#sorry. i’m very normal about this one (1) stephen king book. sorry | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mirrorballdazai · 2 years

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Hey! Can you explain a bit more your comparison between it and st kids? I don't really understand. Have a nice day <3

gladly !!

there are LOTS of parallels between the st and it kids on so many levels, but what i was focusing on in that post was the difference between the two in relation to sex (and other “adult stuff” like cigarettes, but mainly sex) and how that shows different ways to cope with trauma and what the kids symbolize as a whole in the show/movie/book

first off let’s remember that the losers are all 11 years old, if i remember correctly only stanley is 10 in the book. the members of the party are 12 in the first season and obviously they grow up, so at what is right now the end of the show they’re all 14/15.

both groups face struggles like bullying (which is often rooted in racism, homophobia, ableism and other things), abusive or neglectful parents (or in max’s case, siblings), personal fears and obviously there are the supernatural plots, so monsters and whatever pennywise is (i didn’t finish the book yet but i think he’s an alien or a semigod but anyway).

the interesting thing is that even if the it kids are younger they show a knowledge of some, idk how to word it, “adult things”. for example some of them smoke — in the movies i’m pretty sure beverly is the only one who does it both in the og and in the remake. the thing that really stuck with me though is that they all know what sex is or even just have a vague idea of it (for example eddie in the book doesn’t really know what exactly is, but shows that he knows that it’s a thing). they make jokes about it and say/think sexual things in general. it’s also connected to eddie’s visions since in the book he sees a man with syphilis who offers to do yk sexual stuff which is connected to his fear of being ill and stuff.

on the other hand the st kids never show to know what sex is, except for max that talks about “happy screams” in s3, which makes sense because max is supposed to be the one who knows more stuff in the group, the one who lived in a city and all that. el then mentions again these “happy screams”, and when someone (i dont remeber who exactly i’m sorry) asks what happy screams are max interrupts el who was about to answer and says that it doesn’t matter — which could be for many reasons. maybe she is embarrassed or something, but when i first watched it i thought “ah she probably doesn’t want to kind of ruin everyone’s innocence” since she showed stress only after that-person asked what happy screams are, which shows that they don’t know what sex is at least in max’s mind.

the question now is why. there’s this difference between these groups, but why? for mainly two reasons.

1. show different ways to cope with trauma

my theory is that stephen king wanted to show how less innocent kids can be after trauma and abuse. he wanted to show the cruel reality, the one where kids are not that innocent even when they’re very young, especially after bad experiences. those experiences make them want to act like grown ups, talking about sex, joking about it and stuff like they think adults do.

stranger things does the complete opposite: the kids are an ideal. if you think about it even after their traumatic experiences they stay sweet and innocent — because let’s be real, they never act really bad. maybe they’re a bit bitchy or something, maybe they distance themselves from the others, but they never do REALLY bad stuff. i mean they acted like mike was a criminal in s2 because he cheated on a test/essay, or because of the graffiti thing. mike also says “everyone graffitis the bathroom stall”, which is true! they act like he’s a really bad kid for doing something normal kids do on a daily basis! another example that i love is that when will is feeling bad he clings to his childhood even more, whether that be playing d&d or going trick or treating or drawing. those are normal things kids do. when max faces depression and anxiety she stops talking to basically everyone — which kids often do, it can even be selective mutism in some cases. and there are many MANY other examples !! like el and mike’s relationship — whenever they’re stressed they scream about how much they love each other, they cling to each other and their relationship, because it was their first crush, their first love (even if you think they never really loved/had a crush on each other it was their first relationship you know?). being each other’s partner is a part of their childhood they cling onto when they’re scared.

2. because they symbolize different things

the losers are an example of how reality is: even things that are supposed to be pure and innocent can be cruel, “dirty”. they’re the symbol of a society that puts each person to their limit, sometimes making them the worst version themselves.

the party members are an ideal. they represent innocence, the “good” in a world full of bad people, bad ideals, bad decisions. they’re a symbol of hope, because a world that is as ugly as theirs needs hope.

+ i also want to point out that it as a whole has a grey type of morality — the kids do bad and good things and at one point you don’t even know what to think about them. richie is a kid that deals with this feeling of alienation from his friends (canon in book and in the movies, but for different reasons), he’s overall a sweet guy, but also makes offensive comments — sometimes these comments are even racist, or fatphobic, or ableist. henry is a character you’re supposed to hate from the first to the last moment, but you’re sometimes even supposed to emphasize with him because at the end of the day he’s been abused his whole live. while in stranger things the characters are inherently good or bad. a black and white kind of morality.

#i hope this was worded well #im sorry if i made any typos or mistakes of any kind im too lazy to reread everything #byler #byler tumblr #stranger things #it book #it movie #gay monster show #gay clown book #gay clown movie #stranger things analysis #byler analysis #kinda #it analysis

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avengershumanresources · 4 years

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blood 1 - Strange/Stark!Reader

Relationship: Dr. Strange/Princess!Stark!Reader

Rating: M

Warnings: Adult Themes, eventual smut (like, wayyy down the line), adult language, implied sexual violence, general violence

Synopsis: Reader is the daughter of the legendary King Anthony Stark, Uniter of Lands, The Iron Defender, and leader of the realm. When the king disappears during battle, hope is lost and he is presumed dead.

When the late king’s uncle, Obadiah, takes the throne until your brother Peter is of age, he quickly arranges a marriage for you with a wicked king in a neighboring kingdom.

With the realms politics in question, and rumors of an upcoming siege to overthrow Peter’s rule before it starts, you quickly learn who is loyal to the crown and who is not.

Masterlist

Chapter Playlist

1 - an empty grave

Cast:

The Royal House Stark:

King Obadiah Stark (Obadiah Stane)

King Anthony Stark (presumed dead)

Queen Virginia Stark (Pepper)

The Late Queen Alexandra Stark (your mother)

Princess Stark!Reader- you

Prince Peter Stark (Peter Parker)

Princess Morgan Stark

Knights:

Sir Samuel Wilson

Sir Steven Rogers

Sir Clinton Barton

Spellcasters/Master Sorcerers/Sorceresses:

Stephen Strange

Wanda Maximoff

Master Wong

Loyal to House Stark:

Natalia Romanoff (Natasha)- Assassin

James Barnes- her partner

Prince Thor- of Asgard, United with Stark’s kingdom

Prince Loki- of Asgard

Lady Brunhilde- of Asgard

Lady Sif- of Asgard

King T’Challa- of Wakanda

Princess Shuri- of Wakanda

(---)

In a final twist of irony, the day of the funeral was bright and warm.

You’d stood quietly while the priest recited his words, while candles were lit, while the Queen trembled silently next to you. You held Morgan’s hand, you listened while the choir sang, the ominous sound reverberating through your chest.

The mourners in black whispered while the royal family walked up to an empty coffin. You touched the polished wood, fist tightening at your side. Pepper bowed her head, reciting a quiet prayer.

How stupid. All of this was stupid. Praying to an empty box, crying over nothing.

You kept your eyes down, lest you betray your own thoughts. Now wasn’t the time for rebellion. Not when your queen step-mother was relying so heavily on tradition and ritual to get through the day. It’d be borderline cruel to start antagonizing her in this way.

No, you’d wait.

Peter, your half-brother in blood but full brother in heart, touched your elbow, pulling you from your thoughts, and guiding you away from the coffin. He kept his eyes forward, expression stoic while he lead the family back to their positions in the massive cathedral.

“They’ll pay for this,” he murmured low into your ear, as if reading your mind. The words were laced with a malice you’d never heard from the normally cheerful prince.

You didn’t reply, instead you grabbed your younger brother’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. A silent agreement.

The attack had been a betrayal of one of the kingdom’s oldest allies, a neighboring kingdom ruled by someone your father had once trusted with his life.

Apparently nothing was sacred anymore.

The funeral ended somberly, mourners murmuring amongst each other, ladies fawning over Pepper, though the queen looked none too pleased with the attention.

You searched the crowd for a pair of familiar of blue eyes, finding their owner tucked away from the crowd in a secluded corner. He was speaking quietly to the sorceress, Wanda, his eyes flicking up to meet your gaze. With a small nod, he signaled you over.

Weaving through the mass of people, you slipped into the conversation with Wanda regarding you, frowning in sympathy.

“I’m so sorry, your highness,” she whispered, bowing her head. “Your father was a good man, and an honest king. The realm is less for this loss.”

“Thank you,” your tone was colder than you’d intended, a reflection of the bitterness taking form within. Clearing your throat, you tried again, softer and more agreeable this time. “He truly was the best of us.”

Stephen sent Wanda a quick glance and the sorceress excused herself, parting the hall in a hurry.

“You’re angry,” he noted quietly.

“Am I?” you hummed, quirking a brow up at your friend. “I thought I was supposed to be sad?”

“You’re allowed to be angry,” he replied, folding his hands behind his back. “It just means you understand the injustice of it all.”

“Peter wants revenge,” you stated, mimicking his motion and staring out at the sea of royals and court members.

“Understandable,” he murmured. “I imagine a number of officials feel similarly.”

“He isn’t old enough to take the throne,” you supplied. “We can’t go to war without a seated leader.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time an heir succeeded in an unorthodox manner,” he noted before turning his head to look at you. “How are you, truly?”

You opened your mouth to reply, words catching in your throat. You felt hollow. You felt like you wanted to scream until you woke up from whatever nightmare you were caught in. Your heart felt like it had been ripped from your chest and stomped on.

“I’m not certain,” you finally confessed, hands straining against each other behind your back. “Part of me wants to ride through the night and kill that traitor. The other wants to curl on the ground and fill the empty grave myself.”

He nodded in understanding.

“Grief is a powerful thing,” he replied softly, scanning the room before turning and giving you his full attention . “Would you like hide in the observatory a while?”

You looked up to him in surprise. The room was still full of mourners, citizens, and members of the court. Your duty would be to talk to everyone as they passed, pulling the burden off of Pepper.

“Can we?” you asked, voice cracking at the thought of having to converse any further.

Stephen gave you a mischievous smirk, nudging you toward a side door of the church. You followed his lead, slipping out of sight and tucking yourselves away from the crowds inside a small alcove.

“They’ll want to focus on Peter and the queen anyway,” he noted casually, drawing up a portal with his fingers. “No point in dwelling. I’ll tell anyone who asks that you fainted from the stress and required immediate medical attention.”

“I’m sure they’ll all believe it,” you retorted with a matching grin, taking his hand and letting him help you through the portal with all of your heavy mourning apparel.

The observatory had been a new addition to the palace after Stephen had arrived as its master sorcerer. Before, it’d been an abandoned archer’s tower, last used by the late king’s father, Howard, as a means of defense against the previously antagonistic kingdoms.

After King Anthony had taken the throne and negotiated trade and peace treaties with the nearby kings, the reinforcements had largely been forgotten.

Stephen had suggested it as an ideal place to study the cosmos above, and after some urging on your part, your father agreed to let the two of you repair the small space. When the foundation had been fixed to his specifications, Stephen added another enchantment to increase the size internally.

From there, the two of you worked to fill the space with objects of learning and interest.

The walls had been lined with stacks of books, maps of the universe, and healing runes. Tables had been set with with all sorts of alchemical experiments, glowing amulets, and charmed quills. A small greenhouse had been established on one of the many turret balconies, where you helped tend to some medicinal herbs and enchanted florals.

It was a place of peace and knowledge in a world of chaos and ignorance and in it, Stephen had taken the time to teach you the secrets of the universe. It was one of the few places you knew you truly could belong without judgement.

“I’m not convinced this isn’t sabotage,” he stated once you were alone, the glowing orange portal snapping shut behind him.

“What makes you say that?” you asked, lifting a book, flipping through a few pages in an attempt to distract yourself from his blunt words. You agreed there was some kind of malice involved in the attack, but sabotage suggested someone within the kingdom had betrayed your father. For such as honest and good your father was, your heart couldn’t handle such a reality.

“Whispers in the village,” he answered tersely. “Wanda was giving me her report when you approached. She is traveling to the next village over as we speak.”

“Rumlow betrayed his alliance,” you replied bitterly, refusing to look up from your book, though you couldn’t tell what the thing was about. Plants? Chaos magic? “What more is there to discover?”

“Why did he do it?” he asked. “What motivation does he have to sever one of the strongest military alliances in history?”

“Greed? We’ve had a surprise in economic activity since the scholar agreement with Wakanda,” you guessed with a shrug. “This isn’t a smart man we’re dealing with. I’m met him once before. He’s ambitious and motivated, but not particularly clever.”

“Peter is almost of age, your father has prepared him for his new role thoroughly,” he continued, pacing the space. “It doesn’t make sense. Everyone is well aware he will be of age to take the throne in six months time, and now this just ensures his placement.”

“Not everything does,” you reminded him. “You taught me that. Or don’t you remember?”

You paused after a moment, peeking up from the book after letting his words settle.

“Maybe he plans to use Peter’s inexperience against him?” you suggested quietly. It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but even with the training and learning, Peter was a different person than your father, perhaps not in morals but certainly in other areas like strategy and planning.

“I intend to get to the bottom of this,” he stated, his hand tightening at his side. You’d never seen Stephen so inflamed before. “At the very least, I can try to retrieve his body. Negotiate a dignified exchange.”

The words pierced your heart far more painfully than you’d anticipated, your hand gave a jerk and you dropped the book you’d been fidgeting with while he spoke.

The mental image of your fathers head on a pike outside of Rumlow’s keep was enough to make you nauseous.

“I’m sorry,” Stephen’s tone shifted at your reaction. “I’m getting ahead of myself.”

“Don’t apologize,” you assured him, clearing your throat and composing yourself. “You’re just doing your job. It’s why he trusted you to the position. You’re asking the questions that need to be asked.”

He watched you pluck the book off the ground and toss it on a nearby table with a low sigh. This was a precarious position he found himself in.

On the one hand, he’d been appointed as the Master Sorcerer of this castle and this realm. He had an obligation to serve that role and ensure the safety of the kingdom’s inhabitants. Not to mention, his obligation as a peacekeeper in his position as Sorcerer Supreme at Kamar-Taj.

On the other, you were his dearest friend and companion, and the obvious hurt you were suffering made his other duties nearly impossible to focus on. It was no wonder Kamar-Taj frowned on intimate attachments, they did provide a distraction from the ambivalent roles sorcerers and sorceresses were bound to play.

He wanted to serve as an unbiased judge in this troubling time, but his heart wanted him to seek justice and bring peace to your troubled mind.

His eyes drifted to the telescope at the edge of the room and an idea hit him.

Perhaps a distraction was best for the time being? A small respite to pull away from the doom and gloom of the immediate future.

“Do you remember that star cluster I showed you last week?” he asked, hooking and arm over your shoulder and guiding you toward the window. “There’s a fascinating change that’s been occurring.”

It was still relatively bright out, though with the sun was just starting to dip over the horizon, there was enough darkness to point out the phenomena he’d discovered the night before.

“Let me adjust-,” he tinkered with the measurements before signaling for you to lean in. “Do you see it?”

“They’re changing color,” you noted with a small gasp of excitement. “That’s a promising omen, isn’t it?”

Your expression had brightened considerably when you looked up at him.

“It is,” he nodded. “The specific colors suggest a period of tranquility and prosperity after a short struggle.”

“Then maybe it isn’t all terrible,” you tried voicing optimistically. It sounded strange, like you still weren’t entirely convinced, but the evidence was clear before you.

Stephen knew the stars never lied and had taught you as much over the time you’d spent together.

You sighed sadly, giving the stars another peek and shaking your head when you pulled away.

“I miss him,” you murmured, looking up at Stephen miserably.

The sorcerer frowned sympathetically, before he moved toward you and pulled you into a tight embrace.

You pressed your cheek against his chest and allowed his arms to wrap around you.

“I know,” he replied softly, resting his chin on your head. “Just know he loved you very much, and wouldn’t want to see you so hurt on his behalf."

That seemed to break something in you, and you buried your forehead into his chest, shaking with suppressed sobs and held back tears until finally you choked out a wave of emotions all at once.

He spent an hour sitting with you while you cried into his tunic, yelling about how angry you were to how miserable all of this made you feel. He listened, offering a handkerchief and when you started to calm down, summoned a fresh pot of herbal tea.

“We will find answers,” he stated, blowing gently over the steaming cup in his hand.

“You sound so sure,” you noted with a bitter chuckle, eyes swollen and red from your tears.

“I’ve tampered with seeing the future from time to time,” he replied cheekily. “Perhaps I’ve had a vision?”

“And what did that vision show you?” you pressed, playing along with a ghost of a smile behind your own cup.

“We win,” Stephen replied firmly, his expression falling serious.

“Doesn’t feel like it,” you confessed quietly.

“Victory seldom does,” he watched you take a sip of your tea. You closed your eyes and relaxed your shoulders with the calming scent.

You opened your mouth to ask him a question when a knock at the observatory door broke the small spell of peace that’d fallen over the space.

“I’ve got it,” he gestured for you to stay seated, moving toward the door and slowly peeling it open.

It wasn’t that he was overtly concerned for your safety, but given recent events, Stephen didn’t want to be lax in covering all possibilities. The world had gone mad and he wouldn’t put an assassin with a dagger outside the realm of potential visitors.

“Is the princess here?” Loki, Prince of Asgard, asked with a tone laced with annoyance upon Stephen’s appearance.

“Loki?” you must have heard his voice and stood, setting your cup aside. “Stephen, let him in. It’s okay.”

With a glare at the prince, Stephen stepped aside and allowed the emerald clad royal through.

He didn’t like outsiders in the observatory. Especially when you were around.

It made him especially uneasy inviting another magic user inside, where they could potentially measure its wards and security for later aggression.

“Peter mentioned you might be here,” Loki glanced around the room, arms folded behind his back. “I apologize if I’m intruding.”

That last part was directed toward Stephen with the smallest smirk.

“No, it’s okay, we were just having tea,” you replied quickly, gesturing to the steaming pot on the table. “Could I make you a cup-?”

“No-,” he cut her off and cleared his throat apologetically. “I’ve come to say farewell. My father is ordering the borders to Asgard closed until Rumlow’s nation offers an explanation to this… tragedy.”

“I see,” your expression fell at the news.

Certainly Asgard closing its borders was a worrisome sign. They were the kingdom’s greatest allies and largest trading partners. The effects of such a move would be felt for quite some time, both in security and in the local economy.

“I’ll write,” he promised with a curt bow. “Don’t fall behind in your studies. I’ll be testing you the next time we meet.”

You smiled before he took your hand for a brief kiss on the knuckles. Rolling your eyes, you pulled away and threw your arms around his shoulder in a hug.

“What a sad parting,” you laughed at his bewildered reaction. “And you’re going to kiss my knuckles like we haven’t known one another for years? On the day of my father’s funeral? Unacceptable.”

He barked out a small laugh, reciprocating the embrace with an arm before pulling away.

“Stay safe,” he urged her before looking up at Stephen with a steely gaze. “Do well to keep her protected, Sorcerer.”

“Always,” Stephen answered tersely, a little offended at the prince’s casual disregard for his abilities. He’d always kept you safe, and had absolutely no intention of letting that guard slip now.

“Travel safely,” you called after him and he gave a final wave before pausing in the doorway when Stephen moved to close the door.

“Keep her close,” Loki warned quietly, the smirk disappearing completely. “There are whispers in the village of treachery and assassination. Do not let anyone have the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.”

“My associates are building wards around the castle and her quarters as we speak,” Stephen replied in agreement, a quick glance in your direction to ensure you weren’t listening.

“The tea was a nice touch,” Loki noted with a hum. Stephen nodded curtly.

The tea had a protection enchantment included in the mixture of herbs. Something small, but effective if you found yourself in danger without him, Wong, or Wanda nearby.

“Be well,” Stephen closed the door once Loki was out of sight, turning and finding you digging through his trunk of cloaks at the back of the room. “What are you doing?”

“I want to see Natalia and James,” you answered, pulling out a large blue cloak and holding it to your shoulders.

“Absolutely not,” he crossed his arms. “Your father was just killed, possibly murdered. You’re not going to the village unprotected.”

“That’s why you’re coming,” you threw a crimson cloak in his direction, fastening the blue one over your shoulders.

“Did you miss the part where I said murdered?” he asked in disbelief.

“Then it’s a good think I’m friends with assassins,” you chimed back, pulling the hood of the cloak over your head. “They might be able to tell us something.”

“I’m sure Wanda and Wong have already talked to them,” he shot back, folding the cloak over is arm. “You should stay at the castle, at least for tonight.”

“You already know I’m going to go regardless,” you replied.

“Because you’re a headstrong idiot,” he sighed, reluctantly pulling the cloak over is shoulders. “Who clearly has a death wish. What if your family comes looking for you?”

“They won’t,” you answered with a confident grin. “Mother is going to be with Morgan and Peter is going to lock himself away in the armory or training fields until the knights give up and make him retire to his chambers.”

“You’re so confident in your knowledge of the castle,” Stephen snorted, tying the cloak around him.

“It’s what happens when you’re the eldest daughter of a king,” you replied, patting him on the shoulder. “You see everyone, but no one sees you.”

“Poetic.”

“Also, you owe me an ale for enchanting my tea,” you quirked a brow toward him when he stammered back a response. “Didn’t think I would notice?”

“I’m losing my touch,” he sighed, waving a hand and summoning a bag of coin.

“No, you’re just turning into a fussy mother hen,” you grinned, the smile looking far more relieving than the grief he know you wore on the inside. “It’s endearing.”

Wha danger was a short outing for the evening? It was arguably safer in a crowd than alone in her chambers, especially while Wong was still working on the wards.

Besides, the assassins you’d found friendship in would do well to keep threats away as well.

And while Stephen pondered this thought, you were already part-way out of the room and headed toward one of the hidden passages in the hall.

(---)

2 - a night at the pub

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@ayamenimthiriel @drstrangely-strange @ladynothing @im-a-bi-disaster-help

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redsector-a · 3 years

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AO3 Ask Game

I was tagged by @themarshalstale which, thank you so much! I feel like I always get missed on these (I know why, it’s been 84 years since I published anything but still). 1. How many works do you have on ao3?

46 it seems. Which...look I’m slow man so that’s not surprising. lol Also crippling depression does not make for much production, at least for me.

2. What’s your current AO3 wordcount?

309662 according to the stats.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

So do I could only AO3 or in like life? lol I suppose it should only be on AO3 since this is an AO3 ask game. Hrm. Basically AO3 can be summed up as: Marvel (in several iterations - all Avengers related) Torchwood Highlander But isn’t it more fun to consider my entire fandom life, which, I’m sorry, I’m old so...yeah. Not all of this is was published and beyond that a lot is not available anymore...which is likely for the best. Highlander Star Wars Babylon 5 Ronin Warriors/Samurai Troopers Marvel (again, several iterations also of note Avengers and X-Men both count) Torchwood Star Trek LOTR Stargate (SG-1, SGA) Mortal Kombat I dabbled with the idea of Potter fic but never got past the ideas stage.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1: You rearrange me till I’m sane Clint finds himself spiraling into a deep depression after the Battle of New York...until the Winter Soldier ends up saving him and inadvertently giving him a new purpose – to save the man that the Soldier had once been – Bucky Barnes. Not one to be outdone, the Soldier decides that his new mission is to ensure that Clint remains alive himself. Protecting a blonde man with a self-destructive streak is somehow very familiar to him. Through the back and forth of who is saving whom they cross the country and learn more about themselves and each other – and perhaps find a reason for living. 2: Five Dates Bucky Didn’t Realize He Was on And the One He Planned Himself To say that Bucky was surprised when Clint kissed him was an understatement. But it was nothing compared to the shock he felt when he learned they'd been dating for months without him realizing it.Clint gets whisked away for a mission before they have time to talk and Bucky is left to figure things out on his own - hindsight being 20/20 he can't help but wonder how he missed things the first go around.

3: Puck Luck Bucky Barnes is used to the ups and downs of an NHL season. He's used to the unpredictability of the game, knows that bounces don't always go your way, but that doesn't make a broken hand in the final third of the season any easier to deal with. Especially not when he ends up with an impromptu roommate/personal assistant in the form of one Clint Barton - his agent, Natalia Romanova's (rather attractive) friend he hadn't known existed before his injury.

It's just for six to eight weeks - what could possibly happen in that span of time?

4: Loose Lips Launch Ships

Based on the following prompt: “We go to school together and I think you’re cute and apparently you’re also the pizza delivery guy and my little sibling opened the door screaming hey sibling! you know that kid you’re in love with? you really weren’t kidding when you said his jawline could cut steel holy shit-” Bucky is the pizza delivery guy. Clint's younger (foster) brother has a big mouth.

5: Indelible Bucky Barnes has a pretty decent life – a good job, good friends, a cat that adores him - but something is missing. He’s always found body art to be beautiful and inspiring, and on a whim (and with the hope that maybe he can find what he’s missing) he decides to take the plunge and get a tattoo. That's how he meets Clint Barton. Clint's talented and compassionate and there is an instant spark between the two of them. It's not long before Bucky finds himself wondering and wanting more from the relationship despite the ghosts of the past that crop back up. Because Clint makes him feel normal in a way he truly hasn't for years...

(this was pre-Alpine so I was totally chuffed when canon confirmed Bucky’s status as a crazy cat lady (affectionate).

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not.

I really really really want to do it but I often times don’t end up doing it. There are a few reasons. First, I am akwward AF and bad at interaction adn I feel like just saying thank you would be...not enough? Second - I often times tend to like...turtle (aka retreat into myself) when life gets Too Hard/Busy which happens a lot to me (sigh) and then I miss the vague window in my mind in which it would be okay to respond and then it’s even more weird. I do love and cherish all of them. Like there was one months ago that made me go “hmm...I didn’t think I was going to do a sequel to that fic (You rearrange me till I’m sane), timestamp glimpses sure but a sequel hadn’t come to mind” but then the comment made me think! So...who knows? lol Anyway, I literally have been rereading some in an effort to try and get myself going again. Know that if you have commented, I love you.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

At the moment? Probably: Look at you look at me Bucky's in love with Clint - problem is he's really not supposed to be. For Winterhawk Week 2019 - Forbidden Love (I really don’t want to give away the spin in the fic but...if you’re familiar with the Secret Avengers Vol 2 run circa 2013ish (aka when SHIELD initially ‘took control of the team’) that’s a bit of a hint as to the spin). Were it done, Torch Song would be up there. ;) Torch Song Clint is sent back in time, via an alien device, to 1938. While he tries to figure out how to get back home, he takes up singing and entertaining to make ends meet and does his best to not disrupt the timeline.Then he meets a 21 year old Bucky Barnes. --- A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship.

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Does *wanting* to write crossovers count? lol I want, so badly, to do more crossovers and fusions (which...are kinda deeper versions of crossovers in a way). The only one I do have posted is a crossover between Highlander and Torchwood -

The Immortal Mr. Jones A series of vignettes (some long, some short) in the life of the newly immortal Ianto Jones. My most ambitions project that I have been working on since late 2011/early 2012 is a fusion of the Avengers with Stephen King’s the Stand. I will get that done at some point *shakes fist* The Stand, for those who don’t know it, is an epic 1000+ page novel about a flu epidemic (I know) that wipes out over 99% of the population and then two figures representing Good and Evil pull the survivors in two directions for a showdown. So basically it’s a non-powered modern AU set in that universe. It’s a passion and comfort project. lol

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes. Well, minor bitching back when I was in a prior fandom because I tagged a pairing in a fic but it was pre-slash and not labeled as pre-slash. I got hate on...I think it was Torch Song? And I’ve gotten hate on tumblr re me and my fic in general as well. Fandom! *jazz hands* Oh! And I’ve also been hit by those reviewers within Winterhawk (among general Clint pairings actually) who like rate you on either number scales or the “meh” scale. Which isn’t hate exactly but...it’s passive aggressive bullshit because I can’t believe none of them realize at this point that the authors can see their bookmarks - you know?

9. Do you write smut?

Yes. Do I write it well? I have no idea. lol

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of. Well...there was, I think, one of those reposting sites that had a few fics on it but I don’t think it was being passed off as someone else’s? I can’t quite recall. It’s why I have a note on AO3 about reposting my work anyway.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not entirely, but sort of. Let me explain - I am part of a PBEM game; which for those unfamiliar since it’s a term that was most heavily in use 15-20 years ago, in which you basically do a round robin type writing thing but rather than everyone writing the same characters you write your own characters and you play off what other people have done. Another way of looking at it is it’s basically DnD without dice and written down rather than done out loud. You also don’t have to all be around at the same time. It’s a lot of fun and yes I have been in it for 20 years even though there aren’t many of us left but they are some of my dearest friends and fabulous writers. Wins all around. One of the other writers and I have actually toyed with the idea of doing a co-written fic actually, mostly because we work super well together and keep getting ideas for things but can’t really do them as rpgs since the pbem style isn’t used much anymore.

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Winterhawk probably. Though, let’s be real - Han & Leia are epic and amazing as are John & Delenn (from Babylon 5).

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Does wanting to expand The Black Stallion books as a wee child count? lol Not much of that was written save for world building ideas but there was a great oral tradition of telling stories to my friends. Otherwise...maybe a tie between Star Wars and Highlander. Star Wars was a love since I was super young but the writing bug didn’t hit me until around the same time Highlander was a thing as well.

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? You rearrange me till I’m sane for sure. Though Torch Song, if it were finished, would be tied I imagine (I suck at picking favorites). Honorable mention to Puck Luck and Indelible. Tagging: I have seen this like a million times (okay 5) so I feel like everyone has been tagged already that I know. But...I guess... @vexbatch @crazycatt71 @heartonfirewrites and @disruptedvice sorry if anyone has been tagged before.

#icyredfics #writing #winterhawk #long post

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betterdaysareatoenailaway · 4 years

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Random Review #3: Sleepwalkers (1992) and “Sleep Walk” (1959)

I. Sleepwalkers (1992) I couldn’t sleep last night so I started watching a trashy B-movie penned by Stephen King specifically for the screen called Sleepwalkers (1992). Simply put, the film is an unmitigated disaster. A piece of shit. But it didn’t need to be. That’s what’s so annoying about it. By 1992 King was a grizzled veteran of the silver screen, with more adaptations under his belt than any other author of his cohort. Puzo had the Godfather films (1972 and 1974, respectively), sure, but nothing else. Leonard Gardner had Fat City (1972), a movie I love, but Gardner got sucked into the Hollywood scene of cocaine and hot tub parties and never published another novel, focusing instead on screenplays for shitty TV shows like NYPD Blue. After Demon Seed (1977), a movie I have seen and disliked, nobody would touch Dean Koontz’s stuff with a ten foot pole, which is too bad because The Voice of the Night, a 1980 novel about two young pals, one of whom is a psychopath trying to convince the other to help him commit murder, would make a terrific movie. But Koontz’s adaptations have been uniformly awful. The made-for-TV film starring John C McGinley, 1997′s Intensity, is especially bad. There are exceptions, but Stephen King has been lucky enough to avoid the fate of his peers. Big name directors have tackled his work, from Stanley Kubrick to Brian De Palma. King even does a decent job of acting in Pet Semetary (1989), in his own Maximum Overdrive (1986) and in George Romero’s Creepshow (1982), where he plays a yokel named Jordy Verril who gets infected by a meteorite that causes green weeds to grow all over his body. Many have criticized King’s over-the-top performance in that flick, but for me King perfectly nails the campy and comical tone that Romero was going for. The dissolves in Creepshow literally come right off the pages of comics, so people expecting a subtle Ordinary People-style turn from King had clearly walked into the wrong theatre. Undoubtedly Creepshow succeeds at what it set out to do. I’m not sure Sleepwalkers succeeds though, unless the film’s goal was to get me to like cats even more than I already do. But I already love cats a great deal. Here’s my cat Cookie watching me edit this very blog post.

And here’s one of my other cats, Church, named after the cat that reanimates and creeps out Louis and Ellie in Pet Sematary. Photo by @ScareAlex.

SPOILER ALERT: Do not keep reading if you plan on watching Sleepwalkers and want to find out for yourself what happens.

Stephen King saw many of his novels get adapted in the late 1970s and 80s: Carrie, The Shining, Firestarter, Christine, Cujo, and the movie that spawned the 1950s nostalgia industrial complex, Stand By Me, but Sleepwalkers was the first time he wrote a script specifically for the screen rather than adapting a novel that already existed. Maybe that’s why it’s so fucking bad. Stephen King is a novelist, gifted with a novelist’s rich imagination. He’s prone to giving backstories to even the most peripheral characters - think of Joe Chamber’s alcoholic neighbour Gary Pervier in the novel Cujo, who King follows for an unbelievable number of pages as the man stumbles drunkenly around his house spouting his catch phrase “I don’t give a shit,” drills a hole through his phone book so he can hang it from a string beside his phone, complains about his hemorrhoids getting “as big as golfballs” (I’m not joking), and just generally acts like an asshole until a rabid Cujo bounds over, rips his throat out, and he bleeds to death. In the novel Pervier’s death takes more than a few pages, but it makes for fun reading. You hate the man so fucking much that watching him die feels oddly satisfying. In the movie, though, his death occurs pretty quickly, and in a darkened hallway, so it’s hard to see what’s going on aside from Gary’s foot trembling. And Pervier’s “I don’t give a shit” makes sense when he’s drilling a hole in the phone book, not when he’s about to be savagely attacked by a rabid St Bernard. There’s just less room for back story in movies. In a medium that demands pruning and chiseling and the “less is more” dictum, King’s writing takes a marked turn for the worse. King is a prose maximalist, who freely admits to “writing to outrageous lengths” in his novels, listing It, The Stand, and The Tommyknockers as particularly egregious examples of literary logorrhea. He is not especially equipped to write concisely. This weakness is most apparent in Sleepwalkers’ dialogue, which sounds like it was supposed to be snappy and smart, like something Aaron Sorkin would write, but instead comes off like an even worse Tango & Cash, all bad jokes and shitty puns. More on those bad jokes later. First, the plot.

Sleepwalkers is about a boy named Charles and his mother Mary who travel around the United States killing and feeding off the lifeforce of various unfortunate people (if this sounds a little like The True Knot in Doctor Sleep, you’re not wrong. But self-plagiarism is not a crime). Charles and Mary are shapeshifting werewolf-type creatures called werecats, a species with its very own Wikipedia page. Wikipedia confers legitimacy dont’cha know, so lets assume werecats are real beings. According to said page, a werecat, “also written in a hyphenated form as were-cat) is an analogy to ‘werewolf’ for a feline therianthropic creature.” I’m gonna spell it with the hyphen from now on because “werecats” just looks like a typo. Okay? Okay.

Oddly enough, the were-cats in Sleepwalkers are terrified of cats. Actual cats. For the were-cats, cute kittens = kryptonite. When they see a cat or cats plural, this happens to them:

^ That is literally a scene from the movie. Charles is speeding when a cop pulls alongside him and bellows at him to pull over. Ever the rebel, Charles flips the cop the finger. But the cop has a cat named Clovis in his car, and when the cat pops up to have a look at the kid (see below), Charles shapeshifts first into a younger boy, then into whatever the fuck that is in the above screenshot.

Now, the were-cats aversion to normal cats is confusing because one would assume a were-cat to be a more evolved (or perhaps devolved?) version of the typical house kitty. The fact that these were-cats are bipedal alone suggests an advantage over our furry four-legged friends, no? Kinda like if humans were afraid of fucking gorillas. Wait...we are scared of gorillas. And chimpanzees. And all apes really. Okay, maybe the conceit of the film isn’t so silly after all. The film itself, however, is about as silly as a bad horror movie can get. When the policeman gets back to precinct and describes the incident above (”his face turned into a blur”) he is roundly ridiculed because in movies involving the supernatural nobody believes in the supernatural until it confronts them. It’s the law, sorry. Things don’t end well for the cop. Or for the guy who gets murdered when the mom stabs him with...an ear of corn. Yes, an ear of corn. Somehow, the mother is able to jam corn on the cob through a man’s body, without crushing the vegetable or turning it into yellow mash. It’s pretty amazing. Here is a sample of dialog from that scene: Cop About To Die On The Phone to Precinct: There’s blood everywhere! *STAB* Murderous Mother: No vegetables, no dessert. That is actually a line in the movie. “No vegetables, no dessert.” It’s no “let off some steam, Bennett” but it’s close. Told ya I’d get back to the bad jokes. See, Mary and Charles are new in town and therefore seeking to ingratiate themselves by killing everyone who suspects them of being weird, all while avoiding cats as best they can. At one point Charles yanks a man’s hand off and tells him to "keep [his] hands to [him]self," giving the man back his severed bloody hand. Later on Charles starts dating a girl who will gradually - and I do mean gradually - come to realize her boyfriend is not a real person but in fact a were-cat. Eventually our spunky young protagonist - Madchen Amick, who fans of Twin Peaks will recognize as Shelly - and a team of cats led by the adorable Clovis- kill the were-cat shapeshifting things and the sleepy small town (which is named Travis for some reason) goes back to normal, albeit with a slightly diminished population. For those keeping score, that’s Human/Cat Alliance 1, Shapeshifting Were-cats 0. It is clear triumph for the felis catus/people team! Unless we’re going by kill count, in which case it is closer to Human/Cat Alliance 2, Were-cats 26. I arrived at this figure through my own notes but also through a helpful video that takes a comprehensive and complete “carnage count” of all kills in Sleepwalkers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmt-DroK6uA

II. Santo & Johnny “Sleep Walk” (1959) Because Sleepwalkers is decidedly not known for its good acting or its well-written screenplay, it is perhaps best known for its liberal and sometimes contrapuntal use of Santo & Johnny’s classic steel guitar song “Sleep Walk,” possibly the most famous (and therefore best) instrumental of the 20th century. Some might say “Sleep Walk” is tied for the #1 spot with “Green Onions” by Booker T & the M.G.’s and/or “Wipe Out” by The Surfaris, but I disagree. The Santo & Johnny song is #1 because of its incalculable influence on all subsequent popular music.

I’m not saying “Wipe Out” didn't inspire a million imitators, both contemporaneously and even decades later…for example here’s a surf rock instrumental from 1999 called “Giant Cow" by a Toronto band called The Urban Surf Kings. The video was one of the first to be animated using Flash (and it shows):

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So there are no shortage of surf rock bands, even now, decades after its emergence from the shores of California to the jukeboxes of Middle America. My old band Sleep for the Nightlife used to regularly play Rancho Relaxo with a surf rock band called the Dildonics, who I liked a great deal. There's even a Danish surf rock band called Baby Woodrose, whose debut album is a favourite of mine. They apparently compete for the title of Denmark’s biggest surf pop band with a group called The Setting Son. When a country that has no surfing culture and no beaches has multiple surf rock bands, it is safe to say the genre has attained international reach. As far as I can tell, there aren’t many bands out there playing Booker T & the M.G.’s inspired instrumental rock. Link Wray’s “Rumble” was released four years before “Green Onions.” But the influence of Santo and Johnny’s “Sleep Walk” is so ubiquitous as to be almost immeasurable. The reason for this is the sheer popularity of the song’s chord progression. If Santo and Johnny hadn’t written it first, somebody else would have, simply because the progression is so beautiful and easy on the ears and resolvable in a satisfying way. Have a listen to “Sleep Walk” first and then let’s check out some songs it directly inspired.

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The chords are C, A minor, F and G. Minor variations sometimes reverse the last two chords, but if it begins with C to A minor, you can bet it’s following the “Sleep Walk” formula, almost as if musicians influenced by the song are in the titular trance. When it comes to playing guitar, Tom Waits once said “your hands are like dogs, going to the same places they’ve been. You have to be careful when playing is no longer in the mind but in the fingers, going to happy places. You have to break them of their habits or you don’t explore; you only play what is confident and pleasing.” Not only is it comforting to play and/or hear what we already know, studies have shown that our brains actively resist new music, because it takes work to understand the new information and assimilate it into a pattern we are cogent of. It isn’t until the brain recognizes the pattern that it gives us a dopamine rush. I’m not much for Pitchfork anymore, but a recent article they posted does a fine job of discussing this phenomenon in greater detail.

Led Zeppelin’s “D’Yer Maker” uses the “Sleep Walk” riff prominently, anchored by John Bonham and John Paul Jones’ white-boy reggae beat:

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Here it is again with Del Shannon’s classic “Little Town Flirt.” I love Shannon’s falsetto at the end when he goes “you better run and hide now bo-o-oy.”

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The Beatles “Happiness is a Warm Gun” uses the Sleep Walk progression, though not for the whole song. It goes into the progression at the bridge at 1:34:

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Tumblr won’t let me embed any more videos, so you’ll to travel to another tab to hear these songs, but Neil Young gets in on the act with his overlooked classic “Winterlong:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV6r66n3TFI On their 1996 EP Interstate 8 Modest Mouse pay direct homage by singing over their own rendition of the original Santo & Johnny version, right down to the weeping steel guitar part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT_PwXjCqqs The vocals are typical wispy whispered indie rock vocals, but I think they work, particularly the two different voices. They titled their version “Sleepwalking (Couples Only Dance Prom Night).”

Dwight Yoakam’s “Thousand Miles From Nowhere” makes cinematic use of it. This song plays over the credits of one of my all-time favourite movies, 1993′s Red Rock West feat. Nicolas Cage, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dennis Hopper, and J.T. Walsh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu3ypuKq8WE

“39″ is my favourite Queen song. I guess now I know why. It uses my fav chord progression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE8kGMfXaFU

Blink 182 scored their first hit “Dammit” with a minor variation on the Sleep Walk chord progression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT0g16_LQaQ

Midwest beer drinkin bar rockers Connections scored a shoulda-been-a-hit with the fist-pumping “Beat the Sky:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSNRq0n_WYA You’d be hard pressed to find a weaker lead singer than this guy (save for me, natch), but they make it work. This one’s an anthem.

Spoon, who have made a career out of deconstructing rock n’ roll, so that their songs sometimes sound needlessly sparse (especially “The Ghost of You Lingers,” which takes minimalism to its most extreme...just a piano being bashed on staccato-style for four minutes), so it should surprise nobody that they re-arrange the Sleep Walk chords on their classic from Gimme Fiction, “I Summon You:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teXA8N3aF9M I love that opening line: remember the weight of the world was a sound that we used to buy? I think songwriter Britt Daniel is talking about buying albums from the likes of Pearl Jam or Smashing Pumpkins, any of those grunge bands with pessimistic worldviews. There are a million more examples. I remember seeing some YouTube video where a trio of gross douchebros keep playing the same progression while singing a bunch of hits over it. I don’t like the smarmy way they do it, making it seem like artists are lazy and deliberately stealing. I don’t think it’s plagiarism to use this progression. And furthermore, tempo and production make all the difference. Take “This Magic Moment” for example. There's a version by Jay & the Americans and one by Ben E King & the Drifters. I’ve never been a fan of those shrieking violins or fiddles that open the latter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bacBKKgc4Uo The Jay & the Americans version puts the guitar riff way in the forefront, which I like a lot more. The guitar plays the entire progression once before the singing starts and the band joins in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKfASw6qoag

Each version has its own distinctive feel. They are pretty much two different songs. Perhaps the most famous use of the Sleep Walk progression is “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers, which is one of my favourite songs ever. The guy who chose to let Bobby Hatfield sing this one by himself must have kicked himself afterwards when it became a hit, much bigger than "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiiyq2xrSI0

What can you say about “Unchained Melody” that hasn’t already been said? God, that miraculously strong vocal, the way the strings (and later on, brass horns) are panned way over to the furthest reaches the left speaker while the drums and guitar are way over in the right, with the singing smack dab in the middle creates a kind of distance and sharp clarity that has never been reproduced in popular music, like seeing the skyscrapers of some distant city after an endless stretch of highway. After listening to “Unchained Melody,” one has to wonder: can that progression ever be improved upon? Can any artist write something more haunting, more beautiful, more uplifting than that? The “need your love” crescendo hits so fucking hard, as both the emotional and the sonic climax of the song, which of course is no accident...the strings descending and crashing like a waterfall of sound, it gets me every fucking time. Legend has it that King George II was so moved by the “Hallelujah” section of Handel’s “Messiah” that he stood up, he couldn't help himself, couldn't believe what he was hearing. I get that feeling with all my favourite songs. "1979." "Unchained Melody." "In The Still of the Night." "Digital Bath." "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" "Interstate." "Liar's Tale." “Gimme Shelter.” The list goes on and on. Music is supposed to move us.

King George II stood because he was moved to do so. Music may be our creation, but it isn't our subordinate. All those sci-fi stories warning about technology growing beyond our control aren’t that far-fetched. Music is our creation but its power lies beyond our control. We are subordinate to music, helpless against its power and might, its urgency and vitality and beauty. There have been many times in my life when I have been so obsessed with a particular song that I pretty much want to live inside of it forever. A house of sound. I remember detoxing from heroin and listening to Grimes “Realiti” on repeat for twelve hours. Detoxing from OxyContin and listening to The Beach Boys “Dont Worry Baby” over and over. Or just being young and listening to “Tonight Tonight” over and over and over, tears streaming from my eyes in that way you cry when you’re a kid because you just feel so much and you don’t know what to do with the intensity of those feelings. It is precisely because we are so moved by music that we keep creating it. And in the act of that creation we are free. There are no limits to that freedom, which is why bands time and time again return to the well-worn Sleep Walk chord progression and try to make something new from it. Back in 2006, soon after buying what was then the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, I found myself playing the album’s closing track over and over. I loved the chorus and I loved the way it collapses into a lo-fi demo at the very end, stripping away the studio sheen and...not to be too punny, showing its bones (the album title is Show Your Bones). Later on I would realize that the song, called “Turn Into,” uses the Sleep Walk chord progression. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exqCFoPiwpk

It’s just like, what Waits said, our hands goes to where we are familiar. And so do our ears, which is why jazz often sounds so unpleasant to us upon first listen. Or Captain Beefheart. But it’s worth the effort to discover new stuff, just as it’s worth the effort to try and write it. I recently lamented on this blog that music to me now is more about remembrance than discovery, but I’m still only 35 years old. I’m middle-aged right now (I don’t expect to live past 70, not with the lifestyle I’ve been living). There’s still a whole other half life to find new music and love and leave it for still newer stuff. It’s worth the challenge, that moment of inner resistance we feel when confronted with something new and challenging and strange sounding. The austere demands of adult life, rent and routine, take so much of our time. I still make time for creative pursuits, but I don’t really have much time for discovery, for seeking out new music. But I’ve resolved to start making more time. A few years ago I tried to listen to and like Trout Mask Replica but I couldn’t. I just didn’t get what was going on. It sounded like a bunch of mistakes piled on top of each other. But then a few days ago I was writing while listening to music, as I always do, and YouTube somehow landed on Lick My Decals Off, Baby. I didn’t love what I was hearing but I was intrigued enough to keep going. And now I really like this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMnd9dvb3sA&pbjreload=101 Another example I’ll give is the rare Robert Pollard gem “Prom Is Coming.” The first time I heard this song, it sounded like someone who can’t play guitar messing around, but the more I heard it the more I realized there’s a song there. It’s weird and strange, but it’s there. The lyrics are classic Pollard: Disregard injury and race madly out of the universe by sundown. Pollard obviously has a special place in his heart for this track. He named one of his many record labels Prom Is Coming Records and he titled the Boston Spaceships best-of collection Out of the Universe By Sundown. I don’t know if I’ll ever become a Captain Beefheart megafan but I can hear that the man was doing something very strange and, at times, beautiful. And anyway, why should everything be easy? Aren’t some challenges worth meeting for the experience waiting on the other side of comprehension or acceptance? I try to remember this now whenever I’m first confronted with new music, instead of vetoing it right away. Most of my favourite bands I was initially resistant to when I first heard them. Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Guided by Voices, Spoon, Heavy Times. All bands I didn’t like at first. I don’t wanna sleepwalk through life, surrounding myself only with things I have already experienced. I need to stay awake. Because soon enough I’ll be asleep forever. We need to try everything we can before the Big Sleep comes to take us back to the great blankness, the terrible question mark that bookends our lives.

#sleep walk #santo & johnny #neil young #queen #dwight yoakam #led zeppelin #the beatles #betterdaysareatoenailaway

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tsarinastorm · 4 years

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Dreams Were Thunder-Adam Sackler/Reader-Chapter 1

This is my first fic, let me know what you think. No smut now, but there will smut in later chapters. I’ve outlined this storyline, but I also have some other fics that I’m working on simultaneously.

Words: 2,500

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You were finally moving to New York from your small town in the middle of nowhere. You had saved enough from your book sales to afford a place in the city. You had won a MegaMillions jackpot when you were still twenty-six and living in your parents’ house. You had given most of it to your family, paid off your student loans, and invested the rest. The winnings had allowed you to focus on your true passion: writing. You had since written several novels and a few other works. Now, you just had to find an actual place to live, other than your married friend’s couch or random hotel, and preferably a roommate to help you adjust to the city. You had settled on the neighborhood of Williamsburg and found a building you liked, but the roommate search seemed doomed from the start.

Half of the roommate options seemed likely to commit a crime, while you just did not mesh well with the others for one reason or another. Your friend Elijah, who you met accidentally at a writing soiree, suggested his ex-girlfriend to be your roommate as she was moving back to the city and was a writer as well. It sounded perfect: someone in your profession, not criminal, or otherwise intolerable. Well, you assumed she wasn’t intolerable. That was the catch: you hadn’t met her yet. And she had a kid, which you thought you could deal with if the two of you got along.

You agreed to meet her at a coffee shop in Williamsburg in January, near the building you wanted to live in. You arrived early, a habit from your previous 9 to 5 career. You were wearing a long gray coat with black cropped sweater, black skinny jeans and over-the knee boots. You had just sat down at a table near a window with your first cup of black coffee and scone when a short, mousey-haired woman carrying a cute baby made her way to your table. She spoke as she moved forward,

“Are you Y/N?”

“I am. You’re Hannah Horvath?” you respond with raised eyebrows. She sits down across from you, as her baby boy watches you with curious eyes, “Unfortunately, that’s me. I’m sure you were hoping for someone more glamorous.”

You’re surprised that she would assume anything since you just met. Maybe it was the way you dressed, you always enjoyed fashion and tried to look on trend. “Oh no, you’re fine. What’s his name?” You say as you look at the baby.

“This is Grover. He’s six months old. He is actually the best baby, he goes to bed at a decent time and hardly ever cries. Except he cried when he was really young. Turns out we had a problem with latching. But that’s not a problem anymore, don’t worry.”

“I’m sure he is the best baby around. He’s adorable. Elijah tells me that you’re a writer too?”

“Still aspiring at this point. I’ve been teaching since I found out I was pregnant with him. Better money, better insurance. Though now I got a job as an editor, and have flexibility. What do you write?”

“I’ve written three cotemporary novels and a few short stories. My second novel was chosen by a popular book club and has done well. But it’s always hard for writers, unless you happen to be Stephen King.”

You and Hannah had hit off, and agreed to be roommates. She was a bit narcissistic and over-dramatic but you thought the two of you would get along as roommates. You had met her friends, Marnie and Shoshanna, and liked them so far. But her other friend, Jessa was more elusive as she had gone on another adventure.

A few months had passed since you had moved into your new place. You had hardly been there as you had to do promotional work on your third book. It was now April, and the weather was finally warming up. The two of you were walking through a park with Grover in the stroller when a tall, dark haired man approached you. He had unusual, yet handsome features, and he was built like a house. You were suddenly glad that you had on a cute outfit of a tank top, white shorts, sneakers and a windbreaker. The man joined Hannah and Grover saying, “Oh hi, kid, and hi little kid,” then as he looked at you, “Hi, person I don’t know.”

“Adam, this is Y/N, my new roommate. Y/N, this is my ex-boyfriend, Adam.”

You reach out to shake his hand saying, “nice to meet you” as you thought what a strange relationship to have with your ex. But nothing with their relationship was normal, at least that’s what you gathered from her, Marnie and Elijah. You were expecting him to look like some weirdo, not almost charming. Hannah had told you recently that she and Adam had hooked up when she came back to the city, then had decided that there wasn’t any spark left. She had also said that he offered to always be there for Grover when she needed him.

“So how do you afford Williamsburg? Are you another rich daddy’s girl?”

Your face is turning red. Now you see what Elijah and Marnie were talking about. Who the hell says that kind of thing to someone they just met? You hate when people assume things about you anyway, but that comment was really hurtful to you, especially when you grew up in poverty. “No, I actually lived most of my life below poverty level so I am not another rich daddy’s girl. Never assume you know anything about me again.” You walk away as Adam’s jaw drops, and you sit on a bench to wait for Hannah to join you.

4 Months Later.

Hannah had talked you into having an “End of Summer Party” at your apartment. This would be the first party you’d have since moving in. You had agreed with her because she was leaving soon for the semester and apparently she was the using the party as a way to tell her friends. She would still be paying rent and she got free housing where she was going, so you couldn’t complain. It also gave you a chance to dress up and become more better-acquainted with the friend group. You pull down the edge of your baby blue slip dress and toss on a pair of strappy heels, while you grab a bottle of champagne and head towards the foyer.

Marnie, Shoshanna, and Elijah came into the apartment in a cluster. Then there was Ray (who owns the coffee place) you add in your head, who trailed behind the trio. Elijah immediately goes to hug you saying, “Y/N, you look amazing tonight! Who are you trying to impress? Seriously, you look hot.” “

“Just you. I like to dress up,” you respond while hugging him back. You offer him a glass of champagne and as you step back to pour a glass, you lock eyes with Adam who’s just walked through the door. You can’t help but grimace when you remember your last conversation with Adam. Elijah notices, “So I guess that look means that you’ve met Adam. He is very different and according to Hannah, kinky. Do you know he even made a movie about it?”

“Excuse me,” you say as you hand Elijah his drink and begin moving further into your apartment. You see Adam heading towards you, and you try to retreat onto the terrace. You make it out there, where you’re distracted by the view and don’t notice him come up beside you. His voice startles you, “hey Y/N. I want to apologize for what I said when we first met. It was rude and I had no business saying it,” you look at him which must put him on edge because his voice changes pitch, “FUCK—I’m so socially awkward.”

“It’s okay. Really, let’s put it behind us.” You say, before being cut off by him, “You know, I had it pretty rough growing up too. So I get it, and I really don’t know why I even said that. I guess I can’t help but get nervous around a pretty girl.” You’re stunned and you’re certain that you must be blushing, but before you come up with a way to respond, you notice that he’s walked away.

The party drags on, the guests are shocked by Hannah’s announcement. However, the shock wears off, and you start to feel lonely even in a room full of people. You go back to your room, sit down on your bed with a glass of wine, and scroll through your phone. You see updates from your friends and family back home, you never realized how much you’d miss them. Before you know it, you start to tear up at the feeling of homesickness that wrenches through your gut. Then you hear light knock on your door as a head of black hair comes in.

“Are you alright? What’s wrong?” He says as he comes up and sit beside you. You wipe your tears away and feel embarrassed that he saw you crying. He must think you’re emotional wreck. His hands reach out like they’re going to embrace you in a hug then he pulls back to place a hand on your shoulder and he gives you a comforting pat.

“I just started feeling homesick for no apparent reason. I promise I’m not some kind of train wreck. At least not all the time.” You try to smile.

“Well, I’d rather stay here than be all around them. This is a nice setup in here. I’ve been around them for years and still don’t fit in. I don’t really find any of them tolerable, except you. Maybe.”

“Uh thanks. Do you want a glass? I have both red and white wine around. Or I can get you something else.” You shake your glass as you go to stand up. He gently pulls you back and shakes his head.

“I don’t drink at all. I’m an alcoholic, I’ve been in AA since I was seventeen.” He says as he looks down. You put a hand on his shoulder this time as you say, “Adam, if I had known I wouldn’t have even offered. You’ve been sober for all that time? That’s really great for you, sobriety is an achievement. I’m proud of you.” His face lights up into a smile, then suddenly it’s gone.

“Sorry to tell you how fucked up my life is so soon. I normally wait until the third or fourth meeting until I start sharing emotional trauma. Seriously, I never open up to people like that. You’re very easy to talk to.”

You smile and you sit back down on your bed. Why is it that you start to feel butterflies in your stomach? It must be the wine and other drinks you’d had earlier.

“Well I’ll take that compliment. You don’t need to feel bad about it, everyone is fucked up in some way. I had an eating disorder for years so I understand. Not that it’s the same as alcoholism, but you know what I mean.”

“Yeah I know what you mean. How are you doing with that?”

“It’s a struggle every day. Some days are better than others.”

“You should probably head back out there, it’s your party.”

“No, it’s really Hannah’s party. And I think I’d rather stay here.”

Hours must have passed. You and Adam had talked about everything. You talked about your backgrounds, he talked about being raised by his sister, his going through multiple career choices for years. Then you talked about his acting gigs and your writing, including his time in Major Barbara on Broadway. His most recent gig being Woyzeck at The Brick. That had set the conversation down the literary path.

“Tell me what it’s like to play a character who is going mad? Is it easier, freeing, or challenging?” You say in an excited pitch. He looks slightly embarrassed then he gets up and starts pacing.

“All three actually. I guess I’m kind of crazy too. I look back at my past relationships and I’m definitely crazy.”

“I think we’re all crazy when it comes to love, and if what Hannah told me is true, then you might be actually be crazy for good reason. Based on her stories, her life is more dramatic than a reality show.”

He starts looking through the books on your bookshelf by your bed. You have a large, full bookcase that sits in the living room. But the books in your room are some of your favorites.

“You know, 1984 is better than Animal Farm.” He says as he picks up a book.

“Well I really like Animal Farm but I haven’t read 1984 so I can’t comment on it.”

“I have it. I’ll bring it over for you to borrow, you should read it. It’s a classic,” He says as he stares intensely at another cover on the shelf, “Though I’ve never read Jane Eyre. You like it?”

“Yes, it’s one of my favorites. I love all of the Bronte sisters. They’re some of my biggest writing inspirations. I’ll let you borrow it, if you promise to bring it back.” You remove the book from the shelf. You suddenly notice how close the two of you are. You’re close enough that you can appreciate every one of his freckles, and you can’t help but take note of his plush-looking lips. It feels like there is an electric current between you as his hand brushes yours when he takes the book. You lock eyes and you think he might kiss you, then the spell is suddenly broken as Hannah walks into the room.

“There you guys are! I had thought everyone had left, but of course Adam is still around! I can never get rid of him. And Y/N you just disappeared, I was worried that you got sick or something.”

Adam steps away from you and heads toward the door, “We were just talking. Not everyone is a social butterfly like you…Bye!”

Adam is out of your apartment in record time. Hannah watches you and raises her eyebrows at you. You don’t know what to say so you just shrug your shoulders. Hannah tells you good night and goes to check on Grover. You try to go to sleep, but you can’t stop thinking of Adam’s freckles and his lips. You think you’d like to trace all of his freckles and see if his lips were really as soft as they looked. You know you shouldn’t feel that way about your roommate’s ex-boyfriend because that could be a nightmare, but you ease your conscious by remembering that there’s no harm in thoughts so long as they don’t lead to actions.

#adam sackler #adam sackler x reader #hbo girls #girls hbo #adam driver #lena dunham #hannah horvath

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izayoichan · 5 years

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Just another Tag game

Rules: Always post the rules. Tag 11 new people you’d like to know better

I was tagged by @justasimthing, thanks!

1. Dogs or Cats? Both? I mean.. I grew up with a dog, but atm I have a cat.. so yeah, both

2. YouTube celebrities or normal celebrities? Honestly neither, but if I have to choose, I guess normal, youtube was never a thing

3. If you could live anywhere where would that be? As long as I have fiber and a store close, I could live in the middle of nowhere.. really.

4. Disney or DreamWorks? Disney

5. Favorite childhood TV show? Dj Cat Show (yeah, showing my age here)

6. The movie you’re looking forward to most in 2020? Ehm... dunno, sorry, I seldom watch movies at the cinema

7. Favorite book you read in 2019? Mostly been re-reading some favorites, so Inferno

8. Marvel or DC? Marvel

9. If you choose Marvel favorite member of the X-Men? If you choose DC favorite Justice League member? Ehm... huh?

10. Night or Day? Day 8 (I do love evening though if that counts for something)

11. Favorite Pokémon? Ninetales

12. Top 5 bands: Disturbed and then I really do not know, I tend to love songs, not bands..

13. Top 10 books: Lord of the Rings series, and Tom Egelends series about Bjørn Belto, and that I believe makes 10 in total ;)

14. Top 4 movies: Armageddon, Pet Cemetary, Ringu (the original, not the American crap sorry), The Cat Returns

15. America or Europe? Europe

16. Tumblr or Twitter? Tumblr although twitter is just as bad ;)

17. Pro-choice or Pro-life? Pro-Choice

18. Favorite YouTuber: Can’t say I have one, I follow some gamer journalists called Lvl Up Norge, and that is about it.

19. Favorite author? I can’t pick one. Tom Egeland, Tolkien, Dan Brown, Stephen King

20. Tea or coffee? Tea

21. OTP? I’m stupid but that shortening means something very different in Norwegian so ehm... no idea

22. Do you play an instrument/sing? I can sing, I only do it when alone these days though, to my cat, even though he is deaf

So the tagging thing: @cillaben, @simmingkatie, @katietiva, @momoception, @northernlightz, @shahkiertai, @toffeetip, @nocturnalazure, and really if you want to, do so.

#tagged #interesting #althought hard to answer #at least some of it

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angelicults · 5 years

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( ross lynch. cismale. he/him. ) is that richie tozier from stephen king’s IT in storybrooke? on screen + in the book, they’re very enthusiastic + humorous but here they seem more obnoxious + reactive. the twenty three year old radio host & aspiring comedian can usually be found around mel’s diner with their well loved but beaten up 1989 gameboy. they can remember much about their life back home. scraped knees through ripped jeans, scuffed red vans with faded sharpie’d words, unfinished thoughts in messy cursive on crumpled papers, the hallway light through the cracks of the bedroom door at night.

hey i’m howl & this is my child. can’t wait to rp with everyone & meet all ur babies !!! ps tell me who else to bring in

𝙖 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚

i play richie with a mixture of themes from the novel , the miniseries , the 2017 remake and chapter two ... totally hectic, right ? i’m dramatic . i’ve taken quirks , bits and pieces from each to form his muse as well as some that’ve developed along the way since i’ve been writing him for some time . * triggering content to look out for in this post/plotting with rich are alcohol & drug mention, night terrors and anxiety . * there won’t be any major spoilers for IT chapter two here !

𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚, 𝙞 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨

NAME: richard tozier NICKNAMES: richie, rich, trashmouth DATE OF BIRTH: march 7th ZODIAC: pisces HOMETOWN: derry, maine CURRENT LOCATION: storybrooke, maine GENDER: cis male ( he / him pronouns ) ORIENTATION: bisexual OCCUPATION: radio host by night aspiring comedian almost never

𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙪𝙧 ↝ the storytellers, able to spin amusing tales from everyday life.

𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚 ↝ someone that's wild and free, and that can say what he/she wants to say without a care in the world.

dig a little deeper , richie goes on and on without really stopping until you cut him off . sometimes he says things he doesn’t mean , sometimes he just doesn’t hear himself talking . he’s the kind of person that enjoys distracting other people and making himself the center of attention , he’ll always be the one you can go to if something’s wrong and you don’t wanna talk about it but wanna hear someone talk anyway . also highkey the type of person that won’t order food on their own but will order for their friends and he’ll do it in a british accent because he’ll think it’s hilarious that the waitress buys it . ( narrator vc: she doesn’t buy it )

after the incidents of the 2017 film , richie didn’t really think he’d been effected much by what happened . he seemed to fade back into normal everyday life fairly well , until a couple of months passed by and he began to have night terrors . his parents were never easy-off , in fact the family often barely swept by even though both his mom and dad worked a ton , but they scraped the money together to put him into therapy eventually . while he couldn’t diverge the actual root of his problems , this helped him begin to cope a lot . he still experiences episodes nearly every week , but they’ve gotten a lot better . richie has a strong fear of the dark , feels anxious when he has no visible escape route , and sleeps with a bat under his bed .

alcohol/drug trigger. when he grew older and left derry , he fell into a deep party phase . it started with drinking more and more , going to clubs where he’d finally be accepted and gain a new group of friends . everything quickly spiraled out of control , though . he claims that he’s experimented with everything under the sun , and he’s not exactly wrong about it . for a while , he was hooked on anything that’d be able to keep him up for long amounts of time and black him out when he finally passed out . this is how he began gaining the real courage to stand up and tell jokes , but he lost his ability to string together an act fluently . present day , he’s kicked everything besides drinking socially .

in storybrooke he’ll be kind of pissed off/nervous . he doesn’t understand what’s going on and just wants to get back home , really . probably spent most of the time they’ve been here trying to find a way out but overly panicked when he realized there wasn’t one , and now he’s pretending that he’s fine going along with it but it’s most likely eating him up more and more each day . tune in to find out when he snaps

𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙣

richie’s an extremely tactile person , he’s over exaggerative with hand gestures and often is very clingy to people he’s close with

he talks a lot and doesn’t really think about it so if he says something that pisses your muse off he probably didn’t mean it

i do play him with adhd and mild anxiety

we stan maggie tozier here , he grew up with two loving parents and that’s that !

it’s difficult for him to express emotions so he usually feels bad for being a jerk but would rather let someone believe that he’s actually a jerk than apologize

he’s very protective of his loved ones and the people close to him , basically if you mess with them you mess with him which isn’t saying much because he’d run from a fight unless otherwise forced to

he swears a lot i’m so sorry

it’s hard for him to get close to people but when he does he’s there like cling wrap and they’ll probably get super annoyed by it but that’s alright

very carefree/goes with the flow . he might make a dumb comment about things but they quickly blow over and he doesn’t care anymore

likes to be the center of attention , hates crowds

he can’t see anything ever

all you really need to know about him is that he talks 100mph and doesn’t really shut up . he speaks before he thinks and i’m fine with your character wanting to 1 2 knock him out

𝙞'𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞'𝙢 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨

#maine.intro #this is Messy sorry #lms and i'll msg for plots!!!#even tho i haven't listened my wc yet:o)#˜ ♡ ﹙ richie tozier ﹚ ↝ 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙨 ．

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buddiebeginz · 5 years

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Some ranting about IT Chapter 2 (warning spoilers)

Before I get to the main bulk of my rant if you haven’t seen IT yet and are planning to please beware that there’s a very real feeling scene of violence against gay men in the opening which can and probably will be triggering.

There’s also a lot of homophobia, homophobic slurs, fat shaming, and some serious triggers for suicide in the beginning and at the end.

I saw IT Chapter 2 recently (like pretty much everyone) it’s rare for me to see a remake though especially a remake of a movie I still love so much and is tied to a lot of childhood nostalgia for me. I thought the first one (from 2017) was okay it certainly had it’s flaws but it at least is watchable and felt like the makers were trying. So when the trailers came out for the second I was actually pretty excited to see it. I thought maybe Chapter 2 will be a little better than how the 90’s version handled the adult stuff which tbh got a little clunky especially in the last act. So I went into the movie with some higher than normal expectations for a remake but perhaps that was one of my problems to begin with. There were definitely some issues I didn’t expect though. I expected there to be too much cgi: there definitely was. I expected certain characters to not get fleshed out enough like in Chapter 1: which definitely happened again with Mike and Stan. But I did not expect what happened during the opening scene of the movie at all.

If you haven’t seen the movie there’s this long gratuitous scene of two gay men getting brutally beaten by a group of guys until one of the men is thrown over a bridge and then killed by Pennywise. I’ve never read the book but I heard that the basis for this scene comes from there but I still definitely feel it wasn’t necessary. I heard that Stephen King included it his book to put further emphasis on how we’re all capable of doing really dark things and how IT wasn’t the only monster people can be monsters too but the thing is none of that was made clear in the movie. IT Chapter 2 doesn’t feel like a movie that’s really trying to make you think for the most part either it feels like every other horror movie being made lately. The threw the bashing scene in there for pure shock value as far as I’m concerned.

In the 90’s film they made it a point to talk about how the evil of IT was like a plague infecting the town especially the adults. There was one scene where Bev is telling the group about something she had experienced when she was younger, when Henry and his gang were groping her and some old man saw that she needed help but just walked in his house. Bev said that was when she knew they (the adults) were all IT in some way. If the remake had done a better job of highlighting stuff like that then maybe I could understand the opening scene but on it’s own it was just gratuitous violence that would have played just as well had they had Pennywise attack them without the horrible bashing scene first. I’ve seen some people argue that well it was in the book so there shouldn’t be any issue with it being in the movie but apart from the stuff I pointed above I just don’t think we need to add more lgbtq violence to media unless that media is explicitly saying something with it and even then less is more. For one thing it literally used to be the law that lgbtq characters weren’t allowed to have a happy ending in movies so the majority of lgbtq characters in media were beaten, killed, killed themselves, watched their partners or love interests die, or just ended up sad and alone. For another we lgbtq people experience enough violence on a day to day bias both personally, in media, and in the news that unless it’s serving a purpose for mindful storytelling no movie or tv show actually needs to show lgbtq characters getting brutalized especially if it’s because of their sexuality or gender. One of my other issues was how they handled Richie. Now I’m genuinely happy for you Richie and Eddie shippers. I’m glad you guys got some cannon confirmation of your ship and of Richie’s sexuality. And I’m sorry that you lost a character you really care about I know how that feels. ❤️ Still I have issue with them making Richie gay. Not because I don’t want more lgbtq representation or because I don’t think Richie could have been gay. It’s just the way it was all handled. If they were going to go through the trouble of deviating from the book and changing a main characters sexuality I think they should have taken more care with how it was done. I mostly feel like they made Richie gay because it got them a lot of attention and I assume they probably heard about people shipping him with Eddie which it’s fine if they wanted to make fans happy but all they did was give us another lgbtq character with a tragic ending.

We ended up with more homophobic dialogue in Richie’s flashback (adding to the homophobic slurs used in the beginning of the movie from the bashing). Richie also was never even able to come out to his friends and he had to watch the man he loved die. I get that not every character gets a happy ending (nor would I want them all to) but back to what I said before about how lgbtq characters were never even allowed to have happy endings for so long to make Richie gay and then give him such a tragic ending while you have the straight couple (Bev and Ben) with their happily ever after on a boat was just really sad and unnecessary to me.

I know all of you Richie and Eddie shippers will probably disagree with me and that’s fine again I’m not trying to hate on your ship it’s just how I personally feel about the movie. If they were going to make Richie gay it should have been done better he should have at the least been able to come out (even to just one of The Losers) but considering it’s a main stream horror movie I really shouldn’t be surprised that it played out the way it did.

My other issues were with the constant fat shaming even the 90′s film didn’t harp on Ben’s weight as much as the 2017/2019 films have. It got old real quick.

I also felt a little weird about how they wrote Stan and his letter at the end it almost felt like they were trying to glorify his suicide. I remember as a kid watching the 90s film and I never felt like Stan’s suicide was a good thing I felt like it was sad and that maybe IT had gotten to him. In the 2019 version they have this letter where Stan is basically saying if he had come back his heart wouldn’t have been in it so he knew he had to kill himself so the others could succeed. The whole scene where it’s narrated is played out to make it sound like Stan is a hero for what he did. I don’t know... It felt like a pretty dangerous way to frame something like that knowing that a lot of teens are going to see this movie.

#it chapter 2 #it 2019 #soapbox #tw: suicide #tw: violence #tw: hate crime #horror

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callunavulgari · 5 years

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YEAR-IN-BOOKS | 2019

So. Last year I read 89 books. The year before that I read 39. The year before that I read 23. This year I have (thus far) read 110 books out of my goal of 100 and will likely finish both The Secret Commonwealth and The Library of the Unwritten before the end of the year. I may even finish another depending on which audiobook I go for next. So I’m gonna talk a lot. Again.

1. a book you loved?

Again, I read a lot of books this year. It was a great year for books. I discovered Brandon Sanderson, which has been amazing. I reread at least two different favorite series, some graphic novels, a few books that would ordinarily be outside of my typical genre. But I’m going to pick Red, White, & Royal Blue, which was probably the one I loved the most. Casey McQuiston, for those of you who weren’t in The Social Network fandom, wrote a really fantastic RPF in like 2011 or so. It was gorgeous and while I’m sad that it was never finished, I can still appreciate the crap out of it. RWARB is a story about the son of America’s first female president falling for the Prince of Wales. It is everything I loved about fics like The Student Prince and Drastically Redefining Protocol and more. It’s best universe 100% and I will probably be rereading it within the next few months because I loved it to pieces. Also, it won both best romance and best debut novel on goodreads by a pretty large margin, which is amazing!

2. a book you hated?

I think the only book that I absolutely hated this year was The Gunslinger. Which sucks because a lot of people recommended that one pretty highly, but I either reluctantly enjoy Stephen King’s books or I outright loathe them. My review, directly from goodreads, with a rare one star rating:

“Thing number 1: same guy who did the audiobook recording for The Stand did this one as well. Bad enough. Thing number 2: I forgot how badly Stephen King writes women. I got to listen to this narrator read a scene where a woman has an orgasm because the main character is exorcising a lust demon out of her by shoving a gun into her unmentionables, and then I got to hear someone described as "falling whorishly." DNF at 75%. Sorry. I just could not do it. Falling whorishly was the straw that broke the camel's back.”

3. a book that made you cry?

I definitely cried when I finished The Hero of Ages, which is the third of the original Mistborn trilogy by Sanderson. Without spoiling things... I was definitely crying by the end of it. Might have been crying at the end of the first in the series too. The only other ones I can think of that may have made me sniffle are Everything I Never Told You and To Be Taught, If Fortunate.

The first because it’s a wonderfully crafted little tale about a family getting torn apart when their daughter dies tragically. The whole thing is pulled wonderfully taut with tension, and each of the character’s snippets into Lydia’s life before her death leads you to more and more discoveries until finally everything comes together seamlessly in the end.

The second because it is a little, little book about a big, big universe and is just so achingly beautiful and big inside that it hurts.

4. a book that made you happy?

I mean, I’m tempted to Red, White, and Royal Blue again because it is 100% the one that made me happiest. I was grinning like an idiot half the time I was reading it. But, because answering the same book for two questions seems cheap when I’ve read over 100, so I’m gonna go with King of Scars, which is the sequel to the sequel of the original Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. It took the best things about the original series and combined it with the best parts of Six of Crows and left me with a super riveting, fun read.

5. the best sequel?

Gah, I read so many series this year, so this is kind of hard. I have two answers!

The Well of Ascension, which was the second of the Mistborn novels and probably my favorite and The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, which in my humble opinion was leagues better than The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. Not that it was bad, I’m just starved for stories about smart sexy ladies who become pirates and flirt with other pretty pirate ladies.

6. most anticipated release for the new year?

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner is still my answer to this one. The release date got pushed back to August of next year instead of March of this one, so provided it doesn’t get pushed back again - that is 100% my answer. Some others I’m excited about: The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks, which I found out about two minutes ago, the as yet untitled Stormlight Archive #4 which is apparently coming out in November next year, and like six books that don’t have release dates yet so probably won’t come out until 2021. Oh, oh, oh, and The King of Crows, the fourth in The Diviners series, which I forgot was coming out in February!

7. favorite new author?

Easily Brandon Sanderson. Most of my other favorites that I really loved were all authors I’ve read before. Sanderson was my Rothfuss of 2019. Discovering his books changed my whole damn year.

8. favorite book to film adaptation?

I didn’t reread the series this year, but HBO put out their adaptation of His Dark Materials and it has been absolutely amazing so far! I’m blown away by every single episode and can only hope that the second and third seasons will be this good.

9. the most surprising book?

Okay, so there’s this book that I picked up randomly at the library because I liked its cover. It’s called The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais and it’s about an Indian boy who grows up to become a world famous chef. It’s so, so rich. The detail is wonderful. You can taste the food, feel the sun, be a stranger in a market somewhere in France. It was a true delight of a book and definitely one of my favorites.

10. the most interesting villain?

I read Codename Villanelle shortly after I got into the TV show, and it was actually a surprisingly good book. She’s a great villain. However, I also read Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, which you don’t even realize is about the evil queen until you’re like halfway through the book. That one was really, really well done and I need to get around to reading its sequel.

11. the best makeouts?

I’m tempted to say Chilling Effect because there’s just something about a sassy space pirate making out with her alien crew member whose skin can make her go into anaphylactic shock that really appeals to the part of me that shipped Sheppard/Garrus from Mass Effect, but there were two really steamy ones in The Hating Game (elevators) and Ninth House (slightly dubcon-y bit because one character is drugged, but super searing anyway?).

Also the bit in Red, White and Royal Blue where they make out against a painting of Hamilton in the White House will probably get me every time.

12. a book that was super frustrating?

Again, But Better was a pretty decent book over all. But there were slightly too many pop culture references and listening to an audiobook where the characters are signing along to Blink 182 along with several other songs was a little cringey because the narrator did not actually sing, just kind of singsongy shouted. It was weird.

The Alchemist was also really slow going for such a short book but was over all pretty good.

13. a book you texted about, and the text was IN CAPSLOCK?

I have no real life friends who really read and it is fucking tragic, so the closest I got was recommending a bunch of books to my mom and going off on tangents about how good they were. I think I might have ranted to Nick about a couple of them too.

14. a book for the small children in your life?

I reread The Bartimaeus trilogy again this year and it’s a kid’s book series that I would recommend to literally anybody because it might be my favorite series ever? I also read Lockwood & Co, a kid’s series by the same author who did Bartimaeus, which was fantastic because I didn’t even know he’d written anything since Bartimaeus? It didn’t quite compare, mostly because I adore Bartimaeus way too much, but was still highly entertaining. Spooky kid detectives hunt ghosts!

15. a book you learned from?

While I did not read a single non-fiction book this year (again, whoops), a lot of books are informative even if they’re fiction. Hell, I learned more about cooking from The Hundred Foot Journey than I have in any cookbook out there.

16. a book you wouldn’t normally try?

Maybe Challenger Deep? I’ve been branching out more, so it’s getting harder and harder to tell which books I wouldn’t normally try. I did read like three exclusively romance novels this year, which was a bit odd for me.

17. a book with something magical in it?

I still say all books are magical. And definitely a lot of the books I read were magical, but probably the one with the most magic was The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, which was a meticulously crafted love letter to all stories and fairy tales. It was really magical and definitely lived up to The Night Circus. If she keeps up like this, I won’t even mind the decade between publications, because she has a hell of a way with words.

18. the best clothes?

Maybe either The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (the descriptions of her gorgeous silky green dresses made me deeply envious) or Three Dark Crowns (which had neat food and clothes from what I remember)

19. the most well-rounded characters?

All of Sanderson’s stuff has great characters, but Everything I Never Told You is still probably the one with the best. Celeste Ng is really, really good at making you feel each of her characters down to their marrow.

20. the best world-building?

To Be Taught, If Fortunate was very much wow when it comes to the world building. But so was Ninth Gate and The Alloy Era of the Mistborn novels (sequel series to the original series that takes place hundreds of years after the first series). I also read Saga this year, a graphic novel series about a man and his wife on the run from their governments with their baby daughter because their species are in a long standing war and nobody wants anybody to know that they can procreate. That has some fantastic world building.

21. the worst world-building?

Maybe What If It’s Us? I found that one largely boring.

22. a book with a good sidekick?

Definitely any of the Alloy of Law books. Wayne is a wonderful sidekick and all of the other “side characters” in that series are fantastic.

23. the most insufferable narrator?

Ugh, the Gunslinger. Both the character in the book and the person who narrated the audiobook.

24. a book you were excited to read for months beforehand?

I think the only ones I was really excited for head of time were the two Folk of Air sequels by Holly Black and The Starless Sea. I still need to read Call Down the Hawk, and I’m currently reading The Secret Commonwealth, the sequel to His Dark Materials which I’ve been excited about since I learned that it would be a thing.

25. a book you picked up on a whim?

You already know about The Hundred Foot Journey. We Are Where the Nightmares Go and The Monster of Elendhaven were also both randoms that I picked up during the Halloween season that I really enjoyed.

26. a book that should be read in a foreign country?

The Hundred Foot Journey. 100%

27. a book cassian andor would like?

I still don’t know what to make of this question.

28. a book gina linetti would like?

Probably any of the steamy ones? I honestly don’t know.

29. your favorite cover art?

Probably The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It’s very pretty and flowery and the book itself is fantastic. I also really like the cover of David Mogo, Godhunter.

30. a book you read in translation?

I think The Alchemist was the only book I read that was translated from another language.

31. a book from another century?

Ha! North and South was first published in 1854. Other than that the oldest ones I’ve got were written in the 80s (Shards of Honor, Ender’s Game, and The Alchemist) or the 50s (The Two Towers).

32. a book you reread?

This year I reread the Bartimaeus Trilogy, the Temeraire novels (and then finished the last two I hadn’t read yet), Sabriel, and The King of Attolia.

33. a book you’re dying to talk about, and why?

I have clearly talked enough at this point. I think the only one that I loved that I didn’t get a chance to talk about already was Horrorstor, which is a book about haunted Ikea (basically). It’s fantastic and hilarious and spooky and now that I think about it Gina Linetti would probably like it. Oh, and The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy, which was a retelling of an old Russian tale. It was great.

TLDR; Read Sanderson’s books, Leigh Bardugo’s books, and whatever Casey McQuiston writes for the next 30 years.

#heather says what #new year's memes #2019 #books to read #recommendations #fuck yeah recs!!#this was a mistake why am i still awake #oh right because i can't shut up and talk about books for two hours #in a post that will largely probably only be read by myself a year from now #it's okay though because i like looking back on them

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dcarhcarts · 5 years

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ROLEPLAY HISTORY

The rules are simple! Post ten characters you’d like to roleplay as, have role-played as and might bring back. Then tag ten people to do the same (if you can’t think of ten characters, just write down however many you can and tag the same amount of people). Aside from that, please repost instead of reblogging!

CURRENTLY PLAYING:

Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova ( Broadway’s Anastasia )

Athos (BBC’s the Musketeers) - might be dropped soon?

Anatole Kuragin ( War & Peace / Great Comet )

Colonel (Theophilus but shhh tell no one) Fitzwilliam

Dmitry Sudayev ( Broadway’s Anastasia )

Elizabeth Bennet ( Pride & Prejudice )

Eliza Schuyler ( Hamilton )

Helene Kuragina ( War & Peace / Great Comet )

Howl Pendragon ( Howl’s Moving Castle )

Jane Bennet ( Pride & Prejudice )

Lettie Hatter ( Howl’s Moving Castle )

Martha Hatter ( Howl’s Moving Castle )

Meg Giry ( Phantom of the Opera )

Natalie Goodman ( Next to Normal )

Natasha Rostova ( War & Peace / Great Comet )

Nick Carraway ( The Great Gatsby )

Pierre Bezukhov ( War & Peace / Great Comet )

Porpentina Goldstein ( Fantastic Beasts )

Sonya Rostova ( War & Peace / Great Comet )

Susan Pevensie ( Narnia )

Zoe Murphy ( Dear Evan Hansen )

WANT TO PLAY:

I want to play s o many characters but I have like....20+ muses. These aren’t happening unless I put them on a separate super low activity blog or something.

Karen Page - Daredevil / The Punisher. I don’t know if I”ll ever actually play her but she’s??? My favorite. I love her. I watch the shows f o r her honestly. She’s also like....exactly up my alley as a muse. Just someone I would have a great time playing, but also am terrified of screwing up, because i love her so much lmao.

Catherine Linton (i.e. Catherine Jr.) - Wuthering Heights. Very very On Brand for me. Also a particularly waspish female character, which is less on brand for me, but seems like a good challenge?

JOI - Bladerunner 2049. Sci-fi is probably not very on brand for m e but Joi just seems like a very flexible character to play. I like

Leonard H. McCoy - Star Trek (Specifically AOS). I’m nostalgic but I don’t think I’d actually pick him up. I used to write a ton of Star Trek Fanfic and I miss my Good Angry Doc

Thomas Schofield - Sorcery and Cecelia. He’s a little shit, the Marquis of Schofield, and from such an obscure book I may as well be playing an OC in the end probably, but he was considered for my Original Roster. Anyway, he’s a Regency Marquis who is also a magician, except he’s a dumb and his magical focus item accidentally ended up being a chocolate pot which is....so easy to break. Anyway, he’s rather clever, has got a bit of a pompous peacock thing going on, and is quite a bit less of an asshole than he’d like you to believe.

Ok this isn’t specific but I’m.....like a book and a half through ASOIAF and not making a ton of progress bc I....have no time lmao but I’m getting the Terrifying Feeling that by the time I’m done I’m going to have another muse??? Stay tuned???

A bunch of Muses from the dramas I’m watching, but that blog is already in progress and I’m going to go ahead and call it SUPER LOW ACTIVITY since the fandoms are also pretty dead

HAVE PLAYED:

I.........really am not proud of any of these oops.

Enjolras (Les Mis the Musical) in like....I want to say 2015??? I deleted this because I was a full-cringe fanon portrayal. Just. I’m so sorry Victor Hugo.

Enola Holmes (Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes / but also everyone who played w/ me was in BBC Sherlock so uhhh BBC Sherlock??) in......2017? I wanna say??? This blog you can still find, though I don’t really recommend you try. It wasn’t......great oof. I mean, I really liked the book series as a kid though? Just like.....it was great representation for a lil girl. Enola was constantly outsmarting Sherlock using Victorian Lady knowledge and I just. Loved it. She’s so clever.

James Moriarty (BBC Sherlock), also in 2017. Not much to say about this one except to say I wasn’t active but people followed like crAZY when i w a s being active on Enola and nobody cared? and I was like “Well I ain’t having this bullcrap” so I just.............stopped dealing with it. Cause I was salty and anxious. Sorry not sorry lmao.

Bway Group RP - Philip Carlyle, Sue Snell. I actually still love both of these muses but they just didn’t make my initial edit cut when I transitioned to this blog.

WILL/WOULD PLAY AGAIN:

Some of these I’d revisit for real; some I just wish I could.

Philip Carlyle - ok so I’m actually also super attached to Sue, but I also haven’t Stephen Kinged enough to feel comfortable playing her. Philip though - he was g r e a t fun. I think I really had the sweet spot between being a flirty jerkface and a genuinely not horrible guy that I can’t satisfy with muses like Anatole?

Karen Page - Will I ever make it through the punisher??? that remains to be seen oops.

I miiiiight pick up Catherine/Dolly. If I do, I’d have to pick 1 out of 2 and not do the other one for sure.

That ASOIAF muse is probs gonna come, idk tho

tagged: five million years ago by the long suffering @gcneralvaganov , who not only has to wait years for replies but evidently also for tagging games (sorry ily boo)

tagging: this is a long boi so don’t feel like you g o t t a do it but @personnages @nikolacvnas @moretreasurewithin @skylarkmuses @liabilitty

#( tagging game ) ✵ ~ DARLING IF YOU LOVE ME WOULD YOU LET ME KNOW ~ /#((or: you see how having zero impulse control is going to ruin my life))

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authorracheljoy · 6 years

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A writer's Ask Game 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

1. Do you listen to music when you write?

Only when I’m typing up what I’ve written, honestly!

I can’t otherwise focus on the actual writing/editing if there’s music or other distracting noises so-

2. Are you a pantser or plotter?

Plotter all the way!

I gotta have an outline, otherwise my story loses focus and that’s NOT GOOD!

3. Computer or pen and paper?

Both, technically XD I use pen and paper for the drafting, and to get all my ideas down (and outline too of course), but then I typically use the computer for typing up what I’ve written :))

5. How much writing do you get done on an average day?

Less than I’d like to recently :/ I honestly NEED to get a better writing/editing schedule, but my days are just so consumed by other things to take away my attention, and it sucks. Both as an excuse and just a way of getting by when I have a manuscript that needs rewrites! D:

6. Single or multiple POV?

Single POV (at least for now? I’m really hoping to branch out with future WIPs)

7. Standalone or series?

Depends on the story idea, really!

If there’s enough content to expand upon after book 1, I typically will plan for sequels. I mean.. The Hunters Saga started out as just a standalone with a thought-about sequel, which turned into a trilogy, which is NOW a freaking QUADRILOGY!

So yeah, it kinda depends XD

8. Oldest WIP

As far as actual prose goes (no transcripts), my oldest WIP was called The Creatures of the Night Quartet, and… it’s TERRIBLE. Granted, I wrote it a few years before Antoinette Drake came to mind but STILL! It’s just horrible writing and the plot- what plot??

But if we’re talking WIPs that include transcript/script formats, I guess my oldest WIP would be SuperNova, which was a silly little sci-fi “story”! You can read about both of these prehistoric WIPs over on my Original Stories page!

9. Current WIP

The Hunters Saga of course! ^^

10. Do you set yourself deadlines?

Oh how I WISH I did that! >.>

11. Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

There… weren’t any really? I kinda just went with it? I mean, my first books were really heavily influenced by Twilight and vampire books in general. The Hunters Saga was slightly influenced by Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series but that’s about all that comes to mind :3

12. Describe your perfect writing space

All I need is a notebook, a pen, and a laptop!

The rest doesn’t really matter at all to me~

13. Describe your writing process from idea to polished

Well, usually my ideas come from dreams, or just scenes that come out of my head :) Then I first try to see if that certain idea/scene fits into any of my current WIPs and could be potentially included! If yes, then I do so! But if not… I typically try and write more around it :) After having an expanded idea and character list, I either develop the characters or make an outline for the story idea. Either works fine ^^ After the characters are developed enough and the outline is made, I get to writing! And after that? I edit it of course XD

14. How do you deal with self-doubts?

I try to remind my self how I became so incredibly lucky to land a publishing deal. I mean, sure, it’s not what I had planned and I have occasional doubt about my writing in general, and how people generally see and criticize my style and characters… I just gotta remind myself that I can’t please everyone. And if I have to have a goal in writing, it’s to tell a story the way I see it. Criticism is such a touchy subject, and some writers just flat out ignore that. And sometimes, that’s smart. But - and I’m getting seriously off-topic here but WELP - more often than not, that criticism turns out to be justified! I know my writing can be weak and uninteresting. But do I let that force me away from my passion? Not at all!

If you love writing and want to become a published author, you can’t do it half-assed! You have to want it wholeheartedly. You have to TRY to improve. You have to take criticism for what it is and what it might be-

OK I’m so off-topic, this is raising too much anxiety oops.. I’ll just leave it there though.. because it’s how I feel!

15. How do you deal with writer’s block?

I do something else - listen to music, draw, watch a movie, play a game- something other than writing (which is blocked, DUH) But yeah! I tend to step away from the manuscript for a bit and clear my head until ideas come rushing back :) And if I’m working through an outline, there’s a possibility of just. working on a different scene in a different chapter other than the one I’m stuck on at the moment ;3

16. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied with a project?

Usually 3 or 4, depending on how long and how detailed the drafts are :D

And if I’m REALLY lucky, I can do it in 2 but that’s actually VERY RARE for me so >.>

17. What writing habits or rituals do you have?

I have none!

I used to try (and fail) to write a page a day I guess XD

Now I just pray that I’ll be done with my current manuscript by the end of the year :X Urrggghhh

18. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and what would you write about?

My writing friend @mercurialsmile! We’ve attempted to write a crossover before but it never really went anywhere- mainly ‘cause of my focus on editing and both of our crazy work/school schedules :X Maybe that’ll change soon, though? I dunno but I hope they’d be willing to try again

19. How do you keep yourself motivated?

20. How many WIPs and story ideas do you have?

A LOT!

I may talk about my current WIP (The Hunters Saga) 24/7 on here, but I DO have other projects that have at least some ideas and characters :)

You can find them all HERE!

21. Who is/are your favorite character(s) to write?

Writing Toni is pretty much writing myself, so that’s always a fun time XD

I also like writing Gavin, Kira, Hannah and Ethan, among others ^^

22. Who is/are your favorite pairing(s) to write?

Toni and Henri aaaand Micah and Darius (which is coming soon to the series! Darius gotta be introduced first, guys!!)

23. Favorite author

I really enjoy Stephen King now that I’ve started reading his works~ Also, honorable mention to Kim Harrison for being amazing at writing about paranormal species cohabiting the earth together

24. Favorite genre to write and read

I love love LOVE writing romance and mysteries~

Aaand I pretty much like reading the things that I write so XD

25. Favorite part of writing

Getting the ideas down on paper for the first time and feeling that RELIEF!

26. Favorite writing program

Uhhhh… Microsoft Word??

27. Favorite line/scene

The Frying Pan Incident

28. Favorite side character

Dominic and Adam Hastings

29. Favorite villain

Oooh I can’t say their name but mmmmm they are BAD and I love it!!

30. Favorite idea you haven’t started on yet

A science-obsessed nerd and the head cheerleader fall for each other

Lesbians for the win!!

(basically the plot for Queen Bae, one of my WIPs!)

31. Least favorite part of writing

The EDITING!

The REWRITES!!

32. Most difficult character to write

Mmmmm probably Liz?

33. Have you ever killed a main character?

Yes (not gonna elaborate ‘cause it might count as a spoiler XD)

34. What was the hardest scene you ever had to write?

I won’t be too specific but.. it was a NSFW scene ;;;

35. What scene/story are you least looking forward to writing?

Uhhhmmm I don’t have one that I’m least looking forward to ^^

If I have a story, I write it. End of story.

Even if it might be crappy, I still love the idea.

I would never force myself to write something that I didn’t think deserved being written (if that makes sense??)

36. Last sentence you wrote

Other than a bit of knowledge beforehand, we know about the same for once.

Odd.

Unsettling.

37. First sentence or your current WIP

“I’m so sorry for your loss, my dear,” the man in black murmured to me, but I barely acknowledged his presence.

38. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had

B-but.. ALL of my story ideas are WEIRD!

How could I possibly choose?!

39. Weirdest character concept you’ve ever had

Aliens that puff up/inflate their bodies when angered XD

40. Share some backstory for one of your characters

Dru was born as an only child, which is a true rarity in the lives of lycanthropes. Perhaps it was a sign that they were meant for something truly remarkable?

41. Any advice for new/beginning/young writers?

It’s sort of what I said when I was asked about doubts?

You can’t please everyone, so don’t try to.

Don’t pander. Don’t always give the readers what they want.

Satisfy yourself.

Take criticism; don’t try to ignore all of it. Who knows, some things might actually end up helping you become a better writer ;3

42. How do you feel about love triangles?

I was WAY too attached to them back in the day so!

If I have hints at a possible love triangle, I try to make it so the center of the triangle can have a clear choice as to who they’ll eventually get with (if anyone at all)! The only case I have where the love triangle kinda become a polyamorous relationship was with Nerissa, Melissa and Sergio :) Both girls had crushes on Sergio, and when he had to face those facts, he decided to help Nerissa and Melissa become friends and later- LOVERS! But anyway yeah, love triangles are hard for me to steer clear of, but I try my best ^^’

43. What do you do if/when characters don’t follow the outline?

I get really angry at them and throw rocks.

But no. I either try to get them back on track OR I just.. let them do their thing. Maybe the characters know the plot better than I do! XD

44. How much research do you do?

I don’t normally dive too deep into research unless the plot demands it, of course! As for the time and depth of research, it solely depends on what exactly I’m researching actually :) If I’m simply looking up Latin phrases or the names of the most famous authors of all time, it might take me a few days to absorb the info, and a week at most! But if I’m worldbuilding and creating new places and all that, well, THAT would take me a lot longer than a few days to a week! More like a month D:

45. How much world building do you do?

Not many of my stories have worlds not set in America/Europe/EARTH! Basically, I think I only have 1 or 2 worlds that even require building, and I have so little as far as plot goes that I haven’t had the substance to work with yet :) But maybe someday!

46. Do you reread your own stories?

Mmmm I used to?

Nowadays I just don’t have the time for that :/

47. Best way to procrastinate

Drawing art of my ocs instead of writing for my ocs XD

That, or making music playlists for my WIPs :3c

48. What’s the most self-insert character/scene you’ve ever written?

Toni Drake.

‘Nuff said!

As for a self-insert scene? I don’t think that’s occurred yet?

49. Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real?

Either Ethan, Clary or Hannah! ^^ They’re all such nice, friendly people~

Oh, and Kira of course! Can’t forget her XD I’d love to go shopping with her and enjoy our silly, light-hearted conversations

Thanks for the ask, Friendo ^^

A Writer’s Ask Game

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allfandomxreader · 7 years

Text

Living the Dream

Pairings: Joe Keery x Fem!Reader Words: 2,808 Summary: You’re an assistant to John Pelzer, editor-in-chief for one of the biggest magazines in New York: Pastiche. You just so happen to run into Joe Keery who’s apart of Pastiche’s next issue. Warnings: Language A/N: Here’s the beginnin of my new series! I hope you all enjoy it. I would love any feedback you guys have for me to make this and all my other writings better. Part: 1/6

Masterlist

Aromas of coffee float through the air, instantly calming your wild brain. You ran through today’s agenda step by step for the third time, just to make sure you don’t forget anything. Your foot taps against the hardwood impatiently as you scroll absentmindedly through a few emails. Your eyes glance to the barista very few seconds who’s taking forever to prepare the simple drinks you ordered.

Normally, you wouldn’t mind the wait. Being in the calm atmosphere would usually ease the abundance of tasks you needed to get done, it would bring you quiet, clarity even. Today, however, the sluggish movement from all sides makes you want to jump from your skin. The schedule was far to busy for your time to be wasted, waiting for coffee.

When she finally calls your name, you’re quick to make it to the counter mumbling a ‘thank you’ before spinning around. You can’t even make a step before someone crashes into you, spewing hot coffee onto your blouse. The world around you moves slowly as the hot liquid stings your skin, you don’t dare to open your eyes knowing you’d most likely flip your shit on whoever ran into you. “Shit!” You and the stranger hiss at the same time. A man shoves napkins into your hands, profusely apologizing for the mishap.

“Please, let me buy you another.” He proposes as you dab the flimsy paper against the white cloth. You quickly flick your wrist to expose the dainty leather watch, groaning at the little time you had left before Mr. Pelzer’s meeting began.

“There’s no time!” You grumble not bothering to look at the man as you shove past him and into the busy streets of Manhattan. You trudge through crowds of people fuming with as the stress consumes you. It feels as if the whole world collapsing around you and you need to fix all before noon.

Like every morning, you’re greeted with interns rushing around the large office building. Some flick through paperwork, others sit with phones pressed between their shoulder and ear, but most tap away on their desktops at each of their desks. Whether they’re writing their columns, editing, or designing layout options, you’ll never know. You just hope they're doing it correctly so you don’t have to fix it later.

“Y/N, thank god you’re here!” A familiar voice calls after you just when you reach the elevator, “Whoa, what happened to you?” Naomi eyeballs your coffee covered blouse with wide eyes as the doors open.

“Good morning to you too,” You chuckle stepping into the small space with your best friend right on your heels. “I was meaning to grab coffee for Mr. Pelzer but as you can see,” You gesture to your stained clothes.

“Well, it’s the thought that counts,” She smiles, “Mr. Pelzer’s meeting already started, he gave me your assignments, I put them on your desk,” Naomi explains before rummaging through her large book bag, pulling out a floral blouse before shoving it into your hands.

“Have I ever told you you’re my favorite intern?” You beam at her before taking the fabric.

“Eh,” She shrugs with a smile, “Once or twice,” The two of you exchange a few giggles before parting ways. Your heels click against the tiled floor all the way to your office. Being John Pelzer’s beloved assistant had a lot of perks, one of them being a gorgeous office overlooking the city.

The space around you looks the same as it did the night prior. Your desk remains tidy, each object having a permanent home. A few Magazine’s from Pastiche’s previous years lay scattered along the glass coffee table. You often find yourself flipping through the colorful pages, reminiscing in the success from the company you’re apart of.

You adore your job, even if your title was ‘Assistant’ you know you’re so much more. John always jokes that you’re the backbone of his magazine, which isn’t far from the truth. Working alongside him shouldn’t give you as much power as you have, however, John created the company and he could do anything. He won’t publish anything without passing it by you or asking your opinion. He values everything you bring to the company, so much he sees you more as a partner than an assistant.

You don’t mind, being thrown into New York to follow your dreams was intimidating, especially when the opportunity for working for one of the biggest magazines in the nation arisen. John gave you a sense of family, he taught you almost everything you know. He loved watching you grow over the years as you became more comfortable with the role you had. Without you, John believed the company would be in shambles.

Ringing echoes around the space, pulling you out of your trance and back to reality. You stride over to your desk, quickly pressing the cold phone to your ear. “Y/N Y/L/N speaking.” Your voice is monotonous as you talk into the phone.

“Conference room. Now.” Before you can even get another word in, the line goes dead. You quickly throw on Naomi’s shirt, buttoning the shirt as you make your way out the door, following John’s orders.

“Ah, there she is,” John’s voice booms throughout conference room as you quietly enter. Your approach to going in unnoticed was thrown out the window as all eyes land on you. You awkwardly flash a smile to the expressionless professionals. “Joe, allow me to introduce my assistant, Y/N Y/L/N who put all of this together, Y/N, meet Joe Keery.” John introduces you to the handsome man, he smiles ushering you to shake his hand.

“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Keery. Pastiche is glad to have you here,” You reach forward to shake his hand.

“It’s you,” Joe mutters in awe as he looks over your whole body, gently taking your hand in his.

“Excuse me?” Murmurs came from the seated strangers as they listen to the two of you, just as confused as you were.

“From this morning, I spilled coffee all over you,” Your eyes widen in horror as the pieces fall into place.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” You gush, remembering the events of the morning.

“For what?” He chuckles, “It was definitely my fault,” Awkward silence fills the room, you realize your hand is still placed in his. You gently pull away from his grasp, fiddling with your fingers as Joe keeps his eyes locked on you. “Let me make it up to you somehow, when’s your lunch break? I saw a pizza parlor down the street,” Joe rambles, his words float through the air faster than his mind could process them.

“I appreciate the offer, Mr. Keery, but I have a lot of assignments to finish today-” You begin but are promptly interrupted by your boss.

“She’d love to go,” Your heads snap towards the older man, a smile is plastered on his face as he looks between you and Joe, “Naomi will finish the assignments,” He continues, “You’re always here, go have a little fun.”

You find yourself walking through the streets lost in conversation. You’ve only known Joe for a matter of minutes and you already feel like you’ve known him forever. Your laugh bellows over the city’s chaos as he tells a childhood story, he pulls a restaurant door open for you casually following you into the booth of a pizza joint. “And then -shit you not- it jumped out of the tank and into my mouth!” He laughs as you pretend to gag.

“That’s disgusting, I hope you don’t tell everyone that,” You shake your head, laughing at the revolting story.

“Not everyone, only the people I like,” Joe looks over you, trying to read your reaction. Your eyes drop from his, your cheeks grow warm as you laugh to yourself.

“You don’t even know me,” Joe cocks his head to the side, pursing his lips together.

“So, tell me about yourself then.” He leans his elbows on the table, ready to listen to anything you throw his way.

You walked through the streets of Manhattan following the GPS to Pastiche’s building. Nerves make your whole body tremble, you tried your best to hide your shaking hands as you talked to Susan, the kind receptionist, right when you enter the grand building.

You follow her through what seems like a maze just to make it to John Pelzer’s office. The man typed furiously on his keyboard, his face was pulled into a snarl as he looked over whatever he was typing.

“Mr. Pelzer, an assistant is here to begin her two weeks.” Pelzer huffed in response, he didn’t even look up to greet you. Susan bows her head taking her cue to leave, she offers an apologetic smile before exiting his luxurious office.

“Hello, sir, my name is-”

“I didn’t ask for you to speak.” He barked, holding up his hand, still not giving you the decency of eye contact. Tears sprang to your eyes, not used to the treatment he was giving you. “Coffee, now.” He demanded as he clicked with the mouse, suddenly done with typing.

“Sir, I don’t know where the break room is at,” Your voice was meek, scared to get yelled at.

“Well,” He dramatically gasps, “That seems like a you problem. Go!” He screamed as you scurried out of his presence.

The following week was horrid, every conversation left you in tears. Pelzer didn’t seem to have a kind bone in his body, not just towards you but to everyone that worked for him. He always barked orders and demanded absurd things. But you wanted this job more than anything in the world, so if you had to get yelled at just for him to like you, so be it.

You placed his coffee on the corner of his desk, spinning on your heel to leave. “I need these assignments done by tomorrow morning.” He said, smoothy, just as you reached for the door handle. When you turned to look, a stack of papers was being held out to you, thick enough to have Stephen King trembling in fear.

“There’s no way I could get that done.” Your voice was harsher than you intended, at that point, you were so fed up you didn’t even care.

“A shame,” He grunted, dropping the papers back down to his desk with a thud. “You’re dismissed, tell Susan to notify the next assistant, maybe they’ll know how to do what’s asked of them.” You stared at the man, rage boiled inside you, ready to burst.

“No.” This got his attention, his eyes snapped to you, obviously not used to hearing such a simple word. “I know how to do what’s asked of me, I’ve done every task you’ve dropped at my feet. Every. single. one. I knew working here would be busy, but you are asking the impossible. I’m not going to finish those assignments tonight, and if I did, it would be the shittiest quality and I know that you would rather be dead than have shitty content in your magazine. Mr. Pelzer, I have such a high respect for you, I came to New York to learn from you and the only thing I’ve learned is how you like your coffee. I know I’m beyond qualified for this job, and if you don’t realize that someone else will.” You were eerily calm for the amount of anger you possessed.

John slowly removed his glasses and stood from his desk. He calmly walks forward, it felt like ages before he towered in front of you. Finally, a smile formed on his face, he gleefully shook your hand congratulating you on “passing”.

“It was a total cliche, but that’s how it all started,” Joe nods along smiling at your story, lazily munching on his pizza.

“He seems like a tough man. Interns practically ran away from him when we walked through the building.” He chuckles, taking another bite.

“Yeah, he’s terrifying,” You admit, “He’s been through more than people would guess. His son died when he was seven, leukemia.” Joe’s eyes soften as you reveal parts of your boss’ past, “A short while later his wife left him for some rich businessman. Out of spite, he created Pastiche and it became one of America’s most-read magazines.” You chuckle to yourself, “Pastiche is like his child, he wants everything to be perfect, he wants all the right people working for him -the best of the best -I mean hello I work there,” Joe’s face breaks out into a grin, he can’t help but laugh. “Anyways, I see him more as a father or a mentor than a boss, I think he sees me as his child too -although he’d never admit that. He’s a very nice man once you get to know him.”

“I can tell you mean a lot to him,” A smile tugs at your lips just with those simple words.

When the two of you had finished your meal, Joe calmly pays for the food and the two of you set out into the city once again. You take him to all your secret spots, you show him the best tree to sit under in the park and even your favorite cafe that has the best pastries. The two of you don’t disperse until long after the sun dips below the skyscrapers. You exchange farewells before jumping into separate taxis, bound to never see one another again.

You sink into the chair flicking through the assignments Naomi finished while you were away. You scour the printed paper searching for any errors only to find none. You smile at the young interns work, you taught her well through the years she’s been working with the company.

As if on cue, Naomi barges through the door, grinning ear to ear. “Tell me everything!” Her shrill voice disrupts the tranquility as she plops into the small couch, she grabs a magazine out of habit from the coffee table. You eyeball her suspiciously, not understanding her new found excitement --or what you had to do with it. “You went on a date with Joe!” She screeches, clapping her hands together in amusement. She leans her chin onto her hand, awaiting you to reveal the magical day, “Spill!”

“Okay, okay!” You giggle, leaning against the front of your desk, smiling as you remember the feeling of being in his presence. You start from when John ordered you into the conference room and end at the lingering hug he gave you before you stepped into your taxi, you leave out no details as you spill the secrets to the bubbly girl. “But, I doubt I’ll ever see him again. I mean it’s Joe fucking Keery, why would he want to be associated with an assistant?” Naomi shakes her head at your pessimism.

You push yourself away from the table at the sound of the phone, you calmly press the speaker button, signaling the caller to begin talking. “Ms. Y/L/N, you have a call,” Susan’s voice comes out muffled as she informs you.

“Thank you, Susan, put them through please,” You grab a pen from the top drawer, preparing to scribble meetings for John or other contact information. “Y/N Y/L/N speaking,” You say after a quiet beep.

“Y/N, hi! It’s Joe,” Your eyes snap to Naomi, she slaps her palm over her lips in efforts to contain her squeals.

“Mr. Keery!” As much as you try to hold in your excitement, your voice betrays you.

“Please, call me Joe,” He sighs, annoyed that after the third time he’s said this you still call him by his surname. “I had a lot of fun with you yesterday, I was wondering if you’d like to go out again sometime?” You can tell he’s nervous, even through the shitty quality of the phone’s speakers. Naomi frantically waves her arms, her mouth is agape silently screaming. Blonde hair bounces around her head as she tries to answer for you, despite the fact Joe was oblivious to her joy.

“Yes, yes I’d like that,” It takes all you can not to break out and cheer with your best friend, he speaks before you even get the chance.

“Great! I’ll leave you my number and we’ll figure out when we’re both free,” You scribble down the number onto your notepad, promising to call him once you’ve gotten off work to work out the details.

Your eyes are wide when you set the phone back on the receiver, Naomi cocks her eyebrow, a small smirk tugging at her lips. She flips her hair over her shoulder as she stands from the couch, “You were saying?” Was the last thing she said before slipping out of your office.

Tags: @superfrankie111 @empathetic-vibrations

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littlev1234 · 7 years

Text

The Young Build Homes - Chapter 1

Fandom: Yowamushi Pedal

Warnings: blood, violence, bullying, homophobic language, death

Words: 4,255

AO3 version: The Young Build Homes

Next Chapter: [Next]

Summary: “Maybe, he thought, there aren’t any such things as good friends or bad friends—maybe there are just friends, people who stand by you when you’re hurt and who help you feel not so lonely. Maybe they’re always worth being scared for, and hoping for, and living for. Maybe worth dying for, too, if that’s what has to be. No good friends. No bad friends. Only people you want, need to be with; people who build their houses in your heart.” – Stephen King, It

A Yowamushi Pedal It AU.

Notes: Please make sure to read the warnings for each chapter. Pennywise will work a little differently in this fic (but the big things like scaring and killing are still very much present). The only main pairing is Miki/Aya; all others will be implied or in the background.

“…high schooler with green and red hair. He was last seen leaving school on Monday afternoon. If anyone has any information regarding his disappearance, please call the emergency hotline…”

As the newswoman switched to an economics report, the young man watching the dim colors of the old boxy television set crossed his arms. He rolled the plastic toothpick between his lips from one side of his mouth to the other as his pensive frown deepened.

“Why can’t I shake off this bad feeling…?” he mumbled. He leaned back on the box he sat on and stretched out his legs, one of which gave a familiar twinge. Absently rubbing his knee—the old injury had ached especially fierce all day—he made sure to avoid bumping his foot into one of the many boxes strewn about the tiny break room.

Logically, the connection between four years ago and this incident was fragile at best. Yet last night’s nightmare flashed across his mind again: the agonized screams ripping out of his own throat, razor-sharp teeth gouging into his knee, the burn of his back scraping against tree roots and uneven ground as claws mercilessly dragged him across the forest floor—

His lungs stuttered with quickened, distressed breaths. Holding his head between his quavering hands, he forced himself to focus on the grounding habit of chewing on and restlessly toying with the toothpick.

Bite, chew, roll. Bite, chew, roll. Bite, chew, roll.

It soon poked the top of his mouth; he must have bent it. But it served its purpose. Just calm enough to string together coherent thought, he spat it out onto his palm and surveyed the damaged stick.

Thanking the fact that his younger sister wasn’t there, he resolved to avoid falling into flashbacks again. The best he could, anyway.

Turning off the television, he cast aside his suspicions. The nightmare had put him on edge, and his brain was making links that weren’t there. That must be it.

Yet he knew that he’d be keeping a closer eye on the news from now on.

Standing, he tossed the toothpick into a nearby trash can, picked up the little container sitting on top of the TV, and shook out a new one. After placing it between his lips, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

Onoda

“We’re going to do a group project starting today. Make groups of three to four people, and then I’ll give you the assignment.”

Shoes scuffed against the floor as students rose from their desks and chatter filled the air. Onoda stared at the artificial wood grain of his desk, and his heart thumped at the prospect of working with potentially uncouth classmates. Since he was not close to anyone in this class, he hoped for the best case scenario: a few stragglers would find themselves wandering to his desk, where they could awkwardly divvy out the work and not speak to each other until the day it was due.

“Onoda, right?”

He looked up as two boys stopped in front of his desk. The one who spoke he recognized as Teshima, an intelligent upperclassman with dark wavy hair. Beside him stood Aoyagi, a far quieter yet subtly strong presence. While Onoda rarely spoke with them, they had never showed hostility toward him in the past, so he heaved an internal sigh of relief.

For a moment his gaze was drawn to the white bandages peeking out from underneath Aoyagi’s bangs, which covered most of where his eye would normally be. A week ago the boy had come to school like that, with the area above his right cheekbone swathed in gauze. And if he was quiet before, then he was nearly silent now. Everyone also took note of how the already close pair were now inseparable, as if Teshima feared letting the other out of his sight. Countless rumors were still running through the halls about them: they’re totally dating and a jealous ex of Teshima’s attacked him, I heard Aoyagi lost his eye by falling on a railroad spike, maybe he stabbed himself and Teshima’s making sure he doesn’t do it again.

Whatever caused the injury, Onoda made sure to not let his gaze linger too long and looked back at Teshima. “Yes, that’s me!” he responded with a tad too much force.

Luckily the two didn’t seem fazed, and Teshima offered him an easygoing smile. “Can we join you?”

After meekly nodding, the pair pulled up chairs, slid them in front of his desk, and sat down.

“We’ll probably have to make some sort of slide show for one of the books we read,” Teshima guessed.

Aoyagi gave a thoughtful hum in response.

“Oh, good point. She did say she wanted us to at least one speech in this class.”

Onoda glanced between them in confusion. How did he get that from Aoyagi’s hum? “A-Ah, well, I hope it’s not a speech. I’m terrible at those.”

“Don’t worry, I can give you pointers if that does happen. And we won’t have to talk up there alone at least,” Teshima reassured.

Despite his misgivings about public speaking, he had to admit that the other’s words managed to ease a sliver of his worry.

When Aoyagi placed a phone in front of him, Onoda blinked at the “new contact” screen several times before he realized what the other was asking. “…you want my phone number?” He tentatively picked up the phone, added his full name and number, and then handed it back to Aoyagi, who checked the screen and gave a satisfied nod.

“Just in case we have to talk outside of school,” Teshima elaborated. Before he could say more, the teacher started handing out their assignments—it was just a slide show project, thank god. The students would be listlessly staring at the slides instead of being forced to focus to focus on him anxiously slogging through a speech.

The three spent the rest of the period discussing their topic, and Onoda was eternally grateful that his partners seemed amiable and easy to work with.

Exiting the classroom with books and folders held against his chest, Onoda glanced down at the Love Hime bookmark sticking out of a textbook. On the glossy paper, a purple-haired anime smiled brightly back at him while soft pink bubbles covered the background. Somehow it had almost fallen out of the top of the book; he pinched it between his fingers and slid it back between the pages.

Just as he started to lift his head, he collided with a solid torso and stumbled. His books tumbled from his fingers.

Panic flared in his chest and tightened his throat. “I-I’m so sorry!” Hastily dropping to his knees to pick up his scattered belongings, he was all too aware of the eyes on him that he couldn’t bring himself to face.

“Ugh, it’s that weird guy.” An unfamiliar voice scoffed to his right. Onoda bit his lip to stop it from trembling. “I bet he was too busy thinking about kinky cartoon shit to look where he was going.”

“Oi.”

He flinched at the sharp voice directly in front of him—that second one must be who he bumped into. Keeping his terrified gaze firmly on the floor, he snatched up the last paper with shaking hands. Squeaking out another “s-sorry!” he scrambled to his feet started rushing down the hallway.

A hand flew out and grasped his shoulder.

Inhaling sharply, he jerked away from the touch and accidentally slammed himself against a locker door. Past the ringing in his ears he caught another voice.

“Onoda! Onoda, it’s us, it’s okay!”

Naruko. Instantly his shoulders slumped with relief, and he released a jittery sigh. Finally lifting his gaze, he caught the redhead’s concerned expression. Miki and Aya, standing on either side of Naruko, also cast him worried looks.

“Did something happen?” Miki gently questioned.

Aya started rolling up her sleeves to reveal leanly muscled forearms. “Did someone pick on you?”

“No, no, it’s fine, just a little uh,” he quickly rambled. The moment had been horrific, but he had gotten off with only a couple insults. It could have been a lot worse. “I bumped into someone. I was so scared that I picked up my things and ran off! That’s all.”

“You sure that’s all? Because Aya and I can go find the bastard and beat him to a pulp,” Naruko promised, resolve sparking in his red eyes like embers ready to catch fire at the slightest gust.

Seeing them worry over his wellbeing and rise to his defense never failed to stir warmth in his heart. Even so, he smiled gratefully and shook his head. He had no desire to harm—it had been his fault the altercation happened anyway—and he didn’t want his friends to get themselves injured either. Naruko and Aya were persistent, fiery fighters when they wanted to be. But even they could only do so much against bigger bullies who always moved in packs, as proved by the blotchy bruise on Naruko’s thin arm.

“I’m sure. Thanks.” Noticing one of their usual group members was absent, he glanced around. “Where’s Manami?”

“He wasn’t in class,” Miki recalled.

Aya rolled her eyes. “Like that’s any surprise. He only shows up half the time.”

“I’ll text him in a minute. He might still want to hang out with us later,” Onoda said.

Naruko slung an arm around his shoulders, and he flashed a toothy grin. “Speaking of that! Miki, you said your brother is tossing out the expired snacks today, right?” Miki’s brother ran a convenience store, and whenever he built up on expired stock that he couldn’t sell to customers, he left it to her and her friends.

“Yep!”

“Sweet! I call dibs on the hot Cheetas.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Onoda noticed someone walk up to the nearby bulletin board adorning the opposite wall.

“Is there something new on there?” Naruko asked as he and the others looked over as well.

“I don’t think so…but someone’s looking at it,” the bespectacled male responded.

In the center of the board, surrounded by the lunch menu and flyers discouraging drugs and sex, was a missing poster. The disgruntled expression of a slim, angular face with green hair faced the passing students. A corner was slightly creased; the paper had hung there for a month now, so it was a wonder it hadn’t received more damage. Yet the person surveyed the poster as if he might find something new by searching long enough.

“I think that’s Toudou. I’ve seen him looking at the board a few times, but usually in the mornings.” Even though there was no possibility Toudou could overhear them, Miki lowered her voice nonetheless.

Unable to see his face, they watched his thumb tenderly smooth out the crease on the poster.

“They still don’t have any leads, do they?” Onoda morosely mumbled.

Aya shook her head. “Not that I know of.”

Receiving the distinct feeling that they were intruding upon an intimate scene, despite the students talking and milling about the open hallways, they were about to look away when several students approached Toudou. Like a mood switch had been flipped, his mouth morphed into a charismatic smile as he said some smug, flirtatious remark that left a few people swooning.

“…hey.”

Onoda’s heart missed a beat. That voice…and it’s close…!

He took a deep breath. His friends were beside him, everything would be all right, and no punches had been thrown yet. Those were all good signs. Probably. Maybe he just wanted to warn him not to bump into him again?

Turning with his pulse pounding, he faced the tall male looking directly at him. Before he could wilt under the stern gaze, Miki stepped forward to divert the other’s attention.

“Hi,” she calmly greeted. Her sunny smile worked as a soft barrier against possible animosity; whether the gesture grew genuine or turned into a steely frown depended on the stranger’s next lines.

He glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck. While his mouth remained in a set, stern line, the actions almost made it seem…like he felt awkward?

“I saw this on the floor after you left. I’m assuming it’s yours.” He held out the Love Hime bookmark.

Onoda hesitated in surprise. “I…yeah, that’s mine.” He gingerly accepted it and slipped it between random pages of his math textbook.

The subtle tension in Miki’s shoulders dissipated, and in turn so did Aya’s. Naruko still eyed the other distrustfully.

“What’s your game?” Naruko demanded. “I recognize you. You’re that popular hotshot Imaizumi, aren’t you? Did someone dare you to come over here?”

“Nothing, yes, and no,” Imaizumi coolly answered. “Are you done interrogating someone twice your size?”

“What did you just say—”

Aya placed a hand on her hip. “Can’t blame us for asking. Most people who walk up to us don’t have good intentions in mind.”

“Actually, I think I recognize you too. You’re in my art class,” Miki realized.

Imaizumi nodded. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he checked the screen. “I have to go.”

“Wait!” The outburst left Onoda’s lips before he thought better of it. Sheepish at Imaizumi’s raised eyebrow, he swallowed and continued. “Ah, thank you! For giving my bookmark back. It really means a lot.”

His gaze flicked away again. “…you’re welcome. And that asshole I was with…ignore everything he said.”

Without giving them time to respond, Imaizumi turned and headed down the hall. Still uncertain what to make of the exchange, the group turned back to each other.

“He seemed nice,” Miki remarked.

“I dunno about that…something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he did give Onoda’s thing back, so he’s not on my immediate shit list,” Naruko grumbled.

Aya abruptly, if lightly, smacked Onoda across the back of his head, and he gave a startled yelp. “Ignore everything an asshole said? So someone was mean to you!”

“A-Ah! Um, there was some mean stuff…but no one physically hurt me, I swear!”

“And it’s over with now,” Miki assured her, and she grasped the other female’s hand. Aya clicked her tongue at the obvious attempt to calm her, but she curled her fingers around Miki’s hand nonetheless. “And Onoda says he’s okay. But next time you will tell us if someone hurts you again, right?”

“Yeah,” Onoda agreed, and he hoped he could stick to that promise. He appreciated that his friends would defend him, he really did; yet sometimes words stuck in his throat, and he’d rather ignore the bad stuff that happened than talk about it.

Naruko hummed in satisfaction. “Good! We gotta watch out for each other. And it’s not like you’re the only one who needs help; I know Aya would beat the hell out of anyone who tries to touch me. Not that there’s no one I can’t fight myself, but that’s not the point!”

“Damn straight I would,” Aya confirmed.

“Oh! Sorry to change the subject, but I just realized what time it is,” Miki commented, glancing at her phone. “We should hurry before my brother starts wondering where we are.”

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s go!” Naruko led the way, and the other three had to quicken their steps to catch up. Once through the doors, he slowed to a walking pace due to Aya and Onoda’s complaints.

Onoda fell into step beside Naruko, while Miki and Aya led the way, hands still joined. He shot a quick text to Manami about where they were going and stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

A random student that strode by them loudly whispered to another student. “There go the lesbos; can’t believe they’re still hanging out with those boys. I thought all lesbos are manhaters.”

“Piss off,” Naruko growled, even though the aggressors were likely out of earshot. Aya scowled and flipped the bird to their backs, and Miki threaded her fingers through Aya’s instead of letting go.

Onoda’s grip on his books tightened. Outrage simmered, yet he didn’t know what to do with it. Aya and Naruko usually channeled their aggression into fights and spitting insults, but the bespectacled male had all the strength of a baby bird. Miki countered with passionate, silver-tongued rebuttals of defense. However, he was terrible with keeping composure. Maybe he could act more like Manami? Manami deflected slurs like he couldn’t care less what others thought, but the second hate was directed toward a friend he would gain an almost unstable gleam to his eyes that scared off many. Too bad Onoda was as scary as a hamster.

He wanted to help, wanted to protect his friends, and he despised that he was so useless at it. All he could do was take hits meant for them when possible and support them in the aftermath.

Naruko was talking again. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Onoda smiled back and responded. The four left the school grounds without further incident, and thanks to their amiable conversations he found his mood lifting.

A few blocks down the street stood a small retail store. The outside was tan brick and tall windows. Across the top in bold blue paint read “Kanzaki Konvenience.”

They entered through the front door. Miki’s older brother, Kanzaki Toji, waved at them from the register.

“Yo,” he greeted, the ever-present toothpick moving as he spoke. “The stuff’s in the backroom for you all to go through.”

“Awesome! I’m getting those hot Cheetas!”

“Fine, but you better not get in between me and the Sour Batch Brats!”

Aya and Naruko rushed to the back. Onoda and Miki gave fond, amused sighs as Kanzaki chuckled.

“Good to know their appetites are healthy,” Kanzaki commented, tone light with sarcasm. “So, did you all have a good day at school?”

Both teenagers hesitated.

Smile diminishing with empathy, Kanzaki ran a hand through his hair. “Not so great, I’m guessing.”

“It could have been worse,” Miki piped up.

Onoda nodded. “That’s true…I did meet three nice people today. There are these two guys I have to do a project with. One of them is quiet, so I never know what he’s thinking. But some people are just quiet, ah, kind of like me when I get scared. Anyway, the other one’s nice and good at schoolwork. Then the third guy, Imaizumi. He gave me back my bookmark…looking back on it, he was so cool, facing Miki like that…!” His giddy smile had widened with each fond sentence.

She grabbed his arm, her grin matching his. “He really was cool! Especially the way he answered Naruko like that.”

The muffled squeaking of a plastic bag being yanked open came through the cracked door.

“Hate to interrupt you two, but you should get back there before all the snacks are taken,” Kanzaki advised.

“Right! We’ll let you get back to work,” Miki said over her shoulder as she went into the backroom.

“One more thing, Onoda.”

“Hm?” He paused right before he reached the door.

“When you go home from here, you use the road with the Tadokoro bakery, right?”

“Yes?”

Kanzaki plucked the toothpick from his lips and held it between his fingers. “The Tadokoros adopted two big dogs today. I’m sure they’ll stay in the yard, but I wanted to let you know.”

Dogs. Onoda could handle the little ones, as uneasy as they made him. But the loud, booming barks and massive size of larger canines never failed to set him on edge. No matter how well trained they were, he couldn’t ignore how easily such animals could maim him if they chose to.

He nodded gratefully. “I-I’ll keep that in mind.”

With that, he left to join the others. Haphazardly piled onto the floor and on boxes, various expired snacks waited patiently for their stomachs. Naruko finished gorging on a bag of hot Cheetos before grabbing more bags of chips with his cheese dust covered fingers. He then stuffed them into his ratty backpack. He always gathered more than his friends; he would divide it up at home amongst himself and his family.

Miki and Aya sat shoulder to shoulder, and Onoda plopped down right next to a stack of chocolate bars, one of which he promptly opened and bit into.

Miki curiously checked the ingredients on the back of a box of Watermelon Bop-Tarts. “Dextrose, malic acid, xanthum gum, red 40 lake…I wonder how they come up with these names.”

“They sound dangerous for something we’re supposed to eat,” Onoda nonchalantly commented. He then bit another chunk off his chocolate and, when she opened the Bop-Tart box and handed a package to him, he accepted it without the slightest hint of concern.

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take!” Naruko moved his fingers to his mouth, about to lick off the cheese dust, when a packet of wet wipes lightly smacked into his arm.

“You touched stuff with those fingers.” Miki nodded her head at his backpack. “Don’t put them in your mouth.”

“Fine, fine,” he grumbled and moodily cleaned his fingers with a wet wipe.

The door opened once more. They looked up to see Manami, who sported his usual airy grin. A few leaves stuck to his wrinkled shirt, and a twig was caught in his hair.

“Manami!” Onoda happily greeted. “We were wondering where you were.”

“You look like you just climbed a tree,” Aya remarked.

Sitting between Onoda and Naruko, Manami plucked a wipe out of the packet sitting on the redhead’s lap. “I did.”

Confusion flashed over the others’ faces—only for them to shrug it off a few seconds later.

“I didn’t know you were good at climbing trees,” Miki said.

Manami thoroughly sanitized his hands before dropped the used wipe on the floor. “I wanted to see what the forest looked like from higher up.”

Onoda cast him a wide-eyed, worried glance. The closest forest was on the border of Sohoku, and it was off limits! What if the bear that hurt Kanzaki four years ago came back?!

The blue-haired male noticed his look and cast him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I only climbed a tree at the very edge of the forest. It was fine.”

“Besides, nothing can kill a crazy bastard like him,” Aya reminded. Naruko nodded in agreement.

“Ah ha…I feel like there could have been a better way to put that…” Manami abashedly tugged at the collar of his shirt.

Still unconvinced, Onoda struggled to prevent his mind from falling into thoughts of what terrible events could have happened.

“Why don’t you tell us about the newest episode of Love Hime?” Manami suggested.

Catching on, Miki nodded. “I heard it was really intense.”

Onoda instantly brightened, all fear banished, and he excitedly clasped his hands together. “It was! It started off with a flashback to episode eleven, when…” He babbled on until he had gushed over every detail of the episode. While he caught his breath, the others struck up another silly conversation and started cleaning up wrappers. Then they gathered their piles and headed outside.

Right before they parted ways to head home, Onoda was relieved to hear Miki asking Manami to be more careful. The bespectacled male’s house was in the opposite direction of everyone else’s, so he walked home alone.

The familiar path presented no anxiety until he reached Tadokoro’s bakery. He made sure to stay on the opposite side of the narrow street. Even so, through the tall fence, which had gaps in between posts, he spotted wide canine noses curiously snuffling. No deep barks were directed his way, thank goodness. Hurrying past, he didn’t notice he was holding his breath until he was well away from the building.

He was grateful Kanzaki warned him beforehand; knowing they were there had allowed him to brace himself.

The rest of his walk went without incident, and soon enough he retreated into his house and joined his mother for dinner.

The next day, Teshima and Aoyagi weren’t in class.

While the other students moved back into their groups, Onoda checked his phone.

He hadn’t received any texts from them. However, they could just be busy with something else or sick and had forgotten to contact him.

Since they had his number but he didn’t have theirs—he should have asked for it in hindsight—he had no way to ask them where they were.

Oh well; they still had plenty of days left to finish their project, and they would likely be back tomorrow or the day after.

So he slid his phone back into his pocket, took out the assignment, and started working on his part while the other groups gossiped around him.

Two days later with still no word, Onoda woke to the abrupt, grating sound of a phone alert. Reluctantly rolling over, he patted his nightstand until his fingers found hard plastic and thin frames. In the dark of early morning, he slipped the glasses on and squinted against the brightness of the device’s screen.

His burning eyes shot wide open.

EMERGENCY ALERT

SOHOKU MISSING CHILDREN ALERT

Shock numbed all sensation except for the foreboding churning in his stomach.

His thumb hovered over the screen. He didn’t know how much time passed; the phone went dark from inaction.

As the sun’s rising rays peeked through the blinds, he finally opened the alert’s details and confirmed his premonition.

#yowamushi pedal #it #onoda sakamichi #kanzaki miki #tachibana aya #naruko shoukichi #imaizumi shunsuke #kanzaki toji #manami sangaku #teshima junta #aoyagi hajime #my fics #fanfic #blood #homophobia #violence #death #bullying

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