#Upside-Down

[sorrysomethingwentwrong]

Upside-down fig tree in Bacoli, Italy.

"No one is quite sure how the tree ended up there or how it survived, but year after year it continues to grow downwards and bear figs."

Credit: ArchaeoHistories

[doomspaniels]

got a unicorm 😄

[lionfloss]

by Josh Quissy

[nancyqueerer]

If I'm one of the main characters in stranger things. I never survive, I just died in seconds in upside down because how clumsy I am and my mind stopped working.

[thusfallen]

[the-teddy-bear-butch]

Send Me Away With the Words of a Love Song || Ronancetober Day One: Upside-Down

(Loosely inspired by “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry)

CW: implied character death (but there’s a happy open ending I swear—)

_______________

A lot of things scared Nancy Wheeler. There were a lot of things to be scared of—demogorgons and alternate dimensions and evil wizards haunted her nightmares.

What Nancy didn’t expect to scare her was quiet.

It was unbearably quiet as she, Steve, and Robin biked through the Upside-Down. Robin was unbearably quiet. Nancy didn’t know her well, but the girl seemed to never shut up. At first it had annoyed Nancy, but she quickly learned to find it endearing. Now it was terrifying how deathly silent the girl was.

She knew why, though. Robin was scared out of her wits, and Nancy couldn’t blame her. After their first plan resulted in Eddie’s death and Max in a coma, there weren’t high hopes for this mission.

___

“I have a really bad feeling about this, Nance.”

Nancy looked up from where she was polishing her shotgun, brows furrowed as she took in Robin’s expression. It was a horrible mix of fear and sadness. Like she was already mourning.

“We’re more prepared this time,” Nancy promised, though even she wasn’t sure she believed it. She scooted over so her hip was touching Robin’s, a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I believe we can do this.”

Robin mulled this over, lip twitching. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before shooting a teary eyed glance in Nancy’s direction. She bit her lip, looking hesitant.

“Penny for your thoughts, Rob?” Nancy asked softly.

“Can I ask you for something you aren’t going to like?” she croaked, voice breaking. Nancy’s gaze softened, and she nodded. She took Robin’s hand in her own, squeezing it softly.

“You kind of have to now,” she commented, trying to lighten the mood. Robin sighed, pulling her knees to her chest.

“If I don’t make it out—“

“You will—“ Nancy’s heart leapt into her throat at the thought, hammering uncomfortably.

“Nance, please.” There was something desperate in her hoarse voice.

Nancy put up her hands in surrender, nodding despite her want to argue. She couldn’t. Not when Robin was looking at her like that, grey blue eyes so soft and vulnerable. Nancy felt like she was drowning in them.

“If I don’t make it out, will you bring my—“ she choked, shook her head and tried again. “Will you bring me home? If it’s safe.” She sighed, and Nancy laid her head on the girl’s shoulder, surprised how comforting she found the other girl’s presence.

Well, she was beginning to learn why, given the warm feeling in her stomach and the way she couldn’t look away from the freckled girl’s lips anymore.

“Of course, Robbie,” she murmured. Robin leaned her head against Nancy’s, sniffling.

“And will you bury me by the river? And plant wildflowers on my—on my grave?” Robin smiled, a broken little thing that cracked Nancy’s heart nearly in two. Robin truly didn’t believe she’d make it out alive, that much was clear. Nancy decided to make it her mission to protect her.

“Of course. Any other requests?” she asked softly, proud of the way her voice didn’t waver.

“Yeah.” Robin took a deep, shuddering breath, turning to look Nancy directly in the eye, a question dancing in stormy blue. Nancy leaned in, foreheads touching and Robin’s breath warm on her face.

“Anything, birdie.”

“Will you send me away with a love song?”

“If that’s what you want,” Nancy promised, again squeezing Robin’s hand.

Their first kiss was sweet and languid, a confession and a goodbye and an ‘I hope I see you later’, a promise of forever if they both made it out. Nancy thought it might just kill her.

___

“ROBIN, NO!”

The words tore from Nancy’s chest and morphed into a scream as Robin shoved Nancy out of the way, the demogorgon’s claws ripping into Robin’s flesh. The freckled girl cried out, ugly crimson immediately spreading across her torso. Nancy scrambled to her feet, pulling her shotgun into position. Robin nodded at her, her face paling quickly.

Robin leapt into action, sinking her Bowie knife into the demogorgon’s chest while Nancy slammed the monster in the back of the head with the butt of her gun. The creature roared, whirling on Nancy. Her gaze hardened as she saw Robin’s blood dripping from its long, crooked fingers.

“You’ll pay for that, you son of a bitch!” she howled as she took aim and blasted the beast back. It roared in agony as she shot again and again, watching it crumple at her feet.

“Nancy, we have to get out of here!”

Nancy vaguely recognized Steve’s voice, turning to see him holding Eleven, the girl’s face streaked with blood—alive, thank god. Will was at their side, looking exhausted. That must mean Vecna was gone.

But Steve was right. She could hear the telltale screech of the demobats getting closer. She turned to Robin, to grab her hand—

And she froze.

Robin was not standing behind her anymore, but rather laying on the ground in a pool of crimson, and Nancy’s blood ran cold. The girl was horrifyingly still, one arm stretched out toward Nancy, palm open as if reaching out for her.

“Robin?” she called, voice wavering. Nothing. No response. Not even a twitch.

Despite the noise of the constant storm and the approaching bats, all Nancy could hear was silence. Heavy, burdening silence that hung over her like a dark cloud, filling her lungs like smoke, choking her, burning.

“Nancy, come on! She’s gone!” She registered that it was Mike calling this time, but she was frozen, unable to look away.

She felt a hand on her wrist and suddenly she was being dragged away.

“No!” she protested, trying to turn back.

“She’s gone, Nance! We don’t have time!” Steve. Steve was dragging her away from Robin, from her best friend, the girl she loved. She had never hated him more.

“Let me go! I promised!” she screamed. God she knew she was being impractical, she knew they couldn’t save the girl, and running back would only get more of them killed.

“I promised,” she sobbed brokenly as she let Steve pull her away, and they began to race toward the gate.

___

Robin was gone. Robin was gone, and with her, was Nancy’s heart. At first she tried to bury her grief, deciding feeling nothing was better than being torn open by the sharp knife of Robin’s death. Her plans didn’t last long, however, when she got home and showered and opened her closet to change, only to see Robin’s denim jacket discarded from their trip to the asylum.

She reached out and ran her fingers over the fabric, a choked sob wracking her body as she eyed each of the patches. Her gaze lingered on the blue and yellow ‘Handle with Care’ and she broke.

___

That night, Nancy met with Steve and the rest of the party to say goodbye. She brought Robin’s jacket and they met at the river.

Steve offered her a hug, which she accepted without question. She was glad he was here. He would understand her pain better than anyone.

There was no body to bury. Nancy’s heart still ached, but she knew it was necessary to leave her. Instead, they buried Robin’s jacket and all said a few words, and then they left Steve and Nancy alone.

Nancy knelt by the freshly overturned Earth and pulled a pack of seeds from her pocket. She sprinkled it over the dirt and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, hoping Robin could hear her. “I’m sorry we couldn’t bring you home.”

She took a deep breath, and then in the softest, sweetest voice she could muster, she began to sing. The lyrics were bittersweet and melancholy, singing of love lost and forever cut short. She felt Steve’s hand on her shoulder as she began to stammer on the lyrics, unable to find her voice.

“She loved you,” he murmured. Nancy stood and buried her face in his chest.

“I loved her too, and I never even got to tell her.”

___

When Nancy went to bed that evening, she pulled something from her pocket and placed it on her nightstand. A worn, dirty patch of blue and yellow, reading ‘Handle with Care.’ She had pulled it from the jacket before they buried it—her last little piece of Robin.

She looked at it for a moment, under the flickering light of her bedroom lamp.

Only, the lamp shouldn’t be flickering.

Nancy tensed, staring at the lamp, watching the strange flickering pattern, long flickers and shorter—almost familiar.

It was Morse code. Someone was communicating in Morse code.

Robin.

[dynamoe]

I like fashion shows when they have nothing to do with wearable fashion.

VIKTOR & ROLF 2023 Couture (ignore the normal Barbie dresses interspersed)

instagram video: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn2JyajqDKa/

[cyberspacesymphonyblog]

[stoptellinglieslois]

@hokkemaruyaki

[slaughtergutz]

I knew it was on his stomach! I called it! It made the most sense since the core four of the Arlong pirates make a cross up, down, left, right

now we just need Hachi n Kuroobi to strip to see where they put their Arlong tattoos

[jorilovesfun]

www.PartnersID.com

[doomspaniels]

Progression of Guinevere Cuddles

[abuddyforeveryseason]

Something's looking a bit upside-down face with this, the Buddy for November 21st. I guess after the Bizarro Buddy for November 19th, this Buddy follows the suit by being the "opposite" of something. Most people have their faces upside up, but not this guy.

Though, to be honest, I'm more interested in the road there in the bakcground. Looks a bit like the Jerry Bruckheimer Films logo, right?

[aubrietarose]

Abigail is an excellent dancer, both on her own two hooves and on a pole. Pole dancing is quite beautiful to watch, and great exercise too!

[talltalestogo]

“Upside down”

Upside down Breakfast upside down. / The mantis does not care and / neither does his prey. . . #upside-down #breakfast #mantis #prey #photo #poem #poetry #haiku #oldnorthknoxville #davidebooker #september #tuesday #091223 #2023

[carloscaterpillar04]

The Zula Patrol: Upside-Down Stuff

Featuring the Upside-Downers of: Sun Day (Zeeter) Forget-me-Naut (Bula) Giant Litterbugs from Space (Dark Truder) Earth Hunt (Bula × Gorga) RV of the Giants (Zeeter, Gorga, Bula) Star-Crossed (Dark Truder's Vehicle) Small is Beautiful (Wizzy) Club Mars (Dark Truder) The Ins and Outs of Planets (Zeeter) *Bula is Right side up Dog Gone Gorga (Gorga) The Big Mess (Spaceship) Weather Vain (Zeeter) My Friend Named Breezy (Deliria × Cloid) Journey to the Center of Gorga (Bula, Zeeter, Multo)