#especially if Mike went 17

[thegrandharveyspecter]

What would you do if Mike turned into an actual kid? Like a 10 year old or a 17 year old 😂

"Oh, god...Lord help me if that happens. I don't know what's worse, him being ten or him being seventeen. Probably seventeen because all teenagers are just...ugh. Like I said before, if Mike is this bratty now, he was probably worse at seventeen. So, I think I'd prefer if he turned into a ten-year-old. But at the same time...You know what? Let's just keep the brat his current age."

[aweina]

౨ৎ. CHOCOLATE LIPSTICK ( 17﹢) ; mike schmidt

tags fem reader. enemies to ( ? ). mike is mean + angry. 2-3 year age difference. sexual tension. oral fixation. semi-brat taming + 1k words.

mike was staring at you funny, it made you feel weird — annoyed, actually.

“what?” your voice was harsh, muffled by the sweet frozen yogurt coating your mouth.

he raised a brow at your tone, a little vexed from your sudden attitude. it reminded him of the bratty kid he happened to escort out of a toy store just an hour ago. he’s in a bad mood already, but there was no reason to get mad right now.

“don’t talk with your mouth full.” mike tiredly mumbled. an honest suggestion, but half of what he really wanted to say.

you rolled your eyes at his critiquing words. he always seemed to lecture you about the littlest things. how you’re not as productive during your usual security checks or even that one time he was finding the mall keys during your shared nightly protocols — making sure to make a sly comment and sprinkle in an unneeded suggestion about how untidy your bag was. exactly how an obnoxious parent would.

it was annoying. being treated like a child and especially by someone like mike. so what if he was a few years older? slightly more mature than you, much more responsible, and definitely not hot. just a little bit tho, but you’ll never admit that.

but ninety-percent of the time he pisses you off, and this is one of those times.

you swallowed down the yogurt that melted from your seething irritation, brows furrowed at the snarky comment he had to make about your dining etiquette. it’s a fucking mall food court, not a fine dining restaurant.

“do you always have to be a dick to me?” your words were laced with venom, all the suppressed anger managed to bubble out your throat.

his calloused fingers suddenly stopped twisting on the volume of the two-way radio, usual soft hazel eyes darken to a muted brown, stubbled jaw clenched. mike swallowed back the urge to say a few fighting words at your childish retort.

your tone wasn’t a big deal. well, until now.

his day has already been ruined. parents weren’t so attentive when it came to their bratty children, that meant he had to parent them himself — awkwardly standing until their tantrums fall silent or escorting dozens of children that happen to run off for some ridiculous toy. he didn’t need anymore whining from you, especially about something he’s done without the intention of malice — you were childish, immature.

“i don’t need to hear this right now.” mike was too tired to argue. a heavy sigh escaping his lips, his rough hands brushing away the tired feeling in his eyes. “you’re acting like a kid right now, you know that?”

you swore your blood pressure just went up.

“see that’s what i’m talking about! you treat me like a kid and you have to be a total asshole about it. why?”

passing families and teens curiously looked towards your table, the sudden blast of your agitated voice drawing unneeded attention. just what mike needed.

he turns away from their prying eyes, flustered that he was a victim of your grownup tantrum. mike continues the silent treatment as he listens to your incoherent babbling, colorful words like “old man” and “asshole” passed through his eardrums like a sour tune. the grip of his arm was deadly tight. yet, your pouting made his heart skip a bit. it was adorable, it always has been. but not when it’s accommodated with your high-pitched whines, your brows knitted with all these negative emotions, cheeks redden from breathless insults. the angry look in your face looked so familiar — it was the same look everybody seemed to give him.

all this over a smudge of frozen yogurt on your mouth. he would laugh if he wasn’t at his breaking point.

“fuck, i hate yo – !“ with sudden force, mike grabs you by your chin, the pouring insults latched shut with a firm grip.

the reddish hue on your face that was once from your vexation became brighter from mike’s unusual forcefulness — he has never been this angry with you before. weirdly enough, you don’t hate it.

the chocolate remnants blotched over your cheeks, dribbling from your unwiped mouth, was he pointing this out the whole time?

“watch your mouth.” you didn’t know if he meant the mess you made or your little tantrum session that set him off.

maybe both, you can’t tell anymore.

you both stare at each other for a second, the tension so thick in the air — the invasive looks felt like a blur in the background, or rather, seemingly drawn away by this peculiar exchange. hazy eyes slowly peered down at your mouth, deliciously glazed with chocolate yogurt. it was tooth aching, he could imagine the taste on his tongue. if only he was a little closer, he never had to daydream about this ungodly sight for weeks.

his thumb slowly drags over your pinkish flesh, gathering the sweet residue that coated your quivering lips. he reached over the corners of your mouth, studying every hitch of your breath and the way you nervously fiddle with the plastic spoon. someone so loud, bratty, could be silenced with a single touch.

pushing past your pursed lips and clenched teeth with ease, his sweetened touch swirled all over your taste buds — the subtle hints of sweat somehow tasted sweeter than the chocolate goodness. mike watches you closely, his slacks suddenly feeling tight. you’re letting him do this to you, without a protest or your usual dirty look.

for another second, his fleeting touch brushed against your wet muscle, mesmerized by its softness. the darkness that loomed in his irises vaporized into a soft green, lured by the sight of an obedient mouth. he finally draws away, a string of saliva connecting his cleaned off thumb and your glossy lips. the rigid grip on your chin loosens as mike huffs in mild irritation, mostly out of astonishment from this predicament.

mike stands from his seat, hiding his hard-on with his bunched up security jacket — hand still soaked from your dribbling saliva. awkwardly, he picks up the trash splayed over the table, making sure his car keys were stuffed deep in his pocket.

“i’ll see you tomorrow.” he steadily spoke, seemingly unbothered.

you nodded, mouth still slightly agape.

mike walks off, leaving you with your own muddled thoughts.

out of complete horror, you hover your nimble fingers over your mouth — the taste of his skin still permeates on your tongue. even with how intimate that whole situation was, mike made sure to clean the remnants of frozen yogurt off your face.

the gall to leave you utterly confused, edged by this new side of your usual grumpy coworker. there was a line between guilty attraction and burning hatred towards mike, you were stuck in the middle of it. but your racing mind seemed to linger towards the shadows casting his tired eyes, the focused look on your compiling mouth, the demand in his voice animating your body like a toy. fuck, yeah okay, he was hot.

the ache between your legs seeped arousal through your pants, you thanked your employers that your uniform was black. gosh, it’s been so long since anybody has touched you like that.

you nearly break your skull when your head falls defeatedly on the table — a heavy groan vibrating in your chest.

you don’t know if you could come to work tomorrow.

© aweina : please do not copy, repost, or modify any of my content.

[goaliekisses]

woof juicy news day for us pens fans. not only do we have sidney crosby’s Seduction of kyle dubas, now we have this article on Why Hextall Sucks (and how he pissed off even sidney crosby) + some angsty Geno details that i will only relish now that he’s still with us:

Early last summer, at his spacious home in Montreal, Kris Letang finally saw the document that secured his future in Pittsburgh.

No stranger to the multi-page, standard player contract, this one was particularly special. It was his fourth, and probably his last. It contained specific elements Letang and his agent required. One line read “six years.” Another read “$36.6 million.” The line that Letang really loved?: “full no-movement clause.”

Together, those words recommitted Letang and the Penguins, the only NHL franchise he had ever known. At 35, he would finish his career in Pittsburgh.

As word spread last July 7, Letang’s phone blew up. The flood of well-wishers included teammates past and present, various Penguins personnel he’d befriended over his previous 16 seasons, and family and friends. He took only a few calls. Among them: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, his oldest and dearest teammates in Pittsburgh, who were thrilled for him.

Crosby, the Penguins captain and franchise icon, had made it clear to general manager Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke as far back as the 2021 offseason that he wanted the team to re-sign impending free agents Letang and Malkin so the three veterans and lifetime Penguins could take another shot at a Stanley Cup together.

Would Crosby pressure ownership to sign Malkin and Letang? “I’ve never wanted to be GM,” Crosby said. “I think they know how I feel.”

While the negotiations with Letang took longer and were more difficult than expected, Hextall’s discussions with Malkin had turned dark. Only days before the start of free agency last summer, Letang, Crosby and coach Mike Sullivan worked overtime trying to calm Malkin, who was stewing over lowball early contract offers, limited communication with Hextall and veiled public shots from Burke.

“How bad is it?” Letang asked Crosby about the state of Malkin’s emotions and the negotiations.

“Pretty bad,” Crosby said.

Hextall first irritated Malkin late in the 2021-22 season by offering a short-term contract extension to his agent, J.P. Barry. In the offseason that animosity built as weeks passed without a follow-up conversation from Hextall. On June 17, Hextall told Barry that the team’s offer was “take-it-or-leave-it,” and the next day Burke used those words to characterize the negotiations during multiple media interviews. Not surprisingly, Malkin, a sure Hall-of-Famer, went from annoyed to insulted.

For weeks leading up to and after Letang’s deal was finalized, Malkin stewed at home while Crosby, Letang and Sullivan checked in with him from afar. With no deal in sight, Malkin began speaking to his small inner circle as if his time with the Penguins was concluding.

Hextall fielded daily questions from Fenway Sports Group brass about why Malkin hadn’t yet been re-signed. Hextall was also taken aback by the barrage of calls and texts — from Penguins alternate governor Dave Beeston, from Crosby and Sullivan, from president of business operations Kevin Acklin — after reports surfaced that Malkin would test free agency. He told his agent he wanted to “show Hextall and Burke” by trying the open market.

Malkin had joked during the ’21-22 season that he was “a rich guy,” insisting he didn’t need to worry about money on his next contract. He was having a laugh, but was also somewhat serious. He had taken less than market value on two previous deals with the Penguins and expected that trend to continue on his final NHL contract.

He was about to turn 36. He wanted to play until he was 40. He sought a contract with a no-trade clause. But more than money, he needed the Penguins to show they really wanted him, something he felt was lacking, especially from Hextall. By July 11, 2022, Malkin was convinced he’d already practiced in Cranberry for the last time.

After tucking in their son, Nikita, Malkin and his wife, Anna, sat on their leather couch and looked at a summary sheet of Hextall’s latest offer: four seasons, $24.4 million total, a full no-movement clause.

Malkin was fine with what he read. The sticking point was his bruised feelings.

“They not think I good player,” Malkin wrote in a text message to Crosby.

“They not want me,” Malkin texted to Letang, who had stepped up efforts to console Malkin after signing his deal.

Malkin wanted to stay in Pittsburgh, but he no longer trusted either Hextall or Burke. Crosby and Sullivan intervened. Each spent hours on the phone with Malkin as July 11 became July 12. Careful not to tell him what to do, Crosby and Sullivan implored Malkin to “not worry about those guys” — Hextall and Burke — when making a final decision. Letang, too, jumped into the mix. Together, two-thirds of the Big Three and their coach brought up every special moment, funny story and great time they could remember to remind Malkin what they had built in Pittsburgh. Malkin paced from room to room at his condo in Fisher Island, finally beginning to feel wanted again.

As early morning shifted to late afternoon, Malkin had heard enough to make a decision. He called his agent, Barry, with instructions to re-engage with Hextall and take the offer. Upon calling, Barry was surprised to find a receptive Hextall.

After hanging up with Barry, Hextall bragged to his assistant GM, Chris Pryor, and a handful of staffers, that he “got him on my terms — that’s how you negotiate.” Malkin informed Crosby, Letang and Sullivan that he was staying. When talking to Crosby and Letang, Malkin sounded happy for the first time in a long time.

“We win next year,” Malkin told his friends. “Big year get back Cup.”

also these bits 🥺

After McGinn was put on waivers, he played a memorable final game with the Penguins, blocking shots and setting up Crosby for a dramatic tying goal in the third period. In the locker room afterward, his soon-to-be-former teammates named him player of the game, eliciting a massive roar from the group that could be heard through closed doors.

Hextall traded Teddy Blueger during the same trip. In the middle of a dinner with the players’ fathers, arranged by Crosby at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, Blueger learned via social media that he had been dealt to Vegas. He and his dad abruptly left the restaurant. Crosby rushed to console his now former teammate and after a few minutes returned to the dinner. “That’s not how we do things in Pittsburgh,” he said. Crosby remained mostly quiet the rest of the night.

…Long after most of their teammates had left the locker room after the demoralizing 5-2 defeat, the Big Three remained.

Malkin was emotional, his voice rising as he spoke. He had been dreaming of his beloved parents, Natalia and Vladimir, returning to Pittsburgh for another postseason run. Instead, they’d stay in Russia.

Letang, in the adjacent corner of the room, spoke thoughtfully and contemplatively. He had been through hell and back all season, and the Penguins’ loss was another blow.

Then there was Crosby, who sits at the center of an arc of connected lockers. The Penguins captain, with gray hairs that seemed to grow more plentiful throughout the season, sat stoically. After finishing interviews, Crosby sat by himself, staring straight ahead before slowly walking out of the locker room.

sorry need to add the header too because i would totally watch this telenovella

[mightyflamethrower]

What's a Little Creepy About the FBI's Arrest Warrant for a Blaze News Reporter

We have another instance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation going off the reservation. A Blaze News reporter who has done a couple of stories on the January 6 riot, which embarrassed the Justice Department, will be forced to turn himself in on Friday. Steve Baker has cooperated with the Justice Department, which has had Baker on their radar for months.  

The creepy part about this story is that this reporter doesn’t know what charges he’s facing. The FBI has instructed him to wear clothing that suggests he’ll be forced to wear an orange jumpsuit. However, the Justice Department told Baker and his legal team that misdemeanors were the only charges facing the journalist. The outlet had all the details about the legal drama in a lengthy post, including the stories that might have painted a target on Baker’s back 

"They didn’t have to go this route," Baker told Blaze News on Tuesday evening. "We have been told that my charges are only misdemeanors. And my attorneys have been assured that this will be an ‘in and out’ affair with 'no intention' to detain me. But rather than issuing a simple order to appear, they went the 'arrest warrant' route."  What's more, Baker said he still does not know what the charges against him are, noting to Blaze News that the powers that be won't tell his attorney about the charges because they believe Baker will post them on social media.  Baker's Dallas attorney, James Lee Bright, added to Blaze News that withholding the nature of the charges against his client is a "really unusual" move. Bright also said he's hoping to get a copy of the complaint against Baker as early as possible Friday morning.  […]  Bright told Blaze News that he's "disturbed" about what's transpiring with his client, especially given that Baker has been "in full compliance" all this time. Bright also said the federal government "three-plus years later going after people who were legitimate functioning journalists that day" appears designed to have an "absolute chilling effect."  […]  Baker added that when he asked his other attorney, William Shipley, why the federal government is treating him like this, Shipley replied, "You know why. You've been poking them in the eye for three years" 

Baker's first Jan. 6 analysis for Blaze News came last October, following countless hours in a House subcommittee office looking at frame after frame of Jan. 6 closed-circuit video — and it had him wondering: did Capitol Police Special Agent David Lazarus perjure himself in the Oath Keepers trial? 

Soon after, the slow pace of getting an unrestricted look at everything recorded on video prompted Blaze Media editor in chief Matthew Peterson's appeal to House Speaker Mike Johnson to release all the videos. On Nov. 17, Johnson did just that. 

Baker's investigative efforts also resulted in two additional analyses, both focusing on Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn: "January 6 and the N-word that wasn't" and "Harry Dunn's account of January 6 does not add up. At all." 

In December, Baker alleged he uncovered major irregularities involving Dunn, Capitol Police, the press, and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland). 

In January, Baker asserted that just-released U.S. Capitol closed-circuit TV video clips from Jan. 6 show Lazarus gave false testimony in the Oath Keepers trial. 

Like Michael Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi, and Alex Gutentag, Baker also touched upon the curious case of the January 6 pipe bomber and the alleged targeting of the Republican National Committee, wherein new evidence suggests that the RNC was not the target. The FBI might have misrepresented the location of the supposed explosive device, which a then-FBI contractor discovered. 

The FBI has harassed and targeted pro-life activists, so going after reporters who have questioned their narratives about some highly politicized stories isn’t shocking. The Obama CIA and DOJ colluded to manufacture a fake narrative about Russian collusion against Donald Trump. The FBI made up evidence to justify an illegal FISA spy warrant against Trump campaign officials. The FBI and the Secret Service appear to be engaged in a cover-up regarding the ever-elusive pipe bomber who cannot be found. They can find hundreds who entered the Capitol building that day, but not this guy.  

[cardinalcringe]

(And in case you don’t have a NYT subscription, here they all are):

“We don’t take an oath to a country. We don’t take an oath to a tribe. We don’t take an oath to a king or a queen, or to a tyrant or a dictator. And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.” - Mark Milley

“The president has very little understanding of what it means to be in the military, to fight ethically or to be governed by a uniform set of rules and practices.” - Richard Spencer

“President trump and other officials have repeatedly compromised our principles in pursuit of partisan advantage and personal gain.” - HR McMaster

“Donald trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people- does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort.” - James Mattis

“ I have a lot of concerns about Donald trump. I have said that he’s a threat to democracy.” - Mark Esper

“ a person who admires autocrats and murderers dictators. A person who has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.”- John Kelly

“ I think the events of the capital, however, they occurred, were shocking. And it was something that, as I mentioned in my statement, I cannot put aside.”- Elaine Chao

“Unfortunately, the actions and rhetoric following the election, especially during this past week, threaten to tarnish these and other historical legacies of this administration. The attacks on the Capital were an assault on our democracy, and on the tradition of peaceful transitions of power of the United States of America, brought to the world.”- Alex Azar

“Moron.” - Rex Tillerson (re: trump, repeatedly)

“It’s more than just a bunch of papers and what big deal is this and so forth. Lives can be lost.” - Dan Coats

“I didn’t feel he did what he needed to do to stop what was happening.” -Betsy DeVos (a stupid bitch overall, but still right)

“It will always be, ‘Oh, yeah, you work for the guy who tried to overtake the government.’” - Mick Mulvaney

“The fact of the matter is he is a consummate, narcissist, and he constantly engages in reckless conduct that puts his political followers at risk and the conservative and Republican agenda at risk.” -Bill Barr

“By the time I left the White House, I was convinced he was not fit to be president… I think it is a danger for the United States if he gets a second term.” -John Bolton

“We need more seriousness, less noise, and leaders who are looking forward, not staring in the rearview mirror claiming victimhood.” - Mike Pompeo

“He asked me to put him over the Constitution, and I chose the Constitution, and I always will.” - Mike Pence

“He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again.” - Nikki Haley

Stupid. Selfish. Divisive. Authoritarian. Unserious. Tyrant. Professional Victim. Insurrectionist. Narcissist. Dangerous. Moron.

Trump’s best people sum him up.

[hab-a-nice-day]

First NHL Hat Trick for Our Favourite 1OA April 9, 2024

Pregame Media Ops: Slaf commenting on how all the young guys on the team are growing... A nice, humble reflection from the one who's had the steepest growth this season:

First Period 1:05: Matheson rips it and scores. The guys are pumped, Matty leads the high five line in front of the bench.

Oh, wait. It deflected off Slaf, who was obstructing the goalie's view at the net. #17 on the season for this kiddo.

Kelly Greig caught up with him during intermission to give him credit for the deflection. After apologizing for not having much of a voice for the interview, Slaf laughed off the praise as usual:

Second period 8:43: Suzy dishes a nice pass that Slaf puts right into the net.

Cue Slaf immediately crediting Suzy for that Spooky Suzuki pass:

Of course Cole had to grab Slaf's face... because who can resist pinching those goofy baby boy cheeks?

Not Coco, the king of nose boop cellys and chin scratches, obviously.

And Slaf was all... 😝

Goal #18, check. 2-0, Montreal. Little guy returns to the bench all smiles... and on hatty watch.

Gally scores, 3-0. And then, after RHP hit a player and created a little space, he and Slaf executed a quick line change and Savy sent a long pass in his direction, for this beauty at 11:22:

And it started raining hats... A pretty special experience for the fans and for Slaf, who later quipped that he'd had a hat trick as a kid and the only one who threw his hat was his dad. [I don't know whether that's a laugh about it or cry about it piece of information, but anyhow it's very endearing.]

TSN's Frankie Corrado was thrilled and may have used the phrase "ELITE SNIPER JURAJ SLAFKOVSKÝ!" and gushed a little about Slaf's perfect-for-Montreal personality. [He loves Junior, and I am here for it.]

His teammates weren't bothered by his success either and gave him a round of fist bumps, head pats and congratulatory stick taps. Mike snatched up the puck before skating over and giving Slaf a little extra congratulations, Suzy reached over the bench to give him a good stick tap, and Newy had a happy head pat for the team's baby. Slaf later mentioned that one of the guys saved a hat for him.

Montreal went on to score 5 more goals, ending the game 9-3. Big W.

The three stars at the Bell Centre:

⭐⭐⭐ Dvo

⭐⭐ Gally

⭐ Slaf

The little fist bump between Gally and Slaf in the tunnel... Aww.

First career hat trick, 19 on the season now. How did that feel when you saw the hats flying on the ice?

—Marc Denis, RDS

Slaf wasn't able to respond right away because of cheers coming from the crowd. He asked if he should respond then decided to wait a little.

Once the crowd quieted enough, Marc Denis asked him a few questions, and Slaf mentioned how happy he was for Dvo (who scored two goals in his first game after returning from injury/surgery) "and especially for Gally." (who also scored two goals and got an assist).

Listen, we've seen it a couple of times… You're pretty calm and quiet right now but you're had some crazy reactions when you're scoring goals.

Juraj, immediately... 😝

Where does that comes from?

Marc Denis translated his answers for the crowd and Slaf broke out his best "Merci beaucoup!" walking the fine line between cracking himself up and patting himself on the back for his efforts as he signed the lens:

The kid was happy, the team was happy for him.

He hasn't stopped smiling and he shouldn't. I mean, it's a pretty cool moment for him, especially to be at home for the fans to obviously reward him like that. I mean, they support him. They love him for a reason. I think he's gonna be a good player here for a long time, an important player on this team.

—Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens, Post Game, April 9, 2024

The progression he's had this year is unbelievable. He's a special player, so it's been a lot of fun to watch him from up top per the TV. Now to see it on the ice, see his first hat trick, was a special moment. Yeah, he was having a good time.

—Christian Dvorak, Montreal Canadiens, Post Game, April 9, 2024

Slaf was beaming during the post game media ops, although admitted that he hadn't been able to nap that afternoon because he just couldn't fall asleep.

He was pretty hoarse, too, but shrugged it off as no big deal, jokingly adding that being tired and under the weather was a small price to pay if it helped to achieve the same results every game.

After a little more chatting, one of the reporters brought up Slaf's latest history-making accomplishment...

Maybe you've been asked, but you're the second youngest player to score a hat trick for the Habs. How does it feel?

...which led to a classic *humble shrug* Slaf moment:

I don't even know these records. It's not important. [ … ] It's not about records, it's… Yeah… I'm just happy for team win, and yeah, I got lucky, scored three. [ Laughs ]

—Juraj Slafkovský, Montreal Canadiens, Post Game, April 9, 2024

The Habs can count their team lucky to have scored such a gem of a kid.

Slaf's parents, Juraj, Sr. and Gabriela, and his little sister, Lucia, had recently left Montreal after visiting him for his 20th birthday, so they didn't see his hatty in person, but some of his friends were who were visiting from Košice were at the game and got to celebrate the win with him and some teammates.

After the game, my friends and I went to a restaurant with a few guys from the team. It was a great evening. We were heading to New York the next morning, so I couldn't stay up too late. Unlike my pre-game nap, I didn't have any trouble falling asleep. I took some medicine since I was a little sick—I had lost my voice, I had a cold and a runny nose. Nothing too serious. With three goals against the Flyers, I have 19 goals. I don't really like talking about my personal records. I've already said it: I want to win, I want to help my team. But I'm not gonna lie, I want to reach 20 goals. I still have three games left to do it. I can say the same thing for the 50 points—I have 48 after 78 games. Reaching those personal goals would be great. At the beginning of the season, those numbers looked unrealistic but then things improved. My game has probably grown more than some people expected, but I don't want to slow down.

—Slaf (via French + Slovak versions of his NHL blog), April 13, 2024

[crepesuzette2023]

Paul McCartney, Celia Mortimer, Iris & Vi Caldwell & Mike McCartney: Sketches for a Coming-of-Age Novel.

All quotes from TUNE IN by Mark Lewisohn, except the last one.

[Paul] had two main girlfriends in the last weeks of 1962 and neither knew of the other. One was Celia Mortimer, 17, the strikingly attractive redhead from art school who designed her own clothes and was a big Beatles fan at the Cavern.

'In my first year at art College everyone was wild about trad jazz, but then word came up the hill that ‘things were happening’ at the Cavern; a few of us went down one lunchtime to have a look—and there were the Beatles. […] It was the first time anyone in Britain had the black polo neck, black corduroy, existentialist look. I instantly took their lead and started to make hip black corduroy things to wear.'

‘[…] Paul was attractive, intelligent, arty, all the things that appealed to me, plus he was good to be with: a genuine, gentle person who wanted to please. He was the complete opposite of John, who was snarly and grumpy and incredibly, incisively funny. Paul was the nice one. We started to go out, but things were still quite innocent. Because I lived some way out of Liverpool there weren’t many places we could go, except to sit in his dad’s front room or my friend’s front room, or the cinema—we saw the first James Bond film.’ EXOTIC NIGHTMARES

Paul’s other girlfriend was Iris Caldwell—Rory Storm’s witty, pretty, blonde sister; George’s first love; the 18-year-old daughter of Ma Storm, whose house, Hurricaneville at 54 Broad Green Road, was central to the Beatles’ late-night social scene.

‘He had a beautiful voice and puppy-dog eyes,’ Iris says, ‘and he was much more interested in me than I was in him. I wanted more than a tuppence-ha’penny guitarist of a Liverpool group.’ Iris’s professional dancing career had taken off: she was as busy as Paul, working summer seasons and London shows and touring around the country; they could only see each other when their diaries dovetailed, and just as Paul was with Celia when Iris was out of town, she was secretly going out with Frank Ifield. […]

Iris always knew that a big part of the attraction for anyone going out with her or Rory was the chance of extended time at Hurricaneville, to hang longer around her dad Ernie and especially her mum, Vi. […] ‘Mum never chucked anyone out,’ Iris says. ‘We were all late-night people apart from me dad, who the Beatles called the Crusher because he had exotic nightmares and ate household objects.’ […]

Mary had been gone for six years this October, and Vi Caldwell was one of the women who tried to fill the breach. ‘I was practically a mother to Paul,’ she said without boasting. She made him food and drink, took his stage-soaked shirts and washed and ironed them, and shared easy intimacies. ‘Paul used to like her combing his legs,’ Iris says. ‘He had really hairy legs and he’d come in from the Cavern all tired, roll up his trousers and she used to comb his legs. How ridiculous can you get? But he adored my mum and my mum adored him.’

Vi recalls: ‘Paul was very temperamental. He would come on occasions and would be terrifically friendly and down-to-earth, and on other occasions he would come and be rather aloof and we wondered if we had offended him, as if he was thinking ‘I’m being too friendly so I’ll keep you in your place.’ That was our impression.’

THRILLING IN A DIFFERENT WAY

[Paul] was without the others, but with Celia Mortimer…and a new song. It was Tuesday/Wednesday 23/24 October [1962], the Beatles’ sole two-day break of the year, and Paul decided to leave his car at home and have an adventure: he and Celia hitch-hiked to London to see Ivan Vaughan. Paul loved hitching: he enjoyed chatting to strangers and seeing himself in an observational role, but he’d only done it with George or John, never with a girl. Celia—intelligent, chic, a pretty redhead—made it thrilling in a different way. And it was to see the brilliant Ivy, his Institute mate and John’s boyhood pal. […]

The new song was I Saw Her Standing There, though it had no title as yet. Its melody and structure skidded into Paul’s head late on Monday as he drove back from a Nems Enterprises Showdance in Widness. This was a sophistication of delivery had never experienced, inspiration so excitingly hot that when he got to Hurricaneville he grabbed an acoustic guitar and started working it out. […] It was truly a magical moment for Rory Storm, who’d never seen anyone write a song before. Vi and Iris would always maintain that he asked Paul if he could have it, exclusively, and Paul said yes—but as Rory didn’t have a record contract it’s unclear why he asked and Paul may have said yes only to regain some necessary peace and quiet.

Celia: ‘We had an amazing time, just wandering the streets in the sunshine, looking at London, holding hands and having fun, and Paul had the melody of what became I Saw Her Standing There going round his head all day, humming and singing it and fleshing out the words. […] He said, ‘What rhymes with “We danced through the night?” and I came up with ‘We held each other tight’, which was really quite naff, but he used it.’ BACK TO McCARTNEY-LENNON

However, the song was completed only when he had a front parlour session with John at 20Forthlin Road. They tried out little bits on Jim Macs Nems piano but mostly used guitars, working ‘eyeball to eyeball’ just like when they’d first written together here as schoolboys. Mike took photographs of them sitting by the little tiled fireplace—important historic images, the only such photos ever taken—so here we see these two sharp ambitious tuned-in young man looking down at an old Liverpool Institute exercise book in which Paul has written the words, complete with plenty of crossings-out. John is wearing his black horn-rim glasses and playing his Jumbo Gibson, Paul is playing a cheap Spanish acoustic of unknown history. Another original, a McCartney-Lennon one, is taking shape right here, right now. BIG PLAYER CELIA AND THE OTHER McCARTNEY BOY

Celia Mortimer’s relationship with Paul ended in the last weeks of 1962. ‘As the Beatles spent more time in London, Paul was there and not in Liverpool so much, and our situation just fizzled out. There was no time for it.’ She went on to become a big player on the London fashion scene, with her own label and studio on Great Portland Street, just a long from where she spent a few hours with Paul in 1962. In between times, she went out for a long time with Mike McCartney and was part of the Liverpool poetry scene.

Mike (a Ladies’ hairdresser at the time): MY FIRST LOVE AND BOB 'FOLK RUBBISH' DYLAN (from The Macs, 1981)

One day my first real love, after mum, walked into the salon; she was one of a group of models posing for the Daily Post and Echo. I was brushing up the hair as it cascaded endlessly down on to the floor. I wasn't exactly the brushing up which excited her, it was the way I did it (isn't it always?). The brush was balanced, she later recalled, on the end of my index finger, the furthest point from my body and, with absolute disdain, I followed it across the shop floor.

Not being a Post and Echo model at all, but in truth a hungry student plying her body for money, she returned for the free evening classes where she became my model, and I discovered that her name was Celia. From a model customer she became a model model, and from a model model we became a model couple.

She was the first woman I gave myself to, and she gave herself in return. In her Husky Street flat we got lost in each other's body and mind; we swam together through many Liverpool 8 late nights and often into the morning, when she would get up to cook breakfast and put on records. I would just lie there, male chauv-like. One morning she kept playing a particular album which didn't impress me.

'Who's that Ceel?'

'Someone they keep playing at college . . . Bob Dylan.'

'Never heard of him.'

'Neither had I, but after a while he's quite good.'

"Ceel—my first real love (after Mum)." Photo by Mike McCartney.

[thislovintime]

The Monkees, 1967 Christmas card.

“We have a favor to ask. We would like to enlist your help in promoting The BEAT’s Christmas issue. During Christmas week, we’d like you to go naked. When you see others in offices, on the streets and in restaurants without their clothes, you will instinctively know that they are wishing you a Merry Christmas from The BEAT. We intend to be touring during the holidays. Without clothes it will be a cold but cool Christmas. THE MONKEES” - KRLA Beat, December 17, 1966 “To all our fans and friends, our best wishes for Happy Holidays and a very prosperous New Year. Davy, Micky, Peter and Mike The Monkees” - KRLA Beat, December 30, 1967 “Imagine spending a magical night singing with The Monkees around Regina’s Whitmore Park neighbourhood in the late 1960s. That’s exactly what happened to a then-13-year-old Jim Sax. […] At the time, Sax lived a couple of doors down from the Thorkelson family. H. John Thorkelson, Tork’s father, was an economics professor at what was then the University of Saskatchewan Regina campus. Sax befriended Tork’s younger brother Chris. ‘Chris called and told me to come over and swore me to secrecy before I went downstairs,’ Sax recalled. ‘So, I get downstairs and there are The Monkees, all of them, just hanging in the rec room.’ The band was visiting Tork’s family home. ‘I’m basically trying not to trip over my own jaw. I’m just 13 at the time so I’m just trying to be cool,’ Sax said. The memory-filled night didn’t end there for Sax, who found himself caroling around Flamingo Crescent where the family lived. ‘I said, “Yeah, absolutely I’m going with you guys. In fact, I’m picking the house because I know where all the pretty girls live,”’ Sax laughed. Sax described ‘instant insanity, possibly some incontinence,’ when doors opened and it was discovered the famous group was on residents’ doorsteps. He believes there are some Polaroid pictures floating around Regina somewhere, but he didn’t get a picture with the band. ‘I was being too cool; are you kidding?’ Sax said. Sax had to keep his memory a secret until the band left Regina, ‘but I was almost stoned to death by the girls in my class’ when the night was revealed. The story of The Monkees visiting Regina certainly grew louder, especially as Tork returned on numerous occasions to visit his family. Green Zone contributor Darrell Davis lived one block away and came home from a shinny game to hear from his parents that The Monkees had sung on their doorstep. Don Young played in a band at the time and knew of such visits to the Whitmore Park neighbourhood. ‘The story was that some of the young girls would go over to the house and go by the window and try and hear him snoring or catch a glimpse of him,’ Young recalled.” - CJME dot com, February 21, 2019

[kraekat29]

The Lakes- Chapter Seven

A few days had gone past and Ruby was still on the ship, the wound on her stomach was beginning to heal.

Most of the time she spent her days in JJ’s quarters, watching the waves from his window and leaning her head on her hand in boredom.

When everyone else was asleep JJ would give her small tours, just last night she was able to see the kitchen quarters.

The crew was still weary of her, especially Kiara who had been hounding JJ everyday to kick her off the ship, claiming she was an enemy.

Ruby felt there was something off with Kiara though, she didn’t smell like the rest of the crew, her scent was off and it was confusing for her.

“alright I’m gonna go up now okay? Stay here and don’t leave” JJ said, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her head, “I’ll be right here” Ruby promised.

After he left she stood up, peeking her head out the door then sneaking out, following the hallway down until the second door to the right.

JJ’s study. She’d been in here multiple times with him the past few days, he had hundreds of books she was curious about.

Ruby went in and quietly closed the door behind her, the skirt of her dress ruffling as she turned and went over to his desk.

She sniffed the air softly, a happy sigh escaping her lips as she was met with JJ’s scent, the aroma filling the small space.

She ran her fingers along the spines of the books on the shelves, looking around in curiosity as the dull light from the lamp shone.

“Kildare: the history and the myths..” Ruby read quietly, looking at the book in her hands, she bit her lip for a moment then shrugged making her way over to the desk once more.

She sat in the chair and opened the book, reading through the pages as she satisfied her curiosity, only one thing struck her.

‘Kiara Carrera. Age: 17. Sex: female. Class: royalty. Status: missing’

“she’s royalty..?” Ruby murmured to herself, flipping to the index then flipping to the chapters about the royal families.

And sure enough on page 115 stood Kiara Carrera next to Mike and Anna. She was a princess to one of the most well known families, her father had worked his way up from a cook to a prince.

Her family was also well known poachers.

With a growl Ruby snapped the book shut, tucking it underneath her arm as made her way back to JJ’s quarters.

It was time for the truth to come out once and for all.

tags: @cristina-t @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles @redhead1180 @rafescurtainbangz @maybankskiss

@princessmaybank @the-tortured-poets-depxrtment

@pankowkisses @jjxkiaraxpopexcleoxjohnbxsarah @yukswl0v3 @maybanksbabe @haven247

[artiststarme]

What If Steve Were To Leave Hawkins? Part 18

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17

Well, I don't really like this one but I want to get something out today! Only two more parts, it's bittersweet in a way. I did not think that the first fic I ever wrote would have so many parts or be over 70 pages on a google doc.

I'm already working on a few new fics though I don't know if I'll end up posting them. One is a Steve superpower fic and the other is an angsty one with Steve and Eddie leaving together. Would anyone be interested in reading those?

~*~*~*~

Steve was feeling good. While he had initially been nervous to see his family again after being ignored and leaving town, he recognized that he may have judged the situation too harshly. The entire Party, besides Erica who was still at summer camp, was sitting at one of the picnic tables set up in the Byers’ backyard. They were all laughing and catching up until Hopper cleared his throat and brought up the dreaded topic. 

“So, I know we’re all having a good time here but I think we should talk about what happened,” he said, immediately bringing everyone’s attention to Steve.

Steve chuckled nervously, “Um, I don’t think we do. Everything’s fine, we’ve all moved on.”

Steve didn’t need anyone else pointing out his flaws. He’s already been made aware that he misunderstood the situation and acted too hastily, he really didn’t want to talk about it again. And if there was one thing he hated above all else, it was seeing people become sad when they were supposed to be happy. He saw the kid’s smiles starting to fade at Hopper’s words and he desperately wanted to keep them there. “Besides, I’m back right now! Let’s focus on that. Where’s the ice cream?”

Hopper glared harder at his pseudo-son and gruffly muttered, “we are talking about it. You left without telling anyone, had us looking for you for months thinking we might find a body, and then you show up acting like nothing happened!”

He turned his angered gaze to Eddie sitting next to Steve, “And don’t think you’re off the hook either, Munson. You were talking to him for weeks without telling any of us. Then you disappeared too. I had to deal with Wheeler trying to push me into charging Steve with kidnapping.”

At that, both Steve and Eddie nearly gave themselves whiplash turning to look at Mike. “What the hell, bro?” Eddie was surprised and somewhat touched at his concern. 

Meanwhile, Steve felt the opposite. He was offended, he’d known this kid for years and he still hated him despite everything he’d done. The fucker was permanently on his shit list now. “What the fuck, Wheeler? You little shit!” 

Hopper cleared his throat once again to drag their offended expressions away from the scowling teen. “Language! You both should know better than to disappear without telling anyone, especially with what we all have gone through. So what happened?”

Steve looked at Eddie. Eddie looked at Steve. Everyone else looked at them looking at each other. Steve sighed and tried to explain in a way that wouldn’t expose his vulnerability. “I didn’t think anyone would care if I left. My dad kicked me out and I didn’t have anywhere else to go. None of you had talked to me in weeks at that point so I just started driving. I ended up in Chicago and now I really like it there.”

Everyone around the table looked slightly horrified. They had all played a part in his departure, they knew. But they didn’t consider how distant and unreachable they had made themselves. 

“Kid, why didn’t you come here? Joyce and I told you that you could stay here whenever you needed to. Why didn’t you come to us?” Hopper asked, his gruff voice strained and congested. 

Steve just shook his head, his fingers twisting Eddie’s in search of comfort. “I didn’t want to bother you guys. You already have three kids, I didn’t want you to have to take me in because of pity.”

“So instead you went off on your own like a dumbass?” Max said. 

He glanced at her, “I’ve been alone my entire life so yeah, it wasn’t that bad. I found a job and an apartment. I’m happy now.”

“Why didn’t you reach out to anyone, Steve? We were really worried about you,” Joyce added. 

“Everyone seemed to be going about their normal lives when I called. I didn’t think you guys really noticed that I was gone and I didn’t want to bother you. I really don’t want to talk about it,” Steve said, frowning and making moves to make himself appear smaller. 

Eddie, sensing his boyfriend’s inner turmoil, placed a comforting hand on his knee, an action hidden from view of the others at the table. Steve shot him a manically desperate but appreciative close-lipped smile. His eyes begged Eddie to do something to draw the attention away from him. 

And Eddie would always do what he could to help his boyfriend. Without hesitation, he blurted, “Steve and I are dating!”

With that, Steve’s self-inflicted disappearance was forgotten. The reactions ranging throughout the group were extreme. Hopper had the most dramatic spit take of his life and spit his iced tea all over El and Mike that sat opposite him at the table. El looked confused at the situation before leveling her father with a glare for drenching her new shirt in iced tea and spit. Mike was glowering at Steve looking absolutely disgusted. Will and Joyce had small, surprised smiles on their faces. Nancy and Johnathan’s jaws dropped in surprise, staring at the two in the utmost shock. Lucas and Dustin similarly looked shocked like they had expected anything else. Max was blankly looking at them like she already knew. Robin was looking at Steve nervously, anxiously awaiting his reaction. And Steve? He was looking at Eddie in horrified shock. So that wasn’t the distraction that he was gunning for then. 

Mike, unsurprisingly, collected his wits most quickly. “Are you fucking kidding me?! First my sister and now my Dungeon Master? Do you have no fucking shame, Steve?”

His indignation brought Steve out of his shock quickly, defensiveness overtaking his initial horror. “Okay, watch your fucking mouth, Wheeler. This has literally nothing to do with you. Nothing! I don’t know why you’re always so invested in my love life but it’s weird, dude. Stop.”

Mike sputtered and seemingly could not find anything justifiable to say in response. Robin jumped in then, face still aflame in a heavy blush. She said, “Well I support you and I am happy that you are happy! Right, guys?”

She turned to the others that were still recovering from their shock. They all nodded except for Hopper. His blank expression made Steve anxious, even more so when he got up from his seat and moved towards him. 

“Hop, I just… I’m sorry… I just-”

He was silenced when Hopper pulled him into a bear hug. “I’ll always support you kid, even when you’re interested in the likes of Munson here. I might not understand it but I accept it.”

Steve hugged him back with tears in eyes, “Thanks, Hop.”

They both pulled away after another moment and Hopper went back to his seat next to Joyce. The whole table was up in arms debating on whether they had seen this coming (Max, Lucas, and Will said they had; Dustin, Mike, and El definitely did not). Steve just smiled at the chaos that was his family and pulled a blushing Eddie up by the shirt collar before tugging him close. Steve looked into Eddie’s eyes and whispered against his lips, “you’re such a dipshit.”

Eddie smiles and runs his tongue along his lower lip, “yeah, but I’m your dipshit.”

Steve barked a laugh in response before giving him the grossest, messiest kiss he could manage. Even with the disgusted outcries from the Party and the berries being thrown at them courtesy of Robin, kissing Eddie and being surrounded by family had Steve feeling happy and complete.

Part 19 Part 20: Epilogue

Updated Taglist: @nickavalens @conversesweetheart @themostunoriginalpersonever @swimmingbirdrunningrock @eddiethegreatteddybear @harrumphingtons @call-me-big-eyes @moonshadows-13 @glittergluekintsugi @cpidcupk @doubleb11 @mentalcyborg @amoris-no-smut-allowed @purple-lemonade @labels-are-for-the-weak @thebrazilianatheist @rajumat @livelaughlexa @5ammi90 @colorful565 @marvelousforlife @chaoticcoffeequeen @gregre369 @suddenlyinlove @thegreatmistake @stillfullofshit @nburkhardt @batxsignalsx @newunknowns @thosemessyvibes @tailsfromthecrypt @luciana-rowan @bird-with-pencils @adaed5 @lolawon @flustratedcas @iwillfindmyneverland @messrs-weasley @skoomy-doompy

@yearningagain @forest-fogg @bitchysunflower @stardust-era @newtstabber @bobatrash-queen @notjasontxdd @ohlook-afrog @00biscuit @grtwdsmwhr @oxidantdreamboat @the-witch-forever-lives @estrellami-1 @whatthemeepever @a-simple-gaywitch @imzadidragonfly @freddykicksasses @krimsonsimp @whatthefuccck @delta-piscium @anaibis @tinynebula @darkwitchoferie @evix-syne666 @tawghasa @pyrohonk @lillys-weird-world @superduckmilkshake @paintsplatteredandimperfect @tiny-enthusiast @whalesharksart @krazyperson @username-i-guess @ilikechocolatemilkh @awkwardgravity1 @romanticdestruction @espressopatronum454 @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit

[that-darn-clown]

so. thought about Evan in the Rewrite.

so he's the "middle child" of the Aftons. the child prodigy. the kid who was going to go far.

Evan's always described by his siblings and family in general as being distant, especially after the death of their mother, Claire. he was never mean to Cassidy, not for something that wasn't his fault.

after all, it wasn't Cassidy's fault that their mom died giving birth to him.

Evan just stayed out of the way of his father, only doing enough to keep him placated and off of his back, and his older brother Alex. he stayed out of the way of any family drama that might occur, and quietly grieved to himself.

as the years went by, and things kept getting worse, Evan just buried himself in schoolwork. he'd read, preferring to be within the fictional worlds that his books showed him than within his reality; a broken, grieving family, with an emotionally abusive father.

when he was 17 in 1990, he got the chance to go to college early. he jumped at the chance, packing the things he wanted to take with him, asked his father for the money needed to get him a place to stay, and then left.

he went to college a few states over, changed his last name, and never looked back.

he only really kept in touch with Michael, and then showed up to Alex's funeral a few years later.

he started a new life for himself, far from Hurricane, far from his father, and far from any of the pain that made up a majority of his life.

of course, he does go back every now and then to maintain his siblings' graves, he still calls to keep in touch with Michael.

and to tell him to get out of Hurricane. he doesn't have to stay there, he can start his life over just like Evan did. he's got a job now, and some connections; he can get Mike a job if he needs it.

but Mike never takes him up on the offer, staying home. Evan assumes it's out of some obligation to stick around, to stay with the family still. whatever his reason, Evan decides not to press him. hey, if it ain't broke, right?

then...Mike starts getting weird over the phone. he asks "Do you believe in ghosts, Ev?"

he doesn't know how to answer that. metaphorical ghosts of one's past? Evan believes in those; he's haunted by them often. real ghosts? well...it's not that he doesn't believe in them...but he hasn't seen proof of them yet.

what he does know, however, is that whatever happened to Michael, it clearly shook him up.

Evan starts a family. he owns his own bookstore, he's writing a book about his childhood and how it affected him (i think he'd title it something like "Wolf in the Rabbit's Burrow" because. y'know Rabbits. and William's Like That? you get it). sure, is it the best way to finally tell his current family about his past? probably not. but...well, at least in his book, he'd know a place to start.

then the PS fire happens...and now he kinda has to explain to his wife why he's going a few states over for a funeral (Henry's).

she's honestly just more upset that he never told her anything about this, but...considering his circumstances she can't even really blame him for not wanting to get into it.

Evan's the one child who people believe got out of everything relatively unscathed.

but "relatively" doesn't mean "completely," y'know.

(bonus fun fact: he had to add a couple of chapters after Michael explained everything to him. the chapter starts out by basically going "Alright, so some bullshit happened while I was writing this, so now I get to add a few extra chapters where I process this shit, so here we go: My Father's Apparently A Serial Killer Now-")

Evan wearing a Bazinga t-shirt.... I love him.

[opalimagines]

Request: For the smut prompts can I request 1, 16, 17, and 58 with Rick. You two have a heavy make out session in the mustang then stroll into training with matching hickeys. And you get teased for it. Pls ilysm

Requested by anonymous

Character: Rick Tyler (Hourman)

Reader: Neutral

Warnings: not smut but MINORS DNI anyway

1. Heavy making out

16. Leaving marks

17. Straddling their lap

58. In a car

The latter part of senior year was pretty stressful most of the time. Trying to keep up with grades and extra curriculars, planning for prom and graduation, worrying about what the transition to college would bring.

And that's not even mentioning the pressures outside of school, the ones that came with having another identity. Spending the days at school and the nights being a crime fighting superhero had never exactly been easy, but it was a different animal when high school was coming to a close. Especially since the people of Blue Valley became aware of the super team that resided in the town, adding extra importance to keeping your identities safe.

But when you and Rick were alone together, none of it really seemed to matter. The world could be forgotten for a while, whether you were out catching dinner at Richie's, or watching a movie at one of your houses, or—as you were at the moment—in the back seat of his Mustang, parked in a secluded spot.

Make outs were the best of all when it came to the stress of life. Straddling your boyfriend, kissing his neck as he held you close, his warm hand caressing your back beneath your top. Your mind would just be empty, focusing on making him feel as good as he made you feel.

All of this was stress relieving for Rick, too. No homework, no plans, no supervillains. His favorite place to be was with you, no matter what you were doing.

You couldn't resist the urge to kiss his lips again, admiring his pretty face a moment before you did. He groaned softly into your mouth, his hands moving downwards.

As you pulled away to continue your work on his neck, your phone started to go off in your pocket, cutting through the moment. You didn't even look at it as you took it out, silenced the alarm, and threw it into the front seat.

"Training's in ten minutes," you mumbled, grazing your lips over his skin.

"I don't care," he said without hesitation, holding you even closer—if that was possible.

"I don't care either."

Unable to ignore the calls from your friends as easily as an alarm, the two of you were on the way to meet your friends about twenty minutes later.

Rick opened the door to the Pit Stop and you walked inside together, only to be immediately met with the whole team dressed and ready for the usual fight training.

"You're late. Where were you?" Beth asked.

"Studying." "Studying."

Mike and Jakeem began to snicker, and Courtney and Yolanda were smiling. Beth's eyes went wide as Cindy and Artemis smirked at each other. Cameron was keeping his gaze anywhere but at the two of you. And Pat just looked overall disappointed.

Suddenly, you realized that in your rush to get there, you'd neglected to cover up the evidence of what you'd been doing. You looked over at Rick, who was already looking at you, and noticed the dark splotches his skin. Usually, you'd put makeup on them. You even kept his exact color with you just for situations like this.

The tank top you wore didn't exactly conceal the spots on your neck and collarbone either.

"Shouldn't we get started?" You asked in an attempt to avoid talking about it, an attempt that was sure to fail.

Rick immediately followed your lead, "Yeah, let's train..."

"What were you studying?" Cindy asked as soon you joined the rest of the group. "Anatomy?"

Rick was about to tell her to mind her damn business, but thankfully, Pat spoke up. "That's enough. We're already behind, so let's get going."

As Pat continued, you took Rick's hand and mouthed a 'sorry', and he gave a gentle squeeze.

Next time, you'd have to make sure not to cut things so close.

[lovestuckyhatemarvel]

Okay so, here we are with season 4 episode 1 of Stranger Things. But before I get into the episode, I need to explain something: I’ve never actually watched this season before. I have, however, watched Steddie compilations on YouTube. Regardless, I’m labeling this as a ‘rewatch’ because it’ll keep the series consistent. And parts of it technically are a rewatch. Anyway, these are also going to be way longer than usual because a lot more is just Brand New™️ to me. Although some I haven’t seen but do know because of fanfiction.

1.) I literally can’t remember what made the Texas shooting something that would be necessary to be mentioned at the beginning when America has shootings all the time.

Edit: I have been reminded of the actual case it’s referencing. But I think Texas shooting is going to become less and less of an obvious connection as time goes on, especially for people who aren’t in America. I am in America, and there’s just…too many shootings to keep track of, tbh.

2.) I don’t know why I’m watching this recap. I literally watched season 3 last week or whatever but they really cut out the Russian interrogation/secret base locating stuff entirely from their recap.

3.) season 4 really starts out by being like, “Remember Brenner? Remember that douchebag? Well, guess what. He’s actually super boring in everyday life.”

4.) 010 come on down to get your psychic powers tested and your ability to interpret Brenner’s bad drawings tested. Oh nvm at least now they’re trying to locate people only to witness both Six and Dr. Ellis’ death.

5.) Wait why did Brenner survive this? How did Brenner survive this? Ten is dead. Also, since when does Brenner care about the kids? It’s not like he’s treated them well.

6.) El looking really crazy covered in blood and basically hyperventilating.

7.) El’s got her own room. Also, we’ve gone 185 days since season 3 and now El is painting little figures. And is giving a recap via letter. Joyce is a telemarketer, Will is gay pining, Jonathan has a broken car and is a stoner. Argyle has a pizza van and takes them to school. The bullies in school are cliches.

8.) Nancy drives Mike to school and Karen Wheeler looks great. Also they want Mike home by 9 pm because of his 6:30 flight.

9.) Suzie is editing a D- to an A for Dustin.

10.) I love this conversation about crushes between Robin and Steve. Boobies. Although I don’t like Robin’s hair as much this season.

11.) Max rides the bus and missed a Thursday meeting so needs to go after lunch.

12.) oh there’s Chrissy. And here’s the marching band with Robin playing the TRUMPET. Looks like Vickie’s a clarinet player. Jason and Lucas on the basketball team while Dustin and Mike argue about girlfriends in the crowd.

13.) I know it’s way too early since Jason hasn’t done anything yet, but I already hate him. He just has a punchable face. “Think about all these dead people DID THEY DIE FOR US TO LOSE AT BASKETBALL?” I would have keyed his car in high school. Like oh my god.

14.) Mike and Dustin are nerds and freaks and proud of it. To be fair, Lucas always has been cooler than them. But also Lucas should have gone to Eddie himself.

15.) PACKAGE. FROM. RUSSIA. Man, do not ever send anything delicate to Joyce, she fucking demolishes packages. Oh, that’s an ugly doll. I’ve read about the doll but didn’t know it was that ugly.

16.) El/Jane has to go after a blonde girl talking about Helen Keller for her presentation about Hopper? That’s rough, buddy. Angela is a bitch and I hate her Ariana Grande looking ass. Will is trying and I love that him and El are siblings but yeah, no, that presentation went badly.

17.) Max is doing her loner thing but does get to see Chrissy being upset in the hall as she heads away from the counselor.

18.) C in English and C- in Spanish. It’s not normal for Max but babe, C’s get degrees. You’ll be okay. Max’s mom is drinking, working two jobs, and stepdad is gone. Max is still my favorite even if she is a liar. Lucas’ advice about finding something she cares about is technically good but poor wording and timing. Max isn’t really open for help.

19.) Stranger Things really loves shots of people in bathrooms holding the sides of the sink. Also we get to hear Chrissy vomiting.

20.) Chrissy’s hallucinating. She has issues with her mom being awful about her weight and honestly, mood.

21.) Oh hi, Eddie. You’re a goofy guy. And now Eddie walks across the table. Also honestly, so far the bullying in Hawkins is like, minimal. All that happened in that scene is Eddie got called a freak. Dustin and Mike do try to get the game postponed. I still think Lucas should have asked. Eddie’s got to pass Mrs. O’Donnell’s class and that’s it to pass the class. Eddie really does yank both those dweebs out of their seats with barely any effort.

22.) Murray has karate from 1-3 on Fridays? Good for him. Oh and the doll from Russia has nipples. Teeny tiny nipples. And now needs to be smashed.

23.) Everyone thinks it’s weird that Nancy and Jonathan aren’t spending spring break together. I still think Nancy’s a comphet case. I love that Mike asks Nancy and Dustin asks Steve. Max is sarcastic to Dustin’s request which is very funny. Literally everyone shoots them down. Dustin comes up with an idea nad sprints off faster than I knew was possible.

24.) Oh it’s the picnic table behind the school scene. And we hear and see a clock chiming as she waits for Eddie. I’ve never actually seen the build up to the meeting with Eddie. Did not know the clock breaks and spills spiders.

25.) Eddie is tempted to leave ‘cause Chrissy is acting crazy. Eddie is very dramatic and they were in a talent show together. Eddie used to have buzzed hair and now plays at the Hideout on Tuesdays. I would have loved for Chrissy to live and for these two to be another Steve and Robin. Chrissy asks for something stronger.

26.) El failed a math test, I think? And if that’s the test she failed, it’s extra sad because that’s what she called herself good at in the opening letter. And then Angela tripped her? And her stupid friends stomp on her project. I wanna kick Angela’s ass. El forgets that she doesn’t have powers and it’s so embarrassing. El doesn’t snitch but a teacher takes Angela away anyway.

27.) Will feels so bad and is trying so hard to help.

28.) I feel like it wouldn’t require a paint can from a tree to break a porcelain doll. Oh, Murray thinks it might have an explosive. AND IT’S FILLED WITH A NOTE SAYING HOP IS ALIVE AND IT’S WRITTEN IN CUT OUT LETTERS LIKE IT’S FROM A SERIAL KILLER. WHY DID THEY DO THAT??? LMAO

29.) And now it’s the championship. I feel like fanfics stretch episode 1 into like, 3 chapters. Steve came with his date to see Lucas. And here’s Tammy Thompson. And she’s…bad. this bad performance is worth it for Steve’s sassy expressions.

30.) Oh, hey Erica Sinclair. LMAO WAIT, IS SHE WEARING AN AMERICAN FLAG? GOD, YOU DWEEB. I will say that the rest of hellfire that just kind of chortles in response to everything is so far just background noise that I do not care about. I do love that Erica is way better at insults than Eddie and he kind of adores her.

31.) I still hate Jason.

32.) Technically if we’re going with the lore of we thought Vecna was killed by Kas then technically El/Jane is this show’s Kas.

33.) Okay going back and forth is too hard when they’re going back this fast between basketball and Hellfire so I’ll just summarize at the end. Lucas going in and the gameplay mirror each other very obviously. It’s an old trope but a good one. Eddie’s unhinged.

34.) “There is no shame in running. Don’t be heroes.”

35.) Dustin misses and so does Jason. But Lucas and Erica both win. This slow mo is kind of excessive. Eddie’s fucking thrilled that Erica did a critical success. Although did they actually need a natural 20 to win? That doesn’t really make sense if the guy only has 15 HP left. Presumably they haven’t been critting to attack this fucking thing this entire session. So really it’s a matter of going above his AC. And technically you don’t need a nat 20 to do that, especially if you have enough bonuses. Although they are playing a different version of D&D than I’ve ever played so maybe I’m taking out of my ass.

36.) Aw, Max listened to the game’s result on the radio. I thought she went. Her mom is passed out on the couch. Max takes food to a dog. Eddie lives like, directly across from her. For some reason, from fanfics, I thought they were like, directly next to each other. Still, Max saw Chrissy go into his trailer.

37.) Wayne works nights. Eddie does not know where his ketamine is. Should keep track of that. That is a very cool guitar he has though. Chrissy’s hallucinations are very bad now and she’s no longer responsive. And now the lights are flickering. Vecna’s ugly as hell. There are so many spiders in this vision. Eddie really is trying to wake her up but I’m not sure how he thought I DON’T LIKE THIS, CHRISSY, WAKE UP would help.

38.) did not know we see Vecna in episode 1. “It’s time for your suffering to end.” Don’t be weird, dude. And now Chrissy is floating. Her death is like, both weirdly graphic and also sanitized. Like it looks cartoonish. I didn’t realize how cartoonish it looks. Bones don’t break through the skin. There’s barely any blood. Her skin moves like putty.

[and-stir-the-stars]

When he starts volunteering at an animal shelter (at Mike's insistence), Evan does end up making a friend there. His first friend post-Capture is a girl his age named Valerie, though she also goes by Val and Valley.

Evan likely spent several weeks not saying much at the shelter; he would only answer direct questions about the animals there and how to take care of them, if he knew what he was doing, etc etc. Social anxiety and the belief that they would eventually throw him out kept him from saying too much about himself, and that plus his scars made everyone think of him as a bit of an oddball.

Valerie lives on a farm of some kind, and even if he never said much, he liked listening to her talk about farming stuff, especially about the animals she and her family takes care of, whether she was talking directly to him or he was just eavesdropping on her talking to other people (Ev does a lot of eavesdropping. not that he thinks of it as eavesdropping when people are talking nearby where he just happens to be able to hear them; call that quiet kid syndrome).

After a few weeks, Evan works up the courage and curiosity to ask her a bit about the Farming Life. After that, their topics of conversation slowly branch out and get more and more personal. Ev practically loses his mind the first time she says he's free to come take a tour of the farm any time he wants (both from excitement and from the utter terror of how REAL this is now; gaining a friend also means gaining the ability to LOSE said friend, which is scarier to Ev than just never having a friend in the first place).

When Ev goes to Valerie's for the first time, he finds that Valerie, a handful of older siblings and niblings in their late 20s and early thirties, her grandparents, her parents, a couple aunts and uncles, and her younger brother all live there. Evan's a bit awestruck at that; he never realized that a family could be so big. Val's family also think that Evan is an oddball, for similar reasons that the other workers at the shelter think he is.

Valerie has at least one little sibling: a brother named Lucas. If Ev and Val are both 16/17 when they meet, then Lucas is ~12.

As a little brother himself, Evan goes out of way to tell Val that he doesn't mind when Val apologizes for Lucas getting curious and trying to tag along in everything Val and Evan do. Evan probably specifically asks Val if it's okay if they do things that Lucas can tag along in, because Evan doesn't want to put any kind of rift between Lucas and Val, and he definitely doesn't want to come between them.

(Valerie ofc doesn't hate Lucas, but getting embarrassed when your several-years-younger sibling keeps butting in between you and your friend is just Standard Older Sibling behaviour; Val stops getting embarrassed when she realizes Evan isn't annoyed by Lucas at all).

If Val ever found out about Evan's past, she'd be disturbed, yeah, but she'd also have a hard time reconciling the atrocities she hears about with the shy kid who went so far out of his way to treat her younger bro with such kindness, not to mention how gentle he is at the shelter and with the farm animals.

I'm debating whether Val might have any other younger siblings, but I think having a sibling younger than 12 around would be too big of a trigger for Evan tbh.

[claudia-nomusaabara]

3, 4, and 17 for Magnus and Abigail!

@fishklok (finger guns)

3. a headcanon that canon doesn't disprove

Magnus

Magnus is quite particular about how a certain piece of his songwriting and an instrument should be performed down to the T. He DOESN'T LIKE IT when someone decides to go off script from anything that was practiced earlier because:

It's taking attention off the rest of the group/his ideas for the song.

It fucks up Magnus's concentration and flow.

It's like his creativity is getting spat on.

Abigail

The lady KNOWS how to have fun and to relax when given the chance.

Going by Abby saying "There? I'm not so bad." with a genuine smile in Writersklok and giggling at Dethklok's weak wrists after "tugging the snake" too much is proof of that for me.

I can imagine she has thousands of funny stories she can tell about about her work as a record cleaner and her personal life.

Her favorite memory was working as an apprentice under her uncle who was a record cleaner himself and one of these rock stars got so pissed at her uncle's critiques, the singer pulled his pants down and farted into the microphone.

4. a headcanon to spite canon, specifically

Magnus

Not only was Magnus the original creator of Dethklok but it would've added so much to the story if he held a legitimate grudge against his former band mates as well.

Think about how it's revealed in "Depths of the Humanity" that the rest of Dethklok screwed over a lot of people to get to the top and see the full story of how Magnus became the first one to get screwed over.

Especially my version of him where not only did Magnus watch them succeed and get betrayed by people he thought were his friends, but he gets to be an audience to his replacement getting accolades after a successful side project and the girl (Vanessa).

In my version he still fights Nathan or tries to (Urkel vs Mike Tyson in his prime) due to stress of perfecting their first album but stabbing him was a rumor that got legs and kept walking.

Sure, Magnus is doing okay financially as a ghostwriter and session guitarist (thank you for this idea by the way) but he always gets hotter than fish grease seeing Dethklok on his TV.

Abigail

Abigail would've wanted Pickles and Nathan put in work to prove why she should get involved with either of them.

Pickles is a fun guy and Nathan does have a caring side to him (both of them do), but she needs to see something of more substance from them.

It's why I have Abigail just being paired with Nathan to kill off the love triangle because I would've loved to see these two butt heads more but they respect that the other stands their ground when needed before fully working together.

17. favorite fanon relationship

Magnus

This goes out to you because the way you write Charles and Magnus together is amazing. You make it easy to believe that they would get together if other circumstances were at play and realistically show how they work as a couple.

Seriously I could believe those two being together in canon if the writers went that direction.

Abigail

I LOVE the idea of her and Skwiss being together, both of their personalities could mesh well if they were allowed to interact more. Her and Skwiss getting together along with Abigail and Toki are my favorite reverse uno card couples for Doomstar.

[will80sbyers]

You're so right about us having to remember they're 14!! That post hit so hard because it got me thinking and back at 14 I didn't even know I wasn't straight 🤦🏻 nowadays in my 20s I identify as most definitely and clearly bisexual and can recall so many girls I had smaller crushes on as a kid that I didn't process because I didn't think that hard about it back then, and the train of thought that went "I want to kiss her. wait what? A girl???? I want to kiss a girl???" Only hit when I was 17. It was my best friend too.. it was such a confusing journey trying to figure out if I'm losing my mind or if I like girls the same as boys despite never considering it before, I didn't even know how lesbian sex worked. It only makes sense if the gang are confused because they're teens 🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻 tl;dr thank you for reminding me what it's like to be a queer teenager /gen

no exactly like, I don't think most of them have any idea of how they feel exactly because it is super confusing going through puberty, and imagine how confusing it must be when you live in the 80s in the USA during the Aids crisis without the internet, without clear and good sexual education... like... it is confusing for kids right now at 14 I can't imagine how it would be for them

I think the one that is more mature (because he has a great family that makes him talk about his feelings + has lived through traumatic shit that made him grow up faster) and knows his own feelings very well is Will right now, followed by Lucas, Dustin and Max... then El and Mike!

El has grown up a lot in season 4 but if you notice at the start of the season she is acting her age in the end, when she pretends to be in the perfect relationship and all and lies to Mike, in s3 they were playing at relationships and now they are growing up and understanding feelings more and more in a better way...

I wouldn't blame El for confusing her feelings as love or Mike etc and being generally confused about what they feel and not knowing their sexuality

like personally I didn't even know what bisexuality was until high school and then after I found out everyone was talking about it as something that wasn't real and it was just something people did for attention so I just ignored every feeling I got about girls instead of thinking about it...

and this post wasn't even about Mike tbh it was in general because all of the kids are constantly shamed online for what they do in the show like they should be making all the right decisions all the time or be more adult etc etc... like they are 14/15 year old they don't have to know ANYTHING at this age, they can know stuff and are very smart kids but they are still kids, they still act petty and put their own ego before sometimes, they follow peer pressure and stuff like this so people especially older people have to stop just casting moral judgement on them imo

they are all sweethearts trying their best for what they are living and all the horrors they experienced!