#lots of great stories ahoy
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jadeylovesmarvelxo · 1 month ago
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Fluffy 'accidental pregnancy' story with Steve?
He finds someone who is better for him and better to him than Nancy and moves on from Nancy with the new girl (who is already aware of the Upside Down, or maybe it's a 'no Upside Down' AU). I personally like the idea of this happening soon after the events of season 2 (maybe he meant it as a rebound but true love hit fast for both of them?) and having the girl visibly pregnant at their graduation so Nancy sees exactly what she lost out on with him, but this could really happen any time after Steve and Nancy break up.
Request by anon ❤️
Teen pregnancy, reader and Steve are over 18.
❤️
Graduation was an event Steve had been looking forward to for months, well at least he was looking forward to getting it over with.
Steve feels a swell of happiness as he looks at you, he can't believe that he's going to be a daddy.
It's fast he knows that but he didn't expect to fall so completely in love with you, when you announced that you were pregnant he was beyond thrilled.
Terrified but thrilled all the same. You weren't very far along so Steve still had some time to excitedly wait for the little nugget to be born.
When the two of you first got together, it was just a causal thing, something to get over his heartbreak. A rebound after Nancy.
The thing is he didn't expect to fall for you so hard, he should have seen it coming really but he fell hard and fast, something so deep that it scared him at first, even deeper than what he felt for Nancy.
Speaking of Nancy she had been eyeing you and Steve with a stunned expression that had immediately turned sad and almost wistful all through graduation. He really didn't care what she had to say.
If she had a problem or was regretting that things had ended then that was her problem. He loved you and he was completely over her.
Once diplomas were given and the valedictorian (Nancy) had given her speech, Steve was happy to get you home. You were tired and he was more than happy to skip all of the bullshit and just go home with you and enjoy the rest of the day.
Everyone knew about you and the baby and Steve had glared at a few onlookers who were openly being assholes about it (mainly Tommy and Carol) who soon shut their mouths.
Protectively he places a hand on your little bump and dares anyone to say any shit.
He swears it looks like Nancy wants to speak to him, she's certainly been staring at you and him a lot but he's more focused on getting you home and relaxing than worrying about what she wanted.
If he knew that right at that moment Nancy was realising exactly what she lost and was feeling regretful would it change things?
No it wouldn't. You and the baby were his future, Nancy was in the past and that was that.
❤️
A few months had passed since graduation and all was well. Steve had found a job at Scoops Ahoy but that had abruptly ended when the mall was destroyed so he was now working at Family Video.
Through his jobs Steve had met Robin and had found the best friend he had always wanted. The fact that you and her got along so great as well and the three of you were like the three musketeers was just a bonus.
Dustin had been hanging around a lot as well, usually with a smart ass comment to Steve but he still adored the little butthead, he was like a little brother to Steve and he would even put up with Dustin wanting to teach his kid D&D when they were old enough.
You had taken up work at the library until you were close to your due date and for after your maternity leave was done.
"Steve if I'm stuck in the house all day then I'll go stir crazy, I need something to focus on and Mrs Holland has a childcare branch that would help when we're both working for the baby" you had replied to his worries about it.
So that was that. Steve still felt extremely protective but he knows that you need to keep busy. It still didn't stop him worrying but he was trying to hover over you less.
His dad wasn't thrilled about the baby when he had told him but he was rarely around anyway, Steve doubted he'd even see the man much even when he was working in the same company as him. All Steve knew is that his kid would never go without having Steve's love and support.
Neither would you. He would be nothing like his old man, that was for sure. Too many times growing up Steve saw the way his dad treated his mom, the cheating and all the lies. He vowed to never be like him.
Promised himself and you that he would always love and cherish you, wouldn't be a cheating bastard like his dad was with his mom.
Surprisingly unlike his dad, his mother and your parents were thrilled and were very supportive about the baby. It shocked Steve at first that his mom was so steadfast in her support but he was grateful for it all the same.
She had even made one of the rooms in the house into a nursery, it was a project to take her mind off the fact that she had thrown Steve's dad out after one too many mistakes he had made.
You were on a break from the library and had visited Family Video to plan a movie night. Robin was tagging along and no doubt Dustin would as well.
Steve was just happy to see you and talk to your steadily growing bump, the baby seemed to love his voice. The first time the baby had kicked was when Steve was singing so he made up goofy songs to feel the baby kick, marvelled at the action each time.
You're giggling as he talks happily to the bump, Robin rolling her eyes affectionately but smiling all the while.
It's then he feels eyes on him and when he looks up, Nancy is across the street. He hasn't seen her in a while yet she's watching him, she still has that same expression she wore at graduation.
She's watching him interact with you and the bump and he sees a flicker of regret on her features. Nope, no way. He wasn't even entertaining whatever she was thinking.
Turning away from Nancy he presses a kiss to your head and then heads back to work. Nancy was in the past and she was staying that way.
Steve was only looking towards the future now with you and the little nugget by his side.
❤️
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taintedcigs · 2 years ago
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OMG LITERALLY LOVED POLAROIDS SO MUCH DUDE 🤭
Also if your taking requests could you maybe write Eddie x fem!Scoops Ahoy Worker!reader
✦ A SCOOP OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS | e. munson x reader ✦
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wc: 2k+
pairing: eddie munson x f!reader
warnings: not a lot of warnings tbh, just swearing, jealousy, fluff, like annoyingly fluffy, i hope this isn't cheesy and tiny tiny bit of angst if u RLLY squint
summary: eddie is really enamored with the new scoops ahoy worker, and is jealous of how her and steve get along so well.
authors note: NONNIE PLS EXCUSE HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO WRITE THIS HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY ASKS FOR A LONG TIME!! im so glad u liked polaroids and now i hope u like this as well and hope i did ur request justice <33 this concept was so fun to write!! ITS ABIT CHEESY BUT I LOVE CHEESY SO EXCUSE ME PLS! also lmk if u want more like this or all ur requests and any of ur feedback pls send me an ask abt anything ily all <3
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eddie LOOVES ice cream, and most of all, eddie loves going to scoops ahoy with dustin and annoying the shit out of steve.
it's like their weekly routine at this point, getting ice-cream, but also trying all the flavors so they can get free ice-cream, steve and robin always end up yelling at them.
so eddie entered the scoops ahoy shop with a smirk on his face, and the mission of annoying steve, but his smirk is wiped off and he is almost baffled by something, or rather someone.
you.
he is intrigued at the sight of you, standing next to steve, pouting your glossed plump lips at him for something he is saying, and you look so pretty, that it catches him off guard. even with that stupid scoops ahoy hat on top of your hat, eddie thinks you look so fucking good that it's unfair, and he is too dumbfounded to speak.
you laugh at something steve says, and it makes eddie's heart skip a beat. his mind is fuzzy when he's staring at you, he wonders if you're new here, because if someone as angelic as you worked here before, he wouldn't have missed it.
his attention is drawn back to robin, who tries to take his and dustin's order and dustin asks to try his 100th flavor "god, will you take eddie and dustin's order i need to go on a break!" she exclaims shouting your name, groaning. you nod quickly as you wave steve away.
a warm smile is plastered on your face, "welcome to scoops ahoy! what can i get for you, dustin" you point to dustin, guessing the kid steve always talked about must've been him, and then you turn to eddie.
"and, eddie?" you smile, also remembering him from steve's stories, as he told you all about eddie and how he was 'not jealous' that dustin had gotten another older brother, who played the 'same stupid nerd game as dustin'.
"you know my name?" eddie asked, his eyes widening and his mouth dried up. "robin just told our names, you doofus." dustin lightly nudged him, and a blush crept up eddie's cheeks, his first words to you and he already looked like an idiot, great, he thought to himself.
"oh, not only that but that one talks about you two all the time!" you said giggling as you pointed to steve.
"all good things i hope." eddie chuckled and you gave him a warm smile again, nodding. the way your eyes sparkled as you smiled was etched into his brain forever, dustin realized eddie's adoring looks but he kept his mouth shut.
"so, uh... what kind of ice cream would you like today? we have a lot of flavors!" you asked, showing them dozens of ice cream flavors.
"i'll have one scoop of chocolate and one scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough, and same for him, if that's okay." eddie said, smiling at you.
you looked up at him, your smile widening. "coming right up!" you said sweetly, grabbing a cone and getting to work.
as you did so, dustin lightly nudged eddie's shoulder, eddie could barely turn his head around to dustin when all he could do was focus on you. "what?" he asked annoyed.
"dude, you have to ask her out!" dustin exclaimed excitedly and eddie threw him a look as to say 'keep your voice down idiot, she's right there!'
"what?" eddie asked playing dumb and dustin rolled his eyes, "you've been gawking at her ever since we walked in, just ask her out!" dustin encouraged eddie.
but eddie didn't know how he was supposed to do that. he was the 'freak' of hawkins, and you were- oh you were so pretty, so nice and you seemed so kind. he couldn't even manage to get his words out when you were around, let alone ask you out on a date.
"maybe next time, kiddo." he gave dustin's shoulder a squeeze, as eddie watched you laughing at steve's jokes again, and sighed.
he knew you were out of his league and possibly suited better for someone like 'king steve' anyway, but it didn't stop him from returning in a few days.
"eddie, hi!" the way your face instantly lit up and how you remembered his name, made him smile, eddie was putty in your hands with just two interactions.
"one scoop chocolate and one scoop chocolate chip again?" you remembered his name and his order? eddie's heart was about to burst out of his chest, you were giving the poor boy hope with just existing.
he nodded, and you scooped a generous portion of ice cream into a cone. "will that be all?" your tone was so sweet that it was making eddie sick.
"um, yeah." eddie said, feeling a bit flustered. he took the cone and turned to leave, but then he hesitated, dustin's words rang in his mind. he knew he at least had to start more conversations with you.
"hey, um, do you have any recommendations for other flavors?" he asked, his voice was still timid.
you grinned, excitedly. "oh, there are so many! have you tried the mint chocolate chip? it's my personal favorite." when he shook his head no, you immediately grabbed a spoon feeding him the ice cream.
you excitedly waited for his feedback, your eyes were glimmering, "really good." he managed to get out with a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, making you giggle.
even if eddie wouldn't have liked the flavor, he would pretend that it was his favorite flavor for the rest of his life if it meant he would get to hear your pretty laugh and those dreamy eyes again.
and eddie knew he was obsessed now, he didn't want to be so hooked on you, but you made it easy, so very easy.
and in the next few weeks, eddie started coming to the shop more often, finding excuses to try new flavors and linger around you at all times. and the more he came the more he got comfortable with you, always making small talk, while trying to be funny and charming, but always feeling like he was failing miserably.
but you didn't seem to mind. in fact, him always coming around to see you, and your conversations were the best part of your day, and your job.
you were always laughing the hardest at his jokes, asking him about his day, and even sneaking him extra scoops of ice cream every now and then.
but eddie had one problem.
steve.
he was always there, talking to you, and making you laugh, jealousy was starting to consume him.
he couldn't help the agonizing anxiety inside of him that made him feel like he wasn't good enough for you, especially compared to steve who seemed to be a ladies' man and had a natural charm to him, along with the 'king steve' title that eddie felt he lacked, the only title he had was, 'the freak'.
and eddie couldn't get you out of his head. his head was constantly filled with thoughts of you and the little moments the two of you shared at scoops ahoy.
so when he came to the shop the next day, he had one thing on his mind. he had to at least try his chances, and ask you out.
"hi, honey." he greeted you, the nickname was something you felt so comfortable with, and it made you feel so giddy inside.
"hi, eds." he loved the nicknames you gave him, 'handsome, eds, pretty boy.' he could feel his insides about to burst when you called him any of them.
when the two of you fell into your routine conversations again, eddie felt comfortable, he felt at ease with your presence, and he realized he could really do it, he could actually ask you out.
so when he called out your name in a soft voice, he gathered his courage, clearing his throat.
"i just wanted to ask you if-" but once again, his voice was drowned out by steve, and he sighed his anxiety was starting to bubble over when your shift instantly focused to steve.
"shit- sorry i'm late, again!" steve's voice was irritating him now, and you waved steve off, to say that it was fine.
"you're only late like 5 minutes." you offered him a smile, and as steve gave you a hug to greet you eddie could feel his stomach knotting up.
he tried to stay composed, but he couldn't help his mind getting fuzzy about his insecurities.
when you returned to eddie, you could sense he was off. "sorry handsome, what were you saying?" you asked, as you gave him a sympathetic smile.
but eddie was distant, and even the 'handsome' nickname, wasn't enough to ease his worries "oh, it was nothing important." his voice was timid and he was now lost in his own thoughts.
"is everything okay?" you asked, your voice filled with worry.
"yeah, yeah, you can go back to your thing with steve, i didn't mean to interrupt." he meant for it to sound casual, but it sounded bitter.
you looked at him, furrowing your brows. "what?" and when you saw the way eddie looked at steve, it clicked.
all the times when steve came and interrupted you and eddie's conversation, all the times steve made you laugh, eddie always had the same disappointed look on his face that he did now.
and you actually face-palmed at the realization, and gave him a chuckle, causing eddie's attention to shift to you again as he gave you a puzzled look.
"jesus- eddie, have i ever told you how i started this job?" you asked, and he shook his head.
"we moved into hawkins a few weeks ago, my dad told me i had to find a summer job and then my cousin told me he got this new job at scoop's ahoy, so i thought why not? and i signed up as well." the information was slow to process eddie's brain.
"steve is my cousin, eds." you said, a smug smirk played on your lips, and eddie immediately felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. "oh."
"shit, i didn't know. sorry." he shook his head, glancing down at the floor.
he wanted to laugh at how foolish he had been, worrying about steve this much in the last few weeks.
"it's okay, i mean we do hang out a lot, but that's because he's my favorite cousin, and it's really fun to be able to annoy him 24/7." you giggled and eddie chuckled, nodding.
he felt a surge of relief, but he wanted to slap himself for being jealous over nothing.
when the conversation between the two of you went back to normal eddie felt comfortable around you again, and he decided to push his plans to asking you out to the next day, his cheeks still blushing at the mention of steve.
so when he says his goodbyes to you, it makes you groan, and eddie tilts his head, confused, as he turns his attention to you.
"are you ever going to ask me out?" you asked, impatiently, and you felt desperate to do so, but you had spent weeks flirting with eddie, and it was driving you crazy now.
eddie blinked slowly, not believing the words that were coming out of your mouth his heart pounding in his chest. "w-what?" he said, trying to keep his voice steady.
you huffed, "i mean i've been flirting with you for weeks, and i thought you weren't interested, but you did nothing." you pouted, and eddie felt like he was going to faint.
"shit, honey." now your heart was pounding out of your chest, the nickname, again, was enough to make you melt.
"fuck, i've been trying to ask you out for weeks, but i thought you weren't interested, especially because i thought you were interested in steve-" you made a gagging sound at that and his mouth turned up into a soft smile.
he felt like he was dreaming, he felt so stupid. "would you wanna go out with me? maybe to that new restaurant that opened up just right down the street?" he asked, intoxicated by your hopeful eyes.
"yes," you replied, without hesitation. "i would love to."
eddie grinned sheepishly at you. "great," he said. "how about tomorrow afternoon?"
you nodded eagerly. "tomorrow afternoon sounds perfect."
"see you then." eddie replied, appearing to be casual and trying to hide the fact that he was screaming internally. and trying to comprehend that he was actually going to go on a date with you.
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batmanisagatewaydrug · 27 days ago
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reading update: October 2024
hello, ahoy, and welcome to my October reading recap.
I made a real effort to focus on spooOOOoooky books this month, in the name of the season; you may even recall that I started early and read some spooky stories at the tail end of September. (read Carmen Maria Machado's comic The Low, Low Woods, btw.)
I've never been great at sticking to a theme but I think it helped that what gets classified as "horror" can vary greatly, so I never really got bored of the genre. I did get disappointed more than once by how Not Spooky some of these books turned out to be, but that's a totally different question.
right at the end of the month you'll notice a couple of outliers with Caped Crusade and Luster, which happened entirely because I was out of library books and on the road for a conference, so I was reading what I could get my hands on! I've been working on rereading Caped Crusade on and off for a couple months and I bought Luster at a cool indie bookstore in the town I was visiting and then inhaled most of it on the way home.
ANYWAY. to the books!
And Then I Woke Up (Malcolm Devlin, 2022) - this is a novella with an interesting spin on the zombie story, where the "zombies" are actually people who have started suffering hallucinations that fill them with paranoia and force them see other people as monsters. so, like, there were never any REAL monsters, but a woman looked at her young son and saw him as a cannibalistic monster, so she killed him. so who's the real monster? it's very deep. this story's explanation for this is "the narrative," an idea so strong that it simply seems to take hold of anyone who's around a sufficiently charismatic ringleader who drives them to join in their delusions and kill innocents who don't share their worldview. it's not a super subtle zombie metaphor, but I guess very few zombie metaphors are. it's fine.
Through the Woods (Emily Carroll, 2014) - I truly wholeheartedly wish I had more to say about this but it's just a very charming creepy collection of comics. my favorite was the one that was the scariest, involving humans getting taken over by body-snatching worm monsters, but on the whole it was a very minor creepy factor. the art's great the whole way through.
Happy Medium (Sarah Adler, 2024) - Happy Medium is October's romance novel as picked by my patreonites, and I will admit: my hopes were not high going in. a conwoman posing as a psychic clashing with a skeptical hottie goat farmer didn't ping me as a great mix, but honestly? HONESTLY? it kind of served. there was a much more well-rounded emotional core to this book than I often encounter in my romance novels; at risk of sounding like a cornball it genuinely had a lot of heart. the conwoman is actually extremely charming, I was rooting for her in a big way, and her emotional journey goes so far beyond just falling in love with the goat farmer. I'll happily claim Happy Medium as my #1 romance of the year unless a challenger arises in the next two months, but it's not looking likely.
The Ones That Got Away (Stephen Graham Jones, 2010) - this is a collection of Graham's short stories that was published long before he became a huge name in horror with books like The Only Good Indians and My Heart Is a Chainsaw. and as much as I hate to say it, I think I personally prefer his longer form fiction. none of these short stories were bad, per se, and they're incredibly stylized and polished, but I think I like Jones' work a lot more when it has time to simmer out. I may have also been biased by the fact that I was desperately seeking something scary to read, because while Jones plays with some pretty narsty concepts, the horror tends not to hit until a last page reveal that recontextualizes everything that's come before. which is cool! but not scaring me as much as I wish it was.
The Salt Grows Heavy (Cassandra Khaw, 2023) - a lot of people told me I should read this because it stars a killer mermaid and a plague doctor, which are two aesthetic archetypes I love, and I will give this to Cassandra Khaw: I liked this a lot more than their other book, Nothing But Blackened Teeth. which is clearing a very low bar, since I didn't really like that book at all, but I do think Salt is genuinely a pretty marked improvement. the prose is still kind of torturously overwrought in many places and I desperately wish that Khaw would put the thesaurus away, but there's like. a Concept here. the core is fun.
Tell Me I'm Worthless (Alison Rumfitt, 2021) - this book is by far the scariest I read, because the horror is hatred and bigotry and a fucked up, evil house that brings out the very worst of everyone who steps inside of it. this book gets so fucked up and bloody and downright nasty in its exploration of the characters and the underlying bigotries that turn them against each other and drive them apart. I don't want to spoil anything, but the book follows a white trans woman named Alice and her mixed race, cis ex-girlfriend Ila. in the past Alice and Ila entered the evil house with their friend Hannah; that ended with Hannah dead and missing and Alice and Ila both scarred and traumatized, each certain that they were raped by the other. so that's what this book is like! not a lighthearted undertaking, but one that I could. not. put. down.
A Sunny Place for Shady People (Mariana Enríquez, trans. Megan McDowell 2024) - what is there to say? Enríquez is my short story queens, and her new release absolutely lived up to the precedent set for me by The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, which was originally published in 2009 but not translated into English until 2021. this collection is sooo aptly named, because many of the stories are obsessed with the terror of places: hotels haunted by memories, neighborhoods filled with ghosts, junkyards where bodies are hidden, towns abandoned and taken over by something sinister. also, completely detached from the quality of the writing, this book has one of the most striking covers I've encountered this year. the screaming yellow cover and bold purple text looked SO COOL under the purple string lights in my bedroom, which was a little +1 to my mood every time I saw it :)
Thirst (Marina Yuszczuk, trans. Heather Cleary 2024) - I think if I had to pick a favorite book from my spooktober reading, Thirst would edge Tell Me I'm Worthless out by just a hair, because I'm just SUCH a sucker for a modern gothic. this novel is split into two chunks. the first is narrated by a vampire (hinted to be one of Dracula's infamous brides) who flees the Old World and crosses the sea to find safety in a young Buenos Aires, where she struggles to figure out how to slake her thirst and escape from loneliness while avoiding detection in a modernizing world. ultimately she seals herself away in a crypt to escape the relentless pace of change around her, and that's when our perspective shifts. here we join a modern woman with a young son, an ex husband, and a dying mother, who's struggling under the pressure of grief as she watches her mother waste away. she ends up accidentally reawakening the vampire from the first half of the book, and you can imagine things get weirder from there. honestly, for me, the part of this book that's most brilliant is the latter half and it's deep meditation on grief, but the historical portion of the book also plays the vampire gothic to the hilt. delicious!
The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture (Glen Weldon, 2016) - this is a really fun piece of pop culture history, tracking how Batman came to be DC's little #1 it boy alongside the developing prominence of nerds and fandom as a cultural force to be reckoned with. as I said above, this was a reread for me, because I wanted to circle back now that I've actually read most of the major comic events discussed in the book. Weldon weaves between Batman in comics, TV, and movies to examine on how one portrayal influences another - for instance: the goofy '66 TV series saw a huge backlash in comics, which went way dark to reinforce a grim and serious Batman for 'real' fans who objected to the show making Batman a joke to much of the normie population - and I think that's a really neat lineage to trace. while I think Weldon is sometimes a bit too transparent with his own disdain for certain adaptations, he overall has an extremely levelheaded approach to Batfandom and a conversationally informative approach that I really enjoy. of particular note is the fact that Weldon is himself a gay man, making him one of the only writers I trust to talk about why he personally dislikes Joel Schmacher's movies without getting homophobic about it.
Luster (Raven Leilani, 2020) - this book!!! this was one of three novels recommended to me by Bonnie at Snowbound Books, and Bonnie if you are on this website I owe you my LIFE because you were 100% correct. I was obsessed from the very first line and it only gets better from there; Leilani's prose is painting a searing, witty Sistine Chapel to render her protagonist's miserable life in vivid color and detail. the short version is that our 23 year old hot mess finds herself jobless and homeless and ends up moving in with her married boyfriend who's 23 years her senior, where she forms a powerfully weird connection with his rage-filled wife and develops a bond with the couple's nerdy adopted daughter, as the two of them are the only Black women in the excessively white neighborhood. (spoiler alert: she also realizes that her married boyfriend is a fucking loser.) it's a simple enough premise but the execution is bananas in its flair. I couldn't believe this is Leilani's first and so far only novel; if she ever drops another I'll drag myself through barbed wire to get my hands on it.
Juniper & Thorn (Ava Reid, 2022) - I first became aware of this novel via twitter thread of Reid's that made its way to tumblr, in which Reid bemoaned being harangued by readers who were shocked that her dark fairy tale retelling had, you know, dark shit in it. having now read the book, I have to say: these people are fucking pussies. going into this book I was under the impression that there was full on-page father/daughter rape happening, which is actually NOT the case, so you can breathe easy if incest is a hard no for you. what's actually here is a wizard dad who's emotionally abusive, non-incestuous sexual abuse in the backstories of the main character and her love interest, some moderately explicit consensual sex, some bulimia, and [spoiler alert!] admittedly a lot more cannibalism than expected. it's not a lighthearted romp but it's also like, come on. come on. grow up. in terms of the actual book, rather than its controversy, I didn't LOVE it but I'm still compelled enough by the world building (particularly Jewish author Reid's Hueli people, who are a fairly obvious stand-in for Jews down to people claiming that they have horns and using phrenology to prove the have an unfair advantage at making money) that I'm going to check out Reid's earlier novel, The Wolf and the Woodsman, a novel set in the same world. it felt a little repetitive in places and the characters were largely pretty predictable, both of which may be a byproduct of trying to encapsulate the vibe of a classic fairy tale, but I had a good time reading it.
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theepitomeofamess · 21 days ago
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ok ok it's theory time bc i'm rewatching mismag 1 as a coping mechanism so potential spoilers ahoy & forgive me if it's rambly i've also had a sedative
the serpent in the storm. the one without a name and only shown as an illumination in the Tome of Nimble Working. is that what was possessing evan? like is it the amalgamation of the "demons" that were haunting him, or even just The Main Guy? i'm not sure if this creature has anything to do with the breaking of magic, I just started thinking about this today at work, but hear me out.
in Class Conflict, the manifestation of the thing haunting Evan when it emerged to protect him was the blood cobra, and the barb that Tallulah hit Evan with after potions class was that all she heard was "hissing noises." so we know that snakes are something evil & monstrous in wizard culture (as much as they were in HP) but not because they're the mascot of the "evil house" Aqarbus. so where did the serpent symbolism come from?
later, in Family on Six when Evan makes the agreement to lean on the demons to save K, the "permanent change" that Brennan describes is that out of the shadow across evan's face "just goes black and is leaking black oil and water." aabira's description of the illumination of this creature was "a mix between a snake and an oil-soaked bird of prey." oil-soaked.
this is kinda what got me thinking in the first place, because what are the things you think of when you think of Evan Kelmp? Bird Facts and Gas Station Parking Lots. this absolutely feels like something Aabria would pull to make Brennan eat the lore he created.
it's also the type of shit she would do because of K's attempts to find any sort of books about what these "demons" might be during the exorcism, only to be met with "you think you're going to find me in a book?" maybe not named. not studied. no anatomical drawings or any sort of understanding as to what it is. but yeah. they'll find it in a book.
i do think that maybe this bird snake entity has been tied to Evan since before his birth---aabria's description in the latest S2 ep: "you feel yourself and the inside of you is empty, and something that was always meant to be poured in is beginning to pour itself back in" tells me that Evan was born to be a vessel for something. now, the demons at the exorcism said that Evan was promised to them. promised by whom? promised by what? maybe by the thing that knew it was going to be held within Evan, and knew that if he were to grow up with a dark enough childhood, if he were to be haunted enough, he might become the Dark One.
now, we don't really know the mythology of the Dark One. we don't know what sort of prophecy was told about it. going off of the general trope of the thing, we've gotta assume that it's something along the lines of "this person will unleash a great terror/darkness/evil upon the world." this likely was supposed to happen as a result of evan's torment like a psychotic break, or maybe as a defense mechanism in a life-or-death situation. either way, this creature and the magic that it represents would have wanted to be released, maybe still using Evan as a vessel and working through him to maintain its unknown, mythological status. this thing isn't Tad, it can't and won't be lulled to sleep.
could this creature have been accidentally released as a result of sam's exorcism? probably, it had to have been a thing or else it wouldn't be on the orery.(besides, this ancient monstrosity would never have anticipated Sam Black). could it be that it was released after K killed Evan? possibly, idk how often gm's rearrange lore behind the scenes to better fit what's happened in the story they're playing through.
whatever the case, I do think that it's not insignificant that Evan only started getting inklings of this sort of repossession leaking in after the events on Seeganpelater. the place where he saw the creature through the serpent's watch (a scene that in illustration implies that, maybe, the serpent could see them, too). the place where he snapped his wand. the place where he killed Boudicca. where we saw him be a magic murderer, where we saw him truly tap into the darkness he's been assigned his whole life. somewhere on cannibal Island, there was a moment of reconnection, and it helps that the very next places they went to were the islands that 1) stressed Evan out beyond belief, and 2) worked with amplification. it was able to strengthen its bond either the minute they landed, or as soon as Evan leaned into his strengths to scratch the tree with his shadow.
maybe this creature is what broke the well of magic. maybe it created the storm and destroyed Gowpenny. maybe this is a version of the Dark One prophecy coming true, breaking the rules of magic to the point that the entire system is broken and the world can never be what it used to. maybe it's not involved in anything and is just reveling in the chaos. I don't know. maybe all of these are coincidences between seasons. fun to think about, though!
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the-golden-comet · 3 months ago
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✨⛵️Story/WIP Tour Tag ⛵️✨
Oh, what a fun concept! Thank you for tagging me, @theink-stainedfolk !!
I’m not sure I can convince you about the lovely landmarks in Peter Hart , but— there’s a rope around me. Oh. We don’t have a choice in this adventure, do we?
Peter: Clever. You catch on quick~!
Ahoy, mates. Captain Hart at the helm now. I’ll be your tour guide for the voyage. Please keep your arms on the deck at all times. Do not lean on the railing; if you go overboard we’re not coming to fish you out….unless you’re Benjamin.
Benjamin: HEY!! 😡
Right, let’s get started:
✨🇬🇧Port Mayor🇬🇧✨
On your left, you will notice we are passing by Port Mayor, Great Britain. A lovely fishing port run by an absolute bastard of a person. Make sure on your stop you steal a hearty handful from the Royal’s pockets, and try their regional specialty: Port Plum Pudding. Great for the season.
🌋Isle of Talon Rock🌋
Oh, this one’s a lovely sightseeing adventure! Talon Rock is an inactive volcano in the center of thick jungle. Do watch your feet for snakes; they are quite venomous here. The igneous walls of the lava tubes are home to a variety of rich gems, but make sure you vacate before high tide if you don’t want to get your clothes wet.
✨🇬🇧Portsmouth🇬🇧✨
We arrive at another port. Excellent tailor at this location; this is where I picked out most of Benjamin’s fashion.
Benjamin: I didn’t ASK for—
—You’re welcome. If you get a chance, make sure to piss in the rose garden of the sovereign that governs this port.
✨🪨Echoing Cove🪨✨
This one looks deceptive at first glance, but a trove of valuables rests deep enough inside the many underwater cave systems. You’ll have to do a little spelunking, but if you reach deep enough the treasures are ripe for the taking~
Benjamin: Peter…why do I hear voices?
—AAAAAAAND we are getting the fuck out of here~🏴‍☠️✨
✨🇬🇧Port Florence🇬🇧✨
Aye, Florence. Another posh port with a castle loaded in riches. A very prosperous port town with a king that is all too eager to throw lavish parties and get drunk off of centuries aged wine.
Benjamin: You’re one to talk, captain…
They hold a Regal Ball every year, with a dance competition. The winners take home 50 grand. Ah, a great memory indeed~
Benji: (blushing furiously)
😏
☠️🩸Bloodwater Bay🩸☠️
….Oh shite. This place. Right, well…..some more dense jungle, a thin strip of beach, the waters are red, but don’t be too alarmed…Davey tells us that’s the iron deposits that give more of that rusty hue. There’s a tall waterfall in the center……
Benjamin: …..Peter? Peeeeeeeter?
O-Oh! Well, moving right along…don’t want to linger in this wretched bay….
✨🇮🇪Gregory’s Point🇮🇪✨
Another lovely island between the mainland and Ireland. This is a developed hotspot, turned into a small port town where all are welcome. Pirates, naval officers, merchants, the like. Between the two main countries, this place has its own governance. So, you better have a good reputation if you don’t want to be murdered in your sleep ✨
Benjamin: you say that so nonchalantly, Captain
Mmmmhm. Also home to one of the best doctors this side of the equator. So, if you get wounded, make sure it happens close to Gregory’s Point.
✨🐋Giverny Gulch🐋✨
Another island made of basalt, home to a naval shipwreck. Do watch your step for broken glass, sharp rocks, reanimated corpses—
Benjamin: —I beg your pardon?
—fish and shark carcasses….oh right. Lots of sharks. Be careful of those.
Benjamin: ….Do I hear a whale?
✨🇫🇷Lorraine🇫🇷✨
We’re arriving near France! Jacques: lead us in the singing of the French National Anthem
Jacques: Oui, oui, Capitaine~! ✨
✨🎵 Allons enfant de la patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé! 🎵✨
Benjamin: 😑
✨🎵….Contre nous de la tyrannie,
L'étendard sanglant est levé
L'étendard sanglant est levé
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes
Mugir ces féroces soldats?
Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras
Égorger vos fils et vos compagnes!
Aux armes, citoyens! (Formez)
Vos bataillons!
Marchons! Oui, marchons!
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons! 🎵✨
🏔️Arctic Archipelago🏔️
……
Benjamin: …..Peter?
…..Let’s be off…..I wish not to be here too long.
✨🏝️The Caribbean🏝️✨
Ah, much better~! A nice, warm climate. Benji, love, remind me to acquire a bottle of Ron de Barbados 🇧🇧✨
Benjamin: Trust me, Captain; you won’t forget.
We’ve reached our final stop, but we have a whole tied-up tour group of witnesses. Mmmm…Right, I got it! Men, start hauling them over the rail—
Benjamin: —PETER!!
I’m joooooking~. Start untying them and drop ‘em off at the next port. Thank you for….“choosing”….The Golden Phoenix as your cruise. I’ve been your captain, and have a magnificent stay in Barbados. Jones knows I will~
Benjamin: P-PETER!! 😣
Leaving this open because man I had a lot of fun here ✨
✨👇Tag list for writing snippets below DM me if you want to be added 👇✨
Tag List for writing tidbits (lmk if you want + or -)
@clevah-girlboss , @glasshouses-and-stones , @tragedycoded , @deanwax , @honeybewrites , @drchenquill , @paeliae-occasionally , @kaylinalexanderbooks , @katenewmanwrites , @fantasy-things-and-such , @billybatsonmylove , @madi-konrad , @houseplantblank , @far-cry-from-finality , @froggy-pposto , @fractured-shield , @avaseofpeonies , @topazadine , @thecoolerlucky , @willtheweaver , @somethingclevermahogony , @noxxytocin , @addicted2coke-theothercoke , @ominous-feychild , @yourpenpaldee , @moltenwrites , @pixies-love-envy , @davycoquette , @writeahurricane , @nczaversnick , @greenfinchwriter , @oliolioxenfreewrites , @aintgonnatakethis , @pluppsauthor , @michellekarnold , @flurrysahin , @authorcoledipalo , @jadeglas , @spookyceph , @48lexr , @agirlandherquill , @saebasanart , @leatafandom , @pippinoftheshire , @badscientist , @dearunreliablenarrator , @worlds-tallest-fairy , @rhikasa , @swordslord
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one-piece-aus · 5 months ago
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Unbottle Your Emotions
Eustass Kid x Reader (Part 4)
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
Ahoy! Know it's been a few weeks since last chapter, my apologies, but it's back! This is the next day in the story!
Enjoy ^-^
"Alright class, you can group with your partners now," Makino said finished marking down the attendants.
You took a deep breath, grabbed your stuff, and walked to Kid's desk. Only fair you go to his this time. You hoped you could work on the project without complications. Things have been going well so far, right? You might have pushed a bit when texting about the project, but he still seemed fine, right?
As you approached Kid, you noticed how he fixated his gaze out the window at the level horizon, his brows knit together. Is something irritating him? Is he in a bad mood? Your steps slowed, your mind begging to retreat. Fearing he's unstable dynamite that could blow if you interacted with him. You could only pray as you took a chair nearby and set it in front of his desk.
"Hey, you good?"
"Hm?" Kid looks to see who's bothering him, his sour expression only making you desire to hide in the janitor's closet.
"I- are you good? Did you want to work on the project or...?" Silently you hoped he'd say no and let you work on the project by yourself.
"I'm fine," he scoffed and leaned down, digging through his bag. He pulled out a few printed pages and set them on the desk facing towards you. "I've taken the liberty of printing out the lyrics in case we needed to use them as reference."
You blink, a bit surprised, yet another part of your mind whispers a reminder that he is the type to take initiative, at least from what you've experienced between your interactions. Taking the papers, you eye up the lyrics briefly before you scan the title of the song. You sweat drop.
"We can't do 'Welcome to the Jungle'."
"The hell you mean we can't do 'Welcome to the Jungle'?" Kid questioned, frowning as he pointed at the page. "That song is one of the classics!"
"I know- I understand it's one of the classics and it's almost on every playlist I own but you can't expect that song to be played in class."
Kid raised a non-existent eyebrow at you, a gesture you knew meant for you to explain why but your ass did not want to say it was because of the moaning featured in the song. Not even 10 minutes have passed and you already felt like you wanted to die, how the fuck do you explain this to him? You could almost hear a sizzle from the frustration burning on your forehead.
"I just think there are better song choices to write about then-" You began flipping through the pages when you noticed one of them clearly had lyrics that were not in the song. Scanning over the page you realized it was another song entirely. Narrowing your eyes in confusion, you skimmed through the rest and saw there were a lot more songs. 
Kid averted his eyes, scratching the back of his neck. "I couldn't decide on one song."
A smile cracked on your lips, amused by his indecisiveness knowing you're the same in that regard. "It's alright."
You divided the pages by song before shuffling through the choices.
Burn it to the Ground
Youth Gone Wild
Crazy Train-
You were tempted to choose Crazy Train, another favourite classic, and there sure was a lot you could talk about the song-
"Seems like you've chosen," Kid bluntly stated as he snatched the paper you've been staring at. "Ha! Great choice! I knew you weren't a wuss." Kid smirked seeing the song was indeed Crazy Train.
You were about to object yet seeing him brighten up made you hold your tongue. If it put him in a good mood that meant all the better for you. You buried the urge to look through the rest and neatly shuffled the papers back together and handed them back to Kid.
"I guess we won't be needing the rest of these then if we got our song," you said.
"Nah." He took them and put them back into his bag.
You discussed Crazy Train and jotted down points that were worth writing about, such as talking about the era the song came out in and how the song emphasizes how people felt during the time. Kid brought up how we should mention Ozzy (Ozzy Osbourne) and you agreed, noting that down when-
"So did you think about it?" Kid inquired, causing your pencil to draw off the page.
"About Ozzy?" You hoped that's what he meant. His face turned rather serious, causing you to shift uneased in your seat.
"About lunch."
You opened your mouth then shut it, knowing it'd only piss him off if you played dumb and stated what you wanted to eat for lunch. You knew what he was referring to, but you didn't want to answer, only wanting to focus on the project.
"...No- I mean, no I haven't thought about it properly, I've been focused on schoolwork which we probably should get back to do-"
"We have all week to work on it, and besides class is almost over."
"It is?" You glance over at the clock, seeing it was 5 minutes to class change. "Oh, I should put my stuff away." You move to go back to your desk when Kid catches your wrist, catching you off guard. You look back to Kid, pulse thumping in your veins.
"You're not leaving till I get an answer, [L/n]."
Shit. What the hell are you supposed to do now? You wanted to wiggle out of this, avoid the question, why did he sabotage it? You call for the teacher- no that'd only piss him off more. That's the last thing you want to do.
You can tell he's becoming impatient as the clock ticks to the bell, despite both your faces being drawn in a neutral line.
'Take it easy, [Y/n],' you reassure yourself in your head. 'All you have to say is no.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And you agreed?"
"I panicked okay!" You defended yourself. "It felt like he was ready to rip my arm off at any moment, what was I supposed to do?"
"Say no," Hawkins stated.
You sighed, sinking into your chair defeated. You're grateful that you could at least hide in the corner of drama class until lunch. That, and Hawkins keeping you company. If only you could hide here forever and not go to lunch.
You already had the stress of trying not to piss off Kid, now you'll be walking into eggshell town when you meet him and his gang at lunch. Not that you've seen the others get triggered as often as Kid did, but you've been a witness to a few of their fights at school and heard rumours of shit they got into at night. This left you imagining the many ways you'd likely die before lunch ends.
"Would it ease you if I used the cards to predict how it'll go?" Hawkins offered.
"You'd do that?" You perked up.
"If it puts your mind at ease and allow you to focus on the script, then yes."
"Please."
Hawkins pulled out his deck, shuffling the cards before he began to draw them out. You fidgeted with your fingers as you waited for your fate to be revealed. Your fellow loner looks up at you after he draws the last card, his neutral expression making it hard to decipher if you're screwed or not.
"You'll be fine," Hawkins confirms, and you sigh relieved- "But you'll be confronted with a choice that will affect future interactions with Eustass."
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stonathandreamer · 24 days ago
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Costume
🔸 Masterlist
🔹 Previous Halloween story
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Synopsis: Steve convinces Jonathan to attend a Halloween costume party with him, and he has the perfect costume for it! Unknown to Steve, Jonathan has one as well.
A/N: This is a belated Halloween story because I was sick this weekend and couldn’t write it earlier.
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Steve resisted the urge to giggle like a little kid when he parked his car in front of the Byers' house. Last week, he accomplished the unattainable - convinced Jonathan to attend a costume party at Heather's house. Convincing Jonathan was an arduous task; several demands had to be met, including: "We're living the moment I tell you I want to go," "Don't drink too much," and "Don't leave me alone." Truthfully, making a pact with the Devil would be easier, but hey, the Devil is nowhere near as handsome as his boyfriend, and all that matters to Steve is having Jonathan keeping him company.
Another thing he loves is teasing Jonathan, and Steve knows his boyfriend will have a lot to say about his costume.
"Oh, he's going to kill me... It'll be great!" Steve comments with a grin as he climbs out of his car and walks hurriedly towards the front door, adjusting his jacket. He wants his costume to be pitch-perfect.
He knocked thrice on the door and stifled a small giggle when he heard Jonathan's "Just a sec!" reply from inside.
The door opened, and Steve smiled like a dumbass while doing an exaggerated pose.
"Hey, babe—" Steve's stupid grin and happy face falter when he looks at Jonathan. His facial expression screams 'question mark' at the sight before him. "W... What are you... Wearing?"
Jonathan blushes and transfers his weight from one foot to the other while rubbing the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed by his costume.
"You said we were going to a costume party, so... Ahoy..." He makes a small 'ta-da' gesture with his hands as Steve eyes him up and down with a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and a tiny amount of attractiveness because Jonathan looks cute and handsome wearing Steve's Scoops Ahoy uniform.
But how did he— Robin. That traitor! She was the only person Steve told about his costume, and she wanted him to get a bit of payback, without a doubt.
"Well, you... Uh, Look good in the Scoops sailor uniform, babe."
"T-thanks, Steve. It's weird, but my mom said I look nice too. Will laughed a lot, though, so I confiscated his candies."
Steve snorts at Will's 'punishment,' knowing Jonathan does not take kindly to disrespect, even when he's dressed as a cute ice cream-serving sailor.
"So... What are you dressed as?" Jonathan asks with a raised eyebrow as he eyes Steve up and down. He looks familiar, somehow.
Steve resumes his stupid grin at Jonathan's cluelessness and his exaggerated pose.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm a guy who hates parties!"
Jonathan eyes him up and down, his eyebrow raised and his facial expression screaming 'question mark.'
"I don't get it... Wait. Are those my Converses? I've been looking for them forever! And that's my jacket! And my shirt! And my old camera—!" Realization finally dawns on Jonathan, and he frowns. "You're dressed as me?! That's not funny, Steven— Stop laughing! Do you have any idea how long I was looking for my clothes?! Weeks. WEEKS! And you— Stop laughing! Steven!"
Best. Halloween. EVER.
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gavillain · 2 months ago
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Agatha All Along episode 4 discusion and theories!
Episode 4 spoilers ahoy! Also, I'm going to discuss the FunkoPop leaked spoilers as well, so if you want to remain in the dark, turn back now!
This was SUCH a good episode! I really had fun with it, and we learned a LOT and had a lot of development this go-round.
So they summon Rio Verde to fill Sharon's place as the resident Green Witch in this episode, and already I am LOVING what she adds to the group. The way she's just so casually bloodthirsty and dangerous is genuinely really fun, and I really like how this episode confirms that she and Agatha were lovers in the past and still seem to have feelings for each other. I am mad that the FunkoPop leak spoiled that Rio is Death because this episode did some GREAT foreshadowing regarding that revelation that I'm sure would have thrown us all for a loop if we didn't already know her identity. But her being "in the neighborhood" after Sharon dies, her wanting "more bodies" during her talk with Agatha, Agatha saying "don't" directly at her when Teen was dying, and her hurting Agatha fulfilling her duty. That last one makes me think that she was responsible for taking Nicholas Scratch's life, and that's why she and Agatha had their falling out. I'm thinking maybe Agatha did something to obtain the Darkhold that inadvertently traded Nicholas's life, and maybe she thought whatever she did WOULDN'T kill him because she and Death were lovers (but of course was mistaken). I'm very excited to learn more about Death and Agatha's history.
Although, I am curious about two things with regards to Rio being Death: 1. She's a Green Witch and in fact says she is THE Green Witch. Why is Death of all beings considered a Green Witch? What's the lore there? 2. Were all the signs indicating that she might be Blackheart intentionally misdirections, or is there something else going on here that pertains to Blackheart? Keeping these questions in mind going forward, and I want to marinate on them.
Alice, her mother, and her family's curse was at the forefront of this episode, and I really enjoyed having some additional development for Alice. She was by far the most "normal" of the main cast, so it was nice that we got answers about her first so that she didn't fade into the background. Last episode, I deduced that Alice was cursed by some malevolent entity that plagues her family bloodline and would be after her now that the mother is dead, and on that I was correct. I thought the entity would be Dark Tonji from the comics, but the curse demon was given no name. I'm just gonna call it Dark Tonji since it never got another name XD I loved the reveal that Alice's mother's cover of The Ballade is a protection spell that has been keeping Alice safe for years because of how prolific it is played. I thought that was a really fun touch, and I LOVED the performance of the cover. It was very emotionally powerful watchiing the demon be destroyed by it. I am curious if we'll learn more about where the Dark Tonji curse came from and what that entity was. I'm inclined to say probably not since this episode tied a neat bow on top of everything, but we very well might! I'd love to know more if they have more story to tell.
I also liked the reveal that Alice's mother died "on the road" but not the Witches' Road, she died "on the road" because she was on tour. I like the wordplay there, and I thought it made for a nice subversion to expectations.
We got more of Agatha having a genuine affection for "Teen" in this episode, and seeing how much she cared when Teen got hurt and was close to dying in contrast to how she basically used Sharon as a meat shield to die for her and then never bothered to learn her name speaks VOLUMES regarding how much Agatha cares about Teen. This episode basically spells out that Agatha thought Teen WAS Nicholas Scratch, but Rio confirms at the end that he is not. It also seems to suggest that Teen doesn't even know who put the sigil on him at all. I'm still very much of the opinion that it's Wanda's magic, and that he's Billy Kaplan (the latter seemingly confirmed by FunkoPop spoilers - thanks a lot guys). But I'm interested in if Agatha might suspect that about him, and I wanna see how their relationship changes now that Rio has confirmed that he's not Nicholas.
Jen talks about a man without magic binding her, and I'm fairly certain the man she talks about is the same one she saw in her hallucination. She states specifically that he did NOT have magic though he did bait her into trap. I'm calling it right now that he DIDN'T bind her, she bound HERSELF unknowingly as a trauma response to his attack. I'm pretty sure about that one.
We see more of Lilia having visions and then saying things without remembering that she says them. I almost wonder if the mysterious dead woman she saw in her hallucination last episode is somehow literally inside of her. Two souls trapped in one. I also just want to note that I enjoy the consistency in her characterization as being the one who takes the most umbrage with witch stereotypes like she did in the previous episodes. It's a small thing, but I like characterization bits like that that help set her aside from the others.
Aaaaaaaand now I really don't want to wait until next week for the new episode. These continue to be SO good, and I NEED more.
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marlequinncos · 4 months ago
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Now that HOTD Season 2 is over, I have a lot of thoughts about what has transpired. Full disclosure: I basically wrote an essay, so long post ahoy! I have read the book, meaning there are a couple book spoilers in here along with show spoilers. Also: there are all my personal opinions, so you may agree or disagree.
The Good
The show is beautifully shot and the cinematography is excellent. We've gotten some really gorgeous shots this season.
The dragons look great, they're animated well, and I like how we can really see their different personalities and their relationships with their riders.
The acting is solid pretty much across the board. Folks like Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, and Olivia Cooke are excellent as usual. The standout for me this season, though, is Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon. He's thoroughly fleshed out his character and given him some really interesting shading and depth and I really enjoy watching him on-screen.
Some excellent new additions to the cast! Ser Simon Strong is a national treasure, Gwayne Hightower is a mood, Alys Rivers is who I aspire to be in life, and the Hull brothers are both interesting (especially their dichotomy) and they better show more with them as per the book.
Rook's Rest gave us our first real dragon battle of the show, and I thought it was really well done. I was concerned that it would be the kind of fight that's hard to follow visually, but it was clean and worked nicely. I also love that they made Aemond torching Aegon a conscious choice.
The costumes are, once again, beautiful.
The embroidery title sequence kicks a lot of ass, and I like how they're adding to it with major events.
I do really like how they've made Helaena a dreamer (which they started in season 1) and how she's a tragic Cassandra figure. However, I do have some issues with her that I'll talk about later.
The Red Sowing was done well. I was hoping we were going to see some people get incinerated to really underscore how dangerous claiming a dragon can be, and that did not disappoint.
Little Oscar Tully verbally suplexing Daemon through an announcer's table was everything I've ever wanted.
I really like the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent. That said, I think there are some real issues with the writing that I'll discuss below.
Big fan of them putting Tyland Lannister in Situations.
Aemond committing war crimes and serving cunt as ye olde Sephiroth. 10/10 no notes.
While I do think the tripping balls in Harrenhall arc went on for far too long, I like how the show is leaning into the magic of the world with the weirwoods and insane visions of the past, present, and future.
Women kissing
The Bad
The pacing. Listen, I like a slowburn (one of my favorite horror movies is The Witch which many people find boring), but the slow pacing has to build to something, and this entire season felt like it was just build-up with no payoff. Last season ended with a consequential event (death of Luke), and this season began with another (Blood and Cheese), yet I don't feel like those events have managed to push the plot forward. Even Rook's Rest, which seemed like we were finally getting the ramp up to all-out war that's been teased for one and a half seasons due to Aegon being burned and Rhaenys dying, didn't really ramp up the stakes. We're still waiting for the war, and it feels like Season 2 was just a giant teaser for Season 3 rather than a stepping stone of the whole story. Think of it this way: season 1 ended with a build-up to the war and yet somehow this season also ended as a build-up to the war. It doesn't feel like progress was made; we're essentially in the same spot. The season should have ended with either the taking of King's Landing or the Battle of the Gullet.
Blood and Cheese. There is a reason this event lives in infamy for book readers. It's essentially the Red Wedding of the Dance of Dragons, because of how truly heinous and horrifying of an event it is. But the show toned it down a lot, and I think that was a mistake. Not to mention the fact that the death of Aegon's heir, who was a literal child, only seemed to be an issue for about an episode, and then everyone kind of forgot about it. Frankly, I don't like how the deaths of Luke, Jaehaerys, and Rhaenys were somewhat glossed over other than an episode of some characters being sad. Those deaths should have reverberated with long-ranging consequences and I don't feel like that's the case.
The writing. It's just not as good this season. Yes, I know the writer's strike probably affected it, but still. The conversations are nowhere near as engaging or interesting as they were in season 1, and I'm someone who loves dialogue scenes of political intrigue. I also think some of the character decisions they've made don't work. The biggest issue I have in that regard is with Rhaenyra. I don't actually hate the scene in the Sept (even though I think it is kind of silly how Rhaenyra managed to sneak into KL without being detected), because I like how they establish that Alicent knows that was wrong in her assumption about Aegon and yet she doubles down and they both realize that war is now inevitable even if it all began because of a misunderstanding. But book Rhaenyra is both far more active and ruthless than her show counterpart. There's a reason they call her "Maegor with teats". I thought we were getting some of that "warrior queen Visenya" Rhaenyra during the Red Sowing episode, but the fact is that she's spent most of the season trying to decide on a course of action and trying to do everything peacefully. She should have thrown that out the window after her conversation with Alicent in the Sept. It's especially weird considering she ended season 1 out for blood for the death of Luke. I feel like the writers are afraid that having her sometimes make nasty decisions will make her unlikeable to the general audience. But by doing that, they've also reduced this fascinating woman into a shell of who she should be. Look at Dany and Cersei from GOT; both of them were women in positions of power who did not hesitate to make (sometimes bad) decisions and/or commit horrible acts to further their goals and guess what: for the most part, the audience liked them! Give me "blood and fire" Rhaenyra! Support women's wrongs! Make characters morally grey! LET WOMEN BE AWFUL!!
I also think that the writing is doing Alicent a disservice. They really don't know what to do with her, and its a shame because Olivia Cooke is great. She just feels rudderless to me.
It really looks like the show is cutting Nettles entirely and giving her plot to Rhaena and I don't like this choice. Nettles is an amazing character in her own right, and her relationship with Daemon is key for him to start changing his Targaryen supremacist worldview and for his arc as a whole. Plus, this takes away the significance of Rhaena and Morning at the conclusion of the Dance.
While I like Helaena being a dreamer, they need to give her more screen time and dialogue. Girl had almost nothing to do this season.
I wish we had seen more of Jace and Cregan in the North and the Pact of Ice and Fire. Not saying we need 20 minutes of that, but 5 would have been nice.
I like the idea of that big vision of the future in the finale, but knowing how GOT ended does soften the impact quite a bit. And I don't love that Daemon and Aemond kind of already know their fates?? That's definitely going to hurt their arcs going forward.
The season should have been 10 episodes. Having it be only 8 really messes with the pacing of the story. Not loving the 2 year breaks between seasons either.
The "Let's Wait and See"
Aegon said that Sunfyre is dead. I really hope he's wrong about that because boy howdy that will have major plot implications if Sunfyre really is dead.
DAERON REAL. It would have been nice if he had been mentioned in season 1 and actually seen in season 2, but at least we know he exists and isn't a cryptid. Hopefully we finally get to see him in action in season 3 because poor dude has just been implied for two whole seasons.
I hope we see more of the book's excellent side characters like Black Alys, Benjicot Blackwood, and Sabitha Frey (who we did technically see briefly, but if you're a book reader, you know what I'm talking about). I'd also like to see more Cregan.
Overall, I think the season was a mixed bag. I hope season 3 fixes some of the issues with pacing and writing, because they have a great cast and a show that looks beautiful.
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star1yx · 11 months ago
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Pretty Girl
Two lovers working during summer break while having their own little fun and helping kids sneaking into the movies
♡Steve Harrington x f.reader ♡Small fluff & super short fic ♡Nicknames are used in this story ♡note: first fic
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Summer 1985
If someone told you two years prior that you would be dating Steve “The Hair” Harrington, King Steve, or King of Hawkins High, you would have never believed them without a doubt.
Yet here you are in his embrace as he kept on kissing your neck during your break time. In Scoops Ahoy. It was unbelievable.
Steve wanted you to work with him here during summer break since he would be lonely. And you can’t say no to the man you adore so much. You couldn’t babysit Dustin with him at summer camp anyway. But, Harrington decided to be affectionate with you during the time Robin, a friend of yours, is working at the counter.
Honestly, he changed immensely from how he was with his previous friends Tommy H. and Carol Perkins. He went from a jerk to in your opinion a great babysitter and mother.
He’ll never know you think that of him.
The feeling of his lips on your neck was warm and familiar. It was one of his favorite spots to kiss. If you got a dollar for every time he kissed you, you be pretty rich according to the Party’s definition of ‘rich’.
You wished that the moment would never end. You both have been through a lot in two years. From protecting some kids to being on the verge of death. And yet that’s what created a bond between you two which led to developing feelings and a relationship. You’ve been together for some time now.
“Steve, my break’s about to end…” You said in a low tone so that Robin wouldn’t hear you. It would not be the first time she caught you both red-handed. If your boss ever came to work here, you would have gotten fired alongside him.
“Relax pretty girl, I’ll be done in a second.” Your boyfriend responded with a nickname he gave you. It never failed to make you blush which Steve loved seeing.
Suddenly, the sliding window opened up with the face of Buckley appearing. You both jumped out of each other’s embrace as she let out a small disgusted sound for doing this in here. You still had a few minutes until break was over so Robin shouldn’t be calling you now.
You were flustered and standing behind Steve while he told her “Could’ve warned us first.”
“For your information, I called your names five times Steve, Y/n. Five.” Robin stated unamused which embarrassed you and surprised him for not hearing.
“Anyway, your children are here Dingus and Mrs. Harrington.” She continued teasing you in the last part as you looked at the counter to see Lucas, Max, Mike, and Will. Wheeler rings the bell at the counter continuously waiting for Steve and you to let them in the back.
“Again?” Steve said now his turn to be unamused as he stared at the four teens while leaning onto the counter of the window.
You let out a sigh as you went to the front and welcomed them in as usual. This was a secret between you all to let them get to the movie theater for free. These kids used your job to their advantage. They sure were a lovable pain in the ass.
Your lover went on and opened the back door for them to pass through. He then gave them his usual warning.
“I swear if anyone hears about this-“
“We’re dead.” The members of the Party completed on his behalf which led him to sigh and you chuckling at the interaction.
You and Steve watched as the kids walked away into the mall’s back corridors towards the theater like parents watching their kids leaving the house to go somewhere.
You smiled as you remembered how they looked like 1983 and 1984 compared to now. They grew up fast. To fast. You wished that they had gotten a better childhood. Not one where you had to go defeat some threat to save Hawkins.
This is the least you could do for them.
Steve noticed you in deep thoughts and frowning a bit. He immediately knew what you were thinking about and grabbed your hand reassuring you that everything would be alright.
“There’s no more danger love. We closed the gate. No more Upside Down, Demogorgon, or demo-dog.” He told you as he placed a kiss on your temple making you melt under his touch. This guy never failed to put a smile on your face.
Still charismatic as ever.
Maybe being in grave danger isn’t that bad. After all, you both would have never interacted with each other.
“You think Dustin’s gonna be back soon?” You asked him since you both did miss his presence.
“Maybe,” Steve said while shrugging his shoulders.
“Well, do you think he got a girlfriend during his time in summer camp?” You asked while also expecting a ‘no’. You wouldn’t believe it either anyway. If he did get one, it was probably his imagination.
“Not in a thousand chances,” Steve said also hardly believing the possibility.
You nodded and decided to try something. You planted a small peck on his cheek which caught him off guard. He decided to continue with a kiss on the lips dropping the subject of Dustin while saying “Love you, pretty girl.”
“I love you too Harrington.” You said as you wrapped your arms around his neck.
“Y/n! Break’s over so stop kissing each other and get over here!” Robin yelled out loudly for you to hear leading to a chuckle.
“Coming!” You yelled back as you pulled away from your boyfriend’s kiss and dragged him back inside Scoops Ahoy as he made a sad face making you laugh.
God, you wished that you could stay every minute of your life with the man of your life.
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Hello! This is my first fic on Tumblr. It’s a small one so do bear it with me (also feeding my delusional self). I hope you liked it! (Maybe there are a few mistakes here and there, but oh well)
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serendertothesquad · 3 days ago
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Favorite OS fanfics? If you read them
Oooooh well do I got some for you, anon! Shame a lot of my favorites are restricted to Google Docs and aren't publicly published anywhere, but I'll give some a shoutout anyway.
Ships Ahoy!: An absolute classic. Lilac's entire slate OS-wise, really, but Ships Ahoy will always be a favorite. Beautifully crafted with great character dynamics, big old lore, and lots of gut punches that make me go "oof" and then sob eternally. There is also...
Full Circle: An unofficial sequel to Ships Ahoy that focuses on Olive and Oscar's relationship, with Otto, Otis, Oona, Oprah and Olympia all playing matchmaker to try and get them back together. Holy shit is it one of the funniest Odd Squad fics I've read, especially as far as Otis not knowing what shipping is and Olympia and Oona's shipping war is concerned. The A/N at the end is also something that resonates with me a lot, and as someone who writes OS fanfic, I like to look back on it every once in a while because it's very true.
Forever and a Mile: This one is a bittersweet and adorable one-shot that focuses on Octavia in the time she was tube-blocked by O'Brian and was confined to Precinct 13579's HQ, as well as Opie, the mysterious ballpit agent. I love this one because it gives a lot of depth to the ballpit and shows off some of the levels within it, while also making me feel sympathy for Octavia for all that she's going through.
OSMU: Fanfiction Friction: I'm putting this one here mainly because it's one of the few OSMU fics I've seen. It follows the Mobile Unit as they realize that, well, there are no fics written about them, and they do all this wild and crazy stuff in an effort to get a story out of it. There are an absolute fuckton of jabs to various things -- Elon Musk, ABBA, the comic book industry, and even the author himself, among others. There's even a bit where the author makes a jab at someone who was a bit of a pervert who liked to make up stories about agents naked and/or in bathing suits (key word is "was"; they got banned from Deviantart twice and AFAIK they are not around anymore), but you might not know that without context. If you're uncomfortable with that, though, the rest of the story is just as enjoyable if you skip it.
Viva La Vida: Villain Olive is a popular concept in the fandom. This is one of the earlier instances of it! The winner of a trivia contest held by Lilac, the idea for this one was conceived by Joshua Kilimnik and the story was written by Lilac. It features Olive slowly turning to the odd side due to a rapidly declining sanity with Odd Todd giving her all the pushes she needs. I like Olive's internal struggle throughout the story, as well as the (bad) ending which caps things off perfectly. (There's also a good ending, added for those who don't like to see Olly-child suffer. Just as beautiful!)
Icing: Fuck your two-sentence horror stories. All my homies hate two-sentence horror stories. Have a 91-word horror story that's one hell of a flashfic and puts a terrifying spin on what was already a pretty terrifying line in-series.
Through Frostbitten Stone: There is another fic I read a long time ago where Olympia manages to get hypothermia while trying to save Otis. (That's the gist of it. The full context would derail this bit.) This fic takes a bit of a different turn from that, with Otis getting hypothermia instead of Olympia, and is also one of the longest Odd Squad fics I've ever seen (and that is barring my own, thank you). It's a hefty read at nearly 30k words, but it's a beautiful read that showcases the Otis-Olympia partner dynamic perfectly.
...Okay fine. FINE. Two more and then that's it. God there are way too many good ones.
Star Agents: This was one that was Google-Docs-exclusive and has now been published onto AO3. And thank God, because it is incredibly good for an AU story where Otto and Todd are partners while Olive is on the villains' side. There are more chapters that are buried in Google Docs currently, but I recommend keeping an eye on this one for updates.
From The Desk of Doctor O: I like the format of this one. Dr. O trying to reform Odd Todd through court-mandated therapy sessions is also a really neat concept. Mainly because, if Odd Squad's judicial system were more realistic, I can 100% see court-mandated therapy being a thing. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes.
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This isn't an exhaustive list by any means, but there ya go, my list of favorites. I do like how the fic scene is still going strong with this fandom 10 years later lol.
Of course, I'm also nominating my own stories: my FiMFic catalog of crossover stories, and my AO3 collection of stories. Enjoy!
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xoxo-sarah · 1 year ago
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I Wanna Be Yours || Part 4
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Part 3 | part 5
↝a/n: repost cause tags weren't working. I don't like this chapter but it has important events for reader's story line.
↝pairing: Robin Buckley x fem!Wheeler!reader
↝ Warning: slightly roofread. Canons events, bloody noses, headaches, nightmares, homophobia (?)
↝⎙ 7.31.23
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The first time you had met Robin was right after Nancy and Steve had broken up. Ironic really. Your sister got her heart broken, and you met someone who seemed to take your breath away with a single glance. She had gotten the locker right beside yours, leading you two to start a conversation one morning. Talking to her was easy.
1983 was a crazy year. Not only with family drama but with Will going missing, Joyce losing her mind, according to everyone in town, and the Demogorgon. You somehow got pulled into the loop and never could get out.
Next, it was the Mind Flayer. Will pretty much getting possessed. Some gate to the upside down. You really didn't have a lot of time to get closer to her then.
The next year, you tried to forget about what happened, distracting yourself with trips to the mall. You didn't see Robin a lot until she got a job with Steve at Scoops Ahoy.
It was a little awkward going in there. You didn't really know Steve, having not had a lot of time to meet him when he and Nancy were together. But you did get to know each other when he helped Mike and Dustin. He seemed alright.
Robin was great. She was nice, smart, and sarcastic. When you'd buy ice cream, you always got a kick out of her picking at Steve. He needed to be kicked down a notch. She was the perfect one to do it.
Then, the mall fell. However, Robin was swooped into the loop. Even with her brains, you didn't want her to get involved. It was dangerous just being a normal citizen living in Hawkins, being clueless. Actually knowing what is happening and being a part of it…you rather her not.
Although you two talked and nearly died a few times, you kept your distance. Maybe it was the feelings, or just not being at the same place in time.
Until senior year.
It is stressful, with all the work and all the basketball games. Everyone was actually trying this year. They had to.
Lucky for you, one of your teachers had partnered you and Robin up for a project.
After not really talking for a while, it was talking everyday-for the project, of course.
But it was different. She seemed…different. Maybe you were acting differently too. You really couldn't tell.
The feelings were still in the bottom of your stomach, flaring up each time she was around. Each time she'd look at you, smile, god forbid her laugh at a dumb joke you made. You were a goner, you knew it, Chrissy knew it…eventually. Robin couldn't know it.
No, you forbid it.
There's no telling what would happen if it got out that you liked Robin-another girl. Hawkins could be cruel.
Robin quietly hummed to the radio as Nancy drove. It was awkward, for some reason. Nancy was just acting…off. Sure, her friend died, but it seemed to be more than that, deep down.
It wasn't until Robin hummed the wrong note that you made a sound from the back seat.
Nancy broke from her stare at the road, glancing back at you.
The younger girl turned to look at you, a blush creeping on her face in embarrassment. But it was washed away quickly.
She couldn't help but notice the way your smile seemed to cut the tension like a knife. It was magnetic, drawing her in closer with every passing moment. Yet, the fear of ruining whatever it was you had held her back from confessing her true feelings. Ever.
Oh, how she wanted to jump over the back seat and show you what she's kept to herself for so many years.
The feelings had only grown stronger when you nearly died together.
“Okay, help me get his straight,”
You pulled your jacket closer to your body, having felt a chill run up your spine as soon as you stepped out of the car.
Robin and Nancy walked a little in front of you. “Eddie's uncle, Wayne, thinks that Victor Creel escaped from Pennhurst Asylum and that he's the one running around Hawkins, committing these murders?” Robin asked, her hands out at her sides.
“Pretty much.” Nancy concluded with a close-lipped smile.
Robin turned back to you now, slowing a tad. “But Victor committed the eyeball murders, like, way back in the 50's.”
“Well, '59.”
Holding the door open for you, Robin let you go in first, questions still directed towards your sister.
Pushing the warm blush down, you tried to ignore how the simple gesture made you feel. Just manners.
“So, that means these murders predate Eleven in the Upside Down by about 30 years?”
“Yeah.”
“Which makes spooky Victor Creel, like, 70 years old.”
“Yep.” Nancy dinged the bell, sighing with all the questions.
“So, he's a grandpa murderer who can turn invisible and lift people into the air.”
“It doesn't make sense. I know-”
“Wouldn't be the weirdest thing that's happened.” You interrupted.
“That's why I said it was a shot in the dark.” Nancy seemed to ignore you altogether, not sparing you a glance when you had spoken up before.
With furrowed brows, you listened to them continue to talk, ringing the bell again. “I know. I just thought that by 'shot in the dark', you were being modest or hiding something super solid up your sleeve that you were going to wow us with later. But this is really, truly a shot in the dark.” Nancy dinged the bell yet again. “Like, we are snipers with blindfolds on who've been spun around 50 times.” Robin went on rambling.
Nancy rapidly dinged the bell.
“Coming!” A lady singsonged.
“Hi. Sorry, we're in a bit of a rush.” Nance tried to be nice, “Could we get the keys to the basement archives?”
“Of course, give me one sec.”
When the lady walked off, Robin turned, “Did I come off mean or condescending?”
“No.” Nance quickly answered, before looking away.
“Right. Sorry. It's just you seem annoyed.”
“She's always like that.” Is what you inched to say, but you kept your mouth shut, just listening.
“You don't know me very well. I don't really have a filter to a strong grasp of social cues. Y/n can vouch for me.”
“Okay.”
“If I said something that upsets you, just know that I know it's a flaw. Believe me, my mother reminds me daily.” Wouldn't call it a flaw. In fact, you found it entertaining how she'd ramble on about whatever when you'd work together in school. Sure, the project took longer than needed, but you had gotten to know her and how her brain works. You found it quite adorable.
“Got it.”
Pursing your lips, you couldn't help but want to tell your sister to loosen up and stop acting like that. But it's not really your place to tell her that, with her friend dying and everything. Wasn't really the time.
“Alright, ladies.” The woman dangled the keys in front of her. “Here you go. Have fun.”
“Yep, we'll try.”
“Thank you.” You smiled at the lady before following behind Robin.
After not finding anything on Victor, you switched with Robin. The light from the screen was giving you a headache. You sat on the floor In front of them, leaning your head back and closing your eyes for some kind of relief.
“Anything…juicy over there?”
“Nothing new.” Nancy sighed.
“Yep, same here. Victor seemed like a normal guy. Dead family, missing eyes, took a plea deal, sent to Pennhurst. Blah, blah, blah, blah.”
Nancy dropped her head in annoyance.
Robin moved to the side of the machine, looking at the other girl. “What are we looking for exactly?” When she didn't get a response, she knocked on the side of the machine.
You couldn't help the groan of pain that caught their attention. Your headache was only getting worse. It felt more like a migraine at this point.
Robin muttered an apology, turning back to Nancy with a softer voice.
“Any mention of dark wizards or alternate dimensions? Things in that vein?”
“I don't know. Okay?” At her irritation, you opened your eyes to watch Nancy stand up in frustration. “It's started to seem like this was just a big waste of time. And you're obviously bored, y/n feels like her head's about to explode. Why don't you just call Steve? I'm sure he'll come pick you up.” Was that…jealousy you were sensing? “And I mean, I'm not really in danger here so…" Nancy walked away.
You turned to Robin, who had her mouth open to reply but couldn't seem to find the words.
Standing up, you followed Nancy, Robin sat in silence for a few seconds before following.
“You do know that Steve and I are, like, totally not a thing, right?”
Robin leaned on the staircase rail that led to the file cabinets. Nance stopped looking through the drawer, instead listening to her words.
“What?” She turned, looking as if the other girl had lost her mind for thinking such a thing.
Robin walked around the shelves, moving to stand where you two were. “So, I figure you and Jonathan are still going strong 'cause you guys are going to college together, and you're like one of those unstoppable power couples but i…i just. I wanted to make sure that you knew that Steve and I are just friends. Like platonic with a capital P.”
Nancy looked up, her face falling onto you standing behind her. “Y/n, your nose is bleeding.”
Moving to wipe your nose, you looked at the blood that appeared when you pulled your hand away. “Jesus.”
Robin panicked, looking everywhere for some kind of tissue or napkin. After not finding anything, you had no other choice but to use your jacket. Gross? Of course. But it was the only thing you had at the moment. There's no way you were going all the way up to ask for a tissue for your bloody nose.
You waved the other two off, letting them continue their conversation.
After a few seconds, Robin continued, “Just in case that's adding any tension between us.”
“It wasn't.”
It was.
Rushing out of the building, you held the blood covered jacket balled up in your hand, “Dustin, do you copy?”
“Yeah, I copy.”
“So, Nancy is a genius. Vacna's first victims date all the way back to 1959.” Robin spoke into the walky-talky. “Her shot in the dark was a bull's-eye.”
“Okay, that's totally bonkers, but I can't talk right now.”
“Why?” You leaned over to speak clearly and to hear Dustin.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Robin followed up, opening the car door.
“Breaking and entering school to retrieve confidential and extremely personal files.”
“Jesus Christ.” You flopped into the back seat.
“Can you repeat that?” Robin looked at you with worry for the boy and his actions. She was hoping the static messed up what he was actually saying, which totally wasn't that he had broken into school to steal personal files that he could get into big trouble for.
“Just get your ass over here, stat. We'll explain everything.”
“I Thought they were talking to Ms. Kelly.”
“We leave them alone for 2 hours.”
After games, it wasn't unusual to have fun, drink and have a good ol' time. You were surrounded by people who just wanted to have a good time and celebrate a win. Nothing happens, just drunken words thrown around carelessly, not a thought in most peoples under the influence minds.
You were always near Chrissy, who was often than not near Jason, who in turn, was with his friends.
The smell of alcohol and weeds wafted through your nostrils and clung to your clothes. But you weren't worried about that when Chrissy was making you snort your water out of your nose.
You two were probably the only sober ones in Jason's home. His parents had been out for date night, which he took full advantage of.
“I'm not even exaggerating.” Chrissy giggled, hitting your arm as you tried to wipe at the liquid you cough up.
Suddenly, the music stopped, along with Chrissy's giggles.
Looking up, everyone had stopped what they were doing, eyes on you. Turning to your side confused, Chrissy was staring at you in disgust.
“Chris, wha-”
“You just had to be different, didn't you?” You were now more confused than ever. What was she talking about?
Before you could question her further, she continued. “You're just confused.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“You're a freak.” Jason spoke up in a nonchalant tone, but the disgust on his face said otherwise. The room was closing in on itself, everyone moving in closer without seeming to move at all. All eyes were burning into your skin.
Standing up, you needed fresh air. This is all too much. As you went to move your feet, they didn't move. It was as if they were glued to the floor, no matter how hard you tugged to move, you stayed where you were.
“Freak.” Jason started up again, but everyone in the room echoed it.
Chrissy stood, pushing you back, echoing the words as well. You had noticed how she didn't look the same. Her jaw was to the side, clearly broken. Where her eyes used to be were hallowed.
Like what Eddie had described.
You screamed as she pushed you.
As you fell back, you never met the couch where you had been sitting. You continued falling, the words never stopping. They echoed and echoed and echoed, getting louder and louder and louder.
Gasping, you jumped up, falling back against the back seat of Nancy's car due to the seatbelt, hitting your head. Cursing, you didn't notice Robin and Nancy both looking back at you in concern. Nancy had stopped the car when you loudly gasped.
“Y/n? Y/n? Y/n!”
Your head shot up, meeting Nancy's terrified eyes.
“Are you okay?”
It took you a second to register what she was talking about. “Wha- yeah. Yeah, I'm good.” Ignoring how your voice sounded hoarse, you just wanted her to drive to where Dustin and everybody was. You wanted them to stop staring at you like you were crazy, like you were a freak. You don't know how Eddie doesn't act affected by being called that publicly.
“You sure?”
Robin's voice sounded different. Like she actually cared about you and how you were feeling. Not how people sound when they automatically ask if you're okay.
“Yeah, just drive.”
Reluctantly, Nancy began driving, glancing back at you often. Robin stayed turned around, watching you for a little bit before she turned back around, not wanting to just stare at you, even if she wanted to see for herself that you were, in fact, alright.
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•2021-2024 by xoxo-sarah on Tumblr•
• My work is not to be translated, copied, modified, and/or reposted on any other site without my permission. [!I don't give permission!]
🫧 Taglistׂׂ ૢ ~ @overtrred28 @ihatepeanutss
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hornets-nest666 · 1 year ago
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OMG!!!!! Sammy's design is so adorable and cool. I love how he still has his Bendy mask here. I also like how his sailor uniform looks a lot like Steve Harrington's "Scoops Ahoy" outfit from the show "Stranger Things." Right down to the socks and shoes too. Anyway, it's just very interesting to see Mr.Sammy in the Babatqtftim universe since he wasn't in the original comic. It's just very nice to see other characters that we often don't get to see in these types of AU's and such. It makes for an even more inclusive and unique experience, not that it wasn't before of course. Great job on Sammy's design and great job on this awesome story overall. I really love your creative interpretation of how this story continues, as well your unique interpretation of each character. Especially Mr.Felix. I also love your amazing art style too. It's a very cool and beautiful art style and you definitely made some of the characters look even more charming and quite handsome too. Sorry I just really had to say that. Anyway, great job once again and have a lovely day and Happy Pride Month too!!!!! 😁👍🌈🌈💞💞💗💗
Aww, thank you very much, I'm really very pleased to hear this, especially the recent events. And I'm glad you liked Sammy's design. He's our ice cream man😅 And yes, I was inspired by Steve's costume :) Thank you again and happy Pride Month.
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ransprang · 2 years ago
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Kukulkan x history teacher! reader
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You had studied so hard to finally live your dream. You taught History in a boarding school by the cliff, near the great open seas. The chirping of the sea gulls, swaying meadows, and the sound of the church bell nearby added to your peace. Everyday morning, you would wake up and prepare your syllabus for the day, you lived in a neat little room in the rustic staff quarters with a sea view. Your life was perfect, almost magical.
Another routine day, you compiled all your files and left for class. As the bell echoed across the hallways of the school, you could hear the soft waves crash against the cliff in the distance. You walked in your classroom and greeted the students, “Good morning everyone, today we will pack our bags and go for a short walk down to the coast”. You loved teaching kids out in the open, the room itself just never sufficed for sharing knowledge. All the kids clammered to gather their belongings, and getting into a single file. You led the way to the coast beneath the white cliffs.
Today's lesson was Captain Avery’s story, “you screamed Ahoy mateys! Let’s dive into the lesson…” the kids screamed “AHOYY” back at you in their chirpy voices. You spoke for about an hour before letting the kids take a break by playing at the beach. They went over and under the waves discussing their newly taught lesson and you joined in, making sure everyone was safe.
While swimming, you saw a beautiful bluish gold ornament. You reached out for it, as it got pulled away by a receding current. You swam a bit harder and finally got a hold of it. You brought it back to the shore and signaled the students to come out. You continued the history lesson back in the classroom but now you were keen to go back and discover this new piece of jewellery you had found.
That day you rushed back to your room to study this artifact, you brought out all your history books and research papers and went at it. After pulling an all-nighter your eyes finally shone with excitement. As you put the necklace out in the rays of the morning sun, it reflected vibranium. It glowed. How did you miss that?
This piece was from Talokan. You had heard about this empire of Mayans and their god Kukulkan, but did all that mythology exist? How was this ornament simply floating around? So many questions fogged your mind. But, you were determined. When the school holidays approached you spent your time in the library hiding this little secret from everyone, researching for several days.
You returned to class after the holidays with a renewed spirit and loads of new things to share! You liked giving knowledge outside of the syllabus, after all sharing is caring! You started off the first class of the semester with the mayapan history and their gods. You gave a brief introduction to Kukulkan and his powers. You decided to keep the necklace a secret but went ahead to draw and describe it. The kids loved your lesson.
During recess all the teachers could hear them talk about your class and one of the kid even declared himself to be Kukulkan and his friends the Mayans. Everyone was having a lot of fun, until a few weeks later. On a Saturday morning you heard a knock on your door, but as you opened it there was nobody. You thought nothing much of it. After a few minutes you heard the knocking again, and once again it was no one. You were beginning to get worried.
As you completed some admin work by your desk facing the window suddenly a blue human like creature broke the window pane and stepped on your table. You screamed, he was built up, he wore a water mask and was wearing similar ornaments as the one you had found. You screamed and fell back onto the floor, you dragged yourself back to the edge of the wall behind as he slowly took steps towards you. He spoke in a mysterious language you could not understand but when he held his hand out you had your suspicions, that it was to collect the necklace. You had a habit of keeping it in your pocket, so you held onto it with your life and ran.
You ran aimlessly and found yourself running by the edge of the cliff. The wind was blowing hard, and as this blue person drew closer, you had a moment to contemplate. Your eyes widened at the realization, you heart was beating fast. This was a Mayan, he was here to take the necklace back to whoever it belonged to. This was your biggest discovery how could you let it go so easily?
You ran for your life but he was fast, chasing you down the cliff side, in a sudden hasteful movement your ankle twisted, making you tip directly off the edge. You fell with your eyes closed, a tear dripping from the side of your eye. You felt the arms of the person chasing you wrap around and dive into the ocean beneath. You opened your eyes in shock and pain from the water threatening to enter your lungs. Eventually, you became unconscious, unaware of your surroundings.
You woke up again by the shore near the school you taught at. The ornament was missing, they took it back. Your heart wrenched, you wanted to see more, learn more. Curiosity stronger than gratefulness of being alive. With a sinking feeling you went back to your room.
Life went on, the incident had drove you to the verge of insanity. Your focus was telling as many people about the existence of Talokan and the Mayans, undeniably starting from your own students. Your deviation from syllabus was enough for the school authorities to step in to have a word with you. “YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I saw them with my own eyes, the kids need to know. Everyone does” you cried to the panel before you, over the next year, you had began writing emails to the marine life authorities and anyone who was relevant.
As the summer holidays approached again, you had already spent most of your free time swimming in the sea over the year. Standing by the shore alone staring into the distance hoping to catch a glimpse. This time you arranged for a boat, you didn’t have a license to drive it, but fueled it by with your passion. You managed to figure out the mechanics enough to take you far and deep into the blue ocean. You stayed there for a bit before screaming “KUKULKAN!” You were all alone. “I know you’re here, I can feel it”, “KUKULKAN…!” You screamed loudly with tears again.
To your dismay no one came forth, you had failed again. You sat in the boat and looked up at the darkening skies, a storm was about to ensue. You had no faith in life, that incident had shaken you up, plus you didn’t have any intention of going back to the shore. At least, not for now. A part of you wanted to be swallowed by the ocean in this storm. You closed your eyes and patiently waited to be capsized. The winds were blowing fast, the waves got bigger. Water had began seeping into your boat and thunders lightened the sky.
Your hair stood up, you could feel the static. The instant realization dawned upon you. Lightening was about to strike your head. As your survival instincts kicked in you began looking for a place to cover yourself, but, it was an open boat in the deep ocean, no where to hide. You were about to die.
As the lightening struck, you felt yourself shake and scream. Just then, you were in someone’s arms, floating above the sea close to the waves. You could hear feathers flapping, and his arms strong and hands rough. The man was wet from the ocean, his hair dripping water. He wore turquoise, blue and gold ornaments all over his body. You noticed the wings on his feet, you instantly knew it was Kukulkan.
You hugged him tightly, resting your face over his shoulder as he flew horizontally over the big waves and through the storm. Tears began forming in your eyes. He came, why did he listen to you? He was flying fast, you both were drenched in the rain water. With one swoop he dropped you at the shore of a nearby island. He kept you down on your feet as he stood before you in his majestic stance. You were mesmerized by how accurately the ancients described him. Honey brown skin, dark hair and deep brown eyes, he was beautiful.
He spoke in a heavy accent, “you called for me…” his eyebrow slightly raised. He seemed slightly impressed at your dedication to the people of Talokan, but he had to step in. You were reaching far and wide, looking for anyone believed you. This brought his kingdom under threat. “Thank you for saving me….thank you…for listening to me”, you said breaking down. A warm feeling rose in your chest, you had idealized Kukulkan for so long you seemed to have began loving him in your mind and fantasies. He seemed to understand that, but he was a 600 year old god. There was nothing he hadn’t already seen. He had loved before, and he had lost them all before. The pain from the fragile life span of his lovers had dulled his feelings.
He kept a firm hand on your cheek, he was strong, but there was pain in his eyes. “I want you to forget about Talokan, the dangers of other nations attacking us is too strong. The pain is hard. I know. You must let go before you get yourself in trouble.” As he turned around to leave, you ran and hugged him from the back. “Please take me with you, you know I won’t be the same…” he stopped. Turning around he wrapped his arms around you taking you into his embrace.
You both stayed that way for a while, as he pulled away and took off his necklace. You noticed it was the one you found a year ago, as he gently tied it around your neck. “It suits you” , he said in his deep voice, you gave him a smile. Looking into his eyes your body instinctively tip toed as you put your lips on his. The moment was magical, as the rain droplets fell upon you two, the high tide crashed onto the shore with wet sand. Both your hearts beating against each other.
Kukulkan melted and his arms around you got tighter. He was kissing you with all his heart. You felt his love. Digging your nails into his back you pulled him closer till there was no space between you two. You both became one for a few moments, with tongues tangled. You finally pulled away to catch your breath. Kukulkan's eyes slowly opened, as he moved one of his arms from your lower back to your head, intertwining his fingers with your locks. The fear of losing someone had kept him away from loving for years now. How could he let himself become so weak? He broke a piece of Vibranium from his bracelet, the size of a small pill. Putting it in his palm - “eat it, if you want to go far away” you didn’t think twice and swallowed.
You spent the rest of your life next to the man of your dreams, of your fantasies, the man who drove you insane without ever meeting you. In the end you gave the strength to feel again.
Your Vibranium,
Admin Sav
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roanofarcc · 6 months ago
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PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER FORTY FIVE → CHEMISTRY ‘TIL IT BLOWS UP
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summary: steve harrington x oc
when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown.
word count. 3.7k || masterlist || oc moodboard
warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.
a/n: omg we love the 4th of july :) nothing bad ever happens on the 4th :) it’s such a fun day :) everything will surely be fine :)
previous chapter ← → next chapter
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Closing up Scoops Ahoy for the night, Steve sighed in frustration. “It just can’t be right,” he said, falling in line with the odd group Dustin had assembled as they walked down the darkened mall toward the employee parking lot. Starcout was eerie after closing, without the bright fluorescent lights and the constant buzz of people coming and going. The only ones left were the unlucky workers who got stuck with the closing shift, Steve and Robin being among them. 
“It’s right,” Robin replied. She had figured out most of the translation on her own, which Steve had to admit was impressive, but it made no sense. 
“Honestly, I think it’s great news!” Dustin chirped, earning himself a look from Steve that he ignored. 
“How is this great news? I mean, so much for being American heroes. It’s total nonsense.” 
Robin shook her head. “It’s not nonsense. It’s too specific. It’s obviously a code.” 
To Steve’s right, Sunshine walked closely beside him, their hands occasionally brushing against each other but neither one moved to put distance between them. Maybe the message made no sense to him because he was impossibly distracted by Sunshine. The conversation he had with Robin and Dustin replayed in his head, and he found himself focusing more on the golden-eyed girl than his quest to become an American hero. 
“A code, you think?” Sunshine asked, curiously. 
“Yeah, like a super-secret spy code,” Dustin replied.
With a roll of his eyes, Steve said, “That’s a total stretch.” He had seen a lot of weird and unexplainable things in his life, but he still had a hard time believing they were in possession of a ‘super-secret’ Russian spy code. Though, maybe Russian spies wouldn’t be as bad as monsters. 
“I don’t know, is it?” Robin seemed to be swept up in the conspiracy that Dustin had dreamed up. “Listen, just for kicks, let's entertain the possibility that it is a secret Russian transmission. What do you think they’re going to say? ‘Fire the warhead at noon.’” Steve supposed not, but that didn’t justify their theory. “My translation is correct. I know that for sure. The silver cat feeds. Why would anyone talk like that unless they’re trying to mask the meaning of their message? And why would anyone mask the meaning of their message unless the message was somehow sensitive?” 
Great, so Robin had the same brain as Dustin; that was just great. 
“So,” Robin continued, looking at Dustin. “I guess that confirms your suspicion.” 
“Evil Russians,” said Dustin, like that was a totally normal conclusion to come to. 
Robin snorted. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing with this strange child, but yeah, evil Russians.” 
A beat of silence passed before Sunshine spoke. “Well, if this message is from, um, evil Russians, how do we figure out what the code means?” 
“I guess we finish translating the rest of the message and hopefully a pattern emerges.” 
Steve was suddenly caught by Robin’s words. He managed to drag his focus away from Sunshine for a moment to replay the message one more time in his mind. He didn’t speak Russian, but they had listened to the tape recording at least a hundred times that afternoon and managed to pick up every little detail the message contained. The one thing that stuck out to him was a little tune in the background of the message. The music was familiar, really familiar. 
As they continued down the abandoned mall hall, Steve lagged behind as they passed a cluster of children’s rides. He hoped that he had a stroke of genius, or else it was going to be awfully embarrassing. Digging around in his uniform pocket, he tried to find spare change, but he came up empty-handed. 
“Steve?” Sunshine called to him, the whole group stopping and peering back at him with curiosity. 
“What’re you doing?” Dustin asked. 
“I need a quarter.” 
Robin chuckled. “Are you sure you’re tall enough for that ride?” she teased, which Steve did not find funny. He was on to something; he hoped so, anyway. 
“Quarter!” he yelled. 
Dustin muttered something under his breath but dug around his backpack anyway until he pulled out a handful of quarters. Steve snatched the change from the kid, slotted it into a mechanical horse, and waited until it started moving back and forth and playing music. 
“Need help getting up, little Stevie?” 
He rolled his eyes but ignored Robin, pressing his finger to his lips to keep everyone quiet so he could better hear the music. He had heard the little tune from the machine at least twenty times a day when a child begged their parents to ride the horse and waste their money. The music was the same as the music in the recording, identical. 
It took Dustin only a couple of moments to catch onto what Steve was hearing. His eyes widened as he dropped his bag and pulled out the tape recorder. “Holy shit!” he whispered. “The music!” Dustin pressed play on the message and confirmed Steve’s suspicions. 
“I don’t understand,” Robin said. 
“It’s the same song,” Dustin explained, practically giddy at the new information. 
“Maybe they have horses like this in Russia.” 
Steve looked at the sign on the base of the horse, tapping it with his finger. “The Indiana Flyer? I don’t think so.” He found himself looking at Sunshine, waiting for some kind response, but her gaze was far away, brows pulled together in concern as she too pieced together what Steve was getting at. “This code didn’t come from Russia,” he said.
Sunshine finished his thought with, “It came from here.” 
Steve cruised down the moonlit roads of Hawkins with the gentle hum of music from one of Sunshine’s favorite tapes playing on the radio. She sat beside him in the front seat, gazing out the window in thought, and Dustin kept poking his head between the two of them from the backseat. 
“I don’t get it,” Sunshine said, breaking the quiet. Her fingers played with the chain around her neck, nervously. “Why would Russians send a message from our mall?” 
“I don’t know, but this whole thing just got a lot more interesting,” Dustin said, his enthusiasm clashing with Sunshine’s worry. Steve found himself somewhere between the two, unsure of exactly what to make of the situation.
“Maybe we should take it to Hopper. This could be serious,” she suggested. 
Dustin instantly protested. “That’s not a good idea yet. We need to wait until we have more evidence. Besides, I don’t want him getting all the credit for our discovery.” 
“But what if it has something to do with…with something that’s already happened here?” she argued. 
That thought hadn’t occurred to Steve. He believed that they all were out of the woods when it came to Hawkins's paranormal activity. “You think the Russians could know about the Upside Down?” He found that likely. Why would they want anything to do with the horrible place riddled with monsters? 
“I doubt it,” said Dustin. “There’s no way they could have figured that out.” 
Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw Sunshine’s hand fall from toying with her necklace and onto her tattooed wrist. A part of him itched to reach out and take her hand as the awful memories of her fingernails digging into her skin last fall came back to him. He felt a short surge of panic every time she traced her fingers over her wrist. But she simply rubbed her thumb over the tattoo, and Steve refrained. 
“That’s not exactly what I mean. In the Lab, they used kids like El to do what they called spying on people. They’d listen to conversations and relay them. Some of those people they spied on were Russian.” 
Steve’s stomach churned every time she mentioned the Lab. There were a million questions he, and probably everyone else, had, but they all knew better than to ask. The look that crossed Sunshine’s face every time she talked about it was more than enough to kill any question he had before it could leave his mouth. 
“But that place was shut down,” Steve reminded her. 
She glanced at him, concern pinched in her expression, but she said nothing. 
“We won’t know anything until we finish translating the message and crack the code. Once we do that, we’ll know what we’re dealing with. But we need more evidence before we take anything to Hopper. And we’ll only hand it over if we get credit, obviously,” Dustin said, clearly not super worried about what the Russians could be doing in Hawkins.
They said nothing else until they pulled into Dustin’s driveway. The Henderson Household was quiet as usual. The glow of the television set could be seen from the front window, along with the top of Ms. Henderson’s head poking out from behind the couch. 
They all bid each other goodbye with the promise of resuming their investigation tomorrow at the mall. Steve waited until Dustin was inside, ensuring the kid didn’t find any strange creatures in his trashcan before he backed out of the driveway and started the journey toward Sunshine’s house. 
Even though Steve didn’t want to admit it, Dustin had been right about what he said earlier that day. The longer Steve waited to say something to Sunshine, the more of a risk he ran of someone else realizing just how incredible she was. Robin was right as well; all he could do was ask her a simple question and leave the rest for her to decide. The worst she could say is no. In theory, it was easy, so Steve didn’t understand why it was so terrifying. He'd never been so nervous to ask a girl out before. It was different with Sunshine; Steve wanted it to be different than relationships of his past.
His hands felt clammy as pulled onto her street and parked alongside the curb outside her house. She began to gather her things and he knew it was now or never. 
“Hey, Sunshine?” The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop himself. 
She paused, looking at him and illuminated by the streetlamp that cast a warm glow across her face. “Yeah?”
He cleared his throat and tried to keep the tone of his voice casual, even though his heart felt like it was ready to leap right out of his chest. “I was wondering if you had any plans for the fourth?” The holiday was only a couple of days off, and it felt like the entire town was making a huge deal out of it. 
“No, I don’t think so. Why?” 
He hesitated, running a hand through his hair. “Well, you know, they’re putting on fireworks at the mayor’s fair that night. And, um, if you don’t have any plans maybe we could go? Like, just you and me. Together.” He inwardly cringed at himself and how utterly unsmooth his delivery was, but at least he did it.
Sunshine’s eyes widened just slightly and she was silent for a beat, but it was enough to make Steve momentarily wonder if he had royally messed up asking her out. But then the corner of her lips turned upwards. “Yeah! Yes!” She quickly cleared her throat. “I mean, that sounds nice.” 
Steve mirrored her smile as a surge of relief flooded through him. “It’s a date.” 
“It’s a date,” she repeated before stepping out of the car. Before she closed the door she turned around and said, “Good night, Steve.” 
“Good night, Sunshine.” 
She left Steve smiling like an idiot. Millions of stars twinkled across the night sky, and he suddenly felt like everything was beginning to look up for all of them. Even with the air of mystery surrounding the Russian message, Steve couldn’t help but feel like maybe their silver lining after a series of nightmares was upon them. Or maybe he was just blinded with optimism. 
Whatever it was, all that mattered was that Steve had a date and the Fourth of July couldn’t come soon enough. 
The following morning, the group of Russian investigators split into two teams. Sunshine partnered with Robin to help finish translating the recording and then work on cracking the code while Steve and Dustin ran around the mall looking for ‘evil’ Russians intermingled among the Hawkins mall goers. 
In the back room of Scoops, the two girls spent their morning finishing the translation before they began bouncing ideas back and forth in hopes of understanding what the message was trying to say. 
“Okay, read the whole thing back to me,” Robin said, sitting on the counter in front of the open window so she could man the front counter as well. Luckily, it was a rather slow day which made it perfect for spycraft.
Sunshine peered at the whiteboard and repeated the code. “The week is long. The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west. A trip to China sounds nice if you tread lightly.” It read like nonsense, as Steve had said, but if the code came from their mall, they needed to figure out what the meaning of it was so they could pass it off to Hopper and get it taken care of; whatever ‘it’ was. 
“Tread lightly,” Robin repeated, deep in thought. 
“Maybe they mean ‘tread lightly’ as in ‘be careful?” Sunshine suggested. 
Robin hummed. “Yeah, maybe. But be careful of what?”
A knock came from the back room, prompting Robin to hop down from the counter and answer it. A delivery man appeared with a shipment of ice cream that he wheeled in while Robin signed for it. 
Sunshine busied herself with rereading the code again. Her head rested in her palm and her eyes drifted from the whiteboard through the open window that looked out across the food court. She absentmindedly watched the people wandering around until her attention fell on the large clock hung high upon the wall, allowing everyone in the main hub to tell the time. Its blue and yellow hands stood out against the stark white wall, and it was illuminated by the rays of sunlight that poured in through the windows position on the roof. The minute hands ticked, and Sunshine sat up straight in her chair, eyebrows furrowing at the color hands of the clock. “Robin-” She began, but Robin cut her off swiftly and excitedly. 
“Silver cat!” she yelled, running up to Sunshine. “The silver cat!” Before Sunshine could ask what she was about the silver cat, Robin grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat and out of the back room. They raced past Steve and Dustin, who had said something to them that she missed. Weaving between the scattered people, Robin took Sunshine a concrete plant holder with a thick ledge that she jumped up on, giving Sunshine no choice but to climb on top of the structure as well. They could see above the heads of people more easily, but Sunshine wasn’t sure why they needed that. 
“What are we doing, exactly?” 
“I think the code is referencing places inside the mall,” she explained in a rushed breath. “The silver cat is the delivery company. If I’m right, then the other words have to have some connection with shops or something here inside this building.” 
How Robin’s brain worked, Sunshine had no clue. But it made perfect sense. If the message was recorded inside the mall, then the building must’ve played an integral part in whatever they were doing. If they were dealing with Russians in Indiana, they were there for a reason.
“A trip to China sounds nice. A trip to China…Chinese…ah!” Robin gasped and pointed to the Chinese restaurant in the food court. “The Imperial Panda.” 
Sunshine scanned the area, recalling the code. “If you tread lightly…” 
“Shoes!” Robin pointed at the second story of the mall. Kaufman’s shoes. “Holy shit, we’re really doing this! Okay, okay. What else?” 
“When blue meets yellow in the west,” Sunshine said. She grasped Robin’s shoulder and turned her toward the large clock. “The clock hands.” 
“Holy shit!” Robin grabbed Sunshine’s arms as both of them laughed in pure astonishment that they, mostly Robin and her brilliant brain, cracked the Russian code in less than a day. 
“What are you guys doing?” Steve and Dustin had followed them into the mall’s main hub, staring at them like they were crazy. 
A smirk stretched across Robin’s lips as she said, “We cracked it.” 
“Cracked what?” 
Sunshine mirrored Robin’s smirk. “We cracked the code!” 
Rain poured over the town in a fury. It soaked everyone to the bone; not even their raincoats protected the group as they sat on the roof of Starcourt. Droplets fell into Sunshine’s eyes, making it nearly impossible to focus on the loading dock they were supposed to be staking out.
After she and Robin had deciphered the code, their next course of action was to figure out what the Russians were doing with the different shops at the mall. Dustin had concluded that they were probably using the delivery service to smuggle in or out something, which was how all four of them found themselves on the roof in the middle of a thunderstorm. Sunshine silently thanked her mom for forcing her to bring a coat with her, but it didn’t stop the chill from spreading through her body due to the sudden vanishing of the sticky summer heat. 
“Look for the Imperial Panda and Kaufman shoes,” Robin said to Dustin, who was using a pair of binoculars to see what was happening below. Men were unloading something from trucks; they looked different than the normal mall security. The men were tall and broad with large gigs slung over their shoulders. The sight made Sunshine nervous. What in the world could they be doing in Hawkins? 
“They are with that whistling guy at ten o’clock,” said Dustin. 
Sunshine was posited between Steve and Dustin, on high alert for trouble.
“What do you think’s in there?” Steve asked, wiping the running water from his face. 
“Guns, bombs, chemical weapons,” Dustin rattled off. Each suggestion made Sunshine’s skin crawl. “Whatever it is, they’re armed to the teeth.” 
“Great,” Steve muttered.
The guns alone should have caused them to abort their mission, but three of the four of them had faced down scarier sights. Robin, though, seemed rather unphased by the sight too. Sunshine knew the chances of the Russians having any relation to the Lab were slim, but that didn’t mean it was impossible. She had learned never to discount the impossible; lots of things in Hawkins were impossible and they still occurred. 
A truck door was opened with a loud ‘clank’ and Sunshine nudged Dustin’s shoulder. “What’s in there?” 
“Just more boxes.” 
On her opposite side, Steve grew cold and restless. He reached across Sunshine and swatted Dustin’s arm, trying to grab the binoculars. “Let me check it out.” Dustin held on tighter and refused to give them up, irritating Steve more. “Just let me see!” 
Sunshine sighed, “Guys.” But they ignored her and began fighting over the item. “Be care-” She couldn’t even finish her sentence before the binoculars tumbled out of both of their grasps and smacked against the ground with a loud bang, echoing through the air and alerting the men with massive guns below.
They ducked down out of the men’s sights. Sunshine’s heart raced as her hand grabbed Steve’s out of instinct. Her other hand pressed down against Dustin’s head, pushing him closer to the ground. Muffled voices came from below and she knew they had a small window of time before their hiding spot was uncovered. She dipped her head to Dustin’s ear and instructed him to take Robin and run for the stairs while she caused a distraction. He nodded quickly before doing as told. As they raced for the door, Sunshine peaked up from behind the roof’s ledge that hid them and worked fast to ignite light in her palm. She aimed for the wall just above the men’s heads, and with a careful flick of her wrist the light struck and bounced between the wall and the truck, causing confusion between the men. 
Through the buckets of rain, Sunshine scrambled to her feet just as Steve, who hadn’t followed Dustin but rather stayed behind with her, grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the door. They raced down the stairs, sliding on their soaked shoes, and caught back up to Robin and Dustin. 
The four of them hurried down the maze of service halls in their wet raincoats. Luckily they avoided running into any large men with guns. 
A humorous laugh sounded from Robin as she shook her head, flicking water droplets from her hair. “Well, I think we found your Russians,” she said to Dustin before shooting a look over her shoulder at Sunshine and Steve, ready to say something else before she stopped herself and focused on Sunshine. “Hey, you know your nose is bleeding?”
Sunshine ducked her head slightly, knowing that her eyes probably still held their faint glow that came with the use of her abilities. She quickly wiped the blood away with her sleeve and brushed off Robin’s slight concern. “It happens sometimes.” Robin left it at that and continued leading the way back to their home base, Scoops. 
Glancing down, Sunshine realized her hand was still held in Steve’s, and it didn’t seem like either one of them planned on letting go. She just wished that nearly all of the instances in which she and Steve held hands or toed the line between friendship and something else stopped occurring under anything but normal circumstances. She wanted to hold his hand when they weren’t running from something potentially life-threatening, and she wanted to lean in a little closer and see if he’d met her halfway way not when she was spiraling into some kind of identity crisis. It seemed like they were doomed to only have tension-filled handholds and moments when they were amidst absurd situations or trapped in another nightmare.
All she could hope for was the Fourth of July, happening in just two days time. In forty-eight hours, Sunshine hoped to be holding his hand at the county fair while fireworks burst to life over their heads. She could wait until then
Tagged. @sattlersquarry , @leptitlu , @drunkengodsofslaughter
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mintyisms · 4 days ago
Text
The Neopedia Starters Pt. 3
taken from articles H-L of neopets’ neopedia
"Do these caves have no end?"
"As if those dungeons have ever been able to hold me."
"Imagine you and your pet nestled in a small, snow-covered valley, surrounded by beautiful, majestic mountains."
"If you want to compete, you'd better hone your skills at the lake. It's huge and always frozen over, so there's no excuse!"
"They simply cannot stay here any longer. They're eating everything!"
"If you listen intently on a quiet summer night, you can still hear an occasional giggle coming from deep within the doughnutfruit groves."
"Your spies are misinformed. I'm nearly finished."
"How do I know it wasn't you who wrought this foul magic upon them?"
"The world is full of danger...but there is always hope."
"You are exactly five seconds too late."
"Remember, kids, don't go into dark, scary places on your own!"
"That's a long way from home."
"It's my personal opinion that your tiara is totally overrated and, not to be crude or anything, but it makes your head look very wide."
"Well, I'm off to get my 14 hours of beauty sleep."
"I've got to get up early and see the doctor about this twitching in my ear."
"It's still too early for most adults to be up."
"It's a really long walk, and it's not a good idea to leave a shop full of magic unguarded for any length of time!"
"I made my usual inspection of the weapons room. Everything was in order."
"To receive that coveted trophy from the mayor is a very great honour indeed."
"Knowledge is a gift that can never be returned."
"Never trust the surface-dwellers."
"My name is not important, but I bring you a gift."
"Bring more food!"
"Ahoy, the life of a buccaneer is the only way to be livin'!"
"I limbo until you drop."
"I guarantee that my customers only receive the finest in desert earthenware."
"Judging by the abundance of bryophytes, there must be plenty of moisture here..."
"As long as your money's good, I see no reason why you can't join us for a friendly little game."
"What's the story with this friend of yours? I don't think I like him so much..."
"Shade and water are definitely precious commodities here."
"Eeewwww, sick! Gross bugs!! Get your spray out!"
"You can learn a lot about a person by what they collect."
"That bicycle meant everything to me. I don't know what I'll do without it!"
5 notes · View notes