#once more info about the byers comes out and once we see what's going on on their sets

[chaosbutautism]

Why I think the ‘Lucky Guy Isn’t real’ theory would be bad if it was true

Lucky Guy, we all know him, but actually, we don’t. There is so little information about him, the main theory in the fandom is that he’s just a placeholder for a different person. But…why?

Now, I’m not calling the theory itself bad. It’s a logical conclusion to make when you’re faced with the info we have. I just think that, if Netease is actually going this route, there is a lot of wasted potential. Plus, they did a horrible job at it.

Evidence for this theory includes: his subtitle being ‘Deduction Substitute’, the ‘I’m me, and everyone of you.’ quote, the vagueness of his rumor ‘We don’t know how many people have taken apart in this game; we know that he played the game.’ and the general lack of information we’ve been given on him.

These do point to the idea that Lucky Guy is just a figment of Orpheus’s imagination, a placeholder for a real person…but why this guy? Look at his design, it doesn’t fit with any of the other characters. If he’s, if the theory is right, supposed to be a placeholder character, why is his design so out of place? How did Orpheus come up with this modern-looking guy? You could say ‘Well, Netease didn’t have enough time or resources to make a new character, so they just used an old one!’ But Netease is known for their attention to detail in both characters and skins. Also, why would a placeholder character have such a distinctive appearance? Did Orpheus just…make up a person on the spot? This person, who looks nothing like any other character? It would be so much more logical to make a simple, completely blank model, one that could resemble Tracy’s bot. It would be low on resources without breaking the feel of the game. If Lucky is purely here to serve as a placeholder, he’s doing a bad job at it.

Also, a placeholder to what? That note was mentioned once, only to be completely dropped and never mentioned again. Like, come on. You could, again from a non-lore perspective, argue that they needed a completely blank, skill-less character for the tutorial, but Netease was completely fine with using Leo, a hunter with his own skill set, as the tutorial for hunters. If that page was purely a plot device for the tutorial, why didn’t we go for an actual character’s diary, like one of the other veterans, immediately. Why did they make a cutscene with another character we never see again when we could’ve gone over the first game’s story, or at least just a simple tutorial sequence using Emma, the face of the game, instead? If a placeholder was not needed, why use it?

Now, after showing that the whole placeholder shenanigans weren’t even that needed for both a lore and a gameplay perspective, I’m going to talk about the actual meat of this rant/ theory combination. Why it would actually suck if Lucky Guy was just a placeholder.

First, details and info that directly contradict the narrative that Lucky is not real; he has a birthday, there’s a description on the site ‘His world is like a slot machine that he always wins; but what will happen if he stops playing?’, he has listed likes and dislikes and there are snippets from quizzes that dig into his personality while Netease hasn’t had a problem with leaving him out of other things like birthday letters.

And for my main argument: why it would be bad, narrative-wise, to just leave this character to rot.

His design looking modern compared to other characters could give us a plot with time travel, which would reawaken the more mystical and grim magic elements of the story. In the games, where things happen which are not explainable with science, this would actually be a good element to see. Fiona’s, Eli’s, Hastur’s, Yidhra’s, Patricia’s and potentially Arthur Byers’ stories already show the more magical elements of the story and how they compliment the world of identity V, time travel would be a very interesting plot point to explore.

An alternate idea, often used by fan-writers of the game, is that Lucky has been in the games longer than others, maybe even competing in multiple rounds. This could give leeway to explore the nature of the game, something we’re narrative-wise creeping up on. Netease could give us more information on the actual nature of the game. Again, with multiple gods, multiple dead people, characters with magical abilities and prizes that oftentimes seem to good to be true, there must be some magical elements to the game. There are also hints that the games are used as trial grounds for testing of some kind, with every participant being given some kind of code. This could be something Lucky Guy dives into as well.

And what if Lucky Guy doesn’t remember anything about his life before the manor. Amnesia is a commonly used trope for Lucky Guy in fanworks about him. If Lucky Guy doesn’t even know why he’s in the manor or for what prize he’s fighting for, he could give a truly interesting look at what the games feel like for someone who doesn’t have a goal. He would just be a lost person, no identity to call his own, just trying to survive the best he can. This could be an amazing perspective on the manor game he’s in now, since he’d have to focus on the people around him and adapt accordingly.

He could also be a puppet to the manor. A helping hand to Miss Nightingale for running the affairs of the game. This ‘traitor’ idea could be a really good plot point for the game. While still keeping him as not real, he now has a much more interesting role which could be used to make a truly dark story around one of the cannon games.

And last but certainly not least, they could give their technically first character ever the same respect as every.single.other character in the game and just give him a backstory. Not every story has to be connected to the manor itself, there are plenty of characters that were not connected to the manor in any way, shape or form before their game. All characters have a story, survivors and hunters alike. If they are not their own person, they are a part of a different character’s identity, used to propel their story forward. Why would what arguably is the starting point of Identity V as a whole be exempt from this? It’s no fun to have a character with nothing in a game specifically known for its interesting characters and wild stories. Even if it’s a bit of a late start, Netease, you have the foundations. Through quotes, introductions and snippets, you have a base. It’s not too late to give a character that is rotting both in lore and in gameplay a bit of use. Every single detail can be useful of storytelling, a big corporation probably doesn’t need a teenager to tell them that. Why would you let as big of an opportunity as a full character pass by? There is so much that can happen by adding an extra character to a story, especially one that has potential, as I have shown in both my own writing and this mini-essay written out of pure passion for a character. It’s never too late to pick up an old project and work on it again. Who knows, maybe you’ll make a masterpiece?

As a more personal, opinionated reason of why this post has this title; I think letting a full-on character go to waste is, well, wasteful. There’s so much potential in this character, especially since Lucky, right now, is still empty. That old diary page could be turned into a full-on book, that face with no name could be turned into the pillar of a story. You already have framework, the fact that he’s coming in later can now actually help focus on where there’s more expansion needed. He could be a perspective we haven’t gotten yet. A confused, lost guy who’s slowly figuring out what’s going on, not being blinded by the race to the prize, a pawn for the puppet master of the game to set in and pull something wild, someone who’s tired of the fighting, trapped inside a hellscape for far too long, someone with the knowledge of times not yet past, able to give insight to things others can’t have yet, a person with his own desire, trusting on his luck to keep him safe or even something entirely different. There’s so much more that you could do with this character than just an old placeholder with questionable logic behind it that wasn’t even needed in the grand scheme of things. You have a character, Netease, do something with it.

[katytheinspiredworkaholic]

WIP Wednesday

Dreamwalker (Eddie’s Story)

Summary: Steddie Canon compliant/fix-it fic paired with a corresponding story in Steve’s POV, each chapter happens in tandem with the other. Eddie wakes up alone in the Upside Down, not knowing how he survived, and unable to reach anyone topside in Hawkins. Wounded and alone, he finds shelter at the Harrington’s house (the place is a damn fortress after all), and while hiding out there discovers that he has gained the ability to walk into other people’s dreams.

((unbeta'd snippet from Chapter 03 that probably has some incorrect information in regards to the Upside Down/history of the show but I haven't gone back to fact check just yet. Also remember Eddie does not have some information that the others do so there are missing pieces there as well: for instance, he is calling the Demogorgon a Nazgûl (because we are doing lots of LotR references, and he never actually saw a Demogorgon in the show). He is currently hiding at the Byer's old house, and ends up falling asleep there while the creatures ourside are hunting. This is the first chapter where Eddie doesn't dreamwalk with Steve -- but with someone else. And therefore learns that he can walk into anyone's dreams. Also sets the tone for the rest of Eddie's story. There's 15 chapters total, if that helps paint the picture of how much more there is untold. Another stupidly long snippet, but it will probably be my last one for Eddie for a while. I'm wishy-washy on when the fic will be posted, and the logistics of formatting dreams vs. reality, but more info will come when the time nears. For the purpose of this snippet, the dream is in italics and reality is in regular))

—

Eddie dreams, and almost immediately he knows it’s not his own.

After finding himself walking through Steve Harrington’s dreams, Eddie discovers they feel very distinctly different from experiencing his own. It’s less confusing, for one thing, and he’s more sure of himself and his body as he moves around within the dreamscape. But he’s only dreamed with Steve twice, both when sleeping in his bed in his home, and there’s something very not Steve about this dream.

For one thing, he’s back in the woods. Not the Upside Down version of the woods, either, because the trees are intact and the air smells less foul, and there’s a different hue to the darkness here. Almost like it’s lighter, more familiar, nostalgic to his rattled senses.

He spins around, hands in his jacket pockets, once again wearing his battle vest (he misses it a lot, maybe Harrington kept it for him) and his Hellfire shirt. His armor. His go-to outfit. If he was to be drawn like a cartoon character in Scooby-Doo or some shit, wearing the same thing every frame, this is what he’d have on. And when he looks out into the darkness, he finds himself alone. Very much alone.

But this isn’t his dream.

How does he know this? Don’t fucking ask him. Eddie can just… feel it. Like when you step outside and can tell it’s about to rain. The atmosphere is just different.

He can also tell this isn’t Steve’s. Steve’s dreams feel like wearing a warm sweatshirt, they are crisp and confined and comforting even when they are facing something scary. But this… this feels more brittle. More watery. Smaller.

Then, Eddie sees him.

A little boy, standing in the woods. The towering trees seem to press in on him from either side, the forest floor is a shag carpet of leaves, roots and dips in the ground that could swallow that kid whole. He looks so small, and lost. Eddie had been lost in the woods before, when he didn’t know that if you just keep walking in one direction you’ll eventually hit a road. So he makes his way towards the boy, and only pauses when his vision fails him.

Well, it must have, anyway. Because Eddie could have sworn it was a little boy, about nine years old, and then like a movie-frame shutter the boy ages a few years. And then the click shutter happens again. It’s very ghost-story-esque and Eddie isn’t sure he wants to get much closer after that. The boy shutters between ages: maybe 10 years old, then 12 years old, 15 years old, and back to 10. If he had to guess.

But his presence doesn’t go unnoticed, the kid turns to him and looks at him with wide eyes. He’s got a rather unfortunate bowl-cut and big watery eyes and is looking at Eddie like he’s one of the Nazgûl come to eat him alive. So Eddie raises his hands in the universal gesture of ‘I come in peace’ and – it takes him a moment to realize he’d done something similar to Chrissy all those months ago. Trying to make himself not look so scary for a moment, when he spends most of his time otherwise doing his very best to have ‘Fuck Off’ stamped on his forehead.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he tells the kid, who about trips over his own feet to back away. “I’m not gonna hurt you. What’s your name?”

The boy licks his lips in nervousness, shutters between 10 and 12 again, a courage in his eyes as he finds his voice. 

“Will Byers.”

…Oh, shit. 

Eddie’s eyes are a little wider, now, and he lets out a deep breath as he tries to gain his bearings. He’d fallen asleep in mini-Byer’s room, and now he was in his dream.

So that’s how it works.

“Will Byers,” he murmurs, still a little shell-shocked. “Your friends with Wheeler and Henderson.”

He blinks and the kid is 15, almost as tall as he is, looking at him with more curiosity now. But then he’s 10 again, fingers clenched at his sides, suspicious and untrusting.

“Who are you?” he asks, his little voice doing its best not to shake.

“My name is Eddie.” He’s usually good with little kids, and he’d get down to the other’s level if he didn’t have a tendency to switch between four feet and six. But the spark of recognition is worth the softer tones, because the kid immediately connects a bunch of information Eddie isn’t privy to. But he gets the same look in his eyes that Henderson does when he figures something out.

“Eddie who died?” Will Byers asks, confused, hopeful.

“Yeah, Eddie who died,” he says back, and wow that feels like a kick to the chest. He puts his hands back in his pockets and leans on one hip heavily. At least they still talk about him, topside.

“Why are you here?” Will asks. Eddie just shrugs in response.

“I don’t know, man. It’s your dream.”

There’s a noise off in the distance, a dark guttural growl and heavy footsteps – both Eddie and Will look to it, snapping to attention and not moving an inch. ((This is a dream.)) Eddie reminds himself, like he has to do every single time. But the Nazgûl and Vecna could probably penetrate dreams as well as minds, so who’s to say that the thing in the distance wouldn’t be able to hurt them, here.

Will’s back to a small child, the same face and wide eyes that had been on missing posters three years ago. And he’s looking up at Eddie, whispering so as not to be overheard by the monster in the forest. “Do you know somewhere safe to hide?”

It takes him a moment to consider it. In fact, Eddie almost retorts with the same line as before. It’s your dream, kid. But then again, Eddie did have more control of himself so maybe… maybe he did know a safe place. Max had hidden from Vecna in happy memories, right? Dreams were just a compilation of memories and imagination. Eddie knows how to weave a tale, so yeah – why not?

He nods, steps closer, and offers his hand to the kid.

“This way.”

The woods are dark and dense and kind of lovely in their own way. The two can hear the Nazgûl in the background, although Eddie really wants to ask what the kids called it instead, and as he walks through the woods he just… focuses on the areas of the forest he knew well. In particular, the place he set up shop almost every day of the week.

And like magic, it appears.

They step into a small clearing in the woods, and there’s the picnic table he had last sat at with Chrissy Cunningham. Making a fool of himself to get her to laugh so she wouldn’t look so scared of him. Now he knows she wasn’t really scared of him at all, but the hallucinations Vecna had plagued her with. He swallows thickly, not wanting to think about Chrissy now – not when his very thoughts are driving where they walk – and then they are rounding the bleachers of the high school football field. Crossing the parking lots, and ducking through the East Entrance doors. Will had changed again, he’s older now, maybe 12 or 13, and looking around in curiosity.

Interesting.

“Have you ever been here before?” Eddie asks, because he needs to know. If Will had never been to Hawkins High, then he wouldn’t be able to dream it at all. That would mean that Eddie could create things out of thin air in a head that wasn’t his own. Both a very cool and very scary thought.

“Only a few times for school stuff. The others knew it better than I did. When I was lost they had El do her mind-walking here, so she could search for me. They made a sensory deprivation tank in the gym.”

Mind-walking. Eddie is even more interested now, and he wants to pry every little bit of information out of mini-Byers head if he can. “That’s the girl with superpowers?”

“Yeah, she’s like my sister.”

“And she can walk through minds?”

“Kind of,” and woah the kid’s voice dropped. He was older now, and taller again – probably the actual age of Henderson and Wheeler and Sinclair. “She walks through dimensions, but she can also walk through memories.”

“What about dreams?”

He almost doesn’t ask, but he also doesn’t get an answer – because then they make it to his hideout.

Eddie opens the door to the Drama room, where (low and behold) the Vecna Lives! Campaign is still set up from the night of the basketball game. The night Chrissy died, and Eddie’s entire life with her. The stage lights are set low, he’d created the perfect ambiance, and the table is still full of the havoc of their campaign. Those little shits won by the skin of their teeth, all thanks to Erika Sinclair. He’d never expected that. But it had been such a wonderful, delightful surprise. It’s a good memory, and Eddie holds onto it, lets it warm his chest and ease a smile onto his face.

“Woah!” Will’s face is pure awe, and there’s a handsome little smile on his face as well as he looks over the entire board. “Is this… you did all this?”

“It’s the night before I became a fugitive. My last and greatest campaign,” Eddie laments, shutting and blocking the door (just in case the Nazgûl decides to take up tracking) and then circles round to his Dungeon Master throne. Flops down in it with his legs hanging over the arm, and relishes in the familiarity of it. It’s the throne the props people built for a few plays over the years, and Eddie had to beg the Drama teacher to let him keep it for Hellfire. It was perfect. Set the tone immediately. All the other players got little folding card chairs, but Eddie was in charge and this was his domain. The throne never let them forget it.

Will looks around the board with skilled eyes, taking in each part of the story, and then his gaze lands on Henderson’s seat, where the character sheets and books are still set up. He must recognize the name, or the handwriting, because suddenly he’s frowning. The seat next to Henderson is Wheeler, and the frown deepens.

“Those shitheads,” he mumbles. “I begged them for months to play D&D with me last year, and as soon as I’m gone they join a club for it with a kick ass DM.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment” Eddie tells him with a wave of his hand, like the royalty he’s trying to be. “But yes, that was rather shitty of them. They told me all the time about how you’d wreck the campaign. Your presence was missed, Will the Wise.”

And it was true. Henderson had often shouted to the D&D heavens when Eddie’s hidden monsters would destroy half their party and demand to know where ‘Will the Wise’ was when they needed him.

“So,” he draws out the question, wanting to get back to the mind-walking girl, but he can see there is something still bothering the little Byers. “Did Henderson take over the campaigns? Or did you fill my empty throne upon your return?”

The smile falls from his face like a cinder block, and Will sits down in Wheeler’s seat heavily, gaze still roaming the complex board on the table.

“No, there’s been no games since everything happened.” He sounds sad about it, but Eddie gets the feeling it doesn’t actually have to do with D&D at all. 

“How come?”

“Well, it’s kind of a… sore spot,” Will admits, and then he glances guiltily at Eddie. Who doesn’t get it for a minute.

Oh.

Oh, crap.

It must show on his face that he knows it’s because of him. He was the ringleader of Hellfire, after all.

“Dustin doesn’t even really like talking about it,” Will confides in him. “But he doesn't really talk to anyone about anything, we don’t see him that often. Mostly just at mom’s family dinners when Steve drags him there.”

“I heard about those,” Eddie murmurs, picking at the flaking black polish on his nails to mask the guilt clawing at his chest. “Good ole Steve.” 

“He’s trying so hard to take care of everyone, but I know he spends a lot of time with Dustin. And Max. I really should visit Max more,” he murmurs now, his gaze going further away, and Eddie isn’t sure if he’s waking up from his dream or if Eddie is actually losing him in all this maudlin talk.

“She’s in the hospital, yeah?”

“The doctors aren’t sure if she’ll wake up,” Will tells him. “She’s just… in a coma. El is worried she’s stuck somewhere between the realms, but everyone else is worried she’s just… gone.”

Okay, they needed a topic change.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Eddie says, nearly flipping out of the throne in a manner that might have been a little over the top, but it shook the sadness from Will’s eyes and that’s what Eddie was going for. Court Jester, extraordinaire. It worked on Chrissy, it’ll work on little Will Byers. (Although not so little anymore.)

“Sure?”

He fumbles upright, and sits down in Henderson’s chair so he can finally level with the kid.

“You were stuck in the Upside Down when you went missing, right?” He knows he’s right, Henderson had gone into great detail about how it all started, but that's not the point of asking the question. Will nods, confused but intrigued. Super. “Okay, so – how did you hide and like… stay sane? You were just a little munchkin and all but you were in there for days.”

“Time moves differently there,” Will points out, but then shrugs and thinks about it. Looking up at the stage lights in thought. “I hid in this old fort of mine in the forest, it was something I had built myself and it didn’t make me feel so alone.”

Castle Byers, Eddie had seen it. He nods and motions for Will to continue with an exaggerated hand flourish that makes the kid smile. 

“So, here's my theory – after talking with El and some of the others about it, and about how Max hid from Vecna – I think maybe because it held such good and safe memories for me, it protected me like no other house could. I think that’s how I wasn’t caught again.”

Now that, that gives Eddie pause… because his safe spot right now was Harrington’s house. But he had never slept in Steve’s bed before in his life. (Dreamed about it? Of course, but Eddie had only ever stepped foot in his kitchen to do business during house parties. There was no connection to the property itself.) So why was it safe now? Was it Steve’s memory that made it so? A combination with the fact there were no vines inside? It was a lot to mull over, and Will was taking his silence as a go-ahead to continue on.

“Basically, if I had to give any advice,” Will draws out, trying to see what Eddie was angling for. Yes, advice would be greatly appreciated. “The Upside Down is a direct mirror of Hawkins, so go and find the bits of yourself that still exist out there. Things that make you feel more like yourself, and less like you’re living in hell. Clothes or pictures or books. Something that’s not dangerous to carry around, but reminds you of home.”

That makes a lot more sense than Eddie had expected it to. 

He looks back to Will, and gives the kid a grin that is equal parts impressed and appreciative.

“Thanks, kid. I think I’ll just have to do that.”

Will beams at him, a little hero-worship shining in his eyes that Eddie has witnessed before from his little hellion sheep. But then a spark of something like recognition crosses those wide eyes and Will’s gaze narrows at him in suspicion.

“Wait, why would you want to know that?” he questions, and Eddie doesn’t answer. Stays kind of tight-lipped about it because… he could just tell mini-Byers that he’s alive in there and that he should get Good Ole Steve-O and Nancy Wheeler and superhero girl to come rescue his ass. But would he believe him? Or remember?

And he recalls how fast the Nazgûl attacked once he fucked with the lights. The gate was closed, opening it could open up a whole can of worms or whatever that no one was ready to deal with.

Maybe… maybe he should just sit tight, for now, and see if he can help them all out somehow?

((Where was all this self-righteous bullshit coming from?))

Analysis time would also be a problem for Future Eddie.

“Let’s just say, it’ll come in handy for me,” Eddie relents. A little hint. Knowing those shits they’ll figure it all out anyway.

Instead of elaborating, he extends his hand, and waits for Will to clasp it like all good boys had been taught to do.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Will the Wise.”

He’s slow to smile again, but it’s a genuine thing and Eddie takes it for the little speck of Gold it is. “I’m glad I finally got to meet you, Eddie the Banished.”

And Eddie knows he has Henderson to thank for that nickname, but he would wear it proudly for the rest of his days if he ever manages to make it out topside again. 

Although Byers might give Henderson a run for his money on ‘favorite child’, at this rate.

—

When the blood red morning dawn creeps in through Will Byer’s windows, and Eddie crawls out from underneath his bed, there’s a lot of thoughts tumbling around his head as he gathers his things.

In particular, the thought that trying to contact the other side might not be the best idea at the moment. 

For his health? Yeah, possibly. He can’t actually live on moldy food the rest of his days, however short that may be, but he has to think of the bigger picture here. Everyone was having a rough time topside, in a completely different manner to Eddie’s own, but that old saying really rang true to him – shit was tough all over. They were all trying to heal, and knew there was a fight on the horizon. Eddie knew that eventually, everyone else would make it back to the Upside Down to finish this fight. He just had to live long enough to see that day.

So… why didn’t he just use his placement as an advantage?

Why doesn’t he do what he imagined himself doing, and really commit to the bit of espionage? Eddie could commit to the bit so hard he got himself in trouble most of the time. No use switching that up now.

So he gathers his things, tip-toes through the house, and runs right back into the woods. He has quite a few stops to make, but there’s one he needs to do first and foremost.

It takes the better part of the day, but he finally comes to the trailer park. The chasm splitting open the Earth glows and pulses with an intense heat, and there’s things prowling all around, but Eddie stays pressed to the backs of the trailers and dips and ducks around as best he can. Avoiding bats and rats and dogs and what might be a cat-like creature but he’s not entirely sure. Margaret’s trailer is much further down the road, where he’d biked when the bats chased him, so her bunker of Doomsday materials would have to wait.

Will said to find the things that reminded Eddie of himself, so that’s what he was going to do.

Uncle Wayne’s trailer is split in two, but Eddie’s room had been at the back end so it survived – to a degree. He crawls through the wreckage, picking through stuff that’s burnt and probably leaking radiation or some shit (seriously how has he not dropped dead at this rate?) and finally finds the tiny space that used to be his closet. It’s full of shirts and clothes he hasn’t seen in a couple years, but at the bottom is an old metal tool box that he’d stashed a bunch of sewing shit inside of. Patches. Bits of old band T-shirts, and sure enough – he lifts the lid, and finds the very origins of his battle vest. It’s still a jean jacket, at the moment, with sleeves covered in patches and safety pins – he ripped them off the summer between his second and third senior year – but on the back is the freshly hand-stitched Dio logo taking up the entire back panel. It’s gorgeous, and he immediately slips it on under Steve’s leather jacket. He’s lost enough weight the past few weeks it still fits, but he has a feeling he might be ripping off the sleeves sooner rather than later. Because he has some work to do, and some weapons to practice with.

But not before he goes and retrieves the final missing piece of himself.

His sweetheart is lying on the ground, covered in ash, some of the strings rusted. He whispers apologies to her as he picks her up out of the rubble. She’s a beautiful blood red Warlock NJ Series electric guitar that he spent two years saving up for, and as soon as he clips on a strap and slings her across his back, he feels more at peace than he had in a long time. Will the Wise had been right, he feels like he could take on the world with these bits of himself restored.

Harrington’s house was twenty miles away, and sundown was in only a few hours. He had errands to run, a distance to cross, and a realm of monsters in between them.

But he also now has a bike (discarded in a pile from Spring Break just waiting for him to pillage), and his guitar, and his battle jacket. 

Fuck Vecna and his minions. This was Eddie’s world now.

Time to get to work.

—

tbc

—

Series Snippets:

- Dreamwalker (Eddie’s Story) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5)

- Subconscious (Steve’s Story) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

[willel]

Don't know if you have read the news about the play, but they have revealed some info and potential clues about the story. It looks like what I suspected was right (or might be right) in the sense that the writers are really trying to connect the whole story to the past with this play. Now, I don't want to sound like I am shitting on the play before it comes out, but imho the whole thing just seems to be very obvious and cheap as a story with the info we have been given.

My guess is that Henry and Patty (Bob's sister whose character is now revealed on Twitter) will have some sort of a romance, whereas the other characters and mainly Patty & Bob's father aka 'Father Newby' will be against their relationship. Probably because Father Newby will suspect Henry of being not normal due to his powers, and maybe he will try to help him, but it will be unsuccessful and vice versa... and then Patty will die a tragic death in an accident or something and then it will fuel Henry's hatred against the town and the other characters (My guess is that it will be the memory he used to fuel his powers, aka the memory that made him angry but also sad as he said in S4).

This event might be the reason why Henry feels some sort of resentment not only toward the town but also toward the characters, mainly Joyce and Bob and potentially Hopper. Thus it is the reason why he messed with them once he was able to reach them after the gate was opened. With the context and clues about the play, this seems more likely, since we now know that all of these characters knew each other from the past. It is pretty unlikely that Bob died out of coincidence or that the Byers family ended up being targeted for some random accidental event if Henry knew them all from the past... which he knew.

I am open to ideas, and to be proven wrong because I don't particularly like this. 'All of the plot from S1 and onwards was for a reason, and it ALL happened because of what happened in the past in 1959' is such a 'retcon' that with the new additional story pieces. It just changes the whole context and story point for me, and I personally do not like it. But I think it is where the Duffers are going for with this additional play story.

I'll probably catch up with the info later, but isn't Henry like, 12? I mean, I know the kids group were also dabbling in romance when they were 12 so it wouldn't be that weird for their to be a romance but eh.

I'm kinda hoping they keep it simple and just say Bob's sister (???) was his first and only friend and something tragic happened to her.

I still dunno how this connects to Joyce at all because supposedly Joyce had no idea who Bob was in high school. Bob said this himself in season 2, so I'm assuming the Duffers are retconning their own timeline a bit there if Joyce is in any way connected to Bob in high school.

I'm not really on board with the theory that Henry has a personal grudge with any of these people, but I can imagine if he was friendly with Bob's sister and he blames the town overall for what happened to her, then yeah, Joyce and Hopper ARE part of the town so.

They took a lot of inspiration from Freddy Kruegur and I know Freddy took particular revenge against the children of the parents who burned him alive... but still. I kinda get the impression it's ALL the people of the town he had a grudge against. I doubt he had a list of each and every single parent present that day. Or maybe he did, he's a weirdo like that.

Maybe I'll make a post about it later when I decide to check out all the information released, but to be honest, I'm kinda just want to wait and see what the play even is.

I'm excited to see Joyce and Hopper's past as well as the trigger that set Henry on his path of destruction but I'm still questioning the timeline of some things tbh.

[hawkinslibrary]

What are your theories about Will Byers's story line?

ok, this one won’t be as long (i hope) bc there just isn’t that much to go off of with will’s s4 stuff yet, but still please avoid reading any further if you don’t want spoilers and remember to blacklist/filter out the ‘s4′, ‘st4′, and ‘spoilers’ tags so you don’t see anything spoiler-y. 

as far as i know, noah hasn’t done any filming for s4, and he + winona, charlie, and millie are meant to start filming in new mexico at the end of this month. now... i honestly have no clue what’s happening with the byers. 

there are rumors that jonathan is going to be working at a pizza joint, and recently a pizza delivery vehicle has been seen along with all the other cars from the show, so there may be some truth to it. i’ve also seen people say that will and jonathan are working there together. it would make sense for them to both have jobs if they’re still struggling financially + they’ve got an extra person to take care of now. 

i think that parts of will’s s3 storyline were a set up for s4. he feared that the party would be destroyed and he’d lose his friends and now he’s moved away from them. he wanted to hold on to as much of his childhood as he could bc the truth is, he stopped being just a kid when the demogorgon got him. but in the end he ends up giving the d&d game -- a symbol of his childhood -- away. he’s not normal, he can sense the mind flayer, he doesn’t like girls, etc. 

s4 for will could be a great season of self-discovery. who is he when he’s not with the party? who is he when he can exist around people who don’t know his past? how do his dynamics evolve after the move? does he finally get to relax once he’s away from hawkins? honestly these same things could be said for el, too, though.

i think we’ll finally see will and el really connecting. in s1, she gave him hope. in s2, they didn’t interact but they were both integral to saving each other and everyone else. in s3, they were finally able to exist in the same room at the same time, both fully conscious. except, now she’s the girl one of his best friends wants to spend all of his time with, as well as a constant reminder of the upside down and everything he went through. they obviously care about each other a lot (el asking to see him when she came back at the end of s2, saying she saw in the void that he wasn’t doing so well -- meaning she had to search him out; will’s facial expressions every time she’s in danger or in pain throughout s3), they just need to talk. have a real, deep, honest conversation between the two of them. i’m hoping that we get that in s4. 

it’ll be interesting to see the aftermath of the byers + el moving away from hawkins. will, jonathan, and el all had reasons to want to stay and i can see that causing some tension with joyce, but i think ultimately they’ll all understand why they had to leave. or maybe they won’t and there’ll be tons of conflict between them this season. i think it kinda depends on how things go in their new town.   

high school in particular is going to be interesting. not only is it will’s first year of high school, jonathan’s last, and potentially el’s first time attending school ever -- it’s all of that in a completely new town, surrounded by strangers. will has the chance to stop being will byers: zombie boy and start being will byers: new kid. he could start over, actually get to pretend like he’s still a normal kid. maybe he does make new friends, maybe there’s a plot to explore his sexuality. i hope that he meets people and makes friends and they give him some sort of clarity and acceptance. but there’s also a chance that he won’t connect with anyone at school. that they’ll think he’s weird and bully him. that nothing changes except now the only people who know what he’s going through are jonathan and el. and maybe word gets around about what happened to him back in hawkins and people start staring and avoiding and treating him like a freak. basically, high school in a new town could be the best thing that’s ever happened to him or... not.

i don’t even know where to start with theories about how the upside down connects to s4 and especially to will in s4. i think his upside down/mind flayer radar could be super important, though, considering el doesn’t have access to her powers.

to recap: s4 for the byers overall (+el) is a mystery to me since there’s no current content or info for them at all (we still don’t even know where they moved!!). however, i do think that will is going to at least start the season at school, with joyce and jonathan, bonding with el, possibly making new friends and discovering himself, and having complicated feelings over how leaving all the bad stuff behind in hawkins means leaving the good stuff, too. throw in a little upside down and some party angst and we’re good to go.              

[there-was-a-hole-here-itsgonenow]

The Iron Rod Metaphor: Will’s Upside Down-related Trauma

This is the post by @mikesbasementbeets that I base mine off of.

The iron rod imagery starts in s2 and then continues somewhere in each following season.

Now let’s look briefly at Phineas Gage:

None of this means Will is getting a literal iron rod through his head (thankfully). But due to Will’s “nightmarish accident”—all his ties to the Upside Down and onward—Will becomes ‘no longer Will’ for some time when Henry possesses him in s2 (Henry drives himself ‘right through [Will’s] head,’ so to say). And the effects of that possession follow him into seasons 3 and 4, as Will is able to sense him. And this obviously, negatively affects him. This whole “accident” caused by Henry heavily set Will back and gave him more trauma.

The iron rod metaphor in s2 looks like a clear foreshadowing for Will’s possession, and I bet it is, but it goes beyond that too. The pictures above include the info about Phineas spoken while we see a very different-feeling Will walking into school, a pole diagonally crossing in front of Will’s head after he’s destroyed Castle Byers, and the diagonal line again in the van as Will renters Hawkins. Each of these shots hold significant moments in Will’s trauma: feeling like a freak due to what he went through, destroying his one safe place/childhood innocence out of feeling ‘stupid,’ and then coming back to the place of Upside Down-related trauma. Henry is the root-source of this “accident” after all.

But also, to reinforce all of the aforementioned iron rod imagery and what it means for Will, these scenes take place before we get any of this imagery:

First we see Will looking at The Boy Who Came Back To Life ‘Zombie Boy’ newspaper clipping, his eyes crossed out in the very reminiscent way Vecna removes his victims’ eyes, we see the “Join Us!” to the side of Will’s head—

—and the conveniently placed ‘All’ (cut from the word ‘Fall,’ which is also relevant when going into s5 after s4’s finale) on the other side of “Join Us!”, and then the segway to Clarke’s—

Even better?? The side of the brain facing us in-shot is the left side of the brain.

“—reported effects on his personality and behavior…” This correlates with Will’s possession.

So we have the imagery of the brain. And we’ll get the bit of info about Gage’s “nightmarish accident” and the start of the iron rod metaphor in the episode after this one (this is ep 1 of s2; we’re getting a peek into Will’s trauma and what he deals with right away).

The next part of this episode’s scene is the Party upfront and center:

Will stands out in this shot, because we just saw him with the tampered newspaper clipping. And unlike the rest of the Party, he isn’t engaged in the discussion. His face is downcast, unexcited, and unfocused. These scenes happen back to back, we see how Will is affected, and so we’re meant to associate the ‘Zombie Boy’ scene and this one.

But the foreshadowing gets even better from here because of this association. The newspaper clipping shows us the eventual way we see Vecna’s eye-removed victims, and, once again, this is paired with the “Join Us!” and “All” hints. Then Mr. Clarke says:

“There are a hundred billion cells inside of this miracle of evolution. All working as one.”

As… what now?

Vecna/Henry Creel/One is the unfortunate ‘evolution’ who drove his way through Will’s brain. As stated previously, he is the source of Will’s “nightmarish accident”—the source of Will’s UD-related traumas. One is the being who possessed all of Will’s hundred billion cells and made him ‘not Will,’ affecting his very essence of self and personal development throughout the show.

Now that Will is back in Hawkins, sensing and feeling the effect of One again—now knowing who One is—Will is going to get the chance to directly confront and fight back against the source.

S5 should conclude with a start to Will’s healing and being in a mentally better place.

[silhouetteofacedar]

Fox Mulder, Closet Romantic Ch. 4: Man Pouts on Couch

Previous Chapter - AO3 - MSR, rated E

Mulder is not feeling lucky.

In hindsight, he should have suspected something was off today; Scully kept looking at her watch.

It’s Friday, March 13th, and he thought it’d be cute to invite Scully out for a drink again, make a little joke about it becoming a Friday the 13th tradition. This could work, he thinks. His plan is simple; ask her out every once in a while, for some reason or another, with the intention of eventually coming clean and setting up a proper date.

At five o’clock he stands up and stretches with performative nonchalance. “Buy you a drink, Scully?” he asks, cocking his head towards the calendar pinned to the office wall, surrounded by newspaper clippings and grainy photos.

She pauses with her arm halfway into the sleeve of her coat. “I…” She falters and presses her lips together, looking suddenly guilty.

“What is it?” he asks quietly, a pit growing in his stomach.

“I’d love to, Mulder, but I actually have a date tonight.”

The earth stops spinning and Mulder is thrown off balance, hurtling through the atmosphere.

“Oh,” he says softly. “That doctor guy?”

Scully nods, not meeting his gaze. “His name is Mark,” she says. “We’re getting sushi.” She looks up at him then, big blue eyes soft. “A rain check?” she asks hopefully.

She owns him; one look like that and he’d sell his soul to buy her a cup of shitty coffee. “Sure. Another time, then,” Mulder says, gathering up every scrap of composure he has left, patching together a smile for her. “Have fun.”

He goes home and throws himself face down onto the couch.

She has a date. A real date, with a presumably mentally stable human man with a high-value job. And a daughter. A ready-made family, just add water and stir. This Mark guy probably calls her Dana, asks her how her mother’s doing, feeds her bits of sashimi with no threat of aliens or shadow governments in sight. Maybe he’ll kiss her at the end of the night, softly with closed lips like a gentleman.

What stings the most is the fact that this Doctor Mark had the balls to tell Scully outright that he’s interested in her romantically, something Mulder has yet to do.

Mulder knows he should eat, but his stomach is churning and the idea of food sickens him. He’s being dramatic and irrational; it’s just one date. But the implications are weighty, the potential enormous.

He feels bad for being upset. This is good for her; she needs to get out of the basement, connect with other rational people, find some normalcy and balance in her life.

You need those things too, he hears her say in his head.

He brushes it aside. It’s different for him; he created this life for himself. He’s a collapsed star, a black hole of conspiracy and paranoia that sucks in everything that gets too close. The last thing he wants is for her to get lost in his darkness, swallowed by the void like some interstellar debris.

She’d told him that night in Rock Creek Park that she does’t blame him for what’s happened to her, but that doesn’t assuage his guilt. He carries the weight of what she calls her choices, a load she has no intention of sharing with him, awaiting no acknowledgement or thanks.

He’s doing it to himself.

Mulder whiles away the hours on the couch, gazing up at the constellations of pencil marks on his ceiling, tossing his basketball above his head. He drops it on his face twice.

He knows it’s probably only going to make him feel worse, but he’s a glutton for punishment; so at eleven-thirty that night he picks up the phone and calls Scully.

He waits for her to answer, his heart sinking lower with each ring. She’s not picking up. Is she still out? he thinks anxiously. The guy has a kid, so it’s unlikely that they’d stay out too late unless he’s arranged it with his babysitter…

“Hello?” Scully’s slightly husky voice cuts through his thoughts.

“Scully,” he says, tentative relief creeping into his body.

“Mulder, what is it?” she asks. “It’s late. For normal people, anyway. Are you alright?”

“‘M’ fine,” he assures he. “Just couldn’t sleep.”

He hears her hum in understanding. Late night phone calls between them aren’t uncommon, after all. “Have you tried counting sheep?” she asks, not unkindly. “Or slowing your breathing down, focusing on the cadence of inhales and exhales like I showed you?”

He’s wide awake, sitting upright on his couch, still in the slacks and wrinkled button-down he wore to the office that day. “Yes,” he lies. “It’s not helping. There’s too much going on in my head right now.”

“You work too much,” she says gently. “And yet not enough, when deadlines are involved. We’ve got an impressive paperwork backlog-”

“Can we not talk about work right now?” He reaches down and unties his shoes. “Otherwise I’ll never get to sleep.”

“Right.” There’s rustling on her end. She’s in bed, he realizes.

“Did I wake you, Scully?” he asks, trying to hide his surprise.

“It’s fine, Mulder, I was only dozing,” she replies.

“Oh, how was the date?” he asks, as though it only just occurred to him, instead of being the only thing he’s thought about all night.

“It was nice,” she responds, and he drops his head onto the back of the couch in defeat. Shit. Shit shit shit shit-

“We talked about medicine, about cancer, loss. His daughter’s name is Amanda,” she continues. “Her mother - his wife - died when Mandy was only two, so he’s mostly raised her alone.”

“That’s rough,” Mulder says softly. Please don’t make me feel bad for this guy, Scully, I can’t bear it, he thinks.

“Mhm,” she agrees. “And his work at the hospital is pretty grueling, so his mother helps out a lot. I… I told him about Emily.”

“How’d that go?” Mulder asks, concerned. “It’s not the most… plausible-sounding story.”

“I was vague,” she replies. “All I really said was that I had recently reconnected with a child I’d been separated from, right before she died. He didn’t ask for details; he could probably tell it was a fresh wound.”

They’re silent for a moment.

“Do you think you’ll see him again?” Mulder asks quietly. Somehow he already knows what she’s going to say, and he braces himself for the sting of her words as they pierce his heart.

“I… I think I will,” Scully says, sounding distant. “I mean, it’s worth a shot, right?”

She deserves this. She deserves a chance at something ordinary, safe, comfortable.

“Maggie Scully didn’t raise a quitter,” he says with a watery smile she’ll never see.

She chuckles. “No, I suppose she didn’t,” Scully muses. He hears her yawn. “I’m tired out, Mulder. Think you can sleep now?”

“I’ll try,” he says. He’s surprised to feel his eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears. “Thanks for talking to me,” he adds.

“Anytime. Sleep well,” she says warmly, and the line goes dead.

He supposes he brought this on himself by keeping his feelings hidden. He waited too long, playing it safe. He wanted to gauge her feelings before he made any overt moves, and someone else beat him to it.

It’s just one date. But there’s going to be more. By the sound of it, she wants there to be more.

There’s no way he’s going to sleep well tonight.

He’s in a sour mood when he’s summoned to the Gunmen’s… den? lair? headquarters? the next afternoon, by way of one of their patented cryptic phone calls.

Byers unfastens the dozen locks on the door and lets him inside. “Mulder,” he says, ushering him in. “Good to see you.”

Mulder flops down in a rickety desk chair, exhaustion permeating his muscles. “I’m not up for being social today, boys,” he warns. “You said you had information for me?”

“We took the liberty of looking into Agent Scully’s new… uh, friend,” Byers says.

“For safety reason,” Langly adds, seeing Mulder’s lips purse.

“She’s precious cargo,” Frohike says, wiggling his eyebrows.

“How did you find him?” Mulder asks. “I didn’t even know his first name until yesterday.”

“Don’t insult us with your surprise,” Frohike mutters. “We’re experts.”

“We knew he’s a part of the parish Scully attends-“ Byers begins.

“And we knew he’s an ER doc, has a 6 year old daughter, and a dead wife,” Langly cuts in. “That’s plenty to go on.”

“I don’t need to know more than that,” Mulder says, suddenly feeling guilty. “It’s not my business.”

“Maybe not, but we have the info,” Frohike says. “Look, all you need to know is that he seems legit. Name’s Einolander, if you were curious.”

“I wasn’t,” Mulder lies, taking a sunflower seed out of his pocket and biting it pensively.

“Of course not,” Byers says, sounding completely unconvinced.

“You alright, Mulder?” Langly asks. “You look rough.”

“Of course he does,” Frohike hisses in the least subtle whisper of all time. “Scully’s dating someone that’s not him. Cut the guy some slack.”

“You guys don’t know shit,” Mulder grumbles, then backtracks, running his hands over his face. “I’m sorry. I, uh... didn’t sleep well.”

“It’s okay, man,” Langly says.

Frohike nods sagely. ”We know how you feel about her. This can’t be easy for you.”

Mulder wilts in his chair. “How did you know?” he asks pathetically, realizing the jig is up. Has he really been so obvious this whole time? Fucking hell.

“Look, knowing things is our business,” Byers explains. “And we know you. We’ve been around the block with you a few times, and nobody’s meant this much to you. Not even Diana.”

“Plus, Agent Scully is a smokeshow, and you have eyes,” Frohike adds. Byers gives him a jab with his elbow. “Hey, I stand by that,” he declares, rubbing his arm.

“Well thanks anyway, fellas,” Mulder says, standing. “I should get going. The walls in my apartment won’t stare at themselves.”

“Do you want the file we put together on the guy?” Byers asks. “We can make copies.”

Mulder shakes his head. “Keep it. Draw a mustache on his photo or something.” He picks up his coat and slings it over his shoulder. “You kids have fun.”

“If you need anything, just flag us down,” Frohike says, patting Mulder’s back before unlatching the door.

Mulder steps out the door, then turns back. “How old is this guy?”

“Forty-one,” Byers says, flipping through the file. “Five-foot-ten, dark blond hair, brown eyes. Blood type-”

Mulder holds up a hand. “I don’t want to know. Bye, guys.”

He gets a petty, juvenile satisfaction from the fact that he’s two inches taller and four years younger than Dr. Einolander. It’s short-lived, but at this point he’ll take what he can get.

Because he can’t get Scully.

[viewmasterfeeling]

will talking about a crush and gushing about them, and mike is like 'oh :('. then will asks for advice on how to ask them out so mike gives him advice (sadly) and the next day will uses that advice to ask mike out.

yes thank you so much ily Jamie

Crush

“Will has a crush?!” Mike asked Dustin, flipping out internally. He was in the basement with the Party, talking to Dustin and eyeing Will from across the room. Will burst into laughter at whatever he and Lucas were talking about, and Mike wanted to die.

“Uh, yeah?” Dustin had brought it up casually, and now, he still seemed unmoved. “Why’s it matter?”

Why does it matter? Maybe because Mike had been in love with Will since like, forever!

“No reason,” Mike mumbled, following Lucas and Will up the stairs. The Party was leaving after playing one of Dustin’s campaigns. He was sad to see his friends (and his crush) leave, but also savored all the time he got in his basement, alone to simmer in his feelings. And boy, he had a lot of feelings.

The boys said their goodbyes, and Lucas and Dustin hopped onto their bikes and rode away. Will sat on the porch- he hadn’t biked. Hesitantly, Mike joined him.

“So… I hear you have a crush ?” Mike prompted. Maybe a weird thing to ask, but hey, he had to know.

Will blushed and smiled a bit. “Um, yeah… who told you?”

“Dustin.”

“Obviously.” They sat in quiet for a few moments before Mike decided he needed more info.

“Do you… want to talk about it?”

A pause. Then, Will sighed. “Ugh. Yes. He’s so obnoxious, but in a way that’s kind of cute. He’s sorta funny I guess? And he’s really cute. Oh, and I love talking to him.” Will kept gushing and Mike had only one thought in his mind.

He? He’s? Him? Will liked a guy that wasn’t Mike?

Will finally stopped talking, and Mike pressed his jealousy down. “Um, that’s awesome, Will.” Will seemed a bit nervous.

“You don’t mind… that it’s a guy?”

“What? No! Of course not!”

Relief flooded the boy’s face. It was a good look on Will.

“So, um… What’s his name?” Mike prompted. He needed to know which guy to send glares in the hallway.

Will bit his lip. “Um… not yet.” Mike got it. He definitely understood. As much as he ranted to El about his crush on Will, he never explicitly said who it was. But based on her little smirks every time Mike and Will were together, she probably had a hunch.

Will cleared his throat. “So. You’ve been in a relationship before… any advice?”

Mike laughed dryly. “Advice? From me? About how to deal with your crush?”

“You’re the expert. I want your input,” he said teasingly.

Mike raised his eyebrows. “Okay. Umm… I guess just, talk to him? Maybe try flirting? I don’t know, things were different with El.” Mike thought long and hard about how he would tell Will how he felt. Because that would be the best advice he could give, right? “I guess I would just hang out with him some time, bring him to a special place, and tell him how you feel.” A scenario from many of Mike’s daydreams. Many of them ended with a kiss.

Will nodded with an unreadable look in his eye. “Thanks, Mike. For everything.”

Mike shrugged, trying to hide the small pain at the fact Will liked someone else. “It’s no biggie.”

Will’s mom appeared in the driveway, and with a wave and a smile, Will left Mike to wallow.

-----

The next day, the phone rang in Mike’s house.

“It’s for you!” his mom called.

“Okay!” he shouted back up. He went to the phone and picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” came Will’s voice. Will. Mike felt butterflies, and a smile came over his face.

Wow, he’d fallen so far, and he didn’t even know.

“Hi. What’s up?”

Short pause. “Sorry. Um… I was wondering… want to hang out today? My house?”

Of course, always. “Yeah, of course! When should I come over?”

“Any time. Right now, if you want.” Mike wanted to. He always wanted to see Will.

“Okay, I’ll be over in twenty minutes.”

“Cool. See you then.” Will hung up the phone. Mike started grinning uncontrollably. He loved the thrill of excitement every time he saw Will. Once he got over hating himself for liking boys and girls, it was replaced by an overwhelming joy. Mike loved being in love with Will. (Not that he was in love… it was just a crush, obviously.)

He put a few things in a backpack and left on his bike for Will’s house. The October air was cool and crisp on his face. Soon, he arrived at the Byers house.

Will stood on the porch. He waved, smiling, but something was off. It was almost as if he was… nervous?

Mike approached, smiling. Will bit his lip, his eyes daring all around. Definitely nervous. There was an awkward silence before Will broke it with, “Wanna go to Castle Byers?”

Mike was confused. “Um, sure.”

“Awesome!” he grabbed his bike, which was already in the front, and started biking quickly away. Curious, Mike hopped on his own bike and followed.

They got to the edge of the woods, parked their bikes, and started their trek through. Mike’s curiosity got the best of him. “What are we doing?”

“You’ll see.”

“What do you mean? Is it a secret?”

“Just… wait until we get there.”

“Fine.” A few moments later, “I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” Mike had this passing thought every once in a while. It would hurt so much to put Will through pain, so he would never do it purposely, but… well, Mike could be a bit of an idiot at times.

Will sighed. “ No , Mike. Be patient.”

“Fine.” A few more minutes of walking before they arrived. Will climbed into Castle Byers, which seemed to grow smaller each time Mike visited. He gestured for Mike to come in, so, Mike climbed in. He sat with his legs crossed, across from Will. They were so close their legs were touching. (Mike tried not to freak out about that.) “So?”

Will took a shaky breath. “I… Mike, I’ve had a crush on you for the past five years.” He sighed.

Mike’s jaw dropped in shock. “Me? But what about that other guy?” Will gave an exasperated sigh and suddenly it hit him. Oh.

“Ohh…” Mike breathed. After the initial shock was gone, his face split into a smile, all the traces of jealousy from before gone.

A moment passed. “So?” Will asked, nervous.

Oops. Mike forgot to answer.

“Will, are you kidding? I’ve been in love with you my whole life--” Mike panicked. Oops.

Will just smiled brightly. Then, his face transformed into a teasing grin. “Your whole life?”

Mike turned bright red. “Shut up.”

They laughed and talked for a few minutes before something came to Mike. “Why Castle Byers?”

Will shrugged. “I asked this guy for advice, and he said to take you somewhere important. This is the only place I could think of, I guess.”

“You took my advice?” Mike squeaked, amazed. Will started laughing.

“Well, duh, why do you think I asked?”

They both burst into laughter. Now that the secrets were out, everything felt so much lighter and easier. Like things used to be.

Castle Byers. It made sense. It was really the only thing about this situation that made sense.

Wow. Will liked Mike back. For five years.

Mike really was a bit of an idiot.

[baldrambo]

Honestly, the ST fandom is unbelievably exhausting sometimes. I have been in over a dozen online fandoms in the last 15 years and can say with complete confidence that ST (so far) has been one of the most well-written, well-executed shows I've ever seen. The Duffers have a story to tell and they're telling it.

But the way this fandom runs their discourse (Tumblr/Twitter/Reddit) you would think the show was badly written Hot Garbage™ and everyone's just tuning in at this point out of boredom and obligation to a select few characters, and it honestly blows my mind sometimes.

Is this just the new thing to do? Call everything bad writing that we personally don't like or agree with? There's a marked difference between critiquing a piece of art and complaining about it not being what we want. None of this is to say that we can't or shouldn't have discussions about what is/isn't bad writing. But hiding behind "bad writing!!" because a story isn't going the way we want/expect creates an impossible standard for the creator to live up to. There comes a point in time when it's just whining.

Take for example, Season 3. Having a discussion about the tonal differences of Season 3 from 1&2, talking about what maybe did or didn't work and why, and a preference for the tone of 1&2 is discourse. Calling S3 a "bad season of television" because it was comedic and you wanted it to be serious is not discourse it's just a backdoor way of trying to assert an opinion as a fact. Conflating the two presupposes the accuracy of your opinion when it's not anymore or less valid than Fan #8,127 living in Canada who loved S3 and thought it was the best.

How about Jonathan Byers' storylines (which I see a lot of discussion about)? There is a difference between critiquing his lack of screentime, particularly with his family, because of a personal preference to him being with Will/Joyce vs. teamed up with Nancy, and saying it's bad writing that he doesn't spend more time with his family. Writers make intentional choices to push their story forwards. If there is an alternative explanation to "They're prioritizing X character and Y character over Z character because the writers must not care enough about Z character and don't know how to write Z character" then the alternative explanation should probably be considered.

Maybe Jonathan spends the vast majority of his time in S4 with his family, which is why he spent so much more time with Nancy in 3. Maybe his screentime is about to substantially increase as a result of the Byers being separated from the Party in Hawkins. The Duffers already discussed doing this with Will. They made his role in S3 smaller because he was so center stage in S2. Disagreeing about whether pushing him to the background was a good choice is different than accusing the Duffers of "bad writing" because Will didn't have more screentime. This attitude impugns a negative or careless motive solely because of personal dissatisfaction. The Duffers didn't forget about him, or give up on his story. Is there any evidence that they've set out to push Will aside because they "don't know what to do with him?" Not really. They made an intentional choice based on the story they want to tell.

In the end, it is the Duffers' story to tell. The way they want and how they want to do it. We choose to tune in, and they are under no obligation to tell their story the way we want it told, or to cater to certain storylines or characters or ships that some people want over others.

And to piggy back off of that thought: the story isn't even over yet. It's looking like we are likely to get a Season 5 which means we have at least 16 more episodes to work with before the story is finished. In ST world, that is a LOT of time. If something in the storyline is currently unfinished, or an arc hasn't played out yet then it's likely by design. Season 3 wasn't the end of the show. It's so strange to me how so much of the discourse analyzes Season 3 in a vacuum, given how obvious it is that we are missing a lot of key information about S4 and beyond.

Hopper is probably one of the the biggest casualties of this. David Harbour has discussed, ad nauseum, why he portrayed Hopper in S3 the way he did, and the discussions he's had with the Duffers about it. He has also alluded to a redemption arc and critical info about Hopper's character that we still don't know yet. Criticizing or disliking what we've seen so far with the understanding that more explanation may be coming is not the same as claiming that the dislike must stem from "bad writing" or poor characterization. They are two different conversations. Again, if there is an alternative explanation to "I disliked it so the Duffers must have decided to ignore prior characterization, fuck around, and suddenly don't know what we're they're doing with one of the show's most critical characters" then perhaps the alternative deserves some consideration.

(These examples aren't intended to single any particular character or part of the fanbase out, it's just that I am very invested in the Hopper/Byers so these examples were easier for me to draw from.)

Once the show is over, if the Duffers pull a Game of Thrones, and admit to screwing around to subvert expectations, or leave plot holes, or don't provide explanations for characterizations and storylines that require it, then the conversation changes. We will have access to all the information we ever will be given access to, and arcs and storylines will be as completed as they ever will be.

Tldr because I know this got sort of long, so I don't want the nuance of it to be lost: conflating a personal dislike of a piece of art to it being poor quality or bad writing creates an impossible standard for the content creator to live up to and isn't a fair way to criticize, especially when the story isn't over and we don't have all the information yet.

We as the fans aren't owed anything by the Duffers and whining about things not playing out the way we want doesn't magically become a valid critique by accusing the content creators (or the content itself) of having a design flaw. Discussions about what is and isn't bad writing is so much more nuanced than whether we like it or not (see i.e. reality tv) and shouldn't be used as a crutch to bolster a subjective opinion.

[thesaunatest]

MY HUGE THEORY ON EL’S PLOTLINE IN S4

before you guys even start, YES I know that 99.9% of what I say is going to be wrong but this is literally just for fun.

its march 1986, middle of the school year and el HATES school

when we left her she was barely literate and had just started getting accostomed to speaking full sentences, NOWHERE NEAR a 9th grade level, so shes struggling in her classes to say the least

on top of that, she barely knows how to socialize with other people, so shes evidently getting picked on

with joyce and jonathan both working to keep the family afloat, will and el get left alone alot

but outside of the party, they socially have nothing in common

in fact, will is adapting to the new town a whole lot better than el. he fit right in with all the creative kids he met in class, but el didnt mesh with that crowd

anyway, our girl is sturggling

the only time she really has fun is when she visits hawkins, or when someone from the party visits them

which leads us to spring break

mike obviously comes to visit, and el doesnt want them to waste a single second so she begs mike and will to come explore the town with her

at this point joyce is already in her detective mode, hatching a rescue plan for hopper so she doesnt notice theyre gone

and jonathan is battling the heartbreak of nancy ghosting him when she was supposed to come visit

so the trio goes off on an adventure without anyone noticing.......... or so they think

because brenner is back, and he knows el is with the byers, but he cant go and snatch her because he doesnt have the resources all the way in california

in fact, he doesnt have the resources at all. his numbers experiment is seen as a catastrophic failure that lead to the deaths of hundreds of lab employees

the only way for him to redeem himself in the community, and gain his funding back is to present his peers with proof that the project can work, so he needs to get one of his numbers back

el is the only one he can track down, but he doesnt think he can do it himself. if she saw him, she could just kill him with her powers, he assumes because he doesnt know she lost them

so who does he employ to get el back to hawkins? lonnie byers

its almost too easy. it doesnt take much to bribe lonnie, and hey, its not like its his kid. so lonnie accepts the bribe, and goes all the way out to california to find el

he shows up at the byers house..... only to find it completely deserted. so he waits

and the trio finds him there after their day out (why are you here? what do you want? where are mom and jonathan?)

and lonnie, being as crafty as he is, comes up with a good excuse on the fly (hes craftier than i am because i genuinely have no idea what he would say)

anyway, he gets them in his car and on their way back to hawkins

jonathan shows up after theyve already left, and is too stoned tired to think anything of the empty house

and joyce is already halfway to russia

will knows his father. he knows that his father doesnt give a shit about him, the family, or anything about hawkins. he knows that his father wouldnt get involved in anything unless he had something to gain. so hes wraking his brain

maybe.... lonnie pulls over to take a suspicious phone call? maybe will figures out an inconsistency in his story? either way, the gang is onto lonnie and figures that they gotta get away from him and get back to joyce and jonathan

they tuck and roll out of the car. idk. all that matters is that they get out of there

as theyre rolling out of the car, el bonks her head a little and has a quick flashback to her time in the lab

since her intuition is always spot on, she takes this as a cue the breener is back and lonnie is working for him

she tells the boys it isnt safe to go back to california or hawkins, so they come up w an alternative plan, somewhere neither brenner nor lonnie would think to look for them

and while theyre on the road, they stop at a diner to eat (dont ask me where they got the money) and we get will leaving an emotional voicemail home, probably sobbing to jonathan about how much he means to will, which gives el an idea

because who has the resources to help her, as well as a desire for vengeance on brenner? kali

el uses her superb hitchiking skills to get them to chicago

maybe she just has some hints of her powers left, but it isnt too hard for el to find kali

she explains everything thats happened, and lets kali know that if she want revenge, the opportunity is hers

unfortunately, lonnie was hot on their trail, and called for reinforcements

theyre ambushed by the few employees brenner has working for him. initially, everyone is hiding, assisted by kali’s powers

but el knows they arent leaving empty handed, and would rather get taken away then have kali’s freedom taken from her

so el reveals herself, followed by mike because he wont leave her, followed by will because he wont leave mike

all three get taken away, back to hawkins lab, but now kali is even more motivated to bring down the lab once and for all

so kali and her gang get to hawkins, almost simultaniously with jonathan, who has been looking for his family in a frenzy since the morning he woke up to find eveyone gone, without even a note or a phone call, as well as argyle, who came along for the ride

the video store is being used as home base this season, so thats the first place they go, where they find steve, shortstaffed and not knowing whats going on because the whole team ditched him

they catch him up to speed on how EVERYONES GONE and steve catches them up to speed on how EVERYONE IS GETTING MURDERED

meanwhile, brenner has three predicaments

1) no matter what he does to el, what kind of torture he inflicts, she isnt using her powers because she doesnt have them. she tells him this several times. he refuses to believe it

2) lonnie byers is demanding his payment, which he didnt recieve because the deal was that he bring el to them, and he couldnt even do that

3) he has to find a way to dispose of mike and will, who he had no intention of bringing into the lab but theyre here and they know everything

and this is the moment where mike screws up by letting them know that people know theyre in the lab and people know about all the experiments and any second now, someones gonna come banging that door down to save us. nancy, jonathan, steve, robin max, lucas, dustin, kali-

and the second mike says her name he knows he screwed up

brenner decides in that moment that all he can do is round up everyone involved and get rid of them. conveniently, the string of murders occurring will serve as a good cover for what happened to them

and this is the part where joyce, murray, and hopper get back to hawkins

this is also the part where nancy and robin and the gang get back to hawkins

so nancy and robin immediately go to the video store armed with all the new information they learned from victor creel

..... and are met with jonathan, argyle, kali, and steve in pandemonium

they close the store for the day, and get ready to storm the lab

they realize that they need something from the school, so they head there to pick it up

and soon after arriving, theyre met with the all to familiar hawkins lab vans

they make a hasty escape, taking out some of the goons but they need to find a way to get the rest off their trail

they head for the woods, hoping to hide out in the cabin

meanwhile, the russia crew has taken the mostly demolished cabin as their haven to recover from whatever injuries they sustained

theyre all running through the woods, but they realize the people from the lab are closing in on them

and then nancy and jonathan pass a very familiar tree

they use whatever weapon they have on them to break through the bark, and head into the upside down

the lab people keep going into the woods, eventually finding hopper’s cabin

epic showdown between the russia crew and the lab people, joyce, murray and hopper win, they realize the lab is back, immediately head there realizing theyre gonna have to rescue someone

nancy and robin use the info they learned from victor creel to keep the gang alive in the upside down, max, argyle and eddie are freaking out because omg we’re in another dimention, we get some big reveal about the truth about the upside down and the gang makes their way out and head to the lab

and while this is all happening,we get some super emotional monologue between brenner and el (ala-the last 10 minutes of the truman show) and brenner realizes that el isnt going to be the naieve superweapn she used to be, and decides the best thing he can do with el is give her the standard punishment, time in the closet

and being in the closet triggers all sorts of flashbacks and emotions (mbb’s opportunity to show off her acting chops for an emmy)

joyce and hopper bust into the lab like they did in season 1, but this time they dont get caught

they decide to split up to cover more ground, and hopper finds el in the closet

and around the same time joyce finds mike and will and gets them out of there

here comes the REAL emotional performance

hopper sees her, we get a teary eyed “el!” “dad!”, and then hopper gets pulled away from el by lab workers

exactly the same way terry did

we’re watching this happen from el’s perspective, with a heart-wrenching “noooooooooo” from el, accompanied by cuts to every time el has had to be separated from someone she cares about (terry, the s1 ending, billy dying, her leaving kali in s2, saying goodbye to everyone on moving day, her being separated from mike and will when they got to the lab) accompanied by some terribly sad 80s song, then back to the present moment, she reaches her hand out and boom, the guards go flying. her powers are back

except she doesnt have control of them the way she did before, and now shes bringing the whole building down

her and hopper race to the the first floor, and meet joyce and the boys, they get out of the building at the very last second, and the whole thing collapses.

eventually they find the other group, the whole team is now together, they go and take down the big bad from the upside down, joyce almost KILLS lonnie

nancy and robin drop a huge bombshell that has to do with hawkins/the upside down, specifically pertaining to el, which they pieced together after talking to victor creel

we get a massive cliffhanger, season 5 starts like 10 minutes after the ending of season 4

[unfortunate-stranger-losers]

All Those Things They Couldn’t Say - A Runaway Baudelaires AU

{ao3} {tumblr} {masterlist}

Chapter Thirty-Nine - Laboheme

They sat in a near-empty room, with only a woman sleeping in the bed against the far wall for company whenever doctors came in and out. They did routine examinations while Violet spat out a fake story about a neighbor being angry that they were climbing in his tree, and how their parents would be along to pay the bill quite soon, don’t worry. Duncan was pretty nervous and uncomfortable most of the time, especially as they had him change into a hospital gown and kept having to touch and mess with his wound. So Isadora held one hand and Violet held another, while Klaus and Sunny sat beside him and rambled on about some book or another to distract him. If there weren’t doctors in, though, and Duncan did not need distracting, then Klaus would pull a book from his bag and read for them, while Sunny waddled around the room trying to get used to walking on her own, Isadora sketched out some poetry ideas, bouncing them off her brother, and Violet played with their last telegram, doodling on the edges or just staring at it.

At one point, the Volunteers Fighting Disease came in, singing to try to cheer them up, and the children were incredibly amused by the fact that they were not at all recognized as “those kids we shared a busride with.” They were so amused that when the Volunteers left, they all burst into laughter, almost doubling over, and not stopping until the next doctor came in. 

When the last doctor left and Duncan was settled in bed, flipping through the newspaper that was provided for him and using Klaus’s pencil to scratch out inconsistencies, Violet leaned over to Isadora and said, “We’ll be back in a few minutes. I saw arrows to the library, it’s a few floors up but not too far. Locks shouldn’t be hard to pick.” 

Isadora bit her lip and bounced her leg. “Are you sure?” 

“We’ll be fine. Just… if anyone comes in, you still have your weapons.” 

Isadora smiled slightly, and then whispered, “I took the dagger that stabbed Duncan and stuck it in my bag. I’m gonna wash it off and use it to cut someone’s hand off.” 

“Great idea.” Violet beamed. “We’ll see you in a few minutes.” 

They made their way to the library of records, and Violet knelt by the locks, narrowing her eyes. “Ugh.” 

“Ugh?” Klaus asked, gently placing Sunny onto the ground. “That’s not a good sound.” 

“Tis not, brother dear.” Violet rolled her eyes, shooting him a look. “These are way more complicated than our ordinary-enough pin-tumbler locks. We shoulda found someone with keys and swiped em.” 

“Do you think you can get in?” 

“It could take some time.” 

Sunny walked over, looked up at the lock, and then said, “Bite.” 

“No, you’re not biting the locks, Sunny-girl.” 

Sunny shook her head, and bit the edge of her finger. “Bite.” 

“I don’t follow.” 

“I think,” Klaus said, sitting by Sunny, his eyes wide, “She’s offering to bite something small to function as a key.” 

“That… may not be a bad idea.” Violet considered. She reached into her bag, muttering, and then pulled out her bag of hairpins. “So first you-” 

“Gotit.” Sunny shrugged, and started biting and twisting the pins, peering into the keyholes as she worked. 

“Cool.” Violet shrugged and stood up, smiling over at Klaus. “Our baby sister’s a free lockpick-maker.” 

“You don’t think she’ll hurt herself?” 

“She’ll be fine.” 

Sunny nodded as she handed Violet a lockpick, and Violet knelt down. Within a few minutes, the door was swinging open. 

“Fuck yeah.” Violet grinned. Klaus lifted Sunny as she shouldered her bag, and she walked inside, flicking on a lightswitch. Ahead of them were rows upon rows of filing cabinets, stretching out as far as the eye could see. 

“Hmm.” Sunny growled in displeasure, narrowing her eyes. “How are we gonna find the file in here?” 

Klaus moved to the first cabinet, and ran his hand over an AA-AC label. “It looks alphabetical. So we should check under ‘Baudelaire.’” 

Violet nodded, and after she tied her hair back and did a quick look-over of the cabinets, she directed them down the rows, until they reached AX-BA. She grabbed the right drawer, huffing to find it was locked, but thankfully this one was much easier to pick. When she got it open, Klaus used his free hand to flip through quickly, but he shook his head once he reached the end. 

“No Baudelaire.” 

“Maybe the next drawer?” 

“No. See, this is ‘Baz.’” Klaus shook his head. 

Violet paused. “Maybe it’s misspelled. B-U-Delaire.” 

“Budelaire.” Sunny giggled. 

“We can check.” Klaus shrugged. 

Violet moved down the cabinets, scanning the B labels, and when she found the BU-CA, she once again picked it open, and Klaus flipped through. 

“No.” he shook his head. 

“Are you sure?” 

“We go from ‘Buccaneer’ to ‘Byers.’ No room for ‘Budelaire.” 

Violet bit her lip. “Let’s check VFD.” 

As they headed down the rows, looking for the V files, Sunny whispered, “Vi? D’nouf?” “What if someone already took the files?” 

“Nobody saw that telegram but the guy at the counter, and you’d think he’d mention if he’d been able to give it to someone else.” Violet whispered, tugging on her ribbon. “Lemony never saw it, and the senders didn’t seem to be going anywhere.” 

“Cep?” “What if someone intercepted it?” 

“We’ll have to hope they didn’t.” Violet said. She glanced back at her sister and said, “This was important to Lemony, so it has to be important to us. I’ll open every filing cabinet in this room if I have to.” 

Sunny nodded, though Klaus bit his lip and glanced at the ground, unsure of how productive this was going to be. 

Violet found two entire drawers labelled VF, and she picked both, before tossing them open. Klaus put Sunny on the ground and flipped through the tops, reading out loud. “VFD- 1485 Columbia Road. VFD- 667 Dark Avenue. VFD- Anwhistle Aquatics. Bats in the Train Station. Building Committee. Curdled- we’ve gotten past ‘b.’” 

“Keep going.” Violet insisted. 

Klaus sighed. “Denouement, Hotel. Doyle, Vincent Francis. Dressing, Lois. Frogg-Drifter, Violetta. Hypnotists in the Office. Items, Museum of. Lachrymose, Ivan. Leeches in the Lake. Lions in the Mountains. Little Snicket Lad-” 

Violet pulled the file out and flipped it open, and then shook her head. “Just the sheet music with some notes. Not seeing anything good.” 

Klaus sighed and moved onto the next drawer. “Medusoid Mycelium. Orion Observatory. Prufrock Prep. SS Prospero. Schism, Discussions of - there’s like three files here.” 

“Hand em over. Might make for interesting reading.” Violet said. Klaus shrugged and handed her the files, and she shoved them into her bag, barely fitting it in. “What else?” 

“A bunch of investigative reports from an E Snicket- do we know one?” 

“Probably a relative of Lemony’s. Here, I’ll shove that in your bag. Keep going.” 

There’s not much else. I see Stain’d-by-the-Sea, Reports of; Sugar Bowl; Surgeons in the Theater; Valorous Farms; Volunteer Feline Detectives; Winnipeg, Duchy of; World is Quiet Here… another World is Quiet Here, and Zombies in the Snow. No Baudelaire.” 

“Or Budelaire?” Sunny giggled, for some reason thinking that was the funniest thing in the world. 

Violet groaned, finishing zipping up Klaus’s bag, and she tugged on her ribbon harder. “There’s gotta be a place. Maybe F for File.” 

“Seriously, Violet? Everything here is a file.” 

“Well, what do you suggest, oh wise one?” 

Sunny gave them incredulous looks. “Snicket.” 

Violet and Klaus gave her a look, and then Klaus slapped his forehead. “Duh.” 

“Come on.” Violet tossed him his bag, and Klaus threw it over his shoulder and then picked up Sunny as they raced back to the S cabinets. She ran her hands over the metal, watching the SW-SZ turn to SS-SV, then SO-SR… 

“Here!” Violet called. She raced to the SN drawer, and then again unlocked it quickly, tossed it open, and stepped back for Klaus to file through. He dropped Sunny, flipped a few files, and then beamed over at her as he found the SNI and triumphantly lifted a file, labelled: SNICKET BAUDELAIRE, ⅔.

“Fuck, yes!” Violet knelt on the ground, bouncing with excitement. Klaus knelt beside her, and Sunny peered over his arm as he flipped it open. 

He narrowed his eyes, a little confused as he started spreading papers. “What are these? I don’t see anything to do with our parents here.” 

Violet looked over, and then narrowed her eyes. Happy she still had her hair tied back, she pointed to a clipped newspaper article. “Read that for me, while I sort through these?” 

“Capture of the Remains of the Inhumane Society.” Klaus read. He skimmed, and then said, “Not much info. Some people who were in a terrorist organization went on the run and were finally caught.” 

“When?” 

“Uh… like thirty years ago.” 

“Date?” 

Klaus told her. 

Violet turned to him. “Open your commonplace book, make a note.” 

He shrugged and nodded, and as he started writing, Violet picked up an article. “Murder! Count and Countess found dead in mysterious circumstances at the Opera- well, alright, we can guess what this is.”

Sunny, not paying much attention, picked up a scrap and waved it in front of Klaus. “Whazzit?” 

“That’s some kind of poem, I think.” Klaus once again skimmed. “About making poison from bird bones.” 

“A profile on ‘Armstrong Feint.’” Violet said. “We have an underline here- base of operations in Clusterous Forest.” 

“Clusterous Forest?” Klaus echoed, and then lifted another paper. “What about this?” 

“What’s it say, dingus?” 

“It’s a transcript of an environmental society meeting about protecting some seaweed forest.” 

“What are you seeing?” 

Klaus scanned and recited interesting things that came to him. “Some are arguing that it’s a marvel of science as it’s landlocked, meaning the seaweed grows outside the ocean. But others are arguing that its existence is dangerous to the local wildlife, as birds will land on the seaweed and get stuck and die of starvation.” 

“Scout!” Sunny called. “Dead birds!” 

“Dead bird skeletons make poison.” Violet said, as Klaus started writing as many notes as he could. “This Armstrong Feint was in the Clusterous Forest, with a lotta dead birds…” she scanned the profile again. “Guess who was in charge of the Inhumane Society?” 

“So the Inhumane Society has poison? What does that have to do with us?” 

“Gimme the poem.” Violet took the paper and scanned it. “Klaus, it’s not about making poison. It’s about making poison darts.” 

Klaus’s eyes widened. “What?” 

“Whazzit?” Sunny asked, more confused than her brother. 

“Gimme the date of that arrest again, quick.” Violet said, shoving the papers back into the file and tying her ribbon around it to keep it closed. 

Klaus gave it to her, nodding; he was thinking the same thing. 

“That’d be when our parents were about sixteen.” Violet said. “And guess what.” She held up the paper she’d grabbed. “That capture was after the opera. Where our parents-” 

“You think-” 

“Lemony was trying to build a case. To frame this society.” Violet said, her eyes sparkling. She tossed the file at Klaus, who quickly flipped open his bag, shoving it inside as tight as he could. “They had poison darts. At least a couple were active during the Opera. If he can blame them-” 

“Then our parents are free.” Klaus breathed. 

They stared at each other a long time, and then Sunny asked, “Laboheme?” “What does this have to do with our parents?” 

Violet and Klaus froze. In their moment of euphoria, they’d forgotten that Sunny had not been told about their parents’ crime. Had not even guessed, as they had, what had probably happened. 

“Um…” Violet began. 

How would they explain that to her? What they’d just pieced together in their heads? How did one tell an infant that Lemony was trying to frame criminals for a murder that their parents committed? 

“Laboheme?” Sunny asked, more insistently. 

“The- the Opera…” Klaus bit his lip, glancing to Violet. “Um… it- it seems that- what happened at the Opera…” 

“Yes,” said a dark, sickeningly sweet voice behind them. “Tell her what happened at the Opera.” 

Violet’s head shot up, and then Klaus’s, his arm instinctively reaching out to grab Sunny and yank her closer to him. They stared up at Esme, who was smiling down at them in a cruel way. 

“Tell your baby sister,” she said, “What your parents have done.” 

Violet took a deep breath, then whipped a knife out of her pocket, and said, “Klaus, Sunny, run.” 

She didn’t have to ask twice. Violet jumped to her feet, throwing the knife at Esme’s chest, but unfortunately Violet giving her siblings forewarning also served to tell Esme something was going to happen, and she managed to leap out of the way. Violet quickly took off after her siblings, digging into her pocket for another knife. 

They raced down a few aisles, before ducking down behind a row of cabinets. “How did she-” Klaus began. 

“Firetruck. We left the firetruck-” 

“But that wouldn’t tell them-” 

“Unless they talked to the counter guy-” 

“Shit.” 

“Okay.” Violet took a breath. “We need to get to Duncan and Isadora and get out of- duck!” 

She pushed Klaus down, just as something flew over their heads. Violet turned to see one of Esme’s shoes, knives replacing the heels, landing against the side of a cabinet and sticking. 

“Oh, I see,” Violet nodded, as she pushed Klaus and Sunny ahead of her, turning to stick her tongue out at Esme as the woman started running after them. “More knives. Guess what, though?” she pushed Klaus and Sunny to the left, then ran to the heel, ripped it out of the cabinet, and said, “I got this now!” 

She pushed Klaus and Sunny down an aisle as Esme raced past, and then whispered, “Think she’s got the door blocked?” 

“I’d assume so.” 

“There’s gotta be a window. We can shimmy out and get Duncan and Isadora. Run to the left, side of the building should be that way.” 

Klaus nodded, and Sunny leaned against him, whimpering slightly. They started running, as Violet stayed behind her siblings, glancing back to see if Esme was behind them. 

After only a moment though, she let out a shout of surprise, as a row of filing cabinets, just beside them, came crashing down. Violet pushed Klaus aside, spotting Esme at the end of the toppled cabinets, and then said, “Alright, Klaus, officially? We’re on an A Flat.” 

He nodded, and took off running. They maneuvered through aisles, hearing more crashing behind them, and Violet waved the stiletto heel in her hands, trying to get used to the weight. “I dunno how accurately I can throw this.” 

“Vi, can we get out of here and then discuss that?” 

“Right, yeah.” 

Sunny shrieked, and Klaus quickly hauled Violet beside him as a filing cabinet fell right where she’d been standing. Violet then said, “Okay, F minor-” “Nobody talk!” -and they pushed on. 

“Come on, dears!” they heard Esme call, and Violet gripped the knife-shoe tighter. “We just want to have some fun!” 

At fun, another aisle started crashing. Klaus whimpered, the noise overstimulating him quite a bit, and Violet put her arm around him and kept pushing them forward. 

“Don’t you want to see Mummy and Daddy again?” 

Violet blinked away tears, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a wall up ahead. She raced them forwards and then ran them down until they found a window. Violet opened it, as Klaus threw the Sunnybag onto the ground and started strapping their sister into it. He slid it onto his back, whispered for his sister to hold on, and Violet helped him slide down onto the side of the outer wall. He slid slightly, and Violet turned, watching another row of cabinets start to topple. “She’s getting close.” 

“Then hurry out!” 

She glanced down. There wasn’t room for her to go beside him, and he wouldn’t get down far enough for her to start for quite some time. 

“New plan.” Violet said. 

“What?” 

Violet shrugged her bag off and tossed it out the window. 

“What?” 

“I’ll circle around so Esme doesn’t see where you got out.” 

“Violet-” 

“If I don’t meet you in the Quagmires’ room, run somewhere, get out. I’ll find you, I promise.” 

Before Klaus could argue more, Violet shut the window, and then called, “Klaus, go for the door! I’ll hold her off!” and took off running. 

She didn’t stick around to hear if Klaus yelled at her or if Sunny made a noise of protest, because another row of filing cabinets came tumbling down, and Violet ducked down an aisle, breathing deeply. 

“Well, well, well.” she heard Esme say, a little distantly, “Looks like our little Snicket is all alone.” 

Violet shut her eyes and gripped her jacket with one hand and the knife shoe with the other. 

“Come along, darling. Don’t you want to say goodbye to your mother?” 

Violet shook slightly as she edged her way down the aisle, trying to soften her footsteps. 

“Your Mother’s dying to see you, you know! All three of you!” 

Another row fell down, this one closer to the door. Violet breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Esme had clearly taken her bait. She backed up a little, trying to keep her head low and her steps quiet. 

And then she felt an arm on her shoulder. 

She screamed and whipped around, swinging the knife heel. She jumped with surprise as she saw that Henchperson of Indeterminate Gender leap back, the heel cutting across their arm. They let out a gasp, and Violet took off running. Fuck, how many of them were there? Fuck, fuck, fuck… 

She kept moving, the files blurring around her, ignoring how close or far the cabinets were toppling, trying to still the beating panic in her heart and not look down at the blood on the knife heel… 

She turned a bend and saw Esme at the end of the aisle, knocking down another row. Violet stepped back, throwing back her arm in preparation to toss the shoe. Esme turned, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. 

Then Violet was grabbed from behind again, and this time the weapon was knocked from her hand. 

“Well, well, well,” Olaf whispered, as Violet screamed and tried to struggle away, “What have we here?” 

[quaranteend]

Jonno Application :)

Mun Info  Name: liv Age: 20 Pronouns: she ABOUT THE MUSE Name: Jonathan Byers Age: 25 Sex: M Sexuality: Bi (+ demisexual) Height: 5'10" Location: Hawkins Faction: Hawkins Occupation: Medic/Tamer - Joyce had taught the boys a plethora of medical procedure that could be carried out sans a hospital due to their lack of funds. While it wasn't the happiest childhood story, it did mean that Jonathan was now pretty proficient with only a first aid kit and a few needles. He is also strangely good at calming people down - if the faction stumble across someone who may try to attack or a person who wants to join them, Jonno is quite good at talking them down and/or assessing if their goals are truly in line with what they say. Brief History:  When the outbreak occurred Jonathan was on his own; far from civilisation, far from his friends, far from his family. He was out deep in the field taking photos of fucking trees, surrounded by silence and solitude that were once a comfort to him. Those first few weeks were hell. Foraging for scraps to eat while keeping an eye out for any zombies that may want to ambush him was hard but what was harder was having no idea if his family was okay, if his mother and brother were okay. The day he stumbled across the Hawkins faction was an impossible miracle.

5 or more Headcanons:

Jonathan hates 'loud' or elongated periods of silence. Pre-outbreak he loved it, could relish in the ringing you get in your ears when the silence last a bit too long, but now it makes his hair stand on edge. Sometimes he tries, tries to sit there and let the silence hug him like it used to but all it means is that his thoughts become louder than life, and Jonathan doesn't need to hear what they have to say.

Because of the previous point he spends a lot of time humming to himself, it calms his nerves and lifts his mood.

Additionally, he's become quite chatty. Mostly insane idle chatter just to keep the silence away but it's almost a complete 180 from how he was in school

He's a bloody badass with a bow and arrow and probably with a crossbow too if he could get his hands on one. He's shit with a gun but if he has to fight short distance, he can wield a mean dagger too.

He likes being with the faction as he believes if he spends the majority of his time dealing with other people, at the end of the night he'll be too tired to think about his own issues.

He still takes photos if he can find a camera, if not he'll sketch. The pictures aren't very good but he enjoys capturing the moment any way he can.

Roleplay example (oh my go d this turned out kinda long I'm s o so rry)

Jonathan had experienced exhaustion before, it wasn't long ago that he was a teenager surviving through the school day with only crackers and energy drinks, he knew how it felt to experience such lethargy you wondered how you could possibly go on, however this was different. It was like he could hear his limbs screaming, could feel the individual fibres of his muscles tearing as he struggled to put one foot down in front of the other.

Briefly, he pondered if it was worth it to keep going. He hadn't been able to find a water supply and he was running dangerously low. Night would fall soon, and the zombies would come out full force. If he was trapped, surrounded by walkers, with no water and no idea how long he'd be cornered for... he shuddered at the thought and shook his head.

No. It wouldn't do to give up now, not when he'd come so far, not when he'd survived for so long. Then what would it all be for? He needed to persevere. For his friends, for his family. He clenched his fists. For his mother.

Finding Joyce's body was almost an out of body experience. Jonathan had almost convinced himself that it never happened. That the woma-- the zombie who had tried to kill him last week was not his mother, only looked like her. That it was just by chance she was in Joyce's uniform, circling the convenience store. That it wasn't the promise ring Hopper gave her, glinting on her right index finger. Because to believe anything else would be the end of his world. Was his mother even at work when the outbreak occurred? Was her uniform blue, or was it green? Did she wear the ring on her left or right hand? That part of Jonathan's life felt like it had taken place so long ago, Jonathan couldn't be sure.

And he didn't like to think about it

"Halt!" a voice cried out before a light was shone in his eyes, effectively blinding him, cutting his train of thought off with a crash. Immediately, he notched his arrow and aimed at the disembodied voice. "Whoa, whoa, whoa man. Let's not be hasty." Jonathan kept his aim. He'd learnt that human were about as trustworthy as the zombies, when it came to the end of the world every man seemed to be gunning for themselves and Jonathan couldn't blame them.

"Turn it off," he requested, and heard what sounded like a faint gasp from across him. Must have been more than one person then - so even if he did hit the girl who spoke, there would be others who would likely have her back. He hated being outnumbered.

"No can do hombre, who knows what you'll do if we can't see you. Drop the arrow, let's talk," Jonathan barely held back a scoff. He was not going to do that. It was already an unfair fight, there was no way he'd give them an even higher ground by disarming himself.

"Let me pass," he said, "I don't miss." He didn't like to threaten people, but he'd soon realised it was the only way to be taken seriously and to get away without actually hurting anyone. Not that he was adverse to shooting when need be, but his arrows were limited and best saved for the actual enemy, not stupid humans.

"Wait!" he heard a faint, still vaguely familiar voice call out and could barely make out some hustle and bustle happening across from him until a silhouette appeared amidst the light. There were more whispers and it looked like the girl who spoke earlier tries to grab the person who'd approached but they just pressed forward.

Once they were close enough that the light wasn't impairing Jonathans vision the boy understood why the figure had been so persistent. He dropped his weapon before he even had the time to consider whether the situation was a trap or not and immediately closed the rest of the distance pulling his younger brother into his arms.

[hillywooddestiel]

Stranger Things Have Happened: Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: Quiet in the Library

Characters: Sam, Dean, Y/N Winchester, Steve, Jonathan, Nancy

Warnings: violence

Word count: 1.5k

Series description: Hawkins, Indiana, November 1983. The Winchesters got out of hunting and decided to settle down in a small town. The youngest of the three, Y/N, just wants to get on with her somewhat normal life and go to a good college. But that’s a little tricky when disappearances start occurring, including her friend Barbara Holland, and there’s reports of a mysterious new girl in town. Can she balance boyfriends, teen drama and monster hunting?

A/N: Hi, me again! I am getting pretty into this series again now that the action is picking up so hopefully I will write some more soon. Once this series is done, I think I’m going to put it on Wattpad so look out for that. Enjoy xx Series Masterlist Masterlist

Story:

12th November 1983, Hawkins, Indiana…

I managed to get back in without being heard. Swiftly, I dumped my gear in my wardrobe, shimmied out of my clothes into my pyjamas and snuggled under my sheets. I barely slept for more than two hours, drifting in and out of consciousness until my alarm started beeping furiously at me. Groaning, I slapped it repeatedly until the shrill sound stopped. At least it’s Saturday.

Sam already has a plate of breakfast ready for me when I come into the kitchen, grabbing his keys and giving me a kiss on the head before speeding out of the door for work. Once he’s gone, I jump up to the phone and dial Nancy’s number, knowing it by heart.

“Hey Nance! It’s Y/N.”

“Hi. What’s up?” She replies, sounding a little shaky.

“I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up today. We could go and get slushies at the movies. I hear The Terminator is good.”

“Um…” her end of the line goes quiet.

“Nancy? You still there?”

“Yeah. Um, I’m actually going out with Steve today.”

“Oh. Okay, tomorrow maybe?”

“Maybe. I’ve gotta go bye.” She hangs up. Well that was uncharacteristically weird. Then again, disappearing into a tree is just weird weird. Still, it’s no use wasting the day- I think I’m long overdue a trip to the library.

“Hey Sam!”

“Hey Y/N/N! What are you doing here?” Sam puts his papers down and approaches the front desk.

“Just some research for a school project.” I lie through my smiling teeth.

“But you just handed in a project. What’s this one for?” He inquires.

“Err… biology. Animals of prey.”

“Alright. Well you know that the animals section is just over there by the computers.” Sam points to the high shelves stacked with thick books.

“Thanks Sam!” I grin, hurrying over in the general direction of where he pointed. Except it’s not the animals section that I want- it’s mythology. When he’s not looking, I swerve to the right and head towards the dusty corner of the library.

Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, sirens, Greek gods. You name it, there’s a whole book of incorrect facts about it in here. It may seem pointless to some- why would I be looking for information in here if I know most of it is wrong? Well, some hunters like to write. There are a select few names to look out for that I know for a fact will be full of info that will be of use to me. This is a small town so it has the library to match however I do find three different books on monsters that, at a glance, seem to be potentially useful. Before sitting at a desk and doing some research, I make sure to pick up a few books on lions to use as decoys should Sam come over. I grab paper and a pen from the stand that says ‘Help yourself!’ and get to work.

Wendigo- occur when a man becomes so hungry, he is driven to cannibalism. Tend to feed every 20 years or so, hunting for their prey (humans) in forests at night. Will feed on wildlife in particularly difficult periods. Rugaru- appears human for the most part, completely transform after feeding on human flesh. Many try to resist the urge to feed but fail and start to feed frequently. Ōkami- also appear human except for their large, canine-like, teeth when feeding. Feed on human flesh but have a tendency to develop a favourite kind of prey. Nachzehrer- appear human, feed on human flesh and hearts. Some prefer the dead to the living. Vetala, kitsune, rakshasa, lamia- it appears that many monsters have a taste for people while also looking like them. This thing could be walking around town and I wouldn’t even know. None of the articles mention faceless monsters though. That’s one of the only details I have describing this thing. Not a single monster truly fits the information I have, it’s all just maybes and possibilities. Until I reach the final book.

It’s battered and worn, probably read countless times and added to along the way. The leather binding has been repaired, most recently with tape, and it smells like Bobby’s attic. Each page is yellowed, stained with whisky and that kind of crispy that paper goes when it gets wet and then dried off. This was a hunter’s journal. I struggle to read the smudged name on the first page. S something Cam… nope, the ink is too blotchy. Well whoever you were Mister Cam-whatever, let’s hope you know what this thing is. The first few pages are the usual, common monsters and how to kill them, so they don’t interest me. What does is they last few sections entitled ‘Alternate Realities’. Sketchy drawings of what must be monsters on pages from notebooks are inserted next to paragraphs upon paragraphs describing places, creatures, things lurking in the dark. These descriptions seem to be recordings of statements from witnesses, names that mean nothing to me written carefully next to each one along with old phone numbers and addresses.

‘The entire place was overgrown. Even when the sun came up, it was like it never really did. Not fully. I could barely see. It was a jungle or something, all trees and rocks. I don’t know how I got there and I don’t know how I got back. It was as easy as falling asleep and waking up from a nightmare.’

‘It was night time. All the time. And it smelled disgusting. Plus there was this thing chasing me wherever I went. At first I thought it was my imagination but my imagination isn’t that vivid. I could hear it screeching and coming after me. It was strange, like our world but cold and just wrong. I’ve talked to other people and they believe me. They said they’ve been there too.’

‘I was in a desert. It was hot and all I could see was sand dunes and blue sky. But then there was this thing coming after me. It looked like a man but it moved like a bear and really fast. I was lucky it only got a taste of me.’

“How goes the research?” Sam makes me jump as he comes over. Hurriedly, I hide the journal under a stack of books and pull out one on lions.

“Good I guess. You know, lions, tigers, bears.”

“Oh my. Looks like you’ve made a lot of notes.” He peers over to see my pages of paper which I jump to cover. Way to act natural Y/N!

“Yeah, I’m gonna meet up with Nancy and pool our findings. Actually, I think I’m pretty much done here so I’m gonna put these away and go for a snack at the diner.”

“Oh okay. At least order something a little bit healthy.”

“I will.” Yeah, the strawberries in jelly count right? Once Sam leaves, I fold my sheets of paper away and sneak the journal into my rucksack. It’s not technically stealing since it’s a library: people take books out all the time! The rest of the books, I put them back on their shelves and head out of the library. Small town means limited parking so it’s a long walk back to my car.

There are lots of people milling around town today, I suppose because it’s a Saturday and actually quite a nice morning for November. I nice quiet-

“Kick his ass, man!” What the hell is going on now? I increase my speed down the path, looking down the side streets until I reach the alley behind the cinema. Jonathan Byers and Steve Harrington are throwing punches at each other while Nancy begs them to quit it and Steve’s dopey friends jeer along.

“Jonathan stop! Stop! You’re gonna hurt him.” Nance tries to pull Jonathan off of Steve. Is it just me or shouldn’t she be trying to stop her boyfriend and not her monster hunting buddy? Steve gets knocked to the ground with blood pouring from his nose and Jonathan jumps on top of him- I should probably stop this.

“Hey!” I yell, sprinting over to break them up. Without even really looking, Jonathan swings his fist in my direction, missing me by miles. But he’s clearly not stopping anytime soon. If I don’t act soon, Steve will likely end up in hospital with a lot more than a broken nose and a black eye. “Stop it!” I pull Jonathan off of Steve, sending my own fist into his face in the hopes that it’ll snap him out of whatever crazed trance he’s in.

“Woah new girl!” Tommy cheers, but his face soon falls when a cop car pulls into the alley.

Tommy pulls Jonathan off again as he punches one of the officers in the nose. I stand to the side as he puts him in cuffs while Steve and Tommy make a break for it.

“I got this one!” The arresting officer calls to his colleague before turning to me, “I saw you too, don’t think you’re getting off lightly!” Nancy just stares at me in disbelief, her mouth agape. I’m not going to be able to lie my way out of this one.

STHH tags:

@marslovesme @bluedefundead @elenavaldez09 @mysanityisgone27 @adridedong @princess-of-erebor1992 @coffeeandwinchesters

[elshopper]

Broken

I’m baaaack (lol) with another something from the depths of my hard drive!

Fandom: Stranger Things

Rating: G

WC: 1,527

Summary: 

Hopper had gathered them all here in his stuffy little office, all the kids. For an important reason. He shifted his eyes amongst them from behind his desk. What they all had in common was the muddled mix of shame, fear, and exhaustion on their young faces. It was as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have. After that thought ran through his mind, he had to remind himself that it was, indeed, a fact. Hopper sighed. They needed to hear this, and they needed to hear it from him rather than someone else.

OR

Hopper talks to the kids about how they have to cooperate with the lab, and obviously they hate that idea. But they kids trust him despite the massive secret he has hiding at home.

Read below, or on AO3

Hawkins Police Department, January 23, 1984, 3:42 P.M.

“I’m not cooperating with assholes,” Lucas muttered, at no one in particular. If you were to ask him, he would tell you that it simply had to be said. The room was still, and you could feel every fiber of it react to his harsh words. The air that surrounded this huddled mass of teenagers was tense enough to make your ears pop like when the pressure shifts on an airplane. It was stale too, and it seemed to show on every face in the room. No one was pleased to be here in the slightest. Will watched the specs of dust softly float in the air, illuminated by the harsh afternoon light coming through the window.

Hopper had gathered them all here in his stuffy little office, all the kids. For an important reason. He shifted his eyes amongst them from behind his desk. Mike Wheeler and his sister Nancy sat near each other to his left. Nancy clutched her school bag, holding on to it for what seemed to be dear life. She looked at him, waiting to hear him speak. Behind her eyes, her mind seemed to be elsewhere – another unpleasant place he supposed. Mike just alternated between staring at his shoes and his hands.

Will Byers sat to Hopper’s right, with his brother Jonathan standing over him. Will was still fixated on the dust specs with a mix of childlike wonder and… was that apprehension? Jonathan shifted his weight from his left foot to his right impatiently. He was doing his best to look menacingly protective, although there was nothing for Will to be afraid of. At least not here.

Lucas Sinclair and Dustin Henderson sat in-between, squashed together to make room for everyone. Their usual banter was virtually nonexistent today, Hopper noted. Even the notorious Steve Harrington was even among the present, although Hopper resented that he had to deal with him altogether. He was on the other side of Nancy to his far left, and was acting as impassive as he could muster.

What they all had in common was the muddled mix of shame, fear, and exhaustion on their young faces. It was as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have. After that thought ran through his mind, he had to remind himself that it was, indeed, a fact. Hopper sighed. They needed to hear this, and they needed to hear it from him rather than someone else.

“Watch your language,” Hopper finally retaliated. His tone wasn’t threatening, though. It was tired. Lucas backed down anyway, sitting back in his metal chair. Hopper continued.

“You’re going to have to cooperate with them whether you like it or not,” he said.

“Or what?” Dustin retorted.

Leaning forward in his chair, slowing his words, and raising his voice just slightly to make sure he was heard, Hopper replied harshly.

“Or else I’m not going to be able to protect you.”

As soon as it left his mouth he regretted saying it, at least in that way. How could he expect any of them to be able to make sense out of this mess? They were all silent, but he had their full and undivided attention now. It was like he could tell that all of their heart rates had accelerated once the room was silent again.

“What I mean to say is, I think we have a pretty good idea of what they’re capable of,” he pressed on, staring down at the piles of meaningless papers on his desk. “You know, what they’re willing to… do.”

He paused, to gauge his audience. Tense, fearful, and confused.

“So, you need to just… comply. For me. For your parents. For yourselves. Do you understand?” He paused, waiting for a response, but he found none. “At all?”

Silence. No one was making eye contact with him except for Dustin, who swiftly looked down when he met his eyes.

“Hopper?” This came from Jonathan.

“Yeah,”

“What is it exactly that they’re capable of?”

Lucas swallowed. Mike inhaled sharp enough for it to be heard. Dustin wiped his palms on his jeans. Nancy looked back at him over the top of her brother’s head, her forehead pinched in concern.

Jonathan looked like he regretted the question immediately after asking, but his gaze remained steadily on Hopper.

“Don’t you know?” he added, a little more sheepish this time.

“Look, I…” Hopper started, but then he stopped himself. His intention with this meeting, at first, had been to scare them. He figured Nancy would do as he instructed upon hearing an ultimatum. She had always been a rule follower. She would hopefully get her boyfriend to comply as well, although he was somewhat of a loose cannon. Nancy was now chewing on one of her fingernails and stared at the green shag carpet. Steve was picking at the remains of a scab on his right hand.

Dustin and Lucas, who had come in the room ready to fight Hopper on any suggestion of working in cahoots with the “bad men” had both passively leaned back into their chairs. The four younger boys usually followed after the Wheeler kid, and so Hopper had hoped to get a reaction out of him. Today, the boy was solemn and quiet instead of boisterous and vocal. In fact, Hopper couldn’t remember if Mike had said a word the entire time they had been in the room. His eyes lingered on Mike, watching as he fiddled with his watch, hooking and unhooking the clasp on the back in some sort of nervous habit. He noticed that Mike’s eyes were bloodshot, evidence that he wasn’t getting much sleep these days.

Hell, I know I don’t get much sleep either, Hopper thought. His new addition (the one he promised he would grab a cheeseburger for on the way home, thank God, he’d just remembered) startled awake most nights with rampant nightmares. The only way he knew to calm her down was to read to her out of some of the dusty books from the boxes in the crawl space he always swore he would never touch again. Last night, between her uneven breaths and reaching for a tissue, she had asked. He knew it was coming, and he had been trying his best to prepare an answer although he didn’t have one. Hawkins Lab was under new management, and he’d be damned if he wasn’t in the middle of every single one of their endeavors from this day forward. But, he had to earn their trust. Then she could leave, then she could see her friends. How on earth do you explain that to a kid?

But she had asked, and it nearly broke his heart into a thousand tiny pieces. He saw the conversation of the night before clearly in his mind, the yellow light of the lamp spreading across the walls of her bedroom as he sat on the chair in a corner with a book in his hands.

“When,” she paused. “When can I see my friends?”

He said the very first thing that came to his mind.

“Soon, kid, really soon.”

Upon hearing that, she wiped the tears away with a corner of the blanket and had slept easy for the rest of the night. But he hadn’t.

With that, he shook off the memory, snapping back to the present. Mike was still incessantly messing with his watch. He almost reminded Hopper of some kind of zombie, like one from Night of the Living Dead or something. Just kind of mindless. Going through the motions. Repeating actions over and over and over like a skipping record. It tore at him – it really did – to think he was in some way responsible for that. Even a little bit. That thought kept him up at night even more than the anticipation of another tear-stained nightmare followed by another chapter of Anne of Green Gables.

And then, he realized. He didn’t need to break these kids to get them to do what he wanted, or even needed them to do. They were already broken. Hopper took his hat off of his head and messed with his hair so it wouldn’t stick up in different directions. He leaned foreword on his elbows, drawing himself closer to his timid audience to answer Jonathan’s question.

“I don’t know, I really don’t,” he said. “But, I wouldn’t mess with these people. I know you know that. You’re smart kids.”

He paused. Took a breath.

“They’re going to call you into a room, and maybe ask you a few questions. Just tell them the truth. You won’t be in trouble. They’ll ask you to sign a piece of paper that says you will keep quiet about what you know. Just… sign it, and we can put this entire thing behind us. Isn’t that what we all want?”

A few stiff nods around the room, and Hopper was almost positive they got the message. Still no one moved. He heard a small voice to his left, and every head turned to meet it.

“Yep, that’s what we want,” Mike said.

AN: 

Thanks for reading!!

This really has been on my computer for a while, since before S2 came out because I had to go back and make sure it worked with all the new info… I think Hopper definitely felt shitty for keeping El from her friends and vice versa.

But I think I wrote this because I was really interested in exactly how the lab people handled all the leaked info, and how they kept everyone quiet. I have more written on here somewhere, so hopefully I’ll get to edit and post those soon!

Let me know what you think, all the sweet stuff y’all said about the first lil thing I posted meant the world. So thank you!!! <3

-M

[numinousmysteries]

Vanquish by Wisdom Hellish Wiles (3/9)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 On AO3 @fictober @today-in-fic

Chapter 3

Mulder's first instinct was that William must be nearby. Back when he was exposed to the rubbing from the artifact that washed up on the Ivory Coast, he’d experienced the same sensation Scully had described—that someone was speaking to him from within his own head--but it had only been people in a close vicinity.

There were images from those days right before his impromptu brain surgery that had stuck with him nearly two decades later. When Scully had come to see him in the hospital he'd felt the immense force of her love for him and her fierce desire to protect him. It felt different from the emotion emanating from Diana, which was tainted by an instinct for self-preservation.

He'd felt the same way about her for years but always feared that the feeling wasn't mutual. As he lay on an operating table unable to speak or move, her warm tears fell on his face and any doubt he had about her affection toward him vanished. It's what gave him the courage to tell her she was his touchstone and, although it took a few more months, to finally kiss her.

Achieving the high school fantasy of being able to read your crush's mind was one of the very few perks of being at the center of a global conspiracy. If his sister had never disappeared, he never would have joined the bureau nor met and fell in love with Scully. If his abnormal brain activity hadn't allowed him to read her thoughts he'd probably never have worked up the balls to do something about it. He asked Scully once why she'd named their son for his father and not her own. She said it was because if his father hadn't done the things he'd done, no matter how morally questionable those actions were, they wouldn't be together and William would never have been born. He understood the sentiment but he didn't know if he could ever forgive him father for the cowardly choices that had torn their family apart.

It was also then when he saw the boy building sand castles on the beach. At first he thought the boy was the manifestation of his inner child’s frustration of never being able to save his sister. But the boy didn’t look exactly like he did at that age. His features were softer and his eyes were a bright blue he’d only seen on one other person before. It wasn’t until Mulder held his son for the first time that he realized the boy on the beach was William. More than a year before he was born, months before he was conceived, back when the very idea of a son of his and Scully’s was an impossibility, he’d seen his son and felt his thoughts in his head.

During the years since he’d last seen his son, he’d tried to conjure the memory of being able to connect with him psychically, if only to know that he was safe and still alive. He tried techniques to induce lucid dreaming and even dabbled with self-hypnosis, but he was never able to make the connection again. But now Scully could, and although he couldn’t explain why, he knew that William was in trouble and they had to find him.

If what Scully felt was right, he had to believe that their son would make the right choice and not be tempted by whatever beautiful lies the other side was offering him.

******************************************

After Scully assured him she was alright in the hospital, Mulder headed back to their office. On the drive over he knew who he’d have to call. He hadn't been in contact with the Gunmen for more than a decade since their deaths were staged. It was their plan all along. In a series of heavily encoded emails before their disappearance, they'd reached out to him about the attempts made on William's life. They'd figured out a way to monitor certain channels where the existing members of the syndicate still communicated, but to ensure their access wouldn't be detected, they had to go deep underground. Beforehand, they had showed Mulder how to navigate a messaging service on the deep web through which he could reach them through a series of encrypted IP addresses, but it was only for life-or-death, the-planet-is-at-stake emergencies. He figured this qualified.

Back at the office he followed the instructions he'd memorized and typed, in the code they’d crafted years ago: NEED HELP. ASAP.

He didn’t know what to expect after sending the message. Would they see it right away? Was it being sent from server to server getting further encoded and secured? Would they even be able to help him?

He sat dumbfounded with his head in his hands. The worst part of all of this was feeling helpless. He was better at handling disasters when there was some piece of evidence to be found or someone to point a gun at and demand answers from. He'd be willing to do anything to find William, but he didn’t even know where to start. In one way or another, Mulder had felt helpless for the past 15 years. He couldn't keep William safe nor could he erase the pain and guilt Scully felt for giving him away. Instead he retreated inward and, when Scully finally walked out, he knew there was nothing he could do to stop her.

Suddenly a notification popped up on his computer. In the reply to his message was simply a link, written in nonsense characters. As soon as he clicked the link, his phone began to vibrate on the table. A FaceTime request from a hidden number. He accepted and saw Langley on the other end. If the end of the world wasn’t imminent he’d tease his old friend for still managing to look so young while his own visage was marked with wrinkles and hair graying on his temples.

“Long time no see, old friend,” Langley greeted him. But he wasn’t smiling either. “I’m assuming you know it’s starting?”

“Colonization? The alien virus? Is that what’s starting?”

“We’re hearing chatter on certain channels. Byers and Frohike are furiously digging in right now trying to get more info. But all we know right now is that something big is afoot.”

“And William?”

“Mulder, I’m sorry—“

“What? What happened to him?” He shouted at the phone.

“We have every reason to believe he’s alive. They seem to think he’s more valuable to them that way. But he was taken from his adopted home early yesterday. We would have reached out to you if we could, but we’re doing all we can to find out where they took him.”

“Who took him?”

“The same bastards who are trying to save themselves at the expense of all of us. I wish I had more to tell you," said a familiar voice just out of view.

The image on Mulder’s cell phone screen shifted suddenly and he found himself looking at Frohike’s disgruntled face.

“We started gathering information as soon as we could," Frohike started. “I don’t know how helpful this is, but we found an address.” He recited a South Carolina address that Mulder hastily jotted down.

“Is that where William is?”

“I don’t know. But it seems like there’s some sort of meeting about to go down there. And if what we’re hearing is true, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone who knew what happened to him is there. Shit, man. You know we were doing everything we could to keep an eye on him. But something happened this yesterday and all of our lines of communication were jammed. When we got back online today we realized he’d been reported missing. Supposedly never showed up at school yesterday and didn't come back home all night."

“I understand,” Mulder said. He knew it wasn’t their fault. If anything, the blame laid with himself for leaving his fledgling family nearly nearly sixteen years ago. Now he ached, too, for the other set of parents who were missing their son because of him. “I’m going to head down there now. You’ll be able to reach me if you get any news?”

“Yeah, Mulder, we got your info when you reached out to us. How did you know, anyway?”

“I didn’t,” he said. “Scully felt he was in trouble.”

“She felt it? Like mother’s intuition?”

“I’m scared it’s something a little more powerful than that. Call me as soon as you hear anything.”

“Of course. Be safe out there, man.”

He was already out of the elevator on the ground floor when his cell phone rang again.

“Mulder.”

“Mulder, it’s me. Where are you?”

“I’m following what’s either a very promising lead or going on a wild goose chase to somewhere in Spartanburg, South Carolina.”

“South Carolina?”

“I got an address from the gunmen. I don’t know if William will be there but if there’s any chance, I have to go now. I’m headed to the airport now to get the next flight down there.”

“Come pick me up on the way.”

“Are you being discharged? Did they say you’re alright to leave?”

“I’m checking myself out, Mulder. We have to find our son.”

******************************************

She was waiting for him when he pulls up in front of the hospital. She looked nearly back to normal in her black pantsuit but on closer inspection he saw blood splattered on her white blouse and a sizable bump under the bruise on her forehead.

“How’s the noggin, doc?” he said as she slowly eased herself into the passenger seat. She cringed and he realized she must’ve gotten more banged up in the crash than she'd thought.

“I’m fine. It’s so strange though, I remember getting in my car to go to work, and then having that vision, and then nothing until waking up in the emergency room. I don’t even know if there was another car involved or what happened.”

“That is strange, Scully. But if William is somehow reaching out to you through psychic ability, it wouldn’t be unusual for you to experience missing time or lapses in memory. I don’t know how any of it works, but when I was experiencing it I remember time seemed to bend and contract in ways that didn’t make sense. And there were stretches of time I can’t account for.”

“None of this makes sense, Mulder.”

“I know. But if he did reach out to you, we have to go on every lead we have to try to find him.”

“We'll find him,” she said. “I know we will.”

He felt her small, warm hand on his thigh and he looked down at in surprise as she gave him a reassuring squeeze. He covered her hand with his and they interlocked fingers. He didn't know if it was just meant to comfort him, or comfort her, or if she was trying to tell him she forgave him for acting like an asshole for the better part of the past year. He didn't question it, just held her hand tightly all the way to the airport.

Their hands found each other’s again during the flight and she leaned her head on his shoulder. He turned and gently kissed the crown of her head right above the bruise and she didn't pull away. They had spent hundreds of flights like this before, her dozing on his shoulder, but this time neither of them could sleep. They just clung to each other and counted down the minutes until landing.

They followed the directions of the rental car's GPS away from the airport and down narrower and narrower roads until they were driving on a gravelly path with long stretches of nothingness between driveways.

"You're sure this is right?" Scully asked. It was such a familiar question, one that he'd heard dozens of time whenever they were on the back roads of Anytown, USA, chasing down a lizard monster or a demonic high schooler. They used to rely on AAA maps that Scully opened up from their origami folds and spread across the dashboard trying to find their location on the veins and capillaries crisscrossing the map. Now they had the calm if robotic female voice of the navigation system leading the way. He preferred the spectacle of Scully trying to navigate on a map that was longer than she was tall.

"Well, it's certainly taking us to this address, wherever it is," he said. They squeezed hands on the console as they followed the electronic map.

Your destination is on the left

Mulder stopped the car the left side of the road but there didn't see to be any house or driveway.

"Look," Scully pointed, "Up there, it looks like there's a turn-off."

He drove slowly forward and sure enough there was a clearing farther down between the thick elm trees framing the road. The driveway, if it could be considered one, was narrow and branches scraped up against the side of the car. After about a quarter mile the path opened up to a clearing with an inconspicuous white clapboard house. Tires were tossed in a pile of weeds in front of the house and clothing were draped over the railing of the small deck.

"I guess this is it," he said. If he were to imagine a location for the most powerful men in the world to meet and discuss the fate of humankind, this small rundown home wouldn't top the list. But the address matched the one he'd been given by the gunmen so it was all they had to go on.

"Let's check it out," he said.

"Right behind you, partner." He glanced back and smiled at her wishing they were just going to interview a citizen who witnessed strange lights in the sky, and not possibly about to see their son for the first time in sixteen years.

"Oh, Mulder!"

Mulder spun around and saw Scully crouching over the car in pain with her hands on the sides of her head.

"Scully! What's wrong? Is it your head, from the accident?"

"Ah," she gasped and he came to wrap himself around her. "Yes. No. I don't know. I think I can hear him again. And I hear--oh god--that noise!"

It must be the same high-pitched, ear splitting sound that he had heard in the presence of the imprint from the African ship.

"Let's get you back in the car."

He opened the passenger side door and helped her back into the seat.

"Shut the door!" she shouted and he did, running over to enter again on the driver's side.

"This is better," she said. "He's close, Mulder, I can feel it. But I can't go in there, you have to go alone."

"I can't leave you here."

"You have to--you saw what happened to me outside."

"You seem better now, do you want to try again?"

"No, it'll be worse the closer I get. Just go."

He didn't want to leave her alone in the car but from what he remembered about the same crushing head pain and excruciating noise, he knew she wouldn't be able to go in with him.

"Be safe," she said before he stepped out of the car and shut the door.

The front door was unlocked so he entered slowly with his gun drawn. The interior of the house felt more spacious than it looked from the outside. He stepped slowly through the entrance way and into what looks like a study, with hardwood floors and bookshelves lining the walls. The sound of a deep exhalation startled him and he spun around to aim his gun at an older, heavy-set man sitting in a leather chair.

"Mr. Mulder," the man said. "I've been expecting you."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Someone you can trust."

"I've heard that before," Mulder said with his gun still directed straight at the man's head.

"Please, put that down," the man said. "You must trust me. I'm on your side. I want the same thing you and your partner do."

"I doubt that. We want to save humanity, you want to see blood on the streets, the extermination of 7 billion people."

"No, you've got it all wrong. There's only one man left who wants to carry out that plot. The rest of us, the few who remain, we want to stop him before he puts the plan in motion leaving only himself and his cronies to rule over a zombie race of people infected with the alien virus."

"Who? Who is this man?" Mulder shouted.

"The only man vile enough to sacrifice the entire human species for a taste of ultimate power. It's your father, Mr. Mulder."

"CGB Spender? The smoking man? That's impossible, he was killed sixteen years ago in the desert of New Mexico."

"Men like him don't die, Mr. Mulder. He's sold his humanity years ago in exchange for alien technology that gives him capability beyond what you and I could dream of. You're the only one who can stop him. Kill him before he kills us all."

"Why me? How can I stop him?" Mulder asked more gently but didn't lower his gun.

"Because you can find the one thing he needs to set his plan in motion."

"My son."

"He needs the boy, Mr. Mulder"

"My son is none of your business," Mulder shouted again, feeling his anger at this man and for the injustice of it all.

"He's a very special child"

"He's a child. That's all he is. He doesn't deserve to be dragged into this."

"A child with exceptional abnormalities in his DNA. He can thank you and your partner for that. He has the power to save humanity or, if your father gets to him first, to destroy it."

Mulder shook his head. "My son was taken from his home earlier today and I have reason to believe you're behind this."

"We tried to take him, Mulder, we tried to take him to protect him but he escaped. I don't know where he is, but it's imperative that you find him before Spender does. Your father will promise his grandson eternal life and a seat alongside him as omnipotent ruler of what's left of this planet in exchange for the genetic material within him that can protect them while the world burns."

"William wouldn't agree to that. He wouldn't take that deal."

"Are you sure about that? When was the last time you saw your son, Mr. Mulder?"

Mulder tried not to think about that day, so many years ago when he was forced to leave the two people he loved most, the only two people he'd take a bullet for without a second thought.

"You're wrong," Mulder said. "He's my son and I know he wouldn't do that. Now where the hell is he?"

"I told you, I don't know. I had my men sent to Wyoming to get him and bring him here, but they were unable to find him. They're out looking for him now but I suspect you and his mother will have a better chance of finding him."

"I swear, if anything happens to him, anything at all, I will personally put a bullet through your brain and find every last one of your henchmen and kill them myself."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that, Mr. Mulder."

Mulder shook his head and turned away from the man. When he walked out of the house he saw Scully was motionless in the passenger seat with her eyes closed. He ran to her side and opened the door.

"Scully," he gently shook her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

She didn't flinch or open her eyes. He could see she was still breathing but when he squeezed her hands she showed no response.

"Shit. Scully." Mulder ran around to the driver's side and got into the car. He found the address for the nearest hospital and keyed it into the GPS.

He kept trying to rouse her during the short drive over but she remained slumped over in her seat.

He pulled up directly in front of the emergency room exit and carried her in his arms through the sliding door.

[talkagency]

The evolution of Google Search 20 years on

If Google were a person, it still wouldn’t be able to purchase alcohol in America. But at 20 years old, it has changed more than just the internet … it has changed the way we interact with the world and with each other.

Named after a mathematical term ‘Googol’ which is number one followed by 100 zeros, it was originally named ‘Backrub.’Along with Google.com, they also own common misspellings including Googlr.com, Goggle.com and Goooogle.com … specially for all of you sausage fingers.

It may also come as a surprise to some that the very first Google computer storage system was made out of Lego! For those living in China wanting to access Google, Google Mirror made it possible. Of course, everything was back to front, so you have to have some pretty spectacular deciphering skills to use it.

From search engines to smartphones and assistants to live camera translations, Google leads the way with innovative ideas that shape our world. Today we are going to look at the history of Google and unwrap its achievements, its historical landmarks and future in the ever-changing world of tech.

  The Birth of Google

Google was conceived in 1995 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Page was studying at Stanford University for his Ph.D while Sergey was thinking about studying there. They put their brains together and in 1996 started working on Backrub. For some, back rub is a bizarre choice of name. But for Sergey and Page, it was all about algorithm rankings for the number of backlinks a page had.

As touched upon above, Google plays on the word Googol. The one followed by 100 zeros is rumored to reflect Page’s and Sergey’s desire to put the infinite amount of info available on the web in order. 1998 saw the ‘Google Friends’ newsletter launch.

The same year saw Andy Bechtolsheim; a co-founder of Sun write a $100,000 check to the currently non-existent Google Inc Company. The only problem was that Google Inc wasn’t a legal entity at that time, so the $100,000 gathered dust in the drawer of a desk for a fortnight before the corporation was registered on September 4th 1998.

1999 saw Google move to 165 University Avenue from the garage it was started in. By now, they also had eight employees, which included one of the most important employees, a dog named Yoshka. Yep, Google hired a dog! From here on in, Google was almost sold on for $750,000 before growing into the giant that it is today.

  The Growth of Google And The Fall of Yahoo

In 1999, Larry and Sergey were thinking about selling Google so that they could focus on studying. They approached George Bell, who was the CEO of Excite and offered him Google for just 1 million dollars. Bell rejected the offer and followed up with an offer of $750,000. The offer was declined and Excite missed out on owning what would become the biggest business in the world.

Fast forward 5 months Sequoia Capital, Byers and Kleiner Perkins Caufield made an agreement to invest 25 million dollars and joined the board of directors. And that board? A ping pong table! Google was well on its way to the top. However, Yahoo was standing in its way.

Throughout the 1990’s, Yahoo dominated the internet and was the number one search engine. Every internet user of the 90s will remember Yahoo answers and Yahoo chat. But it could have been a very different story if Yahoo had purchased Google when it was offered to them instead of turning it down.

The structure of Yahoo was designed to view emails, answer questions and chat. It was what worked best at the time and Yahoo had the mentality of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. They also feared that users would leave their platform and Google was yet again turned away.

Google then went on to develop at words, which lies at the heart of their success to date. Fast forward to 2002 and Google was knocking at Yahoo’s door once again. Looking to raise funds off 3 billion dollars, Yahoo decided to turn them down again. This was down to Yahoo trying to build its own version of Google which involved acquiring inktomi, a search engine and Overture, an Ad Revenue generator.

Unfortunately, Yahoo failed to make any impact and was subsequently absorbed into AOL. It was bye bye Yahoo and hello Google.

  Google Search Started To Evolve

Today, Google uses predictive search text whenever a user performs a Google search. The origins of predictive search lie in the year 2000 with the deployment of mentalplex. Other turn of the century advancements included multilingualism, Google Doodle, Google Toolbar and Google AdWords.

Google made their first public acquisition in 2001, the Usenet discussion service; Deja.com. 2001 also saw the launch of their office in Tokyo, international domination was well on track. Google Images also made an appearance, along with Klingon language. 2002 was the year that Google really started to develop the search function.

AdWords cost per click pricing was added, along with opening their first Australian office. The following year, Google purchased pyra labs and Google AdSense was born. By 2004, there were 800 employees working for Google and the office moved to the Googleplex in Mountain View. Gmail was launched on April Fool’s Day by invite only. Today, Gmail has more than 420 million Global users. They snapped up Picasa, and Google entered the stock market. There were just under 20 million shares, priced at $85 per share.

  Google Maps The World… And Beyond

In 2005, Google Maps made its way into the world and became a major selling point for many smartphones and mobile apps. Just a few months later, Google Earth was launched, along with Google Analytics. 2006 was the year that Google was included in the Oxford English Dictionary. 2006 also saw the release of Google Trends, Google Finance and Google Calendar. They also purchased YouTube in the same year.

Things really started to pick up pace in 2008 with the birth of Google Chrome. Chrome rapidly became one of the largest web browsers of all time. The following year saw the release of Google Voice. Google + made its way into the world in 2011, quickly followed by Google Drive in 2012. Google + was launched to take on another internet giant, Facebook. Unfortunately, in October 2018 Google announced that they would be discontinuing access to the platform.

2013 what’s the year that Google decided to integrate online services with Google apps. This provided 30 GB of storage shared between Google Plus, Gmail and drive. Not only had Google conquered the world, it was now heading for the clouds. Search algorithms were updated and in-built machine learning became a reality.

  A Summary Of Google And Its Search History

1995 The idea of Google is born

1996 Backrub begins development

1997 The name is changed and the Google.com domain is registered

1998 Google is founded officially. First Google Doodle appears

1999 Google moves from its garage to its first office

2000 Google Adwords is launched

2001 Google Image Search enters the world

2002 AdWords launch cost per click pricing

2003 Purchases blogger (Pyra) 13 search languages added.

2004 Announces Gmail and makes first public offerings

2005 Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Analytics are born

2006 Google purchases YouTube. Google trends enters the world.

2008 Android iOS and Google Chrome are released. Most Popular searches of 2008

2009 Google voice is released

2010 Google instant search suggestions released

2011 Google + and Google Panda launched. First site to have 1 billion unique visitors

2012 Knowledge graphs and Google Drive are released

2013 Integrates online services with Google Apps. Google Hummingbird launched

2014 Google redesigns SERP format. Algorithm for local searches changed

2015 Restructures as Alphabet. INC. Google is an umbrella company.

2016 Paid ads changed to green. Non-mobile friendly sites issued warnings

2017 Intrusive Interstitial Penalties for intrusive pop-ups on mobile sites take effect

2018 Google Home Hub is announced

  See how Google shaped the world in 2017 to see just how integral it is to our lives today. No one can deny that Google search has evolved to become one of the biggest and best known in the world. Working for both businesses and individuals, Google search seamlessly connects the two together. From its early days of limited information, it has grown into a font of knowledge that we all rely on. Without Google search, we couldn’t have Googled the information in this post and it just wouldn’t exist.

The coming years of 2019 and 2020 are going to be exciting in terms of technological advancements. Google, will of course, update its algorithms and confuse everyone about the best SEO options to use. The internet search giant shows no signs of slowing down and in our opinion, that is a great thing. The world without Google search is like fish without chips or bread without butter. It in enriches our lives for the better and makes once impossible tasks achievable.

Article first published here: The evolution of Google Search 20 years on

[stacyprivett]

Corruption in Oklahoma county

We have attorney's with D.U.I's & thats mentioned in the article called the 'tea party event' when they began to investigate the Ditrict Attorney & his actions. The reason he was being taken to court himself was not only the tea party event, but it had to do with the friends of his with power getting away with crimes & not having to serve any sentence. So is that fair.. ? (https://ymlp.com/zAFher)

Recently, someone I DO CARE about greatly was arrested & thats the case I need your help with. The police here are always wanting him & he is 42 years old now & spent his entire adult life in prison. Each time he is released they make sure he goes back. And the reason they hate him is because of something he was involved in back in 1995 when he was barely 18 years old. Him & a friend were running from police & his friend got into a shooting match with the officer. I think the officer got shot & I have heard officers mention it a time or two when Richard first had got out of prison this time. Richard was never the one who shot the cop; but he was still part of that case. Richard has spent about 4 years now, of his adult life, actually out of prison & I am determined to either watch him go back for doing more than just drugs, or keep him outta there altogether.

About 5 months ago we had both been stopped when 4 cop cars came rushing in the front of us. They came in all at once & we had not even seen them coming. They jumped out & pulled guns & had us put our hands up. They told me that they just wanted to talk to him & put me in one car & him in another. Not very long after I was in back of car they were about to let me go an officer supposedly found a rather large bag of meth which was many many feet away from where we were even arrested at that moment. They tried to get me to say it was his. Otherwise, they told me, I would be arrested for possession also & we were both going to jail. I was scared & cried, but I cant lie on something that I never seen to be true; & so they arrested me & him on that possession charge. Of course they came early next morning & released me, & the officer at the jail who walked me down to book out actually told me that they decided not to file charges. That was odd. But they kept him. They even mentioned to him at his arraignment that they decided to let me go & weren't keeping my charges. Of course I fought those charges as well.

The Sante Fe police division told me once they were gonna make sure that he went back to prison. At that time they had & he went back for 5 years. Its shows Burgalery 2 but really it was just grabbing a toolbox out of the back of a truck. Got caught with drugs twice but 5 years for grabbing a toolbox.? This actually happens alot & to many people. He has been out almost a year now, or 10 months really,

What happened this time is somebody we know got a truck,, she told me that it was from her ex-mexican husband. . That afternoon when leaving my place, she let him take the truck someplace. A friend from outside told me that 2 mexicans came up to the cop car after it had pulled into the store. That the 2 mexicans kept pointing towards the truck & pointing towards the store..a friend of mine standing in line behind Richard at the time said the cop came up & asked Richard if he was driving the red truck. She claims he said No' & that he told the officer he was in the blue one.. The lady behind him in line told me that as soon as Richard spoke that the officer basically said they were taking him in. They handcuffed him,, searched him, & arrested him, although he said he wasn't driving anything, & he was not pulled over in it., nor did the officer witness him driving anything.. Yet he was busted immediately & handcuffed before even leaving that store. At the time I thought that maybe it was her ex-husbands & it likely wasn't hers at all. Maybe she was just borrowing it herself. Maybe the ex-husband got angry since she allowed another man to drive it & he likely seen him leaving from where she was at. Since that had just happened. The girl in this story is a prostitute named (Esther Richter) & she works on or about SE 44th & Byers ave., & cops use prostitutes often to set someone up so they can legally have a reason to get them incarcerated.

As the officer arrested him he stated that he was going to give him the highest charge possible & along with unauthorized use of a vehicle, he also got him for trafficking of illegal drugs although it was just possession. It was one bag with stuff in it & he had no other bags or paraphernalia near or around him.., The sack was on his person & not even in the vehicle, but they said since it weighed a certian amount then they can still get 'Trafficking' as a charge although it does not really fit the catorgory of Trafficking, nor did it fit in the catorgory to show intent to sell niether.

I began to think it was literally a set-up & this all happened when I looked to find the truck owner though the address listed on the police paperwork, & when I went there, it was an empty place. I asked the apartment people how long that place had been empty & it had been a minute. They said people all the time fake thier addresses to police officers.., but how & why would the victim fake the address if he wanted his truck back.? And when you call to report it stolen they ask for your address & they tell you they will send an officee out to make that report. So where did that officer go for that report to be made & shouldn't that be the address listed.. !

Another thing., was right before he left Esther, she had also handed him a bank card & she asked if he would hold it for her. She said it was hers. So why did she say a card was hers, when at the time he was searched, the card in his pocket was really a card of the truck owners.. I have asked Esther many times about that truck & she everytime begins to act crazy & says the same thing about it.. Whenever I ask where she got it from.., she still says it is hers. I have asked her where it is at then.., & she just states it is put up. She actually claims that nobody went to jail & that I am wrong about Richard going to jail over that truck. She begins yelling sometimes, about how she wants me to leave her alone, even before I have made a statement; & I think thats another way of avoiding the real answers ahe dont want others knowing about.

Some may think it dont happen like that, but I have watched it happen once or twice from the other side of the line.., so I know exactly how it does happem. I have literally watched a set-up & it was a known prostitute the time who helped do it. She turned on somebody like family to her family. And it was for 40 dollars worth of dope. And they did not even give her the $40 bucks in the end. They say if they will sell themselves then they will sell you too!

This guy I speak about is Richard Urrutia & I will share this story & fight this case until its dropped down to a possession & Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle is pulled away. The statues on Unauthorized Use of a vehicle say "with intent to deprive the owner of, either by trickery or theft', but he never knew of the owner & was not trying to deprive anyone of anything himself. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFO TO ADD OR KNOWLEDDGE, OR HELP MAYBE.. .. .

SO WE LOOK TO DEFINE TRAFFICKING, The everyday understanding of ìtrafficking should count for a lot here, for the statutes in play do not define the term, and so remit us to regular usage to see what Congress probably meant. FDIC v. Meyer, 510 U. S. 471, 476 (1994). which Trafficking ordinarily means some sort of commercial dealing. See Blackís Law Dictionary 1534 (8th ed. 2004) (defining to traffic as to ìtrade or deal in (goods, esp. illicit drugs or other contraband ); see also Urena-Ramirez v. Ashcroft.