#still sad the quarry didn't do more with relationships :(

[sempercry]

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this! Although I said you would be saving me many playthroughs, the truth is, I love any excuse to replay these games, so now I have my list to go through and try for myself (hiding under a cut in case anyone finds it spoiler-y and because of extra thoughts):

Matt and Emily(But everyone else ends up disliking Matt?) Mike and Jessica(?) Chris and Ashley(?) Mike and Sam(?)

Conrad and Fliss (maximizing earns a trophy, Theatrical) Alex and Julia (maximizing earns a trophy, Theatrical, can also have an empty relationship bar) Brad and Alex (maximizing earns a trophy, Theatrical)

Daniel and Taylor (maximizing earns a trophy) John and Angela (maximizing earns a trophy) Andrew and Angela(? Shared Story only? No gun?)

Eric and Rachel (Theatrical, screenshots coming - these two are being difficult omg) Jason and Salim (Theatrical)

Jamie and Erin (Theatrical) Mark and Kate (Theatrical - 2 different ways: Siding with Kate and/or Rekindled, screenshots coming) Charlie and Mark (Theatrical; can also have an empty relationship bar) Charlie and Jamie (Theatrical) Kate and Erin(? Curator's Cut only?) Charlie and Erin(?) (Basically, shout-out to the Lonnit crew for all of their potential)

If I make them happen, I’ll take a screenshot and link it to each pair. Question marks are beside the pairs that I’m extra curious about, but no one has confirmed yet (or these might have been suggested, but were unsure).

And ok, so, in full honesty 🙈 apart from curiosity (which IS true), this was born out of an added mini ulterior motive to see whether Jason and Salim’s ability to max out their relationship meter could be loosely considered canon evidence of romantic feelings*, given that the majority of the pairs listed are either characters who can interact classically-romantically (openly dating, admitting feelings, married, smooching, etc.) or familial. 👀 And they are not the latter. However! There are interesting exceptions that have popped up that I want to look into, such as Mike and Sam (UD), Kate and Erin (TDiM), and Charlie and Mark (TDiM). John and Angela and Andrew and Angela could potentially be considered outliers, too, except there are some Little Hope-specific reasons to still lump the pairs in with one of the two aforementioned categories.

Shout out to Conrad and Fliss for killing my “there are no other examples we have of complete-strangers-before-the-game meeting and being able to max out” angle ;) Also interestingly, and again, relationship bar spoilers: in Theatrical, Conrad and Fliss can max out before Alex and Julia, despite everything going amazingly with the proposal/at every turn and Fliss being mad at Conrad for flirting with her at the start 😬 Although given Julia’s fear-based hallucinations, maybe this isn’t so much of a surprise...

On a related note, I wouldn’t be mad if it turns out there are more potentials for platonic/friends maxing, too! In fact, I’m all here for it and sometimes even prefer it. Yu-Gi-Oh! taught me to believe in the power of friendship, after all!  😤

Update 7/16: Anddd Charlie & Mark and Charlie & Jamie have kind of debunked it! However, I'm happy for Charlie, given that he kind of gets left out of the romantic stuff within TDiM, so he deserves some good relationships, too! TDiM is unique in a few ways that I'll get into in a later post (hopefully), such as being the first game where the characters don't simply start off at neutral with one another.

Fellow TDPA fans! Need help for curiosity's sake (you'll be saving me many playthroughs):

Which pairs of characters in The Dark Pictures Anthology and Until Dawn can potentially max out their relationship meter together in-game (like FULL bar)?

I'm curious if it's a small club or if it's more pairs than I think, and whether the possibilities seem to lean platonic vs romantic. (And if there's already a list somewhere... please send - I tried to look but had no luck)

Please include obvious ones like big romance subplots and ones that are worth a trophy, just so I don't forget anyone 😆 And it's fine if you only know one or two, any help is great

Thank you in advance!

[givehimthemedicine]

not to get the morbs on main but do you ever just sit with how incredibly sad "Goodbye, Mike" is? that little El is that ready to sacrifice herself?

the fact that she paused to say goodbye means she expected to die, or at least to get incapacitated and recaptured, which is also extremely sad. I lean towards thinking she didn't know she'd disappear to the UD.

I still don't get what exactly is happening when she does That to Henry and the demogorgon, but regardless, she seems to think it's killing ("if you touch her again I will kill you again") so I don't get the impression that she's aware getting transported is a possible outcome (she doesn't remember '79 in '83). she's already drained from killing the agents and doesn't have the option to recharge, and I think she accepts that the exertion necessary to kill the demogorgon will be more than she can survive.

El has spent a week hearing that Will is important, finding Will is what really matters. and of course she gets the idea Will is more important than she is. he is loved. this is El's first lesson in what that even looks like. this boy is sorta like her real-world counterpart - she's occupying his space in his world, and she's getting a glimpse at what it looks like for a kid her age to be a person, loved and missed, and not just a thing with a serial number on it that its owner wants back.

for that week, El is important because Will is important.

nobody has ever valued anything about El except what she can do with her powers, so she thinks her only value to the party and Joyce is in her usefulness in finding Will, or protecting them. tbh they didn't do a ton to challenge that assumption in season 1 in ways that would be clear to her (not that they had any idea of her experience).

"but the hug at the quarry!" yeah I love it, but she had just saved their lives. even though hugs are nice and she never got them at the lab, she still could think it's because she did something for them. "Joyce hugs her at the end of the bath!" one of the best moments in the series, but again, El had just done something for Joyce. that may be the only motive she sees for it. maybe it's all just lab taffy. what affection has anyone given El that doesn't look to her like part of an exchange or a reward for performance?

El's willingness to sacrifice herself isn't just about loving her new friends and wanting to protect them but like. by that time, she'd done all she could on the Will mission. he's Schrodinger'd at this point, it doesn't even matter the outcome. he's either irretrievable or being retrieved, either way, now that she's served her purpose she's of no further value to them.

if that's her impression, is she proven wrong? while she's still vulnerable from submitting herself to a triggering, exhausting experience to help them, Hopper betrays her location to Brenner in exchange for a longshot chance at finding Will.

(Yeah I know his options were limited and of course he's gonna be more committed to helping Will because he has a longtime relationship with Joyce. but. an authority figure handing a horribly abused child back to her abusers after she trusted him for help does not make me a big Hopper fan, even if he planned to try to doublecross them later. "I'll tell you where your little science experiment is" please.)

but as hurtful as Hopper's trade is, the saddest part is that El is willing to make a very similar one herself. it's more important for Will and these people to have each other back than for her to try to have her freedom. she wouldn't want what's been stolen from her to be stolen from anyone else. it's better for her to be the one that goes away, to make it safe for all of them. she has no one to miss her, not how Will does.

I have to wonder if the way she killed the demogorgon ("killed" "the demogorgon") was the only way she could've gone about it. like, she didn't try to snap its neck first or anything. her Plan A is a method that jeopardizes her own life.

does she see a future for herself in the outside world? one where she isn't forever hunted, and a constant danger to her friends? one that doesn't dead end back in the lab, under crueler conditions than ever before? is that a life she hopes to survive for?

imagine if ST really ended up being an anthology, and all she went out with was one resigned little "Goodbye, Mike" and we never found out any more about it. I would be in an institution

[birbfeeder2artisticboogaloo]

thousand autumns donghua, episode 16~

HERE WE GO FRIENDS IT'S THE LAST EPISODE OF SEASON 1 i am both excited and sad ;A; so let's DO THIS 💪😤 we are at the border!!! idk which one, but we are at A border, and shen qiao is here to kick ass and go :) RIGHT SO in the previous episode, shen qiao killed a man called kunye and it was really hot. this kunye also warned shen qiao that yan wushi is in MORTAL PERIL!! so he's come to the rescue, even tho yan wushi BETRAYED him lol BAI RONG IS HERE!!! HI SWEETIE!!! she's so sweet, warning shen qiao that he doesn't need to help the man who treated him like rubbish but he insists!! he is polite but FIRM!! and he says that bai rong is better than her sect peeps, which is TRUE hulan gu?? somethinggggg valley??? idk lol ok we're here at hulan gu. idk where it is but it looks pretty cool!! sweet masonry bro. looks great!! AH DUAN WENYANG IS HERE TOO he searches for the scary monk--who STILL has yet to say emítuó fó‎, and i'm super sad about it ._. nice outfit mr monk, ur looking good!! OH NOES THE BEIMU WARRIORS SHALL MARCH SOUTH!!! toward the central plains and-- YOINK THE OLD MAN APPEARS!! HE STEALS THE SPECIAL RING and angers the monk lol monk: yws i am a nice man but u are pushing me past my limits OH SHIT NOW THEY ARE ALL FIGHTING TWO AGAINST ONE AND YAN WUSHI IS DESTROYING THEM god these fight scenes are incredible, i love them so much ;A; COME ON LAO YAN DON'T SCREW IT UP oh my goddddd they're so cool OH NOES YAN WUSHI IS WOUNDED THE OLD MAN TOOK A SWORD TO THE TIT NOOOOOOO NOT HIS TIDDIES oh look shen qiao is here 😊 yan wushi: damn!! that idiot almost took off my nipple!!! OH BIG JGY'S BACK!!! i wish he would treat his instruments more carefully ;A; do u know how much work went into crafting that. do u even care. big jgy get ur priorities straight OH MY GOD HE SCRAPED THE STRINGS SIDEWAYS WHAT AN AWFUL SOUND!! 😫 OUCH OH IT'S it's yu ai??? i forgot what he looked like lmao, he's the one who almost de-nippled the old man ok this is hardly sportsmanlike this is like four dudes against one, it's not fair at all OH NOOO DOnN'T YOINK OUT THE SWORD!! IT WAS KEEPING UR BLOOD IN!!! YAN WUSHI U DUMBASS oh shit he MAD. BIIIIG MAD damn wow ok he's a fucking badass motherfucker 💪😤 never seen anything like it!! GET EM KING lol they all are running after him like it's a game of rugby aww poor old man hobbling away…..oh hey weird beard man is back as well!!! and he shoved yan wushi down the stairs. is this big jgy's revenge??? lmao beard man celebrated a bit too early did he??? DON'T LOOK AWAY FROM UR QUARRY U IDIOT wait why am i helping him, i don't care for him at all LMAO YWS POKED HIM IN THE FOREHEAD 🤣 OWO WHAT THIS??? WHO ARRIVES LIKE A GENTLE BREEZE IN THE NIGHT??? WHO IS SO DAINTY AND DELICATE AND BEAUTIFUL LIKE HAITANG BLOSSOMS ON THE WIND???? IT IS HE!!! IT IS SHEN QIAO!!!!!!!! he's so cool omg ;A; ok yu ai u NEED to stop calling ur shixiong 'a-qiao' that is. SO disrespectful. u lil bitch >:V 'a-qiao a-qiao' go fuck urself yu ai >:( OH SHIT SHEN QIAO JUST RENOUNCED THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND SAID THAT YU AI DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE THEIR SHIZUN'S DISCIPLE!!!!! OHHHH SHIIIIIITTTTTT OH MY GOOOODDDDD SHEN QIAO U ARE. THE MOST AMAZING PERSON LOOK AT HIMMM HE'S BARELY EVEN FUCKING TRYING YU AI CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO COMPARE SORRY I'M YELLING SO MUCH BUT THIS IS HONESTLY SO AWESOME :DDD HAAAAA!!!! SHEN QIAO BROKE YU AI'S SWORD BROKE HIS FUCKING SWORD IN HALFFFFF HAAAA GOT EMMMMMM SHEN QIAO MARRY ME SHEN QIAO PLS MARRY ME AT ONCE he knows who he IS. he knows what he can DO. i am. SO IMPRESSED. SO PROUD. I LOVE HIM. SO MUCH ;A; yan wushi: lol why didn't u kill that dumbass?? shen qiao: ….shut up :) oh uh yu ai and beard man left, big jgy and dwy and the monk are still here tho duan wenyang: 'yan wushi give me the golden flower fingering!!' << actual subtitle in this donghua. AMAZING. HAAA SHEN QIAO WHACKED HIM AND DUAN WENYANG MADE THE FUNNIEST SOUND like 'AAAAAAAAAAA' omg i've replayed it like four times already it's so fucking funny

shen qiao: u run ahead, i'll follow in a bit :) yan wushi: ……am i having an emotion lol stupid monk thinks he beat shen qiao?? ok sure giant glowy hand vs giant glowy sword, who will win???!!! oh crap big jgy's helping the monk!!! …..bUT NOW YAN WUSHI IS TRYING TO HELP SHEN QIAO??!?!?! NO WAIT DON'T USE ALL OF UR EVIL SPIRIT!!! OLD MAN WHAT ARE U DOING omg are they just gonna die together??? that's so romantic ;A; 💔💔💔 PFFT he hit the ground real hard, it was a bit funny, sorry 🤣 yan wushi: *doing his best impression of a corpse shen qiao: …fuck :( i'm sad now :( AWWWWW HE'S TAKING THE OLD MAN AWAY WITH HIM IS HE LITERALLY FUCKING DEAD??!?!?! he walks very competently for a dead man awww flashbacks of their memories~ their uhhhh happy???? times together??? like shen qiao dying and yan wushi yelling at the forest!! i assume they didn't feel the need to show the wild passionate sex they had in the inn bc we already know about it lol WHY IS IT TRYING TO MAKE ME SAD 😭 I KNOW HE'S PROBABLY FINE BC THE BOOK IS LONGER THAN THIS SO. SO I'M NOT SCARED OR WORRIED. AT ALL. IT'S FINE. I'M FINE ;A; god the theme music is gorgeous btw i don't think i've mentioned how much i love it, it's so poignant and sweet ;A; and as we all know, birb LOVES a poignant tune, yes i do yes i do 😌👌 OH now they're by the river!! it's a good place to die :D AND it's where that other dude died last time!! :D OOH HIS FINGIE!!! IT TWITCHED I SAW IT duan wenyang is so sad!!! his shidi kunye is like super dead ;A; oh boy shifu's mad at him lmao. AAAAA AND THAT'S IT THAT'S IIIIIIITTTTT UNTIL THEY MAKE THE NEXT SEASONNNN AAAAAAAAAA ;A;

SO!!!

my thoughts overall???

EXCELLENT DONGHUA. really lovely animation!!! sometimes the models themselves were a bit odd or stiff, but the actual MOTIONS were smooth and pleasing to the eye!!! the music was GREAT, really well done!! and i love shen qiao and yan wushi and bai rong and shiwu!!! i LOVED IT!!!! 💚💚💚 9/10, WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!!! they lost one point for not having a SINGLE emítuó fó‎ however smh 😔 thanks for joining me on this lil journey~ hope u've had fun as well!! 😊

[barelyoksometimes]

My final opinions on the quarry characters because why not

Laura: a bit trigger happy but shes badass and I love her. Scary women <3. Bestie still needs to understand the difference between calling and leaving a message. The most badass character, carried the team tbh.

Max: sweet himbo, I love him. He's doing his best. I love him and Laura and their scary strong woman x malewife. I loved his crop top fit and how much he cares about Laura.

Emma: I thought she was kind of mean at first but once she opened up I loved her. Girlboss. Wouldn't have flirted with Jacob and sent mixed signals. I ended up thinking she was really cool tho and I related to wanting to be entertaining and flamboyant for the sake of others.

Jacob: he's so, so stupid. I thought I'd hate him at first. But I think hes doing his best. He really liked Emma and he didn't know there were fucking werewolves. He has no critical thinking skills I love him. Seeing him cry and express his emotions as a jock was really cute and I liked that about him.

Abi: I wish she had more to do because she was so sweet and I loved her. I wish she had more scenes and was more useful to the team. My favorite tbh. I loved her little eeeeee and she was adorable the whole time. Plus I loved her style.

Ryan: this man does not deserve the hate he gets. I loved him and his relationship with Dylan. He has a monotone voice and doesn't understand sarcasm and same. And autistic comrade.

Dylan: also my favorite. He's literally so funny and carried the game. Every scene he's in is immediately better because of it. Him and Ryan have my whole heart. He actually cares and hides behind his sarcasm and me too tbh.

Kaitlyn: ALSO my favorite, she's so cool I love her. She has the one brain cell they all share. I trust her with my life. I like kinda mean short people who are the most badass in a group of tall people. She's so supportive of Dylan liking the same guy as her. The fact that every let's play I see calls her tiny is hilarious to me as me and Brenda Song are the same height.

Nick: I thought he was really sweet and funny and I wish we got more time with him before he became a wolf and we never see him again. Thought he was really cool honestly but he wasn't in the game enough for me to get as attached to him.

Travis: I still think he's unnecessarily creepy but I apologize for calling him so many names. He didn't deserve that he's just trying to protect his family and not get yelled at by his bitch ass mom.

Bobby: I think there was a lot of potential for him to be used more. I thought he was really funny and there was a lot of potential for him as a sloth esc character who is a good person who's just trying to help a toxic family that doesn't respect him.

Chris: I'm still sad we got so little scenes of him. I thought it would be cool to explore his father figure role at the camp and I thought he seemed like a good dude who cared about he kids and wanted to keep him safe. Wanted more content of him tbh. I thought he was really cool. Maybe it's just the daddy issues but I wanted more of the father figure man taking care of the children

[clarichoupie]

°•My opinion on the characters of The Quarry (Final)•°

A while ago, I made a post where I judged the characters in the game only from what I saw of them in the trailer. I watched their design, their few seconds of appearance or single lines to try to get an idea of them and then I rated them. Here is the post in question, go read it before this one, it's the most fun: °•My thoughts on the protagonists of The Quarry•°

However, now that I've played the game and got to spend my time playing our favorite protagonists, here's my real opinion on them, let's see what has changed! Oh and of course Spoilers!

Ryan

Previous rating: 4/10

Big surprise of the game, I love Ryan! I find him very endearing. He's a bit too quiet for my taste and insists too much on finding excuses and not believing in reality, even when his friends are dying around him. Nevertheless, I actually find him pretty cute. I mean, you can easily identify with the character. He's scared, wants to trust Chris, and just has a hard time communicating. He stands out a lot from the other characters and that's what I like best about him. He's not the stylish and badass hero in the dark that I was expecting after seeing the trailer, but just an awkward teenager who is far too innocent and overwhelmed by events. I find it adorable so I really like him! (Oh and, in the end, I don't hate his voice that much, I just had to get used to his monotony.)

Final rating : 9/10

Dylan

Previous rating: 9/10

Less surprising, but still I wasn't expecting this, Dylan is my favorite character! I really adore him with all my heart, I find his character perfect! The fact that he's a coward who hides behind a joking demeanor is really touching. Moreover, he is the geek of the group?!?! I am totally in love with his development and some of his scenes are just amazing. His jokes are funny and his way of lightening the atmosphere made me feel very comfortable during the game. He sometimes shows a lot of courage and I enjoyed fighting with him to keep him alive. I could say a million things about Dylan but I'll stop here and just give him the highest score. Bonus: I never imagined that he would kiss Ryan or even that these two would flirt like this. This is really innovative from Supermassive games and this duo is just the most wonderful in the game. They deserve to be together, that’s all.

Final rating : 10/10

Emma

Previous rating: 7/10

One more surprise, and probably the biggest and the worst, I hate Emma. I find that they gave her the appearance of an "Jessica" 2.0 but without the few endearing moments that made us sad for Jess. Emma manages to do great things and sometimes has good thoughts, however it doesn’t prevent her from being for me one of the worst characters of the game. The concept of filming everything and laughing at all the situations takes us out of the game, even in front of dangerous phenomena, she doesn’t seem to react at all and all this is not very realistic (funny but not realistic). Emma is beautiful and popular but not a very good friend... I don’t like the way she is, much less how she talks to Jacob. Of course, I think he's an asshole who insists too much and Emma has every right to go through life as she wants, to be free, strong and independent, however she could be more mature and respectful. I also don't like her relationship with Abi. They are cute and we can see that Emma cares a lot about her but at several moments I still have a hard time with her too confident character. I hope to redo the game and have better dialogues with Emma to make her nicer or more human and hope I’m wrong about her personality.

Final rating : 3.5/10

Jacob 

Previous rating: 2/10

Well, let's just say that on this one I wasn't too wrong, I really don't like Jacob. I think I missed some scenes with him, but on top of that he didn't really shine in the others. I find his humor too heavy, he's not very smart and just do stupid things without even understanding what's going on around him. Even if he doesn't have bad intentions, it's quite difficult to defend Jacob on his behavior with Emma. When she says no, it really means no. Just NO. If you love someone you have to respect their decision. I know it's a bit harsh but I really prefer to be clear with that because I really don't like this kind of behavior at all. I've been in Emma's shoes a few times and it's really hard to push someone away who doesn't give up despite your decision, especially if they're really nice. There's no point in making the person you love feel uncomfortable by asking them out again and again, forcing them to be really bad about their feelings. We were shown Jacob as a bit of a victim and especially one who has little confidence in himself, however his story didn't really touch me. Of course he doesn't deserve to suffer, but he is still not very likeable and I even find him a bit aggressive at times. He tries to be the hero but fails miserably and, personally, I find him certainly the least interesting protagonist of the game.

Final rating : 3/10

Abigail

Previous rating: 10/10

My dear Abigail! I was just a little disappointed with her, just a little. To tell the truth, I can't even judge her too much because I killed her very quickly, nevertheless it doesn't prevent me from having liked her a lot. She is adorable, sweet and shy. A heroine who, like Ashley in Until Dawn, fits me. I like her style, her character, everything. She doubts herself a lot but can also be confident and honest with others. Unlike her friends, who seem to be a bit too brave for what they are facing, I find Abi the most reasonable and realistic, that's good in this kind of game. The only thing I have to “reproach” her is her relationship with Nick. I thought they were cute at the beginning, but after that I was... well disturbed, so I'm a bit skeptical. I would have liked a better scenario for the development of these two characters, maybe play them a little more.

Final rating : 8/10

Nick

Previous rating: 5/10

Okay, this is where it gets weird. My opinion of Nick is... neutral. I'm already glad I was wrong about him. Nick is not a jerk or pretentious or anything really bad. However... the script seems to have picked on him to the point where you wonder if he's really a protagonist. He's only played... two or three times? I understand that he was like the start of the horror in the camp, nevertheless we hardly had the time to know him that he is already gone! I like his side a little shy and indecisive, but he also seems to have fun with the others and jokes sometimes. His relationship with Abi is very shaky, as said before, but I liked his "descent into hell". It was very creepy and it was probably the part of the game that scared me the most, so kudos for that. In the end, the problem is that Nick is not bad but he just didn't have the time to shine. He will remain the least developed character and whose potential was only exploited as an “antagonist”.

Final rating : 6/10

Laura

Previous rating: 5/10

Oh my god, I wasn't ready to see Laura's character. She's... totally the survivor of this game. Seriously, I was so surprised to see her back as a badass werewolf killer that I wasn't sure what to do. She's clearly a sort of Mike 2.0. Oh and she also reminds me of an Until dawn fanart of Beth if she had survived and become a wendigo hunter. Anyway, Laura is totally everything you would expect from an incredibly strong and brave heroine of an action movie. She has the style, the way of speaking, fighting everyone and facing the events like no one else... however... I'm not a super fan of those kind of characters. I'm not saying she's bad, just a little too... unrealistic and headstrong for my taste. I mean, I love her attachment to Max, it's adorable and this girl has so much respect from me. Nevertheless, I think playing her was not very pleasant. I couldn't get attached, I guess because of the violence of the character. However, I don't rate her too low because she clearly deserves praise. Oh but I don't like too much the part where she’s with Ryan, I find it a bit lame... On the other hand her kind of “friendship” with Travis is great! That they can trust each other in the end is very cool!

Final rating : 7/10

Max

Previous rating: 6/10

This guy is one of the stupidest in the world but in the most wonderful way... Seriously, despite this little joke, I think Max is really great. I'm so glad he stayed alive after the prologue, and that we could even play him! I didn't expect this but once again the Quarry has succeeded in surprising me pleasantly. I really like Max's design, his jokes, his behavior and once again the relationship he has with Laura is one of the purest in the world. I like his impulsive side but also and simply worried side. He just wants to protect the one he loves and get out of this chaos. I really didn't expect to like him so much but I'm really glad that the developers gave us the chance to keep this character alive. And on top of that, the "I wear my girlfriend's clothes" joke... I approve, I totally approve.

Final rating : 8.5/10

Kaitlyn

Previous rating: 7/10

And once again, last but not least, here is our beautiful heroine Kaitlyn! Kaitlyn is just gorgeous and very underrated. I'm not going to hide that, at first, I thought she was really awful. Seriously, she used words that were way too cheesy (in the French dubbing) and made jokes that were so embarrassing that I literally couldn't talk to her. Also, I don't know how she could hope to hit on Ryan, if she was hitting on him, by saying weird and inappropriate things that made him feel very uncomfortable. I've never seen someone be so lame with their crush. Nevertheless, the game did her justice as she turns out to be one of the most responsible, mature and warlike character of the group. She is wonderfully badass, shooting everything that moves and handling the final battle like no one else. I totally applaud this character who has clearly risen in my estimation. The more I play her, the more I like her. She's unflinching, has a hell of a cynicism and her duo with Dylan brings us some really fun offbeat moments. Just what I expect from a good female character who has nothing to envy her other campmates.

Final rating : 8.5/10

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

Scars That Heal || Eddie Kaspbrak x Reader Series

• Ch. 4: Bust A Move •

TRIGGER WARNINGS: sexual assault implications. This very first scene with Beverly involves her and her father, and her fear of him doing something to her. If you'd like to skip I have marked the end of the encounter with this: [●●●] When you see this marker, that means it is over and you can read the rest of the chapter in peace. This chapter will begin with this scene so if you are skipping, proceed to scroll until you see the marker.

A/N: you certainly will not hurt my feelings if you skip the scene. This was a very difficult mindset to get into myself and I struggled a lot emotionally with writing it. But I promise, the rest of the chapter is heartwarming and fun and overall is the foundation of friendships and significant to Y/n's arc, her induction into the Losers Club [including her link to Henry and what "makes her a loser" and the budding relationship between her and Eddie.

WORD COUNT: So big I had to add a word count, 7849. Oof, take some breaks peeps.

×××

    With a terrible sinking feeling and a churning stomach, Beverly walked through her front door. She tightened her grip on the plastic bag she held behind her back, praying her father wasn't around to see what she had bought. As she crept through her apartment, scanning for any signs of life, she absentmindedly heard the words of the children's program echoing throughout the residence.

    "Toilet and bath water travel down the drains and into the sewer." The front closed, not as quietly as Bev had hoped. "The sewer is a fun place to play with all of your friends. Just follow the water into the drains and down into the sewers you go."

     The words of the cheerful program hostess echoed off the walls and went unnoticed by Bev. "When you're with your friends in the sewers, you can be as silly as a clown!"

    She poked her head cautiously into the living room, it was empty.

   "That's right, it's the word of the day."

    Bev walked quickly and briskly down the hall, nearing the safety of the bathroom when the large looming figure of her father appeared. Beverly met his eye, fear settling in her chest as she gulped.

    "Hi, Daddy." Her voice came out in a choked whisper, a side only her father could bring out in her.

    "Hey, Bevvie." His eyes flickered down at her grocery bag and back up at her. "Whatcha got there?"

    Her eyes fluttered down to the concealed box of tampons in the bag, knowing, no, dreading this day. This is what she had feared would happen. Why, she cursed herself. Why the fuck hadn't she just done this in the safety of Y/n's apartment?

    "Just some things,"

    "Like what?" He took the bag from her hands and rifled through.

    He grinned suddenly and his eyes zeroed in on Bev. She felt her whole body stiffen in terror. He knew now. And there was no telling what he would do. Her eyes drifted to the wall behind him, and there they stayed, much too frightened to look him in the eye. His rough and calloused hand touched the side of her face and she fought her instincts to recoil, knowing better.

    He brought her in close, and he closed his eyes. He took a long lingering sniff of her hair and she felt the icy cold grip of fear grasp her heart. Tears pooled in her eyes and his hand fell to her long red hair, and he now held it in his palm. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, fear prickling her skin and he stroked her red locks with his thumb, possessively.

    "Tell me you're still my little girl."

   Two little words, she told herself. Two little words she had to say and it and he would be on his way. Hopefully.

    "Yes, Daddy."

    "Good."

    His palm returned to the side of her face, and he motioned her away. A flooding sense of relief washed over her and she slipped around him and disappeared into the safety of the bathroom.

    Her palms gripped the sink, and the running faucet almost completely covered the noise of her distraught sobs. Her salty tears that fell from her cheeks landed in the sink and were carried down the pipes along with the rest of the running water. A long and slender pair of silver scissors lay next to her palm on counter. With a shaky hand, she brought the scissors up to her loose hair.

    The hair that he strokes, the hair that he smells, and the same fucking hair that draws every unwanted eye in town, including her own father. Grasping a long lock of hair, she hesitated. Only once. But countless memories flooded her at once. How many times he looked at her, how he looked at her. No. No more.

    She snipped a lock of hair and she smelled the whiff of freedom it brought. The feeling disappeared just as quickly as it had come but and was soon replaced by more spite. Spite and fear.

    "This is what you did," she whispered, cutting another chunk of hair. "This is what you..."

    She grabbed another chunk of hair, eagerly. Desperately.

    "This,"

    Another lock gone.

    "And this,"

    She kept her eyes on the sink, watching wisps of orange hair circle the drain before disappearing. She angrily grasped larger chunks of hair, working feverishly. The hair fell from her head so fast, it began to pile up in the sink. Sobs racked her body and her hand returned to her head and she realized there was no more.

    For the first time she let her herself look at her reflection. There stood a sad and frightened young girl. Beverly ran a hand through her shortened hair, lingering on her scalp as she adjusted to the new feeling. Her once long and gorgeous head of hair was no more, choppy and uneven curls was all that was left. It was short and messy, not unlike hair she'd find on most boys at her school.

    Good.

[●●●]

    Y/n didn't know why she bothered looking in her drawers for clothes, she barely had any in the first place. Decent clothes at least, just about everything she owned was second hand and it was not uncommon that they were torn slightly in places.

    She wondered why the hell she was nervous in the first place. Then her fingers found the familiar nylon of the swimsuit fabric, and she sighed. Right.

    Y/n and Bev had agreed to go swimming with a bunch of boys they barely knew. It wasn't that hard to connect the dots when they mentioned where they were going, it was the quarry after all. But it never quite dawned on her until now, that she was going swimming with several boys she barely knew. Even though Bev would be there, that wasn't exactly a comfort. She never quite had her friend's confidence.

    Despite her home life and all the nasty whispers that floated through town, Beverly didn't let it affect how she saw herself, a quality Y/n admired. The same couldn't quite be said for herself. She could barely afford to go to school at Derry High, her family worked paycheck to paycheck just to send her to school. And she didn't like to talk about it, but Beverly had time and time again lent her money for little things that she couldn't afford herself. In fact, she had a few old jackets and shoes that Beverly had given her.

    The two girls were more than thankful for their friendship, both a perfect fit for one another, like two pieces of a puzzle. Each of them were able and willing to give the other what they could provide, whether it was some borrowed money, or a safe haven away from a leering father, and of course a never ending source of love and support. But of course, occasionally, no matter how hard she fought, the little green monster wormed its way into her mind. It always managed to pluck her most treasured memories with Bev, and stain it with jealousy, rotting it with envy and disgust. It picked at her confidence and fed her venomous lies that completely contorted their friendship.

    Like the only reason people knew about her was because she was friends with Beverly. It was the beautiful Beverly Marsh and ol' What's Her Face. She would occasionally catch herself wishing she could draw attention like that, but she quickly dismissed it. No, she shook her head, ridding herself of the thought, no it's not worth it. She reminded herself of all the horror stories she had heard from Bev, and had witnessed for herself, in the many years of their friendship.

    Sure, she was easily noticed by cute guys at her school, and that was fun and exciting at her age, but she was also noticed by older men. Men like Mr. Keene, and he was only one example in dozens of men all over town. Not to mention her own father. Any time the little green monster returned, it diminished itself in the pity Y/n felt for her best friend. But that didn't mean it wasn't hard for Y/n to hear the many names she had been called. "Filthy little tramp!"

    And not to mention the countless side glances followed by surprise from boys - and girls - that she had in fact been there standing next to Bev the whole time, and they only just noticed her. She was always the sidekick. "So ditch the street rat and we'll go to the movies, you and me."

    Anytime anybody thought she couldn't hear them, they spoke ill of her. Hell, not even then, most people didn't care if she overheard. Usually, they were trying to persuade Bev in one way or another to leave her behind.

   "What is she, your little puppy dog? Just tell her you're sick or somethin' and you're home free,"

   "Look, you're friend seems... nice, but she doesn't fit in with us. Either come alone or don't come at all."

    Of course, Beverly never bought into that crap. Y/n was too important to her, she was Beverly's saving grace after all. And there was no way in hell she would let anyone talk about Y/n that way.

   "Then I guess I'm not coming." She'd reply. "If you really need a date so bad just take the stick up your ass,"

    Y/n smiled at the memory. Oh, how she relished in the shock on their faces. That particular comeback had them running away with giddy laughter as they wove through the halls, the angry trio of boys after them. They found sanctuary in a small hiding spot behind the school where they remained until the trio gave up and went home with slightly deflated egos.

    This was another reason Y/n was ashamed to have these thoughts, Beverly clearly cared for her and would be very upset to know she thought these things of herself.

    As Y/n pulled her worn out jean shorts over her bathing suit, she searched her bed for the t-shirt she had set aside. She slipped it on and as she looked in the slightly cracked mirror she felt a small bud of confidence blooming in her chest.

    Beverly had her back, and she had hers. And she knew if Richie ever made some comment about her, Bev would shut it down if she hadn't first. The bud of confidence spread in her chest as she could feel herself being persuaded.

    That was, until she noticed the tag on the outside of her shirt. She sighed exasperated, and quite frankly, rather exhausted. Y/n hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night. If she tried hard enough, she was able to push the memory to the back of her mind and forget, but only for the day. Then of course, if was time for her to go to bed. Then every detail of what she saw, what she felt, was amplified in the silence of her room. She flinched at every creek in the walls, every car that passed by.

    And she didn't dare move her feet out from under her blankets, no matter how hot she felt. Of course, this ended up being one of the reasons it was difficult to fall asleep.

    Y/n counted herself lucky she fell asleep at all. And yet, the thought of being unconscious, completely unguarded and unprepared, where anything could happen - anything could get her - was just as unsettling. She wished Beverly was there with her, but she knew she had to sleep alone eventually.

    Right on cue, she heard the soft rap on wood come from down the hall in the living room. Beverly was here. Casting one last glance at her reflection, and her shirt now fixed, Y/n took a deep breath and made her way to the front door. She made the mistake of glancing at the carpet and the faded red stain and she felt a sudden prick of fear in her heart and the sudden hyper-awareness of her injury. Trying not to give it much thought, she took a deep breath returning her attention to the door, swiftly stepping over the spot on the carpet.

    Her attention focused on undoing the many locks on the door, she failed to notice her friend's new look through the window. It came as quite a surprise to Y/n, having only known Beverly with long hair. She would have brought it up if it wasn't for the look on Beverly's face.

    Her eyes were on the ground and when the door opened, Bev slowly met Y/n's eye. She recognized the look in Bev's eye, a look that screamed 'I really don't want to talk about it right now.' A look she had given to her not too long ago herself. Y/n plastered on a smile and broke the small moment of silence.

    "You ready?"

×××

    Richie Tozier does not hold back when it comes to spitting contests. Himself, Stan, Bill, Ben, and Eddie were standing at the cliffs edge, stripped down to their underwear and Richie was first up to bat. He did not shy away from whatever method he needed to conjure the spitball, no matter the foul noises he made in the process. He reeled back and launched the spitball over the cliff, and the rest of the boys followed suit.

    Eddie flinched when his own mucus landed on the rocks near his feet.

    "Oh, my God, that was terrible. I win." Richie exclaimed.

    Eddie looked at him, dumbfounded. "You won?"

    "Yeah."

    "Did you see my loogie?"

    "That went the farthest!" Richie argued, gesturing where he spit. "It's by distance."

    "Mass. It's always been mass."

    Richie began sputtering in disbelief, but Eddie continued.

    "Who cares how far it goes? It matters how cool it looks, like it's green or it's white or juicy and fat."

    Ben cringed, and he met eyes with Bill who gave him a look that said 'see what I have to put up with?' He shook his head, shutting down the conversation before it continue further.

    "Who's first?"

    There was a brief moment of silence and the boys looked over the cliff into the emerald waters, contemplating the jump.

    "I'll go!"

    They turned their heads to see Beverly Marsh and Y/n L/n. Beverly had been the one to speak and she dropped her bike to the ground before discarding her dress. Their eyes widened and Beverly smiled.

    "Sissies," she laughed.

    She broke into a light jog, the boys parting like the red sea and she launched herself off the cliff.

    "What the fuck!" Richie exclaimed.

    They looked at the water in which Beverly had disappeared, completely dumbfounded. Suddenly and in perfect sync, they looked to Y/n, almost expecting to see her do something equally surprising but she merely gave them an odd look. She set down her bike and shifted on her feet uncomfortably.

    "What?"

    They all broke out of their gaze, rather obviously, and tried to look anywhere but her, knowing they'd been caught.

    She had to remind herself that she wasn't the only one who would be undressed, and everyone else, besides herself, already was. Taking advantage of their distracted nature, she quickly slipped off her shorts and t-shirt, making sure to slip out of her shoes as well.

    "Come on!" Beverly's voice was distant, but it grabbed everyone's attention.

    Bill was the next to make the jump, followed by Ben. Next was a less than eager Stan, leaving Richie, Eddie and Y/n who had cautiously joined them at the edge. Richie looked between Eddie and Y/n, then back to the water.

    He sighed deeply, taking a step forward and removing his glasses, and tossing them on his pile of clothes.

    "Well, fuck" He took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff, leaving Eddie and Y/n alone.

    They shared an equally nervous look with a few uneasy smiles. Y/n peered over the edge, scanning the water for a safe space to land. As she waited for the moving figures of Richie and Stan swimming away from the landing zone, Eddie couldn't help but look at her. Observing the small crinkle of her brow and how unsure she felt, he felt his own fears vanish. Something inside him wanted to make her feel less nervous, and perhaps that was his own way of deflecting his own fears but he didn't care.

    "I'll go if you go," he offered.

    She looked at him in slight surprise, and a small smile tugged at her lips. Y/n looked between Eddie and the water, shifting weight off of her bad leg. This smile was less forced, and genuine, it was thankful. And Eddie felt a wave of nerves bubbling in his stomach, not at the jump, but the kindness in her eyes, and the way she mentally built herself up.

    She nodded and they both gazed at the lake below, everyone was looking at them now. They had cleared a space and Eddie and Y/n could hear the remarks being made by their friends.

    "On three?" She asked, quirking a brow.

    "On three." He nodded, backing up slightly. "One,"

    Y/n suddenly shook her head, stepping back and spoke at a rapid rate, cutting Eddie off.

    "Fuck, if I wait that long I'll change my mind. Let's go," Without warning, she grabbed his hand and jumped off the cliff, giving him no choice but to jump with her.

    It never even occurred to Eddie that he could have let go of her hand.

    Eddie felt his heart leap into his throat and he was certain time stopped still as he was suspended in air. Perhaps it was the sudden change in view and the fact he was practically pulled off the cliff and how high he was above the water, or maybe it was her hand around his - no, nope. It was the height, definitely the height.

    On their way down he gasped in fear at the rapidly approaching water and he felt her hand leave his as she braced for impact. Eddie tried not to think of the millions of germs in the water, and he could feel the thousands of bubbles grazing his body as he sunk deeper into the water. When he emerged he gasped for air, reminding himself to steady his breathing, less he have an asthma attack. He realized his throat was sore and that he must have screamed the whole way down.

    He looked round at the cheering figures of his friends, whooping and cheering them on. Though he tried not to panic when he counted only five figures above the surface. Just before he could ask where she was, Y/n burst out of the water next to Ben, gasping for air.

    "Holy shit!" She wiped her face with her hand, clearing the drops of water obstructing her vision.

    "Took you long enough," Bev smirked.

    Richie nodded. "Yeah, too bad you guys missed out. We were just about to pack it up and call it a day."

    Eddie rolled his eyes and Y/n sunk further into water, all the way up to her nose.

Y/n concentrated on kicking her legs and her arms moved back and forth under the water keeping herself afloat. The others, specifically Richie and Eddie, had already launched into another debate.

    "Do you have any idea, how filthy this water is. We'll be lucky if we don't contract something, I am serious right now. So forgive me if I am a little hesitant to jump into this cesspool of germs and bacteria. Not to mention the several loogies that are floating around here somewhere, or did you forget already?"

    "Oh sure, now you're worried about loogies, Mr. 'juicy and fat'"

    Bev, who had begun looking around her in confusion and slight concern, spoke up. "Loogies?"

    "Juicy and fat?" Y/n asked disgusted, her face scrunched up, looking questioningly between Richie and Eddie.

    Eddie blinked once, and shook his head. Desperate to change the subject, he diverted his attention back to Richie, pretending Y/n hadn't heard that.

    "Besides, if we weren't careful enough, we could have seriously hurt ourselves jumping from that height. Even if we knew there were no rocks in the water, a fall from from anything higher and we could have died, I'm not doing that shit again. If you want to go swimming, fine by me, but I'm not jumping anymore, I'll just meet you guys down here."

    "Don't be such a drama queen Eds, you jump a million times if it meant you had a pretty hand to hold on the way down and you know it, "

    Y/n looked to Richie, her brows furrowing and she was thankful the water was already concealing her pink cheeks. Eddie, unfortunately did not have the same luxury.

    "Fuck you, Richie,"

    Richie smirked. "Eddie, please, now's not the time for romance."

    Eddie's face scrunched up and he splashed Richie in the face, who had began chuckling at his friends response. Immediately, he retaliated with a splash of his own. Unfortunately, it hit Stan who frowned, and splashed back. It wasn't long before the entire group was involved, save for Y/n who was giggling off to the side where she was free of any water hitting her face.

    "Alright, alright," Stan waved his arms around, signaling for a truce. "Alright!"

    Everyone settled down and the water began to calm.

    "We should-" Stan was briefly interrupted by splash to the face, and he stopped to glare at Richie and sighed, wiping his face. "Chicken, we have enough people, who wants to play?"

    "Me against wheezy first," Richie jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Eddie, who had in fact been wheezing. "I need to defend my title and he made it awfully clear last time he thought he could take me,"

    "I can asshole, I already told you. I had an asthma attack, if I hadn't I would have won and you know it."

    "Wanna prove it?"

    "Oh, it is so on, dickhead. Same circumstances, same partners, Stan come on!"

    Already regretting his decision to bring it up, Stan fell in line with the others as they entered shallow waters. Bill lifted Richie on his shoulders, and Stan lifted Eddie. Beverly had swam over to join Y/n and the two girls watched the chicken fight with great amusement.

    Y/n almost didn't notice the quiet figure of Ben, who had joined them off to the side. He had been neglecting to speak, but she recognized the longing look of wanting to fit in. She smiled, and swam over to join him. He seemed surprised she had joined him, but he returned the smile, albeit a bit nervously.

    "How's your stomach, Ben?"

    "Huh?" Ben gave Y/n a funny look, but before she count point out his stomach injury, it seemed to click "Oh! Oh, yeah, uh, it's feeling better, thank you. What about you? H-How's your leg?"

    "Better, thank you."

    A genuine smile tugged at her lips, feeling herself relax at the company of the boy. Y/n had barely known him, but she was intuitive enough to know that he was timid and kind. And though she was enjoying the new company of the other boys, it was nice to have a more relaxed presence. Though there was Stan, but Y/n had yet to get to know him.

    Their attention was pulled back to the chicken fight when they heard a sharp yelp and felt the water shift around them. And there sitting atop Stan's shoulders, waving his arms triumphantly was Eddie, whooping and hollering.

    A smirk grew on Y/n's face at this. It only grew wider when Richie emerged.

    "Foul!" Richie exclaimed, pointing at Eddie and shifting effortlessly into another persona. "Aaaaand Kaspbrak is outta the game!"

    "What? What the hell are you talking about?" Eddie asked, waving his arms slightly.

    "You pushed me, that's a foul."

    "That's the whole premise of the game! Of course I pushed you!"

    "You know what I mean, dillhole, you shoved my shoulders! That's a foul!"

    "No, that's allowed. The attackers get to use any means necessary to knock the opposer down, that's stated very clearly in the rules!"

    "Show me this rule book Eds, cause it's sounds an awful lot like you're making this shit up just because you can't win without playing dirty!"

    "Or maybe you just can't stand the fact that I beat you! I'm the one with the title now, aren't I?"

    "Oh, is that so-?"

    Ben, who had been growing uncomfortable from the heated argument, spoke up nervously. At least he tried to, but Y/n was the only one who heard him so she cleared her throat, grabbing everyone's attention. Ben seemed relieved.

    "Why don't we just do new teams?"

    "G-good idea," Bill spoke up, and he looked around the small group. "W-who wants t-to go next?"

    "Oh, I want to play!" Bev smiled walking against the water into the shallower parts of the water, but she stopped briefly, looking over her shoulder. "Ben, do you want to be my partner?"

    Ben tried to hide his blush, and he shyly nodded his head. "Uh, sure, yeah."

    Ben joined her, but she began looking around. "Alright, who's opposing?"

    Beverly caught Y/n's eye, and gestured hopefully over. Y/n smiled nervously and shook her head, her lips pressed into a firm line, and Bev shrugged.

    "Alright then, Richie, why don't you play us, if you're clearly an expert."

    "Gee, I would but my shoulders are killing me, I think I'm out for the season,"

    "Grow up, asshole, just go." Said Eddie, who had dismounted Stan's shoulders.

    "Well, since you asked so nicely," Richie said. "Bill, you're up."

    "W-why don't we let someone else g-go?"

    "Why? S'the matter with you?"

    Bill shrugged. "N-nothing. Just thought I'd l-let someone else go."

    Richie gave him an odd look but shrugged it off. "Fine,"

    Richie then spotted a Y/n, at least who he assumed was Y/n - he didn't have his glasses after all - who was hiding in the water, despite how shallow it was. It finally clicked that she had barely said a word since, well, since she and Bev showed up, he realized. She seemed different, she held herself differently than how she was in class. In class, she usually was able to keep up with his quick wit. He never told her this, but he enjoyed her company. He pegged her as someone who was quick witted and didn't take shit from anyone, and he admired that.

    But now she was quiet and reserved. Hell, she must be sitting on her ass right right now just to stay under the water. Richie didn't understand this. Now facing her, he dug his hand in the water and splashed her face, ripping her out of her thoughts, and she looked at him startled.

    She had to wipe away the fresh water droplets running down her face, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

    "What the hell?"

    "Come on, I need a partner and Denbrough bailed. You're up."

    She scoffed, slinking deeper into the water.

    "Come on, whatya', chicken?" He quipped, quirking an eyebrow.

    If he knew anything about this girl, she wasn't one to shy away went it came to making a comeback. Sure enough, she rolled her eyes and raised her head ever so slightly so her lips were above the water.

    "No, I'm not, that's why I'm not playing." She said snidely.

    He smiled triumphantly to himself, considering it a win he was able to get her to speak more than three words.

    "Come on, toots, it'll be fine. We'd make a great team!" He exaggerated a dopey grin and gestured for her to join him.

    Richie may have been blind as a bat, but he could tell she was considering it. She looked around at everyone, who was watching the exchange expectantly. Y/n didn't know if it was everyone's stares or the fact the fact she was genuinely tempted but she gave in and made her way over to him.

    Richie, who still wasn't completely sure is she was moving or not, gave her a cheeky wink, and pushed his luck even further. "I'll let you be on top,"

    Richie expected a comeback or a even a scoff from her, not a pair of hands roughly shoving him into the water by his shoulders. Naturally he figured, one of his friends had done this, tired of his antics and found a unique way to shut him up, but then he felt a pair of legs take a seat on his shoulders and he knew it was Y/n.

    Once he was sure she was secure he rose up out of the water, gasping for air when he reached the surface. The others, cheered her on, welcoming her to the fun.

     She nearly tipped over as he readjusted in the sand, but she grabbed onto his hair by his scalp and he winced.

    "Ah, watch it! I am quite fond of my scalp, you know,"

    "As long as you watch that trashmouth of yours Tozier, one more comment like that and I'll drown you," she peered over his head, giving him a light but slightly teasing glare.

    Nevertheless, she loosened her grip and he blinked a few times, his scalp tingling. "Duly noted,"

    Nobody seemed to hear the small chuckle that escaped Eddie who had been watching, quite impressed with her ability to shut the boy up. He'd have to ask her how she does it.

    "Alright, come on, we gonna play or what?" Bev asked, despite the grin that worked its way onto her face.

    She too was happy to see her friend coming out of her shell, she could tell she had been nervous and Richie proved to be a big help, much to her surprise.

    "It's on, we have got this in the bag!" Richie bragged, getting into position across from Ben.

    Richie cast a glance up to his partner and smiled cheekily, batting his eyelashes. "Right babe?"

    Immediately she whacked his head with her hand and he winced once more. "What did I just tell you?"

    "Alright, alright! Jeez," He tightened his arms around her legs, securing her in place and he took a step forward towards their opponents. "But do keep in mind, we are on the same team, you want to hit the other players"

    He missed the eye roll she gave, but nevertheless she smirked, shaking out her arms, getting ready for the match.

    Bill, who usually announced the beginning of a round, did just that. With one simple word, the girls locked in on one another, theirs hands interlaced and they each pushed with all their might.

    There were several close calls, on both teams, but they always persevered. Unexpectedly, Richie took a few steps back, and Ben, confused by his tactic, stepped forward after them. Though both of them moved slowly, their speed affected against the water, and Y/n nearly tipped over, but her balance was regained when Richie leaned forward and ran forward against the water, tipping Y/n forward and giving her more momentum.

    Catching Bev off guard she was able to prove successful in her efforts to push her over. Beverly came tumbling off of Ben's shoulders, and almost kicked the poor boy in the face on the way down. Richie and Y/n cheered victoriously, and even Ben cracked a smile at their unexpected move.

    Eddie, who had found himself rooting for them, despite his previous grudge against his old opponent, whooped and hollered at their win. Bill and Stan cheered as well, and Beverly broke the surface, a big smile on her face.

    Y/n had already forgotten her nerves and felt a swelling sense of comradery and a growing respect for her partner.

    "Alright, ready to put this to the ultimate test?" Richie asked, addressing his partner and the rest of the group. "New champs, versus old champs,"

    Y/n smiled, looking to Eddie and Stan hopefully, now completely invested in the fun. Eddie felt a swell of confidence and gave in, Stan joining him.

    "Fine, but no playing dirty," Eddie mocked, looking at Richie.

    Richie smirked. "No promises,"

    Eddie, who now struggled to climb onto Stan's shoulders, scoffed.

    Eventually, everyone was situated and Eddie suddenly felt a small flurry of butterflies in his stomach that he briefly mistook for nausea. But he realized that it was in fact butterflies when he saw Y/n opposite him. They were brought closer by their respective partners who stepped forward, preparing for the match. She glared playfully at him, a small smirk on her lips and she outstretched her arms ready to fight. He hadn't realized the match had begun until he was forced to scramble for balance on Stan's shoulders when she went for his arms.

    Their hands interlaced for the second time that day and now he was certain his racing heart was caused by this. Nevertheless, he pushed those feelings aside, reminding himself he wanted to beat Richie again, but the motivation to do so was weaker this time. Though he didn't let this shake his competitiveness so he matched her strength and the two laughed and grunted as they both tried desperately to push one another down.

     Each of them found the other to be a surprising match for themselves. They would often find themselves going for the same opportunities only for the other to be prepared for it. Everyone was now completely invested in the match, everyone cheering them on though they didn't quite know which team they were rooting for.

    Eventually, Stan and Richie had had the same idea and moved in closer in an attempt to push the limits. Both Richie and Stan were beginning to lose interest in who would win, eager to give their arms and legs a break. When they both moved in closer, hoping one of their partners would take advantage of the distance and strike, but once again the pair had the same idea. They leaned into the momentum, each giving one last push and much to everyone's surprise, they both fell on their backs, crashing against the water and earning a small sting from the contact.

    Y/n sunk into the water, slower and slower and she felt her back lightly hit the sand. She felt something graze her ankle, her bad ankle, and before she could stop herself her eyelids ripped open. She flinched in the water, pulling her leg away and she had to blink several times just to adjust to seeing underwater, her heart pounding in fear. But much to her relief, right where her ankle had been, she saw a piece of plastic poking out of the sand, swaying back and forth.

    She would have breathed a sigh of relief but she saved her breath and returned to the surface. She had already lost a small puff of air when she had inadvertently yelped at the contact the plastic had made with her foot.

    Her small panic seemed to have gone unnoticed by the group and everyone had begun milling about, getting lost in their own conversations.

    Y/n looked around at her new friends, and she felt a warmth grow in her chest. By now, she had joined them in deeper waters, once again slinking back into the water but this time it wasn't from fear of judgement but staying cool in the warm June sun. Everyone was lost in their own conversations but she knew she was just apart of this group as everyone else was. As she looked around at all the smiling faces, she relaxed.

    An unexpected laugh escaped her as she saw Eddie holding Richie under the surface and she swam over in their direction. Richie popped up for air and slapped the boy away, though he still wore a goofy grin. Eddie, unlike Richie, was unaware of her approach, a fact Richie declined to give away.

    Y/n was now just behind him, a sly grin on her face and Stan, who had noticed her intentions, called out Eddie making him turn around.

    Sure enough, he whirled around, his face half a foot away from Y/n and she splashed the unsuspecting Kaspbrak boy in the face. On instinct, he whirled back around, only for Richie to do the same and he desperately wiped his face.

    "What the hell is happening!" It came out in shriek that amused everyone in the group.

    Richie and Y/n both let out a chortle of laughter, and soon even Stan had joined in. Though he didn't know whether or not it was from the excitement he felt or the fact the trick he had fallen for that twice in a row, Eddie began to feel the effects of his friends contagious laughter ripple through himself. He shook his head, hoping the smirk he was fighting would be shaken off as well but no matter his efforts, is was glued on his face.

    Though something in Stan compelled him to get back at Richie - who was enjoying all too much the fact he now had help in teasing Eddie - that he decided to splash Richie without warning. Perhaps it was because he wanted to catch Richie off guard, like Richie had done to him earlier. No matter the reason, Stan enjoyed doing it anyway. Richie retaliated and and yet another water war had begun.

    Y/n wore a smile as bright and warm as the sun above her as she looked around at her new friends, more than grateful she had fallen down the steps and met these boys. Y/n chuckled at their antics, grabbing Eddie's attention. He hadn't realized he had been staring until she turned to meet his eye. His first instinct was to pretend he hadn't been looking but instead he broke eye contact briefly and chuckled weakly and he smiled at her.

    Y/n didn't seem to mind, and she smiled back and her shoulders moved slightly as she chuckled.

    "It's okay," His pulse quickened, scared she was speaking of his staring. "I won't splash you anymore,"

    He chuckled and nodded slightly, words failing him. He directed his attention to Richie and Stan and her gaze followed. They were both struggling to submerge the other under the water, past them, Bill and Beverly watched equally amused.

    Y/n yelped when she felt a small nip on her foot and she quickly retracted her leg. Oh, come on! She swam backwards, eyes scanning the water though it proved to be useless. The others joined her side, worried expressions on their faces.

    "W-what happened?"

    "What's wrong?"

    Eddie, who looked particularly worried and rather startled, knowing he would regret going swimming one way or another, began scanning the water backing up.

    "What! What is it?"

    "I think something bit me!"

    Everyone began shifting around the water and Ben, with a burst of bravery, disappeared under the water and began searching.

    Y/n was curious as to why these kids heard about something lurking in the water and biting and somehow thinking it was worth exploring, but a part of her was curious too. Bill soon joined the boy underwater and Y/n had almost begun to grow worried when Bill popped back up, pointing where Y/n had been.

    "It's a turtle!"

×××

    Not long after they kids found the turtle lurking at the bottom of the quarry, their skin began to prune and their limbs grew tired from swimming.

    The boys, who had come prepared with Bill's boombox and Eddie's towels, the kids had dried off. The boys had all found a spot on the rocks and after much persuasion, Beverly had convinced Y/n to sunbathe with her.

    Her confidence from earlier had waned, but at the time, the boys were far too distracted fighting over the radio channels and what they wanted it on.

    Tuning out the guys, Y/n allowed herself the distraction Beverly provided with small talk. The two had been laughing about the day's events and Y/n had even begun to drift off. She hadn't realized how tired she was until she had lied down. After all, she had only gotten roughly three hours sleep the prior night and her limbs had grown exhausted from swimming all day, her leg especially.

    Unaware of how much time had passed, Y/n stirred awake when she realized the lyrics of Young MC's Bust A Move had slipped into her subconscious.

   "These here's a jam for all the fellas, Tryin' to do what those ladies tell us,"

    Stan, Richie, Ben and Bill look on in disbelief at the two beautiful girls sunbathing before them. How did this happen, they wondered.

   "Get shot down cause ya overzealous, Play hard to get females get jealous,"

    Eddie, who had yet to find a seat, stood frozen next to the guys. He blinked several times, trying desperately to look anywhere but their direction, Y/n especially, though he couldn't help but steal a few glances. An act he felt ashamed of.

   "Okay smarty, go to a party, Girls are scantily clad and showin' body"

    Y/n felt a yawn escape her and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand out of habit, her eyelids fluttering open. She had to squint, her eyes readjusting to the light and her stomach did a small flip when she felt several pairs of eyes in her direction.

    Timidly, she turned her head slightly to see the boys all staring at them. She felt her skin flush and she was sure she had turned pink, but the boys seemed even more mortified and they looked away, pretending not to have been staring at them.

    Beverly's attention was drawn by the noise of several throats clearing, and she was aware of how silent it had been. She tilted her head and made eye contact with Y/n, giving her a knowing look from behind her sunglasses accompanied by a small smirk.

    Y/n sat up, her bad leg stretched out and she pulled her other leg close to her chest, while Beverly had rolled on to her stomach. Richie began digging though Ben's stuff, holding a fake microphone to his face.

    "News flash, Ben," he was now speaking in his posh reporter persona. "School's out for summa!"

    "Oh, that?" Ben asked, looking at the evidence he had collected from the library. "That's not school stuff."

    Richie pulled out a postcard of Derry, a picture of the standpipe on the back. "Who sent you this?"

    Before he could read what was written on the other side, Ben had snatched it back. "No one. Give it..."

    Richie didn't think much of it, his attention fell to the blue folder sticking out of Ben's backpack and he eagerly pulled the folder out.

    He opened it up, Stan and Eddie peeking over his shoulder to take a look.

    "What's with the history project?" Eddie asked, curiously.

    "Oh," Ben shrugged looking around at the group who was now listening intently. "When I first moved her, I didn't have anyone to hang out with,"

    As Ben spoke, Richie handed the folder to Bill who had shown interest.

    "so I just started spending time in the library."

    "You went to the library?" Asked Richie, his face scrunched up in confusion. "On purpose."

    Y/n scoffed. "Don't listen to him Ben, he's just insecure that he can't read above a fourth grade level."

    She sent Richie and smirk and a wink, knowing full well of his intellectual capabilities. Something she had picked up in the year spent in class with him. He was in fact a very bright kid, despite his poor manners and his inability to not speak out of turn. Richie just rolled his eyes.

    "Well, I wanna see." Beverly got up from her spot on her towel and took a seat next to Bill.

    Stan had caught a glimpse of the scratchy handwriting on the old photograph Bill and Bev were looking at.

    "What's the Black Spot?" He asked.

     "The Black Spot was a nightclub that burned down years ago by that racist cult."

    "The what?"

    "Don't you watch Geraldo?"

    Y/n chuckled at the utter disbelief and surprise on Eddie's face and Richie met her eye, joining in. He was just about to give him more grief when the pair heard Bill begin speak.

    "Y-y-your hair..." He had been talking to Beverly, but Y/n couldn't help but listen in, curious herself to why her friend had cut it.

    Before he could finish, Ben jumped in and Beverly peered over to meet his eye. He smiled warmly at her.

    "Your... Your hair is beautiful, Beverly."

    Her face had been neutral throughout the entire exchange but she smiled politely at the boy, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

    "Oh, right. Thanks."

    No one but Y/n seemed to notice the awkward looks exchanged between Ben and Bill, and her lips pressed into a firm line, feeling awkward having witnessed this herself.

    Richie, whose attention was still on the folder that was now going unread by Bill, gestured for it.

    "Here, pass it."

    Bill complied, folding it up and passed it back to Richie. Y/n used her hands to shift herself up onto her feet, walked over and took a seat across from Eddie, facing everyone in the group. Richie was now shifting through the folder, Stan leaning over his shoulder for a look.

    "Why is it all murders and missing kids?" Richie asked, passing the folder to Stan.

    Y/n, who had shifted off her bad leg, readjusting so she was leaning on her arms and her legs outstretched in front of her, was now listening intently to Ben.

    "Derry's not like any town I've ever been in before. They did a study once, and it turns out, people die or disappear six times the national average."

    Everyone had been listening, and the group all fell silent for a brief moment, a quiet shock falling over them. Bev was first to break the silence.

    "You read that?"

    Ben shifted on the rocks, ever so slightly, and nodded. "And that's just grown-ups. Kids are worse. Way, way worse."

    Y/n's eyes had fallen from Ben to the ground, where they trailed over to he bandaged ankle and she gulped.

    "I've got more stuff if you wanna see it." Ben offered.

    Eddie's gaze, which had been worriedly fixed on Y/n and the frowned etched on her face, was torn away to the others, shaking his head 'no' and hoping they didn't say yes.

    They did.

+++

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