#// come on kid he has candy in the tunnel if you play nice

[pentriarch]

@thefoolreversed — continued from (x)

“ Okay, first of all don’t call yourself Daddy — “ he started, only to freeze up when Wade tried to pull him down the tunnel. 

“ Wade, do NOT — “ Peter practically squeaked out, two lines of web almost immediately shooting out to anchor onto either side of the entrance, keeping the boy firmly in place. “ Second of all, don’t do that! You don’t know whats in there! And I’m not going in! “

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being a Party Member

Stranger Kids x reader

warnings:

a/n: 💖💖 these ones were kind bad but i hope you like!

prompt: anonymous: “Hi! Can you make a headcannon for Stranger Things of just being in the party? Sorry if its too vague. Thank you so much for giving us so much free content!!”

you’ve known the boys for a long, long time

your mom was friends with joyce in high school, so you knew will your whole life

he introduced you to mike and soon lucas and dustin had joined the mix

let’s face it, you guys weren’t the most popular, but as long as you had each other it was fine

“at recess do you want to play castle?”

“yes! but we need to make up our characters”

will the wise was born that day, it just stuck

you guys were obsessed with star wars when it came out

“i’d totally be a jedi” -mike

“mike, you’d cry at the sight of any alien creature”

“not true!”

“i think lucas would be a kickass pilot, though”

“i’d get the princess, too” -lucas

dustin ended up playing lightsabers with you, though

you’ve accidentally knocked down tons of stuff in mike’s basement

“cut it out, you guys!”

“soooorryyyyy”

“you are not!”

AV club was just the 5 of you acting afool under adult supervision

mr. clark was still proud of your young minds, though

D&D campaigns, you were the rogue

you were also easily distracted during the game

“anyone want chips, im gonna get some chips”

“no! you can’t leave now!”

“watch me”

playing with mike’s toys while he’s not looking

battling them with lucas, dustin, and will

until mike started protesting

bike rides around town until sunset

SLEEPOVERS

“who the hell is snoring?”

“i think it’s dustin”

“PILLOW FIGHT!!!”

“kids, time to sleep!” -any parent

“let’s watch a scary movie”

“no! i mean—i’m tired” -mike

depending on which house you were staying in, you’d have a great time

will’s brother, jonathan, was always nice to you

nancy...not so much

“hi na—” *door slams* “oh...”

erica always intruded on your sleepovers at lucas’s

“i wanna play! can i play?”

“no, erica, go play somewhere else”

“you’re so mean, lucas”

“bye!”

dustin didn’t have any siblings, but he did have a cat who was pretty nice

“hi mews!”

the night will disappeared was a night you’ll never forget

you were so determined to find him, he had to be around somewhere

you ended up getting in deeper water than you’d originally thought when you met eleven, who apparently had superpowers

“mike!!! you’re mom is gonna kill you for bringing a random girl in the house”

“i know! shhhhh”

she was weird to say the least

and it was pretty scary sneaking around with her

“dude...she has the force”

“shut up!”

after a long week of fighting with your friends and encountering inter dimensional monsters and the government, you realized your life would never be the same

your mom was pretty protective over you for a while

the party had to come to your house instead for the next few months

“sorry guys, she’s just...really upset about the whole thing”

“it’s okay, y/n. we don’t mind”

being each other’s support system

especially when it came to will, he really worried you guys

“today is will’s doctor visit, hope it goes okay...”

spending HOURS in the arcade, struggling to beat other people’s high scores

“i’m gonna do it! i’m gonna get the top score!”

“in your dreams, y/n”

hAlLoWeEn

you knew you weren’t supposed to dress up at school but no one was paying attention to you when you told them

unfortunate.

there was a new girl who mike hated right off the bat

but lucas and dustin wouldn’t stop fighting over

“you two are the worst, you know that?”

trick or treating and dumping your candy later on to trade, the most effective way to get the best halloween

“nougat, disgusting. anybody want it? i’ll give it to you for free”

*dustin and you simultaneously* “ME!”

dustin’s “pet lizard” scaring the hell out of you

“dart makes me...uncomfortable”

max pulling you aside to ask why mike hates her

“uh...he’s a dick? i don’t know”

you and max ended up getting along pretty okay, though

she did complain about mike a LOT though

and when lucas filled her in on the demogorgon/upside-down/eleven situation, EVERYONE was pissed

you guys realized that the upside down stuff was not over and there was an epic teamup with all of you yaaaay

steve harrington adopted you it’s true

eleven came back

that was cool

you gave her a hug bc like duh??? you missed her

steve babysitting you guys and then getting beat up by max’s stepbrother, billy

“can i hit him? i wanna hit him”

“do it!”

doing dumbass shit in the tunnels that ended up working out anyways! yay!

“we’re all gonna die we’re all gonna die oh my god i’m too young to die”

“Y/N STOP”

in the end everything was (mostly) okay but like, that was scarring

summer rolled around and el and mike were dating, max and lucas were dating, and dusting came back from camp and claimed to be dating some girl from faaaar away

“liar”

“i’m not lying!”

steve sneaking you into movies

he also gave you (and only you) free ice cream but only bc he knew you wouldn’t tell anyone else

robin and you talking while you hid in the break room to eat your ice cream

“so...what do you do for fun”

“kill monsters”

“oh...okay”

kinda sick of the party’s shit for a while, so dustin and you were off scheming with the scoops employees

bad ideaaaa!! the russians!! you were almost killed!!

rescue mission for steve and robin

“they’re high as shit”

“nO YOu aRe”

“wonderful, we’re screwed”

losing them fhdhdhsh

“y/n?!”

“what? i’m not a babysitter!”

being chased by russians but also the rest of the party showing up and updating you but also adults finally making an appearance and you wanting to cry because like what the fuck is happening

being chased by the mind flayer

“GUYS IF WE DONT MAKE IT I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW I LOVE YOU”

“Y/N. STOP SAYING THINGS THAT MAKE US THINK WE’RE GOING TO DIE”

eek that night sucked

you also almost fell down the hill that cerebro was placed on

and then uhhh hopper died so that was really bad and will ended up moving away with el and everyone was very sad

your mom cried when joyce left :(

you cried way too much

might i add going over to lucas’s to hang out with erica bc now you guys are friends lmaooo

“why are you here, y/n?”

“erica wanted me to come over”

“you two are impossible”

and to end this on a high note, the remaining party members in town were finally working through their differences as you all grew up and knew that it’d be impossible to separate for good

also pizza nights every week (sometimes accompanied by an older teen bc why not)

“if you guys eat all the damn pizza we’re gonna have a problem”

“we can’t help it! we’re growing!”

taglist: @locke-writes // @queenofthehairharrington // @praellee // @bonniesbabybunnie // @lotsoffandomrecs //

[juseki-taisen]

How about how the 12 warriors celebrate V-Day? (Bonus challenge being Doudecuple and Navi)

Thank you for the request @gale-dragon-writer

This was a long one! I hope you guys like!

Inounoshishi

Without S/O

This wouldn’t happen, let’s be real. If it did she planned this by choice, so she’s probably busy kicking ass and taking names...and numbers

Probably prowls bars for lonely men/women/they’s ect to buy her drinks.

Never pays for any food or drink of Valentines. She’s hot af and knows it

It’s 50/50 if she’s going to go home with someone

With S/O

Expects to be spoiled. Please spoil her

Despite her immense wealth, she doesn’t expect you to buy her expensive things. She can do that herself. What she’d really like is for a gift that’s full of thought.

If you make her a gift, she’ll play it off but she secretly loves it. It doesn’t matter how shitty it is. If you make her a cute boar figure out of clay and it’s lopsided, but you tried hard and painted it her favorite color, it’s going on her mantel in the living room.

Spoils you too. You will drown in gifts and kisses. Don’t worry, she uses amazing lipstick and it doesn’t stick to your face.

Dotsuku

Without S/O

Spends the day giving candy to the children.

Secretly gives his daughter a secret admirer letter, her confidence SKY ROCKETS

Decorates his classroom

This man is great at help kids learn about consent. No pulling pigtails, and if a boy likes a girl and she tells him no, he makes sure he knows not to keep bugging her. Same thing with the girls. If a boy doesn’t like them they’re not allowed to keep bugging them either.

Watches cute love movies with his daughter. He’s her prince charming.

With S/O

You better believe he has you help decorate his classroom

You make cute paper hearts and pick out candy

The kids leave you valentines

He takes you to dinner. His daughter comes too. You guys have a lot of fun. He buys you and his daughter a dessert. Somehow she eats here and half of yours

Snuggles on the couch and a cute movie.

Niwatori

Without an S/O

Doesn’t celebrate

She doesn’t understand why it’s a big deal

Indulges the day after on discount candy

With an S/O

Help her

She wants to celebrate but she’s in Ushii level awkward when it comes to doing anything

Picks the most popular movie out, watches it, and THAT is the basis for her whole idea

Gets you candy. Wears a cute dress. Picks a place to eat. Buys you roses, or do you get her roses? She’ll get them for you...just in case

Candy? Candy. Lots of candy.

Any small thing you get her she’s going to love. She never has really gotten gifts, and one out of love is a gift she’ll treasure forever

If you do get her flowers, she’s going to press them or dry them and keep them forever

Sharyu

Without an S/O

She had a fiancé for what seemed like forever, so a day without one is kind of difficult for her

She’s happy she’s alone, because she’s happy with who she is and now doesn’t have anyone to try and fit her into a mold that she didn’t belong

Kind of mopes though. She wants romance and someone who loves her for who she is and everything she does

Drinks hot coco and eats an ungodly amount of chocolate

With an S/O

So. Excited.

She cooks all day and makes cake, dinner, and everything else from scratch

You get her gifts and feel like it’s still not enough

Honestly? It doesn’t matter what you get her. She just love shaving you around and knowing how much you care for her for who she is

PLEASE slow dance with her in the kitchen while you’re doing the dishes. She’ll remember it forever

Hitsujii

Without an S/O

Hangs out at home

Waiting for the candy to go on sale

Babysits for his child so they can have a romantic evening

Watches random shows on TV, but avoids romance stuff

With an S/O

Still wants to hang out at home, but will go out if you want

Uses this as an excuse to DESTROY the candy aisle

Gets you flowers, they’re not red roses because that’s pretty expensive, but he gets cute ones...and a bear

Snuggles and falling asleep to bad rom coms on TV

Uuma

Without an S/O

Spends it alone

He wishes he had someone, but he’s alright for the most part

Okay he’s not

He’s a big softie inside and somewhat romanticizes the holiday more than he should

Eats cake...and chocolate 

With an S/O

The man goes WILD

Roses everywhere

Candlelight 

A romantic dinner he made meticulously after practicing for weeks

Remakes the titanic ship in a bottle, with you two as the figures on the front of the ship

He loves any gift you get him. He cries. He tries not to, but he does. 

He writes you a poem he gets to embarrassed to read. You get it in a card. 

Takeyasu

Without an S/O

Steals everything with his brother

Necklaces, candy, and even flowers just so he can light them on fire

Doesn’t think much of the holiday, never has. It’s stupid. 

With an S/O

He’s awkward. He doesn’t know how to celebrate the holiday

He gets you the basics, candy, a bear, and flowers. That’s it right? 

Oh wait, you wanna do something? Uh, can a theme park be romantic?

You have a lot of fun actually, and when inevitably he lights part of it on fire, he has stuff for smores. 

You save the picture from the tunnel of love. You managed to snap it before he lit it on fire. The tunnel was the point of origin. 

Later on down the road he plans more stuff. He may also use fireworks to do your name in the air or something

Steals you a car. 

Nagayuki

Without an S/O

Steals stuff with his brother

Gets entirely to many snacks

Does anything but Holiday stuff

With an S/O

Doesn’t want to do anything, but will because you ask him

Takes you for dinner, and he enjoys spending time with you, but because social convention is making him he’s grumpy about it 

If you’re the kind of person who is easily embarrassed, he may send you cheesy emails with stupid valentines cards

Chocolate and all KINDS of snacks

Later on down the line he’ll plan more romantic stuff, and buy you nice things with real money so you know he cares

Usagi

Without an S/O

He likes the Holiday and wants someone to do it with SOOOO BAD

Watches all those cute movies and cheesy rom coms

Has a “Friend” he takes out on a date

It doesn’t go well

With an S/O

Oh boy. He’s SO HAPPY

He gets you everything. Flower, roses (ignore the blood it’s fine), and he lets you know he’s arrived to pick you up by having his friends hold him high while he has a boom box playing your favorite song. Even if it’s metal. Even if he thinks the holiday begins at midnight. Your neighbors wont care, right?

You will go to ALL the cheesy stuff. Cute rides at a theme park, which somehow gets burned down later on thanks to someone (Takeyasu)

 A dinner and flowers, chocolate. SO MUCH CANDY. He even likes the terrible heart ones. He made you a box filled with ones that have saying that remind him of you

Cuddles, kisses, and smooches that just...don’t stop. Even in public. You gotta tell him to tone it down. 

Tora

Without an S/O

Drinks, and mopes

She doesn’t really want to date, but seeing other people happy kinda rubs it in when you’re single

Partakes in day after candy sales

She actually avoids the bars, to many couples being happy and cute

Angrily eats snacks

With an S/O

She doesn’t expect much, other than maybe being one of those annoying couples who steals Every. Booth. In. The. Restaurant. 

Please get her presents. Please. She’ll get really happy and flustered

This girl will actually try and make you chocolate from scratch. Sharyu helps. She even wraps them in a cute wrapping paper she draws herself

It’s pretty casual and after bar hopping you spend it at home. You’re with her so she cuts back so she’s not sloshed. She wants to remember being with you. 

So many cute kisses. 

Hand holding. It still gets her flustered. 

Please get your picture taken at some point. She’ll put it by her bed and fall asleep smiling

Ushii

Without an S/O

There’s a Holiday? 

He guess he noticed it was harder than normal to get a table for his favorite restaurant

Doesn’t really like sweets so the holiday just annoys him

So many people confess to him and he’s just like “Okay. Cool. Thanks” 

With an S/O

He’s not great with the holiday. He’s smart though, so he tries  to research what to do

Googles top ten most romantic gesture, luckily has the sense not to propose

Gets you candy, roses, and all the stereotypical stuff

You have to tell him to relax, because all the stuff he’s saying is regurgitated rom com lines

When he does relax, he’s actually really sweet. Stupidly sweet actually. 

“I don’t need a holiday to tell me you’re important, you’re already always on my mind, but the candy is nice I guess”

Will watch whatever you want. Is always confused by romance movies, but oh BOY does he love going out to eat with you. Hell. Yes. The desserts are amazing and now he gets to share them with you

Care you a card. It’s ugly, but he tries

Gets you a really cute necklace. It has a small ox on it, so he can always be with you. 

Nezumi

Without an S/O

Eats candy and sleeps. It’s no different than any other day, other than people piss him off more.

He doesn’t like how weird people get 

They also made out on his locker...and he needed his textbook. Please....Let him get his books

With an S/O

Uses his paths so much that he passes out and HARD CORE NAPS before you go out

Has the perfect gift.

Plays co op video games with you

He doesn’t like people, so you get take out and stay home

You watch movies, but they’re movies like Princess Bride, Warm Bodies, and love stories that aren’t so normal and are more fun

If you’re LGBT he goes out of his way to find a good movie ahead of time, because he loves and supports you and this day is about you two damn it! (The other’s would try to do this for their S/O, but would have a harder time. since most of them are not great with technology like Nezumi is)

So much candy and snacks

Selfies and filters

You fall asleep together and nap

get him a gift. He’ll know it’s coming but it still makes him happy

BONUS CHALLENGE 

Doudecuple

Without an S/O

Doesn’t do a whole lot. Has wine and watches the mortals below

Maybe messes with people just a bit to amuse himself

Does his own thing. He really doesn’t care for the holiday

With an S/O

Wine and a dessert charcuterie board

Gets you an expensive gift, but practical. A coat, a scarf. Something to keep you warm and cozy you can use everyday and think of him.

Makes the impossible possible. A romantic setting with only a few people

Getting the tickets for some play or show the last minute

Please do something cheesy, it’ll amuse him, and he’ll secretly keep it

ON THE FLIP SIDE

He may get a gift from you, then anyone who goes in his office will see it. 

“Look what my Love got me. Have you beheld it?”

It doesn’t matter if it’s stupid. He’s keeping it forever 

Navi

Without and S/O

Stays home and has snacks and chocolates

Maybe organizes his hat collection

Watches fun game shows or anything without romance

With S/O

Has a special hat he wears for the occasion

Gets you one too

Gets you candy and a single rose, as well as a teddy bear

Uses his tablet to find the best places to go with the best rating. Uses his ability to multiply to hold your place in line so you can actually do other stuff

Ferris wheel. He has to hold his hat on but you guys get an AMAZING picture together. It’s his screensaver. He texts it to Nezumi. Nezumi and him start having a couple picture off. Next year, double date. 

[cherrybombusa]

GROUP ONE  - THE LIBRARY. SUCCESS.

PLAYERS:

THE ARTIST - Sloane Salt. THE ROMANTIC - Mac Walsh.  THE  FILMMAKER - Zev King.  THE MANNEQUIN - Lilli Montgomery.  THE BITCH - Zahra Jackson. THE WRITER - Noah Russell. 

PERKS EARNED: 

WALK IN MY SHOES: After Jamie Dyer spilled his secret to save his friends, he’s been rewarded with the ability to put other people in his shoes! If something happens to Jamie he doesn’t like, he has the ability to switch places with any character as if it happened to them instead. 

MEMORABLE MOMENTS: 

-MAC GOT TAKEN BY THE KILLERS.  -LILLI GOT GRABBED TWICE AND TAKEN.  -SLOANE ATTACKED A MAN ON LSD AND SAVED ZEV. -JAMIE SPILLED HIS SECRET TO CLARISSA - AND THE REST OF CHERRY. 

THE NARRATOR: It might not have been a quiet night, maybe not even uneventful, but the Gang found themselves grateful, at least, that the Candy Girl hadn’t shown her face. It was nearing midnight now, and with only Paulie Virginia checking on the kids before they fell asleep on the sand, and Lucas Bright left straggling on the beach with the Gang, they were sure to turn-in soon. 

They were gathered around the bonfire, talking and laughing - almost even letting their guards down - but the screech of three white vans pulling up to the shore interrupted every little conversation taking place around the bonfire. They didn’t want to think anything of it at first… College kids in this town were wild, and they were all piling back into town this week, after all. But when a group of masked, hooded figures with baseball bats, and kitchen knives galore began making their way out of the vehicles, and onto the beach - what were they supposed to do but worry?

OFFICER PAULIE: “Hey! Stop right there!”

THE NARRATOR: It was almost instinctual for the rookie to go right into barking cop voice, even with no back up  - stupid, of course - but another ‘Candy Girl’ stunt was the last thing he was going to let happen on his watch. The man reaches for the taser in his belt, just like he was trained to do, but just as he gets it free, the blur of a body rushing forward - Lucas Bright - distracts him for a split enough second to fumble. 

Paulie almost yells for Lucas to stop, but before he can get the words off of his tongue, the Bright kid nearly runs headfirst into one of the masked figures' fists. It’s shocking how hard he falls - makes Paulie wonder if he’s okay - but before he can wonder too much, he realizes too late that one of the hooded figures has gotten the jump on him. He’s half expecting the figure to reach for his taser - the oh shit moment of the century - but when Paulie feels a baseball bat connect with his ribcage… He almost wishes he had been tased. Might have hurt less.

CANDY GIRL: “Hello, my little freaks and geeks! Did you miss me and my little friends? Because I think tonight is about to get a little more fun.”

THE NARRATOR:  ...Uh oh. Maybe I spoke too soon about the Candy Girl not showing her face. 

It doesn’t take long to get the gang tied up - not with the threat of knives, and Paulie’s discarded taser at the hooded groups disposal - and the ringleader of this little group, the one bouncing around telling everyone what to do, seems absolutely giddy with her capture. What else are you supposed to expect from faceless psychos, though, right?

CANDY GIRL: “Here’s the game tonight, losers! We’re gonna split you up and see if you can pass our little trials. Those who do? They get to go home tonight! Those who don’t…. Well, you might end up closer to Lux than you thought you were before.”

THE NARRATOR: Candy turns toward one of the other masked figures - one that seems like her Helper - flicking her chin toward the Gang. It’s a cue, and that much becomes clear when one-by-one, each of them has a hood slipped over their face, obstructing their view nearly completely.

CANDY GIRL: “But first, we’re going on a little trip!”

THE NARRATOR: It’s hard for the Gang to know just how they’ve been split up, but as they’re pushed forward toward the parking lot - the sound of Paulie’s and Lucas’s far-off groaning in their ears - they know one thing. They’re completely fucked, and there’s nothing they can do about it with their hands tied behind their backs… Especially not when they’re about to be shoved into the back of those fucking vans.

Nobody’s really sure how long they’ve been driving - they’re all too terrified to try and keep count - but by the time the van finally slows to a stop, they’re all dragged right back out onto solid ground, and into… some old building. Just where, is the question.

MAKE A CHOICE: YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY THE CANDY GIRL TO CCU FOR A NIGHT OF FUN. DON’T DIE!

THE NARRATOR: Maybe it’s the heavy doors that give away their final destination, or maybe it’s the musty smell of old textbooks, but those who had ever stepped foot into the CCU library know right where they are at that moment. It’s a comforting place for some - one that induces only stress, or indifference to others - but it’s hard to imagine that it won’t be a place that brings anxiety after tonight; just as tainted as the boardwalk, or even walking along Lux’s and Harvey’s block might be. Now is no time to think about how they might feel in the future, though -- if they even make it that far. No, they’re going to have to make it through tonight first.

The gang is led into the room like lambs to slaughter - Jamie carried not-so-nicely over one of the maniacs shoulders - but once they’re situated, the hoods that cover the gang’s faces come off; they even cut the ropes off from around their wrists, but the knives, and baseball bats manage to keep everyone in their place. The library is dimly lit, with only it’s balcony lights shining down on the grandiose room; the bank of computers on the second floor is like a beacon, beckoning them forward. It almost seems normal for a moment, like they were just there studying after-hours, but the two figures heading the circle - Candy and her supposed assistant - shock them back into reality with a clap of their hands.

CANDY GIRL: “Like I said, we’re gonna play a little game tonight, boys and girls! But, you’re all oh-so-familiar with games, aren’t you? Especially after our special little stunt at the boardwalk.”

THE NARRATOR: Her voice could almost be considered familiar, but nobody in the room really knows where to place the memory of it. Did she actually sound like that recording on the beach? Was she someone they knew? The gang just looks at each other from any angle that they can; making eye contact at whatever cost, as if it might help them all jog their memory to know they’re on the same page. They don’t get another chance to listen, though, as the other figure - Candy's helper - begins speaking.

CANDY'S LITTLE HELPER:  “She’s written some riddles!”

THE NARRATOR:  They pull a sheet of paper from their pocket.

CANDY GIRL: “And you’re going to solve them! Don’t worry about the doors -”

THE NARRATOR:  The movement is clearly rehearsed as a number of their captors - five, if you’re counting - head toward the door. Three of them leave, but the other two begin looping chains through the antique handles, locking them into the room with no real escape but up… And we know just how well this group does with climbing.

NOAH RUSSELL: Of course. They couldn't have one fucking night could they? Although what more could he have expected from the masked figure who thought a funeral was the time and place to play spin the bottle. The library of all places had a chilling feel to it in comparison to the beach. Almost theatrical like every horror book he'd ever read, and he sure as hell had read a lot of them. "I'm getting real sick of these damn riddles." He started as he thought about taking a step towards the door before thinking better of it. These people had knives, bats, and while on their own that didn't have to overly intimidating, this was the same person who only too recently before had blown up an entire carousel. "Anyone opposed to taking out the windows?"

SLOANE SALT: On some level Sloane knew that this was... a bad situation. There were scary people with what looked like weapons. Extremely tall people, some as tall as the ceiling, maybe and swaying.  The hooded girl's voice sounded kind of familiar, but considering the state she was in, she could hardly pin point who it was. She hadn't said much of a word on the way to the library mostly because she didn't really want anyone to know that she was feeling weird and now she was sitting on her ass, staring at her newly freed hands. "When did I paint these...?" She muttered to herself, turning her head entirely too slowly to look over at Noah as he spoke. As she took in his words, her expression quickly shifted to offence, her eyes widening and her mouth opening in fear. Those poor windows, they hadn't done anything to anyone. "No, don't hurt them!"

CANDY'S LITTLE HELPER: “--Um, excuse me? You’re totally throwing us off our rhythm!”

THE NARRATOR: Candy’s little Helper interrupts the conversations with an annoyed tone, as if they’re the ones inconveniencing her night. It’s strange, how nonchalant it is, but Candy just just shushes her. You can't even see her face, but you can almost just tell she's rolling her eyes beneath the mask.

CANDY GIRL: “Will literally just say your line?

CANDY'S LITTLE HELPER: "Fine! You need three keys, and three keys, exactly!"

CANDY GIRL: "Or you'll spend the night -"

THE NARRATOR: Maybe it’s the fear of the moment that kept all of their eyes focused on the two masked figures interacting with them - tunnel vision, of sorts - but it only makes the loud squish of blade entering flesh even louder than it should have been. The group of them flinching before Candy even has a chance to start shrieking through the pain of the blade in their side.

It was almost unbelievable that it had happened at first - did it even make sense that the Candy Girl’s henchmen were even turning on her?  - but the blood splashing against the tile had to have been proof enough that it wasn’t just some fucked up group hallucination… One that didn’t seem so expected by either Candy Girl, or the other henchmen.

CANDY'S LITTLE HELPER: “What the fuck is wrong with you!”

THE NARRATOR: Fair question. And the attacker should have heard it - as loud as the second-not-so-in-charge-figure shrieked - but the knife-wielder didn’t even flinch as he dragged Candy toward the bookshelves; blood pouring from the wound in her side.

The other mask - Candy’s little helper - almost considers running for it, throws the note from her hands in anticipation of getting the fuck out of there…  but she hardly gets a chance when her own attacker - the other one of the maniacs who had chained the door - comes from behind her and squeezes their hulking arms around her fame. They have their own knife; one that plunges directly into her abdomen, but the Gang doesn’t have much time to watch as the attacker laughs and drags her toward his own row of bookshelves.

What. The. Fuck.

There’s only a moment of hesitation - it had all happened so quickly - but the gang wastes no more time before fleeing to opposite sides of the library, Mac helping Jamie as best as he can in the struggle. The sound of the woman’s dying screams echo across the space, shaking all of them to their core… but they all know one thing: they need to get their hands on that riddle.

If they’re locked in, then it might be their only way of getting out.

MAKE A CHOICE:  MAC, JAMIE, LILLI, AND NOAH ARE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE LIBRARY, HIDING BEHIND THE LIBRARIAN’S DESK. ZEV, SLOANE, AND ZAHRA ARE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, MAKING THEIR WAY UP THE STAIRS TO THE SECOND LEVEL.

MAC: Tonight is the first time in his life that Mac thinks he shouldn't have went along with one of Libby's ideas. How stupid of them was it to all gather in one spot in the middle of the night? They might as well have asked Sloane to paint perfect targets on their collective backs. He'd already been freaking out enough as it was, but the sound of that blade? The blood? If he made it out of here alive they were sure to be added to his ever growing list of nightmare material. A sudden rush of adrenaline as everyone begins to flee has him nearly carrying Jamie across the room, ducking under the desk, eyes searching to see if the rest of his friends had made it over unscathed. "What the fuck are we supposed to do now?"

NOAH: Even though he knew about the kind of antics the Candy Girl could have possibly gotten up to, there was a difference between knowing and seeing them first hand. Of course it wasn't the first time he'd seen blood drawn, but the blood from cut lips and faces after a brutal run in from home failed in comparison to what he'd just seen. Candy Girl was supposed to be their captor wasn't she? The one who'd been tormenting them since night one? The one who kept Lux fresh and at the forefront of their minds, unable to move on. Watching her fall to her knees, the screeches of pain that rang out behind them as they'd ducked for cover. It didn't make sense. Any trace of alcohol that had once been intruding his symptom felt faint in comparison as he hid beside the desk. "I don't know but we can't stay here. We're gonna be sitting ducks. We need to find those fuckin' keys, but looking in a library is going to be like trying to find a needle in a haystack." He added in a harsh whisper as he attempted to catch his breath.

THE NARRATOR: Split up and helpless. Fuck. Looks like they need that riddle if they're going to make it out of here alive.

MAKE A CHOICE:  SOMEBODY DOWNSTAIRS MUST RETRIEVE THE RIDDLE: WHO WILL IT BE?

MAC: Mac's eyes dart around the room, searching for the slip of paper he'd seen one of their captors pull out at the mention of riddles. He wasn't even sure if it would help them at this point, considering he was almost positive getting stabbed wasn't part of the plan, but it was their best option. Right? When his eyes finally land on the piece of paper his adrenaline once again kicks in, causing him to lunge across the room in an attempt to retrieve it.

MAKE A CHOICE: SUCCESS!

THE NARRATOR: Every step sounds like a symphony in their own ears, each and every movement too-loud, even masked by the sound of Candy and her Helper's screams, but somehow Mac manages to make his way back around the librarian's desk and toward where the riddle was thrown. He gets his hands on the blood soaked paper; the breath leaving his lungs as the sound of screaming begins to die - no pun intended - out. It’s not completely obvious what he should do next, but he makes eye contact with his friends behind the librarian's desk; with the few on the second level. 

They’re never going to make it out of this without each other, so they better think fast. 

They hear the sound of the killers beginning to stir from somewhere within the maze of bookshelves, and just like that a plan forms in their freaky little hive mind. Someone needs to distract the killers while everyone else gets upstairs. But who will it be?

MAKE A CHOICE: SOMEBODY MUST DISTRACT THE KILLERS WHILE THEIR FRIENDS GET UPSTAIRS. SHOULD THEY THROW SOMETHING ACROSS THE ROOM ,  SNEAK ACROSS THE ROOM AND KNOCK SOMETHING OVER, OR SHOULD SOMEONE UPSTAIRS THROW SOMETHING OFF OF THE BALCONY?

ZAHRA:  Zahra peered down at the half left on the floor below. Things had gone wrong so quickly and in so many ways and compartmentalising was the only way any of them were getting out of this in one piece, so she did her best to ignore the fading screams. Instead she turned her focus to her surroundings. There had to be something she could throw down to distract the psychos - there! Her eye caught on a computer plugged in near the edge of the balcony. Wordlessly, she hurried over to it and yanked out the plug. Then, with as much of a heave as she could muster, she threw it over the edge.

MAKE A CHOICE: FAILURE!

THE NARRATOR: It was a long shot, but as Zahra tosses the computer off the railing, only one of the killers turns their head to investigate. The other? Well, their gaze lands directly on Mac. 

It’s hardly a split second before they cross the room toward them, and as hard as Mac tries to fight, but it’s no use - the threat of the knife, and the feeling of it’s handle knocking against the side of his face is enough to give the killer the upper hand… At least they have time to throw the riddle in the general direction of their friend before they’re dragged away toward the maze of bookshelves. 

It’s enough to the rest of the gang all in place, but they know they have to get upstairs -  they have to get the hell out of there, and save Mac.. if there’s even time. They all book it as fast as they can, everyone helping Jamie along the way, and somehow they manage to make it up the stairs before they’re spotted - one of them even manages to grab the riddle, even if they were silently hoping it wasn’t Mac's last gift to them all. 

At least it might actually save them. 

Their hearts are pounding loud enough in their chests that they might swear they could all count each other’s heartbeats. Now is no time to check up on each other, though - not as they lay the first riddle out in front of them

.

If you want the first key, you’ll have to find Me,

I’m the keeper of the scrolls, you see.

Melvil named the system, and I check it twice,

Are you feeling naughty? Then here’s some advice: 

I’ll name a book, or maybe name three -

You’ll choose the one that speaks to the dream 

Of losing it all, or leaving behind 

That sweet, sane, little part of your mind. 

Maybe they fight it, or maybe they end it, 

Maybe the pick is the one your friend mentioned. 

Will your gang make it out? Maybe -  who knows.

But I wouldn’t count on it, unless you all know who glows.

HOODED MANIAC: THE KILLER IS HERE.

THE NARRATOR: The killer hardly sneaks up on the, but the Gang is surprised anyway - each of them gasping as Lilli is snatched up by his grasp. She screams - she's caught - but the rest of them have a choice to make.

MAKE A CHOICE: LILLI HAS BEEN GRABBED. DO YOU TRY TO SAVE THEM OR LET THEM GO?

ZAHRA: Yeah, things with Lilli had always been a little contentious but there was no way Zahra was letting her be dragged away. They'd already lost Mac and that was fucking enough. She lunged forward and grabbed Lilli as she was snatched up.

MAKE A CHOICE: SUCCESS!

THE NARRATOR: It’s a great effort, and though they don’t manage much real damage, Zahra's still successful in getting her ""friend"" the hell away from that monster. The whole group is terrified, but they’re quick on their feet as they move somewhere else that could be deemed even semi safe within the madness to solve the next riddle.... Watch out though. I think the killer saw where you were going.

MAKE A CHOICE: LILLI RUNS FOR THE KEY.

THE NARRATOR: Lilli runs as fast as she can - the gang all sneaking close behind - and with the correct location, it’s not hard to find the key taped to a shelf in the history section, along with the next part of the riddle. It should be easy to get back to their friends, but before they can even turn around, she feels hands grasping around her limbs and yanking them back through the bookshelves yet again- dragging her away toward the maze of a room to… She didn’t even want to think about it. She just knew they had to fight - but she can’t do it alone.

MAKE A CHOICE:  DOES SOMEBODY WANT TO SAVE THEIR FRIEND, OR LET THEM DROP THE KEY?

THE NARRATOR: The gang can hear Lilli trying to fight her attacker - her screaming echoing through the space  - and though the guilt eats them alive, they know there’s nothing they can do about it. They just have to hope that the fact that the screaming gets further and further away and doesn’t just abruptly end - just like it did when those two masked maniacs got stabbed earlier - is a good sign. 

The remaining members make quick work of grabbing the key and the riddle, and try to find another safe spot in the library.

If you want to get out, don’t Twist and Shout, 

It’s not the Candy Man locking you out. 

If you feel Clueless, then here’s your clue - 

You can find Me behind door number two. 

How to know you’re close? Just think of the times, 

The 90’s are ending, but gossip still thrives! 

Once you’re through, don’t look any further - 

Your key can be found in the one with no murder.

ZEV: Zev scopes out the Librarian's desk and makes a move for it, trying to keep down and quiet as he dashes, heart pounding in his chest.

THE NARRATOR: Zev sprints with everyone else not far behind him. The key is there, taped beneath Glenda Logan's desk along with the last part of their riddle, but at the very last moment - before the Gang can warn him - one of the killers comes and hits him over the back of the head with his knife. He's got a hold on Zev, and as hard as he's fighting, he's not going to be able to make it out alone.

MAKE A CHOICE: DOES SOMEBODY WANT TO SAVE THEIR FRIEND, OR LET THEM DROP THE KEY? 

SLOANE SALT: All of the running around and masked killers has mostly been Sloane moving in accordance with everyone else, eyes bugged out of her face as she tries not to trip over her platform boots. When Zev gets snatched, it's as if enlightenment comes over her and she suddenly becomes aware that one of her favourite people, someone basically a little brother to her is in danger. "Let go of him!" She screeches as she reaches for him, using all of her body weight to try and pull him away.

MAKE A CHOICE: SUCESS!

THE NARRATOR: Maybe it's the LSD, or just sheer willpower, but everyone swears they actually see the Killer flinch as Sloane screams like a banshee toward him. They groan in pain as their shoulder is pulled nearly out of place, and in fear they run as far as they can in the other direction.

 The whole group is terrified, if not confident, but they’re quick on their feet as they move somewhere else that could be deemed even semi safe within the madness to solve the next riddle.

Here’s your third key - you’re almost there! 

Unless you can’t take a bit of a scare. 

Your clues can be found with Clarissa Teller - 

But she’ll only tell you if you can impress her. 

Somebody’s secret must be told.

 It’s only then that I’ll give her the gold. 

So, hurry along! But only choose one.

Oh, wow, oh boy!

Now this will be fun.

MAKE A CHOICE: SOMEBODY MUST TELL CLARISSA THEIR SECRET ON THE COMPUTER UPSTAIRS. WHEN THEY DO, THE LOCATION OF THE THIRD KEY TO BE RELEASED.

NOAH: The panic that had gripped his chest as the evening grew, only intensified as they read their final clue. Mac had been taken, Lilli had been taken, he'd watched helplessly as Zahra saved Zev, and perhaps the bit that was the most impossible to forget, he'd seen the Candy Girl murdered before his very eyes. And while he didn't see the life fleeing from her eyes he could picture it a little too well. "Zev you okay?" He asked, in an attempted moment of calm and partially to distract from the racing of his own heart. Waiting the moment for some sort of nod before turning to the rest of the group. "What the hell is she talking about? What doesn't Clarissa know already?" He asked, his voice soft with profound fear as he glanced around the room. The first two clues while challenging in their own right, they seemed to fall into place, but he dreaded what could possibly be meant by the third.

SLOANE SALT: Sloane was definitely riding on more than one high at the moment, one of the unidentified form, from that pill she'd taken and one from saving Zev. She was breathing heavily, leaning on the table in the study room as she looked around at everyone who was still with them. They needed to get through this, that was the only thing that mattered, even if even the furniture was kind of freaking her out. Throwing her arms around Zev, she turned her head when she heard Noah's voice. Her mouth twisted as she fought off the urge to say something, a sly smile forming on her lips. "Come on, she doesn't know lots of secrets." Her eyes widened as she emphasised the 'lots'. In the state she was in, she was tempted to just start blurting out everything she knew, but then her head turned to Jamie and she suddenly felt guilty. "What do we do?"

JAMIE: Jamie had been watching the crew from the jump, lingering behind the rest not only due to his leg but his own dwindling motivation to be part of some messed up game when two of his favourite cohorts had gone missing with no promise of survival. This was what Cherry was now, a mecca of lost, frantic young adults enslaved to the whims of someone other than themselves.  As terrible as they were, Jamie didn't believe any of them deserved to be forced to admit to something they weren't ready for. That was why he'd agreed to hide the note, wasn't it?

When Sloane's desperate eyes met his, he'd already made up his mind.

"I'll do it," he said, with little fanfare. "Can someone help me up the stairs?"

By the time he was seated at the computer, his heroic resolve had diminished. Words that normally came easy for him sat bated behind still fingers as he thought of exactly what to write when he'd never allowed the thoughts to come to real fruition.

𝐝𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞:  Dear Clarissa, the day has finally come where I have to acknowledge your existence but rest assured that it's not by my own volition. I have a secret to tell you that I'm sure won't come as too big of a surprise. 

Last semester, I snuck in and did the SATs for Cherry High graduates who had the means to pay. My family is in debt, thanks to my father and his frivolous new wife, and I thought I'd be able to pay it off. I couldn't, but that's not the point. The point is that I enjoyed every minute of it. The studying, the acceptance, the shining accolades.

I mean, I wouldn't have to talk to you if I just went to college, would I?

THE NARRATOR: It probably feels like a punch in the gut to be selling their own secret to the local paper, but as they press send on the keyboard - as Clarissa starts typing - the power goes out, and the room goes dark. It’s terrifying at first, enough to make the Gang clutch at each other, like it might be their last moment… But when the sound of chains dropping from the door handles echoes through the room - followed by the scurry of sprinting out of the library - they almost think to breathe a sigh of relief. Could that really be it? Could it be over? 

They don’t move for nearly an hour - or maybe it just feels like an hour - but when they finally decide the coast is clear, the group of them  - or what’s left of them - sprint down the stairs, and the hell out of CCU as quickly as they can. Maybe it’s a betrayal to not even look for their friends… or maybe their bodies. But how are they supposed to stomach the thought of it? How are they expected to stick around with those… killers still on the loose? 

Are their friends still alive? Is the Candy Girl alive? Who knows. They just know they need to get the police down here to help their friends as soon as they can... even if it means leaving people behind for now.

MAKE A CHOICE: YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED YOUR PLOT EVENT. YOUR FRIEND'S FATES ARE UNKNOWN.

[smmahamazing]

Cowboy Blues

InuKag

Word count: 5114

Rating: M for language

A/N: My gift for everyone this White Day!!! Haven't written fanfiction in 10+ years, so here's to hoping this isn't completely terrible LOL. This little fic was inspired by a song of Kesha's titled "Cowboy Blues", and I would recommend putting it on in the background for maximum effect!

_____________________________________________________

🎵“They say you know when you know, what do you do when it don't, they're saying ‘love it'll happen if it's meant to happen’, but what do you do when it don’t”.🎵

At least Kagome could say that she only has one cat snuggled up with her in bed, although Buyo was big enough to feel like three. She had been laying in bed for the past hour, the feeling of utter defeat pinning her where she lay. Her mind begged her to turn off the music playing through her speakers, but her body resisted any thought of movement. What did it matter in the end anyways? All the hard work she put into the last week and a half was wasted. And she had been doing so well! Up until today that is. As soon as Kagome had came home and crawled into her bed, turning on the music via phone app, she let down the walls she had been building up, giving in to every emotion she had shut away.

It had all started earlier in the day, after Kagome was done at work. She needed to make a simple trip to the gas station, a task that should have only taken her maybe five minutes, but some unseen force in this universe just wanted her to be miserable. Swiping her card at the pump, she jumped at an all too familiar voice calling her name.

“Kagome! Fancy meeting you here!”

‘Ugh.’

“Oh, h-hello Hojo.” Kagome had such a bad case of tunnel vision that she failed to notice her friend’s husband and old schoolmate pull up to the pump right beside her as she inserted the gas nozzle into her tank.

“How have you been Kagome? Ayumi and I haven’t heard from you in a while, we we're starting to get worried.”

“Oh, I’ve just been really busy with work and all, you know how it goes”, Kagome chuckled awkwardly, running her hand through her hair. This was the last thing she wanted to deal with today. And Kagome was pretty sure she was stationed at the slowest pump in all of history.

“Well, it's a good thing I ran into you here! Ayumi wanted to invite you to dinner with us tomorrow.”

‘Ab-so-lut-ely not.’ “No, that’s okay Hojo, I’m not about to put you guys out on Valentine's Day. Don't worry about me, and just enjoy your night together.”

Hojo looked like he was about to argue with her when the pump connected to Kagome's car clicked, letting her know her time at the gas station was finally up. ‘About damn time, too.’

“Well, I’m all finished up here, so I’m going to head out to beat the traffic. I'll talk to you guys later, okay!” Kagome spoke in one breath as she dived into the drivers seat and sped away, leaving Hojo behind looking confused, and mildly worried for his old friend.

Kagome had been avoiding everyone since the beginning of February. She knew that her friends and family meant well. She knew they only wanted to see her happy, but Kagome didn't know if she could do it; another Valentine's Day filled with people throwing her yet another elaborate pity party. If she didn’t know any better, it was like they thought she forgot that she was almost 30 and still single. But Kagome was determined that this year was going to be different. She figured that if she just ignored everyone and stayed home until Valentine's Day had passed that she could bypass all her own feelings of inadequacy and loneliness. And since the first week of February, she was nailing it. Kagome worked in the kitchen of a little diner, and since business is always a little heavier leading up to the holiday of love, she had signed herself up for some much needed overtime with the hopes that she would too busy for anything else. In addition to working extra hours to occupy her time, she had stockpiled her household with enough food and supplies to last through the week. And if she forgot something? Well, grocery stores will deliver to you now, so Kagome didn't have to worry about walking into her nearest shop, only to be surrounded by chocolates and candies and giant stuffed animals that served no purpose other than reminding Kagome of her unwanted solitude. Kagome had planned her last week so meticulously, giving herself little to no free time to think about the fact that she was still single, or to let anyone else remind her of that fact.

Kagome had always been a rather stubborn child. Kagome knew what she wanted, and if something didn’t live up to her expectations, then it was kicked to the curb. Unfortunately, this personality trait included all the men she dated. It wasn’t like Kagome had never been on a date, or been with a man sexually, but more often that not she found that no one could keep her interests in more than one area for more than a night.

When she was still in high school, Kagome had gone on a couple of dates with Hojo. He had always been quite smitten with her, and it wasn’t as if he wasn’t a nice guy. Hojo was always (and remains to be) one of the few good guys out there, but he was a little too….amicable for Kagome's tastes. His personality almost seemed fake in the sense that he never had any disputes with anyone and could never find anything bad to say about anything. It wasn’t as if Hojo's courteous nature was a bad thing per say, but Kagome always had a wild spirit, and she found it difficult to see herself settling for someone who couldn’t at least sometimes find themselves on her level. On their last date, Kagome had even tried to start a fight with him, just to spawn some other form of emotion from him, but to no avail. In the end, Kagome decided they were better off just being friends. Luckily, Hojo didn’t take the rejection too hard, and in the coming years, he found a cozy companionship with one of her best friends, Ayumi, and in no time at all had proposed to her. They were wedding number one that Kagome was a bridesmaid in.

After Hojo, Kagome dated a couple of other guys, but she quickly found faults in every one of them. Koga, an extremely forward wolf demon, was a great lay, but Kagome did not share in his views that she should just settle down to become his woman, which was just code for becoming a housewife who spat kids out faster than you could say ‘I do'. Kagome liked working, and she wasn’t about to just up and quit her job because some guy told her to. Meanwhile, Bankotsu, who worked at her old gym, ended up on the other end of the spectrum opposite Hojo; his whole life seemed to revolve around fighting and conflict, which was a lifestyle Kagome didn’t want to be apart of. Actually, Kagome was pretty sure he was in a gang. She switched gyms after their break up.

The last time Kagome had been on a real date was five years ago. Since then, she had seen all the rest of her best friends find their true love and get married. Even her most lecherous friend, Miroku, found a woman willing to put up with him. Kagome's mother tried to set her up on a few dates, mostly with the sons of the ladies she plays bridge with, but after a while Kagome just started to flat our reject them. She hated going on blind dates, no one could live up to her expectations. Because the one thing that no one else had known about was that about three months ago, she had met a guy. And he had completely flipped her world upside down.

~flashback~

It was November 1st. Halloween was officially over with, and Kagome had decided to head down to a local bar to celebrate the fact the she was still standing. Earlier in the year, the diner she worked at had started making seasonal desserts, so Kagome had spent the past week baking ghosts and pumpkins and bats on top of all her other cooking duties. Her days at the diner that week usually started far before dawn and ended far after dusk. To say she was tired would be an understatement, so what better way to treat yourself to a job well done than with a celebratory drink? Kagome found herself seated on the opposite end of the bar from the door, pulling out a thick hardcover book. She had not invited anyone else out with her, having no qualms with drinking alone. In fact, after the week she had, she preferred it. She would have a couple of drinks, read a little bit of the current fantasy novel in her hands, and head back home for a good night’s rest.

Kagome was only halfway through her first drink (a standard rum and cola) when a foreign hand suddenly engulfed her page, ripping the book from her hands.

“Excuse you!” Kagome exclaimed, a look of indignation washed over her face.

“You’re excused,” her book thief shot back, his face showing an indifferent look as he rifled through the books pages.

“Do you mind giving me back my book? And don’t lose my spot, either!” Kagome attempted to swipe the book from his hands, but the man merely held it over his head, just out of her reach.

“So tell me, who comes to a bar – alone – just to read a book? Can't find yourself a date on this day, after All Hallows Eve?”

“That is absolutely none of your business,” she squeaked, her face dusted with a slight blush. For a moment, Kagome was struck silent, unsure of how to respond to this stranger. But, for the first time in the maybe twenty seconds they’ve interacted, she finally took a moment to glance at the stranger who found themselves sitting next to her.

‘My GOD is he gorgeous!' were the first thoughts out of Kagome’s head, taking in his tanned skin and perfectly manicured nails. His long silver hair, which only seemed to shine despite the darker environment of the bar, went about halfway down his back and was pulled back in a low ponytail, two strands pulled loose on either side of his head. As her eyes roamed upward, she took in every aspect of his face, from the fangs held behind his smirk to the pair of fuzzy ears that sat on top of his head. ‘So he's a hanyou. I wonder how soft those ears are,' she thought, stifling her yearning to reach out and touch them. But what really took her breath away was his eyes. Golden in color, they glowed, despite the darkened environment. Amber, mixed with flecks of soft brown swirled together as they gazed down on her. He had to be at least a whole foot taller than her. A pair of black slacks accentuating his long legs, while a simple bright red shirt hugged the muscles of his arms and chest. Kagome had never laid eyes on a man more handsome than the stranger beside her, despite her irritation with him interrupting her date with a good book. 'Do I really care though?' she thought, licking her bottom lip slightly to relieve herself from her all-of-a-sudden chapped lips.

“If you must know,” she started, looking slightly down across the bar rather than in his general direction, “I’ve had a hard week and decided to treat myself to a drink and a good book. If that’s okay with you?”

“By yourself?” he said incredulously, slightly lowering his arm that held her book. It gave her just the distance to snatch it back before he could defend against her.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Well, when it comes to celebrations, no one should be alone.” He motioned to the bartender. “The lady and I will have another round, on me,” he spoke the second part of that sentence facing towards her, causing Kagome to blush even more.

“Here you are buying me a drink, and I don’t even know you’re name.”

“I could say the same thing about you,” he smirked, a lone fang poking out from his lips. It was outlandish, in Kagome’s mind, how that one simple facial expression could make her go utterly speechless. She really wanted to throw out some witty, sarcastic quip just to see what kind of expression she could get out of him, but the only word she could seem to utter was her name.

“Well, Ka-go-me,” he said quietly, the bartender handing them two new drinks. The way he enunciated each part of her name sent a small shiver down her spine. “Shall we make a toast then?”

“A t-toast? To what?” she spoke in a hushed voice.

“Hmmm…” he paused, dramatically taking his chin in his thumb and index finger and sporting a most reflective look which made Kagome giggle. “To the rest of tonight. The name's Inuyasha.” He raised his glass in front of her, his eyes glazing back and forth between their drinks. Kagome wasn’t sure what was happening, the room felt like it was spinning, and she barely had anything to drink yet! A part of her was reluctant towards him. She had not planned to talk, let alone meet, someone tonight, but she couldn’t deny she was a little lonely. And he was really hot. ‘So fuck it,’ she thought, and raised her drink up to delicately clink their glasses, a beginning to what would become one of the greatest night’s that Kagome had experienced in a while.

Minutes soon turned to hours. One drink together turned into two. They spent hours playing pool, loser buying celebratory whiskey shots, and when their fill of competitive playfulness had been satiated Inuyasha and Kagome found themselves laughing and dancing the rest of the night away next to the jukebox.

The atmosphere in the little bar that night was perfect. There were just enough people in the bar to make the place feel welcoming without the claustrophobic ambience that a normal club or more popular bar would have. Kagome couldn’t remember the last time she had as much fun as she did that night. Inuyasha was….perfect. They talked about a variety of subjects throughout the night, mostly about the little things, like what their favourite food was or what reality television show was their most guilty pleasure. Work, of course, was another topic they came upon. Kagome talked about her passion for cooking, how it was stemmed from time spent in the kitchen with her mother after her father passed away, and Inuyasha talked about his job as a mechanic. He was definitely a textbook definition of a “car guy", Kagome was pretty sure he could have talked all night about engines and tires and….torque? Kagome didn’t have a clue what he was talking about most of the time, for the most part nodding her head at the appropriate times, but for some reason she found it endearing when listening to Inuyasha talk and all she could do was smile brightly at him.

Despite their steady drinking, he was a perfect gentleman. There was never any instigation to do anything more than have a fun night out, which Kagome found utterly refreshing. One of the reasons she hated going to the more populated bars and clubs was because most guys wanted (and almost expected) something more from her months bedroom department. And while she did not consider herself to be chaste, she was not a fan of sex on the first date – or meeting for that matter.

~present~

‘It was the most perfect night,’ Kagome mused, the music pulling her from her memories as she tried to will her body to become one with her bed.

🎵“Did I fuck my whole life up? Did I miss my one true love? Was he right in front of me at the dive bar? Was that you with the cowboy blues?”🎵

With an aggravated huff, Kagome finally found the nerve to turn the damned music off. She didn’t need any more reminders of her romantic failure. Kagome had thought about that night long and hard. At no point in their celebrating did she feel weird around Inuyasha, and the more time went by, any misgivings she might have had in the beginning about him dwindled to nothing. What could have happened to make everything that was good about their evening go so wrong?

'My drunk, dumb ass is what,' Kagome thought, taking both her hands and pulling them through her hair in frustration.

Kagome was not a lightweight when it came to alcohol for the most part. She rarely went out in that kind of setting, but when she did the necessary precautions were taken to pace herself and keep hydrated. But between their mixed drinks and shared whiskey shots, Kagome had drank more than she could handle, and about an hour before the bar was to officially close for the night, she proclaimed (louder than she probably would have liked If she was sober) that it was time for her to head home. Any other man she could have been with would have taken this opportunity to “escort her home", with the possibility of a night cap, which would have been easy in her inebriated state. It wasn’t like she hadn’t let her mind wander at all that night, especially sit the way his ass looked in those slacks. But ever the gentleman, Inuyasha simply called her a cab, paid the driver, and sent her off on her way.

If Kagome hadn’t been so drunk, she would have asked for his number. Or maybe his social media account. Hell, she would have been content to just get his last name! But at the time, there was no way Kagome could think straight, and with barely a “Goodnight Inuyasha!”, the taxi cab had whisked her away before Inuyasha could even begin to maybe put his own number in her phone.

For a week, Kagome tried her hardest to find any sign that Inuyasha existed since that night. She thought it would have been easier with such an unusual name, but without knowing his last name, her internet searches came up blank. There were surprisingly more ‘Inuyasha’s out there than she ever would have thought. He didn’t seem to have a social media account, so that became her first dead end. She tried looking up all the mechanic shops in the area to try and find some sign that Inuyasha worked there, which proved to be a very daunting task. About halfway through her search, Kagome had then come to a startling hypothesis; What if Inuyasha didn’t live in the area? He could have been visiting from out of town, which means searching through local mechanic shops could be a wasted venture. The thought only made Kagome more frazzled in her search. She even attempted to go to the bar, going on the same day of the week the had met, but after about a month and a half of light drinking and fending off the desperate men that tried hitting on her, Kagome had finally given up. Hell, for all she knew, her mind had probably imagined him up. It’s not like perfect men like him exist anyways.

Soon enough, Christmas and New Years had flown by, filling Kagome with a sense of emptiness. They had only spent a few hours together, but she felt as if she had known him for years. There was this feeling in Kagome that she couldn’t quite verbalize. She felt such a longing for a man she barely even knew, and it killed her inside to know she may never get to indulge in it again. The end of January had brought about a wistful demeanor in Kagome, which conjured up many questions amongst her friends and family. They may not have known about her night with Inuyasha, but it wasn’t difficult to see that something considerable was weighing on Kagome's shoulders, causing her to fall into a dispirited state.

Hence Kagome's need to throw herself into work and not have any contact with anyone she knows until Valentine's Day was over with. Except it didn’t work, and Kagome still ran into Hojo, pulling her back into her own self pity. Why was life so unfair? Did Kagome do something to earn such dreadful luck?

“God, I need a drink,” Kagome muttered as she pushed her cheeks up with her hands. She wasn't scheduled to work tomorrow, although Kagome had planned to go in anyways, but running into Hojo at the gas station had unleashed a barrage of emotions in her and for the first time in a week, Kagome realized just how tired she was. Maybe taking tomorrow off wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

‘Well, in that case, I might as well get out of this house to drink my sorrows away,’ she thought, as she stood from her bed and walked towards her closet. Kagome found herself dressed in a comfortable pair of yoga pants matched in an enormous, bright red hoodie. About two weeks after her night with Inuyasha, Kagome had found the hoodie hanging in a window display at the mall, and without missing a beat she had walked inside and purchased the first one she could get her hands on. She wasn’t an airhead, Kagome knew exactly what pulled her to buy a piece of clothing such as this. She knew it reminded her of him. After religiously wearing the hoodie to bed for months, Kagome had tucked the hoodie away into her closet when February began, knowing that one piece of clothing would never let her forget about him. Thus, she found it fitting now to don the oversized sweater, since there was no use trying to not think about him anymore.

Soon enough, Kagome was out the door, heading down an all too familiar path to the bar. Kagome, in fact, lived practically walking distance to the bar. She could walk from her apartment to the bar in about twenty minutes, and in the car that time was basically nothing. Because she lived so close, Inuyasha could have just as easily helped walk her home that night instead of calling a cab. They could have spent more time together than parting ways at the bar. Maybe he would have had the time to ask for her number. Hell, maybe he would have come inside. Kagome felt a pang of guilt when thinking about just how drunk she got. If she were less intoxicated, she could have had a clearer mind to ask him out again.

A chill breeze swept against her face, causing a light shiver to run down her body. Kagome picked up her pace slightly, desperate for the warmth the incandescent lights above the bar would bring. There was no point in dwelling in the what-if's of the whole situation at the moment; there would be plenty of time for that with a spirituous drink in her hand.

Before long, Kagome had finally reached her destination, the tinkling of the small bell above the door floating through the air. Absentmindedly, she meandered towards her usual seat on the opposite side of the bar. Luckily, it was a Thursday night, so there wouldn’t be too many people around with a clear view of her imminent sour thoughts.

“Kagome! Long time no see!” Looking towards the voice, Kagome spotted the small wildcat demon child, who hopped onto a protruding ledge on the employee side of the bar. Well, ‘child’ was a relative term here. Kagome was sure that despite his small stature, he was probably older than her. Wildcat demons weren't known to get very big.

“Hello Bunza!” Kagome said with a light smile on her face. “How are you this evening?”

“I'm doing alright I guess. It’s been pretty slow tonight, and Totosai gave me this HUGE list of chores to do before we close,” Bunza sighed with a dejected look on his face. “But don’t worry about me Kagome, did you want your usual?”

Kagome giggled slightly at his less-then-enthusiastic attitude towards his duties. He might be older than her, but in the demon world he was still a child, and what child likes to do chores? “Not tonight Bunza, how about making me a Cosmo?”

“Coming right up!” Bunza grinned and set off to work as she sat down, hanging her purse on the hook in front of her legs.

It had been a shock to Kagome the first time she had seen Bunza working the counter. Sometimes, she had to remind herself that the demon world worked different when it came to certain things, such as a child like Bunza working at a bar. Kagome had learned, from her many visits, that Bunza had worked there for about five years. His parents died in a fire when he was very young, leaving him an orphan. Totosai, the actual owner of the bar, was a family friend and agreed to take Bunza under his wing. Of course, this meant he would spend many a night at the bar, working his way up from just sweeping and keeping the bar relatively clean to actually making drinks for patrons. Totosai had actually installed a ledge along the bar for Bunza when he started learning how to make drinks so that it would be easier for him to interact with the customers sitting on the other side of the bar. Many people who came in would comment on his age, about how he was too young to be put to work, but Bunza would just brush them off. It was plain for anyone to see, if they truly tried, that despite the work Bunza was happy to just not be by himself after his parents death. Totosai made sure he had a roof over his head and warm food in his belly, which was more than he could have asked for.

A few minutes later, Bunza set down the finished Cosmo in front of her. “Let me know if you need anything else Kagome!” he said, hopping down from the ledge to pick up where he had left off with his chores. Kagome had always enjoyed talking with Bunza, but her heart just wasn’t in it today. Sighing heavily, she slumped her shoulders, trying to release all her tension from the week. With a few turns of the neck, Kagome grabbed her drink and took a sizeable sip.

“You better be careful, take any more drinks like that and I’ll have to call you another cab.”

Kagome almost choked on her drink at the unexpected voice behind her. Coughing as she tried to take in huge gulps of air, she felt a hand brace her back, patting it gently, the other hand gripping the bar. The motions of the man brought him into her sight, although Kagome didn’t actually need to see him to know who was behind her. If the past week had taught her anything, it was that there was no force on this planet that could possibly make Kagome forget anything about Inuyasha. The deep baritone of his voice. The way his eyes bore into her own, as if he was trying to memorize every bit of her own visage. The velvety texture of his snow-white hair that would tickle her cheeks if he bent his head near hers. The way he always seemed to smell like fresh pine and sandalwood. No, there was no possible way for Kagome to forget him, not that she'd want to anyways.

“I-Inuyasha…” she stuttered, her face starting to burn from the embarrassment of it all. He wasn’t suppose to be here! She hadn’t taken the time to get herself dolled up on the off chance she would see him again. Not that Kagome wasn’t happy to see him, she just wished she was more prepared. She currently held the appearance of a troll rather than a lady. She thought so anyways.

“Well damn, Ka-go-me, didn’t know you were that drunk already,” the way he enunciated her name, yet again brought shivers down her spine. His deliciously plump lips twerked upwards in an all too knowing smirk. She knew he was teasing her, and under normal circumstances she would have huffed in indignation at his ever apparent satisfaction of picking on her, but Kagome had waited months for this moment. There would be plenty of time for pointless bickering later, and by God she would make sure there was a later. The smirk on his face transformed into a wide smile, and Kagome couldn’t help but tilt her lips up to try and imitate his own. She was about to change her own fate.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Kagome said all in one breath. Inuyasha squinted his eyes at her slightly, his smile remained wholeheartedly.

“What’s the rush?”

“I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner yet. It’s been a long week"

Inuyasha snickered. “You’re just always having a bad week, aren’t you wench?”

“Only preceding when I see you, apparently. Maybe it’s a sign?”

“A sign of what?”

“That I should see you more,” Kagome muttered, breaking her eye contact for just a moment before gazing at him with hopeful eyes. His face held an emotion that Kagome couldn’t quite place. Relief? Awe? Contentment? She continued on, afraid any pause in her plan would spell disaster.

“There’s a really great ramen shop not too far from here. If you don’t mind walking.”

His eyes lit up at the word ‘ramen. “You just said the magic word,” Inuyasha said, backing up somewhat to give her enough room to stand. Kagome could not contain the smile on her face as she dug into her purse. Kagome had let Inuyasha get away once, and she wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. Once she found her wallet, she placed some bills on the table and turned to walk out the door with Inuyasha. The night had turned even colder with the sun having been fully set, but Kagome and Inuyasha hardly noticed. Every look that they would pass back and forth would keep them plenty warm.

It was too bad the sun had already gone down though. Kagome had always envisioned she'd find him one day and they'd ride off into the sunset together.

'Oh well, another day.'

[cruezins]

       ☣  ;  (  KIM TAEHYUNG  ,  24  ,  HE/HIM  )  coming up next on rebel radio is OPAUL by FREDDIE DREDD  .  this tune goes out to SIWON RYU  .  rumor has it they just rolled into town and are fightin’ for the GHOULS  .  they’re AFFABLE  ,  INQUISITIVE but also AIMLESS  ,  MERCURIAL so watch your backs out there  .  we wish them the best of luck here in our golded city of light  .  stay vigilant  ,  stay dirty rock ‘n rollers and we’ll catch you for the next one  .

𝐎𝐎𝐂  :  hello  !  i’m deni and i don’t know what editing is  .  i use she/her pronouns and live in the gmt+9 timezone  .   i’m terrible with ooc chats and half the time just want to vibe a connection or plot idea  ,  so please don’t hesitate to throw a half-formed thought at me because i swear i’ll do the same  .  my discord is gay fairy#6371  .  anyway  ,  here is siwon  ,  someone i’ve been work-shopping for a while  !  looking forward to writing with you  ♡

                     ☣  ;  𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇  .

cw  :  drug mentions  ;  stop me if you’ve heard this one before------

       his dad’s a junkie and he hasn’t seen his mom since some fatcats bought their restaurant for a steal a few years before  ,  but that’s the way of life for a lot of people in the underground  .  young  ,  bored  ,  and desperate to hear and smell anything that wasn’t the rottenness of his own childhood home  ,  siwon found himself on the streets more nights than not  ,  spray paint in one hand   ,  painting nights in greens and purples until reds and blues chased him away  .  makes his first steal before he can tie his shoes  .  creates alliances with the neighborhood kids  ,  sneaks around to watch how the haves live with their pretty  ,  pretty screens and their ugly  ,  ugly words  .  school isn’t anything special  ,  either  ,  and while siwon can’t remember shit that he reads from a page he can work with his hands  .  fast and efficient  ,  nimble fingers whether they’re flying across a keyboard or fucking around with some screws  .  you can make something of yourself  ,  some of his teachers tell him while others can’t stop bitching about homework or tardiness or the way he falls asleep in the middle of class  .  but what’s siwon supposed to make  ?  he and his ragtag group of weirdos he calls friends  .  when he gets older and nights get hungrier  ,  siwon learns to stop relying on the benevolence of neighbors and finds a job  ---  he’s fast  ,  after all  ,  with a sweet face and wide eyes  ,  makes a helluva getaway after years and years of running  .  

       thieving’s a natural grift  .  he’d been training for this his whole life  .  then he catches the eyes of a boss man who isn’t nearly as mad as he should be catching some kid with his wallet in his hands  .  courier comes next  ,  ferrying messages from a bunch of suits all over the city  .  siwon never opened the packages  ,  never second guesses the credits that start bloating his account  .  desperate  ,  he does what he’s told and does it well ------ and that’s the real kicker  ,  isn’t it  ?  that after a year and some-odd months of dedicated service they leave him high and dry with some bullshit he doesn’t have any involvement with  .  after years of running  ,  boys in blue finally catch him and he’s left to take the fall of some dumb fuckery  ,  man  ,  and he’s pissed  .  steaming in jail  ,  it’s a wonder some other gang didn’t get to him first  .  the longer he sat and talked with that ghoul member  ,  the more he grew to despise the rich  ,  the ones who left him to rot after all the shit he did for them  .  what was even the point anymore  ?  dog eat dog kind of bullshit  ,  no sense of loyalty or shit anywhere  .  the law and all that money was out to get him from the beginning and siwon had enough of it  .  a few months locked up but he learned and leaned and learned  ,  only able to get out on a technicality  .  the second he stepped back out into the sun  ,  siwon followed the map given to him and signed up for the ghouls  .  city of light be damned  .  the only lights he wants to see are flames eating this hellhole alive  .

                    ☣  ;  𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓  .

➤  full name.  ryu si-won ➤  date of birth.  january 29th ➤  hometown.  city of light ➤  gender.  cis male ➤  affiliation.  ghouls  ➤  primary occupation.  drug runner  ,  pickpocket  ➤  secondary occupation.  network manager at an internet cafe 

➤  sexual attraction.  pansexual ➤  romantic attraction.  panromantic ➤  character alignment.  chaotic neutral ➤  personality type.  enfp ➤  temperament.  sanguine ➤  wants.  power  ,  family

       stands around 5′11  .  broad shoulders  ,  slim hips  .  floppy  ,  messy hair and sun browned skin  .  half legs  .  a few pieces of silver in his ears and a small hoop on his bottom lip  .  dresses somewhere between a washed up rockstar  ,  your college weed dealer  ,  and a miami vice reject  .  style’s a whim with a closet’s chaotic mix of anything he thrifts or patches together  .  most of the time he’s sporting cuffed jeans  ,  vintage blouse  ,  a denim jacket or tweed blazer and thick ass boots  .  keeps all that hair back with a bandanna or a headband  ,  hair ties on his wrist  .  nothing in his closet’s technically new and he loves looking for a bargain steal —— or simply just a steal  .  likes colors just as much as he likes his neutrals  .  wears a black air filtration mask and fingerless gloves  .  considers his floral button-up shirts fancy material and his trousers cut off at the ankles  .  likes the smell of old leather and the breathing of fringe on a jacket  ,  the weight of heavy rings on his fingers and sunglasses swooped low on his nose  .  wears a monocle because he can’t be fucked with reading glasses  .   his hair’s been every color of the rainbow and he’s always changing it up thanks to temporary dye  .

                                    ☣  ;  𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐎𝐍𝐄  .

       hustles at arcade halls  ,  scarfs down ramen and burritos like they’re gonna disappear  ,  looks as comfortable in a dark  ,  dirty alley as he does standing under all those lights in the neon district  .  pockets full of candy and a lollipop between his lips  .  likes cheap beer and cigarettes  ,  fast talking and smooth smiles  .  gets up when the sun goes down  .  who knows if he ever gets a full night’s sleep  ,  but you can find him taking a nap just about anywhere  .  seems to live for the dark hours and stays busy as a bee  ,  at the internet cafe one moment and grabbing fried cheese sticks in the next before crossing the bridge to watch the street races and venturing to the tunnels for the fighting rings  .  complains about being broke but puts down bets faster than anyone  .  lives for the feeling of wind in his hair so the window of his top-floor one bedroom shit hole stays open all the time  .  feels the rain on his skin  ,  plays with matches  .   learned how to assemble a gun in less than sixty seconds and stays packing nowadays though he can’t really shoot for shit  .  spray paints boobs on the sides of government buildings and dicks on malls  .  looks like an angel under all those holographic lights  .

       rides a motorbike and his skateboard  .  can do crazy math in his head and spot fake bills with incredible accuracy  .  can barely stand to sit still  ,  always moving except when there’s a computer screen in front of him  .  gets addicted to things so easily it’s scary  ---  people  ,  food  ,  liquor  ,  feelings  .  craves that intimacy  ,  craves that closeness that’s always been denied to him  .  has a loud as fuck laugh and a love for sneaking into places where he doesn’t belong  .  catches extra cash on the side by fixing up broken-down machines and can figure his way around a motor with a bit of elbow grease  .  still sees his family  .  not as much as a good son would  ,  but he sends cash when he can and looks after his younger sister  ,  makes sure she stays well and clean  .  they don’t know half of what he’s gotten up to since he was let out of prison  ,  but they might have some idea --- after all  ,  who’d pay a crooked boy with a record as well as he seems to be  ?  when the sun starts to come up and he crashes into bed  ,  siwon stares out the window and thinks about how in another world  ,  or in another time he probably could’ve been something  .  could’ve made something great  .  but for now he’s just got a whole lot of anger  ,  raw like a fresh wound he can’t stop picking at  .  

                           ☣  ;  𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔  ?

➤  bonds.  my loyalty to my friends is unwavering  ;   i owe everything to my mentor --- a horrible person who’s rotting in jail somewhere  ;  i fleeced the wrong person and must work to ensure this individual never crosses paths with me  . ➤  flaws.  once i pick a goal  ,  i become obsessed with it to the detriment of everything else in my life  ;  when I see something valuable  ,  i can't think about anything but how to steal it  ;  i have a weakness for the vices of the city  . 

       he’s friendly  ,  but he doesn’t make friends easily --- the ones that he has made  ,  he’d do anything for  .  because that’s how he’s gotten this far  ,  right  ?  all those people who looked after him when others tried to stomp him out  .  he’s still close with his teen friends who threw a few grifts with him  ,  gaming buddies that he knows only through a screen  .  little escapes from all the other bullshit going on in the world  .  even though he isn’t a club guy  ,  he runs into more than a few faces on his rounds  .  maybe they’re bad influences or sweethearts who help that touch starved affliction that comes from living in a city so wired  .  on the flip side  ,  there’s some enemies --- competitors in the runner world  ,  antagonists he meets at the races or rings for whatever reason  (  insane bets make tempers run hot  ,  who knows when they’ll flare for good and siwon’s learning the hard way how to keep his mouth shut  )  .  he’s fixed up a few cars or weapons for people recently because he misses working with his hands  .  y’know  ,  making nice  .  then there’s people he’s caught in a crossfire with  ,  where they’ve met something nasty one too many times before over turf  ,  territory and clients  .  a newer face to the ghouls  ,  he’s bugged someone into mentoring him  ,  and gone on a few runs with someone he loves to call a coworker  .  

       eager to prove himself as more than a green kid with a keyboard and an eye for detail  ,  find him cutting deals and making trades in smokey barbecue houses  ,  hole-in-the wall ramen shops or by taco tents  .  a full bellied class of clients are happy clients in his opinion  ,  and siwon isn’t above not making deals with the other groups who’s names aren’t violent delights  .  speaking of which  ---  there are definitely some skeletons there he aims to confront  ,  some old demons to fight from that class of people that fucked him over  .  there’s an ex lover in there somewhere  ,  probably met in that pre-prison childhood phase when he mingled past class lines more  ( ~1.5-2 years ago )  .  someone he’s healthily fearful of for whatever reason  ,  and maybe a vendetta against the family that scammed his parents out of their business and basically sent his life spiraling  .  there’s someone who isn’t what they seem  --- he doesn’t know who they really are  ,  and maybe they don’t know who he is  ,  either  .  they’ll learn eventually  .  someone he’s protective over  ,  someone who protects him in ways he doesn’t even know  ,  and those he looks after because they grew up on the same side  .  desperate for connection  ,  desperate for a place  ,  he finds it all in heaven and hell  .

[bittysvalentines]

Hug Me. Maybe. Marry Me. Be True

From: @doggernaut

To: @missweber

Hi, @missweber! I had so much fun coming up with this idea and trying to incorporate some of the prompts you suggested. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Valentine’s Day! 

Note: This was inspired by picking conversation hearts out of a bag at random.

Also posted to ao3.

HUG ME

“Jack and Maya sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G ...”

Jack Zimmermann’s face burned with shame. Even hidden in the tunnel, he could hear his classmates’ song. So what if his best friend was a girl? Maya was kind, and funny, and she had a nice dog that her mom brought to school every day when she came to walk Maya home. Jack wanted a dog, but Maman and Papa said they traveled too much to have a pet. Maya was also really good at hockey — she was one of the best players on his team. But today, during the Valentine’s Day party at school, Maya had given Jack a box of candy hearts. She hadn’t given anybody else candy hearts, and now everybody was calling them boyfriend and girlfriend.

“You want to marry Maya,” Toby had taunted. (Toby played goalie on a different hockey team. Toby was not very good at hockey.)

“Do you kiss after hockey practice?” Adam asked.

Elise began the chant, and soon a few other kids joined in: “Jack and Maya ...”

Jack was still upset when Maman asked him how his day was.

“Fine,” he muttered. He did not look at Maman, afraid she would take one look at his face and see that everything was not fine.

“You don’t sound fine,” Maman said, sitting down next to Jack on the floor where he was sorting the cards and candy he’d received in his Valentine mailbox at school. He had 23 cards, 3 pencils, 2 chocolate coins, 6 lollipops, and one box of candy hearts. He tossed the box to the side.

“What’s this?” Maman asked, picking it up. Jack hadn’t opened it, but it was a little smashed.

“Nothing,” Jack said quickly. “You can have it.”

“I remember these from when I was your age. Did Maya give these to you?” Maman asked, pointing out Maya’s carefully printed name on the back of the box. “It was very kind of her to give you such a nice gift. I hope you thanked her.”

Jack had not, in fact, thanked Maya. He had actually tried to shove the box back into her mailbox, but it had gotten stuck, which was why it was in such bad shape now.

“Jack,” Maman pressed, “did you thank Maya?”

“Is it okay for boys to be friends with girls?” Jack asked instead. “I thought Maya was my friend, but she gave me those —” he cast a withering look at the candy — “and now everybody says she’s my girlfriend. I don’t want to have a girlfriend. I don’t want to get married. I just want to play hockey with my friends.”

“Oh, Jack.” Maman began to rub small circles on his back. “You can be friends with whoever you want, boys or girls. It doesn’t mean you have to marry them. Maybe someday you will be friends with somebody and you’ll like them so much you want to get married, like me and Papa, but that won’t happen for a long time.”

“I want to play hockey,” Jack insisted.

“Well,” Maman said through a laugh, “you can do that too.” She shook a few of the candy hearts out into her palm. “I used to hand these out to all of my friends when I was your age,” she said. “Let’s see what we have here ... ‘Call Me,’ ‘Sugar,’ ‘Be True.’”

“What are those?” Jack asked.

“Just silly little sayings. Here’s another one: ‘Kiss Me.’ I’ll save that one for Papa.

Jack wrinkled his nose and took a heart out of the box. “‘Spicy,” he read, brows knit together in confusion.

“That’s another silly one,” Maman said. She noticed the look on her son’s face, still so serious and a little sad. “I was going to order pizza for dinner, but would you like to go to the diner that has the chicken tenders you like instead?”

Jack nodded. “Can we get milkshakes for dessert?” he asked.

“I think that can be arranged. What’s this one say?” she asked, turning over the heart in Jack’s palm.

“‘Hug me,’” Jack read out loud.

Maman pulled Jack close and wrapped her arms around him. Somehow, it was exactly what he needed.

MAYBE

Jack startled when he heard a knock on his door. It was Valentine’s Day, and though the team had just pulled off a great win, he knew most of the guys had gone out immediately afterward.

“Just a sec,” he called, sliding out of bed and padding to the door. Through the crack in the opening, he saw Bittle standing outside. “Hey, Bittle,” he said, opening it further.

“Oh, hey, Jack,” Bittle said, as if he was surprised to see Jack standing there. “I just, uh, wanted to apologize again, about everything that happened earlier with Shitty and the sign. And, uh —” he handed a small package to Jack — “you got some mail. It was on the kitchen counter.”

Jack took the package and smiled when he spotted the return address and Canadian postage. “It’s from my parents,” he said, sliding his thumb under the tape and prying it open. As he expected, the package contained a small box of candy conversation hearts. “Want one?” he asked, shaking a few into his own hand. He popped one — it said “Luv U” — into his mouth.

“Jack Zimmermann,” Bittle said, clearly delighted by something, “did your parents send you Valentine’s candy?”

“It’s tradition.” Maman had given him a box every year since second grade, when he’d come home crying about getting a similar box from a girl.

“I haven’t had those in years.”

“I kind of like them.” Jack chose a white one and handed it to Bittle. The white ones were the best.

“‘Tweet me.’ Very funny.”

“It’s perfect.” Jack couldn’t help the smile he felt splitting his face. More and more, lately, he found himself smiling in Bittle’s company. Though for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why Bittle was here with him tonight, instead of out with everyone else. “Why aren’t you out with the guys?”

Bittle made a face. “It’s Valentine’s Day. Rans and Holster took March and April out for half-price beers and karaoke. Shitty and Lardo went to an anti-Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day party with some of her friends. And Chowder and Cait, well, it’s their first Valentine’s Day together. I didn’t want to be the third wheel. Plus, I have some reading to finish up.”

“Do you want to be out tonight?” Jack wasn’t sure why he was asking, or why he cared. Because Bittle was his friend, he supposed. “If we hadn’t had a game tonight, is there anybody — ?”

“There’s nobody,” Bittle said quickly.

Something about that didn’t sit well with Jack. Bittle was cute, and funny, and would probably be a good boyfriend. It didn’t seem right that he didn’t have anybody to celebrate with. Then again, maybe Bittle didn’t want to date. Jack could relate. Since officially breaking things off with Camilla, he hadn’t been that interested in dating either. He had too many other important things to think about.

“Well,” Jack said, choosing another heart and dropping it into Bittle’s open palm. “Maybe next year.”

Bittle looked at the message in his hand and smiled a little wistfully. “Yeah,” he said. “Maybe.”

MARRY ME

Bitty was in the kitchen — no big surprise there — when Jack got home from his game. “What are these?” he asked, picking up a cupcake. A little candy heart sat atop a perfect swirl of pink frosting.

“They’re for my kids after practice tomorrow,” Bitty said. He placed a green heart on top of another cupcake. “If I have any leftovers I’ll save ‘em for you, but no sneaking any tonight.”

Jack chuckled “Is your strategy to get them all sugared up before practice? I guess it worked for you with those pumpkin lattes.”

Bitty bumped Jack with his hip and went back to his candy placement. “I’ll have you know, Mr. Zimmermann, that these are for after the game.”

“Lucky kids.” They were lucky to have Bitty as a coach, and not just because his cupcakes were, in Jack’s opinion, the best he’d ever tasted. Bitty hadn’t been sure, at first, when the manager of the peewee hockey league affiliated with the Falcs had approached him about coaching a team, but it turned out he was a natural. Not that Jack had ever doubted him. Jack had seen him lead SMH to a Frozen Four championship as captain, and he was Thirdy’s daughter’s favorite babysitter. As Jack had expected, Bitty had taken to coaching like a duck to water. His kids won some and they lost some, but he’d seen how much they’d grown in the short time Bitty had been working with them.

“And lucky me,” Jack added, leaning down to give Bitty a kiss on the cheek. “I get their leftovers.”

“If there are leftovers,” Bitty said, laughing. “I wouldn’t count on it.”

*

The next evening, when Jack let himself in after practice, he could hear the shower running. Which meant Bitty was home.  And  — he glanced at the kitchen counter — there was one cupcake sitting on a red and pink paper plate. He picked it up and did a double take when he glimpsed the message on the pink heart sitting atop the cake.

“Marry me.”

It couldn’t be what it implied, right? It was just a coincidence, the last cupcake left after all of Bittle’s kids had been served. It didn’t have to mean anything more than that. It certainly wasn’t — probably wasn’t, anyway — intended to be taken at face value.

They’d talked about marriage, of course, but Jack had always, in the back of his mind, thought he’d be the one to do it. It was all planned; he had the ring and he was going to it when they went to Madison in July.

“Honey?” Jack wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing in the middle of their kitchen, staring at the cupcake, but it must have been longer than he thought because Bitty was standing in front of him, towel wrapped around his waist. “You’re home early,” he said, eyes darting to Jack’s hands. “You’re not supposed to ... I was gonna ...” Bitty, for once, was at a loss for words.

“Bits, is this —” Jack held the cupcake out for Bitty to inspect. “I mean …” He shrugged. He was at a loss for words, too.

“I had it all planned!” Bitty blurted out. “You were supposed to get home later, and I was gonna be dressed and have some music playing ...”

“I think you look pretty good right now,” Jack said, sidestepping the fact that Bitty had almost-but-not-quite just proposed.

“Oh, you.” Bitty took the cupcake from Jack —” I was going to get down on one knee,  like this —“ he dropped to one knee and looked up at Jack, cupcake held toward him.

Jack laughed. “You’re so far away,” he chirped.

“Jack Zimmermann, are you calling me short right as I’m about to propose?” Bitty asked as he stood, one hand at his waist to prevent the towel from slipping off. He still hadn’t actually proposed, but Jack’s chirp had accomplished what he wanted, which was to bring Bitty close enough to gather in his arms.

“Yes,” he murmured.

Bitty swatted at his chest. “I haven’t asked you anything yet!”

”If you ask me, I’ll say yes.”

“Marry me.”

“Yes.”

BE TRUE

“Oh, honey,” Bitty gasped as Emily twirled in the living room. Her skirt flared out around her and sparkled as the spun. Jack was surprised their daughter had chosen such a feminine dress to wear to the Valentine’s Day dance — he was surprised she wanted to go at all, actually — but the striped knee socks and red Chuck Taylors gave it her own personal touch. Bitty had sighed when she’d insisted on wearing the shoes, but he’d later confessed to Jack that it was just fine if she wanted to wait a few years before buying her first pair of high heels.

“You just aren’t ready for her to be taller than you,” Jack had chirped.

“I’m not ready for her to not be our little girl,” Bitty had countered. Jack understood. He wasn’t ready, either.

“You look beautiful,” Jack said as Emily came to a stop and her skirt settled around her. “Let me take a picture before you leave.”

“Papa,” Emily whined, “Henry is going to be here any minute.”

“He can wait,” Bitty said. “Or, better yet, he can come in and take a picture with you. This is your first big dance, you’re not leaving this house without pictures.”

Jack captured Emily’s eye roll on camera. He also managed to get one of her smiling, and one of her with Bitty, who, Jack could tell, was trying not to cry. Then he set the timer and joined them for one last picture.

“Now can I go?”

“Hold on just a minute,” Jack said, reaching into his pocket. Maman still sent him a box of candy hearts every year, and though Bitty (and now Emily) still claimed they were inedible, Jack found them oddly comforting. He pulled out the heart he’d saved for Emily.

Predictably, she rolled her eyes as Jack pressed it into her hand. As a little girl, she’d loved reading each one with Jack and laughing at some of the more old fashioned or puzzling words and phrases, but now she pretended to be above such things. “Be true?” she read.

“Just, ah, you’re going to your first real dance with a boy, and I wanted to remind you that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” Jack said. This whole speech had sounded better in his head. “If you don’t want to dance, you don’t have to. And obviously, if you don’t want to kiss or —”

“Oh my god, Papa!” Emily yelled, pressing her hands to her ears. “I’m not going to have sex with him. I’m only fifteen.”

“I think what Papa is trying to remind you of,” Bitty interrupted, “is that you shouldn’t let anybody pressure you into doing things that make you uncomfortable. Tonight or ever.”

“Be true to yourself,” Jack finished.

Emily rolled her eyes again. Now that she was a teenager, she did that a lot. “I know, you guys. You’ve literally been telling me this since I was a baby. Can I go now?”

“We’ll walk you out,” Bitty said, putting an arm around her shoulder and guiding her out the door. Jack followed. They watched together as she ran to meet Henry, who got out of his mother’s van to meet her. The couple obligingly posed for one more photo, and Henry even shook their hands and thanked them for allowing him to take Emily to the dance.

“I like him,” Jack said as they walked back to the house together.

“She’s growing up.”

“Too fast,” Jack agreed. It seemed like just yesterday she’d been cautiously toddling between them on this same front porch. Now she was going on dates. Too soon, she would be going away to college, and then she might be coming home to tell them she was engaged. Which reminded Jack …

“You know what today is,” he said, hip checking Bittle.

“Of course I do. Speaking of, I did save a cupcake for you.” Bitty hadn’t coached since Emily had been in peewees, but he made cupcakes for his staff every Valentine’s Day. He always saved a few for their family to enjoy after dinner, which would be short one person tonight.

“We can have them when Em gets home.”

“Or,” Bitty said, raising an eyebrow, “we can have ours now. Why should she have all the fun? We’re old, not dead.”

Jack followed Bitty into the kitchen, confused, until he saw the two cupcakes Bitty had arranged on the kitchen table. He had clearly used a different candy heart supplier than Maman, Jack realized, as he read the messages atop each cupcake: “Cute Butt” and “Let’s Get Busy.”

“Bits,” Jack said, forgetting all about high school dances and cupcakes and everything that was not his husband. When he pressed him up against the counter and kissed him, it felt exactly like it had in their Providence kitchen so many years ago.

“Maybe let’s not get busy right here,” Bitty said. “I love you, but the last time we did this in the kitchen my back hurt for a week.”

Jack didn’t want to stop, but Bitty had a point. He scooped him up and threw him over his shoulder instead, because he could still do that, if he didn’t have to walk far. And their bedroom wasn’t that far away from the kitchen.

“Don’t you dare drop me on the bed,” Bitty warned through laughter, “or I’ll divorce you.”

“Good thing they don’t make a candy heart that says that.” Jack dropped Bitty on the bed and fell down next to him. “Be mine?”

Bitty curled closer, his nimble fingers already working to remove Jack’s belt. “Always.”

[weirdness-on-the-roof]

critical role episode 48 campaign 2 notes and funny lines post break edit:this has detailed notes on all the stuff that happened later in the episode including physical descriptions near the end. enjoy ya nerds

don’t steal the books from a high powered mage; don’t kill the dude; beau turning into cad; look at beau planning for the future

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is marisha flirting with matt via matt playing yasha and beau flirting with yasha?

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‘tea the international language’ but no earl grey

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wensworth the goblin

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coming from Cad ‘im a fine tea maker’ is kinda a threat tbh

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elf that isn’t white/European??? yay! also really old elves are cool

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beau and cad tag teaming a political chat with a mage this can’t end poorly

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Nott: :beau ruins every situation shes in and is very abrasive

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send the freaking cat!!! why not?? caleb my dude

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god i miss allura and gilmore currently

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fucking fuck don’t lie to the mage beau plz stop this is painful ‘you’re not wrong’ sure blame the ancient sea god

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‘on the verge of returning’ yea no duh you let him out 2/3 of the way so fjord could get a spell

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‘we found a thing’ so smooth and eloquent beau ‘it was presented to us as the happy fun time ball’

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‘butter fingers with magical items’

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beau getting a geography lesson from a very old powerful elven mage

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‘magical geometric orb that has the ability to bend time and space and fate’ which is kept in a hot pink magic bag that happened to ‘fall into [their] lap’

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‘if youre down im down is what im saying... i have a few slots open in my loyalty bank if you’re willing to pay rent’ says the 20 some human who punches things to the centuries old wizard ‘

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liam stress eating

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cad’s hope in the group is heartwarming

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tower metaphors and a conversation!!!

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caleb reading shitty romance novel and nott eating a fish outside a mage’s tower in the morning sunlight in a major city

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caleb takes the rear

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first name drop and a while

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holy shit 200 years of magic using

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cad explaining materialistic nature of the rest of the party to elf dude is hilarious

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teleportation circles?????? in return for access to the sphere!! oh shit thats good

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or candy

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crap. no one has insight checked this dude and they gave him the happy fun ball and made a deal kinda.

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‘how do we prove our loyalty?’ ‘by not fucking me over’ sounds like a good plan

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is this guy just caleb’s patron now on the low idk this is how my head works and he said learn

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“you have a geometric shape that makes babies?” “yea they talked about that”

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fjord just kills the dude

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‘i got banishment on hold just in case’ *cackling laughter*

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i agree with elf dude, him not knowing anything about the dodecha is more concerning than him knowing about it

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ALL THE CITIES FROM CR1 MENTIONED FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! I STILL MISS ALLURA AND GILMORE

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good to know the pink bag protects from divination on this plane but just this one

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jester and the traveler figurine

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cad included the Traveler in the ‘chaotic forces’ i still think the traveler is some kinda arch fey evil things idk its real late here and this is incoherent

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‘well, thats been my morning tea‘ 

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caleb getting additional tour

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good aesthetic for the room tbh

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letting weird people in for morning tea is entertainment is a mood and something i strive to be able to do without getting murdered one day

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so yasha and caleb both have gotten the ‘stay with friends’ chat from a powerful being which is nice. but also the ‘use who you need to’ going to caleb is vaguely concerning

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personalized biscuits [bourbon, cinnamon, lobster, fish and three unknowns]

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‘caleb, what happened in there?’

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cad not believing caleb’s bullshit and opening doors for caleb warms my heart

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‘if this isn’t the death of us, and if not hes a good ally. somethings gonna be the death of us so [yolo]’

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‘you can’t bullshit everyone in this world’

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cad talking about beau telling the truth: ‘you’re not very good at it but you tried

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jester looking out for nott and her home town

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caleb and beau being cute while also giving each other shit is the most sibling like thing

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omg going back to allfield that was so long ago for fucks sake BRYCE my person thank god

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jester had a boy band phase its cannon and i think the girls had a sleepover in jester’s old room. also marion never leaves the hotel. THE RUBY NECKLACE MY HEART AND THE HONEY AWWWWW

‘the army of men and women and inbetween that will do as i want them to’ god i adore her being protective of jester

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also the fact matt makes such a good mom why is he like this

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travel time!!!! ‘roll for initiative’-tal

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how does matt keep these notes so organized and remember all the npc names

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the ranger/beast master in Laura is coming out with nugget

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caleb is a devout cat person and jester is the definition of a dog person

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nott refining oil on a magical moving cart, while jester reads a romance novel and trains a dog,

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Dyren- Beau’s roommate at colbot souls; ‘taught beau lots of really cool things’ got sent to a warfront. shaved head, dark clothes, buff b/c ‘been workin out’, ‘do you love her?’ they had ‘good times’, then literal booty call, and dropping locations, Dyren was in Bladegarden. ‘fierce eyebrows, pointed nose’

                    OH MY GOD THEY WERE ROOMMATES

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Vandren info drop to Fjord ‘he was making amends’

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Dyren responded and was hurt in Bladegarden but is safe. Beau looked immediately worried and happy about jester’s imput [’sounded way into you’]

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empire kids chat and caleb admitting insecurities about powerful people and being scared about the consequences of his actions and the group’s actions. caleb is scared about being forced to leave for safety and being ‘flayed alive’. my thoughts are he would leave if he became a threat to the others by being there or vise versa. trent would extort that b/c hes a dick

“caleb, unfortunately, you don’t get to choose who cares for you” you’re fucking correct Beau

“the problem with friends is that you have to care for them”

walks away “wow cool caleb! see- jester thinks you’re cool because shes your fucking friend!”

me too Tal “everything i like about those two characters in one conversation”

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5 years since Caleb left Trent and crew ie had a nervous breakdown

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gustav left town after being freed and trostenwald now has a WV accent that is too familiar

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100 extra soldiers in allfield. bryce is still up and kicking and wonderful. stuff ‘got this far east [quickly]’. the attacks came from underground apparently so fuck. the fields were burned, building destroyed a bit then they [Xhorhasians] left

“good thing is they’ve already been attacked so lightning doesn’t strike twice” oof thanks bryce

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beau just dead ass asking for illegal writing statements

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fjord having a thank u jesus bryce moment

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jester giving cad a pretty present is ‘so exciting’ and precious

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Cad not knowing cookbooks were a thing!!! and not being utterly literate enough to understand it

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wtf happened to liam’s voice in the ‘main export is oysters’ thing

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FELDERWEN!!!!!

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a dozen squads of 50 ppl each patrolling felderwen area so rippppp

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Nott knows where the halfing’s house is.... interesting... and is heavily drinking

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BLUE FLASH

elven woman in fine clothes of green and black ----lady vest durogna the arch mage of antiquity serboros assembly

a male figure in deep blue robes, older pale elf, fine clothes, the flash came from him----- martinette luden’th de____ arch mage of domestic protection

CALEB KNOWS THEM BOTH FROM THE ACADEMY AHHHHHH

he just lays flat and hides in the cart internally: ‘nopenopenopenope’

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several burned buildings, a warehouse, an inn, apothecary and several houses

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ohhhh shit the halfling was the owner of the apothecary and nott was looking for the shit she had been sending back this whole adventure....... im sad now that was confirmed

havent found a body of yeza

luke is yeza’s son at old edith’s house

            halflings only produce halflings according to something i read at some point but forget where sooooooooo

shattered vials and materials and house stuff

CHILDREN'S TOYS

locked basement which nott knows of?? Nott is anxious and impatient when the door doesn’t open. jester fails, yasha rages and at a 19 and doesn’t break the door. ‘it wasn’t [trapped]’ but dispel magic worked to open it.

a 15′x15′ room, tossed ‘not like you remember’ to nott, a 2x3 iron chest. a single chair in the center of the room. definitely a struggle with heavy impacts and blade scratched on wall

             nott was the torturer from the goblin tribe

chair was placed in the spot after the struggle

this was where he [yeza] kept chemicals according to nott

poisoned iron locked box (dull black glass)  inside a retractable silver tripod to hold something atop it, 3 empty vials 1 full one with a liquid/gas fog like dull colored thing, a pile of destroyed notes [two pieces of still legible paper which have props]

            dunamous field, causes ppl slow to be slower or faster, ‘captured crin operatives’ dunaments and dunamacy, origon gliffs, exist outside established schools of magic, theory in deeply rooted in arcana taken for granted, rooted in _____ town, 12-16 months to refine, word has found me that trent’s kiddos have knacks for this things, dreams are thrilling

well shittttt

            crin on battle fields, ‘breaking fields of fate, fuck the raven queen

SHIIIIIT

a piece of dunemous

dodecha goes in tripod according to beau

chair facing chest

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cricks did this apparently

a little under 100 crowns guard killed, 4 civilians burned

soldiers just ‘slowed down’ 

left via tunnels and collapsed them behind them

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nott dont be a bitch and don’t get mad at caleb and call them ‘his people’

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cad picks up caleb and ‘youre not at fault here, youre the solution here. don’t let her anger... its not about you’

my HEART

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the chest is too big for the haver sack but fits in lorenzo’s bag of holding

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people have entered and exited since the attack and left the chair and stuff

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lots ‘o chairs

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nott needs to see ledith and uke (?) and not flip the fuck out

‘humble hobble’

nott looked like halfling plump face, braids, tan skin

edith- human older, grey hair, beady eyes, ever present smile like face

          LUKE IS HER SON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CANNON

         *edit- rewatching this and seeing ever one’s faces “wheres my son?!” particularly laura/liam/travis just hurt. liam just looked up after a second and travis did his face he does and laura just stiffened and eyes and hand to face. caleb/liam who knows just hugs himself the rest of the convo. marisha is note taking and fuck the video off now

about 5 yrs old, blue eyes, tan/light brown skin, halfling

gave him the doll of the king

IM GONNA CRY NOW BYE

‘HES PROABLY DEAD NOW TOO LIKE I THOUGHT YOU WER’

yenza locks him away when ‘the mean lady comes by’

mean lady has pointy ears and comes often, luke was kept in room, luke was pushed out of the house and told to go somewhere safe so he ran to edith’s house and ‘everything was on fire’

‘im not strong enough to come back yet but know that [im stll thinking of you and i send things] and i hope dad sends them to you.“ fuck my heart

“in my heart i think he is” “well don’t die”

-------

the elves are gong to the ruins of yenza’s house

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marisha looked so betrayed

tal ‘i was waiting for the riegel shoe to drop’

WOW

HEY CALEB- WOOOW

-------

we’ll pick up hiiiere

fuck you sam and matt and everything abou this my heart is just FUCKKK

ummm so enjoy the frantic poorly taken notes <3

[cyborgmagpie]

I dream of vivid Crystals

". . . everyone has their own dreamscape, each dreamscape with its own terrain, I'm sure you all know the terrain of your own dreamscape. Mine for example is a field of wheat and barley. Now, ones dreamscape always has a link, or a doorway, that leads through into terrain that is not our own. This, as I'm sure you all know, is the dreamscape of your soulmate. . ."

Anti yawned as the professor that the school had brought in droned on about dreamscapes and dreamscape curtsey such as not wondering into a soulmates scape without permission, or not looking into the hidden parts of others dreamscapes. Then the professor went on about how not all dreamscapes were vast open spaces.

It was all common knowledge, ask anyone and they'd be able to tell you it, but for some reason, the school had felt the need for this lecture anyway.

He zoned back in just around the end where the lecturer was summarizing some stuff.

". . . and so it is possible to visit a dreamscape that isn't yours but it often takes both emotional and physical closeness. Now, how about a quiz, turn over the sheets on your desk."

Half of the class, including Anti, internally and collectively groaned. Ant flipped over the sheet and started filling out answers.

'When you sleep will you always end up in your dreamscape?'

'No.'

'If not in their dreamscape whilst sleeping, where can people be?'

'Nightmares, other peoples dreamscapes.'

'Are soulmates able to enter eachothers dreamscapes if far away?'

'Yes.'

He sighed. Filling out the finishing few before the lecturer started asking for answers.

"If not in their dreamscapes, where can people be?"

A girl who Anti had never taken time to acknowledge stuck her hand up, "In an actual dream, or away visiting other peoples dreamscapes."

Anti zoned out until the bell rang, then he packed up and headed for the cafeteria.

---

"Honestly, its stupid, the automatic assumption that soul mate means lover, it can be for friend too, I mean, how must the aromatic people feel."

Anti nodded along to Chase, at least someone had some passion about the lecture.

"Its stupid, me and Marvin are soul mates but I'm fed up with being asked if we'll hook up or anything. Just because Stacy broke up with me."

Anti squeezed Marvin's hand under the table, giving him a sympathetic look, before looking back at Chase, "Dude, there's no need to flip your cap, she was toxic and you know it, okay?"

"Yeah, you've said, but my point was that Marv and I aren't destined for some beautiful wedding or whatever."

Anti squeezed Marvin's hand again, looking around, "Hey, uh, Chase, Bings waving you over."

"Is he? Probably for the skate park later, see you guys." And with that, he got up and went over to the other, Anti waited a moment before leading Marvin to some less crowded space of the school, before hugging the boy just as he broke down.

"I can't take this much longer." Anti ran his hair through Marvin's hair in response, admittedly Marvin's hair had gotten a little curly, but the long curls suited him.

"I get what Chase is saying, but it hurts." His voice sounded so raw and broken, and Anti just rocked them both from side to side.

"Its okay Marv, he doesn't know, and he would never want to hurt you."

"That's what hurts. He's so fixed and I don't have a chance in hell and it tears me up inside."

"Because you love him."

Marvin nods and continues to cling to Anti like a lifeline, no longer sobbing but his throat still felt tight and his eyes were still streaming. "When your ready to go, tell me, I have tissues in my rucksack."

"Thanks. . . Anti." Marvin took a moment before stepping back, giving Anti space to take his rucksack off and offer him the tissues. Anti waited as Marvin sorted himself out.

"Hey, after school do you wanna come over and play video games or something?"

"Your foster carers won't mind?"

"No, Doc's just glad I have friends."

"And the uhh-"

"Don't worry, Isaac isn't as scary as you think, he's fine."

"He's blind yet he knows when we're there."

"Because he can hear us talking and breathing Marv, neither of my carers are scary, okay?"

Marvin nodded, "yeah, I'll see you later."

---

The rest of the day had passed, well, more dragged on, Anti had sent Doc a message so that he knew Marvin was coming over. He didn't expect a reply since he was probably in clinic. At the end of the day he hung around the gates and waited for Marvin. Upon spotting the taller lad he waived. Marvin's face lit up when he spotted Anti and he made his way over.

"Your mum knows you're going home with me over doesn't she?"

Marvin nodded as they started to walk side by side towards where Anti lived, "Home, huh? You've really settled in with these carers haven't you?"

Anti rolled his eyes, not answering the question directly, but Marvin could tell he'd hit the nail on the head. He smiled a little.

"Its nothing to be ashamed of, you don't need to keep your tough demeanour up with me buddy, come on, we've worn skirts together."

"Because Chase wanted to buy one for Stacy."

"We looked better in skirts than she would." Marvin grinned, anti smiled, glad Marvin had overlooked the subject of Stacy in favour of having fun. He opened the gate for Marv, although they could just step over it, it was waist high, but this was less odd. They walled up to the front door and Anti walked in.

"Don't you lock the front door?"

"Doc said we can if we want, but he doesn't tend to unless its night or the house is empty."

"Odd."

"Yeah." They dropped their rucksacks in the hallway, Anti peaked into the dining room, smiling at the sight of a stripped shirt and books. "Hey Robster."

"Hi Ati."

"Doing homework buddy?" Anti walked over and peaked over his shoulder whilst Marvin stood in the doorframe. "Maths, ouch. Fassbinder isn't feelin nice huh?"

Robbie gave a humm and nodded in agreement, "Pops help once I'm stumped."

Anti sighed, "Robbie, what has Doc said about developing your speech?"

Robbie grumbled, "To use full sentences cos then people'll-" Robbie stuck his tongue out when Anti nudged him, "people will take me seriously."

"There you go. And hey, we still know you're adorable. Good luck with devils subject." Anti lead Marvin to a lounge with an L shaped sofa, a rocking chair and a small TV, he sat down in front of the TV, turning it on and passing Marvin a games console remote.

"Have a look and pick out a game." He motioned towards a box with a variation of video games in it.

The two ended up playing smash bros until one of Anti's carers suggested Marvin should get home before it got dark out. Marvin had left feeling pretty happy that he had beat Anti fair and square, not knowing Anti had just picked a weak character and then played as them so Marv had better chances.

"How come you invited Marvin over?" Anti looked up from his food, fishfingers, potato wedges and peas since Doc insisted they be healthy, Isaac had asked.

"Chase went on one of his 'just friends' rants."

Isaac shook his head, eating another bite of fish. At first Anti had found it weird, how easily he got around, almost creepy, but Doc had explained that it was a combination of leaving things in the same places, and the fact that Isaac could still see shadows of things. It didn't explain how easily he ate, but Anti had decided not to ask.

Anti liked Isaac, he told stories and good jokes. Sure, the tinted glasses and cane could be a little intimidating at first, but he had gotten over it.

Isaac finished chewing, "Chase's lose tongue is going to crush that poor boys heart."

"I'm doin' my best."

"We know." Doc responded. "Have you got any homework to do?"

"Done it."

"Really?" Doc raised an eyebrow.

"Chase was going to the skate park later so he did his at break. Me and Marv figured we should just do the same."

"Smart move kid. And you Robbie?"

Robbie hurriedly chewed his food, swallowing, "Done it all."

---

Anti woke up, or fell asleep into- he had never really worked it out, and for the sake of simplicity woke up was close enough. Anti woke up in his dreamscape. A humid cave full of warm pools of water that created a layer of steam across the floor and walls full of glowing crystals, they were an aurora of green and blue still. It felt as if they were stuck like that, Anti knew they were beautiful, but he tired of green and blue.

Anti got up and headed to do what he did every night, first he went to a low down exit of the cave system. There were only two but this one was lower than the other and so, being simple minded as he was, he called it such. He also referred to it as the candy exit.

Upon reaching he looked out to pink fields, lollipop trees, chocolate rivers. The whole place was some form of willy wonka realm. Anti spotted that yet again, someone had put a chocolate bar at the cave entrance. He smiled, whoever lived in the candy land, they were a giver. Anti picked it up, pocketing it and walking down a different tunnel to the one he had come from, arriving at a dead end with a mine cart in it. Anti looked through the cart, pulling out several rocks and crystals before settling on one. The crystals in the cart always mirrored the ones in the cave. Anti was sure the candy person would be sick of green crystals. He placed one in the exit of the cave regardless, before walking up another tunnel, up and up until the cave grew cold and the winter exit came into view.

Anti wasn't sure of this exit. The evergreen forest cleared several hundred meters from the cave entrance and the whole land, as far as Anti could see, was covered in snow. Once Anti had went out into the snow, he had found a sled and gone down a hill. The whole experience had felt wrong, as if he was trespassing in another persons dreamscape. Anti wasn't sure, it was unlikely he had two soulmates.

Anti put the chocolate bar down in the snow, along with a crystal. There were never any footsteps in the snow but something always came and took them.

He smiled. He had done his routine, now he could lay in a dreamt up hot spring until morn.

[imagineaworlds]

Caught In Your Eyes(Part Five)--Billy Hargrove

Written By @rune-of-a-writer / @hellimagines

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

Original Request: “Hi. I love your work. I was wondering if you could do a billy imagine where the female reader is new to town and she’s a bad girl and billy instantly falls for her and tries to get with her. Thank you!!”

Warning: cursing, mentions of abuse and neglect

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x fem!reader

Summary: You find Billy at Gunther’s, and the two of you bond over shakes and a cold night spent in the back of his car.

Word Count: 4,053

Listen To: Stay Alive by Jose Gonzalez

A/N: So I had no intention of bringing a song into this (because I’m horrible with them). BUT THEN! I had my Pandora station on shuffle and this song came on while I was writing and I was like !!!!!!!!! that is literally (Y/N) and Billy’s theme song?? Like?? The hell. Perfection.

As you walked up to the illuminated lights of Gunther Tooty’s, you noticed a familiar blue Camaro recklessly parked out front. You couldn’t understand what Billy was doing here, after all, you had never known him to come here unless he was with the group. Pushing your (h/c) hair out of your face, you headed inside. The double doors opened, and you looked around for the familiar curly blond hair. You spotted him in the very back of the restaurant, his back facing the door. You could see his fingers mindlessly playing with the small jukebox on the booth’s table, his denim jacket tight around his shoulders. Giving Gunther a quick wave, you signaled your usual shake and headed over to Billy.

“Hey there, asshole,” you grinned, ruffling his hair as you passed to sit across from him. Billy’s entire body jolted when your hand landed in his hair, his head snapping up to look at you. Underneath his eye was bright red and slightly swollen, a scabbed cut on the bridge of his nose, and a dark bruise on the hollow of his cheek.

“Shit,” he breathed out, realizing it was only you. “Hey, princess,” you raised an eyebrow at how restless he was. “What are you doing out here so late dressed like that?”

“Nothing much,” you sighed, pulling your knee onto the booth’s bench and wrapping your arms around it, “just decided to go for a stroll. How about you, Hargrove? Didn’t know you were into the solo act anymore,” you smirked, flashing him a wink. Billy laughed, leaning back into the booth.

“Got me there. You and the Goon Squad managed to rope me in,” Billy joked, “But I just had a rough night, I suppose,” he admitted, casting his eyes back to the tiny juke box. You nodded in understanding, tracing one of the skulls on your pajama pants.

Gunther walked over, two shakes in his hand. He handed you your chocolate shake, no cherry, and Billy his vanilla shake with two cherries. Billy’s hand reached into his pocket to pull out the 3$, but Gunther stopped him.

“It’s on the house, son. You five kids have given this place it’s revenue. Two shakes won’t put me in the ground,” Gunther spoke, flashing the two of you a soft smile before walking back to the diner bar.

“That man is too good for Hawkins,” you complained, shoving your straw around in your shake, staring down into it. “Thanks for trying to pay for mine by the way. I just realized I don’t have any money on me.”

“Yeah, no problem. I kind of figured you weren’t hiding a wallet in those pants of yours,” Billy laughed, motioning his knuckle towards your knee.

“Yeah, didn’t have time to grab much, let alone a wallet,” you chuckled, a puff of air leaving your nose. Billy looked up at what you said, and so did you, your eyes widening.

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Billy probed, biting his straw and taking a sip. Staring at him, you eyed him slowly.

“Alright, let’s make a deal,” you proposed, taking your straw out of your shake and sucking the whip cream off. “If I tell you about my ‘rough night’, you’re gonna tell me why your face is beat up while your knuckles aren’t bruised. If you had gotten jumped, you would’ve fought back. That is a damn fact, Hargrove.”

“Fine,” Billy sighed after a minute, crossing his arms and leaning away from you and his shake. He had one of the candy cherries in his mouth now, rolling it around. Nodding, you let out a jagged breath.

“For starters, my uncle’s a dick. Let’s just get that straight,” you began, “I had to move here with him because my dad couldn’t handle me anymore, not after what happened at my old school. I used to bounce living between him and my uncle, neither one being ideal. My uncle is a sex addict and my dad a drug addict. Run’s in the family, guess that’s why I’m addicted to fighting,” you laughed, trying to lighten the conversation a little. “But anyways, my uncle kicks me out a lot so that his girls can have places to stay if tricks go bad, or their rent is past due, or he’s lonely. Those things. He hasn’t done it since we moved here, I figured he wouldn’t since he still has his own place back home. But I was wrong,” you growled, flicking the glass of your shake, “While I was sleeping at the apartment, he barged in and pretty much shoved me out. Didn’t give me a chance to put on shoes or my jacket. Didn’t give me my keys, nothing. Survival of the fittest I suppose,” you finished, finally taking a sip of your chocolate shake to clear your dry throat, and avoid Billy’s stare.

--

Billy’s tongue pressed along the inside of his cheek, rolling his cherry underneath. He watched you carefully and silently for a while, not wanting to say anything yet. Your (e/c) eyes were cast out the window, the blue luminescent lighting of Gunther’s shop clashing with their natural color. You had whip cream on your bottom lip from rolling your straw along it, and your hair was down for once. Billy hadn’t really seen your hair down before, you usually had it in a ponytail with strands in your face. It was nice, he had to admit, subtle waves going through it and little pieces sticking out; most likely from being rushed out of your apartment. You were still wearing your Mickey Mouse shirt from this morning, and Billy knew you weren’t wearing a bra-he’d seen enough tits to know. He didn’t say anything of course, but god did he know. The only thing that took him by total shock, were your mismatched socks. One was bright pink, and the other was bright green.

“Ya gonna say something, Hargrove, or keep givin’ that cherry a good time?” you finally spoke up, moving your eyes to look at him. Billy grinned, showing off the cherry between his teeth and making a show of rolling it along the top of his mouth before finally eating it.

“I’ve got a lot to say, (Y/L/N),” he spoke up, after swallowing, “First of all, your uncle is indeed a dick. Throwing a teenage girl out at the end of winter without a jacket or pair of shoes is fucked up. You deserve better than that, princess,” Billy murmured, leaning forward.

“Thanks, asshole,” you said sincerely, no malice attached to the nickname. “Now, what about your face?” Billy sighed, now taking his turn to look at his shake.

“Coach ended up telling my dad about everything that’s happened between Tim and I when we almost went at it again today. We didn’t get in a fight, but we screamed and cussed each other out. My dad got really pissed off when I came home. He’s been losing his temper a lot more easily now, ever since my mom died I’ve noticed. There’s not a whole lot I can do to please him anymore. This didn’t help,” Billy explained simply, sparing you of the details. You nodded, resting your chin on your knee.

“Yeah… I sort of figured something was going on. When you came in after the game Hawkins lost with that busted lip and bruise on your shoulder and clear knuckles? Something wasn’t up. You can’t just confront someone about that shit though. It’s not easy to deal with, let alone talk about. Plus, we’re basically always with the other three,” you huffed, fishing out more whipped cream with your straw. Billy’s face paled at your analysis, looking up at you with his mouth around his straw.

“I-I… I uh…” Billy spluttered, not knowing how to react to being caught in his various lies.

“It’s fine, Billy, I get it. Some of the fights I pick at school are just because I get bruises from my uncle. Do you really think I actually wanted to get in a fight with Jacob when he tipped over my water bottle in Environmental class? I’m not that psycho, but I had to find some way to cover up the bruises,” you passed, waving your hand in the air. Billy let out the panicked breath he was holding in, relaxing again. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his eyes.

--

“So where are you gonna go tonight? Gunther’s closes in an hour,” Billy questioned, after a while, tilting his head in the vague direction of where he thought the old man would be. You shrugged, having no idea. You didn’t know it was already 2 a.m, you thought it was only midnight, possibly 1 a.m.

“Not sure. I’ll most likely head to a park again, the tunnel slides are oddly comfortable,” you snickered, winking at him. “What about you? Does your dad cool down quick?”

“Yeah, he’s asleep. I can sneak back in if I need to, but I most likely won’t. I let him cool down until the next day. You can sleep in my car with me if you want? That’s what I usually do. I park it down at Golden Ponds and then head to school whenever I wake up.”

“I’ll have to hit you up on that offer. But I need you to drop me off at my house in the morning so I can change. Gotta keep up that reputation,” you smirked, pulling at your pajama pants.

“I don’t know, princess. Skull pajamas? Pretty badass if you ask me,” Billy retorted, flashing a wink back at you and you shook your head.

“Yeah, right,” you scoffed, scooting out of the booth. Billy followed after you, your finished shakes abandoned on the table. “Thanks for the shakes, Gunther. We’ll probably see you tomorrow!” you called out to the back of the diner, hearing a ‘have a good night, kids!’ before the two of you left the store.

Billy unlocked the car for you guys, ducking into the driver’s side, you following into the passenger side. You shivered at the temperature drop, Gunther’s diner having been much warmer than the inside of Billy’s car. Starting the car, Billy was quick to get the heater going as he drove off.

“Sorry, it usually takes a minute or two for it to get going,” Billy apologized.

“It’s fine, it’s better than being outside,” you assured, grinning up at him. He gave you a soft smile before turning on the radio, his rock music instantly streaming through. He kept the music quiet, so that it was more of a buzz than anything. When the car came to a stop at a red light, Billy began taking off the denim jacket he was wearing.

“Here, I’m wearing a long sleeve under this,” Billy said, handing the jacket over to you as the light turned green.

“You sure?” you questioned, hesitantly taking it from him. The last time you had worn the jacket was when you were high, out in the middle of a road. It didn’t bring back great memories, but the jacket was still warm from him wearing it, and it was comfortable.

“Yeah, don’t make me change my mind, princess,” he warned, but his tone was teasing. Huffing, you pulled the jacket on, relishing in the way your freezing arms were finally able to escape the bitter cold.

A comfortable silence fell over the car, Billy’s music barely being heard over the car’s engine. He was driving slow, taking his time to get to the ponds. Your eyes were starting to close, your head leaning against the cold window. The occasional bump or turn would jolt you awake, and you’d rub your eyes, trying not to fall asleep. In about 20 minutes, you guys had made it to Golden Ponds, and the area was completely vacant. Billy parked the car under a large tree, it’s bare branches brushing against the hood. His headlights shined over one of the ponds, illuminating the ice.

“It’s nice,” you murmured, looking at the ice intently.

“Yeah, it’s even better in the morning. Nobody comes here in the winter I’ve found out. In the fall this place was swarmed with people all the time. I always had to make sure I was gone before 6,” he said, “But now, I can sleep in as late as I need to, and nobody is ever here. The ice is way too thin, and the ponds too small, to ice skate, so there’s not too many reasons to come out here.”

“Except for people like us,” you joked, giving him a toothy grin, which he returned.

“Yeah, except for our kind,” he said. Our kind. Billy hadn’t found someone to relate to before, mainly because he never opened up. It was a strange feeling, but it wasn’t one he wanted to go away. Not this time. Billy shut the car off, the pond losing it’s light and the car it’s heat. “I can’t keep it running. But there’s a blanket in the back.”

“Alright, that’ll work. Come on, I know you’re tired as hell,” you ordered, beginning to climb into the back. Billy watched you, biting his lip as you squeezed yourself between the seats and finally into the back. “Fuck, that was harder than I thought. Why is your car so small, Hargrove? You trying to match your dick or something?” you asked, barely able to duck in time as his hand came flying to hit your shoulder. Once you were settled in the back, Billy climbed over.

“It’s not that small,” he grunted, falling into the corner of the car, letting out a huff. He kicked his shoes off, tossing them into the front and began unbuckling his belt.

“The car or your dick? Because the answer is ‘yes, it is’ to both,” you grinned, but stopped when he started unbuckling his belt. “Alright, asshole. Just because you’re hot and I’m sleeping in your car, doesn’t mean we’re sleeping together,” you snapped, narrowing your eyes at him suspiciously. Billy stopped, giving you an incredulous look.

“In your dreams, princess. Who the hell sleeps in a belt? I know your cute ass isn’t wearing a bra right now, your nipples are ripe as day. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna start fondling them,” he scoffed and continued pulling the belt out of its loops.

“Wha- how did you?” it was now your turn to be shocked, looking down at your chest to see that he was right. “Why the hell were you lookin’, Hargrove?” you yelled, trying to hide your chest.

“It’s hard not to. When a hot girl is in front of me and her boobs are right there? My eyes are gonna go down for a second,” Billy said, rolling his eyes and tossing the belt in the front of the car as well. “Now would you quit arguing about your nipples and lay down? It’s cold, I’m tired, and I’m gonna get angry really quick.”

“Really? My bad, I thought you were already angry,” you snapped, but did as you were told, laying your head down and spreading your legs out. They hit Billy’s thighs, and he reached over you, grabbing the blanket from under the seats. It was a giant, dark blue fleece blanket that would be sure to keep the both of you warm.  After throwing the blanket over you, Billy moved behind you and laid down, covering himself as well.

“I know it’s not ideal, but it’s better than freezing to death,” he said, his voice coming from above your ear. The warmth of his breath was nice compared to the cold air, and it relaxed your neck.

“Yeah, it’s alright. But if I wake up with your boner against my back, you’re walking into school with two black eyes,” you informed him, turning your head to give him a glare. Your faces came eerily close, but you kept the glare, wanting him to get the message.

“I’ll try my hardest,” he smirked, licking his lips. Your eyes rolled so far back, you thought you were going to see your IQ level.

“I swear to god…” you grumbled, turning forward again, and pulling the blanket up to your nose, trying to get warm. Billy’s arm wrapped around your waist, keeping you from falling off the back seat. Both of your hips were digging into the seat belt clicks, and it was not comfortable, but you would most definitely take this over your usual slide tunnel any day.

“Thanks, Billy,” you sighed out, beginning to drift off.

“‘Course, (Y/N/N). You’re here forever and you’re by my side,” was the last thing you heard before you fell asleep, your head rested between his elbow and his leg thrown over your hip.

I will stay with you tonight

Hold you close ‘til the morning light

In the morning watch a new day rise

We’ll do whatever just to stay alive

We’ll do whatever just to stay alive

Light had been streaming in through the windows for the past few hours, bringing you in and out of consciousness. Your body was warm, and even though it was cramped and incredibly uncomfortable, each time you felt yourself beginning to wake up, you’d force yourself to fall back asleep. But when fingertips began gliding along your cheekbones, over your lips and into your hair, you couldn’t push it off any longer. Your head was no longer in the crook of Billy’s arm, but on the seat, and your legs were sandwiched between is, keeping them warm. He had his own head propped up on his hand, the other one running along your face and through your hair. Letting out a soft groan, you scrunched your eyes open, Billy ceasing his movements immediately.

“You don’t have to stop playing with my hair,” you couldn’t help but whine, admitting that the feeling was nice. “But I can’t feel my arm,” you groaned, slowly pushing yourself up from the seat so you wouldn’t knock your head against his. Once you had successfully sat up, you stretched your arms and your neck, working the kinks out of them.

“You sleep okay? At least better than in a plastic slide?” Billy questioned, sitting up and cracking his neck as well, leaning his back against the door.

“Yeah, decently. Kept waking up, but that’s to be expected. Do you know what time it is?”

“9:24,” Billy answered, propping his foot on the divider, leaning his knee against the driver’s seat. “Do you wanna stop and get something to eat, or head straight to your place?” you yawned, and gave him a shrug. You were never all that hungry in the mornings, and you knew James was gonna pissed at you for not being at school that morning.

“If you’re hungry we can stop, but I’m not really. So it’s up to you,” you told him, stretching your feet out along his on the divider. Looking through the window, you could see the ponds vividly. The morning light was shining over the ice, making you understand why the area was called Golden Ponds.

“Nice, huh?” Billy asked, noticing what you were looking at. You simply nodded, not wanting to look away. It was beautiful compared to the majority of Hawkins, and you didn’t want to stop staring. “I don’t want to leave just yet. I’m not awake enough to drive,” Billy informed you, trying to use his fatigue as a justifiable excuse.

“That’s fine. Third period doesn’t start until 11:15 anyways,” you hummed. Looking over at Billy, you saw him looking through the gap of the driver’s seat and the window to look at the ponds as well. His eye was bruised now, and the cut was a red irritation mark. The bruise on the hollow of his cheek was more prominent, but despite all the marks, he looked at peace. With the light bouncing off the ice and through the Camaro’s windows, his blond hair looked shinier, and his blue eyes brighter-almost like the ocean he was always talking about. The feather earring he wore dangled just above his shoulder, and you couldn’t stop yourself from reaching out to flick at it.

“It was my mom’s,” he said, not even flinching from your touch. The feather was soft, the small beads on it bumping together. You dragged your nail through the fibers, tilting your head to see how it looked in the sun. The reds and oranges resembled a fire, or a phoenix even, the way it moved so peacefully along your finger.

“It’s pretty. It matches the thing on the back of your door. I noticed it when you brought me back after the party… Was that hers too?” you asked lightly, knowing he usually became guarded and angry whenever anyone’s mom was brought up, let alone his. He nodded quietly, the earring moving with him and out of your grasp. “Bet she liked you a lot.”

“Yeah… we were close,” he smiled softly, and so did you. Billy rarely smiled without his teeth or tongue, and when he did it was nice. It was hard not to do it yourself. “This was her car. She’d take me down to the beach all the time, we’d get seashells, all of that. One time I found a starfish, it was the best day of my damn life, princess. Let me tell you,” he laughed, tilting his head back and looking up at the roof of his car. “It was a dark grey, I almost thought it was fake. I didn’t think they came in colors other than pink. My mom was real happy too, but she made me keep it against the rock. Taught me how to touch it with the back of my knuckle. The whole deal,” he explained to you, his fingers twitching against the denim of his jeans. The story came so easily, unlike all his others. It flowed so smoothly, as if it happened yesterday. This had to be something he thought about a lot. “That was the day I decided starfishes were gonna be my favorite animal, my favorite thing. Whenever we would go back, I’d spend the whole time looking for them. Fuck the shells, I wanted to see another starfish.”

“Did you?” you asked, pulling your knee to your chest and looking up at him.

“Yeah, quite a bit. I never noticed how many there were until that day. But each time I found a new one, it was like the first day all over again. She was the only one who understood that feeling…” he trailed off, casting his eyes towards his jeans before looking back at you.

“Starfish are fucking awesome,” you agreed, giving him the best grin you could after just waking up, “I’ve never seen one in person. I haven’t been to an aquarium or a beach before, but from what I’ve seen in the books, they look cool as hell,” you said, and Billy gave you a look of pure horror.

“You’ve never been to a beach? An aquarium?” he asked in astonishment. You shook your head, rolling your eyes slightly.

“Not all of us are blessed with California genes, Hargrove,” you laughed, shoving his shoulder.

“Tell you what,” he began, mocking you from earlier.

“Oh my god, another deal?”

“You bet your ass. If you go as my crash-date to the dance, I’ll take you to the aquarium. If they don’t have any starfish, we can sue them. Sound like a deal?” he offered, running his tongue along his lips. Even though it was an offer, you knew he wasn’t planning on taking a ‘no’.

“Yeah, alright, asshole. You’re paying though,” you snickered and Billy grinned.

“Fine by me, princess. Looks like it’s just James and Vance who have to find a date now,” he sighed, looking back out the window. Your eyes widened, not realizing that none of you had told Billy yet. You leaned against him, resting your head against chest and your arm on top of his knee.

“Won’t be necessary. They’ve been eye-fucking each other for years, and now they’re gonna be actually fucking each other for the rest of time.”

“What the fuck.”

Tag List: @assholeheartthrob @selenedarkbloom @hailhydrabarnes @hellboundblogger @rad-rad-rain @cheneyq @between-shades-of-winchester @tamara-stalenhoef @fangirlinganditswonders @myblackwings5 @themangledjessie @strangerswiftie @madhatterweasley @-episkey- @high-heels-and-demon-deals @princess-chocolate-drop @warsintothestars @yikeonbike @faes0personal  @lilo-1398  (taglist is still open!)

[builder051]

#77: Sorry I accidentally deleted your ask

But here it is. Tony trying to be the cool dad figure and let Peter taste alcohol... Obvious underage drinking and smoking, but in a controlled way. ------------------- Peter told May he was going to a weekend tech summit as part of the Stark internship. Tony told Peter they were going to round up some subway bombers. Well, he’d actually said the plan was to round up the motherfuckers and stop them from doing shit, but Peter’d googled some local news stories and more or less figured it out. Now he’s running in circles, webbing the two dorky college kid offenders together back-to-back like a pair of old western train robbers. FRIDAY’s talking Tony through diffusing the bomb. Or rather, “bomb,” since the explosives are of the caliber necessary to blow up a trash can and not much else. But still, the menace of subway delays is serious business, or at least it is to the transportation authority, and the greater New York public will be glad to see these dweebs in police custody. Plus, it’s good publicity for the superhero community. Of which Peter’s ecstatic to think of himself as a member. “Good work, kid,” Tony says, tossing the deactivated explosive device over his shoulder so it breaks into Lego-like pieces upon the impact with the tile floor. Then, “FRIDAY, call the cops.” “The emergency or non-emergency line, sir?” the AI’s accented voice asks. “Uh, let’s go with non-emergency,” Tony decides. “I think these jerks can hang around and wait a while.” The two bombers grit their teeth and glare. Casual subway riders are starting to stop and stare and take selfies. “Ok, good, we’re done,” Tony says once he’s finished placing the call. “Cops’ll come and them up.” “That was, like, really fast,” Peter comments. It’s still before noon on Saturday. He’d expected things to take a lot longer. “Yeah, this one wasn’t fun enough to draw out,” Tony replies. “Not enough aerial combat.” They climb the stairs up into the sunshine of Times Square. Tony hovers a few inches off the ground. He points at a glossy black SUV standing out from the sea of yellow cabs. “That’s Happy. Go get in the car. I’ll see you back in the lab in a couple hours.” “What, you’re not coming with me?” Peter asks, confused. “Me? Sit in a car and drive upstate? When I can fly there in a few minutes? Please.” Tony jets up another couple feet over the crosswalk. “Oh, ok. See ya soon. Thanks, Mr. Stark,” Peter says. But he wonders if he could possibly talk him into adding jet action to his next suit upgrade so maybe they can fly together sometime. Peter slides into the backseat of the car and immediately slips off his mask. “Hey, Happy,” he says. “Mm,” Happy acknowledges him. Peter’s done this enough times to know Happy isn’t thrilled to talk to him, so he just settles in for the long ride and reaches into his suit’s interior pocket to retrieve his phone. He checks Facebook, then plays overly-strategic games of Candy Crush until he’s out of lives. When they’re finally pulling up the long driveway to the Avengers facility, Peter has the side of his head pressed up against the window, trying not to be sleepy or carsick. “Alright. Get out,” Happy says as he stops the car near the building’s metal and glass front door. “Thanks for the ride,” Peter says, grabbing his phone and mask from the seat beside him and hastening out of the vehicle. Happy’s already speeding toward the separate garage by the time Peter’s opening the front door. He wonders if maybe Tony will let him take a car for a spin sometime… Then decides the answer is probably never in a million years. “Mr. Stark is in his lab on the ground floor,” FRIDAY announces as soon as Peter’s in the cavernous entryway. “Your room is prepared with clothes and toiletries if you’d like to stop off there first.” “Yeah, thanks,” Peter says to the AI. He hops in the elevator and rides it up to the 4th floor. He resists the urge to creep down the long hall and see if any of his neighbors are home. He’s dying to meet Steve Rogers in person, but the embarrassment that would certainly come from barging in on Captain America is a good deterrent. Once in his room, Peter strips out of his suit and grabs jeans and a t-shirt from his fully-stocked closet. He’s careful not to take any of his name-brand, Stark-provided wardrobe home with him so May doesn’t get suspicious, but he’s always up for the chance to put on the fancy threads. Peter heads into his impressively appointed bathroom to splash water on his face and investigate the collection of Axe body sprays lined up on the countertop. Once he’s confident he’s freshened up, Peter bounds back to the elevator to meet Mr. Stark in the lab. Tony’s bent over a long piece of red and blue fabric, using tweezers to adjust a line of miniscule sensors. He looks up when Peter steps out of the elevator. “Mr. Parker to see you, sir,” FRIDAY pronounces, a little belatedly. “No shit,” Tony replies. “Is that the upgrade to my suit?” Peter asks, peering at the project spread out on the lab bench. “Um, yeah,” Tony says, looking down at it, then back to Peter. “But, you know what, we’re gonna look at this later.” He lays his tweezers down like a bookmark and carefully folds up the fabric. “Oh,” Peter says, trying to hide his disappointment. “What are we doing now?” “I’ve been told by a few people that I’m a workaholic,” Tony says. “And a couple other –holic things that maybe aren’t as…positive.” Peter wonders where this is going. “So I’m gonna make an effort not to mess up with you.” Tony moves the project to a shelf of what appears to be other pending designs. “You’ve just been on a mission. The proper thing to do, for, you know, optimal mental health, is to debrief and relax.” “Ok,” Peter agrees, still a little unsure where this is going. “So, debrief,” Tony pronounces, slapping his empty lab bench with one hand. “You did good. You followed my orders. Uh. Suggestions, let’s call them suggestions. The mission was a success.” “Any, like, constructive criticism?” Peter asks, eager to improve. “Hm. You know when you were hogtying those kids together?” “Yeah,” Peter says, already picturing the moment. “It maybe would’ve looked cooler if you weren’t running in circles. You could’ve, you know, like, whipped creamed it, maybe.” Tony mimes the circular action of spraying Reddi Whip, then flips his wrist and tries it again. “I don’t know. Maybe bad for carpal tunnel. But at least you won’t look like a dog chasing its tail.” “Oh, yeah, ok,” Peter immediately agrees. “I’ll give it a try. Give me a web shooter. I’ll see if I can—” “Not working right now,” Tony reminds him. “Do that tomorrow. We’ve got all day.” “So…?” “So now, I’m teaching you how to relax. And keep from getting stressed out. And having panic attacks.” Tony opens a cabinet and pulls out two glasses and a bottle of scotch. Then he opens another and reveals a humidor. “I don’t know if I’m allowed…” Peter starts, curiosity and nervousness warring in his conscience. “You have adult supervision. You’re allowed.” Tony pours drinks and selects a couple cigars, then leads Peter to the couch and coffee table in a cozier corner of the lab. “Controlled exposure, I think it’s called? You see adults modeling positive use behavior, so you’re less likely to abuse. Or, you know, all the shit my dad never thought to do for me, so I turned out fucked up, and now I’m on a mission to make sure you don’t.” “Oh. Wow,” Peter murmurs. “That was…TMI. Sorry,” Tony says. “Here, come sit, and I’m gonna show you how to do this…” He shows the correct way to cut the cigar, then lights his and holds it between his teeth while he passes the cutter and lighter to Peter. “Yep, good, just like that,” Tony encourages while Peter chops off an end. “And, yeah, you got it. Ok, light it up now, and…” Peter places the cigar between his lips a little prematurely and inhales. He’s hacking when Tony says, “See, you don’t want to do that, otherwise that happens. So yeah, don’t inhale. Just kind of puff on it. It’s nice. Goes great with scotch.” Peter hesitantly lifts his glass and sniffs the alcohol. “I’m assuming you know not to chug that,” Tony says. “Sip. Puff. Chat. If you want. See? It’s relaxing.” Peter sees the appeal. Or, at least the appeal of being invited to partake in the ritual of possibly his favorite genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. “So you, uh, do this after missions?” Peter asks, trying to alternate puff and sip without overwhelming his senses. “Yeah, when I get a chance. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to decompress…” Twenty minutes in, Peter’s halfway through his glass, growing a long ash on his cigar, and a little tired of both. The novelty’s worn off, and he’s decided he isn’t wild about either flavor. His head’s starting to feel a little fuzzy, and not in a comfortable, sleepy way. “How long do these burn for?” he asks, gesturing to his smoldering cigar. “An hour. Ish,” Tony replies, blowing a smoke ring at the ceiling. “If you’re asking how long till we get back to work, you’re missing the point of the exercise.” “No, I…It’s good,” Peter says. Lies. He takes another puff. The edges of his vision are starting to portray floating movements he’s pretty sure aren’t there. Unless the lab suddenly materialized on a boat instead of in a very sturdy building. But that’s absurd. Almost as absurd as the thought of him, a sophomore, smoking a fucking cigar. Another ten minutes pass, and Peter’s definitely dizzy. His stomach feels like it’s roiling around the liquor he’s swallowed. His fingers are sweaty and trembly on the cigar in his right hand. He abandons his glass on the coffee table and surreptitiously snakes his left arm around his stomach. Every functioning neuron in his brain, which is admittedly not many at this point, is saying he should give up on this attempt at relaxation. Peter definitely feels worse than he did when he started. He’s no less keyed up. It’s just that now he’s worried about being sick instead of about upgrading his suit. He does his best to ride out the silence and just breathe while his cigar smolders and shakes slightly over his lap. But when Peter’s brow starts prickling with sweat and his mouth fills with excessive smoky-flavored spit, he has to speak up. “Um. Mr. Stark?” “Yeah?” Peter fully intends his next words to be I don’t feel very good. He gets as far as, “I…” when bile explodes into his throat, and he hurriedly forces his remaining breath into, “I’mgonnathrowup.” “What?” Tony asks, maybe not understanding Peter’s rushed speech. He does understand the shuddering gag that sends Peter doubling over himself and nearly igniting his knee with his cigar. “Ok, here,” Tony springs to action. He snatches Peter’s smoke away and tosses it into an ashtray, then he gets a hand behind Peter’s back and shoves him in the direction of the lab’s bathroom. Peter stumbles under the weight of the dizziness and gets to his feet. His legs seem to be moving impossibly slowly compared to the speed of the sickness rising from his stomach. Peter can’t get the toilet lid up quickly enough, and he heaves on top of it once before his quivering fingers can slide beneath the heavy white plastic and push it open. Luckily it’s only a trickle of spit that comes up. The next few retches are just as hollow, echoing off the bleach-scented toilet water and making Peter’s tender head spin. “Hey, you alright?” Tony says from the doorway. “Nuh,” Peter manages. He finally manages to bring up alcoholic bile, and the taste makes him gag all over again. “Oh geez. I’m sorry. This is kind of all my fault,” Tony says while Peter tries to catch his breath. “No, it’s, uh, it’s fine,” Peter tries to croak out, but he loses himself in another heave. “It’s not,” Tony says, seriousness creeping into his tone. “I fucked up, and I’m sorry.” Peter uses a wad of toilet paper to wipe his mouth. He sits back on his heels and shakily flushes the toilet. “I just…wasn’t quite ready for…It’s kind of a shock to the system.” “Yeah, kid, you’re pretty shocked, there.” Tony’s sarcasm’s back. “Here, I’ll take you up to your room, you can crash out for a while.” Peter thinks of the elevator, and his heart practically drops through the floor. “No, I… really would rather stay here. Don’t…really want to move.” “Yeah, ok, you’re fried,” Tony chuckles. “Probably better to keep this between us anyway. If you can crawl your way back to the couch, I’ll clean up the evidence…”

[swanqueeneverafter]

05. That Still Small Voice, Pt.2

Enchanted Forest. Past. (An adult Jiminy and his parents have arrived at a small market.) Myrna: “Come on, Jiminy. Oh, I remember this place. Looks like it's been a good year.” Martin: “Yeah, you can tell by all the fat people.” Myrna: (Chuckles, then whispers:) “Maybe we can run the elf tonic scam here.” Jiminy: “Oh can't we just... Can't we just put on a show? We make enough on ticket sales do we have to steal too?” (His parents make sounds of disgust.) Martin: “We don't need to, but it's nice. We steal from them and they steal from someone else.” Myrna: “It's called an economy.” Martin: “We're a vital part of it.” Jiminy: “I want to change. I-I want to quit!” Myrna: “Oh, this again.” Martin: “No, you can't leave now.” Myrna: “We're getting old.” Martin: “It's my hip.” Myrna: “My liver.” Martin: “I got lumps in strange places.” Myrna: “I've got burning sensations.” Martin: “You'd better stay with us.” Myrna: “Just until we die.” Martin: “Now, be a good boy and set up.” (He and Myrna walk away and thunder crashes. The scene transitions to later that day, rain is falling heavily as Jiminy sets up the wagon for the puppet show. A young boy approaches.) Boy: “Puppets! Wow! What a great job you have! (Jiminy turns back to his task, looking unhappy:) You don't like it?” Jiminy: “No, no I don't. Same show, same fairs, every year.” Boy: “Well, then why don't you do something else?” Jiminy: “It's just who I am. Well, did you just come out here to watch us set up?” Boy: “No, I came out here to listen to the crickets.” Jiminy: “Oh, crickets. Oh, I haven't listened to the crickets in a while. Hey, you'd better get home or you're gonna catch a cold.” Boy: “So will you. Here, have my umbrella. I don't live far. (He offers and Jiminy takes his umbrella and the boy beings to hurry away:) I can't wait to see the show!” Storybrooke. Present day. Dr. Archie Hopper's office. (Archie is sitting in his office when Marco enters.) Marco: “Hey, Archie.” Archie: “Marco, what are you doing here? (Marco motions to his mouth:) Oh lunch. I'm sorry, I forgot. I've got another patient. Another time?” Marco: “Sure, of course. (Henry enters:) Hey. Have a good session, Henry.” (Marco leaves.) Archie: “Hey.” Henry: “Are you recruiting Geppetto for Operation Cobra?” Archie: “You think Marco is Geppetto?” Henry: “Sure, he's Jiminy Cricket's best friend, and Marco's yours.” Archie: “Henry, Henry look. We... we really need to talk about this, okay?” Henry: “I know you're not convinced but I know where I can get proof.” Archie: (Henry opens up his backpack:) “What is this? A flashlight? And candy bars? Oh, wait. Henry. Henry you do not want to go down there.” Henry: “Emma's here, and stuff's happening. I have to look at it.” Archie: “Henry, Henry. Stop. Stop, there is no proof. Look all of this, all of this is a delusion. Do you know what a delusion is?” Henry: “I... I think so.” Archie: “It's something that's not real. And... and not healthy. And... and I thought you'd outgrow this but Henry, you know... know it's turned into a psychosis. Do you know what a psychosis is? That's... that's when you can no longer tell what's real and if that continues, then... then I have to lock you away. Henry, look this has to stop for your own good. You gotta wake up. This nonsense must end.” (Henry gets up and leaves.)

Storybrooke. Present day. Storybrooke General Hospital. (Mary Margaret Blanchard is playing hangman with David Nolan, which currently reads _AR_ _AR_AR_ _.) Mary Margaret: “I don't know. "M"?” David: “Two of them. (He writes a letter "m" on the first space and another on the fifth:) Get it yet?” Mary Margaret: (Laughs, putting her head in her hands:) “Yes, and I'm completely mortified. I almost hanged on my own name.” David: “Don't worry, I would never have let you hang. I would've added toes and a hat. Maybe a horse.” Mary Margaret: “Was this a game you played a lot before?” David: (Thinks:) “I don't know.” Mary Margaret: “It'll come back. They're sending you home in a week. They have to think you're progressing, don't they?” David: “Physically.” Mary Margaret: “Well, you're making new memories just fine.” David: “Maybe I'll like these better.” Mary Margaret: (Smiles, touched:) “Okay, play again?” (Kathryn Nolan enters, carrying a box of photos.) Kathryn: “Can I guess, too?” Mary Margaret: (Stuttering nervously:) “Mrs. Nolan. Oh, it's noon already. I didn't realize. I should go.” (She exits.) Kathryn: (Smiling at her:) “Good day, Miss Blanchard. (To David:) Honey, I brought more pictures. Maybe they'll jog something. (David watches Mary Margaret leave as Kathryn takes out a picture of a dog:) It's our old dog, Ajax. Remember?” David: “Yeah, yeah. Ajax.”

Storybrooke. Present day. Blanchard Loft. (Mary Margaret is talking with Emma as they make s'mores.) Mary Margaret: “I am the worst person in the world.” Emma: “Really? In the whole world?” Mary Margaret: “If Kathryn was horrible, it would be easier, but she's so nice.” Emma: “And what exactly would be easier?” Mary Margaret: “Nothing.” Emma: “Nothing's a good idea. You're smart. You know not to get involved with a married guy. It's not worth the heartache. Trust me. (They hear a knock at the door:) I'll get it. (Upon opening it, she sees Henry, sobbing:) Kid, what happened? Come in.” Storybrooke. Present day. Dr. Hopper's Office. (Archie is sitting with Pongo when he hears pounding at the door.) Emma: (Off screen, on the other side of the door. She is angry:) “Archie! Archie! (She enters:) What did you do? You told me not to take the fantasy away. You told me it would devastate him.” Archie: “When a course of therapy stops working, you adjust it.” Emma: “Is it her? Did she threaten you? What could be strong enough to drown out your own conscience?” Archie: “I do not need to defend my professional decisions to you, okay?” (Emma's cell phone begins to ring. She answers it.) Emma: “Hello, Madam Mayor. Nice work.” Regina: (Through the phone:) “You with him?” Emma: “Yes, I'm with Dr. Hopper, and guess what? You left your fingerprints all over him when you-” Regina: (Interrupting:) “Not him. Henry. Is he with you?” Emma: “I dropped Henry off at your office an hour ago.” Regina: “Well, he's not here.” Emma: (Now shocked:) “I don't know where he is.” Archie: (Sighs:) “I do.”

Storybrooke. Present day. Mine Entrance. (Henry is standing in front of the mines where the tunnel collapse occurred earlier, and enters.) Enchanted Forest. Past. The Dark Castle. (Rumplestiltskin is at spinning wheel, spinning straw into gold when Jiminy enters, carrying a small bag.) Rumplestiltskin: (Chuckles:) “Thank you very much. And the names? To whom did these treasures belong? (Jiminy takes out a small piece of parchment and places it on top of the bag. Rumplestiltskin hands him some of the gold he has just spun:) Gold thread, for your thievery. Thank you, you can go. (Jiminy begins to exit:) But you want something else, don't you? (As he continues speaking, he pours a potion on another gold thread, melting it and putting it into a little bottle:) Something with... magic?” Jiminy: “Every year, I'm stuck in that damn wagon. I wanna be free. I wanna be someone else. But something keeps holding me back.” Rumplestiltskin: “Something or someone?” Jiminy: “It's my parents.” Rumplestiltskin: “Then I have exactly what you need. (Offers Jiminy the potion he has just created:) This will set you free. Pour it, sprinkle it, put it in their curds and whey. Anything will work. (Jiminy reaches for the bottle, only for Rumplestiltskin to grab it back:) Ah! But you have nothing more to give to me. (He chuckles:) Tell you what—after the potion has... done its work, leave them where they are and I'll come collect them. It'll be my fee!” Jiminy: “What will become of them?” Rumplestiltskin: “Worry you not, they'll be in safe hands. And you'll be free.” (He hands Jiminy the potion and Jiminy exits.)

[hellofastestnewsfan]

This movie was not supposed to be good. Here’s the plot: A middle-aged cardiovascular surgeon’s wife is killed by a one-armed man, and said surgeon is sent to death row. But his bus crashes on the way to prison, then a train crashes into the bus crash, then Dr. Richard Kimble escapes to go on the run with five U.S. marshals on his heels. This is literally the opening 20 minutes of The Fugitive.

Not even the actors themselves were convinced The Fugitive was going to be good. Harrison Ford thought it would be his Hudson Hawk, Bruce Willis’s $51 million flop from 1991. Tommy Lee Jones, who plays the lead marshal, thought The Fugitive marked the end of his career. But then this action thriller, the one that was written off as quickly by its stars as its hero is by the law, became the third-highest-grossing film of 1993. And then it was nominated for seven (seven!) Oscars—including Best Picture. And then it actually won one of those Oscars (well, Jones did). Perhaps even more surprising is that this piece of $70 million popcorn amusement from the ’90s is still a cultural touchstone 25 years later, largely because action movies like it are so rare now.

A year before The Fugitive arrived, its director, Andrew Davis, didn’t think much of the genre. “The basic underpinnings don’t have any soul or value,” he told The New York Times. “They’re totally incredible so you don’t believe them. They’re dumb stories.” He himself had worked with Steven Seagal twice and Chuck Norris once, two icons of black-belted brawn that sparred with Hollywood for a spell, until they were knocked out by the metastasizing blockbuster industry. As Ty Burr wrote in his 2013 book on fame, Gods Like Us, “To protect that opening weekend and the larger investment, the [movie] business needed stars to be inclusive rather than divisive.” This, he notes, was “one reason why there was a gradual move away from the bulging ’80s cartoons like Stallone and Schwarzenegger toward more believable Everyman action heroes like Bruce Willis in the Die Hard films.” And, though Burr does not name him as an example, like Ford in The Fugitive.

The writer points to Ford as the first modern-star brand: “the action figure with attitude.” Whether as the rumpled and roguish Han Solo or the hunky scholar Indiana Jones, Ford had imbued the genre with sardonic sexiness. And by the early ’90s, he had appeared in no fewer than two thrillers—Presumed Innocent (1990) and Frantic (1988, as another Dr. Richard)—about men mixed up in crimes they were racing to solve. It was this man who eventually handpicked Davis to adapt the ’60s TV series The Fugitive after seeing his work in Under Siege, a film that prompted the Times to identify Davis as the “Director Who Blends Action With a Bit of Art.”

“Does this guy ever quit?” one of the marshals asks toward the end of The Fugitive, and the answer is no—both for Dr. Richard Kimble and for Davis. For two hours and 10 minutes, this film does not relent. Not even for a cup of coffee (that scene was cut), not even for some shopping (cut), not even for romance (also cut). There is no hanging out here. Everything rushes. If it isn’t the actors, then it’s the camera with a Where’s Waldo? view of Chicago, the hometown of both Kimble and Davis; if it isn’t the camera, then it’s the swelling orchestral music. And the urgency is a good thing because every pause introduces a new threat—a passing cop, a skeptical doctor, a nosy guard. Even the exposition speeds by. The instigating murder itself, presented in slo-mo monochrome over the opening credits, unravels in concert with Kimble’s interrogation and his conviction, a simultaneous chronology that compresses time. As Matt Zoller Seitz wrote of The Fugitive on rogerebert.com last year, “The multilayered, at times prismatic way that it delivers information feels like an evolutionary leap forward for thrillers.”

The Fugitive’s success relies as much on plausibility as it does on velocity. Despite the soaring set pieces, the film somehow manages to remain grounded in a kind of palpable reality. “It is just so nice to watch a movie about normal smart people instead of insane super geniuses,” The Washington Post’s Alyssa Rosenberg tweeted in 2016. And though the characters’ antics could scarcely qualify as “normal,” significant portions of the film’s budget were spent on bypassing CGI in favor of creating real sets—like for the train crash ($1.5 million) and the dam jump ($2 million). Ford also insisted on performing his own stunts despite having a double and being 51. That is him flying through the air as if to jump from a train (on ropes, but still), that is him standing on the edge of North Carolina’s Cheoah Dam (a rope attached to his leg, but still), that is him limping through much of the film because he tore a ligament and refused to treat it. And that is him acting the hell out of everything in between.

“It’s the moments between actions that I think are really important,” Ford says on The Fugitive’s 20th-anniversary disc. With so little dialogue, the actor essentially resorts to silent-film acting, which is only buoyed by his hangdog handsomeness. “Rare among action heroes, Ford is believable both in control and in trouble, someone audiences can simultaneously look up to and worry about,” Kenneth Turan wrote in his 1993 Los Angeles Times review. Watch as Kimble, about a quarter of the way into the movie, painfully deliberates on the lip of that dam as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Jones) points his gun at him, waiting for Kimble to surrender because, Gerard posits, there’s no way this guy would do “a Peter Pan.” Right before that, their positions are reversed when Kimble grabs Gerard’s gun in the confusion of the dam’s water-logged tunnels. Face to face with the marshal for the first time, the doctor points the pistol at his pursuer and proclaims, “I did not kill my wife!” Gerard, his hands up, half-kneeling in water, a look of bafflement on his face, responds: “I don’t care!” To this, Kimble issues a faint smile: Game on.

While Kimble speaks through his actions, the man chasing him has all the best lines. Gerard was supposed to be a solo Javert-esque force, but Davis gave him an entourage to accentuate his leadership, and the result is some of the best banter in any contemporary action film. Jones, a Texan who graduated from Harvard with an English degree, had worked twice before with Davis, who knew Jones did a lot of rewriting and improvising. The cast—which was ethnically diverse because the director wanted to reflect the demographics of his birthplace—established their characters alongside Jones, coming up with dialogue on the fly. The four marshals include Jones’s right-hand man Cosmo, played by Joe Pantoliano, whom Davis told he cast because he needed “somebody who’s gonna have the stones to banter with Tommy Lee Jones.” Cosmo and the others highlight Gerard’s humanity and tenacity while also gift wrapping the film’s exposition in wit. One of the movie’s more frequently quoted lines, which Jones conjured the morning of the shoot, has him telling a marshal who claims he is “thinking”: “Well, think me up a cup of coffee and a chocolate donut with some of those little sprinkles on top, while you’re thinking.”

Gerard and Kimble’s symmetrical relationship is enunciated by the film’s six editors (all of whom were nominated for Oscars). Each chase scene cuts back and forth between the two characters. Even when the pursuit lets up and Kimble is contacting old friends and crisscrossing Chicago to find out why his wife was killed, Gerard’s investigation parallels his. As the film progresses, Gerard’s affinity for Kimble grows, too. “What makes their relationship fresh is that it is constantly evolving,” Gene Siskel observed in his Chicago Tribune review. Twenty minutes before the end of the movie, a neat flip occurs in which Kimble goes from being followed to being the leader. He directs Gerard to one of the men responsible for his wife’s death—Dr. Charles Nichols, Kimble’s colleague who actually wanted him dead in order to cover up a failed drug trial. Another flip takes place in the climactic showdown where Kimble confronts Nichols: Kimble saves Gerard’s life, despite believing that Gerard is intent on taking his. In the end, the marshal escorts Kimble out of the building as his protector.

Though The Fugitive established Chicago as the place to shoot, it’s perhaps more notable for being the best of a genre that no longer really exists: the character-driven Hollywood action movie for adults. As Davis told Mandatory in 2013, the industry has gotten to a point such that if a film “doesn’t have tons of eye candy where a 22-year-old in some other country can just enjoy watching it, then [it] hardly get[s] made.” This is the world of tentpoles and franchises and event cinema, a world in which everything must bow to the demands of accessibility.

While “old-man action” movies like Taken and The Equalizer could be considered descendants of The Fugitive, they lack its character development. Those thrillers that are character driven—say, No Country for Old Men or Hell or High Water—are less popcorn, more art. The Fugitive acts as a placeholder for a time when adults could be entertained by action heroes without being condescended to (see Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, The Firm, Patriot Games), which is why many viewers who saw the movie as kids in the ’90s, and who are adults now, wield it as a nostalgic marker of taste.

In 2015, the same year a Fugitive sequel was announced, the comedian John Mulaney released a special called The Comeback Kid in which he digressed mid-joke into an explanation of the original film’s plot. “Why does Kimble confront Nichols?” he asks. “Well, I know we all know this, but … ” And then he goes on to rehash it anyway because The Fugitive is the kind of movie that can be rehashed voraciously over and over and over again. Siskel watched it twice before reviewing it in 1993 and already wanted to see it again; Seitz saw it 10 times in the theater upon its release; and I have replayed it upwards of 30 times over the years. What I once believed to be a guilt-ridden affinity for a mindless puff of Hollywood excess, I now understand as an appreciation for a kind of modern-day moveable feast. As Gerard’s relationship with Kimble transformed, so too has mine. I thought I didn’t care, but I do.

from The Atlantic https://ift.tt/2LZYMVJ

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 1-5: What Goes Up, Must Come Upside Down

New Post has been published on https://nofspodcast.com/episodes-1-5-of-stranger-things-season-2-recap/

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 1-5: What Goes Up, Must Come Upside Down

Stranger Things just debuted its second season on Netflix. Last year’s breakout viral sensation garnered critical acclaim and audience goodwill for its heady mix of nostalgia and horror, appearing on multiple end of year lists and snagging two Golden Globe nominations.

So how does the “sequel” (as series creators The Duffer Brothers have taken to calling it) fare? Read on for my recap of the first five episodes of season two.

Overall thoughts on Season 2

Immediate thoughts upon finishing the season: it’s more of the same, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Duffer Brothers clearly know the show and their audience and even if at times they’re prone to replicating elements from Season One, I would argue that the season wraps up in a more satisfying fashion. Noah Schnapp (Will) proves to be the show’s secret weapon: the young actor has an uncanny ability to play a range of different roles to perfection. Bonus points for a more successful climax in round two, as well.

Episodic Breakdown

As people make their way through the new episodes, Nightmare on Film Street has prepared episodic recaps so be sure to bookmark this page and come back when you finish each episode. Look for the recap of episodes six – nine tomorrow.

Will doesn’t fit in in the season premiere of Stranger Things “Mad Max”

Episode 1 – “Mad Max”

Online chatter suggested the first episode back was slow, but ‘MadMax’ is simply a table setter. We need this reintroduction to Hawkins, Indiana and its denizens in order to set up the season. That means introducing new characters like Sean Astin’s Bob, Paul Reiser’s creepy Dr. Owens and new schoolmates Billy (Dacre Montgomery) and the titular Max (Sadie Sink) – though neither of the kids are given much to do.

“Mad Max” has a few intriguing supernatural occurrences to whet our appetite, including the mysterious poisoning at the pumpkin patch, the lit up control board at Hawkins Laboratory and, of course, Will’s visions of the looming insect-like threat (which would be more striking if it hadn’t been spoiled in Every.Single.Trailer). As for everyone’s favourite Eggo-eating, telepathic feral little girl, the Duffer Brothers naturally keep Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) hidden until the very end of the episode as one of several examples of characters keeping secrets from each other.

At once point, Dr. Owens tells Joyce (Winona Ryder) that things will get worst before they get better. For her, that’s terrible news. For Stranger Things viewers, that can only means good things ahead.

Odds and Ends:

The cold open features a series of unknown characters getting chased by police before one passenger displays Eleven-like powers that allows them to escape. This will clearly be paid off later (see episode seven in tomorrow’s recap – or rather don’t), but for now, it’s little more than a distraction from our reintroduction to Hawkins.

Danger looms for Will on Halloween night in 2×02 “Trick or Treat, Freak”

Episode 2 – “Trick or Treat, Freak”

First off, let’s address the ridiculous #JusticeForBarb storyline that’s dominating the Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Steve (Joe Keery) story line. The Duffer Brothers clearly want to address the outcry for the fan favourite from Season One, but can we all agree that they’re leaning into it a little too much? Thankfully all it takes is one drunk party for the real fireworks to come out: Nancy drunkenly confesses about the inadequacies of her relationship with Steve and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) gets to put the object of his affection to bed. Just remember kids: repression is bad because it manifests as a giant red punch stain on the front of your First Lady/Figure Skater costume.

The other element that stands out about episode two is that there’s a lot more comedy: the four boys are the only ones who dress up for Halloween at school, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) struggle to speak to Max, Eleven passes her time watching soaps and dimwitted Officer Callahan (John Reynolds) mistakenly touches poisoned crops with his bare hands.

That last piece – the mysterious crop damage storyline – also begins to take shape as we learn that most of Hawkins’ farms have been affected by a mysterious poison, hinting at bigger things to come.

Odds and Ends:

Are the Duffer Brothers candy addicts? First Will and Dr. Owens debate Reese’s Pieces last episode and now there’s a prolonged discussion about the terribleness of 3 Musketeers bars? (Which, for the record, are delicious)

Initially it seemed like this episode was going to offer more insight about contentious siblings Billy and Max, but aside from their chicken-inspired driving on the highway, they remain obscure figures on the periphery. What’s their deal?

Bob and Joyce share a quiet moment in 2×03 “The Pollywog”

Episode 3 – “The Pollywog”

While I appreciate the effort being put into developing Sheriff Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven’s relationship, I don’t think that the amount of screen time dedicated to this plot line is well spent. Three episodes in and we’re seeing the same content covered repeatedly: she was lost in the woods in winter, Hopper found her after a few feral encounters and they set up a temporary home with three “don’t be stupid” rules. We get it Stranger Things. At this point it just feels like the Duffer Brothers are delaying bringing Eleven back together with the gang.

Thankfully the second season’s dual mythology plot lines continue to develop nicely:

Hopper enlists Dr. Owens to investigate the contagion affecting the crops, which we learn is accounting for the odd smell that Billy and Max described in the last episode.

Meanwhile, Dustin names the “pollywog” creature that he finds in his trash D’Artagnan (because 80s!). A quick examination of the new species reveals that D’Art is a) afraid of the light b) growing exponentially and c) tied to the thing that Will spit into his sink at the end of Season One. Unfortunately the unnatural occurrences end in disaster when Will takes Bob‘s advice to confront the monster head on and he’s literally infected by the smoke monster from his visions. Oops!

Odds and Ends:

Was anyone else surprised to see Shirts vs Skins in gym class was a real thing? I won’t lie: all of these scenes felt remarkably homoerotic. It’s tantamount to a late night flick on Cinemax.

The aftermath of Will’s attack in 2×04 “Will The Wise”

Episode 4 – “Will The Wise”

After the cliffhanger possession ending of the last episode, we pick right up with Will, who claims not to remember what happened to him. After some prodding by Joyce, Will reveals that the creature wanted inside him and their parasitic relationship is deepened when Will refuses to take a hot bath, proclaiming “He likes it cold.”

When Hopper finally arrives at the Byers residence (following an uncomfortable battle of wills with Eleven after she abuses his 3 rules), there’s no narrative clarity about what’s happening, but it still feels like forward momentum. The result – Will confiding in Hopper and Joyce, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) revealing Will’s secret to Dustin and Lucas – makes “Will The Wise” the most satisfying episode of the season to date.

Unfortunately I simply cannot care about the stuff with Nancy and Jonathan and Barb’s mom. The only element of this story line that worked for me was the editing of the sequence in the park, which effectively highlighted Nancy and Jonathan‘s paranoia. The suggestion that these high school students could pull off a covert sting operation against the Hawkins Lab guys is a bit of a laugh, but we’ll see where it goes.

Odds and Ends:

Eleven‘s investigation into her history hits the jackpot when she discovers Hawkins Lab boxes hidden under the floor of Hopper‘s cabin. From there she’s able to connect with her very-much-alive mom, who identifies Eleven as “Jane” before disappearing in a literal puff of smoke.

I’m definitely losing interest in Billy and Max‘s storyline. Is there anything more to this than the fact that he’s racist?

RIP Mews. It always sucks when animals are killed on TV and that poor dead kitty didn’t deserve to be D’Art’s snack. 🙁

Will’s illness is finally address in 2×05 “Dig Dug”

Episode 5 – “Dig Dug”

This is essentially a “choose your own adventure” episode. Most of the characters venture off on their own: Hopper spends the episode foolishly investigating the tunnel system without back-up; Joyce, Mike, Will and Bob decode Will‘s drawings; Lucas catches Max up to speed, and Nancy and Jonathan and Eleven go on separate road trips.

I definitely appreciated the grotty visuals of what Hopper encounters in the tunnels (the blast to the face by a not-at-all-anus-like vine is particularly visceral and icky). Meanwhile Bob earns his high school “Brain” nickname when he deduces that the drawings are a map of Hawkins, though admittedly, hadn’t we all figured this out well in advance? It seems pretty obvious.

The two mythologies finally collide when Will‘s map leads to Hopper, whose survival ironically depends on his smoking habit. Luckily Joyce, Bob and the Hawkins Lab army show up just in time, ending the episode on another cliffhanger when it is revealed (unsurprisingly) that Will‘s physical health is connected to the tunnel vines and he winds up in Grand Mal territory.

Odds and Ends:

I’m glad that Dustin is no longer acting stupid about how dangerous D’Art is. It was evident from the start that the unknown creature was dangerous and “Dig Dug” confirms that as D’Art grows, he becomes more of an (unnatural) threat.

Let’s take a moment to recognize the comedic genius of Lucas‘ sister Erica (Priah Ferguson), who is officially the Dustin of this season. She’s equal parts annoying and hilarious. I love her.

Finally, Eleven‘s storyline continues to (annoyingly) exist completely outside of the main narrative. This episode she meets her Aunt Becky (Amy Seimetz), a Clea DuVall-esque woman looking after her mother. What follows is essentially a redo of Season One: Eleven‘s mom communicates via flickering lights and there’s a whole extended flashback that’s basically the Stranger Things version of Hodor’s “Hold The Door” backstory from Game of Thrones.

Check back tomorrow for recaps of the final four episodes of season two. In the interim, leave your impressions below in the comments!

[hgfstreamchats]

Welcome to the 'highglossfinish' room. Jalaperilo: C'mon knock knock, no need to wait, I'm here now caffienatedconfetti: currently, it is a very obnoxious green caffienatedconfetti: my eyes are burning Jalaperilo: Thats what I'm going for. I'm not even a fan of green, but I always feel my names colur is green Jalaperilo: But i feel we compliment as we are so contrasting lol caffienatedconfetti: lel Jalaperilo: aw caffienatedconfetti: i had to reload, i always lag here for some reason Jalaperilo: same. brbr Error logging out. caffienatedconfetti: hello naughty children it's time for scawwy stowwies caffienatedconfetti: JESUS I TAB AWAY FOR 5 SECONDS thenightetc: Is that someone doing a Goofy voice caffienatedconfetti: WHAT IS THAT VOICE Thebes: Hello! Thebes: I look forward to the halloweens! caffienatedconfetti: my life is suffering Highglossfinish: I've done my job. Jalaperilo: thanks knocktagon thenightetc: Oh, it's a podcast, not a movie? Highglossfinish: It's a movie, I'm just playing this first. thenightetc: Ohhh Jalaperilo: If you like stuff like this, Richard Coyle's narration of The Shadow Over Innsmouth is good Highglossfinish: Oooh, sounds horrifying! Jalaperilo: Lovecraft is good, if full of 'unspeakable horror' caffienatedconfetti: fish people caffienatedconfetti: i haven't read it yet thenightetc: It's probably run by the Devil or something. caffienatedconfetti: but i read mountains of madness and it was SPOOPY AS HECK Jalaperilo: Dagon and Herbert West: Reanimator are very good stories of his Jalaperilo: The latter was made into one of my favourite horror films of all time thenightetc: I rather like The Nameless City Thebes: yeah, the movie Reanimator is a fun time! Jalaperilo: Thebes - Jeff Combs is AMAZING in it Jalaperilo: also, the nameless city is also good Thebes: Plus it's just so over the top without losing the spoopy thenightetc: ...How deep is this straw, exactly Jalaperilo: i cannot understand what that announcer said thenightetc: Something about a tunnel? thenightetc: gosh, what's with this lag Highglossfinish: Is anyone else having a problem with it? thenightetc: (Lag in the chat, not the video/audio) Highglossfinish: Oh, the chat room lag. Jalaperilo: i am. i blame it on being on the other side of the world to (probably) most of you thenightetc: ...Seems legit! caffienatedconfetti: owwww caffienatedconfetti: oh heck caffienatedconfetti: oh gosh caffienatedconfetti: how subtle thenightetc: Ssoooo they make the parents forget the kids?  And then eat the kids? thenightetc: I mean, they were in the process of leaving.  Without their kid. Jalaperilo: well, memory is unreliable Highglossfinish: Something's certainly eating them. Jalaperilo: *claps* caffienatedconfetti: om nom nom caffienatedconfetti: child meat caffienatedconfetti: 10/10 would cannabalize again Jalaperilo: hahha! Jalaperilo: that made me laugh so much caffienatedconfetti: hehehheheheeeee caffienatedconfetti: the sound sounds weird caffienatedconfetti: that girls face caffienatedconfetti: "i'm so high lol" Jalaperilo: does anyone else get angry at the sound of people chewing? Thebes: yeeeah thenightetc: And/or hide it in his pockets thenightetc: ...Why not eat it on the way home, then Jalaperilo: cause he's a little *** Jalaperilo: are they having sex on the sweets? thenightetc: This is stupid. caffienatedconfetti: ew caffienatedconfetti: eeeeeeewwwww thenightetc: They're adults.  They can buy candy for themselves. caffienatedconfetti: maybe they're just cheap as heck Highglossfinish: Well, clearly I've been lied to about this being a good movie. Jalaperilo: did a 15 year old write this? thenightetc: It must be the *point* that it's the kid's caffienatedconfetti: OH THERE IT IS Jalaperilo: did they mean good or so bad its good Jalaperilo: nooooo Highglossfinish: Dear sweet Unicron! thenightetc: Unrealistic, he would have eaten tons on the way home thenightetc: That would have occured to literally any child who went trick or treating and was forbidden from eating the candy afterwards caffienatedconfetti: ok the ending was cool at least Highglossfinish: "Carpenter bar." How subtle. thenightetc: And hey, bad movies are almost as fun!  We get to mock them Highglossfinish: This is very true! Thebes: indeed! Highglossfinish: And I spy a couple of young humans that are about to end up dead. caffienatedconfetti: a small  boy is gonna crawl thru ur window and eat candy outta ur stomach caffienatedconfetti: OOOOOOOH SHI WHADDUP Highglossfinish: Is candy that tempting? thenightetc: Uh oh. Highglossfinish: Because I like rust sticks. I don't know that I'd go rooting around someone's tank for them. caffienatedconfetti: O FUQ caffienatedconfetti: EWEWEWEWEW Jalaperilo: its more the bodies addiction to the sugar in it, mixed with the flavour receptors in the tonge enjoying the sugar vs. how much you hate yourself thenightetc: uhhhHHHHHH caffienatedconfetti: EWEWEWEWEEWEWEW\ caffienatedconfetti: OOHOHOHOHO caffienatedconfetti: HOLY MOTHER caffienatedconfetti: NONONOONONOON Jalaperilo: also, how questonable your morals are and whether you want to turn into a wendigo thenightetc: I don't like that thenightetc: uh caffienatedconfetti: that is caffienatedconfetti: a thing thenightetc: Kid, why did you imply YOU killed them caffienatedconfetti: because kids in horror are stupid as heck Highglossfinish: I might be convinced to go wendigo for a mercury roll from that place in northern Vos. thenightetc: ...ewww thenightetc: dump his *** caffienatedconfetti: they're gonna egg a haunted nhouse Jalaperilo: woah! r word! caffienatedconfetti: I KNEW IT Thebes: jeez caffienatedconfetti: CALLED IT thenightetc: HAHAHA caffienatedconfetti: OH THEY SCREWED HIM OVER caffienatedconfetti: he fuqqed Highglossfinish: The End. thenightetc: Oh boy, it's the Actual Devil caffienatedconfetti: HE PRANKED THE DEVIL Highglossfinish: I like the Actual Devil's style. caffienatedconfetti: creepy old guy thenightetc: How do you live next to the devil for years and not know it caffienatedconfetti: because he's actual satan Jalaperilo: if you read the bible, the devil was actually an ok guy Highglossfinish: And that escalated quickly! caffienatedconfetti: he's satan Jalaperilo: this is actually quite funny caffienatedconfetti: well yeah but caffienatedconfetti: so he's jaunting around with satan thenightetc: Ah, armed robbery, a classic jolly halloween prank Thebes: As y'do Jalaperilo: are they trying to remake The Mask? caffienatedconfetti: our hero, satan caffienatedconfetti: OH HECK Jalaperilo: hahaha! caffienatedconfetti: he's doomed caffienatedconfetti: OH MY GOD Jalaperilo: what the *** caffienatedconfetti: pervert satan thenightetc: This is extremely disproportionate Thebes: THIS TOOK A TURN Highglossfinish: This took many turns. thenightetc: Wait Highglossfinish: This is "cautionary tales for newbuilds" with an all interbuild writing staff. thenightetc: Was that demon's name "Mordenkainen"? thenightetc: (From the previous one) Jalaperilo: mordecai? thenightetc: Oh. Jalaperilo: i think thats an actual demons name? caffienatedconfetti: oh *** thenightetc: Haha, wow thenightetc: Yeah, I think you're right caffienatedconfetti: call the police caffienatedconfetti: CALL THE POLICE Jalaperilo: nice continuous tracking shot Jalaperilo: hitchcock would be proud caffienatedconfetti: jessus Jalaperilo: but....why? Jalaperilo: wheres the caution? caffienatedconfetti: EW thenightetc: It's like that bird movie caffienatedconfetti: holy caesar's ghost batman caffienatedconfetti: this escalated EXTREMELY quickly Jalaperilo: the interbuilds got lazy in their writing thenightetc: Uhhhh caffienatedconfetti: remember kids: have proper hygene when on a murder spree Jalaperilo: i am so lost thenightetc: W...what Jalaperilo: i dunno if i'm just tired and its 2:15am or if this is *** batcrap writing caffienatedconfetti: it's batcrap Jalaperilo: oh god, here comes the racism thenightetc: I understand nothing that just happened caffienatedconfetti: wait he isn't black thank jesus Jalaperilo: i heard 'wrong side of the tracks' and 'hoodrat' and assumed america at its best lol caffienatedconfetti: speaking of, everyone is white Highglossfinish: This is an utter trainwreck. caffienatedconfetti: knockout, you should try grabbing some japanese horror flicks next year caffienatedconfetti: their urban horror legens kick butt Jalaperilo: i'm not good with anything actually scary caffienatedconfetti: like the lady who's 8 feet tall and whose prescene is preceded by someone mimicking the sound of drums in an inhumanly deep voice caffienatedconfetti: also, she's a demon caffienatedconfetti: which is always fun Highglossfinish: I do have a promising zombie movie lined up... caffienatedconfetti: then the lady cut in half by a train who chops you i half and takes your legs Jalaperilo: or the demon with an eye in its butthole thenightetc: parkour~ caffienatedconfetti: and the lady with a scarred face who asks you if she's pretty, and she scars you like her if you say yes and kills you if you say no caffienatedconfetti: is he wearing a bunny costume thenightetc: What IS this caffienatedconfetti: so many child cults Jalaperilo: cause children are the c word caffienatedconfetti: yes thats how spelling works caffienatedconfetti: it's dat boi thenightetc: Ewwww. Jalaperilo: haha Jalaperilo: a boo from super mario thenightetc: Ha! Jalaperilo: thats the kinda talk that gets your car wrapped around a tree thenightetc: Little too on the nose there caffienatedconfetti: of course Highglossfinish: This is coming dangerously close to making me hate Halloween. Jalaperilo: welcome to the club! caffienatedconfetti: NO Highglossfinish: It's already the season where cars get egged; it doesn't need any more help. caffienatedconfetti: it's not that bad cheezy but nice thenightetc: I hate mirror scenes thenightetc: you just KNOW Highglossfinish: This one at least seems to have a sense of restraint. Sort of. caffienatedconfetti: DOG caffienatedconfetti: IT'S A PUPPER caffienatedconfetti: if they kill the dsog i will flip Jalaperilo: i think i'm meh about it cause we never really celebrated halloween as a country until the past few years, where it has become very americanised thenightetc: jeez Jalaperilo: steal a child thenightetc: Uhhhhhh thenightetc: What caffienatedconfetti: oh dear Jalaperilo: is this an analogy for domestic abuse? caffienatedconfetti: ew thenightetc: Maybe? thenightetc: Uhhh thenightetc: ...oh god thenightetc: the dog :( thenightetc: "please forget everything you just saw" Jalaperilo: knock out, thats you Highglossfinish: Don't even joke like that. caffienatedconfetti: um caffienatedconfetti: ew caffienatedconfetti: no please Highglossfinish: I'm liking how '"ew" is our word of the night. thenightetc: why does she keep adjusting her cleavage for an audience of children :| caffienatedconfetti: NO THANK YOU caffienatedconfetti: I AM VERY UNCOMFORTABLE caffienatedconfetti: ewwwwww thenightetc: Thank god they DON'T have a child, honestly caffienatedconfetti: ohoiohoho i dont like this Highglossfinish: I've actually muted it myself. Jalaperilo: no, ko, if we have to duffer, you have to caffienatedconfetti: nonohohoohohop caffienatedconfetti: YOU HAVE TO SUFFER WITH US Highglossfinish: Sorry? What's that? Can't hear you over the sound of the muted video! caffienatedconfetti: I SUFFERED YTHROUGH BIRDEMIC Jalaperilo: (it's still you) thenightetc: oh man thenightetc: poor guy caffienatedconfetti: OH GOd still a half hour Highglossfinish: This is profoundly unpleasant. Jalaperilo: is this all happening in the same town? caffienatedconfetti: i cant do it man, it was charming before but now it's just weird caffienatedconfetti: i'm tired thenightetc: We COULD watch something else caffienatedconfetti: hint hint Highglossfinish: If anyone has any alternative suggestions, please. By all means. caffienatedconfetti: lol jk im going to bed caffienatedconfetti: suffer thenightetc: Zombieland? caffienatedconfetti: SEE YA LATER SUCKERS Jalaperilo: From Beyond?> Jalaperilo: brain dead thenightetc: Idk, first thing that came to mind. Jalaperilo: buy confettinated coffe Highglossfinish: Goodnight, confetti human! Jalaperilo: *bye thenightetc: Goodnight! thenightetc: Oh, these are fun!  For a given value of "fun" Thebes: indeed Highglossfinish: Anything's an improvement over what we just watched. thenightetc: They're going on a bit, aren't they thenightetc: ...Yeah, that sounds like something someone would say thenightetc: I can't believe this woman is thirsty for Jesus Jalaperilo: if you like horror, a good series of 'The History of horror with Mark Gatiss'is very good. all about the early history of horror, inc. hammer horror and british horror. and mark gatiss is very cleaver Highglossfinish: I like! Jalaperilo: 'the behind me candles' haha Jalaperilo: i like diet dr pepper Thebes: thiss... wow Highglossfinish: I like the demon's Old Gregg voice. Jalaperilo: haha Jalaperilo: I'm old gregg! Jalaperilo: you ever drunk baileys out of a shoe? thenightetc: man, Chick definitely had the knack of writing Real Human Conversations thenightetc: "No, we're not afraid, you're just really *** annoying" Jalaperilo: remember that there are humans out there that believe tat the world is 4000 years old Highglossfinish: Hah! Highglossfinish: Ahhhh...humans are adorable. thenightetc: *long-suffering sigh* Jalaperilo: at 4000 you were probably still trying to eat paste Highglossfinish: At 4000, I still believed a razor snake lived in the washracks. Jalaperilo: aw Highglossfinish: And that it would bite me if I lied to my caretakers. Jalaperilo: when i was very little i believed that the taller you were the older you were so my dad, who was the tallest person i knew was 99 years old (he was 28 and 6'2") Highglossfinish: ...Wait, so humans don't just keep growing indefinitely? Jalaperilo: i also used to believe that if i wasnt asleep at night a man flew over each house and got you if you were still awake Jalaperilo: no one told me that, i came up with it on my own thenightetc: ...I think it's possible to have a disorder along those lines, but I think it tends to cause early death Highglossfinish: Huh! The things you learn at stream night! Jalaperilo: i used t believe some right crap. my cousins innocently told me toys came alive at night (this was back in 1989, before toy story Jalaperilo: ) Jalaperilo: and so i was convinced my stuffed tiger was going to eat me Jalaperilo: no wonder there were nights where i couldnt sleep lol Highglossfinish: That's adorable. Jalaperilo: i guess believing scary crap as a youngling is universal Highglossfinish: Naturally. It builds character. Jalaperilo: The Craft is also a good movie Highglossfinish: Goo. thenightetc: Goooooo. Jalaperilo: orgy goo Jalaperilo: dont HAVE to pair up in an orgy. threesomes exist i guess? thenightetc: So now JESUS is her familiar spirit, apparnetly Highglossfinish: Ugh, owls. Jalaperilo: he turned watcher into wine and fed 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread Jalaperilo: kif that aint magic.... Jalaperilo: i read the other day owls make no sound when flying so you'll never hear Yofuu coming hahaha Highglossfinish: I've yet to hear Yofuu coming in all the years I've known them. It's horrific. Jalaperilo: i love yofuu. they have beena source of entertainment for years, esp. their pestering of you thenightetc: Sadly accurate Highglossfinish: I've tried to expect them so that they can't strike when I'm not. Jalaperilo: but they always find their way to your head Highglossfinish: Sadly. Jalaperilo: ok. time for bed! mucho love to you all! x x x x thenightetc: Goodnight! Highglossfinish: Goodnight! Highglossfinish: I should pack things up as well. Highglossfinish: Good night, and apologies for subjecting you all to that drainage! thenightetc: Goodnight!  And, hey, it's fine, these are fun anyway. Thebes: goodnight!

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 1-5: What Goes Up, Must Come Upside Down

New Post has been published on https://nofspodcast.com/episodes-1-5-of-stranger-things-season-2-recap/

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 1-5: What Goes Up, Must Come Upside Down

Stranger Things just debuted its second season on Netflix. Last year’s breakout viral sensation garnered critical acclaim and audience goodwill for its heady mix of nostalgia and horror, appearing on multiple end of year lists and snagging two Golden Globe nominations.

So how does the “sequel” (as series creators The Duffer Brothers have taken to calling it) fare? Read on for my recap of the first five episodes of season two.

Overall thoughts on Season 2

Immediate thoughts upon finishing the season: it’s more of the same, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Duffer Brothers clearly know the show and their audience and even if at times they’re prone to replicating elements from Season One, I would argue that the season wraps up in a more satisfying fashion. Noah Schnapp (Will) proves to be the show’s secret weapon: the young actor has an uncanny ability to play a range of different roles to perfection. Bonus points for a more successful climax in round two, as well.

Episodic Breakdown

As people make their way through the new episodes, Nightmare on Film Street has prepared episodic recaps so be sure to bookmark this page and come back when you finish each episode. Look for the recap of episodes six – nine tomorrow.

Will doesn’t fit in in the season premiere of Stranger Things “Mad Max”

Episode 1 – “Mad Max”

Online chatter suggested the first episode back was slow, but ‘MadMax’ is simply a table setter. We need this reintroduction to Hawkins, Indiana and its denizens in order to set up the season. That means introducing new characters like Sean Astin’s Bob, Paul Reiser’s creepy Dr. Owens and new schoolmates Billy (Dacre Montgomery) and the titular Max (Sadie Sink) – though neither of the kids are given much to do.

“Mad Max” has a few intriguing supernatural occurrences to whet our appetite, including the mysterious poisoning at the pumpkin patch, the lit up control board at Hawkins Laboratory and, of course, Will’s visions of the looming insect-like threat (which would be more striking if it hadn’t been spoiled in Every.Single.Trailer). As for everyone’s favourite Eggo-eating, telepathic feral little girl, the Duffer Brothers naturally keep Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) hidden until the very end of the episode as one of several examples of characters keeping secrets from each other.

At once point, Dr. Owens tells Joyce (Winona Ryder) that things will get worst before they get better. For her, that’s terrible news. For Stranger Things viewers, that can only means good things ahead.

Odds and Ends:

The cold open features a series of unknown characters getting chased by police before one passenger displays Eleven-like powers that allows them to escape. This will clearly be paid off later (see episode seven in tomorrow’s recap – or rather don’t), but for now, it’s little more than a distraction from our reintroduction to Hawkins.

Danger looms for Will on Halloween night in 2×02 “Trick or Treat, Freak”

Episode 2 – “Trick or Treat, Freak”

First off, let’s address the ridiculous #JusticeForBarb storyline that’s dominating the Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Steve (Joe Keery) story line. The Duffer Brothers clearly want to address the outcry for the fan favourite from Season One, but can we all agree that they’re leaning into it a little too much? Thankfully all it takes is one drunk party for the real fireworks to come out: Nancy drunkenly confesses about the inadequacies of her relationship with Steve and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) gets to put the object of his affection to bed. Just remember kids: repression is bad because it manifests as a giant red punch stain on the front of your First Lady/Figure Skater costume.

The other element that stands out about episode two is that there’s a lot more comedy: the four boys are the only ones who dress up for Halloween at school, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) struggle to speak to Max, Eleven passes her time watching soaps and dimwitted Officer Callahan (John Reynolds) mistakenly touches poisoned crops with his bare hands.

That last piece – the mysterious crop damage storyline – also begins to take shape as we learn that most of Hawkins’ farms have been affected by a mysterious poison, hinting at bigger things to come.

Odds and Ends:

Are the Duffer Brothers candy addicts? First Will and Dr. Owens debate Reese’s Pieces last episode and now there’s a prolonged discussion about the terribleness of 3 Musketeers bars? (Which, for the record, are delicious)

Initially it seemed like this episode was going to offer more insight about contentious siblings Billy and Max, but aside from their chicken-inspired driving on the highway, they remain obscure figures on the periphery. What’s their deal?

Bob and Joyce share a quiet moment in 2×03 “The Pollywog”

Episode 3 – “The Pollywog”

While I appreciate the effort being put into developing Sheriff Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven’s relationship, I don’t think that the amount of screen time dedicated to this plot line is well spent. Three episodes in and we’re seeing the same content covered repeatedly: she was lost in the woods in winter, Hopper found her after a few feral encounters and they set up a temporary home with three “don’t be stupid” rules. We get it Stranger Things. At this point it just feels like the Duffer Brothers are delaying bringing Eleven back together with the gang.

Thankfully the second season’s dual mythology plot lines continue to develop nicely:

Hopper enlists Dr. Owens to investigate the contagion affecting the crops, which we learn is accounting for the odd smell that Billy and Max described in the last episode.

Meanwhile, Dustin names the “pollywog” creature that he finds in his trash D’Artagnan (because 80s!). A quick examination of the new species reveals that D’Art is a) afraid of the light b) growing exponentially and c) tied to the thing that Will spit into his sink at the end of Season One. Unfortunately the unnatural occurrences end in disaster when Will takes Bob‘s advice to confront the monster head on and he’s literally infected by the smoke monster from his visions. Oops!

Odds and Ends:

Was anyone else surprised to see Shirts vs Skins in gym class was a real thing? I won’t lie: all of these scenes felt remarkably homoerotic. It’s tantamount to a late night flick on Cinemax.

The aftermath of Will’s attack in 2×04 “Will The Wise”

Episode 4 – “Will The Wise”

After the cliffhanger possession ending of the last episode, we pick right up with Will, who claims not to remember what happened to him. After some prodding by Joyce, Will reveals that the creature wanted inside him and their parasitic relationship is deepened when Will refuses to take a hot bath, proclaiming “He likes it cold.”

When Hopper finally arrives at the Byers residence (following an uncomfortable battle of wills with Eleven after she abuses his 3 rules), there’s no narrative clarity about what’s happening, but it still feels like forward momentum. The result – Will confiding in Hopper and Joyce, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) revealing Will’s secret to Dustin and Lucas – makes “Will The Wise” the most satisfying episode of the season to date.

Unfortunately I simply cannot care about the stuff with Nancy and Jonathan and Barb’s mom. The only element of this story line that worked for me was the editing of the sequence in the park, which effectively highlighted Nancy and Jonathan‘s paranoia. The suggestion that these high school students could pull off a covert sting operation against the Hawkins Lab guys is a bit of a laugh, but we’ll see where it goes.

Odds and Ends:

Eleven‘s investigation into her history hits the jackpot when she discovers Hawkins Lab boxes hidden under the floor of Hopper‘s cabin. From there she’s able to connect with her very-much-alive mom, who identifies Eleven as “Jane” before disappearing in a literal puff of smoke.

I’m definitely losing interest in Billy and Max‘s storyline. Is there anything more to this than the fact that he’s racist?

RIP Mews. It always sucks when animals are killed on TV and that poor dead kitty didn’t deserve to be D’Art’s snack. 🙁

Will’s illness is finally address in 2×05 “Dig Dug”

Episode 5 – “Dig Dug”

This is essentially a “choose your own adventure” episode. Most of the characters venture off on their own: Hopper spends the episode foolishly investigating the tunnel system without back-up; Joyce, Mike, Will and Bob decode Will‘s drawings; Lucas catches Max up to speed, and Nancy and Jonathan and Eleven go on separate road trips.

I definitely appreciated the grotty visuals of what Hopper encounters in the tunnels (the blast to the face by a not-at-all-anus-like vine is particularly visceral and icky). Meanwhile Bob earns his high school “Brain” nickname when he deduces that the drawings are a map of Hawkins, though admittedly, hadn’t we all figured this out well in advance? It seems pretty obvious.

The two mythologies finally collide when Will‘s map leads to Hopper, whose survival ironically depends on his smoking habit. Luckily Joyce, Bob and the Hawkins Lab army show up just in time, ending the episode on another cliffhanger when it is revealed (unsurprisingly) that Will‘s physical health is connected to the tunnel vines and he winds up in Grand Mal territory.

Odds and Ends:

I’m glad that Dustin is no longer acting stupid about how dangerous D’Art is. It was evident from the start that the unknown creature was dangerous and “Dig Dug” confirms that as D’Art grows, he becomes more of an (unnatural) threat.

Let’s take a moment to recognize the comedic genius of Lucas‘ sister Erica (Priah Ferguson), who is officially the Dustin of this season. She’s equal parts annoying and hilarious. I love her.

Finally, Eleven‘s storyline continues to (annoyingly) exist completely outside of the main narrative. This episode she meets her Aunt Becky (Amy Seimetz), a Clea DuVall-esque woman looking after her mother. What follows is essentially a redo of Season One: Eleven‘s mom communicates via flickering lights and there’s a whole extended flashback that’s basically the Stranger Things version of Hodor’s “Hold The Door” backstory from Game of Thrones.

Check back tomorrow for recaps of the final four episodes of season two. In the interim, leave your impressions below in the comments!