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dreamy-pill · 11 days ago

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In My Brother’s Shadow AU

Anyone had this idea yet?

Stanley Pines is so used to hiding, he ends up personifying and replacing his twin brother’s shadow. Now, he’s either gone-gone or cursed. Stanford doesn’t realize his shadow is his brother until he tries sending out that postcard.

This is heavily inspired from Peter Pan. Can you guess who’s Wendy? For reference, Bill plays the role of Captain Hook.

- Unspecified origins, Stanley is transported halfway across the globe and ends up in Gravity Falls with his brother.

- Obviously, Stanford is so busy with getting his house being built he doesn’t realize his shadow is sentient until he’s apparently confronted with it. It’s the surprise of his life!

- At first he thinks his shadow is an anomaly. Stanford doesn’t begrudge the shadow for occupying in his impression. In fact, he becomes fascinated with it and its’ ambiguous nature. He ends up trying to ask his shadow a bunch of questions.

- Unfortunately, Stanley has to defer from Stanford’s inquiries because he cannot speak. The lack of back and forth communication makes Stanford somewhat falter. So, Stanley resorts to charades or shadow puppetry to answer Ford’s questions. He’s really good at shadow puppets.

- Stanley doesn’t tell Stanford he’s really Stanley.

- For awhile, it was just the two of them. They’d go out in the woods to document research on strange happenings. Stanford would refer to his shadow just by looking where the light hits the trees or the ground. For some reason, his shadow finds great joy in climbing trees.

- Even under the dim light of the kitchen, Ford is never really eating alone when he can see his shadow splayed out on the fridge or counters. It’s funny to think that Stanley will just be goofing off, all silent, while Ford is communicating for him.

- Maybe they make a game of it. Ford will fill the air with a narrative, Stanley will use his “shadow powers” to make interesting and detailed visuals of silhouettes to pop up on the walls.

- Maybe, in all the silence, Stanford yearned for some actual conversation. Stanley thinks his brother’s been alone by himself for too long, even with him as just his shadow. So, Stanford’s shadow (Stanley) is what inevitably convinces Ford to contact Fiddleford again.

Do you know that one scene from Nim’s Island? The scene where the author Alex Rider is about to back away from leaving the house but is pushed out by her imaginary character? I just thought of something similar happening to Ford when he’s somehow convinced by his shadow to call Fiddleford. You’ll have this whole tug-o-war scene between Stanford and his shadow, pulling on the phone chord, both being too stubborn to let it go.

- Fiddleford thinks Ford’s gone off the deep end when he sees him laughing along with his shadow.

- Mystery Trio (semi) established!

- Fiddleford attempts making an awkward one-sided conversations with Stanford’s shadow. Then over time, he becomes used to talking to the shadow, simply because of how exaggerated the shadow will change its shape to relay responses for him. It does get a good laugh out of Fiddleford each time. He considers the shadow a jokester, which is so unlike serious Stanford. That might offend him, but the trio do get a good laugh over it together.

- That little comparison could be the little hint that makes Ford slowly connect the dots, up until the postcard.

- Imagine seeing Stanley waving his arms frantically in the air on the cave walls momentarily before Ford sweeps his gaze to the painting on the wall of Bill, thus ignoring Stanley’s cry for his attention.

- Stanford still reads the inscription on the wall, leading to the winding road that causes Ford to focus more on Bill and drift further away from his shadow.

- Bill is delighted that Stanley is being pushed away.

- Bill gives Stanford the final hint about his shadow’s real identity.

- Stanford crushes the postcard in his hands. He whirls around and stares down at his shadow (maybe Ford gave his shadow a nickname?). The red light from the control room casts a sinister and eerie feeling in the atmosphere. Stanford confronts his shadow about his suspicions.

You know how Peter Pan’s shadow had to be sewn back to him from his feet? What if, instead of Stanford being pushed through the portal, Stanley is ripped away from Stanford. In the actual sense, like Ford loses his shadow and Stanley becomes lost after losing his one connection to who he used to be. Like, Stanley becomes lost in a dark void, endlessly shapeshifting in hopes of finding an impression similar to his original.

- Years later, Ford still has no shadow. He realizes too late that his brother is not who he used to be anymore. Stanley becomes a distressed mass of a conglomeration of forms of all the figures he tried fitting into over the years.

#gravity falls #alternate universe #gravity falls au #in my brother’s shadow au #peter pan references #stanley pines #stanford pines #fiddleford mcgucket #bill cipher #who’s tinkerbell in this story?#curses?#shadow stanley pines #stangst #I couldn’t hold back on the angst

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wildflowercryptid · 1 year ago

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Hope its okay if I ask about your versions of Florian and Juliana, thanks ^ _ ^

- Are they siblings?

- What are both their personalities?

- Were they actually raised in Paldea? The MC's in the game are implied to originally be from Galar so I was just wondering that

- Which storylines from the game are each the of them the main character of?

I'm so sorry if I've missed out an info sheet on them hhhhghg

Thank u again!

oh, it’s more than okay to ask about them! i actually really like talking about my interpretations of the pokémon characters, but i just struggle to articulate my ideas a lot of the time. or forget to share them. i’ve been meaning to drop lore for these two so i’ll do that now!

( putting the answers under a cut because i kinda ended up rambling. oops. )

are they siblings?

yes, they are! juliana is the older of the two, but they’re actually super close in age ( with jules not even being a year older than florian. ) because of that, they’re pretty close and sometimes get mistaken for twins. they still bicker and annoy each other like any other typical sibling relationship, but they respect each other a lot and consider each other their greatest confidant. their relationship kinda ends up paralleling carmine and kieran’s own dynamic as siblings, with juliana and florian seeing each other as equals while the same can’t really be said for carmine and kieran.

what are both of their personalities?

while they’re both pretty level-headed, juliana is definitely the more outgoing and confident of the two. florian is more of the reserved type, someone who typically keeps to himself and would much rather wait in the wings than be center stage, ( too bad he’s basically the major protagonist of the story. ) they’re both fairly friendly, but he struggles connecting with others more when compared to his sister. essentially, they’re kinda like a dialed-back version of mabel and dipper pines. florian generally is a very sweet and open-hearted kid who tries to see the best in others, which often leads to his kindness being taken advantage of and getting pushed around easily, ( i.e. carmine convincing him to keep the secret about ogerpon from kieran. ) because of that, juliana is a little protective of him and isn’t afraid to step in when he struggles to stand up for himself. and while she does like to be seen as reliable, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t encourage florian to be more confident and advocate for himself more. he does end up growing more of a backbone during the timeskip, which makes her very proud. meanwhile, juliana is a lot more outspoken and doesn’t hold back when things need to be called out. she’s still just as compassionate as her brother and is extremely reliable, along with having a very strong moral compass. she definitely fills the cool, reliable older sister role pretty well.

were they actually raised in paldea?

they grew up in galar like what’s implied in canon, but the details are a little different. they’re actually paldean on their mother’s side, who was originally from cabo poco herself. their family decided to move from wyndon back to her hometown after their father lost his job at one of macro cosmos’s now defunct finance subsidiaries. luckily, he was able to land a new desk job in medali and now larry’s his boss. ( the two get along well, they talk about their kids during lunch breaks. )

which storylines from the game are each of them the main character of?

juliana takes on the victory road and starfell street storylines while florian tackles the path of legends and filling out the pokédex, with both of them coming together for the way home. initially, i conceptualized them as co-protagonists and they still kinda are… but florian has definitely taken on the role as primary protagonist with how much shit keeps on just happening to him. i would expand the specifics of how the path of legends plays out for florian and how his friendship with arven develops, but i’ve already rambled enough so i’ll try to talk about that in another post.

hope this answers all your questions and sorry if it's a little long, i've just gotten attached to these kids and have a lot to say about them.

if you have any other questions ( about the paldea kids or mjverse in general, ) please feel free to ask them! it might take me a sec to reply, but i'll try my best!

#i really do need to talk about florian in the path of legends bc i really like how his character ended up developing #it's basically ends up being a '' don't meet your heroes '' kind of story and how it strengthens florian's convictions >>>#to become a good pokémon professor #also him essentially adopting arven as a big brother #i love these kids so much they'd grown on me a lot #pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pkmn scarvio #trainer juliana #trainer florian #hc : (pkmn) mjverse #chara : juliana sigal cavallari #chara : florian russel cavallari #🎨 : mj draws #asks #mj.txt

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pinenutposts · 2 months ago

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I am old enough to have watched Twin Peaks on tv in its original run (I was a child, mind you, but I did catch a few episodes of season 2 while my mom and stepdad were watching it.) I didn't see the entire series until it was re-aired on Bravo when I was in high school. I also read the Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch (very eye opening for a relatively sheltered girl like me, and also crucial to understanding the show from Laura's perspective, before FWWM existed). I subscribed to the legendary fanzine Wrapped in Plastic by Craig Miller and John Thorne, through my local comic book store. I read alt.tv.twinpeaks. I read theories and news on websites like Glastonberry Grove and Mike Dunn's Lynchnet. I asked my dad to buy me the book of essays "Critical Approaches to Twin Peaks" from Wayne State University Press, and was introduced to things like Foucault, Critical Theory, and Feminist Theory, while my little teenage brain was just entering college and starting to work out what "critical thinking" even was. I obsessed over David Lynch and his art.

Why I mention all this, is that I think having been this type of fan for my entire adult life, and my formative teenage years, I'm able to hold several different and sometimes contradictory opinions about Twin Peaks and its creators, and more importantly, I'm able to enjoy wildly varied aspects of the show and fandom, all at the same time!

When I first saw The Return in 2017, it absolutely repulsed me. I hated it. Then last year I picked up "Ominous Woosh - A Wandering Mind Returns to Twin Peaks," by John Thorne, the only currently living editor of Wrapped in Plastic, and it opened my mind to understanding The Return in a way that I wasn't able to before. I'm not saying it's the definitive explanation (and he certainly does not claim that), but it helped me see it in a way that I just couldn't before, and even begin to enjoy it. There are still parts of it I deeply dislike, but that's okay. Twin Peaks is not a one size fits all. It can be approached from many different viewpoints and readings, and as David Lynch has said about all of his work, everyone will have a different experience of it based on their own experience and perspective. My views of Twin Peaks, including who I ship and don't ship, have certainly changed over the course of three decades!

I would like to encourage people who become frustrated and disappointed at the turns the show takes, and how the third season feels vastly different from what came before, to consider the history of the show. What happened with the network, the actors, Lynch's movie career, when it was made, why it ended when it did. And of course The Return doesn't look or feel like a show made in 1990! It's 25 years later! Lynch and Frost are old men now! Half the cast is dead! It would be absurd if it seamlessly picked up where season 2 (which was a jumbled, but still lovable mess, itself) left off. There's no way it could.

If season 3 had been allowed to be made as originally planned in the '90s, it would look vastly different than The Return. I will forever mourn what could have been, but that's the stuff of fanfiction now. Also, we may not have gotten the masterpiece that is Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which I consider to be the creative and emotional pinnacle of the series, and absolutely critical to having a full picture of what Twin Peaks is about, if the show had continued. Just food for thought.

I'm also an advocate of simply ignoring things if you really don't like them. There's no reason one has to accept The Return as part of your own personal headcanon. As the creators will say, there really is no definitive "canon" in the Twin Peaks universe!

I don't really know what the purpose of this ramble was, but I felt like going on about it because Twin Peaks has been my "favorite song" for years, and I'm always thinking about it in one way or another ^_^

- Pine Nut

#twin peaks #david lynch #mark frost #harley peyton #robert engels #jennifer lynch #wrapped in plastic #john thorne #craig miller #rambling #pinenutposts #sheryl lee #laura palmer #special agent dale cooper #twin peaks the return #scott ryan #twin peaks: fire walk with me

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light-miracles · 9 months ago

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Please share some fav frelma moments or headcanons? The fandom is so quiet ahaha

Sure!

Canon from the books trilogy (spoilers duh) (shot out to my friend Clei for getting me the books)

1) When Daphne makes Velma accidentally admit she has a crush on Fred and her reaction is just 'Damn Velma I didn't know you were so traditional'

2) When they dance together in Shaggy's house in the second book

3) Fred shamelessly flirting by touching her hair at school and Velms' almost heart attack.

4) Really, Velma's pining in the books is delicious.

5) The almost kiss in the third book.

6) When Fred almost dies in that fire and Velma just starts to cry out of pure relief when she sees him alive

7) Fred telling the journalists next thing he's doing is asking 'the girl he likes' out when he leaves hospital.

8) Their last scene together at the end. Which lives rent free on my head. I even wrote a little continuation/expansion of that scene in a drabble.

(Overall, the books aren't perfect. The focus is Daphne and Velma's friendship and that means too little focus on Shaggy and Freddie. But it was absolutely worth it. It was like the best Frelma fanfic but actually canon in its verse. Clinging to those books forever)

Honorific mentions of other versions: the "DORKY CHICKS LIKE YOU TURN ME ON TOO" line in the live action (lmfao) (Linda Cardellini and Freddie Prinze's chemistry was awesome), Fred going all the way to show her he appreciates everything she does in Be Cool Scooby Doo, and their scenes together in The Mystery Begins. Also every moment they share the screen in 'Mystery Incorporated: Welcome to Coolsville'. That version of the characters was the best one in recent years.

Headcanons now:

1) Has anyone watched that animated short horror video parodying the totally awful Velma show? The one with eldritch monster Scooby? Yeah they're together the next time Scooby reboots reality. Both of them are aware of what's going on and try to scape the time loop (confusing if you don't know the story of the video 'Velma Meets The Original Velma' on YouTube, plz watch it)

2) Moving on to greener grasses, eventually they have twin boys, Ricky and Roger (named after Fred and Shaggy). Obviously Daphne and Shaggy are the godparents.

3) Shaggy let's them adopt 3 puppies from the Doo family years in the future.

4) Scrappy lived with them for some time. Velma was the only one who could boss him around. Fred spoiled him.

5) Velma sends him food to his work out of nowhere because sometimes she's sure he's forgotten to eat. He does the same plus flowers. Both of them are right: they forget to have dinner. Shaggy never shuts up about it.

6) (I usually go with Archeologist!Fred and Astronomer!Velms. They travel a lot) (The kids are homeschooled until they can leave for a boarding school)

7) Ricky and Roger are mama boys

8) Fred does the taxes. Velms always forgets.

9) Shaggy is a chef (duh) and Daphne a private detective and they're never too far away. Their kid is a little older than the twins but they hang out a lot. Sometimes Velma refers to Daphne as 'her sister' so the boys don't figure out Daphne isn't their 'actual aunt' until they're older.

10) Velma has a photo of him on her wallet. Fred is the little spoon.

#Pfff I'm always on my frelma train #All I need is a little push and I'll write endlessly about those dorks #Also watch Welcome To Coolsville they're everything there #And read the books they're totally worth it #Frelmas fandom is small but dedicated and my favorite place #Eventually I always come back to Scooby Doo #Bury me with the Frelma books in the coffin #I also ship the other 3 combinations but Frelma was the first one so it has a special place #scooby doo #Daphne and velma trilogy #Daphne and velma the Vanishing Girl #Daphne and Velma Dark Deception #Daphne and Velma Buried Secrets #I'll always thank C for getting me the last book #Frelma #velma dinkley #fred jones #shaphne

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opinions-about-tiaras · 1 year ago

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I think it's okay for people to be disappointed and feel misled and maybe even a little upset Scott Pilgrim Takes Off wasn't a more straightforward adaptation.

It's a masterwork as a piece of media, of course; a AU-that's-also-a-sequel based on both the movie AND the graphic novels, in dialogue with both, telling a tight, near-flawless story with immaculate animation and voice acting that, quite frankly, often makes the 2010 movie look poorly directed. (Tony Oliver is getting a LOT more out of these people in the booth than Edgar Wright managed to in front of the camera, frankly.)

And that's part of the problem, I think.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World oozed charm out of every shot; it's beloved by everyone who worked on it, which is always a good sign. But as an adaptation it was flawed in ways that were inevitable. Sacrifices had to be made to fit all six graphic novels that are deliberately messy and are meant as separate narrative arcs into something that runs on the big screen in less than two hours.

That meant a lot had to go missing. The original graphic novels were often leisurely rom-coms where they weren't stark, raw looks at emotional dysfunction, and a big part of their structure was the secondary and supporting cast. A lot of that had to go. Knives entire arc was cut to the bone. Stephen Stills being a hot mess and his weird and hilarious offscreen gay awakening went into the trash. The heart of Volume Four (still the best volume FIGHT ME), Lisa Miller's instigating presence, junked. Roxie Richter and the Katayanagi Twins are reduced basically to jokes. Envy Adams is given just enough to be a villain but none of what she needed to be a real person, which is a big deal in the comics. Even Gideon gets short shrift; the emotional violations and the dark, stinking, malign weaponization of emotional headspace that make him work in the comics are thrown aside in favor of him being a more straightforward supervillain using mind control chips.

And of course the biggest person to get shanked was Kim Pine. Kim had a storyline of quiet desperation, of seeking intimacy while being desperately terrified of it, romantic and sexual awakenings she isn't equipped to handle, deep and personal betrayals almost every volume that she nonetheless perseveres through. That had to go as well.

When I heard there was an animated adaptation coming, I was thrilled that I would finally get to see all of that rendered onto the screen. Scott Pilgrim was born to be an animated series more than it ever was live-action (and it's been proven multiple times over the past five years especially that animation can produce something wildly special when adapting a comic source handled properly) and it was finally going to have the breathing space to do it RIGHT.

Only it isn't that at all.

I wouldn't trade Scott Pilgrim Takes Off for the more straightforward adaptation we were expecting. The series has sunk its hooks deep into my brain, it's like I'm 29 again, driving my terrible, jank-ass car five hours to Toronto to attend the release party of the final volume. There's so much special about it; Knives and Kim's beautiful love duet is one of the most tender, pure things I've ever seen. The League of Evil Exes as a bumbling cadre of weirdos. Everything to do with Roxie Richter.

But it also means that we're probably deeply unlikely to get that more straightforward adaptation anytime soon. And that makes me feel like something has been lost.

And I respect the feelings of those who are disappointed and upset by it. Especially given that the marketing for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was deliberately deceptive. I think that's a valid way to feel.

#bryan lee o'malley #scott pilgrim takes off #scott pilgrim vs the world #scott pilgrim

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wangxianficfinder · 2 years ago

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Fic Finder

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1. Hello! Looking for a Wangxian fic where WWX + JZX + JYL are reincarnated (or time travel? not sure) to modern times and slowly remember their past lives. Wei Wuxian somehow transports LWJ to modern times, angst and misunderstandings happen, and the ending is they go back to the past/their original times. I know it's a completed fic, and Jin Zixuan is like the main narrator? Still racking my brain but this has been driving me crazy

FOUND? atlas in his sleepin' by anatheme (E, 48k, WangXian, XuanLi, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Reincarnation, Family Reunions, Dimension Travel, temporary transmigration, Transmigrator!LWJ, Yunmeng Shuangjie Reconciliation, jzx motherhenning wwx, First Time, Sharing Clothes, Angst with a Happy Ending, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies)

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2. hello! thank you guys for your hard work, if it's okay, for the next fic finder i'm looking for a fic where wangxian is established and they think ayuan died on a night hunt (eaten by a monster i think). jc goes to find his body but can't if i remb correctly. also in the end ayuan isn't dead and turns up after a few days. thank you! @bi-bi-bitteraf

FOUND! I think the fic is Setting Of The Sun by heartsdesire456 (M, 8k, wangxian, character death, or is it, grief/mourning, child loss, heavy angst)

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3. Hi! I've been loving scrolling through your fic recs. I've been looking for this one wangxian fic and I can't find it and it's driving me CRAZY. It's post sunshot campaign, where wei wuxian is still in lotus pier with his siblings. He sleeps with lan zhan in a tavern, but in the morning lan zhan acts shocked and leaves (it turns out he was drunk and didn't remember the night before and thought he forced himself on wwx). Cue protective Jiang siblings. If you could help, that would be AMAZING!!!

FOUND? could you find a way to let me down slowly, if you’re leaving baby let me down slowly by ravenditefairylights (M, 36k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Reveal, Implied/Referenced Sex, Miscommunication, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, Hurt WWX, Mutual Pining, Unreliable Narrator, Self-Esteem Issues, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Protective Siblings, Trauma, Slightly dubious consent, courtesy of drunk sex, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Phoenix Mountain, Chronic Pain, Getting Together, Fix-It of Sorts, One Braincell Trio, PTSD)

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4. Hi I’m looking for a fic that has Jiang Cheng pulling Wei WuXian up from the cliff after Wen Chao throws him off of it. I can’t remember if it’s a time travel fic or if he just wakes up from the surgery early and rushes after them. He ends up getting his arm cut off when pulling Wei Ying up but then goes on to be a badass in the war. Jiang Cheng does end up with Lan Xichen as well

FOUND? Yearning for Miles by Murahi (M, 378k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Slow burn, Mutual Pining, seeing the future)

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5. Hi! I was wondering if you could help me find a fic that I've read a few months ago. Wei Wuxian was never adopted by the Jiangs and he ended up living on the streets. He isn't a cultivator either and work for the emperor instead. I remember the emperor wanting WWX marry his daughter half way through the story. I apologise if I can't describe much but its been a while since I've read it and the details are a bit foggy. @galaxiastarblr

FOUND? Copying Scriptures by chiyukimei (E, 31k, WangXian, Genius WWX, Palace, background ningsang, canon wangxian dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, LWJ Bites, LWJ is the baby of the Lan Clan, Good Uncle LQR, WangXian are parents, Fluff, Blood and Injury, Self-Harm)

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6. Hello~ For the next fic finder I'm looking for this wangxian modern au fic. Established relationship and there's also background xuanli. I don't remember exactly how but a-yuan dies and the fic deals with what happens after (a-yuan is a toddler in the fic). Wwx takes it very badly but they slowly start to heal. I would be really really glad if you could find it for me! Thank you and have a nice day ♡ @vntaebun

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7. Can anyone in mdzs fandom link me to a fic? It’s a wangxian Hades AU where wwx gives up his godhood and agrees to stay in the underworld, but hears his sister is in danger and he tries to break out of the underworld over and over again. LWJ is the god of death and keeps meeting him. I think it’s called “Who cares when they’re gone” by a camellia alice but I cannot find it on AO3 for the life of me! @sothisiswhyiamhere

FOUND! who cares when you’re gone by camellialice (M, 22k, WangXian, Hades (Video Game) Fusion, Canon-Typical Levels of Self-Sacrifice, Canon-Typical Levels of Spitting Up Blood, Canon-Typical Levels of Pining)

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8. Hi. I'm looking for a fic where LZ was a doctor (ER I think) and WY was an IT/programmer specialist (he worked for the nies?) and gave music lessons at elementaries and kindergartens. They met when LZ was late to pick LY up and WY stayed behind to look after LY. Also at one piont WY got sick with strep I think.

FOUND? Come Around and Stay by trippednfell (M, 160k, wangxian, modern, slow burn, kid fic, found family, it gets worse before it gets better, PTSD, blood and injury, dissociation, trauma, angst w happy ending, musicals, alternating pov, JC & WWX reconciliation, hurt/comfort, panic attacks)

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9. hi! i hope the mods are doing great :)) i really need help looking for a fic, i'm pretty sure it's a time travel au where before they were transported to the past, both wwx and lwj apparently dies on a night hunt together. I remember there was a chapter wher lsz was already grown up and has his own family. he held wangxian's funeral along with his siblings that wangxian adopted along the way. I swear i found it here before but i completely lost it again, thanks so much for your help !! @makkachiin

FOUND? Could be Time Charm by Jenrose (E, 141k, wangxian, later queerplatonic LWJ/WWX/WQ, LXC/JGY/2nd Madam Mo, time travel fix-it, post-canon, everyone lives au, genius inventor WWX, BAMF wangxian, first time, pregnancy, childbirth, asexual character, aftermath of time travel, telepathic bond, slice of life)

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10. For FF: Can you help me find a fic of WWX having a child with NMJ? I'm certain I've read it before but now I have no clue if my brain just...made it up or not lol

It does involve WWX getting resurrected into MXY's body though. If I'm not wrong WWX had "memory issues" that leaves holes from his past ones, that's why he doesn't remember having a Nie/Wei baby until he's back from the ritual like maybe weeks after. He also asked NHS for helping him find the child tho and kind of created miscommunications everywhere with LWJ (he also got kind pissy because he thought WWX is leaving him for somebody else). One point in the story LXC got bodyslammed by the Nie/Wei kid into the mud, and that was funny as hell

I think it's a/b/o, WWX/NMJ (Past) and WWX/LWJ (present), ft. LSZ as the middleman for everything

FOUND? Broken Memories, Broken Sabers by JaenysBloodcourt (T, 43k, MingXian, WangXian, ZhuiLingYi, Dynamics, Mpreg, Past MingXian, Jealous LWJ, Protective NHS, Protective WN, Angst and Feels, Misunderstandings, Oblivious WWX)

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11. Looking for a fic where Wangxian starts dating because LWJ sent an anonymous ask to a Tumblr blog, which WWX saw. I think the blog was the xxx-culture-is type blog?

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12. If a may ask help finding a fic it would also help me a lot, is one where the juniors time travel to the sun shot campaign and go all "Oh, the sunshot campaing isnt important" and Mingjue like "not important?" And tje juniors: "nah, is what happens next the important thing" "another war" "yes!" "No!" ... "what do you mean Jin Ling? That wasnt a war!"

Anf thats all I remember; I'll be forever grateful if you could help me 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️ @astarlith

FOUND? aim to repaint these days by NinthFeather (T, 2k, Time Travel Fix-It, Junior Ensemble Shenanigans, Humor, Sunshot Campaign, Additional Warnings In Author's Note)

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13. I’m looking for a fic where Weiying and Mo Xuanyu are in a relationship, and they take Lanzhan to bed. Wy and mxy are like extensions of the same person, and wy is still utterly infatuated with lz. Rated E, I think. Thanks so much! @where-pansies-grow

FOUND? you and me alone by plonk (Not rated, 6k, wangxian, MXY/LJW/WWX, modern)

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14. There’s I fix I’ve been trying to find and I can’t find it anywhere 😭 wangxian dates when they’re in high school and Lan zhan’s uncle does not approve so he sends him away and tells him he will not be family anymore if he goes back to Wei Ying. Wei Ying breaks up with him and then 13 years later they find each other again when the lan institute hires Wei Yings company to change the school’s system or something. It is all I remember but I know it was really good. Please help!! 😭 @danbun-22

FOUND? Tempo Rubato by Spodumene (E, 107k, WangXian, Modern AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance, Persuasion au, Separations, Mutual Pining, Depression, Miscommunication, Emotional Roller Coaster, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Reconciliation, Eventual Smut, Jane Austen Fusion, Underage Kissing)

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15. Please help me find a fic, post cql, where lan wangji is in cold recess but is in contact with Wei Ying through letters. Cloud recess is attacked during a conference by local area bad people who oppose lan wangj’s ideals. He is injured and find a 2-3year old girl with high cultivation and hides/protects her in jingshi , Wei ying comes to his aid and fight off bad people! @dramaqueenrolf

FOUND! Rabbit Heart by Suaine (M, 56k, WangXian, during the separation in ep50, some animal cruelty (not committed by main characters), WWX adopts a puppy (YES I KNOW), Family Issues, Sexual Content)

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16. Hello! I was wondering if any of you know a fic where during the Cloud Recesses Arc, WWX was working on some arrays? And I think QHJ has been the one to help WWX with them since he himself specialised in arrays but I don't remember if it might have been a time travel fix-it or not, sorry that I don't have much details :( in the event of not knowing which fic this is, do you happen to know any fics where QHJ emerges from seclusion to be more proactive in the story without him being portrayed negatively? Thank you for all your help, have a good day, mods!

FOUND? the time traveling letter series by MichelleFeather (G, 26k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ & WWX, LWJ & QHJ, Time Travel Fix-It, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Sad LWJ, Genius WWX, QHJ Lives, Parents WangXian, Not Jiāng Family Friendly, First Meetings, Love Confessions, Love Letters, Wangxian say 'fuck it' and leave the cultivation world, Requited Love, Not LXC Friendly, Not LQR Friendly, kind of, Good Father QHJ, Angry LWJ, Married WangXian, Established WangXian, LWJ & WWX Are LSZ's Parents, QHJ Lives, Good Father QHJ, WangXian Wedding, Sunshot Campaign, Abusive Jiang Family, Jiang Family Dynamics, Not JFM & YZY Friendly, WWX Creates a Sect | Yiling Wei Sect, Kinda) in it QHJ emerges from seclusion to be more proactive and in the second story he uses arrays

FOUND? The Tamed by Escheria (T, 459k, WangXian, LWJ/XZ, WYB/WWX, YiZhan, WIP, YLLZ WWX, The Untamed (TV) References, Overpowered WWX,XZ is WWX, Canon Divergence, Transmigration, Isekai, Demonic Cultivation, Genius WWX, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluff, Soulmates) the search for QHJ and him being a master of the CR Arrays, i am 99% sure, its The Tamed, the huge story that is at 460,000 words and ongoing its this story, from chapter 56 ff on, he appears at the end, WWX and QHJ, they both bond over the arrays, that they created to protect CR.

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17. hello! for the next fic finder, can you guys help me find this fic where wwx is in lan sect after sunshot with lan qiren researching about something (i forgot if lqr knew about his core, i think they're're searching scrolls abt cores, idk) then there's a specific scene where they accused wwx on putting the hundred holes curse, then i think someone demanded that wwx should open his robes. lan qiren defended him that wwx is with him that past few days and that he's not the one who put the curse.

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18. Hello! Can you help me find the fic where Wei Ying is a secret heir. He has fake identity, I think to protect him. Lan Zhan found him in an event. Wwx is bestfriends with Nhs and some of them thought that they're in a relationship. Wwx is cousins with Jiang Cheng, he sometimes the pretend boyfriend of Wwx. Uncle four is also there, as bodyguard of Wwx. There's also a scene where Lxc is worried that his baby brother got a boyfriend and he investigate who Wwx is with the help of Nhs. He is worried that Wwx only after the Lans money but he is more richer than them.

I dont know if this is one fic Wwx posted a post of his lips using Lan Zhan's account?

FOUND! Is My Brother Being Conned? by Director_XuanWu (T, 49k, WangXian, NieLan, Modern AU, Attempt at Humor, Fluff and Crack)

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19. Hi! I have request for fic finder! In this one Lwj is Wwx's neighbour and wc is Wwx's stalking ex. One day someone breaks into Wwx's house but it turns out to be Jc but they (Wwx and Lwj) had suspected the stalking ex.

That's all I remember, thanks!

FOUND? We Get To Have This by ImTaakofromTV (M, 35k, WangXian, NieLan, Modern AU, Domestic Fluff, Happy Ending, Wholesome, Neighbors, Past Child Abuse, Past Domestic Violence, Panic Attacks, Self-Worth Issues, Bunnies, past home invasion, Breaking and Entering, Learning to Trust Again, Light Misunderstandings)

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20. thank you - your recomendations help find new favorites!! I like your compilation posts too, but haven't been able to find a story i vaguely remember from years ago, when i was first discovering the Untamed. a modern fic, crossed with the Grave Robbers world - in it Wen NIng has a refuge on a mountain top, with gardens (and rabbits?) and he sort of hibernates there, waiting to reunite with Wei Ying. Zhang Quilin is curious about him, and makes it through his wards. this is all i remember!

FOUND! Wen Ning the Friendly Ghost by bookjoyworm (T, 17k, WN & ZQL, The Grave robber’s chronicles fusion, Implied/Referenced Pingxie (preslash), stories and legends, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Courtesy of Xiaoge's Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Childhood (nothing graphic), Zhang Qiling deserves friends who he won't outlive, and just yk in general, in which I take advantage of zql's hole-filled backstory, 5+1 Things)

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#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic finder #wangxian fic search #the untamed #wangxianficfinder #long post

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pinesfamilyguidetotheweird · 1 year ago

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Fragmented AU -- The Cipher Zodiac Powers

Another thing that I was debating on to reveal, but I've decided to do so.

Proceed if you dare!!!

So, in Journal 3, Soos theorized that if they were successful in sealing/banishing/destroying Bill with the magic circle thing, they were all gonna get superpowers. A theory that Dipper didn't think was gonna happen.

Well, maybe not in Dimension 46'\.

But was made possible in Dimension 46-Delta, the version that the Fragmented AU takes place.

Perhaps due to a disturbance in the multiverse, the Cipher Ten was born with powers or would usually start to appear at around 13 years old. Whenever they use their powers, their eyes would glow a color. While they would share some specific ability, each of them have a unique power.

(I am using terms from the Superpower Wiki; one of my favs)

/////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Dipper -- Cyan -- Personal Energy

For any My Hero Academia fans, it's sorta similar to One for All in that a powerful energy generates and flows throughout Dipper's body. And I make the comparison because, in a way, Dipper reminds me of Izuku (nerdy characters, bullied, penchan for journaling, kinda talks out loud, deep idolization of their respective mentors...etc)

Mabel -- Magenta -- Imagination Manifestation

Couldn't think of any power better than this for a dreamer like Mabel. Now, granted, I was a little hesitant on giving Mabel this ability as it can easily be OP *Cough*GremmyfromBleach*Cough* coughing...However, I hopefully manage to come up with a limit. It depends on the scale of her imagination as well as her attention span and where she is.

(Note: Neither's powers manifested until the week of their 13th birthday.)

Stan -- Yellow -- Fire Generation/Manipulation

...I'm sure someone might make a connection of sorts. Also, blame @factual-fantasy for this (I love their AUs). Some back story time: as mentioned, some powers come around at birth, but for the Pines twins (both generations), theirs come later near the age of 13. So, Stan's powers manifested one day and he was surprised that the fire didn't really burn anything unless he willed it to. He wanted to show Ford, but decided to keep it a secret because...well he didn't want the bullying to get worse for both of them. It wouldn't be until later in life that Stan will show Ford, who has become aware of people with superpowers (ie, Fiddleford). Ford reacted... Well, Ford reacted in a way that Stan didn't expect and decided to not show it to him again. Interestingly enough, Ford had forgotten all about it, but Stan still remembers and refuses to let Ford see it again. He has a similar resolve to the kids due to what happened to their parents.

Ford -- Crimson -- ??? (Unknown)

As far as anyone is concerned, Ford hasn't shown signs of having any unique powers. Stan is curious, but figures that his high IQ is the power. Is that the case, or is it that he just doesn't have one? Or it just hasn't manifested yet, even into adulthood? Or maybe its because I have yet to make up my mind about what I want to give him? Who knows! lol

Soos -- Spring Green -- Stomach Storage

Only in the realm of cartoon logic would this make sense. Basically, Soos has access to a pocket dimension where he can store things via swallowing them whole and not chew it. Because if he does, it'll just go straight to his actual stomach. And while Soos is generally unbothered by it, the others took time to get used to it. And even then, it was still mildly unnerving to witness.

Wendy -- Amber -- Ice Generation/Manipulation

I originally wanted to give her something like super strength, but then I figured that it could just be a Corduroy trait. So, I gave her ice powers. There was a scrapped episode of Wendy getting weather-based powers and I am so curious as to what that would've entailed. Like, what was the story gonna be? How did she acquire that power? Would the episode reveal something about her mother?

Fiddleford -- Green -- Scanning

Whenever I get stumped on giving a character a power, I just take inspiration from their zodiac symbol. So, for Fidds, I just picked an ability called Scanning. He's like a human USB or 'data' storage of anything he sees, analyzing the data and information of anything not just technological and digital, but also biological, chemical and all that. He can also scan vitals (sort of like Baymax), which is proven to be useful when you have a friend who has a tendency to ignore his biological limitations.

(Note: I will say that both Fiddleford and Stan kept their powers a secret throughout their childhood and young adulthood, as one can imagine that once the word of their powers gets to the wrong person...well...things could've gotten bad for them.)

Pacifica -- Violet -- Animal Empathy

Another instance of me taking inspiration from the zodiac symbol. Not necessarily a Dr. Dolittle kind of thing, as she can't communicate directly with animals, but she can understand the animal's emotions and intentions. The same is said the other way around.

Robbie -- Gray/Silver -- Symphokinesis

I have seen four anime where singing/music is used in combat, Symphogear, Macross Frontier, One Piece, and Cross Ange, and I love it. I love music in general. So, Robbie can use this power via his own singing voice and guitar playing. Plus, he can expand the effect if he harmonizes with others through music. The effects and intensity of his powers usually lie in his intentions and emotions. After all, some say music speaks from the soul. From the heart.

Gideon -- Azure -- Telekinesis and Telepathy

Because why not? At least I didn't have to think too hard on what power to give the little menace. I'd imagine that with the amulet, he had very little limitations to what he can do with his telekinesis. But, since now it is his own power, it's very limited to what his mind can handle, which is surprisingly strong for a 10/11 year old. Remember: He's still a kid with kid-level emotions. Now, he can't read every mind and thought. Some mental walls are stronger than others and his telepathy usually works better on trusting/gullible/innocent people. Of course, it doesn't work on Ford for obvious reasons.

#gravity falls #stanford pines #grunkle ford #ford pines #stanley pines #grunkle stan #mabel pines #dipper pines #soos ramirez #wendy corduroy #fiddleford hadron mcgucket #fiddleford mcgucket #pacifica northwest #robbie valentino #gideon gleeful #fragmented au

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tinfoil-jones · 16 days ago

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Gravity Falls: For Your Own Good, Ch. 9

Summary: A few years after moving to Gravity Falls and having his lab built, Stanford Pines happens upon his estranged twin brother, Stanley. He mentally prepared himself to be suffocated by his brothers neediness all over again - what he wasn't prepared for was Stanley walking right past him like he didn't even notice him.

Rating: M for language, violence, and adult implications

Preface: Dialogue only, but some actions will be annotated for clarity. Cross-Posted on AO3 Here

First - Prev - Next

CH.9

“Why don’t criminals trust stairs?”

“Stanley, I am trying to work.”

“Because they’re always up to something.”

*Ford covering his mouth with his hand because he’s trying really hard not to laugh*

“Why don’t criminals like elevators? Because they hate getting taken down.”

*Ford faceplanting on his desk and slamming his fist on it because he’s trying not to laugh*

“What do you call a criminal snob going downstairs? A condescending con descending.”

“E-enough! I’m going to put you on mute if you don’t stop.”

“Ah, come on man. It’s not like I got much else to do here. I can’t even write in that notebook you guys gave me anymore cause I got nothing to write with.”

“Maybe you would still have writing utensils if we didn't run out because you chewed up all of the other ones we gave you.”

“I can’t help it, PhD. I’m on day seven of nicotine withdrawal and it’s still kicking my ass. I get that this whole lab is a ‘no smoking’ zone, but I saw stretch using dip, and you didn’t say anything; just looked at him in a passive aggressive, judgemental way.”

“Tobacco is a nasty habit, and you are better off losing that vice while you’re still in a controlled environment. Our father never kicked it on his own, so this is really for your own-.”

“Yeah, yeah Doc. For my own good. I’ve heard it a million times. Do you like, keep score of how many times you say that, is someone keeping track of it? Or is that your only excuse for the insane crap you’re always pulling.”

“If it will placate you and keep you quiet, I’ll wheel over a television.”

“You have one of those down here?”

“I primarily use it as a device that decrypts thoughts, but its original function is still intact. Let me bring it over.”

“How uncharacteristically considerate of you.”

“You’re watching The Black and White Period Piece Old Lady Boring Movie Channel.”

“Wait a second, where's the remote?”

“There isn’t one.”

“Stay tuned for the six episode marathon of The Six Wives of Henry VIII, starring Keith Michell as Henry VIII, Annette Crosbie as Catherine of Aragon, Dorothy Tutin as Anne Boleyn-”

“Change the channel. PhD, I swear to God.”

“Anne Stallybrass as Jane Seymour, Elvi Hale as Anne of Cleves, Angela Pleasance as Catherine Howard, and Rosalie Crutchley as Catherine Parr.”

“No- NO!”

*Ford presses the mute button on the cell*

(...)

160 minutes later…

“Stanford, I brought those scrap m- what in Sam Hell?”

“I appreciate it, Fiddleford.”

“Is there a particular reason Stan is staring unblinking at that TV screen?”

“I put on a soap opera because I thought he would hate it. But he… really got into it.”

“Is that the same reason why his desk chair is smashed in the corner?”

“Yes, there was a plot twist he did not find agreeable. I tried to change the channel after one episode, but he gave me such a look that I truly believe if I did, he would find a way to break the forcefield just to strangle me.”

“That’s… Not what I expected from someone like him.”

“I’ve never seen him get this way. Not even during a baseball game or boxing match where he made the wrong bet.”

“It can’t rightly be that interesting.”

*Fiddleford pulls up a chair near the cell to watch the TV*

“You both do that. I still have important research to document.”

(...)

240 minutes later…

*all three of them are staring at the TV and don’t start blinking until the credits roll*

“I’ll tell you what, fellers, I can’t believe Gardiner got away with everything.”

“I know, right? Whatever Jesus approves of, I’m sure it’s not that.”

"We're Jewish, Stanley."

"Really? Well that explains why I distinctly remember the Aryan Brotherhood nearly beating me to death in prison."

"They what?!"

"Calm down PhD, I said nearly."

(...)

"Stanley, it has almost been ten days, it’s time to remove your stitches."

"Give me some nail clippers, I'll do it myself."

"Properly. Come on, don't be such a wuss about it."

“Can’t F do it instead?”

“No, he is in town on a supply run. Also, the only difference between you and I and under that shirt is the amount of rolls.”

“Ouch, low blow PhD. It’s not like you’re a runway model either. Fine, but any more cracks on my weight, and I’m going to remind you I’m a threat inside and outside of bars.”

"What are these, circles-? Wait, burns? ...Who did this to you?"

"... Don't worry about it."

"I am going to worry about it! Stanley, who did this?"

"It doesn't matter..."

"It does! Please, I'm your brother just-"

"Don't make me think about it, I don’t remember a lot but- I don't like remembering that."

"Oh Stanley." *hugs him even though it isn't returned* "I'm so sorry. Whatever happened, you didn't deserve that."

"You'd be surprised."

To be continued...

#for your own good #early amnesia au #mystery trio #fords evil basement sub-lab #he did it guys he said the title #ford isnt a mad scientist hes a sad scientist #Stan calling Ford anything but his name #gravity falls #cross posted on ao3 #fanfic #fanfiction #stanley pines #stan pines #stanford pines #ford pines #fiddleford hadron mcgucket #fiddleford mcgucket #the six wives of henry viii #fiddlestan

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watchmenanon · 2 years ago

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THE ‘STRANGER THINGS’ BOYS ARE OUR ‘NYLON GUYS’ SEPTEMBER 2017 COVER STARS

If anyone understands the sudden shift from “not fitting in” to “one-million-plus followers,” it’s these guys.

The following feature appears in the September 2017 issue of NYLON Guys.

Finn Wolfhard just couldn’t resist. Despite needing to be camera-ready for his NYLON photo shoot, the 14-year-old star of Stranger Things decided to suck on a blue Warhead anyway, and now he’s paying the price. “All these sets have candy on them, and I can’t help myself. It was a mistake,” he admits, sheepishly trying to scrub the cerulean stain from his tongue with a miniature toothbrush. To his right, Gaten Matarazzo wears a gray T-shirt that reads, uh oh! did my sarcasm hurt your feelings?, a slogan worthy of Dustin Henderson, the lovable wisecracker he plays opposite Wolfhard on the hit Netflix show. Matarazzo, also 14, is getting his trademark tangle of curls straightened, much to the delight of Noah Schnapp, who, at 12, is the youngest in this group of breakout stars that has helped make Stranger Things the most obsessed-over show in Netflix’s boundless roster of original series. Missing is Caleb McLaughlin, the energetic 15-year-old who plays Lucas Sinclair, but he’s on his way over in a black car, having just arrived from Los Angeles, fresh off an appearance at the BET Awards.

It’s the first time the boys have been together in several weeks, and none of them can pinpoint exactly when they were last in the same room. Ever since Stranger Things became a cultural phenomenon last summer, they’ve been swept up in a whirlwind of red carpets, talk shows, and fan conventions. And as the premiere of the sci-fi and horror fantasia’s top-secret second season nears, this summer has been overtaken by a flurry of promotional duties. Next week, while most kids their age are cooling off in pools or testing out the latest in roller coaster technology, Matarazzo and McLaughlin will be at Denver Comic Con, signing autographs and posing for selfies with wide-eyed fans. A few weeks after that, all four will find themselves inside the hallowed Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, where they’ll premiere the thrilling trailer for Season 2 to rapturous applause.

But on this day, even though they’re technically at work, the boys still find time to goof off. They are, after all, best friends—like brothers, even, they say—and there’s a lot of catching up to do, memes to be shared, and jokes to be cracked. “We used to call Noah ‘Señor Biebs,’” Matarazzo offers at one point, due to Schnapp’s Season 1 bowl cut and its resemblance to the former haircut of a certain Canadian pop star. “He hates it!” he says, just before he sticks his finger into Schnapp’s ear (playfully, of course).

Inside the bright and breezy photo studio on Manhattan’s West Side, publicists abound, but because these budding stars are still minors, there are also parents. It’s an unusual sight, and a reminder that despite having very grown-up jobs, they’re still not old enough to drive. Wolfhard, the Vancouver native who plays Mike Wheeler, is here with his father, as is Matarazzo, who hails from Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. Schnapp and his parents came in from Westchester County, north of the city. When McLaughlin, who grew up in Carmel, New York, finally arrives lugging a suitcase that’s almost as big as he is, he’s accompanied by his father, a burly man in an Atlanta Braves cap who goes around the room with his son hugging the other parents, a reminder of how tight the makeshift family has become since this odyssey began more than two years ago.

Stranger Things premiered as an underdog. Its creators, the twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, were unproven talents who had previously written for the Fox sci-fi series Wayward Pines. Except for Winona Ryder’s comeback as a grieving mother searching for her missing son, the cast was composed largely of unknowns and newcomers. But thanks to its double dose of supernatural intrigue and a nostalgic ’80s-tinged glow, along with a miraculous performance by a young British actress with a shaved head, Stranger Things quickly commandeered the pop-culture conversation in a way that few shows have done. In July, the show received a staggering 18 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.

Created by the Duffers in the spirit of the Amblin-era entertainments they were raised on, the eight-episode first season is set in 1983 in Hawkins, Indiana, and unravels the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Will Byers, played by Schnapp, who vanishes in the first episode after an encounter with the show’s resident boogeyman, the otherworldly creature known as the Demogorgon. As Will’s three misfit best friends—Mike, Lucas, and Dustin—embark on a quest to find him, they uncover an alternate dimension they dub The Upside Down, and a sinister government conspiracy that may be responsible for opening it. They also befriend Eleven, the feral girl with telekinetic powers embodied iconically by 13-year-old Millie Bobby Brown.

Stranger Things began filming its second season under very different circumstances than the first. What once felt like a scrappy production free of scrutiny from outside sources suddenly had the mood and atmosphere of a major Hollywood blockbuster. “Netflix knew it would be a good show,” McLaughlin says, “but they didn’t realize how big it would be and that the whole world was going to freak out about it.” Because of that intense interest from both the network and the public, the set suddenly had a noticeable security presence shielding it from nosy onlookers and paparazzi, while network executives showed up to make sure their prized racehorse was galloping along. Suddenly, there were expectations. “We raised the bar pretty high with the first season,” says Matarazzo. “There was a lot more tension on set, in that we really needed to make sure it was good.”

When Season 2 premieres on October 27, a year will have passed since Eleven sacrificed herself to defeat the faceless Demogorgon and save the boys, in the Season 1 finale. Trying to squeeze spoilers out of Wolfhard, McLaughlin, Schnapp, and Matarazzo is useless. Extensive media training, including detailed notes on what they can and can’t discuss, have transformed them into a rare breed: teenagers who can keep a secret. What they can say: Season 2 is bigger, darker, and scarier. There’s also a new character in town, played by Sadie Sink. (According to the Duffers, Millie Bobby Brown was “relieved” to have another girl on set.) “She’s a skater, sort of a punk girl, and she slowly becomes part of the group,” says Wolfhard, who also says his character will be depressed and “a loner” in the wake of Eleven’s disappearance. What they can’t say: pretty much everything else. But it��s not just scoop-hungry journalists who harass them for info. “Whenever you get recognized by fans, most of the time they ask you if you’ve got any spoilers for Season 2, and I’m like, ‘No, none, not at all,’” says Matarazzo. “It’s definitely kind of stressful.”

One of the biggest changes for the new season is the expansion of Schnapp’s screen time. Because his character spends much of the first season trapped in an alternate dimension, Schnapp spent a good deal of time at home in New York while everyone else filmed in Atlanta. “Last year I would drive up to the studio and everyone would be like, ‘Hey, Noah, we’ve missed you! How’ve you been?’” says Schnapp. “This year was a lot easier because last year, I’d have to go in and out of school, and that was hard. This year I could focus.”

Although he’s rescued from The Upside Down, we last saw Schnapp removing a slithery creature from his mouth, a telltale sign that not all is well with Will Byers. For Schnapp, whose character mostly communicated through Christmas lights in Season 1, the new episodes meant new challenges as an actor. “Shawn Levy, one of our directors, was telling me, ‘Noah, you have something really big this season. We have a lot in store for you, and you should get really excited,’” he says. Schnapp felt the added pressure, and would sometimes text his TV mom, Ryder, for extra help with particularly emotional scenes. “We knew we needed a strong actor in case the series moved forward into a second season, because we knew he was going to be a centerpiece,” says Matt Duffer. “We needed not just a good actor, but a really, really good actor.” Schnapp rose to the occasion, according to the Duffers. “Shawn [Levy] was like, ‘We’ve had a Ferrari sitting in the garage all of Season 1, and now the fucking garage doors are open.’”

The Duffers knew that casting child actors, who have a tendency to favor exaggerated performances over naturalistic ones, would make or break their show. “There’s really nothing worse than a bad child performance,” Ross Duffer says. “You couldn’t have any weaknesses, or the eight hours would be excruciating.” Along with their casting director, the Duffers saw what they estimate to be 900 kids, an undertaking they say was easier than it sounds because they could tell within the first few minutes if the actor had what they needed. “You’re looking for something authentic, and most kids don’t have it,” says Ross. “There are the ones that are obviously well-trained, but they feel too Disney, like they’re winking at the camera.” What the Duffers found with their four young male stars were kids who seemed like actual kids.

Matarazzo was the first one cast, his audition so impressive that he found out he got the part on the way back from the airport. “We didn’t really even know who the Dustin character was until we found Gaten,” says Matt Duffer. “He was sort of a generic nerd with glasses. He was a stereotype.” Matarazzo, whose sense of humor inspired the Duffers to transform Dustin into the show’s primary source of comic relief, has grown up with a condition known as cleidocranial dysplasia, which stunts the development of bones and teeth. “We wanted to make a show about outsiders, about kids who didn’t fit in and who were bullied and made fun of,” says Matt. “Gaten was really able to tap into all of that.”

McLaughlin and Matarazzo had known each other from their days as stars in two of Broadway’s biggest shows. Matarazzo portrayed Gavroche in��Les Misérables, and McLaughlin played Simba in The Lion King. They’d often see each other in a park frequented by “Broadway kids,” as Matarazzo calls them. “When I found out Caleb had gotten Lucas I was like, ‘Caleb? Where do I know that name from?’” he recalls. Wolfhard and Schnapp established an early connection, too—sort of. “He doesn’t remember me, but I remember him,” Wolfhard says. “Because I asked him what other projects he had done, and he said, ‘I was the voice of Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie.’ I was like, ‘What?! You’re Charlie Brown?’ I was so pysched about that.”

Although they had all crossed paths during the audition process, usually around the hotel pool or at chemistry reads, it wasn’t until they arrived in Atlanta to begin production that all four boys, along with Millie Bobby Brown, found themselves together in the same room for the first time. If there was a first-day-of-school feel, it made sense: They met in a classroom, which is where the young cast of Stranger Things still spend most of their time when they’re not filming. That grueling schedule means the only opportunities they get to really mess around are between takes, and sometimes during them. “We have laughing problems,” says McLaughlin. Matt Duffer elaborates: “We definitely have an issue, where we can’t get through a take without someone busting up. They’re always making each other crack up—the number of takes ruined by laughter is in the hundreds.”

Schnapp was at summer camp when Stranger Things dropped on Netflix. He wasn’t allowed to have his phone, but shortly after the series premiered, one of his counselors happened to check his Instagram account—80,000 followers. The next day it was 85,000. “I was like, ‘Wait, what’s going on?’ I think I was at one follower before that,” Schnapp says. Wolfhard also remembers that odd rush of watching his followers skyrocket and realizing his life was changing right in front of his eyes. McLaughlin felt his anonymity evaporate the first time he was recognized. “In L.A., this kid came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, are you Caleb Reginald McLaughlin?’” he says. “And I’m like, ‘What? You know my middle name? That’s nuts.’”

The connection between the boys is strengthened by the surreal turn their lives have taken, circumstances that most kids their age can’t relate to. When Matarazzo, McLaughlin, and Wolfhard met Barack Obama last October, as guests of the White House’s South by South Lawn festival, the former president, who’s a fan of the show, told them he especially enjoyed their on-screen camaraderie. That bond exists offscreen, too, and has only gotten stronger with every award show and panel. “They really are my best friends,” Matarazzo says. “We can relate to each other a lot more than other people can. People try to understand everything that goes on, but they can’t unless they’ve been there.”

“I don’t think any of the kids would say that our friendship is similar to the friendships they have back home, because it’s not,” says Wolfhard. “No kid has ever really had an experience that I’m experiencing right now—it’s a unique sort of friendship.”

Wolfhard is careful not to bring his work home with him. “If you go home and all you talk about is acting, then you’re a douchebag,” he says. “Your friends don’t want to hear about your professional life, they just want to mess around.” Plus, when you’re 14 years old, talking about work is never cool, even if it involves facing off against a faceless interdimensional demon. The boys are also learning that with a great number of Instagram followers comes great responsibility. “We have to be more cautious with what we say on social media and in public,” says McLaughlin, who was shocked to lose followers after he openly rooted for the Golden State Warriors during the NBA playoffs.

While Netflix has yet to make an official announcement, a third season of Stranger Things is a given, meaning the boys are all but guaranteed to live out their teenage years on one of the most popular shows on television. The Duffers, then, will have to follow in the footsteps of long-running properties like Game of Thrones and the Harry Potter franchise in making sure their child actors don’t grow up faster than their characters. “It’s terrifying,” Matt Duffer says. “I shouldn’t even be highlighting this, but if you watch Season 2, they’ve grown from Episode 1 to Episode 9. I’m terrified one of them is going to have a major growth spurt basically in the middle of shooting. But as long as they’re growing outside of the course of our shooting, I’m not too worried about it, because we just have to build it into our story. As much as you would like to keep some of it more continuous, every time we take a break between seasons, we have to make a year time jump at least.”

All four actors say that they want to remain in show business into adulthood. Wolfhard, who obsessively studies the filmmaking process while on set—he’ll star in the remake of Stephen King’s It, in theaters this month—is eyeing a multihyphenate career as a director, actor, and musician. Back at the photo shoot, Matarazzo and Schnapp gather around his iPhone to watch a video Wolfhard co-directed for a friend’s band, Spendtime Palace. Earlier this year, McLaughlin, who is a trained dancer, played a young Ricky Bell on the BET miniseries The New Edition Story, an experience he describes as “historic.” Matarazzo wants to continue acting, but not forever, and is keeping an open mind about other aspects of the industry. Schnapp, who took his first acting class at the age of six, describes winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series as one of the greatest moments of his life, and is doing exactly what he wants. (The boys, who describe the awards as “very heavy,” keep them in their bedrooms, except for Matarazzo, who has been meaning to retrieve his from his grandparents’ house. )

“They all love what they’re doing,” says Matt Duffer. “They love coming to set, they love working, they love acting. In terms of the fame thing, it’s a side effect that I think some of them are more into than others. You’re worried about, ‘What if they realize this isn’t their true passion?’ They’re so young. But this year those fears went away. They’re all very committed to this. That’s the important thing, that they enjoy what they’re doing. And that they’re passionate about it.”

#noah schnapp #will byers #finn wolfhard #mike wheeler #caleb mclaughlin #lucas sinclair #gaten matarazzo #dustin henderson #st articles #byler #<target audience

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oatmealdaydreams · 2 months ago

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Oooh, intrigued, what's Radonulia (I probs spelled that wrong, sorry)

-g

(don't worry, ya spelled it right; might be spoilers for the Gravity Falls show if you haven't watched all of it yet)

TW: discussion of effects of radiation and everything therein

Okay, buckle up, this is gonna be a long rant.

Radonulia is Dimension R4D-38, also known as the Radiation Dimension. It's not one that is very safe for humans because, y'know, a severe excess of radiation that's literally everywhere.

It hadn't always been like that. There was this World-Ending Event™ known as the Great Explosion of 3478 that really fucked up their dimension. In fact, it fucked it up so bad that the dimension shrinked about 20 times its original size due to all the damage. It's considered a dying dimension due to it still gradually shrinking in size.

Surviving inhabitants adapted and persevered, though not unscathed. Let's just say there were various mutations that occurred through generations that literally changed the inner structure of the inhabitants. Especially when you compare them to pre-Great Explosion vs post-Great Explosion.

Now, Radonulia has these dual-suns, the Twin Suns known as Pol and Lop. They're a sickly green colour and look absolutely horrid. It also has three distant moons: Nodar, Norad, and Darod. Because of how close the Twins Suns are and how distant the Three Moons are, days in Radonulia are very long and nights are few compared to Earth. Like, in human years, the moons only passed around Radonulia three times a year. Their year is documented as 7 nights and 23 days, which is the human equivalent of 2760 days and 854 nights.

And yes, I did the math for that.

Radonulians have their own alien language, which is spoken through what sounds like crackling static and radio frequencies (at least, to human ears). It was promptly named Radio Speak by Stanford Pines (Gravity Falls) while he was dimension-hopping. It's actually one of the most difficult alien languages for humans to learn because humans don't have the necessary mutations in their vocal cords to speak it fluently.

Uh, yeah. There's more but this is so long already, lol.

#radonulia: the radiation dimension #radonulia #the radiation dimension #dimension R4D-38 #gravity falls #dimension made by me #fanmade dimension #mine #tw radiation #tw effects of radiation #stanford pines #he's mentioned so lol #long post

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ryverbind · 1 year ago

Text

Faceless Fixation {Sal Fisher}: If You Miss Me, Say Hello-- If You Want Me, Then Say So [15.2]

Sal's Lore (Part One)

———

A/N::: Step Out From The Inside and Say Goodnight by Bullet For My Valentine are really good songs that scream Sal for this chap if you want to give it a try <3

—————

Sal was a bitter, revenge-driven soul by the time he turned eighteen. He had fought off his wrathful demons for years, but he could only keep them at bay for so long. In fact, to this day, he remembers the turning point for him like it was yesterday. The day he stopped the war being waged in his mind.

It was cool in Nockfell, a bit chilly. October. Halloween was just around the corner. The city was just like it always was and is-- trapped in an eternal autumn where the trees are always dead, the leaves are always crunchy, the air is always crisp, and the unique scent of Granny Smith's mixed with freshly carved pumpkins was a constant.

Nockfell was stagnant. It never changed. It wasn't much and the population was so small that it was technically Nockfell Village, but one thing that no one could deny was that it was beautiful and had its interesting points.

Sal had just finished his classes for the day-- it was nearly three in the afternoon on a Friday. There was supposed to be a bonfire down at Wendigo Lake once the sun went down. The bonfire happened on this day every year. It was a Nockfell tradition to ring in the official start of their pumpkin harvest.

Pumpkins were an important part of Nockfell's rich history. Just as sugarcane harvests are something to celebrate in Louisiana and California has their lemon festivals, pumpkins were Nockfell's thing. Wendigo Lake's Annual Pre-Harvest Bonfire was important; always happened the night before the city's Pumpkin Festival.

Everyone was prepared with pumpkins littering every inch of open space possible, so the afternoon was a breath of fresh air to Sal. It was nostalgic. It was the part of his childhood he preferred, the part that wasn't so tragic.

Sal trudged home in his new pair of cornflower blue-colored Converse. His original pair had long worn away by this point, but he found another pair to replace them.

He was alone, gaze glued to the world of orange and yellow around him. All the big white houses with their wide porches looking like props from horror movies. He half expected Michael Myers to pop out of a bush. The Halloween decorations on display only helped to liven up his imagination. What he wouldn't give to have a moment with Michael Myers over their shared masks.

Children were beginning to return home now, too. They would shoot off of their buses and run straight to leaf piles that were freshly raked up by their busy fathers. Sal watched a pair of twins scatter the dead leaves all over the ground again, only for a man to stomp around the corner of his home to yell at his children for pushing his work back.

But again, Sal was alone and he couldn't have been more aware of it. It wasn't unusual. Ash went home in her car, Larry dropped by Mr. Addison's recently purchased grocery store to collect his weekly work check, and Todd went to Neil's house for the weekends.

It was just Sal on Friday afternoons. Him and his constantly raging thoughts. And his feet crunching leaves and pine needles that littered the sidewalk. And his shoulder-length azure hair billowing in the soft breeze. His fingers pulling at the straps of his backpack.

Most importantly about this particular day's scene was that Sal felt numb. He was tired-- exhausted. Completely drained and so sick of acting like he had forgiven the person who tore his life apart before it had even really begun.

Everyone always said the right thing to do was forgive, but Sal didn't understand why that was the solution. He would write down the things he wanted to say to the person who ripped him apart. He cried about how disheartened he was, screamed at his ceiling while he showered, begging for the pain to go away. Forgiveness had done nothing to heal him, and he was absolutely sure that his forgiveness didn't matter to his mother's murderer.

For far too long, he had held back every single emotion and reaction that he should've gotten out. He was starting to wonder why he ever did that in the first place. In the way shaking a bottle of soda would cause it to burst, Sal was doing the same with his own feelings. He was constantly being shaken up and he knew he would blow any second at that point. He kept trying to push it down, but on that day, walking along Nockfell's near empty streets, Sal suspected his moment was right around the corner.

Cutting away at his skin offered only little relief at one point, but now it did nothing. He itched for emotional release, for catharsis-- but he was too afraid to look for it and didn't know how to achieve it. He was stuck. At a dark, twisted standstill with himself.

All he ever felt deep down at that time was envy and anger. He constantly craved the lives his friends lived. They were able to show off their faces in peace. They slept well at night, and for eight full hours he begrudgingly presumed. They had their parents, their families. Sal had his dad and he had his friends-- he was grateful for them, but it was just never enough. No matter how badly he wanted what he already had to be enough. He was always yearning for something, but he could never really figure out what it was that he wanted.

Did he want someone to love? Someone to love him? A face? His mother? A good night's sleep?

Sal was disgusted with himself, with his indecisive and ungrateful shit. With his horrible luck. He was his own personal pity party. How pathetic.

He couldn't do a single thing. Sal was just doomed to suffer forever.

He was starting to feel restless, like a zip-tie pulled too tight, just seconds away from snapping. And the sudden howl from beside him only tightened that tie. He went rigid in his stance, one foot caught mid-step. His head snapped up, blue hair falling into the eyeholes of his prosthetic, tickling his eyelashes.

Sal brushed his hair away from his face when a little giggle followed the scream he'd just heard-- he wasn't about to be attacked. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

He blinked at two teenagers running around someone's front lawn. They looked happy, energetic. Unbothered by the terrors of the world around them. He felt jealous, but he felt like scoffing at their ignorance too. Didn't they know that people were suffering somewhere in the world? How could they be so carefree-- how could they be happy?

Sal had to remind himself every single day that he couldn't actually think that way about other people. Everyone was allowed to be happy at some point, he was allowed some relief too. He just didn't get it often enough for it to really... matter.

But one little splash of joy in his deadened life was curled up in his bed at home and waiting for his afternoon snack. So Sal turned his attention away from the happy kids, focused on getting home yet again. But when his head swerved to look back to the placement of his feet, he noticed a pair of shoes a few steps away from him.

Sal's gaze traveled up the person's body, his blood going ice cold once he realized that it was Travis standing before him. Not to mention, the horrified expression on the bully's face was a bit startling to the bluenette.

Travis's face was always bruised or scratched in some form or another. Sal felt a bit morbid when thinking that Travis's abused skin just so happened to bring out the mahogany shade of his dark eyes. And the bully's hair was in a purposefully messy state that was just so exemplary to Sal. Even if the dark roots of his bleached hair needed to be dyed again, he still managed to make it into something attractive. Sal was, again, envious. But more prominent than his envy was his rage and his fear.

Sal stood there, assessing Travis's fearful figure with wide, wary eyes, even if only one of them worked anymore.

A wave of disdain cursed Sal. Every single day, he had to find a way around Travis and that afternoon he had to do it again. He should have been free of his bully for the rest of the weekend, so what business did Travis have there?

Whether their interactions were verbal or bloody, Sal still despised having to so much as be in the blonde asshole's vicinity. He didn't mind watching Travis-- watching him was simple, noninvasive, and even interesting at times. But actually having to be near him and listen to his insults? Sal would rather avoid that.

So he tried to go for the ignorance route-- sidestep Travis and pretend he never saw him. But as soon as Sal took a single step forward, Travis barked out his name. It was so frantic and desperate that Sal couldn't help but flinch. And despite his better judgement, Sal stopped moving. He couldn't help it, the pause was instinctual. He stared at Travis, wide-eyed and trying to hold up a half decent glare.

Travis and Sal had one singular moment of understanding years ago-- their freshman year of high school. The bully's vulnerability now reminded Sal of their one moment. The bluenette had always been too empathetic to ignore someone in need-- even if it was Travis who bothered him to no end when Sal happened upon him crying in the bathroom one day.

But that didn't matter anymore, or it shouldn't at least because the day after that moment, Travis reverted back to his well-known asshole persona. Sal had been so disappointed in himself for wasting his time that day a few years back. He thought he had finally made a friend of the closed-off bully, but it turned out that nothing changed.

On the sidewalk, standing before Travis, Sal was reminded of the day a stall door separated the two young men. Watching the more grown up version of Travis made Sal feel like he was just going to waste his time again by assuming that the blonde had changed. Sal shouldn't keep hoping for change, but he couldn't help it.

Sal continued to wait to hear him out anyway. Watched a fidgety, red-faced Travis who looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

"I'm moving," Travis finally spoke, his voice was quivering. "Away from Nockfell."

That was news to Sal. Not like it mattered much-- this just meant that he could finally be at peace with his not-so-normal, every day life. If anything, Sal was actually elated.

"And I'll probably never see you again," Travis continued, looking off to the side. "So I wanted to tell you something. Before I go." The boy frequently paused, unable to really look Sal in the eye or keep the tremor from his deep voice.

Sal chewed on his scarred bottom lip, trying to ignore the way it felt like biting on ripped leather. "If it's to call me a freak like you've done for the past four years, you can just leave now," he snapped, his tone soft like it always was because God forbid he release all the pent up rage and aggression. Losing his filter in front of Travis was never on Sal's list of things to accomplish.

Sal could hear Travis audibly gulp at the cold words directed at him. "No," Travis squeaked, "I-- I never meant any of that."

Sal scrunched his face up at such a sad attempt at a lie. The tip of his nose brushed the inside of his prosthetic, teeth bared as he snorted tastelessly, "Could have fooled me." Just like he thought-- a waste of time.

Without a moment of hesitation, the bluenette stepped onto the curb of the street, passing up Travis. He didn't look at him, didn't acknowledge his presence anymore. He was done dealing with this asshole. He had a date with Gizmo, Travis didn't matter.

Sal resurfaced on the opposite side of Travis, their backs to each other. He tried to clear his mind, to ignore the burning rage scratching at his spine. Travis was leaving, things were going to be better. He just had to remember that. He had to hold onto that.

"I'm in love with you!" A soft, almost inaudible whimper followed that declaration. "I always have been..."

Sal's mind turned to mush. He suddenly couldn't think, couldn't form words or comprehend what was just said. He simply took pause-- his steps and thoughts simultaneously ceasing. He was at a standstill with the rest of the world around him. Where was he even supposed to start in dissecting what Travis had just said?

Sal's heart thrummed wildly inside his chest. He was enraptured by the prospect of being loved-- didn't matter who loved him. It was the fact that maybe just one person loved him romantically. But then again, how could anyone love him? Especially homophobic, ableist Travis of all people. What was going on here? Obviously Travis was lying, but why would he drag himself down with Sal? What was the purpose?

Sal didn't know how to calm his mind, he didn't know how to pick a side. He wanted to be excited so badly, but he knew better. He knew that this was just another one of Travis's devious plots in stomping him into his grave. Sal grew increasingly disappointed in himself. Every. Single. Day. But hoping for Travis to love him? Trusting it even if just for a moment? Getting excited over it? That was breaking boundaries. He needed to draw the line for himself.

But the issue was that he had already crossed that line he was struggling to build last minute. All of the build up over the past few years was coming to a breaking point and he could feel it. He could smell it. He could taste it. The numbness traveled throughout his entire body-- it was in his blood, in his bones, in his DNA by this point and he was going to snap. There was no holding it back anymore.

Sal turned his head over his shoulder to address Travis, hands clenching into fists as he fought for clarification, for just a moment of relief. His fingernails bit into his palms, a sweet little stinging sensation following the sudden puncture. "What?" He snapped at Travis.

Travis took a breath, his entire body rising with the intake. Sal's gaze was caught in a snare-- eyes glued to the bully's red cheeks and watery eyes. "Do you remember when you found me crying all those years ago?" He asked Sal, voice cracking and quivering. Had Sal not been so pissed off and confused and saddened and every other emotion in the world, he'd have been intoxicated by the sound of Travis tripping over himself. "I was just beginning to acknowledge my feelings for you that day," he continued, swiping a hand over his bruised cheek. Travis' lips trembled, effectively showing off the healing cut on his bottom lip.

"I wrote it all down to try and get the thoughts out of my head, but it only got worse. I couldn't--" Travis stopped, clutching his shaky hands to his chest. "It was hard for me. I shouldn't be gay, I can't be. But... I've learned over the past three years that I am. And I've loved you from the start, no matter how much I hate to admit it."

Sal's head began shaking immediately. He was in disbelief for multiple reasons. The audacity of Travis to-- to... the audacity. There was no way Sal was going through this right now. He couldn't believe it. He refused to-- for his own sake. But that damn expression on Travis's face struck fear and relief in Sal's heart. And he fucking hated it.

It was relief for himself. Maybe he wasn't unloveable. And apparently Travis didn't hate him, he was just struggling with his sexual orientation. Relief for Travis for finally accepting himself and his feelings-- for being brave enough to be honest about it. Sal didn't want to be relieved though, he wanted to be angry. Which is exactly why he didn't want to hold back anymore. He couldn't keep doing it. Fuck everyone else, he had to ride or die for himself. He was the only one who ever would.

Travis might have been gay, but there was no way he could love Sal. It was impossible. The devil and angel battling on his shoulders was finally chipping away at the last bit of resolve that Sal had held up all those years. It was a cave in the trunk of a tree, and that tree was starting to tip over. This was the end.

He was tired of the lies. Tired of the excuses. Tired of the tip-toeing-- either to protect him or at his expense. Sal didn't need protecting and he sure as hell didn't want it to begin with. He didn't need someone trying to convince him that he was a freak either. Because he was a freak. And, right then, with his blood pumping and rage consuming his very essence, maybe being a freak wasn't such a bad thing.

Sal's fists squeezed even tighter, his fingertips smeared with his own blood by that point. He was done in every sense of the word. In every meaning. Completely and utterly finished. The days where he once wasted his time and bowed down to everyone were over.

He blinked past the red sheen in his vision, eyes locked on Travis who looked like he was about to faint, cry, piss himself-- he wasn't sure but it was something.

And again though, Sal couldn't care less about anyone else's feelings, let alone Travis's.

"F--" Sal seethed behind his prosthetic, instinctually biting into his tongue while his lips pulled back in a frustrated, angry snarl. His vocal cords were betraying him, trying to stop him from saying what he really wanted to say. Wanted to remind him of his calm exterior and to hold up his good reputation. That was old Sal, though. New Sal said what he thought-- what he felt.

"Fuck you."

The seal was broken. Sal's last ledge of hope disappeared, leaving the young man to free fall in his own rage and revenge-driven vices. The fight was over. The war was won. Wrath had prevailed.

"Fuck you," Sal spat out again, voice so aggressive that it nearly turned into a yell. "I'm fucking tired of your manipulation. Don't you know how pathetic you are? You're a waste. Such a waste of space, a waste of time. What was the point of torturing me for years just to come spew some bullshit about love at me? You don't love me-- you don't even fucking love yourself."

Travis flinched, falling a step or two away from the monster Sal had suddenly become. The tears that had been building in the bully's eyes finally spilled over his flushed cheeks. His mouth worked wordlessly while he stared at Sal for a bit. He bent over to hide his face, furiously wiping at his wet skin.

He took a quick breath then lifted his head again, a deadly glare quickly being directed at Sal. It was the same expression the bully wore every day. And Sal matched it with his own. He was ready, prepared for everything and anything. He'd beat Travis into the ground if he had to. Honestly, he'd feel better if he was able to get his frustrations out. Adding another pretty bruise to Travis's face felt like the best way to do just that.

Neither boy said a word, they only glared at each other for two beats of silence, and an extra beat of contemplation.

Then Travis started stomping over to Sal who was only four or so steps away, his bruised fingers squeezing into fists. Sal recognized that stance, that walk, so he prepared himself with one foot in front of the other and dropped his backpack to the ground.

"You're right. I don't love myself," Travis murmured, voice condescending. Sal held his ground confidently.

Travis hadn't seen that from Sal before. The bluenette would usually just step away and try to leave the scene— but Sal's confidence didn't deter the bully either.

"I'm sorry," Travis ground out behind clenched teeth. "I don't know how to prove it to you."

"What?" Sal laughed humorlessly, breath growing rapid to match his racing heart as Travis trekked closer. "Fighting me is how you'll prove it?"

Travis's brows bunched together in confusion for a fraction of a second. He stopped right in front of Sal, the toes of their shoes brushing and their chests just a hairsbreadth away from each other. "No," Travis breathed in disbelief, shaking his head lightly.

The bully could see everything in Sal's pretty blue eyes. The baby blue of a clear day's sky. The brightest stars in the universe captured in his irises, showing him a world of opportunity. A world of dreams. Everything he wanted. But he could also see the desperate anger in those pretty eyes that he seemed to love so much.

And Sal couldn't quite comprehend what was going on in Travis's head, didn't understand when he leaned down and pressed his lips to his prosthetic either. But the pressure was there, he could see the top of Travis's head and marveled at how impossibly close he was. And then the little kiss to his lips.

Sal's real lips parted, absolute bewilderment taking hold of him. His heart fluttered with thousands of cruel butterflies, his stomach churned with wildflowers and warm sunshine. He couldn't understand how a meaningless, fake kiss could light him up like a carnival but there he was.

Travis separated himself from Sal, wary and watery eyes watching the boy he loved through two little holes.

Sal simply looked back at him, eyes wide and his entire body trembling with adrenaline.

There was a second snap in Sal's mind that day. A snap that allowed him to see that while he loathed Travis with all his being, he felt connected to him too. He didn't by any means love the bully, but the surprise affection awakened him to something he didn't know existed within him.

And later that night, Ash, Todd, and Larry got an excuse that Sal wasn't feeling well and that he'd be skipping the bonfire.

In reality, he and Travis were hidden somewhere in Nockfell's forest, spending Travis's last day together. Sal had his first real kiss, one that went past the surface of his prosthetic. He had many other kisses that night too. He had a lot of desperate moments, Travis had a lot of desperate moments too. They were desperate together.

They found serenity, peace, and the depths of desperation in each other. They found anger, they found depression, they found secrets. They created secrets and they carried them well, kept them hidden for a long time. With certain exceptions on Travis's part— unknown to Sal, of course.

Sal will never forget the moment he pulled off his prosthetic in the darkened woods. Travis had looked over him, smiled, and kissed him again.

They stayed out well past midnight and Sal hoped Gizmo would forgive him for not making it back in time for their afternoon cuddle session, but this was too important. Sal hadn't known how, but it mattered. It mattered a lot.

It changed him. And when he and Travis parted ways that night, both boys knew it was the start and end to whatever little opportunity was there. They wouldn't try for more. They got their hours and that was enough.

Sal went back to Addison Apartments, Travis went back to his parents yelling at their near empty home.

And they never spoke again.

————

A/N:::: heyo :3 figured I'd started this up. I've had a few comments saying that Motherf*cker Sal is SO unlike canon Sal, which is true. But this is a universe where instead of being soft and shy to the end, Sal got tired of being something he wasn't. He was never whole, never healed from his trauma and his past— that's very evident in the game. So here, Sal snaps and develops a new persona. He's cold and a bit closed off, but most importantly, he tries not to bottle up his emotions. He gets out what he's feelings instead. He's still lovable and so sweet, just not to certain people for certain reasons ;)

This is one of either three or four parts. I'm not quite sure yet— but anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

As always, thank you for the continued support! I love you all so incredibly much💕

our first chapter back with a new title </3 :,)))

#sal fisher #sally face #larry johnson #ash campbell #todd morrison #travis phelps #enemies to lovers #sally face fandom #sally face fanfiction #fanfic #future smut #i miss motherf*cker so much wow

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