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angelsonthesideline · 3 years

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Tales from the Ex-Crypt Vol. 8

Well.. This one isn't as much an "ex" as we only ever saw each other twice, but after I explain what happened on the "twice" it will likely be apparent... So consider this one of my "dating misadventures".

We met on Tinder, he was in my area for work, as he's a red seal carpenter and there's tons of trades work going on. We hadn't talked that much, but enough to know we got along and had exchanged numbers. It was a hot Saturday, he decided to call his day early because of the heat and texted me to see what I was up to, and we decided to do a breakfast date after he showered and drove out from the city.

He was much more attractive in person, and had a great personality.. We found a little hole in the wall diner and had brunch with great convo. So we decided to go for a drive, so I could show him some areas he wouldn't see just working in downtown Toronto.

We went to my favourite little fruit orchard winery and did a cider tasting of their new ciders, they were all delicious, so we bought a few to take home. Came back a different route so he'd see even more, then came back to my place and kept talking. When we went to say goodnight, he kissed me, pushing me against the wall and it went from there..

We had such a great time, we made plans to go to the Slipknot concert that was happening a few weeks later.

That turned out to be the completely opposite experience. I got stuck in awful traffic getting to his rental because Waze decided to take me downtown instead of across the north. I was late getting to his place, which didn't even end up being an issue because he wasn't ready when I got there anyways. His bff had come into town and they were partying already.

He brought a backpack and smuggled beers into the venue, had smoked a joint with his buddy and the guys who were also renting rooms at their place before we left.

He was a little belligerent as a drunk, in that he kept wanting to find seats someone didn't show up for instead of just chilling on the lawn where we had tickets to. He had a few beers, and decided to go for a wander to get more. When he came back he was super fucked up, no idea what he did or what he found, but we had to locate each other with selfies and I had to find him. He then ended up deciding he wanted in the pit. We were 4 songs into Slipknot's set when I get a call..

"Kicked out"

He was so loaded he could barely speak properly, but somehow found my number in his phone and called me, requesting I come see him. I hit the bathroom on the way to the gates, with his backpack and the smuggled beer/blanket inside. He calls me again, because I wasn't there yet.

In the 10'ish minutes it took me to walk from the venue (which is on an island), go to the bathroom, and then continue to the front gates across the bridge, he was so out of it, he couldn't even tell me where he was in the area outside the gates. Took me another 10 minutes to find him.

Managed to collect him, all 6'2 and 235-240lbs of muscle that he was. He was a veteran with two active duties behind him, who had been shot, and blown up.. and here I was slugging his ass - shoulder supporting his arm, hand holding his wrist, other hand in the back of his shorts steering him - through a CROWDED AS FUCK exhibition grounds (the CNE in Toronto is basically the biggest carnival we have here) heading to the street car station at the front gates. I have to pee again (damn beer), so I drop him off at a giant rock outside of the bathroom entrance and tell him to *stay* like a damn dog. I'm mid-stream when my phone starts ringing and he's looking for me. I finish, wash my hands and recollect him.

When we get to the streetcar station, he's so hammered he can barely find his transit pass, they don't even ask for my fare, just make me put his shirt on.. he then tries to run to the street car and wipes out, taking me with him because his fall pulled me partway down.. No blood at least on either of us, but my sandal was the casualty, stretching out the toe thong on one and making them trash.

Get him on the street car, then manage to wrangle his ass through Union Station to the subway AND get on the right subway to get back to his area (where my vehicle was, although I was stuck staying over because I was intending to and had been drinking and while shit like this sobers you up, I knew I still wasn't okay to drive).

The entire subway ride, I'm struggling not to puke and he's sleeping on my lap.. wake him up the stop before his, so he will be able to be more alert and actually able to drag his ass off the subway (keep in mind, I am still supporting him with the arm over shoulder/shorts steering maneuver at this point). We get on the escalator, and get him outside. There's a crowd waiting for the bus already, and he tries unzipping his pants to take a piss. I'm like "you can't pee here!" and he gives up trying to unzip (gets it about half undone) and just pisses himself... like Austin Powers levels of piss... everywhere...

I still have to get soggy drippy pants home now.. and we have about 2 km to walk after we get off the bus. We get about 200 feet before he walks up the grassy hill and lays down and almost passes out. I force him to get back up, we get about half a block further and he lays down on the grass outside of an old age home and won't get up.. so I finally get him to call his buddy to come get us (who he doesn't even remember at this point and I have to remind him who he is)... first call was unsuccessful, second call I took the phone and his buddy came to get us. He died laughing at the situation, and was as puzzled as me as to how he was falling down (he wiped out again on the way to the truck) drunk when the man can drink a ton and be okay and his buddy had never seen him that wasted in years of partying/friendship, including drugs.

We got him home, he showered and crawled into bed and passed out.. I shared his twin bed with him and drove home the next day, had a shower after no sleep and went into work late (which I had booked off anyways).

Was definitely an experience... and I still haven't managed to see a full Slipknot set because last years show was cancelled due to Covid. But I will definitely not be slugging some drunk ass out before the show is done next time!!

#talesfromtheeexcrpyts #vol 8 #dating misadventures #slipknot #drunk #pretty sure he was roofied #was certainly a workout #not an experience I'm looking to repeat any time

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neerasrealm · 4 years

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platonic ivan x reader. ft. am dhaegar. please. my soul needs it.

AYY this is based off a convo we had in pms. sorry this took so long HDFHSJ i just kept losing energy n stuff whoops. but anyway iVAN MY BOY!! i dont write about my ocs nearly enough lol. this is set in the future au i guess? idk its a few months after zalgo gets yeeted into a coma and his brother Am has finally decided to stop sulking in the void. and also Ivan is his pet cat

It’s...such a big house. Bigger than you thought it’d be. When they told you they were going to live somewhere among humans, you thought they’d try something...subtle. Simple. Quaint. But no, apparently their idea of ‘’blending in with normal people’’ is a gigantic, upperclass house in New Orleans. It’s so….fancy. It makes you feel guilty for only bringing a basket of cheap store-bought muffins as a housewarming present. Should you have brought champagne? Do- do they even drink champagne...?

You open the metal gate and walk down the garden path. It’s all so...rich...and white. You stop on the porch and grab the fancy door knocker. When that doesn’t get a response, you look around for a doorbell. Oh! Okay- you ring the bell and step back a bit. There’s some muffled thumps from inside, and a silhouette appears in the glazed glass of the door and then-

‘’y/n!’’ the door swings open and someone reaches out, yanking you inside. You’re hugged tight against a strong, cold body. You hear the door shut behind you. If anyone was watching you from outside, they’d probably assume they just witnessed the last moments before your murder. But no, you’re not going to be killed, even though the hug you’re stuck in feels like it.

‘’Ivan- Ivan, buddy, you’re crushing me-’’ you grunt out. You’re dropped and you shift your muffin basket in your arms. Yeah no being hugged with a muffin basket in between you isn’t good, don’t recommend. Thankfully there’s plastic over the muffins, so they’re fine. Mostly. You look up at your friend, Ivan. from the name you’d be expecting some burly russian stereotype, but no. Because stereotypes aren’t funny 90% of the time.

Ivan is tall and strong, yes, but- well- he’s not...human. He’s a demon. Specifically, a demon made of ice cream. Yeah you heard me. His hair, if you could call it that, is just some drips that hang over the top of his head like hair, covered with pink and green sauce and random sprinkles. His ‘skin’ is coloured cream and pink, with the occasional splatter of chocolate. His hands are the same, but with the addition of claws. His legs are bent, like an animal’s, and he has a large tail that swishes behind him, topped with an ice cream scoop of all things. He’s wearing his usual pink button-up shirt and blue jeans. He grins at you with colorful gumdrop teeth, the cones on the top of his head tilting up as if they were ears. You soften and smile at him.

‘’It’s good to see you too, bud.’’ you murmur. You glance around the front hall. ‘’So...this is where you guys are living…?’’

‘’Uh-huh!’’ Ivan gives a nod and looks around. ‘’Pretty fancy, huh? Never thought I’d see a loser like me in a place like this…’’

‘’Yeah, your truck out front looks so out of place.’’

Ivan turns to you and glares at you. ‘’Hey! Be nice to Vanessa!’’ he growls. You laugh a bit.

‘’Sorry, sorry.’’ you reply quickly. Ivan loves his truck. He did live out of it for years after all, so you can’t really blame him. ‘’So...is she retired now?’’ you ask. He blinks.

‘’Heheh, no. She’s got fuel in her yet. I’m just gonna stop sleeping in her.’’ he shrugs and turns. ‘’C’mon, lemme show you around!’’ you follow after him quickly. The front hall is large, with doors to either side and one at the back besides the stairs. You follow Ivan through the door at the back and find yourself in a large room. To your left is the kitchen. It’s large and modern, with not one but two ovens stacked on top of each other, AND a kitchen island. Across the wall from you is a series of full-body windows that bask the room in light. There isn’t much else in the room- in fact, the only furniture is boxes, wooden stools and folding chairs. Actually looking closer- the boxes being used for tables are from Ikea. You look at Ivan.

‘’...where’s your stuff?’’

‘’Oh! We haven’t built the furniture yet.’’ Ivan chuckles. ‘’It’s fine! We’ll get to it soon.’’ he adds.

‘’...huh.’’ you reply. Ivan looks away from you and frowns. He pads away from you, the claws on his feet clicking against the tiles.

"Am! Am, y/n is here!" He calls. You hear thumping coming from another room and then a large, eldritch creature steps into the room. He's gigantic though you know he's not even at his full size. His body is covered in soft fur, save for his hands, feet and face, which are all made of ice. A collar of bright amethysts circles his neck. He has no mouth, just dozens of eyes. The biggest one, right in the centre of his head, is closed. He has a gigantic tail, spiked with sparkling gems, and a pair of wings that are just barely visible behind him..

"Y/n!" He exclaims in a deep, but surprisingly soothing voice. How he speaks with no mouth you have no idea but at this point you've given up on questioning that kind of thing. He walks towards you and crouches down, tugging you gently into a very careful hug against his chubby, fluffy body. You laugh a bit. Am is a lot more gentle, like a kind old grandpa. You pat his chest.

"Hey big guy." You greet. He chuckles a bit and moves away. You hold up your muffin basket. "Brought you a housewarming gift."

His eyes, at least some of them, widen. "Oh!" He reaches out and gently takes the basket in his big ol hands. "Thank you y/n, you shouldn't have." He murmurs. Ivan skitters over and grabs one, unwrapping it quickly and taking a bite.

"Yeah, you shouldn't have." He parrots through a mouth full of muffin. Am pets his head affectionately.

"Yeah I did." You say with a smile. "It's a human custom. You are trying to learn to fit in with them after all." You add with a wink. Am looks surprised.

"Oh! Oh- well, alright then." He gives you a sheepish look. "Come, come, sit down. Can't leave you standing there." He gestures for you to follow him over to the other side of the room so you can sit down in one of the lawn chairs. Ivan runs after him, far quicker than necessary, and throws himself onto...a box. He lays down, curling up like a cat. Am pats his head as he walks past him and sits on the ground. You roll your eyes and go over to join them.

"So how're things back at the mansion?" Ivan asks as you sit down in a cheap blue lawn chair.

"It's alright. Crowded- since we got so many new people…" you chuckle a bit. "There's these two kids, Doby and Toby and I can't tell which one's which! They hang around each other constantly! And then you throw Cody into the mix and I have no idea who's who!"

Ivan laughs, his tail swishing. "Sounds rough," he takes the last bite of his muffin and crumples up the wrapper. "How're the kids?"

Ivan has always had a soft spot for children. Especially the ones in the mansion. "Sally is- well- Sally. She's still trying to keep everyone in high spirits. Slendra...she's become really mature honestly. She helps EJ in the medbay, she cooks meals, she cleans and gardens- she's a good kid...I think she's trying to help keep Slender from overworking himself."

Ivan smiles. "Awe. That's sweet."

"She's such a kind girl…" Am murmurs. You smile a bit. Slendra is technically his niece, and even though they barely know one another, the two seem to adore each other.

"Yeah, she is." You recline back in the chair. "So how's living together going?"

"Oh it's wonderful!" Am chirps. "All these years I watched over the human world but- living here is so much different!"

"He lost his goddamn mind when we went to ikea." Ivan says, looking at you. You laugh.

"Well- it's gigantic!" Am replies defensively.

"That's a lot coming from you, big guy." You say with a smirk. Am laughs.

"Fair, fair."

‘’So what’s your favorite thing so far? You’ve never like- done anything with humans before, right?’’ you cock a brow curiously at him. Am hums and squints a few of his many eyes. Ivan watches him curiously.

‘’Coffee?’’ he suggests. ‘’You drink a lot of it.’’ Am shakes his head. ‘’Cooking? You had a lot of fun doing that!’’

‘’No, no.’’ Am waves him off. He looks at Ivan for a long moment. ‘’...I think it’s you.’’

Ivan blinks. ‘’Me?’’

Am looks pleased with himself. He nods, then reaches over and gently pats Ivan’s head with one of his giant fingers. ‘’Yes. I think you’re my favorite.’’ he chuckles.

‘‘That’s a cop-out. He isn’t even human.’‘ you mutter.

#creepypasta #creepypasta oc #creepypasta hcs #creepypasta hc #creepypasta fanfiction #creepypasta fanfic #ivan tag #am dhaegar #writing #request #requests #writing requests #future au #<- kinda??#ask #frozensriracha

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ashintheairlikesnow · 5 years

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Daniel Michaelson: He Belongs to Himself

(for @whumptober2019, prompt: Recovery, I wrote a piece set during the trial/post-captivity - this is our second Ryan POV. Thanks to @orchidscript for a couple of lines I borrowed from our convo on the fandom version of this universe and to @pinkcupboardwitch for helping me pick my scenario)

TW: Brief reference to suicidal ideation, violence/torture/abuse (none depicted, but referenced)

Ryan Michaelson falls asleep on the couch with the impact statement he’s been working on a flutter of loose papers on the floor, scratched-out starting sentences and half-written paragraphs, occasional little nonsense doodles in the margins where he tried to think his way through this.

They want him to give some kind of speech, before sentencing. His parents provided a couple of videos and photos of Danny before it all happened, but they haven’t come to the trial since the first week and they’re not interested in speaking on Danny’s behalf.

No, just like the rest of his life, their parents will do the bare minimum for Danny and Ryan will step in to try and fill the gaps, to be brother and parents both. It’s so much harder with so little of Danny left.

How do you even explain what it means to have your brother disappear and then return, only it’s not your brother any longer?

He’s been working on figuring out where to even start with the impact statement since before the trial began, since the initial preparation with the lawyers. He writes a draft and discards it - writes another one and tears that one up, too. Cries for a couple of hours whenever he’s alone in his room, then starts again.

They want him to explain what it was like to lose Danny, and Ryan’s got no fucking clue where to begin.

Does he open with the night Danny didn’t come back to the apartment they shared, wasn’t answering his phone? Does he start with the increasingly frantic calls to all of his friends, to the single thread that ran through them - he said he was going to see that guy he’s been talking to - to the realization that no one could get ahold of Nathaniel Vandrum either?

Does he begin with what it felt like when the cops called to tell Mom they’d found Danny’s car with his cell phone in a puddle of blood on the backseat, abandoned in a ditch in Oregon next to the dead body of the owner of the next car the abductor had stolen? Or when the cops explained to Ryan that the phone had been charged and on for nearly a full day - meaning that whoever had taken him had watched Danny’s phone light up with call after call after call, had kept the phone charged just to see it?

Maybe he could explain, in stomach-churning detail, what happened in his mind when a police officer had sat across the table from him and told him that local law enforcement and the FBI had begun thinking in terms of recovery rather than rescue.

He has no idea. All he knows is that there isn’t any way, not really, to explain what it felt like to be told his brother was missing - presumed abducted - presumed the target of foul play - presumed dead - never coming home.

The weird insanity he’d gone through, thinking his brother was dead. Going from a college sophomore with a 4.0 to a junior who nearly had to drop out when his grades tanked and he spent a year trying to drink himself to death, thinking if he did at least he’d see his brother again.

He couldn’t begin to explain his parents strong-arming him into therapy, telling the therapist all his awful thoughts, sharing emotions with someone when he came from a family where you never did any such thing, and the revelation of the therapist just… giving him permission to grieve, when his parents never did, when he felt like a burden, when he didn’t know how to keep going without the older brother that had always been the surest, most concrete foundation of his world.

Maybe he should start with how it felt to get the call that Danny was alive, that Nathaniel Vandrum had simply driven a truck out of the woods in Western Canada like a goddamn soot-smeared pissed-off Wendigo with his frightened brother, a bag of his favorite books, and one hell of a fucked-up story about the last four years.

Did Wendigos even come from Western Canada? Ryan can’t really remember, his Native North American Folklore & Mythology class was during the drinking-to-death time and he doesn’t remember most of it.

It doesn’t matter.

He could start with the way he’d been elated and scared, the way his stomach had dropped when they’d told him that before he could see Danny, he’d have to talk to some kind of expert about what to expect, so he wouldn’t cause extra anxiety during a stressful reintegration.

He could start with the way the trauma expert had held his hand and told him Danny was severely dissociated - a word he’d never heard before that day - and might not even know who he was right away. The expert had tried to make him understand that Danny had been held in captivity by someone who insisted he was a pet and not a person, had undergone something called extreme dehumanization, more words Ryan hadn’t known before that day and knew all too much about, now.

He could tell them what it was like to see Danny sitting at the table, hunched over and looking at everyone from behind wavy red hair grown out a little longer than when he’d left, blue eyes wide and scared that he’d be in trouble for using a chair and not sitting on the floor, begging someone to tell him where Nate was, to bring him back into the room, could someone find Nate?

He could talk about the way Danny flinched away from his touch but ran to Nathaniel Vandrum.

Maybe he could just talk about how fucking weird it was to have your brother’s sort-of-possibly-a-boyfriend be the fellow captive who freed him, who tried to kill a man to save Danny, and who sleeps in Danny’s bed but as far as Ryan can tell does nothing more than kiss his forehead or his face now and then and hold him through his nightmares.

Maybe he could talk about wanting to shout in Nate Vandrum’s empty fucking face that he should have done something sooner, that he should have saved Danny when more of Danny was left to save, just wanting to grab Nate by the shoulders and shake him and scream why couldn’t you have been stronger for him?

He could talk about how it feels to find yourself snapping at a traumatized man because he has the audacity to be very slightly less traumatized than your brother, and because he’s something to take all of his grief and hurt out on.

Because no matter how hard Nate Vandrum’s jawline gets, no matter how cold and flinty his green eyes go, he never, ever fights back against Ryan’s deep well of unresolved anger.

He just stands there, taking all of Ryan’s yelling, like he’s earned it. And maybe he fucking has. Ryan could tell them all about how looking at Danny’s frightened shattered life makes him want to cut Nathaniel Vandrum’s composure apart, because… because how dare he be so calm and collected, when Danny hides in a closet after breaking a glass, begs to be punished, to be fixed?

He’d been up all night trying to figure it out, and he just can’t think any longer. He’s written line after line after line trying to start and the day they wanted him to give the statement was just a few days away now. What would he say? Anything he said, that asshole Denner would be sitting right there listening to it, probably getting off on how he’d wrecked Ryan’s life by stealing his brother, enjoying getting to learn about Ryan’s halting, grudging work alongside Nate to teach Danny how to be human again.

He’ll probably sit there and laugh through the speech, no matter what Ryan says. He doesn’t want to bare his broken heart to that sadistic psychopath.

He doesn’t want to admit that Danny is so supremely, thoroughly broken.

He doesn’t want to admit that sometimes he wonders if recovery is even possible, or if he would spend the rest of his life managing a man two years older than him who can’t remember his own age or that bills are due or the names of the people who used to be his best friends - but who can explain in exacting, excruciating detail the way Abraham fucking Denner made him step in a trap and nearly break his own leg, just to see him do it?

Ryan’s eyes blur, with tears or exhaustion - he’s not sure which - and finally he falls asleep on the couch with Netflix still playing, lets the papers drop to the floor, allows his eyes to close and force him out of his fears and all-consuming rage on behalf of a brother who seems no longer able to access the feelings that boil Ryan alive.

Ryan wakes up sometime later to the gentle sensation of a soft fuzzy blanket being placed carefully over him.

He shifts around, mumbling thanks and starting to drift back away, and for a second it’s like nothing had ever happened, really - like maybe he’s just fallen asleep studying, and Danny will be right there to laugh at him in the morning for not even making it back to bed.

The sound of the papers being shuffled back together wakes him the rest of the way and he groans, feeling the muscles of his back shifting around as he pushes himself up, rubbing at one eye. “Fuck, what time is it?”

If Nate Vandrum just put a blanket on him - if that passive asshole is reading Ryan’s halting attempts to explain the pain and grief he’s spent four years buried in - he might just punch him in the face. We’re not friends, motherfucker - you’re just the only person he’ll willingly touch, and I can’t bear to take anything away from him ever again, he’s already lost so much.

“2:45 in the morning, you fell asleep with Netflix still going,” Danny’s voice says calmly, and Ryan nearly jolts totally upright on the couch in shock.

Danny doesn’t look up, kneeling on the floor by the coffee table with his red hair falling over his face looking nearly auburn in the dark, carefully setting the pile of papers on the table before flicking at a miniscule, invisible speck of dust there. He’s shirtless, just wearing the warm, heavy flannel pajama pants that he’d asked Ryan to buy him, shyly, like Ryan could ever deny him anything he actually expressed a want for.

You were dead for four years, Ryan had said, wanting so badly to hug him, knowing at the same time that Danny would only go stiff in his arms and then suddenly go boneless and relaxed all at once in the awful way he’d been trained to accept any and every touch without complaint. You were dead and came back to life, Danny, I’ll give you anything you want for forever, man, just ask for it and it’s yours.

My name is Red. I-I just want some pajama pants that are really, um, warm and maybe with, uh, fleece on the, the inside-

Of course, of course I’ll get those, I’ll buy you a pair for every fucking day of the week.

Th-thank you for that. I get, um, I get cold a lot now. Thank you for listening to my request, Ryan. Thank you for being kind enough to give me-

Hey, this is just doing something nice. Don’t thank me, Danny.

Red, my name is Red, please, um, don’t call me the other name. When someone does something nice for you, you say thank you. Be grateful for every gift you are given, Danny had recited, he’s tilted, eyes distant. And every breath is a gift Abraham chooses to give.

Even in the darkness, Ryan can see the lines of scarring that run down his brother’s back and wrap up his arms, the oddly muscled shoulders (chopping firewood for hours is a good shoulder workout but I skipped a lot of leg days, Danny had joked one day, and Ryan had been so shocked by his brother showing a hint of a sense of humor that he hadn’t even remembered how to laugh), the ribs that stand out too much and the sharp hipbones showing above the waistband of his pants.

When Danny turns to look at him, the blue eyes are quiet for once, warm and focused right on him instead of fogged-over and frightened. The ring of scarring across his face is less obvious, with only the moon for light.

In those unexpectedly clear eyes he can see Danny, his big brother, and Ryan can’t do anything but stare. Are you still in there somewhere after all?

“What are you, uh, doing up, man?” Ryan rubs at his eyes again, but hesitantly, like Danny might disappear if he does. On the TV screen, Netflix is asking if he’s still watching and Ryan feels immensely, supremely judged by it.

Of course the fuck not, I wasn’t even watching -before- I fell asleep at midnight.

“Dreaming,” Danny says casually, off-handedly, as if ‘dream’ isn’t just a code word for ‘nightmare’ now, because it’s not like Danny has any other kind of dream. “Came out for water and found you on the couch. You look, um, you look cold, Ryan. Is… is it okay? To put the blanket on?”

“Yeah… yeah, of course it was. Thanks for that. I don’t even have the energy to get up and go to bed, I feel totally wiped.”

Danny nods, watching him carefully still. Then he drops his eyes back to the sheaf of papers on the coffee table. “Is that what you’re, um, you’re going to read about me?”

Ryan swallows hard against the lump in his throat and a deep instinctive urge to pull the papers away. Please don’t look at how hurt and scared I was, things were so much worse for you. I don’t want you to feel guilty for this. “Yeah. I suck at this, though, I barely have anything written.“

“You’ll, um, you’ll do good, I know you will.” Danny shifts around on his knees, looking up at Ryan, and it’s just such a welcome change to see him with clear eyes. “You’re not going to do a recording? You’re going to, um, to stand up in the, in the court?”

“Yeah.” Ryan drops his head back, staring up at the ceiling in thought. “I have my suit picked out already - the red one? Looks good with my skin. Funny that I know what suit I’m going to read in but no fucking clue what to actually say.”

“You’ll know when you stand up, you’re always good at speaking to people. Or you used to be.” Danny hesitates, and Ryan thinks again how young he looks, something about the uncertainty in his posture, the wide blue eyes, the mop of wavy red hair that hangs over one eye. “I think you probably still are - I guess I don’t, um, I don’t know any longer.”

If you met Danny and Ryan on the street, you’d never guess Danny was two years older… but you might guess, just by looking, that Danny is profoundly, deeply fucked up - and that Ryan is profoundly exhausted.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m probably the same. I don’t want to do it, but I do at the same time, you know?” Ryan flings an arm over his eyes, wondering why he’s so awake when he’s only even been asleep for a couple of hours, really. “It doesn’t matter what I say, does it? He doesn’t even want to be found Not Guilty. He doesn’t care.”

“Maybe not. But you should do it anyway, for you.” Danny hesitates, and then Ryan blinks and lowers his arm to stare as he feels the barest, nervous brush of Danny’s hand against his shoulder.

He turns to look down into wide blue eyes and a tense half-smile, Danny’s shoulders hunched a little, up near his chin, the curve of the scar along his cheekbone traveling down the side of his face and cutting into his jaw, lit by dim moonlight and nothing else until the red seems paler, more faded.

Danny is more than six feet tall but ever since he came back, he seems so, so much smaller. Something about the way he folds into himself, makes himself less visible and less of a presence in the world.

“… Hey, you, you haven’t, um-” Ryan cuts himself off, afraid speaking it out loud will break the spell.

You haven’t touched me since the night before you disappeared.

“I want you to speak. You’ll do really well,” Danny says with pure certainty in his voice - and it’s his voice, the voice Ryan remembers as the basic building block of his entire life. Danny had been a kid when he was adopted, but Ryan was still a toddler - and he had no memories Danny wasn’t a part of.

Not until four and a half years ago.

There’s a moment where Ryan doesn’t move, just feels the soft weight of the hand on his shoulder - Danny’s hands are sort of ruined, scarred and numb to temperature changes, but the weight of his touch is the same.

The same and so much more, all at once.

“Okay. I will, I promise. I’ll figure it out. You should head back to bed. If Nate wakes up, he’ll freak out if you’re not there.”

“He’ll come out and see I’m right here.” Danny shrugs, looking at him for a moment longer with those calm, thoughtful eyes - the opposite of how he’d looked since they brought back what was left of Daniel Michaelson for Ryan to try and put back together - but it wasn’t really an expression he’d ever worn before, either. “I don’t mind being awake. I don’t need much sleep now. I’ll nap while you’re in court, anyway.”

I know, Ryan thinks with a dip of despair. You sleep in the closet when we’re gone and you think we don’t know.

He fights it back and smiles, a little, reaching up carefully to lay his hand over Danny’s, sure he’ll pull away - but he doesn’t.

It feels like a goddamn miracle, but his brother doesn’t pull away from his touch.

Danny’s hand is cold, under his, and Ryan can feel the bumpy silk-soft ridges of scarring where that fucking bastard had sliced along over the tops of his veins, over and over again, creating a raised roadmap of the torture he’d put Danny through for his own sick entertainment.

“You should tell them about when we got super drunk at the company Christmas party and Mom and Dad caught us playing literal music videos off YouTube in the conference room and laughing at the Meatloaf one.“ Danny’s voice is a little dreamy, wistful.

"Y-you remember that?” Ryan’s voice goes soft. There were rules, Danny has explained again and again. One rule was to never think about Danny’s life before - to forget there had ever been anything else.

Danny’s memory is shot to hell from all the blows to the head and four years of nonstop panic and fear and being trained like an animal, kept like a pet. He barely remembers his own birthday.

But… but he remembers this.

“That was a couple months before I… um, left. I used to think about it all the time.” Danny looked away from him, briefly, and the line of his face, the profile, strikes Ryan all over again.

He took it for granted for so, so long before the morning Danny hadn’t come home and didn’t answer the phone.

Ryan was never going to take it for granted again.

“You never talk this much anymore,” Ryan says softly, marveling at the simple sound of his brother’s voice devoid of pleading or begging or reciting the parade of awful rules Abraham Denner forced him to memorize and live by. “I miss your voice.”

Danny just looks at him, and it’s silent in the middle of the night, the darkest hours. No birds outside, the apartment complex is quiet.

“That’s what you can do.” Danny’s voice is caught, thin and oddly strained.

“What?”

“Tell them you missed my voice.” He is still, so still, and then he seems to propel himself up off the floor to wrap his arms around Ryan, burying his head against his shoulder.

It has been four and a half years since Danny hugged him.

Ryan’s arms are up and around him too, feeling his brother’s chill skin, Danny’s hair brushing his forearm where his arms go around his neck. He can feel the raised bumps of scarring at the top of his back above his shoulder blades, the spots around his neck where Denner made him wear a barbed wire collar for days at a time, the way Danny’s shoulders are heavy muscle with skin stretched over it, without even an ounce of excess.

Danny starts to shake, and it’s only when Ryan hears the softest hissed intake of breath and feels dampness along the neckline of his T-shirt that Ryan realizes his big brother is crying.

“I’m so sorry,” Danny whispers in a broken, cracking voice, and Ryan feels Danny twisting his fingers into the fabric of his shirt just over his spine. The soft blanket slides down and away until it puddles around his waist where he still sits on the couch, holding onto the tall, lanky older brother who once used to hold him like this after his nightmares.

But God, Danny’s nightmare had lasted so much longer.

“I’m sorry,” Danny repeats, his voice shaking and thick with the tears that fall despite his best efforts to hold them back. “I’m so sorry, Ryan, I’m so sorry, I missed you so much… I, I’m sorry that I’m not the same person, that I came back the puppy, I’m so sorry that this is all that’s left, I know it’s not enough-… I’m s-s-so fucking sorry-”

“Sssshhhh,” Ryan says with his arms as tight as he can make them, as though Danny might disappear again if he doesn’t keep him firmly attached to the earth. “Ssshhh, don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault, it’s never been your fault, I love you. You’re my big brother, still, okay?” He pulls back, gently extricating himself from Danny, putting a hand on either side of his face to look right into the blue eyes, still bright with more tears unshed, tear tracks following the line of his scars down his face.

Ryan’s own eyes start to glitter in the darkness, and he tries to blink back the tears but when he speaks, his voice has all his emotion laid bare in it, too. “I never stopped looking for you, not ever. I looked every day. I’d still look every day. I would never have stopped looking for you, for the rest of my life.”

“I never stopped thinking about you,” Danny says tremulously, putting his hands up over Ryan’s. "He, he made me stop thinking about anything but him but he couldn’t hurt me enough to make me stop thinking about you-”

Then they’re hugging again and it’s so quiet in the apartment, so quiet except for the sound of two grown men crying on each other’s shoulders.

“This is enough,” Ryan whispers against the top of Danny’s hair. “It’s enough that any of you came back to me, okay? We c-c-can find the rest, I can help you remember, I can help. This is enough. You’re enough, Danny-” He catches himself and winces. “Sorry. I mean Red.”

There’s a pause, and Ryan can feel his brother’s heart pounding. When Danny pulls back Ryan’s heart drops, but his brother just looks into his eyes and smiles, the barest little hint of one, and says softly, “Danny is, is okay, for now.”

Ryan’s breath is caught somewhere in his throat, and he pulls his older brother back into his arms. “Danny, then,” Ryan says with half-sobbed laughter. “Danny. Danny Danny Danny Danny.”

“Daniel,” Danny says with a shaking voice, as though Denner might simply appear out of thin air to punish him. Then, when nothing happens, Danny repeats it. “Danny. Daniel. My name is Danny. My name is Daniel M-Michaelson and I, I d-don't…be, belong to…”

“You got this, Danny, come on,” Ryan urges. “You can do this. Come on, Dan, we can do this together.”

“M-My name is Daniel Michaelson and I don’t belong to him, I don’t-… I don’t belong to anyone b-b-b-but myself,” Danny says softly, and then he starts to cry again.

Ryan holds him but it’s different this time - his shoulders are back and his back is straight and every sob sounds not like fear or sadness but like pure, unbridled relief.

It probably won’t last - the trauma expert and the therapist both said to expect every two forward steps to come with a step back. He might wake up and want to be Red again tomorrow. He’ll probably go back to not wanting to be touched by anyone but Nate.

But right here and now, in this moment in the middle of the night in the safest place there is for him, Danny remembers who he used to be, and it’s eough.

Suddenly, Ryan Michaelson knows exactly how he wants to start the statement he’s going to read while staring right at Abraham Denner.

A few days ago, my brother hugged me for the first time since 2015. My brother, who was subjected to every kind of twisted violence until he believed that it was too dangerous to even think of himself as human, answered to his own name.

I want to tell you how it feels to be told someone you love has been abducted. I want to tell you how it feels to look and look every single day for four years and find nothing - and be told that you should prepare for him to return in a body bag.

I want to tell you how it felt to learn that, due to the violence, abuse, brainwashing, and trauma he was subjected to, my own brother might not recognize me.

I want to tell you how it felt when they told me Daniel Michaelson was gone.

Then, I want to tell you how it felt when, despite all the odds and every statistic and the efforts of Abraham Denner to destroy my brother down to his very core, I was given the gift of looking him right in the eyes as he came back.

My brother’s name is Daniel Michaelson, and he belongs only to himself.

That might not seem like much of a revelation to many of the people here in this courtroom today - but for my brother, it takes immense bravery simply to believe he is his own.

I have been asked to speak about the impact the last four years has had on my family, and I will. I will speak about every day I combed missing persons’ reports throughout the Northwest Coast for similarities to Danny. I will tell you what it was like to lose him.

First I want to tell you what it meant to me to get him back.

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alias-b · 5 years

Note

"Neil would have kept trying for you. And eventually, he would have taken pictures of my little girl." Susan welled. Her body gave an odd vibration with the thought. "I can't stop thinking about that fact. I won't for a long time." -Susan broke my heart in this chapter, I love that she's woken up to Neil's shit. Getting closer to Camille is a good thing!! Their last scene was sweet. The dream jarred me though. I keep thinking about what would happen if Cam went to Neil at his manipulation? Scary

I’m so happy that Susan’s growth is being spotlighted. Her heart to heart with Camille was a scene I walked away from so proud of. :) Billy and Camille both got good moments with her. And…your last question actually got me to pull something from my drafts. It’s an AU scene after the break up/Camille’s mental meltdown/her kissing Jim in a moment of illness and confusion.

Yes, there’s a chance she WOULD have gone to Neil in her state. She feels so unwanted at the moment and his manipulation was really getting to her. Awful or not, attachment happens even to people who are abusive. I actually wrote an AU scene where she skips school all the same and goes to him instead of Jim finding her first. It was more of an exploration to prepare for the Camille & Neil convos I had coming. I preferred what I did by a mile, but this helped me feel out Neil and Camille’s relationship and her turmoil and honestly I put a lot of my own isolating thoughts into it. I’m…terrified to post it and still going slow, but I figure if I get more terrible anons, I have double the support from good friends. Also figure it’s relevant to how I feel now so I’m sharing.

So here it is below, be warned it’s uncomfortable and leads to the Jim kiss and there is heavy, heavy gas-lighting and some sexual references from Neil’s bullshit mouth. The FOIL between Jim and Neil is so stark, I wanted to highlight it. It’s not rly edited, I just pulled it. Thanks all.

Open Wound

Camille swept snowy slush around her feet while a fresh coat fell. Dainty little flakes that stuck to dirty sleet as if to hide it away. Loch Nora was smaller than she recalled. Rollerskating up and down the street when the wind was warm and flowers in full bloom.

Edna snipping roses to pot some around the house interior. A smile and wave at her floating girl. Stuck close to make sure Camille was safe.

“Bullshit.” Smoke swelled out from red lips. A cigarette flicked toward the mass of frozen dirt that used to be the Harper house. She remembered Billy bleeding out in her lap and the fire that ate everything in sight. It was beautiful at the time. Now, she and Billy bled separately.

Kids around here say they can hear moaning and weeping from the plot at night. Camille felt like she was watching herself. Like she was a soul and no body. No skin, no muscle, no bones to rattle from the cold. It was all far away. Her car swerved along ice when she parked near Cherry Lane. More so in the forest.

Camille Harper was desired around town. Not wanted. That bleated. But, there was one soul who wanted to play.

Billy would be at school still. Susan at her morning shift in the perfume department. It was a roll of the dice. Camille felt her entire being stretch to wrap around the town. Around this Earth. Cold air puffed and snow began to crunch too loud for any sound to get in.

Neil knew why she’d come the moment he saw her shaken and wide-eyed there. Red and loud against pristine white snow. No innocence. He was wrapped in a winter coat. Ears prickling pink. Gloved hands swept snow from his truck with a plastic scraper.

“Camille Harper.” Neil pretended to be blasé about it. Brushing snow and ice with short swipes. Flecks melted on his front.

She seemed drunk. Half here.

“Do you see me?” That flitting tone shrunk. He hitched like he might laugh, lip twitching.

“Yes, Camille, I do see you.” Neil forced his eyes from her expression to the car. A beat. One hand clicked the passenger door open. She stared. He could have said a number of things about how she was trembling and frosting over. Better to come inside where it’s warm and sound. Camille lingered still at the opening and felt red lights blare.

“Don’t get into that car. Just come back to school.” Billy said behind her ears.

Billy didn’t want her anymore.

She crossed with ire. Climbed in. Neil stood there with one hand on the door while she looked ahead.

“It’s important,” he took his frosty glove off and reached to buckle her in, “that you’re safe.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hargrove.” Camille gave a dreamy sigh. Didn’t remark that his arm was still over her lap, palm resting on the seat.

“You’re very welcome, Camille.” He stepped back. “Neil is fine.” The door shut.

She didn’t hear the car start. Didn’t feel it move. Didn’t even process the music or heat turning on.

“You’re upset.” He noted. Threw a brick into the silence. Camille turned her head toward his profile when they took a left.

“Are you hurting him badly again? What did you do to him?” She rasped. “Billy. Do you want to hurt me too?”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Neil sat back in his seat. Shrugged like he might be thinking of what groceries to buy later.

“He’s different. Bad different,” she decided. “Worse different.”

“Listen, Camille, I’ve known. This whole thing between you two. I imagine you both learned a hard lesson from it. It’s for the best. Billy was never good with secrets. My boy was never good with much of anything. Pretty girls for one. And you’re the prettiest of them all.”

He made it sound like such an apology.

“Where are we going?” She asked finally. Tried not to choke.

“Moving here, I’ve gotten to know some fine people.” He said instead. “Everyone knows each other and do they love to talk.” Neil laughed. Hearty like a dad. Something vulgar about it. He touched his mustache in thought and came to a red light. “You’ve been crying.”

“I’m fine.” A quick reply. Sharp and airy at the same time. Camille stared through him. Not at him.

“I see you, Camille.” Neil set his elbow to the little pull down rest between them. One hand on the wheel. “You lost your parents. I lost mine when I was younger too. I did this, you know? Acted out. Tried to replace them. Learned I never would, but that didn’t stop me trying for awhile.” He parked on main street and cut the engine. Few shops still open from Starcourt taking business away.

“It’s okay, you know, to look.” He clicked his seat belt off, faced her. “You’re all shaken still. I make you that nervous? Do I not make you feel safe, Camille? You got into my car.”

And she couldn’t take that fact back. Another chill rushed.

“I’m upset.” She admitted, felt like for the first time. “I miss the way things used to be.” Neil tutted, caught a tear with his thumb and skimmed down her cheek. Edged the corner of her lips. “I miss my mom and dad.”

She sounded like a baby, face crinkling. Head tipped to the rest. Fingers clutched at his coat. Neil’s lips lifted as he shushed every little weepy sound. Patted hair.

“There there, you’re too pretty to cry like that.” Neil eased, tipped her chin up in a way that was encouraging. “You feel safe here. You got into the car with me. I can make it better. Ask me to make it better, Camille.”

She blinked at him. Really considered it because no one fucking wanted her except one red light that blared and readied to consume her. She felt Billy lick the shell of her ear and utter, mutilate. Syllables caught and Neil sighed when she slipped down, bowing her head as if to pray before him.

“Shame. Stay here.” Neil slipped away to get out.

“Wait,” a hand snatched his wrist on instinct. He was looking not at her face, but at the hand on his skin. “Where are you going?”

“Girls like hot chocolate, don’t they?” Neil smacked the door shut after locking his car. Looked around. Camille covered her face and quivered. Those red flares burned her flesh. She glanced outside and saw herself with Robbie. Too young. Him offering her an ice cream cone.

She took it. Smiled. Licked.

She should have just screamed.

She should have screamed now too.

Neil returned and offered a to-go cup that steamed. He didn’t buy any for himself.

“Take a moment and drink it.” Neil turned his car back on. Heat kicked up. Camille steadied her breathing enough to sip. It went down all chalky. Hair stuck to pink cheeks. “Police Chief can’t replace them, can he?” Hands smoothed his tie.

“Jim is nice to me.” Her back hunched like she was avoiding a crushing blow.

“Man has quite the reputation. Nothing that should be near such a nice girl.” Neil only shrugged, blue eyes lifting. “Unless, maybe, you’re not a nice girl. Painting your lips so he sees them. Dressing the way you do. Does he like to look at you?”

“I-”

“Do you like it when he looks?” Neil almost smirked, it flashed in his cold eyes. “You want him to pat your pretty head and kiss your cheek.” His palm cupped her face. The free hand took her cocoa away to set it aside. “Has he touched you?”

“What?” Camille reeled back. Neil’s hand came to her knee. Everything locked up.

“Have you shown him things? Hm, Camille? Taken your clothes off for him so he can see you too? Good girls don’t do that.”

“We-”

“You want a big man to kiss you all better. You want daddy to sweep you up. Make you feel good again. Don’t you, Camille? You just want to feel good again. I understand that too.”

She twisted, reaching for the handle when the lock came down.

“Camille, don’t make a scene,” came his chiding, “I think you’re being very unfair to me right now. We’re just talking. I’ve been nothing but kind to you. Aren’t you safe here? Am I going to hurt you?” Neil’s grip on her knee clamped down. She wanted to scream that he hurt Billy. His family. Scream that he was the dirty monster. “You got into this car all on your own. Face it, you asked for me. Say it.”

“It hurts.”

Camille didn’t know what exactly was hurting. Everything. Nothing. But, it was an open wound she kept picking at.

“There’s a place, you know.” Neil’s hand left her leg. The ability to function swept air into desperate lungs. “A place I could make you feel better. You wouldn’t have to do anything. Unless you wanted to. I’d take care of it. Don’t you want to be safe and secure again?” Wet clumpy lashes fluttered shut. “No, you stay right here.” Neil grasped her shoulder to shake. Eyes opened.

“I see it. I see you.” He sounded so nurturing. “I see what made my damn son so crazy. You do these things to men, you know?”

Neil laughed again. Camille felt him sucking the air from her. The pang of a jackal’s teeth sunk into her heart.

An answer was upon the tip of her tongue.

“Camille?” A muffled knock on the window. Neil’s play cut, he reeled from her quick. Detective Callahan looked less dopey staring there. He gestured for the window to roll down. Camille grew petrified.

“What’s going on here? The Chief got a call. You skipped school.” He peered behind her. “Neil Hargrove?”

“Afternoon, officer.” Neil’s smile dazzled. Camille stared at Callahan all paled and tearful. Never seen Phil this serious in all her time working at that station. “Ms. Harper was wandering the street. She’s a friend of my family. I worried. I was about to take her right back to school. Poor girl just went through a bad break-up. It’s my fault, I figured a nice cup of cocoa could solve anything.”

Camille felt Neil’s warning hand on her back. Knew Billy would pay a price later if she didn’t lie right now.

“Isn’t that right, Camille?” He chirped too cheerfully.

“That’s right. I’m feeling better now.” She turned to Neil. “Jim must be so worried about me. I want to get home to him. Right now.”

His brow twitched.

Neil hated her and those red lips.

“I got her from here,” Callahan didn’t thank Neil. Just took Camille’s hand and led her to his own vehicle. Neil stared the entire time. Waited until they drove off before he threw the cup outside with a spatter and sped away. “Camille.”

“Is Jim at home?” She cut.

He sighed.

“Yes, he’s not happy about this.”

“Oh.” Camille looked at the icy trees. Cracking against harsh winds.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine. Fine. Tired.”

“Why did you skip school? This isn’t you.”

“Yes, Philip,” Camille sniffled and faced him with red eyes, “it is.”

They pulled up to the house. Camille felt fear flood.

“Go on, he’s waiting for you. Don’t skip school again, Cam.” Phil offered. Tried to be careful about it because she was breaking.

“Thanks for the ride,” Camille got out. Saw her car pulled up. Jim must have gotten a buddy to tow it over. The door opened and Jim crossed his arms there. Already aflame.

“Skipping? Leaving your car in-”

“I know.” Camille locked the door. Put her head down to go around him. “I just…needed to get away. All right?”

“No, it’s not all right. Do you have any idea how worried I was?” Jim’s tone lifted. “I need to know that you and El are safe at all times.”

“Well, we’re not.” Hands jabbed out and fell. “Can I go to my room now?”

“Callahan radioed that he saw you in Neil Hargrove’s car.” Jim grasped her arm. “What’s that about?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Camille, I know how that guy is. Just talk to me. Let me help you.”

You can’t.

“He didn’t force me into the car.”

Admitting that made her feel like trash. Jim saw her bottom lip wobble and let go. He rubbed his scruff and turned to sit at the head of the kitchen table. Covered his eyes when irritation twitched.

“You need to understand that you can’t run off like that. It’s not safe. It’s a risk. We don’t take risks. I know…what happened with Billy is hurting you. I can’t watch you-”

“Are you mad at me?” Camille crept to the table looking insecure. Hands pulled to her stomach.

“Yes, Camille, I’m actually furious with you.” Jim’s hand smacked down. Caused her to jump. “Running away from school when there are people after you, I thought the worst!”

“Don’t be mad at me, Jim, please.” She welled and came to his left side. “I can’t stand it when you’re mad at me.” Hands lifted. Heart pounding. Red lights scorched now. All she wanted to do was smother them out. “It hurts when you’re mad at me, let me make it better. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, don’t be upset.”

No one wants me.

I’m not a nice girl.

“Camille, it’ll be okay, just…don’t do this again.” Jim cocked his head with an easier sigh, lifted his eyes to see her too close to him. He opened his mouth to continue before bright red lips fell upon his.

Begging.

Tears wet Camille’s cheeks as she took his jaw and opened her mouth. Moaned. Tried to deepen the kiss instantly, but Jim muffled a gasp of shock. Jerked up and away so quick that the chair skidded to crash into the floor. Camille was still looking at him with her hands lifted aimlessly, huge hazel eyes shining.

“I…I thought…”

“Camille, Jesus Christ, what was that?” Jim wiped his mouth and saw red smeared on his hand. His own gut twisted. He looked like she slapped him. Guilt that maybe he led her on pooled. “You can’t do things like that.”

Camille burst into tears. Covered her face and crouched down on wobbling legs like she might collapse.

“I’m so stupid,” she cried. Jim recovered and came down to her level. Felt a cringe back into the wall the second he touched her.

“Hey, Camille. Just breathe for a second. Talk to me.” Jim was too good. The open wound bled out. He managed to get her into his warm arms.

His girl was confused. Trying to hurt herself. He knew the pattern well enough. Tears wet his uniform. Camille pressed her cheek into the cool metal badge still pinned to his chest. Felt his heart beat under it.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” it wasn’t often Jim used pet names, they made her soften, “you’re safe. I got you. Just take an easy breath for me.” Camille shuddered into his body. Clutched at him and lifted glimmering eyes.

“But,” Camille cringed through a sob, “can you see me, Jim?”

Am I real? Am I dirty? Are the red lights going to burn still?

Jim Hopper had no answer. He tucked her back under his chin. Kissed brown hair. Squeezed Camille so tight. Until she stopped crying and berating. Until she could breathe once more.

“You just…make me feel safe,” she said, “I’m sorry.” Jim nodded and rubbed her back. “Are you still mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad at you.” Hopper looked at the patterns in the wallpaper behind her. “You’re hurting. I just…can’t watch you hurt yourself more, Camille.”

“I’ll try to stop.”

“Promise me.” Jim’s own voice cracked.

“I promise.” She closed her eyes. Exhaled Neil Hargrove out of her skin.

For a single beat there, Camille Harper felt the wound might be able to close.

#billy hargrove #Camille Harper #neil hargrove #Jim hopper #blurb #mine #writing #ask #anon #reply #Billy hargrove x oc #susan mayfield

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startwreck · 6 years

Text

WizardWorld Chicago 2018

“I’ll never fly to a con.”

That was my self-imposed rule. See, I live in the Northeast US, so there are lots of major cities within driving/busing distance, and thus lots of cons, and other fandom-adjacent events, happen within a reasonable distance of me. (I realize this is a privilege, and one I’m quite grateful for.) Anyway, when I got into the X-Files fandom a couple of years ago, I was interested in meeting Phile Phriends / Tumblr Pals in real life, and in participating in fandom or fandom-adjacent events, which I have done (and have spent money on), but I told myself that there was no need to ever fly anywhere just for a con: the cost of airfare is too much of an investment, the talent’s schedules can change, and besides, there are a disproportionate amount of options that I don’t have to make the investment to fly to. So I thought.

When DD & GA were announced for WizardWorld Chicago, I had already committed to plans for the con weekend. I was a little bummed, but thought that it was probably for the best that I already had plans, because otherwise, I would have been very tempted to fly to it. Then, just a few weeks prior to the con, after hanging up the phone call in which my last weekend in August plans were postponed, I saw a note from Kristin @kateyes224 alluding to her intention to go to the con. She informed me that @sunflowerseedsandscience, who I had been hoping to meet earlier in the summer, would also be flying in for the occasion. I took this influx of information as a sign that I should get myself to Chicago for that weekend. I justified the cost by using airline and hotel points to subside the expense. I was going to fly to a con. The next few weeks were a whirlwind of madness at work, so I was very grateful to have the aforementioned pals, plus Carrie @carrie11 who would be joining us for her first con, in my pocket to countdown to the weekend with.

I flew to Chicago on the morning Friday, August 24, laughing internally at the absurdity of the situation all the way. I made my way to Rosemont, my eyes going wide when I caught my first glimpse of the convention center, and settled myself into the hotel room before heading downtown on the train to meet Carrie. There was a food truck festival right by the L station that I emerged from, and I realized that all I had consumed only an iced coffee so far in the day, so I remedied that. Carrie was nice enough to indulge in my desire to be a tourist, since I hadn’t been to Chicago proper in years. I had never made it to the Willis Sears Tower, so we did that, and she took some fun pics of Puppet Mulder. I think this is my fav:

We then did a bit of walking -- Grant Park, Lake Shore Drive path, Millenium Park, and the Chicago River, before the rest of the crew arrived and it was finally pizza time! Soon after Carrie and I secured a table at Giordano’s, Kristin, @sunflowerseedsandscience, and Amanda @all-these-ghosts arrived. I greeted them on the patio and had an epic reunion hug with Kristin in which we made a total scene and squeezed each other so tight while squealing that I choked on some of her hair. The five us then had a wonderful dinner that I don’t remember much about except that the pizza was amazing, the company was even better, and I’m pretty sure I was just still in awe that this was all happening. After dinner, we went to grab drinks down the street. There was Shiner Bock on the menu, so Puppet Mulder joined us and confused many of the staff. Amanda especially was tickled by Puppet Mulder, while I was fangirling over her (she wrote Then The Bomb, people!!!) Truly, the con could have been cancelled and the trip still would have been worth it for just hanging out with this crew:

Saturday morning, Kristin procured Starbucks and we all readied ourselves to be presentable for photo ops in the late morning. We met Carrie, Clarice @contrivedcoincidences6, and @albanyparkavenue in the lobby and headed to the convention center. The security line coming from the hotels was long but moved fast. At this point, I had only pre-purchased a dual photo op (and Saturday ticket) but while we were in line I accidentally-but-it-was-bound-to-happen-anyway purchased GA & DD autographs on the ticketing app on my phone. Oops! Once we got in and procured our wristbands, it was already time for those of us with dual photo ops to get in line, so we did. In the midst of a lot of line waiting, Kristin perfected Puppet Mulder’s hair (we decided on Season 4 / Paper Hearts classic floops aka Backstreet Bangs). Puppet Mulder also made friends with a tiny Supergirl, which Carrie captured in a couple pics, and my day was made. Soon, it was go time. I was to go first so that Kristin could do last looks on Puppet Mulder’s hair immediately before the photo. As we approached the final holding area, I situated Puppet Mulder on my right arm and was prepared to pose him in an arms-spread position using the armrods in my left hand (we had been practicing in line.) When it was my turn, I approached, and I was told by those in line behind me that Gillian gave an exasperated “Ohhhhhhhhh boy” while I announced “Puppet Mulder is here!” in an attempt to preemptively stave off any questions about who he was and prevent myself from having to make any awkward hand gestures like I did in Montreal. As we were getting in position I asked, “Can he get in between you? I don’t know that I want to be in it” since I didn’t really care about my face being in it, but also didn’t want to crouch down without warning and confuse everyone. But David insisted, “Ah, no, you gotta be in it!” to which I conceded “I do? Ok.” and stayed put. With that, the photo was taken, I said thanks, and moved out of the way. As the rest of the crew emerged from the Tunnel of Love Anxiety, we went around the corner to retrieve our photos, and I think everyone in the group was pleased with the results! I was pleasantly surprised by mine (even if Gillian is doing her nervous hands.)

I even bought a photo protector sheet after being called out by DD in Montreal for not treating our photo with the utmost respect and bending it a bit. After this ordeal, we realized that we needed drinks and to regroup, so we acquired alcohol (beer is a reasonable lunch, right?) and found a path of floor outside the main hall to make our own. We were joined by some more pals including @dahlia-ships, @observeroftheuniverse, and @perplexistan.

After this recovery period, it was time for Gillian’s autograph session. I had the pleasure of being behind Natalie for this and got to listen to Natalie give the most eloquent, heartfelt litany of thanks to one of her favs. Also, somehow margaritas came up and Natalie and I were like “Yesss we just drank before this!” so clearly my 20 seconds were much less profound, but here’s the rough transcript after that:

Me: Thanks for putting up with us. GA: This was one of my favorite photos of the day. Me: Aww, really?! GA: Yeah, it’s between this one and maybe one other. Me: Oh, what was that? GA: Someone had an alien. Me: Oh yeah, the big blow up thing? [Had spotted this in front of us in the photo op line.] GA: Yeah. Me: *nods* Thanks!

When I emerged from her booth and realized she inscribed “My favorite photo of the day” on the photo, I was both heart-eyed and in awe. See, I am a terrible multi-tasker and thus continually in awe of Gillian’s ability to have a conversation while simultaneously making a non-robotic inscription. Like, yeah, she’s pretty good at acting and contributes to humanitarian causes, but I’d like to give her an award for speaking and writing at the same time. Was this talent born from some crazy avant-garde theatre warm-up? Is this some kind of Mom superpower? Really what I’m asking is: Is there hope for me yet to learn this skill?

Anyway, after the crew got their Gillian autographs, some more drinks were procured, and then we decided to go wait in line for the panel (which was actually a solid 9 minute walk from the main hall.) At this point, I started bothering Kristin to come get a DD autograph with me before the panel, because I’m a bad influence like that. She was unprepared with what she would have him sign though, so we started brainstorming, and landed on possibly The X-Files: Earth Children Are Weird picture book that I had brought a copy of so that Kristin could do a dramatic reading. Since that was back in the hotel room, a few of us darted back to grab it (and to grab our leftover deep dish, which my growling stomach was very grateful for.) We brought the remaining pizza to the line-sitters, and at around 4pm, I successfully convinced Kristin to come grab a DD autograph with me. Shayla @thatredhead00 joined us and her tale of a DD interaction earlier in the day made me howl with laughter. We made friends with a couple of local guys in line, and I connected with a woman I recognized from a previous event, which was funny. Anyway, DD made it back from his afternoon break, the signing session began, and soon enough, Kristin went first with the picture book, and I globbed on to her convo. Here’s the rough transcript:

DD: [signing on the title page] What am I signing? K: The X-Files picture book! DD: [Turns to the front cover] Aww, it’s cute! [Genuinely, high-pitched] DD: What happens in it? K: They go camping in the woods. Me: And Scully’s parents are aliens. Me: Whoops, I gave away the twist ending. DD: Yeah, you ruined it for me. Me: Yeah, it was gonna take you so long to read… Me: Thanks so much!

For those keeping score at home, this brings my record of accidentally-but-lovingly making fun of DD to his face at con autograph sessions to an even 2-0. Interestingly enough, I’ve been to two of his book signings and complimented him (well, his writing) at both of those. Not sure what gives.

Anyway, we decided that we needed more drinks before the panel so grabbed those and then made the journey back to where that was. Our pals were already seated, and the question line had already started forming, so Kristin and Shayla hopped in that while I took a seat with the crew. The panel was perfectly fine in person. Per usual, a few cringey questions (thanks Natalie for letting me squeeze your arm through these), but also a few great questions and responses. Kristin got to ask her question (and, as predicted, Gillian couldn’t remember specifics, and the morgue scene in “Ghouli” was David’s answer, but it was still nice to hear it.) Other highlights included a thoughtful question and response from Gillian on how the show might have been different if written from a more feminist perspective. Also, there was a fleeting moment when I thought the tell-all book was going to be spoiled, plus the infamous “Who tops?” question. All in all, not bad at all, though this was the first panel I’ve attended with just the two of them, so I admittedly don’t have any equal comparison points. Soon enough, it was over, and it was time to drink (more!) with Philes. All of the aforementioned crew from the day joined, plus Amanda, @datanullyx, @redscully, @xfilesgeekery, and @anicepieceofash. We started in the hotel bar but, in the interest of cost savings, eventually procured liquor and ordered (more) pizza and moved to our hotel room. There were lots of hugs and snuggles, lots of loudly wondering “What is my life?”, platonic handholding, one human/puppet makeout session, an impressive demonstration of Kristin’s ability to sleep through anything, and some amazing cheesecake brownies . As the evening got late, Puppet Mulder even changed into his red Speedo (and put on his to-scale legs.) Needless to say, it was a night both wonderful and strange. Here’s some of the crew at the after-after party:

I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend time with everyone I met or re-met this weekend, and if I start calling out the specifics of why you’re all so great, I’ll make myself cry, so I’m going to stop here. If you’ve read all of this rambling (whether you were present or not), I’m very impressed. Thanks to everyone who shared in this weekend with me from both near and far, and thanks to Gillian and David for giving us an excuse to meetup.

I said I’d never fly to a con, but I’m so glad I did.

Author's note: I always hate writing these because a) it means it’s over, and b) I can never fully capture the awesomeness that is meeting up with fandom friends. Also, I have a shit memory, but jotted down notes about stuff right after it happened on Saturday, so hopefully I’m not misconstruing anything too terribly. If you were present, feel free to correct me!

#wizardworld chicago 2018 #wizardworld #x files #david duchovny #gillian anderson #conventions #over a week belated but I finally finished!#long post #in case the readmore fails #also I hope tagging folks works #what a great weekend #I love you all #puppet mulder #chicago #I'll never fly to a con #<-- famous last words #personal

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theshapeshifter100 · 5 years

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Guess What? I’m Not a Robot RC Ch11

Masterlist

Word Count: 2,666 (that was not intentional)

Chapter Warning: strong language

6.30PM Wednesday 10th November 2038

Megan and Paul ended up going back up the convoy. None of the cab doors were locked so they could go through glove boxes and dashboards and foot wells for discarded snacks.

They stuffed what they found in Megan’s backpack, which was mostly candy, granola bars, chips and trail mix. There were thankfully water bottles in them as well, most half empty, which was a little disgusting to think about.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Paul reminded as Megan wrinkled her nose at a half empty plastic water bottle. With a sigh she made sure the cap was properly screwed on and stowed it in her back pack.

“It’s good to see you again,” Megan finally said.

“You too,” Paul nodded. He fiddled with his raincoat, which he had found again. They were also careful to keep their voices down, since soldiers were still in the back of these. Guilt twisted in Megan’s stomach, they were stuck in the dark with no food or water, that wasn’t humane. They were only following orders.

Yet, what could they do? They had no resources to spare and they were all students. Julia was the only one with a decent income, and even then, providing for over 100 soldiers? Doable with a sandwich and a bottle of water each, but suspicious when buying.

“What are you thinking?” Paul asked, and Megan shook her head.

“Nothing much. Trying not to freak out,” for once it couldn’t be further from the truth. With Paul back, Megan felt calm, at ease.

“Really? Your vitals are fine,” Paul noted, and Megan mentally cursed.

“I’m mostly succeeding,” she amended. “How about you? What are you thinking in that big brain of yours?”

Paul didn’t respond for a few seconds.

“You put yourself at great risk to help me.”

“Yeah,” Megan shrugged. “You needed us, and there was no arguing with Alex once their mind was set. They got a plan together before I could even blink.”

“Of course they did,” Paul chuckled. “But, this was crazy. You could have died earlier, you know that?”

“Believe me, I know,” Megan sighed. Every time she closed her eyes she could see the barrel of a gun. “But, so could have you. In fact, if we weren’t there you most definitely would have died.”

Paul took his beanie off and began to play with it. They stopped outside the next truck and Megan went in to root around.

“I know,” he muttered, but in the dead quiet Megan still heard him. “It’s just, you don’t, I,” Paul sighed. “I don’t know how to say it, but I really think you shouldn’t have come to rescue me. I’m glad you did!” he defended when Megan shot him a disbelieving look. “It’s just, you took some serious risks and-”

“Stop,” Megan got out of the vehicle and grabbed his hands. “Stop with the self deprecation, because that’s what this is. You’re always getting me to stop, so let’s not be hypocritical,” Megan smiled up at him. “I came for you because I like you, I want you in my life, and, honestly, I was a wreck without you. Yeah I came to save you, but it was mostly Alex’s plan and I was terrified the entire damn time. I’ve lost track of how many anxiety attacks I’ve had or nearly had in the last three days and I’m still here, because you mean that much to me. Okay?”

Paul had no words, and gripped Megan’s gloved hands with his much larger ones.

“Tha- thank you,” he managed to get out, feeling the words catch in his throat. “I, I’d just gotten used to the idea of not being rescued, I, I don’t know...” he could feel moisture running down his face. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“You’re overwhelmed, and that’s alright,” Megan didn’t relax her grip, and could feel tears starting fall on her face. “I’m doing it too. This is the first moment we’ve had where we can really think, huh?”

“Yeah,” Paul agreed, and pulled one hand out to wipe his face. “Fuck, I’ve never done that before. I can see why you hate it.”

Megan laughed wetly. “Yeah, crying sucks, but you tend to feel a bit better afterwards.”

“Got it,” Paul’s hand hovered in front of him awkwardly now his face was clear. Megan took it, and in a moment of spontaneity she attempted to pull him into a hug. Since he was taken by surprise he didn’t budge, so she flung herself at his torso instead.

Paul was quick to recover, hugging her back. At that point it properly sunk in for both of them that the other was there. Safe, in one piece, alive. No guns were pointing at them, there was no rush, no time limit. For now, all was well. All was good.

Neither of them decided to mention that they could feel the other crying on them.

7.30PM Wednesday 10th November 2038

The two of them made it back to the Recycling Centre, bag and pockets full to bursting with snacks and drinks.

Androids had positioned themselves on the main fence, legs locking them into position and guns pointed outwards. A few were stationed on the ground by the tunnel and one more was lying in a sniper position on top of the front van. There was a slight nod from that one as Megan and Paul passed by, but otherwise no indication that they were noticed.

They found most of Android Allies by the security picker, sans Lucas, Ivy and Nathan, all huddled around some space heaters that had been up from where the flood lights were.

“We have food,” Paul announced, and Megan dropped the bag on the ground.

“Some of it’s half eaten,” she warned. “But it’s better than nothing.”

“Oh thank God, I’m starving!” Oscar was the first to dig in.

“Hey, save some for the rest of us!” Nathan cried. “That’s got to feed all nine of us!”

Oscar paused, and guiltily put some of the snacks down, and everyone else leapt on them.

It was not a substantial meal, but it would do for now.

“We need to do a supply run,” voiced Maggie halfway through a candy bar. “We don’t know how long we’re going to be here.”

“These guys have got it under control,” Allison countered, “they don’t need us!”

“Then what?” Alex asked. “We go back to my place and hide there?”

“We can go with the original plan,” Allison shrugged. “A shit ton of protesting.”

“Hate to break it to you,” Lucas responded from the cabin. “The right to assembly is suspended. We go out and protest, we’ll get arrested.”

“Oh, and we won’t get arrested staying here?”

“Actually, unlikely,” Paul added. “Given the android’s positions and weaponry, and the fact the alarm doesn’t seem to have been raised, we’re not likely to be arrested here.”

“Huh,” Allison was surprised, and Megan got a question in before she could recover.

“How’re the others doing?”

“Not so great,” Alex sighed. “Not much has changed from the last convo over radio. There’s stuff connected to the internet in the trucks, it’s just wiring it up to the phones. And, none of us are engineers.”

Alex looked at Paul, who shook his head.

“I am not a jack of all trades droid. I am designed for home assistance, not engineering.”

“You wielded a gun pretty well there, I doubt that’s in your programming,” Megan responded, and Paul’s shoulders slumped.

“Fine, I’ll go see what I can do. I’ll bring some snacks for them,” Paul grabbed an armful to a small protest and left the main compound.

Lucas had driven the truck up to the barrier, so thankfully they weren’t far. Lucas followed them and jumped into that truck while Ivy and Nathan were working in one of the massive dumper trucks. Paul tried not to think about their contents as he delivered food.

Lucas had merely nodded when Paul dropped by, engrossed in setting up his work. So Paul went up to the larger truck.

“All hail the bringer of food!” crowed Nathan as he dug in. He took a bite out of some chocolate and let out a sigh. “I might miss Dairy Milk, but right now, this is some good shit.”

“Nathan!” Ivy snapped, but she reached across and grabbed some chips from Paul, who was on the step up outside the cab. “Thanks though.”

“How’s it going?” Paul asked.

“Slow,” Ivy responded, Nathan too busy enjoying chocolate. “I’d love to see a nice obvious USB port, but of course, it’s not that simple. It’s only connected to the internet for maps, so trying to get it go further than that is fucking nightmare!”

Paul frowned and leaned over Nathan. “Mind if I-?” he started as he reached over. To his surprise his skin pulled back, and before he’d finished his fingers brushed against the electronic dashboard.

All of a sudden, he could see it. See the code, understand it. It just took a little push here, a little nudge there, and...

Ivy’s phone beeped and when she went to look at it, she found that through the amalgamation of cables, it was connected to the truck internet.

“How the hell did you do that?” she asked, in utter awe.

Paul pulled his hand back, synthetic skin covering his hand again. “I, I don’t know.”

Ivy began to scroll through her phone, getting online. “Let’s see what’s been happening.”

9.24PM Wednesday 10th November 2038

Android Allies were crowded around Ivy’s and Lucas’s phones as well as the space heaters. They had moved them out to the trucks and had been joined by a small group of androids, who were going to broadcast to the rest.

President Warren’s speech was about to begin, and no one was expecting anything good.

They were greeted to a tiny President Warren on each screen, walking towards the podium in the White House, all smiles and waves as cameras flashed. She got settled, and began to speak in an oddly halting manner, although it made it difficult to mishear anything even through tinny phone speakers.

“At 6AM this morning a national curfew was declared. Civilian movement will be strictly controlled, the right to assembly is suspended, all electronic communications are restricted, and I have granted enhanced powers to our security agencies. In addition to these measures, all androids must be handed over to the authorities immediately. Temporary camps are being set up in all our major cities to contain and destroy them. I am now asking all civilians to co-operate with the authorities, and rest assured that everything in our power is being done to guarantee the security of our nation.”

“So basically, nothing Detroit didn’t already know,” Allison sighed, huddling closer to the space heater.

“I don’t know,” Lucas disagreed, shifting position. “I don’t think we knew the curfew was country wide.”

“I feel sorry for those who want to check on family,” Julia suddenly interjected as various reporters vied for the President’s attention. “If communication is down countrywide then no one can check if anyone’s okay.”

A simultaneous sensation of guilt gripped those still in college. Their parents had to be freaking out, and for good reason. Not one felt like telling their parents where they were and what they were doing.

The President picked a reporter to respond to, and they asked.

“Has the leader of the deviants been apprehended?”

“The deviant that is known as Markus has not been located yet, but we will soon track it down and neutralise it.”

“There was a thing with Jericho,” Ivy explained for those who didn’t know. “Which was Markus’s base. It was raided last night, and we don’t know if he’s alive. He’s also kind of a big fucking deal.”

The next reporter was called upon.

“Is it true that the androids could hack our IT systems, like nuclear power plants and military bases?”

“All androids working on sensitive sites have been neutralised and all IT systems have been suspended to avoid any risks of hacking. The situation is under control.”

“Can you hack things Paul?” Megan asked, genuinely curious, and Paul shrugged.

“That’s how we’re even watching this. I didn’t even know I could do it until then.”

Yet another reporter.

“Many believe that androids are a new form of intelligent life. Do you have any comment?”

“That’s ridiculous. Next question please.”

“Fuck off!” Allison and Ivy both snarled while the androids all responded angrily. Surprisingly it was Nathan who exploded next.

“That’s clearly not ridiculous you ignorant, incompetent, senile old bat!” he bellowed, making everyone jump. “If they weren’t sentient, they wouldn’t be fucking revolting now would they?!”

“Nathan, we get it,” Julia tried to calm him down. “And she can’t hear you.”

“I know, I know. It’s just, ah! After all this!” Nathan mumbled before settling back down, just in time for the next journalist’s question.

“What’s going to happen to CyberLife? Will androids be banned definitively?”

“We’re working very closely with Cyberlife to neutralise all deviants. I won’t make any comments about anything else until we have dealt with the android question.”

Megan glanced at Paul, and gripped his hand, giving it what she hoped was a comforting squeeze. He noticed the pressure and looked down at his hand before smiling warmly at Megan, the gesture appreciated.

“Madam President, public opinion seems to have become increasingly favourable to the deviants, particularly since they’ve adopted a peaceful approach. How do you feel about this?”

“Damn straight,” Oscar almost rumbled over the President’s response.

“Public opinion is one thing, the security of the state is another. These deviants are dangerous and my highest priority is to protect the American people. Thank you. That will be all.”

“Oh fuck off!” Lucas rolled his eyes as the President walked away, desperate reporters still shouting their questions. “They’re as dangerous as any other human, and frankly, humans have probably harmed more androids.”

“Here’s a pretty good example,” commented android. “Excluding you guys.”

“It’s hard to figure out who’s the exception at this point,” Oscar added. “Especially if public favour is being brought to the President’s attention.”

Alex suddenly yawned. “So basically, that was a load of bullshit to make everyone’s life harder. I’m tired as fuck, so I’m going to sleep. Don’t know about you lot.”

“Alex,” Julia started, but paused when Alex looked blankly at her. “Are, are you going to be okay?”

Alex suddenly slumped. “I will be. I’d just like some space.”

They stalked back to the compound, and Julia sighed, but didn’t follow.

“I agree,” Ivy yawned. “Time for sleep. And deal with shit in the morning.”

She got into the big truck with Maggie, and Oscar took the bench the behind the driver and passenger seats. Lucas wordlessly went to the smaller truck, and was joined by Nathan.

With his new found hacking power, Paul unlocked the rest of the nearby trucks and everyone got as cosy as they could. Julia brought one of the heaters down to Alex before climbing into her own cab. Paul had turned the electronics on, so each cab was warming up.

He and Megan were in a small truck and Megan reclined her seat as best she could before curling up on the passenger’s side.

“...Paul?”

“Mmm?” Paul was leaning back in the driver’s seat, not worried about sleep.

“You’re going to be here when I wake up right?”

“Of course I will,” Paul responded softly. “I won’t go anywhere.”

“Thank you,” Megan murmured, and she relaxed into sleep.

Paul sat there, staring out of the windscreen. He was here. He was alive. He almost wanted to laugh it seemed so farfetched.

Instead he leaned back in his seat, and propped his feet up on the dashboard. He didn’t need to sleep, and had no plans on going into stasis, but there was no point in sitting rigidly upright.

I am an absolute sucker for Megan and Paul soft moments, just, ah!

The President Warren speech and reactions are pretty much copy and pasted from the Protest Path, although those who remember it will know that Paul never did the interface thing, 'cause he never needed to. Nothing much to add there, just a cool detail.

Other Options Flowchart

(Megan) Tell the truth

(Paul) Say nothing. Go along with the lie.

(Megan) Don't mention Paul using a gun

Tags! @nightmarejim @septicart-appreciation

#Guess What? I'm Not a Robot #Guess What? I'm Not a Robot RC #Guess What? I'm Not a Robot RC CH11 #Detroit: Become Human #Detroit Become Human #Detroit Become Human OC #Detroit Become Human Fanfic #Detroit: Become Human OC #Detroit: Become Human fanfic #DBH #D:BH #DBHOC #D:BHOC #dbh fanfic #D:BH fanfic #TheShapeshifter100 writes #Android Allies #Alternate Route #Recycling Centre

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fierrochase · 7 years

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my favorite moments from the lightning thief musical: a list

far from comprehensive, because it was all-around amazing :D

also geez i meant for this to be short?? ok this is the long version and i’ll post an abridged one that’s a bit less wordy in a few

in terms of production value, it reminded me a bit of a starkid musical - there were no fancy special effects, but i liked it that way! it felt homemade almost, like they didn’t try to convince the audience that they weren’t sitting in a theatre watching a show and i appreciate that! brecht would be proud lol (sorry for the lame theatre nerd jokes)

they included blue food!! sally and percy had blue marshmallows at montauk!! on that note, percy and sally’s relationship was absolutely spot-on, it was clear from the start how much he loved her and how much she loved him :’)

they included the “you drool when you sleep” line boy I nearly cried!! ALSO she said that to him when he was still all dazed from the minotaur attack (a guy with a paper mache head, btw haha) so later when he meets her again when luke introduces her percy saw her and shouted “YOU’RE MY DREAM GIRL! no no wait I mean the girl from my dream!” it made me laugh like a fool and it was sooooo THEM like thank jesus lord, we’ve finally got a GOOD REPRESENTATION OF THESE CHARACTERS!!

jumping off from that: chris mccarrell as percy was INCREDIBLE. he perfectly encapsulated everything percy should be - his impulsivity, his frustrations with dyslexia/adhd/not doing well in school, his love for his mom, his friendship with grover, his disrespect for authority (i refuse to use the word “sass” in relation to percy but i mean if it was 2013 that’s how i would describe it), his confusion, his bravery, his goofiness - when he picked up his sword for capture the flag he went “COOOOOL” and started making lightsaber noises and i almost teared up a bit i kid you not because I really finally felt like I was seeing Percy up on that stage. also, the boy has some wicked pipes.

also for reference i’ll try my best to list who all played what part because there were a lot

percy and annabeth were just themselves the whole time, and grover also played mr. d in a few scenes but the rest of the cast played all the different parts

mr. brunner/chiron also played a random aphrodite girl (he wore a wig with long blonde braids skdjhfsjdh), medusa, poseidon, and hades

sally also played silena, the oracle, echidna, and charon

luke also played smelly gabe and ares

clarisse also played mrs. dodds, katie gardner, a squirrel (to be explained later hah), bianca (also to be explained later), and thalia (also also to be explained later)

& i’m probably missing a few but those were the major ones! they also played generic students, tourists, etc.

chiron was really funny, when he revealed himself to be a centaur he sort of just stood up from his wheelchair and was wearing a fake horse tail and he walked everywhere by prancing which was funny

mr. d was ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL? as mentioned he was played by the guy who played grover! he was angry and he was loud and he wore this floppy hat and pants pulled up to like his ribcage and he shouted every line and i LOVED IT. a random/unnamed half blood came in and set up a metal chair for him at his table full of paperwork and he kicked it over in rage so she set it up again and he kicked it again later and she ran away and he tried to kick his chair over a third time but it wasn’t there so he went and picked it up just to kick it over again. ALSO HE CALLED PERCY PETER JOHNSON GOD BLESS THE WRITERS!!

also i’m giving them a thumbs up for diversity!! luke and sally were both african american and grover was latino!! it was nice!!

annabeth did call percy out for assuming her dad was the god, like i think that convo was almost word for word from the book AMAZING

also her crush on luke was super obvi, she got all giggly every time he talked to her or put his arm around her shoulder aw

they sort of condensed a few events, which makes sense because most people wouldn’t sit through a 6-hour musical (i would but that’s beside the point!), so annabeth’s capture the flag strategy was to send percy into the bathroom as clarisse bait. ALSO the toilet explosion & the later tidal wave he hits ares with were done by attaching toilet paper rolls to leaf blowers and blowing them all over the stage - like i said, no fancy special effects, but it got the point across pretty well!!

percy’s claiming happened at the bonfire after they all sang a fun song about how much it sucks to be a kid of a god (during which grover ate his marshmallow roasting stick, like it’s the little things that make this show so great!!) and for that they stood downstage and all pointed vaguely outwards and said “look! the stars are arranging themselves into a trident!” hah

ALSO mr. d’s bit about wanting to turn percy into a dolphin was in there god bless

percy wore the winged shoes the whole time instead of giving them to grover!

^that all was act 1! act 2 was the entirety of the quest which meant that a lot of the events got cut or shortened

the medusa scene was awesome, and pretty true to the books!! also they both sort of ran offstage and then percy ran back onstage with his sword and the head in his hands lol

while grover went into the back of aunty m’s to look for supplies annabeth had this amazing, utterly badass song called “wise girl” about how she’s had to fight all her life to make it, like she talked about her stepmom hating her and running away from home and stuff and it was SOOOOO GOOD like at one point she said “boys who mess up are given a second chance, but i don’t have that luxury” like DAMN GIRL TELL THEM!! also she did call him seaweed brain a few times and i was like oooooh man i’d almost forgotten my vintage percabeth feels

also yes percy did mail medusa’s head to mount olympus and did this very percy-ish little “heh heh heh i’m clever” laugh as he did

instead of a poodle grover asked a squirrel for directions which was cute!! and yes, annabeth did yell at percy to apologize to the squirrel for offending it :D

most of the trip west was done as a song/montage sort of thing, from post-medusa to vegas all happened in one song! so echidna and her chimera were there, but it was just her holding a dog carrier and it biting percy’s hand when he reached in and them all screaming and then it moved on!!

OK UM the part that made my day was the lotus hotel, it was like 5 seconds long because annabeth was like “wait!! in the odyssey if you sleep in a lotus bed you wake up years later!” so percy was like “that’s ridiculous! here let me ask this girl how long she’s been here” and the girl was like “my brother and I have been here since thursday!” and percy was like “see? we’re fine” and then she went “in 1939!!” and they sorta screamed and ran out lol and she charlestoned off but anyway the point is she had black braids and a little hat and i turned to my sister and whisper-shouted “THAT’S BIANCA!!!” and she was like “OMG IT IS” i loved it!!!!!!!!!!!! thank god the writers of this ACTUALLY READ THE BOOKS!!

ares’ first scene was kinda short too, they cut the bit about going to waterland/the tunnel of love ride and just had him give them a ride to the next place, also it was suuuuper obvi foreshadowing because when he gave percy the backpack an ominous chord played lol

my other fav moment was when they were on the train to LA (they cut the zoo truck too) grover told percy the story of getting annabeth/luke/thalia to CHB and they reenacted it as he sang about it (that sounds cheesy, it was the three of them up on the top platform sort of doing it in slow motion while Grover sang) and like ngl i almost teared up a bit when thalia died

no procrustes :(( i know i’m listing thing after thing that they left out but like i understand why they did and i don’t think it suffered too badly!! like someone who hasn’t read the book would probs be a bit confused but in what they did have they were so spot-on that i really didn’t mind!

charon was reimagined as a cool beyonce-esque r&b singer, she was like “hey, y’all want a copy of my mixtape?” lol, also they sang this real fun and upbeat song welcoming to the underworld, like telling them about all the cool dead musicians they have (janis joplin, kurt cobain, and mozart all made cameos - annabeth was fangirling over mozart it was adorable!) and the trio was like “oh this is cool!!” until they realized they were about to die lol and charon started evil laughing it was great!

percy did almost get drawn into tartarus, that was cool bc a trap door opened and all this fog lit with red light started billowing out! also when annabeth was like “that’s tartarus!!” percy went “THE FISH SAUCE??” adorable

hades was great!! very sulky like, “why does everyone always think I’M the bad guy?? maybe it’s the decor” i loved it

also the lightning bolt itself was really nice-looking!! it was like described, a tube with metal caps, but it lit up really brightly as annabeth took it out from the backpack and it looked real cool!!

instead of the pearls they escaped the underworld with a conch shell that poseidon gave percy in a dream way back after he defeated the minotaur and he did have to leave sally which is sad every time :(

the final battle against ares was fun, that’s when percy sang his showstopper “son of poseidon” which was truly #lit. if/when they release the cast album that’s the one i’ll be playing on repeat and full blast. and he exploded the toilet paper ocean at ares and it was fun!

poseidon showed up then to take the bolt back to zeus and chat with percy, he was in his hawaiian shirt and looking real cool! and he got sally back and after she hugged percy real tight she saw poseidon and they had a heated moment of “you’re as beautiful as ever” “you’re as charming as ever” and then percy was like “OKAY THIS IS WEIRD” truly great!!

and they did include the final chat with luke about kronos! i was wondering if they’d cut that because it’s not like they can do a series of musicals (though if they did i’d go see every one) but they had it! plus they needed to tie up the loose end of percy being betrayed by a friend! and he stabbed percy in the lower back but was disarmed by annabeth go girl!! but he didn’t take long to recover hah because he was able to sing the badass closing number about being cool demigods and saving the world!!

anyway there’s much more that i forgot to mention but just know overall that it was amazingly true to the characters and the tone/world/humor/etc. of the books and i was almost giddy for the rest of the day because it was one of the most loving, fun, entertaining, and on-point adaptations of a book i’ve seen in any form. m*vies who?? i only know the musical!!

feel free to send me asks if you want to know more about a particular scene!!

jesus lord this was long!! like i said, short version forthcoming!

#mango.txt #not mcga #the lightning thief #percy jackson musical #idk what else to tag so people can find this post but that should cover it!

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oliviarthomasba2a · 6 years

Text

Initial Concept - Upgraded

Notes made on phone planning the story:

Opens with futuristic city scape - decadent civilisation -> reveals large screen advertisements and billboards of “upgrades” and new devices Opens with cloudless sky, holds(beat), flying car/vehicle wizzes by to interrupt stillness.

Music kicks in and camera pans down the reveal a futuristic cityscape (decadent civilisation). As we move down we see large screen advertisements and billboards featuring upgrades and new devices. Pass various signs and billboards like:

- the hand advertised

- To err is to be human. Never err again.

Continues to pan, but then holds briefly on large billboard screen with man on saying “our team of bio hackers have been working tirelessly to create the best and most advanced upgrades for you. Why be you when you can be better”

We then drop down to street level where we see hustle and bustle of city life - small hints to culture and norms.

See lots of places selling upgrades and people walking around with mechanical aspects/parts. Access to precincts are based on your upgrades (the more you have the richer and higher class you are).

Characters acknowledge others upgrades and give friendly greetings - the tone upbeat and fun (nice atmosphere)

Follow a couple of people with upgrades who have just been greeted by others like them. They pass two very human (no mechanical parts) people who are begging for handouts. They shun this and ignore them - “blank them” - the eyes turn black and look away.

We continue to follow them until one unnoticeably drops an apple. They walk off screen.

Close up of hand picking up apple - reveal main character. A young boy around the age of 16 called Altan he hides apple in top

Walks off sneakily with his find bumps into man,

“oh sorry sir, I didn’t see you ther...”

man reveals black eyes (blanks him)

“Or you didn’t see me....” annoyed

races back to rundown area to his two friends. He walks inside a rundown shack to greet friends, pulls out apple from top-

“Hey guys, looky what I have” Excited reactions, each bite and pass around and conversation begins

(Within convo: “I got blanked today...again”

“Why do you care what they think”

(Bit of confrontational convo where altan is pro upgrades and wants better life, whereas Quinn is anti, he understands that it is safer without - ends harmoniously due to young arlo)

F2: “sorry I only got some tape and screws”

F3: I would have got back sooner but got lost around the new precinct

Boy: we would never get lost if we had the [navigation upgrade], just saying...it would make our lives a whole lot easier.

F2: hah, yeah scavenging for food would be a breeze I’ll admit

Boy: with upgrades you wouldn’t need to scavenge, they’d let you in anywhere. I guarantee it.

F3: it’s nice to dream Boy: but we don’t have to dream, I’ve had a new idea! If we could just find some [tools or items], I could put..

F3: [boy name]! Not after last time. You’re not a bio hacker. Upgrades are too expensive. We’re fine how we are

Boy: fine?! You call this fine. If I could just find

F2: [bame] just leave it. Please. You know [f3 name] doesn’t like it.

Silence

F2: come on, it’ll get dark soon. Let’s go. The night is young. brothers forever. We work together.

F2 puts hand in front. Others grimace but then look at each other and smile. Tension relaxes. Put their hands in too. - break and go separate ways

- something about upper class people and their “blanking”

- How cool his friends thinks upgrades are and that they wouldn’t get lost if they had something like “the new navigator thing”

All huddle and hands in - break and walk off in various directions to go scavenging.

New scene evening - altan loitering around a trash area, bumps and noises above cause him to look up and see a hoovering vehicle’s trailer bump around and drop something.

He runs towards the direction of fallen item. Finds box full of items/upgrade of various sorts - he’s amazed and in awe and can’t believe it.

Then heard noises behinds “I think it fell over here” Quickly grabs box and runs. Returns to run down area and enters what appears to be his room with screwdrivers and other tools laying around.

Opens box and takes out hand upgrade -

“Woah, No way. The ....[name] .... these haven’t been released yet”

Pulls out instructions and pieces of the upgrade and lays out in front. Picks up futuristic tool. Pauses and hesitates. Looks from tool to upgrade and holds. (Thinking) then sees apple core in background. He Grins - he knows what must be done

New scene opens with hustle bustle scene in streets. People begging and upper class blacking them as they walk around.

Altan is leaning against wall cross armed (hiding hand) man drops ...[item]... nearby and hand quickly stretches out and it shooooots into his gasp.

People turn to look at him and eye blacks go back to normal eyes. He is praised with thanks and compliments

“Why, that was incredible, how did you... the [hand] my I didn’t think it was released “

Lady-“what an incredible upgrade” “You must come show ..... , prudence wouldn’t believe we met someone with the ...”

Cut back to run down area

Bag drops to ground and lots of food rolls out.

Quinn and arlos eyes light up and run to the bag

“I’ve never seen so much food! Altan you’re amazing”

“How’d you get this?!”

Pulls out the green card “Oh you know, with this”

“A GREEN CARD?!” “How? You only get green cards with an.” Up....an “

“AN UPGRADE”

Pulls out hand in excitement and shows arlo who is also excited

“Altan how?! Where’d you get the money for it?”

“Last night. It fell out the back of a truck and I just thought. Why not. We deserve better than this life. And this (points at hand) THIS can get it for us. Today in the square, the [people] they loved me, they even took me to the green precinct to show me off to their friends

They didn’t love you. They love THAT

That’s..that’s not true

They’re dangerous and you know they are

This is going to get us anything we want...you’ll see

[conflict of interest]

Out next day coming out of precinct with food with lower class ugs Group of higher class ugs walk by (noticeably more upgraded) he goes to greet them with his hand but is blanked. Close open hand to a fist and has look of determination and watches them enter red precinct (more glitzy and lavish)

Cut to him in room again and picks up tool (got another upgrade out of the box)

Montage scenes: Cuts from him with new upgrades in red precinct. Returns home with food - young one praising and the excited. Other boy picks up food reluctantly and sighs “Beats an apple huh?” Grinning Box takes out upgrades from box, then snaps of upgrades leaving box. Back to blue precinct with people chatting and laughing Quick shots of him in different scenes with different people with more upgrades each time

Comes home, young runs to him and he looks surprised and rummages in pockets and pulls out single apple and walks off to room. Other boy looks angry and concerned

“Where’s [name]? We never see him anymore”

“With his ...[sharp and frustrated]friends”

“But we’re his friends”

“I’m not so sure anymore....”

“How could you say that! He loves us, [begins to cry] I’ll, I’ll, we’re brothers!”

Runs out

“No Arlo wait, don’t”

Follow kid running through street, wiping tears as he does so. Hears boys voice and laughing, see Back of Boy ahead with people He sniffs and smiles (is relieved)

Runs towards him excitedly

“Altan!”

Reaches him and tugs on back Boy turns to reveal largely upgraded body and black eyes (blanking)

Cut to empty box in his room

End

Feedback included the possibility of a box alternative. This is a bit of a plot hole in the story that I’d already recognised but wasn’t sure if I should approach. It could cause too many questions like why did he take just one item? How many areas actually there? Isn't that too lucky and coincidental? And possibly why didn’t Altan share any of them with his friends. From this, I decided to change my approach and fin a new way in which Altan could have access to upgrades.

It was also in question if the food featured should be different or futuristic in any kind of wahy? This is an interesting idea and thing to think about, however, I think I've decided to keep it as an apple and ‘normal’ food since it contrasts al ot wiht the futuristic theme and links to the naturallistic aspect of the human boys and Altan who loses this human and organic, natural being.

#storyadaptation

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