#this isn't even about right-wing conspiracy theorists if you can believe it

[thenegativitypit]

Got frustrated thinking about how there's this one kind of person I keep seeing online recently who make wild claims, insult the reader, and then at the end go "why isn't anyone listening to me?!"

Like, dude...

Your panic level: a little high there

Your level of unsourced and outlandish claims: TOO HIGH

Your level of being an asshole: WAY TOO HIGH

If you can find a way to at least source your claims and stop being an asshole, people will listen to you a LOT more, thanks!

[creature-wizard]

i know you get asks about this all the time so sorry for that but it’s really just driving me nuts. the ramcoa shit is just so. i can’t handle it. so many of these people are clearly horrifically traumatized and i have so much compassion for them as someone who is ALSO horrifically traumatized but the way they use it as an excuse to blatantly say they don’t care if they’re pushing conspiracies that get people persecuted and even killed as long as they get to ‘find community’ through their special word is enraging. nothing else will apparently do. they HAVE to be allowed to have this word or they’ll never have support or community. every other option has something wrong with it (too specific, too vague, ‘it’s just not that simple’, they can’t stand being confused for one of us lowly ‘regular abuse’ victims). I’ve seen several posts recently that just outright state they don’t give a shit that ramcoa is a tool of right wing antisemetic conspiracy theories, they *want* to use it so they will, stuff everyone who is hurt and targeted by that stuff. only their trauma matters. only their desires matter. everyone else can kick rocks and if you have a problem with it how DARE you not believe survivors.

Yeah, it's a whole fucking mess and I also hate it. A lot of it really just comes down to using their own trauma as an excuse to shit on other people and put them in harm's way, and. That's. Not. Okay. If you don't care whether you're pushing harmful shit, you have become the problem. It's really that simple.

For anyone who isn't aware: RAMCOA, which stands for "Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, & Organized Abuse" is not an innocent catch-all term for religious abuse, institutional abuse, sex trafficking, etc. It was coined by conspiracy theorists to try and make far right conspiracy theories sound respectable within legitimate psychiatry. For more information, see Cathy O'Brien - The First Project Monarch "Survivor" and Fritz Springmeier and Cisco Wheeler: Two Of The Most Dangerous Conspiracy Theorists Most People Have Never Heard Of.

[radfemverity]

It isn't an exaggeration to say that political correctness costs lives. Whether it is the UK police, councils and social services refusing to investigate grooming gangs for decades to avoid accusations of racism, or gender critical women being fired from their jobs and arrested across several countries under ‘hate speech’ laws, which then impacts their ability to earn an income to support their children…

Or it is victims of crimes having to worry that, if they tell the police about what happened to them, they will be arrested for wrongthink themselves.

It is common for police to seize a crime victim's personal devices (or rather, *strongly* coerce them into handing them over), even in instances where the crime was not captured on the devices. The justification given is that, in court, the victim's character can be vouched for by evidencing their clean devices.

Many of us, myself included, have expressed beliefs that fall outside of the establishment's. Maybe you've been open about not believing in gender ideology, or disliking Islam, or not taking a vaccine and that got you labelled as a ‘conspiracy theorist’. These are all things that can be used against you, even when you are the victim, in employment, education and police contexts.

I wonder how many victims of domestic and sexual abuse have had to ask themselves ‘what have I shared with my abuser that his lawyers could use to assassinate my character with in court?’ We know this already happens with women’s intimate experiences, traumas and mental health challenges. Why not their ‘controversial’ opinions too?

I wonder how many women out there have fallen victim to a serious crime, wanted to see the perpetrator face justice, but have first had to ask themselves, ‘if I go to the police, what if they go through my phone and use the things on there against me?’

If you live in the UK, and you've got a gender critical Twitter account, it could happen. Women have been arrested for putting up TERF stickers. Source. If you have any views that get coded ‘right wing’, it could happen. A man was just sentenced to 2 years in prison for anti-immigration and anti-Islam stickers. Source. If you’ve ever posted lyrics to your Instagram story which contained the n word, it could happen (yep. A 19 year old autistic girl from Liverpool was convicted for posting lyrics to her private insta. Source). If you have any edgy memes in your photo album, it could happen. If you’ve ever called your friend the r word as a joke in a group chat, it could happen.

This is part of the reason I never reported my rape. I didn’t want some of my old right wing beliefs to be used against me in court. If I ever do report a crime that I’ve been a victim of, the first thing I’ll do is deactivate all my social media accounts before the cops arrive – and I would recommend others to do the same. Because that is where we are now in this political climate. Trial by mob, the woke mob specifically.

Just thought I’d bring this topic up because I suspect this will become more common in the near future – victims either not reporting to the police for fear of being targeted for wrongthink, or reporting and then being targeted as a result. I hope I’m wrong about this. I just wonder, women are already blamed if we were drunk, promiscuous, or naive. So why not politically incorrect as well?

[notthatalex]

I have been thinking about [REDACTED], Sarah Christ, Conspiracy and how it interplays between them.

The consensus of why people believe in conspiracies often boils down to them needing the world to be simpler. To have simple answers to complex problems. On first glance most of them are disgusting complex and contradictory of course, but that is just dress up. The simplicity lies in that there is one "THEM" that is behind it all. One convenient bad group that does evil because they are evil and you can blame for everything.

[REDACTED] obviously falls under that, he is a "conspiracy theorist, the caricature" the character.

But Sarah operates on a very similar mindset sometimes. It is just much more contained and doesn't bleed into other parts of the world for her. And yeah I am talking about the Creekside Killer. He is everyone and everything she needs him to be. A convenient bad guy that does all evil because he is evil and you can blame. So she has a tangible enemy and doesn't have to jump into the complexities. She clearly has a brain that lends into self to conspiracy. Even her motivations and drive is similar. "Pretty women with their hair down are getting killed left and right by "THEM" and of i can just get rid of "THEM" it will all be fixed." THEM in her case is literally just one guy but of you swap it out with the THEM conspiracy theorists talk about it is the same. Also the "pretty women with their hair down" can be replaced with any group the particular conspiracy theorists sees as vulnerable victims. A lot of the time in reality it is ofcourse children and and sex crimes.

The only important point is that they are just stand ins, that isn't really about helping those groups. Even when they tell themselves (and they have to tell themselves) they are. They are just tropes in their story to justify their actions. And this is exactly the case for Sarah. Chasing this one killer, that every information we are getting on him is widely contradictory, is not helping the group she is claiming to do all of what she does for.

I think the biggest reasons she is way more grounded in reality than [REDACTED] is her social political statues. On top of also being more mentally stable (low bar tbf, bc she is very fucked up)

She is an cop. And that fact hurts and helps her at the same time. On one hand, being an American cop makes you actually more likely to sink into right-wing conspiracy theories (the right wing is kinda redundant). On the other hand, she is also a woman and an Ex-Detective, which probably causes some interplay there. I think she is disillusioned with the system while still clinging to some parts of it for stability. Which you would think would actually push her more into conspiracies, but I think it actually has the opposite effect. Most conspiracy theorists love the cops and military while distrusting the government and especially central agencies. It's contradictory, but what do you want from conspiracy? It has to be.

A couple of right (wrong) expirences, and she could fully lose herself in conspiracy, too.

She is the archetype of Cop, that has a drinking/smoking problem, with a bit of a power fantasy that's divorced and not allowed to see their kid anymore. She is a women on top of that, and only that identity change influences her character way more than it may seems. And like it should. Being a women, being in that social political class shapes you A LOT. Even when you have all these other forces pulling you in other directions.

On top of that I also think having a relationship with [REDACTED] keeps her from falling deeper. It may seem like the opposite should be the fact, but I think seeing the other side so intimately... repels you from it. She knows what the end point of ot all looks like, and it's not pretty. If she was blind to it the chances of falling deeper would be more likely for her.

Feel free to disagree. Would love to hear. If anyone even read this.

[catgirl-catboy]

Conductor.. my boy! Noo

I name him Inori- I'm joking his name could be Aiden meaning "little and fiery" he lived two chapters but I think his role is bigger than it seems. I believe in him!

Val and Mika's relationship fall apart quite easily.. I think there is very bad scheme in it.

I think the traitor was Camp Counselor cause he give me Kaito but better vibes and I always thought Kaito was the traitor too. Or that amnesiac dude

I name conspiracy theorist as Bob because the death was very Bob way to go

Conductor did NOTHING WRONG. Ever. His only crime was not being more upfront about his needs, which is completely understandable!

Also theorist is SO a Bob. He was a victim of his own paranoia, similar to Mika. Mika tends to be self-destructive and paranoid, while Bob lashed out at others. Also, Mika fucking despised him for being a waste of time in trials. (despite having a divorce arc that spanned all of Ch2, leaving Celene to pick up the pieces)

Val and Mika... you know me. Every relationship I like is deeply messed up, and so is this one. Val doesn't even know half of it yet. Ishimondo became besties in one night, these two become worsties.

As for the traitor, you're absolutely right about it being CC! He knew it was a stimulation beforehand, and was okay with getting hurt in it. However, he does have understandable motives: if he proves a virtual killing game could work, Monokuma will be more likely to make the next one virtual too, which everyone can still recover from! And by next game, I mean the THH one.

So after a couple of days of being out of it, Val suddenly decides to tell everyone what she and Mika were fighting about. She's clearly very conflicted about it. She reveals that Mika told her, in confidence, that he lied about the second motive, and that there's no easy way to tell if its faked due to how far technology has progressed. (foreshadowing! ;))

Everyone freaks out about this, because the people close to them are seriously dead! Val cries about the fate that befell her favorite teacher, and Tom rushes to comfort her saying it isn't her fault. Mika seems more upset at Val, because now people are going to come after her, thanks! Mika also points out that he was doing it for the good of the group, and to prevent a murder. It is more likely the police will be able to help the people outside the killing game then in it, so it was a calculated risk.

She even goes as far as to say that she succeeded, since Monokuma needed to introduce another motive to get Bob there to kill.

Mika then runs away and hides in her room, barely being able to explore the new wing that opened up. Everyone agrees that someone should be sent to guard her, and that they should trade off at lunch. Val is the only person that doesn't take a turn, since she's had enough and blames Mika for what happened.

Throughout the chapter Val and Tom have a whirlwind romance, though Val seems to be partially doing it out of spite.

Celene feels like she can't have a real relationship with the rest of the group like Val does, due to being seen as a leader figure. At this point, she begins to strike up conversation with Mika because Mika thinks nothing is sacred and deserves special treatment. That being said, Mika explicitly says they aren't friends and is curious about how the others are doing.

At this point, the motive is revealed to everyone BUT Mika. Monokuma is fine with her not attending because he's pissy she fucked with his last motive. This is a count of every time someone contemplated homocide since coming here. Celene's count is accurate from what you've seen of her inner monologue, and everyone has at least a couple of marks. (That's why I revealed its a stimulation in Ch2, so absurd motives like this are fair game!)

Except for Nika, who has 0. Everyone thinks this seems impossible due to his morbid and mistrusting personality, and that he's actively taking steps to protect his life. Some suspect Monokuma for fudging the numbers as revenge, to make him a target.

Shit happens, and eventually Tom turns up dead. He's decapitated, and brutalized. This is far worse than any of the bodies seen so far. The Monokuma file reveals that his cause of death was a slit of the throat, and that everything else was done post mortem.

This is the first time that Val and Mika are in the same room together since the fallout, and Mika tries to comfort Val, a bit awkwardly. He says that he's sorry he couldn't prevent this, and that he'll lead the investigation to this awful killer. Val still can't bring herself to get involved, which goes against her hyper-competitive nature.

Celene and Mika are the only one's willing to examine the corpse this time around, and one thing that Celene noticed is that some of the hair on the back of Tom's neck got pulled out. (that becomes highly relevant when duct tape is discovered stuck to the bottom of a table, which was used to cover a wound.)

The trial begins, and Mika is quickly suspected due to the brutality of this murder and Mika's calmness around corpses. The Tom-Mika argument are pointed out, but Mika states she had no grudge against Tom, he just had one against her.

The trial hits a stalemate until CC points out (with information he got from the Mastermind) that two people would be needed to commit this crime. The skaters are suspected for a bit, but suspicion quickly turns to Mika again.

Mika argues there's no way anyone here would team up with her to commit murder. He has no attachments.

Celene becomes very glad she didn't mention talking with Mika during her guard shifts, but points out someone could have done the same. Mika points out that even you could have done it. :)

Eventually, the skaters say the accomplice's identity isn't even needed to vote in this trial, and that they should just go for it. CC seems hesitant, so the others decide to keep debating.

The trial stalls again, when Celene comes up with a crackpot theory that Bob would be proud of. There's no actual evidence Mika is the killer, even if there's plenty she was involved. (she made an unfortunate slip of the tongue) What if she's not the killer, and is working for someone else?

It'd make sense with the motive, even if nothing else.

Mika agrees to this, but slightly too quickly. She also refuses to sell anyone out, which would be the optimal play for an accomplice.

At this point, Mika is getting a lot of new sprites where her eyes are completely blank. Not despair eyes. We also get his argument armament, but none of his lines actually mention if he killed Tom, just that "he can't lose this trial!" and "they know nothing."

After yet another stalemate of trying to pin somebody else to this crime, something breaks. Val admits to being somewhere she shouldn't be, and basically gives herself up. She's been quiet and grieving this whole trial.

Mika will not have this. He laughs and says that the duct tape he used to delay the time of death? He ripped it out before Tom bled out, and made himself the blackened by proxy. That he used her.

I'd have it flashback to various moments of the two of them, starting with the moment in Ch1 where its revealed that Mika shared his food w/o telling Val.

In the end, I'd have it come down to a guess on the player if they think Mika is telling the Truth. (She wasn't.)

If the player reads Mika correctly and votes Val, its revealed that Val came to Mika desperate to have an old friend talk her out of committing murder. That she couldn't tell anyone else her doubts. That she's scared.

That she genuinely didn't expect Mika to agree to help her kill.

Monokuma reveals the reason for this murder, while Mika screams that nobody listen. The emotionless chapter one Mika? Who's he?

Its revealed that all of the bruises Val thought were from schoolyard bullies? His parents. And a lot worse than that too. Mika's mother made Mika essentially act like a servant while she did autopsies, causing him to be numb to corpses.

In Ch2, Mika lied to you about the origin of that threat. It came from her mother.

As a result of years of horrific treatment, Mika struggled with severe mental health issues. The reason he didn't have any thoughts of homicide is because he frequently thought of suicide instead, and did before the game.

The only reason she didn't offer herself up to die like Ryoma did is because she wanted to protect Val, the first person who was ever genuinely kind to her with no ulterior motive. All of his actions in the game were with the intent of protecting Val.

Val knew none of this. Val is horrified and guilty that she didn't know this, despite seeing the bruises and the signs. Val apologizes and says that she thought Mika didn't care about her father when he lied about the videos, but now she sort of gets it. Mika admits that if Val were in her videos, someone would have been dead within the day.

Mika attempts to strike a deal with Monokuma: let Val live, and she'll kill the others in a horrific fashion. She'll give him all the despair he'd want, just let her live.

Val says no. That she doesn't want that, and offers Mika another offer. To live on, and protect everyone else like she protected her. Celene speculates that she's doing this to give Mika something to live for.

Because in the end, despite the relationship being terrible, they do care about each other. And that is what doomed Val. (you know my taste in dynamics. It was never going to end well.)

Mika promises Val that she won't grieve for her, because Monokuma would enjoy that. That she won't shed a single tear until she gets out of here. (he inherits the support role in a sense, but it won't be easy due to all of his previous stunts and that everyone is afraid of him.)

Val's execution is called "first is the worst, second is the best" and she's in a classroom with a bunch of Monokumas and a Mika robot. Whoever does the worst on an assignment is shot. Eventually, it comes down to her and the Mika robot. Val, who has always felt inferior to Mika and tried to compete with her as a result, knows she's going to lose and attacks the Mikabot, not sure its a robot. As she does this, the Mikabot attacks her, causing them both to fall to the ground.

[frostyreturns]

A few notes

Good overview of what's going on and not mincing words about how undeniable, sick and evil these people are with the evidence and some well reasoned comments about how these types operate.

Blaire titles the video as being a rabbit hole and absolutely doesn't disappoint, I know people have this impression that Blaire is just the conservative tranny but their audience is bigger than that and this is going to wake up some normies.

Even though Blaire is not a believer still chose to not shy away from the clear satanic element at play, which I've noticed a lot of people have when it comes to talking about the satanic pedophiles...people like to leave out the satanic part.

Don't agree with even using the word cancel or relating it to cancel culture at all, even to dispell the idea that it is. It's kind of like a guy walking up to a woman and saying don't worry I'm not a creep, the first takeaway she will have is that he's a creep. I don't think anyone was thinking of this as an example of cancel culture and the few brain dead retards who try to defend it as such wont be doing it genuinely and can be wholesale disregarded.

Just embrace the conspiracy label Blaire, it's not a dirty word. This is a conspiracy and you are digging into it the same way that every conspiracy theorist does...as you should. That doesn't make it not true. Just because some people are trained like seals to dismiss everything they think smells like a conspiracy doesn't make that a valid criticism.

Don't make videos about pedophilia and child abuse if you're going to censor yourself everytime you say it. Fuck youtube, like as if this video is going to be monetized anyway.

Gives some people too much credit by calling them stupid, mentions this one woman on the view who defends them in the dumbest most disingenuous way possible, but just calling her an idiot absolves her of the evil she is willfully doing. She knows that kids being groomed isn't some right wing conspiracy, she knows balenciaga is full of pedophiles and I'm sure she also knows several coworkers and bosses who regularly abuse children...she knows this shit she is choosing to lie to the world to protect said pedophiles and allow them to keep doing what they do, she's not stupid she's evil.

[sh1tbird-shantytown]

Ah thank you for answering my Stommy ask i loved it a lot. Can i get some more Stommy.

Okay so like what if Tommy finally sees what Steve's doing with the kids amd the mindflayer and acts like he's down to help and he is he wants to help steve.

But at the same time he has a bit of a breakdown infront of everyone and his whole bad boy persona drops and he's scared he didn't expect this, he didn't believe in anything like this before and he doesn't understand how steve does it.

Can i get some Johnathan being sympathetic to Tommy and sort coming to an understanding with him, and they get eachother, (i like to think that Tommy isn't rich like steve and is more like the byers than everyone thought. Like he comes from a broken home and all the fancy clothes he gets from steve)

Ooo and some tommy and johnathan being like ugh "rich people"

Will and Tommy moment though where will is like :O and Tommy takes him under his wing like Steve did with Dustin

Whoa this is long. Im so sorry. I hope you have a good day.

stommy for sure. thanks, hun!

===

He didn’t expect it to happen. He never really did, he would get a call from Hopper or Joyce or Dustin usually. Cancel everything and go play near death whack-a-mole for a few hours. He’s gotten real good at it at this point. Tommy was suspicious, started asking questions.

“Where are you going off to?” he’d shown up at the Harrington house. Steve wouldn’t let him in, his bag of monster hunting supplies and his stained nail bat poking out prominently. “Or do you have someone in there with you?” Tommy moved his head around to search behind Steve’s shoulders.

“No, Tom,” Steve put his hands up, “Some stuff just came up. An emergency.”

“Is your mother in the hospital? Is your father back home and he’s sending you out for errands so he can invite his side chick over—“

Steve leaned against the doorway, unamused, “—Come on, Tom, that’s not funny.”

But Tommy didn’t stop, “—Is Dustin sick? What’s so important that you had to cancel twice on me this week? Huh!” Steve closed his eyes for a brief moment, collecting his bearings. He stepped out and closed the door behind him.

“Look,” he slowly took Tommy’s hand, the other watching with clear suspicion. “I would much rather stay in with you and watch your stupid drama movies.” The other’s face twisted a little but he listened. “Hopper needs me right now, important, top secret, emergency.” He squeezed Tommy’s fingers a little with every accentuated word. “It’s best that you don’t know, you’re safer that way.” He had hoped that would get Tommy to back off. Wishful thinking.

Tommy shook his head and crossed his arms defiantly, “I’m coming with you for sure now. You don’t get to keep things like this from me now. No secrets.” Steve opened his mouth but Tommy pinched his arm, interrupting him. “No secrets! Okay? You don’t get to go risk yourself, or whatever you’re implying, and leave me in the dark!” Tommy stomped his foot and Steve had the mind to assume he’d been paying attention to all his sisters way of dealing with their own boyfriends. Tommy cupped both sides of his cheeks when Steve sighed. “I am your boyfriend,” he made Steve look at him. Tommy looked concerned, face wrinkled and cheeks pale. “I deserve to know.”

His shoulders sank as he gave in, “You’re not going to like it. Probably won’t even believe it.”

Tommy glared, “Try me.”

Steve went back into the house and grabbed his bag. Tommy quickly noticed the bat, obvious about it with his wide eyes not meeting Steve’s own and instead on the spikes peaking out over his shoulder. He didn’t ask yet though. Instead, he followed Steve all the way to the BMW and then got in the passenger side.

Steve looked over at Tommy sitting rigidly before starting the ignition. There were intense lines between his eyebrows and his lips were being abused by him biting them. He started gnawing on his fingernails when Steve made a decision.

He stepped out quick and Tommy startled, “Where are you going now?”

Steve leaned back in, antsy, “I’m going to get you a weapon.” Tommy looked like he desperately wanted to ask, Steve waited, but Tommy just sat back with his leg bouncing. He sighed again and Tommy glanced over at the noise. “You don’t have to come. It’d be better if you just stayed here until I get back.” Tommy folded his arms, leg still going up and down due to the weight of his hand not lessening it.

“Like hell I am,” he grumbled, “Go get me something if it’s so necessary.” Steve’s shoulders and ankles were tense and locked a little in place. This wasn’t going to end well even if Tommy believe him. He wasn’t supposed to add anyone else to the group. All he had as an excuse was Tommy’s unrelenting behavior and how immediate and stressed Hopper had sounded when he called. The excuse that maybe more help was necessary.

So Steve went to the shed and found a chain. A long iron chain that his father had used to hold the fence gate between theirs and the neighbors’ yards shut. He went back to the car with it in hand. When he sat back down Tommy stared wonderingly at it. Steve dropped it in his lap, the sound heavy as it slipped slowly to the car floor and clanked together.

“Can you still lasso?” he asked quietly. Didn’t want to trigger Tommy into some spell of hysterics.

Tommy swallowed and his eyes grew even more serious than before, “Yeah, yeah I can still lasso.”

Steve looked from the chain to Tommy’s face a few times, “Can you do to the same with that as you can a rope if we need you to?” He’d seen Tommy lasso, done some himself in the summers on the Hagan farm. Their small farm that housed loads of milk cows. It was a nice escape, mostly outdoors and their house was rundown only a little. Obviously warn from love and family and sweet time. Something real against the Harrington’s artificial capsule.

Tommy nodded again, “I can make it work.” When Steve didn’t catch Tommy’s eye for another minute or so, he started out to the Byers’ house. He could tell Tommy was trying to pay attention to the route but he kept messing with the chain. Steve knew he was forming it around to form the lasso correctly. Had seen Tommy sit on a bale of hay and mess with a rope the same way.

They pulled up to the dusty driveway and Tommy finally looked up with recognization, “Who exactly is involved in all this?”

Steve parked and neither of them moved, “Well, we’ve got all the Byers, Mike and Nancy Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin, and Hopper”

Tommy glared over at him and opened his door, “What kind of shit have you gotten yourself into?”

Steve only smiled thinly and he stepped out to grab his bag from the backseat before heading up to the door. Hopper was smoking and watched him as Tommy slowly gathered his chain.

“What did you do now?” Hopper didn’t sound surprised.

Steve could only shrug, “He insisted.”

Hopper took a drawn out puff, “Well you should have resisted.”

Steve turned his neck to glimpse as Tommy closing the car door, “You trying resisting a Hagan and then get back to me.”

Hopper raised a brow and flicked the ash off the filter, “Just keep him by you and make sure he doesn’t get hurt. I don’t want to have to explain to his parents.”

Steve rubbed his upper arm as Tommy walked up to his side, “Why would I get hurt? And what’s wrong with my parents?” he ordered defensively.

Hopper sighed and squished the cherry out in an outdoor ashtray balanced on the porch railing, “Nothing, kid. Your father just doesn’t like me.”

Tommy muttered something Steve only just barely caught, “You just can’t leave an innocent drunk man alone on a Friday night.”

“What’s that?” Hopper’s eyes narrowed. Tommy folded his arms and didn’t respond, only shook his head once.

Steve looked between the two. He knew Tommy’s father liked to drink sometimes. Mostly after a long day working on harvesting hay bales and tending to their cows. Knew his mother and Tommy’s sisters hated when he did. Tommy didn’t know how to feel, got mad at Steve when he tried to sympathize. A few of their fights had ended in Tommy throwing the fact that Steve’s father was never really around back in his face. Yelling he wouldn’t understand. Couldn’t. Not the same way.

“What’s the code?” he asked to break the heavy tensions, to at least try. Instead a new sort of shadow surrounded them.

“Orange,” Hopper took his hat off and rubbed his forehead, “Looks like more strays are picking off cattle at night. We need to go catch them.”

Tommy perked up, “Cattle? So you do know what’s been picking our calves off?” he shouted. “What is it? Why are you hiding it from the town? Us farmers!” He was livid and when Steve touched his arm to comfort, it was whacked away. He stepped back, a bit betrayed. The adrenaline in Tommy must have picked up already. He only acted like this when he was wound up tight and angry. Hopper was silent for a long moment as Tommy huffed his breaths in and out, upset.

He turned around to the house and said, “You’re about to find out,” before the door opened and closed.

“What is going on, Harrington?” Tommy asked, desperate now. Desperate for answers he hadn’t asked for. Made Steve annoyed that he allowed himself to get pent up again. Out of control of himself, the opposite of what they’d been working on. He took Tommy’s hands gently, at least thankful for Tommy allowing that much.

“I need you to take a few deep breaths, Sweetheart,” he used his calm tone. Used it for the kids when they got too scared sometimes. “This isn’t going to get any easier, so if you want to step out, do it now.” He waited and Tommy didn’t move, didn’t really do anything besides stare at him. “Is that a no?”

“I’m not leaving,” Tommy stated stubbornly.

“No one would think any less of you,” Steve said deeply, “We all wish we didn’t have to deal with this shit. You can go back home, you wouldn’t be able to tell people about this. The government will confiscate you otherwise.”

Tommy scoffed, “So my father isn’t some crazy conspiracy theorist.” Steve didn’t answer, didn’t really want to, didn’t think he needed to.

“It’s scary, Tom.”

Tommy puffed out his chest, “I don’t care. I’m staying with you and that’s final.”

The door opened and Dustin started yelling, “Son of a bitch, why is he here, Steve? Get your ass in here, we need to start planning!” Steve turned and Dustin started attempting to drag him up the porch. “We’ve got target on three different farms tonight.” He stopped and Steve almost tripped on the last stop. He asked Tommy, “Dont you live on one?”

Tommy’s shoulders rose, “What’s it to you?” Dustin glanced at Steve, who was giving a warning glance, shrugged his shoulders and headed inside again.

Steve grabbed the door and held it open for Tommy, “Come on then!” Tommy ran up and into the house, the warm waft of heat blown into their faces. Joyce met them first, Dustin rushing back into the other room.

She eyes Tommy worriedly, “Did you tell him anything yet?” Steve shook his head. She wasn’t mad, she instead waved then in more, “Well then we have quite a bit to catch you up then, huh?” she smiled welcoming. Walked them in through to where everyone was already staring over a map of Hawkins. Red circles around what Steve assumed were the farms being threatened.

Nancy’s face twisted, “What’s up with this?” she gestured to Tommy and his chain clutched in his fist.

“He wants in,” Steve shrugged and stepped forward to look at the map between Hopper and Dustin, “Not like we couldn’t use the help.”

Nancy scowled, “We can manage.”

“Yeah,” Mike butted in.

Steve glared at her, “Let it go, Nance. He’s here and that’s it, please.” She looked at Johnathan but John looked at Tommy just as openly as his mother had.

“You know how to throw that?” he looked at the dark chain links.

Tommy nodded and pointed to the west circle, “That’s my farm. Well, my dad’s.” He looked sheepish, like he was admitting something.

“Cool,” Steve heard Will whisper.

Johnathan smiled more just as Nancy’s frown deepened, “Didn’t know you were in the lower levels like us.” Tommy frowned and Nancy scolded John with a slap to the arm. “It’s just cool is all,” he defended himself from her onslaught.

Tommy grew confused, “Cool?”

John nodded, “Tuff,” he grinned. Tommy smirked and eased down, comfortably joining Steve by his side.

“So do I get the backstory or what?” Everyone else looked at Hopper.

The man rolled his eyes but relented, “Keep up,” he pointed at Tommy gruffly. The boy nodded and Steve planted a grounding hand on his shoulder. “When Will went missing he was actually trapped in a different dimension. There’s El, who isn’t here right now, she was an experiment.” His voice with filled with distaste. “ She has powers, telekinesis. She’s resting right now so she can—“

“Which is stupid,” Mike snapped, “She’s not ready—“ Lucas and Dustin elbowed him to shut him up.

Hopper didn’t even look at the kids, “She’s getting ready to fight the bigger problem, the mindflayer. Something that likes possessing people. Watch out for that,” he tipped his hat back. “But there are big dogs from that other dimension sneaking in like your average coyote onto farms. So we have to go out and clean them out.” Steve eyed Tommy’s face which was stoney. Hopper turned back to the table and map when he fingered Tommy had at least taken all of what he said in through his ears to process eventually. “We’re hitting it by groups. Joyce and I will go to Merrill’s. Nancy, Johnathan, Will, and Mike are going to Tinnerman’s. Steve, Tommy, Dustin, and Lucas are at Hagan’s. Got that?” he looked around. When no one disagreed he backed away.

Steve took his bag off and set it on top of the map, “You still have that tire iron?” he asked Dustin as he took out his lighter.

“Yep,” the kid nodded, “Still behind the house, I’ll go get it,” he ran off.

Steve only had to look at Lucas for an answer, “Got my pockets full of rocks and marbles this time.”

Steve smiled small but assuring, “Good.”

Everyone walked off to retrieve their own weapons or start their own vehicles. Except Steve and Tommy. Tommy was pale and his eyes were greyish.

“Hey,” Steve rubbed a thumb across his freckled cheek, “What’s going on in your head?” he whispered.

Tommy looked up and took in a shaky breath, “I’m ready to kill some monsters?” The questioning tone didn’t surprise Steve, the words did though. He didn’t ask, didn’t want to over work Tommy’s mind already. Not when they still had a long night ahead.

===

The Hagan property was the smallest of the three Hawkins farms. Fencing behind them that was meant to keep cattle on grounds, then a big barn, then the Hagan house. But it wasn’t meant to be called “small” either. The cattle were safe in the barn as long as they all stayed attentive and ready to kill off any demodog invaders. Simple, all in a days work. But Tommy was shaking like a leaf and Steve heard rustling from their right.

He stepped ahead a few steps just as Dustin and Lucas yelled out at the shadow creeping out of the trees. Tommy cursed loudly, so much so Steve feared Tommy’s mother would wake from it all the way in the house. He swung his bat to stabilize himself and then went to town on the thing’s neck, back, and head. It went down quick and others started coming out more and more. Lucas slung-shot his own ammunition and Dustin kept them back with Steve’s lighter and a can of hairspray.

“Can you get that one, Tom?” he shouted over the growls of a new dog as one ran past him to the fence.

It was a pretty quick success all things considering. The carcasses laid around Steve in wide diameter, gunk sprung all over the grass and tree bark. But as silence carried no more sounds carried out from the darkness.

He faced the group, Dustin parking things back into Steve bag and pulling out water bottles. Lucas was trying to wipe the sweat from his face.

Then Steve caught sight of Tommy standing still. Too still. He panicked.

“Tom?” he whisper yelled as he ran up to him. Grabbed his arms and then his head, “Tommy, are you alright?” Tommy’s pale face reflected streaks of luminescent tracks in the moonlight. His eyes looked frozen wide. “Hey,” he wiped away the tears with his thumbs and made Tommy make eye contact. Which seems to blow him out of his stupor. He started breathing sporadically. Steve hugged him and started breathing in and out exaggeratedly. “Match me, Sweetheart,” he whispered. Breathed in and waited as Tommy matched it. Exhaled and patiently listened.

By the time Tommy was lax against him, exhausted and adrenaline all gone, Steve had decided they were done. He snapped his fingers to grab Lucas and Dustin’s attention.

“Yo, call Hopper and see what they’re up to, please,” he threw one of Tommy’s arms over his shoulders. Started leading them back to his car a little ways away. Tommy wouldn’t speak, Steve had the mind to assume he was in shock. Knew the feeling himself. But the amount Tommy was still partially immobile on his own was concerning. “Can you signal to me how your feeling, Tommy? What can I do for you?” he asked as he opened the car door and worked his boyfriend into the passenger seat. He knelt on the wet road, his jeans getting damp at the knees.

Tommy finally made eye contact on his own and pressed his lips together, “That was scary.” Steve nodded understandingly. Tommy continued, “This is fucked,” he sat back and forcibly enclosed Steve hand in between his own. Steve distantly heard Dustin yapping to someone on the walkie talkie. “How do you all do it?” he asked exasperatedly. He deflated and shook his head, lost, “How do you do it all? You were amazing back there, didn’t hesitate or flinch.”

Steve smiled and leaned up to give Tommy a kiss to the cheek, “No one is going to be upset with you Tommy. We don’t even have to mention it. The important thing is,” he stepped back, “That we’re all safe and the dogs are done with.”

“But—“

“We won’t hold it against you,” he promised and Tommy closed his mouth slowly. Nodding in agreement a little reluctantly.

Dustin was messing with the dials on the walkie when he left Tommy there, “I’m gonna go clean the mess up, you two get in the car and wait.

Lucas stepped up though, “I’ll help.” Steve gave him a look but he persisted, “Please?”

He rolled his eyes, “I guess you’d be better help than Dustin.”

“Hey!” the other scolded.

Lucas flicked him, “Please, you gag every time the goo gets on you.”

“I wonder why!” Dustin called back as he got into the car with Tommy.

===

It was a few weeks later and Tommy was a little more comfortable in the Party and their occasional missions to take out other dimensional monsters. Tommy was good with the chain when he wasn’t completely petrified. Caught and wrangled multiple dogs out of the way on occasions. Sure he stopped out a few time but they didn’t fight him about it. Knew he knew what he couldn’t handle.

He was teaching Will a thing or two now. They each sat on logs in the Byers’ backyard with ropes in their hands and on their laps. Steve watched as he leaned against the back door doorframe with Joyce. Johnathan had tried to follow along but had quickly knotted his bad. Had encouraged them both instead as Tommy directed Will step by step.

Then, Steve joined them as they worked on tossing and capturing low tree branches. Tommy lassoed them all and Steve got some. But Will grew his skills fast apparently because he was right behind Tommy, grasping all the practicing targets with concentrated ease.

Tommy fist bumped the kid and Steve used his height to pull the rope back down, “Good job, Byers!”

“I was actually good at it,” Will beamed proudly. Tommy slung an arm over Wills shoulders and headed towards the house as Joyce called for dinner.

“You know, you should come take Steve’s place on the farm over the summer.” Will bounced on the souls of his feet a bit at the excitement and giggled when Steve scoffed dramatically.

“I’m just rusty.”

Tommy chuckled, “Come on, Byers One and Byers Two, let’s leave the Rich Boy to clean up.” Will laughed and followed him loyally.

Johnathan stood with a definite nod, “Agreed.” Steve stopped to watch them race to the house like they were all young boys.

Tommy fit in just fine.

[ellanainthetardis]

I have a political question since you are French. I'm very interested in politics in general and especially in the upcoming election in France and now I saw that you reblogged these gifs. It's hard for me to follow everything because my French isn't that great but I have the impression that Marine Le Pen knows how to play the game. I'm totally against her political views but she has a certain charisma and doesn't appear like the devil, simply said. Would you agree? What is your opinion?

  Oh and in case you don't like talking politics, it's absolutely okay. :)             

I don’t mind talking politics but it is a very complicated question right now.

I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but there is a real manipulation by the medias to push certain politics forward (mainly because those politics somehow owns the networks and also because they make more ratings) and it makes me really frustrated because a massive amount of people are puppets in front of their TV.

Now, to answer your question. LePen definitely knows how to play the game. The thing is, she can be very charismatic, she is very good when it comes to debating and she tends to own the floor when she’s against some other politics or even some journalists. She always sounds very rational. I don’t support her party, just to be clear, but nobody can deny she worked hard to “undiabolize” it and to turn it into something that could appeal to a broader mass of people. She’s never outright racist, for instance. It’s implied in what she says but she never be reckless enough to outright insult or deny some historic facts (unlike her father who once denied the existence of Nazi gaz chambers). She is good at the game, that’s the thing. And that’s scary.

The problem currently is that medias are using that fear of the FN to push Macron forward. Almost all the polls out there are unreliable mainly because, once again, guess owns them? XD So basically, there is no real way to see if LePen is as popular as they say or if Macron is. They’re saying basically that it is certain the second tour will be Macron VS LePen, that the election is, in short, already played and that we should all put her weight behind Macron because it would be irresponsible to vote for LePen.

The current government would like Macron to be elected because he worked in their administration and from their point of view it would be better than creating an alternance with the right wing party. Socialists made the country a real mess during the last five years. Hollande is such a joke it’s a meme. Their party is on th everge of explosion, half of them supported Macron (who is supposedly centrist) instead of their own candidate. The worst thing that could happen is their administration finding their legacy or even ways to continue through that guy who the medias try to present as the barrier against LePen.

The thing is though... I am not sure Macron is that much better. I actually... hate him. The guy once looked a worker on strike in the eyes, in front of a camera, and said on a flippant serious tone, almost like you talk to a small child “If you work a little more, you can buy yourself a nice suit like mine”. And that’s the guy who pretends to be the people’s choice. That really shocked me. His wife is the one with the money. He’s got 0 charisma. He’s never been elected to anything before, all the positions he held have been on appointments. He’s very bad in debates. He, forvige me the expression, kisses everyone’s ass and never takes positions. In short I believe him to be a puppet for his cougar wife. If he becomes president, I’m pretty sure we will become Trump’s puppet because he’s invested in America.

Basically Lepen doesn’t really hide what she is but Macron? He’s a snake.

I guess we will see where we are after the first tour but it honestly doesn’t look good either way. It’s a real dilemna too because traditionally, during the first tour, you vote for what is called “small candidates”, meaning people with smaller parties that arent PS (left wing) or Les Républicains (formerly UMP, the right wing) because you’re always sure they will make it to the second tour anyway. So it’s democratic, everyone can have their chance. Voices can be heard.

Right now, the medias and the politics are pushing us toward a “useful” vote. We’re not voting for a President, we’re supposedly voting to stop the FN from taking power. I want to vote for a smaller candidate in the 1st tour but I believe I will be forced to vote for the main right wing candidate instead in hope he will beat Macron and go against LePen (although there again, I’m not sure there is any garantee LePen won’t get elected either way).

But if it does come to a second tour Macron/LePen, I’m not as certain as the medias seem to be that Macron will beat her. Why? Because I’m not the only to think he’s full of shit and the thing is... And I’m not sure it would be better if he did beat her. LePen owns her shit, she’s honest about it in a way. But Macron is a doubled face ass.

Who do you vote for? The devil you know or the one you know nothing about?

There’s always the possibility to cast a “blank vote” but since they’re not taken into account it’s the same thing as if you don’t go at all.

In short, it’s a reall mess right now. People want change but they’re stealing the election away from us by orienting it the way they want it. I have no clue what will happen.