seemed so proud to show the whole school that they were dating, how come he never told his mother?

[ ‘What’s your name?’ ]

Skipping my question. I love it. “Um, Nancy. Nancy Wheeler, Ma’am.”

[ ‘Wheeler, you said?’ ]

“Um, yes.” Now she was puzzled even more. Was this a bad thing–

[ ‘That’s wonderful!’ ] 

Nancy blinks. “It… is?”

[ ‘My son’s dating a Wheeler! I almost can’t believe it.’ ]

And the woman was laughing with joy(?), which Nancy puts to the side. She just needs to get an answer to her own simple question. “That’s… wonderful, um… is Steve there?”

[ ‘No, he’s not. *Sigh* I swear if that boy’s skipping school, we’re going to have a problem.’ ]

And I think I just made everything worse. She straightens herself up, ready to end this. “Okay, Well… thanks, Mrs. Harrington, I’ll see if he’s maybe hiding out somewhere in the school.”

[ ‘Okay. Well, you have a good rest of your day, sweetheart.’ ]

Sweetheart? Nancy shakes her head again. “Thanks. You too.” She hangs up the phone. Well that was even weirder than the last one.

She crosses her arms, turning to head inside only her eyes to beeline to Carol and Tommy following someone closely – Tommy looking pissed off, especially. 

“What the heck?” She says, and hurries towards them.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hopper and his partner entered the library with an idea – an idea hanging on a very thin thread that is. So, he puts on his best smile and takes off his hat, strolling up to the woman at the desk. “Hey, Marissa. How you doin’?”

The librarian pursed her lips. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here.”

He blinks. “What?”

“You could have at least called, said, ‘Marissa! Hey, it’s not gonna work out. Sorry I wasted your time. I’m a dіck’.”

Oh, now he remembers. “Yep.” He said, agreeing immediately. “I’m sorry. Uh... Maybe we could go out again next week?” She, and even Powell, made a face at him that gave him his answer. He smacks his lips and looks around. “Newspapers? You guys got newspapers around here?”

Marissa nods and shows them where they all are. “We have the New York Times, the Post, all the big ones. Organized by year and topic. You can find the corresponding microfiche in the reading room.”

“Okay, we’re looking for anything on the Hawkins National Laboratory.”

“Well, shouldn’t you be looking for that missing kid?”

“Yeah. We are.” Hopper pushes, and adds, “So, why don’t you start with the Times, and we’ll check out the Post.”

She scoffs in disbelief and walks off, Powell stepping up with a look on his face. “The librarian?” He said, getting a shrug.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nancy sped up when she saw who they were stalking in the parking lot. Why would two people like Tommy and Carol go after a kid like Jonathan Byers? Nothing that went through her mind would give her that answer. When she got closer is when it got more intense. 

Tommy was practically manhandling Jonathan, yelling and trying to take his bag away from him. The eldest Wheeler sped up even more, full on running now.

She manages to step between the two of them, arms out in defense. “Hey! What’s going on?”

“This creep was spying on us last night!” Tommy said, pointing furiously. “Nicole says he was taking pictures of us by the pool.”

“I was looking for my brother.” Jonathan replies, holding his bag close.

“Bullshit. Now let me see.”

“Back off!”

Nancy steps in between them again. “Tommy, stop!” She yells, making him scoff.

“You’re defending this creep, Wheeler?” Carol asked, in disgust.

“First of all, you really going to believe what Nicole said? The girl’s like the boy who cried wolf.”

“Nancy–”

“Lastly, so what if he has photos of us at the pool? It wasn’t like we’re naked.”

“Naked or not, he still took pictures of us!” Tommy snaps, taking a step closer as she takes a step back.

“Pictures or not, he was looking for his brother–”

“How do you know, huh? How?”

“Because he’s been hanging out missing poster signs of him and missing school because he’s the big brother.” Nancy looks over her shoulder, locking eyes with Jonathan. “Go.” He hesitates. “Go, man!”

Not wasting another opportunity, he hustles off towards his car. Tommy tries to lunge towards him, but Nancy isn’t letting up.

“What the fuck, Nancy?!” Tommy shouted, and she chose to ignore him by walking away once she knew Jonathan wasn’t around. “Nancy!”

“Nancy, get back here!” Carol yelled.

“Nancy, you such a fucking princess! Wait until your boyfriend hears about this!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Dude, I can’t believe you did that!” Lucas said, as they bike away from the school. “You know Troy and James are not going to let that slide.”

“I don’t care!” Dustin says, bitterly (and if he could cross his arms right now he would). “I don’t like when people bad mouth my friends, bad mouth my sister! I mean, for Christ’s sake, she was giving Will a ride home. What’s so bad about that?”

He doesn’t care if James’s waiting tomorrow to give him a wedgie, or Troy’s fist plummeting into his face, he doesn’t care. Both Will and Phanie had their fair share of bullying themselves, or whispers of derogatory names and speeches – All because Will was the “quiet kid” and wears “colorful” clothing; All because his sister wasn’t a “girly-girl” and a total nerd. He’s heard that all throughout his life, and sometimes he said something, sometimes he stays silent when told too – He probably should have done that today.

But those… fucking bullies just had to poke him when he was the most stress. Stressed out with each day that none of them had come home.

Jeez, he’s either going to get scolded or praised by his mother if she finds out about that interaction. 

“And don’t even try to convince me to beg them for forgiveness. They don’t deserve it and I’m standing my ground.” Dustin adds, shutting his friend up. As they rode closer and closer to their houses, he frowned, worriedly.

I just hope El knows what she’s talking about. He just wants to find them both soon (Safe and sound would be a plus).

The boys continued to ride until they arrived at the power lines behind the Wheelers’ house. Mike shouted and told the girl to hope on, warning all of them they only had a few hours to pull this off.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce was standing in her kitchen with a cigarette when Chester started barking. She looks up to see the lights in the living room start flickering, and hurries in there. As soon as she entered they died down. Then, slowly the light directly above her activated, and then made a pathway to the other side of the room. Her fingers laced around them, and followed, ending up being directed at a bundle of them lying on the floor.

She rushes to take them in her hands, sitting down and taking a deep breath. It was now or never to find out if she was really losing her mind or not. She closes her eyes, and whispers,

“Will... are you here?”

There was a brief pause followed by the ball lighting up and fading. She chuckles in excitement, completely over the moon with fresh tears in her eyes. 

“Okay, good, good, good, good. Are you…” How should she do this? “Um, blink once for yes, twice for no. C-Can y-you do that for me, sweetie? Can you do–” The ball lights up again just once as she feels a tear run down her cheek and hugs the object.

She can feel it in her bones, in her heart now. She knows this is her baby boy. She knows that her son is still with her.

Joyce smiles and sniffles. “Oh, good boy. Good boy. Okay, Will, um–” Another deep breath. “Is… Is Stephanie with you too?” 

One blink. The girl who was kind enough to pick up her son is still with him despite all this time. She can finally put some of that guilt away now.

“That’s wonderful news.” She said, her expression growing bigger. However, this was going to be the hardest question yet to ask. “Baby, I need to know…” She swallows. “Are you guys alive?”

One blink and her heart skips a beat. She thanks any God who’s listening for this.

Her lip quivers as she follows up with, “Are you guys safe?”

Two blinks.

Her son and Stephanie were not okay.

Now, Joyce was shaking like a leaf as she clenched the lights tighter, her mind running a mile a minute on what she can do. What could she say that wouldn’t revert to playing twenty questions four times over?

“I need to know where to find you two, honey. Where... where are you? Can you... can you tell me where you are? Can you…” She chokes, her cheeks completely stained. “Please, baby. I need to find you. Tell me what to do. Please just... Will…”

She didn’t know how long she sat there and cried, wondering what she could do for her baby, for Steph; But at some point a light bulb idea appeared. She suddenly found herself stringing some lights on the wall over her couch, a row of three, before popping open a can of black paint and began brushing letters on.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“How do we get my mom’s attention when we can’t see what she’s done?” Will asked after hours of walking back to his home, he was disappointed to find that his house still looks the same. I guess their theory about earlier was right–

This world was stuck on the day he and Steph got kidnapped by the beast.

The oldest walked around a bit, thinking. Unfortunately, despite all the lights Joyce bought, they can’t see any of them. “Did she put it in your room, maybe?” Stephanie thought, and wandered inside.

Nothing. Of course. The only thing she saw that was possibly different was some scratch marks on the wall, ones that would be too high for a dog to do.

She swallows and leaves, meeting the boy in the hallway. “Did you have scratches on your wall before?” Will gives her a weird look and shakes his head. She hums. “We got to find those lights quickly. I think that monster’s been lurking around here.”

They found themselves back in the living room, and started moving their arms around, squinting too to see if something would appear. All hope was starting to seem lost until her hand hits an object above, a glowing hue appears for a split second.

“Whoa…” Will said, in awe, and suddenly, they both swore they heard a dog barking. “Chester?”

Steph took this as a sign to keep going, hitting the same spot again before gently moving her hand along the imaginary line. She trails to the little cabinet against the wall, feeling around until she hits something that makes light.

Come on, Ms. Byers. Please tell me you’re home. The two of them waited anxiously, waiting for the woman to speak, waiting for–

.

|| Will... are you here? ||

.

Joyce’s voice broke through, breaking them.

“Mom.” Will breaths, coming down to sit on his knees. “What do I–”

“Start feeling around. Just like I did.” Steph said, coming to sit next to him. He nods again, keeping calm and feels around – His fingers touching something that made the hue appear again. “Perfect. Just like that.”

.

|| Okay, good, good, good, good. ||

.

“See?” Steph says, happily. “It’s working.”

“Mom.” Will says again, smiling. Now, they just have to stay silent and listen.

.

|| Are you… Um, blink once for yes, twice for no. C-Can y-you do that for me, sweetie? Can you do– || 

.

Of course they can. So Will reaches out and touches it once.

.

|| Oh, good boy. Good boy. Okay, Will, um– Is… Is Stephanie with you too? ||

.

One touch. Will is eternally grateful that he’s not alone in this scary place. 

.

|| That’s wonderful news – Baby, I need to know… ||

.

There’s a pause, and they hold their breaths.

.

|| Are you guys alive? ||

.

Their hearts clenched at how painful she sounded. 

His poor mother. I can only imagine what she must feel like. Steph thought, and touched his shoulder, trying to give him some comfort.

He touches the air with a shaky hand, trying not to beat himself up over how much his mother was suffering.

.

|| Are you guys safe? ||

.

They frown, and he touches the air twice.

I’m sorry, Mom. Will says, trying not to picture the state she was in after that answer.

.

|| I need to know where to find you two, honey. Where... where are you? Can you... can you tell me where you are? Can you… Please, baby. I need to find you. Tell me what to do. Please just... Will… ||

.

“Mom?” He croaked, after she went silent. “Mom?”

“Ms. Byers?” She said, worriedly.

“Mom, please… where did you–”

Then they heard the couch scrap across the floor, hitting the wall, followed by the sounds of hammering. 

“What is she doing now?” He asks, both of them standing and hearing the string lights she must have in her hands clink together, and move along the wall. “Why is she hanging up more lights?”

Although he was puzzled, Stephanie was not. She walks over to the couch, getting onto the cushions and feeling around, the hues returning when she hits a certain spot. She laughs blissfully.

“Oh, your mom’s a genius.” Steph said, with a huge smile on her face.

Will gives her a look. “I don’t get it.”

“Watch closely. See–” She touches a line of lights near the ceiling. “Eight.” Then the middle. “Nine.” Then the bottom. “Nine. It makes twenty-six. Your mom’s a freaking genius.”

“Still not getting it.”

“Don’t you see? She didn’t just hang up more lights–” Her smile grows, and soon will his. “It’s an alphabet wall.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nancy wasn’t sure what she was going to do. First Steve doesn’t come into school, and now no one knows where Barb is. She decides to kill two birds with one stone after school, and takes a drive over to the Harrington house. A quick driveby shows that her boyfriend’s car wasn’t there, so she figures he must have just skipped school because of last night’s disagreement. As for her best friend though, she couldn’t have said the same thing.

She slows down and parks directly behind Barb’s car, jogging over and taking a peek inside. Everything was the same, Barb’s purse was on the floor board, and the sweater she changed out of was laid in the seat. 

No. No way. She couldn’t believe this. If Barb didn’t drive home last night then where was she? She tried to come up with excuses, tried to make up ideas that would lead to her coming home without her car but…

Nothing made sense. 

She about cried on the way home, on the verge of a breakdown as she thinks only but the worst of the worst. 

“Hey!” Her mother calls out as she enters the house. “You’re home early! How was the game?” When her mother notices how quiet she was, it is when she meets her daughter halfway. “Nancy? What’s the matter?”

“I-It’s Barb.” Nancy croaks, shaking. “I think... something happened. Something terrible.” She hopes she’s just over exaggerating, but she doesn’t know about that.

She can’t shake off this dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“I don’t know, Chief.” Powell begins, really on the fence about all that they read.

“What don’t you know?” Hopper asked, confused.

“This lady, Terry Ives, sounds like a real nut to me. Her kid was taken for LSD mind control experiments? She’s been discredited. Claim was thrown out–”

Hopper sighs. “Okay, forget about her. Take a look at this.” He slides over a newspaper clipping he printed out. The headline said: ‘MK ULTRA EXPOSED’. He points to a familiar face in the picture. “Dr. Martin Brenner.”

“Who?”

“Brenner. He runs Hawkins Lab.”

“Okay…”

Hopper sits back in his chair with disbelief and scoffs. “You don’t find that interesting?”

“Not really.” Powell said, with a shrug. “He was involved in some hippie crap back in the day, so what?” 

“No, this isn’t hippie crap. This is CIA-sanctioned research.”

“Doesn’t mean he had anything to do with our kids.”

“Come on. Look at that.” Hopper points to the other people in the picture. “Hospital gowns. All of ‘em. Now, that piece of fabric that the teacher found by the pipe. That sure looked like a hospital gown to me, huh? Am I wrong?”

“I don’t know, Chief.”

“Come on, man. Work with me here. I’m not saying that there’s some grand conspiracy–” (You sure about that?) “I’m just…” He sighs, exhausted. “I’m saying maybe something happened. Maybe Will and Stephanie were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they saw something that they shouldn’t have.”

Powell makes a face. “It’s a reach.”

“It’s a start.” 

Before more could be said, Powell’s radio goes off, and Callahan starts speaking.

[ ‘Hey, Powell, is the chief with you?’ ] 

Hopper wastes no time to reach over and take the radio off his partner’s shoulder, answering it, “Hopper here. What do you got?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The boys follow Eleven through the woods, the sun finally setting, slowly engulfing them in darkness if it wasn’t for the lights on their bikes. To everyone’s shock and confusion, she had brought them to a familiar place.

She turns around and faces them, replying, “Here.”

Mike gives her a look. “Yeah, this is where Will lives.”

“Hiding.”

He shakes his head. “No, no, this is where he lives. He’s missing from here. Understand?”

“What are we doing here?” Lucas asked, dropping his bike in annoyance. 

“She said he’s hiding here.”

“Um…” He looks around. “No!”

Now it was Dustin’s turn to look annoyed. “I swear, if we walked all the way out here for nothing–”

“That’s exactly what we did. I told you she didn’t know what the hell she was talking about!”

Mike sighs and looks at her. “Why did you bring us here?”

“Mike, don’t waste your time with her.” Lucas replies, fed up and tired.

“What do you want to do then?”

“Call the cops, like we should have done yesterday.”

“We are not calling the cops!” 

“Hey, guys?” Dustin says, something catching his attention. 

“What other choice do we have?” Lucas yells again. 

“Guys!” He snaps, drawing their attention to the police cars rushing by, followed by an ambulance. Their sirens were blaring loudly, and were heading in a direction they all knew where it led to.

A dreadful feeling came to all of them instantly. 

“Oh no…” Mike whispers.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Stephanie wrote on the wall with a marker the best she could, drawing the alphabet in each row. They couldn’t see the lights or the letters Joyce probably scribbled on too, but they could make do with what they had.

“This should probably help, right?” 

“Definitely.” Will agrees with a nod.

“Good.” She smacks her hands together. “Alright, come on Mrs. Byers, talk to us. Ask us some questions.”

“Come on, Mom.”

They waited and waited, until they finally heard her speak.

.

|| Okay. Okay, baby, talk to me. Talk to me. Where are you guys? ||

.

“What should we say?” Will asked, as he climbed onto the couch.

“Uh…” What could they say? “Here! Right Here. Tell her that.”

“Okay.”

Will Reached up and started touching right above each letter, listening – His mother repeating back whatever he touched.

.

|| ‘R’. Good, good, good, good. That’s good. Come on, come on. ‘I..  G... H... T... H... E... R... E…’.‘Right here’. ||

.

Stephanie frowns, worriedly. Yeah, I know it doesn’t make any sense but it’s true.

“Come on, Mom. Understand. Please.” Will begged, quietly.

.

|| ‘Right here’? I… I-I don’t know what that means. I need you to tell me what to do. What should I do? How do I get to you guys? How do I find you? What should I do? ||

.

“Um…” Will looks over at the teenager. “What should we tell her?”

Steph’s mouth opens and closes quickly. What do they tell her if they’re not even sure what this place is? “Fuck… um…” She scratches her head. “How about–”

. “I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING.” .

The vicious voice seemed to spread itself around the house like a disease making the hair on their necks stand, and a chill ran up their spines. And then all the supposed “dead” electricity started going off, turning the whole house into a light show; Radios and TVs started going frantic; Fans turning on and spinning around too.

Will starts looking around all disoriented. “Steph, what’s going on?” 

“I–” She gasps as she hears the infamous growl in the distance, then the sound of the beast trying to bust through the wall behind her. “Will!!”

The boy frantically writes something out of his mother, just as the monster’s claw broke through the house. Steph takes a quick shot to stun it enough for them to run out the back door – From there, they were off running into the forest.

Again. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce set the brush down, her alphabet wall was done and ready to use. She takes a few steps back so she can see the whole thing, and rubs her hands impatiently.

“Okay.” She breathes, mentally preparing herself. “Okay, baby, talk to me. Talk to me. Where are you guys?” It takes only a second for a letter to appear. “‘R’. Good, good, good, good. That’s good. Come on, come on. ‘I..  G... H... T... H... E... R... E…’.‘Right here’.”

What? 

That doesn’t make sense. What do they mean they’re right here?

“‘Right here’?” She says again, puzzled. “I… I-I don’t know what that means. I need you to tell me what to do. What should I do? How do I get to you guys? How do I find you? What should I do?”

She sees the light flicker again, and waits to see what they spell. Slight spoiler…

It was not what she expected them to say.

They were letters that were going to take her breath away.

R

U 

N 

And then all the lights in the house turned on and flickers rapidly, a sound of growling coming from behind. Scarcely, she turns to find something trying to crawl out of her wall. Terrified to even scream or speak, she starts to back away towards the door as a beast breaks through the wallpaper and hisses. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The boys biked faster and faster, trying to catch up to the emergency vehicles, fearing the worst was yet to come. Just like they suspected, they ended up right at Sattler Quarry.

Meanwhile, Hopper was shaking, praying that what Callahan told him was not true. He arrives at the scene to find paramedics going deep into the water, two stretchers trailing behind. He doesn’t even know if he parked the car or not as he rushes out; A terrible, terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. He runs and blends into the crowd of firemen, waiting (im)patiently for their findings. 

“Oh, Jesus.” He mutters, trying so hard to keep his composure. “Oh, God. Please tell me it’s not the kids.”

The boys and El hid behind a truck, hearts in their throats as they watched as a waterlogged body of a boy was being loaded on the stretcher – soon followed by a larger female.

As soon as he saw the clothes, as soon as he saw the color of their hair, Hopper knew he was too late. Not wanting to break down right there and scream, he turns away and heads to his car. How in the world was he going to be able to tell Joyce and Claudia about this? How was he going to tell them that he failed to save their children after they begged him to? What could he have done differently to change this atrocious outcome?

The boys were shaking their heads from afar, not wanting to believe what they’re seeing. It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare. It has to be! They can’t really be–

“It can’t be them.” Mike choked, shaking his head. “It can’t be.”

“It’s Will and Steph.” Lucas says, lips quivering. Both boys were a mess, almost coming undone, but Dustin…

Oh, Dustin.

He felt like he was about to faint.

“Phanie…?” He whispers, taking a step back while holding his head. No. No. No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No– No! This can’t be real! This can’t be! She can’t be–

“It’s really them.” Lucas said, after getting another look once the bodies were brought back to shore. Tears were in his eyes, and they were ones he wasn’t even going to try to hide like he normally would.

Same thing goes with Mike, who was hugging himself, and sobbed. His best friend was gone. A girl that was like a sister to him was gone. He just couldn’t… wait. “Dustin?” He begins, looking over his friend who seemed so far away from this world.

It was a scary look, enough for even El to get scared and worried. She reached out to him, to comfort him; She even muttered his name for the first time.

To everyone’s surprise, he slaps her hand away.

“‘Dustin’? ‘Dustin’, what?!” He snaps, hatefully. “You were supposed to help us find them alive. You said my sister was alive?! Why did you lie to us?” He points at her, scaring her again. “What’s wrong with you? What is wrong with you?!” 

Eleven stays quiet, not even sure what to say from his outburst.

“Say something! Give me an answer, damn it!” He yells, as Lucas and Mike take a step closer.

“Dustin–” Mike tries, but the boy shakes his head and backs away.

“Screw this! Fuck everything!” Dustin turns around and grabs his bike, his friends ushering him to calm down before taking off. But whatever they say wasn’t going to be enough. The Henderson was practically up the hill when they finished their speech, and wasn’t planning on slowing down no matter what happens.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, not too far down the road, Joyce was running for her life – running whatever that thing was that crawled out of her wall. She was so scared that she didn’t even realize a car was coming towards her. Luckily, it stopped mere inches away, causing her to scream.

“Mom?” Jonathan says as he gets out. “Mom, what happened?” His mother couldn’t speak, only reaching out to grab her son and hold on to dear life. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I got you.” 

But everything is not okay. Far from it. 

Because in the distance, police were coming to inform them of the unfortunate news of their son and brother.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve slips through the sliding door in the back of his house since it was much quieter. He really didn’t feel like facing his parents just yet, and he knows this is around the time at night where they sit around with a glass of wine/beer and watch their shows. He’ll just see and deal with them in the morning, and hopefully they don’t notice any signs that there was a party last night.

He walks lightly across the floors, his mind set to go for the stairs which was going to be a bit tricky since they do tend to creak in some spots. A quick look into the living room he finds his dad on the couch, and his mother standing up but facing the opposite way. 

Perfect. He thought and made his move just as his mother’s voice broke through.

The black, wavy haired and brown eyed woman was pacing around a bit, clearly upset about something – or someone to be exact. 

“The boy was skipping school today, Richard. Can’t you believe that? How is suppose to keep up his grades?” 

Steve had to hold back from groaning as he eye rolled. Here she goes again. He chooses to ignore it, and is about to when he hears the next thing.

“If it wasn’t for his girlfriend calling we would have never known.”

He froze as soon as his foot touched one of the steps. Nancy called? 

His girlfriend actually called the house? She was actually calling because she was wondering where he was at? Even after their fight? He could smile because it warms his heart that she cares, but he was also devastated that his mother was the one to pick up the phone. He hasn’t even told–

“On the bright side, he’s dating a Wheeler. A Wheeler! You know what her father does for a living, right?” She chuckles with excitement. “It’s perfect. I can almost cry.”

And here comes another eyeroll. See this is why he didn’t bother mentioning this girlfriend this time around to his mother. He knew once she found out who her family was it was going to be a game changer. 

Jesus, Christ. He can’t wait to see what’s in store for him in the morning.

“Well, it beats the other choices he’s had in the past.” His father said, pouring salt into old wounds and making him shake his head.

These freaking people, man. I swear. Steve starts to go up the stairs when he hears another voice; This time it was on the TV.

. < In Other words– breaking news. The bodies of some local children, William Byers and Stephanie Henderson have been found. > .

He froze again, this time more rigid and cold.

No.

No, he didn’t just hear that right.

No, his mind’s just playing tricks on him because of last night…

Right?

. < The children have been missing since the 6th, and local authorities and it’s volunteers worked many hours to bring them home, only for it to end in a tragedy. >  .

“About fucking time.” Charles said, raising his beer with joy. “Damn weirdo. I guess our worries about her hanging out with our son again are put to rest.”

Jessica sighs with relief. “Thank God for that. I was tired of seeing her face everywhere.”

“Amen to that.”

He listened to his parents laugh, and clink their drinks together as the world started to spin around him.

No.

No.

This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t–

He’s not sure how much noise he made, or if he made any, but Steve was out the door again in a split second – running straight for his car where he’ll speed off to the unknown parts of Hawkins.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin stumbles inside his house, slamming the door with more force than necessary. Maybe it was necessary ‘cause it got his mother’s attention. She came from the other room, asking what’s going on as he stares at her with a red face and puffy eyes, cheeks stained with tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

“Dustin? What’s wrong?” 

He felt like something was wrapped around his vocal cords, and there was a knife sticking into his chest, and there was something hot poking at his lungs. He has to speak. He has to tell her. It’s better if she knows from his lips rather than a man in blue. 

“Dustin?” She tries again, getting closer.”

“M-Mom…” He begins, his whole body starting to tremble. ���St-Stephanie… sh-she’s… she’s…” Oh, god. Why can’t he freaking say it?

“She’s what?” Claudia asked, worriedness creeping up onto her features.

“Sh-She’s… she’s gone.” He whispers into a sob. “Th-They found them both in… I-In the quarry.” Another sob. “Th-They’re b-both gone. M-Mom. St-Stephanie’s gone…”

And then his mother started to shake her head and said ‘No’, followed by Dustin’s reassurance. This went back and forth for who knows how long, but it ended with Claudia being in the same state as her son – a hobbling mess.

“I-It’s true…” He gasps. “I-I saw it my-myself. They’re r-really b-both gone.” And then he broke down again, this time in her arms. She holds him tight, trying to be the strong one here. 

“Shh, baby, we’ll get through this.” She soothes, rubbing the curls on the back of his neck. Her son grips onto her clothes, burying his head into her chest and lets out never ending gasps for air.

“Mommy…” He choked, as his ears picked up on the sirens in front of his house.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve’s surprised the gas pedal hasn’t gone through the floorboard yet with how much force he’s applying. He doesn’t even know where he’s going, doesn’t even know if he’s hit something, or runs a red light, but he does know that he’s not anywhere near the speed limit. 

The news story was still playing around in his head and it was certainly not helping the situation. 

. < From the looks of it, the poor children had plummeted into the quarry and ended up drowning with possible hypothermia. But the mystery still remains on why these two disappeared in the first place. Hopefully, the police can find the answer to that, and bring some closure to the grieving families. > < Hopefully so, Liz. I can only imagine what they’re going through right now. > < Everyone here at WCPK would like to give our condolences. And we advise everyone watching to give a moment of silence for the children. > .

Steve slams on the breaks, the wheels spinning and making an awful sound as he stops along one of the abandoned roads in the town. He starts breathing heavily, which slowly turns into panting. His heartbeat was in his ears, his throat tight and dry, his brown eyes starting to gloss over.

“Fuck…” He whispers, in disbelief. No matter how many times he thinks this is a dream, thinks that maybe they were wrong and it was two other kids they found, his guts tells him ‘No’ and ‘This is real’. 

“Fuck…” He says again, the pain was slowly turning into anger which eventually led to him banging on every surface in his car. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!”

Stephanie Henderson was dead. The girl he knew since five was dead. The girl he made promises with was dead. The girl who was there for him at his every low was dead. The girl who was the only one to make him really laugh and smile was dead.

The girl he had to give up to protect was dead.

Stephanie Henderson… The girl that was his friend.

No.

Screw that! 

He didn’t want to make that choice but he had to.

The girl that is, and will always be, his friend is dead.

She was just supposed to keep moving on in her life, she was just supposed to keep hating him until she completes her dreams. She was supposed to stay in Hawkins and pretend not to know him until her dream life opens up and whisks her away. 

She was supposed to be alive and safe. 

She wasn’t supposed to be dead at the bottom of a quarry with a boy she offered to protect.

Everything he did to make sure she lived was now pointless.

Now, tears rolled down his face, his hands trembling and his lower lip quivered. Every emotion he kept locked up from their old friendship had returned and it was eating him away, tearing him bit by bit, suffocating him till he turned blue.

He still couldn’t believe it. He wishes he could blink and reality would reveal it was just another dream. 

He knows it won’t be like that. It never will be. So instead…

.

.

.

.

Steve found himself screaming until his throat ran raw.

(TBC)

A/N: Did I emotionally destroy all of you enough? I apologize a bit if so...

~~~

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

@emsownuniverse @unspecifiedvisitor @smaryamsstuff @kitty49646 @jinxeee @bookkeeperlove

[laimabynight]

Original Character Masterlist ♡

Count:93 Systems:32 Active:7

Vampire: The Masquerade

Camilla 'Georgia' Soledad, Brujah (x)

Vendelín Rusizka, Toreador (x)

Anastasia della Giordano, Tzimisce (x)

Devon Rowe, Malkavian (x)

Salvador Dolorosa, Brujah (x)

Kuriyama Tomoe, Banu Haqim (x)

Angelina Cruz, Lasombra (x)

Raffaele Giovanni, Giovanni (x)

Eugen Radetzky, Nosferatu (x)

Margarita D'aureville, Follower of Set (x)

Killian Darkwater, Thin-Blood (x)

René Debussy, City Gangrel (x)

Sister Mirona, Caitiff ( )

Jack Ramiro, Gangrel (x)

Pavlo Stepanovych Makarenko, Brujah ( )

Werner Henkel, Human (x)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse

Jana Mirtschin, Silent Strider (x)

Ljudmila Nikolaewa Sokolova, Silver Fang (x)

Mage: The Ascension

Yvonne Ebert, Verbana (x)

Dungeons & Dragons

Markus Abdiel, Human Monk/Barbarian (x)

Oriana Vylmythe, Eladrin Archfey Warlock (x)

Ladislava von Koldov, Human Undead Warlock (x)

Dorryen Whitestone, Half-Elf Wild Magic Sorcerer ( )

Hatake Yuka, Half-Elf Swaschbuckler Rogue (x)

Beladrin Halhadamorir, Wood Elf Ranger (x)

Tamar Balabanian, Tiefling Champion Fighter (x)

Thames Donahue, Human Undying Warlock (x)

Das Schwarze Auge

Najara al Kira ibn Sajida, Aranian Majuna (x)

Zidanja Walsareff, Bornlandian Adventurer (x)

Call of Cthulhu

Helena 'Harvey' Fountain, Artist (x)

Weston McNamara, Journalist (x)

Else von Sydow, Scientist (x)

Walter E. Harlan, Private Investigator (x)

Lord Ernest of Somersetshire, Noble (x)

Karl Eduard Nauditt / Karol Edward Naumowicz, Thug (x)

Eli Wilkinson, Missionary (x)

Joan Olson, Law Student (x)

María Ascunción Leguizamo, Nature Boy (x)

Vito Massarelli, Gangster Boss (x)

Hearts of Wulin

Ruan Qingshan, Little Brother (x)

Lín Xiǎo Dān, Wanderer (x)

Monsterhearts

Gjest Solheim, Queen (x)

Salem Lotte Harlan, Heir (x)

Jordan Bennett, Seraphim (x)

Michelle Bader, Siren ( )

Elvis Stalten, Witch (x)

Nathan Garcia, Mortal (x)

Moby Liberman, Mimikry (x)

Miranda Kean, Werewolf (x)

Amber Magdalene Dawson, Mortal ( )

Arcane Codex

Yatoth dex Selkasha, Morai Cleric (x)

Okagami

Saya, Kitsugo Noble (x)

Schatten über Volgorod

Ser Ilya Lynnhardt of the Blue Iris, Human Knight (x)

Benoît Vaillancourt, Human Occultist (x)

Cresentia 'Senta' Läufer, Human Model (x)

Rodion Mihail von Blankenheim-Lebedjev, Human Noble (x)

Mircea Eliadescu, Undead Warlord (x)

Pasión de las Pasiones

Fernanda Salazar, La Belleza (x)

Hyboria

Pallantia, Aquilonian Mercenary (x)

Shadow of the Demon Lord

Zinnober, Changeling Magician (x)

For The Queen

Mitena, Inventor (x)

Kasmeer Valorante, Florist/Magician (x)

Htut, Tiger Keeper (x)

Shiverin' Shelley, Pirate (x)

Nicola Snyder, Reporter (x)

Hank Cox, Fraudster (x)

Rippers Resurrected

Ashkara Kathat, Warrior Princess (x)

Mausritter

Annotto Crowley, Bat Cultist (x)

Vespuccio, Envoy (x)

Estragon Heller (x)

Devil, Aim For Me

Tennessee Dixon, Pamphleteer (x)

Pathfinder

Solaris Tarkovisk, Human Cleric (x)

Marquis Donatien Jaques de l'Ostrove, Elf Swashbuckler ( )

Revain 'Petals-Swirling-Around-Body', Bard ( )

Magic School

Ulysses Elevander, Ravenclaw (x)

The Spirit Of '77

Tiago 'Tuco Velocidad' Garrido, The Good Old Boy (x)

One Last Job

Donna Wang, The Driver (x)

R'lyehwatch

Paige DeLuca, The Medic (x)

Electric Bastionland

Dr. Ichabod Bellagamba, Cryptohistorian (x)

Shadowdark

Nourin/Moitreyee, Witch (x)

Solo

Blanca von Hallberg, Noblewoman (x)

Endymiodes, Spartan Warrior (x)

Cartel

Sofia Casagrande, La Esposa (x)

City of Mist

Bethany 'Bassie' LaRue, Bastet (x)

Parisa Keshmiri, Gilgamesch (x)

Vaesen

Olga Klockar, Doctor (x)

Kuzma Vitalijovych Bojchuck, Soldier (x)

Freeform

Draven Schwarzschatten, Cleric (x)

How To Be A Hero

Clementine Sybil Montgomery, Heiress (x)

Edda 'Die Bärin vom Odewald', Swordswoman (x)

Fantasy Forge

Xylenea Octava, Intergalactic Reality Starlet (x)

CY_BORG

GUL, Burned Hacker (x)

Fabula Ultima

Yanagi Yoru, Ambitious Assassin (x)

[wonderlanddreamer]

Reader POV.

Tommy Shelby x Reader

Rough Desires - Tommy is always gentle with you, but you crave something with more ferocity. 18+ Only.

The Stable Girl's Sacrifice - Tommy Shelby is forced to confront his feelings when you take a bullet meant for him.

Shadows & Vows - When Tommy discovers bruises on your skin, a fierce protectiveness awakens within him.

Jealous Heat - It's a dangerous game making Tommy Shelby jealous, but you play it so well. 18+ Only.

Sleep vs. Sex - Tommy wakes you up in the middle of the night because he needs you. 18+ Only.

Buried - Buried beneath the earth, Tommy's only hope lies in your relentless determination to bring him back.

Lean On Me - When you're hurt during an incident at the Garrison, it's Tommy who notices and takes care of you.

Do You Know What Happens To Naughty Girls? - Where discipline sets the stage for an intense power play with the Shelby brothers. 18+ Only.

John Shelby x Reader

Bite Me, John Shelby - "Wait, I didn't mean literally!" You get more than you bargained for when you playfully challenge John Shelby. 18+ Only.

Obsession - John Shelby owns you, and he isn't going to let you forget it. 18+ Only.

Alfie Solomons x Reader

His Serenity - After Alfie has a bad day, you help him find peace in your own, sensual way. 18+ Only.

Head Over Heels - A business meeting with Alfie Solomons when Alfie has anything but business on the brain. 18+ Only.

Main Lydia Masterlist

OC Interview - Lydia Shelby

Things Lydia would love if she existed in 2024.

Multi-Chapter Fics.

Queen Of Kings - Nellie Ensor never expected to return to Small Heath, but fate had other plans. After her father's brutal murder at the hands of a ruthless gang, Nellie inherits the family business—a prize many would kill for. Torn between selling it off for safety and honouring her father's legacy, Nellie decides to stand her ground. Navigating a world steeped in danger, she finds herself entangled with the notorious Peaky Blinders. As threats loom and loyalties are tested, Nellie must find courage to protect her father's dream and carve out a place for herself in a world where survival is never guaranteed. In the heart of Birmingham, amidst the smoke and shadows, a legacy is about to be reborn.

Behind Enemy Lines - Fearless journalist Florence Fletcher is on a mission to expose the Peaky Blinders, but her relentless pursuit pits her against the dangerous and captivating John Shelby. When a greater threat looms, they must join forces, turning enemies into uneasy allies. Amidst the chaos and intrigue, sparks fly and forbidden passion ignites. Can they survive the shadows of Birmingham's underworld and find love, or will their secrets destroy them?

Blurred Lines - Florence Fletcher has always been a thorn in John Shelby's side, but when he finds her drunk and vulnerable on a night out, his protective instincts take over. As he steps in to help her, the hard edges of their contentious relationship start to blur, uncovering unexpected depths and hidden feelings.

[A modern spin-off of Behind Enemy Lines]

The Rook - Seeking refuge from his turbulent life, Tommy Shelby finds solace in The Rook, a quiet pub on Birmingham's outskirts. There, he meets Rosemary King, a barmaid whose sunny disposition offers him an unexpected sanctuary. Her kindness and warmth begin to thaw his hardened heart, creating a bond that takes the gangster by surprise. But peace is short-lived when Tommy's enemies track him to his hidden refuge, putting both The Rook and Rosemary in jeopardy. As danger looms, they must navigate the threats together, testing the strength of their growing connection. Can Tommy protect his newfound sanctuary, or will his criminal life shatter the fragile peace he's found?

[lepartidelamort]

Netanyahou pleurniche après l’annonce d’un possible mandat d’arrêt international pour crimes de guerre

L'impunité est écrite dans la torah.

Vivement que Netanyahou soit recherché pour voir comment les démocraties vont expliquer que ce qu’elles soutiennent pour Poutine et les Russes n’est en fait pas valable pour les juifs.

The Times :

La Cour pénale internationale (CPI) est sur le point de délivrer des mandats d’arrêt à l’encontre de Binyamin Netanyahou et de hauts responsables israéliens dans le cadre de la guerre à Gaza, selon certaines informations, ce qui a suscité une réaction de défi de la part du premier ministre israélien. M. Netanyahu a déclaré vendredi que toute décision de la CPI, qui enquête sur les attaques du Hamas du 7 octobre et sur la réponse militaire d’Israël à Gaza, n’affecterait pas les actions d’Israël, mais créerait un dangereux précédent.

« Sous ma direction, Israël n’acceptera jamais que la Cour pénale internationale de La Haye tente de porter atteinte à son droit fondamental de se défendre », a écrit M. Netanyahu dans une déclaration diffusée en hébreu et en anglais sur les réseaux sociaux.

« Les décisions prises par le tribunal de La Haye n’affecteront pas les actions d’Israël, mais elles créeront un dangereux précédent qui menacera les soldats et les personnalités publiques », a-t-il écrit.

La déclaration ne fait pas explicitement référence aux informations selon lesquelles des mandats d’arrêt internationaux pourraient être délivrés dès la semaine prochaine à l’encontre de hauts responsables de la sécurité et de dirigeants politiques israéliens. Mais une heure après son premier message sur X/Twitter, le premier ministre a retweeté un article du journaliste Douglas Murray paru dans le New York Post, selon lequel la CPI engagerait des poursuites individuelles contre M. Netanyahou, Yoav Gallant, le ministre israélien de la défense, et un officier militaire de haut rang, « très probablement le chef de l’état-major général ». Le ministère israélien des affaires étrangères n’a pas commenté ces affirmations, mais les médias locaux ont rapporté que de hauts responsables israéliens avaient décidé de prendre des mesures préventives contre toute décision future en obtenant le soutien de leurs alliés occidentaux pour mettre fin à tout mandat d’arrêt. Contacté cette semaine au sujet des rapports sur les mandats d’arrêt, un porte-parole de la CPI a déclaré que le bureau du procureur « ne fait pas de commentaires sur les enquêtes en cours et ne répond pas non plus aux spéculations des médias ». Israël est en butte aux critiques internationales concernant sa campagne militaire dans la bande de Gaza, qui a fait plus de 33 000 morts et quelque 1,7 million de déplacés. Il a ignoré une résolution du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies exigeant un cessez-le-feu immédiat pour le mois d’avril.

Les mandats restent à voir.

Dans la coulisse, les gangsters de Washington doivent menacer des pires représailles ce tribunal.

Les juifs n’ont aucune intention de subir un Nuremberg. C’est exclusivement réservé aux goyim qui leur résistent.

Démocratie Participative

[gaslightwestern]

Hello! I'm Carmen. A 33 year-old queer writer known as gaslight on AO3. You will find original and fan works (Red Dead Redemption, my beloved) here. I write historical fiction, westerns, noirs, and mysteries and reblog related content plus classic film and video game posts. I am tag/ask game friendly, read across all genres, and would love to hear about your WIP!

—— Style: Non-linear, 3rd person past tense, playing with genre conventions, relentless and deeply troubled characters, humor and action to balance out dark themes, and trying to make the reader feel like they are watching a movie.

—— Tropes: Mutual Pining, Power of Friendship, Anti-Heroes, Found Family, Roaring Rampage of Revenge, Black-and-Gray Morality, Two Mysteries One Story, Organized Crime, "Retired" Bad Ass, Battle Couple, Disaster Bisexuals

Works in Progress

Blackwater - John Marston hires Private Detective Arthur Morgan to look into the death of Heidi McCourt, a friend who he suspects was the victim of foul play rather than suicide. His investigation leads them into the escalating war over West Elizabeth’s bootlegging industry between two powerful gangsters Arthur happens to have unpleasant and unfinished history with.

—— Status: Chapter 32/33 was posted on August 6, 2024. —— Links: Read on AO3 | Intro | Excerpts | Tag | Inspiration | Fan Art

Hell's Half Acre (When Sins Haunt Prequel) - When death comes to Fort Worth and strikes her new circle of friends, Charlotte O’Shea resolves to hunt down the culprit before they kill again. Murder isn’t the only mystery in the air however. Elijah Addison and Thomas Quinn, a pair of headstrong cowboys and her partners-in-crime-solving, are determined to uncover what made the socialite run away from New York and why she is no stranger to firearms.

—— Status: Drafting (WIP Intro coming soon) —— Links: Tag | Backstory Drabbles → Education | Rivals | Love

When Sins Haunt - When Warren Howard destroys her life again, Charlotte O'Shea goes after the outlaw and his vicious Cobalt Gang. Jack Cadwell, an old friend, crosses Charlotte's warpath when the journalist flees the wrath of a New York crime boss. To survive they must stay a step ahead of their growing list of enemies as Charlotte blazes a trail of vengeance across the American West.

—— Status: Second Draft (On Hold) —— Links: Intro | Side Characters | Tag | Update

Completed Works

Brothers (Pre-Canon AU) - Arthur struggles with the responsibility of being an older brother, particularly being looked up to, as his own actions cut away at his soul and his self-worth continues to erode. He teaches John different things along the way and strives to protect him from harm. This is easier said than done, as is Arthur's desire to prevent the kid from becoming like him. [ x ]

Among the Smoke and the Stars (Epilogue AU) - Most days the urge to run and roam coursed hot under his skin but maybe Beecher’s Hope would change that. Determined to pay off the loan for his new home, John heads to Gaptooth Breach in search of the sixty-five dollars on Esteban Cortez’s head. The thing is John isn't the only one after that bounty. [ x ]

Image Sources

Sunset Clouds - Dewang Gupta (Unsplash)

Blackwater Banner - rollawayyourbones

When Sins Haunt Banner - Sweetwater (2013)

Untitled Banner - Original Picture by Susan Fox

Red Dead Banner - Rockstar Games

Divider - @evansyhelp

If you have read this far, thank you! Please feel free to ask any questions or tell me about what you are working on. :)

[yes-bernie-stuff]

Un jour, dans un périodique, j’ai lu un article qui m’a bouleversé. Le journaliste rapportait le fait suivant :

« Hier matin, Monsieur X est sorti se promener avec son tout jeune garçon de cinq ans. Ils se sont dirigés vers le petit bois tout proche du village. Après une longue marche, Monsieur X s’est assis à l’ombre d’un arbre. Il surveillait son enfant qui allait et venait sans trop s’éloigner ; chaque fois qu’il revenait vers son père, il lui ramenait quelques fleurs qu’il cueillait pour sa maman. Cet homme a raconté aux gendarmes ce qui s’est passé ensuite. Il témoigne qu’il s’est assoupi, et quand il s’est réveillé, il a appelé son fils qu’il n’apercevait plus à ses côtés. Il s’est aussitôt mis à sa recherche, et est arrivé au bord du précipice qui borde le chemin forestier. Là, il a vu, au fond du ravin, son jeune enfant au milieu des ronces et des pierres. Il est descendu auprès de son fils inanimé, il l’a pris dans ses bras, et est retourné en courant jusqu’au village, chez le médecin. L’enfant a été conduit à l’hôpital. Il est entre la vie et la mort. Une enquête a été ouverte. Le père, profondément secoué, s’accuse de sa négligence ».

Ce fait divers m’a fait penser à ces parents qui négligent de prendre soin de leurs enfants. Il y a des négligences qui mettent en péril la vie des enfants. Prendre soin d’eux ne signifie pas les enfermer entre quatre murs pour les protéger, c’est être près d’eux, et les accompagner avec amour dans leurs choix ; c’est les prévenir des précipices qui bordent le chemin de la vie.

Le 22 juin 1934, le gangster John Dillinger, âgé de trente et un ans fut, abattu par le FBI. Dans les mois qui suivirent, un vieil homme rempli de remords venait chaque dimanche pleurer sur la tombe du gangster. C’était son père ! Là, en pleurant, cet homme disait : « Mon fils, pardonne-moi d’avoir négligé de m’occuper de toi comme j’aurais dû le faire. Tu ne serais pas là si j’avais pris soin de toi pour t’éduquer et te guider, comme le demande la Bible que je viens de découvrir maintenant. »

« Seigneur, nous te prions pour que tous les parents, prennent soin de leurs enfants en leur apportant toute l’attention dont ils ont besoin ; non seulement dans le domaine matériel, mais également dans leurs besoins émotionnels et spirituels. Qu’ils soient à leurs côtés, en les entourant d’amour et de bons conseils pour leur éviter de tomber dans des ravins qui pourraient détruire leur vie ! Au nom de Jésus, amen ! »Avec amour, Paul

[christophe76460]

𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗭 𝗦𝗢𝗜𝗡 𝗗𝗘 𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘. ❤️

𝟭 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲́𝗲 𝟱:𝟴 (𝗟𝗦𝗚) « 𝗦𝗶 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗹𝗾𝘂’𝘂𝗻 𝗻’𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘀, 𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝘂𝘅 𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲, 𝗶𝗹 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲́ 𝗹𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗶, 𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗾𝘂’𝘂𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲̀𝗹𝗲. »

Un jour, dans un périodique, j’ai lu un article qui m’a bouleversé. Le journaliste rapportait le fait suivant :

"Hier matin, Monsieur X est sorti se promener avec son tout jeune garçon de cinq ans. Ils se sont dirigés vers le petit bois tout proche du village. Après une longue marche, Monsieur X s’est assis à l’ombre d’un arbre. Il surveillait son enfant qui allait et venait sans trop s’éloigner; chaque fois qu’il revenait vers son père il lui ramenait quelques fleurs qu’il cueillait pour sa maman. Cet homme a raconté aux gendarmes ce qui s’est passé ensuite. Il témoigne qu’il s’est assoupi et quand il s’est réveillé, il a appelé son fils qu’il n’apercevait plus à ses côtés. Il s’est aussitôt mis à sa recherche et est arrivé au bord du précipice qui borde le chemin forestier. Là, il a vu, au fond du ravin, son jeune enfant au milieu des ronces et des pierres. Il est descendu auprès de son fils inanimé, il l’a pris dans ses bras et est retourné en courant jusqu’au village, chez le médecin. L’enfant a été conduit à l’hôpital, il est entre la vie et la mort. Une enquête a été ouverte. Le père, profondément secoué, s’accuse de sa négligence". 😥

🛑 Ce fait divers m’a fait penser à ces parents qui négligent de prendre soin de leurs enfants. 𝗜𝗹 𝘆 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲́𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲́𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝗹𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀. Prendre soin d’eux ne signifie pas les enfermer entre quatre murs pour les protéger, c’est être près d’eux et les accompagner avec amour dans leurs choix; c’est les prévenir des précipices qui bordent le chemin de la vie. ✅

Le 22 juin 1934, le gangster John Dillinger, âgé de trente et un ans fut abattu par le FBI. Dans les mois qui suivirent, un vieil homme rempli de remords venait chaque dimanche pleurer sur la tombe du gangster. C’était son père ! Là, en pleurant cet homme disait : "𝗠𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘀, 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲-𝗺𝗼𝗶 𝗱’𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗿 𝗻𝗲́𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲́ 𝗱𝗲 𝗺’𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗶 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝗷’𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝘂̂ 𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝘂 𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗮̀ 𝘀𝗶 𝗷’𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗶 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁’𝗲́𝗱𝘂𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗹𝗮 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗷𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗲́𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘃𝗿𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁"😥

𝗨𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗜𝗟 𝗣𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗔𝗨𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗗'𝗛𝗨𝗜 :

Vous qui avez des enfants en bas âge, prenez soin de leur apporter l’attention dont ils ont besoin. Soyez à leurs côtés, entourez-les d’amour et de bons conseils pour leur éviter de tomber dans des ravins qui pourraient détruire leur vie. ✅

𝗩𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘇 𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲́ ? 𝗟𝗮𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘇 𝘂𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲, 𝘂𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘇 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀 !

Demeurez abondamment béni ! 🙏🏾

[tooningtheweb]

Leave them aloneee — they’re BUSY 👀

[shih-coulda-had-it]

Fake dating prompt 27 or 28 for en x gran torino pls! (I need more content of them).

details unique to this iteration of sixthtorino: en is older than sorahiko, and en's younger cousin is nana (who will be marrying out to mr. shimura).

28. you're upfront that your friends dared you to date me because I'm the Ice Queen/Forever Bachelor and I'm always up for proving people wrong | sixthtorino | wc: 997

//

En agreed to attend the Yamanashi Prefecture’s All Heroes Charity Gala only because he assumed Banjo was also going. Lariat was a reliable brick wall when Smokestack needed to hide from inquisitive eyes and questions like, “What are you hiding behind that collar?” because like hell was En going to expose his neck at a black-tie event.

And then they got the memo that Lariat was banned from attending charity galas.

“That’s not very inclusive of you,” said Banjo, trying to strong-arm his way past the hired security. He could almost be mistaken for one of them, save for the fact that his white-button collar shirt was unbuttoned to expose the cleavage of his pectoral muscles. All he needed was a gold chain to complete the gangster-like look.

“Sir, I’m extremely sorry,” said the bouncer, somehow wrestling Banjo back, “but the organizers still remember the last time you had access to the champagne table.”

“It was funny,” En argued.

“There was fire.”

In the end, since Banjo only attended the charity galas for the opportunity to cause mischief, he gracelessly conceded and told En, “Good luck,” as if that made up for his poor showing as a senpai. En glared at him, curled his hands into white-knuckled fists, and stalked past the entryway, joining a retinue of giggly first-year pro-heroes.

It sort of pained En that he still looked like a first-year; he reminded himself that he was nearly twenty-seven, which made him a total veteran among the newbies.

A total veteran who, after a mere hour of slinking around conversational hooks and the rare journalist armed with a camera, retreated to the outside pavilion. He leaned against a pillar and checked his watch for the umpteenth time, feeling the urge to exhale smoke and vanish.

Footsteps. Heavy, slow, like the person was telegraphing.

En swallowed back the smoke and waited.

“Smokestack,” said Gran Torino. En perked up, lining his spine against the stone column, wondering if he should do something to beckon Gran Torino forward. He didn’t even have any snacks to offer! “Mind if I hang out with you for a bit?”

“Not at all,” said En, the answer automatic and far too enthusiastic for an underground hero with his image.

Quietly, Gran Torino steps past En’s peripheral vision and turns on his heel, one flute of champagne in his hand. He’d followed the dress code perfectly, save for the missing black tie. And while Gran Torino wasn’t so shameless to show his chest to the world, the pale of his throat caught the moonlight.

He was also unmasked.

Gran Torino was, by most perspectives in the industry, a latecomer to the career. He hadn’t attended any schools or programs; he’d simply tested for the license, shown an aptitude for survival, and then stuck onto Seventh Wonder’s side like a stubborn, handsome burr.

That he was such close friends with Seventh Wonder was the only reason why En knew anything about him.

“How’s your partner?”

“Your cousin’s fine,” said Torino, and he took a sip of the champagne as though he needed liquid courage. If En was staring at his mouth, then that was his own business. “She thought I was hovering too much by the catering.”

“Ah, she shouldn’t have. Most people are talking too much to eat.”

“I noticed.”

En grinned at the dry comment, eyes curving into half-moon smiles, and they fell into an almost companionable silence, one wherein Torino turned his gaze to the stone steps leading out from the pavilion. The thin lips flattened into a tight line, and twisted into a grimace. Torino fidgeted with the glass flute’s stem, and then:

“I gotta tell you something.”

“Yes?”

“My friends. They dared me to ask you out.”

En blinked. A feeling, heavy like smoke, suffocating like the white foam that came out of a fire extinguisher, settled in his lungs like truth. Of course he hadn’t caught the eye of Gran Torino; of course Gran Torino had to be bullied into asking Smokestack out on a date.

He cleared his throat. “What brought me to you and your friends’ attention?”

“... It’d be kinder for you to reject me,” said Torino.

“Oh. It’s that bad?”

Swiftly, Gran Torino reached out to catch En’s wrist, the span of his long fingers sending a chill through En’s thin skin. He hoped dearly that his ears weren't beginning to flush pink. It wasn’t even skin to skin contact. What was there to be flustered about?! And anyways, wasn’t he supposed to be the one making Torino blush?

What would Banjo do? When En was dogging Lariat’s heels, or setting up the conditions of a fight beforehand, surely his senpai had dropped hints on how to flirt?

“Smokestack doesn’t date,” Torino recited, and his pale brown eyes peered down into En’s. “Trying to catch him is like trying to grasp the smoke he leaves behind. Today marks the tenth year he hasn’t brought a plus-one to an event, so maybe he’s destined to forever be a bachelor.”

En was less stung by the statements and more taken aback by the gossip that had passed him by. Standing behind Lariat really did take all the attention off him. Faintly, he said, “I see,” but Torino wasn’t finished.

“My friends think they’re funny, because they’re of the opinion that I was destined to be that forever bachelor.” He cleared his throat. “They saw me staring at you.”

“When you say ‘they’…”

“Your cousin. Her fiance. A few others that I usually don’t find annoying.”

“You were staring at me?” En echoed belatedly. Torino cleared his throat and broke eye contact, for all intents and purposes looking flustered. It was cute. It was really, really cute, and even if En was about to be cruelly disillusioned by the reality of sharing a part of his life with Gran Torino, he thought it’d be worth it, just to see Gran Torino blush. “Well, kouhai… let’s prove their opinions wrong.”

[damonfuckingalbarn]

Hiya I’d love a match up please x

Hiii I would love a Britpop match up if your still doing them 🥰

I am 5”4, she/her with chest length dark brown hair. I have hazel eyes. I like to wear natural makeup and often leave my hair in brushed out loose curls simply because I have no hair or makeup skills 😭. I love all kinds of music but mainly 60s and 70s . My favourite artists are the Beatles, Dusty Springfield, the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Kasabian, Arctic monkeys, Miles Kane, The last shadow puppets, mitski and Lana del Ray( I won’t mention any britpop artists for this). I love movies especially comedy and gangster movies my favourite movie is goodfellas. I love comedy and am a big fan of comedy panel shows aswell. I speak English, Irish and German. I love reading but don’t read as much as I used to. I am a Taurus. I am hoping to study to be a music journalist someday. I love having deep drunken conversations with people. I love going to concerts with friends and dancing in general tho I’m not good at it at all. I absolutely despise smoking... until i take a sip of alcohol then I could go through a whole pack.Hope this is alright thank u!! 😘

Okay so first off, you sound like such a cool person, like pls be my friend!!

Buuuuut, my first thought was that you and Damon would be such a good match up and that just came more obvious the more I read on!

He would definitely love that you make your appearance more natural and I could see him always trying to play with your hair. He loves that you wear it down because it means he can run his hands through it whenever he gets the chance or always wrapping your curls around his fingers

Evenings together would definitely consist of putting a record on, whenever he wants your attention he’d put one of your favourites on. You’d be trying to cook dinner and he’d have his hands wherever he can, trying his best to distract you from what you’re doing.

“Damon, we’re not going to have any dinner if you carry on” “just one dance darling, that’s all I need” but of course, one dance is never enough and it’s never long before you’re both dancing around the kitchen, laughing at the stupid moves you’re both pulling. It’s only when you smell burning that you suddenly remember what you were meant to be doing, before he distracted you.

Teaching him how to speak another language!!! He’s determined to learn German from you and every so often, he’ll surprise you with a new phrase he’d learnt and it would make you smile uncontrollably.

Also, learning a new language together!! Can you just imagine him trying to concentrate and the competitive side of him wanting to learn phrases faster than you “Come on darling, we’ve not done our practice for today”

He knows how much you want to be a music journalist and he’s desperate to try and help you in any way he can. Tells you what he thinks makes a good article or a good interview and let’s you write mock articles on unreleased songs, of course they’re always bias, but you appreciate all the help he gives you.

You pull a face and sarcastically roll your eyes every time he smoked in front of you but as soon as you’ve had just enough drinks you try and take a cigarette from his pocket as discreetly as possible.

Of course, it’s never that discreet and he always plays oblivious to the hand so obviously rooting in his pocket. When he knows you’re going out or to a party together, he always makes sure he has an extra packet of cigarettes in his pocket, just so there’s some for you to take.

I hope you liked that anon!! <3

I’ve never done one of these before so if it was a bit rubbish then I apologise greatly, but I really hope I was going along the right lines!!

[flurrys-creativity]

Say my name Masterlist

Pairing: Kim Hongjoong (Ateez) x Fem!Reader

Genre: Gangster AU, Angst, Sensitive Themes like Death, Threats etc., Romance, parts Humour and Fluff

Rating: sfw, NC-17

Warnings are added for each chapter!

Summary: Normally as a journalist you only see everything from the sidelines, you are never involved in cases or situations. That changes the moment you stumble over a crime scene and decide not to mention the guys you saw during your police questioning. Now kidnapped by those guys you realize they are trying to find the real culprit and you are intrigued to help them.

Completed

Based on this drabble idea

Part 1 

Part 2 

Part 3 

Part 4 

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Epilogue

Halloween Special

© all rights reserved

[dropintomanga]

Understanding Yumeko Jabami, Thanks to Mahjong

One of my latest hobbies is about to intersect with a very notable gambling anime/manga series starring a girl who just loves to risk it all.

So I found out that Mahjong Soul, the game/service I play online riichi mahjong on, is doing a collaboration with Kakegurui and my reaction to it is somewhat of a mixed one. 

That’s mostly due to what Kakegurui explores versus the ambiguity of mahjong as a gambling game.

For those who don’t know about Kakegurui, it’s a gambling anime/manga series about a young girl named Yumeko Jabami who attends a school, Hyakkaou Private Academy, where the social hierarchy is determined by gambling with your fellow students. The more you win, the more privileges you get in school. The more you lose, the worse your status is. There are multiple “loser” students that are labeled as “household pets” and have to wear a tag around their neck that labels them as such. Yumeko is noted to be a compulsive gambler. She doesn’t care if she wins or loses; she’s in it for the thrill. Yumeko’s behavior draws the attention of the whole school as she takes on various notable opponents in order to get an opportunity to take on the student council president, Kirari Momobami.

There’s a lot of commentary about Kakegurui with regards to Yumeko’s character. She does have a huge gambling addiction, but never truly pays for it in anyway. The series can be also be commentary about the nature of today’s world and how the nature of capitalism has destroyed important familial/peer bonds for the sake of status.

I find the MajSoul x Kakegurui collaboration fascinating because 

1.) Gambling is illegal in Japan. There’s literally no casinos there at all. You can beat on sports and horse racing, but if you want to play poker/blackjack, underground casinos are your best bet. And the ones who run them tend to be the yakuza. The Yakuza games highlight underground casinos to a huge degree.

2.) Mahjong has stigma from where the game originated - China. The Chinese government has frowned on people playing mahjong to gamble. While there are mahjong parlors in China, there are many stories of police raiding them and many parlors are run by gangsters. It also doesn’t help that some Chinese folks have had their lives ruined due to mahjong.

3.) Mahjong is very popular in Japan. It’s probably the most popular table game there. However, the game is in this in-between space of being a gambling game while also not being a gambling game. That’s probably a big reason why Japan hasn’t been too fussy about it.

So this collaboration has some kind of tension as many folks don’t know about the dark “gambling” side of mahjong. Kakegurui is a trip to that dark side. No real money is bet in MajSoul anyway, but I’ve been thinking about the series after getting caught up with the manga.

There’s a scene where Yumeko and one of her rivals-turned-ally, Mary Saotome, face off in a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors Poker. Mary was the 1st opponent Yumeko fought and she lost her place in the school. Over time, Mary built up the resolve to challenge Yumeko again while becoming more friendlier. During their game, Mary manages to win a hand against Yumeko. Yumeko admits that she was scared during the hand, but at the same time, she’s having A LOT of fun.

Mary remarks about her comments:

“Oh. The way Yumeko sees it...fear is part of the fun of gambling. This is so ridiculous. “Fear is part of the fun of gambling”? It makes no sense. And yet, I’m starting to feel it right now. 

Getting afraid, bluffing, going in fully confident...our feelings are exposed in every move we make, and we respond to them and then...the showdown! Our true emotions are revealed. 

We’re having the kind of conversation we can only enjoy when we’re gambling.

It’s like we’re in our own little world...sharing secrets with each other.”

Yumeko isn’t a hero. Gamblers usually aren’t noble characters, but they have this tendency to inspire other people to embrace their vulnerabilities and move forward while doing so. Fear is real, but it closes off the real you. Yumeko wants the people around her to truly be themselves and take the kinds of risks that can change their lives for the better in so many ways.

There was an article I once read about how most work is BS and one of the things that was mentioned was that what’s considered work today doesn’t solve social problems. For example, many people will argue that rampant consumerism has destroyed the world. The writer said something along the lines of that it’s not pleasure that’s a problem; it’s the view that people have to suffer in order to deserve pleasure. That view feels like Puritanism because it absolves those with power of their responsibility in letting social problems happen in the first place. 

Kakegurui is a celebration of that pleasure in a way that generates real change. The freedom to have whatever desire you want. And in turn, that freedom spreads to other people in good ways. In some ways, mahjong is about the right kind of pleasure and learning how to deal with it amongst other people. It’s competitive, sure, but you’re being intimate with 3 other people and are learning more about yourself and those around you.

I don’t really gamble much, but mahjong just grew on me. While I’ve managed to do well, I have lost many times and have deliberated on many in-game decisions. I realize that the game is a safe outlet in learning how to deal with life’s many decisions. You don’t win all the time. There’s also benefits in letting other people win as well. For example, if you’re in 1st place by a lot and the player in 2nd place is chasing you, you can help the 3rd and 4th place holders by discarding tiles that you don’t need and they need. Make them take on 2nd place or each other. Hell, you can even lose to them if you know you won’t lose 1st place at all and they don’t have super-strong hands. Mahjong is a game that connects everyone and really gets going when all the parts (i.e. the players) move together.

There’s a wonderful interview I read last year from a psychology journalist turned pro poker player, Maria Konnikova, about being unable to control things in life and how poker taught her how to stay calm despite bad luck. Maria talks about the beauty of not knowing and embracing that view.

“Look at how many things there are to amaze us, to fascinate us. Look at the power of wonder, embrace it, and don’t be afraid there are things we don’t know. Don’t be afraid of uncertainty, be grateful for it. Would you want to live in a world where you knew everything and where everything was determined? 

He (Carl Sagan) hated superstition, as do I. Don’t take the easy way out. Don’t give up agency. Don’t have these stupid rituals. Science is beautiful. Lack of knowing is beautiful. All of these things we can’t control are beautiful. They’re powerful. They make us human. They make life worth living.“

We all make kinds of gambles in life when it comes to choosing the right partner/school/job opportunity. There tends to be a lot of pain, but there’s almost always something good that comes out of taking the right kinds of risk. I’m learning more about that through mahjong. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever get super-competitive in mahjong because it’s a lifetime to master. But it’s a safe outlet to process my fears of uncertainty. My mom has been a big help in telling me that it’s okay to lose and give up when needed. There has to be rainy days as well as sunny days, right? The “win at all costs” mentality causes so much harm to people and those around them.

While I know Yumeko is criticized to be a sexualized female character, Yumeko isn’t afraid to display her lust for gambling with a sense of pride. In my opinion, she represents female empowerment. There’s so many women who are slut-shamed for being sexually expressive. What bigots fear are people unafraid to express themselves and won’t let themselves be shamed for it. Yumeko is the kind of heroine whose story needs to be out there - potentially destructive and able to harness it for self-empowerment without it getting out of hand.

So, I’ll go pseudo-Yumeko and say - Gamble away responsibly to your heart’s content~! Share your love with fellow gamblers! Have fun! Make that fun destroy those insecurities awful people have placed upon you! (insert wicked grin)

[rockhopsblog]

Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN-- A New Hip Hop Legend

Whether tall tale, truth, or somewhere in between, 13 time Grammy Award winning rapper/songwriter Kendrick Lamar Duckworth’s rise to immortality is nothing short of a cosmic wonder. To go back to the beginning, let’s first take a look at his most recent solo project, 2017’s Album of the Year nominee and Best Rap Album winner “Damn”. The very last track of the album, “Duckworth”, tells of a saga that took place during the rapper’s infancy. The mythic-like storytelling follows the journey of his father, mother, and what would one day become the owner of the record label that propelled Kendrick into stardom. Kendrick’s father, “Ducky” supposedly worked at a chicken fast food restaurant, which “Top Dawg” Anthony Tiffith, proprietor of Top Dawg Entertainment, frequented. Tiffith was a notorious gangster on the block who aspired to be the first one from his neighborhood to reach the life of luxury. Tiffith went on to plan and subsequently rob the chicken place Ducky worked at, but spared his life because he had always given him an extra biscuit with his meals. Because of this decision, Kendrick grew up with his father around, helping to keep him out of the L.A. gang wars and keeping Tiffith out of prison so he could go on to found a record label. Things obviously could have gone very differently, but they didn’t. As Kendrick himself puts it: “Whoever thought the greatest rapper would be from coincidence? Because if Anthony killed Ducky, Top Dawg could be serving life, While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight”.

Growing up in Compton, CA and making it out to be a success is no small feat. Throughout the years, one of Kendrick’s closest collaborators has been a rapper/blood gang member, Jay Rock, who too came from the neighborhood that Kendrick grew up in. Also a close friend of theirs- Schoolboy Q, a crip. Kendrick Lamar has been on the forefront of using his voice to unify people involved in gang violence and deterring those who may later fall into it. In 2015, Kendrick designed and released his signature shoe with Nike, aimed at the unification of people divided by the lifestyle that many of his friends and family became victims of during the tribulations of his youth. In 2007, a friend of Lamar’s called “DT” was gunned down by police for reportedly posing a threat, an event which seemed to Kendrick was all too common in his life. The silver lining, however, seems to be that there’s no shortage of the tales in Kendrick Lamar’s rap repertoire to depict the dangers and deeper meanings about the reality of gang activity, giving those steeped in that side of life hope for betterment and success. 

In the early stages of Kendrick’s career, he was selected to be in one of the first XXL freshmen, an annual group of rappers recognized by the hip hop publication as up and coming artists. XXL’s freshman freestyles were new at the time, and Kendrick Lamar’s verse in the cypher was prominently featured online and the cypher itself is often looked back on as a classic among those available on YouTube. Those who initially viewed the freestyle session may have come looking for other, better known rappers, only to find themselves stumbling upon the discovery of a young Kendrick Lamar. Around this same time, he released his first official single, “HiiiPoWeR”, which was produced by the now prolific J. Cole. These two, in their own rights, have become widely regarded as today’s best hip hop lyricists for their hard hitting and meaningful bars. Rubbing elbows too with Kendrick was the now superstar pop sensation and rapper, Drake. Drake, a Toronto rapper, has helped launch several careers through featuring on their music because of his viral popularity. When Drake and Kendrick collaborated on Kendrick Lamar’s “Good Kid M.A.A.D. City”, Drake’s career was still in its early stages, but their song together certainly helped garner a mainstream appeal for the release at the time. All in all, it is clear to anyone doing some digging that not only did Kendrick work hard at refining his craft to become prolific, but that he was also met with great fortune in making the correct moves early on in his career to find the notoriety that he now enjoys. 

Fueled by artists such as Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, Kurupt and Eminem, Lamar has carried the torch forward from the 90s into the modern age of rap. During the famed “California Love” music video shoot featuring Dr. Dre and Tupac, Kendrick has claimed a small piece of hip hop legend by saying he was present in Compton, on the scene for the shoot. As a child, seeing such an idol and icon propelled his drive to follow in the footsteps of the greats of yesterday. In 2015, Kendrick sat down for an interview with the group N.W.A. who’ve had such classics as “Straight Outta Compton” and “Express Yourself”. In the conversation, Lamar said: “anything that I do, it always comes from what y’all done, I wanna get y’all take on my generation today and what we have as far as music”. In response, DJ Ren retorted “I like a few, I like you”. The metaphorical hand-off is evident, from O.G. approval to the strong impact in waves that Lamar has been able to produce from just four major label solo albums. From Anderson .Paak to Roddy Ricch, Kendrick has set out and proved more than he’d ever dreamed of.

Currently, Lamar has two triple platinum records as well as one platinum record which was maybe the most adventurous and critically acclaimed album, not only of his career, but of that decade. Rolling Stone magazine journalist Greg Tate called “To Pimp a Butterfly” a “masterpiece of fiery outrage, deep jazz and ruthless self-critique”.With songs like “The Blacker the Berry” and “Hood Politics”, the fabric of TPAB was woven to reflect the attitudes of a movement of racial justice and equality in a time of great struggle and oppression. Aside from exposing the brutalities of life as a black man in the United States, Lamar also presented the album as a platform to uplift and celebrate the accomplishments and great artistic devotions of black people from around the world. Many consider this album to be Kendrick Lamar’s magnum opus. He has shown that his work has staying power, and that his albums stand out among the formulaic pop-trap that reigns supreme on the radio. Perhaps TPAB has gone the farthest out of any other thing to help cement him as the king of hip hop and the greatest rapper of the generation. 

With a back catalogue so insanely successful you’d expect Mr. Kendrick Lamar to be universally beloved, right? Well, not so fast. No inspection of Lamar’s career would be complete without the mention of his ground-breaking verse on the song “Control” by Big Sean. Kendrick decided to seize the moment coming off of his first platinum album by going after 11 of the biggest names in rap at the time, including: J. Cole, Meek Mill, Drake, Big KRIT, Wale, Pusha T, ASAP Rocky, Tyler The Creator, and Mac Miller. Many interpreted his lyrics in which he called out these artists to be a diss, but we now know that it was, in fact, Lamar’s intent to light a flame under these artists to create higher art. The people named on the verse were people Kendrick truly believed had the potential to create truly classic works, and his bar “I got love for you all but I'm tryin' to murder you” was aimed at them because of the intention to hype them up to work harder and realize that they weren’t inherently owed the popularity bestowed to them. The so-called “Control verse” made such a splash that even rappers who weren’t even named in the song made counter-disses to the single verse in the form of an entire song. Most notable out of these songs were Joe Budden’s “Lost Control”, Joey B4Da$$’s “Killuminati Pt. 2”, and Lupe Fiasco’s “SLR 2”. Despite the negativity spawned from this verse aimed to do good in the hip hop community, Kendrick Lamar’s twitter saw a 510% increase in followers just days after the dropping of the single. If there even was any “beef” to be had regarding this song, it is clear who the real winner was.

From the president of the United States claiming his favorite song was a Kendrick Lamar song at one point, to winning a Pulitzer Prize for 2017’s “DAMN”, the mile-high accolades of Kendrick seem almost too good to be true. However, of all accomplishments, perhaps his greatest is his influence on music. Not only has he single handedly put on several label-mates to the mainstream, but he has risen the bar of what it means to write a good rap song in this day and age. Not content with people who churn out 30 song albums as a money grab, Kendrick has shown that effort is important, that careful construction of art is important. Lamar has also been credited as reviving the importance of the hip-hop music video. It is clear during a listening session on Spotify or YouTube that so many troves of artists, young and old, are attempting to emanate the same X factor that Kendrick Lamar Duckworth has been so highly praised for, and rightfully so.

[phantombmoll]

#The fic that didn't have a name has a name now! Also Is it dark? Yeah Is it hella dark? Maybe I don't think I'll have to put trigger warnings on this because it's more about Peggy and Ted, the investigation is just the thing that brings them together in the first place annnnnnddddddd I think this fic should average at about ten chapters or so when finished, maybe more though. I'm just kind of letting the words and characters carry me along at this point. Reignite - available on AO3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/30941900/chapters/79329064

#Ted Hastings x OC - Part Two

“You moved in here?” Ted asked, looking around as Peggy fiddled about in her handbag. She brought out a key chain that seemed stuffed. It jangled as she searched for the right one and a smile twitched at the corners of Ted’s mouth. Hardly inconspicuous.

“No, no it’s just-” Peggy paused sliding the key into the lock. “If someone’s watching the house I’d rather them watch this one.” She admitted, stepping over the threshold. A lamp was already on and Ted suspected timers to make it appear someone was still here. Ted wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find, maybe more clutter, something like hoarders. Newspapers taped to walls. The hallway was clear though. A stretching corridor that ran past the stairs and to the back of the house where Ted could see the kitchen.

His timer theory was confirmed as Peggy turned right and he spotted the plug in the wall.

The house was just big enough for its purpose. A living/dining area with a long polished table to the right. The corridor and stairs took the middle of the house and to the left was Peggy’s fathers office and then the kitchen.

On stepping in the open living/dining space looked, for a better word normal. Bookshelves, a wide telly that Ted imagined the footie looked great on. Nik nacks and pictures littered the walls. A glass bookcase contained memorabilia. As Ted turned back towards the wall the door he’d come through was on, a mosaic of paperwork blossomed. Peggy turned over a few paintings and then to Ted’s surprise pushed a bookcase on wheels out of the way revealing more.

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph you weren’t wrong about there being a lot here.” Ted breathed. His eyes didn’t know where to land first.

“I’ll get you a drink.” Peggy said her heels clipping along the polished wooden floor until she must have removed them.

Ted moved towards the wall starting to glance over the patchwork of paperwork in front of him. There were, he noted, albeit hidden, gruesome crime scene pictures. Markers on them indicated they were copies, probably from Peggy’s fathers legal practice.

There were symbols circled in red pen, missing persons posters, autopsies, grainy cctv print outs, newspaper clippings. Things were highlighted and connected but for now Ted had no real idea what he was looking at. There was a face he recognised though. Tommy Hunter. A red thread made its way from an outer circle of photographs to another man Ted didn’t recognise.

“Here.” Peggy returned, handing him a whisky in a glass tumbler.

“You remember how I like it.” Ted said, glancing down.

“And what you like.” Peggy nodded towards the glass, encouraging him to take a sip. In her hand she had what Ted suspected was cider.

“Is that your mother?” Ted asked, leaning in towards a picture on the board.

“She’s what got this whole thing started. Well Richard was.”

“Yeah well your da never took that divorce very well.”

“Yeah but that’s not why this started. Richard was creepy, as were his sons.” Peggy rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably and Ted watched her for a minute. “She’s in the Bahamas now I think, mum, some business tycoon called Henry or something.”

“How many times has she been married now?” Ted asked with a brow raised.

“If she marries this one it’ll be six and honestly I’m surprised the police haven’t been onto her yet because it gets a bit black widowy after the third.” Peggy chuckled.

“God that’s not what all this is is it?” Ted asked, gesturing to the wall. Peggy laughed and shook her head but when she looked up at the wall her face fell a little. Something went out behind her eyes and Ted felt it down in his gut. He knew that look. It was the look of someone who knew about evils, knew people were still being hurt but was having to play a waiting game. He knew that look because he’d worn that look himself.

“My dad heard a rumour before he retired. A rumour about Richard Bank’s grandson. A party that got out of hand, all the gossip said it was drugs and violence and it just needed to be hushed up and it was. Dad found out later they paid off journalists, doctors, a few nurses. Which is nothing major in the grand scheme of things. Rich kids causing trouble then parents throwing money at it, is nothing new. Then just after retirement he overheard at an event that Banks' son, Andrew, was in trouble again. Something to do with a party.”

“Anyway dad, put it down to rumour mongering but things kept coming up and he ended up doing a little digging. He was just curious. Cut to a few years later. Must have been about 8 years ago now. Dad was doing some pro-bono work, an old lawyer that Dad had grown up knowing. The guy starts babbling incoherently, asking if Lucy’s okay, if she’s alright, that he didn’t mean to hurt her. Before dad can get his phone out the nurses come in, say something about watching Dracula and my dad is shuffled out. Dad said he couldn’t get it out of his head though. He couldn’t get out of his head how distressed his old friend had looked. So he started pulling on a thread and this is what he wound up with.” Peggy gestured to the papers around them. “It’s like a club Ted, and they hold ‘pleasure’ parties and gatherings and god knows what else.”

Peggy inhaled, then took a drink. How many times must she have gone over this and still the thought made her sick. It was then Ted knew something much worse than just drugs and gangsters was coming.

“It’s not about power, well, I suppose it is but not in the sense of what I’ve seen before. It’s not about money or blackmail or drugs. It’s about blood and pain and leaving humanity at the door.” Peggy paused for a minute and closed her eyes, holding her drink to her like it might save her from whatever was running through her head.

“From what we can gather it’s an anything goes situation. Whatever you want, they’ll get it. Whatever you want to do or try or indulge in, they will give it to you. You give them a fee and you walk into a room where anything goes and you can call yourself a god.”

“And I know what you’re thinking. People like Tommy Hunter and his friends have parties like that all the time. You hear about it from the poor victims but this isn’t some side operation this is the whole operation Ted. All they do is specialise in these parties. Doctors that stitch people up, doctors that forge death certificates, nurses that get medical grade drugs, policemen who falsify documents, lawyers that help keep things in check, funeral homes that burn bodies. It’s a business. A unique one of a kind business with enough people pulling strings and taping mouths shut that the wider world still hasn’t found out about it.”

“Your da thought someone at the firm was involved?” Ted stated more than asked.

“And he started pulling files.”

“And fell down the rabbit hole.” Ted said the skepticism he’d felt in the bar seeming to leach out of him. “I’m going to need another drink.” He said slowly before finishing the whiskey in his glass.

[keeperoftheboys]

Beautiful and Deadly (John Shelby)

John Shelby X Female Gold Reader 

Warnings: Mentions of Death, attempted rape, murder, season 5 spoilers, cursing. 

A/N: Pretend that that thing in season 4 never happened. Esme Who?

“John Shelby you BASTARD!” Everyone in the Garrison turned to face me, rain-soaked and furious. I pushed through the doors of the bar and marched straight up to him. People moved out of my way quickly, they knew a man standing in my path of rage was a dead man. 

John looked up at me with a smirk 

“Yes darling, how can I help you?” 

“I asked you no- I told you not to buy me anything. So why did I find this when I got home?” I held the perfectly wrapped parcel in my hand. It was a necklace box with a now soaked satin bow. The wrapping still intact.

“Did you look inside?” 

“I don’t want your poisonous gifts.” 

“Open it, love.” 

“Don’t call me love!” I slammed the box on the bar next to him and went to turn away but he carefully caught my waist turning me to face him with a flick of his wrist.

“Sorry, I can’t help but want to spoil you. I want to see you wrapped up in silver and gold and the world’s finest silks. You deserve jewels and castles and fine china.” He drew a circle with his thumb on my hip.

“I’m not some woman whose love can be bought. A toy for you to play with. A woman to bear your children” I tore away from his grip and stormed through the bar. “Get back to your drinking you nosey fucks!” 

A few days later I was sitting at Tommy’s dinner table next to Ada and Finn. As the eldest Gold child, I had taken my father’s place after his death. Burdened with the task of carrying out the Gold and Shelby alliance. My people needed me to keep them safe and with the Blinders on our side, that was all possible. Of course, it hadn’t been my dream to be a gangster or part of a family full of lies and deceit. I wanted to go to school, I wanted to be a journalist. Tommy had asked me to join the family, whether it was out of pity or respect I didn’t know. 

Bonnie and I stuck together like glue, thick as thieves. I have sisters and we get along well but they eventually married or settled into gypsy life in a way that was different than mine. I was close to my father, his little fox. He, Bonnie, and I did everything together. 

John caught my eyes from across the table shooting me a dazzling smile. “Beautiful.” He mouthed. 

“No.” I mouthed back.  

He laughed and averted his gaze to chat with Arthur, leaving me alone for the rest of dinner. After a ride home form Johnny Dogs I decided to take a walk. I enjoyed the still of the evening when the street lamps were on and people were locked in their houses. I walked past the waterfront where the frogs called out in the warm summer air and the smell of coal subsided for a moment giving way to the musty smell of the water. 

It was one of my favorite places, it reminded me of a secret walk John had taken me on after one of Bonnie’s fights when we were both buzzing on Gin and lingering glances. The night where he reached for my hand, his fingers ghosting over mine and I fell for him.

As I walked I noticed the footsteps behind me.

“I suggest you leave me alone,” I said, without stopping or turning to face the man behind me. 

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing walking alone at night?” I ignored him continuing my stroll slowly reaching to make sure the knife hidden in my garter was still there. I knew this path well, if I made it to the tunnel ahead I could run through it and be only a few houses down from my door.

The man’s pace began to pick up, so I too walked faster, nearly making it to the tunnel entrance before he caught up to me.  He was of average size and height, clearly not from here. Most people knew I ran with the blinders, most people knew not to mess with me for fear of retaliation from Isaiah or Charlie or worse —Arthur. 

He pushed me into the brick wall of the building that lined the canal. 

“Let me go,” I said, locking eyes with the man. 

“No, I don’t think I will.” 

To be fair to the idiot he didn’t know who my brother had been, and that I had boxed, wrestled, and trained with him for fun. That my father had taught me how to shoot and kill and strangle a man with a necklace. The man had me trapped between his arms, he left my hands free assuming that I wouldn’t fight back. 

“Let me go.” 

“No.” He laughed in my face, breath stinking of rot and cigarettes.

“Fine.” In one swift movement, I kneed him in the groin, pushed his left arm out of my way, and moved from his trap just in time for his head to smack into the brick wall as he bent forward cupping his manhood with a yelp. 

“Bitch.” he spat, reaching for me. I dogged his hand hitting him with a mean right hook and a kick to the knee cap. He went down and I turned to run only to be caught around the ankle. I hit the ground hard. Skinning my hands and elbows as I braced myself. He pulled me toward him, roughly flipping me on my back and crawling over me with a snarl. He grabbed a fist full of my hair yanking it down. I grimaced in return but no sound left my lips. 

“You’ll pay for that.” 

“Don’t like it when your victims fight back?” I growled, spitting in his face. He released my hair to hit me. His palm was harsh against my cheek. He ripped my dress, buttons scattered across the cobblestones. I squirmed to get away and he dragged me backwards again forcefully gripping my thigh, his fingers digging into my flesh.  As he moved to unbuckle his pants I pulled the knife from my thigh. “This isn’t your first time doing this, I can tell, but it will be your last.” I cut his throat. His blood splashed across my face and chest. He gargled for a moment then went limp. I heaved his body off mine leaving it there beside the canal. 

I made it to my house two minutes later closing and locking the door behind me heading towards my bathroom to clean up. 

“What the fuck happened.” 

I turned to the voice in my living room, lifting my knife towards the intruder only to find John standing there with a terrified look in his eyes. 

“Jesus Christ.” I tossed the knife on the hall table and continued to the bathroom. 

“What happened, are you okay?” 

“I’m great John.”

He caught the door to the bathroom before I could close it. His eyes were ablaze. “Whose blood is that” 

“Some man attacked me near the canals. I left his body there.” I wet a rag and began to wipe the blood from my face. If John was shocked that I had killed a man he didn’t make it obvious, he turned on the bath filling it with warm water and oils.  

“Here, let me.” He took the rag from my hand and gently wiped the blood off my face and chest. We stood in silence for a few minutes as he worked. I gripped the porcelain sink behind me as the pain from my fight began to sink in wincing as he cleaned my palms. “What were you doing out there alone?” 

“Why were you in my house?” 

“You forgot your bag in Johnny’s car, he asked me to give it to you. What were you doing out there?” 

“That’s all you came here for? How did you get in?” 

“I have a key, and I wanted to talk to you.” 

“About what?” 

“Doesn’t matter right now.” He stepped away to turn off the water in the bath testing the temperature with his hand. “Get in. It will help with your muscles. Give me your dress, I’ll take care of it.” I stared at him until he turned covering his eyes even though his back was towards me. I slipped out of my dress and underthings quietly calling his name. He held his hand out and grabbed my dress shutting the door behind him as he left, his eyes never opened. 

After about twenty minutes I emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a robe. I made my way to my bedroom where John had laid out my nightgown. Once I was dressed he appeared in the doorway. 

“Uncle Charlie is taking care of the body. Tommy is finding out who the man was. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“I think so.” 

“Why didn’t you call? I would have walked with you.” 

“That would have been more dangerous.” I shook my head sitting on my bed. 

“You do know who I am right? Nobody would attack us.” 

“I’m not afraid of others.”

“I would never hurt you.” He took a step back in shock. 

“John, I know that. I...never mind. What did you want to tell me?” 

“I wanted you to open this.” He closed the gap between us, handing me the box that I had scolded him for in the Garrison a few days ago. 

“John.” 

“Please.” 

I sighed, uniting the ribbon, pulling the box from its wrapping and removing the lid. There, in a bed of silk, sat a beautiful silver knife, its handle covered in beautiful filigree. It was a piece of art. The prettiest thing I owned. “John. It’s beautiful.” 

“Beautiful and deadly, like you.” his fingers brushed over my cheek where a bruise was sure to appear tomorrow. 

“Thank you.” I smiled, catching his hand with mine. 

“Of course.” He let go of me and turned to leave when he reached the door, I stopped him. 

“John. Stay with me.”