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seabirdtxt · 11 months

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It's been a while since I made a request to a blog, but I really enjoy your writing, and your AUs got my brain going with ideas (especially the Glitch AU). It has me thinking about how our favorite little Puppet boys would react to some of the... interesting hobbies I have: two of those being things like Doll making/repainting, and cosplaying/ general fantastical costuming.

I feel like both of these hobbies have the potential to lead to both hilarious situations and moments of being a bit... perturbed at best (especially doll making: the random assortment of doll limbs being places, or having naked dolls that are precariously hung from the ceiling to finish drying from paint jobs).

I do know that at least Kabukimono and Wanderer (Scara might have forgotten since he hadn't used the skill in a long time, and Wanderer likely relearned it) know how to sew, so the sewing part could be cute bonding time.

Could be platonic or romantic in nature: both would be fine. And also, fully understand it will probably take you time to get to this, of you even get to it at all. I just appreciate you taking the time to read this request~! Can't wait for your next bits of work: hope you have a wonderful day~!!! 💕💕💕💕

hey!! thanks so much for your request!! this was a funny idea bc i can't imagine any of scara's iterations being any good at collaboration but for all separate reasons lmao

I'm not too knowledgeable about doll making but hopefully you like this anyway :D i wrote it as a bit of a glitch!AU spinoff in my mind, but feel free to imagine any other scenarios these three clowns might come together for hahaha WC. 1.3k

----- ⚘ -----

When the three puppets were told not to enter your room and disturb your hobby workstation, this isn’t what they had in mind. Wanderer thought maybe you did something embarrassing as a hobby, Scaramouche thought it might be something potentially dangerous especially if you intended to keep it a secret from them, while Kabukimono was certain that you did some sort of artistic craft that you preferred to keep hidden until the end product was finished.

All three of them were right, in some way or another.

The three of them stand in your workshop, staring in horror at the dozens of separated doll components you’d strung up around the edges of the room. Scraps of tiny, doll-sized outfits were scattered around your desk, and a half-painted doll head was mounted on some sort of device in the middle of the chaos. The doll’s single painted eye watches their trespassing with silent judgment.

You’re glad you find them out so soon, and you have exactly three seconds to stop them from touching anything in the workshop.

“WhatareyouguysDOINGinhere?!” Nailed it.

Kabukimono leaps a vertical foot into the air out of fright at your sudden and shrill outburst, while the other two react in more subdued manners before turning around to face you, standing in the doorway behind them. Your arms are outstretched, palms forward, and you’re braced as though you’re anticipating some sort of impact.

“Don’t. Touch. Anything.” You warn. “Not all of these are dry, and if you smudge anything I’ll have to restart them.”

“Why do you have a bunch of dismembered doll corpses?” Scaramouche asks, jerking his thumb at the precariously hanging doll components.

“A seller in Inazuma asked me if I could help him finish a few dolls, since I told him I used to do it as a hobby back in my world.” You explain, not dropping your guarded position. “If any of you want to eat dinner this week, I suggest you step away from the dolls. Slowly.”

“Can you not call them that?” Kabukimono complains to Scara as the trio carefully shuffle out of your workshop. “They’re not corpses, they just haven’t been put together yet.”

“Well, they aren’t alive either, so what’s your point?”

“If you need some help completing them, I can pitch in.” The three of you look wide-eyed at Wanderer, who seems to immediately regret making the offer. He shrugs and looks away quickly. “Or not. Whatever.”

“I’d love some help,” you start hesitantly. “But what did you want to help with?”

“I can sew the clothes, I guess.”

Scaramouche’s nose wrinkles at this statement. “You can sew?”

“Why is that so surprising?” Wanderer counters, reaching into the inner lining of his haori and showing off a small, familiar cloth doll. Instantly, Kabukimono is patting himself down with a frantic expression, before pointing at Wanderer accusingly.

“Where did you get that?! I lost it a long time ago!”

“Heh, of course you did.” Wanderer smirks. “I made mine. What, are you telling me you never thought of making yourself a new one?”

“I was never good at doing the small stitches…” Kabukimono pouts, crossing his arms and eyeing the doll jealously.

“That aside,” Wanderer continues, turning to you. “I can help you finish the clothes for your project dolls. The faster you can finish them, the faster you can retrieve the commission for them, right?”

“That’s true, I guess,” you acquiesce, already running the math in your head. If you could get the commission for the dolls early, you might not have to budget as hard this week.

“I wanna help too!” Kabukimono declares, raising his hand (a bit redundantly, given he’s standing right next to you).

“Whatever,” Scaramouche snorts and waves dismissively as he begins to walk away. “If that’s what you nerds want to waste your time on, be my guest. As long as you don’t make it my problem, I don’t care what you do in your free time.”

“Party pooper,” you say, sticking out your tongue at his retreating back. “Well, what do you say, guys? Let’s get this bread?”

“Sure,” Wanderer nods, heading back into the workshop.

“What does bread have to do with dollmaking?” Kabukimono asks, even as he’s herded into the room by you.

“I’ll explain later, let’s finish up these bad boys first,” you promise, and the workshop door closes behind you.

----- ⚘ -----

“I made another sword!” Kabukimono declares, hurrying over to your workbench and showing off the tiny doll-sized sword he’d made. The fifth one, so far.

“That’s great, buddy!” You give him a pat, to his delight. “I think we’re okay on swords for now, though, d’you wanna try making something else this time?”

“Okay!”

Wanderer looks up from where he’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, a few pins sticking out of his mouth as he uses them to hold his patterns in place.

“Did your toymaker guy say what kinds of dolls he wanted?” He asks, holding up another utilitarian-looking outfit. “I can’t imagine this is what he had in mind when he asked for your help.”

“I mean, these are kind of edging into action figure territory,” you shrug. “But that’s probably fine. There’s a market out there for everything, nowadays.”

“Make a kimono that looks like the Shogun,” Kabukimono suggests, handing Wanderer some purple fabric. “Everybody likes the Shogun, right? She should be pretty popular.”

You and Wanderer both wince (for different reasons) at Kabukimono’s well-meant statement. However, Wanderer does take the purple fabric and sets it gently aside, and you wonder if he’ll take the suggestion after all.

“Are you losers done in here? I’m tired of doing the dishes for two days straight,” Scaramouche kicks the door in, uncaring of the delicate work you three are doing. Thankfully, the risky parts are all done, so nothing suffers any damage with his sudden entrance. Scara drops three bowls onto your workbench, each piled with fried rice and vegetables.

“Ha, you’d make a great housewife,” Wanderer snickers, earning himself a smack on the back of his head. “Ow.”

“Thank you!” Kabukimono takes his bowl and brings it to where he’s working on something, hopefully not another sword.

“Thanks,” you say as well, giving Scara a genuine smile. The puppet scowls and leaves as quickly as he’d come in.

“Don’t bother! It doesn’t benefit anyone if you drop dead from starvation, you know?” he sneers over his shoulder as he slams the door shut.

There’s silence as you three eat the lunch that was generously provided, stacking the bowls and putting them beside the door for when you guys go for your next break.

“I think I’m done after I finish this last outfit,” Wanderer sighs, holding up the unfinished garment. It looks hilarious in his hands, a cheerful pink and purple kimono in stark contrast to his deadpan expression.

“I’m almost done too!” Kabukimono adds, holding up his latest project: a doll-sized armor set. You smile gratefully at the both of them, even as you rub your temples with a sigh.

“Okay, great, I’ll put these together and bring them to the toymaker later this afternoon, then!” You say, hoping you sound enthusiastic about it. You think about the mismatched collection of outfits and sword accessories, wondering how you were going to sell this to your temporary employer.

----- ⚘ -----

As it turns out, if there’s one thing Inazumans like, it’s swordsmen. The toymaker looks in awe at your half dozen tiny samurai, handing you a pouch of mora with a pleased word of thanks.

As you’re headed back home, you get a telepathic message from Wanderer.

KABUKIMONO WANTS TO KNOW WHEN WE’RE GETTING MORE DOLLS.

‘He fired me, we’ll have to do something else,’ you think back, hoping you don’t sound too guilty in your head.

As much as you love these guys, you aren’t sure you could take another two days straight of having to collab with them. Hopefully buying some treats on the way home will placate them.

—– ⚘ —–

^ reader trying to juggle all three scara iterations without breaking any of the dolls LMAO

#genshin sagau #genshin self aware au #sagau #self aware genshin #genshin isekai #genshin scaramouche #sagau scaramouche #genshin wanderer #sagau wanderer #genshin kabukimono #sagau kabukimono #sagau x reader #scaramouche x reader #wanderer x reader #kabukimono x reader #seabird.txt #seabird.inbox #littlemistermedley

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staarlight-snow · 8 months

Text

Reflections in the Murky Waters

[Short sequel to Murky Waters - Island of the Slaughtered]

TW: panic attacks (??), nightmares, ig horror, mentioned death

"Well, hoping is the only thing we can do right now.. Why not make the most of it? Right Noah?"

Cody jumped up from where he lay in cold sweat, tightly gripping at his shirt. His breathing was heavy and he felt tears run down his cheeks. He softly groaned – covering his ears with both his hands, his surroundings were quiet but his mind was loud. He winced at every memory, every thought and every imagery that stayed in his mind

"Another nightmare again?" A soft voice spoke, shuffling in her side of the cabin. "S-sorry.. Did I wake you?" Cody asked, moving his hands away from where they were. "No.." Gwen whispered, moving closer to the other. "I'm having trouble sleeping.. It's like every time I close my eyes I can hear him call my name." She vented, staring at the rotting wooden floor beneath them.

"Yeah.. I get the feeling. I have this.. recurring dream." He confessed, picking at the seams of his jeans. "Yeah? Want to talk about it?" Gwen offered, tilting her head as she looked at the boy. Cody took a deep breath and closed his eyes, images flashing in his mind. "It starts out with me, I walk out of the cabin holding some stuff. And I look out in the forest and he's there.. He's alive." He dragged out that last part with pain in his voice.

"I make my way towards him but.." He stopped for a moment. He hated this part. "E-every damn time I could even get close to him.. He gets pulled into the forest.. A-and it's quick! I ran after him, as fast as I could. Every night I go to bed, I try to save him.. even if it's only in my dream.." He breathed out, his voice getting weaker by the second. He's never confided these dreams with anyone before. He never thought talking about them could be just as painful as having them.

"But no matter how I try and what I do.. I couldn't save him." Tears were streaming down his face and his voice was broken. It was a pain to hear it. "Heh.. There was this one time, I managed to get to him in time. I had his hand in mine. And I was pulling him out of the water but something was also pulling him down. He told me 'Let go because it'll hurt more if you keep dwelling on it' I-I don't know if that was my brain telling me to get over it or.. if it was actually Noah.." Cody finished, he opened his eyes and buried his face in his hands.

Gwen moved her hand to the others back to console him. "It takes time to heal and right now, everyone in this cabin needs it but I think our main focus right now is to survive.. There's no point in healing if you know you'll get hurt again the next day." She sighed in defeat. It was like every slither of hope they had was slowly drifting away and all they had left was their lives. "Surviving? What's the point! There's nothing to live for anymore." Cody cried. "Don't say that!" Gwen scolded, furrowing her eyebrows.

"We promised we'd get out together.. And that's what I had going for me.. It's not like someone's waiting for me at home anyway." He muttered in between sobs, moving his legs closer to his chest. Gwen looked at the other and sighed. "Can you atleast promise me we'll both get out of here? You and me.." She asked. Cody slumped over and rested his chin on top of his knees.

"It's what they would've wanted.." He answered. "You're right.. They're our friends, they only want what's best for us." Gwen smiled, to which Cody returned. They hadn't smiled in a while – they never found a reason to anyway.

Maybe this time the world will be fair.

i woke up and immediately thought, "man cody's brain chemistry must've been fucked lmao.. lemme write abt that" HUAHAUAHUA I CRAVE ANGST RAGHH 👺👺 *feral gremlin noises*

anyway this isnt me shipping gwen and cody, unless u wanna view it that way ig 🤨 i just think they'll hv a kind of bond and comfort in one another ngl 😔

#total drama #tdi #total drama island #island of the slaughtered #td noah #total drama au #td cody #td gwen #td noco #noco #tdi fanfic #total drama fanfiction #fanfic #angst #haha trauma go brrtt #tw horror #tw death

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alwritey-aphrodite · 9 months

Text

Sweet Like Justice

Chapter One of There’s Nothing Like This

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Jamie Tartt x fem!footballer!reader

Warnings: cursing

Word Count: 2.6k

Author’s Note: there will be more Jamie soon, I promise!

Settling into your new life, your new routine, isn’t as difficult as you’d thought it would be. Training was grueling, and you’d been putting in as much extra time as you could, leaving you barely any time to explore your new neighborhood or do anything at home other than sleep, but being with your new team made even the worst training days seem better.

It was beyond rare in sports to have a team that gets along as well as you do, with competitiveness always putting distance between blooming friendships. With Richmond, though, you all know that right now, it doesn’t matter who the star player is or who can score the most goals, all you want to do is prove the team to the fans, to the press, to the world.

Training is always taken seriously, with everyone leaving everything on the pitch, but the dressing room carries a different energy, one that’s lighter, more comfortable and fun. It always reminds you of a sleepover, where everyone is slightly delirious from exhaustion but beyond giddy just to be spending time with each other.

Only a few days into practice, nicknames are being given out left and right, bonding everyone even closer together. There were the two Maria’s, who were ironically your pair of fullbacks and simply became known as Thing One and Thing Two, despite the arguments that ensued with who could be One. Amelia, who was the youngest on the team and a fierce center midfielder, started out as Amey-Baby before simply being shortened to Baby.

Not only did all the nicknames help everyone to bond in such a short period, it also helped you remember who everybody was. It was also a testament to how inviting the energy was at Richmond; you’d never been a part of a team that was so full of life, so in-sync and on the same page with your goals and ambitions.

It was easier to picture yourselves winning games when you’d do anything for the girls around you.

Today, though, you were finding it increasingly difficult to stay focused during training. Not only had the men’s team started to come out earlier and earlier, as if they were sizing you up, you’d felt like the coaching staff had been watching you all day. Every time you ran a drill, every time you took a break, you could feel their eyes on the back of your head. You tried to ignore it, tried to shake it off by telling yourself that they were watching everyone because it was the start of the season, but deep down you knew that was wrong.

Once you’re back in the dressing room and already feeling the exhaustion settling into your bones, you notice the coaches standing at the front of the room as if something important is about to happen. The rest of the team catches on, the rambunctious conversations dying down as everyone waits to hear what Roy has to say.

“We’ve decided on our captain,” he says, and the room explodes into conversation, talking animatedly about who everyone thinks is going to be captain. You, for one, are practically positive Mackie’s going to be captain, and you know she’s hoping too, even though she’d never say it.

Instead, though, Roy says your name and you’re certain you’ve died, feeling like your heart has stopped completely.

“It should be Mackie,” you say, and to your horror, you hear other players agree with you.

“Not your choice,” Roy responds before turning into his office, and you rush in behind him, slipping into the room as he slams the door.

“I can’t be captain,” you tell him, eyeing the armband laying on his desk with the same fear you’d look at a giant spider with.

“But you are.”

“It should be Mackie. She was leading the league in assists last season, the girl’s all love her, they all know her.” You plead, desperate not to let down your team who so clearly don’t want you as captain.

“Sure, she led in assists, but she also led in fucking red cards. Does that sound like a good fucking captian to you?”

“No,” you reply, sounding like a petulant child.

“Fucking exactly. You’re a good leader, I can already tell. And it’s not your fucking choice.”

You can tell he won’t listen to anything you have to say, so you swallow your disappointment and head back into the dressing room. While you were gone, Keeley had slipped in, looking like she had an announcement to make. You’re not sure how many more announcements you can take.

“Tomorrow, you guys are gonna have a little friendly match against the boys so I can get some content for the Instagram,” she says, shaking her phone for emphasis, “and Trent Crimm will be there to give us some good publicity, yeah?” She smiles at your enthusiastic agreements, and then she’s gone as quickly as she arrived.

The other girls start to file out too, talking about playing the men’s team and their various levels of confidence. You, though, stay behind and take your time packing up, trying and failing not to think about all the players that sounded disappointed when you’d been named captain.

“Babe,” Mackie says, sitting on the bench next to you with her bag slung over her shoulder, “don’t you dare beat yourself up over this. You’re a fucking powerhouse, I’ll kill anyone who disagrees.” She says it with such conviction that you have to laugh, and a smile blooms on her face at the sound. “Now let’s get the hell out of here and get ready to beat some boy ass tomorrow, huh?”

————

Jamie hasn’t been able to stop thinking about the outrageously pretty girl he’d seen in the hallway the other day. All he knew about her was that she was a part of the new women’s team at Richmond, and he’d been stalking the Instagram page in the hopes that they’d post a roster with no luck. He’s thinking about asking Keeley for a roster when she walks into the dressing room, and he’s convinced he summoned her for a moment.

Instead of presenting Jamie with the name of his silly crush, though, Keeley announces that they’ll be playing the women’s team tomorrow, to get some good publicity going for everyone. The boys don’t start voicing their opinions until she leaves.

“They’re little girls, yeah? How hard could it be?” Jan Maas asks, and among the agreements from his teammates Jamie notices an odd expression on Roy’s face, one that reminds him of the Red String Incident, and he immediately knows Jan Maas is incredibly wrong.

————

You’re fifteen minutes into the full ninety minute match, and you can see a clear path to the goal. The only problem is, you can see someone in your way, someone coming towards you, giving you no choice but to barrel forwards.

Mackie says you go rage-blind, where you see nothing but an empty goal and damn anyone who stands in your way, and when you collide full force with one of the men’s players, you think she might be right. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice them go down, hard, but you don’t stop moving until you sink the ball into the corner of the net with a satisfying swoosh.

The rest of your team swarms you, jumping and whooping for the first goal of the match, and you let yourself feel giddy for a few moments before you remember the fact that you’d slammed into someone with all the force of your body and you jog over to where they’re still laying on the ground, surrounded by their teammates.

It’s Jamie Tartt, and he looks so dazed you’re worried you concussed him.

“Are you ok?” You ask, crouching down with his teammates and extending an arm to help him up. He doesn’t respond, but he does grab your hand, allowing you to pull him off the ground. “I’m sorry.”

“Bruv, that was epic,” Isaac tells you with a clap to your shoulder before he’s bounding off. Shaking your head, you get back into game mode and try to forget the way Jamie looked at you and the way it made you feel like you’d just ran a marathon.

You tell yourself it’s from exhaustion, from running to score, but deep down you know that’s not true.

The rest of the game passes in a blur, with your team winning 3-1. It was clear to you that the men’s team wasn’t taking the match seriously at first, but once you’d knocked Jamie to the ground and scored, they seemed to realize what they were truly up against. As you all walk back to your dressing rooms, they shower your team with compliments, praising your fierceness and determination on the field.

If that match didn’t accomplish anything publicity wise, at least it made sure the men were on your side, and you knew you needed all the support you could get.

Once you’re in the dressing room, you promptly flop yourself onto the floor, exhausted and aching all over the place. You knew you were a more aggressive player, that’s just how you were, but something about needing to prove yourself made you use your body as if you could replace it, throwing your weight around as much as you could get away with before being called out by the refs or the other coaches.

As you’re laying on the floor, offering vague noises to the questions thrown your way, you see the door open out of the corner of your eye, followed by the clacking of heels on the tile floor. Turning your gaze upwards, you see Rebecca staring down at you with a look of mild concern, and all you can do is offer her a weak smile.

“Are you alright?” She asks, looking seconds away from yelling for the coaches or a medic or anyone who could help whatever seems to be wrong with you.

“I’m fine, just stretching out my back,” you promise as you heave yourself up to a sitting position but making no move to get off the floor.

“We have a press conference for you,” she tells you and you nod, sitting for a few moments until you notice the expression on her face and realize what she actually meant.

“Right now?” You ask, nerves filling your bloodstream.

“Right now,” she confirms with a smile, and you’d planned to stay on the ground, make them drag you into the press room kicking and screaming but Mackie is already pulling you off the floor and shoving you towards the door where Keeley is waiting.

“No, please, no, I’m not really a public speaker, please, no,” you continue to plead as if you’re being led to your execution as Keeley and Rebecca grab you lightly by your elbows and steer you into the press room. Your pleas don’t stop until you’re blinded by flashing lights and you're seated in the chair behind the desk, facing a sea of reporters.

Once you gather your bearings, you point vaguely into the swarm of reporters, and one of them stands. You know he says his name and the paper, but you’re too focused on not throwing up to remember what he said.

“As the captain of the Lady Greyhounds-“

“We’re just the Greyhounds,” you interrupt, glancing at Rebecca and Keeley to confirm. They’re barely concealing their disgust.

“Right,” he starts again, “as the captain of the Greyhounds, what are your thoughts on the team so far?”

“Well, I think we’re a strong group of women. Everyone’s strong as a player in their own right, but as a team I think we work really well together. I mean, we just beat the men’s team, so we can’t be that bad, right?” Your comment brings laughter from the reporters, dissipating some of the tension that had settled when you’d interrupted.

That reporter sits, and you gesture for another one to stand.

“What’s it like to work with Chelsea legend Roy Kent, given your short stint on the team?” The question brings a furrow to your eyebrows and a sour taste to your mouth at the flippant way he mentions your ‘short stint’ at Chelsea.

“He’s a great coach, really knowledgeable, really passionate,” the reporter seems satisfied with your answer, but you can’t help but add on, “I’d say Elena Sanchez is a Chelsea legend too, and it’s great to play with her again.” Elena has been one of the only other players you’d known when you started at Richmond earlier in month, and talking again was like you’d never spent those years apart.

The rest of the press conference continues with much of the same, and you could cry when you hear Rebecca announce the end. You don’t even stand from your chair, just slouch into it farther as Rebecca and Keeley walk towards you, the reporters filing out.

“Well, that was just horrendous,” Rebecca says, and when she notices the pure distress on your face she adds, “not you, them!”

“They were all right cocks, weren’t they?” Keeley adds, looking almost as distraught as you feel, “I mean, I expected it from a few of them, but not everyone!”

After that, all you wanted to do was get out of your kit and go to sleep as soon as possible, but apparently even that was too much to ask for. Saying your goodbyes to Rebecc and Keeley, you moved out of the press room on autopilot, head down and thoughts all over the place, only to collide with Jamie for the second time that day.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” you say as the two of you stagger backwards, trying to maintain your balance and not end up as a heap on the floor.

“‘S alright, I was standing in front of a doorway, don’t know what I expected,” he says with a smile, but he’s still looking at you the way he did on the pitch, and you’re worried he’s got a concussion.

“And I’m sorry for earlier, during the match, I don't know what came over me.”

Jamie just shrugs, “I woulda done the same thing.” He pauses and his eyes go wide, “Not to you! Not on purpose! Just, durin’ a game, if somebody was trying to get the ball from me, I woulda done the same.” You can’t help but to smile at him, the way he stumbles over his words in his desire to properly explain himself.

“Well, it was nice to talk with you,” you tell him, walking backwards to continue with your evening plans of doing absolutely nothing, “I’ll see you around, Jamie.” He nods and waves at your retreating form, but as you push open the door to the dressing room, it sounded like he was saying something else, but you couldn’t hear so you don’t worry about it.

Even in your two very brief interactions, Jamie was nothing like you thought he would be. You knew he wasn’t that complete asshole from a few years ago, but knowing plenty of professional footballers, you’d assumed he’d be the same as them: full of himself, a little unconsciously rude, thinks he’s the best in every room he’s in.

Today, though, he was none of those things. He was polite and respectful to you and the other players, messing around with his teammates and showering yours in compliments. If anything, he seemed soft and sweet and anything but full of himself. Maybe you’d gotten him all wrong, or maybe he really did have a head injury.

Tags: @andr0medafallen @buckychristwrites @benedictscanvas @whimsical-roasting @sokkigarden @scaramou @guccilongboard @onceuponaoneshot @presidential-facts @yepyeahuhhuh @loveslide @allthefandomtherapy @gibby31 @buddyjuststop @ellietartt @cancvr @rae4725 @brianandthemays @sonyume @aiyaiy @captainfrisbee @dalebo3 @theloud-yet-quietone @imsoluckyeverythingworksoutforme @rockchickrebel @legobatmans9thab @curlypeter @lostinwonderland314 @yokolesbianism @jamietarttdodo @kno-way-home @nicklet94 @fan-goddess @innocentbi-stander

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt x you #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt fic #jamie tartt fluff #jamie tartt imagine #ted lasso #ted lasso fanfiction

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originalficsyt · 9 months

Text

Eren Tells You His Plan to Destroy The World

——————

word count: 1k

warnings: none

click here to listen on YouTube

As you entered the dimly lit jail cell, a sense of anxiousness filled the air. You were here not as a friend, but as the person closest to Eren, chosen by Hange Zoë, the current Commander of the Scout Regiment, to fulfill a critical task.

She believed that you, out of everyone, had the best chance of getting information from Eren, given your past closeness.

The memories of your bond with Eren flooded your mind as you faced him. From the early days of your childhood, you had been inseparable, forming a connection that surpassed mere friendship.

You shared hopes, dreams, and a desire to explore the world beyond the towering walls.

The two of you would spend hours talking about your aspirations, exploring the outskirts of the Shiganshina District, sharing made up stories of distant lands, and imagining what would be beyond the Titans' grasp.

Those moments of joy and laughter had created memories that were etched into your heart, and you cherished the times you spent together.

As you grew older, your bond with Eren only deepened. After surviving through the terrors of Titans destroying Wall Maria, you both vowed to become scouts and eliminate Titans.

You faced the brutal reality of that mission, standing side by side against the relentless horrors threatening humanity's survival. In those moments of fear and uncertainty, your closeness served as a source of strength and comfort.

But as time passed, something changed in Eren. The Eren you once knew seemed to be slipping away, replaced by someone who is distant.

You walked closer to his cell, but he didn’t acknowledge your presence, his eyes were locked on the reflecting image of himself in the mirror.

You looked at him, searching for traces of the boy you once knew, you couldn't help but wonder if your past closeness could bridge the gap between you two.

Could the strength of your friendship reach through the darkness that consumed him and remind him of the dreams you once shared together?

“I know why you’re here.” Eren said as his eyes met yours, and in that moment, you saw the weight of the world etched upon his face. Of course he knew why you were here, you wanted information just like everyone else.

And he knew that the information he held was too sensitive to be overheard by the guards outside.

Without another word, Eren activated his newfound powers, surrounding you in an alternate world shielded from prying eyes and ears.

In this ethereal realm, the outside world seemed to fade away, leaving only you and Eren in an isolated cocoon of existence. The air crackled with an otherworldly energy, and the guards' voices became muffled whispers.

In the isolated realm of the alternate world, Eren began to reveal his plan. He trusted you.

"Eldians have suffered for generations, hunted like animals, blamed for sins they didn't commit," Eren said, his eyes heavy with the weight of his people's history. "I saw a future where our enemies would never stop coming for us, where Paradis would be crushed under the weight of their hatred."

He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing, "I couldn't stand by and watch it happen. So, I decided to fight back. To use my power to protect our home and our people."

“That’s why you forced us to attack.” You said barely holding it together.

"I've inherited the memories of the past, the truth behind the walls, and the atrocities committed against Eldians," Eren explained, his voice laced with bitterness. "It's a never-ending cycle of violence, and I have to break it, even if it means becoming a monster in the eyes of the world."

His revelations left you speechless, the enormity of his plan sinking in. The sacrifice he was willing to make, the darkness he would have to embrace, it was all too much to comprehend.

"I know it's a heavy burden to bear," Eren said, his voice softer now, almost pleading. "But there’s no other way. I have to protect the people I care about. And I can’t let you all suffer because of the world's hatred anymore."

His words struck a chord in your heart. Eren had always been fiercely protective of those he loved, and now you understood the depths of his resolve.

"But at what cost?" you whispered, your voice choked with emotion. "You’re really going to kill millions of people?"

Eren's gaze softened a bit as he heard the fear in your voice. But he quickly regained his composure. "If I don’t protect our people, no one will. This is the only way.”

As the weight of the moment settled upon your shoulders, Eren turned to you, his eyes searching for something – a sign or a glimmer of hope.

"Are you with me?" he asked.

Your heart wavered between the loyalty you once shared and the devastating consequences of his plan. The choice before you was monumental, and you knew that it would alter the course of your life and the world as you knew it.

"I... I need time to process everything," you replied, completely uncertain and taken back by his question.

Eren simply nodded, accepting your response, his eyes reflecting both understanding and a glimmer of hope.

With each passing moment, your understanding of Eren's transformation deepened. You saw how much he had changed since the time you were close, and you realized that the burden he bore had taken a toll on him.

As the alternate world dissolved around you, reality crashed back in, and you were left alone with your thoughts. The guards' voices returned, and the sense of responsibility weighed heavily on your heart.

The path ahead was fraught with complexities, and you knew that your choice would shape the future for both the world and yourself. With a deep breath, you are prepared to face the consequences of your decision, whatever it may be.

As you turned to leave Eren faced the mirror once more and seemingly began talking to himself.

After reporting back that Eren didn't reveal anything, you couldn't shake the weight of the burden he had shared with you. That night you couldn’t sleep as the haunting question replayed in your mind over and over again: are you with him or not?

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firstagent · 6 months

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Spoilers! Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning [Dub]

Here's my full System Restore write-up of Digimon 02 The Beginning. Spoilers below!

In this movie, an adorable, sympathizing Digimon gives a poor, desperate kid the chance to make his humble wishes come true. Clearly they’re the villains of the piece.

Depending on whether you approach The Beginning from the perspective of Lui or the Zero Two cast, you’re going to find it to be a story about one of two things. Looking solely at Lui and Ukkomon, there’s a lesson in how wishes are fulfilled. You’re only going to get what you want out of a relationship if you express your needs clearly and understand the motivations of those trying to provide them. That applies double if they can magically grant wishes, as any good Monkey’s Paw derivative would illustrate. The Zero Two kids face a tale about the nature of fate. Not the dread over an inevitable tragedy as the last parts of tri. and Kizuna explored. Instead, the dread of learning that something wonderful originated from something awkward and manufactured, and how an origin point can be more uncomfortable than a fixed destination.

It’s a bombshell to both us and the established cast: the digidestined were created not to help a digital entity maintain order, but to help a abused four year old feel less alone. There are some staggering questions that arise from all this. Did Ukkomon empower Homeostasis to choose digidestined? Would the Digital World have been defenseless against its evils if Lui hadn’t made the wish? Why couldn’t Ukkomon get anyone together for Lui’s eighth birthday? Even if everything that came before this remains in continuity (and it’s supposed to), it twists the initial contact between child and Digimon into something forced rather than a divine destiny. That’s what the kids have to grapple with, and grapple they do.

What they come to realize is that even if their fated partnership had such shallow origins, they themselves made it genuine. They’re the ones who put the work into creating and maintaining these bonds, the same as any other relationship. The preservation of past canon reinforces that, allowing them to look back to Willis and Ken and even Lui himself to understand that such partnerships, well-intentioned as they may be, have the capacity to go wrong. Theirs didn’t (or at least they got better), and that’s still something to cherish. In this way, it’s still a struggle to accept fate the same way Tai had to in tri. and Kizuna, but coping with the past rather than the future.

Meanwhile, contrast that to Lui and you can understand his cynicism towards the concept of digidestined. Grateful to have his life turned around and unwilling to question the implications of Ukkomon’s actions, he doesn’t put the effort into maintaining a partnership because he never had the impetus to. Without the stakes the other digidestined faced, he’s allowed to continue living his fantasy, only realizing the implications when he sees other kids and Digimon risking their lives because of the wish. Feel to mark that as a possible clue to some of the above questions. Either way he goes to the other extreme, rejecting the wish entirely, inflicting some gruesome body horror, and making Ukkomon very sad.

In this regard, and our astonishment that Kari calls this out so bluntly, Lui and Ukkomon are simultaneously the story’s protagonists and antagonists. Lui’s wish and his initial refusal to rein in his partner are as responsible for this mess as Ukkomon was, while both seek to work together to find a more organic solution to make young Lui’s life better and not realize the wish’s final apex. The Beginning is very naive about the power of communication. Sympathetic as it tries to be towards Lui’s mother, a random stranger grabbing her out of nowhere is unlikely to suddenly reform an abusive parent. And it’s hard to envision a way Lui could have successfully articulated his wish better after it was already set in motion. But this movie follows a series where Davis reforms a former villain just by talking to him enough, so don’t act so shocked.

The movie certainly communicates its feelings about this world’s continuity. Its way of honoring everything that came before it while simultaneously being cavalier about how it’s incorporated is either incredibly frustrating or the most zen thing we’ve ever seen. Kari and TK know of Homeostasis and mention it by name, so they must know of the original five digidestined. But using that to question Lui’s claim of being the first would be distracting and fruitless, so we don’t see it. The epilogue is more intact than ever, with Davis consumed by ramen, Kari helping with a daycare, and Yolei hitting on Ken. But it also treats the notion of giving everyone a Digimon partner as a nightmare scenario with little elaboration. Not that it needs any after Savers and Ghost Game, but Zero Two’s ending relies on the idea of making Digimon accessible to everyone. And despite its close links to Kizuna, when the kids wonder if killing Ukkomon will end everyone’s partnerships, it never weighs on their minds that they may already have a shelf life. In fact, the destruction of the D3s suggest that the bonds are again limitless, possibly reversing mechanics we just learned about.

So why is it all right? Both the elimination of the digivices and the final narration suggest that even if the Digimon Adventure timeline is unbreakable, it is malleable. Events can swerve in different directions, new revelations can upset what we used to believe, contradictions can co-exist, and the rules and logic of the world can be made and broken on a whim. We have to allow ourselves to put our assumptions and expectations aside for the sake of a good story. We still seem headed towards the epilogue, but the surprises Kizuna and The Beginning throw at us suggest we should stay on our toes as we await whatever comes next. Remembering how dull it once seemed to be stuck traveling a narrow path to 2027, isn’t that what we should be wishing for?

My Grade: A

Loose Data:

Suppose we should start out with thoughts on the dub, which is mostly faithful and generally solid. Davis, Ken, Veemon, and Hawkmon are back in peak form, and Yolei sounds more natural and expressive than she did in Kizuna. TK, Patamon, and Cody are fine, while our substitute Wormmon does his best. Kari and Gatomon have the same voices from tri. and Kizuna but sound a little shakier this go-round. Armadillomon’s the same actor, but an shockingly stark downgrade in his direction. As the leads, both of Lui’s actors and Ukkomon absolutely deliver standout performances. Good luck getting that birthday song out of your nightmares.

As far as the script goes, some things like Hikarigaoka and a couple attacks don’t get adapted to dub equivalents, but everything’s pretty understandable. The conversation about switching to D3s is the only one that seems unfocused.

That “Journey 1, Route 1” bit at the start makes it feel like there’s some bigger plan in motion for more Digimon Adventure stories. But it also feels like whatever that’s supposed to be about should have started with Kizuna.

Even if the story is not really about the Zero Two kids, Davis, Ken, and Yolei certainly make their presences felt. Davis Davises his way into getting everyone on board working with Lui and with Veemon offers the motivational speeches. Ken keeps him in check and tries to inject reason to his madness, even if Davis’s introspective side shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise to him. Yolei is back to offering pure personality in her dealings with Davis, even calling out him and Ken’s “flirting” (which Davis blushes at!). Kari and TK occasionally bring up interesting points. Cody… he got them into a computer room?

It doesn’t matter for purposes of this movie and nobody is in a position to deliver answers, but they bring up Ukkomon’s connection to a higher power a lot. A connection to Homeostasis makes the most sense, but there were an uncomfortable number of helixes flying around when Lui dove into Ukkomon at the end there. That’s not usually good.

The effects of Ukkomon melting and later dying track well enough if you realize Lui isn’t actually changing the past. But his mother dropping dead is alarming since she wasn’t physically unwell when Lui made the wish. Her death suggests that Ukkomon taking control of her means it actually killed her years ago. Hope those classmates are all right.

We get the sudden canonization of the ol’ “digidestined count doubles every year” thing that was only a rough guide that even Zero Two proper didn’t actually follow. It still can only be seen as a loose estimate given its inevitable march to the “everyone on Earth is a digidestined” scenario the kids fought so hard to avert, and there are so many surprise digidestined cropping up before the Zero Two kids (Menoa and Meiko are just the recent ones) that it’s a disservice to steer the audience to any hard numbers. So it’s a strange choice to mention out loud, especially when Miyako or Ken just dropping the raw estimate would have sufficed for that scene.

It’s worth pointing out that Lui convincing his mother to stop abusing her kid is happening inside Ukkomon, so the improbable effectiveness of that act could well be one last bit of wish fulfillment before they hash things out. Wonder what would have happened if Davis actually had intervened in the first leap.

Want to support my site and/or my work? Buy me a coffee!

#digimon #digimon 02 the beginning #digimon 02 the beginning spoilers #02tb spoilers

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isaac-roc · 8 months

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So, here are my thoughts on my little meow meows from the dlc (yes, I'm talking about the owls):

The first word that comes to my mind is ''victims''. These people are victims of the Eye, and of the game itself; the first one is easily explained by that one slide reel, which really broke my heart, in which one of those owls scans the Eye and then falls to the ground in horror after getting a nightmarish vision of what's to come. Just the expression on their face, man. I know I'm still pretty early in the dlc, but so far they present as people who just wanted to protect themselves, or take (very understandable) revenge. I'd say the former.

The second point sounds a bit strange, but it's the best way I can put it: they are "victims" of the game (this is not me saying the game did a bad thing, I think it's brilliant actually), in the sense that everything is made to give them a bad rep. The game itself warns you about being scary, and it's obvious that they're the ones you should fear, gigantic deer-owls with glowing eyes, intruding in our solar system with an eerie invisible ship filled with some dark and frightening mysteries.

But I find them sympathetic in every possible way. First, let's look at their stuff. Second only to Timber Hearth, the Stranger is the most welcoming place in the game. The only danger comes from the structures breaking; as a place itself, it's harmless (unless you're dumb enough to swim in rapids). It's way more friendly than Brittle Hollow and its horrifying annoying black hole, or the Ember Twin, which has the worst death in the game. Now, I'm not blaming this on the Nomai, they did what they could with what they had. But the owl people put a lot of effort into making their spaceship a perfect replica of nature, and they're the only ones to do that in the game. As for the contents and structures of the ship, you'll see a lot of personality - and art - there. Decorated houses, rugs and carpets with pretty geometrical patterns, custom furniture, and gorgeous paintings, not to mention the little stylized stuff, like the sun-shaped rotating plates on the doors. Then there's the decorations in the houses, and now we get to look at the owls as people. Their houses have individual and family portraits in them, which shows that they treasure family bonds, and in the slide reels, you can see that they are a pretty tight-knit community (barring that one portrait which is vandalized, which I'm sure will be relevant soon). You see them working together, sharing discoveries, and in that one very sad scene, comforting each other. To me, they are like the Nomai; an alien species of engineers/artists, who have a penchant for discovery, families, bonds, and an interest in the Eye. Oh, and a bunch of corpses lying around too.

But, unlike the nomai, they are presented as scary. Which definitely works, I am personally playing with a heart rate of 500 bpms, but they are only scary according to our horror clichés (and fear of the dark), and if you forget what they are: owls. Of course their eyes glow in the dark, they're owls. Of course it's dark as hell in their world, they're owls, nocturnal people. (I won't comment on the corpse-rooms yet because I'm not that far in the game.) And yeah, green fire is eerie, but all of their light-based tech is green. And having finally gotten the first jumpscare, I'll say... they're chill. Sure, it was terrifying, and for a second there I thought that bird was getting some slow-mo momentum to go for my fucking throat carnivorous style, but all they did was take a huge breath to... blow out my light. That's it. They just kicked me out of there.

So most of the things we find scary about them can just be explained by "they just live in the dark, man". They're just chill birds, who got betrayed by the one thing they worshipped, and are doing... something about it, not sure what yet. Sure, they're stupid huge and their eyes glow, but that's no reason to assume the worst in them. Or even fear them.

I'll wait till the sun comes back up to play though.

#this is a thought-in-progress since I'm probs only halfway through the dlc. for all I know I'll change my mind soon but I strongly doubt it #whatever these birdies are doing I am ON. THEIR. SIDE.#outer wilds spoilers #outer wilds #eote #eote spoilers #long post #I also like them immensely because investigating their stories doesn't require any flying :D

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beloved-daydreams · 7 months

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Folktober2023 Prompt: "Horror movie marathon" 🎬📺 Friday 13th October

An attempt by

Hosted by @jurdannet and @jurdannetrevels

📘1 500+ words

😎Characters: Jude, Cardan, Vivi, Taryn and Oak.

✒️Tags: Jurdan, fluff, wholesome, quality time, familial bonds, implied TarynXThe Ghost/Larkin

Was made in a hurry so it might have some errors but you’ll deal with it 💖

✏️✏️✏️

Last week, Vivi came to visit completely unannounced. A movie marathon for Halloween! She said. It'll be fun! She assured us. Taryn tried to turn her down at first, being 7 months into her pregnancy, she understandably found the idea risky. But Vivi being Vivi, she would not give up. And frankly, Taryn did need some family time and support. With no parents, no siblings and no husband by her side, although she doesn’t want to admit it, it must surely be difficult.

Meanwhile, Cardan immediately agreed despite our status. The High Queen and High King going to the mortal world only to watch movies? It’s a rather shameless behavior to display so soon, but Vivi said it makes us audacious for some reason that I didn't quite understand. The audacity! Or whatever.

Though to be completely honest, I'm pretty sure Cardan only wants to go for the caramel popcorn and to see Oak again. Oak who's now the only member of his "lineage" that he more or less appreciates. I'm worried. Nephew and uncle are maybe starting to get along too much. When Vivi found out Oak had punched a kid at school, instead of feeling sorry or ashamed Oak said "Someone who doesn’t respect others shouldn't complain about getting payback." Cardan said it wasn't his fault and it sounded more like something I would say. I beg to differ but he likes my begging so I just agreed and moved on. Vivi noted that he’s turning out to be a sassy child.

Now, we're lying down on the carpet while Taryn and Oak are on the sofa, Vivi is making the popcorn. She still isn't entirely back to being together-together with Heather. Should've figured, if she were I don't think she would've invited us. I hope things turn out well for them.

"Who wants it with caramel!?" Vivi asks from the kitchen, her head tilted to the side from the doorway so she can see us.

Cardan and Taryn lazily raise their hands.

"Who wants it salted?"

Oak and I raise our hands. Cardan looks at Oak like he’s incredibly brave for that, I roll my eyes. Salt only reduces or stops a fae’s ability to use magic for a limited amount of time, it’s not that big of a deal. I swear Cardan loves to overreact and exaggerate the dumbest things. The other day, I came back dragging the head of a traitor behind me to show the folk they can trust me to protect them. Meanwhile, Cardan said, "You know I love you but please think about the smell it’ll leave on the carpets." Well, Cardan dear, we’re King and Queen, we can get new carpets anytime if the smell doesn’t wear off. Also, Taryn is terrific at home decor anyway, I bet she enjoys decorating and redecorating our halls.

Oak puts his small hand on Taryn’s belly, then his ear against it. He’s excited at the idea of becoming an "unkie" to his future niece like Cardan is to him.

As soon as Vivi’s back with the popcorn, the movie starts. The good thing about watching movies at home is that you won’t be done with the popcorn before the commercials end. And although she’s the one who invited us, she keeps talking over the movie’s beginning, asking us how we’re doing and what stuff has been going on in our "fairytale hellhole." Then it quickly goes to the uncomfortable questions.

"So. Rynryn, I heard that a half-fae dude has the hots for you. How’s that going?"

Taryn cringes.

"Oh please, Larkin is ridiculous. Trying to court a widowed woman who’s still pregnant with the child of her late husband? He has no delicacy."

Cardan raises an eyebrow.

"The husband who died by the hands of his wife, you mean." I hit him on the shoulder and he utters a fake sounding ow. Oak is right there, I widen my eyes at him to make him understand but what’s done is done. Oak turns to Taryn once again.

"Why did you kill your husband?" Oak asks curiously with no discernible malice in his gaze or voice. Taryn smiles politely.

"He didn’t bear for me the kind of love that satisfied me nor did he treat my opinions and feelings with enough respect. And you know what that means?"

"People with no respect deserve payback!"

Taryn smiles and puts her hand on Oak’s horned head to praise him. Cardan and I look at each other a bit astonished. So that behavior partly came from Taryn, huh. I’m afraid that at this rate, he’ll become an amalgamation of all of our personalities. No matter. Vivi presses a bit further, putting Taryn back on track which only results in complaints from Taryn’s part.

"I swear he only ever wears plain and boring outfits, even for revels and casual occasions. Not to mention he has no common sense, poor table manners and his attempts at flirting are horrid, frustrating and awkward. How is he supposed to be a spy and assassin if he can’t even put two and two together? No way can he gain the trust of any of his targets that way." She suspiciously over-explains everything wrong with Larkin. Vivi smiles at her knowingly.

"Hmm. I don’t know, to me it sounds like he already caught his target." Vivi says.

"Why are you paying so much attention to him?" Oak chimes in with more accusations.

Taryn shifts her attention back to the TV, a furrow forming on her eyebrows. She tells us we should focus on the movie instead of whatever she thinks of Larkin. Which is none of our business, by the way. And so we do, we watch. Cardan seems to display no particular difficulty in understanding the images and plot but he’s much more entertained by the popcorn. That is until it runs out and he lets himself get swept away. His tail stands up straight like a cat’s every time he’s surprised by the sudden sounds or imagery, namely the jumpscares. It’s cute how his face doesn’t show his fear at all, he seems to be completely unphased if you ignore the tail. I suppose it must’ve been why he hid it all those years. It puts his emotions on display. Making his feelings obvious.

Near the middle, Oak is too tired to continue watching. Vivi puts him to bed. Near the end, Vivi and Taryn somehow manage to fall asleep on the couch. Vivi most likely because she’s not scared of horror movies in the first place, and Taryn because our presence hopefully calmed her down. In the end, this was mainly for us to get together again. Vivi may be clumsy with her words sometimes, but she’s still the same older sister who hugged us when we got into trouble or scraped our knees while falling on the concrete grounds of our neighborhood. I sigh.

While trying to get up, Cardan stops me. He whispers.

"Let’s sleep here."

I widen my eyes at him.

"On the floor?"

"On the carpet, dear."

I roll my eyes.

"I’m sure Vivi won’t mind if we borrow her bed for the night, as long as…" I don’t finish but Cardan gives me a sly smile nonetheless which makes me hit his shoulder lightly.

We get up and I properly tuck Vivi and Taryn in, leaving them to sleep comfortably on the sofa. Then we go to Vivi’s room and make the bed together. Well. "Make" is a big word, we’re both embarrassingly inept at tidying things up since our attendants do it for us. We just cover the bed with a cover we’ll sleep on, tucked in under another new cover so we don’t have to truly "get" into her bed.

As we lay there about to fall asleep, Cardan attempts to talk to me before I manage to make my way into dreamland, as he often does.

"Don’t you miss such things? Movies, popcorn, late night talks with your siblings? We could do that more often."

I smile and grab his tail, pulling it to my front so I can play with the tuft to fall asleep faster. It relaxes me. Cardan has enough only with hugging me, his arms just under my chest, and if his hands wander around to go higher when I’m too tired, I hit them away and he gets the hint.

"It’s fine. I believe it’s better for me to slowly move away from that, eventually we could try meeting in Faerie all together. There won’t be movies anymore, but the food can be brought here."

I’m not sure what face Cardan is making right now, but I think he didn’t like that answer judging by how his tail is flailing around.

"Don’t give up on that. I wish I always had that." He pauses then squeezes me tighter in his arms. "Or is it because of…"

I want my body to stay strong and healthy. My case is arguably completely different from other humans since I’m the Queen, but I’m not willing to risk it. When I reach my mid thirties or so, I’m thinking of stopping my trips to the human world. I hold onto Cardan’s tail in confirmation. And as I start to believe this might be the end of the conversation, he says one last thing before we fall asleep.

"We could try to install electricity in Faerie…"

I smile.

✏️✏️✏️

Please consider leaving comments and/or tags! Love you 🫵🫶

(And before you ask, yes I made the silly banner myself because I wanna look cool and semi-pro 😤) Tell me it’s working lmao

#the folk of the air #tfota #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #jurdan #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #jude x cardan #jurdannetfolktober2023 #jurdannet #join the revel 👻🎃#fanfiction #beloved-daydreams

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ymaohoh · 3 months

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Chrissy Ran Away - 1/3 - Fic

Chapter one: 2 a.m, we were pounding the pavement

Eddie wasn’t being so friendly to her now. He’d barely spoken to her since she turned up covered in mud and leaves with a fucked up knee. He seemed to be doing his best to avoid her completely. What if Chrissy ran from Eddie after her vision? What if it pushed them apart? They share a joint and it gets much much worse. My take on 'Chrissy lives'.

Word Count: 7,644 (sorry)

Chapter: 1/3 (?)

No warnings. Will be drug use. (See at the end for notes)

Also on Archive of Our Own.

Next chapter 2/3 here.

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Chapter one: 2 a.m, we were pounding the pavement

A dark wizard wanted to destroy the world. He lived in a world that Nancy Wheeler said was ‘upside down’ from their own.

And she, head cheerleader and queen bee Chrissy Cunningham, had very nearly been killed by this wizard and it was only by mere chance she was still alive now. Chance. Luck. A miracle. Whatever you wanted to call it. Thank God that when Eddie Munson stepped away in horror from her floating body - he’d unknowingly stepped back on the TV remote and a championship basketball game was playing. The excited shouting of the sports commentator, the wild cheers from the fans, the buzzer when someone scored a point. These were sounds that Chrissy recognised instantly. They brought her back.

It could have so easily played out a different way.

What if Eddie had moved back an inch the other way? What if the remote was placed neatly on the coffee table instead of discarded on the floor? What if it clicked to the news or some show Chrissy had never heard of?

What if Eddie hadn’t been there? She wasn’t supposed to have been there.

Would she be dead like that poor kid Fred? She’d felt like throwing up when Nancy told them about his brutal injuries and linked it right about to the same dark being that stalked Chrissy. Subconsciously she started tracing her fingertips around her wrists, her jaw, the hollows of her eyes (smearing her blue eyeshadow at the same time). Checking. Reassuring herself that, yes, her body was still in one piece.

She hadn’t recognised the name Fred Benson. He went to the same school as her and walked down the same hallways every day but she still hadn’t known him. The others seemed to - at least the ones closest to her age. Why was that? She thought she knew everyone at Hawkins High and the other cheerleaders were always gossiping. Robin said he worked for the school newspaper which meant they’d surely crossed paths when he attended pep rallies and games? When she became head cheerleader it was plastered all across the front page in bold black print above her smiling photograph (her mom had it framed).

How could she forget an entire person? Had Fred been simply…below…her sphere of notice? That thought made her cringe with shame.

Fred had been murdered just after her almost attack at Eddie’s trailer. Since then her entire world had been turned upside down (she tried to find humour in this phrasing, but couldn’t).

This upside down world, Nancy explained, was filled with horrors and monsters. She thought back to church meetings and camp where they preached about heaven and hell. Chrissy didn’t pay much attention to the meaning behind the pastor’s sermons as he droned on, but it sounded like this upside down world was hell. She’d said something along those lines and the look in Nancy’s eyes had been kind.

Chrissy appreciated it. Especially as Max just rolled her eyes.

Nancy had become somewhat of a lifeline. They all had. Didn’t that usually happen after a tragedy or during times of need? People who went through these scary things together often formed a bond or connection. She didn’t really know the people around her (she couldn’t tell you their birthdays or favourite music) but they were still here together. She found herself trusting them right away.

Nancy and Robin she knew from school and Robin played in the school band (they might even have study hall together). She knew Steve back when he played on the basketball team - though who didn’t? He’d been the king of the school just like Jason so desperately wanted to be now. Then there were the younger kids - Dustin (and didn’t he have the cutest smile?), a girl called Max who had long red hair (her brother had been Billy Hargrove), and Lucas who played on the team with Jason. Lucas was a surprise for sure but he’d given her a polite smile when she said hey.

There seemed to be other names thrown about too - Will, El, Mike, Jonathan - but she’d figure out how they were connected at a later time.

She knew Eddie from school too though he didn’t attend much. Everyone seemed to know Eddie and there were all sorts of bad rumours about him. Jason called him a ‘punk’ and a ‘criminal’ and told her to keep away from him as ‘nice girls like you don’t mix with his sort’. She hadn’t asked him why. Eddie had a reputation for being mean and scary and even now Steve seemed to be giving him the side eye as though any second he might start shooting up. Yet he’d been nice to her when they sat together in the woods. Funny, even. He’d actually asked her if she was okay and seemed to care when she told him she was losing her mind.

After the last day’s events maybe it wasn’t as clear cut as being a punk or being a good person?

He wasn’t being so friendly to her now.

Eddie had barely spoken to her since she turned up covered in mud and leaves with a fucked up knee. He seemed to be doing his best to avoid eye contact too. She couldn’t blame him really. It was her fault he’d been dragged into this horror story. She could respect that she wasn’t his favourite person right now.

She’d ran from Eddie’s trailer afterwards.

After waking up from her vision or trance or whatever it was, she’d ran away like the devil was chasing her (maybe he was?). She could still hear Eddie shouting after her.

"Chrissy! I need to talk to you, Chrissy! "

She’d sprinted right out of Forest Hill trailer park and along the main road leading out of Hawkins and just kept going until her legs (strong and toned from all that cheerleading practice) turned to jelly and collapsed beneath her. Like a wounded animal she’d then limped into the tree line to find somewhere safe to hide and she screamed and screamed into her hands. She only stopped when she made herself hoarse.

Steve and Robin were the ones to eventually find her limping back along the road edge (her knee throbbing). They’d been looking everywhere for her apparently. They’d told her to get in the car if she wanted answers. She’d be safer with them.

It was like one of those science fiction films her brother liked. That or yeah, a biblical apocalypse.

They’d taken her straight to Nancy’s home where they all congregated like it was some war council at The Pentagon. It turned out Max had heard the shouting from Eddie’s trailer and used her walkie talkie to alert the others when Eddie (after two cigarettes and a bottle of beer) finally managed to tell her what happened.

Chrissy’s heart ached when she heard that. She could imagine how frightened and worried he must have been.

Dustin asked her what she saw and she told them about the ticking, the spiders, and seeing her mom and dad with her eyes sewn shut. She admitted how she’d been seeing these visions for the last few weeks but this monster (a dark wizard, Dustin corrected, clearly trying to help) was new. She tried describing his grey slimy flesh and the pure look of hatred that radiated from his black eyes. She told them his voice had been smooth, though, like he was trying to charm or hypnotise her. "He said he wanted to help me. Wanted to at last end my suffering. But then I heard the game on TV and a white light just sort of appeared. I jumped through it and woke up…and then Eddie was there". She’d huddled into Robin’s side throughout (having not let go of her shirt the whole time in the car) and by the end of her speech she was breathless and crying again.

"It can’t be real," she’d hiccuped as someone handed her a glass of water. Another kind soul was pressing something cold to her swollen knee. "I’m just going crazy, right?" If only it were that simple. It turned out the rest of them (minus Eddie) had been dealing with this big bad for years. They’d actually been in this upside down world and fought some of the demons.

It was only then that Max raised her chin and admitted she’d been hearing ticking too. When she said that everyone noticeably sat up straight and stared at her. She stared right back. Lucas’ hand twitched like he wanted to hold her hand but Max ignored him and put her headphones on, indicating clearly that she didn’t want to talk about this anymore tonight.

They all slept in Wheeler’s basement that night though it was well beyond midnight already. They were worried about Chrissy (and maybe Max) having another vision so kept a radio close by just in case (the TV was upstairs and Nancy’s parents wouldn’t be pleased if they moved it at this late hour and woke them up). If anyone started having a vision then someone would search through the radio stations until they found something she recognised.

Steve suggested someone should keep watch and it was Eddie who immediately volunteered. “I’m too wired up to sleep. Seriously. Might as well take on guard duty.”

Steve seemed surprised by this and offered to take the next shift. He clapped him on the shoulder in that macho way men seemed to do. “Just shake me on the shoulder, ok?”

Nancy leant Chrissy a nightshirt to wear so she didn’t have to sleep in her muddy uniform and they both hurriedly got changed in her bedroom. Chrissy was tiny - the result of constant practice and careful calorie counting thanks to her mom - but she had longer legs than Nancy and the shirt barely graced her mid-thigh. She was very conscious of this as she padded back down to the basement though really it wasn’t any different than her cheerleading skirt. She was going to be sharing one of the low couches with Robin and she noticed Steve giving Robin a funny thumbs up which made the other girl blush for some reason. Chrissy gave Robin a friendly smile though as she stretched out under the thin blanket beside her, making sure that her knee was propped up. Luckily the blanket was big enough to cover them both and afford Chrissy some modesty.

“Sleep tight, kids,” Steve said, turning out the lamp from where he was wedged in between Dustin and Lucas on the floor. “No dramas please. No snoring Robin, no flying Chrissy, no drooling in your sleep Henderson. If I don’t get my beauty sleep I’m going to look like Munson.”

“Fuck off Harrington. Wait until tomorrow morning when there’s zero hairspray and you’ve got a wicked case of bed hair.”

“Oh he’s definitely got a can in his car.”

“Shut it Henderson.”

Chrissy could feel Robin sniggering.

Though she was earth-shatteringly tired, it took a little while to fall asleep someplace new. Every so often she glanced over to where Eddie was slouching on a fold-out chair, the radio sat by his feet in case he needed to grab it in a hurry. She couldn’t make out much in the dark but he seemed to be deep in thought. No shit.

She wondered again why he was refusing to meet her eyes. Did he resent her? Was he afraid of her? Did he look at her and see cruelly broken limbs, a severe dislocated jaw, bloodless vacant eyes?

She nestled further down on the couch. Sleepily she thought that this movement might have drawn Eddie’s gaze but her tired eyes were already closing before she could check.

She woke early the next morning. They all did. Nancy explained they couldn’t stay there another night as her parents would ask too many questions but they had some time to have a think while they had breakfast and washed up. While the night had gone by peacefully and with no further visions it didn’t mean they were safe by a long shot.

Chrissy liked Nancy’s parents though.

Her mom made her a fruit bowl for breakfast when she saw her not touching the fried eggs and bacon. She’d heard of Chrissy Cunningham from the other mothers and knew she was a superstar cheerleader, no doubt buried beneath cheer scholarships for prestigious colleges. “Your parents must be so proud”, she said kindly. Her dad was grumpy at first when he saw all of them emerge from the basement but he soon softened up and let Chrissy take a peek at his newspaper which had the words ‘Hawkins high bring home the trophy’ on the cover.

After that they washed up quickly and returned to the basement to brainstorm.

They decided right away that they could not just ignore everything and hope it would go away (Eddie’s idea - though Robin seemed keen on it too). Neither did they think it was a good idea for any of them to be alone. Though Chrissy and Max were the only ones who’d had visions so far, this monster could target any of them next. Like Fred.

Dustin was set on finding this girl El.

“She’s lost her powers though,” Robin pointed out.

“She’ll still know what to do,” Dustin insisted. “She’s our Superman. Our Optimus Prime. Our Jean Grey.”

“Compelling argument,” Steve replied. “But she’s not in Hawkins, dummy. You really want us to load up the cars and drive all the way out there?”

“...Uh. Dude, we could just phone her.”

“Oh. Yeah, not a bad shout.”

Nancy said about doing some research about the Creel family. Apparently a man called Victor Creel might know something. He was in a mental hospital though so she’d have to figure out how to get there and be allowed to question him.

“Wait - sorry - I know that name,” Chrissy said hesitantly. “Creel…I think there’s a house on my estate connected to it somehow. The manager at my parent’s club talks about it. He made it sound like an old ghost story.”

“The Lodge?” Steve asked and Chrissy nodded. She remembered Steve’s parents - the Harringtons - had memberships at the snooty golf club too. “I can get in there. Might be able to do some detective work Scooby-Do style.”

“I can help. The manager Mr Lawrence has…well…he’s always liked me. He called me…ugh… Sugarpie the last time.” She felt herself cringe as she said it.

Max pretended to throw up, muttering rich people.

“Let’s see if we can avoid that, Chrissy. I’d rather not dangle you as bait unless it’s a last resort honestly and…yeah, I don’t want to see that. It’s a good idea though trying the club and asking some questions. Saves you having to speak to some maniac, Nance.”

Nancy nodded and clapped her hands together. “Right. Good brainstorming! So we phone in El for the rescue, I do some background research on the Creel family, and Steve you go and flirt with some old creep. We still need to figure out where to go and wait for El though. Someplace safe.”

“My buddy Rick’s in jail,” Eddie piped up. He’d been very quiet through the conversation and she saw he was fiddling with the rings he always wore. “Reefer Rick. He’s got a place out by Lover’s Lake we can use. It’s secluded, quiet. I’ve stayed there a few times. He’s a good guy. He won’t mind.”

“Awesome. Let’s stay at Reefer Rick’s,” Steve said, a little sarcastically. “This will be fine. Get ready everyone and let’s get packed up. We need to pick up supplies too.”

That seemed to settle it. Steve and Nancy were clearly the leaders here and if they were in agreement then that was the plan. Chrissy was fine to go along with it. It wasn’t really a change for her, really. She was used to being told what to do and having things decided for her. It sounded like they knew what they were doing anyway.

She didn’t even contemplate what it was she was agreeing to really. In her mind she wasn’t really putting herself at risk as she was already at risk. She’d escaped this monster once but there was no telling if he’d come back to finish the job or move on to stalk someone new like Max. If going with them maybe helped - maybe helped end this dark wizard and nightmare - then she would follow them gladly. She didn’t want another Fred.

And she owed Eddie in a weird sort of way, even though he wouldn’t look at her or seemingly want her around. He’d saved her life without even meaning to. If he stayed then she owed it to try and help him. What if he was the one stalked next?

Her fingers fluttered over the bones of her wrists. It was okay.

She would have to come up with an excuse for her parents though. They wouldn’t have noticed her absence last night - presuming maybe she was with Jason even though she’d never stayed at Jason’s - but they would soon.

By ‘supplies’ Steve meant food and ammo.

To her surprise (and really this wasn’t unfounded) Nancy revealed she kept three guns hidden in her bedroom. She also wanted to go to a place called War Zone to pick up some more but that could wait until after they’d spoken to El. Which is what she did, along with Dustin.

Robin, Max, and Lucas were all sent to the store for food supplies and ‘a shit load of blankets and pillows and stuff’ as they were preparing to hunker down at Rick’s until the cavalry arrived. At the last minute Eddie offered to drive them in his van. He needed to do something, he said, or he would go crazy.

Chrissy wondered if this was a dig at her? Even unintentionally. Eddie didn’t seem the type to be outright mean - "you know, you’re not what I thought you’d be". "Like, mean and scary?" - but she felt it all the same.

Nobody asked anything of Chrissy. They hurried around her. They didn’t ignore her - everyone kept asking if she was okay and if she needed anything - but they clearly thought she was unable or unwilling to help.

Do you need anything Chrissy? Are you sure? You can have a rest on my bed, if you want? Let me know if you need a drink or snack or anything.

They weren’t to know her dad was a member of the NRA. He’d taught Chrissy how to fire a gun when she turned sixteen for self defence. She was a pretty good shot too.

So Chrissy took this time to have a shower (though Nancy was firm to keep the door slightly ajar so she could help if needed). She washed all the fear from yesterday away and changed back into her cheer uniform as it was all she had. She brushed her hair (borrowing Nancy’s hairbrush) and even re-painted her nails. Nancy had the exact same shade of bubblegum pink she liked. She plaited her hair back so it hung down over one shoulder neatly.

She asked Steve if she could borrow his car so she could grab some things from her home. The others had had time to grab their bags and pack but she’d gone straight from school, to Eddie’s, and finally here. He’d shaken his head though. It wasn’t a wise idea to be alone right now, he pointed out. Could she wait until the others were back and then he’d happily drive her? She watched as he lined up all the weapons and supplies and carefully noted everything down in a book. She felt she could only agree.

Nancy’s little sister Holly spotted her then and asked if she could see her pom’s. She wanted Chrissy to teach her all the moves. Chrissy gladly spent an hour with her outside in the garden (again with the door left ajar) watching her do little handstands and showed her how to cartwheel properly without causing injury. It was kind of cute and it made her forget for a second about last night. They were still outside when the others came back from the store and started loading up the cars (and Eddie’s van). Again, Chrissie wasn’t asked to help. When it was time to leave though (Dustin called her in) Holly followed Chrissy outside and gave her the cutest little wave. “Bye Chrissy! Nancy please bring Chrissy back, okay? She still needs to go through my stances.”

Chrissy laughed and she gave the little girl a smile, promising she would.

Steve, true to his word, picked up his keys and gestured for her to follow him to his BMW. He was trying to balance three bags in his arms and she quickly hurried over to help. “Just swinging by Chrissy’s. She needs to grab some stuff,” he called. She slid into the front seat. “We’ll meet you there.”

The others nodded. She turned around to put the bag on the backseat, and as she did she noticed Eddie lingering for a moment by his van. Did she imagine it or did Eddie throw them both a funny look? He seemed annoyed about something.

That’s fair, she thought. He’s stuck with just the kids now. Robin’s riding with Nancy. He’s probably tired after last night too. She’d offer to do a night shift tonight if let her.

Swinging by Chrissy’s actually wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be because thankfully her parents weren’t home. She asked Steve to wait in the car while she ran in and grabbed some stuff at random - clothes, pyjamas, towel, underwear, hairbrush, some lipgloss. She grabbed an old magazine too (for the night shift). She also took all the cash she kept in her jewellery box (her savings really - from allowances, birthdays…). She scooped some of the gold jewellery out too. She could always pawn them if needed. She’d need someone to show her how to do it though. Without much hesitation, she also went into her father’s office and took some cash from there too, though not enough for him to notice. She couldn’t contribute much to the group but she was from a wealthy family, whereas most of them clearly weren’t. She had money and from her privileged experience she knew it made the world go round.

She also took the handgun her father bought her for her seventeenth birthday. It had been carefully locked away all this time but now she wrapped it in one of her towels and shoved it at the bottom of her bag. Maybe she could pawn this too. Or use it.

Steve smiled when she hurried back. “I left a note saying I was staying with Amanda from the team. There’s a lot of parties and things going on right now as it’s spring break. It’s a good lie, I think. She’s on vacation with her family so they won’t see her around.”

“Good thinking.”

“I don’t want her to get in trouble though,” she said. “I hope…maybe… this will all be over before she’s back?”

“Yeah…maybe Chrissy.”

He didn’t sound so sure.

They made easy conversation on their way to Reefer Rick’s (Eddie had given Steve directions beforehand). They had similar interests and were from the same background so it made sense.

Reefer Rick’s was actually quite a large place and it was positioned perfectly right by the lake’s edge. Though the building itself looked a bit dingy and dark (she wondered how long Rick had been in jail for) it also looked sturdy. Which was exactly what they wanted. It was also very secluded and Steve mumbled about hiding the cars away from the road once they’d settled in. Especially Eddie’s van as it definitely stood out.

The others were huddled by the door and Robin seemed to be dancing from one foot to the other. “Hurry Eddie, I need to pee.”

Eddie was kneeling down by the door and trying to pick the lock. It didn’t shock her that he knew how to do that. He muttered that he’d lost the key he usually used when picking up more weed...and then groaned. “Damn it. I’ve busted it.”

“Is there a back door?” Robin asked, glancing around. She went to check but that was locked up too. Probably to keep intruders like them away.

She picked up a rock and looked at the windows. “We could use this as a key?”

Eddie raised an eyebrow though Chrissy could see he was trying not to laugh. He seemed to like Robin. So did Chrissy for that matter. “I’d rather not, you know, destroy the place. He’s a decent guy and… though he doesn’t know it due to being wrongly caged by the American justice system… he’s doing us a favour by letting us stay here.”

“He’s in prison,” Nancy pointed out, her arms bundled with bags. “He must have done something wrong.”

“Mere drug charges only, I assure you. Police loathe that more than…you know, actual criminals who hurt people. Trust me, he’s a good guy. I’ve known him a long time. So no window breaking.”

“How do we get in then? I really don’t want to pee in the bush. There could be squirrels or coyotes or bears in there.”

“Robin, there’s no bears around here…”

While they debated the natural wildlife around them, Chrissy looked up and noticed a boarded up window upstairs. One of the boards looked loose and there was a tiny crack she could probably squeeze through if she was careful. Maybe she could finally do something to help?

“I’ve got an idea?” she spoke up hesitantly, eyeing them as though she expected them to talk over her but it didn’t come. They were listening. “See that window? I can pull myself up through that gap and unlock the door from inside? I’ll need a boost though.”

“Like a ninja?” Dustin asked. “Man, I’ve got to see this.”

Chrissy began walking over to stand beneath it and plan her route.

“No way, I’ll do it,” Eddie offered, quickly stepping in front of her. He was a great deal taller than her. “I’ve sneaked inside my share of shitty bars and music venues before.”

“I can do it. There’s no way you’ll fit through there,” she added. Eddie looked her way (his eyes just skimming the top of her head) and she was reminded that this was the closest they’d been physically since…well, last night when she woke up on the floor of his trailer. He looked like he was thinking the same thing.

“You might fall, Chriss. It’s pretty high…” Nancy pointed out. Chriss? That sounded nice. “Or break your neck.”

Fred. Fred lying on the tarmac road with his body crudely twisted like a spring. His jaw broken and slack. Chrissy’s hands fluttered up to her own jaw again and saw out of her peripheral vision Eddie visibly flinching away from her. Honestly…she couldn’t even begin to unpick the series of harsh emotions that flickered across his face.

She felt a little dizzy herself.

None of the others seemed to have noticed her reaction though. Or Eddie’s.

She tried to remind herself about what the counsellor Ms Kelley said about her breathing. “Look, I’m a flyer which means I’ve been tossed around plenty and I know how to land without hurting myself. I’ve trained hard and got a good amount of muscle in these legs. This way we don’t have to damage the house and Eddie’s right. It’s this…Rick’s home...and even though he’s in prison it’s not fair to mess up his home. I know I can do it. Steve, give me a boost?”

She picked Steve instinctively, knowing that after her he was probably the most in shape and he’d mentioned about subbing for the cheerleading team in the car. Without a word, Steve crouched down before her and she placed her sneaker in the cradle of his hands. She quickly loosened up her arms.

“You sure? You busted your knee last night,” Steve said quietly. He was offering her an out.

But her knee would hold. She knew her body and what it could take before it snapped. “On three.”

“Go go Power-Cheerleader!”

On three, Steve boosted her up as high as he could and the momentum helped her fly up into the air. It was just like cheer practice really and they were going through the standard drills. She quickly caught hold of the window pane and used her strong arms to hoist herself up. Bracing herself, she reached out and wiggled the loose board out of place fully so she could make a sizable gap. She then used her core muscles to swing a leg up and with a flick of her strawberry-blonde plait, she was inside. She heard someone whistle.

She very carefully climbed down into what looked like a bedroom and hurried downstairs, careful to not disturb anything. After a few seconds of pulling and pushing, she managed to twist round the stiff lock on the front door. The door swung back and there they all stood.

“Full of surprises, Cunningham,” Eddie muttered as he came through. She thought it might have been a compliment.

“With Nancy’s gun collection, Eddie’s lockpicking skills, and Chrissy climbing through windows, we’re well on our way to make a baddass crime gang,” Lucas said. “We should hit a bank next. Or a museum. Steal some fancy precious jewel and make some serious cash. Steve can drive the getaway car.”

Max made an impatient noise. “With our luck it would be cursed and haunted by ghosts or some shit. No thanks. Will you just get inside? My arms are aching.”

They dumped their bags and set about exploring Rick's home. The front door opened into a decent size lounge with a kitchen tucked away at the back and upstairs Robin shouted there were two double bedrooms and an office (though what did a drug dealer need an office for?). There was also a bathroom which had - Chrissy almost sighed at the sight though it was so so impractical - a bathtub and shower unit. They quickly brought in more bags and pillows and blankets from the cars and Robin and Dustin put away the food and water bottles (“Did you buy beer, Eddie?” Robin asked, “Huh. But no milk. Awesome”). Steve and Eddie went outside to hide the cars and when they came back in Eddie made sure to lock up the front door and bolt it shut.

That wasn’t the end of it though. Nancy, Steve and Robin set to barricading the rest of it, though Steve said they’d need to work on ‘the defences’ more tomorrow if needed. They lugged bookcases, counters, drawer units in front of the windows and stashed the weapons they’d brought upstairs in one of the bedrooms. Steve and Eddie shoved a wardrobe in front of the window Chrissy crawled through. She watched it all, leaning against the couch, and rubbing her arms. It felt like gearing up for war. Like they were in the trenches.

It was beginning to get chilly but they weren’t allowed to build a fire up in the fireplace. Nancy said it might alert the wrong kind of attention. Rick wasn’t supposed to be home so what would people think if they saw the smoke? That meant no big lights either though they could use the torches and lamps.

They were hunkered down now.

And then Nancy told them El was on her way. Along with her brother Mike and Jonathon (Chrissy recalled a quiet nervous guy with floppy hair). They’d be there as soon as they could but it might be another few days.

That seemed to definitely lighten the mood.

Chrissy helped Nancy heat up some food for dinner using Rick’s ancient stove. Though neither had much practice in the cooking department, they managed to rustle up a pretty basic casserole and Chrissy even prepared a salad (reminding Dustin and Max who rolled their eyes that they needed to eat healthy food if they wanted to be like Rambo and fight monsters). Nancy even set the dining table.

Chrissy was about to carry the heavy casserole through when hands reached out and took the ceramic dish away from her. Surprised, she managed a quick “Oh…thanks” to Eddie’s back as he hastily moved away and placed it in the middle of the table where everyone was starting to sit. Oddly Eddie then pulled out a chair closest to the kitchen but instead of sitting in it himself he left it out and plonked himself down next to Dustin and Max on the other side.

Huh.

They ate in silence but it was a good kind of silence where people were happy to just eat and relax. Eddie pulled out a six-pack from one of the shopping bags and offered them around to the ‘adults’. Steve took one and so did Nancy surprisingly. Chrissy, thinking about the crazy amount of calories in a beer, politely declined. She’d only plated herself up some of the salad and a tiny tiny sliver of casserole.

It was dark by the time they settled in the lounge and Dustin and Lucas suggested working on their D&D characters to pass some time. Max tried turning the TV on but it looked like the aerial needed poking (“I’ll do it tomorrow,” Dustin said). So Max, Chrissy, Robin, Nancy and Steve settled down on the couches and pillows and blankets to watch. Eddie seemed happy to play along with Dustin and Lucas if it meant them keeping their minds off the possible end of the world.

Chrissy had no idea about the game or what any of it meant, but was happy to just curl up on the couch by Nancy and listen. They spoke about warriors, clerics, orcs… it was strangely interesting. She found herself being sucked in a little and she peeked over Dustin’s shoulder (he was sitting by her feet) at what he called his character sheet. His character was an artificer. She wasn’t the type of person to look down on anything that made other people happy, even if she didn’t understand it. She knew some of her friends did though. Jason did.

She also noticed that Eddie was really good at being…what did he call it?...a D-M? He seemed to know all about the game and made it sound funny and interesting. It was cute. It made the freshmen smile anyway. She noticed that his foot was twitching though and he kept nervously playing with the ends of his curly hair. The only tells that indicated beneath his cheerful silly mask he was not altogether at ease. She wondered if he regretted buying only a six-pack.

She suddenly felt very protective over the people in front of her. Once back at school (they would go back, wouldn’t they?) she would be sure to stick up for…the Hellfire Club?...if needed.

She stood up to get some water and made sure to clap Dustin on the shoulder as she rose. Strangely, it was actually quite cosy in the house now. Despite the horrors and darkness outside that locked door, it felt like a little haven inside. It reminded her of the family camping trips they used to take when she was a kid. They’d been happy then. Her parents had loved each other. They’d loved her.

It got late and plans were made for the next day though everyone was pretty tired. Eddie and Steve looked beat though they still offered to keep watch tonight out of some macho sense of pride which Nancy quickly called them out on. Robin called the first wake shift and Nancy the next. Chrissy also offered, remembering her thoughts from earlier, but her offer was waved away (not unkindly - just matter of fact). They told her she needed to rest after yesterday evening.

Are you okay Chrissy? Do you need anything Chrissy? Let us know, okay?

Steve wanted them all to sleep in the lounge again together. He pointed out that if someone (and he glanced at Chrissy and Max) started seeing visions then someone needed to be alert. “It’s silent, right? You didn’t hear any shouting or…anything creepy?” he asked Eddie.

Chrissy once again traced her wrists. Her eyes. She hoped they just thought she was sleepy.

“Yeah, totally silent. I only saw what was happening when I saw Chrissy. She didn’t make a peep. The lights flickered weird though, even Max saw them from her trailer.”

“Okay then, so whoever is awake can carry the torch and if it flickers we’ll know something is up and check. I had a good sleep last night so I don’t mind,” Nancy pointed out. “Steve, we need proper sleep in beds. We need to stay ourselves. It’s important we’re rested and not run down. It sounds like Vecna is targeting people who are…well, not at their best.”

Chrissy looked at Nancy curiously and by the way she grimaced and shut her eyes she could see Nancy had said something she meant to keep hush hush. She swore and then looked at Chrissy and Max apologetically. Behind her she noticed Steve shuffling too which meant he already knew what she was going to say.

“We were trying to think if there were any similarities between the students having visions…there was literally nothing at first. Max, Chriss, Fred…you don’t have any friends in common or hang around the same places. We thought it was a dead end but then I remembered Max you mentioning seeing Chrissy come out of Ms Kelley’s room. We managed to look up Ms Kelley’s schedule on the computer and saw you were all seeing her. Then we started thinking…maybe that’s the similarity? That you all needed to talk to someone…and I promise we didn’t look any further though,” she quickly added. “We turned off the computer before we could see any notes or anything.”

Chrissy wasn’t sure what to feel. She didn’t feel angry though she could see Max’s cheeks were flushed red. It made sense that they’d been trying to work out this dark wizard’s patterns (was it Vecna now? Is that what she should start saying?). And it sounded like a likely theory. It was the only thing they had in common, after all.

She was embarrassed though. When she started counselling (after being referred to it by her cheer coach) her parents were mortified. They never spoke about it. Even Jason seemed to ignore it and told people she was getting extra tuition instead “My babe wants those A’s,” he’d said.

Really though. She had bigger things to worry about and what was done was done.

Chrissy nodded at Nancy to show she was okay. She didn’t look around at the others though.

Nancy hurriedly suggested she, Max, and Chrissy share one of the bedrooms upstairs. That meant Steve and Eddie could share the other and Dustin and Lucas could sleep in the lounge. Eddie and Steve seemed uncomfortable about this at first but then agreed. Eddie playfully asked Steve who was going to be the big spoon and Steve told him to get lost.

She changed into her own nightshirt tonight and used the bathroom quickly to brush her teeth and wash. Nancy was already crawling into the double bed with Max stretching out beside her. They’d be sleeping top to tail. It was a stretch but it would be far more comfortable than on one of the couches downstairs and Nancy was right that they needed to sleep on beds if they could. Chrissy let herself lay down too and listened to the quiet sound of Max’s breathing beside her. She tried snuggling back against the pillows (they smelled reassuringly clean) but couldn’t get to sleep.

She’d never been a big or little spoon before. She wondered if that might help but when she pictured Jason’s arms around her (strong and sturdy) she only saw a heavy weight. Like one of those funny white jackets people in mental institutes wore.

She kept thinking about the dark wizard. Last night the come down of adrenaline had helped her fall asleep but tonight she struggled not to think about the slimy creepy face. The dead black eyes.

Vecna.

Giving him a name seemed to make him more real for some reason. It held power.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Chrissy tried to shut the noise up by twisting her head further into the pillow. She knew this wasn’t a vision - she could feel the warmth of Max’s body and heard Nancy sigh in her sleep - but she was suddenly terrified to fall asleep.

"Let me put an end to your suffering, Chrissy…"

His voice had been like velvet at first. Almost purring. But he was lying. He wanted to hurt her. Kill her.

She was still awake when Robin came up to wake Nancy for the next watch shift. Chrissy sat up instead.

“Let me do it. I can’t sleep anyway,” she whispered. Robin hesitated for only a second, her face drawn with tiredness, and then nodded. As soon as Chrissy stood up Robin slumped down in her place.

There was a white blanket on the chair by the window and she pulled it on over her nightshirt before grabbing her magazine and quietly padding downstairs. The sound of snoring and deep breathing told her that the freshmen were asleep. She smiled - good. Even though she was actually the same height as Max and Dustin it felt right that they should have a good night's sleep. It was scary for all of them but she, Nancy, Steve, Robin and Eddie had to be the grown ups here. The least they could do was look after them a bit. Or try to. She knew the others felt the same way too, especially Steve and Eddie.

Robin had set up camp by the door so she could get a clear view of the lounge and Chrissy settled in the armchair there. She used the light from the torch to look at the magazine idly. It helped to keep her thoughts away from ticking.

The house was very quiet. Apart from the snores.

It felt like a hush.

After an hour - maybe? She didn’t have her watch - she thought she heard something move upstairs. She felt herself tense. She relaxed when she recognised it as footsteps. She kept very still as she heard someone walk down the stairs, trying their hardest to be quiet. She couldn’t make them out at first because the stairs faced the other way, but when they reached the bottom she saw a tall figure that could only be Eddie. He seemed to be looking in his jacket pocket (left hung over one of the dining chairs) for something. He was still wearing his ripped jeans and some band shirt though she couldn’t make out the name. She wondered before she could stop herself if he or Steve had got undressed to sleep...did they even own pyjamas? She blushed at that. It really wasn’t her business.

She hadn’t moved an inch, but Eddie’s gaze eventually found her.

She raised a hand and gave him a very awkward little wave to show she wasn’t sleeping on the job.

In turn he held up something (a lighter?) and gestured to the backdoor. He was sneaking out to smoke. He unlocked the door quietly before stepping outside and closing it behind him.

She watched him go.

Getting to know the rag-tag bunch of misfits around her had been nice. She genuinely liked Nancy and Robin (though sometimes she didn’t really get Robin’s humour). She liked Steve. Dustin and Lucas were sweet, and she liked Max’s attitude. One of Chrissy’s talents was getting to know someone and picking out the good. She could see traces of kindness, trust, heroism in each one. It didn’t mean they were all friends yet - it had only been a day really - but she would already feel saddened by their absence. She hadn’t felt that way about any of her friends from the cheer squad. She wasn’t sure she even felt that way about her boyfriend.

They seemed to like her too, despite their initial wariness of her being a cheerleader and popular. Even if they sometimes treated her like she was made from glass. Which, considering what happened last night, wasn’t totally unwarranted.

Yet Eddie seemed to be keeping his distance. He wasn’t being mean or rude and as far as she could make out none of the others had noticed anything off. He was polite when he spoke to her, using a measured even tone. But he didn’t meet her eyes. He didn’t seek her out to talk to. He kept his metaphoric shield up.

He was acting so differently to the man she’d met in the woods for a drug deal. Where had that funny and nice guy gone? He’d made her cheeks hurt from laughter.

He’s gone, she answered. Banished by this dark wizard.

And she would be lying if she said it didn’t make her a little sad.

God, what was her problem with always wanting to be liked?

She took a deep breath and got to her feet, holding the magazine to her chest like it was her own shield (flimsy/cheap). She checked the kids were still asleep and then carefully traced his footsteps outside. She shut the door behind her with a gentle click.

Eddie looked round. She could smell the earthy burning scent of weed.

She bit her lip, steeling herself, and then murmured softly. “Can I have a hit?’

Now that made him meet her eyes.

Next chapter here

-------------------------

A/N: So yeah, my version of ‘Chrissy lives’. Apologies for the length but I wrote this in a total spiral of Chrissy/Eddie fever. There’s going to be about three chapters I think and I’ve already typed out the skeletons (to be padded out when inspiration hits). Prepare for a bit of angst with this one.

A few points:

Love not drugs.

Chapter title from The Beths

Eddie and Chrissy have been through a seriously traumatic moment. They’re going to be processing this throughout these chapters. Chrissy’s response was to run away and sob and let the others take over. Eddie’s response is to stay silent, be broody and keep it all tucked up. Both are totally valid responses to trauma tbh. But I just wanted to explain why Eddie is avoiding Chrissy right now.

Chrissy is not a proactive or forceful person (as far as I can tell from the tiny glimpse we got of her in the show. Hell, maybe she’s a firecat). In this fic she’s very used to people making the decisions for her. Was her climbing through the window a stretch? Could there have been an easier way? Probably but hey ho. I have this image of Chrissy being the prototype for Buffy not Barbie. Lipgloss? Check? Cute skirt? Check. Abs of steel? Oh yes. No vamps though.

I wasn’t around in the 80’s but have some Transformers and Power Rangers references.

The timeline is way off. Sue me. I’m bending it to suit my needs.

The plural of pom pom’s is pom’s apparently. Who knew.

I figure Chrissy would get along well with Nancy and Steve and have a lot in common with them. I can also see her getting on with Jonathon for some reason as he’s quiet and calm. Obviously she gets along best with Eddie though.

Have some American-isms. Take the ‘mom’ and words like ‘gas’ and ‘sneakers’. As Harry Potter would say - take the lot.

Thanks for reading :)

Ignore the story banner shitness. I have zero skills.

#chrissy x eddie #eddie munson #edssy #hellcheer #chrissy cunningham #eddie x chrissy #chrissy lives #hellcheer fanfic #sorry about the length. honestly. idk #chrissy is buffy okay #eddissy

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sitp-recs · 6 months

Note

hello my darling, dearest liv. i hope that every morning is as beautiful as you are and every night brings you tranquility.

i’m so sorry to bother you with this question but i’ve recently been hyper fixated on third person pov drarry fics after reading attention by sarasgirl. the way a third person can really observe and understand the nuances of our two favourite idiots falling in love when they themselves are too thick to see it, it really is chefs kiss.

if you do have any fics in mind/you’ve already made this reclist, could you please share it with all of us? it would be the biggest favour ever.

thank you ever so much for everything that you do and please remember every time you smile, an angel sings somewhere.

Oh that’s so sweet anon, thank you I appreciate it 🥺 I loved reading your thoughts on Outsider POV, it’s not something I read often but I agree it can be quite refreshing and fascinating when well done! I hope you enjoy these recs :)

Let it Come to Them by thestarryknight (T, 1k)

From her position at her loom, Narcissa caught her son's lover slipping in through Draco's bedroom window.

Aftermath of an Accidental Bond by thestarryknight (T, 1k)

When you took the Mungo's third shift, you knew there would be weird shit. You just didn't expect to find the most recognizable face in the Wizarding world shoved into a hospital cot beside Draco Malfoy.

A Doll's Tale by Faith Wood (G, 1.6k)

Harry/Draco, as observed by Draco's childhood doll. Please note, this doll is very self-absorbed.

Ron Weasley and the Adventure of the Dastardly Bastard by Lomonaaeren (T, 4k)

When Harry collapses at his birthday party, Ron just knows that Malfoy poisoned him. And he's going to find out how.

so lie to me tonight by M0stlyVoid (T, 5k)

Ginny thought it would be different, after.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by sleepstxtic (T, 6k)

Astoria watches her husband fall in love with Harry Potter.

Doer of Good Deeds by Lomonaaeren (T, 6k)

Ron certainly knows how to recognize obsession when he sees it, thanks to feeling some of the same with Hermione. And he would rather that Harry's obsession with Draco Malfoy end sooner rather than later. Otherwise, Ron's afraid that he’s going to spend the rest of his life hearing about how ugly all of Malfoy's girlfriends are.

Maelstrom, the water told me by onbeinganangel (E, 11k)

Maelstrom (noun, /ˈmeɪl.strɒm/, from the Dutch maalstroom): 1. a large powerful whirlpool 2. a turbulent tidal current 3. an agitated and/or confusing situation or state of mind 4. a magical core disturbance occurring on an adult, not directly caused by trauma.

On the Couch by Frayach (E, 26k)

It’s a Mind Healer’s worse nightmare to lose a patient to suicide, but Mind Healer Nick Nichols can attest to the fact that a murder/suicide is even worse. If only Dr. Freud had come up with a sure cure for love.

The Girl in the Kneazle Nightie by Saras_Girl (T, 30k)

All Luna wants is for her friends to be happy. Harry and Draco aren’t going to make it easy for her, but that’s okay. She has a plan.

when by now and tree by leaf by aibidil (E, 46k)

When Scorpius Malfoy is saying goodbye to his dying mother, he doesn't expect to hear her confess, "Your father slept with another man and became pregnant with you." Grappling with his grief and his identity, Scorpius sets out to discover his other father, who it turns out has a lighting-shaped scar and no idea that Scorpius exists.

Bonus: POV multiple

Nice Things by aideomai (M, 22k)

The first thing that happened was Theodore Nott came back from France.

Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love by aibidil (E, 80k)

In which a group of wizards' rights activists goes on the offensive after a prohibition against love potions, forcing the magical world to confront the horror of magic's role in sexual assault and the murky legal nature of consent. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Draco are swept together to solve the case, and in the process they're made to confront their own love and lust—with and without potions.

#asks #anon #Drarry reclist #outsider pov

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luneshallshine · 1 year

Text

✂ instructions unclear. (3) | android!san

ღ instructions unclear. (did you mean, "fall in love" ?)

july 10th, 2122

while walking home from work one day, you stumble upon an android from the world up-top, a world you were sure you would never be able to experience. once he opens his eyes, you become his master.

f!reader, fluff, minor angst, learning to love, detroit become human and ff7 references, attempts at humor, this chapter contains more horror implements

ღ word count: 2.1k

ღ taglist : @layzfeelit @ihatemynewbangs @fireheaurt @acciocriativity @lynnsqueendom @moni-cah @hwaightme

CHAPTERS: ONE TWO INTERLUDE FOUR

ღ a/n: i just noticed i hit over 120 followers, ;-;; tysm for the support ! san talks a lot in this chapter too also, i'm so sorry for the lack of replying to your comments n reposts, still new to this tumblr thing so i don't know how to reply properly ;-;;

ღ CHAPTER THREE: PRECIOUS LITTLE THING (IN HIS ARMS)

choi san ...

model #007 ...

status: OPERATIONAL ...

loading ...

y/n's walking in front of me, she smells of alcohol and light coffee beans, i can hear "jongho" packing up his stuff and "wooyoung" thanking him for coming. by the way that y/n looked at me, my condition must appear disheveled.

y/n turns around and grabs my hand, i try and focus on her heartbeat, it's slightly quicker than usual.

"are you nervous master?" i ask, watching her expression morph into something surprised.

"nervous? no i'm confused and worried, san. you ran off and came back with your clothes tattered and i just noticed a scratch on your arm! san when we get home, you have to tell me what happened."

she's holding both of my hands earnestly, her voice laced with concern, her eyes are looking at mine, she looks.. so beautiful.

san waited for you to settle down and well as to finish sewing his clothes back together. it was a nice shirt and some old jeans you had laying around that he was wearing, and being the cheapskate you were, you were determined to fix it. as the needle went through the fabric, san thought it was time to explain everything to you.

"i saw my brother, master," san spoke, "he was trying to get me to return to "our master" as he put it."

"your brother? you have one? i didn't know robots could have family," you commented, still focused on repairing his clothing, "so he attacked you?"

"he was trying to weaken me enough so he could drag me back up there," san explained, "during that fight, his hand collided with mine, and i had a surge of memories come back."

"want to tell me about it?"

"i was created in the year 2118, on october 24th. my creator was a woman, though i blank on her name, and she also created my brother then. his name was..

kang yeosang."

san's led briefly turned yellow, which you learned represented distress or a conflict in his system.

"she created us in a dark basement, and tried to hide the world from us, she would use us for some.. unsavory purposes. mainly manual labor, and at night when she was done for the day, me and yeosang would be shoved into a dark closet. unlike yeosang, i was gifted more freedom. i would be the one who would go outside to buy groceries and was the one introduced to various media. yeosang was the one she experimented on, every week she'd try a new program or change his appearance at whim, i could barely recognize him when i saw him. she changed him, and gave him a new program made to combat mine."

san rambled for a long time, telling you of the memories he had with yeosang. he and yeosang sounded like they had truly bonded at some point in time, but san couldn't remember as to why he woke up in the slums that night.

"what about CYBERLYFE? did your creator work there?"

"yes, she was one of the lead engineers, but me and yeosang were her most advanced creations, she kept calling us her precious little things. compared to the other androids, we were more human, both physically and mentally, according to her."

"what was she like?"

"... i guess you could call her "crazy", she was weirdly obsessed with appearances and strength, hence her constant experimenting on yeosang."

a pit in your stomach made you want to ask: "do you want to go back to her?", but you stopped yourself. his expression when remembering yeosang was not pleasant.

"that's enough san, thank you for telling me. come on, let's go to sleep, i'm tired," you said, watching as his led turned back to blue.

you grabbed his hand, his being a lot softer than your rough ones, him following you diligently. as you walked into your room, san's arms suddenly wrapped around your waist.

"don't send me away, please master. i'll be good for you," san whispered, his body pressed against your back.

"you're already perfect san, don't worry. let's go to bed."

you walked towards your bed, hopping in, and noticed that san wasn't leaving the room. usually he would close the door behind him and begin tidying up whatever he could, but he seemed extra hesitant on leaving.

"san? what's wrong?" you asked, sitting up on your bed.

san's led ring turned yellow, looking caught off guard.

"yeosang knows about you. he told me he would never hurt you, but he attacked me, and we're brothers.. i.. i don't want you out of my sight. it is my duty to protect you," san said, sternly.

"i see. that's ... understandable. here, you can come and lay in my bed with me," you offered, watching as san hesitated for a split second before walking calmly towards your bed.

despite the bed being a bit small, you scoot over and make enough room for the two of you. san tucked himself under the covers, first laying on his back, before turning towards you.

"..i can't sleep without holding something, which was usually yeosang, i was too embarrassed to tell you, and so i haven't bothered sleeping ever since i met you. sleeping recharges my vitals, but i can last a while without it. s-so what i'm saying is, can i h-hold you? master?" san rambled, not meeting your eyes.

"sure."

you found yourself replying without any real hesitation, you were too tired to really care, but you couldn't ignore the voice in the back of your head as san cradled your body in his arms.

doesn't he seem too human?

you and san walk towards the restaurant, he seemed weirdly excited to begin working. san still did not tell you how the encounter ended, but given that he was fully functional when he returned, you're guessing he either won or it was a draw.

"today is the day when kara comes to eat lunch with alice, i'm glad you get to meet them san!" you said, trying to ignore it and move on.

you still needed to make ends meet, but now you had to account for san's wellbeing as well. you couldn't stop working just because you have a target on your back, if you died, at least you wouldn't have to work anymore.

you made it to seventh heaven, seeing wooyoung just about finishing up opening.

"y/n! oh thank goodness, you're safe!" he yelled, running towards you and hugging you.

san watches with careful eyes as wooyoung cradles you in his arms, an uneasy feeling settled into san's stomach. as wooyoung released you, san swooped right back to your side.

"thank you for protecting y/n, wooyoung, i appreciate it. really."

wooyoung smiled as san bowed to him, you watched the scene and you were glad wooyoung was comfortable around san, knowing how jealous he got when you made new friends. he would never tell you, but wooyoung would feel lonely whenever you would go and play with anyone else.

"i would protect y/n with my life, we made that promise a long time ago."

san's eyes narrowed, smiling softly.

"i'm so glad," he replied.

you two waved goodbye to wooyoung, promising to come back for a drink that night. san looked as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"i like wooyoung," san said, "he cares for you."

"me too san, me and wooyoung have been by each other's side for a long time. we did a blood oath years ago, with one of wooyoung's old friends, but i can't remember his name. it was so long ago and that friend soon moved away. in the slums, you live life like it's your last everyday. have you ever heard of carpe diem?"

"yes, i'm guessing that you follow that ideal?"

"precisely, i want to live life passionately until my body stops working, when i can work, i'm as good as dead."

when the two of you made it to the restaurant, you and him walked in to see yunho and seonghwa yelling at each other in a furious manner.

"how could you let that happen?!" yunho yelled, a wave of anger you had never seen before.

"it's not my job to babysit that fucker, he's your best friend isn't he?! how was i supposed to know he'd get lost?! not to mention, hongjoong's also been missing, he's MY best friend, i don't have the capacity to worry about yours!" seonghwa yelled right back, neither showcasing any desire to back down.

"what's going on here?! customers are going to trickle in at any moment, you two better kill this right now or else i'm kicking you out," you spoke up, san close behind.

yunho and seonghwa looked at you in surprise.

"we can talk about this after work, but not when you're on the clock. come on now."

seonghwa and yunho let out short breaths, both tired from the constant shouting. they looked at each other, a silent truce agreed upon before yunho went into the kitchen area to gain some space.

you and san finished getting ready, you told san to go out front and have seonghwa help him, as you went to go ask yunho what happened.

"yunho, what happened? you're crying," you asked, watching as he let his salty tears fall onto the cutting board; forgotten lemons to the side.

"y-you remember mingi? he and i have been friends as long as you and wooyoung have, w-well he went missing last night when me and seonghwa were out drinking with him. he gets lost easily and i was in the bathroom, i told hwa to watch him and before i knew it; he was gone," yunho bit back a wave of tears, "i don't want to blame seonghwa, because he was as drunk as me, but then i saw him this morning and i got angry."

"once you two go on your lunch break, you two will talk it out. okay? i'll see if me and san can help," you said, watching as yunho's eyes ran over your face to see if you were lying.

when he decided you weren't, he embraced you tightly, soft sobs coming from the usually happy man.

"thank you, i just.. i just want him back," yunho said, you gave him a soft acknowledgment in the form of a back pat.

choi san ...

model #007 ...

status: OPERATIONAL ...

loading ...

seonghwa is furiously scrubbing down the counters, there's approximately fifteen minutes and thirty-four seconds until opening. he turns around and sees me standing there, he sighs and bites back a smile as he asks me what i need.

"what.. what happened?" i ask, watching as his brows furrowed like an angry bird.

"why do i feel like i can tell you.. you're just some stranger..," he started, before inhaling, "yunho's best friend song mingi went missing last night when we were at a club, and yunho misunderstood what happened. i was drunk, so were the two of them, and when yunho went to the bathroom; mingi wandered off. when i tried to find him again, no one in the building was sober enough to remember if they saw mingi. i tried san, i really did!"

"you should tell him what you just told me, when the two of you have calmed down, he'll understand," i replied, seeing doubt on his face.

"how do you know that?" he asked, his voice breaking at the end.

"... i listened to his conversation with y/n, he's not mad at you. he just wants to know that mingi is safe," i confessed, sheepishly scratching the back of my neck.

twelve minutes.

"you mentioned hongjoong, when did he go missing?"

"... a week ago. that's why i was on edge when you first came here, i'm sorry about that as well," seonghwa says, i shake my head to comfort him, "he and i have been friends for only a few years but i treasure him deeply. he went missing when he was coming home from his studio and i have felt so guilty ever since. he wanted me to walk with him that night.. i should've....!"

seonghwa starts to softly tear up and i find myself hugging the older man, his equally tall body curls into mine, and i'm reminded of yeosang.

yeosang, are you well? i'm sorry for hurting you, but i know there's something up with you. if you show up, i know we can find mingi and hongjoong.

y/n exits the kitchen and smiles at the scene she sees, i find myself wanting to "blush" as she walks over, a fondness in her smile.

"you did good san, come on, let's reunite these two rascals."

i find myself following her, i want to make the people she loves happy. i want to, i.. want?

i wanted to try out having san's pov, and finally all of the teezers have been mentioned at least once! a lot of lore was dropped in this chapter, i'm quite happy with it :)

ღ lune

#ღ the lune sees all #ateez #ateez fluff #san #choi san #san fluff #san angst #choi san fluff #san x reader #ateez angst

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moonchildreads · 8 months

Note

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

aaaaaaa this one's hard!!! i've only written small town so far (which you can read here lol thank you for giving me the chance to shamelessly promote my work losty 🤎) so what i'm gonna do is share my fave five chapters instead!

chapter 3 - tonight she comes - this is when we meet our girlie dot, and it was my first time writing the hellfire club all together in the same room. here's where we start to explore their dynamic as a group and it's full of foreshadowing for things that haven't happened yet 👀

chapter 10 - that's what friends are for - this chapter has everything i love: the hellfire club spending time together, the gentle will they/won't they between eddie and dot, deep conversations with chrissy, dnd, and a lot of bickering. i consider this one to be one my best chapters and it was the longest i'd written at the time! 💕

chapter 13 - you give good love - another entry into one of the chapters i'm most proud of and, again, it includes a lot of the things i love about small town: wayne being a menace, chrissy being eddie's biggest supporter, dot and eddie realising that it isn't them individually vs the world. this was their first big fight, and i had been working on this fic for around a year by the time i posted this specific chapter so it'll always be special to me. got 3/3 laughs with the sponge bit amongst my friends so that's a win to me! 🧽

chapter 15 - don't you want me - the whole sleepover at gareth's will forever be one of the bits i've enjoyed writing the most about this fic. i adore that little gremlin and so much of him (and the rest of hellfire, really) is based on friends i've had throughout the years. there is something so very pure about a platonic friendship (stobin, am i right?) and if chrissy is eddie's steve, i wanted to give dot her very own robin in gareth. this was me officially confirming that both eddie and dot are bi/queer and bonding over rocky horror, which felt important to me as a queer girlie. it's my fic and i can do what i want, lol 💗💜💙

chapter 20 - self control - the moment everyone was waiting for!!! the love confession!!! it was messy, and so uniquely them, you can't take it and give it to anyone else because it's so dot and eddie that there's just no other way around it: if it had to happen, it was going to be like this. other things i loved about this chapter were allowing nancy to dip her toes into dealing with her grief over barb (more on that later lol), the hellfire class of '86 being there for one another, and finally getting to kick andy's bitch ass down!!!! 😈

honourable mention goes to chapter 14 - missing you, which is the mother's day chapter and deals with eddie and dot's mothers who passed away when they were children. i wrote this one while actively mourning someone i'm still thinking about every day and while i will probably be dealing with this for a long time, this chapter helped me purge a lot of my inner demons and helped heal more than i thought it would. it's my love letter to my person who isn't here anymore, and i know that she'd be proud of it because one of the last conversations i got to have with her was about me writing small town, and she was so happy and interested about it.

i'm in the process of writing chapter 23 right now and hopefully i'll get it out this week if i can stop crying at work for more than five minutes lmao. again thank you losty for giving me the opportunity to talk about small town, i love this fic, and i love writing it and talking about it. 🥰

#bunny answers #small town fic #losty's tag 🐟#eddie munson x female character #eddie munson x ofc #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fanfic #joseph quinn #hellfire club #stranger things 4

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thegayhimbo · 8 months

Text

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons Review

WARNING: The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS from this comic and Season 4 of Stranger Things!

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things "The Game Master" and "Erica's Quest"

Synopsis: Taking place before and during seasons 1-3, this comic chronicles the origins of The Party, their discovery of D&D, how the game impacted their lives, and how their shared love for fantasy and adventure allowed them to bond.

Observations:

Fantasy has always been appealing to me since I was a kid: The idea of creating worlds with your own characters, creatures, mythology, and story. The idea of universes out there more extraordinary and unique compared to the one we live in. The idea your imagination can bring some semblance of peace and security to your life. I know this and have lived through it. Even 27 years later, despite becoming more cynical and jaded through trauma and bitter experiences, I will always understand those who use fantasy to confront the harshness of the real world. It's why Mike's words hit home for me when he's telling the bookstore owner about why he's interested in D&D and wants to spend money on it:

"It really is like a war. We just want to fight on our own terms." Isn't that how we all feel at times? Some days, you're trying to survive the chaos of life, while other days involve you making choices between what is right and what is easy. Some days, everything is a shit-show, and you're trying to find something to keep you motivated. Some days, you have to deal with truly vile people and accept that they exist whether you like it or not. We all fight battles of some kind. We all have different ways of coping with how cold and indifferent reality can be. We all crave some sense of control in our lives.

For Mike and his friends, D&D provided that. Not only did it allow them to process their world easier, but it also gave them a sense of liberation from how oppressive the (as Eddie would put it) "forced conformity" of their society is. It's their world, and it's where they are the masters of their own destinies.

Now I'll admit I never really got into D&D. Both my brother and my college roommates tried to rope me into the game, and at the time I didn't have the patience for it. However, I do understand its appeal, and respect how it's a game for both kids and adults that forms friendships and can be a fun, shared experience for everyone. Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons is not only a story of how D&D influenced each member of the Party, but also a love letter to both the show and the game itself.

The artwork for this comic is incredible and some of the best I've seen so far. I love the drawings of the various D&D campaigns and the creative designs for the creatures the group encounters during their travels.

I also love how each campaign either draws upon the Party's experiences from school and their daily lives, or from the trauma they've endured since their encounters with the horrors of the Upside Down:

That last part is significant because at one point in the comic, Mike seriously questions whether or not D&D has any real meaning for him or his friends following his first meeting with the Demogorgon and the revelation that monsters exist:

Just like in the short story "The Game Master," Nancy is the one who comforts Mike during his crisis. She helps him realize that even though things can't go back to the way they were after everything that's happened, he still has his friends, and what made D&D valuable to them in the first place (aside from it being a means of dealing with the world around them) is that it brought and kept them together as companions.

Nancy recognizes the value D&D has to Mike. It's why she dressed up as an Elf for his Elder Tree Campaign all those years ago, and it's why she still encourages him despite his doubts.

(Side Note: I've always enjoyed the sibling dynamic Nancy and Mike have, and I'm praying season 5 includes more interactions between the two of them).

Speaking of which, this comic does a great job cementing the importance of D&D to Mike and Will's relationship. Mike is the one who introduced Will to D&D and even coined the nickname "Will the Wise" for him:

On top of that, in a deeply heartwarming moment, Mike goes out of his way to craft a specific campaign for Will following Will's rescue from the Upside Down. He knows Will is struggling and scared due to what happened to him, and works to help Will feel better and regain his confidence by giving him the opportunity to be a hero again. As Mike explains to Nancy:

This even extends to Mike handing over the role of Dungeon Master to Will by the time Max and El join The Party:

I know it's pretty common these days in the fandom to bash Mike for being insensitive and oblivious, but moments like these demonstrate he is capable of putting thought and effort into helping and encouraging his friends and loved ones. A big reason Will is passionate about D&D is because Mike inspired Will to embrace his talent and imagination. Will isn't likely to ever forget that.

Another aspect I enjoyed was getting to see how Mike, Will, and Lucas met Dustin. Back in season 1, Dustin remarks that he didn't become friends with them until around 4th grade, and the comic elaborates more on the circumstances of their meeting:

Turns out D&D appealed to Dustin's love for math and probabilities. There's also how he expressed interest in the game and didn't belittle it like Mike's other classmates did. Dustin is a curious person after all, and is more interested in figuring out how something works instead of dismissing it like other people do when they can't understand it.

Finally, there's Lucas's interest in D&D. At the beginning of the comic, when he and Mike are hiding from Troy and James, they go into a bookstore where they see the owner has created a display of The Battle of Waterloo, which is something that impresses Lucas:

There is the possibility I'm reading too much into this, but Lucas's comment about his dad's service in Vietnam and his refusal to talk about it makes me wonder if Lucas's interest in D&D isn't just because of the fantasy-adventure elements, but because it's his way of trying to understand what his dad went through during the war. The game has those battles between good and evil, as well as teaching people about making tough choices and relying on your companions when the going gets tough. Lucas is smart enough to piece things together, and even if his dad was reluctant to talk about Vietnam, he may have figured out aspects of that war based on what he was taught in school and whatever small details he could have picked up from his family.

Mike talks about how D&D for him is about fighting a war on his own terms, and the same goes for Lucas.

But it goes beyond that: D&D gave the boys memories to cherish, and the means to not feel alone while growing up:

Something else I want to discuss are the dates presented in the comic:

I don't know what information (if any) that Jody Houser or Dark Horse Comics were given about season 4 when this comic was written (which came out in late 2020/early 2021), but I find it to be a pretty big coincidence that the date Mike and Lucas discover D&D for the first time is on September 8th, 1980, which is exactly one year after the Massacre at Hawkins Lab took place and El banished Henry/One/Vecna to the Upside Down.

We also find out Mike's birthday is on April 7th, 1971. Granted, this is what the comic presents as his birthday, so I don't know if it's his actual birthday on the show. Regardless, it's still a cool detail.

And this was the gift Mike's friends gave him on his 10th birthday:

Finally, there's the last D&D campaign the Party plays in 1985 before El and Will leave Hawkins for Lenora. On the surface, there are callbacks to season 2, with Will's character in the game getting taken over by an evil entity (similar to how he was possessed by the Mind Flayer) and the Party having to work together to save him:

The big difference is while Will was able to be rescued in season 2, his character dies tragically in the game:

Again, I'm not saying the comic creators have any foreknowledge of what's going to occur in the final season, but I've been firm in believing that one or more main characters will end up dead before season 5 is over. I did a post a while back speculating that Mike was marked for death (and giving my reasoning for why), but I also wonder if it could also be Will, especially because of Vecna's creepy interest in him. There's a connection between the two of them the show hasn't fully explained yet, and (as I talked about in my review of Stranger Things The Other Side), I've seen fans on social media note the parallels between Vecna and Will and speculate on the idea of Will possibly turning evil in the last season. I'm skeptical of that happening (mostly because of the backlash the Duffer Brothers would face for it), but I do question what Will's fate will be in the final season. For what it's worth, Ross Duffer mentioned in an interview that Will's arc in season 5 will tie the whole series together, so make of that what you're able to.

There's also the final battle:

I remember the vision Vecna shows Nancy in season 4: A dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. A creature with a giant gaping mouth. An army of monsters invading. The death of her family (including Mike). Most of this is likely foreshadowing for what's to come. Just like the Party faces down an army of demons in their final game, they will also be facing down Vecna's army of monsters in the final season.

But in spite of how bad circumstances get, the one thing I trust is the Party will still have each other to rely on. I will be sad to see them all of them go once the show is over.

Overall, a solid comic and one of my personal favorites. I highly recommend it.

Coming Soon: Stranger Things Kamchatka Review

#stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #el hopper #max mayfield #nancy wheeler #vecna #henry creel #number 1 #the mind flayer #stranger things season 4 #stranger things comics #stranger things and dungeons and dragons #tgh opinions #tgh reviews #the duffer brothers

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