#i saw the scene start with the van pass by then the close up of mike and will and i held my breath the entire time

[strawberrybyers]

just a cute lil reminder that exactly a year ago we all collectively watched will byers look mike wheeler in the eyes and tell him he is the heart of the group and that because of mike he doesn’t feel ashamed to be different and basically gave the most precious, heartfelt love confession i have ever seen in my life even if will was coding it as el’s feelings

and then during and after will speaking mike wheeler was looking at him like this??!!??!!

like the duffers, noah schnapp, and finn wolfhard really said “oh you think pride month is over? SIKE it’s now extended to july 1” because they fucking delivered with this scene

[ashwhowrites]

Would it be okay if you could write deaf!reader x Eddie where she’s new at school and meets Eddie. The rest can be up to you. Thank you xxx

I have never written a deaf character before so the representation might be off, but I gave it a shot! I know in movies and shows, sometimes they can talk and sometimes it is just sign language, but I went with writing notes to make it romantic. I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting 🫶🏻

I wrote a scene with a guitar amp and it was so hard to keep this story sweet and fluff and not turn it into smut

No words

It didn't take long for the new girl to catch Eddie's eyes. She was cute and seemed to be in her own little world. Eddie admired that she never seemed to care what happened around her.

He wanted to talk to her, but he wasn't the best at making a first impression. He wasn't the best at saying what he meant out loud. He was a writer. He wrote countless songs because he knew how to write down his feelings, not say them.

She was in a few of his classes, and he sat behind her. He watched as she walked into class, admiring her style. He assumed she was shy since she never spoke. She sat silently in class and kept to herself.

Eddie ripped out a piece of paper from a notebook he never touched. He scrambled down a message, then folded it. He took a deep breath and reached forward to tap her on the shoulder.

She turned around confused. She looked as the boy handed her something. She grabbed the note as she examined him.

He was mad cute. He had dark curly long hair, warm brown eyes, and pink lips. He wore a red and black flannel with dark jeans and dirty sneakers. She wished she could just stare but she didn't want to be creepy. She turned around and unfolded the paper.

"I'm Eddie, what's your name?"

She smiled to herself as she wrote her name underneath his. With a smile. She turned around and handed it back to him.

Eddie was shocked she wrote back to him. Before he could stare at her any longer, she turned around. Finally being that close to her face he realized she was prettier than ever.

His stomach fluttered as he saw her name and a tiny smile. Pleased that she didn't ignore him or write a mean message back.

"Well Y/N welcome to Hawkins High School. It sucks ass. The town is a little better, if you want a tour or anything I'm available."

She smiled as she felt a tap on her shoulder again, the teacher focused on the board as she turned. Her face burned as her fingers touched his as she took the note.

Eddie watched as her body moved up and down as she shook her head. He smiled as it seemed like she was laughing to herself. She felt nervous about saying yes, but she also didn't want to say no.

"Only if you promise to show me a great burger place ;)"

She waited until the teacher wasn't paying attention as she turned around and gave him the note. She turned around fast and Eddie opened it. He smiled and patted himself on the back.

The bell rang and she began to pack up. Eddie took a deep breath and walked in front of her desk.

"Hey Y/N," she looked up as she felt his presence. She focused on his lips. "Want to go after school today?"

She smiled and nodded

"Sweet, I'll meet you at the front?" he asked, he felt his face burn as she leaned close and stared at his lips. Her eyes squinted as she fully focused.

She nodded and smiled again. Waving goodbye as she walked to her next class.

~

Eddie waited outside the front door. He was nervous but excited. Befriending the new kid wasn't something Eddie ever did, but there was something about her that he wanted to know.

He smiled as she came into view, she waved as she got closer.

They didn't talk as they headed to his van. A couple students whispered as the two passed. And some students began to yell "FREAK!"

He felt comforted by the fact she didn't seem to notice it. And if she did, she ignored it.

Eddie started the van and turned down his radio, he remembered how loud he had it blaring this morning. He smiled over at her and she smiled back.

~

It didn't take long to make it to the burger place. The ride was a tad awkward as she didn't really talk, it more was of Eddie talking to himself.

They got seated in a booth, Eddie sat across from her as he nervously flipped through the menu.

He felt a soft tap on his menu, and he looked up.

Y/N smiled as she handed him a piece of paper.

He took the paper and read it, his eyebrows scrunched.

"I should probably tell you that I am deaf, so I'll be staring at your lips to communicate with you. Also, can you order for me?"

Eddie smiled and nodded. He snatched her pen and quickly wrote his own message.

She happily read it as he wrote

"No problem, I've been told I talk too much so maybe you not hearing me talk is a win. I will order for you, what would you like?"

Her heart raced as he moved on from the topic like it didn't change anything.

"Bacon cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate shake. Thank you for this, I'm excited to get to know you better and would love to watch you talk for hours :)"

~~~

The first date went amazing in Eddie's eyes. He didn't mind writing down his words, he enjoyed watching her reactions as she read the words. They ate, and he made her laugh over and over.

He knew he wanted to ask her on another date, he wanted to ask her out every night of the week.

She waved as she walked into class, Eddie gave her a flirty nod that made her dash for her seat faster.

He grabbed a piece of paper and began writing but she slid a note right on top of his.

He looked up as she turned around.

He opened it as the teacher wasn't looking

"Date #2? I saw an ice cream place on our tour yesterday."

~

Eddie came prepared for this date, he had a notebook and all different kinds of pens.

She waited on a bench outside as he ordered their ice cream. He prayed he'd make it to her before dropping any on the ground.

She smiled as he sat down next to her and handed her the ice cream. The first few minutes were silent as they tried to eat the ice cream before it began to melt.

They asked many questions about each other yesterday, so Eddie tried to think of new things to talk about.

"You look beautiful"

She felt her cheeks warm as she read his handwriting, she wrote just below his message. He watched as she wrote,

"Thank you. You are pretty cute too"

"You have a little something on your cheek,"

She read the note and was confused. She looked up at Eddie and she felt a cold glob on her cheek.

She watched as Eddie's face morphed into a smile as he laughed behind his hand. She smiled and grabbed a chunk of her ice cream, she watched as Eddie's smile dropped.

"No no, I'm sorry!" he said as she read his lips. He got up to run but she was fast behind him. He didn't make it far before she jumped on his back, his arms catching her legs as she smeared her ice cream right on his nose.

He let her down as he laughed, then she joined in.

"Uncool," he teased once he faced her. She just smiled and shrugged.

He smiled as he leaned in, his hand on her cheek as he wiped off the ice cream with his thumb.

Her breathing got faster as he looked into her eyes, his soft touch on her cheek made her heart race.

"Can I kiss you?"

He felt his stomach turn with nerves as he waited for her to read his lips. He got even more nervous when she blinked but didn't say anything.

He wanted to kiss her? She had never kissed anyone before and she wanted to tell him how nervous she was but she couldn't walk away.

She grabbed his hand and softly used her finger to write letters. He concentrated as he watched her fingers spell something out.

"N.E.R.V.O.U.S"

"Ner-nervous? You are nervous?" he asked, she watched his lips and then nodded. He cupped her jaw with his free hand, watching as she took a deep breath.

"Me too," he whispered, she read his lips and then saw his lips moving closer to her.

He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. It took a few seconds for her to shake off the nerves and kiss him back. She wasn't sure where to put her hands so she softly placed them on his chest.

He tasted of chocolate chip ice cream. And his lips felt amazing against hers. The kiss got better as they grew both confident.

He pulled away with a beaming smile, the ice cream on his nose transferred to her face.

"Let's get cleaned up," he laughed, she nodded and followed behind. Butterflies in her stomach as she felt her lips.

~~~

After many more dates, they became an official couple. Eddie's friends made sure she was comfortable and talked slowly so she could read their lips. They didn't mind reading and writing to communicate. It was clear that there was a connection between her and Eddie.

Eddie adjusted and took a beginner class in sign language. He was proud to show what he learned after every class. Sometimes he taught her new words.

One thing Y/N hated was that she couldn't share music with Eddie. She learned that was a huge part of his life from the beginning, and it made her sad that she could never hear him sing or play.

That doesn't mean Eddie ever excluded her. He'd have her sit next to his guitar amp, hook it all up, and let her feel the music as it played through. He'll never forget how excited she was when she could feel the music against her hand.

And that's what she did at his shows. She sat front row and placed her hands on the speakers.

He did it all because he loved her...he just hasn't said it yet.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93 @gretavankleep37 @bellaisswagger @arlxt

[bettyfrommars]

Okay. An idea. Eddie and you, drive in, b movie monster marathon, nice crisp autumn night.

I’m over summer, sue me.

🧡🖤

Hope this puts a smile on your face Meg 🧡

Eddie Munson x Reader

18+ONLY, mature themes, smoking the devil's lettuce, b-movie references, friends to lovers, use of "baby" but no she/her or y/n, pure fluff, just some cute nonsense, Eddie and reader are in their early 20's. wc: 1.4k

I'm just a sucker (for you)

“Got it,” you crawled up into the squishy van seat with Eddie’s infamous drug lunchbox in your hand, plopping down with a theatrical smile on your face.  “I knew I felt its presence.”

Eddie sat there looking so proud, as if you’d just pulled it out of a magic hat.  “My baby is a bloodhound when it comes to the devil’s lettuce.”

You took a sharp inhale and choked a little at the use of the pet name.  You and Eddie were not romantic like that, you’d only ever been weed buddies who met through Reefer Rick.  Recently you’d discovered that he also enjoyed getting stoned or buzzed at the drive-in on Wednesday nights when they offered the cheesy, cinematic glory of b-movies by the likes of Burt I. Gordon and Roger Corman.

You’d both showed up alone to the drive-in, and on your way back to your car with a popcorn bucket almost too big for the crook of your arm, Eddie whistled to get your attention.  It was a wolf-whistle, the likes of which made you frown as you searched for who the dead man was.  His arm lolled out of the van window in a wave, and he gave you a finger gun.  

“Oh, it’s just you,” you snorted, shoving a few kernels in your mouth, fingers glistening from all of the butter.  You didn’t mind that kind of attention from Eddie because you knew he was harmless. Wasn’t he? Neither one of you had any attraction to each other, whatsoever, as far as you knew.

But then, you stopped in your tracks a few cars down, thinking about how you’d smoked your last bowl earlier, and Eddie would for sure have a decent supply on him.  Maybe it wouldn’t kill you to hang out with a fellow freak for a bit.  

The October nights were chilly, and you thought to grab a hoodie out of your car before you made your way back to his van.  The grass at your feet was scattered in burnt orange and gold leaves, and the air was crisp, yet warm, with the smell of rain and freshly cut wood.

Eddie saw you walking back and jumped out of his vehicle this time, determined to get your attention.  He held his hands behind his back, lifting up on his toes, tentatively.  “Did you come back to give me a kiss?”

His mannerisms made you chuckle.  “Keep dreaming, Munson,” you pushed the popcorn tub into his chest, and he grunted, taking it with both hands. “I thought you might like some company.”

Eddie squinted at you, whispering, leaning in, “you came to smoke all my weed like a little feral, stoner raccoon.”

The movie started —Attack of the Crab Monsters—and Eddie feared he’d left his lunchbox at home. You weren’t sure why, but you were about to stay and watch the movie with him even without the weed, but then you decided to take a chance and check around his messy van, just in case.  

“Why is there a bed set up in the back?” You asked, wondering if maybe he was in between living situations at the moment.  You’d been staying with your mom since you dropped out of college, and most days, you wished you were living in your car.  

Eddie wiggled his eyebrows at you as he fingered a joint and slipped it behind his ear, snapping the lunchbox closed.  “Wouldn't you like to know.”

You rolled your eyes.  “Please, you have about as much game as I do.  There’s no way you’re getting laid that often in this van.”

“You know what they say,” he looked around, making sure no one was walking by as he passed you the lighter.  “If the van’s a rockin’, don’t bother knockin’.”

You checked around too, and then sank down in your seat to take a long drag, passing it back to him, fanning the smoke away, coughing a few times, while the scenes from the black and white film flickered across your face. Just beyond the movie screen stretched a line of trees dressed in fall colors, and a big, bright, dark blue sky that burned purple over the hills.  

You shared sneaky pulls off of the joint for the rest of the movie, each of you getting progressively invested in the loose plot, and giggly about it all at once. Eddie asked you a few personal questions, which you weren’t expecting, and sometimes you could feel his eyes on you.  It was a double-feature night, and right after the crab monsters they were showing a personal favorite of yours: The Monster Club with Vincent Price.  

It also happened to be one of Eddie’s favorites. 

“There’s no way,” he shook his head dramatically, brushing his bangs off his forehead.  “Nope. It’s impossible you love this movie, too.  No one I know has ever even heard of it.”

“Well,” you had one foot hanging out the open window, sucking from your straw. “I feel bad for the ones who haven’t heard of it.  It’s a masterpiece.”

You let him know that you had to run to the restroom but that you would be right back, because you didn’t want to miss the beginning, and you asked if you could get him anything.  As you said it, you could tell he was doing his best to contain the smile yanking at the corners of his mouth, but his efforts were fruitless.  

“So,” he crossed his arms, tilting his head sideways to give you a curious look.  “I guess you do like spending time with me?”

“Absolutely not,” you teased, slamming his door shut on your way toward the concessions.  

There were butterflies in your stomach as you returned to the van, though; an undiagnosed thrill in your veins that had something to do with seeing his face again. 

With Vincent Price’s face looming over the parked cars, Eddie cleared his throat.  “Do you, um,  have any plans for Halloween?”

“I never have plans,” you gave a self-deprecating bark of a laugh.  Your favorite holiday was in a couple days and the most you had done was carve a few jack-o-lanterns.  “I mean, used to, when I was kid, but these last couple years have been…rough.”

Eddie kept his eyes on the screen, plucking at the steering wheel with his thumb.  “Do you, um, think you might want to come see a band with me?”

You snapped your head to look at him, but his eyes only flicked to you once before returning to the movie.  

“A buddy of mine is in a cover band and, um, they’re playing at the haunted maze,” he pressed his lips together and then blew them out on a puff of air.  “But I totally understand if it’s not your scene.  I’ve got a shit ton of old horror movies at my place, too, or I’ve got friends at Family Video, we could—”

“Eddie Munson,” you had a funny feeling flopping its way from your stomach to your heart.  “Are you asking me out on a date? Or are you just asking me to join you as a friend?”

 “Now that all depends,” he lowered his chin, wiping something imaginary off of his jeans.  “What would you say if I did ask you out? Would you, um, be into that sort of thing?”

“Shhhh,” you halted, eyes straight ahead.  “Hold on, I love this part.”

You used it as an excuse to reach over and grab his forearm, to touch him, to give the type of reassurance that words couldn’t.  You squeezed him through his leather jacket a few times, only a couple seconds, and Eddie watched it in slow motion, aching to take your hand.  The distance was suddenly too far.  

It was a song sequence with a vampire band on stage at the Monster Club singing “I’m just a sucker for your love.”

“You come from Pennsylvania

I’m from Transylvania

And I’m a pain in the neck...

When I kiss and fondle her

It’s like making love to a 

Colander”

You could hear Eddie mumbling the lyrics and tapping his thumb, because he knew the obscure song by heart.  

 “Yes, Eddie,” you kept your attention on the screen, and now it was you losing the battle with a smile so big it pushed up your cheeks.  “I think I would like to go on a date with you.”

[candycandy00]

Pick Me Up - A Gojo x Reader x Geto Halloween Fanfic Part 1

Gojo and Geto are two serial killers who enjoy seducing their victims before killing them. Every year on Halloween they have a friendly competition, and this year the target they both choose is you.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

The first two parts will be fairly short and just serve to set up the way these two operate. The third part starts the “main part”. Any feedback or comments are greatly appreciated! Divider by @violetbudd

Smut. 18+. Fem Readers. Implied death/blood/gore (“offscreen” for now). Consensual sex. Gojo and Geto are both bisexual. First part is Gojo x Reader only. Geto will be the focus of part 2.

Unbelievable. You left your house with nearly a full tank of gas. Now, just thirty minutes later, your car is running on fumes on the darkest, loneliest highway in the area. You even double checked when you stopped at that gas station just outside of town to grab snacks. 

You’re on your way to one of several Halloween parties taking place this weekend in the days leading up to the actual holiday. This one was supposed to be one of the best, out on the old Johnson farm. 

But now you find yourself forced to pull over on the side of the road because your stupid car is out of gas. Must be a leak, you figure as you cut the engine and grab your phone from the passenger seat. You groan when you realize there’s no service. Of course not. You’re out in the boonies. 

With an annoyed sigh you climb out of your car and hold your phone in the air, trying to catch a bar or two. No luck. Glancing at your car, you wonder if you could actually see gas leaking from the bottom if you look. But you don’t want to ruin your sexy Little Red Riding Hood costume. The skirt is so short and so tight that you don’t think it’s physically possible to squat down in it. 

You walk a few steps away, still holding your phone up, still hoping for a signal. This is the last place you want to be stranded. Over the past two weeks, four different women close to your age have been found murdered along this road. Their deaths were gruesome, violent, and bloody. Two of them had their guts ripped completely out. The other two had apparently been skinned alive. Someone leaked a crime scene photo online and you saw it without meaning to. You couldn’t eat for two days after that. 

So when you hear the sound of an approaching vehicle slowing down, you feel a mix of fear and relief. It could be someone who could help you. It could be a crazed serial killer. 

You turn to look back toward your car, and your heart feels like it freezes in place when you see the rusty white van with blacked out windows pulling over. It might as well have had a huge sign on the side that said “Axe Murderer Inside!”

The thought crosses your mind to just run. But then you remember you’re wearing stiletto heels and an outfit that would be practically impossible to run in. Plus, whoever this is obviously saw you and are in a working vehicle. Running would do you absolutely no good. 

You walk slowly back to your car, and as you start to pass by the van, the window rolls down on the passenger side. You nervously glance inside. Leaning across from the driver’s seat is a man wearing dark sunglasses. His hair is snowy white, styled in that way that looks slightly messy but was clearly done on purpose. He has a young, incredibly handsome face, and when he pulls his sunglasses down to look at you, he has the most breathtaking blue eyes you’ve ever seen in your life. 

“Need some help, sweetheart?”

You can’t help blushing a little as you notice those gorgeous eyes moving up and down your figure. Your skimpy costume covers very little, and definitely enhances what it does cover. 

“I ran out of gas,” you tell him. “I think I have a leak.”

“Want me to take a look?” he asks, a friendly smile on his face. 

“Sure, if you don’t mind.”

He cuts the van’s engine and gets out. When he walks around to your side of the van and you get a full view of him, you feel yourself clamping your thighs together. 

Oh fuck, he’s hot. Like, really really hot. 

He’s tall enough to tower over you, and his loose black jacket does little to conceal how his toned body moves under his clothes. When he steps closer, you can smell expensive cologne, and when he squats down beside your car, his thighs spreading apart, you have to fight the urge to insert yourself right between his legs. 

The man bends his head down and looks under your car, holding his shades in his hand. “I don’t see anything. Are you sure you didn’t forget to gas up?”

“I’m sure,” you tell him. 

He stands back up and comes to stand right in front of you, his height dwarfing yours. “I can give you a lift. Where are you headed?”

“Oh, could I just borrow your phone?” you ask with a smile. “I can get a friend to pick me up.” 

“No service out here, sweetheart, but I’d be happy to take you wherever you want.”

You stare at him, weighing your options. You know it’s dangerous to get in a vehicle with a strange man at night. Especially one in a van like this, on a road where women are turning up murdered. But hot damn he’s gorgeous! The thought of being in an enclosed space with him is soaking your tiny thong panties. 

Fuck it. I’m taking my chances. 

“Do you know where the old Johnson farm is?” you ask him. 

He grins. “Sure do. Hop in.”

He opens the passenger side door for you and even helps you climb in. Like a gentleman. You wonder if this gentleman knows how badly you want to suck his dick as you slide into the seat. 

As the two of you drive toward the Johnson farm, your mind races for ideas on how you could get him to join you at the party. Your friends will be so jealous if you show up with a snack like him on your arm. You watch him as he drives, admiring his large but elegant looking hands on the steering wheel, imagining them grabbing your ass. 

He glances sideways at you. “So what’s going on at the farm tonight?”

“A Halloween party,” you answer. 

“That explains the outfit then,” he says with a laugh, his eyes roaming over you again. 

You cross and uncross your legs, trying to draw attention to your bare thighs. “You can come too if you want. It’s open invitation.”

He gives you a look that makes you melt, a knowing look, as if he can read your mind. “I’ll think about it,” he says, his eyes torn between the road and your legs. 

You settle into the seat, subtly letting your legs spread slightly apart. There’s enough room for him to put his hand up your skirt. You hope he’s thinking about that. 

The night outside the van window zips past you, and as you look out, you realize he’s missed the turn off to get to the farm. “Hey,” you say suddenly, “you missed the turn.”

He doesn’t slow down at all, but glances at you and asks, “I did? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it was back there on the right.”

He doesn’t reply to you. Instead, he pulls off the road and drives down a dirt path, lined on either side with trees. You feel your heart pounding when he stops the van in a dark and empty place. 

He gives you a sultry sidelong look, his beautiful eyes seeming to glow in the darkness of the van. “Do you really wanna go to some stupid Halloween party?” he asks. “Or do you wanna get fucked in the back of my van?”

The brief spike of fear you felt when he parked instantly vanishes. You suddenly lean forward and kiss him, practically crawling across the seat. He kisses you back, his lips soft but crushing, his tongue in your mouth, the taste of him sweet. 

After a moment he pulls away and looks you in the eyes. “Want me to rearrange your insides?”

“Fuck, yes, please!” you breathe out. “I want you inside me!”

He runs his tongue across your lips and grins. “Oh I’ll be inside you alright.”

Minutes later, you’re in the back of his van, your micro mini skirt hiked up around your waist and your corset style top untied halfway down, allowing your breasts to spill out. The back of the van is big enough for you to stand up straight, but the insanely sexy stranger has to hunker down a bit to fit. 

You watch with almost unbearable anticipation as he opens his black pants and pulls his cock out. It’s rock hard, and fucking enormous. You’ve had plenty of dick in your life, but this one might be a challenge. 

A challenge you’re excited to accept. 

Soon enough he has you pinned underneath him, the two of you on the floor of the van, his mouth on your neck, one hand in your hair and the other bracing himself as he thrusts into you with wild abandon. 

He’s good. Almost too good. You’ve never been fucked so hard or so deep in your life, and you wonder how the hell you’re supposed to be satisfied with any other guy from now on. 

You don’t even know this man’s name, but you think you’re in love. 

He draws back to sit up on his knees, pulling your hips into his lap and fucking you from a slightly different angle, one that lets him go even deeper. You moan loudly, arching your back as his thumb strokes your clit. You’ve never felt more incredible than you do right now, cumming on a stranger’s massive cock in the back of a van. 

A few more thrusts later, you feel his grip on your hips tighten as his cock twitches inside you. 

You look up at him sharply. “Hey, don’t cum inside-“

“Too late,” he says as you feel him shoot a huge load directly into you. It feels fucking fantastic, but you’re not looking to get pregnant, and you wish he would have asked first. Oh well. What’s done is done. 

He slowly pulls out, and you lie back, catching your breath and giving him a perfect view of his cum leaking out of your pussy. Guys love that sort of thing, or so you’ve heard. You raise your head slightly to look a him, and those crystal blue eyes are indeed staring at your body. But there’s a strange look on his face. It’s not the expected desire or lust, but something else. Something frightening. 

He turns and begins rummaging through a box near the back. When he faces you again, he’s holding a rough-looking rope in one hand and a large shiny knife in the other. 

He grins at you. “I satisfied your hunger. Now you can satisfy mine.”

You start to get up, even though your legs are numb, but he quickly jumps down and uses his knees to press you to the floor. 

“What the fuck are you doing?!” you scream, struggling against his weight. 

He’s already wrapping the rope around your wrists, pulled above your head. “We’re gonna have fun all night long, Little Red Riding Hood,” he says with a devious, slightly unhinged smile. “The big bad wolf is here to gobble you up!”

The knife in his hand glints in the dim interior light of the van as he brings it closer to your body, then uses it to cut away the clothing that had bunched up around your waist. His hand rubs over your stomach, pressing slightly into the soft flesh. 

“I’m gonna dig around a bit in here,” he says, and all you can do is scream incoherently as he begins his grisly work. 

Tag List:

@loyal-to-my-dilf @unearthlydream @noodlejitsu @itzmeme 

If you’d like to be tagged in future parts, please comment to let me know! You must be an adult to be tagged!

[oscurascout]

Y/N As A Doorman

From "That's Not My Neighbor" game

Note - Sorry for not posting for a while. I've been busy with schoolwork and tests, and I've also had writer's block. But I'm back, and I hope you enjoy this part.

A little side note - This is my first time writing a fight scene, I hope it turned out well.

Warning ⚠️ - This part includes fighting, hitting, broken bones, mentions of blood (sort of), injuries, and fainting.

Part 8 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 9, Part 10)

~•~Y/N's POV~•~

After dinner, we all gather in the living room where Hoon had made a mess of all the stuff that my grandparents had. Hoon was currently happily showing everyone photos of me from when I was a little kid.

I was happy to finally have some peace and calm after everything that had recently happened. “How I wish that it'll always be this peaceful,” I thought as Hoon grabbed my grandmother's favorite album.

“Be careful with that one; Grandma loved those photos,” I said and saw how Hoon carefully handled the book.

We stayed like that for an hour or two, then we all went to sleep. Francis had to stay with us for the night. “I hope tomorrow is a peaceful day too,” I thought as I lay down, but I just couldn't sleep. So, I decided to go to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

As I got to the kitchen, I saw that someone else was there. It was Francis. “Hey, you also can't sleep?” I said as I entered the kitchen.

Francis - “Yeah, it's usually like this for me.”

“You should see a doctor,” I said as I drank water.

Francis - *chuckles* “I don't have time; a lot of work to do.”

We both stayed quiet for a while, just feeling comfort in the peaceful atmosphere.

Francis - “Are you okay?”

“… No, you see, I'm worried. I just can't deal with all of this. A few months ago, I was just doing odd jobs and had nothing to worry about. But now I have to worry about everything. I have to protect the whole apartment while also trying to protect myself. It's just too much, and I don't think I'm doing a good job,” I said as I felt all the pressure of the world on my shoulders.

I felt Francis giving me a side hug and patting my back.

Francis - “Don't worry; you are doing an excellent job. Even after many months, no doppelgängers have entered the apartment, and that's thanks to you. So, don't give up.”

I felt more relaxed by his words. After a bit, we both went back to our rooms, and I thought about what he said. I felt happy. “Yeah, I'm the one who has been keeping everyone safe. I should probably go to sleep now; tomorrow is a workday,” I thought as I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

The next day was the same routine, though this time we had Francis, so it was a bit more fun. He looked like a walking zombie while his counterpart was happily moving around, helping both of us get ready.

I drove Francis to his work van, and after that, I went back to the apartment. After getting in and starting my shift, I saw the twins coming in. “Agh, it's too early to deal with them,” I thought as I saw Elenois coming to the window, with a baggage. She passed me her papers without saying anything, though she did have a tired look. “I guess their trip was very tiring,” I thought as I checked her papers very carefully.

Selenne - “Can you hurry up!” *annoyed*

“Shut up!” I said as I looked through the ID. I could hear her complaining under her breath. I confirmed that everything was fine, and was about to let Elenois in.

Selenne - *scared* “Ahhhh!”

I was about to shut her up but stopped when I saw why she screamed; it was two doppelgängers, but worse, one of them was the one that had been attacking everyone, the one who had attacked Mr. Cappuccin. The most aggressive one was the one who looked like Elenois, but instead of a normal face, it had very big and sharp teeth, while the other one was the version of Izaack but melting, he wasn't too aggressive, but now it appear he was.

“Selenne, get your butt over here!” I yelled and opened the door. Elenois quickly went and grabbed her sister's hand and started running towards the door, leaving their baggages behind. The doppelgängers quickly went after those two. The moment Elenois got to the door and opened it, I switched to lock the door, grabbed the taser, and ran outside.

Elenois got inside, but before Selenne could, the doppelgänger grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back. Elenois was about to go out, but I stopped her. “Elenois! Go to the office and take control. I'll deal with these doppelgängers. After your sister gets inside, call the D.D.D!” I said firmly, and Elenois, still panicking, nodded and ran to the office.

I opened the door and saw the sharp-teeth doppelgänger dragging Selenne. I turned the taser on. “Hey! Leave her alone!” I yelled and ran towards them. I plunged the taser into the sharp-teeth doppelgänger's neck. She released Selenne, and the other doppelgänger was about to grab her again, but Selenne hit him straight in the face with her bag, knocking down the melting doppelgänger. Sharp-teeth was also knocked back by the taser.

“Selenne, run and put the alarm!” I yelled, and she quickly dropped her bag and ran towards the door, which opened the moment she got there. After a few seconds, the whole building went into lockdown. I grabbed Selenne's bag, which was pretty heavy, and got ready to fight.

The flickering red lights gave the situation a very eerie atmosphere, the only sound being the alarm indicating the current problem. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, feeling a little scared, but I quickly threw that feeling away, knowing that I needed to survive.

Melting face was the first to recover, but he didn't lunge at me. I turned just in time to see sharp-teeth rush at me with claws in her hands. I quickly ducked, barely missing the sharp claws. In one swift motion, I drove my elbow into the doppelgänger’s ribs, feeling them break.

I suddenly felt pain on my side as the other doppelgänger’s claws scratched my arm. I gasped, feeling so much pain but forced myself to stay upright. I spun, turning on the taser and lunging it into the attacker’s side. The doppelgänger fell to the ground.

The room spun as I struggled to keep up, all of my muscles screaming to stop, but I knew I couldn't, not until the D.D.D. arrived. I blocked a claw swing with my forearm, wincing at the pain, and retaliated with a swing to their stomach with the bag. The doppelgänger gasped, stumbling back, and I seized the moment to catch my breath.

"I can do it," I told myself, eyes darting between the two doppelgängers. I felt myself starting to get dizzy and very tired. The next attack came fast and hard – a coordinated assault from both sides. I dodged left, narrowly avoiding a claw swing, and countered with a low kick to the knee, making the melting one fall.

The sharp-teeth doppelgänger grabbed my arm, twisting it painfully. I bit back a scream, using my free hand to deliver a crushing blow to their throat. Their grip loosened, and I yank myself free, adrenaline fueling my every move.

Breathing heavily, I stood as the doppelgängers quickly recovered, every inch of my being aching. The fight wasn't over yet – not until the D.D.D arrived. It was hard; they were stronger than me, and my taser was almost out of power. As I gasped for air, the melting one grabbed my arms and held them painfully. Then I heard the other one behind me. I moved my head and saw the sharp claws coming near my face.

I quickly moved my head, dodging the blow to my face but not to my body. The claws went down my back, breaking skin. I screamed and with all my strength, I pulled away from the melting face, turned the taser on, and plunged it into the sharp teeth. My vision was starting to blur.

I heard footsteps. I looked behind the doppelgängers and saw the yellow suits; the D.D.D had finally arrived. The doppelgängers turned their attention to them and started to attack, but unlike me, the agents were professionals and far stronger, so they easily won. I smiled, and suddenly, my world went dark.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Don’t Go Blindly Into The Dark

Summary:

To hide that he can't read, Jan Van Eck has been forcing his son to pretend he's blind since he was eight years old. Wylan is now attending Ketterdam University, and meeting Jesper Fahey may very well be about to change his life. But is he safe to tell Jesper the truth? And what will Jesper say if he does?

Jesper is struggling to weigh up his life in the Barrel and his life at the University of Ketterdam, and there's a good chance that his growing debt is about to make the decision for him. He hasn't attended class consecutively for months, but maybe that will change when his newest project includes partnering up with Wylan Van Eck. But can he really leave the Barrel behind him? And how long can he keep up the pretence of who he thinks Wylan wants him to be?

Meanwhile there is a darkness growing in Ketterdam, and it seems a killer may be stalking the streets of West Stave. An unknown evil is closing its jaws over the city, and it’s starting to feel like nowhere is safe.

Tags: @justalunaticfangirl @lunarthecorvus @i-need-help-this-is-my-obsession @devoted-people-hater

If anyone else would like to be tagged let me know :)

Content warnings for this chapter: ptsd, trafficking references, blood, death references, murder references, mentions of dead bodies, abduction, threats, implied violence, threats of violence and murder

AO3 link

Chapter 54 - Kaz

“Riesen knows,”

They were the first words Inej said when she dropped in through Kaz’s window. The damp Ketterdam mist was clinging to her hair and clothes, adding shimmer to her skin when she turned and her face caught in the moonlight. The rain would begin again soon, Kaz thought, watching her. That was all he thought of this mist, these fine droplets of water clinging to Inej’s edges. All that he allowed himself to. 

He didn’t say anything; he watched as Inej crossed the room, shaking out the cuffs of her dark shirt even though it was tight enough over her slim figure and around her wrists that Kaz doubted she could be particularly rained on beneath it, and - to his surprise, he had to admit - closed the window behind her before taking a seat at the front of his desk. Inej didn’t like to have the windows closed, not if the door was shut as well - and the door to Kaz’s rooms at the Slat was almost always shut. He waited. 

“Geels is bringing Elzinger,” she said, after a moment had passed, “and Oomen,”

As Kaz had predicted. Elzinger and Geels had risen through the ranks of the Black Tips together, there was enough history there to turn into trust, and Oomen? Well, they knew enough about Oomen, didn’t they? 

“Good,” Kaz scratched himself a small note into the edge of the ledger on his desk; he would probably remember the transaction, but just to be cautious, “Get me everything you can on them, we ought to be prepared,”

From the corner of his eye he took in Inej’s stiff nod. He turned the page. 

“And Riesen, then?” 

“He knows. About Stoevelaar,”

Kaz finally looked up. He’d been quite sure that this was what Inej was about to tell him, but he needed her to say it. He nodded. 

When Inej had shown up at the Crow Club that day, blood-stained, soaked to the bone, wearing ill-fitting pyjamas, and dragging herself across the city’s rooftops on a leg that she could hardly move, he’d quickly sent for Liesbeth’s body to be moved out of her room and away from Dregs territory as soon as possible - and just as subtly. They’d staged a messy murder scene on a border between territories belonging to the Liddies and the Razorgulls, with nothing identifying to anyone and no weapons left behind but the ones Liesbeth had still had on her person. By the time the corpse was found the Dregs had been long gone, but it had always been possible that someone saw them. Besides, if it weren’t for Inej being in the field one would have considered Stoevelaar damn good at her job; who else would have managed to finish her so suddenly? Kaz had suspected that Riesen either knew or predicted that the Wraith was behind it for some time, but no-one had said a word and it seemed that he was willing to let sleeping dogs lie. Apparently not for any longer. 

“What does he intend to do about it?”

Inej’s jaw set tightly. Someone else might have thought that it was grit or determination in her that glued her like this, so stoic and stiff, but Kaz knew better. Inej was afraid. 

“He wants to finish me himself,”

“Then we’ll have to make sure he doesn’t get the chance,” Kaz looked back to his ledger, “The bridge?”

“No hiccups,” she replied, her tone making it more than evident that she was not happy to have their first topic of conversation moved on from so quickly, “How long will it be until they go to the ice storage?”

“We should assume at least a week,” Kaz had chosen the bridge quite specifically, an important enough location for concern to spike and hopefully speed up the process of inspections, but the Council and the stadwatch couldn’t be relied upon to do anything quickly, “A while after that until the cash will come in,”

“And Councilman Hoede?”

Kaz raised an eyebrow. Inej had kept her tone reasonably light but they both knew that it was a wasted performance. He would not deny her it, though; if she’d wanted to make this an open discussion she would’ve done. 

“A happy coincidence,” Kaz turned his gaze back to the ledger and the grain of the desk beneath it, ignoring the water droplet still holding on to one of Inej’s eyelashes and reflecting in her dark iris like a chunk fool’s gold, “that whilst we needed to keep Kirst and Van Reik away from the bridge we could also keep Ido De Baal at the tables and garner some potentially useful information,”

There was silence for a moment, that Kaz knew neither of them was planning on breaking. He wasn’t going to elaborate unless she asked, and he knew she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. It almost made him want to smile. Almost. 

Nina had given Kaz some considerably interesting information, but it had not yet helped him come much closer to unravelling the mystery that someone was spinning across the streets of West Stave. There had come a point, perhaps longer ago than he cared to admit to himself, when too many of the loose threads became tangled and knotted and now even garnering new secrets only seemed to make it harder to inweave the tapestry.

He did not think, despite the Leopard’s previous renown on the Barrel and Rollins’ apparent soft spot for Amethyst, that either girl had been purposefully chosen from amongst the others at each house. It seemed far more likely that the abductor was told which house to target each night, and they took whomever they got hold of. Neither Tara nor Amethyst’s time away from the Menagerie and the Sweet Shoppe had been paid for or pre-arranged, they were reported missing swiftly and with shockwaves - shockwaves that the kidnapper could not afford. So they tried to get smarter; they paid to take Jeluna out of the Barrel, for a similar amount of time to how long the others had been missing for, Kaz had noticed, and this time he did think the selection had been at least slightly more specific. They needed to be more subtle; Amethyst was close to Rollins and Leopard was not a rare name to hear around here during the months before her murder, but no-one seemed to have really heard of Jeluna Kir-Mai until a few weeks ago.

This told Kaz two things. 

After what happened to Amethyst, and the discovery of what remained of her body, they definitely needed to go unnoticed for a while, but they had still attacked Jeluna. That was paramount to understanding the motive. There was something there, a drive that Kaz couldn’t place yet, that had meant they couldn’t stop. What they’d done to Jeluna… some kind of experimentation? A deadline maybe, or just a - he hesitated to call it scientific, but for lack of a more appropriate word that was going to have to do - scientific drive? Some kind of addiction? Someone impatient pulling the strings - maybe refusing to pay up unless they kept going? Maybe. All of them might make sense - but they weren’t real motives, were they? Just something that might be related to it. Kaz was pretty confident, because it simply always was the way, that the motive had to come back to money somehow; he must be missing a piece of the puzzle, because thus far he had no idea how this was supposed to start bringing in cash unless they were looking for a girl that bled kruge. 

The second thing this told Kaz was that they were getting smarter, more careful. It probably meant that they’d always had the capacity to do this as a more subtle, cautious job, but had bitten off more than they could chew when they assumed it would be easy. That, he thought, may very well be a double edged sword.

“I spoke to Jesper,” Inej said, breaking the silence but clearly refusing to give in and ask him about De Baal, “About the parley. I haven’t seen Big Bolliger yet, but are you sure-”

“He’s on shift at the Crow Club,” 

They watched each other for a moment. Inej stood up. 

“I’ll speak to him tomorrow,”

The war inside Kaz let her get as far as a hand reaching the door before he found himself saying: 

“Send someone to the safehouse, to keep guard outside Elodie and Jeluna’s door,”

Inej turned, very slowly. The yellow moon leaking through the top of Kaz’s window had gotten caught in her hair like autumn leaves. 

“Why?”

“If Riesen knows,” Kaz said, flexing his fingers inside his gloves, beneath the desk and out of Inej’s view, at the thought of him trying to track down the Wraith, “He might be trying to watch the Dregs. He has trade deals in palace with Kaatje De Waal; if he finds out-”

“I’ll tell Anika to go. Have you… have you spoken to Nina yet? About…?”

Kaz shook his head. 

“I couldn’t get hold of Jeluna’s contract - not yet, at least, anyway,” not that he was feeling keen to return to the Willow Switch any time soon, but he’d been using this job as a delay and if he was going to get away with draining the Dregs’ money to keep Jeluna alive and fed for much longer then he’d need some kind of paperwork to point to so he could pacify the old man, “I expect to find it full of nonsense charges to raise the price though - Tailoring probably one of them. It might be more expensive than I first thought,”

Kaz had seen, from the documents he’d managed to gather from the bank, the original price that moved thirteen-year-old Jeluna from Saints knew where to the gilded parlour of the Willow Switch. He’d made the assumption of a rise, bullshit Kaatje would have charged her for just the same as Heleen did Inej, yes, but he’d thought he was working with the maximum of a one year time frame, maybe a two at a push. He had not expected to have six years of it to contend with. 

 “What happens then?”

Kaz shrugged. 

“I find the cheapest boat I can going back to Shu Han and stick her on it,”

“That would be as good as killing her,”

Inej kept her voice relatively even but she’d squared her shoulders, and she was definitely bristling. Kaz looked up very slowly, taking in every piece of her individually and memorising the feeling of her anger. He needed it. He needed her to be angry with him, he needed this to be what he could draw on when he was being stupid enough to try mining fool’s gold from her eyes and imagining orange leaves falling into her hair – free from its braid and pouring over her shoulders, down her back, as though it had been released from dam and the entire world was flooding with it. Those things were not what he needed. 

“What else would you expect of me, Wraith?”

His voice was cold. It was painful. It was comforting. 

It was all he knew. 

[calamitoustide]

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. Spread the self-love ❤

okay im gonna finally do this 😭 this is like picking my children though so give me a second

Dear Reader

This One was the first one I wrote where I was like this is my fic. Obviously they are all my fics but this ones just different. All the other ones were always favorites of my friends and so I gave them to them even if they weren't technically gifted to them but this one was all me. It was everything to me. I honestly would get a tattoo of "Stay Close To The Sun" that's how deep my love for it runs. I actually have the stuck note hanging up on my wall and it's been there since I wrote it. (I had to tape it to make it stick but it's there!) There is nothing I would change about this fic. Nothing. It is perfect. It is everything to me. I am gripping it so hard in my palm no one's taking it from me. (and they have tried lmao)

I Might Like You Less Now That You Know Me So Well

This one gave Dear Reader a run for it's money. These two are so special to me. When I started writing it all it was supposed to be was fluff with like a little angst. It was always sad James but they were supposed to be over it 😭 or at least healed from it but it grew and it's so much different than it used to be. And it's for the better! It's also my first like nonbinary James fic and I love them very much they are so special to me. Even if Everyone who comments on it uses the wrong pronouns for them :) they are so special to me!!! There are little moments where I'm just in this fic. I'm going about my day and suddenly I am in the that van and watching the scene play out. I am at the tattoo parlor watching James grip Regulus hands because they're deathly afraid of needles. I am at the grand canyon and hearing James say they're not scared of heights anymore because they "found something scarier." I am at that beach hearing James whine "I was supposed to be in the water by now. I want to be in the water. I know I promised I'm sorry. I want to be in the water." It is forever engrained within me. Thinking about this fic is like breathing to me.

You Don't Get To Tell Me About Sad

My current little sad James fic, and it also was never supposed to happen. I don't like band aus I've tried them... multiple times but it never worked. I had a marylily one, a pandalily one, I had a jegulus one too but it just never stuck. This one though just worked for some reason... probably because it's hardly a band au honestly. There's some music and the fame plays a big part in it later but it's what I do best sad James and hurt/comfort. I also thought I would never write another sad James before this one because the ideas simply weren't coming. This one was even a struggle to plan fully. This is the first time I've made James' sadness run off into anger, and I thought that was an interesting aspect of it to explore. He's trapped and the only way he feels like he can get any relief is through anger. This is also one of my exes to lovers Jegulus fics and oh I love it. I've written three and this might be my favorite in the way that jegulus are never actually broken up. They are barely holding onto that they've always been together since the first chapter even if they're not saying it. This one is just very special to me and since I'm writing it right now it's not fully formed in my head but I know it's gonna break top three with the other two when it's done.

When You Saw That Dead Little Bird (You Started Crying)

THIS ONE! Okay it's from early 2023 and I remember obsessing over it even if it's only 4k. Out of all my one shots this is the one I always go back to and the one I always try to push on people. I love metaphors anyone who reads anything I write will know that and I was obsessed with the Moon Song dog metaphor. The dog, owner, and bird was everything to me I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I was writing this fic from the perspective of Regulus being the "owner" and James as "the dog" running up to him to give him a dead bird (Lucius dead) as a gift. The owner yells at the dog for giving them something awful/disgusting and the dog just doesn't understand why! So that was the original goal... and then well... I lost track of the goal. I was talking to one of my friends at the time about it, how the bird was supposed to represent innocence. That's why the owner is upset, it's awful to look at because it's pure and sweet. But Lucius isn't innocent Regulus doesn't care about the bird being dead he cares about the blood on the dog's teeth. And so James became the bird as much as he was the dog. And then I started thinking about Regulus killing himself in the war and putting all the blood on his own hands to save James from it and he became the dog and the bird too. They're both everything. They're destroying themselves for love. It's the tale of devotion. The tale of being so devoted to something it turns into your end. You might be able to tell why that was so appealing to me :/

Let The Light In

Alright so the last one was harder to choose but I'm going with Let the Light In because aroace Jegulus have my soul. They are everything to me. I remember seeing another fic with an aroace couple who are usually seen as romantic and I just stared at it for so long. I didn't read it I wasn't really into the ship but I was driving to school just obsessing over the idea with jeg. I remember parking like ten minutes early and instead of walking to my class I just sat in the car and sent a vm all about it not even knowing what I wanted just knowing I wanted Jeg in a QPR. What came out of it is everything to me. Jegulus figuring out their sexualities together and growing comfortable with it. James who wanted nothing more than romance his entire life and was grieving the kind he'll never be able to feel. Regulus who wanted nothing of it but attached himself to James anyway because he couldn't help it, and ended up welcoming love into his life. They are everything, and this fic has so many... not so great memories attached to it now looking back but it's still just as light and beautiful. There's just something about them, and I want desperately to write aroace Jeg again one day. They are calling my name.

[pocket-lad]

Hear me out- that scene where Nick finds the baby trex? Maybe he finds Adelaide and rescues her too 👀

How did Adelaide end up with the baby rex? The world may never know. But I sure do love this idea.

~

The wails of the baby T-Rex really grated on Adelaide’s nerves. At first it hurt her ears, then her heart, and now her head. Not once did she get even remotely close to it, despite her curiosity. But it seemed harmless, considering the gash that ran along its leg. The wound was longer than she was tall. And it was chained to a post that was driven deep into the ground by a Bean. It wasn’t getting up any time soon.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t in danger, though. It was dark and humid after a short bout of rain, and creepy crawlies almost definitely stalked around every corner. Then there were the bigger animals, including the adult T-Rex that would want its baby back soon. And not a Bean to be found.

Adelaide set her sights on a small patch of grass that would hopefully help conceal her from some of those dangers. Trudging through the mud took a lot longer than she would’ve liked. The suction of the wet ground held her legs fast, and she strained every time she took a step, which was only exacerbated by the bruising and soreness from the whole ordeal that got her in this situation. She stopped short when she came upon a lake.

No, not a lake. A puddle. But it might as well have been a lake as far as she was concerned. It stretched out in both directions, so going around would take who knew how long, especially in the sticky mud, but the water was murky, preventing her from getting a good gauge on how deep it was or what lurked within it. Adelaide glanced back at the screaming infant, then slowly shuffled forward into the puddle.

Despite the heat of the air, the water was frigid. She huffed and puffed as she waded deeper, holding her bag up by her head to keep it dry. The waterline leveled out at her waist, and as she passed the halfway point, it quickly receded.

Adelaide thought about her life indoors, and how much of it was spent longing to see the outdoors. It wasn’t all it was chalked up to be, that was for sure.

She also thought about borrowers who supposedly lived their whole lives outside. She’d never run into any of them - there was never an opportunity for them to cross paths, and they were almost definitely elusive - but she certainly didn’t envy them. This sucked.

Adelaide made it to the other side without incident. Well, sort of. Her clothes and boots were probably destroyed for good, and she was soaked to the bone, but she was alive and no more injured than when she started. She had just made it to the thick bunch of grass when the world lit up in a brilliant orange flash of light. Then the soundwaves of the explosion reached her ears, so loud it knocked her off her feet, followed by faint screaming and shouting.

Adelaide thought Nick and Sarah were supposed to free the dinosaurs, not explode their camp!

But there was no time to register what just happened. She dove into the grass as the ground repeatedly quaked and she watched the disturbance of the water in the puddle with each tremor, hoping it wasn’t something that could eat her.

It actually was something that could eat her, though it probably wouldn’t. A tall man appeared out of nowhere, running toward the baby T-Rex. He stopped right next to Adelaide. He didn’t see her, but she didn’t know if she was relieved by that.

The man bent down to free the dinosaur, and Adelaide saw that it was Nick Van Owen. In a perfect world, she’d have nothing to do with Nick, but this was far from a perfect world. Maybe even the opposite.

Out of all the Beans that could happen upon her though, this was at least one of the better ones. It was now or never. She needed to get his attention or he’d be gone, and she’d be right back where she started, which is to say, in a lot of trouble.

Adelaide ignored every instinct in her body and ran as fast as she could into the open air. But after the first step, her foot stuck in the mud and the momentum made her fall forward. Growling in frustration, she pushed herself up and continued on, unsuccessfully wiping the mud out of her eyes. She yelped when she suddenly ran into something and stumbled backward. It was hard and slippery and very, very big. It was a shoe.

Adelaide tilted her head up and up and up to see Nick Van Owen staring down at her. She thought she might throw up.

The shock on Nick’s face suddenly morphed into a calm determination. “Adelaide?”

Adelaide nodded. There was no way he saw it from so high up, but she seemed to have misplaced her voice. Fallen over like this, just his shoe was taller than her.

“What other tiny people would be running around on this island?” Nick muttered in response to his own stupid question. Receiving no feedback from Adelaide (that he could see or hear), he pushed on. “Let’s get you out of here.”

In the blink of an eye, Nick crouched down and reached for her. Adelaide yelped.

“Woah, woah, you hurt?” Nick asked, hesitating with an outstretched hand. They were running out of time.

Adelaide’s heart pounded as she took in the sight of his hand. Each of the fingers was just as tall and just as wide as her. Each one individually held more power than she did in her whole body. It took a moment for her to register the question, but she shook her head no. At least, she wasn’t hurt in any life-threatening way.

Closer to her level, Nick saw the movement. “Alright, well, I just caused a lot of trouble back there, and I don’t want to stick around for the aftermath, so…” He reached for her again and this time, he ignored Adelaide’s cries. A scared borrower was much better than a dead borrower.

The fingers wrapped around her, seemingly in slow motion, and yet Adelaide couldn’t fight them off. The familiar movement of being yanked off the ground was made worse by the large, unfamiliar hand attached to the large, unfamiliar Bean.

Upon feeling the admittedly odd sensation of a struggling person in his hand, Nick opened it to look down at her. She immediately halted all movement, scared she would throw herself right off the high platform, but her fearful eyes stayed trained on Nick.

“Easy, easy, I’m saving you,” he said with only a ghost of a smile on his lips, but it disappeared when the problem became clear. He glanced between Adelaide and the T-Rex, trying to work out a way to get them both to safety.

Adelaide didn’t like the way Nick considered her. It felt like he was making decisions in his head about what to do with her without consulting her, and she was a little miffed. “What are you looking at?”

“What am I supposed to do with you?...You think you can balance on my shoulder?”

Adelaide floundered but ultimately nodded.

“Perfect,” Nick said. “Hold on.” Without warning, he deposited her on his left shoulder and drew his hand away, already set on the T-Rex.

Adelaide clung on for dear life as she moved from his hand to his shoulder and then fell when he bent down. Her knuckles turned white and she let out a small scream. She only just caught the way he ripped the stake out of the ground, his muscles flexing from the effort.

Before she knew it, Nick had the baby in his arms. She could feel the way his posture changed, straining under the weight of such a large animal. In comparison, she weighed nothing.

It was a silent trip back to wherever they were going, minus the piercing wails of the baby T-Rex, probably because Nick was focusing on the dinosaur and Adelaide didn’t want to talk to a Bean. She tensed when he waded through some deep water and tensed even more when she heard Sarah’s voice. No Ian.

“Oh my God, are you out of your mind!?” she shouted, eyeing the screaming infant. It was too dark and Adelaide was too small for Sarah to notice her.

“She’s got a broken leg. Let’s get in the car before they hear us,” Nick explained. He sat the dinosaur in the back of the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. In one quick motion, he rolled his shoulder forward and caught Adelaide in his palm. “You alright?”

Adelaide screamed as she fell and let out a quick exhale when she landed. She forced herself to sit up and look around at the dark interior of the car. Nick and Sarah were both staring. “Never better,” she said sarcastically.

If this were Ian, she’d flop back into his palm and rest her sore body, but this wasn’t Ian. This was Nick, who was virtually a stranger.

Nick picked up on the sarcasm but chose to ignore it. “You don’t look alright. Here.” He reached out with his middle finger toward Adelaide.

Adelaide scrambled back as far as she could go without falling off his hand, her heart pounding. But there was nowhere to go, and the finger just kept coming. And then it made contact with her face, the force of which pushed her away slightly. She sputtered but dug her hands into his palm to prevent from being knocked over as he essentially stroked her face over and over. She tried in vain to push the finger out of the way, but it was too strong.

“Cut that out,” Sarah said, watching in confusion. She was still caught off guard by the presence of the small woman.

Nick ignored her. He pulled away to examine his work, and he thought he did a halfway decent job clearing the mud away. He could at least see Adelaide’s face now, and it displayed a mix of shock, disgust, and anger.

“Don’t do that again,” Adelaide said.

Nick spoke as he placed her back on his shoulder so he could drive. “Relax, we’ll get you back to Malcolm in a minute. You’re safe now. It’s all good.”

“That’s not-” Adelaide cut herself off before she said something she’d regret. She didn’t want to piss Nick off when he literally held her life in his hands. She’d scold him later when she was safely back with Ian.

For now, all she could do was hang on, ignore the two unignorable Beans in the car, and listen to the ever-growing wails of the baby T-Rex. It was going to be a long ride.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Music

How Bob Dylan Viciously Cut His Competition Down to Size

THINK TWICE

In this excerpt from “Talkin’ Greenwich Village,” veteran journalist David Browne revealed how Dylan could make his fellow folk singers shrink with a “withering gaze.”

David Browne

Published Sep. 16, 2024 5:00AM EDT 

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

The below has been excerpted from Talkin' Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America's Bohemian Music Capital ©2024 David Browne and reprinted by permission from Grand Central Publishing/ Hachette Books /Hachette Book Group.

As the scene was growing more amped up, in every way, its unofficial clubhouse remained the Kettle of Fish. But with Bob Dylan’s success and the pressure and attention that came with it, the dynamics at those gatherings began to shift. In 1964 Robert Shelton of the Times watched—with a sense of wonderment rare for such a fixture on the scene—as Dylan entered the Kettle one night with the Supremes and members of the British band the Animals, whose sulking, electrified makeover of “The House of the Rising Sun” had given the ballad an audience far beyond the coffeehouse crowd. Those pop stars were a departure from the small, insular posse Dylan generally preferred, one that protected him and, many thought, egged him on as he dissected the peers and strivers at the Kettle on any given night. For extra privacy, Guido Giampieri would close and lock the front door at a late hour.

Dylan’s gang was usually led by Bob Neuwirth, his road manager, side-kick, and would- be bodyguard. An artist by trade and education, the Ohio- born Neuwirth had attended art school in Boston, where he learned to play guitar and banjo and eventually made his way into the Village; Dylan would recall first seeing him in the audience at the Gaslight. Neuwirth’s barbed-wire gibes and hipster persona were also of a piece with Dylan’s. As a source told Rolling Stone a few years later, regarding Neuwirth’s arrival in New York in 1964, “Dylan started to change at that time. Part of it was Neuwirth; he was a real strong influence on Dylan. Neuwirth [was] stressing pride and ego, sort of saying, ‘Hold your head high, man, don’t take shit, just take over the scene.’ He was the kind of cat who could influence others, work on their egos and support those egos.” Neuwirth’s striped pants would soon be seen behind Dylan on the cover of Highway 61 Revisited, the album that announced, as much as any, that the folk revival had passed its expiration date.

Thanks to his work with Dylan on records and on stage, including playing with him at the chaotic Newport Folk Festival, Kooper was often at Dylan’s table and saw how perilous it could be for anyone in the vicinity. “If Dylan focused on you, you were in trouble,” he said. “He could out- think anybody.” David Blue was a recurring member of the posse, although, as Ramblin’ Jack Elliott would recall, he was rarely if ever the brunt of Dylan’s withering gaze or comments. “Blue had a certain kind of stature,” said Elliott. “He was a large guy, way bigger than Bob, and he had a certain composed personality.”

Talkin' Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America's Bohemian Music Capital

Hachette Books

To Dylan biographer Anthony Scaduto, Van Ronk theorized that Dylan zeroed in on particular targets for a reason: in Van Ronk’s mind, they all wanted to “get rich,” too. Whatever the motivation, the atmosphere could be fraught. “The level of ‘rapping,’ as we called it, was tough,” said Arthur Gorson, the manager who sometimes found himself amid the Kettle gang. “People fell by the wayside. They would talk about songs and someone would say, ‘Hey, man, you can’t use that word—I used that word.’ Eric Andersen was slightly damaged by Neuwirth’s taunts.” Andersen would later pen “The Hustler” about Neuwirth and those times in that bar. In the fall of 1965, Dylan him-self would unveil “Positively 4th Street,” a stern single that sliced and diced someone—or some group—who hadn’t supported him. He never specified who, but some in the Kettle posse wondered if it were one of them.

One especially tense evening, Andersen witnessed Dylan lacing into Phil Ochs. As Dylan drifted from topical writing, Ochs fully embraced it—and was being lauded for it within their world. Reviewing Ochs’s performance at Newport in 1964, Shelton opined that he was “rivaling Bob Dylan as a pro-test spokesman.” Broadside also weighed in, commenting, “Ochs is much more deeply committed to the broadside tradition.” With one album under his belt and a second, I Ain’t Marching Anymore, due in the early months of 1965, Ochs was primed to be an even more socially conscious voice of his generation than Dylan was, and the two men had a “love- hate thing,” as Paxton put it.

At the Kettle one evening, Dylan and Ochs got into a verbal match that ended with Dylan dismissing Ochs as merely a singing journalist (which, in Dylan’s defense, wasn’t too far from the truth at that point in Ochs’s career). Andersen, who had grown close to Ochs (he had encouraged Andersen to add more verses to “Violets of Dawn”) and would often crash at the apartment where Ochs lived with his wife, Alice, was suitably offended. As Andersen observed (and Scaduto also reported), Dylan turned on Ochs another night as well: “You oughta find a new line of work, Ochs. You’re not doin’ very much in this one.” As an appalled Andersen recalled, “He said it right to Phil’s face and really insulted him, and I said, ‘Stop picking on him. Cut it out.’” Dylan, said Andersen, retorted, “Look, I’m buying all the wine here. I can say whatever I want to say. What do you want me to talk about, the sunset over the Hudson and the deep blue sea?”

For a brief period, Ochs and Dylan were both managed by Albert Grossman until Ochs felt he wasn’t receiving the attention he deserved, and late in 1965 he asked Gorson to take over. (In a poke at the name of Grossman’s company, ABG, Ochs asked Gorson to use his initials for his own management firm, which became AHG.) But Ochs had an emerging star power of his own: cov-ering his January 1966 debut at Carnegie Hall for the Times, Shelton felt that Ochs still needed some seasoning and admonished his melodies and guitar playing but noted that the audience was “predominantly teenaged.”

Later that year, in preparation for recording Pleasures of the Harbor—a lavishly produced record intended to be his moment of arrival as a full- on record-ing artist—Ochs introduced songs like “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends” and “Flower Lady” at Carnegie Hall. The latter—seemingly about a mysterious middle- aged woman who would walk into Folk City and sell bouquets of flow-ers, supposedly purloined from cemeteries—was set to one of his most sumptu-ous melodies. He and Dylan weren’t far apart in some ways: they’d both grown up with rock and roll and eventually turned to acoustic music. With Kooper adding one of his recognizable keyboard parts, Ochs even recorded a plugged-in remake of his antiwar rouser “I Ain’t Marching Anymore.” But he and Dylan remained mirror images of the Village, the acoustic and the electric, the old world and the new world, circling each other and staring each other down.

David Browne is a senior writer at Rolling Stone--and author of eight books, including ‘Talkin' Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America's Bohemian Music Capital,’ who moved to New York to attend NYU and never left. He started covering the city's music scene long ago for the New York Daily News.

David Browne

[teamfreewill2pointo]

Visiting the Supernatural shooting locations Part 1

I just got back from trip to Vancouver where I saw hundreds of shooting locations. I wanted to share my experience for others who might want to do the same.

I could not have done it without the help of some amazing fans, so first, let me shout out to some of the best sources I found.

This map was created by Raloria in spn_locations. It was invaluable to the experience. There were some locations that weren't in that resource, such as Dean's grave in 4.01, which I found using this account, but the vast majority of the shooting locations are in that map. Two of the places had so many locations that I wish I had written down the information before I went there. One of which was North 40 Park and the other was Riverview. Luckily, this blog had some photos of Riverview with screencaps so you can see where the places fit in the episodes. I'll go into those places more below.

So first, with 15 years, there were a lot of filming locations. Here's the map

There's simply no way to visit them all within a short visit. Since I was doing general touristy things in Van as well, I divided my set locations visit into 4 main groups. On the first day, we hit North 40 Park, the Winchester House, and the area around Granville island. North 40 Park is a former military post that's now a great little park to go walking in where tons of scenes were filmed.

It was the first place we visited and, because so many places were filmed here, the description didn't give much in the way of details. Here's the highlighted point:

This where they built the set for the end of s10 where Dean killed Death. Sam and Dean wandered around this area at the start of s11.

A crossroads spot used in many different episodes is this one

I wish I had gone into the pages for the episode and pulled up pictures of the locations so that I could be certain what I was looking at. I did this for all future visits, but this was my first location, so I wasn't sure what I was doing. So, for example, let's say I'm at this location. I look at the episode tags

Then I go into the episodes write up and I find the corresponding location. For example, I didn't realize it at the time, it was only later that I found out this is where the Impala was run off the road!!

Luckily, all my photos are geotagged so I can go and look at the photos and then match them up with the filming locations after the visits, but I suggest that you do this before you visit the locations.

We also planned to visit the Timberland Hotel & Campground (1x17, 2x03, 3x02, 12x08, 12x09), but it's been closed and appears to have been demolished.

Someone gave us his former address and we enjoyed a beautiful view from near that location before stopped at Sunset Park, where Sam and Dean walked along the beach in Devil's Trap.

There are so many filming locations that we didn't realize our hotel was right by where they filmed Regarding Dean until after we got there!!

The next day, we went to Stanley Park and checked out the Seawall, where Kripke sat down J2 and told them that the show lived and died with their relationship.

This day, I was a bit more prepared and so I knew that I'd be passing through where Castiel killed Billie, but it was still fun to just look across the water and see a spot that I recognized. As soon as I saw these piles of sulfur, I knew that was where Jared and Misha got in trouble for goofing off.

Confirmed it with a map.

I lost track of how many filming locations I saw in downtown Van just walking around. There's so many

If you visit Gastown, do not keep walking down Hastings going East. It is not a good part of town.

Several locations were blocked off so we couldn't access them, such as a the Bunker entrance. The trail was closed for repairs. Maybe next time.

The next day I did New Westminster, Surrey, and part of Burnaby.

I took the Sky Train to New Westminster and walked around town and felt very safe walking through downtown. YMMV. The Sky Train was very easy to get around, although you'll need a car for some of the shooting locations, like Surrey.

It was interesting to realize how much was just made up for the show. For example, the comic book shop in Mint Condition was completely made up

Peeking in the windows, it almost looks like that building just exists to be a set for various shows. While we were driving around, I saw people filming something, so the industry is still going strong.

One of the things we wanted to do was to drive where they filmed 11.04 while playing Night Moves. Unfortunately, the place where they built the Roadhouse and started the drive is now the site of a new bridge, so we couldn't start there, but we were able to do the second half of the drive.

Some places were very easy to find

Some were blocked off like the Watchman set. There's zero Red Meat filming locations in the doc!

The El Dorado Motor Hotel from 2.14 has been replaced with a condo. The 2400 Motel from 1.18, 5.05, 11.13 has a new paint job.

The end speech from Prophet and Loss took place on private property, so we weren't able to go there.

Since Supernatural is shot at night or in the fog, locations often look very different.

Tumblr won't allow me to do anymore photos this post, so I'll post more in part 2!

[yjano]

All of me.

Part 15.

Pairing: Jake x Mc.

Warnings: slow burn, swearing, angst, a little fluff, smut, violence and other pairings.

Words: 5.6k

Author's note: Although this story is not related to the Duskwood game, I will add some of our beloved characters. Please read it only if you're into angst prison stories, slow burns, etc. A little hint: You will get to see some similarities to Jake and his gang from "Never The Same" fic.

Everybody ready!?" Sam suddenly yelled through the car, his phone against his ear, and a small smirk on his face.

Within a second, the car was speeding at an enormous speed, the two police cars and the van coming in sight before us. My heart started to beat like crazy, a feeling of anxiety taking over my body with every passing second. Sam had dropped his phone by now, his eyes fully focused on the cars before us while Dan kept speeding the car to get closer.

In front of us was the exact same scene Lex had described to us yesterday, two police cars and in the middle of them a black van with darkened windows. Within a second, the car containing Jake, Kaden, and Jessy had passed us and was driving at full speed towards the three cars.

Just as planned, they drove by the small convoi, getting in front of us, and before I could fully register what was happening, shots were getting fired while Jake's car came to an abrupt stop. The three cars before us stopped in an instant to avoid a crash, while Dan stopped our own car right behind the last police car to close them in completely.

Dan and Sam jumped out of the car, getting behind their car doors to avoid getting shot. Both of them pointed their weapons at the car in front of them, and within a few seconds, the two policemen had done the same. Bullets were getting fired constantly, the sound making my ears ring painfully.

With big eyes and a heart that hammered in my chest, I watched the whole scene, already regretting coming. I wasn't made for this. This was in no way my cup of tea at all. I was made for helping people, not killing them.

The shots kept being fired, loud screams sounding over the battlefield that has formed by now. Screams came from both the policeman and my friends. All of them screamed at the other to give up and surrender themselves. My eyes fell on the scene a little further away.

Jake and Kaden were both shooting at the two policemen from the first car, both of them constantly diving behind their own car to avoid getting shot only to come out a few seconds later to lose some shots themselves. They kept going back and forth until Jake actually managed to shoot one of the agents.

My breath got stuck in my throat, my heart going even faster while I saw the man fall lifeless to the ground behind the police car. A large puddle of blood started to form around his head, and the color slowly drained from the man's face.

"Jake!"

I instantly looked up from the hard scream that left Kaden's mouth, a scream filled with panic and worry. My eyes darted over the scene, my eyes getting bigger by the second while I stopped breathing completely.

The second policeman had his gun pointed at Jake's head, his finger on the trigger, and a look of determination on his face. Jake, who had just killed the first guard, had been completely unaware of his vulnerable position. He had been too focused on his kill that he had completely forgotten to get into immediate cover after his last shot, making him an easy prey for the second policeman.

Within a second, Kaden had come around from the police car, his gun readied and pointed at the policeman behind the car before them. Jake whipped his head around, and not even two seconds later, two shots could be heard on the battlefield. I closed my eyes, not daring to look at the scene.

My heart almost beat out of my chest while all color drained from my face. There was a chance Jake could be dead by now. There was a chance Kaden didn't shoot the man in time. There was a chance...

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Jake's voice suddenly boomed over the battlefield.

I opened my eyes immediately, a deep sigh leaving my mouth at the sight before me. Jake was still standing, a few small drops of blood dripping from his cheek where a small wound could be seen.

The policeman lied lifeless on the ground, blood dripping out of his chest while Kaden still had his gun pointed at the dead man. Jake slowly wiped his fingers across his cheek, his eyes almost spitting fire at the sight of the small bit of blood that was on them.

"What. The. Fuck."

Kaden walked up to Jake, pushing him a little to get his attention. A knowing look was shared between them, a small smirk on both of their faces followed by a short nod and within a second the two of them started to run towards the front of the van to get the two men from behind the wheel.

Sam and Dan, on the other hand, were having a much more difficult battle. Shots kept being fired, but nobody really got the chance to hit the other party and injure them enough to take somebody out. My eyes darted between the two scenes, getting scared for my friends more and more by each shot that was getting fired.

Sure, Jake had been saved once, but there were no guarantees that that would happen a second time. Nobody was safe in this battle, and I was highly aware of that fact.

"Fuck yeah!" Lex's voice suddenly sounded from beside me, grabbing my attention instantly. Lex pushed some more buttons in her laptop and a few seconds later a huge smirk started to form on her face. She slowly looked up, her eyes catching mine almost instantly.

"I've hacked the van. The doors are open." Lex pushed her laptop from her lap in between us, and not a second later, her gun was in her hand, a mischievous look on her face.

"Let's go help them."

My eyes widened, completely in shock by Lex's statement. We weren't supposed to leave the car, so why did Lex suggest that we should.

"What?"

Lex grabbed my gun and pushed it in my hand.

"Let's go. We need to help them. It's taking too long. We need to free Asher."

I softly shook my head, clearly remembering the instructions Sam had given me a while ago.

"No we can't. We need to stay in the car."

"No, we don't. It won't take much longer for backup to arrive. We need to help them, Mc. Now!" Lex suddenly got out of the car, her gun readied in front of her while she dropped down to avoid being in sight too much.

I saw how Lex crawled to the back of the car, not being noticed by Sam or Dan. With big eyes, I looked at the scenes before me. Jake and Kaden were nowhere in sight, but I could clearly hear them. Sam and Dan were still fighting the two policemen from the last car, and Lex was starting to crawl to the back of the van.

She had no cover at all or someone who looked out for her. With my heart almost beating out of my chest, I grabbed my gun. I couldn't let Lex die. I would never forgive myself if something was going to happen to the girl, knowing that I had a chance to stop it.

Two seconds later, I laid down on the ground next to the car, my gun in my hand, and all color drained from my face. I saw how Lex crawled behind a small bush at the side of the road, and without thinking, I started to trace Lex's path, crawling towards her.

Small wounds formed on my knees and hands due to the rough road, and little droplets of blood fell on the ground under me. Bullets flew around the battlefield, and none of the people who fired them noticed us when we were escaping the scene. Lex's eyes fell on me, and a small smile formed on her face.

"Come on." A soft whisper left her mouth, and she dragged me behind the bush next to her. Lex pointed at the van a little further, loading her gun in the meantime.

"If we go around the last police car, we should be able to get there without any trouble. Sam and Dan are taking care of those men so they shouldn't be a problem."

A small frown formed on my face.

"Lex, no. There are people inside that van. W-we can't kill them. We're gonna die if we go through with this."

Lex shook her head a little, not really paying attention to my warnings.

"We won't. We can do this. Let's go."

Without giving me a chance to respond, Lex started to make her way towards the van, clearly convinced of her own plan. With a soft sigh, I looked at her back. Staying here wasn't an option, but going after Lex sounded as an even worse option.

Another round of bullets flew across the field, one of them getting dangerously close to a completely unaware Lex. My breath stuck in my throat, and a second bullet landed close to Lex's feet. With a heart that felt like it was going into cardiac arrest, I started to sprint crawl towards her. There was no way I was going to let Lex die right in front of my eyes. Even if it meant overcoming my own fears to keep my friend out of harm.

I crawled next to Lex, and a few seconds later, both of us stood before the van, the doors dangerously close to us. A loud thud could be heard right next to us, and both of us immediately turned our heads coming face to face with a frantic Sam.

"What the fuck are you two doing here!?" Sam whisper shouted, his voice filled with anger. "You two were supposed to stay in the car!"

"We know, but there isn't much time anymore. Get your gun ready, Mc and I will open the doors, and you will shoot them." Lex answered quickly, not giving Sam much room to protest.

Sam gave both of us a short look, seeing if we were really serious, deciding to give us a small nod after finding out we really didn't have any other option. If Sam wanted to free his boyfriend, this would probably be his only chance, and if it meant taking Lex and me with him, then so be it.

He nodded for a second time, and not much later, the three of us stood at the back of the car. Sam with a readied gun and the two of us with a handle of a door in our hands. Sam held up his hand, counting down from three to give us a signal to open the doors so he could start shooting.

Lex and I ripped open the doors, only hoping Sam would be able to shoot the guards that would be inside. Chaos, that would be the best way to describe the current situation. Lex and I had ripped open the doors that would lead to Asher's freedom while Sam started shooting at someone inside the van.

.

Jake focus.

.

Kaden and I had managed to kill the guards at the front of the van, and to say we were angry at Mc and Lex for leaving the car would be a complete understatement. Both of us were furious, the kind of furious that you would see steam coming from our ears if that was possible.

Within a second, I had pushed Mc away from all the commotion, running towards Sam to help him with the guards inside the van. Kaden, who had probably done the same to Lex, made his way next to Sam, and all three of us started to shoot at the guards inside the van while dodging the bullets that came towards us.

.

Mc focus.

.

Minutes passed until suddenly complete silence fell over. A silence I didn't like at all, I couldn't see what was happening and if my friends were okay. I didn't know where Lex was, and I didn't see Dan and the last guard anymore.

With a heart that was almost beating out of my chest, I started to make my way towards the back of the van again, hoping to catch a glimpse of the three guys. I slowly turned to the corner, seeing only Jake and Kaden at the back of the van. Both of them seemed okay, a little rough and worn out, but okay.

A small smile fell on my face, and before I knew what was happening, two more people jumped out of the van. Two people with enormous smiles on their faces. One of them I did know while I could only assume who the other boy was. Tears streamed down Sam's face while he undid the handcuffs from the other guy's hands and feet.

The two immediately went in for a hug the moment he got rid of all of them. A hug that was soon followed by a passionate kiss, while heavy sobs and the soft words of 'I love you and I missed you' kept coming from Sam's mouth.

The boy, I assumed was Asher, wasn't very big built or anything. He looked pretty ordinary, in my opinion. He wasn't very muscular like Jake, and he didn't look very intimidating like Kaden. To be fair, he looked pretty nice and friendly. Sure, he was a bit underweight due to his stay in the prison, but nothing too bad. I could see why Sam had chosen him as his boyfriend. They both gave off the same friendly vibe.

I slowly made my way over to them, not really paying attention to the whole scene around me anymore. With a small smile on my face, I walked up to them, grabbing their attention the moment I came into sight. Jake immediately walked up to me, anger radiating from his body while Kaden did the same to Lex.

"Why didn't you listen!? Why are you out of the car!?"

My eyes widened at Jake's sudden outburst, not expecting it at all. Of course, I knew Jake was angry, but I had never expected that he was this kind of angry. Jake almost never screamed at me, but when he did, it hurt and scared me more than anything. It had never been my intention to anger him, I just wanted to help Lex.

"You could have been fucking killed!" Jake yelled, turning around in frustration. His hands were in his hair, tugging at the strands harshly.

Tears made their way up in my eyes. I slowly stepped backward to create some distance between us and give Jake some space. Of course, I had been wrong, but I never intended to bring anyone any harm, I just wanted to help.

A small sob made its way out of my mouth, my eyes traveling over towards Lex and Kaden, who stood a little away from me. Kaden had Lex wrapped up his arms, scolding her at the same time for her stupidity. A sight I wished to have between Jake and me right now, I didn't want us to fight. I only wanted to protect Lex.

I stepped a little more back, suddenly feeling an arm getting wrapped around my throat and a piece of metal getting pushed against my head. My eyes widened, and within an instant, I knew this wasn't good. All of my friends were in front of me, and judging by the clothes on the arm wrapped around my throat, the person behind me wasn't Dan or Jessy either.

"Why couldn't you just listen to Sam?!" Jake yelled again, clearly not aware of the whole situation that had been happening behind his back.

More sobs started to leave my mouth when the man only pushed the piece of metal harder against my scalp.

"Jake..." I softly whispered, hoping to grab Jake's attention. "J-Jake help."

.

Jake focus.

.

An annoyed sigh left my mouth.

"Of course, now you want my fucking help."

I slowly turned back around, halting all my movements the moment I got sight of the scene before me. My breath stuck in my throat, my eyes widened, and all color drained from my face. I had expected some minor issue when Mc had called me for help, but the sight before me was nothing minor at all.

Mc had been grabbed by the last guard on the battlefield, his arm wrapped tightly around her throat and his gun against Mc's head. I could only assume that this had been the guard Dan had to take down since he was nowhere to be seen, and that worried me even more.

"Guns on the floor and your hands in the air! One wrong move, and this one will die!" The guard suddenly yelled, his spit hitting Mc's neck while his yelling caused a soft ringing in my ear. I felt my body freeze on the spot, and my heart hammer in my chest.

.

Mc focus.

.

I locked my eyes with Jake's, hoping to see something of a plan in them. A plan that would get me out of this situation, but I couldn't find anything. Jake's eyes were filled with panic and confusion.

More panic started to rise in my body, making my sobs even heavier and louder. I was gonna die, I was sure of it. I didn't know how it felt to be on the edge of life and death myself, I had seen it a couple of times but I had never experienced it and now that I did experience it, it frightened me more than anything.

I didn't want to die, I didn't want to get killed by someone I didn't know, I didn't want to get brutally murdered while my friends would see it all. Tears kept streaming down my face, hearing a soft click next to my ear.

"I won't tell you again, put your guns down and put your hand in the air!"

All of them started to follow the man's instructions, knowing they were in no position to deny them. If they would deny, I would get killed, and if they tried to shoot the guard, there was a huge possibility of me getting hit in the process. All of them slowly placed their guns on the ground, all of them including Jake after some harsh words from Kaden.

"Now kick them my way!" The guard yelled again, followed by the sound of all of their guns scraping against the floor. I could see all the guns coming my way, and the guard slowly started to walk backward, dragging me with him in the process.

"You're coming with me. You guys won't get away with this."

The man kept dragging me backward, panic taking me over completely. My friends didn't have their guns anymore, and I was in no position to use my own. I was sure of it. This was going to be my end. I could already see the headlines forming. Escaped prisoners got killed while rescuing another prisoner. Oh, the irony.

I was forced to take two more steps backward, my body feeling completely out of control due to the weird position I was in. The man kept his gun against my head while he walked further and further away from my friends. Tears kept streaming down my face, sobs still making their way out of my mouth. Another step... And another...And...Boom!

A hard sound of metal getting hit against something sounded from behind me, and the grip around my throat suddenly loosened. The gun against my head slipped away, and before I knew it, the sound of someone hitting a floor sounded from behind me.

Within a second, I had turned around, coming face to face with a panting Jessy who held a huge piece of metal in her hand. I could only assume Jessy had been the one who had hit the guard. The guard that was now laying almost lifeless on the ground, small puffs of breath still coming from the man's mouth.

"Mc, use your gun!" A hard yell coming from Jake suddenly sounded from behind me. With a shaking hand, I reached for my gun, aiming it at the man before me.

"Shoot him!" Kaden's voice sounded over the battlefield. "Do what I taught you! You need to kill him, Mc!"

My eyes traveled over towards the man's face, placing my finger on the trigger while my hands shook like there was no tomorrow. I needed to shoot him, I needed to shoot the man to avoid more trouble. I only needed to do what Kaden had told me, push the trigger, and aim for the spot I wanted to hit. I just needed to... Boom!

My eyes widened at the sight before me. I hadn't fired my own gun, but the man before me somehow had managed to fire the gun that was still in his hand. Shooting one last shot, hoping that it would hit someone in a last attempt to save himself.

Before I could register what was happening, Jessy had given the man another hit with the piece of metal, Dan came running out of nowhere, and a scream filled with panic came from behind me. Within a second, I had turned myself around. I heard another shot being fired behind me, assuming it was Dan who had taken out the guard.

My eyes traveled over the group before me, and not even two seconds later, Asher started to collapse into Sam's arms. Blood dripped down from his chest, and the color drained from his face. My gun fell out of my hand, and the tears started to leak once again on my own face.

Sam's screams filled the battlefield while Asher's lifeless body slowly started to hit the ground. The screaming guy fell down on his knees beside his boyfriend, who was slowly starting to get surrounded by a pool of his own blood. Heavy sobs left Sam's body, and he tried everything to keep the dying guy awake.

The others slowly made their way towards the two on the ground. Jessy sprinting passed by me to get a look at the wounded Asher and provide any help she could. I softly walked up to them, my hand before my mouth while soft sobs left my mouth. This was all my fault, I should have fired my gun when I had the chance. If I hadn't hesitated, this would have never happened.

"Is he okay?" I softly whispered, getting the attention of the group before me while I still walked up to them.

"Stay away from him! This is all your fault!" Sam's voice boomed over the group, anger and worry more than clear in his voice. Of course, he would blame me. He finally got his boyfriend back, and due to my hesitation, he would lose him all over again.

"I-" I started but got cut off by Jessy instantly.

"Lex and Kaden, get Sam away, Mc I need your help over here. Dan and Jake get me a car we need to operate him as soon as possible!" Jessy yelled out the instructions to everyone, and all of them immediately got into action at the stern tone she had used.

I saw how Lex and Kaden dragged Sam away from Asher, and within a few seconds, I had dropped down on the ground across from Jessy. Sam's screams could still be heard in the background, but I tried with everything I had in me to drown them out.

Sure I felt super guilty for what happened but I needed to help Jessy right now, if I wanted to give Asher a chance I needed to act and feeling guilty wasn't gonna help me in any way.

"Apply pressure on the wound! It's pretty deep, so I can't do it alone." Jessy instructed, and without thinking, I placed my hands next to hers, pressing down on the lifeless body from the guy I hadn't even properly met.

The next few moments all happened in a blur for me. Within a few minutes, I had been placed in a car with Dan, Jessy, and a lifeless Asher. Before I really registered what was happening, we had been back at the building and rushed Asher inside the operation room, all while I kept pressing on his wound.

It was a miracle Asher hadn't been bled out by now, and his heart was still beating. It wasn't strong, but his heart still worked, and that alone gave me a small bit of hope.

.

Jake focus.

.

"Jake, I think I know who framed Mc and who killed her sister." Lex whispered softly while both of us slipped out of the operating room, leaving Sam in the care of Dan and Kaden. All of us hoping that whatever was to come would be positive, both for Asher and for Mc. I followed Lex outside, a frown on both of our faces.

"Follow me." Lex whispered while she made her way through the long white hallway in front of us. I didn't know what it was what Lex had discovered, but I knew I wanted to know everything about it.

Ever since Mc had become my cellmate, something about the whole situation had seemed off. I was for sure Mc hadn't killed her own sister, but I still had no idea why somebody wanted to frame her. She had never once been a threat to me or anyone else for that matter.

I just couldn't wrap my finger around the fact that someone had chosen Mc as their victim. Sure, she was an easy target being the sister of the dead girl, but she didn't have a motive at all. Her whole character didn't fit the one of a murderer, so I just couldn't understand why somebody had chosen Mc as the frame victim.

Of course, I had framed multiple people myself in the past, but they were always people who fitted the picture. People who could have actually done it. MC wasn't one of those people. I followed Lex around the corner, already guessing that we were going to her office while a small feeling of discomfort slowly took over my mind.

"Blue?" I whispered to get her attention. I hadn't spoken with Lex in forever, and when I did speak with her, it was business or relationship related.

Before Mc had been in the picture, Lex and I had always been pretty close, of course not as close as Kaden and me, but still we were close. The moment Mc had entered the group, there seemed to be a constant tension between all of us. Kaden had become overprotective over Lex while I did the same for Mc.

Even though Lex and I hadn't directly been in a fight but the opposite was true about Kaden and me. The both of us had been in multiple fights about Lex and Mc, and that fact alone bothered me a lot. Lex slightly up slightly to let me know that she was listening while she kept walking. A soft sigh left my lips.

"Are we okay? I know we haven't spoken much lately, and a lot has happened in the last few months. Some things I wish didn't happen, and we never spoke about them."

A small smile fell on Lex's face, slowing her walk to let me catch up with her.

"Of course we are. We are always, Jake. It just took some time to deal with the whole new situation, we aren't used to new members, and you know how protective Kaden gets when he isn't sure about things around him. I'm sure things will be back to normal in a bit." Lex's smile grew a little larger while she wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"I'm really glad you brought Mc with you. She is an amazing friend, and I can see how she makes you happy."

I lifted one of my eyebrows while I gave Lex a questioning look, not catching on what she was hinting at.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on, talk to me, Jake. We always gossiped about your old girlfriends, so why not about Mc?" Lex gave me a playful nudge against my shoulder while I mumbled something like 'she isn't my girlfriend.'

"Not yet... Kaden told me you called Mc the most important person in your life." Lex playfully laughed, clearly trying to get a reaction out of me.

Both of us turned another corner, passing by the canteen where multiple members had gathered to gossip about the latest news from the outside world while eating the last bits of food that were left over from their last meal. I shoftly shook my head while mumbling.

"You two seriously have no secrets at all for each other."

Another laugh left Lex's mouth, her office slowly coming in sight before us. With a few last steps the both of us entered the small room filled with computers, both of us taking place at Lex's desk while soft silence fell over us. Lex started typing a few things on her computer, entering the files she needed while I let out another sigh.

"We've kissed, you know." I whispered out of the blue, immediately grabbing Lex's attention. Her eyes grew big while a huge small started to form on her face.

"I fucking knew it! I'm so happy for you Jake!" Lex placed her hand on my arm, giving me a soft nudge of encouragement.

"I can see how she makes you happy. We didn't see you smile in a long time, Jake. She's a good one for you. You two were made for each other."

A small shy smile fell on my face, not knowing how to react at her words. I had never been one to talk about my true feelings. Sure, gossiping wasn't a problem, but talking about Mc wasn't gossip at all.

I felt something for her, and whenever real feelings became a part of the game, I just didn't know what to do anymore. I had always been like this, I didn't like to let people know what I really felt. If people didn't know what you felt, they also couldn't use it against you.

I didn't like to show weakness, and showing emotions meant showing weakness, but with Mc, it was different. My emotions didn't feel as a weakness with her. They felt good, and I didn't want to hide them.

"Got it!" Lex suddenly spoke, waking me up from my own thoughts. "Okay, I've been working on this for quite some time now, and I'm pretty sure I've figured it out."

I turned a little on my seat to get a better view at Lex's screens.

"This." Lex pointed at one file on her screen. "This is Mc's file, I've gone through it multiple times, and I'm pretty sure I'm right about this. Mc's sister was killed with a knife... One of the special knives we use in this gang whenever we interrogate someone. They found the same knife in Mc's house. The murder weapon was one of our own knives, Jake. There was no way Mc could have gotten one of those in her possession. Someone must have placed it there on purpose."

My eyes slowly turned into splits while I pressed my lips against each other. I knew it, I fucking knew it was one of my own men.

"That isn't all, though. The file also says that her sister had been in a fight right before she was killed and that there was a second pair of fingerprints on her. Fingerprints that had been left out of the file, but fingerprints that I managed to get by hacking their system." Lex spoke while she clicked through multiple files, her eyes completely focused on the screens. My hands had slowly turned into fists by now, getting angrier by the second.

"I've run the prints through our system, Jake, and they match, I've found out who they belong too and you won't be happy about it." Lex softly whispered, being afraid that I was gonna blow up at any moment.

"I've checked it multiple times, and it's always the same person. I've checked our security system too, and he wasn't inside the gang that night. He left at nine and came back after midnight. His clothes were ripped, and there was blood on him. Everything points at him, Jake. It all does." Lex whispered, turning on the security cameras to show her point.

I didn't say anything at all, my face only getting redder by the second at the sight in front of me. The cameras clearly showed what had happened that night, and it was more than clear that there wasn't any other possibility. Without any warning, a soft yell left my mouth.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

Lex turned to screens off, grabbing my arm in an attempt to calm me down.

"It does make sense in some way, Jake. He has a motive. What I don't understand, though, is why he framed Mc."

I ripped my arm away from Lex while I stood up from the chair.

"It doesn't matter. He's dead anyway!" I turned myself around aggressively, walking towards the door that led me out of Lex's office and towards my next target. I was ready to kill, and nobody could stop me.

[visualnovelzombie]

Furry Visual Novel Book Club: Echo Week 15

Hi everyone, here is the SPOILER FREE discussion post for “Echo - TJ’s Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday”

Links: Previous - Next - Original - Spoiler Version

Feel free to respond in reblogs/replies/or asks :D

We begin from the route split by following after Tj, who ran off after Flynn’s tirade. The music cuts and we’re left with the sound of the river. We’re met with three options.

The first two will set Chase’s mood for the next bit of dialogue while the third will lock us out of Tj’s route, which is something we haven’t seen before. 

>Leave him be…

Chase narrates that he’s “not exactly graceful with this sort of thing, especially with TJ.”, and then decides to go with the others, giving us the options for the other route choices but not TJ’s.

>Say Something…”

Chase tries to comfort the lynx, but Tj doesn’t respond.

Until Finally…

>Say Nothing…

Chase sits next to Tj and starts breaking twigs in half, eventually annoying Tj. 

Chase asks TJ if he wants to go eat, and he responds with a firm ‘No.’ Until Finally…

>Reconvergence

Tj is upset Flynn was so mean in front of everyone. Chase comments that Tj is clearly frazzled because the lynx has allowed his fur to stay unkempt even after sitting by himself for a while. Chase comments that Tj’s inability to express himself fully is part of what’s dragging the Lynx down so much. The two continue to discuss Flynn’s tirade

Chase speculates that Flynn is after ‘more than the truth’, and we learn Tj saw Sydney drown. Tj becomes angry at Flynn, because the gila hadn’t realized how much the event affected Tj himself. Tj wishes he could go back to the day, and that he isn’t mad he didn’t save Sydney, he knows he couldn’t have… hinting at wanting something else. Chase glosses over that he could have probably saved Sydney from drowning if he was there.

Chase wants to help Tj with what happened, but says he needs to come to terms with it himself first. We’re treated to a brief flashback of the scene… Flynn drags Chase into the water, and forces the otter to get Sydney while Jenna and Leo try to help where they can.

Tj expresses being upset again, which makes Chase angry at Flynn for hurting Tj so much. Come Over begins to play, as Chase reminds Tj about their planned hike. The two plan their hike and talk about what their plans for school, promising to meet up one more time before graduating. The two return to the group who have packed everything in the van already. Leo asks if Tj is fine and after a satisfactory answer, is done with the conversation and heads off to work after dropping everyone else off at the motel.

The remaining four spend a lazy afternoon together before coming back to discussing Flynn. Carl tries to defend the lizard but Tj hard pivots the conversation to ice cream. When asked what his favorite flavor is, Chase’s head buzzes and he’s unable to think of an answer, blurting out Vanilla after a few moments. Chase’s headache gets worse and he’s unable to continue the conversation, and closes his eyes.. Very particular things happen over the next few lines:

Chase wakes on the couch, after some time has passed, indicated by the fade in, to the room being dark, Tj and Jenna in bed, with Carl on the floor asleep.

The scene fades to black, indicating some more time has passed. Chase is in bed next to Tj and is staring at the door.

We’re then met with a dream sequence… Before going into it I would like to point out the two previous scenes both took places at different times, indicated by the fadeouts, and that they were (most likely) NOT dreams. They don’t have the track associated with dreams playing in them, and Chase doesn’t ‘wake up’ from them into this one, like we’ve seen on Carl’s and Leo’s routes. Just bits of time are hard cut by the writing.

 Tj is drinking alcohol by the lake. He starts to run away after hearing something, but is eventually pulled back into the lake by a chain. Chase tries to help… but is also chained to the lake.

Chase and Tj are on their hike, with Tj trying to comfort the boiling otter.

After a terrible and awkward attempt at playful flirting, the two continue on their hike. Chase calls into question his understanding of Tj’s sexuality, realizing the two have never discussed it, and how it might intersect with the lynx’s vague faith. We then this is INSANE lore tidbit.

Two hours pass by as the scene cuts, while Old Winds begins to play. Chase, struggling with the intensity of the hike, trips and falls. Tj soaks Chase with another water bottle, much to the otters continued annoyance. Tj is concerned for Chase because HE asked the otter out on the trip. After a bit of rest and… determination on where they should eat, the two continue to the peak of the trail. Tj soaks his shirt with water, showing off his fit form. Chase is … attracted to the sight.

The two make it the peak, resting on a stone bench at the top. Chase enjoys being alone with Tj like this… until a tarantula jumps in his lap.

Tj had pranked Chase with a plastic spider after Jenna insisted upon it. One microaggression later, the two enjoy a nice lunch and we’re treated with a CG

Chase takes off his shirt and the two accidentally touch paws while reaching for a bag of chips, sending Tj squirming off embarrassed. The two make awkward small talk while Tj fixes his fur. The two reminiscent on how they met, with Chase being a bit of bully in the story.

Chase heads off on his own for a second to get shots for his project. Drone begins to play, as some THING narrates FOR Chase inside his head… distinct from the entity at the beginning of the game, based off of its font. 

Chase either ignores or pays no attention to the entity and takes the shots he needs. Tj finds Chase taking the shots and comments on the otter’s body, making Chase question Tj more. Tj peers over the edge and we’re met with a Choice…

>Shove him.

The voice narrates Tj’s corpse lying at the bottom of the Canyon… and we’re given the other two options to choose from.

We’re given the option to only Grab him and do nothing…

>Grab him.

Chase scares Tj and the two end up flailing around away from the cliff, locked in each other’s arms for a few moments.

>Do nothing

Chase doesn’t want to actually scare him off they cliff so the two stand there for a few moments.

>Reconvergence:

The two try to yell inot the canyon, trying to get it to ‘echo’ back to them. The sad and nostalgic track, Canyon, begins to play.

The two comment on the quality of Echoes in Echo. Chase laments the town, while Tj wishes everyone could have come today. The two share an intimate moment for a second, until Tj gets a text message. It sours the Lynx’s mood, but he lies to Chase about it, the music cutting once the lie starts. The two head back home.

The two plan the rest of the trip, and tell Jenna to meet them at the diner for dinner. Upon arriving, Jenna remarks on Chase’s… ottery smell. Janice comes to take the groups order, happy to see the trio after they graduated. She also remarks on the mudslide musk in the area, blaming it on another patron. The coyote talks about needing to do some housework in a relatively polite conversation, resulting in Tj volunteering him and Chase for the job. After Jenna and Chase chide Tj for agreeing to the work, Jenna makes another musk comment towards Chase. The otter storms off to the bathroom to clean up in a fit of rage.

Chase tries to alleviate his headache by washing his face in the mirror… but it suddenly continues to worsen.

Chase sees a twisted reflection of himself in the mirror and becomes extremely disoriented. The non-diegetic music and sound effects is described IN text from Chase’s narration, quickly becoming diegetic. Chase writes the episode off as a migraine. Chase cleans up the musk under his armpits, then drops his pants to clean under his tail….

Chase returns to the table embarrassed, passing TJ on the way. Chase makes conversation with Jenna, and learns about Carl’s party tomorrow. Jenna lets slip the Tj wanted to see Chase the most during their trip back home. Jenna shows Chase a stick figure recreation of the prank that TJ had drawn , before heading out back to the motel to grab her purse. Tj returns to the booth.

Chase tries to explain the situation and Tj says its fine… even saying it was kind of cute.Come Over starts to play. Chase ribs Tj, playing gay chicken with the lynx… thrilled to be doing it with a guy again, let alone Tj. Their eyes meet again, and Tj smiles.

Another dream sequence…

Leo is driving Chase’s car on top of the lake, ‘shooting’ Chase with a finger gun from across the water. Tj swims after the car…

The dream sequence CUTS, with NO fade or dissolve, something very peculiar for the novel. Something intentional (IMO). A new track, ‘Unease’ plays, distinct from other Dream Sequence tracks or events. The background is Echo Canyon, now black and white, labeled ‘canyoneg’. Tj is lying at the floor of the canyon, maggots eating him. A paw reaches towards the lynx… 

The dream fades back to the lake, unease still plays. Six bodies float in the water.

Chase knows something isn’t right. A tool-shed sits on the edge of the lake, one that doesn’t exist. It opens, and the scene cuts…

Wednesday

Jenna and Chase discuss going to Carl’s as Tj showers. Tj finishes, and rushes to grab his shirt that he had forgotten, before running back into the bathroom embarrassed to finish dressing. En route to Carl’s house, the scene with Janice plays out the same…

We cut to Carl’s house, the ram unable to be found. Flynn is cursing as usual… but Chase asks him to stop. Leo boosts Jenna into the window again, and she unlocks the door for them. While Flynn searches for Carl, Chase and Tj discuss going to Janice’s later. Tj decides he wants to make sure she’s okay, and Chase agrees to go along. Chase recalls ditching Tj at Duke’s place while him and Carl got junk to build the ram’s tree-house. Chase comments on the bullying stemming from being two years older than Tj. Chase is sent to search outside while Tj is sent to search in the basement.

Chase walks back inside after some reminiscing and…

Followed by Jenna walking by, indicating it wasn’t her orange tail walking down the stairs.

In the basement, Chase walks into Flynn talking to Tj. Flynn apologies for sending something, presumably a text, to Tj yesterday. Flynn holds Tj by his shoulder, dropping his paw once he notices Chase step into the room. Flynn walks out of the room without a word, and Tj frantically grooms himself in front of a mirror. Chase tries to comfort Tj, but the lynx is to frazzled to talk about it. Chase offers to go out and walk with Tj around town to look for Carl, and the two head out.

The two talk about school, Tj going in depth about his schooling as an athletic trainer, and how he’s enjoying it and sports in general. Chase receives a text from Leo, stating they found Carl and that the party is cancelled because Carl isn’t feeling well. The two debate on going to Janice’s. Chase is worried she’s tripping on something while Tj argues she doesn't use drugs… Tj guilt trips Chase to going, with cuteness and the two head over to Janice’s.

The two make it to Janice’s house. The coyote is completely nonchalant, as if not remembering the incident at all. She tasks the boys with removing a mass of weeds and moving firewood, promising refreshments and cookies for the two. Chase contemplates leaving, before Tj soaks himself with hose water and offers it to Chase. Chase soaks himself and the two get to work. Come Over starts to play.

Leo texts Chase asking where he’s at, and once Chase tells him, Leo doesn’t respond anymore. Chase takes off his shirt due to the heat and teases Tj with the ‘show’. The two make plans to go to the diner in the evening, but are interrupted by Tj spotting a tarantula in the weeds.

Janice comes outside due to the two boys screaming. She admires their twink bodies, causing Tj to become flustered. The two get back to work but are unable to find the tarantula again. After finishing, Tj offers some sports medicine advice to Chase, rubbing one of the otter’s tense muscles… after a promise for a full massage later, the two start on the pile of wood.

Chase comments on Tj faking the tarantula, saying how it’s stressed him out. As Tj returns from Janice’s house with a plate of cookies, Chase sprays him with a water hose. A new track, “Tj Theme’, starts to play. Chase is callous and carefree, eating the cookies and openly flirting with TJ… who is reserved and anxious as the upbeat tempo track continues to play in the background. The two continue working, Tj feeling worse and worse as the day continues. The track continues to play... The two continue their spider-infested laborin the gayest-twinkiest way ever, but make short work of the pile. Chase offers to go hiking tomorrow, trying to invite everyone. The pair are about to plan it out, when on the last plank of wood, only for Chase to see a tarantula on the backside of it. The music finally cuts. Chase passes out and we’re met with a dream/flashback…

Sydney, a blue eyed otter, is talking to Chase. Both of them are young children. Sydney starts rough-house playing with Tj, the lynx losing on purpose to get out of it. Sydney starts to strangle Tj with the lynx;s shirt. Chase yells out ‘STOP’, before his view shifts to the present.

Chase wakes up from him passing out, puking up the snacks. Tj pulls Chase inside to cool off, where the Lynx agrees to more manual labor.

The two walk back towards the diner, arguing on the way. Upon arriving at the diner, an old friend takes their order. Julian, a white deer, catches up with the two. Chase stays out of the conversation, glad when Julian eventually leaves. Tj is upset that Chase called him Toby after waking up from the dream sequence, but doesn’t press the issue. Bittersweet starts to play as Chase realizes how he’s made TJ uncomfortable.

Chase asks Tj if he wants to try and find closure about Sydney. He wants to go to the lake with everyone except Flynn and talk about it. Chase confirms that Tj didn’t see the tarantula that caused him to pass out…

We’re met with another dream/flashback where Chase bullies Sydney for bullying Tj…

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

That concludes Tj up until Wednesday. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read and interacting <3 Some very... interesting stuff is being done here. Howly, the author, is really getting into using the medium to its fullest potential, and we’ll see more of that as we continue on.

Next Weeks Reading Assignment is just TJ’s Thursday! End on this line:

"He runs up the road and back toward town, disappearing into the bright sunset."

Or this Day Card:

[iheartgarrus]

N7 Month Day 28: Recruit

(AO3 Link - I'm so close to the finish line!! Didn't mean to fall a day behind but yesterday was A Day. Anyway, a peek into my weird combo backstory for my Shepard in the form of a scene between Hannah and Anderson. Heads up for child custody issues and mention of being a teen parent. Cut is for length.)

”Lieutenant Anderson, sir.” The newly minted Serviceman Third Class Hannah Shepard saluted as the door to the Alliance recruitment office slid shut behind her.

Anderson nodded from his desk. “At ease, Serviceman. Glad to see you survived boot camp.”

Shepard relaxed her stance. “It was a proud moment, sir. I’ve been assigned my first posting aboard the SSV Einstein.”

"Ah, with Captain Okilo," he said leaning back in his chair. "She's a good woman to serve under. But I assume you're here for a reason, Shepard."

"Yes, sir. I have…" She hesitated, but pushed forward. "I have a request."

"Go ahead."

Shepard's gaze went to the floor for a moment before she remembered herself and refocused on Anderson. "I need a letter that confirms my status in the Alliance, along with my salary, benefits, and posting."

This wasn't a particularly odd request, but Shepard seemed… ashamed? He leaned forward with his elbows on his desk, hands folded near his chin. "I can put in the request," he said, "but proof of enlistment letters are transmitted directly to the entity requesting them, not to the enlistee. So I'll need that contact info."

Her face fell. "O-Oh. Well if…" She opened her omni-tool, brows knit, and her finger paused over the interface before she sucked in a breath and passed the information over. "Okay. Here." Protocol all but abandoned, this time when she cast her eyes downward, she didn't look back up.

And when Anderson looked at what she had sent, he began to understand why. "Department of Child and Family Services - Van Buren Street Office," he read out loud.

"Yes, sir," Shepard replied, sounding very small.

He watched her carefully. He knew a delicate matter when he saw one, and maybe he was meant to be the strict, unyielding officer with this new recruit, but he also knew that one of the most common reasons that people enlisted with the Alliance was that it was their ticket out of a desperate situation. He’d sensed that with Hannah Shepard from the start, but it seemed it went even deeper than he’d thought.

He stood and rounded the desk to lean against it in front of her. She finally looked up at him again, but he could see that it was a strain not to avoid eye contact. “You told me you had a daughter when you first came in here,” he said slowly, “but it sounds like there are some… complications.”

She swallowed hard. “Yes, sir.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything more than that, Shepard. In fact, legally speaking, I’m not even supposed to ask. But I want to help, if I can. A letter signed by an Alliance officer is more effective than a standard ‘To Whom It May Concern’ in cases like this, and the more I know, the better.”

Shepard let out a long breath, closing her eyes for just a moment. “Thank you, sir.” Her voice was steadier now.

He simply nodded. “What’s your daughter’s name?”

She smiled, though not without pain. “Viola.”

“And how old is she?” He picked up a datapad from the desk to make notes.

“She’s 15.”

Anderson raised a brow - he’d been expecting an answer at least 10 years below that. Shepard would’ve been just a teenager when she gave birth. Suddenly, her situation was starting to make a lot more sense. “When did you last have custody?”

A sigh that made his heart heavy escaped her. “When she was 5,” Shepard said. “I… kept trying but it wasn’t…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Shepard. You're not the first desperate soul to come to the Alliance for the sake of their family.” He paused to flick through the files on the datapad. “Your drill sergeants had plenty good to say about you.”

Her eyes widened, “Really?”

Anderson chuckled. “It’s their job to make it seem like the opposite. But I have enough here to write DCFS something strong. It’s ultimately up to them, but…”

Shepard shook her head, her expression tight as she held back tears. “Thank you, sir.”

[charlesandmartine]

Friday 24th February 2023

The open road beckons again today setting off from Toowoomba on our quest for Roma about 359km on the A2 in total. This section of the journey takes us further inland and north. Everything is topsy turvy down under. IE southerly winds welcome at home, here they come from the Antarctic. Travelling north at home means colder, travelling north here means it's getting hotter! Anecdotal I'm sure. Nonetheless the temperature has started to climb and there's that beautiful warm all over temperature when you step out of the car and even the breeze does nothing to chill.

First stop, Dalby where there's a choice of route! So the very cheery tourist information ladies helped us decide. That and the flat white and raspberry muffin delivered from a well recommended café. Once confirmed that the A2 is the route then the die is cast and there can be no deviation. The route comes close to the second longest man made structure, the Dingo fence that's 5600km in length crossing Australia from the Darling Downs to the Nullarbor Plains. Dalby is smack in the middle of cotton picking country although the crop is now in and so the only signs of this industry at this time of year are the small green plants with the promise of a crop for next season. Cotton soon gives way to vast flat open fields of wheat, also harvested by now, stored away in the massive grain silos, serviced by long road trains plying up and down between farms. A favourite crop here would appear to be Sorghum, a rather important ingredient for the manufacture of Aussie Weetabix. We pass Chinchilla then onto Miles. Named after one William Miles who on 19th January 1855 brought a whole ship load of immigrants to Queensland. To celebrate this grand event we had lunch at Chinaman's Creek, so called because part Chinese, part Mongolian Sam Ah Lee set up camp here. He was a market gardener which sounds innocent enough but the judge thought supplying opium to the Aborigines was outside his remit. So he was banned from the place. However, the Creek is now better known for the Tropical Waterlilies Numphea Gigatea var. Neorosea growing here, which are extinct in their own native country. They are thankfully abundant here in this creek providing someone keeps an eye on the water level. The Creek itself might by some be described as a large pond but it is absolutely stacked with these beautiful vibrant Waterlilies in both pink and blue hues. A truly delightful scene within a rather dusty environment.

Sandwich taken care of and adequate admiration of the Waterlilies duly given, we plodded on in the direction of Roma.

Big event. Soon after leaving Miles in the rear view mirror, we passed a huge sign saying 'Welcome to the Outback'. It's official we are now in the outback and likely as not no-one will ever see us again. Soon after the sign, we saw another enticing us to Judd's Lagoon. Well how could you resist, we had to find out what Judd had by way of a lagoon, so despite the protestations of the lady in Google headquarters we went off to explore. Shackles were rising I guess in Mr Avis's department, but most of the road was sealed so it ought to be okay. After 4km we found Judd and his lagoon and very pleasing it was too. A couple of camper vans had found it before us but otherwise it was totally peaceful. We were then able to rejoin our route. Miss Google maps then totally mistrusting our intention to follow her advice ever again announced "turn right in 55kms". Clearly making a point, we heard nothing from her for 45 mins. The roads are long, very straight and practically empty and before long we were pulling into the Explorer Motel for the next couple of nights. Too tired to cook we found cod and chips down the road at the Blue Shed Fish and Chip Shop a highly agreeable alternative washed down with Aussie beer from the bottle shop.

Temperatures reached 34 degrees today, warm enough for Martine to slip gracefully into the motel pool. We are hoping for more days like this.

[softsnzstuff]

The Very Noisy Night

@whumptober Day 9

Fandom: Stranger Things, (Lifeguard AU)

Summary: Beach Lifeguard Steve loses his first patient and he’s not doing well with it.

Word count: 1.2k

CW: Death, mentions of drowning, nightmares

The moment they signed up for the job, they knew it could happen - would happen. Nothing can prepare you for when it does happen, though. Losing your first patient.

It was almost closing time. Steve was patrolling the beach with Jonathan when the call came in from Nancy over the radio.

“Steve! 30 yards out! Three guys are carrying a girl. She appears to be unconscious!”

They were past Steve’s line of sight, but he ripped the rescue board off the buggy and paddled as fast as he could.

The situation was worse than he thought. The girl had to be 19. She was pale and limp, two guys held her by the arms, the third by the legs trying to keep her afloat. They frantically tried to haul her up onto the rescue board.

Steve brought her in as fast as he could, Jonathan running down the beach as well.

Steve was breathing heavy, he had no idea how long this girl had been unconscious. The guys said they found her like that at least five minutes ago as they tried to bring her in.

“Jonathan!! Help me!!!” The cry came out more desperate than intended.

Jonathan turned to the tower and signaled to Nancy that it was a dire situation. She grabbed the defib and ran it down the beach to the boys.

Jonathan helped Steve lay the girl on the sand. A crowd was forming, cell phones out, as Steve started to perform CPR.

Everything happened so fast - CPR, Jonathan trying to work the defib. There wasn’t any shockable rhythm. Paramedics arrived on scene minutes later, Steve passing off CPR to them.

He stood back, hands running through his hair as he watched in absolute terror. After a few more minutes of attempting to save her, the paramedics called it. She’d been under too long, no rhythm was detected, there was nothing more they could have done.

Someone who appeared to be her mom came running over, screaming and sobbing.

“ASHLEY!! Ashley oh my GOD!” Her knees buckled as her hand hovered over her face, “That’s my daughter!!! No please no!”

Steve backed up slowly, tears forming in his eyes. “Oh my god. Oh my god oh my god oh my god…”

Jonathan and Nancy had been on the service for several years now. They’d seen a few deaths before, but this was Steve’s first.

Jonathan had eased into the water and splashed some water on his face, but jogged back up when he saw Steve starting to hyperventilate.

“Hey Steve, breathe!”

“W- we have to… to do something??? Anything! We can.. h help her!”

“Steve, Steve. She’s gone.”

Jonathan ushered Steve to the buggy while he wrapped up with the paramedics. Steve just stared blankly out at the sea, absolutely shaken to the core. He still couldn’t breathe.

When Jonathan finally got him back up to the tower, Nancy was anticipating the worst. She got up to give Steve a hug.

“Are you okay? You did everything you could.”

He just stared, silent tears running down his cheek.

---

Eddie and Chrissy were skating when they saw the commotion on the beach. They couldn’t make out what was exactly happening, until they saw the ambulances pull up and paramedics sprinting down the beach.

“Oh my gosh. I think someone went under…” Chrissy looked on in shock.

Eddie stopped skating and squinted to look too. He could make out Jonathan helping another guy who seemed panicked.

“Oh shit. That’s Steve.”

“What?”

“The one freaking out. That’s Steve. I gotta go. We gotta go!”

He and Chrissy took off towards the tower.

By the time they arrived at the tower, Steve looked awful. He was pale and just staring into space.

Eddie rushed to his side and knelt down. “What’s wrong? What happened??”

“We lost one this morning.” Nancy mentioned, “Can you take him home? He’s had a rough day.”

Eddie nodded, “yeah yeah I can. Chrissy?”

Chrissy took Eddie’s board from him so he could help Steve up. They walked to Eddie and Chrissy’s van, not talking much. Eddie had never seen Steve so quiet and Chrissy had never seen Eddie so worried.

They pulled up to Steves apartment, chrissy staying in their van-home, while Eddie brought Steve up.

“How about you take a shower and then you can put on something cozy.” Eddie helped guide the man to his bathroom.

Steve was just standing there, in a zombie like state. Eddie took it upon himself to rifle through Steve’s drawers, settling on fake grey sweatpants and a white tee shirt for him.

The shower didn’t help for much except rinsing the salt water off of him. The steam made him feel suffocated. After the shower, he lay on Eddie’s lap in bed.

Steve eventually fell asleep, so Eddie put on a movie with the volume real low. Halfway through Steve started squirming and moaning. He was having a nightmare.

He was in the water on the board. He was trying to get to a kid who was going under but every time he paddled it seemed like he got ten feet further back.

He got on his knees, paddling faster, when a cold hand from somewhere in the deep grabbed his wrist right.

He turned to look and saw the pale, lifeless form of the girl. Her eyes were sunken and empty as she spoke.

“Help me Steve! Help me! Save me!”

He screamed, scaring Eddie, the older man quickly pulling Steve into a hug. His shirt was damp with sweat as he cried.

“Steve I’m here! You’re okay, I got you! You’re safe!” Eddie hugged him tight.

Steve was hyperventilating again. Eddie put the palm of his hand on Steve’s chest. “Breathe with me Stevie.”

He started to inhale slowly himself, trying to get Steve to mimic. When his partner finally did, he turned to Eddie, tears in his eyes.

“I couldn’t save her Eddie.”

Those five words broke Eddie’s heart on the spot. Steve was so visibly shaken by this incident. And worst of all, Eddie didn’t know what to say or do. All he could do was hug Steve and calm him down.

---

The next morning, Nancy and Jonathan swung by unexpectedly. They seemed relieved when Eddie opened the door to Steve’s place.

“Oh good, you stayed with him.” Nancy said.

“Of course! He’s still really shaken up. I… I don’t know what to do.”

“Can we talk to him?” Jonathan asked.

Eddie stepped aside to let them in. Steve was curled up on the couch watching the cooking channel.

“Hey buddy.” Jonathan and Nancy sat next to him.

He looked up, “hey.”

“What happened yesterday, it was nobody’s fault Steve. She’d been under for too long even before those guys got to her. We did everything we could. I need you to understand that.”

Steve was silent but seemed to take this in.

“I should have seen her, Jon, I could have gotten to her sooner…”

Nancy jumped in, with a calming hand on his back. “Steve, they pulled her out from behind the bluff. Those guys found her outside of your line of sight. There’s no way we could’ve seen that until she got closer. A grief counselor is going to come in and talk to all of us tomorrow at the tower individually. I think it’ll really help.”

Steve nodded as they stood up, swapping places with Eddie who pulled Steve into a hug.

“We’ll let ourselves out.” Nancy nodded at Eddie as they turned towards the door.

“Thanks guys.” Steve called out before leaning back against Eddie.

[westadventure24]

Day 9 - America The Beautiful

We woke to a crisp, quiet Montana morning, stopping to really BE in the moment before starting what has become our new daily routine.

As we drove across the state, we realized no matter how many miles you drove, the landscape was seemed to be plains with small mountains off in the distance. We would occasionally cross the ever winding Yellowstone River. After about 5 hours, we finally reached our destination of Medora, ND. This quaint, little, old western town is steeped in history and sits 1 mile outside the entrance to Teddy Roosevelt National Park. It is easy to see the locals love their town and take pride in their artisan works, keeping it clean, and welcoming visitors. We had yet another lovely lunch in the Farmhouse Cafe, which is for sale by the way, just in case you wasn’t to move after seeing this post. 😊

This stop has been extraordinary and likely one of my top two stops. I am a bit of an animal enthusiast and this park is a place for me. Within a few minutes of being within the boundary of the park, we saw a healthy and sleek coyote, who may have been in search of a small snack or just passing through this little prairie dog town.

We decided to find our camp spot in Cottonwood Campground within the park before continuing on to the unexpected events that we had no idea would lie ahead. Our own little slice of heaven had a trail that led directly down to the river. Not a permanent trail, but one that was just wide enough for two legs to pass between the prairie grasses blowing ever so slightly in the fall breeze. Clearly, it was a trail used by both creature and man.

After taking a quick walk down to the river bed, which much like home, was much drier than usual and clearly in need of a soft, soaking rain, we hopped back in the car to start our driving loop tour of the park. I couldn’t believe my eyes when we saw horses, wild and free, grazing by the roadside. These gentle giants didn’t seemed disturbed at all by our presence or the small crowds that had gathered to stare in wonderment.

We continued our search for elk, only to find several prairie dog towns and more wild horse herds. So beautiful!

We opted to go on a small 1 mile dirt, off chute road, where I had read moose had been spotted. I was determined to see the moose that I learned will forever allude me on this trip. I even left the car to go up an animal trail to look over the ridge to what I expected to be a marshy meadow, but was instead a cliff like valley. So, I made my way back to the van noting the scent of urine and wild creature knowing it had to have been close by. As we went slightly further down the curved road and, I mean maybe a few hundred yards, we found ourselves in a bit of a pickle with none other than a herd of bison. It looked something like the opening of Law & Order, where the cast is all walking down the street in a side by side, straight line. (Short video attached). The herd just kept moving towards us on the road and Todd kept backing up the RV, unsure if one of these incredible beasts would charge the rental. The whole scene was incredible! In my opinion, it was all going very well until Lily decided they were too close and let out a loud bark, something she almost never does! Well that sent us into immediate shushing and the closest bison into a run! What a heart racing experience!

Knowing it was getting late, Dad was getting tired and realizing another long drive would be ahead tomorrow to get to Minnesota, we headed back to camp. Saw this one lonely fellow on our way back. He had clearly been injured and stitched back up, so hopefully he would find a new pack to join soon. Todd was very excited to get back to camp at dusk so he could see if any wildlife had decided to visit the river. How right he was! These 3 lovelies spent quite a bit of time mulling about on the opposite side of river from camp. Perfect end to another perfect day!