#and the electricity bits in the middle reinforce it

[quirkle2]

teru!

[ritsu] [mob] [reigen]

[teaboot]

What are your favorite ship typings?

Dual Opposites: Visibly Unsettling Person who is actually quite normal X Charismatic and Likeable Person who is Deeply Unhinged

Apes Together Strong: All the skills and abilities of a single super-functional person split up between two or more people. Separately dumpster fires, collectively a power team

Kindred Spirits: Person who seems silly, dumb, emotional, and shallow X Person who seems stoic, serious, and cold, but who share core perspectives, hobbies, values, goals, etc. Room for a third who is straight down the middle of the road and seen as the Real Adult despite also being just like the other two.

Same Hat: Two or more people who are absolutely the same in every stupid way and feed off each other's energy like a wind-powered electric fan

Simp Shit: Person A is Always Super Fucking Pumped about whatever Person B is on about, even if Person B is accomplishing nothing at all. Person A is over-the-top and wrapped around Person B's pinky finger. Person B thinks it's adorable and appreciates the devotion, and in turn is doting in their own way. And it's not unbalanced- they're both very much into it. Better not to ask questions.

Thank God We're Normal: Two or more people who are both freaks of nature bit look to the other for support, reinforcing their belief that they are completely normal and everyone else is a weirdo. Eat oreos and chili together out of the same bowl and look at you funny for gagging.

Platonic Soulmates: Two or more people who are so comfortable around each other that they may as well be married. Past-the-honeymoon married. The kind of married where sometimes someone pisses with the door open and someone wears the other person's underwear and everyone occasionally piles into a single bed to nap and bitch about shit.

Comfortable Enemies: Two or more rivals or enemies who, at the end of the day, respect and understand one another despite their differences and share a certain code of ethics that they will begrudgingly cooperate to uphold, then go right back to being catty bitches afterwards

Listed in number but not in any particular order

[tuiccim]

Though I Have Never Read It (Part 7)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Word Count: 2985

Warnings: Angst, Family dynamics/drama, Discussion of controlling/abusive relationship.

A/N: Special thanks to my hype princess & beta reader @whisperlullaby.

Though I Have Never Read It Masterlist

Sitting in your car at the compound, you lean your head back against the seat and close your eyes. You take a few deep breaths and give yourself a mental pep talk before finally getting out. The butterflies in your stomach seem to increase with each step you take closer to Bucky's door. You were scared of what this conversation may bring. Would Bucky be angry? He hadn’t seemed so earlier. Would he think it meant something more than it did? 

You lift your hand to knock and stop short. Closing your eyes, you bite your lip and consider running. You could pack your things and be gone in a blink. You’d done it before. But before, there wasn’t Eva and no matter what happened, you couldn’t leave her. Besides, dealing with Bucky was nothing like what had driven you to Estonia. Your real fear here was your own feelings. So, before you could let that cowardice take hold, you allowed your hand to fall and rapped on his door. It opened more quickly than you expected and you took a step back. 

“Hi,” Bucky says, his face full of expectation and… fear? He looked like that lost, scared shell of a person that he had been when you first met him and it made you want to comfort him more than anything. 

“Hi. Is now good?” You ask softly. 

“Yes. Where, uh-” Bucky makes a vague gesture.

“Here is fine. Unless you’d rather go somewhere else,” you try to give him some room. 

“Are you sure you’d be comfortable in my room with me?” He can’t seem to quite meet your eye. 

“Are you comfortable with me being in your room?” you ask instead. 

“Uh, sure, sure. Come in,” he steps back to allow you entry. 

“Thanks,” you look around as you walk in and see mostly stark furniture with only a few personal touches. The one thing that is nearly full is his bookshelf. You let your eyes browse over the titles momentarily. A corner of your mouth quirks as you realize there was a little bit of geek in the quiet supersoldier but you smooth your expression when you turn back to him. He gestures towards the two chairs that flank the bookshelf and you take one. 

“How is Eva? …and Mark?” Bucky asks. 

“They’re great. She was happy to see her dad,” you chose your words with care to reinforce your earlier assertions of Eva’s paternity.

“Good, that’s good. How, uh, how are you?” Bucky fidgets with his hands. 

“I’m okay. I can see you’re as nervous about this conversation as I am,” you try to lighten the mood. 

Bucky cracks a small smile but still hasn’t looked you in the eye yet, “Yeah?”

“Bucky…” you wait for him to look up and when he finally does, you ask shakily, “Are you angry with me?”

“What?!” Bucky’s eyes widen in surprise. 

“You won’t even look at me.”

“No! No, I’m not angry with you. How could I be? You’re the one who should be angry with me. After what I did. I terrified you,” Bucky’s voice nearly breaks. 

“No, I mean, I was scared at first but you didn’t terrify me,” you assert. “Do you remember all of it? What do you remember?”

“I… God! I’m not even sure what I remember. I… did… did I-” Bucky groans in frustration and puts his head in his hands. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” you reassure him. When he looks at you a few moments later there is a tinge of red around his eyes that tears at your heart. “Why don’t I tell you what I remember? And then we can work out the details.”

“Please,” Bucky whispers. 

“I was living in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. No electricity, rainwater plumbing that was frozen half the time, a tiny kitchen, a bed, and an armchair to read in. It was 4 miles to the nearest neighbor and several more to the nearest town. One evening I was bringing in firewood. There was a snow storm coming in and I wanted to be sure there was enough in the house for the next day. I had just taken off my jacket and was about to relock the door when it flew open and you came through it. I was scared for a minute. I thought you were there to kill me but when I asked you, you simply said shelter. You were even less talkative then,“ you give him a smile to reassure him as his face still betrayed some torment. “What you did manage to tell me was that you were running away from something, too. So, I decided that being scared wasn’t going to change anything. I fed you some soup and whiskey to warm you up, convinced you to get out of the wet clothes you were in since you were shivering, and managed to get you to lay in the bed to rest. You looked so lost at times. While we ate, you were able to remember the name James so that’s what I called you. I settled into my chair to read and you asked me to read to you. I had been reading The-”

“Princess Bride,” Bucky interrupts. 

“Yeah,” you smile at him, “you remember that?”

“I, I overheard you reading it to Eva last night. It’s what triggered the memories. I think,” Bucky says. 

“I thought someone was there last night.”

“I’m sorry. I just heard you and stopped to listen for a minute.”

“It’s fine, Bucky. Anyway, I read to you for a while until I thought you had fallen asleep. When I tried to settle down in the armchair to sleep, you were trying to get out of the bed, grunting no at me. You had so many bruises and scars. I insisted you needed the bed more than I did. I touched your shoulder to stop you from getting out and you gasped. I thought I had hurt you but then you just looked at me and said please. So, I ran my hands through your hair and you calmed down. I sat on the side of the bed and kept doing it until I thought you fell asleep again but the moment I pulled my hand away, you were awake again. You asked me to stay, so I just got in the bed with you and kept running my hand through your hair until we were both asleep. The next morning, um…” you falter, unsure how to explain the next part. Embarrassment and fear wrapping together to still your tongue. 

“I hurt you,” Bucky says grimly. 

“No,” you stare at him, unsure if he meant because of the blood or something else. “No, you didn’t hurt me, James, Bucky,” you shake your head at your own confusion. 

“Don’t. Don’t spare me. Tell me the truth. I remember. I remember forcing myself on you,” Bucky stands up to pace, clearly torturing himself. 

“Bucky,” you start but he cuts you off. 

“Tell me the truth. Please,” he says while pacing, staring at the floor. 

You get up and stand in his path. Grabbing handfuls of his shirt, you force him to look at you, “You didn’t force me,” you say vehemently. Leaving any of your own feelings in the dust, you barrel forward with only the thought of giving him the reassurance and comfort he desperately needed. “You didn’t force anything. I woke up and you were rubbing against me. Pure instinct, you were still asleep. As soon as you woke, you stopped and stared at me with the most terrified expression. I pulled you closer. I pressed myself against you. And then you kissed me and it was intense and I wanted it. You whispered please and I knew what you wanted. I knew what you were asking for,” you pull him closer to you as you speak, ensuring he is hanging on your every word, “I pushed my pants down and you helped me get them lower. You didn’t. You didn’t force me. You didn’t force anything. You were soft and slow and gentle with me. I wanted that. I wanted you.”

“But… the blood?” Bucky asks incredulously. “Were you a virgin?”

“Ye-yeah. It was my first time but that doesn’t change how I feel about it. I wanted you,” you say sincerely. You stared up at him as you emphasized the words of reassurance. Your heart was beating wildly and with your hands curled in his shirt, you could feel his was too. Your faces were so close and you felt a yearning that frightened you.

“But I took that from you,” Bucky looks at you sadly. 

You scoff, you can’t help yourself. Letting go of him, you walk back to the chair and sit, relieved he had given you the perfect out to separate yourself from him physically. Sighing deeply, you shake your head, “No, Buck. The 1940s called, they want their misogyny back. If anything, I gave it. It wasn’t anything special and, truthfully, I was glad to be rid of it. It doesn’t matter. You didn’t hurt me. Understand?”

“Yeah,” Bucky sits looking calmer, “What happened after that?”

“I was going to start breakfast when you heard something. You told me to get in the bathroom and stay there. You said, um, you said thank you. It was quiet for a few minutes and then it sounded like a tornado came through. Smashing and glass shattering and then smoke. The cabin was set on fire and you were gone.”

“They found me. I…” Bucky looks away as if things are falling into place in his mind, “I was commanded to destroy the cabin. I told them no one was there, that I’d gotten lost in the storm. It was the only way I could keep you safe. I had to make them think no one was there. I tried to make sure you could get out, that the fire stayed far enough away to let you get out of the kitchen window.”

“That’s exactly how I got out,” you say. 

“I’m sorry,” Bucky says.

“For making sure I could escape?” You raise an eyebrow playfully. 

“For ruining your life there.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. It wasn’t much of a life. It forced me to come back here. To face up to my problems. It wasn’t easy but I’m glad. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been here to see Eva born or have that time with her mom. I’m grateful for that night. I don’t have any regrets about it,” you smile while trying to gauge his feelings. 

“Why were you in Estonia?” Bucky asks the question you weren’t sure you wanted to answer. 

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got all night, doll.”

“I’m not kidding. It’s complicated,” You demure, unsure you wanted to share that much. Then again, maybe you should. Maybe there should be one person here who knows the whole story and it seemed right that it would be Bucky. After all, he was a part of it. 

“It’s up to you. I’d like to know but only if you want to tell it,” Bucky tilts his head as he looks at you. 

“Settle in,” you laugh lightly as you reposition yourself in the chair. “My dad was a businessman. He owned a mid-size company that was contracted by Stark Industries. My,” you sigh deeply before continuing flatly, “mother had some connections and helped him get in with Obadiah Stane. He was the CFO of Stark.”

“I've heard of him,” Bucky nods.

“She kept close tabs on business dealings and even closer tabs on me. She insisted I become a woman of high society. She wanted me to be a social climber, like her. It wasn’t me but I went along with it to make her happy. My father died suddenly when I was in college, the company was thrown into chaos and my mother begged Stane for his help. He agreed but insisted on controlling interest in the company. It was around this time that they started an affair, I think. Suddenly, Stane and his son, Zeke, were coming around often. Zeke was a few years older than me and he paid a lot of attention to me. At first, I was flattered. My mother started throwing us together as much as she could but then he started getting possessive. He acted like I was a belonging rather than a person. He started policing my clothes, my phone, my friends, everything. He was not happy that I was getting a degree in mechanical engineering. He said it was a man’s field but he knew it was one of my dad’s last wishes that I finish college. He was downright pissed, as was my mother, when I told them I’d been accepted into the Master’s program. That’s when Zeke finally threw in my mother’s face that he was done waiting for his part of the bargain. Apparently, she had struck a deal with Obadiah for me to marry Zeke in exchange for some other business dealings. I never really understood all of it but he lost his shit and started insisting that he was done waiting, the deal was for me to finish my degree and then he’d own me. That’s the word he used, 'own'.”

“Your mother sold you?” Bucky asks in shock, realizing now why you had given her such a cold reception on the phone call he had overheard. 

Your eyebrows lift in realization of the accuracy of the wording, “Yeah. She sold me. Zeke, he, uh, knew I was a virgin and he wanted me. He wanted to have that. He wanted complete ownership over me. I was terrified of him. I hated who I was with him. I was weak and scared. I cowered under him. He had nearly complete control of me. They started planning the wedding. It had to be a grand event. A status symbol. God, I hated it. I hated everything. I hated myself. I hated who I had become. It was my best friend that came up with the plan to get me out. She had watched my light go out and she couldn’t stand it. She convinced me to escape and with the help of a few other friends, I did. I left to go to a dentist appointment with a small purse and the clothes on my back. Thirty-six hours later, I was in a tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere. I was free. And I was so happy… for a while.” You look away reliving the joy and sadness of that time for a moment.

“A while?” Bucky prompts. 

“The loneliness started to get to me. I wanted a life. A real one. I was trapped the same in that cabin as I had been under my mother’s thumb. Living in constant fear of being found. Then you showed up. You were my catalyst. You forced me to go back and face it all. I met Tony and Pepper and Happy. We found out the Stane’s were doing a lot more shady dealing than anyone ever imagined. When I confronted Zeke, he went insane. He, uh, he tried to kill me. Zeke had built himself a suit similar to Tony’s. Luckily, Happy was there and managed to keep Zeke at bay until Tony showed up.”

“Tell me he’s dead,” Bucky growls.

“He’s… incapacitated. That’s what drove me to Estonia,” you pause for a moment, realizing you had to ask Bucky, “Did you tell anyone that we were in Estonia?”

“I told Steve and Sam about meeting you,” Bucky looks at you with furrowed brows. 

“But did you tell them it was in Estonia?” You question. 

“No. Why?”

“I need you to keep that part just between us. If anyone, like my mother, ever found out I was there, they’d know exactly who helped me. It could jeopardize their livelihood, their business, their life. Please-”

“I give you my word, doll. It stays between us,” Bucky promises. 

“Thank you. Anyway, I came back here. Tony got me back in the Master’s program, gave me a job, and… you’re all caught up now,” you let out a little laugh. 

Bucky studies you for a moment before asking, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“At first, I was waiting to see if you remembered me. I knew you’d been through the brain blender a few times so I was gonna let you take the lead. Then, I don’t know, I didn’t want to bring you any pain. I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to go back there. When I thought about telling you, it was for it to be easier on me and I didn’t want to be selfish in that way. I thought maybe it was better to protect you,” you explain. 

“You don’t need to protect me, doll. That was the best night I had had in those years. Thank you for that,” Bucky smiles and you can see the emotions in his eyes.

“You’re welcome. Well, um, it’s getting late,” you say lamely. A tension had formed in the air and it was unnerving you. You found yourself wanting to fling yourself into Bucky’s arms, wanting to find that release he had once provided. You stand swiftly, reminding yourself that one night didn’t mean anything. At least, not romantically. It was just two people seeking comfort in each other. Survivors finding solace together and you couldn’t get wrapped up in it. Because, the truth was, you wanted to fall for the man in front of you and you didn’t trust yourself to. “Good night, Bucky,” you say as you cross to the door. 

“Uh, night, doll. Sleep well,” Bucky says quickly. 

“You, too,” you say as you exit. You flee to your room, knowing that sleep wouldn’t come any time soon. 

Part 8

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[hbyrde36]

The Crawl

Part 4 of 5

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 AO3

WC: 5670

-Eddie-

Eddie thought the weirdest thing that would ever happen to him was Steve Harrington, of all people, trying and eventually succeeding in becoming his friend. 

It was unexpected, the way they got along so well and discovered that they actually had more in common than either of them would have thought, but not as unexpected as Eddie realizing that his unrequited crush on the former king of Hawkins High was possibly not as unrequited as he’d initially thought. 

That became his new weirdest thing, for a while. 

Eddie would have never dreamed that someone like Steve, queer or not, would be interested in someone like him, but after he caught the guy staring at his bare chest for nearly a full minute the first time he answered his door shirtless, and subsequently every time he was shirtless thereafter, it was too obvious to deny. 

Not that he ever intended to do anything with that information. 

Eddie was, in certain situations at least, a coward after all. The closer that they got, and the more Steve started to mean to him, the more afraid he became to ruin things. Steve never said anything outright, never acknowledged the electricity between them, so Eddie didn't either, happy to live in the liminal space where they danced around it, because it was safer. Steve stopped dating, Eddie continued his streak of not dating, and they never talked about it. 

Then Chrissy Cunningham was murdered by an unseen evil wizard right there in the middle of his living room, and he found out just how naive he’d been about how weird shit could get. 

Along with that epiphany came another one. Life was too fucking short to keep playing games, and Eddie was so tired of being scared. 

Angry hick mob launching a witch hunt? 

Scary. 

The Upside Down? 

Fucking terrifying. 

But, Steve? 

Steve was safe, he was comfort, he was home.

Eddie wasn’t afraid of Steve anymore, he was afraid for him, terrified that once they parted on the brink of battle they’d never see each other again, that he’d never get to tell Steve that he loved him.

He’d done it, in the end. Eddie was brave. He called out for Steve and they’d gotten their moment, a few feverish kisses at the end of the world, and a promise.

Afterwards he climbed up on top of that trailer with his audience of two to play Master of Puppets with a new fire running through his veins. 

This was for Chrissy, who’d died a terrible agonizing death at the hands of a foe she could never have imagined. It was for Max, who'd been targeted because of her suffering, as if the suffering itself wasn’t enough. It was for El, who endured a hellish upbringing that no one should ever have been subjected to. For the boys and Erica, whose childhoods were cut short by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time and helping their friends. For the older teens, Steve, Robin, Nancy, and Jonathan, who were still kids in their own right, forced to grow up in an instant and become protectors, crushed under the weight of that responsibility. Hopper and Joyce, who despite their efforts had little choice but to let all of these children become soldiers in a war none of them signed up for. 

And finally, for himself. Eddie knew his life would never be the same after this. Whether they defeated Vecna or not, whether his name was cleared or not, some people would choose to continue to see the worst, to see him as a murderer.

He did everything Steve asked him to do. Well, almost everything. 

As soon as he spotted the bats on the horizon, a rapidly approaching cloud of wings and gnashing teeth, and it was clear that the creatures had taken the bait, he abandoned his concert and took the two boys back down into the house. The entire trailer had been reinforced, doors and windows boarded up with bits of wood and corrugated metal, and, at Steve’s curiously specific request, Eddie made sure the air vents were sufficiently blocked. 

It held them off for a while, but eventually a few of the little fuckers managed to squeeze their way inside and Eddie knew he had to act fast. He rushed Dustin and Will up the rope and fully intended to follow after them, really he did, but the demobats seemed to have the same idea. 

It wasn’t even a choice. 

He couldn't risk letting the bats get through the gate and go after the boys, or be let loose into the Right-Side-Up. Eddie used his spear to dispatch the winged menaces closest to the portal and then took off, screaming and shouting like a lunatic to entice the remaining monsters to follow after him as he ran outside. He kept up a litany of loudly delivered taunts and jabs as he mounted one of the bikes that they’d left behind before and managed to draw the horde away from the trailer, chasing after him alone instead. 

He didn't remember hitting the ground. When one of the creatures pulled away from the pack and swooped down to knock him from the bike, he only barely registered the sensation of falling before the world went black. 

He swam in and out of consciousness several times before finally waking up for good. 

At the time he hadn’t even been sure if any of it was real, thinking maybe he’d died and it was all some kinda weird hallucination on his way to the afterlife. 

Eddie’s eyelids fluttered open and he found his face pressed against an unfamiliar chest. He must have moved because the arms around him tightened protectively as the man attached to them spoke, his voice low and rumbling. “Don’t worry, kid. We’re gonna get you out of here.” 

It sounded like Hopper, but before Eddie could get a look at him to be sure, he blinked and was suddenly being jostled around in a car, cradled against a body he was a little more familiar with. 

Steve.

He tried to say it out loud, all but screaming the name inside his own head but no matter how hard he tried all that would come out of his mouth was a whimper. Steve shushed him and whispered soothing nonsense as he pushed Eddie's hair back to press kisses against his forehead. He tried hard to stay that time, but he was powerless to resist the pull of the darkness. 

He blinked again and was surrounded by strangers in a cold room with too much light. He squinted against the brightness, realizing only after he’d started panicking that the beeping he heard was mimicking his own heartbeat. He was in a hospital, and the strangers around him were nurses and a doctor. He relaxed, finally accepting that he wasn’t dead and the beeping slowed to match his pulse. He sank into sleep less reluctantly then, knowing he would wake again eventually and hopefully this time someone he knew would be there to tell him what the hell had happened. 

When Eddie finally woke up for real, it was a gradual ascent into consciousness. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes, turning his head slowly and carefully to take in his surroundings. The room was dimly lit now and the night sky was visible through the open blinds on the windows. There was no one in sight save for a lone figure with their arm in a sling slumped over in a chair next to his hospital bed.

“Steve?” Eddie croaked out, dry throat causing him to break out into a coughing fit. 

The other boy jumped up from his seat, instantly awake and quickly grabbed a nearby cup of water before returning to his side.  

Eddie took a few grateful sips but couldn't take his eyes off of Steve’s arm. When he could speak again it was the first thing he had to know. “Are you hurt? What happened to your arm?”

Steve shook his head, the ghost of a smile coming over his face as he settled back into the chair, taking one of Eddie’s hands with his good one. “You just woke up after being nearly eaten alive by demobats and the first thing you ask is if I’m hurt?”

“I just want to make sure you’re okay.” Eddie grumbled, sinking back into his pillows. “And I didn’t almost get eaten… I don’t think.” He paused trying to think back. “Okay, honestly I'm not sure. I don’t really remember anything after falling off the bike.”

Steve nodded as if he’d been expecting that. “Yeah, you hit your head when you fell. You’ve got a lump on the back of your head, and some bites. There, on your cheek” He said, eyeing up the bandage Eddie could feel taped to his face. ”And a few more on your leg.”

That, Eddie hadn’t known. He wasn’t really feeling any pain at the moment. They were probably pumping him full of pain meds, so between that and the adrenaline from seeing Steve and finally being awake, he was feeling pretty good. 

“Oh.” Eddie began, letting it all process slowly. “How long has it been?”

“A little less than a day, it’s only the next night.”

“Did we do it? Is he gone? What about Dustin and Will, are they… Did everybody make it?”

Steve started to laugh but it cut off abruptly on a choked sob. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears and he looked away for the first time since Eddie had woken up. 

Eddie’s heart sank, the sudden racing of his pulse given away by the sound of the heart monitor. 

Steve squeezed his hand, wiping his eyes on his own shoulder and finally looked back up. “Vecna’s dead. The Upside Down is gone, for real this time. They’re all okay, you were the only one who got hurt. I promise.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows, looking pointedly at the dark blue sling the other boy was currently wearing. 

“I’m fine.” Steve insisted. 

Eddie frowned. He could accept that maybe Steve’s arm wasn’t bothering him, but it was clear that he wasn’t, in fact, fine.

“If everyone’s okay then why do you look so sad?” He asked softly.

“Sorry. I’m… it’s just… “ Steve stuttered. “I’m just so glad you’re okay, Eds.”

He knew Steve meant it, even if it felt like he was leaving something out, but Eddie didn’t want to push the issue. He gave a little nod. “I’m glad you’re okay too, Stevie.”

He let the silence settle around them for a moment, hoping that Steve would say a little more. When it was obvious that he wasn’t going to do that, he pressed on. 

“What else did I miss? Tell me everything. What’s the cover story? Am I going to be arrested when I get out of here? Has anyone gotten in touch with Wayne? He must be worried sick. Are the-”

Steve cut him off mid question, laughing again, only this time without the tears, to Eddie’s  immense relief. 

“Slow down! Jesus! You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”

“I’m literally laying in bed, Harrington. I couldn't be taking it any easier if I tried.”

“Alright.” Steve said, blowing out a long breath. “You were passed out on the ground when we got back from the Creel house. There were bats laying dead on the ground all over the place. We figure they must have dropped when we killed Vecna. I, um, tried to pick you up but I dislocated my shoulder fighting the vines so Hopper carried you out and we rushed you here, to the hospital. Like I said, no one else was really hurt. Officially you’ve been cleared, but no details have been released to the public yet. Hopper said they’re still working on the story.”

“They?”

“The lab, I guess? Or the government? Both? I don’t know, I was always a little confused about all that.”

“Okay.” Eddie said. Fair enough, it’s not like he had any better idea of what was going on behind the scenes. Who was in league with who, shadowy government conspiracies and all that. 

“They do have an officer on your door, Powell and Callahan are taking turns keeping watch, but it's for your protection, not the other way around. Just until word spreads that you’re innocent.”

Eddie didn’t have the heart to argue that it probably wouldn’t be as simple as that. Steve would see in time, or maybe the citizens of Hawkins would surprise him, prove him wrong. Either way that was a problem for another day. 

“Innocent is a strong word, baby.” Eddie teased. The term of endearment sliding off his tongue so easily. He nearly winced at his own use of it, but Steve didn't seem to mind.

“We haven't been able to get in touch with Wayne yet, but Hopper is on it. We know he was put up in a motel somewhere so it’s just a matter of finding out which one. 

“It’s probably for the best. I don’t know what I'd even tell him, or how to explain where I've been.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

Eddie was overtaken by a huge yawn, his eyelids suddenly felt heavy and drooping. All the talking really had taken a lot out of him. 

“You should get some sleep, I'll still be here in the morning. You need rest.” Steve said.

“So do you.”

“Hey, I was sleeping just fine in this chair here until you woke me up.”

Eddie hesitated, he didn’t really want to be alone but he felt guilty. He didn’t want Steve to feel like he had to stay. “You should go home, you need real sleep. In a bed.”

A look of hurt crossed Steve’s face, but was gone again as quick as it had come, as if he was carefully schooling his expressions. It was concerning, and it made Eddie’s throat tight.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No.” Eddie answered honestly.

“Okay.” Steve said, and that settled that, apparently. 

Eddie dropped off to sleep pretty quickly. It was easy with Steve's hand still resting warm in his. It had to be uncomfortable, reaching his arm across from the chair like that. He almost asked Steve to join him in the bed. It would be a tight squeeze for sure, though Eddie wouldn't have minded, but they still hadn’t talked about what happened between them in the Upside Down.

He dreamed. 

Or would it be considered a nightmare, he wondered, since the slightly off scene was set in the woods of the Upside Down. He and Steve were walking beside each other, just as they had done in real life. Steve was shirtless again and wearing Eddie’s battle vest, a combined visual that had gone a long way in making Eddie feel better about where they were, and what they were doing at the time. The big difference here was that Steve was hurt. His middle was wrapped in a makeshift bandage of some sort and he was bleeding. A ring-like wound wrapped around his neck, making it look like someone had tried to hang him. Before Eddie could make sense of it the ground beneath his feet in the dream shook, and he jolted awake. 

Though to him it felt like hardly any time had passed, he must have been asleep for quite a while because it was morning, and late morning at that judging by the light, confirmed when he finally spotted a clock that hung above his room’s door. He could also see the silhouette of a person standing just outside of it. Whichever cop that had drawn the short straw on being his bodyguard today, he supposed. 

To his disappointment, Steve was gone. He wondered if the other boy had just stepped out, or if he had finally taken Eddie’s advice in the night and gone home to his nice warm bed. Part of him hoped so, the other part tried not to be upset by the absence.. 

He didn’t have long to dwell on it though, because only a few minutes later Uncle Wayne came walking through the door. 

Eddie wanted nothing more than to get up from the bed he was stuck in. To stand and hug the man who maybe hadn’t raised him, but had, with absolutely no hesitation, taken in a troubled teenager that showed up on his doorstep unannounced and cared for him like he was his own. 

He settled for pushing himself up into a sitting position and accepting the gentle one armed embrace his uncle could manage while hovering over the bed. 

“I’m sorry.” Eddie blurted out.

Wayne waved him off like it was ridiculous, but how could he not be sorry for upending his uncle’s life like this. Eddie let it go for now, they could come back to that later. 

“Christ, boy. I thought I'd never see you again. How you feelin’? They tell me you’re pretty banged up.”

Shit.

“Yeah, I feel okay, actually. Considering, uh… '' Eddie trailed off, hesitating. He still had no idea what he was supposed to say, allowed to say?

“Don’t worry, son. You don’t gotta tell me nothing. Hop already warned me not to ask if I wanted to be allowed in to see ya.”

Eddie was a little taken aback, it wasn’t like Wayne to accept an ultimatum like that. He must have really been worried. It was a relief. He didn’t enjoy keeping things from Wayne, but this was bigger than just the two of them. 

“Sorry,” he said again, for lack of what else to say. 

“If you don’t stop apologizing.” Wayne muttered, shaking his head. “I only wish I coulda been here sooner.”

“It’s fine. Steve was here- for a while.” Eddie said, not quite managing to keep the disappointment he’d felt earlier at waking up alone off his face. 

“No need to look so glum, he’s only down in the cafeteria getting coffee with that girl who’s always hanging around with you two.”

“Robin?”

Wayne snapped his fingers in recognition. “That’s the one.”

“Oh.”

“He was headed this way when we bumped into each other in the hall. I told him he was welcome to come along a’course but he said he wanted to give us some time to ourselves.”

“That was… thoughtful of him.” Eddie said and began to worry at his lower lip, forgetting about the wound on his cheek. He winced as the movement pulled at the stitches there.

Wayne eyed him curiously. “Something on your mind, Ed?”

“Nah, it’s nothing, compared to everything else going on.”

It was the truth, he was being ridiculous. Not that him being worried about Steve was ridiculous, but the fact that Eddie was starting to wonder if it had something to do with him, with them, as whatever it was they were to each other now. There were more important things. 

“Not if it’s bothering you this much.”

Eddie sighed. “It’s Steve.”

“I gathered. What about him?”

Eddie wasn’t dumb. He was sure his uncle knew he had a giant crush on his friend, Steve hung around the trailer so much that he had his own mug and everything, but he didn’t want to out Steve by talking about what happened between them without his permission. 

“I think something’s wrong and he won't tell me what it is. He said…” Eddie paused, choosing his words. “He gave me an explanation, but I could tell that wasn’t all there was to it. It feels like he’s keeping something from me.”

“And you feel like this thing, the something that’s wrong, is to do with you?”

“Maybe.”

“Hmm.” Wayne hummed thoughtfully. “He know you're freaking out about it?”

“I’m not freaking out about it.” Eddie huffed.

“Whatever you say, but you should try and talk to him about it again. He wouldn’t like knowing he’s got you this twisted up over it. Whatever it is.”

“I’m not twisted– how do you know?”

“I might be getting older but I'm not blind.”

Wayne wound up sitting with him for over an hour, and it was the most relaxed he’d felt since before this all started. Wayne kept it light, updating Eddie on all the work drama he’d missed and the trailer park gossip, steering clear of anything related to the events of the past week.

He was still there when Eddie’s doctor and a nurse came to check on him, surprising them both with the news that, barring any new complications, he could be released in just a few days. He’d had only a minor concussion and the wounds on his legs weren’t as deep as it was initially thought. 

He stood for the first time, with help of course, and found that while it was painful, it was doable. He might have to use a cane for support until everything healed completely but that was a small price to pay.

Eventually Steve and Robin appeared, and at Eddie's insistence, uncle Wayne took his leave. He would have stayed all day, all night if Eddie had asked him to, but he knew Wayne would be more comfortable back at his motel, and selfishly he hoped to get more alone time with Steve. 

Steve, who he couldn't help noticing had deep bags under his eyes. It didn’t look like he’d gotten any sleep the previous night. 

Eddie didn't say that out loud though, and he never got to bring up what was bothering him either. Robin stuck around for the day and the three of them hung out until well after visiting hours were supposed to be over. He couldn't complain, it was nice to spend time with his friends even in these conditions, and he appreciated the little play-by-play that Robin acted out for him detailing their takedown of Vecna. 

By the time her parents showed up to drag her away and drive her back home, Eddie was beyond exhausted, and Steve could tell. With very little effort he coaxed him into laying down, wordlessly assuming the same position they had been in the night before, Steve slouched uncomfortably in the chair with his arm stretched out and propped up on the bed rail so he could hold Eddie’s hand. He was asleep before he could even consider rethinking asking Steve to share the bed. 

Another dream plagued Eddie's rest. This one a little more vivid than the last. It was odd, usually once you know you’re dreaming you either wake up or are able to take some control of the events around you, but in this case Eddie could only hold on tight and go along for the ride.

Steve was wearing his vest again- still? And watching over Eddie’s shoulder as he hotwired his neighbor’s RV. They talked while he worked. It was a story he’d told Steve before, albeit under very different circumstances. His father, being the great fucking influence he was, had taught a little bright-eyed bushy-tailed 8 year old Eddie how to hotwire a car. A skill he no doubt thought would be useful for an up and coming Munson, assuming Eddie would grow up to carry on the legacy of the family name. Even then he knew he didn’t want to wind up like his father, it was why he’d run to Wayne when the shit hit the fan. He knew his uncle was a good man and a better parental figure than Al could ever be.

The dream warped and changed. They were headed to The War Zone. In reality they had called Hopper and the chief had been in charge of outfitting them all with weapons. Now, Steve was behind the wheel of their stolen camper and Eddie was sitting in the back with some of the kids and Robin, watching as he flirted awkwardly with Nancy who had taken up the passenger seat. 

It was truly a bizarre scene, but that was dream logic, he reasoned. Steve and Nancy had been broken up for years, they were friends now and nothing more. Steve hardly looked at her twice these days. Eddie knew that and still the sight before him, fake or not, made his stomach tense and his chest ache. 

He woke abruptly, eyes snapping open though he was unsure at first of what had disturbed him. He registered several things at once. 

It was still dark outside and he had the feeling that not much time had passed, a fact that was proven true when he glanced at the clock and found it was only 11pm.

Steve was no longer holding his hand, he was curled into a ball in the chair, arms wrapped around himself as he wept like his heart was breaking. It was completely silent but Eddie could see how the great big sobs shook and wracked his body. 

Pain be damned, he began to get out of the bed, sliding his legs over the side to try putting weight onto them. There was a walker next to his bed, the same one he'd used earlier to make an agonizingly slow trip to and from the bathroom. He just needed to get to Steve, to comfort him and–

“Eddie, what are you doing? Get back in bed.” Steve said, clearing his throat to try and hide the fact that he was sniffling, and desperately wiping away his tears as if his red rimmed eyes wouldn’t give him away regardless. 

“Fine.” Eddie conceded, lifting his legs careful back onto the mattress and scooting back up against his pillows. “Just… come over here and sit with me then?”

“Eddie.”

“Please?”

He did as Eddie asked and came to sit next to him on the edge of the bed, but refused to look him in the eye. It hurt, and Eddie started to spiral. 

Maybe Steve didn’t want to be here at all. Maybe he just felt like he had to, out of some misplaced obligation or something. Did he regret what they said to each other? The kisses? Everything? Had Steve only done those things because there was a chance they were both about to die? Eddie hadn’t thought so at the time but his confusion over Steve’s sadness was making him question everything. 

He swallowed it down, not voicing any of those anxieties, at first. 

“Are you okay?” Eddie asked.

Steve rubbed his face hard, something he did often when he was tired and frustrated. “I’m fine. Everything is good. I told you. I… I’m just tired.”

“I’m sorry but I don't believe that, and I know I shouldn’t push but I know there’s something you’re not telling me. Please, Steve. Just tell me what’s wrong.“  Eddie laid a tentative hand on Steve's arm, aiming for comfort, but the other boy stiffened under his touch. It was a bad sign, all but confirming his fears, but he pressed on anyway. “I care about you so much and I hate that you're hurting. I just want to help.” 

He prayed that Steve would say something, anything, but he remained frustratingly silent. 

“Is it me? Did I do something? If you… we can forget about what happened between us If that’s what you need, Steve. I just want you to be okay.”

He was met with only more silence and this time Eddie couldn't bring himself to break it. 

Several agonizing minutes passed before Steve finally raised his eyes to look at him and spoke.

“I don’t want to forget about it.”

Eddie froze, almost afraid to even breathe.

“I love you. I’m in love with you, Eddie.”

Eddie gasped. “Oh.”

“You don’t have to say it back. I just needed you to know.”

“I do, though.”

“What?”

“Love you- too.”

The invisible wall that had been building between them finally broke as Steve leaned in to press the gentlest of kisses to Eddie’s lips. As much as he wanted to deepen the kiss, he allowed the act to remain soft and chaste, appreciating that Steve was trying to be careful of disturbing the wound on his cheek, but as far as Eddie was concerned, kissing Steve properly was worth a ripped stitch or two. 

All too soon Steve pulled back, though he kept his arm tucked around Eddie’s waist. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you think any of those things you said.”

Eddie moved over as far as he could in the bed and pulled Steve in close, encouraging him to lay down beside him. He remained quiet, stroking Steve’s hair. He had a feeling the other boy was on the verge of opening up and he wanted to give him the time and space to do it at his own pace.

“There’s some things about all this, about the Upside Down that we haven't told you, that I didn’t tell you. I was trying to protect you, it was already so much… but you deserve to know, if you want. It would be nice to talk about it with someone.”

“With someone other than Robin, you mean?”

“How do you know Robin knows?”

“Is there anything you don’t tell her?

Steve smiled despite himself and rolled his eyes, but the expression quickly fell, replaced with something more worried and serious. “Are you sure you want to know this?”

“It’s about me, isn’t it?” Eddie guessed. 

Steve nodded solemnly. “Yes.”

“Tell me.”

Over the next few hours Steve told Eddie all about his other self and what he’d done for the party. How there was an alternate timeline where everything that they’d just been through had happened before, except Vecna had won and Eddie had died, only to rise again and discover that time worked differently in the Upside Down and that maybe all hope wasn’t lost. Steve made him sound like a hero.

He was glassy eyed as he talked about meeting the other Eddie for the first time, when he got pulled through the gate at Lover’s Lake, and wept again when he spoke of their final meeting at the edge of the trailer park as the other dimension and everything residing in it was dying.

Eddie didn’t blame Steve for keeping this from him. He was right, it was too much, a heavy burden when they already had so many other things to carry, but he was happy that he knew the full truth. 

He understood Steve’s sorrow now. He was mourning Eddie– even as Eddie was still sitting right here in front of him, alive… It had to be a bit of a mind fuck. He wasn’t sure if he could have handled it had their roles been reversed. To have to say goodbye to Steve like that, alternate version or not, might have broken him. 

He knew he should have been more freaked out about the time travel of it all, and the fact that he’d died, or be obsessing over the differences between that reality and this one, but there would be plenty of time for that later. For now he just wanted to comfort Steve and enjoy the fact that he was alive, that they all were.

They fell asleep like that, smashed together in the too-small bed holding on to whichever part of the other person they could manage, too tired and emotionally drained to care if a nurse came in to catch them in such a compromising position. 

Eddie dreamed once again, as he had every time he’d closed his eyes for the past 24 hours, but this time it truly was a nightmare. 

He was back on the bike in the Upside Down, pedaling as fast and as hard as could, glancing back every now and then to keep an eye on the swarm that flew ever closer. The feeling of deja vu was intense as he was knocked to the ground, but this time he didn’t lose consciousness. He got up, and he stood his ground, and he fought to the very end. He hated himself a little bit for what he put Dustin through, having to watch him die like that, though he was so grateful to have not been alone in the end. 

He woke with a big gasping breath feeling a little hysterical. It had all been a bit too real, he’d felt himself die. Steve was startled awake by his outburst, and he held Eddie close while he tried to calm down and relearn how to breathe. 

“Bad dream?” Steve asked.

Was it just a dream? Was it a coincidence that he’d dreamt of the exact circumstances of his other self’s death, a way for his subconscious to work through everything he’d learned that night? Or was it something more. 

If it was just the one nightmare he might have dismissed it, but knowing what he knew now…

He thought back on the other things he’d seen in his sleep, the walk through the woods, familiar yet different, the adventure in the RV, an alternative way to gather weapons in a world where Hopper was gone. He could feel it in his bones, there was a reason he was seeing these things. 

“I don’t think they’re dreams.”

“What do you mean? You’ve had others?” 

“Yeah. I think… Steve, I think they might be memories.”

Steve was skeptical at first but once Eddie detailed everything he’d seen and felt, even he had to admit it seemed possible. 

Steve stared at him for a long time, studying his face intently as if he might be able to see the other Eddie inside, looking out through his eyes.

“Maybe when he died the two of you sort of… '' Steve trailed off sounding hopeful, weaving his fingers together with Eddie’s to signify what he meant, instead of finishing the thought out loud.  

Eddie hummed noncommittally, raising their joined hands to his mouth and kissing the back of Steve’s “I guess we’ll find out one way or another, if it keeps happening.”

Part 5 (final)

Thanks forever to @penny00dreadful for being the best friend, cheerleader, and beta in the whole fucking world 💜 truly could not do it without you. Also special thanks to @hitlikehammers for all the discussion and encouragement on this!

@hissunflowers @sadisticaltarts @gutterflower77 @epiclazershark @yeahhhh-suga @soapyscoobert @thetrueghostqueen @guppynuggets @reh-hateshumans @katdeerly @kolorzapster @useless-nb-bisexual @sammyammi @ellietheasexylibrarian @thesecondfate @eleganttidalwavecloud @localcrustrat @letsmo6 @justaquietnerd @marvelobessed @femmeratale @carriethesaint @novelnovella

[black-performer-blog]

Hi-Fi Rush fantasy AU

First of all, forgive me for my English. Secondly, I will be incredibly happy if one of you can tell about your vision of this, adding or correcting some elements. I'm just wondering what other people could think about it.

Let's go.

Okay, Hi-Fi Rush fantasy AU. Almost-like-middle-ages, maybe with inclusions of steampunk and magical technology. In this variant, lost limbs can be replaced with the power of alchemy, just as they can be modified. Corporations could be replaced by guilds, manufactories also could be used. The robots here could be represented as golems, and they could be less common. And maybe I don’t have a good idea of the locations, but I think I know who the characters in this AU could be.

Chai - I think he would always want to be a wandering minstrel or maybe a bard? In instruments he might have a lute or a vihuela, heck, maybe another stringed instrument that I've never heard of. Is it possible that his hand was damaged and did not grow together properly? So when he could afford to start his own life and get a lute, it would be useless for him. So yes, he still doesn't know how to play, but he probably has a bunch of sketched notes for his songs at home.

808 - a golem, or maybe a spirit, capable of summoning people for a short time through a portal. It seems to me that in this version it could have had much more patterns, as well as visible joints in the limbs and any bending parts. Can roll into a ball and roll/levitate. In theory, it would be an indication that Pepermint is associated with the upper strata of society - the aristocracy or alchemists, because the golem is complex. But Chai is still a bit of a dumbass, so he's unlikely to think about this detail.

Peppermint - I'm not sure, she may come from an earl or baronial family, famous for its alchemical activities and inventions. Her image could be similar to a classic D&D rogue with a small light crossbow that could be enchanted. Her knowledge of alchemy may help her deal with magical seals and locks, but she in her position may clearly lack the materials in this version.

Macaron - former head of the Alchemy Guild, whose arms are not replaced but modified to give him more physical strength. It could be his own project, which he experienced for himself. I imagine him wearing goggles and an apron with many pockets where amulets or potions can be crammed to aid and enhance. And of course de a small grimoire on the belt.

Korsika - captain of the guard! I'm sure leather armor and double clubs (or maces) enchanted with electricity would suit her. She worked hard and for a very long time, it can be assumed that she is either just a hereditary guard, or it was her family's business to once receive the honor of standing at the head of the guard of their city.

CNMN - a golem, obviously. However, I have no idea how it is possible to keep a joke and pun with his name in this AU.

Rekka - should be in charge of manufactories. She dresses simply, but with high quality, and her clothes are reinforced, which seems strange to others, but it gives her certain advantages. Rekka would suit the personality of something similar to a berserker by DnD standards, but more tamed (I may be wrong due to lack of knowledge). Her hands have the most demonic appearance of all the characters, and as such, she wears gloves so as not to scare people even more.

Kale - comes from an earl or baronial family, obviously. In fact, he modified his entire body with alchemy, but these changes are only visible when he needs to manifest them (hell, imagine if he changed completely into something similar to the demonic form of Dante from DMS 5).

Roquefort - the head of a Merchant Guild or just a merchant's house? His near-death state could be anything, but I find the lycanthropy option interesting. What if his fading and approaching end would be associated with a beast that would take over him every day, so that his death could be both from the loss of his personality, as a human, and literally from monster hunters. Kale could then offer him a risky option that would rely heavily on luck (perhaps because Zanzo, who was already on Kale's side, suggested such a fucked up idea). And yet it not only worked, but also gave Roquefort full control over his beast... which is very bad for his enemies, especially since this form was later enhanced many times and brought to something almost demonic.

Mimosa - I'm not sure, but something like a court minstrel, managing heralds? She seems to me to come from a relatively noble family, but she is the hardest thing for me to see here. But I just see that her wings have very strong peacock motifs.

Zanzo - current head of the Alchemy Guild. Could have been expelled from there earlier due to his dangerous experiments and curiosity for darker sides of alchemy. It is possible that he is too fascinated by this science and the possibilities it provides, especially for him, to pay attention to what someone considers too dangerous. Definitely does not see sympathy for golems, as well as for robots in the original, perhaps even worse. His arms and legs were replaced with artificial ones, most likely due to a accident during his experiments. He wears an alchemical cloak with pockets and a special belt. As for Zanzo's head - I thought about it for a some time, but it could be something like a hoop helmet with ropes extending from it from some kind of magical material, around which alchemical inscriptions are wrapped. Maybe here they would gives greater sensitivity to magic or let keep more knowledge in mind without constant looking into the grimoire.

[nothing-to-see-hi]

Everything I currently have about the siren Rhian au that I keep bothering his tag with.

Okay so, 1, sirens are typically powerful people who were cursed by other powerful people. Yes, I am basing this off of Persephone's myth.

On that note, no, they are not the bird sirens. Usually. Rhian is not a bird siren at least.

Summing up my previous post about the origins, at the end of Fall, Rhian tries to stab Rafal only to end up cursed as a siren in the middle of nowhere instead. He ends up going kinda feral and is running off of hatred by the time we catch up to him in The Camelot Years.

Hort knows. You cannot tell me that the guy who grew up on Hook's ship doesn't know about sirens. Particularly the one who has been going after the Hook family for 200-ish years.

Anyway, how we get to Rhian in the first place.

Hort, being the guy who's familiar with the sea and whatnot, tells them not to take a right at the fork because that's where a siren is and they end up taking a right at the fork anyway.

Enter the boyo

So who is on this ship? Sophie's on this ship. And what does Sophie absolutely reek of? Rafal's magic. And who does Rhian want to tear limb from limb more than anything in the world? Rafal!

A storm is conjured and the singing begins. To cut matters short, Sophie gets some nice claw marks on her face and Rhian gets blasted off the ship.

Cut to around the time where Sophie has the scims in her ears.

Twins v2. Electric Boogaloo kidnapped their uncle and tried to little mermaid him. It partially worked. Rhian's got legs again and regained a bit of himself. Bad news: the legs go away whenever he gets wet and the scims are in his throat so he can't talk, or sing, or use basically any of what little magic he has left.

Does this stop him from attempting to add a sub romance plot to what is already a subplot? No!

Enter nameless kitchen boy. Who for some reason I gave a vague family backstory. Japeth catches them making out in a closet.

Now why is Rhian in Camelot? The twins v2 want to lure out Rafal because they can't have the healing powers + wife + Aric if he's still alive

Also Rafal kept his limp and at least occasionally uses a cane because the Storian is not letting either of them go unpunished for the events of their books.

How is he alive? Idk. Idc.

Anyway at some point there is a massive battle between twins v1. in Camelot's throne room where Rhian seems to get some of his old powers back. At least temporarily.

Depending on your angst levels Rhian might die at the end of it. Or he survives and goes off to lick his wounds with his love interest. Either one.

They might vaguely appear at the ending in a crowd or something. Maybe Japeth brought his siren reinforcement in case something went wrong with the sword hunt. Idk again.

Misc.

Sophie and Rafal might have a Talk about how screwed up his entire family is.

And if there's anything he can do about her face

Rhian is used by v2. as the proper weapon he is and I could not be prouder

He also uses his undetermined relationship label guy to see what's going on around the castle

Is this all of it? No. Is it most of it? Yeah. If there are any questions they will happily be answered.

[mark-of-chrysus]

#9

It was a wonderful day in Seoul and Danny was an awful person. And if it happened that Eugene was on the receiving side of him choosing violence that day, well it was simply bad luck~

It started with him coming into Eugene's office out of nowhere with an obviously fake neon green mustache and a box of spiders, which was promptly yeeted at the president and shattered all over his desk. A sharp high-pitched scream had his men tumbling into the office before they took a look at the little black devils skittering everywhere and booked it out without another backward glance.

It took almost three hours until they finally managed to get rid of all the spiders and shards and coax the mini evil-doer down from the chandelier. The spawn of chaos that was Danny had long since escaped the building, leaving behind only his fluffy green mustache attached to a cardboard cutout of one of their female streamers.

Eugene was displeased but chalked it up as a one-off thing, a sort of petty revenge from a man who could do nothing more to him. Oh, how wrong he was.

After the spiders came the baby crocodiles with lightsabers strapped to their backs. That was an ordeal that left the teen president quite paranoid since it had taken place in his personal apartment.

The third attempt wasn't stopped by his quadrupled security nor their new fancy gear. After all, Daniel was a one-man army, stupid electric fences and radars were no match for the ungodly amount of caffeine and pure spite that fueled his revenge. Judging by the screams and colorful curses, Eugene and him were on the same page.

Another terrorizing attempt successfully completed, Danny pulled out his list and checked another item off. Unfortunately, despite being useful for the drip, his makeshift batman mask was a bit hard to see through, so he had to take it off to read the next item on the list.

"Hmmm, okay, let's see... Spiders? Check. Baby alligators with light sabers? Check. Possessed Michael Jackson Animatronics? Check. I think I have time for one more before the loop ends...let's see..."

ghosts of all the bugs he's ever killed crawling on his skin? Nah, too tame.

waking up at a furry convention? I think the loop will reset before I have time to wait for this year's furry convention.

injecting him with truth serum before a fancy gala? Too much political drama, and too little chaos.

Daniel paused at the last one, a shark-like smirk overcoming his features.

"This...Heh...This is going to be good...Hehehehe MUAHAHAHHA-"

"Can you knock it off!" His neighbor reinforced his words by knocking on their shared wall rather forcefully.

"Sorry!" Came the boy's sheepish reply.

Even evil masterminds have to be mindful of their manners when committing atrocities, he nodded to himself before returning to the task at hand with an impish smile. He set out to gather his army.

The next day at 9 AM sharp the Worker's main building was invaded by an army of angry middle-aged women, armed with various household appliances, all claiming that the young businessman had seduced their daughters.

"He promised to marry my Lia!" A lady wielding a portable vacuum cleaner shouted indignantly at the poor receptionist, underlining each word with a menacing thump of her weapon onto the counter.

"He already proposed to my daughter!" Another woman chimed in waving a mighty frying pan with a murderous expression.

"Mine's pregnant with his baby!" Came the enraged shouting of another.

"My-"

"He-"

The crowd erupted into outrage, screaming even louder than before and banging onto the walls and floor while trying to speak over one another. Another outrageous comment, another wave of shouting and banging, until the whole street and every employee in the building had stopped to watch the chaos.

Daniel's muffled giggles were abruptly cut off when he felt the telltale tug on his soul that came with every reset.

"No wait, I didn't get to see the aftermath!" He whined, but to no avail.

"At least I get to try out the rest of my ideas in the next loop." He shrugged, downing the remaining chips in the bag.

[anexperimentallife]

Welp, the earthquake wasn't enough; looks like it's typhoon time again this weekend!

Guess we'd better stock up on supplies.

To reassure y'all, though--We're on a middle floor in a concrete building designed by a mining engineer, on the inward-facing side of a small valley--about 40 feet above the valley floor, and about 20 feet below the top--and well-situated for protection from storms coming in from the East, like this one (and most of them, frankly).

And see this wall? Solid reinforced KONK KREET, baby! WIth a hefty metal door and frame.

And this is what our windows look like:

All our windows face North and West, and we have an overhang.

Basically, even with the worst earthquakes and super-typhoons we've had, we've not seen so much as a cracked window pane. The worst that has happened to us is losing power and/or Internet for a bit, so I'm pretty sure we'll be fine.

Our biggest worries are infrastructure damage, but we generally keep between twenty and thirty gallons of drinking water on hand, and the property has a deep well, so as long as there's power for the pump, we'll have washing water, too. Might have to go out every couple of hours to clear the balcony drains to keep water from seeping under the front door during the worst of the downpour, but whatever.

We also have a couple of charged power banks for our phones. If I go offline this weekend, it'll be because internet, electricity, AND cell towers went down--which is pretty unlikely.

Anyway, concerned, but not really worried.

[mnmovdoom]

DAY 30 - Adrenaline Crash (SW: Sergeant Kreel & SCAR Squadron)

Kreel was in a bit of a predicament.

The little Jedi was gone, he had missed Lord Vader’s comm calls, his squad kept reporting about the mission going south… and his arm was stuck. That was Kreel’s biggest concern, and no matter how much he tugged at his arm and pushed the massive crate that was smashing it, Kreel was stuck.

Calling for backup didn’t even cross his mind. His squad had their own problems, and what kind of sergeant would he be if he couldn’t help himself? No, Kreel had had to survive by himself since a tender age and had worked alone undercover for years: he knew the importance of self-reliance. He looked around, and his lightsaber was within reach of his fingers. Without hesitation, he grabbed his weapon and ignited the blade right when his comm went off inside his helmet.

His squad, once again asking for instructions. Kreel really needed to free himself and go back to his men.

“I’ll be along shortly,” he promised, approaching the incandescent green blade to his arm, right below the shoulder. He could feel the heat through the reinforced plastoid of his armour, and for a moment, he considered delaying it just long enough to deactivate his comm. But the threat of his men hearing him would force him into not uttering a sound, and with his heart beating madly with a toxic mixture of fear and adrenaline-fueled determination, Kreel cut swiftly through his arm and rolled away.

He was free.

He wasn’t even bleeding.

He jumped to his feet, didn’t look at where his severed arm was sticking out from under the crate and left the room running, comming his squad again to instruct them to get to their ship. As he ran through deserted corridors, he heard a mechanical voice calling for someone named Artoo from one of the maintenance rooms. With his lightsaber still ignited, Kreel made a small detour to investigate, his senses fully alert and his body full of energy, ready to fight.

Right there in the middle of the room, complaining about everywhere looking the same, Kreel found a golden-plated protocol droid that, judging by its distressed reaction, could only belong to the Rebels - which meant it likely knew very interesting things.

Kreel might not have Skywalker for Lord Vader and the Harbinger might’ve broken through the Imperial barricade, but Kreel wasn’t going back empty-handed. The protocol droid wasn’t a threat, so he clipped his lightsaber to his belt and grabbed the droid by the arm.

“I think we’ll get along just fine,” he told the droid when it demanded to be unhanded. Kark, Kreel felt electric and he ran with the droid in tow, heading for the rendez-vous point where his squad was already waiting for him to leave the ship - why did Zuke and Shrap and Mic look the worse for wear??.

“Oh dear!” the droid wailed at the same time Shrap whistled “Holy laser bolts!” upon noticing Kreel's approach.

“Sarge-” Cav began, but Kreel ran straight past his squad with the droid, practically vibrating with energy:

“Let’s go boys, let’s go!” Kreel urged them, heading to the passage he had cut with his lightsaber and shoving the droid through it, into SCAR Squadron’s Lambda shuttle. But Kreel didn’t follow, not without his squad jumping in first. For some reason, they were all standing there, staring at him. With his now free-hand, Kreel pointed the passage. “We gotta go and blow up this ship, boys.”

“Sarge, your arm-” Misty began, but Kreel dismissed him with his hand. Alright, it seemed he really had to lead by example, so he made his way through the opening he had cut and was the first to get to their shuttle. The protocol droid was exactly where it had fallen, bemoaning its luck and renewing its complaints when Kreel grabbed it by the arm again and dragged it out of the way.

The rest of the squad began to pour in one by one, and once Kreel checked that everyone was on board, he gave Aero the order to get the kark out of there and told Shrap to blow the Harbinger to pieces.

“Sarge,” Zuke called, pointing reluctantly at where Kreel’s left arm should be. But instead of acknowledging him, Kreel just shoved the droid at Zuke:

“Keep an eye on that for me, I’ve gotta report to Lord Vader and inform him that we’re heading back”, Kark, he had so much energy and the upcoming talk with Lord Vader was only fuelling him more energy, sharpening his brain because he’d need his best argumentation to explain to Lord Vader just why he hadn’t gotten Skywalker.

When Kreel made his way to the back of the shuttle, he had every intention of doing actual work. He folded his right arm and made to tap his wrist-comm to contact Lord Vader, but while he swore he moved his left arm… he no longer had a left arm. The lack of result from having commanded his arm to move made him look at where his arm should be.

But there was only his shoulder, cut clean where his deltoid dipped into the bicep. Because he had cut off his arm through the rerebrace, Kreel couldn’t see what the wound looked like; but there was no blood on him, which meant that the lightsaber had fully cauterised his flesh when it had cut him. The filters of his helmet must’ve stopped him from smelling the burned flesh. Feebly, Kreel moved his pathetic stump, and as he watched it move with morbid fascination, it finally sank in that he had cut off his own arm.

Pain that hadn’t been there suddenly licked at where flesh and bone had been severed, making Kreel’s breath catch in his throat. He doubled over, shaking and suddenly weakened to the point that he fell to his knees and had to pull off his helmet with a trembling hand just to try and get more air. He was gasping, kneeling there hunched over his injury and screwing his eyes shut. He just needed to remain silent during the adrenaline crash, he just couldn’t utter a sound, he just couldn’t let his men see him like this, he just-

“Sarge? Are you ok back there?” Zuke called. “This droid’s a pain in the ass, do we really have to keep it?”

-he just wanted to scream, he just wanted to curl up, he just wanted the pain to go away, he just want to stop feeling a limb that wasn’t there-

“Sarge? Kreel?”

-he just wanted to stop shaking, he just wanted to bury the sight of his own hand wielding the lightsaber to cut off his arm in the deepest corner of his mind, where he kept his childhood and the only friend he’d ever had.

“ ‘m peachy, the droid is staying and he better be in one piece when I get there!” Kreel barked in what he hoped was a sufficiently normal, firm voice. Forcing himself to take in deep, slow breaths, he shook his head and stood on shaky legs. The shuttle seemed to sway from one side to the other, or maybe it was just from the Harbinger exploding nearby?

Either way, Sergeant Kreel had work to do, and as always, he had to soldier on without looking back.

“ ‘m fine…” he repeated to himself, forcing his legs to obey and carry him with the usual security and swiftness. “My comm isn’t working. Aero, get me to Lord Vader!”

[allovertheworldblog]

Jacksonville to New Orleans

I caught the Skyway, a much ridiculed little electric monorail type affair

to get me to the Greyhound Bus Station in Jacksonville

to catch my bus to New Orleans, I’d be going through the night.

I remembered back to all the nightbusses I’d rode in South America and thought: ‘of course I can do this’.

It turned out to be one of the worst bus trips I’ve been on in my travels.

The Greyhound Bus Station in Jacksonville was alright, clean, safe, even with a small restaurant.

I looked at the departure list, it was hardly hectic.

There were a couple of departures every day to New York, everything else was a departure to another point in Florida and the frequency was limited.

I’m struck by the big number of staff around the place, yet they only one person 'checking in’ bags.

When I checked my bag, they put a tag on it and promptly gave the bag back to me.

I’d have to put it in the hold of the bus myself. 

My 13.30 bus pulls off just before 14.00, I’m in no hurry though.

Our 10-year old wonky wheeled bus is on the road, past pencil thin trees that are planted as if by a stylist, they’re in neat, ever so neat rows.

We pass Baker Prison, then Columbia Prison, they seem big affairs.

In Lake City a young guy with a clear plastic bag for a suitcase to carry all his clothes gets off the bus. Is he just out of prison?

In Tallahassee we have to change bus and wait an hour. Not impressed by the small grocery store in the station I go in search of a 7/11 or whatever.

I walk around Tallahassee in the 91F/32C heat of the late afternoon.

After not being able to find a store I make my way back to the bus station.

This bus takes us to Mobile, where we have to change busses, in the middle of the night.

We got to Mobile late, so we only have to wait 2 hours.

It’s after 01.00 and I feel like sleeping.

What kind of a person dreams up a schedule that would inflict this kind of unwarranted pain on people!

The bus gets in to New Orleans just before 06.00.

A baggage lady tells customers what they to do in order to claim their bag.

There’s a gun-totting policewoman there just to reinforce the point. 

The terminal is for the bus and train.

It’s a big affair that doesn’t seem to get too much call for it’s services, either bus or train customers.

During my travels in the States I’ve been reassured of my opinion that the car is king in the States, as regards travel.

It affords 'liberty’, of which Americans are so fond.

It affords 'personal liberty’ as well, you’re your own boss.

The motorbike also holds a special place in the hearts of Americans, it’s the ultimate in 'liberty’, it can go anywhere, anytime.

During my time in the States I came across a surprising number of bicycle users, I think this was more for economic reasons than for the health benefits that arise.

In the bus station they intermittently play low Jazz music over the speakers.

It’s too early to go to my hotel just yet, so I sit down and read the Times-Picayune newspaper, which I get from a vending machine for 75cents.

When I leave the station at 10.00 the New Orleans I encounter is one that puts me in mind of what New York must have looked like in the 1970’s.

The city I see first off seems 'a bit up in the air’, and 'a bit in the toilet’ at the same time. 

I wonder about Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city in 2006, how was the city affected, how is it still affected.

I’m remembering articles I read about New Orleans residents that were forced to move to other states and even across the States, on account of havoc wreaked by the hurricane. 

For some reason there are big old dumpy dumper trucks flying around the city centre all the time.

Eventually I find the bus to take me the 8 miles distance to my hotel.

I didn’t want to stay that far out of the city, but it was the end of Mardi Gras and the city was still busy. 

[supremestrangeness]

A small dimensional shift rippled through the mirror sanktum. A small spell to add aditional festive lights to the glowing tree in the middle of the living room and a carefully wrapped gift appeared underneath it along with two smaller bags.

One of them held a powerbank that seemed to be able to hold an enchantmeant that converted latent magic into an electrical current, so he could power his devices when the wanderer decided to be on the go. - So you don't have to leave your favorite playlists behind or find outlets while hopping through the universe

The other bag was larger and had what looked like a reinforced canvas inside it, along with paint brushes, different colors and a clay set. - So the Guardian has a creative outlet and can keep his many appandages occupied. The wrapped gift was the smallest, holding a set of tickets to a medley of classics concert with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. - They are going to play all of your favorite pieces and a few more, take whomever you like. I know I'm a little late and untraditional for Hannukha, but happy holidays, Stephen. - Nat

Strange had been reading quietly when the shift of magic in the Mirror Sanctum drew his attention up with a moment of concern… as the glowing tree in the midst of his study flickered and suddenly twinkled and the packages appeared with a familiar scent of magic, he relaxed, setting the book down to go investigate. Instinctively, he pulled himself together to human form, crouching to look them over.

Natasha… she didn’t have to. It was a clever bit of magic in the energy cell, he appreciated her sentiment and hustle, but living the way he did, he barely used electronic devices. A solar pad and a small summoned sun would do the trick, but with magical energies in this desert island of a pocket dimension being finite, he was very careful about how he spent those energies. Besides, he liked using charging the mp3 player she had given him previously as an excuse to drop by her dimension. Ah, well.

His head tilted at the note regarding the Guardian, something in him shifting with curious excitement. “Hmm..”

Well, might as well get ready to go out again now. His human form melted away, devilish monstrosity hunching his shoulders and stretching his wings before he landed on all fours to wretch… vomiting out his human half to leave the beast in question panting and sparking with the green magics that allowed this split. “Alright, go for it, that one’s for you,” The more human figure grunted as he gathered himself to his feet, burning away the ichor clinging to his robes with disgust.

His Beastly half gave a pleased coo, excitedly tearing into the package with tooth and talon, scattering large brushes and the canvas across the carpet. The monstrosity looked over the art tools curiously for a moment as though processessing it. His motor skills, like this, were not the best. He had over time managed a little piano, but- there was a crinkle as one of his hooves stepped on the discarded wrapping paper. Seven eyes dialated, his ears twitching as he glanced down and pounced…

The Wanderer gave a bitter chuckle, looking over the tickets that had been left for him. Well, now was as good a time as any to look into these, huh? He wasn’t sure if he had the heart to tell her that the Guardian was having far more fun with the wrapping paper than the gift, but maybe the beast would get bored enough to try them out?

[raverin-2]

Online Heartaches | IzuToshi | III

Summary: Toshi is feeling used and hurt while patrolling one night so he decides to air his complaints on his private Twitter account.

Notes:

Ignore all Dates and Times

All Photos found on Pinterest, I don't own them, credits to all the owners

This has Twitter, text messages, and there will be bits of story as well.

This is IzuToshi endgame with Denki being a dick and Kyoka is kinda stuck in the middle too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Eleven: Reinforcements

Hitoshi rolls his eyes at the explosions before he switches over to Kyoka’s messages, noticing she’d responded.

Part Twelve: Snitched On

Part Thirteen: ~story part~ Beginning Of The End

Hitoshi groans as he rests his forehead on his wooden door, eyes rereading the messages from Izuku. /annoying Blasty, snitching on him to the greenbean./

He feels a heady sort of warmth burning in his stomach at the knowledge that Izuku is trying to help Katsuki protect him, that Izuku really cares that much, but then he’s mentally kicking himself.

“You’re nothing more than his friend, you know that.” whispers Hitoshi to himself.

See, the reason Hitoshi didn’t deny Denki’s asshole comments on his Twitter is because Denki knows how Hitoshi feels about Izuku.

Denki knew that from the start.

When Denki told him how he felt about Kyoka, lamenting at how she’d never see him as more than a friend, Hitoshi reciprocated the secret sharing and told him about how he felt for Izuku.

And Denki blew a harsh breath out of his mouth, and said, “Dude, that’s one friendzone you’ll never escape.”

Hitoshi shakes his head to rid himself of the gut-wrenching memory of just how big an ass Denki has turned out to be.

“Oh look, it’s the greenbean here to save his little purple bastard boyfriend. Oh wait, Hitoshi’s the one who wants that while you string him along and pretend you’re not seeing Ochako.” Hitoshi hears Denki spewing bullshit, and he can’t help but to open his door despite the text.

“I’m not dating Ochako, you know that! She’s dating Tsu! Why are you being such a dick right now?” asks Izuku as he stands between Denki and Katsuki, seemingly holding Katsuki and his exploding hands back.

“Because Hitoshi ruined my relationship! So, now, I’m going to ruin any future relationship he could have with the person he’s wanted for years. Hitoshi is stupidly in love with you despite the fact that you’re straight and not interested in anyone because you’re taken!” screams Denki harshly, anger pouring off him in bright electrical surges.

Hitoshi gasps harshly, loud as he draws their attention to him, but he ignores the outing to glare at Denki, his own anger forcing his words out, “And what the fuck do you think you’re saying right now?”

“The truth! You love him, and he’ll never love you back. That’s why we were sleeping together, why you were all upset when I dropped your ass, and why you chose to ruin my relationship. Because you know Izuku will never love you like that.” sneers Denki harshly, his anger coming off him in electrical waves of palpable energy that makes Hitoshi flinch.

But Hitoshi pulls himself together, latches onto the strand of control Denki had given him, and he commands, “Stop using your quirk.”

Denki’s eyes glaze over, and his quirk stops going berserk. Hitoshi took control, but he doesn’t want to look at Izuku, doesn’t want to see it.

“Someone get him home, please.” says Hitoshi quietly, trying to avoid seeing the disgust he knows is written all over Izuku’s face now that Denki shouted his feelings to them.

“Hey, Eyebags, why don’t you fuckin look at us? Hah?!” calls Katsuki in a growl.

Hitoshi looks then, looks past those green curls and that freckled face to meet narrowed red eyes and a smirk.

“What do you want from me, Blasty?” asks Hitoshi softly, confused and deadpan.

“I want you to hear the nerd out.” says Katsuki plainly and Hitoshi’s eyes move.

He doesn’t even think twice before he’s glancing at Izuku who’s mouth opens at that exact moment, and he’s frozen as Izuku speaks.

“Hitoshi, Hitoshi is that true? Do you- Are you- are you really in love with me? Is Denki being genuine?” asks Izuku meekly as he steps forward.

He’s not as far as he was before, and Hitoshi is scared of the closing distance as he gulps harshly and whispers, “It’s true.”

“Hitoshi, I- I love you too, I’m in love with you too. I never thought you could ever see me as anything more than a friend, I-” Izuku cuts himself off.

He stops his own rambling as he steps closer, and Hitoshi turns wide purple eyes on shining green orbs.

“Will you go on a date with me in a week?” asks Izuku quietly just before a loud beeping sounds from what Hitoshi knows is Izuku’s pager. “I’m sorry, I have to- Oh, they-“

“It’s okay, Izu, we can talk more about our first date later. Go be a kickass hero, I’ll message you before I go in tonight.” says Hitoshi a bit boldly as he winks at Izuku, chuckling as those freckled cheeks turn red.

“I- Ye-Yes, I will, you can, yes! T-talk to you later!” stammers Izuku before he’s powering up and taking off out of the building, disappearing from sight.

“Wow, you two are going to be disgustingly cute together like Hanta and Momo are. Yuck. Anyhow, I’ll deal with zappy.” says Katsuki with an eye roll as he makes his way down the hall.

“Thanks, Blasty.” replies Hitoshi with a soft shake of his head as Katsuki hoists Denki over his shoulder and silently walks away, a singular, half-hearted wave of his hand as his response. “I can’t believe all of that happened, and I managed to get a date with Izu.”

The end! 💚💜

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading, I hope you've enjoyed it!! Lemme know what you think!!

~If you want to read my regular fics before they go live, you can find them on my patreon.~

~Chapter Breakdown~

[house-improvment]

How to Install a Deadbolt

A single-cylinder deadbolt lock is one of the best ways to protect your house, your belongings, and the security of your family. This modification can be made to your exterior doors for a low cost. Local law enforcement and home security professionals frequently counsel householders to install a deadbolt as a reliable deterrent against intruders who manipulate entry doorknobs.

Deadbolts prevent jimmying because they require turning a knob from inside the home in order to remove the bolt from the strike plate. The strong fasteners on deadbolts also reach deep into the door frame. Even with drills, saws, picks, or pry bars, it is very difficult for a burglar to enter your home through a door with a deadbolt engaged if the door frame and strike plate are in excellent condition.

Start at the first stage if this is a new door without a deadbolt cutout.

What You'll Need

Align to the left

Align in the middle

Resize to full width

Align to the right

Instructions

1-Place the Template on the Door

Look for the paper template used to drill holes in the door when you open the deadbolt. The template might be written on the inside of the product's box or be included in the instruction manual. When the pattern is unfolded, use scissors to cut along the lines. Use painter's tape to attach the pattern to the door. The template typically covers the door's face and border on both sides.

2-Drill the Hole for the Bolt Mechanism

Into the electric drill, insert the hole saw. Use a hole saw with a 2 1/8-inch diameter or the size recommended by the directions. Secure the entrance. Drill the big deadbolt mechanism hole on the door's face slowly.

3-Drill the Hole for the Bolt

Get close to the door's tip. The template should still contain the other portion. The second hole in the door—the one that extends past the edge of the door to allow the deadbolt to slide in and out—is indicated by this half of the door.

Incorporate the drill's 1-inch spade bit (or the size specified by the directions). Directly on the central dot on the template, press the spade bit's sharp end. Make sure the entryway is supported. Slowly start the drill and auger through the paper before entering the door's timber. Continue augering until the 2 1/8-inch hole made in the previous stage and this hole are parallel to one another.

4-Chisel Spaces For the Strike Plate and Bolt

An inset metal strike plate will reinforce the door jamb and make the deadbolt operate more smoothly. Draw a line around the door jamb's inset region using the plate and a pencil. Carve out the designated area by carefully chiseling down 1/8 of an inch with the chisel and hammer.

Similar insets will be present on the fastener. After putting the bolt through the 1-inch hole, trace the plate's shape. Remove, then file the surface to 1/8-inch depth.

5-Install the Door Jamb Strike Plate and Bolt

The strike plate should be secured to the door jamb with two screws, a Phillips screwdriver, and the included fasteners. Similar to that, position the deadbolt in the 1-inch hole, carefully tap it into the carved-out area, and then screw it into place.

6-Install the Deadbolt Mechanism

Place one lock mechanism half on each side of the door when installing it. Make sure the deadbolt mechanism's keyed portion is on the door's external. It is helpful to have a helper hold the mechanism's two halves in position at this point.

7-Screw the Deadbolt Mechanism in Place

From the inner side, screw the two 2 1/2-inch mounting bolts into the deadbolt mechanism. Instead of using a manual screwdriver to install these bolts, use a cordless drill. The process will go much more quickly because the bolts are so lengthy. Avoid overtightening.

>>Click Here To Get The Best Deadbolts and More Security<<

[goldiers1]

U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue Kick-Off Speeches

  Foreign Minister Dendias:

Dear Secretary of State, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you in Athens.  It has been almost a year-and-a-half since our Third Strategic Dialogue in Washington.  In the meantime, we have seen war returning to Europe with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  We have also witnessed a revisionist rhetoric in defense of international law emanating from a number of international actors. The fact is that, in the middle of all this, the strong Greek-U.S. cooperation has been enhanced even further.  That speaks volumes for our relation.  The strengthening of this cooperation promotes our mutual interest, as well as regional peace, stability, and prosperity.  It is also based on shared values and on our respect for international law. The Fourth Strategic Dialogue is a culmination of a series of working group meetings and initiatives of our experts from various ministries.  There has been progress in all the Strategic Dialogue subjects:  defense and security; law enforcement and counterterrorism; humanitarian challenges; trade, investment; energy and environment; and last, but certainly not least, people-to-people contacts. Moreover, we will be conducting open and in-depth discussions on regional political issues.  This Strategic Dialogue is an excellent symbol of the strategic relationship between our two countries.  It also shows the continuing interest of the United States in our wider region.  Our cooperation on defense and security has been going back for decades, but there are plenty of things to show since the last Strategic Dialogue. The planned inclusion of Alexandroupolis in the MDCA allowed it to play a crucial role when it was most needed.  We are looking forward to speeding up our electric interconnections with the two neighboring continents, Asia to Israel, and Africa to Egypt.  At the same time, tourist flows have regained their pre-pandemic levels.  The Strategic Dialogue is an excellent demonstration of the strategic relationship between our two countries. I know that you have brought with you a group of remarkable high officials from Washington, who will shortly be meeting with our team.  Being aware of the dedication that everybody involved has shown in preparing this Fourth Strategic Dialogue, I am certain that it will be a success.  Thank you so much.  

Secretary Blinken:

Well, Nikos, my friend, thank you so much, and forgive me because my voice is struggling a little bit.  But it is wonderful for me and for us to be back in Athens, and I am especially excited to be joining you, to be joining our teams, to kick off this Fourth U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue. The dialogue is, in fact, a reflection of the partnership that our citizens have had for more than 200 years.  And indeed, the delegation today that you referenced demonstrates the depth of our relationship.  We have representatives here from the State Department, Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, Commerce, USAID. Today’s discussion builds off of the last Strategic Dialogue that we held in 2021, which I remember very well.  And among other important steps, as you noted, we amended the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement between our countries, strengthening our preparedness and shared security by allowing our troops to train together in new ways and in more places. And as you mentioned, one of the new sites supports military transport around the Port of Alexandroupoli, which has become, indeed, a key strategic hub, including bringing in defensive weaponry, trucks, artillery for U.S. military units that are operating in Eastern and Northern Europe, as well as NATO Allies. The United States worked to upgrade the port has created jobs in both of our countries.  We’ve made similar investments in other parts of Greece, including $123 million in infrastructure improvements in the Souda Bay and Larissa. This port has been vital to reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank since President Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against Ukraine.  The United States is grateful for Greece’s unwavering support for Ukraine since the invasion, including by opening its doors to 20,000 displaced Ukrainians. Greece has also helped lead the humanitarian response to the recent tragic earthquake in Türkiye, from where I came.  Greece rapidly deployed dozens of firefighters, doctors, search and rescue personnel, and provided crucial humanitarian support, including 80 tons of medicines, blankets, food, and other supplies. Nikos, I think you were the first foreign minister from Europe to travel to Türkiye, visiting just six days after the disaster. And I took the same helicopter ride that you did with the Turkish foreign minister, our colleague Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.  We saw, as you did, the incredible devastation of this earthquake, and we had a chance – both of us – to be briefed on the rescue and relief efforts. I recall you, Nikos, pledging Greece’s support.  And importantly, both foreign ministers – both of you – pledged to increase bilateral cooperation, saying, and I quote, “We shouldn’t wait for another earthquake to improve our relations.” The United States, in turn, pledges to do whatever it can to seize this historic opportunity to strengthen relations between two critical allies in a pivotal region at a key moment for NATO and the world. In the Strategic Dialogue that we’re about to embark on today, we’ll have an opportunity to talk about our shared work on other regional priorities, including promoting clean energy and strengthening energy security.  Greece’s energy transition has been a model for the region. In 2012, coal-powered plants provided 50 percent of Greece’s electricity needs.  Here we are a decade later, and renewable sources like wind, like solar, like hydro, are powering half of Greece’s electricity needs, eliminating 17.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year. That’s the equivalent of taking 3 million cars off the roads.  So that’s a powerful record of progress and success. And of course, Greece is also helping NATO strengthen their energy security by helping diversity their sources and reducing dependence on Russian gas, also deepening their integration into Europe’s broader energy market. Bulgaria, for example, used to depend on Russia for up to 90 percent of its natural gas. The newly constructed Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, that gas pipeline is allowing Bulgaria to transition away from that source.  In the next year, Bulgaria will import nearly 100 percent of its domestic gas needs from Azerbaijan and the United States as a result of this Interconnector. We’ll also talk about ways to strengthen our people-to-people ties.  Over 1 billion Americans live, visit Greece every single year.  Millions more, of course, have Greek heritage, including our own president, or Joe Bidenopoulos, as he likes to call himself.  (Laughter.) Every day our people study with, learn from, each other.  They innovate.  They run businesses together.  They watch each other’s movies.  They listen to each other’s music.  They enjoy each other’s food. Last November we took our educational cooperation to new heights by launching the Pharos Summit, an initiative dedicated to increasing collaboration between our universities and our exchange programs between our students. We had a record delegation of 30 U.S. universities come to Greece to build partnerships with their Greek public university counterparts, and our governments agreed to grow the number of Fulbright students from 70,000 in 2022 to 100,000 this year. At the summit, Prime Minister Mitsotakis remarked that Greece is an appealing destination for cultural exchange because this vibrant, dynamic country is a workshop of constant change.  It’s a wonderful way to describe Greece and, I think, our own country, because the same can be said for us, and the same can be said for our friendship. Ours is a relationship that is always evolving, innovating, ultimately leading the way to a better future for us both.  So I’m confident that today’s Strategic Dialogue will further all of these efforts and help us better deliver for the Greek and American people and for the world, because, after all, that’s our responsibility. And with that, we’ve got lots to discuss, so let’s get started.  Thank you.   Sources: THX News & US Dept. of State. Read the full article

[whumpfessional]

Testing

What's happening now with Thalia? Let's find out!

Whumptober prompt 23 - tied to a table

CW: medical experiment whump, muzzled, it as a pronoun, finger gets bit off (but he deserved it tbh), electric shocks

“Stop that.” A voice crackles over a speaker in the room as someone in a lab coat enters briskly and bee lines for Thalia, pushing her hands away and jabbing a finger in her face. “You will listen to us now, you foul-“

Thalia uses all her strength to lunge her head forward, quickly removing the finger from his hand. He lets out a scream as two others enter with rods, giving Thalia a crack across her face before bringing it back to her torso to electrocute her.

As she’s dazed the other comes from behind to put a muzzle over her. “What did we tell you about touching it, idiot?” One spat to the man now holding his hand against his bunched coat.

“I didn’t realize you had her restrained so loosely.” The man replies tartly, glaring at Thalia who simply winks back. “Now grab the finger for me.”

One of the guards complies, tossing it the man who yells and fumbles it. Thalia cackles as she watches him collect himself. At the sound he stiffens, giving her a look now of mock pity. “You’re going to regret that heavily” he tells her as the guards exit. 

Thalia huffs, rubbing the muzzle frantically against the bike lock. “You’re lucky we still need you,” he says, approaching her again as he draws a reinforced syringe. “Or perhaps quite unlucky.” He brings it to the stitches round her neck, and with some effort sticks it in. “All about perspective, isn’t it?” 

Thalia thrashes once before she’s unconscious. 

--

Thalia came to slowly, mind first aware of the sensation of being unable to move, of cold, heavy straps pressing her against cold metal. It was hard to open her eyes, bright light spotlighted her in a dark room. She was on her back, unable to wiggle her arms or legs

“Beginning experiment number 1.0 on subject 17. Starting on the left median nerve test. Subject shows slight awareness.” Masked figures in scrubs circled around. The one sitting beside the table on a swivel stool turned around to select a long acupuncture needle, rolling back over with it. 

Thalia’s eyes widened at the sight of the needle and she thrashed again, letting out a muffled yell from behind the muzzle. “Hey, hey I’m fucking sentient!! Fucking sadists!” She spits. 

“Subject shows full awareness.” Thalia couldn’t help but watch as the needle slid into her arm. It stung for a moment and quivered in her arm, every spasm and twitch sending it wiggling. The doctor clipped something to the needle before turning away. 

“Commencing at 0.05 amp.” A switch was flipped. 

A burning pain overwhelmed Thalia’s mind, forcing her head backwards against the table. Her thumb, pointer, and middle finger on her left hand spasmed uncontrollably. 

The current was cut after a few seconds and Thalia was able to wrasp for breath, twisting her head to the side. The needle was plucked out and placed in a second spot, “First test shows successful response levels. Commencing left ulnar nerve test.” 

The burning overwhelmed her arm once again and her mouth was forced open in a silent scream. Even after the switch was turned off, her ring and pinky finger continued to spasm as the needle was removed. “Success with left ulnar nerve, moving onto the superficial radial.” 

The needle jabbed into the wrist scraped against bone, causing fireworks of pain to spark through Thalia’s mind. She struggled to catch her breath before the doctor had turned back around. 

“Commencing.” Thalia screamed. It felt like her wrist was being broken, over and over as it thrashed around. The needle dug in more deeply the more she moved, causing the pain to burn up towards her elbow. 

Darkness edged the corners of her vision as the needle was removed, eliciting a loud hiss. The wrist flopped on its own after the removal, pain ricocheting from the aftershocks. 

“Completion of left lower arm test. Now commencing the right lower arm test.”

[someonestole15]

Brief intermission

Walking with giants.

Sitting here in the cold room with a slight electric buzzing of the heater opposite me, I’m barely awake from the limited charge and the cold ceasing up my internals so even the few percent given to me by the backup generator is worth just to avoid passing out in the middle of the snow or worse, a firefight.

Back on the rocks, I pulled myself back up and dusted off my coat as my sensors started to notice the smaller details around me. Wind howling outside and frost forming on the windows, the storm was approaching and once it got here, flying would be nearly impossible. Thoughts rushing through the transmitters and neural pathways, most of them condensing into one line that stuck.

I trust her.

Taking a breath and letting the cache clear, easier to think now, I made my way to the planning room through the short connector and pushed the door open. Chatter and beeping across the radio, I took a glance at the map laid out on the table displaying our current location and a red circle drawn over the hangar, the distance was around a kilometer give or take but with the mines and trapped roads, it would take a while.

“We’ve got one hell of a job ahead of us, you ready for the brief?” Andrei asked as he walked up next to me and leaned on the desk. We huddled around the desk and gave Andrei a nod to confirm we were ready. He cleared his voice and started talking.

“Alright, we all know the basics so I’ll be quick. Original execution of Whirlwind has failed but with it, we have gained information on this Black Ocean group. Our mission then, is to capture the airbase and secure the hangar where the dropship is currently held. As a side objective is to secure any sites and crates of supplies we can use back at the bunker so avoid unnecessary destruction for now. I’ll be on the comms as Wolf 1/Actual, Alexei is 2, Valkyrie 3 and Phoenix 4, understood?”

“Got it.”

“We have a green light from Command, we’ll move with Infantry fighting vehicle Paladin 2 as cover to get closer and then hike the rest of the way to the hangar, they’ll need us to clear any mines on route and make sure they don’t get ambushed. You see anyone with antitank weaponry you fire. Grab your gear, we’re leaving in ten.”

Final details added on, Andrei finished the briefing by sharing the map and transcript with Valkyrie and me before leaving us to gear up. Back through to the room where I had slept, I looked over the gear I had gathered and pulled the armored vest on, securing it to my chassis with clips running along my sides. Thin layer of Tungsten with a ceramic coating and Kevlar woven inside, lighter than my own armor but more durable, I might have to look into upgrading my own plates when this is all over…

Webbing over the vest, magazine pouches and other bits of gear, been a moment since I’ve worn a full set like this, I felt like a walking fortress as I pulled a heavy reinforced helmet onto my head and secured the strap beneath my chin and allowing my HUD to settle in to the view. Clear plastic shield I kept up for now, I adjusted my mask and linked up with the helmet radio, two beeps and short bit of static confirmed the connection as I ran my final checks.

Unit one ready, I tapped the side of my helmet before grabbing the weapon case and lifting it up to the bench. Clasps open, familiar looking piece of kit, Corporation M4 of newer generation than the one I had used on Earth, the controls and looks remained mostly the same but with better handling and improved parts for use in arctic environments.

Longer barrel, larger trigger guard and improved bolt to reduce the chance of it freezing, I loaded a magazine and ran the charging handle, the little clicks of the internals fitting together flawlessly set out a shiver down my spine as I linked it to my vest. Main weapon good to go, the Phoenix on my hip with the pistol being reassigned onwards; I headed outside and allowed my systems to get used to the cold.

Far below zero now, visibility had improved from the morning with the sunlight even if a heavy mist had formed over the top of nearby trees and the wind howled between the trees like a starved animal. Calm before the storm quite literally now, I took in the fresh air and stabilized my breathing as Valkyrie joined stepped out of the building and walked up next to me. Flash of red underneath ghillie webbing, I could see her eye burn calmly as she loaded her rifle.

“Things really did go sideways there, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, we can never have it simple can we?” I turned to look at her as additional footsteps approached from the guardhouse

“No, but that’s why we adapt.”

“You said it.” Andrei responded as he walked to us with Alexei shadowing him. “Paladin, we’re ready for you.”

“Roger that Wolf, we’re rolling.”

Rattle of a diesel engine and tracks as the vehicle turned the corner and drove towards us, the drivers head poking out from the hull as the commander pulled himself up to the hatch. Grey and green paintjob over the hull and armed with a 25 mm cannon and grenade launcher for the commander, the armor was not exactly the thickest but hell, it should hold up against small arms fire.

“Hop aboard Wolf, we got limited seating today but you’re welcome to ride on top until we get to the frontline.” The commander said as he pointed out the next checkpoint to his driver.

Mounted up, the commander instructed leaned back against his hatch and spoke into his radio as the IFV started moving, the rattling of the tracks and engine echoing through the surrounding forests.

Death might have ridden in on a pale horse, but we, we ride in as mechanized infantry.